• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.277-290
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• 2011

Changes of the characteristics in summer rainfall in the Republic of Korea by the regime shift and their causes were examined by analyzing long-term observational data. There has been an abrupt increase in rainfall variability since 1998, which was mainly due to the enhanced rainfall during August~September, although the gradual increase was also detected in June~July. In June~July, the enhanced rainfall developed as a band type covering the whole East Asia while in August~September, it is only found over the Republic of Korea with the greatest increase of 130 mm over Seoul and Gyeonggi area. The two intensified anticyclonic anomalies over the north-northwest/east of the Republic of Korea resulted in producing northerlies/southeasterlies, transporting cold/warm-wet air flows, respectively. The center of the convergence zone from the two separate systems located in the Republic of Korea, leading to a favorable condition for the development of the extreme rainfall. The enhanced barotropic anticyclonic anomalies also affected in warming the sea surface temperature anomalies covering from the eastern coast of East Asia to North Pacific Ocean, which in turn leaded to enhance warm air transporting back to the Republic of Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.411-428
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• 1995

Intercountry adoption, one type of forced migration, has increased significantly in recent decades. The adoption of Korea-born children by Americans has been the strongest intercountry adoption linkage in the world. The intercountry adoption stream was strongly influenced by intercountry adoption policies, and socio-cultural settings in both South Korea and the United States. Socio-cultural factors in South Korea made local adoption undesirable and helped for abandoned children to be adopted by Americans, while socio-cultural factors in the United States had reduced the number of locally available infants for adoption, and increased the demand for infants from abroad. Distribution of Korea-born adoptees shows concentration in the Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest and Northeast areas which have not attracted Korean immigrants so generally. The trend of concentration shows some increased importances in the outlying states in the northern United States. The location and activity of agencies shaped the spatial distribution of Korea-born adoptees in the United States.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2006

This paper aims at investigating the developments and challenges of Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP), a regional cooperation mechanism to protect marine environment in Northeast Asia. As one of 16 UNEP's Regional Seas Program, NOWPAP has evolved since its inception in 1994. Based on the belief that a cooperative institution may work more efficiently to address common regional concerns on marine environment, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea have developed NOWPAP under the UNEP's leadership. NOWPAP now has its own independent secretariat, and 4 regional activity centers while expanding its partnership with other institutions. However, NOWPAP must address several challenges that it now faces for better achievement of its goals. They include consideration of unique geopolitical situation in this region, participation of North Korea, incorporation of sustainable development concept in its activities, reconsideration of equal opportunity principle for more efficient cooperation, and securing sufficient financial resources.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1396-1402
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• 2009

Hizikia fusiforme is a kind of edible brown seaweed that grows mainly in the northwest Pacific including Korea, Japan and China, and has been widely used as food in Korea. Induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) production is thought to have beneficial immunomodulatory effects in acute and chronic inflammatory disorders. In this study, we investigated the effects of extracts of H. fusiforme on the expression of COX-2 and production of $PGE_2$ in U937 human pre-monocytic cell models. In U937 cells stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to mimic inflammation, methanol extract of H. fusiforme (MEHF) and ethanol extract of H. fusiforme (EEHF), but not water extract of H. fusiforme (WEHF), inhibited PMA-induced expression of both COX-2 protein and mRNA, which was associated with inhibition of $PGE_2$ production. To investigate the mechanism by which MEHF and EEHF inhibit COX-2 gene expression and $PGE_2$ production, we examined the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-$\kappa$B) in U937 cells. Pre-treatment with MEHF and EEHF significantly attenuated the PMA-induced IkappaB degradation and prevented nuclear translocation of NF-$\kappa$B. Taken together, these findings provide important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory activity of H. fusiforme.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.306-318
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• 1995

To investigate the effect of low light intensities and the inoculation of Frankia and/or Alpova diplophloeus on the symbioses development and their host growth, red alder(Alnus rubra Bong.) seedlings were grown in an air - filtered walk - in growth chamber with either $N_2$ - fixing Frankia inoculation or N - fertilization and live or dead spore inoculation of the ectomycorrhizal fungus A. diplophloeus(Zeller & Dodge) Trappe & Smith. When they were 20 weeks old, the seedlings were grown under three levels of light intensities of 680, 320 and $220{\mu}mol/m^2/s$ PPFD(photosynthetic photon flux density) for three weeks. PPFD of 220 significantly decreased the development of A. diplophloeus mycorrhizae and nodules, the rates of $N_2$ - fixation and $CO_2$ exchange, and the growth of tile seedlings. PPFD 320 significantly decreased the $CO_2$ exchange rate only. Frankia inoculation significantly increased mycorrhiza formation and seedling growth. Alpova inoculation significantly increased seedling growth but not nodule development and $N_2$ - fixation. None of the symbionts affected $CO_2$ exchange rates. Frankia was more critical for seedling growth and mycorrhizal development than the mycorrhizal fungus for seedling growth and nodule development.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.107-113
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• 2011

To evaluate the performance of the hydrodynamic model, we introduced 10 skill assessments that are assorted by two groups: quantitative skill assessments (Absolute Average Error or AAE, Root Mean Squared Error or RMSE, Relative Absolute Average Error or RAAE, Percentage Model Error or PME) and qualitative skill assessments (Correlation Coefficient or CC, Reliability Index or RI, Index of Agreement or IA, Modeling Efficiency or MEF, Cost Function or CF, Coefficient of Residual Mass or CRM). These skill assessments were applied and calculated to evaluate the hydrodynamic modeling at one of Florida estuaries for water level, current, and salinity as comparing measured and simulated values. We found that AAE, RMSE, RAAE, CC, IA, MEF, CF, and CRM are suitable for the error assessment of water level and current, and AAE, RMSE, RAAE, PME, CC, RI, IA, CF, and CRM are good at the salinity error assessment. Quantitative and qualitative skill assessments showed the similar trend in terms of the classification for good and bad performance of model. Furthermore, this paper suggested the criteria of the "good" model performance for water level, current, and salinity. The criteria are RAAE < 10%, CC > 0.95, IA > 0.98, MEF > 0.93, CF < 0.21 for water level, RAAE < 20%, CC > 0.7, IA > 0.8, MEF > 0.5, CF < 0.5 for current, and RAAE < 10%, PME < 10%, CC > 0.9, RI < 1.15, CF < 0.1 for salinity.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.502-517
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• 2019

Global warming and rapid climate change have long affected the characteristics of typhoons in the Northwest Pacific, which has induced increasing devastating disasters along the coastal regions of the Korean peninsula. Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR), as one of the microwave sensors, makes it possible to produce high-resolution sea surface wind field around the typhoon under cloudy atmospheric conditions, which has been impossible to obtain the winds from satellite optical and infrared sensors. The Geophysical Model Functions (GMFs) for sea surface wind retrieval from SAR data requires the input of wind direction, which should be based on the accurate estimation of the center of the typhoon. This study estimated the typhoon centers using Sentinel-1A images to improve the problem of typhoon center detection method and to reflect it in retrieving the sea surface wind. The results were validated by comparing with the typhoon best track data provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), and also by using infrared images of Himawari-8 satellite. The initial center position of the typhoon was determined by using VH polarization, thereby reducing the possibility of error. The detected center showed a difference of 23.76 km on average with the best track data of the four typhoons provided by the KMA and JMA. Compared to the typhoon center estimated by Himawari-8 satellite, the results showed an average spatial variation of 11.80 km except one typhoon located near land with a large difference of 58.73 km. This result suggests that high-resolution SAR images can be used to estimate the center and retrieve sea surface wind around typhoons.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.229-239
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• 2021

Thamnaconus modestus, distributed in the Northwest Pacific, has high economic value and is used in various seafood. In this study, the morphological and genetic characteristics of T. modestus and T. septentrionalis were compared and analyzed. We observed the external and internal morphology of T. modestus, sketched skeletal elements, and analyzed phylogenetic evolutionary relationships using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene on mitochondrial DNA compared to T. septentrionalis. The T. modestus observed in this study had blackish-brown patterns irregularly scattered on the gray-brown body, and the fins were blue-green. Genetic analysis results based on the COI sequences of T. modestus showed seven types of base sequence variation; however, the homology was more than 98.8%. In addition, as a result of comparison of the COI nucleotide sequences and phylogenetic analysis in Tetraodontiformes, two T. septentrionalis sequences (JN813099, MW485059) were similar to T. modestus with 99% homology, and the other two T. septentrionalis sequences (EF607583, KP267619) were similar to those of species belonging to another genus Thamnaconus with 95% homology with T. modestus. It was not easy to classify the species based on morphological characteristics, and phylogenetic analysis between T. modestus and T. septentrionalis confirmed the difference in classification. These results provide the external and internal morphology of T. modestus and will be used as important information for the taxonomic study of T. modestus and T. septentrionalis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6521-6526
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• 2015

Background: This study aimed toanalyze the risk behavior for cervical cancer (CC) and the human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and resolution among women who received care through the private healthcare network of a municipality in southern Brazil. Materials and Methods: This descriptive and retrospective study was conducted with 25 women aged 20 to 59 years who received care through the private healthcare network and were treated at a specialty clinic in the period from January to December 2012 in a municipality in Northwest Parana, Southern Brazil. Data from medical records with cytological and HPV results were used. Following treatment, these women were followed-up and reassessed after 6 months. Data were statistically analyzed using the t-test and chi-squared test at a 5% significance level. Results: The mean age of the studied women was $27.8{\pm}7.75$ years old, and the majority were married, with paid employment and were non-smokers. The mean age at menarche was $13.0{\pm}0.50$ years old, and the mean age at first intercourse was $17.5{\pm}1.78$ years, with only 8.0% (2) initiating sexual activity at an age ${\leq}15$ years old. The majority had 1 to 2 children (60.0%), while 88.0% reported having had one sexual partner in their lifetime, and all the women were sexually active. A total of 68.0% used a hormonal contraceptive method. All the women had leukorrhea and pain and were infected by a single HPV type. Regarding the lesion grade, 80.0% showed high risk and 20.0% low risk. The most prevalent high-risk HPV strain was 16. Conclusions: These findings provide relevant information on HPV risk factors and infection, as well as the treatment and 6-month follow-up results, in economically and socially advantaged women with no traditional risk factors, corroborating previous reports that different risk factors may be described in different populations. Thus, this study reinforces the fact that even women without the traditional risk factors should undergo HPVmonitoring and assessment to determine the persistence of infection, promoting early diagnosis of the lesions presented and appropriate treatment to thus prevent the occurrence of CC.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.193-206
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• 2004

Geophysical data including chirp (3 7 kHz) subbottom profile and detailed bathymetry were obtained over three seamounts in the Ogasawara Fracture Zone (OFZ) of the western Pacific, as a part of manganese crust survey onboard R/V Onnuri in 2003. The OFZ is a 150-km-wide, 600-km-long rift zone, which separates the East Mariana and Pigafetta Basin. The OFZ is unique in that it includes many seamounts (e.g., Magellan Seamounts andseamounts on the Dutton Ridge). The sub-seafloor acoustic echoes obtained near the OFZ were classified into following types on the basis of their characteristics: types I-1(pelagic sediment with parallel or subparallel reflectors), I-2 (pelagic sediment with no internal reflectors), and III-1 (reef build-up complex) on summit; types II-1 and III-2 (basement outcrop) on flank rift zone and upper slope, respectively; type III-3 (slump) on the lower slope and embayment between the flank rift zones; types II-2 (debrite) on the base of slope and basin floor; and types II-3 (turbidite or pelagic sediment) and II-4 (turbidite) on the basin floor. The mass-wasting that produced the complex of type II-2 debrite and III-3 slump on the lower slope and basin may have been caused by (1) strong tensional stress in the OFZ which may cause the numerous fissures or basement faults and (2) complex of the faults on the summit and steep upper slope. The variations in the echo type of pelagic sediment in the summit of seamounts may be related with the changes in the depositional and/or erosional environments. Type I-2 pelagic sediment, which is characterized by a thin and intermittent coverage, was probably deposited at a sheltered area when the current was strong, whereas type I-1 pelagic deposit occurred during a stage of progressive sedimentation.