• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2473-2476
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• 2014

Background: Little is known about the cancer screening prevalence and correlates in older adults from different racial backgrounds. In the context of heightened efforts for prevention and early diagnosis, we collected information on screening for two major types of cancers: cervical and breast cancer in order to establish their prevalence estimates and correlates among older South African women who participated in the Study of Global Ageing and Adults Health (SAGE) in 2008. Materials and Methods: We conducted a national population-based cross-sectional study with a multi-stage stratified cluster sample of 3,840 individuals aged 50 years or older in South Africa in 2008. In this analysis, we only considered the female subsample of (n=2202). The measures used included socio-demographic characteristics, health variables, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to assess the association of socio-demographic factors, health variables and cancer screening. Results: Overall, regarding cervical cancer screening, 24.3% ever had a Papanicolaou (PAP) smear test, and regarding breast cancer screening, 15.5% ever had a mammography. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, younger age, higher education, being from the White or Coloured population group, urban residence, greater wealth, and suffering from two or more chronic conditions were associated with cervical cancer screening, and higher education, being from the White or Indian/Asian population group, greater wealth, having a health insurance, and suffering from two or more chronic condtions were associated with breast cancer screening. Conclusions: Cancer screening coverage remains low among elderly women in South Africa in spite of the national guideline recommendations for regular screening in order to reduce the risk of dying from these cancers if not detected early. There is a need to improve accessibility and affordability of early cervical and breast cancer screening for all women to ensure effective prevention and management of cervical and breast cancer.

• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.93-119
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• 2024

The introductionof Won Buddhism to the United States has reached its fifty-year mark. Brought to the West by Korean kyomus (Won Buddhist clergy), these initial Won Buddhist clergy set a foundation for future ordained devotees to reside in America and further the religion's mission. Innovation has always played an important role in the formation and growth of Won Buddhism. The founder, Sotaesan, declared the necessity to reform traditional Buddhism to make it accessible to the laity and espoused values such as inclusiveness, equality, public work, and practicality. Over the past few decades, these innovations have helped Won Buddhism in America to shift from a strictly ethnic-related context to an emphasis on its universal nature. However, as the religion continues achieving a foothold in Western soil, critical questions arise such as how can Won Buddhism honor its Korean origins while becoming increasingly international? What are the detriments to decontextualizing and de-emphasizing elements thought to be "too Korean" or "too traditional," or thought to be irrelevant in the West? When Buddhism spreads to a new country, it not only influences the culture it enters but is also shaped by the adopting culture. In American history, this has often meant the erasure of Asian cultures that were home to Buddhism for millennia and from which the dharma is inextricable. I argue in this article that if Won Buddhism is to thrive in the United States conscious consideration will have to be given to the indispensable aspects of its Korean roots and tradition while connecting with the current circumstance in fresh, relevant, and effective ways that include the multi-cultural and ethnic makeup of the US. This entails understanding American history and Asian Buddhism's history in America, as well as cultivating a competency or fluency in the cultures that allowed Won Buddhism to survive for decades.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2005

The Korean and the American consumers's attitude toward globalization were compared in the context of cultural values. This study exclusively investigated the effect of traditional versus non-traditional values and the mediating role of fashion involvement. The study sample consists of American and Korean female college students. It was affirmed that long supported categorization of individualism for Western culture and collectivism for Asian or Eastern culture does not seem to characterize the postmodern generation. No major differences between Korea and the U. S. were found in the empirical study except that Americans showed higher levels of cultural values and Koreans associate fashion involvement with global-mindedness more strongly. The impact of cultural values was similar across cultures but the mediating role of fashion involvement was dissimilar depending on the cultural backgrounds of respondents.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

This study examines the relationship between population growth and carbon dioxide emissions in the context of Africa perspective. Population growth and carbon dioxide emissions helped identify the key driving forces of environmental impacts by including other predictors in all the different income levels of all sampled countries in Africa. To explore the role of population growth in the emissions of carbon dioxide, this research employed a panel data set of 52 Africa countries from 1960 to 2012 using fixed effects, random effects and GLS/FGLS estimators to estimate the modified STIRPAT model. The results found that a 1% increase in population growth suggests an increase in carbon dioxide emission loads by about 0.33%, 1.08%, 0.57% and 2.32% on the average, controlling for all other anthropogenic driving forces, for LICA, LMICA, UICA and HICA respectively. There is a significant relationship between population growth and carbon dioxide emissions in all the national income levels in Africa.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.39-46
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• 2009

This study compares the perception of English high tense and lax vowels (/i, I, u, $\mho$/) by English speakers and Korean speakers of English. The four vowels were produced in /hVd/ context by a native speaker of English, and each word's vowel duration was manipulated to range from 170ms to 290ms in 30ms increments. Two English speakers and six Korean speakers of English were asked to listen to pairs of tense and lax vowel words with manipulated vowel durations and to identify the pair by choosing either heed-hid or hid-heed for front vowels and either who'd-hood or hood-who'd for back vowels. The results show that English speakers distinguished tense vowels from lax vowels with 100% accuracy regardless of the different durations, compared to 62% accuracy for Korean speakers of English. Most errors occurred for lengthened lax vowels and shortened tense vowels. The results of this study demonstrate that Korean speakers mainly rely on vowel duration as a cue to discriminate the tense and lax vowels. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of this finding are discussed.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.82-98
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• 1987

The urban population in Asia more than doubled between 1960 and 1985, growing by 3.0 percent per annum on average. Yet during that period, the proportion of the total population living in urban areas increased only from 21 to 27 percent. This seeming paradox is explained by the relatively high rates of rural population growth in Asia, which averaged 1.8 percent over the same period. The Republic of Korea has experienced the most rapid rate of urbanization in Asia during the past century. The proportion urban jumped from 28 percent in 1960 to 65 percent in 1985. There is a clear association between economic growth and the pace of urbanization in Asia. Currently natural increase accounts for about 60 percent of urban growth, but the speed of urbanization is projected to increase after 1990, and migration, reclassification and annexation will comprise about half of urban growth, Seoul is currently the fourth largest urban agglomeration in Asia, and its population is projected to be over 13 million by the end of the century. It is argued that policies to deconcentrate urban population will not be generally successful in Asia and that governments should attempt to manage the growth of large metropolitan areas more efficiently.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.15-24
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• 2015

Purpose - Foreign exchange risk control is in an important component in the international supply chain management. This study shows the importance of the reference period in forecasting future exchange rates with a specific illustration of KIKO currency option contracts, and suggests feasible preventive measures. Research design, data, and methodology - Using monthly Won-Dollar exchange rate data for January 1995~July 2007, I evaluate the statistical characteristics of the exchange rate for two sub-periods; 1) a shorter period after the East Asian financial crisis and 2) a longer period including the financial crisis. The key instrument of analysis is the basic normal distribution theory. Results - The difference in the reference period could lead to an unexpected development in contract implementation and a consequent financial loss. We may avoid foreign exchange loss by using derivatives such as forwards or currency options. Conclusions - We should consider not only level values but also the volatilities of financial variables in making a binding financial contract. Appropriate measures may differ depending on the specific supply chain pattern. We may extend the study with surveys on actual risk measures.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.147-163
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• 2011

In recent years, the relationship of language maintenance to culture and identity has received increased attention in the language acquisition and education fields. Korean immigrants in the U.S. form one of the biggest Asian groups and their language and cultural maintenance has been a major issue for both parents and ESL teachers. The present research is designed to investigate the cultural and social identities as well as the psychological investment factors that contribute to heritage language maintenance. Three Korean immigrant families in a small Midwest university town in the U.S. were surveyed and later interviewed. Issues and strategies concerning their children's Korean education in the U.S., coupled with the competing goal for the children to learn English were documented through parent interviews and interviews with school-aged focal children. Strategies and stances that facilitate or hinder both heritage and target language maintenance goals are presented along with participants' major reasons for heritage language maintenance in their homes and via Saturday schools. This work will assist ESL teachers and sociolinguists in situating both Korean student and parent goals in the context of shifting cultural and linguistic identities in countries where they have immigrated.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.51-67
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• 2016

This article examines the nature of geopolitics and its impact on the international political economy of Eurasia/Silk Road. The research questions are exploratory and aim at revealing the differing geopolitical perceptions of the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the former Soviet Central Asian countries-Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan-within the context of an emerging "New Silk Road". Consequently, the main goal of this article is to contribute to a better understanding of what factors constrain and shape Silk Road initiatives in Eurasia. To this end, the article focuses on geopolitics and regional integration theories through a consideration of the Silk Road initiatives of a number of Eurasian countries.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.29-31
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• 2008

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the IL-1B (interleukin-1) gene have been implicated in a variety of diseases that have an inflammatory component. However, there has been significant heterogeneity among study results, especially between Caucasian and Asian populations. Recently, it has been reported that SNPs in the IL-1B gene affect transcription, according to haplotype context, and genetic association studies may be more informative if functional SNP haplotypes of population are analyzed. Therefore, we estimated the distribution of IL-1B promoter haplotypes in 433 Koreans using the three major functional IL-1B promoter SNPs (IL-1B -1464, -511, and -31) and compared the results with those in Caucasians. The difference in IL-1B promoter haplotype frequency between Korean and Caucasian populations was statistically significant. The potentially more inflammatory haplotypes had higher frequencies in Koreans when compared with Caucasians. These Korean haplotype data will be useful for future association studies between IL-1B SNPs and disease risk.