• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.329-337
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• 2005

This study investigated prevalence of color vision loss different from children's residence. The study subjects are 3 to 6 grade's children of elementary school in four areas. The blood lead and urinary mercury were analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. All of participations' blood lead and urine mercury concentration were below suggested level of concern such as criteria by CDC and ATSDR. Color vision was assessed by the Lanthony D-15 desaturated panel. Color vision loss was quantitatively established by the Color Confusion Index (CCI) and qualitatively classified by type of acquired dyschromatopsia according to Verriest's classification. The prevalence of color vision loss and CCI value for children in industrial area was significantly higher than other areas(p<0.05). However blood lead and urinary mercury concentration level was not correlated to the color vision loss. Therefore we believed that other environmental neurotoxic substance except metal had an effects on color vision loss for children in industrial area.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.153-160
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• 2017

In this study, we aim to determine the in vivo effect of human umbilical cord blood-derived multipotent stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) on neuropathic pain, using three, principal peripheral neuropathic pain models. Four weeks after hUCB-MSC transplantation, we observed significant antinociceptive effect in hUCB-MSC-transplanted rats compared to that in the vehicle-treated control. Spinal cord cells positive for c-fos, CGRP, p-ERK, p-p 38, MMP-9 and MMP 2 were significantly decreased in only CCI model of hUCB-MSCs-grafted rats, while spinal cord cells positive for CGRP, p-ERK and MMP-2 significantly decreased in SNL model of hUCB-MSCs-grafted rats and spinal cord cells positive for CGRP and MMP-2 significantly decreased in SNI model of hUCB-MSCs-grafted rats, compared to the control 4 weeks or 8weeks after transplantation (p<0.05). However, cells positive for TIMP-2, an endogenous tissue inhibitor of MMP-2, were significantly increased in SNL and SNI models of hUCB-MSCs-grafted rats. Taken together, subcutaneous injection of hUCB-MSCs may have an antinociceptive effect via modulation of pain signaling during pain signal processing within the nervous system, especially for CCI model. Thus, subcutaneous administration of hUCB-MSCs might be beneficial for improving those patients suffering from neuropathic pain by decreasing neuropathic pain activation factors, while increasing neuropathic pain inhibition factor.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.31-38
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• 2005

Objectives : This study was aimed at investigating liver protection mechanism of bear bile juice (Fel Ursi)by inducing liver toxicity through $CCl_4$ in mice and evaluated histological and serological findings. Methods : Experiment groups was categorized into untreated normal group, $CCl_4$ treated control group, and orally administered bear bile juice experiment group. At the termination of experiment, gross examination of the liver as well as histological findings, and Total protein, Albumin, Total bilirubin, Direct bilirubin SGOT, SGPT, and ALP contents in the serum were evaluated. Results : 1. For gross examination and histological findings, $CCI_4$ treated control group showed destroyed lobular structure, increased fibrosis, as well as hepatic cirrhosis. For the group treated with bear bile juice, the lobular structure suffered less damage, and showed lower level of fibrosis and liver cirrhosis compared to the control group. 2. For serum analysis, Total protein and Albumin were significantly increased in the bear bile juice experiment group than the control group. Total bilirubin and Direct bilirubin didn't show significant differences between the two groups. SOOT, SGPT, and ALP were significantly decreased in the normal and bear bile juice experiment groups compared to the control group. Conclusion : Taken together, bear bile juice can be effectively used for recovering the liver functions and further researches must be conducted to verify the efficacies of bear bile juice.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 2012

In livestock industry, damage caused by the epidemic diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Highly-Pathogenic-Avian-Influenza (HPAI) and Porcine-Reproductive-and-Respiratory-Syndrome (PRRS) was very serious. The financial loss incurred from FMD alone which occurred on Nov. 2011 in Korea was estimated at 3 billion won, 23 % of annual livestock industry production. The livestock industry in Korea has greater risk of disease infection because of high density production, etc. Investigating the spread of livestock diseases should consider both direct and indirect contact as well as other various factors including airborne. Airborne infection of livestock disease was first hypothesised in the early 1900s, however, field experimental studies are still limited. Furthermore, no protocol is available in detecting airborne viruses in the field. In this study, effective virus samplers were investigated by comparative analysis of the type of samplers used detect to airborne virus. Laboratory experiments were conducted to compare virus samplers such as Bio-sampler, Dust-sampler, Compact-Cascade-Impactor (CCI) and Microflow in detecting PRRSV. Samples were analyzed by Reverse-Transcription PCR to assess the efficiency of the instrument in detecting the airborne virus. First, samples were classified into five levels according to light intensity of gel images and then the classified results were normalized. In every case, Bio-sampler and Dust-sampler were comparable with each other and have shown to be more effective than CCI and Microflow samplers.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.489-494
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• 2016

Neuropathic pain (NPP) is the main culprit among chronic pains affecting the normal life of patients. Procaine is a frequently-used local anesthesia with multiple efficacies in various diseases. However, its role in modulating NPP has not been reported yet. This study aims at uncovering the role of procaine in NPP. Rats were pretreated with procaine by intrathecal injection. Then NPP rat model was induced by sciatic nerve chronic compression injury (CCI) and behavior tests were performed to analyze the pain behaviors upon mechanical, thermal and cold stimulations. Spinal expression of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was detected by qRT-PCR and western blot. JAK2 was also overexpressed in procaine treated model rats for behavior tests. Results showed that procaine pretreatment improved the pain behaviors of model rats upon mechanical, thermal and cold stimulations, with the best effect occurring on the $15^{th}$ day post model construction (p<0.05). Procaine also inhibited JAK2 and STAT3 expression in both mRNA (p<0.05) and protein levels. Overexpression of JAK2 increased STAT3 level and reversed the improvement effects of procaine in pain behaviors (p<0.01). These findings indicate that procaine is capable of attenuating NPP, suggesting procaine is a potential therapeutic strategy for treating NPP. Its role may be associated with the inhibition on JAK2/STAT3 signaling.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.227-233
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• 2018

Objectives: Chronic diseases, including back pain, result in significant patient morbidity and societal burden. Overall improvement in physical fitness is recommended for prevention and treatment. Walking is a convenient modality for achieving initial gains. Our objective was to determine whether neighbourhood walkability, acting as a surrogate measure of physical fitness, was associated with the presence of chronic disease. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of prospectively collected data from a prior randomized cohort study of 227 patients referred for tertiary assessment of chronic back pain in Ottawa, ON, Canada. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was calculated from patient-completed questionnaires and medical record review. Using patients' postal codes, neighbourhood walkability was determined using the Walk Score, which awards points based on the distance to the closest amenities, yielding a score from 0 to 100 (0-50: car-dependent; 50-100: walkable). Results: Based on the Walk Score, 134 patients lived in car-dependent neighborhoods and 93 lived in walkable neighborhoods. A multivariate logistic regression model, adjusted for age, gender, rural postal code, body mass index, smoking, median household income, percent employment, pain, and disability, demonstrated an adjusted odds ratio of 2.75 (95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 6.53) times higher prevalence for having a chronic disease for patients living in a car-dependent neighborhood. There was also a significant dose-related association (p=0.01; Mantel-Haenszel chi-square=6.4) between living in car-dependent neighbourhoods and more severe CCI scores. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that advocating for improved neighbourhood planning to permit greater walkability may help offset the burden of chronic disease.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.730-737
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• 2020

Objective : Spinal degeneration is a progressive disease, worsening over time. Lumbar degenerative disease (LDD) is a major spinal disease in elderly patients. Surgical treatment is considered for medically intractable patients with LDD and reoperation after primary surgery is not uncommon. The surgical outcome is occasionally unpredictable because of comorbidities. In the present study, the relationship between comorbidities and the incidence of reoperation for LDD over time was determined. Methods : The claims data of the health insurance national database were used to identify a cohort of patients who underwent spinal surgery for LDD in 2009. The patients were followed up until 2016. Medical comorbidity was assessed according to the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Cox proportional hazard regression modeling was used to identify significant differences in sex, surgery, age, causative disease, and comorbidity. Results : The study cohort included 78241 patients; 10328 patients (13.2%) underwent reoperation during the observation period. The reoperation rate was statistically higher (p<0.01) in males, patients 55-74 years and 65-74 years of age, and patients with decompression or discectomy. Significant association was found between increasing reoperation rate and CCI score (p<0.01). Based on multivariate analysis of comorbidities, the significantly higher reoperation rates were observed in patients with peripheral vascular disease, pulmonary lung disease, peptic ulcer, diabetes, and diabetes complications (p<0.01). Conclusion : The study results indicate the reoperation rate for LDD is associated with patient comorbidities. The comorbidities identified in this study could be helpful in future LDD studies.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.119-143
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• 2011

This study identifies the characteristics of recent citation-based indicators for assessing a single paper in the context of their co-relationships. Five predefined indicators were examined with three variants of h-index which are convened in this study; the formers are PageRank, SCEAS Rank, CCI, f-value, and single paper h-index and the latters are $h_S$-index, h1-index, and $h_S$1-index. The correlation analysis and cluster analysis were performed to group the indicators by common characteristics, after which the indicators were calculated with the dataset from KSCI DB. The results show statistical evidence that distinguishes h-index type indicators from others. The characteristics of the indicators were verified with citation frequency factors using correlation analysis. Finally, the implications for applications and further studies are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics A
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• v.30A no.12
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• pp.51-59
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• 1993

A 4${\times}10^{19}cm^{3}$ carbon-doped base AlGaAs/GaAs HBY was grown using carbontetracholoride(CCl$_4$) by atmospheric pressure MOCVD. Abruptness of emitter-base junction was characterized by SIMS(secondary ion mass spectorscopy) and the doping concentration of base layer was confirmed by DXRD(double crystal X-ray diffractometry). Mesa-type HBTs were fabricated using wet etching and lift-off technique. The base sheet resistance of R$_{sheet}$=550${\Omega}$/square was measured using TLM(transmission line model) method. The fabricated transistor achieved a collector-base junction breakdown voltage of BV$_{CBO}$=25V and a critical collector current density of J$_{O}$=40kA/cm$^2$ at V$_{CE}$=2V. The 50$\times$100$\mu$$^2$ emitter transistor showed a common emitter DC current gain of h$_{FE}$=30 at a collector current density of JS1CT=5kA/cm$^2$ and a base current ideality factor of ηS1EBT=1.4. The high frequency characterization of 5$\times$50$\mu$m$^2$ emitter transistor was carried out by on-wafer S-parameter measurement at 0.1~18.1GHz. Current gain cutoff frequency of f$_{T}$=27GHz and maximum oscillation frequency of f$_{max}$=16GHz were obtained from the measured Sparameter and device parameters of small-signal lumped-element equivalent network were extracted using Libra software. The fabricated HBT was proved to be useful to high speed and power spplications.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.31 no.6A
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• pp.603-610
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• 2006

This paper considers the problem of mitigating CCI(Co-channel Interference) in cellular OFDMA downlink systems. The users in the cell-edge area suffer from large CCIs, and their SINR requirements are hard to be maintained. To guarantee their QoS, we propose a new exclusive sub-carrier allocation and power control algorithm. The performance of the proposed two-step algorithm is simulated in SUI-A path-loss model, and it is compared with that of the conventional algorithm. The simulation results show that the data transmission rate in the cell-edge area was increased by 600Kbps within the same power constraint. The results indicate that with proposed algorithm, the data rate stability can be achieved independently of the user location in the cell.