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Quality of Anticoagulation and Treatment Satisfaction in Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation Treated with Vitamin K Antagonist: Result from the KORean Atrial Fibrillation Investigation II

  • Oh, Seil;Kim, June-Soo;Oh, Yong-Seog;Shin, Dong-Gu;Pak, Hui-Nam;Hwang, Gyo-Seung;Choi, Kee-Joon;Kim, Jin-Bae;Lee, Man-Young;Park, Hyung-Wook;Kim, Dae-Kyeong;Jin, Eun-Sun;Park, Jaeseok;Oh, Il-Young;Shin, Dae-Hee;Park, Hyoung-Seob;Kim, Jun Hyung;Kim, Nam-Ho;Ahn, Min-Soo;Seo, Bo-Jeong;Kim, Young-Joo;Kang, Seongsik;Lee, Juneyoung;Kim, Young-Hoon
    • Journal of Korean Medical Science
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    • v.33 no.49
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    • pp.323.1-323.12
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    • 2018
  • Background: Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) to prevent thromboembolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients has limitations such as drug interaction. This study investigated the clinical characteristics of Korean patients treated with VKA for stroke prevention and assessed quality of VKA therapy and treatment satisfaction. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, non-interventional study. Patients with $CHADS_2{\geq}1$ and treated with VKA (started within the last 3 months) were enrolled from April 2013 to March 2014. Demographic and clinical features including risk factors of stroke and VKA treatment information was collected at baseline. Treatment patterns and international normalized ratio (INR) level were evaluated during follow-up. Time in therapeutic range (TTR) > 60% indicated well-controlled INR. Treatment satisfaction on the VKA use was measured by Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) after 3 months of follow-up. Results: A total of 877 patients (age, 67; male, 60%) were enrolled and followed up for one year. More than half of patients (56%) had $CHADS_2{\geq}2$ and 83.6% had $CHA_2DS_2-VASc{\geq}2$. A total of 852 patients had one or more INR measurement during their follow-up period. Among those patients, 25.5% discontinued VKA treatment during follow-up. Of all patients, 626 patients (73%) had poor-controlled INR (TTR < 60%) measure. Patients' treatment satisfaction measured with TSQM was 55.6 in global satisfaction domain. Conclusion: INR was poorly controlled in Korean NVAF patients treated with VKA. VKA users also showed low treatment satisfaction.

Dynamical Study on the Blasting with One-Free-Face to Utilize AN-FO Explosives (초유폭약류(硝油爆藥類)를 활용(活用)한 단일자유면발파(單一自由面發破)의 역학적(力學的) 연구(硏究))

  • Huh, Ginn
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.5 no.4
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    • pp.187-209
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    • 1972
  • Drilling position is one of the most important factors affecting on the blasting effects. There has been many reports on several blasting factors of burn-cut by Messrs. Brown and Cook, but in this study the author tried to compare drilling positions of burn-cut to pyramid-cut, and also to correlate burn-cut effects of drilling patterns, not being dealt by Prof. Ito in his theory, which emphasized on dynamical stress analysis between explosion and free face. According to former theories, there break out additional tensile stress reflected at the free face supplemented to primary compressive stress on the blasting with one-free-face. But with these experimented new drilling patterns of burn-cut, more free faces and nearer distance of each drilling holes make blasting effects greater than any other methods. To promote the above explosive effect rationary, it has to be considered two important categories under-mentioned. First, unloaded hole in the key holes should be drilled in wider diameter possibly so that it breaks out greater stress relief. Second, key holes possibly should have closer distances each other to result clean blasting. These two important factors derived from experiments with, theories of that the larger the dia of the unloaded hole, it can be allowed wider secondary free faces and closes distances of each holes make more developed stress relief, between loaded and unloaded holes. It was suggested that most ideal distance between holes is about 4 clearance in U. S. A., but the author, according to the experiments, it results that the less distance allow, the more effective blasting with increased broken rock volume and longer drifted length can be accomplished. Developed large hole burn-cut method aimed to increase drifting length technically under the above considerations, and progressive success resulted to achieve maximum 7 blasting cycles per day with 3.1m drifting length per cycle. This achievement originated high-speed-drifting works, and it was also proven that application of Metallic AN-FO on large hole burn-cut method overcomes resistance of one-free-face. AN-FO which was favored with low price and safety handling is the mixture of the fertilizer or industrial Ammonium-Nitrate and fuel oil, and it is also experienced that it shows insensible property before the initiation, but once it is initiated by the booster, it has equal explosive power of Ammonium Nitrate Explosives (ANE). There was many reports about AN-FO. On AN-FO mixing ratio, according to these experiments, prowdered AN-FO, 93.5 : 6.5 and prilled AN-FO 94 : 6, are the best ratios. Detonation, shock, and friction sensities are all more insensitive than any other explosives. Residual gas is not toxic, too. On initation and propagation of the detonation test, prilled AN-FO is more effective than powered AN-FO. AN-FO has the best explosion power at 7 days elapsed after it has mixed. While AN-FO was used at open pit in past years prior to other conditions, the author developed new improved explosives, Metallic AN-FO and Underwater explosive, based on the experiments of these fundmental characteristics by study on its usage utilizing AN-FO. Metallic AN-FO is the mixture of AN-FO and Al, Fe-Si powder, and Underwater explosive is made from usual explosive and AN-FO. The explanations about them are described in the other paper. In this study, it is confirmed that the blasting effects of utilizing AN-FO explosives are very good.

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The Relationship between Anterior Disc Displacement without Reduction and Development of Anterior Open Bite (비정복성 관절원판변위와 전치부 개교합 발생간의 관계)

  • Hur, Yun-Kyung;Ko, Myung-Yun;Ahn, Yong-Woo
    • Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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    • v.32 no.3
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    • pp.293-303
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    • 2007
  • The purpose of this paper is to evaluate if there is a relationship between anterior disc displacement without reduction and development of anterior open bite, and a relation between occurrence of open bite and occlusal appliance therapy. In general, the statistically significant differences were found between the Group 1 and 2 and normal mean group. The variables that represent mandibular size and form, showed a statistical significance in all 3 groups. Also 3 groups patients had a smaller ANB, a larger FMA than normal mean group. When we compared the 3 groups with respect to all cephalometric measurements by One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), group 1 and 2 patients had a larger FMA, a larger SN to mandibular plane angle, a larger maxillomandibular plane angle, a larger occlusal plane to mandibular plane angle, a smaller total posterior facial height/total anterior facial height(%), and a larger gonial angle than group 3. The statistically significant differences were not found between the Group 1 and 2, and skeletal patterns were similar. Thus, morphologic features of patients with vertical discrepancies may represent a risk factor for the development of anterior open bite with or without occlusal appliance treatment. In case of patients with vertical discrepancy, we may have to be more careful when inducing a change of the vertical dimension.

A Study on Knowledge Entity Extraction Method for Individual Stocks Based on Neural Tensor Network (뉴럴 텐서 네트워크 기반 주식 개별종목 지식개체명 추출 방법에 관한 연구)

  • Yang, Yunseok;Lee, Hyun Jun;Oh, Kyong Joo
    • Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.25-38
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    • 2019
  • Selecting high-quality information that meets the interests and needs of users among the overflowing contents is becoming more important as the generation continues. In the flood of information, efforts to reflect the intention of the user in the search result better are being tried, rather than recognizing the information request as a simple string. Also, large IT companies such as Google and Microsoft focus on developing knowledge-based technologies including search engines which provide users with satisfaction and convenience. Especially, the finance is one of the fields expected to have the usefulness and potential of text data analysis because it's constantly generating new information, and the earlier the information is, the more valuable it is. Automatic knowledge extraction can be effective in areas where information flow is vast, such as financial sector, and new information continues to emerge. However, there are several practical difficulties faced by automatic knowledge extraction. First, there are difficulties in making corpus from different fields with same algorithm, and it is difficult to extract good quality triple. Second, it becomes more difficult to produce labeled text data by people if the extent and scope of knowledge increases and patterns are constantly updated. Third, performance evaluation is difficult due to the characteristics of unsupervised learning. Finally, problem definition for automatic knowledge extraction is not easy because of ambiguous conceptual characteristics of knowledge. So, in order to overcome limits described above and improve the semantic performance of stock-related information searching, this study attempts to extract the knowledge entity by using neural tensor network and evaluate the performance of them. Different from other references, the purpose of this study is to extract knowledge entity which is related to individual stock items. Various but relatively simple data processing methods are applied in the presented model to solve the problems of previous researches and to enhance the effectiveness of the model. From these processes, this study has the following three significances. First, A practical and simple automatic knowledge extraction method that can be applied. Second, the possibility of performance evaluation is presented through simple problem definition. Finally, the expressiveness of the knowledge increased by generating input data on a sentence basis without complex morphological analysis. The results of the empirical analysis and objective performance evaluation method are also presented. The empirical study to confirm the usefulness of the presented model, experts' reports about individual 30 stocks which are top 30 items based on frequency of publication from May 30, 2017 to May 21, 2018 are used. the total number of reports are 5,600, and 3,074 reports, which accounts about 55% of the total, is designated as a training set, and other 45% of reports are designated as a testing set. Before constructing the model, all reports of a training set are classified by stocks, and their entities are extracted using named entity recognition tool which is the KKMA. for each stocks, top 100 entities based on appearance frequency are selected, and become vectorized using one-hot encoding. After that, by using neural tensor network, the same number of score functions as stocks are trained. Thus, if a new entity from a testing set appears, we can try to calculate the score by putting it into every single score function, and the stock of the function with the highest score is predicted as the related item with the entity. To evaluate presented models, we confirm prediction power and determining whether the score functions are well constructed by calculating hit ratio for all reports of testing set. As a result of the empirical study, the presented model shows 69.3% hit accuracy for testing set which consists of 2,526 reports. this hit ratio is meaningfully high despite of some constraints for conducting research. Looking at the prediction performance of the model for each stocks, only 3 stocks, which are LG ELECTRONICS, KiaMtr, and Mando, show extremely low performance than average. this result maybe due to the interference effect with other similar items and generation of new knowledge. In this paper, we propose a methodology to find out key entities or their combinations which are necessary to search related information in accordance with the user's investment intention. Graph data is generated by using only the named entity recognition tool and applied to the neural tensor network without learning corpus or word vectors for the field. From the empirical test, we confirm the effectiveness of the presented model as described above. However, there also exist some limits and things to complement. Representatively, the phenomenon that the model performance is especially bad for only some stocks shows the need for further researches. Finally, through the empirical study, we confirmed that the learning method presented in this study can be used for the purpose of matching the new text information semantically with the related stocks.

Breast Conservation Therapy Versus Mastectomy - Preliminary Results of Pattern of Failure and Survival Rate in Early Breast Cancer (조기유방암에서 유방보존치료와 유방전절제술의 치료결과 및 실패양상 비교)

  • Kim Yeon-Sil;Yoon Sei-Chul;Chung Su-Mi;Ryu Mi-Ryeong;Jung Sang-Sul;Choi Ihl-Bohng
    • Radiation Oncology Journal
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    • v.22 no.2
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    • pp.115-123
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    • 2004
  • Purpose : This retrospective study was conducted to compare early preliminary results of breast conservation therapy (BCT) with mastectomy In early breast cancer. Materials and Methods : We evaluated 171 women with AJCC stage I and II breast cancer who had been treated at Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital from March 1989 to August 1996. Eighty-eight patients underwent mastectomy and 85 patients did conservative surgery with breast irradiation. in the BCT group, all patients received whole breast irradiation to a total dose of 45$\~$50 Gy/5$\~$6 wks, followed by a boost to the original tumor site at least 60 Gy. Chemotherapy was administered to 29 (34.1$\%$) patients in BCT and 40 (45.5$\%$) in mastectomy, with various sequencing of surgery and/or radiation. We compared survival rate, patterns of failure in each treatment group and the prognostic factors that had a significant effect on treatment failure. The median follow-up time was 63 months (19$\~$111 months). Log rank test was used to estimate the prognostic factors for treatment failure. Results : Overall survival, disease free survival, locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis rates were not significantly different between the two treatment groups. During the follow-up period, 11 patients (12.5$\%$)in the mastectomy group and 10 patients (11.8%$\%$ in the BCT group were failed. Six local recurrences occurred after mastectomy and 5 after BCT Five patients fatted at distant site in mastectomy and 4 in BCT. Of the local recurrence cases, five of 6 mastectomy patients and 3 of S BCT patients were alive with no evidence of disease after salvage surgery and/or chemoirradiation. Our results indicated that the major influence on survival was distant metastasis. Unfortunately, control of distant metastasisis was not frequently achieved. Even with salvage systemic therapy or radiotherapy, most of distant metastasis patients died or had uncontrolled disease in both treatment groups: only one of 4 BCT patients and none of mastectomy patients were alive without disease. There was no apparent difference in the incidence rate of contralateral breast cancer and non-breast 2$^{nd}$ primary tumor between the two treatment groups. Univariate Log-rank test identified the N stage and the involved axillary LN number as distinct prognostic factors that were highly predictive of treatment failure in both treatment groups. Additionally, marginal status in BCT and histologic nuclear grade In the mastectomy group were risk factors for treatment fallure (p < 0.05). Concousion : Although further careful follow-up is necessary to confirm the trends evident In this serles, it would appear that patterns of failure and survival rate following conservative surgery and radiotherapy in early breast cancer are similar to those following mastectomy. The great majority of patients with local recurrence had an exellent salvage rate in both treatment groups. Therefore, these preliminary short term results support BCT as an equally effective management for early breast cancer as an alternative to mastectomy.

Introduction of region-based site functions into the traditional market environmental support funding policy development (재래시장 환경개선 지원정책 개발에서의 지역 장소적 기능 도입)

  • Jeong, Dae-Yong;Lee, Se-Ho
    • Proceedings of the Korean DIstribution Association Conference
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    • 2005.05a
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    • pp.383-405
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    • 2005
  • The traditional market is foremost a regionally positioned place, wherein the market directly represents regional and cultural centered traits while it plays an important role in the circulation of facilities through reciprocal, informative and cultural exchanges while sewing to form local communities. The traditional market in Korea is one of representative retail businesses and premodern marketing techniques by family owned business of less than five members such as product management, purchase method, and marketing patterns etc. Since the 1990s, the appearance of new circulation-type businesses and large discount convenience stores escalated the loss of traditional competitiveness, increased the living standard of customers, changed purchasing patterns, and expanded the ubiquity of the Internet. All of these changes in external circulation circumstances have led the traditional markets to lose their place in the economy. The traditional market should revive on a regional site basis through the formation of a community of regional neighbors and through knowledge-sharing that leads to the creation of wealth. For the purpose of creating a wealth in a place, the following components are necessary: 1) a facility suitable for the spatial place of the present, 2)trust built through exchanges within the changing market environment, which would simultaneously satisfy customer's desires, 3) international bench marking on cases such as regionally centered TCM (England), BID (USA), and TMO (Japan) so that the market unit of store placement transfers from a spot policy to a line policy, 4)conversion of communicative conception through a surface policy approach centered around a macro-region perspective. The budget of the traditional market funding policy was operational between 2001 and 2004, serving as a counter move to solve the problem of the old traditional market through government intervention in regional economies to promote national economic strength. This national treasury funding project was centered on environmental improvement, research corps, and business modernization through the expenditure of 3,853 hundred million won (Korean currency). However, the effectiveness of this project has yet to be to proven through investigation. Furthermore, in promoting this funding support project, a lack of professionalism among merchants in the market led to constant limitations in comprehensive striving strategies, reduced capabilities in middle-and long-term plan setup, and created reductions in voluntary merchant agreement solutions. The traditional market should go beyond mere physical place and ordinary products creative site strategies employing the communicative approach must accompany these strategies to make the market a new regional and spatial living place. Thus, regarding recent paradigm changes and the introduction of region-based site functions into the traditional market, acquiring a conversion of direction into the newly developed project is essential to reinvestigate the traditional market composed of cultural and economic meanings, for the purpose of the research. Excavating social policy demands through the comparative analysis of domestic and international cases as well as innovative and expert management leadership development for NPO or NGO civil entrepreneurs through advanced case research on present promotion methods is extremely important. Discovering the seeds of the cultural contents industry cored around regional resource usages, commercializing regionally reknowned products, and constructing complex cultural living places for regional networks are especially important. In order to accelerate these solutions, a comprehensive and systemized approach research operated within a mentor academy system is required, as research will reveal distinctive traits of the traditional market in the aging society.

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Strain Improvement of the Genus Pleurotus by Protoplast Fusion (원형질체(原形質體) 융합(融合)에 의한 느타리버섯속(屬)의 품종개발(品種開發))

  • Yoo, Young-Bok;You, Chang-Hyun;Cha, Dong-Yeul
    • The Korean Journal of Mycology
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    • v.21 no.3
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    • pp.200-211
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    • 1993
  • Somatic hybrids of Pleurotus florida ASI 2016 and Pleurotus ostreatus ASI 2018 were obtained by protoplast fusion. The 40 fusants($P1{\sim}P40$) was examined for the yield on fermented and pasteurized rice straw in a tray. The carpophore yield of them were showed as the range of $27.0{\sim}155.2$, based on parental values of 100(ASI 2018), The pilei of fusants between orange white colored P. florida and dark grey colored P. ostreatus had mixed colors in the young stage. Other breeding programmes were performed to improve new varieties with high yield and good quality. A new oyster mushroom variety, Wonhyeongneutaribeosus(P72), was developed at the Agricultural Sciences Institute, Rural Development Administration in 1990. This P.florida-ostreatus-ostreatus hybrid P72 was selected from 38 protoplast fusion products($P41{\sim}P78$) between P.florida-ostreatus recombinant P5-M 43-arg rib and P. ostreatus ASI 2-13-0 2001-19-pro orn. The yield indexes of 38 hybrids ranged $40.5{\sim}152.7$ compared with the parental values of 100(ASI 2001). Hybrid P72 was characterized by the large fruiting bundle of semispherical shape with long stipe and by the small and circular pileus, resulting in lower harvesting cost. A significant increase in carpophore production was observed in somatic hybrids of protoplasts due to heterosis. A comparision of hybrid with parents P72 was made using isozyme analysis. The esterase banding patterns could be characterized by new bands in the hybrids. Seven fusion products of four crosses between P.florida ASI 2016 and P. ostreatus ASI 2018 were analysed with respect to the distribution of progenies and segregation of gene markers by random basidiospore analysis. Segregation of alleles should yield progeny of four genotypes in a Mendelian ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 for prototrophs, auxotrophs of one parental type, auxotrophs of the other parental type, and auxotrophic recombinants, respectively. However, five fusants of them did not detect one parental, P.ostreatus, type. Basidiospores could yield progeny of 16 genotypes in the cross of one of the recombinant P5-M43-arg $rib{\times}P. ostreatus$ ASI 2-13-pro orn but the segregants of three fusants were not detected clearly. The allele ratio of loci could be expected 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 for arg, rib, pro and orn. The ratio, however, would be changed to 4 : 1 : 1 : 1 with increasing proportion of argo In almost all the fusants, prototrophic recombinants were recovered in large numbers against auxotrophic markers. Parental genotypes were recovered with the recombinant progeny amounting to $38.68{\sim}99.56%$. The analysis provides proof of heterokaryosis and strong evidence for haploidy of vegetative nuclei, a sexual cycle consisting of nuclear fusion and meiosis.

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Prevalence of Drug-resistances in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Its Association with Clinical Characteristics at One Tertiary Referral Hospital in Pusan, Korea (부산지역 한 3차 병원으로 내원한 폐결핵 환자에서 약제 내성률과 예측인자간의 연관성)

  • Son, Choon-Hee;Yang, Doo-Kyung;Rho, Mee-Sook;Jeong, Jin-Sook;Lee, Hyuck;Lee, Ki-Nam;Choi, Pil-Jo;Lee, Soo-Keol;Chang, Kwang-Yul;Choi, Ik-Soo
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.51 no.5
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    • pp.416-425
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    • 2001
  • Background : The incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis has recently decreased in Korea. However, it is still one of the major obstacles in treating pulmonary tuberculosis. This study was performed to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics associated with drug-resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis at the tertiary referral hospital in Pusan, Korea. Methods : The medical records of 138 patients, who had been diagnosed as active pulmonary tuberculosis were retrospectively reviewed, and results of drug susceptibility from May 1997 to June 2000. The relationships among those with a history of previous tuberculosis treatment, the extent of lung involvement, the presence of cavities on the initial chest X-ray films and patterns of drug resistance were analyzed. Results : The total number of patients who had drug resistance to at least one drug was 55(39.9%). Among them 34(24.6%) had resistance to isoniazid(INH) and rifampin(RFP). There was drug resistance in 20(22%) of 91 patients without previous tuberculosis therapy, and among them 9(9.9%) were multi-drug resistant. Thirty-two(74.5%) out of 47 patients with previous therapy were drug-resistant and 25(53.2%) were multidrug resistant. For all 138 patients, resistance to INH was the most common(34.1%), followed by RFP(26.1%) and ethambutol(EMB)(14.5%). Drug resistance to INH, RFP, PZA and streptomycin(SM) were independently associated with a history of previous treatment(odds ratio; 9.43, 9.09, 8.93 and 21.6 respectively, p<0.01). The extent of lung involvement on the chest films was significantly associated with the drug resistance to INH and RFP(odds ratio; 2.12 and 2.40 respectively, p<0.01). The prevalence of drug resistance to RFP, INH and RFP was significantly more common in patients with a cavitary lesion on the chest films by multivariate analysis(odds ratio; 4.17 and 4.81 respectively, p<0.05). Conclusion : This study revealed that patients with a prior treatment history for pulmonary tuberculosis, and the presence of a cavitary lesion on chest films had a higher prevalence of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance. A very careful clinical and microbiological examination is needed for patients with such characteristics.

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Microbe Hunting: A Curious Case of Cryptococcus

  • Bartlett, Karen H.;Kidd, Sarah;Duncan, Colleen;Chow, Yat;Bach, Paxton;Mak, Sunny;MacDougall, Laura;Fyfe, Murray
    • Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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    • 2005.06a
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    • pp.45-72
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    • 2005
  • C. neoformans-associated cryptococcosis is primarily a disease of immunocompromised persons, has a world-wide distribution, and is often spread by pigeons in the urban environment. In contrast, C. gattii causes infection in normal hosts, has only been described in tropical and semi-tropical areas of the world, and has a unique niche in river gum Eucalyptus trees. Cryptococcosis is acquired through inhalation of the yeast propagules from the environment. C. gattii has been identified as the cause of an emerging infectious disease centered on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. No cases of C. gattii-disease were diagnosed prior to 1999; the current incidence rate is 36 cases per million population. A search was initiated in 2001 to find the ecological niche of this basidiomycetous yeast. C. gaftii was found in the environment in treed areas of Vancouver Island. The highest percentage of colonized-tree clusters were found around central Vancouver Island, with decreasing rates of colonization to the north and south. Climate, soil and vegetation cover of this area, called the Coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zone, is unique to British Columbia and Canada. The concentration of airborne C. gattii was highest in the dry summer months, and lowest during late fall, winter, and early spring, months which have heavy rainfall. The study of the emerging colonization of this organism and subsequent cases of environmentally acquired disease will be informative in planning public health management of new routes of exposure to exotic agents in areas impacted by changing climate and land use patterns. Cryptococcosis is an infection associated with an encapsulated, basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. The route of entry for this organism is through the lungs, with possible systemic spread via the circulatory system to the brain and meninges. There are four cryptococcal serogroups associated with disease in humans and animals, distinguished by capsular polysaccharide antigens. Cryptococcus neoformans: variety grubii (serotype A), variety neoformans (serotype D), and variety gattii (serotypes B and C) (Franzot et at. 1999). C. neoformans variety gattii has recently been elevated to species status, C. gattii. C. neoformans val. grubii and var. neoformans have a world-wide distribution, and are particularly associated with soil and weathered bird droppings. In contrast, C. gattii (CG) is not associated with bird excrement, is primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates, and has a restricted environmental niche associated with specific tree species. (Ellis & Pfiffer 1990) Ellis and Pfeiffer theorize that, as a basidiomycete, CG requires an association with a tree in order to become pathogenic to mammals. In Australia, CG has been found to be associated with five species of Eucalypts, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, E. blakelyi, E. gomphocephala, and E. rudis. Eucalypts, although originally native to Australia, now have a world-wide distribution. CG has been found associated with imported eucalypts in India, California, Brazil, and Egypt. In addition, in Brazil and Columbia, where eucalypts have been naturalized, native trees have been shown to harbour CG (Callejas et al. 1998; Montenegro et al. 2000). In British Columbia, Canada, since the beginning of 1999, there have been 120 confirmed cases of cryptococcal mycoses associated with CG in humans, including 4 fatalities (data from British Columbia Centre for Disease Control), and over 200 cases in animal pets in BC (data from Central Laboratory for Veterinarians). What is remarkable about the BC outbreak of C. gattii-cryptococcosis is that all of the cases have been residents of, or visitors to, a narrow area along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, BC, from the tip of the island in the south (Victoria) to Courtenay on the north-central island as illustrated in Figure 1. Of the first 38 human cases, 58% were male with a mean age of 59.7 years (range 20 - 82): 36 cases (95%) were Caucasian. Ten cases (26%) presented with meningitis, the remainder presented with respiratory symptoms. Cultures recovered from cases of cryptococcosis associated with the outbreak were typed as serogroup B, which is specific to CG (Bartlett et al. 2003). This was the first reported outbreak of CVG in Canada, or indeed, the world. Where infection with CG is endemic, for example, Australia, the incidence of cryptococcosis ranges from 1.8 - 4.7 per million between the southern and northern states (Sorrell 2001). However, the overall incidence of cryptococcosis in immunocompenent individuals has been estimated at 0.2 per million population per year (Kwon-Chung et al. 1984). The population of Vancouver Island is approximately 720,000,consequently, even if the organism were endemic, one would expect a maximum of 0.15 cases of cryptococcal disease annually.

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A Study On Irrigation Water Price Structure and Prescription (농업용수의 가격구조에 관한 연구)

  • 심기영
    • Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.3170-3180
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    • 1973
  • This study of the subject will review past and present irrigation development in Korea. Particular attention will be given to water pricing structure and a case study on the purpose of rational operation and management of irrigation water and organizations, and the optimum irrigation water and organizations, and the optimum irrigation water fee inorder to reduce farmers burden and to rationalize the farmland associations management so as to achieve development of the rural environment. In 1971, the reservoir of the Farmland Improvement A sociation (FIA) produced only 775 millison $m^3$ of irrigation water or 77% of planned capacity of 1,015 million $m^3$. It was caused by inefficient maintenance of irrigation facilities; for instance, about 21% of reservoirs, pumping stations and weirs in Korea have been silted by soil erosion which hinder to water production according to an ADC survey. The first Irritation Association was established in 1906, whcih was renamed the Farmland Assoeiation by the Rural Development Enouragement Law in 1970. By the end of 1971, 411,000 ha of rice paddies were under the control of 267 associations nationwide. The average water price assessed by Associations nationwide rose from 790 won per 0.1 ha. in 1966 to 1,886 won in 1971. The annual growth rate was 20%. The highest water price in 1971 was 4,773 won her 0.1 ha. and the lowest was 437 won. This range was caused by differences in debt burden, geographic conditions and management efficiency among the Associations. In 1971, the number of Associations which exceeded the average water price of 1,886 won per 0.1 ha. was 144, or 55.1% of all Association. In determination of water price, there are two principles; one is determined by production cost such as installation cost of irrigation facilities, maintenance cost, management cost and depreciation ect. For instance, the Yong San River Development project was required 33.7 billion won for total construction and maintenance cost is 3.1 billion won for repayment, maintenance and management cost per year. The project produces 590 million $m^3$ of irrigation water annually. Accordingly, the water price per $m^3$ is 5.25 won. The other principle is determined by water value in the crop products and in compared with production of irrigated paddy and non-irrigated paddy. By using this method, water value in compared with paddy rice vs. upland rice(Average of 1967-1971) was 14.15 won per $m^3$ and irrigated paddy vs. non-irrigated paddy was 2.98 won per $m^3$. In contrast the irrigation fee in average association of 1967-1971 was 1.54 won per $m^3$. Accordingly, the current national average irrigation fee(water price) is resonable compared with its water value. In this study, it is found that the ceiling of water price in terms of water value is 2.98 won per $m^3$ or 2,530 won per 0.1 ha. However, in 1971 55% of the associations were above the average of nationwide irrigation fees. which shows the need for rationalization of the Association's management. In connection with rationalization of the Association's management, this study recommends the following matters. (1) Irrigation fee must be assessed according to the amount of water consumption taking intoaccount the farmer's ability. (2) Irrigation fee should be graded according to behefits and crop patterns. (3) Training personnel in the operation and procedures of water management to save O&M costs. (4) Insolvent farmland association should be integrated into larger, sound associations in the same GUN in order to reduce farmers' water cost. (5) The maintenance and repair of existing irrigation facilities is as important as expansion of facilities. (6) Establishment of a new Union of Farmland Association is required to promoted proper maintenance and to protect the huge investment in irrigation facilities by means of technical supervision and guidance.

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