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Lim, C.; Park, S.-H.; Kim, D.-Y.; Woo, S.-B., and Jeong, K.-Y., 2017. Influence of steric effect on the rapid sea level rise at Jeju Island, Korea. In: Lee, J.L.; Griffiths, T.; Lotan, A.; Suh, K.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), The 2nd International Water Safety Symposium. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 79, pp. 189-193. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. According to a report by the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency (KHOA), the sea level rise in west coast (1.31 mm/yr), east coast (2.69 mm/yr) and south coast (2.05 mm/yr) of Korea are different. Especially, the seas around Jeju Island show one of the most rapid increase of sea level rise in recent years. This investigation on the data from Jeju and Seogwipo tidal station indicated that the sea level rises around Jeju and near Seogwipo were 5.63 mm/yr and 3.75 mm/yr, respectively. This shows that the northern and southern parts of the island have different temporal rates of sea level rise. The purpose of this research is to analyze the influence of the steric effect caused by density change in the water to the rate of sea level rise, by using sea temperature and salinity data measured by the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS). It is found that the trend of seawater density variation near Jeju Island changed by the time of around 2006 and so does the sea level rise, indicating that there is a meaningful correlation between sea level rise and density variation. The rate of steric height rise by the density were calculated, resulting in a 15.8% and 23.2% of sea level rise in Jeju and Seogwipo, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although Korea has as large a housing stock as other developed countries hold, it has striven to focus on growth-oriented policies by creating new housing units rather than maintaining or rehabilitating existing ones, which has resulted in a few efforts to develop policies to maintain and rehabilitate existing apartment houses. In early 1990, there was a huge construction of 2 million units of apartment housing in the areas around Seoul, such as Bundang and Ilsan. At this point of time when it has been nearly 20 years since the enormous construction, loan programs that enable the existing multiple dwellings to be maintained for sustainable usage are expected to receive much attention. In this study, the loan programs of New York City and Tokyo Metropolis to maintain multiple dwellings were analyzed as a model for Korean loan programs to support the maintenance of apartment houses, and based on the results of analysis, the directions of organizing the domestic loan programs to maintenance apartment houses were presented. The results are summarized as follows: First, along with the housing finance policies executed previously in New York and Tokyo, the Korean environment to maintenance apartment houses and policies for maintenance were examined. Then, the necessity for and imperfection of the policies of Korea to support the maintenance of apartment houses were identified. Second, the targets, benefits, qualification for application and conditions for benefits of the loan programs of New York and Tokyo for maintaining multiple dwellings were researched in order to find the basic framework of the loan programs. Last, based on the framework of the loan programs of New York and Tokyo, the directions of loan programs and measures to foster housing funds for maintaining apartment houses for Korea were proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: To compare the actual vacuum pressure at the end of an aspiration bypass system (ABS) phaco tip and a conventional tip in conditions similar to those during human cataract surgery. Setting: Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Methods: A 4.0 mm diameter rubber eraser ball was inserted in a phacoemulsified swine eye and engaged to a phaco tip. With a vacuum pressure of 300 mm Hg, the eraser ball was pulled in the opposite direction with the phaco tip. The pulling power separating the eraser ball from the phaco tip was measured using the volume of water dripped into a container connected to the eraser ball. Measurements were taken with an Infiniti ABS tip and 2 conventional tips: Sovereign (conventional tip S) and Infiniti (conventional tip I). Measurements were taken alternatively at random in the same eye. Results: The mean pulling power was 17.35 mL ± 5.01 (SD) with conventional tip S and 16.85 ± 4.45 mL with conventional tip I. The mean pulling power of the ABS tip was 13.35 ± 4.32 mL, which was a mean 20.8% lower than that of conventional tip I (P = .016) and 23.1% lower than that of conventional tip S (P = .010). Conclusions: The actual vacuum pressure of the phaco tip was significantly influenced by the presence of the ABS hole. To compensate for the decrease in actual vacuum pressure, surgeons should be aware of the characteristics of the ABS tip being used and change the standard settings accordingly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Background: The prevalence of antibodies for hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) in adolescents and young adults has decreased remarkably following the economic growth in Korea. As a result, this age group has a high risk for HAV infection paradoxically, and over 1500 cases of clinically overt hepatitis A occurred in 1998. Human isolates of hepatitis A virus (HAV) are categorized within four genotypes (I, II, III, and VII). In some geographic regions, closely related isolates cluster, suggesting endemic spread of the virus, while in other regions multiple genotypes circulate. Virtually no data are available with regard to the genetic relatedness of Korean strains of HAV. Methods and Results: A 168 base pair segment encompassing the putative VP1/2A junction of the HAV genome was amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced in sera of 18 Korean patients with a sporadic form of acute hepatitis A. Pairwise comparisons of the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of 18 Korean isolates with one another revealed that the Korean isolates showed > 94.6% and > 96.4% identity, respectively. All of the 18 Korean isolates clustered within genotype IA, irrespective of the geographic locations and the time that hepatitis occurred. Unique amino acid sequence changes that had never been reported in genotype IA were found in nine of the 18 isolates. These changes were Gln arrow right Ser and Lys arrow right Arg in 2A-19 and 2A-10 amino acid positions. Conclusion: The presence of single genotype and unique... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 4330 food samples of which microbiological standard for Escherichia coli is negative in Korea were determined for the frequency of E. coli. Ninety six samples (2.2%) were positive for E. coli. Detection rate of E. coli varied significantly by food type and ranged from 0.3% to 10.9%. Seasoned raw meat (yukhoe) and cold bean-soup had the highest prevalence for E. coli (10.9%) followed by gimbap (5.2%), meat broth for cold noodle (2.9%) and sprout (2.1%). E. coli isolates (n=96) were investigated for their phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance patterns. Seventeen E. coli isolates (17.7%) were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents tested. High rates of resistance to the following drugs were observed: tetracycline (15.6%), streptomycin (12.5%), ampicillin (10.4%), nalidixic acid (9.4%) and ticarcillin (9.4%). All ampicillin resistant isolates were screened for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production by the combination disk test. None of the E. coli isolates produced ESBLs. Seventeen out of 96 E. coli isolates which were resistant to at least one antibiotic were investigated by PCR for the presence of 3 classes of antimicrobial resistance genes (tetracycline, aminoglycosides and beta-lactams). The tetracycline resistance genes tetA and tetB were found in 7 and 5 isolates, respectively. The aminoglycoside resistance genes, strA/B, aphA1, aadA and aac(3)-IV were found in 9, 5, 2 and 2 isolates, respectively. The beta-lactam resistance gene, bla(TEM) was found in 7 isolates. Results of this study show that 13 E. coli isolates were multidrug resistant (to three or more antibiotics) and 12 isolates carried at least one antimicrobial resistance gene. These isolates can act as the reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes and facilitate the dissemination of these genes to other pathogenic and commensal bacteria. Adequate intervention to reduce microbial contamination of these foods is strongly recommended., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background/aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been characterized by a wide spectrum of liver damages that span from steatosis to cryptogenic liver cirrhosis and even to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aims of this study were to determine whether the prevalence of HCC arising from cryptogenic cirrhosis has increased during the last ten years and to characterize the clinical features of cryptogenic HCC in Korea., Methods: A retrospective and hospital-based analysis of the clinical data was done in 1,145 HCC patients; group A (Jan. 1993-Dec. 1995), group B (Jan. 2000-Dec. 2002). The etiologies of HCC with liver cirrhosis in group A and group B were analyzed. The risk factors of NAFLD such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension between cryptogenic HCC and HCC with well-defined etiologies were compared., Results: The major leading causes of HCC in each group were hepatitis B virus infection, followed by alcohol, hepatitis C virus and cryptogenic. There was a significant increase in the proportion of cryptogenic HCC in group B (A: 2.3%, B: 5.4%, p < 0.05). In the case of HCV, it was 5.3% in group A and 9.9% in group B (p < 0.05). Although the prevalence of cyptogenic HCC was significantly increased at an interval of seven years apart, there was no significant difference in the proportions of risk factors of NAFLD between cryptogenic HCC group and well-defined etiology group., Conclusions: The prevalence of cryptogenic HCC was significantly increased in Korea during the last decade. Although statistically insignificant, there was a trend toward the higher proportion of risk factors with NAFLD in patients with cryptogenic HCC. This suggests that increased proportion of risk factors associated for NAFLD may have contributed to the development of cryptogenic HCC.