• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3705-3709
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• 2013

Background: To investigate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to analyze any relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis. Materials and Methods: EGFR gene exons 18-21 in 48 specimens of paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from NSCLC patients were amplified by PCR, followed by direct sequencing and analysis of links to clinicopathological features and prognosis. Results: EGFR mutations were detected in 18 of 48 (42.6%) patients with NSCLC. There were 9 cases of mutations in exon 20, 7 in exon 19 and 2 in exon 21. Mutations were more frequently observed in women (5/7 pts, 71.4%) than in men (13/41 pts, 31.7%) (p=0.086) and in non-smokers (5/5 pts, 100%) than smokers (13/43 pts, 30.2%). There was negative correlation of EGFR mutations with smoking status (p=0.005). EGFR mutations were more frequently observed with adenocarcinoma histology (13/32 pts, 40.6%) than in other types (5/16 pts, 31.3%) (p=0.527). The patients with EGFR mutations had better survival than those with wild-type EGFR (p=0.08). There was no association of EGFR mutations with metastatic spread. Conclusions: EGFR mutations in NSCLC were here demonstrated more frequently in females, non-smokers and adenocarcinoma histology in the western region of Turkey. Patients with EGFR mutations have a better prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9467-9470
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• 2014

Background: Research indicates that oxidative stress induced by smoking plays a role in breast cancer. In view of these reports, we aimed to study th relationship between smoking and oxidative stress in breast cancer patients from the western region of Nepal. Materials and Methods: The study included a control group of 42 females (non-smoking healthy women) and a test group sudivided into Group I consisting of 46 female breast cancer patients who were smokers and Group II consisting of 42 non-smoking breast cancer patients. Detailed history of the patients was collected with the help of pre-test proforma. Plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant activity (TAA) which represents total dietary antioxidants, vitamin C and ${\alpha}$- tocopherol were estimated by standard methods. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Results: The plasma MDA, TAA, vitamin C and ${\alpha}$- tocopherol were $1{\pm}1.4nmol/ml$, $918{\pm}207{\mu}mol/L$, $1{\pm}0.24mg/dL$ and $0.94{\pm}0.31mg/dL$ in controls, $5{\pm}1.2nmol/ml$, $458{\pm}166{\mu}mol/L$, $0.64{\pm}0.32mg/dL$ and $0.5{\pm}0.3mg/dL$ in Group-I and $2.56{\pm}1.2nmol/ml$, $663{\pm}178{\mu}mol/L$, $0.78{\pm}0.2mg/dL$ and $0.77{\pm}0.2mg/dL$ in Group- II, respectively. Vitamin C, ${\alpha}$- tocopherol and TAA (p=0.001) were significantly reduced whereas MDA (p=0.001) was significantly raised in Group-I when compared to controls and Group-II. Conclusions: We observed a significant rise in oxidative stress and low levels of antioxidants in breast cancer patients with smoking habit. It is well known that free radicals facilitate the progression of breast cancer, possibly increasing the risk of progression to the next stage.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.569-580
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• 2013

Co-rich ferromanganese crusts (Fe-Mn crusts) distributed on the seamounts in the western Pacific are potential economic resources for cobalt, nickel, platinum, and other rare metals in the future. Regulations for prospecting and exploration of Fe-Mn crusts in the Area, which enables the process to obtain an exclusive exploration right for blocks of the fixed size, were enacted recently by the International Seabed Authority, which led to public attention on its potential for commercial development. Evaluation and selection of a mining site can be established based on abundance and grade of Fe-Mn crusts in the site as well as topography that should be smooth enough for mining efficiency. Therefore, acquisition of shipboard echo-sounding and acoustic backscatter data are prerequisite to select potential mine sites in addition to visual and sampling operations. Acoustic backscatter data can be used to locate crust-covered areas in a regional scale with the understanding of acoustic properties of crust through its correlation with visual and sampling data. KIOST had collected the topographic and geologic data to assess the resources potential for Fe-Mn crusts in the west Pacific region from 1994 to 2001. However, they could not obtain acoustic backscatter data that is crucial for the selection of prospective mining sites. Therefore, additional exploration surveys are required to carry out side scan sonar mapping combined with seafloor observation and sampling to decide the blocks for application of an exclusive exploration right.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.258-265
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• 2024

Purpose: To date, there is no region-specific guideline for pediatric endoscopy training. This study aimed to illustrate the current status of pediatric endoscopy training in Asia-Pacific region and identify opportunities for improvement. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, using a standardized electronic questionnaire, was conducted among medical schools in the Asia-Pacific region in January 2024. Results: A total of 57 medical centers in 12 countries offering formal Pediatric Gastroenterology training programs participated in this regional survey. More than 75% of the centers had an average case load of <10 cases per week for both diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies. Only 36% of the study programs employed competency-based outcomes for program development, whereas nearly half (48%) used volume-based curricula. Foreign body retrieval, polypectomy, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, and esophageal variceal hemostasis, that is, sclerotherapy or band ligation (endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy and endoscopic variceal ligation), comprised the top four priorities that the trainees should acquire in the autonomous stage (unconscious) of competence. Regarding the learning environment, only 31.5% provided formal hands-on workshops/simulation training. The direct observation of procedural skills was the most commonly used assessment method. The application of a quality assurance (QA) system in both educational and patient care (Pediatric Endoscopy Quality Improvement Network) aspects was present in only 28% and 17% of the centers, respectively. Conclusion: Compared with Western academic societies, the limited availability of cases remains a major concern. To close this gap, simulation and adult endoscopy training are essential. The implementation of reliable and valid assessment tools and QA systems can lead to significant development in future programs.

• Atmosphere
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.511-523
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• 2019

A new Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA) airborne measurement platform has been established for regular observations for scientific purpose over South Korea since late 2017. CRDS G-2401m analyzer mounted on the King Air 350HW was used to continuous measurement of CO₂, CH₄ and CO mole fraction. The total uncertainty of measurements was estimated to be 0.07 ppm for CO₂, 0.5 ppb for CH₄, and 4.2 ppb for CO by combination of instrument precision, repeatability test simulated in-flight condition and water vapor correction uncertainty. The airborne vertical profile measurements were performed at a regional Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Anmyeon-do (AMY) station that belongs to the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and provides concurrent observations to the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) overpasses. The vertical profile of CO₂ shows clear altitude gradient, while the CH₄ shows non-homogenous pattern in the free troposphere over Anmyeon-do. Vertically averaged CO₂ at the altitude between 1.5 and 8.0km are lower than AMY surface background value about 7 ppm but higher than that observed in free troposphere of western pacific region about 4 ppm, respectively. CH₄ shows lower level than those from ground GAW stations, comparable with flask airborne data that was taken in the western pacific region. Furthermore, this study shows that the combination of CH₄ distribution in free troposphere and trajectory analysis, taking account of convective mixing, is a useful tool in investigating CH₄ transport processes from tropical region to Korean region in winter season.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.309-312
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• 2008

The advent of high resolution products of surface wind and temperature derived by satellite data has permitted us to investigate ocean and atmosphere interaction studies in detail. Especially the Kuroshio extension region of the western North Pacific is considered to be a key area for such studies. We have constructed gridded products of surface wind/wind stress over the world ocean using satellite scatterometer (Qscat/SeaWinds), available as the Japanese Ocean Flux data sets with Use of Remote sensing Observation (J-OFURO). Using new data based on improved algorithm which have been recently delivered, we are reconstructing gridded product with higher spatial resolution. Intercomparison of this product with the previous one reveals that there are some discrepancies between them in short-period and high wind-speed ranges especially in the westerly wind region. The products are validated by not only comparisons with in-situ measurement data by mooring buoys such as TAO/TRITON in the tropical Pacific and the Kuroshio Extension Observation (KEO) buoys, but also intercomparison with numerical weather prediction model (NWPM) products (the NRA-1 and 2). Our products have much smaller mean difference in the study areas than the NWPM ones, meaning higher reliability compared with the NWPM products. Using the high resolution products together with sea surface temperature (SST) data, we examine a new type of relationship between the lower atmosphere and upper ocean in the Kuroshio Extension region. It is suggested that the spatial relation between the wind speed and SST depends upon, more or less, the surrounding oceanic condition.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.169-177
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• 2002

An eddy-resolving free-surface primitive-equation model with nonlinear terrain-following coordinates is established to study the exchange of water masses among the Asian marginal seas and their adjacent waters. A curvilinear coordinate system is used to generate the horizontal grid with a variable resolution for the regional oceans from $5^{\circ}$S to $45^{\circ}$N and $100^{\circ}$E to $155^{\circ}$E. The higher resolution region has about a 10 km by 10 km grid covering the complex geometry of the coastal marginal seas, while the lower resolution region has about a 30 km by 30 km grid covering the eastern Pacific. The model is initialized by the Levitus annual climitology and forced by the monthly mean air-sea fluxes of momentum, heat, and freshwater derived from the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set. High-resolution and low-viscosity are identified as the key factors for a better representation of the exchange of waters through narrow straits and passages between the marginal seas and their adjacent waters. The dynamics of the loop currents and eddies in the South China Sea and Celebes Sea are examined in detail. It has found that the anticyclonic loop and detached eddies from the Kuroshio through the Luzon Strait play an important role in transporting warm and salty water into the South China Sea, while the cyclonic circulation of the Mindanao Current in the Celebes Sea plays a role in contributing cold water to the Indonesian throughflow. The deep undercurrent of the western Pacific is shown to provide fresher water to the South China Sea and Celebes Sea. These modeling results suggest that the exchange processes via the narrow straits and passages are of fundamental importance to the maintenance of water masses for the marginal sea region.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.30-46
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• 1992

Korea's first exploratory tuna fishing was done with a used longliner in 1957. Then the commercial fishing has been made steady headway since the 1960's and grown up to one of major tuna fishing countries in 1970's. The tuna fishing aimed primarily at acquiring foreign currency, then tuna was exported directly from the overseas fishing base. Tuna, however, has been gradually favored by Koreans as high-proteined foods according to the growth of GNP since the 1970's. In 1980, the canned tuna began to be produced and sold at home. And so the demand of raw tuna for cannaries has steeply increased not only for home but also for abroad, and stimulated the development of tuna purse seine fishery. The author carried out a study on the development of tuna purse seine fishery in Korea and countries concerned-the United States and Japan-because it is recognized to be significant for the further development of this fishery. Just as purse seining was originated in the United States, so tuna purse seining was also pioneered by Californian fishermen in the west coastal waters of the United States (Eastern Pacific Ocean). They started to produce the canned tuna in the early 1900's, and the demand for raw tuna began to be increased rapidly. In those days, tuna was mostly caught by pole-and-line, but the catch amount was far away from the demand. To satisfy this demand, they began to try out fishing tuna by the use of purse seine which had been born in the eastern waters in the 1820's and applied to catch white fishes in the western waters of the United States in those days. Even though their trial was technically successful through severe trial and error, a new problem was raised on the management of tuna resource and the preservation of porpoise which was occassionally caught with tuna. Then the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) was established by countries neighboring to the United States in 1950 and they set up the Commission's Yellowfin Regulatory Area (CYRA) and regulated the annual quota for yellowfin. Then, American owners tried to send their seiners to the Western African waters to expand the fishing ground in 1967 and to the Centeral-Western Pacfic in 1974, and the fishing ground was widely expanded. The number of the United States' purse seiners amounted to about 150 in 1980, but the enthusiasm was gradually cooled thereafter and the number of seiner was decreased to 67 in 1986. The landing of tuna by purse seiners in the United States after 1980 maintains 200 thousands M/T or so with a little increase despite the decreasing of domestic seiners. This shows that the landing by foreign seiners are increasing, compared with the landing by domestic seiners are decreasing. In Japan, even though purse seining was introduced in 1880, they had fished tuna by longline and pole-and -line until the tuna purse seining was introduced from the United States again. In the 1960's, Japanese tuna seiners made the exploratory fishing in the South-western Pacific and West African waters with a limited success. In 1971, the government-funded research center "JARMRAC" conducted the exploratory fishing which extended to the Central American waters, the Asia-Pacific Region and the South-western Pacific. It had also much difficulties, till they improved the fishing gear adaptable to the new fishing condition in the South-western Pacific. Japanese government has begun to licence 32 single seiners and 7 group seiners since 1980 and their standard has lasted up to now. The catch in the Pacific Islands Region amounted to 160 thousands M/T in 1986. Korea's tuna purse seine fishery was originated in 1971 by Jedong Industrial Co., Ltd. with three used tuna purse seiners purchased from the United States, and they began to fish in the Eastern Pacific, but failed owing to the superannuation of vessel and the infancy of fishing technique. The second challenge was done by Dongwon Industrial Co., Ltd. in 1979, with one used seiner purchased from the United States, and started to fish in the Eastern Pacific. Even though the first trial was almost unsuccessful but they could obtain the noticeable success by removing the vessel to the South-western Pacific in 1980. This success stimulated the Korean entherprisers to take part in this fishery, and the number of Korean tuna purse seiners has been increased rapidly in accordance with the increased demand for raw tuna. The number of vessels actually at work amounted to 36 in 1990 and they operate in the South-western Pacific. The annual catch of tuna by purse seiners amounted to 170 thousands M/T in 1990 and ranked to one of the major tuna purse seining countries in the world.

• Atmosphere
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2018

In this study, we investigate the performance of Global Seasonal Forecasting System version 5 (GloSea5) in Korea Meteorological Administration on the relationship between El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ and East Asian climate for the period of 1991~2010. It is found that the GloSea5 has a great prediction skill of El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ whose anomaly correlation coefficients of $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ indices are over 0.96 during winter. The eastern Pacific (EP) El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ and the central Pacific (CP) El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ are considered and we analyze for EP El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$, which is well simulated in GloSea5. The analysis period is divided into the developing phase of El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ summer (JJA(0)), mature phase of El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ winter (D(0)JF(1)), and decaying phase of El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ summer (JJA(1)). The GloSea5 simulates the relationship between precipitation and temperature in East Asia and the prediction skill for the East Asian precipitation and temperature varies depending on the El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ phase. While the precipitation and temperature are simulated well over the equatorial western Pacific region, there are biases in mid-latitude region during the JJA(0) and JJA(1). Because the low level pressure, wind, and vertical stream function are simulated weakly toward mid-latitude region, though they are similar with observation in low-latitude region. During the D(0)JF(1), the precipitation and temperature patterns analogize with observation in most regions, but there is temperature bias in inland over East Asia. The reason is that the GloSea5 poorly predicts the weakening of Siberian high, even though the shift of Aleutian low is predicted. Overall, the predictability of precipitation and temperature related to El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ in the GloSea5 is considered to be better in D(0)JF(1) than JJA(0) and JJA(1) and better in ocean than in inland region.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.585-597
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• 2007

The characteristics of the rainfall events on the Korean peninsula have been investigated by means of regional and global observational data collected from 1954 to 2004 with an emphasis on extreme cases $80\;mm\;day^{-1}$. According to our analysis, long-term annual rainfall anomalies show an increasing trend. This trend is pronounced in the month of August, when both the amount of monthly rainfall and the frequency of extreme events increase significantly. Composite maps on August during the 8 wet years reveal warm SST anomalies over the eastern Philippine Sea which are associated with enhanced convection and vertical motion and intensified positive SLP over central Eurasia during August. The rainfall pattern suggests that the most significant increase in moisture supply over the southern parts of China and Korea in August is associated with positive SLP changes over Eurasia and negative SLP changes over the subtropical western Pacific off the east coast of south China. The frequent generation of typhoons over the warm eastern Philippine Sea and their tracks appear to influence the extreme rainfall events in Korea during the month of August. The typhoons in August mainly passed the western coast of Korea, resulting in the frequent occurrence of extreme rainfall events in this region. Furthermore, anomalous cyclonic circulations over the eastern Philippine Sea also promoted the generation of tropical cyclones. The position of pressure systems - positive SLP over Eurasia and negative SLP over the subtropical Pacific - in turn provided a pathway for typhoons. The moisture is then effectively transported further north toward Korea and east toward the southern parts of China during the extreme rainfall period.