• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권12호
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• pp.5969-5973
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• 2012

Introduction: Andhra Pradesh (AP) is one of the largest tobacco producing states in India. About 29% of adults in AP currently use tobacco in some form. Almost 24% of males and 4% of females are smokers. The prevalence of tobacco use in the state is higher than the national average of 15% for male and 2% for female smokers. However, few attempts have been made to understand the current situation of tobacco control resources, activities and strategies in the context of such a high tobacco prevalence state. The present study aimed to identify the gaps in existing tobacco control program and areas where tobacco control efforts can be integrated. Methods: Data were collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a total of 95 key officials of state health departments, program managers, and project directors in six districts to understand ongoing tobacco control efforts. To facilitate the interviews, semi-structured guides were developed. Simple descriptive statistical analysis was conducted on the quantitative data using SPSS version 17. Results: The results of the situational analysis suggest that a sufficient health workforce and infrastructure with the potential to integrate tobacco control activities is available in the surveyed districts. However, lack of integration of the tobacco control program intothe tuberculosis control program and the National Rural Health Mission was observed. Information, education and communication activities were lacking at block level health facilities. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that lack of trained health professionals, paucity of dedicated funds, lack of information, education and communication materials and low priority given to tobacco control activities are some of the factors which impede integration of tobacco control into existing health and developmental programmes in the districts of Andhra Pradesh, India.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권12호
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• pp.5053-5058
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• 2015

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the commonest cancers among women all over the world. The association of cervical cancer with human papilloma virus (HPV) is well established. Knowledge about the causal relationship between HPV and cervical cancer is important to make appropriate, evidence-based health care choices. In this context we conducted a community based study among women about the knowledge, attitude and practice about HPV infections and their health effects. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional interview based house to house survey was conducted with a validated data collection tool covering sociodemographic factors, knowledge, attitude and practice about HPV and its health effects, among 1020 women from a rural village, Perdoor, in Udupi district, Karnataka, India in 2013-14. Results: The mean age of participants was 38.9 years (SD=12.6). Study participants showed a high literacy rate (85.7%). Only 2.4% of sexually exposed women had undergone Pap smear testing. Partners of 4.4%women had undergone circumcision and they belonged to the Muslim community. Male condom usage was reported by 26 women (2.6%). However, none of the participants had heard of HPV and its health effects. Conclusions: This community based study found complete ignorance about HPV among rural South Indian women in spite of a high literacy level.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.1019-1024
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• 2012

Background: Infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) are highly prevalent among sexually active young women in India. However, not much is known about the incidence of type-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and their patterns of persistence, especially in the Indian context. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the rate of acquisition and persistence of HPV types in young women. Methods: Women residing in an urban slum in Delhi (n=1300) were followed for 24 months at 6 monthly intervals. Exfoliated cervical cells collected at each visit were tested for the presence of HPV DNA. Genotyping was performed using the reverse line blot assay. Results: The incidence rate for any HPV type was calculated to be 5 per 1000 women-months. Among high risk HPV types, HPV16 had the highest incidence rate followed by HPV59, HPV52 and HPV18, i.e., 3.0, 0.58, 0.41 and 0.35 women per 1000 women-months respectively. The persistence rate was higher for high-risk than low-risk HPV types. Among low-risk types, HPV42, HPV62, HPV84 and HPV89 were found to persist. Whereas almost all high risk types showed persistence, the highest rate was found in women with HPV types 16, 45, 67, 31, 51 and 59. The persistence rate for HPV16 infection was 45 per 1000 women-months. Conclusion: Incident HPV infections and high risk HPV type-specific persistence were found to be high in our study population of young married women. Understanding the patterns of HPV infection may help plan appropriate strategies for prevention programs including vaccination and screening.

• Agribusiness and Information Management
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2016

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have always mattered in agriculture too. In day-to-day practices of agriculture and allied sectors, the farmers often share their information. Changing weather patterns, soil conditions, pests and diseases always throw challenges to small and marginal farmers. So, the farmer needs up-dated information to cope with and even benefit from these changes. In the developing countries like India, where agriculture still plays a crucial role (over 58% of the rural households depend on agriculture as their livelihood) and the rising population from 1027 million to 1419 million during 2001-16 (a total rise of 38 percent or 1.3 percent per year) pose a lot of pressure on land and other resources to meet the food security needs on one hand and to meet the challenges of globalization on the other. Understanding and addressing these challenges are very crucial, in which ICT can play a major role. With the booming mobile, wireless, and Internet industries, ICT has found a foothold even in poor marginal and smallholder farms and in their activities. The survey conducted among the 120 farmers in Srikakulam district in India revealed that, ICT has revolutionized the agriculture in the modern days. Production and marketing information is accessed by 91% of the sample farmers through mobile in 2015, where it was only 5% in 2005. The extent of use of mobile phones by the farmers varied with the decision to be taken by them like Harvesting, packing, and storing (94%), Selling Decision (91%), Seed purchase (89%), Application of fertilizers and pesticides (88%) and Land preparation and planting (84%), other package of practices (77%). The farmers further opined that, 'Voice' was the dominating source of communication (96%) compared to Short Message Service (SMS) (only 27%) and Internet access (10%), as majority are illiterate. The use of camera (71%), Bluetooth (33%), Radio (61%) TV (41%) are the other means of sharing the information. In this context of importance of ICTs in Indian agriculture, greater attention justifies about the applications of ICT's to alleviate poverty and promote economic growth of the farming population.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• 제26권5호
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• pp.56-75
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• 2022

Purpose - This study examines the influencing factors of China's cross-border e-commerce exports in the context of the current situation and trends of China's cross-border e-commerce development. Through an improved trade gravity model, it provides more in-depth research and constructive opinions on the development of cross-border e-commerce in China. In this paper, factors such as consumption gap, volume of trade frictions, number of tourists, Internet usage and trade openness are added to the formula of the traditional trade gravity model in the improved trade gravity model to examine the influencing factors on China's cross-border e-commerce exports. Design/methodology - According to the empirical analysis, China's cross-border e-commerce exports to ten countries are used as dependent variables, and consumption gap, trade friction volume, trade distance, trade openness and number of Internet users are taken as independent variables. Regression analysis is conducted through a modified gravity model to test whether the hypotheses hold. Findings - The analysis shows that the hypothesis that China's cross-border e-commerce exports are influenced by trade openness, trade distance, consumption gap between trade parties, and the number of Internet users in the importing country is supported by these four hypotheses, but not all independent variables have an impact on them. Specifically, the number of travelers, trade frictions do not have an impact on China's cross-border e-commerce. That is to say, trade friction between China and the United States and political issues such as China-India and China-Japan territorial disputes that emerged before do not affect the development of cross-border e-commerce in China. Originality/value - The analysis shows that the factors influencing China's cross-border e-commerce exports are the trade openness of the importing country, the trade distance, the number of Internet users in the importing country, and the consumption gap between the two sides of the trade. The trade openness and the number of Internet users positively contribute to China's cross-border e-commerce, while the consumption gap and trade distance are negatively related to them. And the analysis found that the Sino-US trade war and the Sino-Indian territorial disputes and other trade frictions to China's cross-border e-commerce exports did not have a substantial impact.

• 대순사상논총
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• 제39집
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• pp.215-247
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• 2021

불교에는 기적이나 이적과 관련된 특유한 용어가 존재한다. 산스크리트로 '아비즈냐Abhijñā'이며 한자어로 신통(神通)이 그것이다. 본래 '직접적인 지식'이나 '고도의 지식' 또는 '상식을 넘어선 지식'을 뜻하는 말인데, 붓다나 보살들, 고승들이 지니고 있다고 하는 초인간적이고 초월적인 능력으로 이해된다. 그런데 이 신통은 붓다 당시와 후대, 인도와 중국에서 각기 다른 용어와 의미로 쓰였다. 본고에서는 『장아함경』의 「견고경」, 그리고 탁월한 불교문학인 『불소행찬』, 중국에서 저술된 『고승전』과 『속고승전』 등을 중심으로 신통의 주체와 대상, 유형과 목적 등을 분석해서 인도와 중국에서 역사적으로 신통이 어떻게 인식되고 변화해 왔는지를 고찰했다. 「견고경」에서 붓다는 세 가지 신통, 즉 신족(神足)과 관찰타심(觀察他心), 교계(敎誡)가 있다고 했다. 이 가운데서 신족과 관찰타심은 부정되었는데, 당시에 대중의 정서에 호소하며 신심을 끌어내는 데 널리 이용되고 있었고 붓다의 가르침을 전하는 데에 아무런 소용이 없었기 때문이다. 반면에 올바른 수행으로 깨달음을 얻은 이라야 갖출 수 있는 교계는 불교에만 특유한 신통이어서 인정되었다. 『불소행찬』에서는 교계가 작품 전반을 관통하면서 신족과 관찰타심도 깨달음으로 이끄는 중요한 방편으로 묘사되었다. 이는 붓다 입멸 뒤에 교세의 확장을 위해 교화가 중시되면서 신족과 관찰타심이 허용되었음을 의미한다. 중국에서 불교는 처음에 외래 종교였으므로 수용되는 일이 급선무여서 교화가 중시되었고, 교세가 커진 뒤에는 확고하게 뿌리를 내리기 위해 수행과 실천에 대한 반성이 깊어졌다. 이에 맞추어 신통과 이적들도 중국적 상황에 맞게 변용되고 확장되었다. 그러한 불교사의 변화는 『고승전』과 『속고승전』이 잘 보여준다. 『고승전』에서는 「신이」를, 『속고승전』에서는 「감통」을 두었는데, 용어 변화를 읽을 수 있다. 신이의 주체는 고승이었으나 그 대상은 『고승전』에서는 불교를 모르거나 믿지 않는 이들이었고, 『속고승전』에서는 승려들 자신이었다. 대상의 변화는 교화에서 자각과 자성으로 목적이 변화했음을 의미한다. 신이가 단순히 교화에 치중했다면, 감통은 교세가 확장된 6~7세기에 승려들의 청정한 수행과 실천의 중요성을 다시 강조하기 위함이었다. 초인간적이고 초월적인 능력이 신통이지만 현실적 변화와 밀접한 관련 속에서 그 의미와 목적 등이 변화해 왔음을 알 수 있다. 이는 동아시아 각국에서 신통이 독특하게 수용되고 다양하게 변용되었을 것임을 시사한다.