• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 2008

BPES (Blepharophimosis/Ptosis/Epicanthus inversus Syndrome) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in FOXL2. Affected individuals have premature ovarian failure (POF) in addition to small palpebral fissures, drooping eyelids, and broad nasal bridge. FOXL2 is a member of the forkhead family transcription factors. In FOXL2-deficient ovaries, granulosa cell differentiation dose not progress, leading to arrest of folliculogenesis and oocytes atresia. Using yeast two-hybrid screening of rat ovarian cDNA library with FOXL2 as bait, we found that small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-conjugating E2 enzyme UBE2I protein interacted with FOXL2 protein. UBE2I also known as UBC9 is an essential protein for processing SUMO modification. Sumoylation is a form of post-translational modification involved in diverse signaling pathways including the regulation of transcriptional activities of many transcriptional factors. In the present study, we confirmed the protein-protein interaction between FOXL2 and UBE2I in human cells, 293T, by in vivo immunoprecipitation. In addition, we generated truncated FOXL2 mutants and identified the region of FOXL2 required for its association with UBE2I using yeast-two hybrid system. Therefore, the identification of UBE2I as an interacting protein of FOXL2 further suggests a presence of novel regulatory mechanism of FOXL2 by sumoylation.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.337-345
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• 1999

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of various co-culture systems and supplemented protein sources on the in vitro development of bovine IVF embryos. Bovine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured and fertilized in vitro. Presumptive zygotes with cumulus cells were transferred to TCM-199 or CRlaa containing 10% FBS or 3mg/$m\ell$ BSA, and cultured for 36~40 hr. After primary culture, cleaved embryos were co-cultured with cumulus cells(CC), bovine oviduct epithelial cells(BOEC) or Buffalo rat liver cells (BRLC) in TCM-199 or CRlaa supplemented with FBS or BSA respectively, for further 6 days. Cleavage rate increased with BSA(P＜0.01) in the both TCM-199(79%) or CRlaa(74%) When embryos were co-cultured with CC or BOEC in TCM-199, blastocyst development was enhanced with BSA(40% and 43%) compared to FBS (22% and 29%) , whereas in CRlaa no difference observed between BSA(40% and 39%) and FBS (40% and 42%). When embryos were co-cultured with BRLC monolayer, FBS enhanced the blastocyst development (P＜0.05) compared to BSA in both TCM-199(41% vs 31%) and CRlaa (44% vs 37%). The result of the present study showed that the cleavage rate of bovine IVF embryos increased with BSA, The result also showed that BSA can enhance the development of IVF embryos in co-culture with CC or BOEC in TCM-199, suggesting the in vitro development is affected by the medium and supplemented protein sources in co-culture with somatic cells.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.831-842
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• 2010

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenic obesity(SO), a condition of the reduction in muscle mass paired with an increased fat mass has been paid attention because of its association with disability in later life. A few evidence, however, has reported the association with these factors. PURPOSE: To explore the association among SO, physical function and fitness in older women. METHOD: 257 older women(age of 74) were recruited from Y city and 7 physical functions and 4 fitness tests were measured. Participants were classified into one of four groups based on their body fat and muscle mass: Normal group (GR-A), high fat(GR-B), sarcopenia(GR-C), and sarcopenic obese(GR-D). GLMand LSD-test were conducted with SPSS 12.0. RESULTS: Chair stand, arm-curl, back-scratch, 2-min steps of GR-A was higher than GR-C and GR-D(p<.05). One-leg stand of GR-A was higher than GR-D(p<.01) and of GR-C was higher than GR-D(p<.01).8ft-TUG of GR-D was lower than GR-A(p<.01). Grip strength, knee extension of GR-A was higher than that of GR-C and GR-D(p<.01) and knee flexion of GR-A was also higher than that of GR-C and GR-D(p<.01). CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, we conclude that SO is significantly associated with lower physical function and fitness in older Korean women, which alarm the risk of frailty induced by SO.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.53-76
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• 2005

With rapid technological and market change, new product development (NPD) complexity is a significant issue that organizations continually face in their development projects. There are numerous factors, which cause development projects to become increasingly costly & complex. A product is more likely to be successfully developed and marketed when the complexity inherent in NPD projects is clearly understood and carefully managed. Based upon the previous studies, this study examines the nature and importance of complexity in developing new products and then identifies several issues in managing complexity. Issues considered include: definition of complexity : consequences of complexity; and methods for managing complexity in NPD projects. To achieve high performance in managing complexity in development projects, these issues need to be addressed, for example: A. Complexity inherent in NPD projects is multi-faceted and multidimensional. What factors need to be considered in defining and/or measuring complexity in a development project? For example, is it sufficient if complexity is defined only from a technological perspective, or is it more desirable to consider the entire array of complexity sources which NPD teams with different functions (e.g., marketing, R&D, manufacturing, etc.) face in the development process? Moreover, is it sufficient if complexity is measured only once during a development project, or is it more effective and useful to trace complexity changes over the entire development life cycle? B. Complexity inherent in a project can have negative as well as positive influences on NPD performance. Thus, which complexity impacts are usually considered negative and which are positive? Project complexity also can affect the entire organization. Any complexity could be better assessed in broader and longer perspective. What are some ways in which the long-term impact of complexity on an organization can be assessed and managed? C. Based upon previous studies, several approaches for managing complexity are derived. What are the weaknesses & strengths of each approach? Is there a desirable hierarchy or order among these approaches when more than one approach is used? Are there differences in the outcomes according to industry and product types (incremental or radical)? Answers to these and other questions can help organizations effectively manage the complexity inherent in most development projects. Complexity is worthy of additional attention from researchers and practitioners alike. Large-scale empirical investigations, jointly conducted by researchers and practitioners, will help gain useful insights into understanding and managing complexity. Those organizations that can accurately identify, assess, and manage the complexity inherent in projects are likely to gain important competitive advantages.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.313-321
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• 2023

Platycodon grandiflorus (P. grandiflorus) flower is a perennial plant belonging to the family Campanulaceae and has many excellent pharmacological effects, so it has been used as a medicinal ingredient since ancient times. In addition, anthocyanin is a purple or blue natural pigment contained in plant flowers and fruits, and is known as a powerful antioxidant. The purpose of this study was to confirm the dermatological functionality of P. grandiflorus flower extract and the value of the bluish anthocyanin contained in flowers as a cosmetic material as a natural pigment. Firstly, 50% ethanol and 80% ethanol were added to the P. grandiflorus flower and extracted under reflux for 4 h at 25, 60, and 80 ℃, and the pH of each treatment group was similar. Based on the anthocyanin content and chromaticity (E^*ab), 50% ethanol 60 ℃ extraction conditions showing the color development most similar to the natural color of the P. grandifloras flower were selected, and a sample was prepared by concentrating and lyophilizing. The analysis results showed that the total phenol, total flavonoid, and total anthocyanin contents were in the ranges of 23 ㎍/mL, 16 ㎍/mL, and 0.17 ㎍/mL, respectively. The P. grandiflorus flower extract suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, the P. grandiflorus flower extract showed wound healing effects through the promotion of skin cell migration in TNF-α stimulated human keratinocytes. The stability of anthocyanin and extract color was studied during a storage period of 50 days at various temperatures (4 ℃, 25 ℃, and 45 ℃). Color values (L, a, and b) of the P. grandiflorus flower extract changed over 50 days, whereas the bluish-purple color of the extract was stabilized using 5% maltodextrin. These results suggest that P. grandiflorus flower extract may be useful as a natural cosmetic pigment.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.39.1-39.15
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• 2023

DNA barcoding without assessing reliability and validity causes taxonomic errors of species identification, which is responsible for disruptions of their conservation and aquaculture industry. Although DNA barcoding facilitates molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of species, its availability in clariid catfish lineage remains uncertain. In this study, DNA barcoding was developed and validated for clariid catfish. 2,970 barcode sequences from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) genes and D-loop sequences were analyzed for 37 clariid catfish species. The highest intraspecific nearest neighbor distances were 85.47%, 98.03%, and 89.10% for COI, Cytb, and D-loop sequences, respectively. This suggests that the Cytb gene is the most appropriate for identifying clariid catfish and can serve as a standard region for DNA barcoding. A positive barcoding gap between interspecific and intraspecific sequence divergence was observed in the Cytb dataset but not in the COI and D-loop datasets. Intraspecific variation was typically less than 4.4%, whereas interspecific variation was generally more than 66.9%. However, a species complex was detected in walking catfish and significant intraspecific sequence divergence was observed in North African catfish. These findings suggest the need to focus on developing a DNA barcoding system for classifying clariid catfish properly and to validate its efficacy for a wider range of clariid catfish. With an enriched database of multiple sequences from a target species and its genus, species identification can be more accurate and biodiversity assessment of the species can be facilitated.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.91-119
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• 2005

This study examines the perception and trust of Korean society and people among students and adults using the indigenous psychological analysis. A matched sample of 1,107 participants, consisting of 369 students, their mothers and their fathers completed a questionnaire developed by the present researchers. The results indicate that parents more likely than adolescents to hold negative views of Korean society. Adults are more likely than adolescents to view Korean society as showing high ingroup favoritism, to be insecure, to be conservative, to be corrupt, and to have social inequities. Both groups agree that Korean society is not rational nor democratic, but believe that it has the potential for progress. Second, parents are more likely to hold negative views about Korean people. Adults are more likely than adolescents of viewing Korean people as overly conscious about social face, emotional, selfish, exclusionary, and conceited. Both adolescents and their parents agree that Koreans are cooperative, full of jung (deep affection and attachment), and sincere. Third, adults are less likely to trust Korean institutions than adolescents. Adults are less likely than adolescents to trust National Assembly, political parties, and unions. Adolescents are more likely than their parents to trust family members, school friends, teachers, and government employees. These results indicate that adolescents have higher trust of Korean society and people than their parents. Fifth, the overall results indicate that both group perceive Korean society as showing high ingroup favoritism and corruption. In terms of Korean people, respondents had a more balanced view of perceiving them as highly sensitive to social face and being emotional, while also perceiving them as cooperative and full of jung. The trust of Korean institutions were generally low, especially the National Assembly and political parties. However, the trust of family was very high, followed by trust of school friends and teachers. The trust of government employees was low and this was especially the case for politicians.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2024

Objective: To investigate whether reader training improves the performance and agreement of radiologists in interpreting unenhanced breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Materials and Methods: A study of 96 breasts (35 cancers, 24 benign, and 37 negative) in 48 asymptomatic women was performed between June 2019 and October 2020. High-resolution DWI with b-values of 0, 800, and 1200 sec/mm² was performed using a 3.0-T system. Sixteen breast radiologists independently reviewed the DWI, apparent diffusion coefficient maps, and T1-weighted MRI scans and recorded the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category for each breast. After a 2-h training session and a 5-month washout period, they re-evaluated the BI-RADS categories. A BI-RADS category of 4 (lesions with at least two suspicious criteria) or 5 (more than two suspicious criteria) was considered positive. The per-breast diagnostic performance of each reader was compared between the first and second reviews. Inter-reader agreement was evaluated using a multi-rater κ analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Before training, the mean sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the 16 readers were 70.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59.4-79.9), 90.8% (95% CI: 85.6-94.2), and 83.5% (95% CI: 78.6-87.4), respectively. After training, significant improvements in specificity (95.2%; 95% CI: 90.8-97.5; P = 0.001) and accuracy (85.9%; 95% CI: 80.9-89.8; P = 0.01) were observed, but no difference in sensitivity (69.8%; 95% CI: 58.1-79.4; P = 0.58) was observed. Regarding inter-reader agreement, the κ values were 0.57 (95% CI: 0.52-0.63) before training and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62-0.74) after training, with a difference of 0.11 (95% CI: 0.02-0.18; P = 0.01). The ICC was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.69-0.74) before training and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76-0.80) after training (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Brief reader training improved the performance and agreement of interpretations by breast radiologists using unenhanced MRI with DWI.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.247-265
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• 2024

The aim of the study was to assess whole farm nitrogen (N)-balance in organic Hanwoo farms of different recycling types. N input, output and within-farm N flows were calculated as a farm-gate balance on 12 organic Hanwoo farms. The observed farms were divided into three groups: as (a) recycling farms, with a forage cultivation area (more than 0.1 ha), (b) semi-recycling farms (0.01-0.1 ha) and (c) with non-recycling farms (less than 0.01 ha). The self-sufficiency forage crops for animal feed was 44.4, 15.0, and 4.2% in recycling farms, semi-recycling farms and non-recycling, respectively. The recycling rate of compost was 98.8, 63.8, and 20.6% in recycling farms, semi-recycling farms and non-recycling farms, respectively. The annual farm-gate N surplus (input-output) per head was 42, 47, and 55 kg in recycling farms, semi-recycling farms and non-recycling, respectively. The mean annual N balance per head in recycling farms was less than 28% of non-recycling. The field nitrogen budgets showed 234, 1,161, and 5,476 kg N ha^-1 year^-1 in recycling farms, semi-recycling farms and non-recycling farm, respectively. N-surplus reductions of in recycling farms was 5-23 times lower compared to the semi-recycling farms and non-recycling farm. The nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) was 54, 36, and 29%, in recycling farms, semi-recycling farms, and non-recycling farm, respectively. Results showed that compost recycling through crop-livestock recycling farm is significant in the contributing to circulating N balance and to greater efficiency and productivity. The recycling organic Hanwoo farm had the low N balance and the high NUE. To reduce the N balance, we considered how to increase the amount of recycling by using self production compost. The self production forage crops was mainly considered to reduce the N balance by decreasing input of purchased feeds and increasing crop production and recycling rate of compost.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.23-46
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• 2017

Although there have been cases of evaluating the value of specific companies or projects which have centralized on developed countries in North America and Europe from the early 2000s, the system and methodology for estimating the economic value of individual technologies or patents has been activated on and on. Of course, there exist several online systems that qualitatively evaluate the technology's grade or the patent rating of the technology to be evaluated, as in 'KTRS' of the KIBO and 'SMART 3.1' of the Korea Invention Promotion Association. However, a web-based technology valuation system, referred to as 'STAR-Value system' that calculates the quantitative values of the subject technology for various purposes such as business feasibility analysis, investment attraction, tax/litigation, etc., has been officially opened and recently spreading. In this study, we introduce the type of methodology and evaluation model, reference information supporting these theories, and how database associated are utilized, focusing various modules and frameworks embedded in STAR-Value system. In particular, there are six valuation methods, including the discounted cash flow method (DCF), which is a representative one based on the income approach that anticipates future economic income to be valued at present, and the relief-from-royalty method, which calculates the present value of royalties' where we consider the contribution of the subject technology towards the business value created as the royalty rate. We look at how models and related support information (technology life, corporate (business) financial information, discount rate, industrial technology factors, etc.) can be used and linked in a intelligent manner. Based on the classification of information such as International Patent Classification (IPC) or Korea Standard Industry Classification (KSIC) for technology to be evaluated, the STAR-Value system automatically returns meta data such as technology cycle time (TCT), sales growth rate and profitability data of similar company or industry sector, weighted average cost of capital (WACC), indices of industrial technology factors, etc., and apply adjustment factors to them, so that the result of technology value calculation has high reliability and objectivity. Furthermore, if the information on the potential market size of the target technology and the market share of the commercialization subject refers to data-driven information, or if the estimated value range of similar technologies by industry sector is provided from the evaluation cases which are already completed and accumulated in database, the STAR-Value is anticipated that it will enable to present highly accurate value range in real time by intelligently linking various support modules. Including the explanation of the various valuation models and relevant primary variables as presented in this paper, the STAR-Value system intends to utilize more systematically and in a data-driven way by supporting the optimal model selection guideline module, intelligent technology value range reasoning module, and similar company selection based market share prediction module, etc. In addition, the research on the development and intelligence of the web-based STAR-Value system is significant in that it widely spread the web-based system that can be used in the validation and application to practices of the theoretical feasibility of the technology valuation field, and it is expected that it could be utilized in various fields of technology commercialization.