• Korean Security Journal
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• no.47
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• pp.85-117
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• 2016

These days, ISIS terrorists have been expanding not only to european countries, but also to asian countries so South Korea is no longer safe from terrorists' attacks. Especially, 'soft target terrorism' makes many people maximizing fear of terrorism because it is caused by small groups - those who are armed with small arms and light weapons - and they are able to carry out hit and run attacks on civilian targets. It poses even more dangerous to kill massively. That is why November 2015 Paris attacks and January 2016 Jakarta attacks killed and injured many people because of 'soft target terrorism.' Therefore, the South Korea has also recognized the seriousness of terrorism by ISIS. The study has shown the precautionary measures about 'soft target terrorism' and how to defend against 'soft target terrorism' by looking through overseas examples. It is for the possibilities of 'soft terrorism' in South Korea because of the expansion of ISIS. As a result, 'soft target terrorism', caused by ISIS, could happen in South Korea. The counterplan is as in the following. First of all, 'soft target terrorism', which is collaborated with ISIS and domestic terrorists, could be caused by negative awareness of foreign residents and xenophobia so the public should change stereotypes about the foreign residents and there should be legislation about racial discrimination enacted by parliament and the government must practice the law. Second, the Korean anti-terrorism laws should be modified to minimize violations of human rights, related to the Korean citizens' personal information, and to stop the concentration of power into the hands of one law enforcement. Third, the government has to develop and to initiate the refuge&evacuation simulation, which prepares for 'soft target terrorism' and minimizes the damages if terrorists attack hot spots like central commercial areas or event halls.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.153-202
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• 2014

Aside from political leaders' popularity rates and the stock exchange index of business firms, ordinary people are highly interested in aspects of daily life, such as housing, income, health, family, food, human relations and work. Cross-national opinion polls on daily-life satisfaction were carried out in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macao, the Philippines, India, Myanmar, Taiwan, China, Malaysia and Pakistan in the fall of 2013 and winter 2014. The percent difference index (PDI) is formulated as the sum of two positive responses (satisfied and somewhat satisfied) minus the sum of two negative responses (dissatisfied and somewhat dissatisfied). Percent difference indices are given according to society and daily-life aspects. For our analysis to go beneath national average and to go beyond national borders, two lines of analysis are carried out. First, the distance between the level of satisfaction of the top and bottom quartiles is given for each society and according to each of the daily-life aspects. Second, the regional sum of satisfaction of the top quartiles and bottom quartiles are shown crossed by daily-life aspects. In this article we confine ourselves to preliminary comparative description and analysis. More solid and deep comparisons will be carried out by local polling leaders of 12 Asian societies in the succeeding issue of the Asian Journal of Public Opinion Research. Nevertheless, two key threads stand out from this preliminary comparisons. First, social relations (family and human relations) stand out as most satisfied aspects of life in most of twelve societies. Second, the need to go beneath national averages and beyond national borders in analyzing cross-national surveys is confirmed. The comparability and validity of cross-national surveys with varying sampling method and survey mode are briefly discussed toward the end of the article.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.216-220
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• 2011

PURPOSE. Heat of composite polymerization (HP) indicates setting efficacy and temperature increase of composite in clinical procedures. The purpose of this in vitro experimental study was to evaluate the effects of 5 temperatures on HP of two new composites. MATERIALS AND METHODS. From each material (Core Max II [CM] and King Dental [KD]), 5 groups of 5 specimens each were prepared and their total HPs (J/gr) were measured and recorded, at one of the constant temperatures $0^{\circ}C$, $15^{\circ}C$, $23^{\circ}C$, $37^{\circ}C$ and $60^{\circ}C$ ($2{\times}5{\times}5$ specimens) using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyzer. The data were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA, a Tukey's test, an independent-samples ttest, and a linear regression analysis (${\alpha}=0.05$). RESULTS. No polymerization reactions occurred at $0^{\circ}C$; then this temperature was excluded from statistical analyses. The mean HP of the remaining 20 KD specimens was $20.5{\pm}14.9$ J/gr, while it was $40.7{\pm}12.9$ J/gr for CM. The independent-samples t-test showed that there were significant differences between the HP of the two materials at the temperatures $15^{\circ}C$ (P=.0001), $23^{\circ}C$ (P=.0163), $37^{\circ}C$ (P=.0039), and $60^{\circ}C$ (P=.0106). Linear regression analysis showed statistically significant correlations between environment temperatures and HP of CM ($R^2=0.777$). CONCLUSION. Using CM is advantageous over conventional composite because of its better polymerization capacity. However due to its high HP, further studies should assess its temperature increase in vivo. Preheating KD is recommended. Refrigerating composites can negatively affect their polymerization potential.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.196-203
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• 2014

Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most important growth factors for metastatic tumors. To clarify the role of VEGF-A and C in patients with peptic ulcer disease (PUD) or gastric cancer (GC), we evaluated the expression levels of these two molecules. We also analyzed the effect of Helicobacter pylori infection on VEGF-A and C expression levels. Materials and Methods: Patients with dyspepsia who needed diagnostic endoscopy were selected and divided into three groups: nonulcer dyspepsia (NUD), PUD, and GC, according to their endoscopic and histopathological results. Fifty-two patients with NUD, 50 with PUD, and 38 with GC were enrolled in this study. H. pylori infection was diagnosed by the rapid urease test. After RNA extraction and synthesis of cDNA, the expression levels of VEGF-A and C were determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results: The VEGF-C expression level in the PUD and GC groups was significantly higher than that in the NUD group. Moreover, the VEGF-A expression level in the PUD and GC groups was higher than in the NUD group, although the differences were not statistically significant. Significant positive correlations were also observed between the expression levels of these two molecules in the PUD and GC groups. In addition, the expression levels of these two molecules were higher in H. pylori positive patients with PUD or GC than in H. pylori negative patients of the same groups; however, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Up-regulation of VEGF-C expression during gastric mucosal inflammation may play a role in the development of peptic ulcers or GC.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.101-111
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• 2015

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is swiftly rising into a newly industrialized country by achieving economic prosperity among the Islamic cultural regions of Middle East and North Africa(MENA). Abu Dhabi Emirate is performing the conversion from oil economy to non-oil economy and the sustainable urban development policy. However, there are various social and environmental problems in Abu Dhabi. In order to solve the urban problems caused by the rapid economic growth and the changes in society and environment, Abu Dhabi is recognizing the importance of spatial information and triggering the establishment of spatial information. Spatial information is regarded as a basic infrastructure for urban construction and enlarged as a blue ocean market in Abu Dhabi. However, the base of spatial data infrastructure in Abu Dhabi is not well managed in comparison to that of Korea. Especially, Abu Dhabi has some characteristics that it depends on foreign multinational companies and it does not have its own systemic organization and law system. To advance into Abu Dhabi spatial data market under-controlled by global vendors, it is necessary to identify the advantage and disadvantage on spatial data infrastructure of Abu Dhabi and required to establish the advance methods into niche markets by considering priority order of spatial information. Thus, this study aims to analyze the gap of spatial information between Abu Dhabi and Korea and suggest the short and long term development methods for spatial data infrastructure of Abu Dhabi. The results of gap analyses will be the milestone for Korean companies' advance into MENA.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.221-232
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• 2008

This paper represents the final results of a research program sponsored by the European Commission through project WIND-CHIME ($\underline{W}$ide Range Non-$\underline{IN}$trusive $\underline{D}$evices toward $\underline{C}$onservation of $\underline{HI}$storical Monuments in the $\underline{ME}$diterranean Area), in which the possibility of using advanced seismic protection technologies to preserve historical monuments in the Mediterranean area is investigated. In the current research, the dynamic characteristics of two outstanding Mamluk-Style minarets, which similar minarets were reported to experience extensive damage during Dahshur 1992 earthquake, are investigated. The first minaret is the Qusun minaret (1337 A.D, 736 Hijri Date (H.D)) located in El-Suyuti cemetery on the southern side of the Salah El-Din citadel. The minaret is currently separated from the surrounding building and is directly resting on the ground (no vaults underneath). The total height of the minaret is 40.28 meters with a base rectangular shaft of about 5.42 ${\times}$ 5.20 m. The second minaret is the southern minaret of Al-Sultaniya (1340 A.D, 739 H.D). It is located about 30.0 meters from Qusun minaret, and it is now standing alone but it seems that it used to be attached to a huge unidentified structure. The style of the minaret and its size attribute it to the first half of the fourteenth century. The minaret total height is 36.69 meters and has a 4.48 ${\times}$ 4.48 m rectangular base. Field investigations were conducted to obtain: (a) geometrical description of the minarets, (b) material properties of the minarets' stones, and (c) soil conditions at the minarets' location. Ambient vibration tests were performed to determine the modal parameters of the minarets such as natural frequencies and mode shapes. A $1/16^{th}$ scale model of Qusun minaret was constructed at Cairo University Concrete Research Laboratory and tested under free vibration with and without SMA wire dampers. The contribution of SMA wire dampers to the structural damping coefficient was evaluated under different vertical loads and vibration amplitudes. Experimental results were used along with the field investigation data to develop a realistic 3-D finite element model that can be used for seismic risk evaluation of the minarets. Examining the updated finite element models under different seismic excitations indicated the vulnerability of such structures to earthquakes with medium to high a/v ratio. The use of SMA wire dampers was found feasible for reducing the seismic risk for this type of structures.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6101-6104
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• 2012

Background: Breast cancer accounts about one million from total annual ten million new diagnosed cases of neoplasia worldwide and is the main cause of death due to cancer in women. Tamoxifen is the most popular selective estrogen receptor modulator used in anti estrogen treatments. Tamoxifen must be converted into its metabolite endoxifen for biologic effects; this conversion process is catalysed by highly polymorphic cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6). This study surveyed copy number variation of the CYP2D6 gene and its possible correlation with Tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer patients. Methods: This case control study was performed on samples taken from 79 patients with breast cancer who used tamoxifen in Yazd and Tehran Cities, Iran. Real time reactions were conducted for 10 healthy samples using the comparative $C_t$ (Cycles threshold) method, each pair of genes being compared and samples with ratios around 1 were taken as control samples. Proliferation reactions were done by Real-Time PCR ABI Prism 7500. All registered data were transformed into SPSS 15 program and analyzed. Results: Efficiency of PCR for both CYP2D6 and ALB genes was 100%. From all 23 drug resistant patients 21.7% had one copy, 47.8% two copies and 30.4% had three copies. Also from all 56 drug sensitive patients, 26.8% had one copy, 51.8% two copies and 21.4% had three copies. The percentage of patients with one and two copies was similar between two groups but patients with three copies were more likely to belong to the drug resistant group more. Odd ratios for one and two copies were 0.759 and 0.853 respectively, indicating possible protective effects while that for three copies was 1.604. Conclusions: Based on our study there is no significant link between CYP2D6 gene copy numbers and tamoxifen resistance in women with breast cancer. But more studies considering other influencing factors appear warranted.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7869-7873
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• 2014

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) as an antitumor and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as an inflammatory cytokine, are immunomodulatory products that play important roles in responses in cancers and inflammation. We tested the association between two polymorphisms of IL-12(1188A>C; rs3212227) and IL-6 (-174 C>G) and the risk of bladder cancer in 261 patients and 251 healthy individuals. We also investigated the possible association of these SNPs in patients with high-risk jobs and smoking habits with the incidence of bladder cancer. The genotype distributions of IL-6 (-174 C/G) genotype were similar between the cases and the control groups; however, among patients with smoking habits, the association between IL-6 gene polymorphism and incidence of bladder cancer was significant. After a control adjustment for age and sex, the following results were recorded: CC genotype (OR= 2.11, 95%CI=1.56-2.87, p=0.007), GC genotype (OR=2.18, 95%CI=1.16-4.12, p=0.014) and GC+CC (OR=2.6, 95%CI=1.43-4.47, p=0.011). A significant risk of bladder cancer was observed for the heterozygous genotype (AC) of IL-12 (OR=1.47, 95%CI=1.01-2.14, p=0.045) in all cases, and among smokers (AC) (OR=3.13, 95%CI=1.82-5.37, p=0.00014), combined AC+CC (OR=3.05, 95%CI=1.8-5.18, p=0.000015). Moreover among high risk job patients, there was more than a 3-fold increased risk of cancer in the carriers of IL-12 beta heterozygous (OR=3.7, 95%CI=2.04-6.57, p=0.000056) and combined AC+CC(OR=3.29, 95%CI=1.58-5.86, p=0.00002) genotypes as compared with the AA genotype with low-risk jobs. As a conclusion, this study suggests that IL-12(3'UTR A>C) and IL-6 (-174 C>G) genotypes are significantly associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in the Iranian population with smoking habits and/or performing high-risk jobs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6227-6232
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• 2014

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains as one of the most difficult malignancies to control because of its high propensity for local invasion and cervical lymph node dissemination. The aim of present study was to evaluate the efficacy of novel pH and temperature sensitive doxorubicin-methotrexate-loaded nanoparticles (DOX-MTX NP) in terms of their potential to change the VEGF-C expression profile in a rat OSCC model. Materials and Methods: 120 male rats were divided into 8 groups of 15 animals administrated with 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide to induce OSCCs. Newly formulated doxorubicin-methotrexate-loaded nanoparticles (DOX-MTX NP) and free doxorubicin were IV and orally administered. Results: Results indicated that both oral and IV forms of DOX-MTX-nanoparticle complexes caused significant decrease in the mRNA level of VEGF-C compared to untreated cancerous rats (p<0.05). Surprisingly, the VEGF-C mRNA was not affected by free DOX in both IV and oral modalities (p>0.05). Furthermore, in DOX-MTX NP treated group, less tumors characterized with advanced stage and VEGF-C mRNA level paralleled with improved clinical outcome (p<0.05). In addition, compared to untreated healthy rats, the VEGF-C expression was not affected in healthy groups that were treated with IV and oral dosages of nanodrug (p>0.05). Conclusions: VEGF-C is one of the main prognosticators for lymph node metastasis in OSCC. Down-regulation of this lymph-angiogenesis promoting factor is a new feature acquired in group treated with dual action DOX-MTX-NPs. Beside the synergic apoptotic properties of concomitant use of DOX and MTX on OSCC, DOX-MTX NPs possessed anti-angiogenesis properties which was related to the improved clinical outcome in treated rats. Taking together, we conclude that our multifunctional doxorubicin-methotrexate complex exerts specific potent apoptotic and anti-angiogenesis properties that could ameliorate the clinical outcome presumably via down-regulating dissemination factor-VEGF-C expression in a rat OSCC model.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2185-2193
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• 2016

Background: The pathogenesis of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) is influenced by the patient genetic background and environmental factors. Based on prior understanding, these are classified in two major pathways of genetic instability. Microsatellite instability (MSI) and CPG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) are categorized as features of the hypermethylated prototype, and chromosomal instability (CIN) is known to be indicative of the non-hypermethylated category. Secreted frizzled related protein 2 (SFRP2), APC1A in WNT signaling pathway and the DNA repair gene, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), are frequently hypermethylated in colorectal cancer. Detection of methylated DNA as a biomarker by easy and inexpensive methods might improve the quality of life of patients with CRC via early detection of cancer or a precancerous condition. Aim: To evaluate the rate of SFRP2 and MGMT hypermethylation in both polyp tissue and serum of patients in south Iran as compared with matched control normal population corresponding samples. Materials and Methods: Methylation-specific PCR was used to detect hypermethylation in DNA extracted from 48 polypoid tissue samples and 25 healthy individuals. Results: Of total polyp samples, 89.5% had at least one promoter gene hypermethylation. The most frequent methylated locus was SFRP2 followed by MGMT-B (81.2 and 66.6 percent respectively). Serologic detection of hypermethylation was 95% sensitive as compared with polyp tissue. No hypermethylation was detected in normal tissue and serum and its detection in patients with polyps, especially of serrated type, was specific. Conclusions: Serologic investigation for detection of MGMT-B, SFRP2 hypermethylation could facilitate prioritization of high risk patients for colonoscopic polyp detection and excision.