• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.320-326
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• 2009

The carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere is projected to increase by almost 50% over the first 50 years of this century. The major cause of this increase is continued combustion of fossil fuels. As a result, the significant changes in climate that have already occurred will be amplified, in particular a global temperature increase. Renewable energy production has a central role to play in abating net $CO_2$ emissions to a level that will arrest the development of global warming. Especially, biomass crops are becoming increasingly important as concerns grow about climate change and the need to replace carbon dioxideproducing fossil fuels with carbon-neutral renewable sources of energy. To succeed in this role, biomass crop has to grow rapidly and yield a reliable, regular harvest. A prime candidate is Miscanthus, or Asian elephant grass, a perennial species that produces over 3 metres of bamboo-like stems in a year. Miscanthus species are typically diploid or tetraploid. Hybrids between species with different ploidy levels result in the highly productive triploid hybrids, M. ${\times}$ giganteus. Here we will detail the Miscanthus characteristics desired of a biomass fuel crop.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.4 s.59
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• pp.884-892
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• 1997

Currently, there are 100 community emergency centers which expect to provide professional emergency care like Level 1 trauma centers in U.S.A. To evaluate perforance of emergency centers, most studies have been widely adopted death rate based methods such as Trauma and Injury Severity Score(TRISS) and A Severity Characterization of Trauma(ASCOT). However, these methods are only applicable in situation where registration process of trauma patients is well established. Therefore, an alternative method should be applied to evaluate performance of emergency centers in Korea which does not have well-developed registration scheme. This study aims to develop new performance measures which are applicable to Korea and evaluate performance of 35 community emergency centers through new measures. The new measures are included that 'W-statistic' ; death rate calculated on the basis of International Classification based Injury Severity Score(ICISS), and 'the degree of severity' ; rate of severe trauma patients of each emergency medical centers. The study results can be summarized as follows. First, about 34% of sample emergency centers show they provide proper care in terms of their function. Second, tertiary hospitals, university hospitals, and hospitals located in Seoul show higher severity degree of patients and lower severity-adjusted death rate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.345-356
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• 2010

This study investigates the present conditions of hospital clothes management. A survey was conducted with 72 respondents from 28 different hospitals in April and May 2009. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and correlations using PASW 17.0. The results were as follows: (1) Administrators, nurses, and outside specialists took part in the clothes management process. The administrators participated in the process of purchase determination. Nurses involved in the design, size selection, and outside specialists were responsible for routine management. (2) Most clothes were planned through the discussions between hospitals and manufacturers. Price was the most important element to determine the purchase of clothes. Size systems were various depending on the conditions of the hospital according to the number of beds. (3) Laundry duties were performed by the hospitals themselves or in specialized laundry plants. In addition, the hygienic condition of clothes management were satisfactory. (4) Patient gowns were evaluated positively, yet some complaints from patients were reported. (5) Various medical supplies were used and were uncomfortable related to textile and fitting problems. Future research themes are suggested based on these results.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.167-177
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• 2004

This study was performed to explore the effects of aqua-exercise program on back pain, flexibility. time of exercise and self-efficacy in the women with chronic back pain. The design of this study was a equivalent pre-post test experiment. The subjects consisted of 31 women living in seoul. They underwent tests of back pain. flexibility. time of exercise and self-efficacy as baseline data before aqua-exercise program. The aquatic exercise was based on the Back hab and was consists of 60minutes session, 2 times a week for 5 weeks. Data were analyzed with percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test and pearson correlation coefficient using SAS program. The results were as follows. 1. The back pain has significantly decreased after aqua-exercise program. 2. The dorsal flexibility has significantly increased after aqua-exercise program. 3. The time of exercise has significantly increased after aqua-exercise program. 3. The Self-efficacy has significantly increased after aqua-exercise program. The findings showed the aqua-exercise program could be effective in decreasing the back pain and effective in increasing the flexibility, time of exercise and self-efficacy. It can be suggested the aqua-exercise is effective in the health promotion of the women with chronic back pain.

• Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.114-117
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• 2016

A research project, the "Construction of Frailty Cohort for Elderly and Intervention Study," funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has been ongoing since December 2015. The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS) aims to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes associated with frailty in community-dwelling older adults, as well as means of prevention. KFACS is a multicenter, longitudinal study, with the baseline survey being conducted in 2016-2017. The sample (n=3,000) consists of those aged 70-84 years, stratified by age and gender, recruited from urban and rural regions nationwide. An in-person interview and health examination are performed every 2 years. This project is also conducting many intervention studies. Project interventions focus on nutrition and exercise. The nutritional intervention study compares the effects of 1.2 g/kg versus 1.5 g/kg daily protein intake on sarcopenia and frailty in older Koreans. The exercise trial examines the effectiveness of an information and communication technology-based program in preventing or reducing frailty.

• Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.110-121
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• 2018

Objective: We developed a new equation for predicting coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in Korean diabetic patients using a hospital-based cohort and compared it with a UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) risk engine. Methods: By considering patients with type 2 diabetes aged ${\geq}30years$ visiting the diabetic center in Boramae hospital in 2006, we developed a multivariable equation for predicting CHD events using the Cox proportional hazard model. Those with CHD were excluded. The predictability of CHD events over 6 years was evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves, which were compared using the DeLong test. Results: A total of 732 participants (304 males and 428 females; mean age, $60{\pm}10years$; mean duration of diabetes, $10{\pm}7years$) were followed up for 76 months (range, 1-99 month). During the study period, 48 patients (6.6%) experienced CHD events. The AUROC of the proposed equation for predicting 6-year CHD events was 0.721 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.641-0.800), which is significantly larger than that of the UKPDS risk engine (0.578; 95% CI, 0.482-0.675; p from DeLong test=0.001). Among the subjects with <5% of risk based on the proposed equation, 30.6% (121 out of 396) were classified as ${\geq}10%$ of risk based on the UKPDS risk engine, and their event rate was only 3.3% over 6 years. Conclusion: The UKPDS risk engine overestimated CHD risk in type 2 diabetic patients in this cohort, and the proposed equation has superior predictability for CHD risk compared to the UKPDS risk engine.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1053-1065
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• 2018

Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact of using registration software for ablative margin assessment on pre-radiofrequency ablation (RFA) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and post-RFA computed tomography (CT) compared with the conventional side-by-side MR-CT visual comparison. Materials and Methods: In this Institutional Review Board-approved prospective study, 68 patients with 88 hepatocellulcar carcinomas (HCCs) who had undergone pre-RFA MRI were enrolled. Informed consent was obtained from all patients. Pre-RFA MRI and post-RFA CT images were analyzed to evaluate the presence of a sufficient safety margin (${\geq}3mm$) in two separate sessions using either side-by-side visual comparison or non-rigid registration software. Patients with an insufficient ablative margin on either one or both methods underwent additional treatment depending on the technical feasibility and patient's condition. Then, ablative margins were re-assessed using both methods. Local tumor progression (LTP) rates were compared between the sufficient and insufficient margin groups in each method. Results: The two methods showed 14.8% (13/88) discordance in estimating sufficient ablative margins. On registration software-assisted inspection, patients with insufficient ablative margins showed a significantly higher 5-year LTP rate than those with sufficient ablative margins (66.7% vs. 27.0%, p = 0.004). However, classification by visual inspection alone did not reveal a significant difference in 5-year LTP between the two groups (28.6% vs. 30.5%, p = 0.79). Conclusion: Registration software provided better ablative margin assessment than did visual inspection in patients with HCCs who had undergone pre-RFA MRI and post-RFA CT for prediction of LTP after RFA and may provide more precise risk stratification of those who are treated with RFA.

• Atmosphere
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.403-414
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• 2018

Predictability of Northern Hemisphere blocking in the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) Global Data Assimilation and Prediction System (GDAPS) is evaluated for the period of July 2016 to May 2017. Using the operational model output, blocking is defined by a meridional gradient reversal of 500-hPa geopotential height as Tibaldi-Molteni Index. Its predictability is quantified by computing the critical success index and bias score against ERA-Interim data. It turns out that Northwest Pacific blockings, among others, are reasonably well predicted with a forecast lead time of 2~3 days. The highest prediction skill is found in spring with 3.5 lead days, whereas the lowest prediction skill is observed in autumn with 2.25 lead days. Although further analyses are needed with longer dataset, this result suggests that Northern Hemisphere blocking is not well predicted in the operational weather prediction model beyond a short-term weather prediction limit. In the spring, summer, and autumn periods, there was a tendency to overestimate the Western North Pacific blocking.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.197-211
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aims to comprehensively assess the characteristics and effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) in nursing education among nursing students and nurses. Methods: A thorough search was conducted in seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, RISS, KMbase, and KoreaMed) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English or Korean before February 20, 2024. The quality of the included RCTs was assessed using the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized trials. A random-effects model was applied for the meta-analysis using Review Manager 5.4. Results: Out of the 15,840 studies extracted, ten were selected. Of those ten, the majority (six, 60%) were conducted on education dealing with specific nursing situations. In addition to the use of immersive VR or AR during nursing education, lectures, debriefing, and discussion processes were applied together, and device usage orientation was also provided. The meta-analyses showed that immersive VR or AR in nursing education significantly improved knowledge (standardized mean difference, SMD=2.64; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI=1.10~4.17) and skills (SMD=0.58, 95% CI=0.02~1.15). Conclusion: Immersive VR or AR in nursing education can effectively enhance knowledge and skills. However, for their development and implementation, various factors should be considered, and these findings are expected to provide valuable evidence regarding that concern.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.4
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• pp.455-458
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• 2015

Excessive dynamic airway collapse (EDAC) is a disease entity of excessive reduction of the central airway diameter during exhalation, without cartilage collapse. An 80-year-old female presented with generalized edema and dyspnea at our hospital. The patient was in a state of acute decompensated heart failure due to pneumonia with respiratory failure. We accordingly managed the patient with renal replacement therapy, mechanical ventilation and antibiotics. Bronchoscopy confirmed the diagnosis of EDAC. We scheduled extubation after the improvement of pneumonia and heart condition. However, extubation failure occurred due to hypercapnic respiratory failure with poor expectoration. Her EDAC was improved in response to high flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNOT). Subsequently, the patient was stabilized and transferred to the general ward. HFNOT, which generates physiologic positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) effects, could be an alternative and effective management of EDAC. Further research and clinical trials are needed to demonstrate the therapeutic effect of HFNOT on EDAC.