• Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.191-196
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• 2018

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cancer are serious health problems worldwide, and their prevalences have been on the rise in recent years. It has been reported that adropin plays an important role in the development of T2DM, oxidative stress, inflammation, and obesity. However, there is limited information available on T2DM from human studies, especially for the Korean population. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between adropin levels and obesity of Korean T2DM patients. Methods: Thirty-six T2DM patients were recruited for this study. The participants were further classified into female (n = 12) and male (n = 24). Their body composition, metabolic parameters, inflammatory factors, and oxidative stress were measured. Results: The severity of obesity is more manifested in male than in female. Plasma triglyceride (TG) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels of male were significantly higher than female. The plasma adropin and adiponectin level of female was significantly higher than male. The body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat mass were negatively correlated with the plasma adropin level in female, whereas adropin has positive correlation with adiponectin in female. The hs-CRP was negatively correlated with the plasma adropin level in female and male. malondialdehyde, reactive oxidative species, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ was not significantly correlated with adropin in patients with T2DM. Conclusions: These findings suggest that adropin may be more used as a biomarker for predicting the risk of obesity and inflammation in Korean patients with T2DM, especially women.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2019

Objective: The usual seminal profile has been customarily used for diagnosing male infertility based on an examination of semen samples. However, sperm DNA fragmentation has also been causally linked to reproductive failure, suggesting that it should be evaluated as part of male infertility assessments. To compare the ability of the five most widely utilized methodologies of measuring DNA fragmentation to predict male infertility and reactive oxygen species by Oxisperm kit assay. Methods: In this case-control study, which received ethical committee approval, the participants were divided into fertile and infertile groups (50 patients in each group). Results: The alkaline comet test showed the best ability to predict male infertility, followed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay, the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, and the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), while the neutral comet test had no predictive power. For our patient population, the projected cut-off point for the DNA fragmentation index was 22.08% using the TUNEL assay, 19.90% using SCSA, 24.74% using the SCD test, 48.47% using the alkaline comet test, and 36.37% using the neutral comet test. Significant correlations were found between the results of the SCD test and those obtained using SCSA and TUNEL (r = 0.70 and r = 0.68, respectively; p< 0.001), and a statistically significant correlation was also found between the results of SCSA and the TUNEL assay (r = 0.77, p< 0.001). Likewise, the results of the alkaline comet test showed significant correlations with those of the SCD, SCSA, and TUNEL tests (r = 0.59, r = 0.57, and r = 0.72, respectively; p< 0.001). Conclusion: The TUNEL assay, SCSA, SCD, and the alkaline comet test were effective for distinguishing between fertile and infertile patients, and the alkaline comet test was the best predictor of male infertility.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.189-197
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• 2021

Objective : This study aims to investigate the relationship between aneurysm wall enhancement and clinical rupture risks based on the magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (MR-VWI) quantitative methods. Methods : One hundred and eight patients with 127 unruptured aneurysms were prospectively enrolled from Feburary 2016 to October 2017. Aneurysms were divided into high risk (≥10) and intermediate-low risk group (<10) according to the PHASES (Population, Hypertension, Age, Size of aneurysm, Earlier SAH history from another aneurysm, Site of aneurysm) scores. Clinical risk factors, aneurysm morphology, and wall enhancement index (WEI) calculated using 3D MR-VWI were analyzed and compared. Results : In comparison of high-risk and intermediated-low risk groups, univariate analysis showed that neck width (4.5±3.3 mm vs. 3.4±1.7 mm, p=0.002), the presence of wall enhancement (100.0% vs. 62.9%, p<0.001), and WEI (1.6±0.6 vs. 0.8±0.8, p<0.001) were significantly associated with high rupture risk. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that WEI was the most important factor in predicting high rupture risk (odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-4.9; p=0.002). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis can efficiently differentiate higher risk aneurysms (area under the curve, 0.780; p<0.001) which have a reliable WEI cutoff value (1.04; sensitivity, 0.833; specificity, 0.67) predictive of high rupture risk. Conclusion : Aneurysms with higher rupture risk based on PHASES score demonstrate increased neck width, wall enhancement, and the enhancement intensity. Higher WEI in unruptured aneurysms has a predictive value for increased rupture risk.

• Atmosphere
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.353-365
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• 2022

This paper evaluates precipitation forecast skill of Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs) over South Korea in a boreal winter from December 2013 to February 2014. Three types of precipitation are classified based on development mechanism: 1) convection type (C type), 2) low pressure type (L type), and 3) orographic type (O type), in which their frequencies are 44.4%, 25.0%, and 30.6%, respectively. It appears that the model significantly overestimates precipitation occurrence (0.1 mm d^-1) for all types of winter precipitation. Objective measured skill scores of GRIMs are comparably high for L type and O type. Except for precipitation occurrence, the model shows high predictability for L type precipitation with the most unbiased prediction. It is noted that Equitable Threat Score (ETS) is inappropriate for measuring rare events due to its high dependency on the sample size, as in the case of Critical Success Index as well. The Symmetric Extreme Dependency Score (SEDS) demonstrates less sensitivity on the number of samples. Thus, SEDS is used for the evaluation of prediction skill to supplement the limit of ETS. The evaluation via SEDS shows that the prediction skill score for L type is the highest in the range of 5.0, 10.0 mm d^-1 and the score for O type is the highest in the range of 1.0, 20.0 mm d^-1. C type has the lowest scores in overall range. The difference in precipitation forecast skill by precipitation type can be explained by the spatial distribution and intensity of precipitation in each representative case.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.61-75
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• 2021

Roadside greenery in the city is not only a means of reducing fine dust, but also an indispensable element of the city in various aspects such as improvement of urban thermal environment, noise reduction, ecosystem connectivity, and aesthetics. However, in studies dealing with the effect of reducing fine dust through trees in existing urban spaces, microscopic aspects such as the adsorption effect of plants were dealt with, structural changes such as the width of urban buildings and streets, and the presence or absence of trees, Impact studies that reflect the actual form of In this study, the effect of greenery composition applicable to urban space on PM2.5 was simulated through the microclimate epidemiologic model ENVI-met, and field measurements were performed in parallel to verify the results. In addition, by analyzing the results of fine dust background concentration, wind speed, and leaf area index, the sensitivity to major influencing variables was tested. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the fine dust reduction effect was the highest in the case with a high planting amount, and the reduction effect was the greatest at a low background concentration. Based on this, the cost of planting street green areas and the effect of reducing PM2.5 were compared. The results of this study can contribute as a basis for considering the effect of pedestrian space on air quality when planning and designing street green spaces.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.3-10
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• 2022

Memorability is an indicator of how well a stimulus can be remembered. Studies on memorability have shown that stimulus memorability cannot be explained by the perceptual and semantic properties of a stimulus, suggesting that memorability is an intrinsic property of a stimulus. Though real-world scenes almost always contain multiple objects, previous studies on memorability have mainly tested memory performance using a single stimulus. In the current study, we investigated how multiple stimuli with different levels of memorability interact with each other. Participants were asked to remember a high or low memorability target presented with a high or low memorability distractor in the encoding block. Participants' memory accuracy was measured by a sensitivity index in the testing block. Results showed that a high memorability target was easier to remember. However, the distractor memorability level did not modulate this target memorability effect. The current results support previous studies that showed a highly memorable stimulus does not automatically induce bottom-up attentional shifts.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.69-86
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• 2023

Regulatory sentiment refers to the market's subjective evaluation of regulatory reform and is one of the most widely adopted indicators to those charged with implementing and diagnosing regulatory policies. The use of regulatory sentiment in advanced analysis has become universal, albeit it is often limited due to difficulties in articulating consistent and objective quantitative indicators that can meticulously reflect market sentiment overall. Thus, despite ample effort by scholars to read the economic impact of regulatory sentiment in the real economy, causal links are difficult to spot. To fill this gap in the literature, this study analyzes a regulatory sentiment index and economic performance indicators through a text analysis approach and by inspecting diverse tones in media articles. Using different stages of tests, the paper identifies a causal relationship between regulatory sentiment and actual economic activities as measured by private consumption, facility investment, construction investment, gross domestic investment, and employment. Additionally, as a result of analyzing one-unit impulse of regulatory perception, the initial impact on economic growth and private investment was found to be negligible; this was followed by a positive (+) response, after which it converged to zero. Construction investment showed a positive (+) response initially, which then rapidly changed to a negative (-) response and then converged to zero. Gross domestic investment as the initial effect was negligible after showing a positive (+) reaction. Unfortunately, the facility investment outcome was found to be insignificant in the impulse response test. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that it is necessary and important to increase the sensitivity to regulations to promote the economic effectiveness of regulatory reforms. Thus, instead of dealing with policies with the vague goal of merely improving regulatory sentiment, using regulatory sentiment as an indicator of major policies could be an effective approach.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.64-80
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• 1991

The SKINTEX Method is based on a two-compartment physico-chemical model which includes a Biomembrane Barrier in compartment one and an organized macromolecular matrix in compartment two. Test samples absorb onto or permeate through the keratin/collagen Biomembrane Barrier and then can interact with the organized macromolecular matrix. Changes in the integrity of the barrier release a dye indicator: Changes in the matrix can alter its transparency. The sum of these two responses is read spectrophotometrically at 470nm. An early investigation of 950 chemicals and formulations in the SKINTEX System produced results which were 89% concordance to in vivo Draize dermal irritation results obtained with 24-hour occluded application of test samples with-out abrasion and standard scoring. Alkaline materials were analyzed in a specialized SKINTEX AMA Protocol. In this early study, the model did not distinguish nonirritant test materials and formulation with PDII(Primary Dermal Irritation Index)in the range from 0 to 1.2, A High Sensitivity Assay Protocol(HSA)was developed to amplify the changes in both compartments of this model and provide more accurate calibration of these changes. A study of 60 low irritation test samples including cosmetics, household products, chemicals and petro-chemicals distinguished nonirritants with PDII $\leq$ 0.7 for 26 of 30 nonirritants. A second protocol was developed to evaluate the SKINTEX model predictability with respect to human irritation. The Human Response Assay (HRA )has been optimized based on differences in penetration and irritation responses in humans and rabbits. An additional 32 test materials with different mechanisms and degrees of dermal toxicity were evaluated by the HRA. These in vitro results were 86% concordant to human patch test results. In order to further evaluate this model, a Standard Chemical Labelling (SCL) Protocol was developed to optimize this system to predict Draize dermal irritation results after a 4-hour application of the test material. In a study of 52 chemicals including acids, bases, solvents, salts, surfactants and preservatives, the SCL results demonstrated 85% concordance to Draize results for a 4-hour application of test samples on non-abraded rabbit skin. The SKINTEX System, including three specialized protocols, provided results which demonstrated good correlation to the endpoint of dermal irritation in man and rabbits at different application times.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.350-355
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• 1986

Sixteen Korean leading barley varieties were tested on the sixtieth day after harvest, in order to investigate differences for germinative traits related, and on the eightieth day to test optimum water level for germination test. The germinative energy(GE) and capacity(GC) in the 4.5cc water level were the highest individually. Varietal variations among GE, GC, promptness index(PI) and water sensitivity(WS) were highly significant in storage conditions and water levels. Correlation coefficient estimated were positive among GE, GC, PI, but negative between these traits and WS. Also the varietal difference of WS gets higher with the following order of malting barley<naked barley<covered barley. Heritabilities of broad sense for GE, GC, PI and WS were high, therefore, these traits could be considered in malting barley breeding.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2023

Sarcopenia is a phenomenon in which muscle function, including muscle strength, deteriorates as muscle mass decreases in the process of increasing age. The diagnosis of sarcopenia utilizes total muscle mass and limb muscle mass, and limb muscle mass is expressed as height squared, body weight, and BMI. Each divided value is used as an index, mainly less than 7.23 kg/m2 for men and less than 5.67 kg/m2 for women. Grip strength, standing up from a chair, and walking speed were mainly used as physical function factors, and grip strength less than 27 kg for men and less than 16 kg for women were used as indicators. The limb muscle mass showed a decreasing trend after peaking in the mid-20s in men, and maintaining a gradual peak in women from the mid-20s to the mid-40s, showing a more rapid decline in men. The rate of decrease in muscle mass and strength continues to increase after the age of 20, and muscle strength rapidly decreases after the age of 80. In Korean men, total muscle mass and limb muscle mass show a decreasing trend from the mid-30s, and a more markedly rapid decrease from the age of 60. For women, it remains constant from the age of 30 to the age of 50, then gradually decreases after the mid-50s, and shows a rather rapid decrease after the mid-70s, showing a more gradual decrease than that of men. Men show a sharp decrease from the mid-40s when limb muscle mass is divided by height squared, and women show a marked decrease after 70 years old when limb muscle mass is divided by height squared. Exercise for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia results in an increase in protein assimilation hormone, an increase in antioxidant activity, a decrease in inflammation, an increase in muscle insulin sensitivity, and an increase in protein synthesis. Resistance exercise is basically used, and aerobic exercise and equilibrium A combination of exercises is effective. In addition, for a more efficient effect of sarcopenia through resistance exercise, it is necessary to supplement nutrition including protein.