• Title/Summary/Keyword: In-place analysis

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Perspective of breaking stagnation of soybean yield under monsoon climate

  • Shiraiwa, Tatsuhiko
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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    • 2017.06a
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    • pp.8-9
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    • 2017
  • Soybean yield has been low and unstable in Japan and other areas in East Asia, despite long history of cultivation. This is contrasting with consistent increase of yield in North and South America. This presentation tries to describe perspective of breaking stagnation of soybean yield in East Asia, considering the factors of the different yields between regions. Large amount of rainfall with occasional dry-spell in the summer is a nature of monsoon climate and as frequently stated excess water is the factor of low and unstable soybean yield. For example, there exists a great deal of field-to-field variation in yield of 'Tanbaguro' soybean, which is reputed for high market value and thus cultivated intensively and this results in low average yield. According to our field survey, a major portion of yield variation occurs in early growth period. Soybean production on drained paddy fields is also vulnerable to drought stress after flowering. An analysis at the above study site demonstrated a substantial field-to-field variation of canopy transpiration activity in the mid-summer, but the variation of pod-set was not as large as that of early growth. As frequently mentioned by the contest winners of good practice farming, avoidance of excess water problem in the early growth period is of greatest importance. A series of technological development took place in Japan in crop management for stable crop establishment and growth, that includes seed-bed preparation with ridge and/or chisel ploughing, adjustment of seed moisture content, seed treatment with mancozeb+metalaxyl and the water table control system, FOEAS. A unique success is seen in the tidal swamp area in South Sumatra with the Saturated Soil Culture (SSC), which is for managing acidity problem of pyrite soils. In 2016, an average yield of $2.4tha^{-1}$ was recorded for a 450 ha area with SSC (Ghulamahdi 2017, personal communication). This is a sort of raised bed culture and thus the moisture condition is kept markedly stable during growth period. For genetic control, too, many attempts are on-going for better emergence and plant growth after emergence under excess water. There seems to exist two aspects of excess water resistance, one related to phytophthora resistance and the other with better growth under excess water. The improvement for the latter is particularly challenging and genomic approach is expected to be effectively utilized. The crop model simulation would estimate/evaluate the impact of environmental and genetic factors. But comprehensive crop models for soybean are mainly for cultivations on upland fields and crop response to excess water is not fully accounted for. A soybean model for production on drained paddy fields under monsoon climate is demanded to coordinate technological development under changing climate. We recently recognized that the yield potential of recent US cultivars is greater than that of Japanese cultivars and this also may be responsible for different yield trends. Cultivar comparisons proved that higher yields are associated with greater biomass production specifically during early seed filling, in which high and well sustained activity of leaf gas exchange is related. In fact, the leaf stomatal conductance is considered to have been improved during last a couple of decades in the USA through selections for high yield in several crop species. It is suspected that priority to product quality of soybean as food crop, especially large seed size in Japan, did not allow efficient improvement of productivity. We also recently found a substantial variation of yielding performance under an environment of Indonesia among divergent cultivars from tropical and temperate regions through in a part biomass productivity. Gas exchange activity again seems to be involved. Unlike in North America where transpiration adjustment is considered necessary to avoid terminal drought, under the monsoon climate with wet summer plants with higher activity of gas exchange than current level might be advantageous. In order to explore higher or better-adjusted canopy function, the methodological development is demanded for canopy-level evaluation of transpiration activity. The stagnation of soybean yield would be broken through controlling variable water environment and breeding efforts to improve the quality-oriented cultivars for stable and high yield.

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A Study on A Phase of Denotation Expansion of Oriental Medicine in the late Joseon Dynasty (조선(朝鮮) 후기(後期) 한의학(韓醫學) 외연확대(外延擴大)의 일국면(一局面))

  • Park, Sang-Young;Oh, Jun-Ho;Kwon, Oh-Min
    • Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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    • v.17 no.3
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 2011
  • In the late Joseon Dynasty, a bulky volume of books, which had rarely been seen, poured out including "Imwongyeongjeji", "Japdongsani", "Songnamjapsik" and "Ohjuyeonmunjaangjeonsango". such sorts of books have a characteristic that an author collected various pieces of information, which were scatter away at that time, in one's own way and compiled them into a book rather than an author's own remarks or ideas. Most authors of such books were known to have made not a few book beside bulky books. Such a trend of the times doubled its revitalization with the influx of that books in a series that were popular especially in the period of Ming State & Ching State in China. The research work on such a trend once showed not a little progress by a few faithful researchers even under the circumstances where they were overwhelmed by the bulkiness of a book in a series itself and its target volume. However, in spite of not a little fruition of such studies, there has been no comments at all on the new factors of change faced by Oriental medicine in the climate of the intellect history in the late Joseon Dynasty. Thus, this study aimed at looking at the significance of medical-history-based studies on this matter on the basis of Park, Jiwon's "Keumryosocho", and Lee, Deokmu's "Iemokgushimseo", and suggesting the further task. The conclusions obtained from the analysis of "Keumryosocho" and "Iemokgusimseo" are as follows: 1.The prescriptions cited from the sorts of writings excluded entirely the medical theories on the principles of prescription, and they are composed of a single-medicine prescription or so, which made it easier even for those who lacked a special knowledge of medicine to use it; in addition, it was easy to get medicinal ingredients in most cases. It's presumed that such a composition of medicinal ingredients had a close relation with the difficulty in the supply of medicinal ingredients, which issue became a serious issue in the late Joseon Dynasty. 2. The prescriptions originating from the sorts of writings sometimes are mixed with the ones whose medical efficiency are doubted. This means the inherence of obstacles to delivering accurate medical knowledge couldn't be avoided because the initial purpose of such sorts of writings lay in popularity than practicality. 3. In spite of such problems, the prescriptions originating from writings seems to have not a few influences on the intellectuals in the late Joseon Dynasty, and it's possible for us to take a glance on the traces of their use of these prescriptions in an actual daily life. This fact is fully confirmed by the contents in the preface of "Keumryosocho" that Park-jiwon personally tried to write a prescription. Moreover, such facts can be also confirmed from the fact that the writings of China or our country are seen quite often among the writings which were incited by Seo, Yugu's "Injeji." Like this, the fact that the information of orthodox medicine and the one originating from general books other than medicine books were integrated at one place is plainly showing a phase of the intellect history in the late Joseon Dynasty deluged with information; because of such a characteristic, we can say that Oriental medicine became plentiful in the aspect of diversity with its expansion of denotation, but Oriental medicine could not but additionally assume the problem of having to distinguish good from bad in the midst of such a situation.

Effect of Toothbrushing Facilities on PHP index and Oral Health-related Behaviors in Elementary schools (양치시설 여부에 따른 초등학생의 구강환경관리능력 및 구강건강관리 행태 변화)

  • Hwang, Yoon-Suk;Kim, Kwang-Soo;Jung, Jae-Yeon;Yoo, Young-Jae;Kim, Soo-Hwa;Lim, Mi-Hee
    • The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.27-40
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    • 2013
  • Objectives: This study was conducted at a request for cooperation through an analysis of the effect of toothbrushing facilities at a public health center in Seongdong-gu. Also, with the aim of furnishing basic data to the proposal of a program for improving the ability of school aged children in managing oral cavities and developing a correct toothbrushing habit, the study conducted an investigation of how toothbrushing facilities affect change in the oral environment management ability and behavior of oral health care. Methods: From among elementary schools located in Seongdong-gu, Seoul the study selected A Elementary School where toothbrushing facilities were established and have been operated since 2008, B Elementary School in an adjacent region within the jurisdiction of Seongdong-gu where the demographic environment was similar among schools where toothbrushing facilities were newly established in 2012, and C Elementary School without toothbrushing facilities. Then the study was aimed at first grade students of the schools and an investigation was carried out from April to December 2012. Through a dental checkup, the study evaluated the teeth and periodontal health conditions, and a test of the oral environment management ability was undertaken three times. Regarding change of oral health care behavior, the study carried out a self-recording survey. Results: 1. Concerning decayed and filled tooth(dft) and decayed and filled surface (dfs), A Elementary School where toothbrushing facilities have been established and operated from the past showed a relatively lower decayed, missing, and filled teeth index than B Elementary School where toothbrushing facilities were established in 2012 or C Elementary School without toothbrushing facilities; however, there was no significant difference (p>0.05). For CPI, there was no significant difference by school; however, in looking into the difference between boy students and girl students, Code (0) was discovered higher in boy students whereas Code (1) was shown higher in girl students. 2. In the PHP index test in accordance with the existence of toothbrushing facilities before the installation of toothbrushing facilities, for A Elementary School where toothbrushing facilities have been established and operated from the past, the school recorded 4.28 points whereas B Elementary School where the facilities were established in 2012 recorded 3.51 points. Meanwhile C Elementary School without the facilities posted 4.30 points. Therefore there was a statistically significant difference according to the existence of toothbrushing facilities (p<0.05). 3. In a comparison of teeth health care behavior according to the existence of toothbrushing facilities, the number of answers that the respondent did not brush their teeth after lunch over the past one week was higher in B Elementary School and C Elementary School where there were no toothbrushing facilities. Regarding the average number of brushing after lunch for one week, it was discovered higher in A Elementary School (p<0.01). 4. In change of teeth health care behavior before and after the establishment of toothbrushing facilities, the case of answering that the respondents did not brush their teeth after lunch for one week increased more after establishment than before establishment. Also the average number of teeth brushings after lunch for one week decreased further after the establishment of toothbrushing facilities; however, it did not show a significant difference (p>0.05). One of the reasons that they do not brush their teeth, "the lack of a place", decreased significantly after establishment than before establishment (p<0.05), whereas the answer, "because their friends do not brush their tooth" increased greatly after establishment than before establishment; however, there was no significant difference (p>0.05). 5. In the comparison of the degree of knowledge about dental health according to the existence of toothbrushing facilities, the degree of knowledge about dental health was shown significantly higher in A Elementary School with toothbrushing facilities than in B Elementary School and C Elementary School where there were no toothbrushing facilities (p<0.01). Conclusions: Given the above results, it is difficult to attract change in behavior only with an environmental improvement; therefore, it is deemed necessary to develop an educational program that will help children to make a habit of oral health care not only through a school but also through a related policy and financial support of government organizations as well as the construction of the basis of a systematic and consistent cooperative system with relevant organizations.

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A Study of collapsed conditions of the stone pagoda in Mireuk Temple Site (미륵사지석탑 붕괴상태 고찰)

  • Kim, Derk-Moon
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.38
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    • pp.305-327
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    • 2005
  • Although the stone pagoda in Mireuk Temple site, Iksan, Cholla Province has been collapsed long time ago, few historical record has clearly explained the reason why the pagoda was collapsed and when. The west side of the pagoda have been destroyed from top to the sixth floor and the broken or damaged stone materials have been piled up in disorder. the lower part in the west was reinforced and enclosed by a stone embankment levelled to the height of the first storey of the pagoda. With no record informing the historical fact when it was made and by whom, it is only presumed that the embankment may have been built long time ago in order to prevent remains from further destruction. In the second chapter of the study, it has been tried to restore a reasonable historical background of the pagoda based on records or comments found in literatures such as traditional poetry and essays in chronological order. The collapsed slope in the west side, just above the embankment surrounding the lower part of the pagoda, was concreted in 1915 during the Japanese colonial period. Then in 1998, the Jeollabukdo has examined the structural safety of the pagoda. The Cultural Properties Committee has decided have the concrete layer removed and moreover to take apart the whole pagoda. It is also included that the disassembled stone materials should be given proper conservation treatments before being put into the place where they were in the reassembling process. The front view of the collapsed phase of the pagoda was revealed when the concrete-covered layer was removed. A hypothesis was built that there may be as many different appearances of collapsed pagoda depending on natural causes such as earthquake, sunken foundation, flood and typhoon. In chapter three, characteristic features were classified by examining various images of pagodas destroyed by different natural reasons mentioned in historical records. The chapter four dealt with comparison and analysis on the conditions shown in the stone pagoda in Mireuk Temple site and other examples studied in advance. The result of the study revealed that though having been made higher than the ground surface, the podium or the base of the pagoda actually has been eroded by rain and water. The erosion is supposed not only to have been proceeded for a long time without break but also to have caused the first storey body stone in the west inclined to outward. It has come to a conclusion that the pagoda may have been lead to collapse when the first storey body stone, supporting the whole weight from the upper storeys, became out of upright position and lost its balance. However, no such distinctive features of structural changes shown in pagodas collapsed by natural causes like earthquake, typhoon or sunken basement, have been found in the stone pagoda in Mireuk Temple site.

Storyboard of Immortal Land in Gugok-Wonlim - A Special Reference to Goisan - (구곡원림(九曲園林)에서 찾는 신선경(神仙境)의 경관 스토리보드 - 괴산 갈은구곡(葛隱九曲)을 대상으로 -)

  • Rho, Jae-Hyun;Park, Joo-Sung;Sim, Woo-Kyung
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.90-104
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    • 2011
  • This study identified the scenic characteristics in Gugok and symbolism reflected in titles of the scenery of the season in Gugok from a perspective of Sundoism concentrated on Galeun Gugok in Goisan which is influenced most greatly by Sundoism hermit ideas in Korea, along with Seonyudong-Gugok. In addition, it suggested a measure for arrangement and narrative Storyboard of Galeun Gugok structure corresponding with promotion and propagation of Gugok cultural scenes and educational goals. According to analysis and interpretation of the various Gugoks forming Galeun Gugok in terms of their titles, names engraved in surrounding elements and the coherent symbolic meanings of its scenery and place through comparison with secenery of near Seonyudong-Gugok, the result shows that Galeun Gugok comprises wishes for eternal life in the forms of Taoist hermit-related scenery of the season within the range of stream and old stories based on environmental affordance. In figurative way, it ultimately presents the Wonyung(圓融) idea which seeks a harmonious combination of God and humankind. In particular, consciousness of longevity without problems is deeply inherent in the background of eternalness of plants, divinity of animals and natural homeostasis. Also, 9 Gok Seongukam set up at visual terminal reflect noticeably that a game Go is the amusement of the immortals, which describe 9 ranks of GO figuratively. Galeun Gugok is formed in a unity structure, which is hermit-oriented Sundoism and motif, such as longevity and immortality, divinity and enjoyment of Sundoism hermit rather than used as a method to achieve taste for the arts or ethics. Given the fact, it presents eternal longevity and atmosphere of seclusion in very strong way. Development of spatial Storyboard structure based on this is interpreted as 'Entering the world of hermits(Introduction)'-'Looking the world(Development)'-'Living with hermits(Turn)'-'Becoming hermit(Conclusion).' Finally, the scenery image of Galeun Gugok presented in surface structure is based on beauty of the immortal land scenery as well as beauty of pre-achieved space in Gugokdongcheon and arranged the vertical narrative structure as divine space of 9 ranks of GO. Taking those into account, scenery story board of Galeun Gugok was suggested in accordance with a theme of 6 cuts; Gnagsun(降仙)-Sungyeong(仙境)- Sunyak(仙藥)-Sunhak(仙鶴)-Sunyu(仙遊)-Eunsun(隱仙). It is obvious that hermit which live an eternal life as a representative of Sundoism, should be the main motif of scenery planning in a filed of modem landscaping. Therefore, the most valuable component in designing Korean landscape must be the homeostasis of surrounding landscape which supports the characteristics of invariability and divinity of nature.

A Statistical Study on the Key Words in the Titles of Nursing Related Theses (학위논문의 주요어 분석 (간호학 및 간호학관련 학위논문을 중심으로 : 1960-1991. 8))

  • 고옥자;김상혜;김희걸;이금재;이영숙
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.58-69
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    • 1994
  • In order to see the development of Nursing related research activities in Korea over the last three decades, abstracts of almost all of the Master and Ph.D theses that appeared from 1961 up to August 1991 were collected. The number of theses was 2354, from which an index of key words has been constructed. Key words were defined as those terms in each thesis title that convey major objectives of the given thesis study and the important nursing concepts dealt with in the thesis. Although all the key words were picked from the thesis title only, full use was made of the abstracts in deciding the principal objectives and essential contents of the thesis studies and their important concepts as well. In total, 539 kinds of key words were identified from the 2354 titles, and the identified words were all found to be in the International Nursing Index. On an average each title has two key words. Which key words were most frequently used, how they have changed with time, what kind of concept is preferably dealt with by each graduate school, and the concepts to which a given key word is likely to be connected were examined. The results are summerized below : 1) For each decade the theses numbers were as follows : 54(2.3%) from the 60’s, 413(17.5%) from the 70’s, 1523(64.7%) from the 80’s, and 364(15.5%) from the 90’s. Master’s thesis contributed 96% (2252) of the papers and Ph. D’s theses filled the remaining 4%(102). 2) A total of 539 key words were used, averaging about 2 for each thesis. The most frequently used key words were ‘Nurse’, ‘Anxiety’, ‘Knowledge / Attitude /Practice’, ‘Stress /Stressor’, ‘Attitude’, ‘Job-Satisfaction’, ‘Mental Disorder’, ‘Operation’, ‘Elderly’, ‘Nursing Role’. 3) Each decades key words can be classified as : the 60’s : ‘Nursing Education’, ‘Pulmonary Tuberculosis’, ‘Mother-Child Health’, ‘Growth & Development’, ‘Public Facilities’, ‘Mental Disorder’ : the 70’s : ‘Nurse’, ‘Family Planning’, ‘Attitude’ / ‘Knowledge, Attitude / Practice’, ‘Curriculum in Nursing Education’, ‘Clinical Practice in Nursing’, ‘Analysis of the Work of the Nurse’, ‘Health Education of School’, : the 80’s : ‘Nurse’, ‘Anxiety’, ‘Stress /Stressor’, ‘Operation’, ‘Nursing Role’, ‘Job Satisfaction’ : the 90’s : ‘Nurse’, ‘Elderly’, ‘Family-Support’, ‘Stress /Stressor’, ‘Home Care’. Key word ‘Nurse’ appears continuously and most frequently through the years, which indicates that there has been active study of the characteristics of nurses and related fields. The concept ‘Anxiety’ has been studied steadly from the 80’s and it shows that interest in health and disease are increasing Which comes as a result of society changing to an industrial and informational community. 4) Looking into each graduate school’s study area key words ‘Anxiety’, ‘Nurse’, ‘Mental Disorder’, ‘Stress /Stressor’, ‘Operation’, ‘Attitude’, ‘Hemo-dialysis’, were studied in the regular graduate school : ‘Family Planning /Contraception’, ‘Knowledge / Attitude /Practice’, ‘Physical Health-State /Physical Health Examination’, ‘Nurse’, ‘Using Clinical Facilities’, ‘Health Education of School’, were studied in the Graduate School of Public Health’ ; ‘Nurse’, ‘Anxiety’, ‘Stress / Stressor’, ‘Job-Satisfaction’, ‘Clinical Practice Education’, ‘Nursing Education’, were studied in the Graduate School of Education : ‘Nurse’, ‘Job Satisfaction’, ‘Nursing Role’, ‘Administration - Employment /Employment Management’, ‘Leadership’, ‘Personnel Profile’, ‘Nursing Manpower / Changing Working Place’, were studied in the Graduate School of Public Administration. 5) The Connection between key words were : ‘Nurse Job Satisfaction’, ‘Stress / Stressor ⇔ Coping / Ajustment’, ‘Nurse ⇔ Nursing Role’, ‘Anxiety ⇔ Giving Information’, ‘Nurse ⇔ Stress / Stressor’, ‘Anxiety ⇔ Operation’, ‘Nurse ⇔ Burnout’, ‘Knowledge, Attitude, Practice ⇔ Family Planning’, ‘Nurse Administration ⇔ Employment’, ‘Anxiety Muscle ⇔ Relaxation Technic’, ‘Anxiety ⇔ Mental Disorder’. From the above it can be noted that many nursing concepts were handled in the thesis titles. But there were more than enough papers on the characteristics of the nurse. It is suggested that in depth research be made on ‘Nursing Accidents’, t-‘Ethics’, ‘Nurse - Patient Interactions’, ‘Spritual Care’, ‘Dying’, ‘Hospice’, ‘Resident Helper’ and that there should be in depth research relating to the physical and mental development of youth and in particular physical concepts like ‘Drug - Abuse’, ‘Child -Abuse and Teaching’.

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A Study on the Changes of the Landscape Cognition in Yong-In City (용인시에 대한 경관인식 변화 비교)

  • Joo, Shin-Ha;Kim, Gyung-In
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.40 no.5
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    • pp.88-99
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    • 2012
  • This study was to analyze the changes made in the landscape cognition in Yong-in City for the past 10 years. For the analysis, the landscape plan in 2001, and the survey data collected for the new 2012-landscape plan were used. The questions on the survey covered the cognition of the current landscape status, the evaluation of landscape depending on the types of landscape, the understanding of each element on the landscape, the residents' cognition, etc. In the evaluation of the status on current landscape, Everland was ranked outstandingly high as a symbol and a representative place both in 2001 and 2012. The image of the overall city landscape was changed from the image of unique, diverse, grand-scale and well ordered in 2001, to the image of wide, disordered, common and realistic. As the evaluation of individual landscape types such as the view of the mountain, the surroundings of the tourist attractions, colors, etc, has improved overall. The image of the city has been evaluated to improve gradually, especially in the level of individual element. In the study of participating the willingness of residents, despite the interest in landscape has been continued, the attitude for the actual participation in the action plan or the restriction of property right has been changed into a negative side. For the direction of the landscape plan, the residents are more interested in the detailed subjects : such as the financial support, the night landscape plan, the improvement of the problems, etc. During the last 10 years, the changes on the landscape cognition in Yong-in City have changed more in detail and specifically, the cognitions on the local government and developers changed positively. However the reducion of the participants' willingness suggested a review on the policies and the projects of the landscape.

Morphologic Response of Gravel Beach to Typhoon Invasion - A Case Study of Gamji Beach Taejongdae in Busan (태풍 내습 시 자갈 해빈의 지형반응 - 부산 태종대 감지 해빈의 사례)

  • Lee, Young Yun;Chang, Tae Soo
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.41 no.1
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    • pp.19-30
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    • 2020
  • To understand the impact of typhoons on Gamji gravel beach Taejongdae in Busan, we carried out beach profiling using a VRS-GPS system and a Drone photogrammetry for the typhoons 'Kong-rey' invaded in October 2018 and 'Danas' in July 2019. In addition, grain sizes are analyzed to investigate the overall distribution pattern of gravels on the beach, and the beach topography is surveyed periodically to confirm the recovery rate of the beach. Grain-size analysis reveals that mean gravel sizes, in general, become finer from -6.2Φ to -5.4Φ towards the east in the seashore line direction. Variation in mean sizes is obviously observed in the cross-shore direction. Gravels in the swash zone are relatively fine about -4.5Φ in size and equant in shape, whereas the coarse and oblate gravels ranged from -5Φ to -6Φ are found in the berm. Gamji gravel beach particularly has two lines of berms: a lower berm situated facing beach and an upper berm about 10 m landward. After the typhoon Kong-rey passed by, about 1.4 m of severe erosion in upper berm occurred, and the berm eventually disappeared. On the backshore of the upper berm about 50 cm of erosion took place so that the elevation became lower. However, tangible erosion was not observed in the lower berm. When typhoon Danas hit, rated as mild storm, both upper and lower berm were eroded out. However, about 50 cm of deposition occurred only in the backshore. Only three days later, the new lower berm was formed, meaning that sedimentation rate must be high. This result indicates that Gamji gravel beach is recovered very fast from erosion caused by the typhoons when it is under the fair-weather condition even though beach morphology changes dramatically in a short period of time. Gravel beach is estimated to be or evaluated very resilient to typhoon erosion.

Temporal Changes of Community Structure in two Subtidal Polychaete Assemblages in Kwang-yang Bay, Korea (광양만 조하대의 두 다모류 군집 구조의 시간에 따른 변화)

  • 정래홍;홍재상
    • 한국해양학회지
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    • v.30 no.5
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    • pp.390-402
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    • 1995
  • Bimonthly sampling was carried out over the period February 1983 to April 1985 at two stations in Kwang-yang Bay, Korea, in order to study the temporal changes of benthic ploychaete communities. In addition, an important focus of the study was the large-scale reclamation and dredging operations that were taking place for industrial purposes during the study period. The muddy station, located on the main channel, showed high mud content (94%), whereas the sandy station, situated on the north channel of Myodo, demonstrated mud content of 42%. At the muddy station, the number of species and individuals were highest in the early sampling stage, but markedly declined in October 1983, and then gradually increased as in the early state. At the sandy station, the number of species highly oscillated during the entire period. The density was affected by the pectinated Lagis bocki showing particulary high density in February 1983 and 1984. However, the high density in the winter time did not occur in February 1985. The analysis of similarities and clusterings between communities were carried out to evaluate temporal changes in community structure. Significant changes occurred during the study period in the community structures at both stations, but each maintained different patterns of species dominance over time. At the muddy station, this transitionary phase was found in October 1983 but in December 1984 at the sandy station. Comparisons with earlier communities suggest that faunal changes in the dominant species composition occurred from Lumbrineris longifolia to Heteromastus filiformis over this time period. The colonization of this opportunistic pioneer, H, filiformis, seems to manifest environmental disturbances in this bay area.

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Future Direction of National Health Insurance (국민건강보험 발전방향)

  • Park, Eun-Cheol
    • Health Policy and Management
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.273-275
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    • 2017
  • It has been forty years since the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Korea. Following the 1977 legislature mandating medical insurance for employees and dependents in firms with more than 500 employees, South Korea expanded its health insurance to urban residents in 1989. Resultantly, total expenses of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) have greatly increased from 4.5 billion won in 1977 to 50.89 trillion won in 2016. With multiple insurers merging into the NHI system in 2000, a single-payer healthcare system emerged, along with separation policy of prescribing and dispensing. Following such reform, an emerging financial crisis required injections from the National Health Promotion Fund. Forty years following the introduction of the NHI system, both praise and criticism have been drawn. In just 12 years, the NHI achieved the fastest health population coverage in the world. Current medical expenditure is not high relative to the rest of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The quality of acute care in Korea is one of the best in the world. There is no sign of delayed diagnosis and/or treatment for most diseases. However, the NHI has been under-insured, requiring high-levels of out-of-pocket money from patients and often causing catastrophic medical expenses. Furthermore, the current environmental circumstances of the NHI are threatening its sustainability. Low birth rate decline, as well as slow economic growth, will make sustainment of the current healthcare system difficult in the near future. An aging population will increase the amount of medical expenditure required, especially with the baby-boomer generation of those born between 1955 and 1965. Meanwhile, there is always the problem of unification for the Korean Peninsula, and what role the health insurance system will have to play when it occurs. In the presidential election, health insurance is a main issue; however, there is greater focus on expansion and expenditure than revenue. Many aspects of Korea's NHI system (1977) were modeled after the German (1883) and Japanese (1922) systems. Such systems were created during an era where infections disease control was most urgent and thus, in the current non-communicable disease (NCD) era, must be redesigned. The Korean system, which is already forty years old, must be redesigned completely. Although health insurance benefit expansion is necessary, financial measures, as well as moral hazard control measures, must also be considered. Ultimately, there are three aspects that we must consider when attempting redesign of the system. First, the health security system must be reformed. NHI and Medical Aid must be amalgamated into one system for increased effectiveness and efficiency of the system. Within the single insurer system of the NHI must be an internal market for maximum efficiency. The NHIS must be separated into regions so that regional organizers have greater responsibility over their actions. Although insurance must continue to be imposed nationally, risk-adjustment must be distributed regionally and assessed by different regional systems. Second, as a solution for the decreasing flow of insurance revenue, low premium level must be increased to an appropriate level. Likewise, the national reserve fund (No. 36, National Health Insurance Act) must be enlarged for re-unification preparation. Third, there must be revolutionary reform of benefit package. The current system built a focus on communicable diseases which is inappropriate in this NCD era. Medical benefits must not be one-time events but provide chronic disease management. Chronic care models, accountable care organization, patient-centered medical homes, and other systems that introduce various benefit packages for beneficiaries must be implemented. The reimbursement system of medical costs should be introduced to various systems for different types of care, as is the case with part C (Medicare Advantage Program) of America's Medicare system that substitutes part A and part B. Pay for performance must be expanded so that there is not only improvement in quality of care but also medical costs. Moreover, beneficiaries of the NHI system must be aware of the amount of their expenditure through a deductible payment system so that spending can be profiled and monitored. The Moon Jae-in Government has announced its plans to expand the NHI system; however, it is important that a discussion forum is created so that more accurate analysis of the NHI, its environments, and current status of health care system, can take place for reforming NHI.