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Egyptian learners' learnability of Korean phonemes (이집트 한국어 학습자들의 한국어 음소 학습용이성)

  • Benjamin, Sarah;Lee, Ho-Young;Hwang, Hyosung
    • Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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    • v.11 no.4
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    • pp.19-33
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    • 2019
  • This paper examines the perception of Korean phonemes by Egyptian learners of Korean and presents the learnability gradient of Korean consonants and vowels through High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT). 50 Egyptian learners of Korean (27 low proficiency learners and 23 high proficiency learners) participated in 10 sessions of HVPT for Korean vowels, word initial and final consonants. Participants were tested on their identification ability of Korean vowels, word initial consonants, and syllable codas before and after the training. The results showed that both low and high proficiency groups did benefit from the training. Low proficiency learners showed a higher improvement rate than high proficiency learners. Based on the HVPT results, a learnability gradient was established to give insights into priorities in teaching Korean sounds to Egyptian learners.

Vietnamese Health Care Providers' Preferences Regarding Recommendation of HPV Vaccines

  • Asiedu, Gladys B;Breitkopf, Carmen Radecki;Kremers, Walter K;Ngo, Quang V;Nguyen, Nguyen V;Barenberg, Benjamin J;Tran, Vinh D;Dinh, Tri A
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.16 no.12
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    • pp.4895-4900
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    • 2015
  • Physician recommendation is an important predictor of HPV vaccine acceptance; however, physician willingness and preferences regarding HPV vaccination may be influenced by factors including patient age, vaccine type, and cost. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a convenience sample of health care providers in Da Nang, Vietnam, to evaluate awareness, perceptions about HPV and HPV vaccines, and willingness to vaccinate a female patient. Willingness to vaccinate was evaluated using a full-factorial presentation of scenarios featuring the following factors: vaccine cost (free vs 1,000,000 VND), patient age (12, 16, or 22 years), and HPV vaccine type (bivalent vs quadrivalent). Responses from 244 providers were analyzed; providers had a mean age of $34{\pm}11.9$ years; a majority were female, married, and had children of their own. Thirty-six percent specialized in obstetrics/gynecology and 24% were providers in family medicine. Of the three factors considered in conjoint analysis, vaccine cost was the most important factor in willingness to vaccinate, followed by patient age, and vaccine type. The most favorable scenario for vaccinating a female patient was when the vaccine was free, the patient was 22 years of age, and the HPV4 vaccine was described. In multivariable analysis, older age, being a physician, being married, and having children were all associated with increased willingness to recommend HPV vaccination (p<0.05). Provider willingness is an important aspect of successful HPV vaccination programs; identifying preferences and biases in recommendation patterns will highlight potential areas for education and intervention.

Protective Role of Aspirin, Vitamin C, and Zinc and their Effects on Zinc Status in the DMH-Induced Colon Carcinoma Model

  • Christudoss, Pamela;Selvakumar, Ratnasamy;Pulimood, Anna Benjamin;Fleming, Jude Joseph;Mathew, George
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.14 no.8
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    • pp.4627-4634
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    • 2013
  • Chemoprotection refers to the use of specific natural or synthetic chemical agents to suppress or prevent the progression to cancer. The purpose of this study is to assess the protective effect of aspirin, vitamin C or zinc in a dimethyl hydrazine (DMH) colon carcinoma model in rats and to investigate the effect of these supplements on changes associated with colonic zinc status. Rats were randomly divided into three groups, group 1 (aspirin), group 2 (vitamin C) and group 3 (zinc), each being subdivided into two groups and given subcutaneous injection of DMH (30 mg/kg body wt) twice a week for 3 months and sacrificed at 4 months (A-precancer model) and 6 months (B-cancer model). Groups 1, 2, 3 were simultaneously given aspirin, vitamin C, or zinc supplement respectively from the beginning till the end of the study. It was observed that 87.5% of rats co-treated with aspirin or vitamin C showed normal colonic histology, along with a significant decrease in colonic tissue zinc at both time points. Rats co-treated with zinc showed 100% reduction in tumor incidence with no significant change in colonic tissue zinc. Plasma zinc, colonic CuZnSOD (copper-zinc superoxide dismutase) and alkaline phosphatase activity showed no significant changes in all 3 cotreated groups. These results suggest that aspirin, vitamin C or zinc given separately, exert a chemoprotective effect against chemically induced DMH colonic preneoplastic progression and colonic carcinogenesis in rats. The inhibitory effects are associated with maintaining the colonic tissue zinc levels and zinc enzymes at near normal without significant changes.

Phenotypic diversity, major genes and production potential of local chickens and guinea fowl in Tamale, northern Ghana

  • Brown, Michael Mensah;Alenyorege, Benjamin;Teye, Gabriel Ayum;Roessler, Regina
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.30 no.10
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    • pp.1372-1381
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    • 2017
  • Objective: Our study provides information on phenotypes of local chickens and guinea fowl and their body measures as well as on major genes in local chickens in northern Ghana. Methods: Qualitative and morphometric traits were recorded on 788 local chickens and 394 guinea fowl in urban households in Tamale, Ghana. Results: The results showed considerable variation of color traits and numerous major genes in local chickens, while color variations and related genotypes in guinea fowl were limited. In local chickens, white was preferred for plumage, whereas dark colors were preferred for beak and shanks. More than half of the chickens carried at least one major gene, but the contributions of single gene carriers were low. All calculated allele frequencies were significantly lower than their expected Mendelian allele frequencies. We observed higher mean body weight and larger linear body measures in male as compared to female chickens. In female chickens, we detected a small effect of major genes on body weight and chest circumference. In addition, we found some association between feather type and plumage color. In guinea fowl, seven distinct plumage colors were observed, of which pearl grey pied and pearl grey were the most prevalent. Male pearl grey pied guinea fowl were inferior to pearl grey and white guinea fowl in terms of body weight, body length and chest circumference; their shank length was lower than that of pearl grey fowl. Conclusion: Considerable variation in qualitative traits of local chickens may be indicative of genetic diversity within local chicken populations, but major genes were rare. In contrast, phenotypic and genetic diversity in local guinea fowl is limited. Broader genetic diversity studies and evaluation of trait preferences of local poultry producers are required for the design of appropriate breeding programs.

Development of the Dual Cyclone System for a High Efficient Vacuum Cleaner (사이클론 집진 원리를 적용한 진공청소기 개발에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Jae-Keun;Lee, Jung-Eun;Kim, Seong-Chan;Cho, Min-Chul;Hyun, Choong-Nam;Kwack, Dong-Jin;Lim, Kyung-Suk;Lee, Sung-Hwa;Yang, Byung-Sun;Ji, Heon-Pyung;Jeong, Hoi-Kil;Park, Deog-Bae;Liu, Benjamin Y.H.
    • Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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    • 2000.04b
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    • pp.644-649
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    • 2000
  • A new cyclone system for the vacuum cleaner to collect dusts has been studied experimentally and numerically to meet the constant suction power, hygienic exhaust and a reduction of maintenance cost. The cyclone system of the vacuum cleaner consists of twin cyclones for improving dust collection efficiency. The first. cyclone catches large dust particles and the second one having two separated flows to decrease pressure drop collects small dust particles. The optimal design factors such as dust collection efficiency, pressure drop, and cut-size are investigated from the experimental results by the Taguchi method. Cyclone cleaner systems designed in this study has a good Performance taking into account the dust collection efficiency of 93% and the cut-size of $1.6{\mu}m$ in mass median diameter at the flow rate of 1 CMM. The cyclone vacuum cleaner showed the potential to be an effective method to collect dusts generated in the household.

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A New Record of Epicoccum draconis Isolated from the Soil in Korea

  • Ayim, Benjamin Yaw;Das, Kallol;Cho, Young-Je;Lee, Seung-Yeol;Jung, Hee-Young
    • The Korean Journal of Mycology
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    • v.48 no.1
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    • pp.39-45
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    • 2020
  • A fungal isolate US-18-11 was isolated from the soil in Uiseong, Korea. The mycelium growth measured after 7 days of incubation at 22℃ on malt extract agar (MEA) and oatmeal agar (OA) media was 42-43 mm and 41-44 mm in diameter, respectively. The fungal colony formed white to dull green aerial mycelia that were floccose with regular margins and olivaceous black with leaden gray patches on the reverse side. The conidia were hyaline to brown in color, ellipsoidal to ovoid, guttulate, abundant, globose, solitary, or confluent measuring 3.2-7.2×1.1-2.3 ㎛. A BLAST search of the large subunit (LSU), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, second largest subunit of DNA-directed RNA polymerase II (RPB2) and β-tubulin (TUB2) gene sequences revealed that the isolate US-18-11 has similarities of 99, 100, 97, and 99% with those of Epicoccum draconis CBS 186.83, respectively. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree constructed based on the concatenated dataset of above-mentioned sequences showed that isolate US-18-11 clustered with Epicoccum draconis CBS 186.83 in the same clade. Based on the results of morphological, cultural, and phylogenetic analysis, the isolate US-18-11 was identical to the previously described E. draconis CBS 186.83. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. draconis in Korea.

Fabrication of Non Viral Vector for Drug and Gene Delivery using Particle Replication In Non-Wetting Templates (PRINT) Technique (Particle Replication In Non-Wetting Templates (PRINT) 방법을 이용한 약물 및 유전자 전달체의 제작)

  • Park, Ji-Young;Gratton, Stephanie;Benjamin, Maynor;Lim, Jomg Sung;Desimone, Joseph
    • Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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    • v.45 no.5
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    • pp.493-499
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    • 2007
  • Polymeric hydrogel particles were fabricated to demonstrate the scale-up possibilities with the Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates (PRINT) process. A permanently etched, specifically designed master was made on a silicon wafer using conventional photolithography, then reactive ion etching. The master and substrate were used repeatedly to make a large number of identical elastomeric perfluoropolyethers (PFPE) replica molds. The PFPE replica molds were used to fabricate and harvest individual, monodisperse micron-sized particles using the PRINT process. A water-soluble polymer adhesive was used as a sacrificial layer for harvesting particles. Particles were composed of biodegradable poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-diA), and aminoethylacrylate (AEM) and 2-acryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (AETMAC) were added to them for improving the uptake of the cells. This study suggested PRINT used to produce the uniformed and shape specific biodegradable polymer is the effective technique for the non viral vector for the drug and the gene delivery.

Performance Evaluation for One-to-One Shortest Path Algorithms (One-to-One 최단경로 알고리즘의 성능 평가)

  • 심충섭;김진석
    • Journal of KIISE:Computer Systems and Theory
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    • v.29 no.11
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    • pp.634-639
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    • 2002
  • A Shortest Path Algorithm is the method to find the most efficient route among many routes from a start node to an end node. It is based on Labeling methods. In Labeling methods, there are Label-Setting method and Label-Correcting method. Label-Setting method is known as the fastest one among One-to-One shortest path algorithms. But Benjamin[1,2] shows Label-Correcting method is faster than Label-Setting method by the experiments using large road data. Since Graph Growth algorithm which is based on Label-Correcting method is made to find One-to-All shortest path, it is not suitable to find One-to-One shortest path. In this paper, we propose a new One-to-One shortest path algorithm. We show that our algorithm is faster than Graph Growth algorithm by extensive experiments.

Scar Revision Surgery: The Patient's Perspective

  • Miranda, Benjamin H;Allan, Anna Y;Butler, Daniel P;Cussons, Paul D
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
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    • v.42 no.6
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    • pp.729-734
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    • 2015
  • Background Insufficient satisfaction outcome literature exists to assist consultations for scar revision surgery; such outcomes should reflect the patient's perspective. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate scar revision patient satisfaction outcomes, according to specified patient-selection criteria. Methods Patients (250) were randomly selected for telephone contacting regarding scar revisions undertaken between 2007-2011. Visual analogue scores were obtained for scars pre- and post-revision surgery. Surgery selection criteria were; 'presence' of sufficient time for scar maturation prior to revision, technical issues during or wound complications from the initial procedure that contributed to poor scarring, and 'absence' of site-specific or patient factors that negatively influence outcomes. Patient demographics, scar pathogenesis (elective vs. trauma), underlying issue (functional/symptomatic vs. cosmetic) and revision surgery details were also collected with the added use of a real-time, hospital database. Results Telephone contacting was achieved for 211 patients (214 scar revisions). Satisfaction outcomes were '2% worse, 16% no change, and 82% better'; a distribution maintained between body sites and despite whether surgery was functional/symptomatic vs. cosmetic. Better outcomes were reported by patients who sustained traumatic scars vs. those who sustained scars by elective procedures (91.80% vs. 77.78%, P=0.016) and by females vs. males (85.52% vs. 75.36%, P<0.05), particularly in the elective group where males (36.17%) were more likely to report no change or worse outcomes versus females (16.04%) (P<0.01). Conclusions Successful scar revision outcomes may be achieved using careful patient selection. This study provides useful information for referring general practitioners, and patient-surgeon consultations, when planning scar revision.

Through Knee Amputation: Technique Modifications and Surgical Outcomes

  • Albino, Frank P.;Seidel, Rachel;Brown, Benjamin J.;Crone, Charles G.;Attinger, Christopher E.
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
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    • v.41 no.5
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    • pp.562-570
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    • 2014
  • Background Knee disarticulations (KD) are most commonly employed following trauma or tumor resection but represent less than 2% of all lower extremity amputations performed in the United States annually. KDs provide enhanced proprioception, a long lever arm, preservation of adductor muscle insertion, decreased metabolic cost of ambulation, and an end weight-bearing stump. The role for KDs in the setting of arterial insufficiency or overwhelming infection is less clear. The purpose of this study is to describe technique modifications and report surgical outcomes following KDs at a high-volume Limb Salvage Center. Methods A retrospective study of medical records for all patients who underwent a through-knee amputation performed by the senior author (C.E.A.) between 2004 and 2012 was completed. Medical records were reviewed to collect demographic, operative, and postoperative information for each of the patients identified. Results Between 2004 and 2012, 46 through-knee amputations for 41 patients were performed. The mean patient age was 68 and indications for surgery included infection (56%), arterial thrombosis (35%), and trauma (9%). Postoperative complications included superficial cellulitis (13%), soft tissue infection (4%), and flap ischemia (4%) necessitating one case of surgical debridement (4%) and four transfemoral amputations (9%). 9 (22%) patients went on to ambulate. Postoperative ambulation was greatest in the traumatic cohort and for patients less than 50 years of age, P<0.05. Alternatively, diabetes mellitus and infection reduced the likelihood of postoperative ambulation, P<0.01. Conclusions Knee disarticulations are a safe and effective alternative to other lower extremity amputations when clinically feasible. For patient unlikely to ambulate, a through-knee amputation maximizes ease of transfers, promotes mobility by providing a counterbalance, and eliminates the potential for knee flexion contracture with subsequent skin breakdown.