• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.315-327
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• 2023

Purpose: Oxaliplatin, a component of the capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (XELOX) regimen, has a more favorable toxicity profile than cisplatin in patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC). However, oxaliplatin can induce sensory neuropathy and cumulative, dose-related toxicities. Thus, the capecitabine maintenance regimen may achieve the maximum treatment effect while reducing the cumulative neurotoxicity of oxaliplatin. This study aimed to compare the survival of patients with advanced GC between capecitabine maintenance and observation after 1st line XELOX chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients treated with six cycles of XELOX for advanced GC in six hospitals of the Catholic University of Korea were randomized 1:1 to receive capecitabine maintenance or observation. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), analyzed using a two-sided log-rank test stratified at a 5% significance level. Results: Between 2015 and 2020, 32 and 31 patients were randomized into the maintenance and observation groups, respectively. After randomization, the median number of capecitabine maintenance cycles was 6. The PFS was significantly higher in the maintenance group than the observation group (6.3 vs. 4.1 months, P=0.010). Overall survival was not significantly different between the 2 groups (18.2 vs. 16.5 months, P=0.624). Toxicities, such as hand-foot syndrome, were reported in some maintenance group patients. Maintenance treatment was a significant factor associated with PFS in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.472; 95% confidence interval, 0.250-0.890; P=0.020). Conclusions: After 6 cycles of XELOX chemotherapy, capecitabine maintenance significantly prolonged PFS compared with observation, and toxicity was manageable. Maintenance treatment was a significant prognostic factor associated with PFS.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.107-116
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• 2016

The study was aimed to analyze pedigree structure and inbreeding coefficients for performance tested Holstein cows in Korea. A total of 400,029 Holstein cows data which born between 2002 and 2012 were obtained from Dairy Cattle Improvement Center of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation(NACF). Their related pedigrees, as obtained from Korean Animal Improvement Association(KAIA), consisted of 509,740 animals. Pedigree depth of the cows were traced back to 3 generations earlier. The percentage of cows with fully identified ancestors in various provinces of Korea were 55.18%(Gyeonggi-do), 23.49%(Gangwon-do), 47.83%(Chungcheongnam-do), 53.62%(Chungcheongbuk-do), 56.38%(Gyeongsangbuk-do), 51.35% (Gyeongsangnam-do), 26.58%(Jeollanam-do), 49.41%(Jeollabuk-do), and 56.90%(Jeju-do), whereas, it was about 63.20% as a whole in Korea. The average inbreeding coefficients showed increment across the consecutive years of birth such as, 0.43(2002), 0.44(2003), 0.58(2004), 0.64(2005), 0.78(2006), 0.93(2007), 1.08(2008), 1.23(2009), 1.46(2010), 1.77(2011), and 2.03 (2012). However, this coefficient was 0.93 in overall Korean population. An average generation interval for sire to daughter genetic path was 8.15 years; which was about 4.20 years considering dam to daughter genetic path. The estimated effective population sizes (Ne) were 56.5, 51.3, and 32.2 animals born in 2004, 2009, and 2012, respectively. These results indicated that an increased rate of inbreeding has led to a significant reduction in the Ne over the decade.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.21-36
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• 2023

As a solution to environmental issues, such as climate change response, the carbon neutrality strategy, urban heat islands, fine dust, and biodiversity enhancement, the value of urban green spaces and trees are becoming important, and various studies dealing with the effects of trees for environmental improvement are being conducted. This study comprehensively considers the preceding studies on planting tree species, planting structure, planting density, and planting base to propose a direction for the planting renewal of green areas in urban parks and applies the findings to a renewal plan to improve the urban environment through landscaping trees. A field survey was conducted on the planting status of Seoul Children's Grand Park, a large-scale neighborhood park in Seoul, and based on the survey data, a planting function evaluation was conducted, and areas needing improvement in planting function were identified. The planting function evaluation was carried out considering the park function setting, planting concept according to spatial function, and planting status. As a result of the study, the direction of planting renewal according to functional change was derived for each stage of planting function evaluation. Increasing the green area ratio is a priority in setting up park functions, but user convenience should also be considered. As a concept of planting, visual landscape planting involves planting species with beautiful tree shapes, high carbon absorption, and fine dust reduction effects. Ecological landscape planting should create a multi-layered planting site on a slope. Buffer planting should be created as multi-layered forests to improve carbon absorption and fine dust reduction effects. Green planting should consist of broad-leaved trees and herbaceous layers and aim for the natural planting of herbaceous species. For plant species, species with high urban environment improvement effects, local native species, and wild bird preferred species should be selected. As for the planting structure, landscape planting sites and green planting sites should be composed of trees, shrubs, and trees and herbaceous layers that emphasize ecology or require multi-layered buffer functions. A higher standard is applied based on the planting interval for planting density. Installing a rainwater recycling facility and using soil loam for the planting base improves performance. The results of this study are meaningful in that they can be applied to derive areas needing functional improvement by performing planting function evaluation when planning planting renewal of aging urban parks and can suggest renewal directions that reflect the paradigm of functional change of created green areas.

• The Korean Journal of Medicine
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• v.94 no.1
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• pp.96-106
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• 2019

Background/Aims: It is well known that gender differences are associated with clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, it is not clear whether gender differences affect the prognosis of elderly patients with AMI. Methods: We analyzed the incidence of in-hospital complications and mortality in the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institutes of Health from November 2011 to June 2015. This study included elderly patients (≥ 75 years) diagnosed with AMI. Results: A total of 2,953 patients were eligible for this study. Among them, 1,529 (51.8%) patients were female, and the mean age of the female group was older than that of the male group (80.7 ± 4.4 vs. 79.6 ± 4.0 years, respectively, p < 0.001). Elderly females utilized emergency medical services less frequently compared with elderly males (11.5 vs. 15.4%, respectively, p < 0.001). Elderly female AMI patients had a similar rate of in-hospital mortality compared with elderly males (7.1 vs. 8.4%, respectively, p = 0.196). The rate of major cardiac adverse events (MACEs) was lower in elderly females than males during a 12-month follow-up (hazard ratio [HR] 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.41, p = 0.045). According to multivariate analysis, the male gender is an independent factor for predicting 1-year MACEs (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.14-1.65, p < 0.001). Conclusions: No significant differences in peri-procedural complications or in-hospital mortality were observed between male and female elderly patients with AMI. However, elderly female patients had a more favorable prognosis than male patients during a 1-year clinical follow-up.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.702-713
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• 2023

Purpose: Depression is a prevalent mental health concern globally including South Korea. Given the growing interest in the relationship between diet and mental health, this study aimed to investigate the association between seafood consumption and depression among Korean adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2014-2020). The study included 18,149 participants (7,541 men and 10,608 women) aged 19 years and older who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Seafood intake levels were assessed using a oneday 24-hour dietary recall, and participants were categorized into three tertiles by gender. Depression status was determined using the PHQ-9 scores and the self-report of the doctor's diagnosis and treatment. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between seafood consumption and depression in both genders. Results: Participants with a higher seafood intake had a significantly lower nutritional density of total fat, while the nutritional density of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was significantly higher. The prevalence of depression was significantly lower in the highest tertile of seafood consumption compared to the lowest tertile in both men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, the highest tertile of seafood consumption demonstrated a decreased risk of depression compared to the lowest tertile in men (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.99; p-trend = 0.020) and women (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59-0.91; p-trend = 0.004). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that consuming seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids may potentially reduce the risk of depression in the adult population.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.417-425
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• 2023

The aim of this study was to derive stem taper equations for Quercus acuta, one of main evergreen broad-leaved tree species found in warm temperate regions, and to prepare a stem volume table using those stem taper equations. A total of 688 individual trees were used in the analysis, which were collected from Jeonnam-do, Gyeongnam-do, and Jeju-do. The stem taper models applied to derive the stem curve pattern were the Max and Burkhart, Kozak, and Lee models. Among the three stem taper models, the best explanation of the stem curve shape of Q. acuta was found to be given by the Kozak model, which showed a fitness index of 0.9583, bias of 0.0352, percentage of estimated standard error of 1.1439, and mean absolute deviation of 0.6751. Thus, the stem taper of Q. acuta was estimated using the Kozak model. Moreover,thestemvolumecalculationwasperforme d by applying the Smalian formula to the diameter and height of each stem interval. In addition, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the two existing Q. acuta stem volume tables (2007 and 2010) and the newly created stem volume table (2023). This analysis revealed that the stem volume table constructed in the Wando region in 2007 included about twice as much as the stem volume tables constructed in 2010 and 2023. The stem volume table (2023) developed in this study is not only based on the regional collection range and number of utilized trees but also on a sound scientific basis. Therefore, it can be used at the national level as an official stem volume table for Q. acuta.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.6_3
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• pp.1779-1790
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• 2023

Satellite-based fog detection algorithms are being developed to detect fog in real-time over a wide area, with a focus on the Korean Peninsula (KorPen). The GEO-KOMPSAT-2A/Advanced Meteorological Imager (GK2A/AMI, GK2A) satellite offers an excellent temporal resolution (10 min) and a spatial resolution (500 m), while GEO-KOMPSAT-2B/Geostationary Ocean Color Imager-II (GK2B/GOCI-II, GK2B) provides an excellent spatial resolution (250 m) but poor temporal resolution (1 h) with only visible channels. To enhance the fog detection level (10 min, 250 m), we developed a fused GK2AB fog detection algorithm (FDA) of GK2A and GK2B. The GK2AB FDA comprises three main steps. First, the Korea Meteorological Satellite Center's GK2A daytime fog detection algorithm is utilized to detect fog, considering various optical and physical characteristics. In the second step, GK2B data is extrapolated to 10-min intervals by matching GK2A pixels based on the closest time and location when GK2B observes the KorPen. For reflectance, GK2B normalized visible (NVIS) is corrected using GK2A NVIS of the same time, considering the difference in wavelength range and observation geometry. GK2B NVIS is extrapolated at 10-min intervals using the 10-min changes in GK2A NVIS. In the final step, the extrapolated GK2B NVIS, solar zenith angle, and outputs of GK2A FDA are utilized as input data for machine learning (decision tree) to develop the GK2AB FDA, which detects fog at a resolution of 250 m and a 10-min interval based on geographical locations. Six and four cases were used for the training and validation of GK2AB FDA, respectively. Quantitative verification of GK2AB FDA utilized ground observation data on visibility, wind speed, and relative humidity. Compared to GK2A FDA, GK2AB FDA exhibited a fourfold increase in spatial resolution, resulting in more detailed discrimination between fog and non-fog pixels. In general, irrespective of the validation method, the probability of detection (POD) and the Hanssen-Kuiper Skill score (KSS) are high or similar, indicating that it better detects previously undetected fog pixels. However, GK2AB FDA, compared to GK2A FDA, tends to over-detect fog with a higher false alarm ratio and bias.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.68 no.3
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• pp.134-146
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• 2023

Phytophthora root rot (PRR) is a major soybean disease caused by an oomycete, Phytophthora sojae. PRR can be severe in poorly drained fields or wet soils. The disease management primarily relies on resistance genes called Rps (resistance to P. sojae). This study aimed to identify resistance loci associated with resistance to P. sojae isolate 40468 in Daepung × CheonAl recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. CheonAl is resistant to the isolate, while Daepung is generally susceptible. We genotyped the parents and RIL population via high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and constructed a set of genetic maps. The presence or absence of resistance to P. sojae was evaluated via hypocotyl inoculation technique, and phenotypic distribution fit to a ratio of 1:1 (R:S) (χ² = 0.57, p = 0.75), indicating single gene mediated inheritance. Single-marker association and the linkage analysis identified a highly significant genomic region of 55.9~56.4 megabase pairs on chromosome 18 that explained ~98% of phenotypic variance. Many previous studies have reported several Rps genes in this region, and also it contains nine genes that are annotated to code leucine-rich repeat or serine/threonine kinase within the approximate 500 kilobase pairs interval based on the reference genome database. CheonAl is the first domestic soybean genotype characterized for resistance against P. sojae isolate 40468. Therefore, CheonAl could be a valuable genetic source for breeding resistance to P. sojae.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.21-35
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• 2023

Expectations surrounding generative AI technology and its profound ramifications are sweeping across various industrial domains. Given the anticipated pivotal role of the startup ecosystem in the utilization and advancement of generative AI technology, it is imperative to cultivate a deeper comprehension of the present state and distinctive attributes characterizing venture capital (VC) investments within this domain. The current investigation delves into South Korea's landscape of VC investment deals and prognosticates the projected VC investments by juxtaposing these against the United States, the frontrunner in the generative AI industry and its associated ecosystem. For analytical purposes, a compilation of 286 investment deals originating from 117 U.S. generative AI startups spanning the period from 2008 to 2023, as well as 144 investment deals from 42 South Korean generative AI startups covering the years 2011 to 2023, was amassed to construct new datasets. The outcomes of this endeavor reveal an upward trajectory in the count of VC investment deals within both the U.S. and South Korea during recent years. Predominantly, these deals have been concentrated within the early-stage investment realm. Noteworthy disparities between the two nations have also come to light. Specifically, in the U.S., in contrast to South Korea, the quantum of recent VC deals has escalated, marking an augmentation ranging from 285% to 488% in the corresponding developmental stage. While the interval between disparate investment stages demonstrated a slight elongation in South Korea relative to the U.S., this discrepancy did not achieve statistical significance. Furthermore, the proportion of VC investments channeled into generative AI enterprises, relative to the aggregate number of deals, exhibited a higher quotient in South Korea compared to the U.S. Upon a comprehensive sectoral breakdown of generative AI, it was discerned that within the U.S., 59.2% of total deals were concentrated in the text and model sectors, whereas in South Korea, 61.9% of deals centered around the video, image, and chat sectors. Through forecasting, the anticipated VC investments in South Korea from 2023 to 2029 were derived via four distinct models, culminating in an estimated average requirement of 3.4 trillion Korean won (ranging from at least 2.408 trillion won to a maximum of 5.919 trillion won). This research bears pragmatic significance as it methodically dissects VC investments within the generative AI domain across both the U.S. and South Korea, culminating in the presentation of an estimated VC investment projection for the latter. Furthermore, its academic significance lies in laying the groundwork for prospective scholarly inquiries by dissecting the current landscape of generative AI VC investments, a sphere that has hitherto remained void of rigorous academic investigation supported by empirical data. Additionally, the study introduces two innovative methodologies for the prediction of VC investment sums. Upon broader integration, application, and refinement of these methodologies within diverse academic explorations, they stand poised to enhance the prognosticative capacity pertaining to VC investment costs.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.168-177
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• 2008

Trafficablility of a miner and potential environmental impacts due to mining activities should be considered in the selection of a commercial manganese nodule mining site. These two factors can be evaluated comparatively with physical properties and shear strength of sea-bed sediments. For the qualitative comparison of potential minig sites in terms of these two factors, physical properties such as water contents, void ratios, porosities, and grain densities, and shear strengths of surface sediments were determined for the three potential manganese nodule mining sites(KR1, KR2, and KR5) in the Korean manganese nodule contract area, northeast Pacific. For the study, sediment samples were collected from 107 stations from 2004 to 2006. The physical properties of surface sediments showed more significant differences between northern(KR1, KR2) and southern(KR5) blocks than between northern blocks(KR1 vs. KR2). Water content, void ratio, and porosity of sediments from KR5 were relatively higher than those from KR1 and KR2. Grain density of sediments from KR5 was relatively lower than those from KR1 and KR2. Shear strengths of the top 10cm sediments were higher in KR1 and KR2, whereas those of the deeper part were highest in KR5 block. Generally, sediments of high water contents are less suspendible than those of the low water contents by benthic disturbances, thus less disturbance is expected in the sediments of high water content by mining activities. In terms of trafficability, the shear strength of sediment below 10 cm deep is more important than shallower part because miner will disturb at least top 10 cm interval of the surface sediments. Base on these results, we conclude that KR5 area will be the best site for commercial mining among three investigated sites in this study.