• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1667-1670
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• 2014

Background: Calprotectin in feces seems to be a more sensitive marker for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers than fecal occult blood, but its specificity may be too low for screening average risk populations. This study aims at evaluating the diagnostic value of fecal calprotectin as a screening biomarker for GI malignancies. Materials and Methods: In a case-control study, 100 patients with GI malignancies (50 patients with colorectal cancer and 50 patients with gastric cancer) and 50 controls were recruited in Tabriz Imam Reza and Sina hospitals during a 24-month period. One to two weeks after the last endoscopy/colonoscopy, fecal specimens were collected by the patients and examined by ELISA method for quantitative measurement of calprotectin content. The results were compared between the three groups. Results: The mean fecal calprotectin level was $109.1{\pm}105.3$ (2.3-454.3, median:74), $241.1{\pm}205.2$ (3.4-610.0, median:19.3) and $45.9{\pm}55.1{\mu}g/g$ (1.3-257.1, median:19.3) in gastric cancer, colorectal cancer and control group, respectively, the differences being significant (p<0.001) and remaining after adjustment for age. The optimal cut-off point for fecal calprotectin was ${\geq}75.8{\mu}g/g$ for distinguishing colorectal cancer from normal cases (sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 84%, respectively). This value was ${\geq}41.9{\mu}g/g$ for distinguishing gastric cancer from normal cases (sensitivity and specificity of 62%). Conclusions: Our results revealed that fecal calprotectin might be a useful and non-invasive biomarker for distinguishing colorectal cancer from non-malignant GI conditions. However, due to low sensitivity and specificity, this biomarker may not help physicians distinguishing gastric cancer cases from healthy subjects.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.1181-1187
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• 2009

In this paper, we proposed a method to analyze kind of clouds using a fuzzy reasoning method. In the proposed method, we used the clues that G channel value is dominant from RGB color values in land areas and B channel value is dominant in the sea areas discovered by the analyses of both visible images and infrared images. By these information, R and B channel values are applied to land areas and R and G channel values are applied to the sea areas. Noise areas(areas except cloud areas) are removed from a visible image and an infrared image by a threshold value, and then land areas and the sea areas are discriminated from the noise removed image. Cloud areas are extracted from discriminated areas using R, G, B channel values and a fuzzy reasoning method, and finally kind of clouds is decided by combining same cloud areas included in both the visible image and the infrared image. In comparison with a conventional quantization method, we verified that the performance of cloud analysis by the proposed method is more efficient through experiments.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.354-366
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• 2021

Limited data about the effects of various factors on forage quality and β-carotene content of rye produced in Korea are available, so this study investigated the effects of two preservation methods. Samples were collected from rye harvested every 5 days between April 25 and May 31, and comparisons were done among rye silage wilted for different periods of time and hay of three growth stages of rye. For the silage, dry matter (DM), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents increased with advanced maturity of rye, whereas crude protein, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), total digestible nutrients (TDN), relative feed value (RFV), and DM loss decreased (p < 0.0001). Wilting increased the DM content and pH value significantly (p < 0.0001). Silage harvested at the heading stage had the lowest pH value (4.45), propionic acid (0.83 g/kg DM), butyric acid (0 g/kg DM), and fungi and yeast populations (3.70 Log CFU/g of fresh matter [FM]); conversely, it had the highest lactic acid (9.7 g/kg DM), lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (6.87 Log CFU/g of FM), total microorganisms (TM) (7.33 Log CFU/g of FM), and Flieg's score (70) (p < 0.0001). Wilting elevated LAB and TM populations, but it had no consistent effect on other fermentation products. Both delayed harvest and prolonged wilting decreased β-carotene content. Rye silage harvested around May 9 (heading stage) with 24 h of wilting was preferred for highland, Pyeongchang. For rye hay, advanced maturity decreased DM loss, IVDMD, TDN, and RFV, but it increased DM, ADF, and NDF significantly (p < 0.05). β-carotene was decreased by delay of hay-making. Consequently, to attain lower DM loss and higher hay quality, the harvest date of May 9 (heading stage) is recommended.

• Bulletin of the Korean Mathematical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2004

In this paper, we study the uniqueness of entire functions and prove the following result: Let f(z) and g(z) be two nonconstant entire functions, $n\;{\geq}\;7$ a positive integer, and let a be a nonzero finite complex number. If $f^{n}(z)(f(z)\;-\;1)f'(z)\;and\;g^{n}(z)(g(z)\;-\;1)g'(z)$ share a CM, then $f(z)\;{\equiv}\;g(z)$. The result improves the theorem due to ref. [3].

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.517-523
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• 2014

The micellization of TTAB(tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide) and the solubilization of 4-halogenated phenol isomers in aqueous solution of that surfactant in water have been studied by the UV-Vis spectrophotometric method. Those properties in aqueous solutions of NaCl and n-butanol have been also measured to determine the interactions between the micelle and 4-halogenated phenols and the solubilized sites of those molecules in the micelle. The results show that the values of ${\Delta}G^o_m$ and ${\Delta}G^o_s$ are all negative and the trends of those values depend on both the kinds and the concentrations of additives. Namely, by adding NaCl both ${\Delta}G^o_m$ and ${\Delta}G^o_s$ values are all decreasing, but by adding n-butanol the ${\Delta}G^o_m$ value decreases and the ${\Delta}G^o_s$ value increases.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1391-1401
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• 2007

This paper proposed a novel broadband printed monopole antenna for PCS/IMT-2000/WLAN terminals. Frequency characteristics are optimized with various design parameters. Two Z-shaped patchs were utilized in order to improve the characteristics of a printed monopole antenna which usually has a narrow bandwidth. The bandwidth of the realized antenna is $1.590{\sim}2.614$ GHz(48.43 %) below the return loss of -10 dB which contain the required bandwidth of PCS/IMT-2000/WLAN band. The simulated and measured values of 1 g and 10 g averaged peak SAR on human head caused by the proposed antenna on folder-type phone were analyzed and discussed. As a result, the measured 1 g peak SAR value is 0.794 W/kg and 10 g peak SAR value is 0.368 W/kg at 1.8 GHz. The results are smaller than the reference SAR limit values that are respectively 1.6 W/kg and 2 W/kg on 1 g and 10 g averaged SAR values.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.341-346
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• 2016

Membrane-bound HLA-G (mHLA-G) discovery on adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) as a tolerogenic and immunosuppressive molecule was very important. Many documents have shown that HLA-G expression can be controlled via some hormones such as progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2). Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate progesterone and estradiol effects on mHLA-G in ADSCs at restricted and combination concentrations. Three independent cell lines were cultured in complete free phenol red DMEM and subcultured to achieve sufficient cells. These cells were treated with P4, E2 and P4 plus E2 at physiologic and pregnancy concentrations for 3 days in cell culture conditions. The HLA-G positive ADSCs was measured via monoclonal anti HLA-G-FITC/ MEMG-09 by means of flow cytometry in nine groups. Data were analyzed by one way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests. There were no significant values of the mean percentage of HLA-G positive cells in E2-treated and the combination of P4 plus $E_2-treated$ ADSCs compared to control cells (p value>0.05) but P4 had a significant increase on mHLA-G in ADSCs (p value<0.05). High P4 concentration increased mHLA-G but E2 and the combination of P4 plus E2 could not change mHLA-G on ADSCs.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.4 s.28
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• pp.474-479
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• 1989

This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of improvement in work environment and of segregation in a fluorescent lamp manufacturing factory. Among the total of 80 workers, 8 workers whose mercury concentration in urine reached a hazardous level ($200-299{\mu}g/l$) were moved to mercury free workplace. The follow-up examination for their mercury concentration in urine was done three times ; on May 3, 1988, September 1, 1988 and April 3, 1989. The results were as follows : 1. Mercury concentration in the air was reduced from 0.140 to 0.107 $mg/m^3$ in 4 months, and to $0.087mg/m^3$ in one year after environmental improvement in workplace. However the level still exceeded the Threshold Limit Value. 2. The geometric mean of urinary mercury concentration among 80 workers was $173.0{\mu}g/l\;(5.1{\sim}458.6{\mu}g/l$). The distribution of workers according to urinary mercury concentration showed that 9 workers (11.2%) were above the mercury poisoning level ($300{\mu}g/l$), 24 workers (30.0%) were $200-299{\mu}g/l$, 35 workers (43.8%) were $50-199{\mu}g/l$, and 12 workers (15.0%) were below 50 ${\mu}g/l$. 3. Among the 24 workers whose urinary mercury concentration was 200-299 $50-199{\mu}g/l$, 8 were able to be followed up. Their mean urinary mercury concentration before segregation was $244.9{\mu}g/l$, but decreased to $151.4{\mu}g/l$ in four months, $128.8{\mu}g/l$ in six months, and $46.8{\mu}g/l$ in one year after segregation.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 2019

Background: Lead (Pb) exposure in shooting ranges has been reduced by various measures such as jacketed ammunition and lead-free primers. Nevertheless, this may lead to exposure to other metals, potentially resulting in adverse health effects. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 35 subjects from seven different shooting ranges were studied: four shooting instructors, 10 police officers, 15 Special Forces, and six maintenance staff members. Metals and metalloids were determined in blood and urine by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Results: The concentrations of most elements did not differ significantly between groups or compared to reference values, except for Sb and Pt in urine and Pb in blood. Mean values for Sb were considerably higher in urine from the Special Forces ($0.34{\mu}g/L$), the maintenance staff ($0.13{\mu}g/L$), and shooting instructors ($0.32{\mu}g/L$) compared to the police officers before shooting ($0.06{\mu}g/L$) and a Belgian reference value ($0.04{\mu}g/L$). For Pt, the Special Forces showed higher mean urinary concentrations ($0.078{\mu}g/L$) compared to a Belgian reference value (<$0.061{\mu}g/L$). Mean values for blood lead were markedly higher in the Special Forces ($3.9{\mu}g/dL$), maintenance staff ($5.7{\mu}g/dL$), and instructors ($11.7{\mu}g/dL$) compared to police officers ($1.4{\mu}g/dL$). One instructor exceeded the biological exposure index for blood Pb ($38.8{\mu}g/dL$). Conclusion: Since both Pb and Sb were found to be higher in shooting range employees, especially among frequent shooters, it is advisable to provide appropriate protective equipment, education, and medical follow-up for shooting range personnel in addition to careful choice of ammunition.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.153-166
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• 2022

Purpose - ESG(Environmental, Social and Governance) rating is an indicator to predict the sustainable development and long-term value creation of enterprises, which is becoming more and more important. This study divided the ESG rating into each sector(E, S and G) to identify which ESG elements are effective in enhancing enterprise value according to the characteristics of the enterprise, which is different from previous studies. Design/methodology/approach - In this study, Bloomberg ESG Disclosure Score was used to empirically analyze the relationship between ESG ratings and corporate value by taking the listed companies of China's Shanghai Composite Index from 2017 to 2020 as the object. Findings - First, the relationship between ESG ratings and enterprise value shows a statistically significant positive correlation, which supports the results of previous studies. Second, the analysis results from the classification of ownership structure of enterprises (state-owned enterprises and non-state-owned enterprises) show that compared with state-owned enterprises, the ESG ratings of non-state-owned enterprises is more closely related to enterprise value. Third, the analysis of various industries (manufacturing and non-manufacturing) shows that compared with manufacturing, ESG scores of non-manufacturing has a more positive effect on enterprise value. Lastly, the analysis by industry type (heavy-contaminated companies, non-contaminated companies) confirmed that ESG scores of non-contaminated companies has a positive effect on corporate value than heavy-contaminated companies. Research implications or Originality - This study classified ESG evaluation grades(E, S and G) for listed companies in China and analyzed in detail how they affect corporate value according to corporate characteristics, drawing implications for what ESG indicators should be focused on to increase corporate value.