Model development to estimate site index values for six major tree species in North Korea

Due to considerable deforestation in North Korea,there is a need to plan forest restoration programs based on scientific forest management.In this study,a methodology was developed for estimating the site index values of six major tree species and the forest productivity potential.The site index values of these tree species were derived in South Korea using the Chapman-Richards equation.These values were used with data from the 6th National Forest Inventory,which included 20 types of edaphic,topographic,and climatic factors,and random forest analysis—a widely used machine learning technique for spatial prediction—to develop a new model for estimating the site index values of these species across South Korea.The prediction accuracy of this model was evaluated using the root mean square error.The results show that the prediction accuracy was high,with a root mean square error of~1m.Moreover,the importance of the variables related to climate and geography was generally high.The proposed site index estimation model for six tree species was applied across North Korea,and its effectiveness tested by comparing the estimated values with those reported in literature from North Korea.The differences between the model outputs and recorded data in the northern alpine regions were presumably due to the lack of data for high-altitude regions in South Korea.This model is based on the determination of the suitability of tree species in restoration efforts.Therefore,it can contribute to the evaluation of forest productivity in North Korea and may help plan efficient forest restoration programs.

Recent research progress on magnesium alloys in Korea:A review

This review highlights the recent advancements in Mg research in South Korea with a prime focus on high-speed-extrudable Mg–Bi-based alloys for high productivity and strength, innovative techniques utilizing {10–12} twinning for improved mechanical properties, and alloying and processing methods for enhanced corrosion resistance. High-alloyed Mg–Bi-based alloys possess thermally stable α-Mg matrix and secondary phase, which ensures high-speed extrusion of these alloys at elevated temperatures without hot cracking. Consequently, they exhibit outstanding extrudability with a maximum extrusion speed of up to 70 m/min. Furthermore, their high alloying contents offer excellent strength even after high-speed extrusion through strong solid solution hardening and particle hardening effects, making them suitable for high-performance extruded Mg products. The pre-twinning process utilizing {10–12} twinning and the combined process of pre-twinning and subsequent annealing have shown promise in controlling microstructure and texture of wrought Mg alloys and thus enhancing their mechanical properties. The pre-twinning process enhances tensile strength, fatigue properties, and age-hardening rate of Mg alloys. Furthermore, the combined processes of pre-twinning and subsequent annealing considerably improve their ductility, stretch formability, bending formability,and damping capacity. Efforts have been made to improve the corrosion resistance of Mg alloys through alloying additions, process treatments,and surface coatings. Alloying elements like Ca, Sc, and Sm alter the microstructural features(such as secondary phases and grain size)that affect the corrosion phenomenon. Process treatments such as multidirectional forging, screw rolling, and pulse electron beam can also improve the corrosion resistance by refining the microstructure. Furthermore, advanced surface coating technologies can create durable and corrosion-resistant layers for effectively protecting the Mg alloys. All these research activities conducted in South Korea have considerably contributed to the widespread utilization of Mg alloys in diverse applications by overcoming the inherent limitations of Mg alloys such as low extrudability, formability, and corrosion resistance.

Looking towards the Future of BIM in South Korea Towards AI-Enhanced BIM

This paper provides an overview of South Korea’s 20-year journey in adopting building information modeling(BIM) and future direction. It first discusses the six phases of BIM adoption in South Korea, starting from the use of BIM as a marketing tool to its current intelligent BIM phase. The government’s support for BIM-related research and development projects is also highlighted, with a focus on the artificail intelligence (AI)-based architectural design automation project. As the future direction, it explores the integration of AI with BIM in both local and global contexts. The paper presents AIpowered architectural design methods, including AI-powered early architectural design generation and architectural detailing.Compared to AI-based early architectural design generation, architectural detailing is an unexplored research topic. This paper introduces two AI-and BIM-based architectural detailing methods, being developed at Yonsei University:namely,BIM library transplant and Natural language-based Architectural Detailing through Interaction with AI (NADIA). These methods demonstrate how AI-enhanced BIM can enable architects to interactively develop building details using a language model as a conversational AI and a knowledge base, and a BIM authoring tool as a design platform, in the near future.

关于“Corea”和“Korea”用法的一点思考——以《教务杂志》为中心的考察

在近代朝鲜,发生了英文拼写法由"Korea"取代"Corea"的问题。探索是何时、何种原因造成的,《教务杂志》的线索极有价值。它说明"Corea"和"Korea"用法的变更,是美国介入朝鲜事务,将国际上英语世界原本存在的"Corea"和"Korea"混用现象,逐步引向政治性方向造成的。后来,日本主导朝鲜事务后,接受了美国人的用法,从而进一步确立和强化了"Korea"这一用法的地位。

Korea's Textile and Clothing Industry still Sees China as a Major Trading Partner——Meeting with Mr.Myeng-keun Ha,V.Chairman of Korea Federation of Textile industries at the First Private Sector Consultative Committee's Meeting chaired by ITCB(Internation

On June 2-3,International Textile and Clothing Bureau held its inaugural meeting for Private Sector Consultative Committee(PICC)in Geneva on June 2-3 to discuss the issues of common concerns and impacts that challenged textile and clothing sectors against global economic recession.

Significant risk and associated factors of active tuberculosis infection in Korean patients with inflammatory bowel disease using anti-TNF agents

AIM:To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of Korean tuberculosis(TB) infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) undergoing anti-TNF treatment.METHODS:The data of IBD patients treated with anti-TNFs in 13 tertiary referral hospitals located in the southeastern region of Korea were collected retrospectively.They failed to show response or were intolerant to conventional treatments,including steroids or immunomodulators.Screening measures for latent TB infection(LTBI)and the incidence and risk factors ofactive TB infection after treatment with anti-TNFs were identified.RESULTS:Overall,376 IBD patients treated with antiTNF agents were recruited(male 255,mean age of anti-TNF therapy 32.5±13.0 years);277 had Crohn’s disease,99 had ulcerative colitis,294 used infliximab,and 82 used adalimumab.Before anti-TNF treatment,screening tests for LTBI including an interferon gamma release assay or a tuberculin skin test were performed in 82.2%of patients.Thirty patients(8%)had LTBI.Sixteen cases of active TB infection including one TB-related mortality occurred during 801 personyears(PY)follow-up(1997.4 cases per 100000 PY)after anti-TNF treatment.LTBI(OR=5.76,95%CI:1.57-21.20,P=0.008)and WBC count<5000 mm3(OR=4.5,95%CI:1.51-13.44,P=0.007)during follow-up were identified as independently associated risk factors.CONCLUSION:Anti-TNFs significantly increase the risk of TB infection in Korean patients with IBD.The considerable burden of TB and marked immunosuppression might be attributed to this risk.

Hepatitis B virus mutations related to liver disease progression of Korean patients

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is a global health problem and more than 350 million people worldwide are chronic carriers of the virus.Despite the recent dramatic decline in HBV chronic patients through successful programs of hepatitis B surface antigen vaccination,South Korea is still recognized as an endemic area of HBV infection.HBV infections in South Korea exhibit several distinct features in epidemiologic and clinical aspects.In this review paper,we summarize the distinct HBV mutation patterns related to clinical severity and the molecular epidemiologic traits in Korean chronic patients based on previous reports.Generally,several lines of evidence,including our previous results,have led to the conclusion that a combination of the exclusive predominance of genotype C2,which is prone to mutations,the high prevalence of basal core promoter double mutations,and the presence of distinct immune responses against HBV proteins in the Korean population may generate the distinct HBV variants rarely or not encountered in other areas,which results in distinct clinical manifestations in Korean chronic patients.This may provide a novel insight into the relationships between clinical severity,HBV genotype distribution,and HBV naturally occurring variants.

Low skeletal muscle mass is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Korean adults： the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

BACKGROUND： Sarcopenia and non-alcoholic fatty liver dis- ease （NAFLD） share similar pathophysiological mechanisms, and the relationship between sarcopenia and NAFLD has been recently investigated. The study investigated whether low skel- etal muscle mass is differentially associated with NAFLD by gender in Korean adults. METHODS： We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The skeletal muscle index （SMI） was obtained by the appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by the weight. NAFLD was defined as a fatty liver index （FLI） 〉60 in the absence of other chronic liver disease. RESULTS： Among the included subjects, 18.3% （SE： 1.4%） in men and 7.0% （SE： 0.7%） in women were classified as having FLI-defined NAFLD. Most of the risk factors for FLI-defined NAFLD showed a significant negative correlation with the SMI in both genders. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that low SMI was associated with FLI-defined NAFLD, inde- pendent of other metabolic and lifestyle parameters in both genders [males： odds ratio （OR）=1.35; 95% confidence inter- val （CI）： 1.17-1.54; females： OR=1.36; 95% CI： 1.18-1.55]. The magnitude of the association between FLI-defined NAFLD and low SMI was higher in middle aged to elderly males （OR-1.50; 95% CI： 1.22-1.84） than in males less than 45 years of age （OR=1.25; 95% CI： 1.02-1.52） and in premenopausal females （OR=l.50; 95% CI： 1.12-2.03） than in postmenopausal females （OR-1.36; 95% CI： 1.20-1.54）.CONCLUSIONS： Low SMI is associated with the risk of FLI- defined NAFLD independent of other well-known metabolic risk factors in both genders. This association may differ ac- cording to age group or menopausal status. Further studies are warranted to confirm this relationship.

Surface and Upper-Level Features Associated with Wintertime Cold Surge Outbreaks in South Korea

The surface and upper-level features associated with a sharp drop ofwintertime daily temperature over South Korea is investigated in this study. This sharp drop indaily temperature is called a cold surge and is one of the most hazardous weather phenomena in EastAsian winters. An upper-level baroclinic wave of 60° wavelength propagating eastward at a phasespeed of 12° longitude per day across the continent of northern China from the west of Lake Baikaltoward the eastern coast of China causes the outbreak of cold air over South Korea. The coolingassociated with the upper-level baroclinic jvave is found at all altitudes under the geopotentialheight-fall center near the tropopause. The development in the ridge seems to derive the earlyevolution of the eastward-propagating sinusoidal wave, whereas the trough is connected directly withthe tropospheric temperature-drop. An enhancement of the wintertime East Asian jet stream after theoutbreak of a cold surge is a response to the steep temperature gradient associated with thedeveloping baroclinic wave.

Fossil-Winged Fruits of Fraxinus(Oleaceae) and Liriodendron(Magnoliaceae) from the Duho Formation,Pohang Basin,Korea

A total of 16 specimens of fossil-winged fruits were found from the Middle Miocene marine deposits, Duho Formation, Pohang Basin, Korea. They were identified into two structurally different groups： 15 specimens into a winged fruit of Fraxinus, and one specimen of Liriodendron. The most samaras （13 specimens） were identified as Fraxinus oishii, which is characterized by narrowly ovate or ovate-elliptic shapes that are 2.7-3.6 cm in length and 0.7-1 cm in width （i/w ratio=3.4-4）. The apexes of the Fraxinus oishii samara are round or slightly emarginated, and a seed of the samara is always located at the base, of which the general shape is narrow rhombic-ellipsoidal. The seed is 1.2-2 cm long and 0.5-0.7 cm wide. Two specimens are different from the samara of Fraxinus oishii. They have a 6.6 length/width ratio （3.3 cm long and 0.5 cm wide）, and thus, are temporarily classified into the Fraxinus sp. One specimen was recognized as a winged seed of Liriodendron meisenense. The wing is broadly lanceolate to elliptic in shape, has a smooth, acute apex, and is approximately 3 cm long and 0.7 cm wide. Samaras of Fraxinus oishii and Liriodendron meisenense were early reported from the Middle Miocene deposits from North Korea, but these specimens are the first discovery in South Korea. Further study of the Duho Formation may connect flora relationships between North and South Korea.

Local Meteorological and Synoptic Characteristics of Fogs Formed over Incheon International Airport in the West Coast of Korea

Fogs observed over Incheon international airport （IIA） in the west coast of Korea from January 2002 to August 2006 are classified into categories of coastal fog, cold sea fog, and warm sea fog based on the areal extent of the fogs and the difference between the air temperature （T ） and the SST, i.e., cold sea fog if TSST = T -SST 〉 0~0C and warm sea fog if TSST 〈 0~0C. The numbers of coastal, cold, and warm sea fog cases are 64, 26, and 9. Coastal fogs form most frequently in winter, while cold sea fogs occur mostly in summer and warm sea fogs are observed from January to May but not in November and December. On average the air gets colder by 1.6~0C during the three hours leading up to the coastal fog formation, and an additional cooling of 1.1~0C occurs during the fog. The change in the dew point temperature （T_d） is minimal except during the fog （0.6~0C）. Decreases in T for the cold and warm sea fogs are relatively smaller. The average Td is higher than SST during the cold sea fog periods but this T_d is more than 4~0C higher than that for the corresponding non-fog days, suggesting that cold sea fogs be formed by the cooling of already humid air （i.e., T_d〉SST）. Increases of T_d are significant during the warm sea fog periods （1.4~0C）, implying that effcient moisture supply is essential to warm sea fog formation. Four major synoptic patterns are identified in association with the observed fogs. The most frequent is a north Pacific high that accounts for 38% of cases. Surface or upper inversions are present in 77%, 69%, and 81% of the fog periods for coastal, cold, and warm sea fogs, respectively.

Insect community structures along elevation gradients on Mt.Seongak-san, South Korea

Insect communities along three elevation gra- dients on Mt. Seongak-san, South Korea, were investigated from May to September 2013 using traps in order to collect basic data for distributional monitoring of species in a forest ecosystem. A total of 2698 individuals of 309 moth species of 18 families were collected in bucket-light traps, along with 196 individuals of 26 ground-beetle species and 11,276 individuals of 14 ant species in pit-fall traps. The insect community at each site was analyzed using analysisof variance and non-metric multidimensional scaling （NMS）. The ground-beetle and ant abundances varied with elevation. The NMS showed distinct clusters of moths between the ground-beetle and ant distributions with ele- vation and month. The community-level responses of these insect groups to those gradients were analyzed.

Development and Evaluation of Korean Nurses’ Core Competency Scale (KNCCS)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a Korean Nurses’ Core Competency Scale (KNCCS). Methods: This methodological research was conducted over two major steps. The first step involved developing a preliminary 70-item KNCCS based on an extensive literature review and the standards and criteria proposed by the Korean Accreditation of Nursing. The second step involved evaluating validity and reliability of the KNCCS. 528 newly graduated nurses recently employed in nine major hospitals were participated in this research for validation. Results: The final KNCCS consisted of 70 items. The exploratory factor analysis identified five subscales under which each item could be categorized: 1) human understanding and communication skills;2) professional attitudes;3) critical thinking and evaluation;4) general clinical performance;and 5) specific clinical performance. Conclusion: The KNCCS shows good reliability and validity. However, the test of both criterion and construct validity were recommended further.

Reefs in the Early Paleozoic Taebaek Group,Korea:A Review

Various early Paleozoic （Cambrian Series 3-Middle Ordovician） reefs are found in the Taebaek Group, eastern Korea, located in the eastern margin of the Sino-Korean Block. They occur in every carbonate-dominant lithostratigraphic unit of the group, but their morphology and composition differ markedly. The Daegi Formation （middle Cambrian： Cambrian Series 3） contains siliceous sponge-Epiphyton reefs formed in a shallow subtidal environment, which is one of the earliest metazoan-bearing microbial reefs after the archaeocyath extinction. The Hwajeol Formation （upper Cambrian： Furongian） encloses sporadic dendrolites consisting of Angulocellularia, which developed in a relatively deep subtidal environment, representing a rare deeper water example. The onset of the Ordovician radiation resulted in the formation of microbialite-Archaeoscyphia-calathiid patch reefs in shallow subtidal deposits of the Lower Ordovician Dumugol Formation. Subsequent late Early Ordovician relative sea-level fall established extensive peritidal environments, forming microbial mats and stromatolites of the Lower-Middle Ordovician Makgol Formation. Ensuing Ordovician radiation resulted in one of the earliest metazoan skeletal reefs of the Middle Ordovician Duwibong Formation, constructed by stromatoporoid Cystostroma and bryozoan Nicholsonella, and developed around shallow shoals. These reefs reflect ongoing evolution and sea-level change during the early Paleozoic, and exemplify a rare glimpse of peri-Gondwanan records of reef evolution, which warrant detailed investigations and comparison with their counterparts in other regions.

Cost-profit analysis for Japan-Russia and Japan-South Korea interconnectors

This paper describes the results of cost-profit analysis related to interconnectors for Japan-Russia and JapanSouth Korea based on the Asia International Grid Connection Study Group 2^(nd) report. The Group has been established in 2016 for conducting research on international electric power networks in Asia from the viewpoint of technology, investment and legal framework. 2^(nd) report of the Group was published in June 2018, examining the profitability of an interconnectors between Japan and neighboring countries. The Group has calculated expected profit from operation of these interconnectors.The Group has categorized interconnector business into four models from the survey of preceding and current business on grids and interconnectors. To clarify profitability, expected internal rate of return(IRR) was calculated for each business model based on estimated investment cost for each route. When interconnector is dedicated to specific power plants or suppliers and electricity can be sold at Japan wholesale market at 2016-2017 price level, positive IRR levels are expected in case that Free on Board(FOB) price lower than 7 JPY/kWh. When the investment will be covered by electricity tariff by final consumers, tariff for consumers will just slightly increase by approximately 0.1 JPY/kWh.

Factors associated with nursing students' willingness to care for older adults in Korea and the United States

Objective: Elderly health care needs increase and nurses' role for elderlies is vital.It is significant to identify nursing students' intention to care for elderlies.Thus,this study investigated nursing students' willingness to care for elderlies in Korea and the United States.Methods: The study was conducted with 437 undergraduate nursing students from Korea and the United States from May 25 to 31,2018.Participants completed a survey including frequency and quality of contact,anxiety about aging,empathy,attitude toward elderly,and willingness to care.Results: Study findings from the entire group showed that nursing students' willingness to care for the elderly was positively associated with contact quality (β =0.22,P<0.001) and empathy (β =0.12,P 0.009) but negatively associated with anxiety about aging (β =0.23,P < 0.001) and attitude toward the elderly (β =0.14,P =0.004).Contact quality (β=0.30,P < 0.001) was positively associated with the willingness to care in Korean students,whereas extended family living type (β =-0.15,P=0.012) and attitude toward the elderly (β =-0.18,P=0.005) negatively associated in US students.Conclusion: This study suggested that nursing educators reinforce contact quality and empathy but reduce anxiety about aging and attitude toward elderly to enhance future nurses' care quality.

Need to establish a new adolescent suicide prevention programme in South Korea

Adolescent suicide is the leading cause of death among South Korean(Korean)youth.Despite great efforts being made towards suicide prevention in Korea,the suicide rate has not decreased significantly.There is an urgent need for a new adolescent suicide prevention strategy.This paper describes the seriousness of the issue of adolescent suicide in Korea,evaluates its current management by the SWOT analysis(strengths,weaknesses,opportunities and threats)and further recommends a new suicide prevention programme that integrates national/social involvement(State Suicide Intervention Committee,suicide posts'monitoring,parental divorce information sharing and Adolescence Mental Health Promotion Foundation),schoolbased programmes(continuous monitoring system,psychology consultation team and mental health educational curricula)and familybased programmes(parental education and family-school communication).In addition,genetic analysis,biochemical tests and psychological disease registration are the indispensable elements that aid in suicidal behaviour prevention and prediction.

Manifestation of Traditional Cultures in Classical Chinese and Korean Gardens

Classical garden as a kind of comprehensive art embodies a nation's culture and spirit, and culture has a direct impact on the style of classical gardens in the same period. Traditional Chinese and Korean gardens have intimate connection with each other and have their own unique systems. Also it is no exception in culture, that is, similar traditional cultures have different manifestations in their respective classical gardens. This study analyzes different manifestations of yin and yang and Five Elements Theory, thought of immortals and Confucianism in classical gardens of China and Korea.

Route designs and cost estimation for Japan-Russia and Japan-South Korea interconnections

This paper describes route designs and cost estimation for possible interconnections between Japan-Russia and between Japan-South Korea based on the Asia International Grid Connection Study Group 2^(nd) report. The Group has conducted a desktop study to design several cable routes as possible options. To optimize the route, the group studied a wide range of open data, regarding sea depth, fishery zones, geographic condition, available transmission capacity in connecting points inside Japan and so on. The result of desktop study shows that it is possible to keep sea depth for planned routes less than 300 m and length for most of designed routes is less than 600 km. Compare to existing undersea cables in Europe, proposed routes are not challenging from technical and geological viewpoints.The study shows that investment cost range, including cost for grid enhancement inside Japan, is from around 200 bn JPY to 600 bn JPY, depending on the routes. Annualized cost range is from around 8 to 24 bn JPY(for 25-year operation), which is not so large compare to 1800 bn JPY-average annual investment in transmission infrastructure by 10 power utilities in the past 23 years.

The effect of a urinary incontinence selfmanagement program for older women in South Korea:A pilot study

Background:Although self-management approaches have shown strong evidence of positive outcomes for urinary incontinence prevention and management,few programs have been developed for Korean rural communities.Objectives:This pilot study aimed to develop,implement,and evaluate a urinary incontinence self-management program for community-dwelling women aged 55 and older with urinary incontinence in rural South Korea.Methods:This study used a one-group pre-post-test design to measure the effects of the intervention using standardized urinary incontinence symptom,knowledge,and attitude measures.Seventeen community-dwelling older women completed weekly 90-min group sessions for 5 weeks.Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests and were used to analyze data.Results:The mean of the overall interference on daily life from urine leakage(pre-test:M=5.76±2.68,post-test:M=2.29±1.93,t=4.609,p<0.001)and the sum of International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire scores(pre-test:M=11.59±3.00,post-test:M=5.29±3.02,t=-5.881,p<0.001)indicated significant improvement after the intervention.Improvement was also noted on the mean knowledge(pre-test:M=19.07±3.34,post-test:M=23.15±2.60,t=7.550,p<0.001)and attitude scores(pre-test:M=2.64±0.19,post-test:M=3.08±0.41,t=5.150,p<0.001).Weekly assignments were completed 82.4%of the time.Participants showed a high satisfaction level(M=26.82±1.74,range 22e28)with the group program.Conclusions:Implementation of a urinary incontinence self-management program was accompanied by improved outcomes for Korean older women living in rural communities who have scarce resources for urinary incontinence management and treatment.Urinary incontinence self-management education approaches have potential for widespread implementation in nursing practice.