• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.106-124
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• 2022

Purpose - The increasing share of Korean private label products (PLPs) in the domestic market helped generate lucrative revenue. In recent years, major South Korean retailers have begun to cast their sights on overseas markets and actively export their PLPs. In China, the proportion of private label fresh food (PLFF) is gradually expanding amid the development of the new retailing model. A profound understanding of the relationship between private label fresh produce and purchase intention may be the answer to helping Chinese retailer private labels expand supply chains in Korea. This study, taking Chinese retailers as an example, examines the impacts of selection factors of private label fresh food and perceived value on purchase intention. Apart from that, the relationship between the selection factors and purchase intention will be analyzed with perceived value as a mediator. Design/methodology - This work aims to empirically analyze the purchase intention of private label fresh food using statistical analysis. In this study, a hypothetical causal model consisting of 6 latent variables and 24 measured variables is developed based on the literature review. To validate the research hypotheses and the research model, SPSS23.0/AMOS23.0 is used to analyze factors such as validity and reliability, as well as structural equation modeling. Findings - The hypothetical model established in this study is of general applicability. In respect to PLFF, perceived value, while significantly influencing purchase intention in combination with four selection factors (perceived quality, perceived price, brand trust, and store image), mediates partially between the first three factors and purchase intention, which rules out the impact and mediating effect of store image on purchase intention. Originality/value - These research results, as helpful insights into the present circumstances of Chinese PLFF in the domestic market, provide useful information and guidance for Korean retailers and service providers to innovate production and service, as well as develop marketing and promotion strategies, so that they can shift private label goods with advantages from domestic demand to export, thus increasing overseas profitability. Further, this work will also contribute to relevant research.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.229-262
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• 2020

The price-to-earnings ratio (PER) is an important indicator to measure the stock price and profitability of a firm; it is also the most used valuation indicator among investors. When using the PER to compare the investment values of different stocks, these stocks must come from the same sector. This study mainly focuses on the China's listed manufacturing firms. By learning from previous research results and analyzing the current situation, we studied the correlation between the manufacturing sector's PER and its influencing factors from both macro and micro perspectives, the combination of which eventually sheds light on such correlation. Analyzing GDP growth rate data, Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, and other macroeconomic variables from 2008 to 2018, we conclude that these variables jointly have a certain impact on the average PER of the manufacturing sector. We then form panel data based on relevant (2014-2018) data gathered from 317 of China's A-listed manufacturing firms to study the impact of micro-variables on PER. By using Stata and other software to analyze the panel data, we reach the conclusion that the Debt to Asset Ratio, Return on Equity, EPS growth rate, Operating Profit Ratio, Dividend Payout Ratio, and firm size have a significant impact on PER. The Current Ratio, Treasury Stock ratio and Ownership Concentration have no distinct effect on PER. Based on our empirical findings, we design a theoretical model that affects the PER.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.364-372
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• 2023

Background: Growing evidence suggests that beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), arginine (Arg), and glutamine (Gln) positively affect wound recovery. This study investigated the effects of long-term administration of HMB/Arg/Gln on pressure ulcer (PU) healing in sedentary older adults admitted to geriatric and rehabilitation care facilities. Methods: This was a pilot retrospective case (standard of care and HMB/Arg/Gln)-control (standard of care alone) clinical study. Outcome measures were relative healing rates and Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) scores (calculated after 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks) and time to healing. Results: The study subpopulation was comprised of 14 participants (four males, 28.6%) with the median age of 85.5 years (interquartile range [IQR], 82.0-90.2 years). The control subpopulation was comprised of 31 participants (18 males, 58.1%) with the median age of 84.0 years (IQR, 78.0-90.0 years). At the beginning of follow-up, there were no statistically significant demographic (sex and age) and clinical (main diagnosis, baseline area, and PU perimeter) differences between the groups. During the study period, there were no significant differences in the relative healing rates and PUSH scores between the subpopulations. The median time to complete healing in the study and control populations was 170.0 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 85.7-254.3) and 218.0 days (95% CI, 149.2- 286.7) (log-rank, chi-square=3.99; p<0.046), respectively. Conclusion: More than 20 weeks of HMB/Arg/Gln supplementation had a positive effect on difficult PU healing in older adults with multiple comorbidities.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.301-313
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• 2024

Objective: The current body of evidence lacks clarity regarding the comparative efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) as minimally invasive treatments for benign thyroid nodules. The primary objective of this study is to clarify these concerns. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using the Cochrane Library, Scopus, Europe PMC, and Medline databases until October 10th, 2023, using a combination of relevant keywords. This study incorporated literature that compared RFA and MWA for benign thyroid nodules. The primary outcome was the volume reduction ratio (VRR) from baseline to follow-up. Secondary outcomes were symptom score, cosmetic score, ablation time, major complications rate, hemorrhage, hoarseness, skin burn, cough, and sympathetic nerve injury. We used Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. We employed random effects models to analyze the standardized mean difference (SMD) and odds ratio for the presentation of outcomes. Results: Nine studies with 2707 nodules were included. The results of our meta-analysis indicated similar efficacy between RFA and MWA in terms of VRR during the 1 (SMD 0.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.13 to 0.26; P = 0.52) and 3 (SMD 0.11; 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.25; P = 0.12) months of follow-up. VRR was significantly higher in RFA than in MWA at the 6 (SMD 0.25; 95% CI: 0.06-0.43; P = 0.008) and 12 month of follow-up (SMD 0.38; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.59; P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between RFA and MWA in symptom scores, cosmetic scores, or the incidence of complications, including hemorrhage, hoarseness, skin burn, cough, and sympathetic nerve injury. Conclusion: RFA showed a higher VRR than MWA at 6 and 12-month follow-ups, with a comparable safety profile.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.29-52
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• 2024

The aim of this review is to consolidate findings from clinical investigations spanning the past decade regarding the impact of acupuncture on Parkinson's disease (PD). The objective is to assess the efficacy of acupuncture as a therapeutic approach to PD, with the intention of informing future clinical practices and advancing the foundation for subsequent research endeavors in this area. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify clinical trials exploring the effects of acupuncture on PD between January 2014 and August 2023. Databases search included PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, OASIS, KISS, KMBASE, RISS, and ScienceON. Quantitative evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was systematically reviewed, and the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4.1 software. The systematic review encompassed a total of 38 RCTs involving 2,786 participants. Meta-analysis of 12 studies revealed that individuals treated with a combination of acupuncture and Western medicine exhibited notable improvements compared to those receiving Western medicine alone or sham acupuncture alongside Western medicine. However, the overall quality of the RCTs was deemed low, and no serious adverse events were reported. Across clinical investigations conducted in the past decade, acupuncture appears to hold promise as a complementary treatment for PD patients when administered alongside Western medicine. Nevertheless, this study identifies certain limitations that warrant consideration in future research endeavors. Enhanced emphasis on conducting high-quality RCTs is imperative to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in managing PD.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2016

Theileria annulata is a tick-borne intracellular protozoan parasite that causes tropical theileriosis, a fatal bovine lymphoproliferative disease. The parasite predominantly invades bovine B lymphocytes and macrophages and induces host cell transformation by a mechanism that is not fully comprehended. Analysis of signaling pathways by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) could be a highly efficient means to understand this transformation mechanism. However, accurate analysis of qPCR data relies on selection of appropriate reference genes for normalization, yet few papers on T. annulata contain evidence of reference gene validation. We therefore used the geNorm and NormFinder programs to evaluate the stability of 5 candidate reference genes; 18S rRNA, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), ACTB (${\beta}-actin$), PRKG1 (protein kinase cGMP-dependent, type I) and TATA box binding protein (TBP). The results showed that 18S rRNA was the reference gene most stably expressed in bovine PBMCs transformed and non-transformed with T. annulata, followed by GAPDH and TBP. While 18S rRNA and GAPDH were the best combination, these 2 genes were chosen as references to study signaling pathways involved in the transformation mechanism of T. annulata.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.253-257
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• 2014

Five dogs presented with a history of pelvic limb lameness. On physical examination of the stifle joints, five dogs had pain, lameness, patellar luxation, or ligamentous instability. Craniocaudal and mediolateral radiographic projections revealed osteophytes or subchondral cystic lesions on the stifle joints. Based on a previously described Osteoarthrosis (OA) scoring technique, five dogs showed high OA scores. Combination of surgery and implantation of autologous adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (aAT-MSCs) or percutaneous injection of aAT-MSCs was determined with informed consent. $1{\times}10^6$ aAT-MSCs suspended in PBS was injected in the stifle joints. The follow-ups were completed 12 months after surgery. The follow-up information was based on physical examination by veterinarians. The lameness, pain on manipulation, and OA scores improved six or 12 months after implantation of aAT-MSCs. There was a radiographic evidence of decreased osteophytes and subchondral cystic lesions. These results suggest that implantation of aAT-MSCs can be considered an option for management of cases of OA in the stifle joints.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2301-2305
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• 2013

Ardisia crispa (Family: Myrsinaceae) is an evergreen, fruiting shrub that has been traditionally used as folklore medicine. Despite a scarcity of research publications, we have succeeded in showing suppressive effects on murine skin papillomagenesis. In extension, the present research was aimed at determining the effect of a quinone-rich fraction (QRF) isolated from the same root hexane extract on both initiation and promotion stages of carcinogenesis, at the selected dose of 30 mg/kg. Mice (groups I-IV) were initiated with a single dose of 7,12-dimethylbenz(${\alpha}$)anthracene (DMBA, $100{\mu}g/100{\mu}l$) followed by repeated promotion of croton oil (1%) twice weekly for 20 weeks. In addition, group I (anti-initiation) received QRF 7 days before and after DMBA; group II (anti-promotion) received QRF 30 minutes before each croton oil application; group III (anti-initiation/promotion) was treated with QRF as a combination of group I and II. A further two groups served as vehicle control (group V) and treated control (group VI). As carcinogen control, group IV showed the highest tumor volume ($8.79{\pm}5.44$) and tumor burden ($3.60{\pm}1.17$). Comparatively, group III revealed only 20% of tumor incidence, tumor burden ($3.00{\pm}1.00$) and tumor volume ($2.40{\pm}1.12$), which were significantly different from group IV. Group II also showed significant reduction of tumor volume (3.11), tumor burden (3.00) and tumor incidence (11.11%), along with prominent increase of latency period of tumor formation (week 12). Group I, nonetheless, demonstrated marked increment of tumor incidence by 40% with prompted latency period of tumor formation (week 7). No tumor formation was observed in groups V and VI. This study provided clear evidence of inhibitory effects of QRF during promotion period which was in agreement with our previous findings. The mechanism(s) underlying such effects have yet to be elucidated.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.35-43
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• 2011

Cognitive Radio (CR) ad hoc network is highly considered as one of promising future ad hoc networks, which enables opportunistic access to under-utilized licensed spectrum. Similarly to other CR networks, the spectrum sensing is a prerequisite in CR ad hoc network. Collaborative spectrum sensing can help increasing sensing performance. For such an infrastructureless network, however the coordination for the sensing collaboration is really complicated due to the lack of a central controller. In this paper, we propose a novel collaborative spectrum sensing scheme in which the final decision is made by the node with the highest data reliability based on a sequential Dempster Shafer theory. The collaboration of sensing data is also executed by the proposed contention-aware reporting mechanism which utilizes the sensing data reliability order for broadcasting spectrum sensing result. The proposed method reduces the collecting time and the overhead of the control channel due to the efficiency of the ordered sequential combination while keeping the same sensing performance in comparison with the conventional cooperative centralized spectrum sensing scheme.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.509-512
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• 2012

A 4-year-old female Korean short hair cat weighing 6.5 kg presented for evaluation of urinary incontinence and stranguria. On physical examination, stranguria was observed concurrently with urinary bladder distention. Abdominal radiographs revealed two small uroliths in the urinary bladder. Urinary bladder sludge was detected on abdominal ultrasound. Urine analysis indicated hematuria and bacteriuria. The cat was treated with a 4-week course of a combination of antibiotics and urinary bladder irrigation using normal saline; however, response to treatment was minimal. Excretory urography was performed to identify a congenital disorder. A small diverticulum, located to the urinary bladder apex, was identified. A tentative diagnosis of a vesicourachal diverticulum was made. Surgical exploration of the abdomen was performed and a triangular-shaped diverticulum was apparent at the urinary bladder apex. Cystotomy was performed to remove two small uroliths. Partial cystectomy was then performed for diverticulectomy. Approximately 2 cm diameter of a part of the apex was removed. Normal urination was regained 5 days postoperatively. The follow-up was completed by physical examination 2 years after surgery. There was no evidence of stranguria and urinary incontinence.