• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.125-138
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect the social competence of young children and to promote the social competence development of the age group. The study gathered data from 21 childcare teachers and 255 mothers of young children attending childcare centers in Incheon. Structured questionnaires were used for collecting data from the participants. The findings are as follows: First, playfulness and social competence varied by the age and gender of the young children. Boys outperformed their female counterparts in the sub-factors of playfulness such as physical spontaneity and sense of humor. Age caused a significant difference in all sub-factors including physical spontaneity, social spontaneity, cognitive spontaneity, manifest joy and sense of humor and the social competence of young children. Second, the study examined the correlations among social competence, temperament and playfulness. A positive correlation was shown between overall social competence and activity; social competence was negatively correlated with shyness but positively correlated with the sub-variables of children's playfulness. Lastly, emotionality, shyness, physical spontaneity, cognitive spontaneity, and sense of humor were variables that had serious effects on the overall social competence of young children.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.81-88
• /
• 2014

The normal aging process on speech production and these changes are perceived by listeners. This study examined whether age perception changed under various conditions of prosodic manipulations in normal listeners, comparing the prosodic changes according to age and sex in adulthood. The older and younger voices were resynthesized by manipulation of the speaking rate and pitch to shift the perceived age of the groups toward each other. Two-way repeated ANOVA were conducted to determine if the prosodic type of resynthesized cue resulted in a significant shift in perceived age of young and old voices. The manipulation of the speaking rate resulted in a significant shift in perceived age for the older and younger groups. A significant shift in age estimates was not observed for the younger male group when pitch was manipulated. There were significant gender-by-age group interactions for prosodic manipulation type. Age-related changes in the prosodic properties of speech may ultimately influence speech perception.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.491-499
• /
• 2003

Selenium is a strong antioxidant trace mineral, scavenging free radicals. The prevalence of chronic degenerative diseases is increasing in Korean adults with increasing age. The increased cell damage from free radicals has been implicated in the etiology of these diseases, and evidence is accumulating that the low selenium status that comes with advanced aged is involved in the prevalence of age-associated diseases. However, little is known about the selenium status of Koreans, its age-related change and its relationship to dietary nutrient intake. In this study, the serum selenium levels of healthy adult females according to life cycle and its association with blood albumin levels and nutrient intake were examined. Serum selenium level was measured with the Huwo research reactor using the neutron activation analysis method (NAA). The overall proportion of women with selenium deficiency, serum selenium concentrations below 7.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dl, was 9.4%. The average serum selenium levels were 12.39 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dl, 9.45 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dl and 9.16 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dl in the young adult, middle-aged and elderly groups, respectively, showing a reduction of selenium status with advancing age. Selenium deficiency was seen only in the elderly group. Generally, serum selenium levels positively or negatively correlated with nutrient intake, but these association patterns differed depending on the age. The nutrients that showed positive correlations with selenium levels were proteins and phosphate in the young adult group (p < 0.05, p < 0.05), and total calcium, potassium and vegetable-origin calcium in the middle-aged group. Vitamin C and fiber were the negative correlated nutrients with serum selenium levels in the elderly group (p < 0.05, p < 0.05). Multiple stepwise regression analysis of the determining factors responsible for selenium status showed that age and serum albumin levels were important factors which explained up to 26.9% variances in serum selenium levels. The average selenium concentrations of Korean adult female subjects were above the deficiency levels in all three age groups. There was a tendency toward decreasing selenium levels as the age of the subjects increased. The factors with the strongest in-fluence on selenium status in healthy adult Korean females were age and serum protein status. (Korean J Nutrition 36(5): 491~499, 2003)

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2006

Purpose: Injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for children. As an injury prevention measure, the differences in external causes of severe pediatric injuries based on ICECI were analyzed according to age groups. Methods: A retrospective study was performed for pediatric patients under 15 years of age, who had been admitted to the emergency department with severe injuries from January 1998 to December 2004. The external causes of injury were investigated according to the ICECI: intent, mechanisms, places of occurrence, objects/substances producing injury, and related activities. The patients were divided into four groups based on age: infant (<0 year), toddler (1~4 years), preschool age (5~8 years), and school age (9~15 years). Results: The injury mechanisms, the places of occurrence and the related objects/substances vary with the age groups. The most common subtype of traffic accidents was pedestrian injury in pre-school age group. Falls most frequently occurred in the toddler group. But falls from a height of less than l meter height (6 patients) occurred only in the infant group. The most common place of occurrence in the infant group was the home, and that of other groups was the road. The related objects/substances for falls, for example, household furnitures and playground equipment depended on the age group. Conclusion: The age-group specific characteristics of severe pediatric injury were analyzed successfully through the ICECI. Therefore, when establishing a plan for the prevention of pediatric injury, consideration must be given to the differences in the external causes of injuries according to age group.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.299-305
• /
• 1994

An experimental test section was placed in Pangyo-Guri Expressway to monitor the performance of CRCP(Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement). So far early-age behaviors of the test section have been monitored for about two years. The purposes of this paper are to analyze the early-age behavior and temperature pattern of the test section and to compare the results with those of similar test sections placed in Houston. As results of this study, following findings were obtained. The results of Pangyo-Guri test section were generally better than those of Houston test sections in terms of the early-age crack patterns. Type II cement was more effective than type I cement in controlling the early-age cracking. Afternoon placement was more effective than morning construction in controlling the early-age cracking in summer season.

• Korean System Dynamics Review
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.149-174
• /
• 2004

Since the economic crisis in 1997, the Korean government has implemented a number of reforms in order to eliminate inefficiencies in both private and public sectors. One of the reforms made in the public sector was to lower the retirement age of teachers from the original age of 65 to that age 62. The ultimate aim of this compulsory policy was to improve the quality level of education by hiring many young teachers instead of senior teachers. It was made based on the calculation that by lowering the retirement age by three years, the government can hire three young teachers with the saved wages. However, this policy has brought an unexpected result; the imbalance between the supply and demand for teachers has become a much more serious problem in Korea's elementary education system The purpose of this study is largely twofold; First of all, it aims to identify the scope of imbalances occurred in the supply-demand system of elementary school teachers in a region of the nation, and also to find out why such imbalance occurred. Secondly, the purpose of this study is to experiment with feasible policy alternatives and their effects on the system and to suggest some resolutions on the imbalance.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.419-431
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to understand the determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) according to age groups in vulnerable elderly women. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1,533 elderly women beneficiaries of the visiting health care program in Seoul. The participants were divided into three age groups: the young-old (n=753, 65-74 years), old-old (n=602, 75-84 years), and oldest-old (n=178, 85 years or older) groups. HRQOL was measured using the SF-8 questionnaire. Results: HRQOL was found to be worse in the oldest-old group (p=.007). Factors associated with HRQOL differ by age groups. In the young-old and old-old groups, higher HRQOL showed significant correlation with a higher level of self-rated health (SRH) and a lower level of depression, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) dependence, and the number of chronic diseases. In addition, higher HRQOL was observed for elderly living alone than for those living with family. In the oldest group, higher HRQOL showed significant correlation with a lower level of depression, activities of daily living (ADL) dependence, and a higher level of SRH. Conclusions: In age specific groups, lower levels of HRQOL were observed for the oldest-old group than for the other age groups. Age group-specific nursing strategies may be required for improving HRQOL levels of vulnerable elderly women.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.5-23
• /
• 1990

The purpose of this study was to investigate the acquisition of number-word systems of young children. Specifically, the acquisition of Korean Number-Words(KNW) was compared with the acquisition of Chinese-derived Number-Words(CNW). The subjects included 120 children aged 2:5 to 5:11. The subjects oral counting using the two number word systems were audiotaped. Two coders transcribed the tapes. The data were analyzed by content analysis with descriptive statistics. The findings of this study showed that the acquisition of KNW began from around age two and the acquisition of CNW from around age three. From then, the acquisition of the two number-word systems was parallel. The acquisition of number-words began from the age of 2 years, increased slowly to the age of 4. and then increased rapidly after the age of 5. Although KNW were acquired earlier than CNW, at around the age of 5 years the acquisition of CNW surpassed the acquisition of KNW. The acquisition of number words consists of four developmental levels: Level I: beginning of acquisition of traditional KNW only Level II: beginning of acquisition of CNW with extension of KNW Level III: parallel extension of the two number-word systems Level IV: superior acquisition of CNW. The major error through all stages in the sequence of number words was the omission of one number-word. Younger children produced errors of omission of one, two or three number-words, whereas older children produced errors of nonstandard number-words and repetition.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.42 no.7
• /
• pp.145-164
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this study is to understand how late middle-aged women in our society view and adapt to “aging”. This is a crucial step forward linking two stages, the growing young age and the declining old age, which eventually improves the qualify of life in old a9e. This qualitative study used Personal narratives extracted from tape-recorded interviews of 20 late middle-aged women in their fifties and analyzed key experiences of late middle-aged women in their transition to old age. Participants were observed to perceive not only many limitations but also alternative potentialities. First, the major challenges due to the closing young era were ‘physical declines’, including health problems and wrinkles, and ‘leaving children’. Second, the potentialities to start a new era also could be found. Many participants found themselves to be generous enough to assist others in need. In addition, they looked to adapt to new challenges. It was likely that the many adversities that they had faced made them resilient. These results show that late middle-aged women were actively negotiating with themselves and their surroundings in order to overcome their losses, maintain their potentialities, and, in the process, acknowledge their impending old age for better preparation.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.9 no.5
• /
• pp.548-555
• /
• 1999

Long-term effects of Ganoderma lucidum (GL) on memory and oxidative stress of senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) were investigated. Senescence-resistant (R1) and prone (P8) strains of SAM were fed GL diets, premixed with low (20 mg/kg/day, T1) or high (200 mg/kg/day, T2) levels of GL powder for 9 months starting from young (3 months of age) or for 5 months starting from old (7 months of age). After the final feeding at 12 months of age, all animals were subjected to passive avoidance test for the evaluation of memory function. In addition, the changes in hepatic thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) and glutathione were analyzed. SAMP8 fed GL diets from old age (7 months) exhibited the improvement of memory, although GL rather inhibited the memory function of both SAMR1 and SAMP8 mice fed diets from young (3 months of age). Hepatic TBARS contents were decreased in SAMP8 fed high GL diet for 9 months and in SAMR1 fed low GL diet for 5 months. Hepatic glutathione content was also remarkably increased in SAMR1 following both feeding periods, and less extent in SAMP8 fed diet for 5 months of age. Taken together, it is proposed that GL extracts may play an anti-aging role through antioxidant action, and thereby may improve the senescence-related memory dysfunction.