• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.338-347
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• 2023

Objectives: Ilex paraguariensis (Aquifoleaceae) is cultivated to produce "yerba mate". Due to its nutritional, energizing, hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects, it is used in the elaboration of food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The oxidative stress related to protein glycation and production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) leads to the development of several diseases. The objective of this work was to compare the antioxidant and anti-AGEs activity of a decoction of fruits (F) and leaves (L). Methods: The antioxidant activity was assayed by the DPPH assay and the inhibition of egg yolk lipid peroxidation (ILP), and anti-AGEs activity, through the inhibition of the formation of fructosamine (IF), β-amyloid (Iβ), protein carbonylation (IC) and AGEs (IA). Polyphenols were quantified by HPLC. Results: Maximum response ± SEM: For F 0.01 ㎍/mL: IF = 42 ± 4%, IC = 17 ± 2% and for 10 ㎍/mL: IA = 38 ± 4%, Iβ = 67 ± 7%. For L 0.1 ㎍/mL: IF = 35 ± 2%, IC = 19 ± 2% and for 100 ㎍/mL: IA = 26 ± 3%, Iβ = 63.04 ± 2%. The DPPH IC₅₀ = 134.8 ± 14 ㎍/mL for F and 34.67 ± 3 ㎍/mL for L. The ILP IC₅₀ = 512.86 ± 50 ㎍/mL for F and 154.8 ± 15 ㎍/mL for L. By HPLC L presented the highest amounts of flavonoids and caffeoylquinic acids. F and L showed strong anti-AGEs activity, affecting the early stages of glycation at low concentrations and the late stages of glycation at high concentrations. The highest activity for both F and L was seen in the IF and Iβ. F presented the highest anti-AGEs potency. L presented the highest antioxidant potency, which was related to the highest content of polyphenols. Conclusion: The fruits of I. paraguariensis could be a source of antioxidant and anti-AGEs compounds to be used with medicinal purposes or as functional food.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.154-161
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• 2024

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal motor neuron disorder that causes progressive paralysis. L-Citrulline is a nonessential neutral amino acid produced by L-arginine via nitric oxide synthase (NOS). According to previous studies, the pathogenesis of ALS entails glutamate toxicity, oxidative stress, protein misfolding, and neurofilament disruption. In addition, L-citrulline prevents neuronal cell death in brain ischemia; therefore, we investigated the change in the transport of L-citrulline under various pathological conditions in a cell line model of ALS. We examined the uptake of [¹⁴C]L-citrulline in wild-type (hSOD1wt/WT) and mutant NSC-34/ SOD1^G93A (MT) cell lines. The cell viability was determined via MTT assay. A transport study was performed to determine the uptake of [¹⁴C]L-citrulline. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was performed to determine the expression levels of rat large neutral amino acid transported 1 (rLAT1) in ALS cell lines. Nitric oxide (NO) assay was performed using Griess reagent. L-Citrulline had a restorative effect on glutamate induced cell death, and increased [¹⁴C]L-citrulline uptake and mRNA levels of the large neutral amino acid transporter (LAT1) in the glutamate-treated ALS disease model (MT). NO levels increased significantly when MT cells were pretreated with glutamate for 24 h and restored by co-treatment with L-citrulline. Co-treatment of MT cells with L-arginine, an NO donor, increased NO levels. NSC-34 cells exposed to high glucose conditions showed a significant increase in [¹⁴C]L-citrulline uptake and LAT1 mRNA expression levels, which were restored to normal levels upon co-treatment with unlabeled L-citrulline. In contrast, exposure of the MT cell line to tumor necrosis factor alpha, lipopolysaccharides, and hypertonic condition decreased the uptake significantly which was restored to the normal level by co-treating with unlabeled L-citrulline. L-Citrulline can restore NO levels and cellular uptake in ALS-affected cells with glutamate cytotoxicity, pro-inflammatory cytokines, or other pathological states, suggesting that L-citrulline supplementation in ALS may play a key role in providing neuroprotection.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.142-154
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• 2023

Plant abscission is a natural process in which plant organs or tissues undergo detachment, a strategy selected by nature for the disposal of nonessential organs and widespread dissemination of seeds and fruits. However, from an agricultural perspective, the abscission of seeds or fruits represents a major factor that reduces crop productivity and product quality. Therefore, during the crop domestication process in traditional agriculture, mutants exhibiting suppressed abscission were selected and crossbred, thereby enabling the production of modern crop varieties such as rice, tomatoes, canola, and soybeans. These crops possess a unique trait of retaining ripe fruits or seeds in contrast to disposal via abscission. During the previous century, research on quantitative trait loci along with genetic and molecular biological studies on Arabidopsis thaliana have elucidated various cell biological mechanisms, signaling pathways, and transcription regulators involved in abscission. Additionally, it has been revealed that various hormone signals, which are involved in plant growth, play crucial roles in modulating abscission activity. Researchers have developed several chemical treatments that target these hormones and signal transduction pathways to enhance crop yields. This review aimed to introduce the previously identified signal transduction pathways and pivotal regulators implicated in abscission activity. Moreover, this review will discuss the future direction of research required to investigate crop abscission mechanisms for their potential application in smart farming and other areas of agriculture, as well as areas within model systems that require extensive research.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.149-154
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• 2024

Research on particulate matter is advancing in real-time, and various methods are being studied to improve the accuracy of prediction models. Furthermore, studies that take into account various factors to understand the precise causes and impacts of particulate matter are actively being pursued. This paper trains an LSTM model using seasonal data and another LSTM model using concentration-based data. It compares and analyzes the PM_2.5 prediction performance of the two models. To train the model, weather data and air pollutant data were collected. The collected data was then used to confirm the correlation with PM_2.5. Based on the results of the correlation analysis, the data was structured for training and evaluation. The seasonal prediction model and the concentration-specific prediction model were designed using the LSTM algorithm. The performance of the prediction model was evaluated using accuracy, RMSE, and MAPE. As a result of the performance evaluation, the prediction model learned by concentration had an accuracy of 91.02% in the "bad" range of AQI. And overall, it performed better than the prediction model trained by season.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.457-466
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• 2023

Background: During hot environment work tasks with whole-body enclosed anti-bioaerosol suit, the combined effect of heavy sweating and exhaled hot humid air may cause the N95 medical respirator to saturate with water/sweat (i.e., water-blocking). Methods: 32 young male subjects with different body mass indexes (BMI) in whole-body protection (N95 medical respirator + one-piece protective suit + head covering + protective face screen + gloves + shoe covers) were asked to simulate waste collecting from each isolated room in a seven-story building at 27-28℃, and the weight, inhalation resistance (R_f), and aerosol penetration of the respirator before worn and after water-blocking were analyzed. Results: All subjects reported water-blocking asphyxia of the N95 respirators within 36-67 min of the task. When water-blocking occurred, the R_f and 10-200 nm total aerosol penetration (P_t) of the respirators reached up to 1270-1810 Pa and 17.3-23.3%, respectively, which were 10 and 8 times of that before wearing. The most penetration particle size of the respirators increased from 49-65 nm before worn to 115-154 nm under water-blocking condition, and the corresponding maximum size-dependent aerosol penetration increased from 2.5-3.5% to 20-27%. With the increase of BMI, the water-blocking occurrence time firstly increased then reduced, while the R_f, P_t, and absorbed water all increased significantly. Conclusions: This study reveals respirator water-blocking and its serious negative impacts on respiratory protection. When performing moderate-to-high-load tasks with whole-body protection in a hot environment, it is recommended that respirator be replaced with a new one at least every hour to avoid water-blocking asphyxia.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.135-154
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• 2023

Urban wetlands provide various ecosystem services and are subject to restoration and creation projects due to their increased value in the context of climate change. However, the vegetation structure of wetlands is sensitive to environmental changes, including artificial disturbances, and requires continuous maintenance. In this study, we conducted a vegetation survey of three wetlands created as part of a project to restore urban degraded natural ecosystems and monitored the quantitative changes in wetland vegetation structure using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The vegetation survey revealed 73 species in Incheon Yeonhui wetland, and the change in vegetation composition based on wetland occurrence frequency was 11.5% on average compared to the 2018 vegetation survey results. The vegetation survey identified 44 species in Busan Igidae wetland, and the proportion of species classified as obligate upland plants was the highest at 48.8% among all plants, while the proportion of naturalized plants accounted for 15.9% of all plants. The open water surface area decreased from 10% in May 2019 to 6.7% in May 2020. Iksan Sorasan wetland was surveyed and 44 species were confirmed, and it was found that the proportion of facultative wetland plant decreased compared to the 2018 vegetation survey results, and the open water surface area increased from 0.4% in May 2019 to 4.1% in May 2020. The results of this study showed that wetlands with low artificial management intensity exhibited a tendency for stabilization of vegetation structure, with a decrease in the proportion of plants with high wetland occurrence frequency and a relatively small number of new species. Wetlands with high artificial management intensity required specific management, as they had a large change in vegetation structure and a partially high possibility of new invasion. We reaffirmed the importance of continuous monitoring of vegetation communities and infrastructure for wetlands considering the function and use of urban wetlands, and restoration stages. These research results suggest the need to establish a sustainable wetland maintenance system through the establishment of long-term maintenance goals and monitoring methods that consider the environmental conditions and vegetation composition of wetlands.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.27-30
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• 2024

As a member of ectomycorrhizal fungi, Tricholoma matsutake has a symbiotic relationship with its host, Pinus densiflora. To cultivate T. matsutake artificially, the co-cultivation of T. matsutake mycelia and bacteria from shiro was introduced. In this study, bacteria were isolated from soil samples in Bonghwa-gun, and seven bacterial isolates (B22_7_B05, B22_7_B06, B22_7_B07, B22_7_B08, B22_7_B10, B22_7_B13, and B22_7_B14) promoted the growth of T. matsutake mycelia (147.48, 232.11, 266.72, 211.43, 175.17, 154.62, and 177.92%, respectively). Sequencing of the 16S rRNA region of the isolated bacteria was performed. B22_7_B05 and B22_7_B10 were identified as Bacillus toyonensis, B22_7_B06 and B22_7_B08 as Paenibacillus taichungensis, B22_7_B07 and B22_7_B14 as P. gorilla, and B22_7_B13 as P. odorifer. These bacterial isolates were associated with the shiro community and are expected to contribute to the cultivation of T. matsutake.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.135-154
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• 2024

As the digital transformation accelerates, the demand for professionals with competencies in various digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data is increasing in the industry. In response, the government is developing various educational programs to nurture talent in these emerging technology fields. However, the lack of a clear definition of competencies, which is the foundation of curriculum development and operation, has posed challenges in effectively designing digital technology education programs. This study systematically reviews the definitions and characteristics of competencies presented in prior research based on a literature review. Subsequently, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 experts in emerging technology fields to derive a definition of competencies suitable for technology education programs. This research defines competencies for the development of technology education programs as 'a set of one or more knowledge and skills required to perform effectively at the expected level of a given task.' Additionally, the study identifies the elements of competencies, including knowledge and skills, as well as the principles of competency construction. The definition and characteristics of competencies provided in this study can be utilized to create more systematic and effective educational programs in emerging technology fields and bridge the gap between education and industry practice.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.89-106
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• 2016

The latest movement in live video streaming service is mobile personal broadcasting (MPB), which refers to consumers accessing the service through social media with mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet PCs. This service is possible through the advancements in mobile video technology and platforms. Features such as enhanced user interaction, personalization, and real-time broadcasting, combined with a greater variety of content, have led to the development of MPB. The increase in MPB users calls for research, including that on the hedonic motivational angle. This study aims to assess MPB users' intrinsic motives through the hedonic-motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) using seven factors: joy, temporal dissociation, escapism, focused immersion, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and intention to watch. Survey data collected from 154 samples were analyzed with statistical techniques, such as structural equation modeling. Results showed that time dissociation, escapism, and perceived ease of use have a positive relationship with heightened enjoyment. Joy significantly affects focused immersion and intention to watch. Escapism also had a statistically significant influence on focused immersion. This study contributes to the advancement of the MPB study under the HMSAM theoretical framework and offers practical suggestions to managers to enhance MPB content viewership.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.141-154
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• 2016

Mobile application is growing explosively with the advent of a new technology: smartphones. Mobile application is a new marketing channel and performs as a start-up platform. This study examines the effect of mobile application on the off-line market. Despite the continuous declining demand for taxi service, paradoxically, the supply of taxi service has increased. The taxi industry can be categorized into general taxi and call taxi. General taxi is accidental and inefficient because it has to search for its own passenger. As call taxi takes the request of a passenger, it is more efficient than general taxi. However, the current defective passenger-taxi driver matching system and insufficient taxi driver management hinder the development of the call taxi market. Differences in differences (DID) is an econometrical methodology that examines whether or not an event has meaningful influence. This research uses DID to investigate the effect of the Kakao taxi application on the call taxi industry. Furthermore, it examines the effect of major companies' reckless diversification, which is considered unethical behavior. The passengers of call taxi data from August 2014 to July 2015 and those of designated driving service data of the same period were collected as the control group.