• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.242-247
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• 2018

Objectives: To examine survivorship disparities in demographic factors and risk status for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), which accounts for more than 75% of all urinary bladder cancers, but is highly curable with early identification and treatment. Methods: We used the US National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries over a 19-year period (1988-2006) to examine survivorship disparities in age, sex, race/ethnicity, and marital status of patients and risk status classified by histologic grade, stage, size of tumor, and number of multiple primary tumors among NMIBC patients (n=29 326). We applied Kaplan-Meier (K-M) and Cox proportional hazard methods for survival analysis. Results: Among all urinary bladder cancer patients, the majority of NMIBCs were in male (74.1%), non-Latino white (86.7%), married (67.8%), and low-risk (37.6%) to intermediate-risk (44.8%) patients. The mean age was 68 years. Survivorship (in median life years) was highest for non-Latino white (5.4 years), married (5.4 years), and low-risk (5.7 years) patients (K-M analysis, p<0.001). We found significantly lower survivorship for elderly, male (female hazard ratio [HR], 0.96), Latino (HR, 1.20), and unmarried (married HR, 0.93) patients. Conclusions: Survivorship disparities were ubiquitous across age, sex, race/ethnicity, and marital status groups. Non-white, unmarried, and elderly patients had significantly shorter survivorship. The implications of these findings include the need for a heightened focus on health policy and more organized efforts to improve access to care in order to increase the chances of survival for all patients.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.619-631
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• 2014

This study proposes an educational direction to be followed by the clothing departments of Korea's specialized high schools in order to help achieve high levels of job placements and to strengthen their students' competitiveness. A comparison was made of the curricula in Korea's specialized high schools and in several fashion schools in other countries including the United States, Italy, France, Taiwan, and Japan. To this end, publicly available educational records were retrieved from domestic school documentation, vocational high school portals, and domestic/overseas school web sites, and were then reviewed. The archival data extracted from these sources shows that the curricula of the three chosen domestic schools uniformly focus on foundational courses such as general computer skills, general design, accounting principles, design principles, and drawing, as well as practical courses such as the design of western clothing, fashion design, fashion CAD, management of clothing material, design of Korean clothing, and knitting. Unlike these standardized courses, it was found that overseas fashion schools provide a more technically-advanced and design-focused education based on the interests of the individual student. Moreover, their education system nurtures the students' creativity through adequate field experience and history/language education. The findings of this study suggest that Korean specialized high schools should find a way to accommodate their students' interests and to provide them with personalized fashion education by adopting a more flexible curriculum. An educational line that considers the individual student's aptitudes and career path will help foster creativity and novel ideas, which, in turn, will contribute to the development of the fashion industry.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.6
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• pp.785-796
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• 2019

Power transmission substations are susceptible to potential damage under seismic excitations. Two of the major seismic failure modes in substation supplies are: the breakage of brittle insulator, and conductor end fittings. This paper presents efficient isolation strategies for seismically strengthening of a two-item set of equipment including capacitive voltage transformer (CVT) adjacent to a Lightning Arrester (LA). Two different strategies are proposed, Case A: implementation of base isolation at the base of the CVT, while the LA is kept fixed-base, and Case B: implementation of base isolation at the base of the LA, while the CVT is kept fixed-base. Both CVT and LA are connected to each other using a cable during the dynamic excitation. The probabilistic seismic behavior is measured by Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA), and a series of appropriate damage states are proposed. Finally, the fragility curves are derived for both the systems. It is found that Friction Pendulum System (FPS) isolator has the potential of decreasing flexural stresses caused by intense ground motions. The research has shown that when the FPS is placed under LA, i.e. Case B (as oppose to Case A), the efficiency of the system is improved in terms of reducing the forces and stresses at the bottom of the porcelain. Several parametric studies are also performed to determine the optimum physical properties of the FPS.

• Strategy21
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• s.36
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• pp.5-32
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• 2015

Geopolitics or Political Geography is an essential academic field that should be studied carefully for a more comprehensive analysis of international security relations. However, because of its tarnished image as an ideology that supported the NAZI German expansion and aggression, geopolitics has not been regarded as a pure academic field and was rejected and expelled from the academic communities starting from the Cold War years in 1945. During the Cold War, ideology, rather than geography, was considered more important in conducting and analyzing international relations. However, after the end of the Cold War and with the beginning of a new era in which territorial and religious confrontations are taking place among nations - including sub national tribal political organizations such as the Al Quaeda and other terrorist organizations - geopolitical analysis again is in vogue among the scholars and analysts on international security affairs. Most of the conflicts in international relations that is occurring now in the post-Cold War years can be explained more effectively with geopolitical concepts. The post - Cold War international relations among East Asian countries are especially better explained with geopolitical concepts. Unlike Europe, where peaceful development took place after the Cold War, China, Japan, Korea, the United States, Taiwan and Vietnam are feeling more insecure in the post-Cold War years. Most of the East Asian nations' economies have burgeoned during the Cold War years under the protection of the international security structure provided by the two superpowers. However, after the Cold War years, the international security structure has not been stable in East Asia and thus most of the East Asian nations began to build up stronger military forces of their own. Because most of the East Asian nations' national security and economy depend on the oceans, these nations desire to obtain more powerful navies and try to occupy islands, islets, or even rocks that may seem like a strategic asset for their economy and security. In this regard, the western Pacific Ocean is becoming a place of confrontation among the East Asian nations. As Robert Kaplan, an eminent international analyst, mentioned, East Asia is a Seascape while Europe is a Landscape. The possibility of international conflict on the waters of East Asia is higher than in any other period in East Asia's international history.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.3-3
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• 2011

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kra-Araks Basin (KAB) became an international river basin with respect to the South Caucasus states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. However, there are no agreements regarding water allocation, water quality, or ecosystem maintenance among the aforementioned riparians. The main water problems in the basin include not only water quantity and quality, but also the lack of joint management. The aforementioned countries share many similar circumstances: location in a politically unstable but strategic region bureaucratic and structural issues; and more importantly, ongoing ethnic and related conflicts. Despite these obstacles, the countries recognize that they depend greatly on the basin, whose waters they must share. To that end, they proposed and participated in the joint NATO-OSCE South Caucasus River Monitoring (SCRMP) project between 2002 and 2009.The SCRMP sought to investigate and characterize the surface water quality in the KAB by providing equipment and training to all three countries. Several years' worth of water quality data were collected in the KAB: major ions; heavy metals; POPs (persistent organic pollutants); and radionuclides; The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (primary funder) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europesupported the SCRMP not only to build capacity but also to promote cooperation and minimize conflict over water and other resources, thus providing a measure of security for Europe and other regions. The South Caucasus is a strategically-important region, functioning as a bridge between Asia and Europe. Energy-rich Azerbaijan seeks to become a key player in trade by serving as a transportation and energy hub between the energy and mineral-rich Central Asian KUT countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan) and Western Asia, Europe, and other areas. The presentation will summarize the scientific results of the SCRMP, elucidate the regional water-energy-security nexus, discuss future work in the region, and explain why the world needs to be concerned about the KAB and the entire South Caucasus.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.931-943
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• 2018

Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology has been the focus of a lot of research due to its safety and convenience. The Z-source inverter (ZSI) was introduced into WPT systems to realize improved system performance. The ZSI regulates the dc-rail voltage in WPT systems without front-end converters and makes the inverter bridge immune to shoot-through states. However, when the WPT system is combined with a ZSI, the system parameters must be configured to prevent the ZSI from entering an "accidental shoot-through" (AST) state. This state can increase the THD and decrease system power and efficiency. This paper presents a mathematical analysis for the characteristics of a WPT system and a ZSI while addressing the causes of the AST state. To deal with this issue, the impact of the system parameters on the output are analyzed under two control algorithms and the primary compensation capacitance range is derived in detail. To validate the analysis, both simulations and experiments are carried out and the obtained results are presented.

• Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.545-556
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• 2014

Internet of Things (IoT), one of the emerging research areas, is the computing paradigm where various things connect to the network and cooperate with their neighbors to reach common goals. Computing with IoT devices opens up a new array of opportunities for providing value-added smart services and applications to end users. That is, IoT devices play an important role of providing useful services to the users. However, the states of IoT devices are dynamically changed at runtime, which come from their mobility, network connectivity, and a battery drain problem. This dynamism results in difficulties in managing these IoT devices. In this paper, we propose a framework to manage those IoT devices with dynamism. Hence, we first derive issues from IoT devices' dynamism. And, we define a set of requirements to manage the IoT devices and present a framework to manage the device dynamism. The framework is equipped by a device discovery method, a device status monitoring method, a device selection and connection method, and a device replacement method. Finally, we verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the framework through experiments.

• The Korean Journal of Financial Management
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.135-164
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• 2005

We analyze trade and balance records of 10,000 stock investment accounts of individual investors for the period of 1998 to 2003. Individual investors em an annual gross return of 12.3% while the KOSPI and the value weighted composite including KOSDAQ stocks yield 13.6% and 9.7% respectively during the same period. Net return performance is 8.3%, a drop of 5.3% mainly due to heavy trading. Individual investors' annual turnover amounts to over 270 percent. In an analysis of groups formed on the month's end position value, the performance of the top quintile is found comparable to the market while the rest yield significantly lower risk-adjusted returns than the market. We also find evidence rejecting the rational expectation model while supporting the overconfidence hypothesis which states overconfidence leads to a higher level of trading, resulting in poor performance. Individuals tilt their stock investment toward high-beta, small, and value stocks.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.21-34
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• 1990

This is a study on an instruction of estimation for error correction in the calculation with a computer or a calculator. The aim of this study is to survey a new aspect of calaulation teaching and the teaching strategy of estimation and finally to frame a new curriculum model of estimation instruction. This research required a year and the outcomes of the research can be listed as follows: 1. Social utilities of estimation were made clear, and a new trend of calculation teaching related to estimation instruction was shown. 2. The definition of estimation was given and actual examples of conducting an estimation among pupils in lower grades were given for them to have abundant experiences. 3. The ways of finding estimating values in fraction and decimal fraction were presented for the pupils to be able to conduct an estimation. 4. The following contents were given as a basic strategy for estimation. 1) Front-end strategy 2) Clustering strategy 3) Rounding strategy 4) Compatible numbers strategy 5) Special numbers strategy 5. In an instuction of estimation the meaning, method. and process of calculation and calculating algorithm were reviewed for the cultivation of children's creativity through promoting their basic skill, mathematical thinking and problem-solving ability. 6. The following contents were also covered as an estimation strategy for measurement 1) Calculating the sense of quantity on the size of unit. 2) Estimating the total quantity by frequent repetition of unit quantity. 3) Estimating the length and the volume by weighing. 4) Estimating unknown quantity based on the quatity already known. 5) Estimating the area by means of equivalent area transformation. 7. The ways of instructing mental computation were presented. 8. Reviews were made on the curricular and the textbook contents concerning estimation instructions both in Korea and Japan. and a new model of curriculum was devised with reference to estimation instruction data of the United States.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2016

Rivers refer to either natural or artificial structures whose primary functions are flood control and water conservation. Due to recent localized torrential downpours led by climate change, large amounts of eroded soil have been carried away, forming deposits downstream, which in turn degrades the capacity to fulfill these functions. To manage rivers more effectively, we need data on riverbed erosion and deposition. However, environmental factors make it challenging to take measurements in rivers, and data errors tend to prevent researchers from grasping the current state of erosions and deposits. In this context, the aim of the present study is to provide basic data required for river management. To this end, the author made annual measurements with a Real-time Kinematic-Global Positioning System (RTK-GPS) and a total station in Pats Cabin Canyon, Oregon, United States, and also prepared thematic maps of erosion and deposition thickness as well as water depth profiles based on a GIS spatial analysis. Furthermore, the author statistically analyzed the accuracy of three dimensional (3D) measurement points and only used the data that falls within two standard deviations (i.e. ±2σ). In addition, the author determined a threshold for a DEM of Difference (DoD) by installing measurement points in the rivers and taking measurements, and then estimated erosion and deposition thickness within a confidence interval of ±0.1m. Based on the results, the author established reliable data on river depth profiles and thematic maps of erosion and deposition thickness using pre-determined work flows. It is anticipated that the riverbed data can be utilized for effective river management.