• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.63-82
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• 2022

Purpose - Drawing on relational institutional theory, we explored how demographic similarity between board members of a firm and newly emerged political elites led to firms' increased financial resource acquisition such as leverage ratio and decreased export intensity amidst the Asian financial crisis. We also studied how a firm's leverage ratio and export intensity can further affect firm profitability and financial credit rating. Design/methodology - We revisited and explored a unique, unprecedented crisis that affected most Korean firms: the Asian financial crisis that coincided with a governmental shift from a conservative to a liberal party. We collected demographic information from 432 listed Korean firms' board members and 43 political elites of the Blue House from 1998-2000 to create a demographic similarity measurement. We collected firms' financial information, built panel data, and used ordinary least squares regression to test our theory. Findings - Our results showed that demographic similarity between a firm's directors and newly emerged politicians had a positive association with a firm's leverage ratio but a negative association with a firm's export intensity. A firm's leverage ratio had a negative relationship with firm performance measured by firm profitability and financial credit rating. A firm's export intensity showed a positive effect on firm performance. Originality/value - We highlighted that during an economic crisis that coincided with a governmental shift and change of leading political actors, firms exerted efforts to survey the environment and build new external stakeholder relationships to cope with the changing landscape. We proposed that in an emerging market like Korea where low levels of trust and favoritism are prevalent across society, one of the relational institutional strategies that firms can employ is the selection of directors with similar demographic characteristics to political elites based on factors including birthplace and school affiliations. We examined the efforts of firms to build political networks with newly empowered political elites during a financial crisis, and the consequences of establishing such networks. We highlighted that during a financial crisis, the demographic similarity between a firm's board members and newly emerged politicians can provide firms with access to financial resources but can also result in poor management and reduced effort to enhance its international competitiveness.

• Design Convergence Study
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.103-116
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• 2016

Social development led to systematic changes in the gender division of housework and the increase of house husbands. Accordingly, the demand for programs on child rearing for fathers is high. This study aimed to present a design for the brand mark and station identification for a TV channel specializing in childcare for house husbands. This study designed a brand mark and an applied brand mark, based on a literary review of previous studies. A survey on the necessity, preference and brand awareness of this channel was conducted twice afterwards, targeting 55 parents who are raising children who are in between the age of 6 months to 37 months. The first survey showed that the parents are in need of childcare-related channels due to their worries and fear towards childcare. When asked about their preferences and brand awareness towards this channel, some respondents were negative towards the form and colors used in the proposed brand mark and applied brand mark. This was reflected in the improved version and was tested in the second survey, which showed that respondents preferred the form that reminded them of children and found it more suitable. In regards to colors, respondents preferred high chroma navy blue.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.45.1-45.8
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• 2020

Objective: The aim of this study was to introduce a gelatin/bovine serum albumin (BSA) tissue standard, which provides dissolution properties identical to those of biological tissues. Further, the study evaluated whether the utilization of endodontic activating devices led to enhanced phantom dissolution rates. Materials and Methods: Bovine pulp tissue was obtained to determine a benchmark of tissue dissolution. The surface area and mass of samples were held constant while the ratio of gelatin and BSA were varied, ranging from 7.5% to 10% gelatin and 5% BSA. Each sample was placed in an individual test tube that was filled with an appropriate sodium hypochlorite solution for 1, 3, and 5 minutes, and then removed from the solution, blotted dry, and weighed again. The remaining tissue was calculated as the percent of initial tissue to determine the tissue dissolution rate. A radiopaque agent (sodium diatrizoate) and a fluorescent dye (methylene blue) were added to the phantom to allow easy quantification of phantom dissolution in a canal block model when activated using ultrasonic (EndoUltra) or sonic (EndoActivator) energy. Results: The 9% gelatin + 5% BSA phantom showed statistically equivalent dissolution to bovine pulp tissue at all time intervals. Furthermore, the EndoUltra yielded significantly more phantom dissolution in the canal block than the EndoActivator or syringe irrigation. Conclusions: Our phantom is comparable to biological tissue in terms of tissue dissolution and could be utilized for in vitro tests due to its injectability and detectability.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.205-212
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• 2009

To suggest possible to bioremediation by benthic microalgae Nitzschia sp. isolated from the Jinhae Bay, the studies investigated the effects o flight quality and quantity on the growth of Nitzschia sp. and its growth kinetics for phosphate investigated. The Nitzschia sp. was cultured under blue (450 nm), yellow (590 nm) and red wavelength (650 nm) using light emitting diode (LED) and mixed wavelengths using a fluorescent lamp. The maximum specific growth rate showed the Nitzschia sp. under blue wavelength, although photoinhibition was observed above $100\;{\mu}mol\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$. Mixed wavelengths were also observed by decreasing the maximum cell density from high irradiances (>$100\;{\mu}mol$ photons $m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$). The compensation photon flux density ($I_0$) calculated from the mixed wavelengths equated to a depth of 4-10 m in Jinhae Bay, and was lower in the summer season than the depth due to suspended matter (ca. 4 m). Thus, the suitable depth for maximum growth of Nitzschia sp. might be extremely limited. In the growth kinetics for phosphate, half-saturation constant ($K_s$) was similar among different wavelengths, although the maximum growth rate was varied among different wavelengths. Because the $K_s$ was high than that of the phytoplankton, Nitzschia sp. might have adapted to the high nutrient concentrations, and have effective nutrient storage in the cell quota. Thus, Nitzschia sp. may be a useful species for bioremediation of the benthic layer in polluted inner bays by means of irradiated specific wavelength as blue.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.188-198
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• 2017

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) spears were treated with white (color temperature 4,500 k), blue (peak 450 nm), and red (peak 660 nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of $200{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ for 12 h, and UV-B (280 nm) at 0.5 kJ or 1.0 kJ to determine the effect on agronomic characteristics, antioxidant phytochemicals, and antioxidant activity. The fresh weight, length, and width of spears were not affected by light quality treatments. The free sugars and chlorophyll contents were increased by 9 and 41%, respectively in the UV-0.5 kJ treatments. Among the antioxidant phytochemicals (vitamin C, total phenol, rutin, and total flavonoid), vitamin C was most greatly affected by the light treatments. Vitamin C content was significantly increased in asparagus spears subjected to the white (114%), red (137%), and UV-0.5 kJ(127%) treatments compared to the control. By contrast, rutin, total phenol, and total flavonoid content were increased only in samples subjected to the red and UV-0.5 kJ treatment. Furthermore, antioxidant activity, as measured by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, increased in white, red, and UV-0.5 kJ treatments by about 43, 41, and 43%, respectively, compared to the control. These results suggest that postharvest treatment of asparagus spears with red light at $200{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ for 12 h or with UV-B (280 nm) at 0.5 kJ could enhance the functional quality of the asparagus spears by increasing the content of phytochemicals like vitamin C, rutin, total phenolics, and total flavonoids.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.388-395
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• 2015

Somatic embryogenesis is as an excellent technology for potential use in plant mass production, germplasm conservation, or genetic engineering. We examined the effect of cold storage using 3 embryogenic callus lines with different levels of embryogenesis competence derived from immature zygotic embryo cultures of Kalopanax setemlobus. Somatic embryo induction, germination and plant conversion were evaluated after 1, 3 and 6 months storage at $4^{\circ}C$ in the dark. Most cold-stored embryogenic calli formed somatic embryos normally even after 6 months; however, the induction rate was gradually decreased by increasing the storage period. The most competent line tended to show a slight decline in somatic embryo induction rate, as compared with other lines after cold storage. In general, cold storage resulted in reduced somatic embryo germination and plant regeneration, although 93% somatic embryo germination and 91% plant conversion were achieved regardless of the storage period. Cold storage led to cell browning and degradation. Additionally, the cell structures were confirmed by the aceto-carmine and evans blue dye evaluation. Collectively, our results showed that embryogenic callus of K. septemlobus could be preserved at $4^{\circ}C$ without subculture for 6 months, and suggested the need for storage of relatively more competent embryogenic calli lines to support somatic embryo induction.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.379-387
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• 1999

During the past several decades, electricity generating plant increased with remarkable rapidity in Korea. Recently the increase has been much more rapid as the rate of industrialization has accelerated. Construction of nuclear power plants in coastal areas inevitably caused the perturbation of critical coastal habitats and thus influenced marine algal species composition. Particularly, an increase in the building of nuclear power plants led the amounts of heat discharged to increase exponentially. As far as the effects of cooling water and thermal discharges are concerned, benthic marine algae are likely to be vulnerable to a discharge. Heated effluents from nuclear power plants, with the temperature rises of 7~12$^{\circ}C$ under normal operating and design conditions, are discharged through the discharge canal and into natural water bodies. It is clear that the characteristic marine algal community is developed in the area affected by the thermal discharges; i.e. low species richness and low species diversity. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to note that elevated temperatures exert differential effects depending on the algal populations. Benthic marine algae grown at the discharge canal can be regarded as warm tolerant species. 35 species (4 blue-green, 9 green, 8 brown and 14 red algae) of marine algae occurred more than 20eye frequency at discharge canal of three nuclear power plants in the east coast during 1992 ~ 1998 and thus can be categorized as warm tolerant species in Korea. To minimize the ecological impacts of waste heat on benthic marine algae, it is recommended that, in the future, nuclear power plants will have to employ some form of closed-cycle cooling for the condensers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2297-2301
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• 2015

Background: Despite widely adopted standard methods for follow-up including cystoscopy plus cytology, recurrence rates of non muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) have not improved over the past decades, still ranging from 60% through 70%. Hence, widely acceptable surveillance strategies with excellent sensitivity are needed. Early recurrence has led to the development of a novel cystoscopy technique utilizing photodynamic diagnosis (PDD). Although, no studies have evaluated the efficacy of PDD for patients of MIBC, BCG failure or 2nd-transurethelial resection (TUR). Materials and Methods: The present study was performed from October 2012 through May 2013. IRB approved 25 patients initially underwent a cystoscopy examination of white light and blue light followed by the resection of tumors identified. Resections were performed from bladder mucosa areas considered suspicious at PDD, along with PDD negative normal bladder mucosa area resected by random biopsy. Specimens were divided into two groups, PDD positive and negative. Primary endpoints were sensitivity and specificity. Results: A total of 147 specimens extracted from 25 patients were included in the analysis. Some 45 out of 92 PDD-positive specimens were confirmed to have bladder cancer, and 51 out of PDD-negative 55 specimens were confirmed to be cancer negative. The sensitivity of PDD was 91.8% (45/49) and specificity was 52.0% (51/98). The sensitivity:specificity was 89.5% (17/19) : 47.6% (30/63) in 12 2nd-TUR patients, 90.5% (19/21) : 61.1% (11/18) in seven MIBC patients, and 95.0% (19/20) : 48.5% (16/33) in eight failed BCG cases. Conclusions: PDD-TURBT has high sensitivity to diagnose BC even for 2nd-TUR, MIBC or BCG failure cases.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2017

Background: The light emitting plasma (LEP) has recently attracted attention as a novel artificial light source for plant growth and functional component enhancement. We investigated the effects of LEP on whitening and antioxidant activities of the plant parts of perilla. Methods and Results: Previously germianted seeds of perilla were cultivated under different light conditions (fluoresce lamp, LED red, blue, white, green, and LEP) in a culture room for 2 months. Parts of perilla were harvested and extracted in 70% EtOH. The extracts were used to detect total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), reducing power and tyrosinase inhibition activity as indicators of biological activity. Biological activity was highest in seedlings grown under LEP. The total phenolic content was highest in the stems and the total flavonoid content was highest in the roots of perilla exposed to LEP. The DPPH and ABTS radical activity in all the parts of perilla exposed to LEP were higher by approximately three-fold compared to that in the control (fluoresce lamp). The reducing power values of perilla significantly increased after treatment with LEP. In addition, all the extract of perilla plants exposed to LEP promoted the tyrosinase inhibitory activity. These results suggest that LEP can be an important artificial light source for enhancement of biological activity. Conclusions: LEP could promote whitening and antioxidant activity of perilla.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.241-245
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• 2013

Granular bamboo-derived active carbons (AC) were impregnated (or coated) with $TiO_2$ nano crystalline powders. The photocatalytic activity of the $TiO_2$-impregnated active carbons ($TiO_2$/AC) were determined on the basis of the degradation rate of methylene-blue aqueous solution under UV irradiation. The active compounds of $TiO_2$ were impregnated onto the AC under moderate hydrothermal conditions (${\leq}200^{\circ}C$, pH 11). The mean size of $TiO_2$ particles calculated from BET surface area were found to be as 50 nm. The $TiO_2$ precipitates were coated on the cavities or pores on the surfaces of highly activated carbons. Since the hydrothermal process led to a lowering of the on-set temperature of the anatase-to-rutile transition of $TiO_2$ as low as $200^{\circ}C$, $TiO_2$ crystallites of a pure anatase or a mixed form with rutile were successfully coated on the AC depending on the synthesis temperatures.