• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4313-4318
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• 2016

Background: This study documented the performance of providers of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) at primary health centers, assessing their compliance with the VIA skills checklist and determinants of non-compliance, and exploring their perceptions of VIA training sessions. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among VIA providers in the $Mekn\grave{e}s$-Tafilalet region of Morocco. Structured observation of their performance was conducted through supervisory visits and multiple focus group discussions (FGDs). Results: Performance of all the recommended steps for effective communication was observed in a low proportion of procedures (36.4%). Midwives/nurses had higher compliance than general practitioners (GPs) (p<0.001). All recommended steps for VIA examination were performed for a high proportion of procedures (82.5%). Compliance was higher among midwives/nurses than among GPs (p<0.001) and among providers in rural areas than those in urban areas (p<0.001). For pre-VIA counselling, all recommended steps were performed for only 36.8% of procedures. For post-VIA counseling, all recommended steps were performed in a high proportion (85.5% for VIA-negative and 85.1% for VIA-positive women). Midwives/nurses had higher compliance than GPs when advising VIA-positive women (p=0.009). All infection prevention practices were followed for only 14.2% of procedures, and compliance was higher among providers in rural areas than those in urban areas (p<0.001). Most FGD participants were satisfied with the content of VIA training sessions. However, they suggested periodic refresher training and supportive supervision. Conclusions: Quality assurance of a cervical cancer screening program is a key element to ensure that the providers perform VIA correctly and confidently.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.67-73
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• 2011

Groundwaters were sampled from 730 wells being used for drinking purposes during 2007-2009. These samples were analysed using a gas-flow type GPC (Gas Proportional Counter) according to the USEPA method (900.0). We obtained a gross-alpha counting TDS (total dissolved solid) efficiency curve (Y = 0.0017X2 - 0.3122X + 19.165, X = TDS, Y = efficiency, $R^2$ = 0.9734) using natural uranium standard to get gross ${\alpha}$ value of the samples. The gross alpha values ranged from MDA (minimum detectable activity) to 14.88 pCi/L and 429 samples showed values higher than MDA (< 0.9 pCi/L). Correlations of the uranium values with the total alpha values and the gross-alpha values indicate that uranium values have high impacts on gross-alpha values. Groundwater samples of study areas were classified into four regions according to the rock types; plutonic (granite) rock region (427 areas), metamorphic rock region (181 aeras), sedimentary rock region (70 areas), volcanic rock region (52 areas). Groundwater of Cretaceous granite presented the highest gross-alpha value. Gross alpha in groundwaters showed no relationship with uranium in terms of the geological ages, rocks and minerals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.349-355
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• 1992

In order to explore feeding practices of large ruminants and methods followed in the rural areas, an exploratory survey was made during the period from January 1988 to January 1989 in eight different agro-ecological areas of Bangladesh in relation to the existing seasons and farmers' categories. The study shows what feeding practices varied (p<0.01) from area to area and season to season but not with the farmers' category. Considering the overall picture of feeding practices existing in the country, it can be observed that bigger proportion of farmers practiced stall feeding and tethering ($38.4{\pm}35.1$) followed by stall fed ($34.3{\pm}35.2$) and grazing or tethering ($17.3{\pm}26.7$). The figure with wider deviations indicates that farmers in the rural areas did not follow a smooth feeding practice, the system is rather a complex, heterogenous and a mere consequence of existing land use system. The results of feeding methods of by-product concentrates indicate that it also varied (p<0.01) from area to area but however, not with seasons and farmers' category. It is observed that bigger proportion of farmers fed concentrates to their animals mixed with water ($74.1{\pm}30.3$) followed by mixed with roughage and water ($10.3{\pm}13.3$) or fed alone ($5.6{\pm}14.2$). The method like feeding practice is also complex and heterogenous in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Hence, it is needed to develop a strategic feeding system and method identifying the problems associated with those.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2013

To evaluate the effects of submerged aerators installed at Chudong and Muneui areas in Daechung Reservoir on improvement of water quality and reduction of algal bloom, the water quality was monitored at the effected and control areas at the time of operation. The water temperature and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen in depth at the effected and control areas were not different each other, indicating the submerged aerators at these areas are not effective for circulation of water body and reduction of nutrients. In warmer season, the concentrations of total phosphorus in deep water, which was probably released from contaminated sediment or inflowed from watershed, was high. To decide the operation of aerators in this season, the concentration of total phosphorus in water should be considered because the dispersed phosphorus by operation of aerators can enhance the algal growth.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.9-16
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• 2010

Groundwater sampling was performed at 38 wells where they are located in the areas with high uranium and radon (marked as A and B, respectively) concentrations, which were based on the previous research results. In-situ parameters (temperature, pH, EC, Eh, DO) and natural radionuclides (uranium and radon) were analyzed to figure out the characteristics of groundwater environments. In-situ data did not show any relations to natural radionuclide data, which could be caused by groundwater mixing, depths of wells, and geological settings, etc. But the highest radon well presented relatively low temperature value and the highest uranium well presented relatively low pH values The highest uranium concentration ranging $1.14{\sim}188.19{\mu}g/L$ showed in the area of A region consisted of Jurassic two-mica granite. The areas of Jurassic biotite granite and Cretaceous granite in the A region have the uranium concentrations ranging $0.10{\sim}49.78{\mu}g/L$ and $0.36{\sim}3.01{\mu}g/L$, respectively. The uranium values from between wells of community water systems (CWSs) penetrating fractured bed-rock aquifers and personal boreholes settled in shallow aquifers near the wells of CWSs show big differences. It implies that the groundwaters of the two areas have evolved from different water-rock interaction paths that may caused by various types of wells having different aquifers. High radon activities in the area of B region composed of Precambrian gneiss showed ranging from 6,770 to 64,688 pCi/L. Even though the wells are located in the same geological settings, their rodon concentration presented different according to depth and distance.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.167-187
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• 2019

Information behavior (IB) research in LIS and Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB) in Health Medicine are two subject areas of research that have matured in the past few decades. This research aimed to compare these two research areas using a bibliometric approach. To conduct this study two distinct datasets were created using the Scopus database: a) bibliographic records of IB in the LIS domain, and b) bibliographic records of the HISB domain. The bibliometric analysis was performed according to the following criteria: published papers, citations, journal articles, author keywords, unique words in the title, words preceding "information" in the title, words preceding "study" in the title, and author keywords along with index keywords. As a result, the major differences in the two IB research areas were evident in terms of definitions, main focus, and general demographic groups. These varying types of differences suggest that researchers of the two areas should have flexibility when examining issues related to IB by considering the context and the unique distinction between the two fields.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.438-447
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• 2024

Tongyeong is an important shellfish harvesting area, that hosts the largest designated sea area for shellfish exports in South Korea. In particular, the Dosan-Poonghwa Sea Area in Tongyeong is a semi-enclosed bay with poor water circulation and significant pollution due to its proximity to urban areas. This study examined the distribution of fecal pollution indicators (total coliforms, fecal coliforms, male-specific coliphages, and norovirus G1/G2) in the influent and effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). This study assessed the impact of the effluent discharge on shellfish harvesting areas in the Dosan-Poonghwa Sea Area to better safeguard shellfish farms and guarantee the safety of harvested shellfish. A strong positive correlation was observed between total and fecal coliforms in both influent (r=0.974, P<0.01) and effluent (r=0.779, P<0.05), with no other significant correlations observed. The impacts of the effluent was evaluated according to NSSP guidelines. The volume of seawater required to dilute the effluent discharged per day was calculated. This evaluation indicated that surrounding aquaculture areas were not impacted, and no viruses were detected in oysters collected from the Dosan-Pungwha Sea Area.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.485-491
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• 2008

The present study examined the relation between land cover condition and temperature in various types of urban green spaces. The diagram of temperature distribution showed that high-temperature zones are formed around paved areas, and low temperature zone around planted areas and grassy areas. Even in planted areas where low-temperature zones were formed, temperature was different according to hierarchical structure. That is, temperature was relatively low in areas covered with arbor + sub-arbor. With regard to land cover ratio, the increase of planted areas and grassy areas had an effect on the fall of temperature and the effect was higher in order of planted areas and grassy areas. On the contrary, paved areas and bare areas had an effect on the rise of temperature. According to the results of factor analysis, in case of the highest temperature, planted area and grassy area were put together into a factor lowering temperature, paved area and temperature into a factor raising temperature, and bare area alone into a factor of low significance. In case of the lowest temperature, grassy area and bare area were put together into a factor, and the validity of the factor analysis was proved by the analysis of urban heat islands. An increase in the number of trees by height was effective in lowering temperature, and the effect was high in order to arbor and sub-arbor, and the source of coldness in planted area was tall trees.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.387-402
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• 2005

In this study, we tried to predict the change of future land-cover and relationships between land-cover change and geo-spatial information in the Gongju area by using fuzzy logic operation. Quantitative evaluation of prediction models was carried out using a prediction rate curve using. Based on the analysis of correlations between the geo-spatial information and land-cover change, the class with the highest correlation was extracted. Fuzzy operations were used to predict land-cover change and determine the land-cover prediction maps that were the most suitable. It was predicted that in urban areas, the urban expansion of old and new towns would occur centering on the Gem-river, and that urbanization of areas along the interchange and national roads would also expand. Among agricultural areas, areas adjacent to national roads connected to small tributaries of the Gem-river and neighboring areas would likely experience changes. Most of the forest areas are located in southeast and from this result we can guess why the wide chestnut-tree cultivation complex is located in these areas and the possibility of forest damage is very high. As a result of validation using the prediction rate curve, it was indicated that among fuzzy operators, the maximum fuzzy operator was the most suitable for analyzing land-cover change in urban and agricultural areas. Other fuzzy operators resulted in the similar prediction capabilities. However, in the prediction rate curve of integrated models for land-cover prediction in the forest areas, most fuzzy operators resulted in poorer prediction capabilities. Thus, it is necessary to apply new thematic maps or prediction models in connection with the effective prediction of changes in the forest areas.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.287-296
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to compare the regional difference of death from intentional self-harm. The analysis was based on data of intentional self-harm deaths (31,450) from the 2010-2011 vital statistics of Korea. The suicide rate (per 100,000 population) was 46.2 in male and 22.3 in female. Gender ratio (male / female) of suicide rate was 2.07, and Jeju province had the lowest gender ratio (1.82), and Chungbuk province had the highest gender ratio (2.42). In the age-gender standardized death rate (per 100,000) of self-harm by region, the highest suicide rate was observed in Gangwon province (44.8) and Chungnam province (44.3), and the lowest in Seoul metropolitan city (28.9) and Ulsan metropolitan city (29.2). There was a significant increase in the rate of suicide in city areas (odds ratio: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.08-1.13), county areas (1.62, 1.56-1.67) as compared with the rate of suicide in metropolitan areas. The commonest methods of suicide were hanging (53.7 percent), self-poisoning by pesticides (16.8 percent) and jumping from a height (14.3 percent). The methods used for suicide differed between rural (county) and urban areas (metropolitan city and city). In county areas, 43 percent of suicides used pesticides as compared to only 7-18 percent of those in urban areas. In urban areas, jumping was more common (13-17 percent vs. 6 percent). There were no difference in hanging between urban and rural areas. The odds ratio of death by pesticides was 9.86 in rural areas compared with death rate of metropolitan areas. The odds ratio of death by jumping was 0.59 in rural compared with death rate of metropolitan areas.