Earticle

코로나19는 팬데믹이란 상황을 초래하여 전 세계의 평화와 안전을 위협하여 우리 삶의 전 (全) 영역에 중대한 영향을 미치고 있으며, 이 과정에서 저소득 및 취약계층은 재난에 대응하고 적응해 나가는데 있어서 많은 어려움을 경험하고 있다. 이에 본 연구는 정부의 공공복지서비스 를 받고 있는 복지대상자들의 코로나19 전후의 어려움과 향후 복지서비스 욕구를 조사한 결과 를 분석하여, 코로나19 이후 뉴노멀(New Normal) 시대에 필요한 지역사회 복지정책 및 서비 스 방향을 모색해보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 서울시 OO구에 거주하는 행복e-음 대상자 중 500 명을 무작위로 선정하여, 경제 및 고용, 돌봄 및 가족, 심리정서, 보건의료, 사회문화, 정보, 지 역사회자원이용, 전반적 생활상 어려움의 차이에 대한 설문조사를 실시하고, 코로나19 전후 어려움의 차이 및 향후 복지서비스 욕구 간의 상관관계를 분석하였다. 그 결과, 모든 영역에서 코로나19 이후 어려움이 증가하였고, 이는 통계적으로 유의미하게 나타났다. 또한 코로나19 전후의 어려움과 복지서비스 욕구와의 상관관계는 가족관계와 정보화 기기 보급 및 교육을 제 외한 전(全) 영역에서 통계적으로 유의미하게 나타났다. 이와 같은 연구 결과에 따라, 향후 뉴 노멀 시대에 필요한 지역사회 복지정책 및 서비스 방향을 제안하였다.

COVID-19 has significantly impacted our overall lives, especially persons in poverty and in vulnerable situations, struggle to cope with and adapt to the pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to examine difficulties and needs of Welfare recipients, such as how their lives have changed before and after COVID-19 and propose welfare policy and service implications for the post COVID-19, which is called New Normal era. For the data analysis, researchers randomly selected 500 recipients from OOgu, Seoul who are registered in the social security information system, called Haengbok E-eum, and conducted a survey on economic and employment status, care and family, psychological and emotional aspects, health care, sociocultural aspects, information, access to community resources and overall difficulty in living. Statistical analysis was used to identify the quantifiable differences in difficulties before and after COVID-19 and the association between these and welfare needs. The results show that difficulties in all life domains have been increased after COVID-19, which were statistically significant. In addition, the relations between difficulties and welfare needs have statistical significance except family relationship, and supply and education of informational technology. Based on these findings, this study suggested implications of welfare policy and services for the future New Normal era.

최근 경기 침체기를 맞아 기업들은 원가절감을 통한 수익성제고를 우선시하는 양상을 보이고 있다. 그런데 전략적 프레임에 의해서 기업은 추구하고자 하는 경쟁우위와 여러 활동들을 결정하게 된다. 따라서 기업의 특성과 전략이 조화를 이루어야 양호한 기업 성과가 산출될 수 있다. 한편, 우리나라의 전체 기업 중 중소기업이 차지하는 비중은 2006년 말 현재 99.9%이며 지속적으로 증가하고 있는데 비해서 KOSPI 및 KOSDAQ 주식시장에의 상장률은 약 0.06%로서 대부분의 중소기업들이 비상장기업에 속하고 있다. 이러한 점을 감안할 때, 이들 비상장기업의 전략적 성향에 대한 연구는 학문적으로나 실무적인 측면에서 유용한 시사점들을 던져줄 수 있다. 특히 본 연구는 상장기업을 조사대상으로 하였던 기존연구와의 비교분석을 통하여 비상장 중소기업의 전략적 특징을 규명하고자 하였다. Porter의 본원적 전략에 기초한 군집분석 결과 비상장 중소기업도 상장기업과 유사하게 4개 유형의 전략집단(원가우위 전략집단, 차별화 전략집단, 듀얼 전략집단, 무전략집단)으로 분류되었다. 흥미로운 것은 우리나라의 비상장 중소기업들은 원가우위 전략을 가장 많이 채택하고 있지만, 목표하는 기업성과를 제대로 거두지 못하고 있다는 점이다. 반면, 차별화 전략을 채택한 비상장 중소기업들은 상대적으로 양호한 기업성과를 거두고 있었다. 이러한 조사결과는 경쟁우위 및 기업능력 측면에서 설명될 수 있다. 본 연구는 특히 비상장 중소기업의 경쟁우위의 원천을 규명함으로써, 보다 효과적인 전략수립 방향과 그에 따른 조직관리 방향을 제시하였으며 무조건적으로 상장기업을 모방하는 전략수립 행태는 지양되어야 함을 시사하고 있다.

Firms should decide the competitive advantages and behaviors depending on the strategic framework. Therefore the harmony of Firms’ characteristics with strategies can produce favorable performances. Meanwhile, The ratio of Korean SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) to total is 99.9% in 2006 and going up continuously. However, the ratio of IPO (Initial Public Offering) to KOSPI and KOSDAQ is only 0.06%, This means that most Korean SMEs are unlisted companies. Consideration of these aspects, the study on Korean unlisted companies can give lots of useful academic and managerial implications to us. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first attempt to generalize findings in the strategic tendencies of Korean unlisted companies through the comparative analysis with listed ones. Especially, this study tries to identify the strategic characteristics of Korean unlisted companies by comparative analysis to author’s prior study that investigated Korean listed companies. The results of this study revealed that the Korean unlisted companies were similar to listed ones in some aspects, but different in another aspects. First of all, the performances of unlisted companies were inferior to those of listed ones in every indices. This is due to the characteristics of SMEs mostly consisted with Korean unlisted companies. Second, the result of cluster analysis on the basis of Porter’s generic strategy showed that the Korean unlisted companies were classified into four strategic types (Cost leadership group, Differentiation group, Dual group, Stuck-in-the-middle group), similar to listed companies. However, the most unlisted companies were in Cost leadership strategic group. unlikely to listed ones. Meanwhile, the ratios of differentiation and dual strategic groups in unlisted companies were different with those in listed ones. That could be interpreted in the insufficiency of available resources, which was the characteristics of unlisted companies. The Existing studies have insisted that the strategic tendencies of firms influenced upon performances like effectiveness and adaptiveness and efficiency. And this opinion was supported in the study of Korean listed companies. However, it was not supported in Korean unlisted ones, and this is the interesting findings of this study. That is, the unlisted cost leadership strategic firms pursue to increase efficiency but they have different characteristics from listed ones in aspect of the source of competitive advantages. The result of it, they do not achieve favorable goals. On the contrary, the unlisted differentiation strategic firms achieved favorable goals very well. But the performances of them were inferior to those of listed differentiation strategic firms, though I expected better performances owing to the relative advantages. The capabilities can be taken as the alternative explanation for this result, but further researches are needed for exact analysis. This study has some fruitful implications. First of all, This study identified the relationships between firms’ performances and strategies. Especially, as identifying the sources of competitive advantages which should be important considerations for employment of strategy for unlisted companies, indicates the effective strategic direction which reflect the characteristics of unlisted companies, rather than strategic planning behavior of undifferentiated imitating listed ones. Also, this study implies the effective organization management ways to strategic planning by identifying the characteristics of unlisted companies’ performances based on Poter’s generic strategies. For examples, in the case of employment of differentiation strategy, it will be effective to manage organization focusing on market sensing. Meanwhile in the case of employment of cost leadership strategy, it will be effective to manage organization focusing on interaction within and between organizations. This study has some limitations also. First, The points of data gathering time for Korean listed companies and unlisted ones were not accorded, so the effects of extraneous variables could be involved. Second, because this study was a cross sectional research, the inference of causality relationships between variables was limited. Third, subjective judgement could be involved because data collecting was depending on single informant. Strategy can be forecasted on th basis of internal resources and capabilities of firm, so the researches on what strategy will be effective in what conditions are necessary. This is the matter of the capabilities of firm. Deep analysis on the requirements for IPO can give more effective comparative analysis frame by making the relative characteristics of Korean listed companies also. And considerations of control variables like the turbulence of environment in designing research models can increase the possibility of generalization of the researches.

Upregulation of the nutritional value of feed is the major target of various studies in the livestock industry, and dietary enzyme supplementation could aid in digesting the nondegrading nutrients of grains in feed ingredients. Dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS) is a byproduct of the fermentation process in the beverage industry and can be used as a large supply source of fiber in feed. Therefore, we conducted an experiment with male broiler chickens to investigate the effect of various types of enzymes on DDGS and compare the efficacy of single enzyme and multienzyme complexes on growth performance and gut environments in broiler chickens. We used 420 1-day-old broiler chickens (Ross 308), and they were allotted into 4 dietary treatments with seven replications (CON, corn-soybean meal [SBM] diet; NC, DDGS supplemented diet; SE, 0.05 % of mannanase supplemented DDGS-based diet; MC, 0.10% of multienzyme complex (mannanase and xylanase, glucanase) supplemented DDGS-based diet. The dietary exogenous enzyme in the DDGS-supplemented diet could improve growth performance as much as the growth of the control group, and digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and gross energy were significantly increased by enzyme addition in groups of chicks fed DDGS-supplementation diet. Moreover, the populations of pathogenic bacteria, coliforms, and Bacteroidetes were significantly decreased by enzyme supplementation, which might lead to improved gut mucus-secreting cells and inflammatory cytokines in the jejunum. Collectively, dietary single enzyme and multienzyme complexes could improve gut environments, including intestinal immune responses and gut microbial population, and lead to improvement of growth performance in broiler chickens.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of forward head posture on the flexion-relaxation ratio (FRR) and muscle activity during sustained neck flexion and to investigate the correlation between craniovertebral angle and FRR. Methods: Nineteen subjects participated in this study and were allocated to a forward head posture (FHP) group or a non-forward head posture (NFHP) group. Craniovertebral angle (CVA) and FRR were measured in all subjects, and all participants performed a standardized cervical flexion-extension movement in two phases: Phase I, sustained cervical full flexion for 5s; and Phase II, cervical extension with the return to the starting position for 5s. The value of CVA has calculated three times, and the value of FRR was measured three times in order to obtain the mean value. Results: FRR values in the FHP and NFHP group were significantly different (p<0.05). Phase I was significantly different, but the Phase II was not significantly different between the FHP and NFHP group (p>0.05). There was a significant correlation between the muscle activity of Phase I and CVA (p<0.05). However, FRR and the muscle activity of the Phase II were not a significant correlation with the CVA (p>0.05). Conclusion: FHP increases the muscle activity of the cervical erector spinae during sustained neck flexion and reduces FRR, which can cause fatigue in the cervical erector spinae. In addition, for those with a smaller CVA, muscle activity of the cervical erector spinae is increased during sustained neck flexion, which can increase neck muscle tension.

Since 2002, Architecture Schools in Korea was changing long traditional architectural education system from 4 years generalized architectural engineering curriculum to 5 years professional architecture program. Until 2010, 76 architecture schools have changed their program to 5 years course which was focused to design studio education. It was a very rapid change and there was not much time develop their own system which could represent institutional identity, character of students and local environment. Korea joined as a regular member of Canberra Accord in 2010 and it is meaningful to compare Korean architecture program contents to another country education contents. US architecture programs were selected for this comparison study. The goals of this study are to create a comparable understanding the form of contents of Architectural Education in US and Korea and to verify the substantial equivalence of these systems. To achieve above goals, three public institutes of each country were selected and analyzed with general information, history, resources, curriculum and the matrix of Student Performance Criteria for quantitative comparison. For qualitative comparison education context of programs were analyzed with program missions, the way of advising, professional connection and distribution of faculty loads.

Condition classification is an important step in machinery fault detection, which is a problem of pattern recognition. Currently, there are a lot of techniques in this area and the purpose of this paper is to investigate two popular recognition techniques, namely hidden Markov model and support vector machine. At the beginning, we briefly introduced the procedure of feature extraction and the theoretical background of this paper. The comparison experiment was conducted for gearbox fault detection and the analysis results from this work showed that support vector machine has better classification performance in this area.

In this paper, the quaternion, the dual Euler, and the direction cosine methods are numerically compared using a non-aerodynamic 6 degree-of-freedom rigid model at all-attitude angles of an aircraft. The dual Euler method turns out to be superior to the others in the applications because it shows better numerical accuracy, stability, and robustness in integration step sizes. The dual Euler method is affordably less efficient than the quaternion method in terms of computational cost. Numerical accuracy and stability, which allow larger integration step sizes, are more critical in modern real-time applications than computational efficiency because of today's increased computational power. If the quaternion method is required because of constraints in computation time, then a suppression mechanism should be provided for algebraic constraint errors which will eventually add computational burden.

Consuming ethnic vegetable dishes, that has been an integral part in the food culture of many countries, is suggested to bring health benefits to humans. Kimchi from Korea and pao cai from China are two distinct vegetable dishes made from Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) through different processes. While kimchi is a fermented food, pao cai is produced by pickling in brine or vinegar. The present study aimed to investigate and compare the hepatoprotective effects of kimchi and pao cai in vivo using animal model and in vitro using a cell line. Despite having similar nutritional profiles, kimchi and pao cai exhibited different chemical and microbiological properties. Compared to pao cai, the pH during fermentation of kimchi dropped more rapidly and the antioxidant activity of kimchi was also stronger. In addition, total microorganisms and lactic acid bacteria were consistently higher in kimchi than in pao cai. In vivo, the hepatoprotective properties of kimchi and pao cai were associated with the increase in expression and activity of major liver antioxidant enzymes, particularly glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. In vitro, both kimchi and pao cai promoted the formation of glutathione. Upon exposure to chemically induced oxidative stress, kimchi protected liver cells by inhibiting glutathione depletion and limiting lipid peroxidation. In general, kimchi demonstrated stronger hepatoprotective properties compared to pao cai. Thus, the present study provides promising insights into the development of ethnic foods, particularly kimchi and pao cai, as functional foods beneficial for human health.

Purpose: We aimed to analyze the reliability of the test for choice stepping reaction time (CSRT) under an unstable surface and determine whether there were differences in CSRT between support surface conditions (stable vs. unstable conditions) and between age groups (young adults vs. community-dwelling older adults). Methods: Twenty healthy community-dwelling older adults and twenty young adults performed the stepping task under an unstable condition over two visits. The mean of the two trials measured for each visit was used for the analysis. The test-retest reliability was analyzed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) with a 95% confidence interval, standard error of measurement (SEM), and minimal detectable change (MDC). Differences in CSRT between support surface conditions and age groups were analyzed using the independent t-test with Bonferroni correction. Results: Excellent consistency was observed for ICC >0.90 in both groups. Moreover, the SEM and MDC values of the CSRT in older and young adults were 0.03 and 0.09 and 0.01 and 0.04, respectively. There was a significant difference in the CSRT between the age groups under stable (p<0.001) and unstable conditions (p<0.001). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the test for CSRT under an unstable condition had reliable results in both groups. Although older adults demonstrated longer reaction times than younger adults in all surface conditions, increasing the balance control demand by implementing a choice stepping task concomitant with a balance task had no influence on the reaction time in both age groups.

Objective: To compare the findings of videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) in patients with stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP). Methods: Between January 2015 and June 2019, 1245 patients diagnosed with pneumonia underwent VFSS examination. Data were collected through retrospective chart reviews. Depending on the diagnosis, 378 post-stroke patients identified were classified into two groups: 327 non-aspiration pneumonia (non-AP) and 51 aspiration pneumonia (AP). Aspiration pneumonia was diagnosed both clinically and radiologically. VFSS results included 11 items of functional dysphagia scoring (FDS) and 8 points of penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) that analyze the swallowing function by anatomical site. Results: Based on the FDS score, the AP group showed significantly higher values in residue in pyriform sinuses (P= 0.01), as compared to the non-AP group. There was a significant difference in the PAS score between both groups (P=0.001).Conclusion: Based on the FDS results, AP in SAP is associated with residue in piriform sinuses. VFSS tests therefore have the potential to be clinically applied to predict the occurrence of aspiration pneumonia in stroke patients.

Objective To determine whether the use of both videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and radionuclide salivagram was beneficial for detecting aspiration-induced pneumonia in children with swallowing difficulty. Methods From 2001 to 2016, children who underwent both VFSS and salivagram consecutively for suspected aspiration or dysphagia were included in the study. Demographic data, findings of VFSS and salivagram, and medical records were reviewed. Results Aspiration pneumonia (AP) was present in 34 out of 110 children; 48 showed positive aspiration findings in VFSS and 33 showed positive aspiration findings in salivagram. Among the 62 children who were negative of aspiration in VFSS, 12 (19.4%) showed positive aspiration findings in salivagram. Four out of 12 children were diagnosed with AP. The aspiration findings in both VFSS and salivagram were significantly related to AP. However, the aspiration findings in the two tests were weakly consistent. Even if one test showed negative aspiration, it was helpful to additionally detect AP using another test, which showed positive aspiration finding. If aspiration findings were positive in only one of the two tests, the probability of AP was 38.5%, whereas if they were positive in both tests, the probability increased to 66.7%. If the aspiration findings were negative in both tests, AP did not occur with a probability of 90%. Conclusion Salivagram is a valuable tool for monitoring of aspiration in children with swallowing difficulties. It could be helpful in assessment of children at a high risk of AP, even if the VFSS showed negative aspiration findings. Thus, testing for AP using both VFSS and salivagram is desirable.

Background: The flexible flatfoot is characterized by a flattening of the foot arch due to excessive bodyweight. The use of shoe insoles or taping methods has been identified as effective in realigning the navicular or calcaneus bones and addressing supination in pronated feet. Objects: This study aimed to analyze the difference between the arch taping attachment method, introduced in a previous study, and a novel taping method designed to provide support to the inner aspect of the heel bone in cases of flexible flatfoot. Methods: A navicular drop test was performed to discriminate flexible flatfoot. To analyze the differences in pressure distribution during walking for each taping method, the subjects underwent testing in the barefoot state with no attachments. The procedure included a sequence of arch taping and heel taping. Subsequent analysis of pressure distribution during walking utilized the GaitRite^® system (GAITRite Gold, CIR Systems Inc.). Results: Arch taping and calcaneus taping significantly reduced the integrated pressure over time and peak pressure on the medial side of the midfoot for both feet compared to the barefoot state. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that supporting the inside of the heel through calcaneus taping, without direct stimulation to the longitudinal arch and navicular bone, is an effective intervention for flexible flatfoot.

Objective To compare the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography(US) and electrophysiologic study in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Method Two hundred twenty-seven hands in patients and 40 hand in healthy control group were used. Patients were diagnosed clinically with CTS. All groups had nerve conduction study (NCS) and sonographic measurement of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve. Using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cutoff value was obtained and the sensitivity and specificity was evaluated. The correlation between the Hi-Ob score and the electrophysiologic severity, Hi-Ob score and CSA of the median nerve, and between the electrophysiologic severity and CSA were assessed. Results The cutoff value of the difference of median sensory latency (DMSL) was 1.55 ms with a sensitivity and specificity of 94.7% and 92.3% respectively. The cutoff value of CSA was 9.5 mm2, had a sensitivity of 85.5% and a specificity of 92.3%. In mild CTS, NCS showed a sensitivity of 92.1% and CSA showed a sensitivity of 81.2%. The electrophysiologic severity and Hi-Ob score appeared to show a significant positive correlation (r=0.34, p＜0.01), and as the Hi-Ob score increased, the CSA was increased (r=0.54, p＜0.01). The increase in electrophysiologic severity and the CSA also showed a significant correlation (r=0.33, p＜0.01) There was bifurcation of the nerve in 9 hands, persistent median artery in 4 hands and cyst in 1 hands. And tenosynovitis was observed in 1 hands. Conclusion In clinical CTS, electrophysiologic study showed higher sensitivity than US. But US can give us anatomical informations.

In ubiquitous environments, many applications need to process data with time and space dimensions. Because of this, there is growing attention not only on gathering spatiotemporal data in ubiquitous environments, but also on processing such data in databases. In order to obtain the full benefits from spatiotemporal data, we need a data model that naturally expresses the properties of spatiotemporal data. In this paper, we introduce three spatiotemporal data models extended from temporal data models. The main goal of this paper is to determine which data model is less complex in the spatiotemporal context. To this end, we compare their query languages in the complexity aspect because the complexity of a query language is tightly coupled with its underlying data model. Throughout our investigations, we show that it is important to intertwine space and time dimensions and keep one-to-one correspondence between an object in the real world and a tuple in a database in order to naturally express queries in ubiquitous applications.

Purpose: Ankle dorsiflexion is an essential element of normal functions, including walking, activities of daily living and sport activities. The tibialis anterior (TA) muscle functioned as a dorsiflexor and as a dynamic stabilizer of the ankle joint during walking and jumping. This study aimed to compare TA muscle thickness using ultrasonography according to the four different toe and ankle postures for the selective TA strengthening exercise. Methods: This study were recruited 26 (males: 15, females: 11) aged 20-30 years, with no injury ankle and calf in the medical history, had normal dorsiflexion and inversion range of motion (ROM). The thickness of the TA muscle was measured by ultrasonography in the four different toe and ankle postures: 1. Ankle dorsiflexion with all toe extension and ankle inversion (ITEDF); 2. Ankle dorsiflexion with all toe flexion and ankle inversion (ITFDF); 3. Ankle dorsiflexion with all toe extension and neutral position (NTEDF); 4. Ankle dorsiflexion with all toe flexion and neutral position (NTFDF). One-way repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni correction were used to confirm the significant difference among conditions. The level of statistical significance was set at α=0.01. Results: TA muscle thickness with ITFDF was significantly greater than in any other ankle positions, including ITEDF, NTFDF, and NTEDF (p<0.01). Conclusion: Among the four toe and ankle postures, isometric contraction in ITFDF postures showed the greatest increase in thickness of TA rather than ITEDF, NTEDF, and NTFDF postures. Based on these results, ITFDF can be recommended in an efficient way to selectively strengthen TA muscle.

Background: Genotype imputation is an important process of predicting unknown genotypes, which uses reference population with dense genotypes to predict missing genotypes for both human and animal genetic variations at a low cost. Machine learning methods specially boosting methods have been used in genetic studies to explore the underlying genetic profile of disease and build models capable of predicting missing values of a marker. Methods: In this study strategies and factors affecting the imputation accuracy of parent-offspring trios compared from lower-density SNP panels (5 K) to high density (10 K) SNP panel using three different Boosting methods namely TotalBoost (TB), LogitBoost (LB) and AdaBoost (AB). The methods employed using simulated data to impute the un-typed SNPs in parent-offspring trios. Four different datasets of G1 (100 trios with 5 k SNPs), G2 (100 trios with 10 k SNPs), G3 (500 trios with 5 k SNPs), and G4 (500 trio with 10 k SNPs) were simulated. In four datasets all parents were genotyped completely, and offspring genotyped with a lower density panel. Results: Comparison of the three methods for imputation showed that the LB outperformed AB and TB for imputation accuracy. The time of computation were different between methods. The AB was the fastest algorithm. The higher SNP densities resulted the increase of the accuracy of imputation. Larger trios (i.e. 500) was better for performance of LB and TB. Conclusions: The conclusion is that the three methods do well in terms of imputation accuracy also the dense chip is recommended for imputation of parent-offspring trios.

Objective: For knee osteoarthritis (OA), there is a demand for alternative modalities in order to delay surgery and to avoid the side effects of medications. This study compared the effects of applying seaweed pack and mudpack for the treatment of knee OA. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-five patients with knee OA who satisfied the criteria were included. The patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment method: mudpack (n=12) and seaweed pack (n=13). The two groups were treated for 20 minutes, twice a day for five continuous days at the Ocean Healing Center at Wando Island, South Korea. Participants were assessed by clinical scores (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey) and lab results (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1], tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ [$TNF-{\alpha}$]) during the follow-up period. Results: For the most part, clinical scores improved after therapy and maintained improvements for four weeks in both groups (p<0.05). In the seaweed group, $TNF-{\alpha}$ was significantly decreased at two weeks post-therapy (p<0.05). In both groups, IGF-1 was significantly increased immediately post-therapy (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences after therapy between the groups in clinical scores and labs. Conclusions: Seaweed packs and mudpacks had similar positive effects for knee OA. Additionally, the seaweed pack group showed decreased levels of $TNF-{\alpha}$ at two weeks post-treatment, which may explain the reduced inflammatory reaction. For rehabilitation therapy, use of seaweed packs may serve as an alternative modality for the treatment of knee OA.

This study compared cross-national Twitter use between Korea and Japan. The main exploratory variables were a) cultural traits and b) disclosure of geographic information. Twitter use was measured by the degree of reciprocity and the numbers of Tweets, followings, and followers. Data were collected using API-based software and analyzed with independent samples t-tests. Content analysis was conducted to validate the findings. The results indicate that Korean and Japanese users employ their own communication strategies reflecting their cultural orientation.

Objective To compare fluid thickeners composed of starch polysaccharide (STA), guar gum-based polysaccharide (UA), and xanthan gum-based polysaccharide (XAN) with the use of a viscometer and a line spread test (LST) under various measurement conditions.Methods The viscosity of thickened fluid with various concentrations (range, UA 1%-4%, XAN 1%-6%, STA 1%-7%, at intervals of 1%) was measured with a rotational viscometer with various shear rates (1.29 s-1, 5.16 s-1, 51.6 s-1, and 103 s-1) at a temperature of 35°C, representing body temperature. The viscosity of STA showed time dependent alteration. So STA was excluded. Viscosities of UA and XAN (range of concentration, UA 1%-3%, XAN 1%-6%, at intervals of 1%) were measured at a room temperature of 20°C. LST was conducted to compare UA and XAN (concentration, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 3.0%) at temperatures of 20°C and 35°C.Results The viscosities of 1% UA and XAN were similar. However, viscosity differences between UA and XAN were gradually larger as concentration increased. The shear thinning effect, the inverse relationship between the viscosity and the shear rate, was more predominant in XAN than in UA. The results of LST were not substantially different from UA and XAN, in spite of the difference in viscosity. However manufacturers’ instructions do not demonstrate the rheological properties of thickeners.Conclusion The viscosities of thickened fluid were different when the measurement conditions changed. Any single measurement might not be sufficient to determine comparable viscosity with different thickeners. Clinical decision for the use of a specific thickener seems to necessitate cautious consideration of results from a viscometer, LST, and an expert’s opinion.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of wearing various types of shoes on gait ability in stroke survivors and in order to gain information in regards to shoes that could possibly replace ankle orthosis. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Eight hemiplegic survivors diagnosed with stroke participated in the study. Gait was analyzed using the GAITRite Electronic Walkway (CIR System Inc., USA) when subjects walked with no showed, walked with non-ankle-covered shoes, and walked with ankle-covered shoes. This study collected gait variables, including velocity, cadence, step length, stride length, single support time, and double support time, respectively. Results: In the comparison of walking with no shoes, non-ankle-covered shoes, and ankle-covered shoes, there were significant differences in gait velocity, step length, stride length, and the less affected side single support time (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in cadence, affected side single support time, and double support time. Conclusions: Ankle-covered shoes had a positive impact on the gait of stroke survivors. However, it is necessary to conduct more studies comparing various types of shoes with ankle orthoses.