• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.410-418
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• 2023

Recently, advancements and commercialization in the field of maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) has rapidly progressed. Concurrently, studies are also underway to develop methods for automatically surveying the condition of various on-board equipment remotely to ensure the navigational safety of MASS. One key issue that has gained prominence is the method to obtain values from analog gauges installed in various equipment through image processing. This approach has the advantage of enabling the non-contact detection of gauge values without modifying or changing already installed or planned equipment, eliminating the need for type approval changes from shipping classifications. The objective of this study was to identify a dynamically changing indicator needle within noisy images of analog gauges. The needle object must be identified because its position significantly affects the accurate reading of gauge values. An analog pressure gauge attached to an emergency fire pump model was used for image capture to identify the needle object. The acquired images were pre-processed through Gaussian filtering, thresholding, and morphological operations. The needle object was then identified through Hough Transform. The experimental results confirmed that the center and object of the indicator needle could be identified in images of noisy analog gauges. The findings suggest that the image processing method applied in this study can be utilized for shape identification in analog gauges installed on ships. This study is expected to be applicable as an image processing method for the automatic remote survey of MASS.

• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2024

With advancements in artificial intelligence technology, intelligent CCTV systems are being deployed across various environments, such as river bridges and construction sites. However, a conflict arises regarding the opening and closing of rooftop access points due to concerns over potential accidents and crime incidents and their role as emergency evacuation spaces. While the relevant law typically mandates the constant opening of designated rooftop access points, closures are often tacitly permitted in practice for security reasons, with a lack of appropriate legal measures. In this context, this study proposes a detection system utilizing intelligent CCTV to respond to emergencies that may occur on rooftops. We develop a system based on the YOLOv5 object detection model to detect assault and suicide attempts by jumping, introducing a new metric to assess them. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system rapidly detects assault and suicide attempts with high accuracy. Additionally, through a legal analysis of rooftop access point management, deficiencies in the legal framework regarding rooftop access and CCTV installation are identified, and improvement measures are proposed. With technological and legal improvements, we believe that crime and accident incidents in rooftop environments will decrease.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2024

In this study, nitrogen plasma treatment was performed in 5, 10, and 15 minutes to improve the tetracycline adsorption performance of activated carbon. All nitrogen plasma-treated activated carbons showed improved tetracycline adsorption compared to untreated activated carbons. The nitrogen functional groups in activated carbon lead to chemisorption with tetracycline via π-π interactions and hydrogen bonding. In particular, in the nitrogen plasma treatment at 80 W and 50 kHz, the activated carbon treated for 10 minutes had the best adsorption performance. At this time, the nitrogen content on the surface of the activated carbon was 2.03% and the specific surface area increased to 1,483 m²/g. As a result, nitrogen plasma treatment of activated carbon improved its physical and chemical adsorption capabilities. In addition, since the adsorption experimental results were in good agreement with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order model, it was determined that the adsorption of tetracycline on the nitrogen plasma-treated activated carbon was dominated by chemical adsorption through a monolayer. As a result, nitrogen plasma-treated activated carbon can be used as an adsorbent to efficiently remove tetracycline from water due to the synergistic effect of physical adsorption and proactive chemical adsorption.

• Journal of Platform Technology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.72-83
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• 2023

ChatGPT, commercial launch in late 2022, has shown successful results in various professional exams, including US Bar Exam and the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), demonstrating its ability to pass qualifying exams in professional domains. However, further experimentation and analysis are required to assess ChatGPT's scholastic capability, such as logical inference and problem-solving skills. This study evaluated ChatGPT's scholastic performance utilizing the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (KCSAT) subjects, including Korean, English, and Mathematics. The experimental results revealed that ChatGPT achieved a relatively high accuracy rate of 69% in the English exam but relatively lower rates of 34% and 19% in the Korean Language and Mathematics domains, respectively. Through analyzing the results of the Korean language exam, English exams, and TOPIK II, we evaluated ChatGPT's strengths and weaknesses in comprehension and logical inference abilities. Although ChatGPT, as a generative language model, can understand and respond to general Korean, English, and Mathematics problems, it is considered weak in tasks involving higher-level logical inference and complex mathematical problem-solving. This study might provide simple yet accurate and effective evaluation criteria for generative artificial intelligence performance assessment through the analysis of KCSAT scores.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.54
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• pp.1236-1249
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• 2022

Acquired resistance to inhibitors of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a major clinical challenge for ALK fusion-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the absence of secondary ALK mutations, epigenetic reprogramming is one of the main mechanisms of drug resistance, as it leads to phenotype switching that occurs during the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Although drug-induced epigenetic reprogramming is believed to alter the sensitivity of cancer cells to anticancer treatments, there is still much to learn about overcoming drug resistance. In this study, we used an in vitro model of ceritinib-resistant NSCLC and employed genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in combination with single-cell (sc) RNA-seq to identify cytidine deaminase (CDA), a pyrimidine salvage pathway enzyme, as a candidate drug target. CDA was hypomethylated and upregulated in ceritinib-resistant cells. CDA-overexpressing cells were rarely but definitively detected in the naïve cell population by scRNA-seq, and their abundance was increased in the acquired-resistance population. Knockdown of CDA had antiproliferative effects on resistant cells and reversed the EMT phenotype. Treatment with epigenome-related nucleosides such as 5-formyl-2'-deoxycytidine selectively ablated CDA-overexpressing resistant cells via accumulation of DNA damage. Collectively, our data suggest that targeting CDA metabolism using epigenome-related nucleosides represents a potential new therapeutic strategy for overcoming ALK inhibitor resistance in NSCLC.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.546-555
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• 2024

Aromadendrin is a phenolic compound with various biological effects such as anti-inflammatory properties. However, its protective effects against acute lung injury (ALI) remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the ameliorative effects of aromadendrin in an experimental model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. In vitro analysis revealed a notable increase in the levels of cytokine/chemokine formation, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation, and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88)/toll-like receptor (TLR4) expression in LPS-stimulated BEAS-2B lung epithelial cell lines that was ameliorated by aromadendrin pretreatment. In LPS-induced ALI mice, the remarkable upregulation of immune cells and IL-1β/IL-6/TNF-α levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and inducible nitric oxide synthase/cyclooxygenase-2/CD68 expression in lung was decreased by the oral administration of aromadendrin. Histological analysis revealed the presence of cells in the lungs of ALI mice, which was alleviated by aromadendrin. In addition, aromadendrin ameliorated lung edema. This in vivo effect of aromadendrin was accompanied by its inhibitory effect on LPS-induced NF-κB activation, MyD88/TLR4 expression, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 activation. Furthermore, aromadendrin increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1/ NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 in the lungs of ALI mice. In summary, the in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that aromadendrin ameliorated endotoxin-induced pulmonary inflammation by suppressing cytokine formation and NF-κB activation, suggesting that aromadendrin could be a useful adjuvant in the treatment of ALI.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.101-108
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• 2024

Indoor localization is a critical component for numerous applications, ranging from navigation in large buildings to emergency response. This paper presents an enhanced Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) scheme using smartphone sensors, integrating neural network-aided motion recognition, Kalman filter-based error correction, and multi-sensor data fusion. The proposed system leverages data from the accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, and barometer to accurately estimate a user's position and orientation. A neural network processes sensor data to classify motion modes and provide real-time adjustments to stride length and heading calculations. The Kalman filter further refines these estimates, reducing cumulative errors and drift. Experimental results, collected using a smartphone across various floors of University, demonstrate the scheme's ability to accurately track vertical movements and changes in heading direction. Comparative analyses show that the proposed CNN-LSTM model outperforms conventional CNN and Deep CNN models in angle prediction. Additionally, the integration of barometric pressure data enables precise floor level detection, enhancing the system's robustness in multi-story environments. Proposed comprehensive approach significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of indoor localization, making it viable for real-world applications.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.228-238
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• 2024

Electrolytes are one of the essential components of a lithium-ion battery. They determine the battery's lifespan and cell characteristics. The dielectric constant is a key thermophysical property for determining how much salt can be dissociated and solvated in a solution. Hence, fast and reliable dielectric constant measurement is essential when formulating an electrolyte solution. This work implemented an open-ended coaxial probe (OECP) station as a quick and reliable tool to measure the complex permittivity spectra of electrolyte solutions. The capability of the OECP station was tested by measuring the complex permittivity of propylene carbonate (PC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and their mixtures from 0.1 to 8 GHz at 288.15, 298.15, and 308.15 K. The obtained dielectric spectra were then interpreted based on dielectric relaxation models and thermodynamic theories. The measured static dielectric constant data agreed well with the data from previous studies. They were also correlated using the Wang-Anderko thermodynamic model, showing approximately a 1% deviation from the experimental data. In addition, the relaxation characteristics, including the relaxation time and the Cole-Davidson exponent, showed that the microstructure of the solution significantly changes at the propylene carbonate mole fraction of 0.4. These results and methodologies are expected to contribute to the further understanding of electrolyte solutions and ultimately lead to the optimization of electrolyte formulation for lithium-ion batteries.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2006

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether embryonic stem (ES) cells can be established from isolated blastomeres of mouse embryos. Methods: Blastomeres were separated from mouse (C57Bl/6J) 2- or 4-cell embryos. Isolated blastomeres or whole 4-cell embryos were co-cultured with mitosis-arrested STO feeder cells in DMEM supplemented with recombinant murine leukemia inhibitory factor and ES-qualified fetal bovine serum. After the tentative ES cell lines were maintained from isolated blastomeres or whole embryos, some of them were frozen and the others were sub-cultured continually. Characteristics of tentative ES cell lines as were evaluated for specific genes expressions with immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR. Results: One ES cell line (3.0%) was established from isolated blastomere of 2-cell embryo and one cell line (4.0%) from isolated two blastomeres of 4-cell embryo. And five cell lines (16.7%) were established from whole 4-cell embryos. Both cell lines from isolated blastomere and whole embryo expressed mouse ES cell specific markers such as SSEA-1, Oct-4 and alkaline phosphatase. Marker genes of three germ layers were expressed from embryoid bodies of both cell lines. Conclusion: This study suggests that mouse ES cells could be established from isolated blastomeres, although the efficiency is lower than whole embryos. This animal model could be applied to establishment of autologous human ES cells from biopsied blastomeres of preimplantation embryos in human IVF-ET program.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.596-601
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• 2010

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a mixture of hyaluronic acid and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose ($Guardix-sol^{(R)}$) on experimental pericardial adhesion. Material and Method: Thirty rats were divided into 2 groups of 15 rats each and pericardial mesothelial injury was induced during surgery by abrasion. In the control group, blood and normal saline were administered into pericardium; in the test group, blood and HA-CMC solution were administered. Pericardial adhesions were evaluated at 2 weeks (n=5), 4 weeks (n=5), and 6 weeks (n=5) after surgery. The severity of adhesions was graded by macroscopic examination, and the adhesion tissue thickness was analyzed microscopically with Masson trichrome stain and an image processing program. Result: The test group had significantly lower macroscopic adhesion scores ($2.9{\pm}0.6$ : $3.9{\pm}0.4$, p<0.000) compared with the control group. For microscopic adhesion tissue thickness, the test group had lower scores compared with the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant ($91.73{\pm}49.91$ : $117.67{\pm}46.4$, p=0.106). Conclusion: We conclude that an HA-CMC solution ($Guardix-sol^{(R)}$) reduces the formation of pericardial adhesions in this animal model.