• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.13 no.10
• /
• pp.93-99
• /
• 2015

Purpose - It has been argued that the regulations restricting entry and opening hours of General Super Markets and Super Super Markets have not been as effective as expected. In contrast, the win-win item scheme that appeared recently has the advantage that it could raise the effectiveness of the system in that win-win items are in principle resigned on the basis of bilateral agreements. This study analyzes the win-win item agreement made between Homeplus at Hap-jung and small traditional markets to examine the practical effectiveness of the win-win item scheme. While existing literature studying the regulatory effects have concentrated on the restrictions around store entry or opening hours of large retailers, it can be said that there have been few empirical studies on the effect of win-win items agreement with large retailers. Research design, data, and methodology - Homeplus at Hap-jung made a win-win items agreement with nearby small traditional market traders in 2013. In accordance with this voluntary agreement, Homeplus started by limiting its sales to 15 win-win items. The survey was conducted through one-on-one interviews, April 14 to May 2, 2014, by a professional public opinion research agency. The interviews were targeted at small business retailers in the nearby traditional market. We divided the traditional markets near Homeplus at Hap-jung where the win-win item agreement was achieved into two groups, win-win item agreement markets and non win-win item agreement markets, to compare the performance difference between the two groups. Results - To determine the change in sales of the 15 win-win items, we examined the performance difference between the two groups using two criteria (compared with similar items, and compared to sales volume a year ago). The results show that the individual sales of win-win items in the win-win item agreement markets are more likely to increase than in the non win-win item agreement markets. Total sales volume of individual stores in the agreement markets also showed a more significant increase compared to a year ago than those in non win-win item agreement markets. Conclusions - Contrary to the existing retail regulations that have one-sided and uniform characteristics, it can be pointed out that the win-win item scheme has the effect of increasing the success of the system itself because it is done on the basis of mutual agreement between General Super Markets and traditional markets. The empirical results of this study can be said to support this conjecture. For the successful settlement of a win-win items agreement, the following points should be reviewed. First, it requires a great effort from the selection process of win-win items in order to improve the effectiveness of the agreement. Second, the existing General Super Markets customers should be introduced to the traditional markets or small shops to increase the sales of win-win items. Therefore, voluntary effort is essentially required from the traditional markets to engage customers.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.35-43
• /
• 2002

Cryopreservation is commonly used for an efficient utilization of semen, oocytes and embryos but has disadvantage in the survival, development of the post-thawed eggs. The high risk in the survival, development of eggs after thawing is thought to be caused by inappropriate internal regulation of $Ca^{2+}$ and/or formation of intracellular ice crystals. In this experiment, we tested whether the $Ca^{2+}$ current (iCa), a decisive factor to $Ca^{2+}$ entry, was altered in post-thawed oocytes by using whole cell voltage clamp technique. The quality and survival rates of the oocytes derived from both fresh and frozen groups were examined by morphology and FDA-test. Vitrified oocytes (VOs) were incubated for 4 hr after thawing and then donated to this experiment. Ethyleneglycol-ficoll-galactose (EFG) was used as a cryoprotectant for vitrification. The membrane potential was held at -80 mV and step depolarizations of 250 ms were applied from -50 mV to 50 mV in 10 mV increments. The survival rates showed a higher in VOs vitrified with EFG containing $Ca^{2+}$ than in VOs vitrified with EFG under the $Ca^{2+}$-free condition (82.0% vs 14%). In group with/without $Ca^{2+}$, the survival rates were significantly (P<0.01) difference. In the fresh metaphase II oocytes (FOs), current-voltage (I-V) relationship showed that iCa began to activate at -40 mV and reached its maximum at -10 mV. With same voltage pulses, inward currents were elicited in VOs. I-V relationships observed in VOs were similar to those in FOs. Time constants of activation and inactivation of the inward current shown in VOs were not different to those in FOs. This accordance in I-V relations and time constants in FOs with those in VOs indicates that the inward currents in FOs are unaltered by vitrification and thawing. Therefore, vitrification with EFG does not play as a factor to deteriorate $Ca^{2+}$ entry across the membrane of the oocytes.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.177-219
• /
• 2016

A commercial advertisement is not only a way of competition but also a medium of communication. Thus, it is under the constitutional protection of the freedom of business (article 15 of the Constitution) as well as the freedom of press [article 21 (1) of the Constitution]. In terms of the freedom of business or competition, it should be noted that an unfair advertising (false or misleading advertisement) can be regulated as an unfair competition, while any restraint on advertising other than unfair one might be doubted as an unjustifiable restraint of trade. In terms of the freedom of press or communication, it is important that article 21 (2) of the Constitution forbids any kind of (prior) censorship, and the Constitutional Court applies this restriction even to commercial advertising. In this article, the applicability of these schemes to advertising of the so-called learned professions, especially physician, are to be examined, and some proposals for the reformation of the current regulatory regime are to be made. Main arguments of this article can be summarized as follows: First, the current regime which requires advance review of physician advertising as prescribed in article 56 (2) no. 9 of Medical Act should be reformed. It does not mean that the current interpretation of article 21 of the Constitution is agreeable. Though a commercial advertising is a way of communication and can be protected by article 21 (1) of the Constitution, it should not be under the prohibition of censorship prescribed by article 21 (2) of the Constitution. The Constitutional Court adopts the opposite view, however. It is doubtful that physician advertising needs some prior restraint, also. Of course, there exists severe informational asymmetry between physicians and patients and medical treatment might harm the life and health of patients irrevocably, so that medical treatment can be discerned from other services. It is civil and criminal liability for medical malpractice and duty to inform and not regulation on physician advertising, to address these differences or problems. Advance review should be abandoned and repelled, or substituted by more unproblematic way of regulation such as an accreditation of reviewed advertising or a self-regulation preformed by physician association independently from the Ministry of Health and Welfare or any other governmental agencies. Second, the substantive criteria for unfair physician advertising also should correspond that of unfair advertising in general. Some might argue that a learned profession, especially medical practice, is totally different from other businesses. It is performed under the professional ethics and should not persue commercial interest; medical practice in Korea is governed by the National Health Insurance system, the stability of which might be endangered when commercial competition in medical practice be allowed. Medical Act as well as the condition of medical practice market do not exclude competition between physicians. The fact is quite the opposite. Physicians are competing even though under the professional ethics and obligations and all the restrictions provided by the National Health Insurance system. In this situation, regulation on physician advertising might constitute unjustifiable restraint of competition, especially a kind of entry barrier for 'new physicians.'

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.45-57
• /
• 2020

Among the fintech businesses that are actively developing around the world, payment and settlement are the most prominent. Korea has a well-developed IT industry and a good existing card payment environment, however, its innovative movement is overwhelmingly slower than that of other countries in the fintech. In this study, we try to assess the regulations on fintech and their impacts on the startup ecosystem by comparing the cases of U.S., China, and Korea. We have found that both the United States and China have lowered barriers to entry for the newly launched fintech industry, allowing startups and IT companies to start fintech businesses at the existing financial sector. Particularly the implementation of predictable regulations in U.S., and the failure to apply the financial regulations in China, help start-up companies' growth in the fintech industry. This finding provides us with a lesson that current positive regulations in Korea should gradually change into negative regulations, and predictable regulations that strictly enforce post-management except major items rather than pre-approval. The policy implications are discussed with the perspective of start-ups in fintech industry.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.66-75
• /
• 2020

Saturated fatty acids contribute to β-cell dysfunction in the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cellular responses to lipotoxicity include oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and blockage of autophagy. Palmitate induces ER Ca²⁺ depletion followed by notable store-operated Ca²⁺ entry. Subsequent elevation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ can activate undesirable signaling pathways culminating in cell death. Mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter (MCU) is the major route for Ca²⁺ uptake into the matrix and couples metabolism with insulin secretion. However, it has been unclear whether mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake plays a protective role or contributes to lipotoxicity. Here, we observed palmitate upregulated MCU protein expression in a mouse clonal β-cell, MIN6, under normal glucose, but not high glucose medium. Palmitate elevated baseline cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) and reduced depolarization-triggered Ca²⁺ influx likely due to the inactivation of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels (VGCCs). Targeted reduction of MCU expression using RNA interference abolished mitochondrial superoxide production but exacerbated palmitate-induced [Ca²⁺]_i overload. Consequently, MCU knockdown aggravated blockage of autophagic degradation. In contrast, co-treatment with verapamil, a VGCC inhibitor, prevented palmitate-induced basal [Ca²⁺]_i elevation and defective [Ca²⁺]_i transients. Extracellular Ca²⁺ chelation as well as VGCC inhibitors effectively rescued autophagy defects and cytotoxicity. These observations suggest enhanced mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake via MCU upregulation is a mechanism by which pancreatic β-cells are able to alleviate cytosolic Ca²⁺ overload and its detrimental consequences.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.259-271
• /
• 2021

Many bacteria metabolize aromatic compounds via catechol as a catabolic intermediate, and possess multiple genes or clusters encoding catechol-cleavage enzymes. The presence of multiple isozyme-encoding genes is a widespread phenomenon that seems to give the carrying strains a selective advantage in the natural environment over those with only a single copy. In the naphthalene-degrading strain Pseudomonas putida ND6, catechol can be converted into intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle via either the ortho- or meta-cleavage pathways. In this study, we demonstrated that the catechol ortho-cleavage pathway genes (catBICIAI and catBIICIIAII) on the chromosome play an important role. The catI and catII operons are co-transcribed, whereas catAI and catAII are under independent transcriptional regulation. We examined the binding of regulatory proteins to promoters. In the presence of cis-cis-muconate, a well-studied inducer of the cat gene cluster, CatRI and CatRII occupy an additional downstream site, designated as the activation binding site. Notably, CatRI binds to both the catI and catII promoters with high affinity, while CatRII binds weakly. This is likely caused by a T to G mutation in the G/T-N11-A motif. Specifically, we found that CatRI and CatRII regulate catBICIAI and catBIICIIAII in a cooperative manner, which provides new insights into naphthalene degradation.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.29-35
• /
• 2021

Fintech, a new form of financial industry that converges IT, is developing rapidly in developed countries such as the US and China. The U.S. and China lowered barriers to entry through deregulation to develop and expand the fintech industry, and, for example, encouraged startup companies to incorporate various ideas through negative regulations that are more relaxed or do not apply regulations for a certain period of time. The U.S. and China did not apply existing financial regulations to the fintech industry, providing an environment where fintech startups could grow more easily. Currently, in Korea, fintech technologies such as 'Samsung Pay', 'Toss' and 'Kakao Pay' have been developed and are being activated, and also their scale is expanding. Although various systems are being reorganized and regulated for the development of Fintech, Fintech's growth rate is slow due to unfriendly and unopened regulations in the financial sector and various markets. This paper examines the status of fintech, focusing on advanced fintech and Korea, and examines fintech-related regulations that hinder the development of the fintech industry. We propose a more flexible way of easing excessive regulation in the financial sector, such as post-regulation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.9
• /
• pp.4363-4368
• /
• 2012

The epidermal differentiation complex (EDC) contains a large number of gene products which are crucial for the maturation of the human epidermis and can contribute to skin diseases, even carcinogenesis. It is generally accepted that activation of oncogenes and/or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes play pivotal roles in the process of carcinogenesis. Here, NICE-3, a novel EDC gene, was found to be up-regulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, overexpression of exogenous NICE-3 by recombinant plasmids could significantly promote cell proliferation, colony formation and soft agar colony formation in Focus and WRL-68 HCC cell lines. Reversely, NICE-3 silencing by RNA interference could markedly inhibit these malignant phenotypes in YY-8103 and MHCC-97H cells. Moreover, cell cycle analysis of MHCC-97H transfected with siRNA by flow cytometry showed that NICE-3 knockdown may inhibit cell growth via arrest in G0/G1 phase and hindering entry of cells into S phase. All data of our findings indicate that NICE-3 may contribute to human hepatocellular carcinoma by promoting cell proliferation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.9
• /
• pp.4751-4756
• /
• 2012

Colon cancer continues to be one of the most common cancers, and the importance and necessity of new therapies needs to be stressed. The most important proto-oncogen factors for colon cancer appear to be epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR, and c-Src with high expression and activity leading to tumor growth and ultimately to colon cancer progression. Application of c-Src and EGFR antisense agents simultaneously should theoretically therefore have major benefit. In the present study, anti-EGFR and c-Src specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides were combined in a formulation using PAMAM dendrimers as a carrier. Nano drug entry into cells was confirmed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy imaging and real time PCR showed gene expression of c-Src and EGFR, as well as downstream STAT5 and MAPK-1 with the tumor suppressor gene P53 to all be downregulated. EGFR and c-Src protein expression was also reduced when assessed by western blotting techniques. The effect of the antisense oligonucleotide on HT29 cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay, reduction beijng observed after 48 hours. In summary, nano-drug, anti-EGFR and c-Src specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides were effectively transferred into HT-29 cells and inhibited gene expression in target cells. Based on the results of this study it appears that the use of antisense EGFR and c-Src simultaneously might have a significant effect on colon cancer growth by down regulation of EGFR and its downstream genes.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.113-120
• /
• 1990

Influences of trigger calcium on myocardial contraction from several sources were investigated on the frequency reduction-induced changes of contraction in rat left atria driven by electrical field stimulation. Rat atria elicited characteristic three phase-changes according to frequency reduction: the first rapid rise in twitch tension, the second transient fast decrease in tension and the third maintenance of twitch tension at about 200% of resting tension during high frequency. Caffeine treatment enormously suppressed the frequency reduction-induced twitch tension increase. The atrial contraction during high frequency vanished after verapamil treatment. But, during low frequency, atrial contraction revived in the presence of verapamil. Ouabain treatment and sodium depletion in superfusing solution abolished the characteristic second phase with slow frequency. These results suggest that slow calcium channel is an indispensable calcium entry route and calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum is an major source for trigger calcium in cardiac contraction. And sodium-calcium exchange has a modulatory roles in the regualtion of trigger calcium according to the changes of intracellular sodium concentration.