• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.358-367
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• 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as an international health emergency. Current diagnostic tests are based on the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method, which is the gold standard test that involves the amplification of viral RNA. However, the RT-qPCR assay has limitations in terms of sensitivity and quantification. In this study, we tested both qPCR and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to detect low amounts of viral RNA. The cycle threshold (CT) of the viral RNA by RT-PCR significantly varied according to the sequences of the primer and probe sets with in vitro transcript (IVT) RNA or viral RNA as templates, whereas the copy number of the viral RNA by ddPCR was effectively quantified with IVT RNA, cultured viral RNA, and RNA from clinical samples. Furthermore, the clinical samples were assayed via both methods, and the sensitivity of the ddPCR was determined to be equal to or more than that of the RT-qPCR. However, the ddPCR assay is more suitable for determining the copy number of reference materials. These findings suggest that the qPCR assay with the ddPCR defined reference materials could be used as a highly sensitive and compatible diagnostic method for viral RNA detection.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.399-404
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• 2020

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is associated with a variety of therapeutic effects, including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, vasorelaxative, antiallergic, antidiabetic, and anticancer effects. Accordingly, the use of ginseng has reached an all-time high among members of the general public. However, the safety and efficacy of ginseng in transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressant drugs have still not been elucidated. Transplantation is the most challenging and complex of surgical procedures and may require causation for the use of ginseng. In this regard, we have previously examined the safety, immunological benefits, and protective mechanisms of ginseng with respect to calcineurin inhibitor-based immunosuppression, which is the most widely used regimen in organ transplantation. Using an experimental model of calcineurin inhibitor-induced organ injury, we found that ginseng does not affect drug levels in the peripheral blood and tissue, favorably regulates immune response, and protects against calcineurin inhibitor-induced nephrotoxicity and pancreatic islet injury. On the basis of our experimental studies and a review of the related literature, we propose that ginseng may provide benefits in organ transplant recipients administered calcineurin inhibitors. Through the present review, we aimed to briefly discuss our current understanding of the therapeutic benefits of ginseng related to transplant patient survival.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.219-224
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• 2011

The research reviews the logical approach based on the creative thoughts. The two logical approaches, including deductive convergent and inductive divergent are discussed with why-why techniques and how-how techniques. While the deductive thinking is vertical logic for interconnected hierarchical and deep domains, the inducive thinking is horizontal logic for mutually exclusive and collectively exhausted frameworks. The creative thinking comes from the reversing the logic and lessening the premise of convergent and divergent approaches.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.101-122
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• 2008

A wide variety of convergent digital products are emerging through the combination of multiple independent digital technologies. Digital convergence provides new revenue sources for businesses and new ways of satisfying individual needs of consumers. Despite its business and consumer implications, little research has addressed how people perceive or evaluate convergent products. This study aims at understanding how consumers interpret and evaluate convergent digital products by conducting two consecutive studies. Firstly, a survey was conducted to understand how people interpret convergent products in three ways suggested by the conceptual combination theory based in cognitive science. Secondly, an experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of combination strategies and product similarities on user evaluation of convergent products. Study results indicate that similarity of constituent products has a substantial effect on the interpretation of concept combination strategies. Moreover, combination strategy and product similarity were found to have substantial effects on user comprehension, perceived newness, and preferences for convergent products. This paper ends with an examination of the implications and limitations of the study results.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2021

In this study, a sensor for detection of nitric oxide (NO) gas was developed using petroleum pitch-based activated carbon which was synthesized from pyrolysis fuel oil (PFO). Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was added to increase molecular weight by stimulating a polymerization of components in PFO during the pitch synthesis process. The increase in the molecular weight of pitch contributed to the improvement of textural properties of activated carbon, such as the specific surface area and micropore volume. It also enhanced the sensitivity of NO gas sensor based on the activated carbon. In addition, the effect of PET addition during the pitch synthesis on the surface oxygen content and conductivity of activated carbon was investigated. Finally, the correlation of the sensitivity with physical properties of activated carbon was analyzed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.467-470
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• 2007

Application field of neutron beam is very broad including industry, medicine and science. But the research and development and use of neutron beam is restricted within in narrow limits in this country, because neutron beam facility is insufficient - a big research facility of nuclear reactor(HANARO) and some small industrial facilities which use radioisotope neutron source are available. This paper compare and investigate the results of experiment and numerical analysis of the discharge in the spherically convergent beam fusion device which were expected as a portable neutron source. The spherically convergent beam fusion device will offer stability in neutron production, possibility of movement for convenience, low construction cost and higher neutron flux than radioisotope neutron source. The star mode discharge which efficiently generate neutron, were observed at both results.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 1995

This paper provides a locally convergent algorithm and a globally convergent algorithm for a variational inequality problem over convex polyhedral. The algorithm are based on the B (ouligand)-differentiability of the solution of a nonsmooth equation derived from the variational in-equality problem. Convergences of the algorithms are achieved by the results of Pang[3].

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.12
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• pp.605-615
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• 2012

Dance studies inherently have a nature of convergence and integration. Meanwhile, dance studies have extended their realm by investigating dance phenomena from many perspectives which art theories cannot explain. However, the previous and current dance studies are inadequate to explain a confluence society which is characterized as techuim, Interaction, freedom and openness according to the digital revolution. Hence, a result of research trend in domestic dance studies, it is found that dance studies have been studied in four perspectives since the early 2000s: first, a triggering the various studiesa of the convergent and integrative dance; second, an attempt to the convergent and integrative program development research; third, the vitalization of the convergent research on dance digital contents; and fourth, a research on the convergent dance art phenomena. These researches have played an important role in boosting a change in the structure and realm expansion of dance studies that are interdisciplinary research enabling a holistic approach to the integration and convergence between scientific technique, skills of dance art and other studies. However, it should be acknowledged that one problem is the current research development plan or/and research program have very little feasibility and practicality except an interdisciplinary research on the dance digital contents. Therefore, it is suggested for the development of dance studies in the age of convergence as follows: first, a dance convergent study integrated in skills and theories of dance and science that would pave the way for an academic foundation leading to a new humanistic model in the age of convergent; and second, a need for a paradigm shift that theories should be deployed in the scene on a commercial scale in order to produce effectiveness of the interdisciplinary and integrative research on dance studies by turning into a behavioristic research phase. third, it needs to changeover from large scale of convergent performance into small scale of convergent performance based on original idea for accumulation of teachnique research and promotion of dance convergent performance.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.67-69
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• 2007

Customary way of thinking may be the most major stumbling block to creative thinking in basic design education in the information and network era. The basic design education was used to be based on personal experience or subjective ideas, but these days, the role of divergent thinking and convergent thinking which provide the basis of creative techniques has been closely examined. Going beyond a divergent thinking and directly starting a convergent thinking means bypassing the design process of the existing basic design education. Though preceding studies considered various creative techniques apart from divergent thinking and convergent thinking, this study presumed that complementing the most typical methods of divergent thinking and convergent thinking may result in the same basic design education effect. So, what approach must be used to the design? The way of thinking needs to change. For that, we try to apply the mapping to basic design education. It must encompass interactive thinking which includes immaterial elements and communication. Divergent thinking can begin with the accurate understanding of current state, and the created current state resolves the design process that needs to be a certain thing. The purpose of this study was to present the method for applying the mapping techniques to basic design education based on divergent and convergent thinking which provides the basis of creative ideas.

• Atmosphere
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.51-66
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• 2015

This study was conducted to perform various sensitivity experiments using WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model in order to determine the effects of terrains of the Korean Peninsula and the land-sea thermal contrast on the formation and development of the convergent cloud band for the cases of 1 February 2012. The sensitivity experiments consist of the following five ones: CNTL experiment (control experiment), and TMBT experiment, BDMT experiment and ALL experiment that set the terrain altitude of Taeback Mountains and Northern mountain complex as zero, respectively, and the altitude of the above-mentioned two mountains as zero, and LANDSEA experiment that set to change the Korean Peninsula into sea in order to find out the land-sea thermal contrast effect. These experiment results showed that a cold air current stemming from the Siberian high pressure met the group of northern mountains with high topography altitude and was separated into two air currents. These two separated air currents met each other again on the Middle and Northern East Sea, downstream of the group of northern mountains and converged finally, creating the convergent cloud band. And these experiments suggested that the convergent cloud band located on the Middle and Northern East Sea, and the cloud band lying on the southern East sea to the coastal waters of the Japanese Island facing the East Sea, were generated and developed by different dynamical mechanisms. Also it was found that the topography of Taeback Mountains created a warm air advection region due to temperature rise by adiabatic compression near the coastal waters of Yeongdong Region, downstream of the mountains. In conclusion, these experiment results clearly showed that the most essential factor having an effect on the generation and development of the convergent cloud band was the topography effect of the northern mountain complex, and that the land-sea thermal contrast effect was insignificant.