• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2231-2235
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• 2013

Background: Categorizing breast tumors based on the ER, PR and HER/Neu 2 receptor status is necessary in order to predict outcome and assist in management of breast cancer. Herfe we assessed this question in South Indian patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 619 formalin fixed paraffin embedded breast tumor tissues were collected from pathology archives after receipt of ethical clearance. With the help of primary and secondary conjugated antibodies, expression status of ER, PR and HER2/neu was determined. All the experimental data were assessed for correlations with histopathological features of tumors and clinical presentation of the subjects. Results: In the present study, the ages ranged from 20-87 years with a mean of $50.0{\pm}12.q$ years, and majority of the tumors (84%) were of infiltrating duct cell carcinoma type. Assessment of ER, PR and Her-2/neu expression showed that 46% were triple negative. Interestingly, an inverse relation between ER, PR and HER-2/neu was apparent in 41.2% (p<0.0001) of the tumors, of which 24.5% (p<0.0001) were ER and PR co-negative but HER-2 positive. Conclusions: ER and PR positive tumors are less common (i.e<30%) compared to HER-2/neu positive tumors (i.e>50%) in Indian breast cancer patients, underlining the need for effective diagnostic screening and specific therapeutic managements in order to improve the survival rate of patients in low resource countries such as India.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.105-117
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• 2012

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the concentration of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in blood and factors controlling their exposure among Koreans. Methods: Study subjects were selected to include 718 members of the general population residing in five metropolitan cities and the Gangwon Province area from August 2008 to January 2009. A questionnaire was administered to investigate lifestyle, socio-demographic characteristics, and other related factors. Blood samples were collected and extracted using solid-phase extraction and anion-exchange methods, and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC, Agilent 1200 Series) coupled with a Triple Quad LC-MS/MS system (Agilent 6410). Results: Geometric mean concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in the blood were measured as 1.82 and 6.06 ng/ml, respectively. Mean PFOA and PFOS concentrations generally increased with age in both genders. Blood PFOA concentration was significantly different according to such variables as age, family income, residential district, and province. Blood PFOS concentration was significantly different by such variables as gender, age, lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking status. Also, family income, hazardous facilities, job classification, and province contributed significantly to differences in blood PFOS concentration levels. Conclusions: Blood PFOA and PFOS concentrations in Koreans were similar with those found in Japan, the USA, and Germany, but less than those in Australia. PFOA and PFOS exposure seems to be affected by a variety of factors in Korea. Therefore, investigation is required for each factor to assess the relative contribution of different variables.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.139-175
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• 2017

The Assembly plenary session on December 3, 2017 passed a Product Liability Amendment bill that introduced clauses concerning consumer burden of proof and punitive damage reimbursement. More specifically, these newly approved provisions will reduce the burden of proof placed on consumers and levy triple punitive damage on suppliers. Significant increases in the number of product-liability lawsuit and the number of related insurance contracts are expected. Since military aircraft are designed for operational purpose(seeking greater combat effectiveness over greater safety) and used in high-risk environment, it is practically impossible to obtain an affordable product-liability insurance, Without having any backup plan, military aircraft manufacturers directly face all sort of liability risks under Product Liability Act, Warrant Liability Act and Non-Performance of Contract Act. The U.S. experienced similar problems when they first implemented their product-liability law in 1970s. There had been a big dispute among legal practitioner, insurance professionals and scholars concerning military aircraft manufacturer's liability. In order to settle the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court has established a new precedent of Government Contractor Defense(GCD). The U.S. government also included an indemnity clause for military aircraft manufacturers in their FMS Contract with the Korean government. Likewise, Korean military aircraft manufacturers should 1) clearly understand their current position that they cannot afford expensive product-liability insurance and the cost is not accounted in the military procurement calculation, 2) estimate potential liability risks with the ongoing overseas export expansion in mind, 3) set up appropriate risk management measures through regulatory reform and policy development.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.455-463
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• 2020

Road facilities with a service life of more than 30 years are expected to triple in the next ten years. The seismic performance of road facilities should be reviewed with consideration of the "Common Application of Seismic Design Standards" issued by Korea's Ministry of Public Administration and Security in 2017. These standards should be applied to all existing road facilities, including retrofitted or seismic-designed facilities, for evaluating seismic performance. In order to manage seismic performance for a large number of facilities, decision-support technology that can provide economic and reliable results is needed. However, the indices method currently used in Korea is a deterministic method, and the seismic performance of individual facilities is evaluated based on qualitative indices so that only retrofitting among road facilities is prioritized. In turn, with the indices method, it is difficult to support decisions other than the decision to prioritize retrofitting. Therefore, it is necessary to use the seismic risk assessment method to overcome such shortcomings and provide useful information such as direct loss, indirect socio-economic loss, and benefit of the investment.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2003

The chemical composition of the arsenopyrite Ib adjoining“triple mutual contact”arsenopyrite + pyrite + hexagonal pyrrhotite may serve as a useful geothermometer in Stage II. In this study it corresponds to temperature T=33$0^{\circ}C$ and f( $S_2$)=10$^{-9.5}$ atm. And the pyrite-hexagonal pyrrhotite buffer curve indicates the probable range of the two variables; T= 315∼345$^{\circ}C$, and f( $S_2$)=10$^{-1}$0.5/∼10$^{-9}$ atm. The present antimony-bearing arsenopyrite (arsenopyrite Ic) is characterized by relatively high content of antimony, ranging from 4.95 to 8.91 percent Sb by weight and excess of iron and deficiency of anions are evident. Such a high antimonian arsenopyrite has never been known within single grain. But being the high content of antimony as in the arsenopyrite Ic, it does not serve as a geothermometer. The results of microprobe analyses for four pairs of asenopyrite and sphalerite in Stage III indicate the temperature range from 310 to 34$0^{\circ}C$, and sulphur fugacity range from 10$^{-10}$ ∼10$^{-9}$ atm. These values seem to correspond with those inferred from the Fe-As-S system.m..

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.177-258
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• 2008

An Epidemic disease is regarded as warm disease by Korean Medicine. Warm disease is highly contagious and shows an unfavorable condition, and that is characteristic of being widely prevalent. Warm disease study cope with this epidemic disease opportunely. In the Myeong[明] and Cheong[淸] Dynasty, warm disease study got into the region of Korean medicine of today and "The Sections of Warm Disease(溫病條辨)" contributed to the cause of the study was really great. "The Sections of Warm Disease" written by Ohguktong(吳鞠通) in the Cheong Dynasty are divided into the three sections of Upper burner[上焦], Middle burner[中焦] and Lower burner[下焦]. Ohguktong, dealing with the contents of Defense-aspect[衛分], Gi-aspect[氣分], Construction-aspect[營分], Blood-aspect[血分], and so forth in all "Sections of Warm Disease", made use of Seopcheonsa(葉天士)'s Defense Gi[衛氣], Construction, and Blood pattern identification with Triple burner[三焦] pattern identification and six channel pattern identification. And he, having a correct understanding of the nature of medicine, suggested in detail that the directions of medicine and described the processing according to method and the method to take medicine. To conclude, Ohguktong(吳鞠通) Tong in "The Sections of Warm Disease" not only formulated the system of the practical theory of warm disease but also solidified the foundation covering warm disease and its treatment as well, He established the new method of treatment and formula related to warm disease and made a definite distinction between cold damage[傷寒] and warm disease[溫病].

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2009

The genetic monitoring method was developed for the rapid detection of the PGPR and biocontrol agent, B. subtilis AH18 in red-pepper field soil by multiplex PCR using sid, aec and cel gene primers. The monitoring of B. subtilis AH18 in the soil was carried by amplified a 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxy benzoate dehydrogenase [EC: 1. 3. 1. 28]gene (sid - 794 bp : EF408238) which is a key enzyme of siderophore synthesis, an auxin efflux carrier gene (aec - 1,052 bp : EF408239) and a cellulase gene (cel - 1,582 bp : EF070194). The natural un sterilized soil was inoculated with B. subtilis AH18 to determine the sensitivity ($1.8\times10^5$ cfu/g) of multiplex PCR for the rapid dectection and then the strain was monitored successfully in rhizosphere or non-rhizosphere soil of red-pepper cultural soil. At 3 weeks after the treatment, density of the strain was monitored more abundantly in rhizosphere soil.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.233-238
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• 2007

Intestinal helminths and schistosomiasis among school children were investigated in an urban and some rural communities of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. Fecal samples of 1,059 subjects (524 males, 535 females) aged 3-18 years were examined using direct smear and brine concentration methods between June 2005 and November 2006. The pooled prevalence of infection was 66.2%. Ascaris lumbricoides showed the highest prevalence (53.4%) (P < 0.001) followed by hookworms (17.8%), Trichuris trichiura (10.4%), Taenia sp. (9.6%), Schistosoma mansoni (2.3%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.7%), Schistosoma haematobium (0.6%), and Enterobius vermicularis (0.3%). The prevalences of A. lumbricoides, hookworms, Taenia sp., S. mansoni, and S. stercoralis in the urban centre were similar (P > 0.05) to those in the rural communities. The fertile and infertile egg ratios of A. lumbricoides in the urban centre and the rural communities were 13: 1 and 3.7: 1, respectively. Each helminth had similar prevalences among both genders (P > 0.05). The prevalence of A. lumbricoides increased significantly with age (P < 0.001). The commonest double infections were Ascaris and hookworms, while the commonest triple infections were Ascaris, hookworms, and Trichuris. The study demonstrates the need for urgent intervention programmes against intestinal helminthiases and schistosomiasis in the study area.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.41-63
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• 2016

Energy policy is known to have higher path dependency among policy fields (Kuper and van Soest, 2003; OECD, 2012; Kikkawa, 2013) and is a critical component of the infrastructure development undertaken in the early stages of nation building. Actor roles, such as those played by interest groups, are firmly formed, making it unlikely that institutional change can be implemented. In resource-challenged Japan, energy policy is an especially critical policy area for the Japanese government. In comparing energy policy making in Japan and Germany, Japan’s policy community is relatively firm (Hartwig et al., 2015), and it is improbable that institutional change can occur. The Japanese government’s approach to energy policy has shifted incrementally in the past half century, with the most recent being the 2012 implementation of the “Feed-In Tariff Law” (Act on Special Measures Concerning Procurement of Renewable Electric Energy by Operators of Electric Utilities), which encourages new investment in renewable electricity generation and promotes the use of renewable energy. Yet, who were the actors involved and the factors that influenced the establishment of this new law? This study attempts to assess the factors associated with implementing the law as well as the roles of the relevant major actors. In answering this question, we focus on identifying the policy networks among government, political parties, and interest groups, which suggests that success in persuading key economic groups could be a factor in promoting the law. Our data is based on the “Global Environmental Policy Network Survey 2012-2013 (GEPON2)” which was conducted immediately after the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake with respondents including political parties, the government, interest groups, and civil society organizations. Our results suggest that the Feed in Tariff (FIT) Law’s network structure is similar to the information network and support network, and that the actors at the center of the network support the FIT Law. The strength of our research lays in our focus on political networks and their contributing mechanism to the law’s implementation through analysis of the political process. From an academic perspective, identifying the key actors and factors may be significant in explaining institutional change in policy areas with high path dependency. Close examination of this issue also has implications for a society that can promote renewable and sustainable energy resources.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2011

Purpose: The antimicrobial resistance of Helicobacter pylori is one of the critical factors in failure of eradication therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate antimicrobial resistance of H. pylori in Korean children. Methods: Gastric mucosal specimens for H. pylori were obtained from children with dyspepsia who were cared for at Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital in Seoul, Korea between 2003 and 2009. Antimicrobial resistance tests were performed using the disk diffusion method for clarithromycin and amoxicillin and the E-test for metronidazole and tetracycline. Most children with H. pylori infections were treated using triple therapies. Results: Thirty-three children had positive H. pylori cultures, although a resistance test was only performed in 28 patients. Resistant strains were found in 9 children (32.1%). The resistance rates to clarithromycin and metronidazole were 25% and 17.8%, respectively. There was no resistance to amoxicillin or tetracycline. The resistance rates decreased from 44.4% (2003~2006) to 26.3% (2006~2009) during the study period. Conclusion: Korean children demonstrated relatively high antimicrobial resistance to H. pylori in this study. However, there was a temporarily decreasing trend during the study period. A larger multi-regional study may be needed to determine the optimal antimicrobial treatment for pediatric patients infected with H. pylori.