• Journal of the Korean Society of International Agriculture
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.328-338
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• 2018

Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) is a hot and arid continental climate, with most areas (68%) consisting of barren vegetation, desert, and meadows. The main agricultural areas for crop production include irrigated farmland, non-irrigated farmland, grassland, prairie and mountain. We are experiencing climate change with recent climate variability increasing. Agriculture is one of major economic sectors and provides a means of livings for the rural population of Central Asia, especially the poor. In the past two decades, Central Asia has experienced a high population growth rate, with Kazakhstan at 16.8%, Uzbekistan at 34.5% and Kyrgyzstan at 28.4%. As a major industry, Kazakhstan has the largest share of exports of agricultural products followed by petroleum, mineral resources, steel, and chemicals. Uzbekistan is the fifth largest cotton exporter as well as the sixth largest cotton producer in the world. Kyrgyzstan exports ores, stones, cultured pearls, and minerals. These three countries are rich in mineral resources, agricultural products, and energy resources. However, not only do they have difficulties in economic development due to the weakness of logistics and industrial infrastructure, but they also have imperceptible cooperation and investment among countries due to insufficient research and development. Through this study, we will investigate national outlook, economic indicators, major agricultural products, import and export status, and agricultural technology cooperation status, and study how Korean agricultural industry advances into these countries through SWOT analysis. Through this, we hope to contribute to the basic data of Central Asian studies and cooperation and investment in agriculture in each country. In addition, in order to increase cooperative exchange and investment in these countries, we will prepare a Central Asia logistics hub for the rapidly changing interKorean railroad era.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.79-92
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• 2007

[ $\underline{Purpose}$ ]: For the first time, a nationwide survey in the Republic of Korea was conducted to determine the basic parameters for the treatment of esophageal cancer and to offer a solid cooperative system for the Korean Pattern of Care Study database. $\underline{Materials\;and\;Methods}$: During $1998{\sim}1999$, biopsy-confirmed 246 esophageal cancer patients that received radiotherapy were enrolled from 23 different institutions in South Korea. Random sampling was based on power allocation method. Patient parameters and specific information regarding tumor characteristics and treatment methods were collected and registered through the web based PCS system. The data was analyzed by the use of the Chi-squared test. $\underline{Results}$: The median age of the collected patients was 62 years. The male to female ratio was about 91 to 9 with an absolute male predominance. The performance status ranged from ECOG 0 to 1 in 82.5% of the patients. Diagnostic procedures included an esophagogram (228 patients, 92.7%), endoscopy (226 patients, 91.9%), and a chest CT scan (238 patients, 96.7%). Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 96.3% of the patients; mid-thoracic esophageal cancer was most prevalent (110 patients, 44.7%) and 135 patients presented with clinical stage III disease. Fifty seven patients received radiotherapy alone and 37 patients received surgery with adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy. Half of the patients (123 patients) received chemotherapy together with RT and 70 patients (56.9%) received it as concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The most frequently used chemotherapeutic agent was a combination of cisplatin and 5-FU. Most patients received radiotherapy either with 6 MV (116 patients, 47.2%) or with 10 MV photons (87 patients, 35.4%). Radiotherapy was delivered through a conventional AP-PA field for 206 patients (83.7%) without using a CT plan and the median delivered dose was 3,600 cGy. The median total dose of postoperative radiotherapy was 5,040 cGy while for the non-operative patients the median total dose was 5,970 cGy. Thirty-four patients received intraluminal brachytherapy with high dose rate Iridium-192. Brachytherapy was delivered with a median dose of 300 cGy in each fraction and was typically delivered $3{\sim}4\;times$. The most frequently encountered complication during the radiotherapy treatment was esophagitis in 155 patients (63.0%). $\underline{Conclusion}$: For the evaluation and treatment of esophageal cancer patients at radiation facilities in Korea, this study will provide guidelines and benchmark data for the solid cooperative systems of the Korean PCS. Although some differences were noted between institutions, there was no major difference in the treatment modalities and RT techniques.