• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7653-7664
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• 2014

Background: Colorectal ranked first among cancers reported in males and ranked second amongst females in Jordan, accounting for 12.7% and 10.5% of cancers in males and females, respectively. Colorectal cancer patients can suffer several consequences after treatment that include pain and fatigue, constipation, stoma complications, sexual problems, appearance and body-image concerns as well as psychological dysfunction. There is no published quantitative data on the health-related quality of life and psychological wellbeing of Jordanian colorectal cancer survivors. Method: This project was a cross-sectional study of colorectal cancer survivors diagnosed in 2009 and 2010. Assessment was performed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), the colorectal cancer specific module (EORTC QLQ-CR 29) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Data on potential predictors of scores were also collected. Results: A total of 241 subjects completed the study with mean age of $56.7{\pm}13.6$. Males represented 52.3% of study participants. A majority of participants reported good to high overall health; the mean Global health score was $79.74{\pm}23.31$ with only 6.64% of study participants scoring less than 33.3%. The striking result in this study was that none of the study participants participated in a psychosocial support group; only 4 of them (1.7%) were even offered such support. The mean scores for HADS, depression score, and anxiety score were $8.25{\pm}9$, $4.35{\pm}4.9$ and $3.9{\pm}4.6$, respectively. However, 77.1% of study participants were within the normal category for the depression score and 81.7% were within this category for anxiety score; 5.4% of participants had severe anxiety and 5.4% of them had severe depression. Discussion: Patients with colorectal cancer in Jordan have a good quality of life and psychological wellbeing scores when compared with patients from western countries. None of the colorectal cancer patients managed at the Ministry of Health received any formal counselling, or participated in psychological or social support programmes. This highlights the urgent need for a psychosocial support programme, psychological screening and consultations for patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the Ministry of Health Hospitals.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.39 no.5 s.104
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• pp.735-754
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• 2004

This paper provides an overview of political ecology, a body of theory that focuses on the links between political and economic inequality on the one hand, and environmental degradation on the other. Adopting a tripartite classification scheme that identifies three political ecology traditions -'classical', 'democratic' and 'poststructuralist'- the discussion shows the need for a move within the poststructuralist tradition away from a narrow and quasi-idealistic focus on discourse to a more robust philosophical engagement with ontological and epistemological issues grounded in Gilles Deleuze's development of Nietzschean materialism. From there. the author draws on numerous examples from Canada, and surveys the available literature on 'bioregionalism', a relatively new intellectual tradition evolved from the North American environmental social movements of the 1970s and 1980s. The so-called 'bioregional approach' stresses that administrative units need to reflect (rather than transect) eco-geographical and cultural features. Bioregionalism is described and assessed as a potential pragmatic research framework for geographers and other planners wishing to respond proactively to the call for a revamped, poststructuralist political ecology. The paper concludes that a bioregional approach to political ecology avoids the weaknesses identified by certain critics, provides scope for consideration of fundamental philosophical ideas, and as such, represents a practical development of a poststructuralist political ecology.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3341-3355
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• 2016

Background: A recent WHO data report on mortality attributable to tobacco use including cigarette smoking indicated a very high burden of deaths in Asia and that people often initiate smoking as early as young adolescents. The objectives of this study were to systematically review peer-reviewed articles on cigarette smoking initiation among Asian adolescents and to develop a conceptual model of factors influencing smoking initiation by integrating all relevant factors based on existing data. Materials and Methods: Following a PRISMA guideline, a systematic review of articles published between 2005 and June 2015 was conducted using 5 databases on cigarette smoking initiation among adolescents (aged 10-19 years) living in Asia. We summarized the main findings of each study according to our research questions and data that emerged during the data extraction process. Analysis and categorization were based on the TTI and TPB models and classification of factors extracted from the study, were as follows: personal factors, social factors, broader environmental factors, mediators, and intention to initiate smoking and smoking behavior. Results: Of 1,227 identified studies, only 20 were included in this review. Our findings found that the mean age of cigarette smoking initiation ranged from 10 to 14 years and those who are more likely to initiate smoking are male, older adolescents, adolescents with low parental SES, individuals with low parental monitoring, low parental education level and having no discussion on smoking at home, those living in public housing and those exhibiting health-risk behavior. Our study also revealed that the risk of smoking initiation increased when they are exposed to smokers, influenced by peers, exposed to tobacco advertisements, receive pocket money, have lack of knowledge about smoking, have poor school performance, have a family conflict and have psychological problems. The conceptual model developed demonstrated complex networks of factors influencing initiation. Conclusions: This systematic review presents various factors influencing smoking initiation of the Asian adolescents and provides a conceptual framework to further analyze factors. Future studies should have a standard measure of smoking initiation, should analyze interactions and the intensity of relationships between different factors or variables in the conceptual model. This will in turn consolidate the understanding of the different factors affecting smoking initiation and will help to improve interventions in this area.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.19-29
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• 2011

A Blog provides commentary, news, or content on a particular subject. The important part of many blogs is interactive format. Sometimes, there is a heated debate on a topic and any article becomes a political or sociological issue. In this paper, we proposed a method to predict the popularity of an article in advance. First, we used hit count as a factor to predict the popularity of an article. We defined the saturation point and derived a model to predict the hit count of the saturation point by a correlation coefficient of the early hit count and hit count of the saturation point. Finally, we predicted the virtual temperature of an article using 4 types(explosive, hot, warm, cold). We can predict the virtual temperature of Internet discussion articles using the hit count of the saturation point with more than 70% accuracy, exploiting only the first 30 minutes' hit count. In the hot, warm, and cold categories, we can predict more than 86% accuracy from 30 minutes' hit count and more than 90% accuracy from 70 minutes' hit count.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.153-169
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• 2016

This study aims to understand the background and characteristics of receiving Hallyu based on the cognitions and attitudes toward Korea and Korean culture in the Philippines. With the background of Business Hallyu and Cultural Hallyu between the two countries, this study conducted the Focus Group Discussion(FGI) research, literature research and analyzed the statistical resources. The economic and cultural exchanges between Korea and the Philippines have been increased by the effect of Hallyu, but the socio-cultural conflicts, such as Kopino issue, crimes related to Koreans have been also grown. Thus, the Hallyu research focused on the Philippines is necessary, and it will be a cruical variable to forecast the socio-cultural relationship between Korea and the Philippines. The FGI research recruited participants in both undergraduates in the Phillippines and the Filippino migrants in Korea. The FGI participants of each group shows the differences of cognitions, attitudes, and actions to consume Hallyu, and the participants of both groups agrees that experiences of contacting Koreans influence on understanding Korea and its culture. The FGI participants have tried to watching Korean dramas, learning Korean languages, and building relationships with Koreans in order to adjust Korean culture. In order to improve the relations between Korea and the Philipines, Hallyu needs to promote its values as the unique culture and also universal culture in the world. Korea should increase understanding of the Filippino culture to overcome cultural differences and make efforts on localize the Hallyu 3.0 in the Phillippines.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.102-114
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• 2009

Urban discourse can be used to create a better living environment through open thinking, understanding and discussion. It raises both physical and social issues surrounding the urban environment. It can encourage the participation of citizen groups and lead the way to develop a community-oriented urban environment through inter-discourse agreement. The urban space of Cheonggye Stream has produced a wide range of urban discourse from 2003 to the present. Discourse regarding the Cheonggye Stream restoration project has been approached by fields including landscape architecture, ecology, urbanism, architecture, politics, and economics, among others. This discourse has reduced a variety of issues and ranges of debate. This study has classified these discussions into related fields and ideological attitudes, analysed their content, and interpreted their meaning. In order to examine the mutual relationships existing among these discourses by different ideological groups, an analytical framework was established byputting classified versions of discourses into a coordinate diagram. The overall topography showing the present status of Korea public awareness regarding the urban environment could therefore be determined. As a result, it was found that the disciplines of landscape architecture took a middle ground between groups with practical and radical ideologies regarding the Cheonggye Stream project and was a mediator for both poles to find a point of contact. However, participatory discourse requires the disciplines of landscape architecture to participate more actively in the discourses on urban environment and take a more active stand corresponding to the zeitgeist and people's sense of public justice.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

There has been an increasingly high interest in gardens and garden design in Korea recently. However, the usage of the term 'garden' is extremely varied and complex, and there has been very little academic research made on the meaning of garden. Therefore, this research attempts to investigate the ideas of current gardens and to elucidate their changing patterns by means of extensive literature research and big data analysis. The notion of garden in the past was broad including not only private space such as Madang(마당) and Teul(뜰), but also even field and grass land as public outdoor space. Yet, the meaning has become smaller to merely private space due to the change of dwelling systems due to high industrial development of the 20th century. Furthermore, the introduction of urban parks as an interactive space between nature and humans, the similar spatial function of gardens, has blurred the boundary between garden and park, which created confusion in understanding the concept of a garden. After all, garden is a subject for humans. The meanings of garden need to be recognized from various points of view since garden itself is a creation by the sum of diverse fields such as natural and social sciences as well as culturology. This discussion on the meaning of garden in the present day will give a conceptual foundation for future research on gardens and garden design. Also, the big data analysis employed here as a research method can help other similar research topics, particularly semantics in landscape architecture.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.491-499
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to examine for high school chemistry I textbooks published by the 6th curriculum and some foreign STS programs such as Chemistry in the Community, Science and Technology in Society, Chemistry: The Salter's Approach by analyzing STS contents, students' activity, overall structure of the books and space devoted to STS, and to provide improvement schemes for developing high school chemistry I textbooks to be developed by the 7th curriculum in future. It was found that STS topics in the high school chemistry I textbooks were related only to 'social problems and issues', 'applications of science', 'multiple dimensions of science', and STS contents were presented mostly by narration. Students' activities were limited to discussion and survey, and none of the topics were related to 'career awareness', and 'cooperative work on real problems' in high school chemistry I textbooks. On the contrary, a variety of STS topics and activities such as case study related to local and community, practicing decision-making strategies, role play, practical work career awareness were included in foreign STS programs. Desirable directions for the improvement of STS contents and structure of present high school chemistry I textbooks were proposed in this paper.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.45
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• pp.235-258
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• 2016

As the first class Teaching Artists system is about to be brought to effect, the ability required for Teaching Artists to design educational contents, develop and manage education programs is not much different from that of a museum Educator. This system is necessary for resolving problems in existing Arts and Culture Education, such as overlapping programs and adjusting difficulty levels by age to meet the demand of educatee. It also deals with drawbacks in production-oriented curriculum originating from the preference in some subject. In addition, as progress in science and technology makes rapid changes in digital media and its subculture, increasing need for novel and interdisciplinary curriculum in the field of Arts and Culture Education puts further emphasis on the importance of this system. In this study, we focus on clarifying the significance of Educator as a professional and proposing curriculum for the system, trying to avoid restricting our discussion to current Arts Instructor Supporting Project which are merely aimed at supporting children and adolescents to grow up to enjoy culture and arts. Capacity for designing curriculum for culture and arts, the kernel of qualification for the first class Teaching Artists, requires a variety of comprehensive expertise and qualification such as doing preliminary research on contents related to animation, curating, determining potential of educational contents, organizing educational contents for appropriate educatee, understanding esthetic property and its role in education, and appreciating and enjoying cultural contents. Therefore, Teaching Artists plays roles not only in developing and running educational programs but also in supporting and cooperating with culture and arts institutions, designing and managing creative programs, combining and communicating with different social groups, and emphasizing mutual interchange in culture.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.38-59
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• 2017

Objectives: Few attempts have been made to develop a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument and to examine its validity and reliability in Korea. We aimed to do this in our present study. Methods: After a literature review of existing generic HRQoL instruments, a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews, and expert consultations, we selected 30 tentative items for a new HRQoL measure. These items were evaluated by assessing their ceiling effects, difficulty, and redundancy in the first survey. To validate the HRQoL instrument that was developed, known-groups validity and convergent/discriminant validity were evaluated and its test-retest reliability was examined in the second survey. Results: Of the 30 items originally assessed for the HRQoL instrument, four were excluded due to high ceiling effects and six were removed due to redundancy. We ultimately developed a HRQoL instrument with a reduced number of 20 items, known as the Health-related Quality of Life Instrument with 20 items (HINT-20), incorporating physical, mental, social, and positive health dimensions. The results of the HINT-20 for known-groups validity were poorer in women, the elderly, and those with a low income. For convergent/discriminant validity, the correlation coefficients of items (except vitality) in the physical health dimension with the physical component summary of the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) were generally higher than the correlations of those items with the mental component summary of the SF-36v2, and vice versa. Regarding test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient of the total HINT-20 score was 0.813 (p<0.001). Conclusions: A novel generic HRQoL instrument, the HINT-20, was developed for the Korean general population and showed acceptable validity and reliability.