• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2005

Objectives: Studies on the geographical differences in mortality tend to use a census population, rather than a registration population, as the denominator of mortality rates in South Korea. However, an administratively determined registration population would be the logical denominator, as the geographical areas for death certificates (numerator) have been determined by the administratively registered residence of the deceased, rather than the actual residence at the time of death. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in the total number of a district population, and the associated district-specific mortality indicators, when two different measures as a population denominator (census and registration) were used. Methods: Population denominators were obtained from census and registration population data, and the numbers of deaths (numerators) were calculated from raw death certificate data. Sex- and 5-year age-specific numbers for the populations and deaths were used to compute sex- and age-standardized mortality rates (by direct standardization methods) and standardized mortality ratios (by indirect standardization methods). Bland-Altman tests were used to compare district populations and district-specific mortality indicators according to the two different population denominators. Results : In 1995, 9 of 232 (3.9%) districts were not included in the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the population differences. A total of 8 (3.4%) among 234 districts had large differences between their census and registration populations in 2000, which exceeded the 95% CI of the population differences. Most districts (13 of 17) exceeding the 95% CI were rural. The results of the sex- and age-standardized mortality rates showed 15 (6.5%) and 16 (6.8%) districts in 1995 and 2000, respectively, were not included in the 95% CI of the differences in their rates. In addition, the differences in the standardized mortality ratios using the two different population denominators were significantly greater among 14 districts in 1995 and 11 districts in 2002 than the 95% CI. Geographical variations in the mortality indicators, using a registration population, were greater than when using a census population. Conclusion: The use of census population denominators may provide biased geographical mortality indicators. The geographical mortality rates when using registration population denominators are logical, but do not necessarily represent the exact mortality rate of a certain district. The removal of districts with large differences between their census and registration populations or associated mortality indicators should be considered to monitor geographical mortality rates in South Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1567-1574
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• 2014

The incidence and mortality rates of liver and nasopharyngeal cancer in Guangxi province of China have always been among the highest in the world, and cancer is one of the major diseases that pose a threat to the health of residents in Guangxi. However, no systematic study has been performed to evaluate the time trends in the structure of cancer-related deaths and cancer mortality. In this study, we reveal sex, age and geography differences of cancers mortality between three death surveys (1971 to 1973, 1990 to 1992, and 2004 to 2005). The results show that the standardized mortality rate of cancer in Guangxi residents has risen from 43.3/100,000 to 84.2/100,000, the share of cancer deaths in all-cause deaths has increased from 13.3% to 20.7%, and cancer has become the second most common cause of death. The five major cancers, liver cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and colorectal cancer, account for 60% of all the cancer deaths. Cancers with growing mortality rates over the past 30 years include lung cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer and female breast cancer, of which lung cancer is associated with the sharpest rise in mortality, with a more than 600% rise in both men and women. Cancer death in Guangxi residents occurs mainly in the elderly population above 45 years of age, especially in people over the age of 65. The areas with the highest mortality rates for liver cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer, which feature regional high incidences, include Chongzuo and Wuzhou. Therefore, for major cancers such as liver cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and female breast cancer in Guangxi, we can select high-risk age groups as the target population for cancer prevention and control efforts in high-prevalence areas in a bid to achieve the ultimate goal of lowering cancer mortality in Guangxi.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

In fluvial and riparian ecosystems, biogeomorphological research has considered the complex, multi-way relationships between biological and hydro-geomorphological components over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. In this review, we discussed the scope and processes of fluvial biogeomorphology by explaining (1) the multi-lateral interactions between organisms and hydrogeomorphic conditions, (2) the relationships between biodiversity and habitat heterogeneity, and (3) the effects of disturbance on ecosystem patterns. Over time, an organism-landform complex along streams transitions in the sequences of geomorphic, pioneer, biogeomorphic, and ecological stages. Over space, water flow and sediment distributions interact with vegetation to modify channel topography. It is the habitat heterogeneity in streams that enhances riparian biodiversity. However, in the areas downstream of a dam, habitat types and conditions are substantially damaged and biodiversity should be reduced. In South Korea, riparian vegetation flourishes in general and, in particular, invasive species actively colonize in accordance with the changes in the fluvial conditions driven by local disturbances and global climate change. Therefore, the importance of understanding reciprocal relationships between living organisms and hydrogeomorphic conditions will ever increase in this era of rapid climate change and anthropogenic pressure. The fluvial biogeomorphic framework reviewed in this article will contribute to the ecological management and restoration of streams in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.87-103
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• 2008

The geographical name is an expression of human knowledge about living conditions and a basic tool for understanding about regional cultures and history as a result of spatiotemporal changes. This study aims to understand the historical and regional characteristics by analyzing the frequency and distribution of geographical names of 1:50,000 topographic map in the early 20th century and materializing on electronic cultural atlas. The result of this analysis is as follows. First, the aspect of distributed geographical names on the Korean Peninsula reflects a general trait of the country's natural and human environment included geographical features, population, arable land, the number of counties and villages, and functions of administration and military, etc. Second, through the frequency and weight of their names, the analysis shows not only the change of native names, but also the country's phase of the time by Japanese colonial policies such as exploitation of resources, the construction of railroads, and a desire to control of the border area with Manchuria. In addition, the study identified regional characteristics and differences in environmental perception and preferences, and naming basis and forms by the comparative analysis of each type of geographical names associated with village and ridge such as 'Chi' 'Ryung' 'Duk' 'Hang' 'Pyeong' 'Gok'. In particular, those characteristics were largely affected from environmental difference of each area.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.360-368
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• 1994

To this day, a number of quantitative analytical methods have been employed in clarifying regional characteristics in the discipline of geography. This paper attempted, as a part of application of those quantitative analyses, to make clear the urban functions and consequently the urban characteristics statistically by adopting newly-introduced CHAID, a sort of discriminant analyis technique. The processing of data was sonducted in two phases. To begin with, the urban functions were classified after designating twenty cities - the population of each city counting 250, 000 or more - as predictor variable, and at the same time four major urban functions like administration, marketing, finance and production as response variable. And then, preeminent functions of individual region were discriminated and concurrently classified by treating the remaining traffic, education, medicare, culture and transportation functions as predictor variable, and the following five regions as response variable: Metropolitan Seoul Area. Pusan region, Taegu region, Kwangju region and Chungcheong region. According to the result of this analysis, marketing and administration are emereed as meaningful functions in Seoul and Taegu respectively. As for the finance function only Pusan and Pucheon can be discriminated. Seoul, Pusan and Seongnam reveal their dominancy in production function. To take a look at the result of the latter analysis, the Metropolitan Seoul area shows, among other functions, strong traffic and finance functions. When it comes fo Pusan region, adminstration, education and finance functions are recorded as a leading ones, and Taegu region is preferable in education, medicare and transportation functions. In case of Kwangju region adminstration, production and education functions are discriminated from any other functions. Chungcheong region shows similar aspect with only traffic function replacing the production function of Kwangju region. Based on aforementioned anlysis, it can be said that the CHAID technique, which is capable of processing large amount of categorical data and, by presenting its outcome in the form of dendrogram, facilitates the interpretation work, is an effective, meaningful means to classify and discriminate certain geographical regions and their characteristics.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.1403-1418
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• 1999

Nursing is a discipline that helps to understand human being, to mitigate pains in life by promoting and recovering health, and to study the basic principles in sustaining and preserving life. To understand man and thus to nurse, it is essential to take the way of life of the specific person, his/her ideas, and natural environment into consideration. This means, the temperament, geography, environment and society peculiar to Korea have formed its own culture distinguished from those of other people. Thoughts and philosophy develop as a products of the specific culture and society. Therefore, accurate understanding of the concepts of nursing in the traditional thoughts and philosophy is indispensible to define Korean nursing. Modern Korean nursing at first rooted in the westernized nursing and western nursing intervention has been applied ever since its introduction in the late 19th century under the paradigm of western natural science. However, Koreans in the past made use of alternative therapy which put its emphasis on the organic and holistic view of life as well as a means for traditional medicine and nursing. This alternative therapy has been largely ignored since the introduction of western medical science, and was considered something used only by the aged or the uneducated. Moreover, Health concerned practices and customary traditional therapy have been discarded in the clinical medicine as "unscientific" or "unsystematic". As described above, it is true that Korean nursing has developed in the quantitative aspect only adhering to western nursing intervention. Now it is the time to stop to hold ourself and to look back our past. To find and develop the originality of Korean nursing to cope with the globalization, it is necessary to rediscover nursing (alternative) therapy in Korean culture ignored so far. For this purpose, this study examines the oriental philosophy to explore alternative nursing theory now under development. Also it aims to present ways to apply alternative therapy to nursing education, research and clinical practices and ultimately to show the desirable direction of the nursing to go in the future. Yangsaeng theory of Taoism and Yin-yang, Oh-hang(five elements) and khi theory in Dongeuibogam which gave enormous influences on Korean medical culture and treatment together with Sahsang(four temperaments) emphasized in Dongeuisusebowon will be examined as conceptual framework. Concepts of nursing are categorized into views on each the universe, the human being and nursing. Views on human being is classified into subcategories of body, life, health, and disease. Also it emphasizes the necessity of including alternative therapy in nursing intervention. Views on the universe is classified into yin-yang, khi, and temperament. Nursing will be available anywhere and easily accessible with this new nursing intervention. Trying to give a new thoughts to all those traditional concepts and alternative therapy, this article suggests the necessity of developing original Korean nursing theory and nursing intervention.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.903-915
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• 2020

Long-term high-resolution hydro-meteorological data has been recognized as an essential element in establishing the water resources plan. The increasing demand for spatial precipitation in various areas such as climate, hydrology, geography, ecology, and environment is apparent. However, potential limitations of the existing area-weighted and numerical interpolation methods for interpolating precipitation in high altitude areas remains less explored. The proposed PRISM (Precipitation-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model) model can produce gridded precipitation that can adequately consider topographic characteristics (e.g., slope and altitude), which are not substantially included in the existing interpolation techniques. In this study, the PRISM model was optimized with SCEM-UA (Shuffled Complex Evolution Metropolis-University of Arizona) to produce daily gridded precipitation. As a result, the minimum impact radius was calculated 9.10 km and the maximum 34.99 km. The altitude of coastal weighted was 681.03 m, the minimum and maximum distances from coastal were 9.85 km and 38.05 km. The distance weighting factor was calculated to be about 0.87, confirming that the PRISM result was very sensitive to distance. The results showed that the proposed PRISM model could reproduce the observed statistical properties reasonably well.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.321-340
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• 2007

In this thesis we have examined the concrete forms and periodic tendency changes of eup-settlements, local administrative town, locations within 91 districts in 71 counties of Gyeongsang province. First of all, we have analyzed the overall conditions of eup-settlement locations in Joseon Dynasty under the criterion of topography, feng-shui, and scenery image of the mountains at the back. Then we looked into alterations of location forms mainly of the eup-settlement in which the exact time of migration can be identified and cities which have the evident dates of construction. To sum up, the result is as follows. Firstly, the concrete form of eup-settlement locations in Joseon Dynasty are usually built up in traditional ways, however, quite a few unconventional ones also existed. Secondly, the town castles constructed at the end of Goryeo Dynasty period and before 1430's are hardly related to the traditional location format of Joseon Dynasty, yet the ones constructed after 1430's were mostly in the typical location format. Thirdly, the old eup-settlements established before 1425 are scarcely in the typical location form of Joseon dynasty, but the new eup-settlement established after 1425 were mostly in the typical location forms.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.53-63
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• 2010

The global sea level rise has an effect on eco-environmental change by the inundation and erosion in the coastal area. Forecasting model on the change of morpho-ecological environments by the sea level change will give us information for coastal area management by predicting environmental changes of the up-coming future. This research aimed to foresee eco-environmental changes by the sea level rise in coastal area. Prediction model used SLAMM model developed to forecast coastal changes by IPCC scenario. The model predicted centennial environmental changes in the mouth of Han river and Nakdong river, Suncheon and Hampyeung bay as case areas. To sum up the research findings, in the estuary of the Han river, tidal flat was gradually disappeared from the year 2075, scrubmarsh and saltmarsh belts were developed. In the Nakdong River estuary, scrubmarsh was decreased from the year 2025, tidal flat was deposited from the year 2050, and also, the Gimhae plain was partially inundated, and wetlands were formed. In the Hampyeung bay, saltmarsh was deposited in the year 2025, tidal flat expanded until 2050 was partially submerged after that time. Tidal flat of Suncheon bay was disappeared by the inundation after 2025, and saltmarsh was developed in the embayment.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.262-267
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• 2007

Purpose : The prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in a certain community reflects that community's living standards and hygienic conditions. And the pattern of HAV infection differs over time and geography. Recently, a shift in prevalence has been observed in cases from chilhood to adulthood. We studied the HAV antibody prevalence in the general population in Busan. Methods : From October 2004 to March 2005, total 472 subjects were tested for HAV antibodies. All samples were collected from patients in Maryknol Hospital. Results : The overall seropositive rate was 22.8% (108/472). The seropositive rates were 1.7% in subjects aged 2-5 years, 1.7% in 6-10 years, 0% in 11-20 years, 40.5% in 21-30 years, 82.1% in 31-40 years, 94.7% in 41-50 years, and 100% in subjects aged over 50 years. There was no significant gap between gender groups. Conclusion : As the socioeconomic conditions in Korea have improved, the HAV seropositive rate in school-aged children has dramatically decreased in the last 20 years. But, the seropositive rate of HAV didn't differ according to gender. The seropositive rate of HAV in the pediatric group was very low, which suggests the increasing possibility of clinical HAV infection in adults in the near future. Therefore, we should actively prevent the spread of hepatits A virus. In order to do that, we need to reorganize our lifestyle and personel hygiene and carry out active and passive immunization to high risk groups.