• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권5호
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• pp.935-941
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• 2010

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains is one of the most critical problems of modern medicine. Bacteriophages have been suggested as an alternative therapeutic agent for such bacterial infections. In the present study, we examined the therapeutic potential of phage Kpn5 in the treatment of Klebsiella pneumoniae B5055-induced burn wound infection in a mouse model. An experimental model of contact burn wound infection was established in mice employing K. pneumoniae B5055 to assess the efficacy of phage Kpn5 in vivo. Survival and stability of phage Kpn5 were evaluated in mice and the maximum phage count in various organs was obtained at 6 h and persisted until 36 h. The Kpn5 phage was found to be effective in the treatment of Klebsiella-induced burn wound infection in mice when phage was administered immediately after bacterial challange. Even when treatment was delayed up to 18 h post infection, when all animals were moribund, approximately 26.66% of the mice could be rescued by a single injection of this phage preparation. The ability of this phage to protect bacteremic mice was demonstrated to be due to the functional capabilities of the phage and not due to a nonspecific immune effect. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-$1{\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) were significantly lower in sera and lungs of phage-treated mice than phage untreated control mice. The results of the present study bring out the potential of bacteriophage therapy as an alternate preventive approach to treat K. pneumoniae B5055-induced burn wound infections. This approach not only helps in the clearance of bacteria from the host but also protects against the ensuing inflammatory damage due to the exaggerated response seen in any infectious process.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제23권12호
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• pp.1553-1556
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• 2013

본 연구는 재래감귤종의 하나인 진귤 과피 추출물이 산화적 스트레스에 의한 MMP-1의 발현 조절에 미치는 효과를 확인하기 위해 수행되었다. $H_2O_2$를 피부세포에 처리하여 산화적 스트레스를 유도한 결과 노화 유발에 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 알려진 MMP-1의 발현량이 증가하였고 진귤과피 추출물의 처리는 산화적 스트레스에 의해 증가된 MMP-1의 활성을 현저히 감소시켰다. 이러한 활성 조절이 ERK signaling을 통해 조절되는지 확인한 결과 산화적 스트레스에 의해 증가된 ERK의 인산화는 진귤과피 추출물의 처리로 억제되었고 MEK 억제재인 U0216을 처리하였을 경우 MMP-1의 활성도 또한 저해시키는 것을 확인하였다. 이상의 결과로 보아 $H_2O_2$에 의해 유도된 산화적 스트레스는 MMP-1의 발현을 촉진시켰고 진귤과피 추출물은 ERK 신호전달 경로를 통해 MMP-1의 발현을 조절하는 것으로 보여진다.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.158-163
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• 2013

While job stress evaluations are reported in the recent surveys upon the nuclear power plants(NPPs), any significant advance in the types of questionnaires is not currently found. There are limitations to their usefulness as analytic tools for the management of safety resources in NPPs. Data mining(DM) has emerged as one of the key features for data computing and analysis to conduct a survey analysis. There are still limitations to its capability such as dimensionality associated with many survey questions and quality of information. Even though some survey methods may have significant advantages, often these methods do not provide enough evidence of causal relationships and the statistical inferences among a large number of input factors and responses. In order to address these limitations on the data computing and analysis capabilities, we propose an advanced procedure of survey analysis incorporating the DM method into a statistical analysis. The DM method can reduce dimensionality of risk factors, but DM method may not discuss the robustness of solutions, either by considering data preprocesses for outliers and missing values, or by considering uncontrollable noise factors. We propose three steps to address these limitations. The first step shows data mining with response surface method(RSM), to deal with specific situations by creating a new method called response surface data mining(RSDM). The second step follows the RSDM with detailed statistical relationships between the risk factors and the response of interest, and shows the demonstration the proposed RSDM can effectively find significant physical, psycho-social, and environmental risk factors by reducing the dimensionality with the process providing detailed statistical inferences. The final step suggest a robust stress management system which effectively manage job stress of the workers in NPPs as a part of a safety resource management using the surrogate variable concept.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제64권6호
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• pp.853-863
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• 2021

Objective : Biodegradable poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) with a highly biocompatible surface via tantalum (Ta) ion implantation can be an innovative solution for the problems associated with current biodegradable stents. The purpose of this study is to develop a Taimplanted PLLA stent for clinical use and to investigate its biological performance capabilities. Methods : A series of in vitro and in vivo tests were used to assess the biological performance of bare and Ta-implanted PLLA stents. The re-endothelialization ability and thrombogenicity were examined through in vitro endothelial cell and platelet adhesion tests. An in vivo swine model was used to evaluate the effects of Ta ion implantation on subacute restenosis and thrombosis. Angiographic and histologic evaluations were conducted at one, two and three months post-treatment. Results : The Ta-implanted PLLA stent was successfully fabricated, exhibiting a smooth surface morphology and modified layer integration. After Ta ion implantation, the surface properties were more favorable for rapid endothelialization and for less platelet attachment compared to the bare PLLA stent. In an in vivo animal test, follow-up angiography showed no evidence of in-stent stenosis in either group. In a microscopic histologic examination, luminal thrombus formation was significantly suppressed in the Ta-implanted PLLA stent group according to the 2-month follow-up assessment (21.2% vs. 63.9%, p=0.005). Cells positive for CD 68, a marker for the monocyte lineage, were less frequently identified around the Ta-implanted PLLA stent in the 1-month follow-up assessments. Conclusion : The use of a Ta-implanted PLLA stent appears to promote re-endothelialization and anti-thrombogenicity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권9호
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• pp.1191-1199
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• 2021

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), which belongs to the attaching and effacing diarrheagenic E. coli strains, is a major causative agent of life-threatening diarrhea in infants in developing countries. Most EPEC isolates correspond to certain O serotypes; however, many strains are non-typeable. Two EPEC strains, EPEC001 and EPEC080, which could not be serotyped during routine detection, were isolated. In this study, we conducted an in-depth characterization of their putative O-antigen gene clusters (O-AGCs) and also performed constructed mutagenesis of the O-AGCs for functional analysis of O-antigen (OAg) synthesis. Sequence analysis revealed that the occurrence of O-AGCs in EPEC001 and E. coli O132 may be mediated by recombination between them, and EPEC080 and E. coli O2/O50 might acquire each O-AGC from uncommon ancestors. We also indicated that OAg-knockout bacteria were highly adhesive in vitro, except for the EPEC001 wzy derivative, whose adherent capability was less than that of its wild-type strain, providing direct evidence that OAg plays a key role in EPEC pathogenesis. Together, we identified two EPEC O serotypes in silico and experimentally, and we also studied the adherent capabilities of their OAgs, which highlighted the fundamental and pathogenic role of OAg in EPEC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권6호
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• pp.952-961
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• 2019

Chlorella spp. are green algae that are found across wide-ranging habitats from deserts to arctic regions, with various strains having adapted to survive under diverse environmental conditions. In this study, two novel Chlorella strains (ABC-002, ABC-008) were isolated from a freshwater lake in South Korea during the winter season and examined for possible use in the biofuel production process. The comparison of ABC-002 and ABC-008 strains with Chlorella vulgaris UTEX265 under two different temperatures ($10^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$) revealed their cold-tolerant phenotypes as well as high biomass yields. The maximum quantum yields of UTEX25, ABC-002, and ABC-008 at $10^{\circ}C$ were 0.5594, 0.6747, and 0.7150, respectively, providing evidence of the relatively higher cold-resistance capabilities of these two strains. Furthermore, both the biomass yields and lipid content of the two novel strains were found to be higher than those of UTEX265; the overall lipid productivities of ABC-002 and ABC-008 were 1.7 ~ 2.8 fold and 1.6 ~ 4.2 fold higher compared to that of UTEX265, respectively. Thus, the high biomass and lipid productivity over a wide range of temperatures indicate that C. vulgaris ABC-002 and ABC-008 are promising candidates for applications in biofuel productions via outdoor biomass cultivation.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.94-123
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• 2019

Over the past few decades, gender equality has been considered one of the fundamental principles and a significant crosscutting issue in international development. However, beyond applying 'gender equality' as a policy buzzword, there has been a lack of critical reviews on how generally 'gender equality in education' is understood and constructed in Korea's development programs and projects. In this regard, this paper explores the use of vocabularies and semantic meanings of gender equality in the Korean Government's Academic Cooperation Program and its 52 projects. By applying mixed contents analysis as a method, the research resulted in several findings: first, the policy papers recently highlighted Korea's directions on gender mainstreaming and gender-sensitive approaches in international development. Second, 'integrating women and girls' into education institutions was emphasized in various projects; third, the term women rather than gender were used in the texts, highlighting their position as a 'marginalized group.' Lastly, there was a lack of evidence of projects dealing with changing gender-based power relations. The constructed gendered relations and powers were identified throughout projects, usually acting as barriers to project activities. However, they were only identified, not challenged, by the program. In conclusion, whilst Korean international development and educational development discourse actively embrace Women in Development (WID) and Gender and Development (GAD) in their programs, it is time to consider the issue of gender equality from different standpoints, such as identity, rights, and capabilities and a more active engagement with Korea's domestic issues in gender discourse and practices is also needed.

• 기본간호학회지
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.155-165
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• 2019

Purpose: Although emergency care is one of the most important capabilities for novice nurses, many novice nurses have shown difficulty in emergency care in the clinical field. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence data for the future development of educational programs by analyzing the priorities in emergency care of novice nurses using the Importance-Performance Analysis. Methods: This study was designed as a descriptive survey. The participants were 197 novice nurses who worked in general hospitals from August 1 to 31, 2018. The questionnaire consisted of 'common emergency care', 'cardiovascular emergency care', 'nervous system emergency care', 'respiratory system emergency care', 'communication and teamwork competency'. Results: As a result of this study, 'communication and teamwork' among emergency cares was evaluated as the most important capability in the clinical field. In the Importance-Performance Analysis, a total of 12 items were included in the quadrant A, including 5 items related to 'cardiovascular emergency care', 4 items to 'respiratory system emergency care', 2 items to 'nervous system emergency care' and 1 item to 'common emergency care'. The results showed a need for intensive improvement in items included in quadrant A which are the high importance low performance items. Conclusion: In order to improve the emergency care of novice nurses, a variety of emergency care education programs on the nervous system and respiratory system care should be implemented as well as cardiovascular emergency care education.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.240-256
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• 2020

The Biotechnology Support Act has provided a legal basis for promoting the biotechnology field as the highest legal authority in the biosciences since its enactment in 1983, and has contributed to enhancing Korea's biotechnology research and development (R&D) capabilities and to revitalizing bioscience ecosystems by establishing policies for supporting biotechnology, expanding the government research and development, and promoting industrial applications. The revised bill of the Biotechnology Support Act is the law that reflects changes in the technological and social environment and that provides a legal basis for practical support of government policies such as total periodic research support, commercialization empowerment, and creation of an innovative research environment, and it will come into effect in November, 2020 after a six-month grace period. The main contents of the revised bill are 1) increasing status as a general norm in the biotechnology field, 2) establishing data evidence-based policies, 3) inducing biotechnology innovation, and 4) promoting regulatory science, especially research and development. This revision has been reorganized in a timely manner in accordance with the current technological advancements, changes in society and environment, and both quantitative and qualitative growth of the domestic bioscience ecosystems and its competitiveness are expected by systematic supports and promotions of the government during the whole period in terms of research and development (R&D) as well as business and industrialization.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.501-506
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• 2021

Under the pressure of business competition and effectiveness, more and more organizations in the world are likely to apply modern software such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) which can help them to create better organizing practice, better managing capabilities of administrators, and better operations of personnel. In Vietnam, many firms are afraid to install it and the number of firms adopting this software is limited mainly due to the insufficient scientific evidence of the successful implementation of ERP. This study aims to identify and measure the factors influencing the successful implementation of ERP of firms in Vietnam. Qualitative research methodology combined with quantitative research methodology is used. The data are surveyed with 343 administrators of 45 organizations that have successfully deployed ERP in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh cities. Of these 19 were excluded from analyses due to unsatisfactory responses, and only 324 were used for statistical processing. The collected data were processed by using the SPSS software. The result of the study shows that there are six factors affecting the successful implementation of ERP of firms in Vietnam, (ranked in descending order of importance), they are top management commitment and support, business process re-engineering, user involvement, project management board, vendor support, and suitability of software and hardware.