• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.342-353
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to identify priority factors for improving service quality of cosmetic stores in drug stores(DRS) and department stores(DES) and to provide basic data for improving service quality of cosmetic stores by analyzing the service quality based on the Kano model and the Potential Customer Satisfaction Improvement (PCSI) Index. As a result, most items of quality factors of cosmetic stores in both stores were evaluated as attractive quality factors. As a result of PCSI Index comparison, the quality factors of 'Reliability', 'Responsiveness', and 'Empathy' items for DRS and 'Empathy' and 'Reliability' items for DES had higher priority for improvement. That is, if these factors are improved, there is a high potential to improve customer satisfaction. Through this study, practical implications were provided by identifying service quality factor classification and priorities for customer satisfaction improvement of DRS and DES. This is expected to contribute to the guidelines for improving customer satisfaction in the future.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.3745-3765
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• 2022

The concrete structures related to nuclear safety are threatened by accidental impact loadings, mainly including the low-velocity drop-weight impact (e.g., spent fuel cask and assembly, etc. with the velocity less than 20 m/s) and high-speed projectile impact (e.g., steel pipe, valve, turbine bucket, etc. with the velocity higher than 20 m/s), while the existing studies are still limited in the impact resistant design of nuclear power plant (NPP), especially the primary RC slab. This paper aims to propose the numerical simulation and theoretical approaches to assist the impact-resistant design of RC slab in NPP. Firstly, the continuous surface cap (CSC) model parameters for concrete with the compressive strength of 20-70 MPa are fully calibrated and verified, and the refined numerical simulation approach is proposed. Secondly, the two-degree freedom (TDOF) model with considering the mutual effect of flexural and shear resistance of RC slab are developed. Furthermore, based on the low-velocity drop hammer tests and high-speed soft/hard projectile impact tests on RC slabs, the adopted numerical simulation and TDOF model approaches are fully validated by the flexural and punching shear damage, deflection, and impact force time-histories of RC slabs. Finally, as for the two low-velocity impact scenarios, the design procedure of RC slab based on TDOF model is validated and recommended. Meanwhile, as for the four actual high-speed impact scenarios, the impact-resistant design specification in Chinese code NB/T 20012-2019 is evaluated, the over conservation of which is found, and the proposed numerical approach is recommended. The present work could beneficially guide the impact-resistant design and safety assessment of NPPs against the accidental impact loadings.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.149-163
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• 2023

One of the main design parameters traditionally utilized in projects of geotechnical engineering is the uniaxial compressive strength. The present paper employed three artificial intelligence methods, i.e., the stochastic fractal search (SFS), the multi-verse optimization (MVO), and the vortex search algorithm (VSA), in order to determine the compressive strength of concrete (CSC). For the same reason, 1030 concrete specimens were subjected to compressive strength tests. According to the obtained laboratory results, the fly ash, cement, water, slag, coarse aggregates, fine aggregates, and SP were subjected to tests as the input parameters of the model in order to decide the optimum input configuration for the estimation of the compressive strength. The performance was evaluated by employing three criteria, i.e., the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and the determination coefficient (R²). The evaluation of the error criteria and the determination coefficient obtained from the above three techniques indicates that the SFS-MLP technique outperformed the MVO-MLP and VSA-MLP methods. The developed artificial neural network models exhibit higher amounts of errors and lower correlation coefficients in comparison with other models. Nonetheless, the use of the stochastic fractal search algorithm has resulted in considerable enhancement in precision and accuracy of the evaluations conducted through the artificial neural network and has enhanced its performance. According to the results, the utilized SFS-MLP technique showed a better performance in the estimation of the compressive strength of concrete (R²=0.99932 and 0.99942, and RMSE=0.32611 and 0.24922). The novelty of our study is the use of a large dataset composed of 1030 entries and optimization of the learning scheme of the neural prediction model via a data distribution of a 20:80 testing-to-training ratio.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.271-278
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• 2022

The detailed mechanism by which cancer upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) overexpression induces cancer stem cell-like phenotypes is not fully understood. The downregulation of FBXW7 E3 ligase, a tumor suppressor known for its proteolytic regulation of oncogenic proteins such as cyclin E, c-Myc, Notch, and Yap1, has been frequently reported in several types of tumor tissues, including those in the large intestine, cervix, and stomach. Therefore, we investigated whether FBXW7 is involved in CUG2-induced oncogenesis. In this study, the decreased expression of FBXW7 was examined in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 (A549-CUG2) and human bronchial BEAS-2B cells (BEAS-CUG2) overexpressing CUG2 and compared with control cells stably expressing an empty vector (A549-Vec or BEAS-Vec). Treatment with MG132 (a proteosome inhibitor) prevented the degradation of FBXW7 and Yap1 proteins, which are substrates of the FBXW7 E3 ligase. To address the role of Fbxw7 in the development of cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotypes, we suppressed Fbxw7 protein levels using its siRNA. We observed that decreased levels of FBXW7 enhanced cell migration, invasion, and spheroid size and number in A549-Vec and BEAS-Vec cells. The enforced expression of FBXW7 produced the opposite results in A549-CUG2 and BEAS-CUG2 cells. Furthermore, the downregulation of FBXW7 elevated the activities of EGFR, Akt, and ERK1/2 and upregulated β-catenin, Yap1, and NEK2, while the enforced expression of FBXW7 generated the opposite results. We thus propose that FBXW7 downregulation induced by CUG2 confers CSC-like phenotypes through the upregulation of both the EGFR-ERK1/2 and β-catenin-Yap1-NEK2 signaling pathways.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of CS682, a fermentation product of Actinomycetae(Nocardia sp. CS682), and its commercial product DSC682$^{(R)}$ on the performance, blood parameters, intestinal microflora, and immune response in laying hens. Hy-Line Brown$^{(R)}$ laying hens were housed in two bird cages. Feeding trial lasted 5 wk under 16.5 h:7.5 h(L:D) lighting regimen. In Exp.1, a total of 480 birds of 86 wk old were assigned to four dietary treatments: Control, Antibiotics (6 ppm avilamycin), CS682-0.1 (CS682 0.1%) and CS682-1.0 (CS682 1.0% supplementation). Each treatment was replicated five times with 24 birds (or 12 cages) per replication. In Exp. 2, a total of 1,000 birds of 26 wk old were assigned to five dietary treatments: Control, Antibiotics (6 ppm avilamycin), DCS682-0.05 (DCS682 0.05%), DCS682-0.1 (DCS682 0.1%), DCS682-0.2 (DCS682 0.2% supplementation). Each treatment was replicated five times with 40 birds (or 20 cages) per replication. In Exp. 1, there were no significant differences among treatments in egg production, egg weight, broken & soft egg production, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. Also, there were no significant differences among treatments in eggshell thickness, eggshell color and Haugh unit. However, eggshell strength was significantly (p<0.05) greater in CS682 and Antibiotics treatments than Control, and egg yolk color was significantly (p<0.05) higher in CS682-1.0 than Control. In Exp. 2, feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) lower in DSC682-0.05 than Control. Lightness(L) of Hunter Lab color of eggshell of DCS and Antibiotics treatments was significantly (p<0.05) lower than Control. Egg yolk color of DCS 0.1 and 0.2 treatments was significantly (p<0.05) higher than Control. Haugh unit increased significantly (p<0.05) in Antibiotics and DCS682-0.1 treatments. The immunoglobulin levels of plasma (IgG and IgA) and eggyolk (IgY) were not significantly affected by treatments. Antibiotics and CS682 or DCS682 treatments significantly (p<0.05 or 0.01) influenced some of the erythrocytes and leukocytes parameters in blood. In Exp.1, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) decreased by CS682 treatments and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) was highest in Antibiotics treatments. In Exp.2, the level of monocyte (MO) decreased in DCS682-0.10 and 0.20 treatments. The cfu of C. perfringens and S. typhimurium in small intestinal content were highest in Control and lowest in Antibiotics in both experiments. In Exp. 2, DSC682-0.05 and -0.1 treatments were highest and Antibiotic treatment was lowest in Lactobacilli spp. The results of the present layer experiments indicated that supplementation of 0.1~0.2% CS682 or DCS682 may increase eggshell strength, color of eggshell and eggyolk, Haugh unit, and control harmful intestinal microbes.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.683-692
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• 2020

A joint displacement resistance evaluation method for selecting waterproofing materials in railway bridge decks is proposed. The displacement range for an evaluation is determined by finite element method (FEM) analysis of a load case based on an existing high-speed PSC Girder Box railroad bridge structure. The FEM analysis results were used to calculate the minimum joint displacement range to be applied during testing (approximately 1.5 mm). For the evaluation, four commonly used waterproofing membrane types, cementitious slurry coating (CSC), polyurethane coating system (PCS), self-adhesive asphalt sheet (SAS), and composite asphalt sheet (CAS), were tested, with five specimens of each membrane type. The joint displacement width range conditions, including the minimum displacement range obtained from FEM analysis, were set to be the incrementing interval, from 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 mm. The proposal for the evaluation criteria and the specimen test results demonstrated how the evaluation method is important for the sustainability of high-speed railway bridges.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.48-53
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• 2017

Since the number and the amount of toxic substances handled by domestic companies have been increased, the possibility of serious chemical accidents has become severe. According to Chemistry Safety Clearing-house (CSC), the number of chemical accidents for the last five years has been rapidly raised. A representative example which shows the serious impact of a chemical accident is HF (Hydrogen Fluoride) accident generated in Gumi in 2012. In order to make effective responses for mitigating losses of accidents, the most suitable consequence model has to be selected and implemented throughout the considerations of chemical properties and environments. Even if each consequence model has been verified by the results of experiments, it is necessary to analyze and compare the usability of them according to various scenarios. In this study, the Gumi HF accident is simulated by HGSYSTEM, which is the most specialized model for the release and dispersion of HF. It is found that the ending point of ERPG-2 is about 1 km from the accident point. In order to investigate the usability of the most representative consequence models (ALOHA and CARIS), the results of them are compared with one of HGSYSTEM.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Telomeres are located at the chromosomal ends and progressively shortened during each cell cycle. Telomerase, which is regulated by hTERT and c-MYC, maintains telomeric DNA sequences. Especially, telomerase is active in cancer and stem cells to maintain telomere length for replicative immortality. Recently we reported that walnut phenolic extract (WPE) can reduce cell viability in a colon cancer stem cell (CSC) model. We, therefore, investigated the effect of WPE on telomere maintenance in the same model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: $CD133^+CD44^+$ cells from HCT116, a human colon cancer cell line, were sorted by Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and treated with WPE at the concentrations of 0, 10, 20, and $40{\mu}g/mL$ for 6 days. Telomere lengths were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) using telomere specific primers and DNA extracted from the cells, which was further adjusted with single-copy gene and reference DNA ($ddC_t$). Telomerase activity was also measured by qRT-PCR after incubating the PCR mixture with cell protein extracts, which was adjusted with reference DNA ($dC_t$). Transcriptions of hTERT and c-MYC were determined using conventional RT-PCR. RESULTS: Telomere length of WPE-treated cells was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner ($5.16{\pm}0.13$ at $0{\mu}g/mL$, $4.79{\pm}0.12$ at $10{\mu}g/mL$, $3.24{\pm}0.08$ at $20{\mu}g/mL$ and $3.99{\pm}0.09$ at $40{\mu}g/mL$; P = 0.0276). Telomerase activities concurrently decreased with telomere length ($1.47{\pm}0.04$, $1.09{\pm}0.01$, $0.76{\pm}0.08$, and $0.88{\pm}0.06$; P = 0.0067). There was a positive correlation between telomere length and telomerase activity (r = 0.9090; P < 0.0001). Transcriptions of both hTERT and c-MYC were also significantly decreased in the same manner. CONCLUSION: In the present cell culture model, WPE reduced telomere maintenance, which may provide a mechanistic link to the effect of walnuts on the viability of colon CSCs.