This study analyzed the changes in sodium content across different types of kimchi over various storage periods, distinguishing between solids and seasoning (liquid), to better estimate actual sodium intake and improve the food composition databases. Six types (baechu-kimchi, oi-sobagi, buchu-kimchi, baek-kimchi, dongchimi, and nabak-kimchi) were analyzed using ICP-AES. The results were compared with salinometer readings, food composition databases, and nutrition labels from commercial products. Statistical analyses included the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test (=0.05). The findings showed that the seasoning had significantly higher sodium content than the solids and, except for baechu-kimchi and nabak-kimchi, accounted for more than 50% of the total sodium content. Sodium content varied across kimchi types and changed over storage time. Additionally, sodium content measured by ICP-AES significantly differed from those in the food composition databases and commercial nutrition labels, which often over or under-estimated values. Moreover, sodium content in commercial kimchi products exhibited up to a 581-fold difference between the minimum and maximum values. These results suggest that current databases and labeling systems, which do not distinguish between solids and seasoning, may misrepresent the actual sodium intake. Further research and regulatory measures are needed to improve sodium estimation and consumer guidance.

Background: Interest in cardiac rehabilitation therapy has been increasing in Korea after the addition of cardiac rehabilitation as a benefit item in the National Health Insurance Service in 2017. However, few epidemiological studies have characterized cardiac rehabilitation in Korea. Objects: To assess the national epidemiological data on cardiac rehabilitation therapy in Korea from 2017 to 2023. Methods: This study analyzed MM453, a prescription code for cardiac rehabilitation therapy in the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database. The data reviewed included the total number of cases per year and the number of cardiac rehabilitation therapy prescriptions per 100,000 people, along with sex and age distribution of patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation therapy. Results: The number of cardiac rehabilitation therapy prescriptions in Korea increased from 4,443 in 2017 to 15,646 in 2023 (252.1% increase in 7 years). The incidence per 100,000 person-years rose from 8.64 in 2017 to 30.22 in 2023. The number of males undergoing therapy increased from 3,183 (incidence: 12.35) in 2017 to 11,276 (incidence: 43.53) in 2023. The number of females undergoing therapy increased from 1,260 (incidence: 4.91) in 2017 to 4,370 (incidence: 16.89) in 2023. The highest number of patients undergoing therapy from 2017 to 2023 was observed in the 60s age group (patients: 4,747, incidence: 9.17), followed by the 70s, 50s, and > 80s age groups. Conclusion: From 2017 to 2023, the number of patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation therapy in Korea increased consistently. The therapy is approximately 2.6 times more common in males than that in females and is predominantly administered to individuals in their 60s, followed by those in their 70s, 50s, and 80s and above.

Fueled by international efforts towards AI standardization, including those by the European Commission, the United States, and international organizations, this study introduces a AI-driven framework for analyzing advancements in drone technology. Utilizing project data retrieved from the NTIS DB via the “drone” keyword, the framework employs a diverse toolkit of supervised learning methods (Keras MLP, XGboost, LightGBM, and CatBoost) enhanced by BERTopic (natural language analysis tool). This multifaceted approach ensures both comprehensive data quality evaluation and in-depth structural analysis of documents. Furthermore, a 6T-based classification method refines non-applicable data for year-on-year AI analysis, demonstrably improving accuracy as measured by accuracy metric. Utilizing AI’s power, including GPT-4, this research unveils year-on-year trends in emerging keywords and employs them to generate detailed summaries, enabling efficient processing of large text datasets and offering an AI analysis system applicable to policy domains. Notably, this study not only advances methodologies aligned with AI Act standards but also lays the groundwork for responsible AI implementation through analysis of government research and development investments.

With the increasing indroduction and spread of invasive quarantine pests, accurate diagnosis of pests detected in quarantine sites has become crucial. DNA barcoding, a standardized method that complements morphological analysis for rapid and precise species identification, is actively researched worldwide. In this study, we established a molecular biological identification system for major pests encountered during the import and export of agricultural and forestry products. By analyzing the DNA barcode sequences of pests collected domestically and those detected in quarantine inspections, we compiled genetic information for 1,292 individuals representing 472 species, 108 families across 11 insect orders. Among these, order Lepidoptera had the highest diversity, with 251 species across 27 families. We also secured barcodes for 52 species, 24 families in order Hemiptera, and 70 species, 20 families in order Coleoptera. By constructing a comprehensive biological foundation and database for various pests detected in quarantine sites, we aim to enhance the quarantine system by enabling rapid and accurate identification of invasive pests, thereby blocking early.

In this review, we examine the latest technological developments in the utilization of truffles, a gourmet ingredient reputed to be one of the "world's three greatest delicacies," considering changing global consumption trends. Global demand for truffles is expected to increase steadily, with an average annual growth rate of 8.9% from 2023 to 2030. As truffles are expensive, the demand for truffles is expected to be concentrated in developed countries such as the United States, European countries, and Japan. In Korea, truffles are utilized in various industries, including food, functional foods, and cosmetics. Korean consumer demand for truffles has consistently remained high since 2019, and truffle products have been performing well in the market. Consequently, there exists substantial potential demand for newly developed truffle-related products and technologies. This review aims to provide objective research information through the systematic analysis of patent applications in Korea and internationally, focusing on technologies involving truffles, and can aid in setting directions for research and development.

This study is aimed to provide fundamental data for expanding the scope and dimensions of Sino words research, and to secure a comprehensive perspective that encompasses the ancient, modern and dialect forms of Sino words in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to construct the wide-ranging, multi-dimensional database with maximum coverage, and this study was planned to explore specific ways to realize this. East Asian languages have exchanged cultural and linguistic influences through Chinese characters for thousands of years. Therefore, the study of Sino words requires a radial and reticular approach that can closely connect their complex historical and regional layers. However, the previous researches have revealed limitations such as inadequate examination of major languages, inappropriate use of materials, or inability to analyze rich linguistic features that exist in various dialects within Chinese or differences in words between North and South Korean. To overcome these limitations, this study confirms the need for a database that can comprehensively examine Sino words in the four languages of Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, without distinguishing between base and surface forms, and encompassing all morphological forms with Chinese character elements. This database should include both archaic and contemporary, or even modern new words, as well as various dialectical forms in North and South Korea and different regions of China. To be utilized effectively in research, it should also include information on usage frequency and educational vocabulary levels, enabling the confirmation of the status of a word in contemporary language. Rather than providing definitive information like a dictionary, it is more useful to provide supplementary information such as the reference and literature, increasing the accessibility of materials for researchers and increasing the possibility of implementing the database. In response to the aforementioned need, this paper proposes the construction of a relational database consisting of 12 entity tables and presents specific procedures and methods for implementing it. Despite the difficulties of constructing a relational database for vast amounts of data and the burden on servers, we expect that a wide-ranging, multi-dimensional database of East Asian Sino words will contribute to existing research on Chinese characters, as well as vocabulary and concept research and education.

Recently, with the development of genetic technology, interest in environmental DNA (eDNA) to study biodiversity according to molecular biological approaches is increasing. Environmental DNA has many advantages over traditional research methods for biological communities distributed in the environment but highly depends on the established base sequence database. This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the habitat status and classification at the genus level, which is mainly used in eDNA (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, COI, and CYTB), focusing on Korean registration taxon groups (phytoplankton, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and fish). As a result, phytoplankton and zooplankton showed the highest taxa proportion in 18S rRNA, and macroinvertebrates observed the highest ratio in the nucleotide sequence database in COI. In fish, all genes except 18S rRNA showed a high taxon ratio. Based on the Korean registration taxon group, the gene construction of the top 20 genera according to bio density observed that most of the phytoplankton were registered in 18S rRNA, and the most significant number of COI nucleotide sequences were established in macroinvertebrates. In addition, it was confirmed that there is a nucleotide sequence for the top 20 genera in 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and CYTB in fish. These results provided comprehensive information on the genes suitable for eDNA research for each taxon group.

목적 : 본 연구는 노인장기요양등급 대상자들의 작업치료 이용 여부와 인지 기능과의 연관성을 분석하기 위해 수행되었다. 연구방법 : 국민건강보험공단에서 제공하는 2015년 노인코호트 데이터베이스에서 60세 이상 노인 데이터 를 추출하여 분석하였다. 본 연구의 종속변수는 노인장기요양보험 신청 시 평가되는 인지 기능 9개의 항 목이며, 독립변수는 작업치료 수가 정보를 기반으로 작업치료 서비스 수행 그룹과 미수행 그룹으로 나눈 작업치료 서비스 이용 여부이다. 작업치료 서비스 이용 여부와 인지 기능 간의 연관성을 분석하기 위해 다중선형 회귀분석을 적용하였으며, 공변량은 인구통계학적 및 임상학적 특성을 사용하였다. 결과 : 분석에 사용된 29,436명 중에서 작업치료 서비스를 이용한 그룹은 3,796명(12.90%)이었으며 대 부분의 분석 샘플은 여자(n = 2,465, 4.94%)로 구성되었다. 이들의 평균 연령은 80.38 ± 5.19세였 다. 지역사회에 거주하며 작업치료 서비스를 이용한 대상자는 1,925명(50.71%)이었으며 장애인등급을 가진 대상자는 281명(7.40%)이었다. 작업치료 서비스 이용과 인지 기능은 긍정적인 연관성이 도출되었 다(β = 0.17, 95% Confidence Internal[CI] = 0.10 to 0.24). 결론 : 본 연구는 작업치료 서비스 이용이 인지 기능의 긍정적인 결과와 연관성을 제시하였으며 작업치료 서비스가 인지기능의 유지 및 증진과 연관성이 있다는 것을 의미한다. 추후 노인장기요양보험제도 개정 시 노인장기요양등급 대상자들의 인지 재활을 목적으로 작업치료 서비스의 필요성을 제시하기 위해 본 연구 결과가 활용되길 기대한다.

The digitization of ancient characters allows ancient writing materials to break the limitations of time and space. The application of digital technology can also help the interpretation of ancient writings and contribute to the protection of original materials. After more than 20 years of efforts, the research on digital processing of Chinese ancient characters has made a series of attempts in ancient character database and query system, big data platform, ancient character input software and recognition software, and achieved a series of achievements. In the future, we need to make continuous efforts in the interdisciplinary talent training of Chinese Palaeography and computer science, the cooperation between different research institutions, and the openness of digital achievements.