• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.148-152
• /
• 2007

In this paper, we have synthesized $Gd_2O_3:Eu^{3+}$ nano phosphor particle using a low temperature solution-combustion method. We have investigated the structure and the luminescent characteristic as the sintering temperature and europium concentration. From XRD(X-ray diffraction) and SEM(scanning electron microscope) results, we have verified that the phosphor particle was fabricated a spherical shape with $30{\sim}40nm$ particle size. From the photoluminescence results, the strong peak exhibits at 611 um and the luminescent intensity depends on europium concentration. $Gd_2O_3:Eu$ fine phosphor particle has shown excellent luminescent efficiency at 5 wt% of europium concentration. The phosphors calcinated at $500^{\circ}C$ have possessed the x-ray peaks corresponding to the cubic phase of $Gd_2O_3$. As calcinations temperature increased to $700^{\circ}C$, the new monoclinic phase has identified except cubic patterns. From the luminescent decay time measurements, mean lifetimes were $2.3{\sim}2.6ms$ relatively higher than conventional bulk phosphors. These results indicate that $Gd_2O_3:Eu$ nano phosphor is possible for the operation at the low x-ray dose, therefore, the application as medical imaging detector.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.67-76
• /
• 2018

Purpose - With the worldwide aging problem and the development of globalization, customers prefer to seek affordable medical services with the higher quality overseas. This new trend has urged some destination countries to improve their services for the more competitive advantages over other countries. Literature research indicate that medical quality and cost may be the key factors influencing global patients' decisions. In the international environment, however, medical tourism destinations are selected due to cultural similarity between the hosting country and the customers' own country. The more similarity perceived between the two countries leads foreign patients to choose the considering country as the destination for medical tourism. However, little research has been conducted on this topic. Thus, we empirically investigate how cultural similarity influences Chinese medical customers' choice of the destinations. We also consider the factors related to medical competency and travel attribute which might affect customers' decisions along with some moderating roles of disease types. Research design, data, and methodology - We proposed a research model in order to confirm the relations among different variables of cultural similarity, medical competency, travel attractiveness, disease types, and destination choice. The questionnaire survey is processed in the more economically developed regions of China such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu. Conditional logit regression is applied to analyze the data of 881. Results - Results indicate that cultural similarity is the important predictor of Chinese customers' decision to select a medical country. However, the effects of cultural similarity vary according to the disease types. We also find that medical competency and travel attractiveness influence their decisions with the moderating role of disease types. Conclusions - Cultural similarity is the important factor that influences Chinese potential medical tourists' decisions to select a destination. Marketing managers should consider the effects of cultural similarity when developing strategies for attracting Chinese medical tourists. Since medical competency and travel attractiveness are still the critical key elements for them to evaluate the destination countries, it is necessary to continuously improve medical service quality and facilities. The results also recommend that medical managers should sharpen their marketing strategies by segmenting Chinese potential customers in terms of disease types.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.388-395
• /
• 2010

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is generally known as an inducible enzyme, and it produces arachidonic acid to prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), which has been demonstrated to play a critical role in inflammation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the extracts of fermented beans including soybean (FS), black agabean (FBA) and yellow agabean (FYA), on the expression of COXs and production of $PGE_2$ in U937 human promonocytic cells. Treatment of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) significantly induced pro-inflammatory mediators such as COX-2 expression and $PGE_2$ production, whereas the levels of COX-1 remained unchanged. However, pre-treatment with FS, FBA and FYA significantly decreased PMA-induced COX-2 protein as well as mRNA, which is associated with inhibition of $PGE_2$ production. Moreover, FS, FBA and FYA markedly prevented the increase of nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) p65 by PMA. Our data indicate that the extracts of fermented beans exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes through the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway.

• Journal of Korea Artificial Intelligence Association
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.21-25
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance using multiple regression models to predict the energy consumption of steel industry. Specific independent variables were selected in consideration of correlation among various attributes such as CO2 concentration, NSM, Week Status, Day of week, and Load Type, and preprocessing was performed to solve the multicollinearity problem. In data preprocessing, we evaluated linear and nonlinear relationships between each attribute through correlation analysis. In particular, we decided to select variables with high correlation and include appropriate variables in the final model to prevent multicollinearity problems. Among the many regression models learned, Boosted Decision Tree Regression showed the best predictive performance. Ensemble learning in this model was able to effectively learn complex patterns while preventing overfitting by combining multiple decision trees. Consequently, these predictive models are expected to provide important information for improving energy efficiency and management decision-making at steel industry. In the future, we plan to improve the performance of the model by collecting more data and extending variables, and the application of the model considering interactions with external factors will also be considered.

• Journal of Distribution Science
• /
• v.15 no.7
• /
• pp.73-83
• /
• 2017

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the CSR activities of small enterprises in hospitality and tourism industry in South Korea. Since previous research on CSR activities has considerably focused on large enterprises whereas small enterprises have relatively less attention, this study aims to explore the characteristics of small enterprises in hospitality and tourism industry and their CSR activities. Research design, data, and methodology - The population of interest for this study was social enterprises registered in Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency (2016), and it was used to verify the social enterprises which has a certification for social enterprises. From 1672 companies in total, the sampling frame was a database with 117 companies in hospitality and tourism industry. This study investigates social enterprises' CSR activities on the company's official websites (e.g., company reports, magazines, the news articles, and interviews). The websites of the selected enterprises in hospitality and tourism industry were analyzed for examining CSR activities by the quantitative content analysis. All of the CSR activities in small social enterprises were classified into six dimensions based on the stakeholder theory. Results - The findings of this study provide the characteristics of the 117 small social enterprises and their specific CSR initiatives. A total of eight main business lines were identified: 1) fair travel, 2) leisure/sports, 3) accommodation/camping, 4) medical tourism, 5) exhibitions/art events/cultural events, 6) leisure activities for vulnerable social groups, 7) Korean traditional culture, and 8) ecotourism/agricultural tourism. The CSR initiatives were classified into six dimensions: 1) environment, 2) employment, 3) multicultural families and vulnerable social groups, 4) local community, 5) economic prosperity, and 6) product. Conclusions - This study revealed the special CSR initiative examples of small enterprises in hospitality and tourism industry. Small social enterprises participate in CSR activities mainly related to their own business lines. Moreover, these enterprises are more closely embedded in their local community development, job creation and education for local residents and vulnerable social groups, and traditional heritage preservation. The findings of this study provide theoretical and practical implications and they can contribute to enrich CSR with literature for small enterprises in hospitality and tourism industry.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.285-304
• /
• 2009

The objectives of this study were finding out some methods about development of oversea agriculture in Korea. It is a tough task that faces us now. China is a big agricultural country, most agricultural investment country and the nearest located in Korea. So this study researches on the quality of farmers and characters of rural human resources in China. In China, agriculture industry is the basic industry among national economy developments. The majority of populations in China are living in rural region. Agriculture, villages and farmers are main issues in China. From this point, An analysis of Chinese farmers' characters and qualities; general conditions of farmers' knowledge of science and technology, their education level, quality of minds and sprit, and rural public health service situation in China. The result of this study is following; First, Chinese farmers' factors that low education level, big cultural differences between cities and country sides affect the development of China's agriculture as obstruction factors. Second, Practice conditions of farmers' science knowledge and technology are low level, output of higher rural human resources, low quality of minds and sprit and problems of agricultural extension service. It is negative influenced of agriculture and farmers economic development in China. Third, unsociable culture of the peasantry influences Chinese farming in the negative ways. Also, conventional notions of family are getting weaker, it makes connection of the kinship weaken. But, Chinese think that this kind of kinship is the most important thing in their life. Fourth, in the case of situations that the farmer's sanitation and health, low level of the medical service is getting worse than before relatively. And there are a lot of discordances between a planned childbirth policy and personal recognitions. Also, lacking of nourishment makes labor productivity falling tendencies. The medical industry falls short of the standard as compared to the number of farming people. Fifth, in the peasantry's consciousness of the legal system, this causes difficulties to farmers in the market. Shortage of the legal knowledge exerts a bad influence upon rural economy.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.1095-1100
• /
• 2014

Keratin wastes are generated in excess of million tons per year worldwide and biodegradation of keratin by microorganisms possessing keratinase activity can be used as an alternative tool to prevent environmental pollution. For practical use of keratinase, its physicochemical properties should be investigated in detail. In this study, we investigated characteristics of keratinase produced by Xanthomonas sp. P5 which is isolated from rhizospheric soil of soybean. The level of keratinase produced by the strain P5 increased with time and reached its maximum (10.6 U/ml) at 3 days. The production of soluble protein had the same tendency as the production of keratinase. Optimal temperature and pH of keratinase were $40^{\circ}C-45^{\circ}C$ and pH 9, respectively. The enzyme showed broad temperature and pH stabilities. Thermostability profile showed that the enzyme retained 94.6%-100% of the original activity after 1 h treatment at $10^{\circ}C-40^{\circ}C$. After treatment for 1 h at pH 6-10, 89.2%-100% of the activity was remained. At pH 11, 71.6% of the original activity was retained after 1 h treatment. Although the strain P5 did not degrade human hair, it degraded duck feather and chicken feather. These results indicate that keratinase from Xanthomonas sp. P5 could be not only used to upgrade the nutritional value of feather hydrolysate but also useful in situ biodegradation of feather.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.43-52
• /
• 2024

Health Monitoring System is a sophisticating technology and another way to the normal/regular management of the health of the patient. This Health Monitoring Mobile Application is a contribution from our side to the public and to the overall health industry in Pakistan. With the help of Health mobile application, the users will be able to store their medical records, prescriptions and retrieve them later. The users can store and keep track of their vital readings (heart rate, blood pressure, fasting glucose, random glucose). The mobile application also shows hospitals that are nearby in case the user wants to avail of any medical help. An important feature of the application is the symptoms-based disease prediction, the user selects the symptoms which he has and then the application will name certain diseases that match those symptoms based on relevant algorithms. The major advances and issues have been discussed, and as well as potential tasks to health monitoring will be identified and evaluated.

• Molecular Medicine Reports
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.3903-3911
• /
• 2019

Female sex steroid hormones, including estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4), serve significant physiological roles in pregnancy. In particular, E2 and P4 influence placenta formation, maintain pregnancy and stimulate milk production. These hormones are produced by ovaries, adrenal glands and the placenta, of which the latter is a major endocrine organ during pregnancy. However, the mechanism of hormone production during pregnancy remains unclear. In the present study, the regulation of steroid hormones and steroidogenic enzymes was examined in human placenta according to gestational age. In human placental tissues, expression levels of steroidogenic enzymes were determined with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The mRNA and protein expression of CYP17A1, HSD17B3 and CYP19A1, which are associated with the synthesis of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and E2, was elevated at different gestational ages in human placenta. In addition, to evaluate the correlation between serum and placental-produced hormones, steroid hormone levels, including pregnenolone (PG), DHEA, P4, testosterone (T) and E2, were examined in serum and placenta. Serum and placenta expression of DHEA and E2 increased with gestational age, whereas T and P4 were differently regulated in placenta and serum. To confirm the mechanism of steroidogenesis in vitro, placental BeWo cells were treated with E2 and P4, which are the most important hormones during pregnancy. The mRNA and protein expression of steroidogenic enzymes was significantly altered by E2 in vitro. These results demonstrated that concentration of steroid hormones was differently regulated by steroidogenic enzymes in the placenta depending on the type of the hormones, which may be critical to maintain pregnancy.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.43-47
• /
• 2023

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen that causes bacterial meningitis in humans. S. suis is an encapsulated gram-positive facultative anaerobic bacterium and is an important pathogen in pigs. This infectious disease usually manifests in humans as meningitis, endocarditis, septicemia, and arthritis. Most cases originate in Southeast Asia, and human S. suis infections are often reported in countries with a high density of pigs. Meningitis is a common clinical manifestation of S. suis infection. Moreover, hearing loss is a common complication that can be bilateral, profound, and/or permanent. This report presents two cases of bacterial meningitis and hearing loss caused by S. suis in patients without a history of direct exposure to pigs in an intensive pork industry region.