• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.95-103
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• 2022

This study aimed to find the mediating impact of entrepreneurial education during COVID-19 on entrepreneurial intention among university students from major cities of Pakistan. Majority of businesses shifted to online from offline mode as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. This created a great opportunity for university students to become entrepreneurs without much investment during COVID-19. Primary data for this study was collected with the help of an adopted questionnaire from previous studies. An online survey was considered appropriate due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. The number of data samples collected from the major cities of Pakistan was 460. The research hypothesis was tested with the help of SmartPLS by using least square structural equation modeling. Findings revealed there is full mediation of entrepreneurial education during COVID-19 between the self-efficacy, subjective norms, and attitude towards entrepreneurship for entrepreneurial intention during COVID-19 among university students. Therefore, the research confirmed the application of the theory of planned behavior among university students in Pakistan with regards to factors such as self-efficacy, subjective norms, attitude towards entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention. The present study also concludes that all students regardless of their area of study such as Business and Engineering look forward to become entrepreneurs during COVID-19. The students opting for entrepreneurship had either formal or informal entrepreneurial education during COVID-19.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권20호
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• pp.8779-8782
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• 2014

Background: Malignancies of the female reproductive tract are estimated to be the third most common group of cancers in women. Objectives: We here aimed to present their epidemiological features in Golestan province located in Northeast of Iran. Materials and Methods: Data on primary female reproductive cancers diagnosed between 2004-2010 were obtained from Golestan Population-based Cancer Registry (GPCR). CanReg-4 and SPSS software were used for data entry and analysis. Age standardized incidence rates (ASR) (per 100,000 person-years) were calculated using the world standard population. Poisson regression analysis was used to compare incidence rates. P-values of less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Results: A total of 6,064 cancer cases were registered in Golestan females in the GPCR during 2004-2010, of which 652 cases (11%) were female reproductive cancers. Cancers of the ovary (ASR=6.03) and cervix (ASR=4.97) were the most common. We found significant higher rates in females living in cities than in villages. Our results showed a rapid increase in age specific incidence rates of female reproductive cancers at the age of 30 years. Conclusions: We found significant higher rates of female reproductive cancers among residents of cities than villages. Differences in the prevalence of risk factors including reproductive behavior between the two populations may partly explain such diversity. Our results also showed a rapid increase in incidence rates of these cancers in young age females. Further studies are warranted to determine risk factors of female reproductive cancers in our population.

• 대기
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.639-657
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• 2015

There is an increasing need to improve the air quality over South Korea to protect public health from local and remote anthropogenic pollutant emissions that are in an increasing trend. Here, we evaluate the performance of the WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting-Chemistry) model in simulating near-surface air quality of major Korean cities, and investigate the impacts of time-varying chemical initial and lateral boundary conditions (IC/BCs) on the air quality simulation using a chemical downscaling technique. The model domain was configured over the East Asian region and anthropogenic MICS-Asia 2010 emissions and biogenic MEGAN-2 emissions were applied with RACM gaseous chemistry and MADE/SORGAM aerosol mechanism. Two simulations were conducted for a 30-days period on April 2010 with chemical IC/BCs from the WRF-Chem default chemical species profiles ('WRF experiment') and the MOZART-4 (Model for OZone And Related chemical Tracers version 4) ('WRF_MOZART experiment'), respectively. The WRF_MOZART experiment has showed a better performance to predict near-surface CO, $NO_2$, $SO_2$, and $O_3$ mixing ratios at 7 major Korean cities than the WRF experiment, showing lower mean bias error (MBE) and higher index of agreement (IOA). The quantitative impacts of the chemical IC/BCs have depended on atmospheric residence time of the pollutants as well as the relative difference of chemical mixing ratios between the WRF and WRF_MOZART experiments at the lateral boundaries. Specifically, the WRF_MOZART experiment has reduced MBE in CO and O3 mixing ratios by 60~80 ppb and 5~10 ppb over South Korea than those in the WRF-Chem default simulation, while it has a marginal impact on $NO_2$ and $SO_2$ mixing ratios. Without using MOZART-4 chemical IC, the WRF simulation has required approximately 6-days chemical spin-up time for the East Asian model domain. Overall, the results indicate that realistic chemical IC/BCs are prerequisite in the WRF-Chem simulation to improve a forecast skill of local air quality over South Korea, even in case the model domain is sufficiently large to represent anthropogenic emissions from China, Japan, and South Korea.

• 동남아시아연구
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.1-42
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• 2011

In terms of seaborne contacts of Vietnamese court with foreign countries had two directions in the 19th century. One was with Island Southeast Asian ports such as Singapore, Malacca, Penang, Batavia, and Manila. The other direction was to Canton. The Canton contact of Vietnam again can be interpreted as one of the two directions of Vietnamese contact with China. The inland route far to Beijing was based on the political and diplomatic consideration, while the closer route to Canton by the court vessels was more for the economic consideration as the case for the contact with the Island Southeast Asia. In this article, author discusses three issues to illuminate the nature of the trips of the court vessels of the Nguyễn dynasty to Canton. First is to clarify detail itinerary of the trip from the Thuận An Estuary to the City of Canton via Đà Nãng and Hanan. Unlike to the Western ships that visited Canton but anchored at the Huang Fu, Vietnamese square-rigged/copper-bottomed ships sailed up the Pearl river to the Guangzhou city front to stay for four or five months before they returned to Vietnam. In the second chapter, various kinds of observation of the Vietnamese officials are discussed. If the objects of the observation are divided into two categories, one is the world Westerners in Canton, and the other is the world of Chinese. In a same place, Canton, the Vietnamese officials could have enough chance to compare the two worlds clearly. An important consequence for the Vietnamese officials was to conclude that the mechanical technology of the Westerners was better than that of Chinese. This kind of conclusion led the Vietnamese court to send court personnels to learn Western technologies and languages in the port cities of Island Southeast Asia and to enlarge contacts with them. In the last chapter, author tries to find out the items that the Vietnamese mission purchased in Canton in exchange to the Vietnamese products. The items that the Vietnamese mission purchased included ceramics, silk, books, and medicines. With the support of the Chinese settlers in Vietnam the mission was able to be involved in the deal of illegal items such as opium, and possibly some kinds of precious ginseng from Korea. Overall, the process of the itinerary, observation, and purchase during the trip to Canton was the way to form the new point of view of Vietnamese intellectuals towards China standing from the side of Westerners. To the Vietnamese who experienced both Canton/Macao and the Western worlds in the port cities of Island Southeast Asia China was not the only center of the world, nor the Westerners could be looked down as the barbarians. In Canton, a peripheral region looked from the imperial capital Beijing, but the most internationalized city of China at that time, Vietnamese officials were training themselves to overcome China.

• 자원환경지질
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.217-235
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• 2012

본 연구에서는 2007년도 봄철 대전 지역에서 발생한 황사(황사 기간) 및 대기부유물(비황사 기간)의 미량원소의 지구화학적 특성과 정량적 오염정도를 평가하였다. 황사 내 미량원소의 함량은 황사발원지 토양의 평균 함량에 비하여 수십에서 수백 배 높은 함량을 보여주고 있으며, 비황사 시기의 대기부유물에서도 유사한 특성을 보이고 있어, 황사 시기뿐만 아니라 비황사 시기에도 중국으로부터 이동되는 오염물질의 영향을 받고 있음을 지시하고 있다. 입도별 미량원소의 함량은 $PM_{2.5}$에서 Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, V, S, As, Cd, Co, Ni, Mo, Sb, Cs, Rb, Th, Sc, Y 등이, 그리고 TSP에서는 Zr, Sr, Ba, Li, Th, U 등의 함량이 가장 높은 것으로 나타났다. 황사의 S, Cd, Mo, Zn, Pb, Sb, Cu 및 Zr 함량은대기부유물과 큰 차이를 보이지 않으나, 대기오염으로 부화가 발생하지 않는 Li, Cs, Co, U, Cr, Ni, Rb, V, Th, Y, Sr, Sc 등은 황사에서 2-4.2배 높아졌다. 그러므로 이들 원소들을 황사발생의 지시원소로 사용할 수 있으며, 특히 Sr, V, Cr 및 Li 등은 황사 발생을 판단하기 위한 지시원소로 사용하기에 적합한 것으로 보인다. 한편 황사의 이동경로에 따른 미량원소의 함량을 살펴본 결과, 중국의 대도시 및 산업단지를 경유하여 국내 유입된 황사가, 북한을 경유하여 국내에 도달한 황사에 비해서, S, Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mo 및 As 함량이 높게 나타나, 황사의 이동경로가 이들 미량원소 오염 여부 및 오염도를 결정하는데 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 판단된다. 황사 및 대기부유물 내 미량원소의 부화지수(Enrichment factor)을 기준으로 오염정도를 분류한 결과, 환경재해 측면에서 가장 문제가 되는 미량원소는 S, Zn, Cu, Pb, As, Mo, Cd이며, 이들은 인간의 건강 뿐만 아니라, 오랜 기간 토양과 수계환경에 퇴적될 경우 환경오염으로 인한 주변 생태계에 해로운 영향을 미치게 될 것으로 판단된다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권10호
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• pp.4661-4664
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• 2016

Background: Artificial light at night (ALAN) has been linked to increased risk of cancers in body sites like the breast and colorectum. However exposure of ALAN as an environmental risk factor and its relation to cancers in humans has never been studied in detail. Objective: To explore the association of ALAN with all forms of cancers in 158 countries. Materials and Methods: An ecological study encompassing global data was conducted from January to June 2015, with age-standardized rates (ASR) of cancers as the outcome measure. ALAN, in the protected areas, as the exposure variable, was measured with reference to the Protected Area Light Pollution Indicator (PALI) and the Protected Area Human Influence Indicator (PAHI). Pearson's correlations were calculated for PALI and PAHI with ASR of cancers for 158 countries, adjusted for country populations, electricity consumption, air pollution, and total area covered by forest. Stratified analysis was conducted according to the country income levels. Linear regression was applied to measure the variation in cancers explained by PALI and PAHI. Results: PALI and PAHI were positively associated with ASR of all forms of cancer, and also the four most common cancers (p < 0.05). These positive correlations remained statistically significant for PAHI with all forms of cancer, lung, breast, and colorectal cancer after adjusting for confounders. Positive associations of PALI and PAHI with cancers varied with income level of the individual countries. Variation in all forms of cancers, and the four most common cancers explained by PALI and PAHI, ranged from 3.3 - 35.5%. Conclusion: Artificial light at night is significantly correlated for all forms of cancer as well as lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers individually. Immediate measures should be taken to limit artificial light at night in the main cities around the world and also inside houses.

• Asian review of World Histories
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.3-34
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• 2016

This introduction is both a statement of a research problem and an account of the first research results for its solution. As more historical databases come online and overlap in coverage, we need to discuss the two main issues that prevent 'big' results from emerging so far. Firstly, historical data are seen by computer science people as unstructured, that is, historical records cannot be easily decomposed into unambiguous fields, like in population (birth and death records) and taxation data. Secondly, machine-learning tools developed for structured data cannot be applied as they are for historical research. We propose a complex network, narrative-driven approach to mining historical databases. In such a time-integrated network obtained by overlaying records from historical databases, the nodes are actors, while thelinks are actions. In the case study that we present (the world as seen from Venice, 1205-1533), the actors are governments, while the actions are limited to war, trade, and treaty to keep the case study tractable. We then identify key periods, key events, and hence key actors, key locations through a time-resolved examination of the actions. This tool allows historians to deal with historical data issues (e.g., source provenance identification, event validation, trade-conflict-diplomacy relationships, etc.). On a higher level, this automatic extraction of key narratives from a historical database allows historians to formulate hypotheses on the courses of history, and also allow them to test these hypotheses in other actions or in additional data sets. Our vision is that this narrative-driven analysis of historical data can lead to the development of multiple scale agent-based models, which can be simulated on a computer to generate ensembles of counterfactual histories that would deepen our understanding of how our actual history developed the way it did. The generation of such narratives, automatically and in a scalable way, will revolutionize the practice of history as a discipline, because historical knowledge, that is the treasure of human experiences (i.e. the heritage of the world), will become what might be inherited by machine learning algorithms and used in smart cities to highlight and explain present ties and illustrate potential future scenarios and visionarios.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제27권9호
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• pp.1250-1253
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to estimate the parameters of Gompertz growth curves with the measurements of body conformation, real-time ultrasound longissimus dorsi muscle area (LMA) and backfat thickness (BFT) in Hanwoo cows. The Hanwoo cows (n = 3,373) were born in 97 Hanwoo commercial farms in the 17 cities or counties of Gyeongbuk province, Korea, between 2000 and 2007. A total of 5,504 ultrasound measurements were collected for the cows at the age of 13 to 165 months in 2007 and 2008. Wither height (HW), rump height (HR), the horizontal distance between the top of the hips (WH), and girth of chest (GC) were also measured. Analysis of variance was conducted to investigate variables affecting LMA and BFT. The effect of farm nested in location was included in the statistical model, as well as the effects of HW, HR, WH, and GC as covariates. All of the effects were significant in the analysis of variance for LMA and BFT (p<0.01), except for the HR effect for LMA. The two ultrasound measures and the four body conformation traits were fitted to a Gompertz growth curve function to estimate parameters. Upper asymptotic weights were estimated as $54.0cm^2$, 7.67 mm, 125.6 cm, 126.4 cm, 29.3 cm, and 184.1 cm, for LMA, BFT, HW, HR, WH, and GC, respectively. Results of ultrasound measurements showed that Hanwoo cows had smaller LMA and greater BFT than other western cattle breeds, suggesting that care must be taken to select for thick BFT rather than an increase of only beef yield. More ultrasound records per cow are needed to get accurate estimates of growth curve, which, thus, helps producers select animals with high accuracy.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.265-296
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• 2020

Macao, a special administrative region of China, has been able to maintain the records of zero deaths and keep confirmed cases under 50 since the outbreak of COVID-19 for more than half a year as of July 2020, despite being the world's most densely populated city. The current paper utilizes the dialogic public relations theory to analyze the situation using both literature review on how the various government actions and strategies during the pandemic were corresponding to the theory, and a quantitative random digital dialing (RDD) telephone survey, with a sample of 502 Macao residents aged 18 or above, to study the public reactions towards the government pandemic prevention actions. Survey results show a high level of public satisfaction towards epidemic prevention performance, as well as some forms of collaborative information redissemination behavior in social media platforms. Literature review and analysis from dialogic theory found that spirit of mutual equality, collaboration with local community, immediacy of presence in crisis time, engagements with stakeholders through maximum media channels and networks, supportiveness to public with both useful information and practical social support like subsidy program, as well as commitment to transparent and genuine communication, are all the dialogic communications strategies that describe what the Macao government has done in the crisis of COVID-19. The dialogic strategies that could be learned from the Macao government may be used as a reference for similar urbanized and densely populated cities in other territories.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.1419-1422
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• 2014

Objective: To summarize the endoscopic screening findings in high-risk population of esophageal and gastric carcinoma and analyze influential factors related to screening. Methods: In seven selected cities and counties with high incidences of esophageal carcinoma, people at age of 40-69 were set as the target population. Those with gastroscopy contradictions were excluded, and all who were voluntary and willing to comply with the medical requirements were subjected to endoscopic screening and histological examination for esophageal, gastric cardia and gastric carcinoma in accordance with national technical manual for early detection and treatment of cancer. Results: In three years, 36,154 people were screened, and 16,847 (46.60%) cases were found to have precancerous lesions. A total of 875 cases were found to have cancers (2.42%), and among them 739 cases had early stage with an early diagnosis rate is 84.5%. Some 715 patients underwent prompt treatment and the success rate was 81.8%. Conclusions: In a high-risk population of esophageal and gastric carcinoma, it is feasible to implement early detection and treatment by endoscopic screening. Screening can identify potential invasive carcinoma, early stage carcinoma and precancerous lesions, improving efficacy through early detection and treatment. The exploratory analysis of related influential factors will help broad implementation of early detection and treatment for esophageal and gastric carcinoma.