• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.5917-5935
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• 2012

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and chronic human hepatitis infection and as such is an important global health problem. The virus was discovered in the USA in 1989 and it is now known that three to four million people are infected every year, WHO estimating that 3 percent of the 7 billion people worldwide being chronically infected. Humans are the natural hosts of HCV and this virus can eventually lead to permanent liver damage and carcinoma. HCV is a member of the Flaviviridae family and Hepacivirus genus. The diameter of the virus is about 50-60 nm and the virion contains a single-stranded positive RNA approximately 10,000 nucleotides in length and consisting of one ORF which is encapsulated by an external lipid envelope and icosahedral capsid. HCV is a heterogeneous virus, classified into 6 genotypes and more than 50 subtypes. Because of the genome variability, nucleotide sequences of genotypes differ by approximately 31-34%, and by 20-23% among subtypes. Quasi-species of mixed virus populations provide a survival advantage for the virus to create multiple variant genomes and a high rate of generation of variants to allow rapid selection of mutants for new environmental conditions. Direct contact with infected blood and blood products, sexual relationships and availability of injectable drugs have had remarkable effects on HCV epidemiology. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from hepatitis and liver cancer caused by HCV virus infection. Approximately 80% of patients with acute hepatitis C progress into a chronic disease state leading to serious hepatic disorders, 10-20% of which develop chronic liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The incubation period of HCV is 6-8 weeks and the infection is often asymptomatic so it is very hard to detect at early stages, making early treatment very difficult. Therefore, hepatitis C is called a "silent disease". Neutralizing antibodies are produced against several HCV proteins during infection but the virus mutates to escape from antibodies. Some patients with chronic hepatitis C may have some symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and pain. Autoimmune and immunecomplex-mediated diseases have also been reported with chronic HCV infection.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.33-42
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• 2013

In the early stage of P2P, the technology was limited to narrow usage of file sharing, but currently, P2P technology has become essential to maximize the efficiency between associated technologies without additional deployment of high costly infrastructure and also the burden of the server. Especially, P2P media streaming service is a highly attractive service to mobile users. which requires a higher quality in the mobile environment in accordance with the development of technology of wired network as well as better mobile terminals. However, P2P technology should consider the trade-off between 'peer selfishness' and QoE for providing fairness. The P2P system also try to maximize the resource utilization through an incentive mechanism for service differentiation and encourage peers to contribute continuously for improving the overall system performance. In this paper, we propose an point-based incentive mechanism based on peer's contribution level and energy availability for service differentiation. We also introduce that the proposed mechanism efficiently enhances the system performance as the peer with incentive using contribution and energy obtains more effective resource distribution.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.118-129
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• 1990

Socioeconomic status in this county progressed rapidly, this has brought about many changes in health care fields, namely, pattern of disease prevalence and morbidity, increase of the aged people, and also availability of health care in rural areas. According to the utilization study of medical care, it showed that the oriental medicine is used for the treatment of lasted chronic disease not the minor and common diseases which is quick in its effect. Particularly, in rural areas. prevalence of chronic disease is higher than that in urban areas. Although the health cafe need of the oriental medicine is high in rural areas, the distribution of manpower and facilities is lower than that in urban areas. Therefore the government has planned to implement the demonstration project for the oriental medicine at the designated 3 health centers in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to collect the utilization level of oriental medical care of the people in rural areas. To meet the purpose of this study, patient interview were applied. 790 patients visited to health center in project areas were selected and analyzed by experienced interviewers from 2 April to 21 April 1990. The major findings of this study were as follows ; 1) Of the 790 patients, 32.6 percent of the respondents had experience of using the oriental medicine. As for the utilization by age and sex. 54.8% of those was female and 70.7% was 40 years of age and more. 2) Reaction to the question of educational achievement showed that on schooling and primary school graduates accounted for 63.1%. 3) The most user of oriental medicine resides in country level, where the health center is located, and 80 percent of those users resides within 10Km. 4) More than 50% of the total was the chronic diseases which lingered for more than 3months. 5) 32.6 percent of the total cases used the oriental medicine. 61.2% among those was treated by oriental medical care hospital and 38.8% by oriental drug dispensaries etc. 6) The contont of oriental medical care varied ; 50.1% for prescription of herb drugs for treatment, 25.1% for health maintenance and 23.9% for acupuncture, moxibustion etc. 7) As for the motivation for using the oriental medicine. 56.6% of the respondents was for treatment of diseases and 27.9% wes for strengthening the physical weakness. 8) As for the effectiveness of the oriental medicine. 70.3% of the total cases satisfied with that treatment and 84.2% of the total cases will use the oriental medicine when is provided by health center.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.43-61
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• 1981

Interest in the Quality of working life is spreading rapidly and the phrase has entered the popular vocabulary. That this should be so is probably due in large measure to changes in the values of society, nowadays accelerated as never before by the concerns and demands of younger people. But however topical the concept has become, there is very little agreement on its definition. Rather, the term appears to have become a kind of depository for a variety of sometimes contradictory meanings attributed to it by different groups. A list of all the elements it if held to cover would include availability and security of employment, adaquate income, safe and pleasant physical working conditions, reasonable hours of work, equitable treatment and democracy in the workplace, the possibility of self-development, control over one's work, a sense of pride in craftsmanship or product, wider career choices, and flexibility in matters such as the time of starting work, the number of working days in the week, Job sharing and so on altogether an array that encompasses a variety of traditional aspirations and many new ones reflecting the entry into the post industrial era. The term "quality of working life" was introduced by professor Louis E. Davis and his colleagues in the late 1960s to call attention to the prevailing and needlessly poor quality of life at the workplace. In their usage it referred to the quality of the relationship between the worker and his working environment as a whole, and was intended to emphasize the human dimension so often forgotten among the technical and economic factors in job design. Treating workers as if they were elements or cogs in the production process is not only an affront to the dignity of human life, but is also a serious underestimation of the human capabilities needed to operate more advanced technologies. When tasks demand high levels of vigilence, technical problem-solving skills, self initiated behavior, and social and communication skills. it is imperative that our concepts of man be of requisite complexity. Our aim is not just to protect the worker's life and health but to give them an informal interest in their job and opportunity to express their views and exercise control over everything that affects their working life. Certainly, so far as his work is concerned, a man must feel better protected but he must also have a greater feeling of freedom and responsibility. Something parallel but wholly different if happening in Europe, industrial democracy. What has happened in Europe has been discrete, fixed, finalized, and legalized. Those developing centuries driving toward industrialization like R.O.K, shall have to bear in mind the human complexity in processing and designing the work and its environment. Increasing attention is needed to the contradiction between autocratic rule at the workplace and democratic rights in society.n society.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.321-321
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• 2017

Water availability in rainfed lowlands (RFL) is strongly affected by climate change. In RFL, rice plants are exposed to soil moisture fluctuations (SMF) but rarely to simple progressive drought as widely believed. Typical RFL field is characterized by a about 5-cm thick high bulk density hardpan layer underneath the cultivated layer at about 20 cm depth that impedes deep root development. Root system has the ability to develop in response to changes in SMF, known as phenotypic plasticity. We hypothesized that genotypes that can adapt to RFL have root plasticity. The roots can sharply respond to re-wetting after drought period and thus penetrate the hardpan layer when the hardpan is wet and so becomes relatively soft, and thus access water under the hardpan. This study aimed to identify CSSLs derived from a cross between Sasanishiki and Habataki which adapted to such RFL conditions. We used 39 CSSLs together with the parent Sasanishiki, which were grown in hydroponics and pot under transient soil moisture stresses (drought and then rewatering), and compared with continuously well-watered (WW) (control) up to 14 days after sowing (DAS), and 20 DAS, respectively. Based on the results of hydroponics and pot experiments, we selected a few lines, which were grown in the soil-filled rootbox with artificial hardpan layer and without artificial hardpan. For the rootbox without artificial hardpan, plants were grown under WW and transient soil moisture stresses for 49 DAS. While the rootbox with artificial hardpan, the plants were grown under WW (control) and SMF (WW up to 21 DAS, 1st drought (22-36 DAS), rewatering (37-44 DAS), and followed by 2nd drought (45-58 DAS)). Among the 39 CSSLs, only CSSL439 (SL39) consistently showed significantly higher shoot dry weight (SDW) than Sasanishiki under transient soil moisture stress conditions as well as SMF conditions in all the experiments. Furthermore, under WW, SL39 consistently showed no significant differences from Sasanishiki in shoot and root growth in most of traits examined. SL39 showed significantly greater total root length (TRL) than Sasanishiki under transient soil moisture stress, which is considered as phenotypic plasticity in response to rewatering after drought period. Such plastic root development was the key trait that effectively contributed to root elongation and branching during the rewatering period and consequently enhanced the root to penetrate hardpan layer when the soil penetration resistance at hardpan layer reduced. In addition, using the rootbox with artificial hardpan layer ($1.7g\;cm^{-3}$, heavily compacted), SL39 showed greater root system development than Sasanishiki under SMF, which was expressed in its significantly higher TRL, total nodal RL, and total lateral RL at hardpan layer as well as at below the hardpan layer. These results prove that SL39 has plasticity that enables its root systems to penetrate hardpan layer in response to rewatering. Under SMF, such root plasticity contributed to its higher gs and Pn.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.1 s.182
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• pp.115-128
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• 2007

This study proposed a modified logistic regression model for a probabilistic prediction of debris flow on natural terrain at the granitic rock area. The modified model dose not contain any categorical factors that were used in the previous model and secured higher reliability of prediction than that of the previous one. The modified model is composed of lithology, two factors of geomorphology, and three factors of soil property. Verification result shows that the prediction reliability is more than 86%. Using the modified regression model, the landslide prediction maps were established. In case of Sacheon area, the prediction map showed that the landslide occurrence was not well corresponded with the model since, even though the forest-fred area was distributed on the center of the model, no factors were considered for the landslide predictions. On the other hand, the prediction model was well corresponded with landslide occurrence at Jumunjin-Yeongok area. The prediction model developed in this study has very high availability to employ in other granitic areas.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.62-66
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• 2009

Utilization and interest of unconventional fuel and process residue such as oil sand and its residue, oil sand coke, have been increased because of the continuous rise of fuel price and conventional fuel availability. In this study, the gasification of oil sand coke produced from coking process of oil sand was performed to utilize as an energy resource using lab-scale fixed bed gasification system. The combustion characteristics of oil sand bitumen and oil sand coke were investigated by using TGA and lab-scale gasification system was applied to reveal the characteristics of produced syngas composition with oxygen/fuel ratio, temperature and steam injection rate. Oil sand coke shows a high carbon content, heating value and sulfur content and low ash content and reactivity. In case of oil sand coke gasification, generally with increasing temperature, the amount of steam introduced and decreasing oxygen injection rate, $H_2$ content in product gas increased while the $CO_2$ content decreased. The calorific value of syngas shows about $2100kcal/Nm^3$ and this result indicates that the oil sand coke can be used as a resource of hydrogen and fuel.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.133-137
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• 2004

Recently, saw dust manure has been widely used in horticultural crop production in Korea. Animal manure is produced by decaying of livestock manure mixed with saw dust, and contained higher nutrients and ion concentration than the traditional manure made from rice straw and grasses. Therefore, a continuous application of the animal manure disregarding to soil characteristics may be ruined the soil conditions. This study was conducted to investigate the transportation of the nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, and ion concentration of the animal manure applied to volcanic and non-volcanic soils in Jeju islana Soil chemical analysis were done before and 180 days after animal manure application. After animal manure application, $NO_3$-N moved up to 90cm in volcanic soil, while the movement was limited to 60 cm in non-volcanic soil. Phosphate concentration was high up to 30 cm, where crop roots are mainly distributed, in volcanic soil, however, the phosphate moved up to 60 cm in volcanic soil. Exchangeable potassium moved up to 90 cm in volcanic soil, but the movement wns limited up to 60 cm in non-volcanic soil. For both soil types, no significant different in ion concentrations was observed up to 60 cm in soil depth, though the concentrations were higher in volcanic ash soils as compared to the non-volcanic ash soils.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.78-85
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Recent studies using various industrial wastes for heavy metal stabilization in soil were conducted in order to find out new alternative amendments. The acid mine drainage sludge(AMDS) contains lots of metal oxides(hydroxides) that may be useful for heavy metal stabilization not only waste water treatment but also soil remediation. The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of acid mine drainage sludge for heavy metals stabilization in soils METHODS AND RESULTS: Alkali soil contaminated with heavy metals was collected from the agricultural soils affected by the abandoned mine sites nearby. Three different amounts(1%, 3%, 5%) of AMDS were applied into control soil and contaminated soil. For determining the changes in the extractable heavy metals, $CaCl_2$ and Mehlich-3 were applied as chemical assessments for metal stabilization. For biological assessments, lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.) and chinese cabbage(Brassica rapa var. glabra) were cultivated and accumulation of heavy metals on each plant were determined. It was revealed that AMDS reduced heavy metal mobility and bioavailability in soil, which resulted in the decreases in the accumulation of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in each plant. CONCLUSION: Though the high level of heavy metal concentrations in AMDS, any considerable increase in the heavy metal availability was not observed with control and contaminated soil. In conclusion, these results indicated that AMDS could be applied to heavy metal contaminated soil as an alternative amendments for reducing heavy metal mobility and bioavailability.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.331-339
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• 2007

Titanium or titanium alloy is a widely used implant material according to its certified biocompatibility, sufficient strength and ready availability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative biocompatibility of titanium and titanium alloy specimens (Ti-29Nb-13Ta, TiNb and Ti-6Al-4V, Ti64) using in vivo and in vitro methods. For in vivo experiment, the specimens were implanted in the abdominal subcutaneous region of female mice for 2 and 4 weeks. The reaction of connective tissue to specimens was evaluated histologically. The specimens were encapsulated by fibrous connective tissue consisting of fibroblast, fibrocyte and other cells including neutrophil, macrophage, giant multinucleated cell and unidentified cells. Some newly formed blood vessels were located in the fibrous capsule surrounding the implant. Cell types and the thickness of fibrous capsules were examined quantitatively. Most of cell types located in the fibrous capsule were fibroblasts and fibrocytes. The average thickness of fibrous capsules for the TiNb specimens was much thinner than that of the titanium alloy, Ti64. The thickness of the fibrous capsule around all titanium specimens decreased at 4 weeks compared to 2 weeks post-implantation. The biocompatibility of titanium and titanium alloy specimens were also investigated in in vitro method using alkaline phosphatase from MG-63 cells. Alkaline phosphatase activity of the TiNb specimen showed higher activity than the titanium alloy, Ti64. In conclusion, the TiNb alloy with thin capsule thickness in vivo and high alkaline phosphatase activity in vitro will be of considerable use in biomedical applications.