• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.15-25
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• 2016

Objectives: In this study, we examined the validity of Clostridium difficile culture results as a proxy measure of Clostridium difficile infection, and inferred the epidemiologic characteristics of Clostridium difficile infection by tracking the trends of Clostridium difficile culture results. Methods: We reviewed the medical records to figure out the actual possibilities of Clostridium difficile infection of those with positive or negative results of Clostridium difficile culture during the time span from January 2012 to March 2012. We calculated the positive and negative predictive value of Clostridium difficile culture results for Clostridium difficile infection. Furthermore, epidemiologic characteristics of Clostridium difficile infection in a tertiary general hospital in 2012 were analyzed. Result: The estimated positive predictive value of Clostridium difficile culture tests for Clostridium difficile infection was 100%, and the estimated negative predictive value was around 94.4~99.3% depending on the cutoff value of possibility of Clostridium difficile infection. A total of 622 cases were identified as Clostridium difficile infection in a tertiary general hospital in 2012 and there were 4.9 patients with Clostridium difficile infection per 1,000 inpatients. Conclusion: In conclusion, we identified that Clostridium difficile culture results can be used as a proxy measure of Clostridium difficile infection.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.75-90
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• 2016

Objectives: This study measures the level of cognition of employee's patient safety culture and evaluates the current level through comparing the results to external levels. Ultimately it is performed to construct a strategic improvement plan through the basic database for patient's safety culture. Methods: A questionnaire survey of self reporting type was carried out using structured questionnaire of the patient's safety culture for employees currently employed in a hospital. Total responders was 1,129 and a response rate was 54.6%. The survey results were calculated with a percent positive response, and the current level was evaluated by comparing with the survey results of a hospital (2009 and 2014) and the survey result of The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(2014). Results: Sub-dimension of high percent positive response for each area were 'teamwork within hospital units' (80%), 'feedback & communication about error' (73%) and 'supervisor/manager expectations & actions promoting safety' (67%). Meanwhile, 'teamwork across hospital units' (31%), 'hospital management support for patient safety' (29%), 'staffing' (27%) and 'non-punitive response to error' (17%) were relatively low percent positive response. Compared to the survey results of AHRQ (2014) for each area, 'teamwork within hospital units' (80%), 'feedback & communication about error' (73%), 'frequency of event reporting' (66%) were at the top 50% percentile level and the remaining sub-dimensions showed a very low level in the lower 10% percentile area. Conclusion: In order to establish a system for patient safety culture within the hospital and evaluate the effect on this, it is necessary to periodically evaluate the patient's safety culture and establish regulations on hospital safety culture to comply with this.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.845-849
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• 2010

This study was conducted to compare various culture methods and evaluate economic feasibility of each method for mass propagation of new ever-bearing strawberry 'Goha'. Four different methods such as semi-solid culture, solid culture, liquid suspension culture and bioreactor culture were compared. The solid culture and bioreactor culture showed the shortest and longest root length, such as 3.6 cm and 8.3 cm, respectively. Fresh weights of plants cultured in bioreactor were 2,261 mg, which were heavier than those of cultures. Dry weights of plants cultured in bioreactor were the heavier compared to those in other cultures. The number of axillary bud developed in bioreactor was seven, but axillary bud was not developed in other cultures. Production cost through bioreactor culture was calculated to be 303 won per plant which was 542 won less than that of solid culture. As a result, we found that the bioreactor culture was the most cost effective culture method for in vitro mass propagation in new ever-bearing strawberry 'Goha'.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 1999

Genetic engineering of stone fruit species like apricot, plum, peach and cherry are hampered by the inefficient and low-level regeneration processes in tissue culture. The first transgenic stone fruit species have emerged from transformed hypocotyls. These great achievements were applauded by the scientific community contrary the fact that hypocotyl derived transgenic plants have no real brooding value. Tissue culture of different organs of valuable cultivars are recorded with an extremely low-level of regeneration in the literature. To improve the tissue culture basis of stone fruit plants an extensive tissue culture programme were launched and dozens of different media were compared including a series of hormone concentration in the tissue culture systems. Our continuous efforts were crowned by a very efficient method for achieving up to 30-40% regenerable petioles. Usually on a single petiole several well-separated meristems were induced. After 3-4 weeks of cultivation shoots were developed. The basic media $K_2$ were supplemented with 10g/L saccharose, 10g/L glucose and 10g/L maltose. The following plant hormones were used BAP 1mg/L, TDZ 1mg/L, 2-iP 1mg/L and IAA 0,1 mg/L concentrations. The Petri dishes were kept for 3 weeks in dark at a temperature 22$^{\circ}C$ for 8 hours and 22-24$^{\circ}C$ for 16 hours. The Petri dishes were sealed with Parafilm. The regeneration of the petioles were genotype independent and we were able to regenerate different plum cultivars with almost the same efficiency.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.84-91
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• 2000

Mycopasma contamination of tissue culture cells easily evades detection and, thus, represents a continous therat to cell biologists. In case where infected cell can not simply be replaced, attempts have to be made to eradicate mycoplacma from the tissue culture cells. A variety of anti-microbial agents have been shown to be toxic to mycoplasma strains ; however, cell associated mycoplasma are often protected from antibiotics at concentrations shown to be effective in vitro. Antibiotic concentrations high enough to be lethal to cell as sociated mycoplasmas frequently are also detrimentrations to the host cells, while moderately increased antibiotic levels tolerated by the host cells often lead to only temporary growth suppression and/or to the emergence of mycoplasma strains resistanct even to high concentrations of the antibiotis applied. Hare, a genetic approach for the elimination of mycoplasma from tissue culture cells that overcomes thens limitations is described. By expression of a selection marker conferring resistance to an otherwise toxic agent, Acholeplasma laidlawii infected BHK-21 cells used as the model system were enabled to temporarily tolerate antibiotic concentrations high enough to be lethal to cell associated mycopalsma while leaving the host cells unharmed. Upon successful mycoplasma eradicated, cultvation of the cured host cells in the absence of the selective agent yielded revertant cell clones that had regained susceptibillity to the toxic agent. Cressation of the selection marker expression was shown to result from the loss of the selection marker DNA, which is a consequence of the fact that the stable and permanent integration of foreign DNA in eucaryotic cell chrosomes is highly inefficient. Thus, the cells were cured from mycoplasma yet remained biochemically unaltered.

• ALGAE
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.229-234
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• 2007

This study was to determine the extent of bacteria contamination and resistance to various antibiotics used commonly in microalgal culture. Seven different dose levels of chloramphenicol, dihydrostreptomycin sulphate, neomycin, penicillin G, streptomycin sulphate, penicillin G + streptomycin sulphate, and penicillin G + streptomycin sulphate + chloramphenicol were added to each culture of microalgae. The lethal effects on microalgae and bacteria were the highest in chloramphenicol and the lowest in penicillin G. The axenic culture of bacillariophyceae and dinophyceae was more difficult than that of chlorophyceae and haptophyceae because of their complicate external morphology. The efficient antibiotics and their concentrations for axenic cultures varied with microalgal species. The optimum quantity for antibiotic treatments were 2,000 ppm of dihydrostreptomycin for Chlorella ellipsoidea, neomycin 500 ppm of Isochrysis galbana and Heterosigma ahashiwo, hloramphenicol 500 ppm of Cyclotella didymus, and dihydrostreptomycin sulphate and neomycin 6,000 ppm of Thalassiosira allenii.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.229-239
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• 2015

The southwestern islands of Japan, especially southward from Amamioshima Island, have distinguished sets of nature and culture. However, various problems are arising on those islands. This report first introduces island characteristics as well as, their status briefly. Then it introduces conservation efforts. Since nature and culture are closely connected in the island system, conservation of the set of nature and culture is essentially important. From this point of view, this report focuses on two efforts. The first example is the effort for designation of a new national park with a new concept of "environmental culture type" and "ecosystem management type" in the Amami Gunto Islands. This effort is a new challenge to focus on the importance of cultural aspects. The second example is the unique effort of the national park visitor center to conserve as one set of integrated nature and culture with an alliance of all stakeholders in Taketomijima Island, Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park. The visitor center serves not only visitors, but also islanders. These two cases are good models that suggest hints for future conservation measures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.734-745
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• 2010

"Sikui-simgam ("食醫心鑑", Book for Alimentotherapist)" written by Jameun, a doctor of Tang (唐) in the 9th century, propagated alimentotherapy in Korea, China, and Japan for a long time. In this study, Sikui-simgam medical theories were studied and the medicinal ingredients and types of food therapy were analyzed to understand alimentotherapy characteristics. "Sikui-simgam" is the first food therapy formulary diverged from herbal therapy forms. Various ingredients from "Sikui-simgam" show the food culture of the Tang age and report much about cooking and cultural history. Many prescriptions in the books are the origins of present-day food culture; thus, they are important clues to understand the present food culture. This book also describes actual prescriptions in detail. Various types of prescriptions with different ingredients are unique characteristics of food therapy and show the various possibilities for food therapy prescriptions. The food therapy prescriptions of "Sikui-simgam" were designed for medical specialists, as the book contains doses and incompatibilities for food therapy. Such food therapy prescriptions were used to treat diseases, so they were used with strict standards.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.19-32
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of the organizational characteristic and workers characteristics of Family Business Organization on its Business Performance. The subjects of this study were workers of healthy family support centers and multicultural family support centers. A survey was conducted from July 30th to September 30th. A total 372 materials were used for analysis of final data and SPSS(Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) WIN 18.0 program was employed in analyzing the collected data. As the result of analysing the effect of organizational characteristics and culture and characteristics of workers on business performance through hierarchical regression analysis, higher performance was achieved when the agency's organizational culture has the characteristics of a developed culture, and when the operating body is a school principal corporation rather than a non-profit corporation, and in the city rather than farming town, having enough information and external resources at the center, and when the job satisfaction of workers are high, and when organizational culture is more hierarchical. There were difference in the result of analysing the effect of organizational characteristic and culture and characteristic of workers on business performance. The level of service and business value of Family Service Organization was higher when the agency's organizational culture has the characteristics of a developed culture, hierarchical culture and agreement culture, and when operating body is a school principal corporation rather than a non-profit corporation, having enough information and external resources at the center, and the administrative skills of workers are higher. Business volume is increased when the operating body is a school principal corporation rather than a non-profit corporation, and in the city rather than farming town, and when the agency's organizational culture has the characteristics of hierarchical culture and agreement culture, having enough external resources at the center, and the practicing ability of workers are higher. When it comes to business efficiency, it is increased when the agency's organizational culture has the characteristics of developed culture and the job satisfaction of workers are high, having enough external and financial resources at the center. Therefore we will need to enhance business performance through improved management and job satisfaction of employees in organizational culture.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.85-89
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• 2017

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of the insemination method on the outcomes of elective blastocyst culture. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of elective blastocyst culture performed between January 2011 and December 2014. Results: There were 2,003 cycles of conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and 336 cycles of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), including 25,652 and 4,164 embryos that underwent sequential blastocyst culture, respectively. No significant differences were found in the female patients' age, basal follicle-stimulating hormone level, basal luteinizing hormone level, body mass index, number of oocytes, maturity rate, fertilization rate, or good-quality embryo rate. However, the blastocyst formation rate and embryo utilization rate were significantly higher in the conventional IVF group than in the ICSI group (54.70% vs. 50.94% and 51.09% vs. 47.65%, respectively, p<0.05). The implantation/pregnancy rate (IVF, 50.93%; ICSI, 55.10%), miscarriage rate (IVF, 12.57%; ICSI, 16.29%), and live birth rate (IVF, 42.12%; ICSI, 44.08%) were similar (p>0.05). No cycles were canceled due to the formation of no usable blastocysts. Conclusion: Although the fertilization method had no effect on clinical outcomes, the blastocyst formation rate and embryo utilization rate in the ICSI group were significantly lower than those observed in the conventional IVF group. Therefore, more care should be taken when choosing to perform blastocyst culture in ICSI patients.