• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.525-535
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• 2023

In thi study, we unveil the intricate interplay among picophytoplankton (0.2-2 ㎛) communities, warming surface water temperatures, and major inorganic nutrients within the southwestern East Sea from 2003-2022. The observed surface temperature rise, reflecting global climate trends, defies conventional seasonal patterns in temperate seas, with highest temperatures in summer and lowest in spring. Concurrently, concentrations of major dissolved inorganic nutrient display distinct seasonality, with peaks in winter and gradually declining thereafter during spring. The time course of chlorophyll-a concentrations, a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, reveals a typical bimodal pattern for temperate seas. Notably, contributions from picophytoplankton exhibited a steady annual increase of approximately 0.5% over the study period, although the total chlorophyll-a concentrations declined slightly. The strong correlations between picophytoplankton contributions and inorganic nutrient concentrations is noteworthy, highlighting their competitively advantageous responsiveness to the shifting nutrient regime. These findings reflect significant ecological implications for the scientific insights into the marine ecosystem responses to changing climate conditions.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.366-375
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the radiological tumor response patterns and compare the response assessments based on immune-based therapeutics Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (iRECIST) and RECIST 1.1 in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC) patients treated with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors. Materials and Methods: All mccRCC patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors at Henan Cancer Hospital, China, between January 2018 and April 2019, were retrospectively studied. A total of 30 mccRCC patients (20 males and 10 females; mean age, 55.6 years; age range, 37-79 years) were analyzed. The target lesions were quantified on consecutive CT scans during therapy using iRECIST and RECIST 1.1. The tumor growth rate was calculated before and after therapy initiation. The response patterns were analyzed, and the differences in tumor response assessments of the two criteria were compared. The intra- and inter-observer variabilities of iRECIST and RECIST 1.1 were also analyzed. Results: The objective response rate throughout therapy was 50% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 32.1-67.9) based on iRECIST and 30% (95% CI: 13.6-46.4) based on RECIST 1.1. The time-to-progression (TTP) based on iRECIST was longer than that based on RECIST 1.1 (median TTP: not reached vs. 170 days, p = 0.04). iRECIST and RECIST 1.1 were discordant in 8 cases, which were evaluated as immune-unconfirmed PD based on iRECIST and PD based on RECIST 1.1. Six patients (20%, 6/30) had pseudoprogression based on iRECIST, of which four demonstrated early pseudoprogression and two had delayed pseudoprogression. Significant differences in the tumor response assessments based on the two criteria were observed (p < 0.001). No patients demonstrated hyperprogression during the study period. Conclusion: Our study confirmed that the iRECIST criteria are more capable of capturing immune-related atypical responses during immunotherapy, whereas conventional RECIST 1.1 may underestimate the benefit of PD-1 inhibitors. Pseudoprogression is not rare in mccRCC patients during PD-1 inhibitor therapy, and it may last for more than the recommended maximum of 8 weeks, indicating a limitation of the current strategy for immune response monitoring.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.99-122
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• 2024

This study investigated librarians' awareness of and demand for the librarian learning community in order to successfully introduce and operate the librarian learning community. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted targeting current librarians and a total of 474 responses were collected. The main analysis results are as follows. Firstly, librarians showed a very low awareness of the librarian learning community, while they highly evaluated the purpose and significance of such a community. Secondly, the motivations for librarians to participate in the librarian learning community were primarily focused on professional growth, solidarity with colleagues, and satisfaction of intellectual curiosity, in that order. Thirdly, the ultimate values of the librarian learning community were identified as improving library services, enhancing professionalism, fostering collaborative group exploration, sharing values and visions. Fourthly, the success factors of the librarian-learning community were ranked as follows: member voluntarism, a culture of collaboration among members, dedicated time (once a week), and a supportive environment (budget, space, etc.). On the other hand, the failure factors were identified as a lack of time due to heavy workloads, lack of member voluntarism, indifference from superiors, and insufficient support environment (budget, space, etc.). Finally, the willingness to participate is also very high. Furthermore, it was observed that there is a wide range of interests in various topics among librarians. The results of this study are expected to be useful as basic data for determining practical operation methods or selecting topics when operating a librarian learning community in the future.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.333-341
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• 2008

In this paper, a new interpolation model for the head related transfer function (HRTF) was proposed. In the method herein, we assume that the impulse response of the HRTF for each azimuth angle is given by linear interpolation of the time-delayed neighboring impulse responses of HRTFs. The time delay of the HRTF for each azimuth angle is given by sum of the sound wave propagation time from the ears to the sound source, which can be estimated by using azimuth angle, the physical shape of the underlying head and the distance between the head and sound source, and the refinement time yielding the minimum mean square error. Moreover, in the proposed model, the interpolation intervals were not fixed but varied, which were determined by minimizing the total number of HRTFs while the synthesized signals have no perceptual difference from the original signals in terms of sound location. To validate the usefulness of the proposed interpolation model, the proposed model was applied to the several HRTFs that were obtained from one dummy-head and three human heads. We used the HRTFs that have 5 degree azimuth angle resolution at 0 degree elevation (horizontal plane). The experimental results showed that using only $30\sim40%$ of the original HRTFs were sufficient for producing the signals that have no audible differences from the original ones in terms of sound location.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.320-332
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• 2024

The aims of this study were to compare the differences in hemodynamics between cigarette smoking and using heated tobacco products (HTPs) and to determine the acute effects of using HTPs on cardiac autonomic regulation. Another goal was to examine the acute cardiac autonomic responses when using different tobacco sticks in HTPs. Sixteen healthy male smokers completed an open-label, randomized, crossover trial consisting of non-smoking (NS), cigarette smoking, and the use of two different HTPs (IQOS with HEETS; lil SOLID with Fiit). Sub-trials, which included NS, lil SOLID with Fiit, and lil SOLID with HEET, were performed on eight smokers among the total subjects. Hemodynamic variables, such as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate variability were measured before, during, and 30 minutes after using each tobacco product. Using HTPs resulted in a significant increase in both SBP and DBP, comparable to smoking cigarettes. Cardiac sympathetic activity significantly increased, and cardiac vagal tone (CVT) significantly decreased after acute exposure to HTP aerosol, similar to the effects of cigarette smoke exposure. Furthermore, differences in the withdrawal of CVT were observed when using different tobacco sticks in the same HTPs. The findings of this study indicate that acute exposure to HTP aerosol increases the hemodynamic burden and disrupts cardiac autonomic balance, similar to exposure to cigarette smoke. Moreover, depending on the type of tobacco stick inserted into the HTP device, acute withdrawal of CVT may have been enhanced.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.89-113
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• 2024

With increasing interest in the emotional responses to music, research on the regulatory mechanisms of music has been ongoing. This study examines the fidelity of music emotion regulation (MER) studies by analyzing the quality of rationales provided for using music to induce emotional regulation. A total of 45 internationally published studies were collected for review, and analysis was conducted on criteria related to the use of music, including duration, number of pieces, selection rationale, and the selecting agent. Despite the research objectives aiming to investigate the emotional regulation effects of music, it was found that the majority of studies lacked specific information about the music used, and there was weak consistency among the studies. Additionally, reliable evidence for music activities, music selection, and music implementation time was not provided, and there was a lack of logical basis for the regulatory mechanisms of music. The results of this study imply the necessity for fidelity to the rationale of music emotion regulation to establish itself as a research area. Such rigorous fidelity will contribute to increasing the replicability and integrity of research on the therapeutic uniqueness of music.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.163-171
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• 2024

Structural health monitoring for ships and offshore structures is important in various aspects. Ships and offshore structures are continuously exposed to various environmental conditions, such as waves, wind, and currents. In the event of an accident, immense economic losses, environmental pollution, and safety problems can occur, so it is necessary to detect structural damage or defects early. In this study, structural response data of multi-linked floating offshore structures under various wave load conditions was calculated by performing fluid-structure coupled analysis. Furthermore, the order reduction method with distortion base mode was applied to the structures for predicting the structural response by using the results of numerical analysis. The distortion base mode order reduction method can predict the structural response of a desired area with high accuracy, but prediction performance is affected by sensor arrangement. Optimization based on a genetic algorithm was performed to search for optimal sensor arrangement and improve the prediction performance of the distortion base mode-based reduced-order model. Consequently, a sensor arrangement that predicted the structural response with an error of about 84.0% less than the initial sensor arrangement was derived based on the root mean squared error, which is a prediction performance evaluation index. The computational cost was reduced by about 8 times compared to evaluating the prediction performance of reduced-order models for a total of 43,758 sensor arrangement combinations. and the expected performance was overturned to approximately 84.0% based on sensor placement, including the largest square root error.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.15-42
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• 2024

A flexible-base coupled-two-beam (CTB) discrete model with equivalent tuned mass dampers is used to assess the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI) and different types of lateral resisting systems on the design of passive dynamic absorbers (PDAs) under the action of along-wind and across-wind loads due to vortex shedding. A total of five different PDAs are considered in this study: (1) tuned mass damper (TMD), (2) circular tuned sloshing damper (C-TSD), (3) rectangular tuned sloshing damper (R-TSD), (4) two-way liquid damper (TWLD) and (5) pendulum tuned mass damper (PTMD). By modifying the non-dimensional lateral stiffness ratio, the CTB model can consider lateral deformations varying from those of a flexural cantilever beam to those of a shear cantilever beam. The Monte Carlo simulation method was used to generate along-wind and across-wind loads correlated along the height of a real shear wall-frame building, which has similar fundamental periods of vibration and different modes of lateral deformation in the xz and yz planes, respectively. Ambient vibration tests were conducted on the building to identify its real lateral behavior and thus choose the most suitable parameters for the CTB model. Both alongwind and across-wind responses of the 144-meter-tall building were computed considering four soil types (hard rock, dense soil, stiff soil and soft soil) and a single PDA on its top, that is, 96 time-history analyses were carried out to assess the effect of SSI and lateral resisting system on the PDAs design. Based on the parametric analyses, the response significantly increases as the soil flexibility increases for both type of lateral wind loads, particularly for flexural-type deformations. The results show a great effectiveness of PDAs in controlling across-wind peak displacements and both along-wind and across-wind RMS accelerations, on the contrary, PDAs were ineffective in controlling along-wind peak displacements on all soil types and different kind of lateral deformation. Generally speaking, the maximum possible value of the PDA mass efficiency index increases as the soil flexibility increases, on the contrary, it decreases as the non-dimensional lateral stiffness ratio of the building increases; therefore, there is a significant increase of the vibration control effectiveness of PDAs for lateral flexural-type deformations on soft soils.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.251-257
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• 2024

Background Plastic surgery has developed to benefit in a variety of challenging areas formerly handled by other disciplines. Medical students do not have a clear picture of plastic surgery as a career due to lacking scope, clinical practice, and understanding of plastic surgery as a clinical area of expertise, including general practitioners, nursing staff, medical trainees, and the general public, and misconceptions about the extent of reconstructive and plastic surgery. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on Kuwait University Medical students (2nd-7th Years) over a period of 1 month. A questionnaire and a consent form were provided to eligible students. The inclusion criteria were Kuwait University Medical students from 2nd to 7th Years with signed consent form. The response was collected via email sent in coordination with the Vice Dean of Student Affairs in the Faculty of Medicine. Using statistical package for the social sciences, responses were statistically analyzed. Pearson's chi-square test was used to calculate p-values, where p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 244 eligible medical students, 121 males and 123 females, were included in the study, with a mean age of 21 (±2) years. Similarly, 126 (51.6%) were preclinical students (2nd-4th-year students), while 118 (48.4%) were clinical students (5th-7th-year students). About 79.8% of medical students believed that plastic surgery plays an essential role in trauma management, whereas 9.2% did not consider plastic surgery significant for trauma management. This study found that only 15.5% of medical students were interested in enrolling in plastic surgery residency after graduation, while 47.1% of students did not consider plastic surgery residency after graduation. However, 37.4% were uncertain. The two most driving factors in deciding on plastic surgery residency were expected income (61.8%) and lifestyle (14.3%). Conclusion Improving medical students' education quality can enhance their perception and awareness of plastic surgery. Students should be taught the broader scope of plastic surgery. The inclusion of formal training during undergraduation is the essence of time and should be added to or improved during plastic surgery rotations with more emphasis on reconstructive and hand/peripheral nerve surgery. Student-led interest groups can be a useful tool for educating students about their specialty.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1418-1427
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Bacillus-based probiotics supplemented at two different levels to modulate the productive performance, egg quality, tibia traits, and specific cecal bacteria counts of Hy-Line Brown layers from 25 to 37 weeks of age. Methods: A total of 216 twenty-five-week-old hens were randomly distributed into 3 experimental diets with 12 replicates of 6 birds per cage. Diets included basal diet supplemented with 0 (CON), 3×10⁸ (PRO1), or 3×10⁹ (PRO2) colony-forming unit (CFU) of the test probiotic containing Bacillus subtilis PB6, Bacillus subtilis FXA, and Bacillus licheniformis G3 per kilogram of feed. Results: Improved egg weights and mass at 29 weeks; and feed intake at 31 weeks (p<0.10) were noticed with the probiotic-supplemented PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Considering egg quality, the shell thickness, Haugh units, and yolk color were improved; but yolk cholesterol was lowered (p<0.05) with PRO1 and PRO2 diets at 29 weeks. At both 33 and 37 weeks, the egg-breaking strength, shell color and thickness, albumen height, Haugh units, and yolk color were improved; but yolk cholesterol was similarly lowered (p<0.05) with the PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Improved tibia Ca, ash, weights, and density; and raised cecal counts of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli (p<0.05) were noticed with PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Improved tibia P but reduced Clostridia counts (p<0.10) were also observed with the PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Conclusion: Probiotic supplementation of Bacillus subtilis PB6, Bacillus subtilis FXA, and Bacillus licheniformis G3 at 3×10⁸ CFU/kg of feed is adequate to significantly improve egg quality, lower yolk cholesterol, enhance several tibia traits, and raise the populations of beneficial cecal bacteria. Modest improvements in several productive parameters and tibia P but reduced Clostridia were also observed; and could warrant further investigation of probiotic effects beyond the current test period.