• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 2021

Src family kinases (SFKs), an important group of non-receptor tyrosine kinases, are suggested to be excessively activated during various types of tissue fibrosis. The present study investigated the effect of KF-1607, an orally active and a newly synthesized Src kinase inhibitor (SKI) with proposed low toxicity, in preventing the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis. Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) surgery was performed in 6-week-old male C57BL/6 mice to induce renal interstitial fibrosis. Either KF-1607 (30 mg/kg, oral gavage) or PP2 (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection), a common experimental SKI, was administered to mice for seven days, started one day prior to surgery. UUO injury-induced SFK expression, including Src, Fyn, and Lyn kinase. SFK inhibition by KF-1607 prevented the progression of tubular injury in UUO mice, as indicated by decreases in albuminuria, urinary KIM-1 excretion, and kidney NGAL protein expression. Renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis was attenuated in response to KF-1607, as shown by decreases in α-SMA, collagen I and IV protein expression, along with reduced Masson's trichrome and collagen-I staining in kidneys. KF-1607 also inhibited inflammation in the UUO kidney, as exhibited by reductions in F4/80 positive-staining and protein expression of p-NFκB and ICAM. Importantly, the observed effects of KF-1607 were similar to those of PP2. A new pan Src kinase inhibitor, KF-1607, is a potential pharmaceutical agent to prevent the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.1209-1220
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• 2023

Objective: The use of probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics in animal feed has received considerable attention in recent decades. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have remarkable functional properties promoting host health and are major microorganisms for probiotic purposes. The aim of this study was to characterize LAB strains of the chicken digestive tract and to determine their functional properties for further use as potential probiotics in poultry. Methods: A total of 2,000 colonies were isolated from the ileum and cecal contents of the chickens based on their phenotypic profiles and followed by a preliminary detection for acid and bile tolerance. The selected 200 LAB isolates with exhibited well-tolerance in acid and bile conditions were then identified by sequencing the 16S rDNA gene, followed by acid and bile tolerance, antimicrobial activity, adhesion to epithelial cells and additional characteristics on the removal of cholesterol. Then, the two probiotic strains (L. ingluviei and L. salivarious) which showed the greatest advantage in vitro testing were selected to assess their efficacy in broiler chickens. Results: It was found that 200 LAB isolates that complied with all measurement criteria belonged to five strains, including L. acidophilus (63 colonies), L. ingluviei (2 colonies), L. reuteri (58 colonies), L. salivarius (72 colonies), and L. saerimneri (5 colonies). We found that the L. ingluviei and L. salivarius can increase the population of LAB and Bifidobacterium spp. while reducing Enterobacteria spp. and Escherichia coli in the cecal content of chickens. Additionally, increased concentrations of valeric acid and short chain fatty acids were also observed. Conclusion: This study indicates that all five Lactobacillus strains isolated from gut contents of chickens are safe and possess probiotic properties, especially L. ingluviei and L. salivarius. Future studies should evaluate the potential for growth improvement in broilers.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.303-307
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• 2016

Background: In dental intravenous sedation, continuous intravenous infusion of a low-dose drug requires an infusion pump such as a syringe pump. To develop a new syringe pump for clinical use, the functions of the pump must meet certain international standards. Various safety and efficacy tests must be performed on the syringe pump, as stipulated by these standards, and an approval must be received from the approving agency based on such test results. Methods: The authors of the present study developed a novel syringe pump and performed efficacy evaluation by testing its infusion speed at 1 and 25 ml/h, and infusion performance testing at 2 and 24 h. Moreover, performance evaluation was conducted by comparing the novel pump to an existing pump with the infusion speed varied from 1 to 5 ml/h. Results: In the efficacy testing on the newly developed syringe pump, infusion with the infusion speed initially set to 1 ml/h resulted in infusion speeds of 1.00 and 0.99 ml/h in the 2- and 24-h assessment, respectively. Changing the infusion speed setting to 25 ml/h resulted in an infusion speed of 25.09 and 23.92 ml/h in the 2- and 24-h assessment, respectively. These results show no significant differences when compared with other commercially available pumps. Conclusions: The efficacy testing of the newly developed syringe pump showed the accuracy to be within tolerance. Based on these findings, we believe that the newly developed syringe pump is suitable for clinical use.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.285-290
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• 2017

Radiofrequency catheter ablation is the interventional therapy that be employed to eliminate cardiac tissue caused by arrhythmias. During radiofrequency catheter ablation, The thrombus can occur at electrode tip if the temperature of tissue and electrode is excess $100^{\circ}C$. To prevent this phenomenon, we investigated numerical model of electrode for radiofrequency catheter ablation considering saline irrigation and temperature-controlled radiofrequency system. The numerical model is based on coupled electric-thermal-flow problem and solved by COMSOL Multiphysics software. The results of the models show that the dimensions of the thermal lesion are increased if the flow rate of the saline irrigation and the set temperature are increased. The surface width characterized to determine the thermal lesion isn't need to measure in temperature-controlled radiofrequency system due to convective heat transfer by saline irrigation at tissue-electrode interface.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.7
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• pp.159-166
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• 2017

A 'wicked problem' is something that is hard to notice and not easy to perceive. This study focuses on understanding the precise concept of wicked problem through studying the background that led to the introduction of the term wicked problem. On the other hand, for social innovation, which has recently become a hot topic, it is necessary to identify wicked problem. Social innovation means solving in an innovative way that is more effective, efficient and sustainable than existing ones. As the beneficiary is not an individual but a society, it is in line with the field covered by wicked problem. Therefore, the study introduces a case in which wicked problems are solved through novel ways, that is, design thinking. Through the case study, it was confirmed that design thinking helps identifying problems that are not revealed and contributes to social innovation. As a result, we hope that this research will contribute to help solve the problems that we need to resolve in our society by using design thinking.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.151-158
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• 2015

The purpose of this study to understand collaborative process and the capabilities of the firm impact on innovation performance in convergence environment. To achieve the purpose, research model was empirically tested with a survey from 162 employees from 4 Korea manufacturing companies and 1 USA company. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS). As a result, collaboration process, learning capability and operation capability have significant and positive impact on innovation performance. It is a meaningful result that the collaboration process improve the innovation performance of firms through the operation capability and the learning capability.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.129-138
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• 2021

Many organizations are applying robotic process automation (RPA) to automate repetitive and rule based tasks to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of works. Some members are willing to join the projects hoping to eliminate annoying and meaningless tasks, but others are resisting this innovation fearing that they may lose their jobs. In this study, both positive and negative antecedents are posited to influence the performance in adopting RPA. The effects of relative advantage, compatibility, change management effect, innovation resistance and satisfaction, conclusively to performance improvement were examined via a survey of 109 employees involved in the 11 RPA projects in a manufacturing company, and the structural equation model analysis. The research considering the consumer characteristics of the innovation resistance model can be followed for the development of individualized change management strategy.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.59-80
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• 2020

Excellent FinTech firms create value by finding customer needs or addressing customer problems to provide customers with differentiated solutions through information technologies and organizational innovation capability. Accordingly, the survival and growth of FinTech firms rely on the innovation performance for solving customer problems. This study assumes that IT relatedness and entrepreneurial culture play a mediating role in the relationship between service orientation and innovation performance. To examine it, designed and demonstrated is a structural model from the perspective of dynamic organizational capability. The results show that IT relatedness and entrepreneurial culture play a mediating role between service orientation and innovation performance. Although IT relatedness and entrepreneurial culture were partial mediators in each divided model, the integration model showed there was no direct effect of service orientation on innovation performance. The practical implication is that FinTech companies need to understand customer problems accurately, set up appropriate service goals and align all strategies to achieve them. With these strategic alignments, higher innovation performance can be achieved by enabling IT resources and capabilities to be actively utilized in all functions of the organization and institutionalizing the entrepreneurial culture.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.625-640
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• 2018

Purpose: The scale of a market of mobile payment which was insignificant is explosively being improved by development of various communications technology and achieving rapid diffusion of smart phone. According to this phenomenon, new method of financial dealings through a mobile can be seen as a new paradigm that leads to a change of existing payment work and also recognized as an innovation of information technology. Methods: but a study regarding whether the use of mobile payment service takes an important role as an influencial factor is still insufficient. This study was based on the model of innovation resistance by Ram(1987) and established a hypothesis and a model to confirm how four factors (usability, security, economic feasibility, responsiveness) influence to innovation resistance and the intention of discontinuous use. Results: usability, security were found to be significant predictor variables of innovation resistance to use mobile payment system, but economic feasibility, responsiveness were not found to be significant predictor variables. Conclusion: Providing gave a theoretical foundation for future research in that it presents the variables to consider new forms of mobile payment services, the mobile payment services will need to show a differentiated strategy and traditional marketing strategy.

• IE interfaces
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.125-139
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• 2003

This paper reports an empirical study on assessment of R&D best practices. The principles of quality management and their tools such as best practices or benchmarking have been so prevailing in the operational process that the R&D management recently consider extensive use of them for their innovation process. However, characteristics of the two processes may be different each other. Are the principles or the tools that were effective in the operational field still going to be effective in the innovative field? In order to answer the question, we statistically examine how R&D best practices contribute to the innovative performance. Upon literature review on technological innovation, we present a R&D process model whereby we set forth research hypotheses. Using data from 66 successful R&D efforts carried out among Korean firms mostly between 1999-2001, regression analyses reveal that best practices used in most stages throughout the R&D process are found not to significantly contribute to the innovative performance. Only those in technology strategy and prototyping stages are proven effective for technical and commercial performance respectively. Interestingly, efforts in a problem solving and improvement stage are counterproductive in the case of the innovation process. Discussions on our empirical observations are presented followed by some managerial implications.