• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.1863-1867
• /
• 2012

Background: Maintenance chemotherapy is one strategy pursued in recent years with intent to break through the chemotherapy plateau for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, given the toxicity, platinum-based combinations are rarely given for this purpose. We carried out the present prospective study of triplet platinum-based combination sequential chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC to investigate if patients could tolerate and benefit from such intensive treatment. Methods: From Dec 2003 to Dec 2007, 190 stage IIIB and IV NSCLC patients in Sun yat-sen University sequentially received the 3 platinum-based combination (TP-NP-GP) treatment (T: paclitaxol175$mg/m^2$ d1; N: vinorelbine25$mg/m^2$ d1 and 8; G: gemcitabine1$g/m^2$ d1 and 8; P: cisplatin20$mg/m^2$ d1-5; repeated every 3 weeks). Patients were followed up to at least 3 years to obtain survival data. Treatment toxicities and the quality of life (QOL) were assessed during the whole treatment. Results: There were 187 patients evaluable. The TP, NP and GP response rates with sequential use were 42.8% (80/187), 41.1% (65/158) and 28.8% (21/73) respectively. Median survival time was 18.2 months and the 1, 2 and 3 year overall survival (OS) rates were 78.7%, 38.5% and 21.3%. Patients receiving > 6 cycles of chemotherapy had significantly longer OS and TTP (MST 25.3 vs. 14.5 months, TTP 15.1 vs. 9.1 months). The QOL on the whole for the patients was improved after chemotherapy. Conclusions: The sequential chemotherapy strategy with triplet platinum-based combination regimens can improve the survival outcome and the quality of life of advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.217-224
• /
• 1992

The study was undertaken to determine the effect of dietary magnesium on the eggshell quality and other performance in laying Tsaiya ducks and Leghorn hens. Twenty-five Tsaiya ducks and 25 Leghorn hens were raised in individual cages. The basal diet was mainly consisted of corn starch and isolated soybean protein. At the beginning of the experiments, birds were fed for 10 days with the basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg Mg (1070 mg/kg in total by analysis) in order to allow the birds adapting to the new diet. Both Tsaiya ducks and Leghorn hens were then each randomly divided into five groups and each group of five birds were fed with the experimental diets containing 690, 1070, 1690, 2150 or 2380 mg/kg Mg, respectively for 21 days. Eggs were collected in order to measure eggshell quality, Mg and Ca content of the eggshell. At the end of the experiments, blood samples of all birds were taken from their brachial veins for measuring the concentration of Mg and Ca in the plasma. Experimental results appeared that the dietary Mg content did not significantly affect egg production, egg weight, eggshell breaking strength and thickness in both Tsaiya ducks and Leghorn hens. In Tsaiya ducks, however, the plasma Mg concentration was affected by the dietary Mg content, but the plasma Mg almost reached a plateau (4.66 mg/dl) as long as the dietary Mg level was over 1070 mg/kg. In Leghorn hens, the plasma Mg level was significantly increased from 1.66 mg/dl to 4.03 mg/dl when the dietary Mg content in the diet had been increased from 690 mg/kg to 2380 mg/kg, suggesting that the plasma Mg concentration seems to be directly influenced by the Mg absorbed in the intestine. In the Tsaiya ducks, however, the dietary Mg level did not significantly affect the eggshell Mg content (from 0.113% to 0.123%). Whereas, there was a negative correlation between the eggshell thickness and eggshell Mg content (r = -0.50, p<0.01), revealing that the increase in eggshell Mg content probably associated with the impairment of eggshell quality in Tsaiya ducks. In Leghorn hens, however, there was no significant correlation between eggshell quality and eggshell Mg content, although the Mg content in the eggshell was also increased from 0.279% to 0.427% when the dietary Mg had been elevated from 690 mg/kg to 2380 mg/kg.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.806-817
• /
• 2014

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of providing different levels of a supplement on the nutritional characteristics and productive performance of heifers on pasture during the rainy-dry transition and dry season in Brazil or tropical area. Thirty crossbred heifers with predominance of Zebu breed were used in a completely randomized experimental design. Treatments consisted of a mineral supplement and 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 kg/animal/d of a protein supplement containing 300 g crude protein (CP)/kg of dry matter (DM). In the rainy-dry transition season there was quadratic effect of the protein supplementation (p<0.10) on daily weight gain (DWG). A linear relationship (p<0.10) was found between increasing supplement intake and intakes of DM, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), non fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) and total digestible nutrients (TDN). Coefficients of apparent digestibility of CP, EE, and NFC increased linearly (p<0.10) with increasing supplement levels, but there was no effect on the DM apparent digestibility (p>0.10); the microbial efficiency (g CPmic/kg TDN) and the relationship of microbial nitrogen flow with nitrogen intake (g/g nitrogen intake) were negative linear profiles. In the dry season, the descriptive pattern least squares means showed a trend of stabilization of DWG from the supply of 0.98 kg of protein supplement; the intakes of DM, OM, CP, EE, NFC, and TDN showed increasing linear relationship (p<0.10) with protein supplement levels; the means of apparent digestibility coefficients of the different dietary fractions presented a linear-response-plateau (LRP); the microbial nitrogen flow (g/d) showed positive linear profile (p<0.10) for supplementation levels. It is concluded that supplementation improves the productive performance of grazing heifers and that 1.0 kg/d of supplement per animal gives the maximum increment of weight gain.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.43-51
• /
• 2014

Purpose : To review MR imaging finding of papillary lesion identified as additional suspicious lesion on MR image in women with biopsy-proven breast cancer and to evaluate upgrading rates after subsequent surgical histopathological diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Among 1729 preoperative MR image of women with biopsy proven breast cancer, US-guided CNB-proven 22 papillary lesions from 21 patients, which showed additional suspicious contrast enhancement other than index cancer on MR image, were subjected to the study. Some of these lesions underwent surgery, thus the comparisons between the histopathologic results were able to be compared to the results of US-guided CNB. Also retrospective analysis was done for MR findings of these lesions by BI-RADS MRI lexicon. Results: On MR imaging, 8 mass lesions, 7 non-mass lesions, 7 focus lesions were detected. All of the focus lesion (100%, 7/7) was diagnosed as benign lesion and showed plateau and washout pattern in dynamic MR image. After excisional biopsy, one of 9 benign papilloma (11.1%), 3 of 3 papillary neoplasm with atypia component (100%), 3 of 5 papillary neoplasm (60%) were upgraded to malignancy such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). Conclusion: The MR images of papillary lesions diagnosed by US-guided CNB exhibit no significant differences between malignancy and benign lesion. Also 41.2% of the lesion (7/17) was upgraded after subsequent surgery. Thus all of the papillary lesions require excisional biopsy for definite diagnosis and the MR imaging, it's just not enough by itself.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.394-409
• /
• 1994

The symbiotic activities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) such as spore density, symbiotic intensity and vesicle density, phytomasses of higher plants such as Calamagrostis epigeios, Imperata cylindria, Artemisia scoparia, Aster tripolium and Sonchus brachyotus and seasonal change of the AMF activities, electric conductivity and zinc contents in plant and soil were determined in the rhizospheres of higher plants at abandoned old coastal reclaimed lands, where constructed in 12 and 30 years ago. If plants of reclaimed land classified to salinity, symbiotic activities of AMF were high in order of obligate halophyte, facultative halophyte and glycophyte. Also, those plants classified to life form, symbiotic activities of AMF were high in order of annual, biennial and perennial plants. Seasonal variation of spore density, one of symbiotic activities showed that the plateau density maintained continuously from the end of growing season of the higher plants to next spring. For this reason, it regarded that reproduction of AMF spore would be formed in autumn, when the higher plants will be developed. Seasonal change of symbiosis intensity, other symbiotic activities, however, showed that the highest symbiosis intensity occurred in spring and summer but the lowest in autumn. In relationships among symbiotic activities, spore density was directry proportional increase of symbiosis intensity. Moreover, phytomass of higher plants also was directly proportional to increase the spore density as well as symbiosis intensity. Vesicle density, however, did not any correlation with the phytomass, spore density and symbiosis intensity. From these results, it can know that both spore density and symbiosis intensity are strongly possible to use as the measure of symbiotic activity owing to symbiosis of tho-AMF, the more absorption of zinc by the higher plants carried out the less concentration of zinc in the soil.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2016

The Korea Meteorological Administration has operated the Automatic Weather Stations, of the average 13 km horizontal resolution, to observe rainfall. However, an additional RADAR network also has been operated in all-weather conditions, because AWS network could not observed rainfall over the sea. In general, the rain rate is obtained by estimating the relationship between the radar reflectivity (Z) and the rainfall (R). But this empirical relationship needs to be optimized on the rainfall over the Korean peninsula. This study was carried out to optimize the Z-R relationship in the summer of 2014 using a parallel Micro Genetic Algorithm. The optimized Z-R relationship, $Z=120R^{1.56}$, using a micro genetic algorithm was different from the various Z-R relationships that have been previously used. However, the landscape of the fitness function found in this study looked like a flat plateau. So there was a limit to the fine estimation including the complex development and decay processes of precipitation between the ground and an altitude of 1.5km.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.87-101
• /
• 1989

The development of the Hantan river basin can be divided into three stages. The first stage include the ancient Hantan channel system prior to the Chongokni basalt which yield dates of about 0.6 mya from the K/Ar dating method. During this period the Baekuyri formation was formed. The Baekuyri formation is widely observed under the Chongokni basalt along the current river system. The second stage is the period when stream channels stayed on the top of the basalt plateau. Aggradation and deggradation were continued by meandering and braiding channel systems until major stream channel was formed. The currently remaining deposit on the top of the basalt was formed by lacustrine and fluvial systems in this period. During this period Pleistocene hominid was present on edge of water and flood plain and left Paleolithic material. This period was begun at the time of the final basalt flow dated about 300,000 BP. The third stage is designed for the time when the Hantan river channel was dropped down to a level from which the channel could not influence the top of the basalt any more No more deposit could be formed but erosion by surface water has been continued on the top of the basalt since then. The dropping of the Hantan river channel was probably not very long after the final flow of the basalt. Because of frost action and heavy concentrated precipitation in the basin area along with blocky and clumnar joint structure of the basalt, erosional process of the basalt is believed to have been carried out within a relatively short time. The lowering of the Hantan river channel was probably completed in a cycle of major fluctuation of world cimate. Also, the redclay on the top of the basalt is believed to have been formed during a warm period around 200,000 BP, which accords with the climatic change suggested above fair1y well. The Paleolithic materials in tile deposits fell accordingly into approximately same time period.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.171-179
• /
• 2002

It is well known that the geometry of the articular surface plays a major role in the kinematic and kinetic analysis to understand human knee joint function during motion. The functionality of the knee joint cannot be accurately modeled without considering the effects of sliding and lolling motions. We Present a 3-D human knee joint model considering sliding and rotting motion and major ligaments. We employ more realistic articular geometry using two cam profiles obtained from the extrusion of the sagittal Plain view of the representative Computerized Tomography image of the knee joint compared to the previously reported model. Our model shows good agreement with the already reported experimental results on Prediction of the lines of force through the human joint during gait. The contact point between femur and tibia moves toward the Posterior direction as the knee undergoes flexion, reflecting the coupling of anterior and Posterior motion with flexion/extension. The anterior/posterior displacement of the contact Point on the tibia plateau during one gait cycle is about 16 mm. for the lateral condyle and 25 mm. for the medial condyle using the employed model Also. the femur motion on the tibia undergoes lateral/medial movement about 7 mm. and 10 mm. during one gait cycle for the lateral condyle and medial condyle. respectively. The developed computational model maybe Potentially employed to identify the joint degeneration.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.315-326
• /
• 2008

Recently, the occurrence and intensity of Asian Dust have dramatically increased in Korean peninsula, resulting in severe damages to the domestic social and economic field. The most useful way to prevent the damage of Asian Dust is the restraint of the occurrence of Asian Dust itself. However, Asian dust is the one of the natural phenomena, thus there is a basic limit to manage the Asian Dust. Though it is impossible to restrain the occurrence of Asian Dust in short time at present, it is a urgent matter to minimize the damage of Asian Dust. It is necessary to construct the basic data for understanding the harmfulness of Asian Dust, and to elucidate the source area of Asian Dust in connection with the maleficence of itself. In this study, the source area of Asian Dust in spring, 2007, is investigated using the Sr-Nd isotopic ratios which is the most common method to trace the source of geological materials. The relationships of Sr-Nd isotope ratios indicate that Asian Dust was originated from Central Loess Plateau and/or Ordos desert in spring, 2007.

• Journal of Labour Economics
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.35-66
• /
• 2001

This study first attempted to measure the job instability of Korean labor market by exploiting the data sets of 1998 and 1999 Korean Labor Panels. In order to compare the degrees of job instability of Korea with the one of U.S., we followed the same empirical methods used by Jaeger and Stevens(1999), Neumark et al.(1999), Bemhardt et al.(1999) recently published in the Journal of Labor Economics (vol. 17). Our empirical results suggest that the job retention rate of the Korean labor market during the IMF economic crisis was decreased to the level that the U.S. labor market has never experienced during the past two decades. One noticeable point regarding our estimated four year retention rate is that it takes a form of plateau peaked around 9 and 15 tenure year, which is in sharp contrast with the four year retention rate of u.S. showing a monotonically decreasing tendency over tenure periods. The comparison of 2-year retention rates before and after the economic crisis suggests that job stabilities has been conspicuously aggravated especially for cohorts of long tenure, irregular job, old age, service and sales jobs.