• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.323-329
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• 2011

In order to develop new protein carrier replacing poly(DL-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres, succinylated pullulan acetate (SPA) was investigated to fabricate a long term protein delivery carrier. SPA microspheres loaded with lysozyme (Lys) as a model protein drug were prepared by a water/oil/water (W/O/W) double emulsion method. An acidity test of SPA copolymers after hydrolysis was performed to estimate the change of protein stability during releasing proteins from the microspheres. There was no pH change of SPA copolymers, but pH of PLGA polymers after hydrolysis was significantly decreased to around pH 2, indicating that the long-term stability of proteins released from SPA microspheres can be guaranteed. Loading efficiency of proteins into SPA microspheres was three times higher than those into conventional PLGA microspheres, indication of inducing stronger charge interaction between proteins and succinyl groups in SPA microspheres. Although initial burst behaviors were monitored in Lys-loaded SPA microspheres due to relatively strong hydrophilic succinyl segments in SPA microspheres, initial burst issues would be circumvented if the ratio of charge density of succinyl moieties and hydrophobic acetate groups is harmonically controlled. Therefore, in this study, a new attempt of protein delivery system was made and functional SPA was successfully confirmed as a new protein carrier.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.319-335
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• 2012

In this study, we design an applicable model enabling internet protocol television (IPTV) service providers to use a virtual network (VN) for IPTV service delivery. The model addresses the guaranteed service delivery, cost effectiveness, flexible control, and scalable network infrastructure limitations of backbone or IP overlay-based content networks. There are two major challenges involved in this research: i) The design of an efficient, cost effective, and reliable virtual network topology (VNT) for IPTV service delivery and the handling of a VN allocation failure by infrastructure providers (InPs) and ii) the proper approach to reduce the cost of VNT recontruction and reallocation caused by VNT allocation failure. Therefore, in this study, we design a more reliable virtual network topology for solving a single virtual node, virtual link, or video server failure. We develop a novel optimization objective and an efficient VN construction algorithm for building the proposed topology. In addition, we address the VN allocation failure problem by proposing VNT decomposition and reconstruction algorithms. Various simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed VNT, as well as that of the associated construction, decomposition, and reconstruction algorithms in terms of reliability and efficiency. The simulation results are compared with the findings of existing works, and an improvement in performance is observed.

• Management Science and Financial Engineering
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.79-93
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• 2005

Despite the fact that the sourcing process in B2B e-Marketplaces is one of the most important tasks, the evaluation and selection process of suppliers have been ad-hoc based and mainly dependent on the experience of sourcing managers' subjective knowledge. To remedy the problem, we developed a decision support System (called Wise - I) that helps sourcing managers evaluate suppliers in a more systematic way. The system reflects company's strategy and know-how by adopting company enforced weighted scores for different factors and employing a more scientific method of considering factors other than price and on-time delivery rate, utilizing the AHP method. This paper reports the effectiveness of the system as well as the detailed description of the system. To investigate the effectiveness of the system, we collected information through interview and questionnaire survey. The information was also augmented through the firm key index system, which monitors average delivery lead time and on-time delivery rate. The result indicates that the system leads to the efficiency of purchasing section and the transparency of buying process, therefore reduces delivery time and cost.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.57-62
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• 2020

In the drug delivery system industry, the technology with even split injection becomes important for maximizing efficiency and minimizing the side effects. In conventional drug delivery system, infection can occur due to pain and splashing. Also, various applications are impossible due to disposable use, and it is the reason to avoid to use this system because of the complexity of the driving method. Therefore, in this study, a painless drug delivery device is developed for non-pain with electrical insulation breakdown method. Finite elements analysis was used to evaluate the ejection characteristics of drugs according to the shape of the micro ejection nozzle. The effect of the number of holes in the micro nozzle, the length of the nozzle and the inner shape of the nozzle on the drug discharge characteristics were analyzed.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2018

In the present study, we performed electroporation to deliver protein into microalgae using previously developed digital electroporation system. Green fluorescence protein was successfully delivered into a live microalgae cell nucleus without cell wall removal. By investigating the effects of applied voltage on the protein delivery efficiency, optimal electroporation electric field condition was found (960 V/cm). We also investigated the delivery of Yo-Pro-1 into cell to examine the size effects of delivered materials and found that there is little size effects on the optimal condition. Finally, the implications of the present results and future work are discussed.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.159-169
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• 2019

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) in breast cancer cells have self-renewal ability and differentiation potential. They are also resistant to drugs after chemotherapy. To overcome this resistance, we designed negatively charged 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG)-based liposomes for drug delivery. These liposomes have enhanced the therapeutic effects of a range of antitumor therapies by increasing the cellular uptake and improving drug delivery to targets sites. In this study, we investigated whether DMPG-POPC liposomes, including the neutral lipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholin (POPC), can specifically bind to MCF-7 breast cancer cells and increase cellular uptake compared with that by CHOL-POPC liposomes. We also estimated the cytotoxicity of DMPG-POPC liposomes encapsulated with both metformin (Met) and sodium salicylate (Sod) against breast cancer cells and BCSCs compared with that of the free drugs. Our results demonstrated that these dual drug-encapsulated liposomes significantly enhanced the cytotoxic and anti-colony formation abilities compared with individual drug-encapsulated liposomes or free drugs in BCSCs. Overall, our results suggest that DMPG-POPC liposomes containing two drugs (Met + Sod) show promise for synergistic anti-cancer therapy of breast cancer by increasing drug delivery efficiency into breast cancer cells and BCSCs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.40-48
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• 2022

An automated material handling system (AMHS) has been emerging as an important factor in the semiconductor wafer manufacturing industry. In general, an automated guided vehicle (AGV) in the Fab's AMHS travels hundreds of miles on guided paths to transport a lot through hundreds of operations. The AMHS aims to transfer wafers while ensuring a short delivery time and high operational reliability. Many linear and analytic approaches have evaluated and improved the performance of the AMHS under a deterministic environment. However, the analytic approaches cannot consider a non-linear, non-convex, and black-box performance measurement of the AMHS owing to the AMHS's complexity and uncertainty. Unexpected vehicle congestion increases the delivery time and deteriorates the Fab's production efficiency. In this study, we propose a Q-Learning based dynamic routing algorithm considering vehicle congestion to reduce the delivery time. The proposed algorithm captures time-variant vehicle traffic and decreases vehicle congestion. Through simulation experiments, we confirm that the proposed algorithm finds an efficient path for the vehicles compared to benchmark algorithms with a reduced mean and decreased standard deviation of the delivery time in the Fab's AMHS.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.59-67
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• 2009

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), geographic greedy forwarding fails to move a packet further towards its destination if the sender does not have any closer node to the destination in its one hop transmission region. In this paper, we propose a enhanced geographic routing, called CGR(Cost based Geographic Routing) for efficient data delivery against void problem environment. CGR first establishes Shadow Bound Region and then accomplishes Renewing Cost Function Algorithm for effective greedy forwarding data delivery. Our simulation results show significant improvements compared with existing schemes in terms of routing path length, success delivery ratio and energy efficiency.

• Educational Technology International
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.101-126
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate current practices in blended instruction. In particular, the study explored (1) the types of instructional delivery methods, technologies, and instructional components, (2) the reasons why faculty apply blend instruction, and (3) the advantages and challenges in delivering blended instruction. This study focused on the practices in the Universities that have the extensive doctoral research programs classified by the Carnegie Foundations. The survey was performed with the sample of faculty from 30 universities and the survey data included 133 faculties out of the total 1,000 randomly selected faculty members. Of the 133 responses, 111 (77.7%) participants had certain degree of experience, while 17 faculty (or instructors) (13.3%) did not have any practice with blended instruction. The most common instructional delivery format in the participating universities was blended instruction that added supplementary online instructional components in the class. Online Course Management Systems (CMS) and multimedia presentation tools were common technology for course delivery, and "discussion" was the most general instructional activity for the class. The participating faculty often preferred the blended format since it provides students and faculty with convenience, flexibility, active engagement, efficiency in using resource materials, and a feeling of connection between/among students and instructor. Benefits to the class were availability of more authentic experience and diverse curricular materials, and the instructional format that meets the needs of remediation and enhancement of students. This study addressed not only advantages and challenges of blended instruction, but also suggestions based on the comments by the participating faculty.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.9-19
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• 2024

This qualitative study explores the impact of online food delivery platform attributes on customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions. Employing a phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 15 participants to gain rich insights into user experiences. Thematic analysis revealed key factors influencing satisfaction and loyalty: service quality dimensions (efficiency, reliability, fulfillment, privacy), expectation disconfirmation, perceived usefulness and ease of use, multi-level customer value, relationship quality, electronic word-of-mouth, value co-creation, and phased loyalty formation. Our findings extend customer behavior theory in digital platforms, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex mechanisms underlying user satisfaction and repurchase decisions. The study provides valuable implications for platform operators, highlighting the importance of exceeding customer expectations, enhancing user experience, building trust, leveraging user-generated content, and fostering co-creation processes. Methodologically, we demonstrate the efficacy of qualitative approaches in uncovering nuanced insights in digital service contexts. While acknowledging limitations in generalizability, this research establishes a solid foundation for future investigations into the rapidly evolving domain of online food delivery services. The integrated theoretical approach offers a robust model for analyzing customer behavior in emerging digital service environments, contributing significantly to both academic understanding and practical application in the field of digital service provision and platform management.