• Journal of the Korean Institute of Educational Facilities
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.15-20
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• 2020

Due to urbanization and industrialization, the population of rural areas has sharply decreased, and the social phenomena of low fertility and aging have occurred due to many factors such as the spread of individualism and single-person households derived from urbanization and economic growth. In order to cope with the low birth rate and the aged society, the Korean government has invested 152.1 trillion won from 2006 to 2015 and to proceeded total 231 projects in 3 different areas including the low fertility(95 projects), the aged society(78 projects), and the growth momentum(58 projects). Among the social problems caused by the low birth rate and the aged society, there have been not enough studies on the closed schools which will result from the social phenomenon of decreases in the school age population. The purpose of this study is to analyze the current extent of utilizing closed schools in Korea, to derive some types based on the analysis, and to provide basic data on the use of closed schools in Korea in the future. The types of closed schools can be classified into education facilities, social welfare facilities, cultural facilities, public sports facilities, income growing facilities, and others. Based on the classification, the analyses of the characteristics of each type for the facilities are presented.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.15-30
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• 2008

According to the research taken by the National Statistical Office, the fertility rate of a Korean fertile female is 1.17. This figure is the lowest in the world, and the reduction in the fertility rate over the last 30 years was the biggest in the world. It can be seen as a warning alarm about the effects of a low birth rate and a silver society. Assuming that there are several factors involved in this phenomenon, this study inquired into the attitude towards children, attitude towards nourishing children, attitude towards sex roles and the harmony between the jobs and families of married females, and examined the factors that influence the willingness to give birth. Final 581 copies of the survey questionnaire were used for analysis and the collected data were analysed by SPSS, Pearson's correlation analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and Duncan's Multiple Range Test. Three main conclusions were reached: Firstly, the value variables, such as sex-role attitudes and the preference for work or home, affect the willingness to give birth. Therefore, it can be said that one's values have a significant effect on these variables and the willingness to give birth. Secondly, both working morns and housewives have a strong tendency to give a birth if they are supported on child rearing. Finally, the employment of the married women itself can be a variable that can affect childbirth. In other words, the working hours affect employed married women so as sex-role attitudes, the preference between work and home, ideal number of children, and the income to housewives. Also, even in whole married women, the employment itself can be a major factor of the willingness to have a baby. Therefore, unemployed married women have more of a tendency to have children than employed married women.

• Korean System Dynamics Review
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.107-134
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• 2016

Accelerated ageing with low fertility is one of the most critical problems in Korea. Because of ageing via low fertility, Korea will face a serious demographic cliff. This research primarily focus on the analyzing the dynamics of the marginal ageing state and decreasing population especially in Eup and Myeon region. This study based on the system dynamics approaches for finding causal loop structure of marginal ageing and critical mass of population disappearing. The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, demographic marginalization trends have already begun in the Eups and Myons of Gun. Second, marginal aging speed in Eup/Myeon areas is causing an population disappearing in the near future. Third, critical mass of population disappearing will begin when the rate of marginal aging is exceed 82% after 2023.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.210-217
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• 2020

This paper analyzes the factors influencing the childbirth intention of married women with the goal of analyzing whether times of spouses' housework, marital satisfaction, values of children and traditional gender role, and social services related to the reduction of low fertility contribute to women's intention to give birth. The respondents of the research were 1,000 married women, and the research was conducted with 482 women of childbirth intention. The findings are as follows. Age of sociodemographic factors has an influence on the childbirth intention. Related to family's character, factors influencing childbirth intention are number of children, times of spouses' housework, and marital satisfaction. In addition, emotional and instrumental values of children, number of recognized public services for reduction of low fertility. In other words, the more women share housework with spouses and satisfy their marital life, the more childbirth intention of women is increased. In order to improve childbirth intention, changes of perception of gender role and sharing housework, reinforcement of social system for work and family compatibility that convert changes of perception into action, advanced marital relationship programs, extensive support for subfertility and a huge build-up of social services related to reduction of low fertility need to be provided.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to describe the policy agenda and alternatives for the home health care system in Korea. The home health care system development was not fully integrated while the medical laws were established in 2000, community health law in 1995, and elderly long-term health insurance law in 2007. Because of the increasing population of people over the age of 65 and dramatically decreasing fertility rate, the burden of various health-care expenses has become a great obstacle for the Korean government. Under these circumstances, the home of home health care system in has taken on an important role under the mandate of the national health care system. The types of home health care system in Korean shows a greater contrast from those utilized in other more industrialized countries, such as, U.S. or Japan. In conclusion, the strategy in overcoming the obstacles to enhance home health care system under the national health system would be developing it as a comprehensive and exchangeable consumer-focused organization.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.1-23
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• 1993

Korea fertility level has dropped since the 1960's and speed of decline has accelerated in the 1980's. In the resuls, the growth rate reached to less then 1 percent in 1990 and will be $\ulcorner$0 $\lrcorner$ percent growth in 2021. The total population will increase to 50, 586 thousand persons in 2021 then will decrease. With the rapid fertility decline the age structure of Korean population has changed : while the proportion of child population aged 0-14 is decreasing sharply, that of old-age population aged 65 and over is increasing. Because of the recent increase of sex ratio at birth, the sex structure among the young generation has been destorted; the sex ratio at age 0-4 was as high as high as 112.0 in 1990. The effects of these population phenomena on Korean society are the followings: 1) Old age dependency ratio is increasing rapidly and continuously and will be about 40.0 from the 2050's. 2) Because of the rapid decline of the number of births, the absolute number of the major labour force at age 25-34 will decrease after around 2000 and then from the 2010's become less than that in 1990. 3) Since the large fertility defferentials by womens's educational level have continued and the relation between the educational levels of mothers and children are very strong, level has dropped among higher educated women first when the average fertility level has declined in Korea, the average educational level of the children is may be expected to be relatively low and then the future productivity is will be also low, which causes the decline of 'quality of population. 4) When the high sex ratio at birth (over 110 since 1986) continues, number of brides will be short by over 20 percent from the 2010s, which will bring various kinds of social prblems. Therefore, the counter measures in concrete to relieve the heavy problems are recommended as follows: 1) The extention of the birth intervals, which helps to drop the population growth rate at the same level of number of children per women. 2) The positive supports for out-migrants, which helps to reduce the population size without any destortion of age-sex structure. 3) The defferent supports of family planning for the higher and lower classes, which helps to reduce the gaps between different ferility levels of the classes and to keep and improve the quality of population. 4)population education for both students and adults, which helps to minimize the gap between the private and public requirements.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.144-152
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• 2012

Objective: Concerns are growing about the decrease in male reproductive health. Caffeine is one of the popular nutrients that has been implicated as a risk factor for infertility. In the present study, we examined whether in utero and lactational exposure to caffeine affects the reproductive function of the offspring of rats. Methods: Pregnant rats received caffeine via drinking water during gestation (26 and 45 mg/kg) and lactation (25 and 35 mg/kg). Body and reproductive organ weight, seminiferous tubule diameter, germinal epithelium height, sperm parameters, fertility rate, number of implantations, and testosterone level of the offspring were assessed from birth to adulthood. Results: Significant dose-related decreases were observed in the body and reproductive organ weight, seminiferous tubule diameter, and germinal epithelium height of the offspring. Sperm density had declined significantly in offspring of the low-dose and high-dose groups, by 8.81% and 19.97%, respectively, by postnatal day 150. The number of viable fetuses had decreased significantly in females mated with male offspring of the high-dose group at postnatal days 60, 90, 120, and 150. There were also significant reductions in testosterone levels of high-dose group offspring from birth to postnatal day 150. Conclusion: It is concluded that maternal caffeine consumption impairs gonadal development and has long-term adverse effects on the reproductive efficiency of male offspring rats.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.138-141
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to diagnose the fertility of a female western lowland gorilla kept in Seoul Zoo, in accordance with age by analyzing the fecal sex hormone metabolites. The study was conducted in two period of times, when the animal was from 35 to 37 years old and when the animal was from 40 to 42 years old. Non-invasive method by using fecal samples was used for safe and efficient fertility diagnosis. We collected the feces from the enclosure at least three times a week. Then $17{\beta}$-estradiol and progesterone, which are fecal sex hormone metabolites, were measured by time-resolved fluoro-immunoassay to compare the menstruation cycle and the annual reproductive cycle. For the duration of the primary study (when the animal was 35~37 years old), irregular menstruation and high concentrations of estradiol and progesterone were observed. However, menstruation was hardly observed and the concentrations of both hormones were statistically very low in the period of secondary study (when the animal was 40~42 years old). This observed phenomenon in our study was very comparable to menopause in adult women; therefore, it was confirmed that our female gorilla has reached menopause because of the natural aging, as they become older.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 1979

The fertility which is the combined factor is one of the important capability determiants of paddy soils. In this study, we aimed at attaining a quantitative evaluation of soil fertility and further establishing an objective fertility classification on the basis of the fertility evaluation. The samples used in this series studies were collected from Korean paddy field. They include deltas, flood plains, coastal plains, valley plains, fans and low terraces. On the basis of correlation analysis, factor analysis was applied to a set of 15 variables. As a result of factor analysis, five mutually independent and clearly definable fertility component factors were extracted from the 15 variables for the whole 90 surface soil samples. The fertility status of each sample soil could be objectively designated by the score of the five factors. As a means of summarizing the information obtained, taxonomic distances between all pairs of the samples were computed from these five factor scores further to be subjected to numerical taxonomy. Seven fertility groups were formulated, each of which was characterized by one or more of the fertility components. As this fertility classification was based on the present state of soil properties, it would be useful in pointing to the proper direction of further fertility amelioration and improvement for each group to enhance potential productivity of Korean paddy fields.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2008

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), one of the most important traits in crop breeding, has been used for commercial seed production by $F_1$ hybrid cultivars of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). To develop reliable molecular markers for allelic selection of the Restorer-of-fertility (Rf) gene, which is known to be a major determinant of pollen fertility restoration in peppers, a sequence of approximately 10 kb flanking an RAPD fragment closely linked to the Rf locus was obtained by genome walking. A homology search revealed that this sequence contained an LTR retrotransposon and a non-LTR LINE-like retrotransposon. Sequencing of this Rf-linked region to search for polymorphisms between a dominant and recessive allele revealed 98% nucleotide sequence identity between them. A third polymorphic haplotype of the Rf-linked sequence, which has 94-96% nucleotide sequence identity with the two previously isolated haplotypes, was identified among a large number of breeding lines. Utilizing polymorphic sequences in the haplotypes, PCR markers were developed for selection of particular haplotypes and used to examine the distribution of the haplotypes in diverse breeding lines, cultivars, and C. annuum germplasms. Surprisingly, the third haplotype was the predominant type in C. annuum germplasms, while its frequency in $F_1$ hybrid cultivars was relatively low. Meanwhile, analysis of breeding lines whose Rf allele genotypes and male-sterility phenotypes were already known revealed that the third haplotype was mainly present in exotic breeding lines that cause unstable male-sterility when combined with sterile cytoplasms.