• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.215-220
• /
• 2022

Background In Japan, there is a large regional disparity in plastic surgery availability. In order for plastic surgery to be widely available for all citizens, it is essential for at least one plastic surgery facility to be located in each secondary medical zone. Methods Using the Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery homepage and some databases, we extracted data on secondary medical zones that do not have a plastic surgery facility. The national and regional coverage rates were calculated. The coverage rate for each group divided by the degree of population concentration was also calculated. Results We found that 147 of 344 secondary medical zones did not have a plastic surgery facility, and the area coverage rate was found to be 57.27% nationwide. The coverage rate in terms of population was 87.07% (correlation coefficient of area and population coverage = 0.983). The area coverage rates in Hokkaido-Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku-Shikoku, and Kyushu-Okinawa districts were 47.46, 72.15, 76.47, 62.79, 52.08, and 32.81%, respectively. The corresponding population coverage rates were 79.92, 91.62, 94.27, 90.59, 80.68, and 69.54%, respectively. The area coverage rates in metropolitan areas, provincial cities, and rural areas were 98.08, 75.90, and 15.87%, respectively. In contrast, the area coverage rate of dermatology was 62.79% and that of orthopaedics was 97.09%. Conclusion Unfortunately, it is estimated that more than 40% of secondary medical zones are underserved by plastic surgery, and 13% of the population is not able to fully benefit from this specialty in Japan.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.119-128
• /
• 2016

Use of ICT in Government has ability to improve service delivery to its citizens, and yet many developing countries have lagged behind in the implementation of e-Government. Many e-Government initiatives also failed to achieve their objectives in developing countries. This paper therefore aims to identify critical failure or success factors in Kenya, using Heeks' Factor Model. A survey questionnaire was developed and data were collected and analyzed from officials and interested citizens. The analysis results enabled to highlight seven specific success and failure factors, and their constituent elements in Kenya. The Kenyan overall e-Government implementation score belongs to the Zone of Improvement (3.52 of total 5.0), which means partial success or failure. The enablers of e-Government projects are good strategy formulation, and internal and external drive, whereas main failures of e-Government are weak ICT infrastructure. The areas for improvement are project management, design, competencies and funding. Data analysis highlights both strengths and weaknesses for each factor or variable. In particular, Kenyan government excels at the drive for change by top to bottom government officers as well as external stakeholders, while the government officers who are using e-Government are satisfied with the availability of vision, strategy and plan of e-Government implementation. Both technologies and e-transactions laws were the worst of all the variables in e-Government implementation. Two areas should be improved using immediate corrective action. In-depth study reveals that government officers and citizens can't fully use their laptop and mobile devices due to the lack of both ICT network and its operating technology, and legal system associated with the transaction of business information. Finally, the study ends up with recommendations for policy makers to shape the future of e-Government system in both developing and developed countries.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.180-194
• /
• 2023

This study characterize, classify and evaluates the function of topography on spatial variability of some selected soil properties to assist in designing land management that support uniform agricultural production. The study site, an agricultural land, was part of the derived savanna zone in southwest Nigeria. Four soil profile pits each were established along two delineated toposequence and described following the FAO/UNESCO guidelines. Samples were collected from the identified genetic horizons. Properties of four soil series developed on different positions of the two delineated Toposequence viz upper, middle, lower slopes and valley bottom positions respectively were studied. The soil samples were analysed for selected physical and chemical properties and data generated were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that soil colour, depth and texture varied in response to changes in slope position and drainage condition. The sand content ranged from 61 to 90% while the bulk density ranged between 1.06 g cm^-3 to 1.68 g cm^-3. The soils were neutral to very strongly acid with low total exchangeable bases. Available phosphorus value were low while the extractable micronutrient concentration varied from low to medium. Soils of Asejire and Iwo series mapped in the study area were classified as Typic isohyperthermic paleustult, Apomu series as Plinthic isohyperthermic paleustult and Jago series as Aquic psamment (USDA Soil Taxonomy). These soils were correlated as Lixisol, Plinthic Lixisol and Fluvisol (World Reference Based), respectively. Major agronomic constraints of the soils associations mapped in the study area were nutrient availability, nutrient retention, slope, drainage, texture, high bulk density and shallow depth. The study concluded that the soils were not homogenous, shows moderate spatial variation across the slope, had varying potentials for sustainable agricultural practices, and thus, the agronomic constraints should be carefully addressed and managed for precision agriculture.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.97-104
• /
• 2004

Anaerobic soils limit the amount of free oxygen available in the rhizosphere and therefore will impede grass root development and restrain nutrient availability for turf growth. An in-situ study was conducted on existing greens to investigate the relationship between $CO_2$ content in the rhizosphere and turf quality. Nine greens were selected in the study. On each green, five 1-m diameter circular plots were randomly selected for conducting the experiment. The greens were sampled 7 times from August, 1998 to August, 1999. Data collected from each plot included turf quality index, $CO_2$ content, and physical properties of the rooting mixtures. Turf quality declined drastically when $CO_2$ content in rhizosphere increased to $5\;to\;6{\mu}LL^{-1}$ during the late summer season. The $CO_2$ content increased as water content in the root zone increased, but was inversely related to infiltration rate. Cultivation of a golf green may reduce $CO_2$ content in the rhizosphere, but the benefit of cultivation decreased with time.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.54-70
• /
• 2023

Surveys and studies on cultural assets using LiDAR measurement are already active overseas. Recently, awareness of the advantages and availability of LiDAR measurement has increased in Korea, and cases of using it for surveys of cultural assets are gradually increasing. However, it is usually restricted to surveys of mountain fortresses and is not actively used for surveys of ancient tombs yet. Therefore, this study intends to emphasize the need to secure fundamental data from LiDAR measurement for the era from the Three Kingdoms to Unified Silla in which recovery, maintenance, etc., in addition to the actual surveys, are unfulfilled due to the sites being mainly distributed in mountainous areas. For this, LiDAR measurement was executed for the area of Jangsan Ancient Tombs and Chunghyo-dong Ancient Tombs in Seoak-dong, Gyeongju, to review the distribution and geographical conditions of ancient tombs. As a result, in the Jangsan Ancient Tombs, in which a precision archaeological (measurement) survey was already executed, detailed geographic information and distribution conditions could be additionally identified, which could not be known only with the layout indicated by the topographic map of the existing report. Also, in the Chunghyo-dong Ancient Tombs, in which an additional survey was not conducted after 10 tombs were found during the Japanese colonial period, the location of the ancient tombs initially excavated was accurately identified, and the status and additional information was acquired, such as on the conditions of ancient tombs not surveyed. Such information may also be used as fundamental data for the preservation and maintenance of future ancient tombs in addition to the survey and study of the ancient tombs themselves. LiDAR measurement is most effective for identifying the condition of ancient tombs in mountainous areas where observation is difficult or access is limited due to the forest zone. It may be executed before on-site surveys, such as archaeological surveys, to secure data with high availability as prior surveys or pre-surveys. Therefore, it is necessary to secure fundamental data from LiDAR measurement in future surveys of ancient tombs and to establish a survey and maintenance/utilization plan based on this. To establish survey/study and preservation/maintenance measures for ancient tombs located in mountainous areas, a precision archaeological survey is currently executed to draw up a distribution chart of ancient tombs. If LiDAR measurement data is secured before this and used, a more effective and accurate distribution chart can be drawn up, and the actual conditions can be identified. Also, most omissions or errors in information can be prevented in on-site surveys of large regions. Therefore, it is necessary to accumulate fundamental data by actively using LiDAR measurement in future surveys of ancient tombs.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.15-23
• /
• 1979

In the first paper of the series the five soil fertility factors were evaluated by means of principal component analysis and varimax method. They are interpreted as representing, 1) skeletal available phosporus status, 2) organnic matter status, 3) salt status 4) base status, and 5) free oxide status. In order to resynthesize such fragmented information for the overall soil fertility evaluation, the method of multiple regression analysis was adopted, using the five factor scores and yield data for Korean paddy soils as independent and dependent variables respectively. As test of linear models with different combinations of independent variables the results of t-test of regression coefficient were revealed that the organic matter status (FII) has no relevance to the yield of paddy and that the free oxides and salt supply has by it self only an insignificant contribution to the yield. The multiple correlation coefficient (R) revealed its multiple regression analysis was as low as 0.43. Introduction of quadratic terms to the linear model bettered the result. Thus multiple correlation coefficient (R) was increased as 0.59. Therefore, a coefficient of determination 0.35 was obtained by a quadratic model with interaction terms among the five fertility constituents. Generally we think that the fertility factor has more contribution to raise the rice yield in paddy and that the failure of yield prediction by fertility factor scores was caused by one of follows; 1) the roughness of the yield inspection, and 2) missextraction of fertility constituents. The second step in this study, assuming that the residuals by multiple regression analysis were due to factors other than soil fertility, we can now proceed to predicting the yield from the field characters with the classified fertility groups by means of Hayashi's theory of quantification No. 1. Such variables as fertility groups (FTYG), water availability (WATER), soil drainage (DRNG), climatic zone (CLIZ), surface soil's stickiness (STCKT), surface soil's dry consistence (DCNST), and surface soil's texture (FTEXT) are taken up as the explanatory variables. The quantification appears reasonable; the well to extremely well in soil drainage, very sticky of surface soil, inefficiency in water availability, coarse texture, and very hard to extremely hard dry consistence in soil are detrimental to the rice yield. The R was as high as 0.90 for the set of variables. But the given explanatory variables in this study were not quite effective in explaining rice yield. The method developed seems to be promising only if properly collected data are available. Conditions that should be satisfied in the yield inspection obtained from common cultivator for the purpose of deriving a prediction equation were put forward.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.248-261
• /
• 1994

Background: Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins of non-immune origin that recognize a specific sequence of sugar residues. The availability of a large number of lectins has provided the capacity to identify selectively glycoconjugates possessing distinctive chemical structure in diverse sites of highly specialized biological activity. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the lectin binding patterns of various components in human pulmonary tubercles. Method: Biopsy specimens of tuberculous lung were obtained from male adult patients who underwent a surgical resection for severe pulmonary tuberculosis. The specimens were processed and stained with 13 kinds of biotinylated lectins according to some modification of Hsu and Raine's methods. Results: 1) In the caseous necrotic lesions, BS $I-B_4$ showed negative reaction and BS I were also negative except some irregularly-shaped cells located in the marginal zone. All other lectins, however, showed a positive reaction with various binding patterns. 2) The epithelioid cells were broadly divided into three groups according to the reaction patterns in the cytoplasms and cell membranes. 3) WGA, ECL, PHA-L, PHA-E and LCA showed strong staining in the lymphocytes. 4) SBA showed a different binding patterns between the endothelial layers located in the region beyond the fibrous layers and those located within the fibrous layers. 5) PNA showed a positive reaction in the outer 1/3 to 1/2 of the fibrous layer, but showed no staining in the inner 1/2 to 2/3 of the fibrous layers. Conclusion: The present lectin histochemical study provided a useful information to assess the characterization and distribution of various glycoconjugates in each constituent of human pulmonary tubercles. The results demonstrate structural differences in the glycoconjugate composition of various components of the tubercles and reveal changes in glycosylation in the components during soft tubercle formation. This study provides a new data useful for the studies on the pathogenesis and pathology of human pulmonary tubercles.