• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2024

The zonula occludens (ZO) protein serves as a scaffolding protein, providing structural support at the junctions between cells and the cytoplasmic surface. It acts as a bridge between integral membrane proteins and the cytoskeleton. Besides its structural role, it also participates in regulating cell growth and proliferation. Recent studies have highlighted the involvement of ZO protein in various diseases, including cancer. Specifically, research has indicated that ZO protein influences the cancer microenvironment surrounding cancer cells, thereby facilitating their growth and development. ZO proteins exert diverse functions in the cancer microenvironment, impacting processes such as angiogenesis, inflammatory responses, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and interactions with mesenchymal stem cells. The specific mechanisms vary depending on the type of cancer and environmental conditions. Recent research unveiled several signaling pathways involving ZO protein, which could potentially impede cancer progression in the tumor microenvironment. Consequently, these insights open avenues for novel treatment strategies. While the numerous physiological, structural, and morphological roles of ZO protein have been observed at the cellular and in vivo levels, understanding the signaling mechanisms it operates in vivo and how these mechanisms influence the cancer microenvironment remains a challenge. In this review, we delineate the characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of ZO protein in the context of the cancer microenvironment. Additionally, we propose leveraging the properties of ZO protein to devise defense mechanisms within the cancer cell environment and provide an overview of its in vivo role.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.187-194
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• 2024

In this study, we examined the effects of Rubus crataegifolius leaf on the inhibition of differentiation and adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to confirm their potential for use as an anti-obesity functional material. Rubus crataegifolius leaves water extracted using hot water were then concentrated for use, with an extract yield of 4.76%. The result of measuring the rate of 3T3-L1 cell survival of Rubus crataegifolius leaf extract (RCLE) showed growth inhibition of 13% at a concentration of 1,000 ㎍/mL. Thus, in this study, experiments were performed using RCLE treatment concentrations up to 500 ㎍/mL. Production of triglycedie in 3T3-L1 cells showed a dose-dependent decrease, and the rate of reduction was 28.7, 40.8, and 51.6% at concentrations of 100, 300, and 500 ㎍/mL, respectively, compared to the control group. In addition, the results confirmed that suppression of lipogenesis was achieved by suppressing the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR γ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBP α), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and increasing the expression of p-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK). Based on these results, it is believed that Rubus crataegifolius leaf extract can be used in the effort to manage obesity by regulating factors related to adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.85-93
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• 2024

The monitoring of environmental information (e.g. noise, dust, vibration, temperature, humidity) is crucial to the safe and sustainable operation of a construction site. However, commercial sensors exhibit certain drawbacks when applied on-site. First, the installation cost is prohibitively high. Second, these sensors have been engineered without considering the rugged and harsh conditions of a construction site, resulting in error-prone sensing. Third, construction sites are compelled to allocate additional resources in terms of manpower, expenses, and physical spaces to accommodate individual sensors. This research developed an integrated sensing module to measure the environmental information in construction site. The sensing module slashes the installation cost to 3.3%, is robust enough to harsh and outdoor sites, and consolidates multiple sensors into a single unit. The sensing module also supports GPS, LTE, and real-time sensing. The evaluation showed remarkable results including 97.5% accuracy and 99.9% precision in noise measurement, an 89.7% accuracy in dust measurement, and a 93.5% reliability in data transmission. This research empowers the collection of substantial volumes and high-quality environmental data from construction sites, providing invaluable support to decision-making process. These encompass objective regulatory compliance checking, simulations of environmental data dispersion, and the development of environmental mitigation strategies.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.27-36
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• 2024

The effective control of cost overrun is a crucial issue for construction companies to secure profitability. Especially in situations where cost pressures are significant due to factors such as rising raw material prices and increased financial costs due to high-interest rate policies, cost overruns resulting from project failures have a highly detrimental impact on the profitability of construction firms. The objective of this study is to analyze the current status of cost overrun control measures adopted by construction companies using the IPA technique and provide key characteristics and implications. The IPA analysis results showed that practitioners in general contractors exhibit a high level of interest and effort regarding cost overrun while the performance level is relatively low. Nevertheless, the measures considered important to control cost overruns generally show a high tendency for execution as well. Cost overrun control measures that show high importance but low execution are primarily related to collaboration and communication sectors. To effectively control cost overruns, enhancing collaboration and communication with construction supervisors/CM, headquarters, and regulatory authorities emerged as the most urgent need. Through this study, the current status and areas for improvement regarding cost overrun control measures in general contractors can be identified. This can be valuable for deriving directions and enhancements for future cost overrun control strategy development.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.17.1-17.16
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• 2024

We have reported that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury leads to the differential dysregulation of the complement system in the synovium as compared to meniscus tear (MT) and proposed this as a mechanism for a greater post-injury prevalence of post traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). To explore additional roles of complement proteins and regulators, we determined the presence of decay-accelerating factor (DAF), C5b, and membrane attack complexes (MACs, C5b-9) in discarded surgical synovial tissue (DSST) collected during arthroscopic ACL reconstructive surgery, MT-related meniscectomy, osteoarthritis (OA)-related knee replacement surgery and normal controls. Multiplexed immunohistochemistry was used to detect and quantify complement proteins. To explore the involvement of body mass index (BMI), after these 2 injuries, we examined correlations among DAF, C5b, MAC and BMI. Using these approaches, we found that synovial cells after ACL injury expressed a significantly lower level of DAF as compared to MT (p<0.049). In contrast, C5b staining synovial cells were significantly higher after ACL injury (p<0.0009) and in OA DSST (p<0.039) compared to MT. Interestingly, there were significantly positive correlations between DAF & C5b (r=0.75, p<0.018) and DAF & C5b (r=0.64 p<0.022) after ACL injury and MT, respectively. The data support that DAF, which should normally dampen C5b deposition due to its regulatory activities on C3/C5 convertases, does not appear to exhibit that function in inflamed synovia following either ACL injury or MT. Ineffective DAF regulation may be an additional mechanism by which relatively uncontrolled complement activation damages tissue in these injury states.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

This study proposes a developmental policy direction for the online platform industry, moving away from the regulatory-centered discussions that have predominated thus far. To offer policy directions, the PEST-SWOT-AHP analysis model was employed. The study first categorizes the issues of the domestic online platform industry into political, economic, social, and technological aspects, which are then further categorized into 16 strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The relative importance among these factors was measured, leading to the derivation of four final strategies. The analysis indicates that policy directions should prioritize addressing weaknesses, with 'improving regulations that hinder innovation' being the most important factor across all categories, while technological factors were consistently rated highly in importance apart from this. Accordingly, the policy direction for the domestic online platform industry suggests avoiding excessive regulation and instead emphasizing policy support centered around technological development. This study is significant in that it presents a macroscopic developmental direction for online platform policies that have not been discussed in existing academic research, and it provides professional and objective indicators through consensus among scholars and researchers. In the future, it is hoped that research will continue to propose detailed policy strategies and implementation systems based on a macroscopic perspective.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.437-447
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• 2023

By actively adopting technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the port industry is trending toward new types of ports, such as automated and smart ports. However, behind the development of these ports, there is an increasing risk of cyber security incidents and threats within ports and container terminals, including information leakage through cargo handling equipment and ransomware attacks leading to disruptions in terminal operations. Despite the necessity of research to enhance cyber security within ports, there is a lack of such studies in the domestic context. This study focuses on Busan Port, a representative port in South Korea that actively incorporates technology from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in order to discover variables for improving cyber security in container terminals. The research results categorized factors for enhancing cyber security in Busan Port's container terminals into network construction and policy support, standardization of education and personnel training, and legal and regulatory factors. Subsequently, multiple regression analysis was conducted based on these factors, leading to the identification of detailed factors for securing and enhancing safety, reliability, performance, and satisfaction in Busan Port's container terminals. The significance of this study lies in providing direction for enhancing cyber security in Busan Port's container terminals and addressing the increasing incidents of cyber security attacks within ports and container terminals.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.333-340
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• 2024

Background: Korean red ginseng (KRG) is a product from ginseng roots, which is enriched with ginsenosides and has been utilized for a long time as an adaptogen to alleviate various physiological or disease conditions. While KRG is generally considered safe, conducting a thorough toxicological assessment of the spray-dried powder G1899 during the juvenile period is essential to establish its safety profile. This study aimed to assess the safety of G1899 during the juvenile period using Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: Two studies were conducted separately: a juvenile toxicity study and a uterotrophic bioassay. To assess the potential toxicity at systemic, postnatal developmental, and reproductive levels, G1899 was orally gavaged once a day in post-weaning juvenile Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at 0, 1250, 2500, or 5000 mg/kg/day. Estrogenicity was assessed by orally gavaging G1899 in immature female SD rats at 0, 2500, or 5000 mg/kg/day on postnatal days (PND) 19-21, followed by a uterotrophic bioassay. These studies were conducted in accordance with the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations and regulatory test guidelines. Results: Regarding juvenile toxicity, no abnormalities related to the G1899 treatment were observed in any group during the experiment. Moreover, no uterotrophic responses were observed in the dosed female group. Based on these results, the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of G1899 was determined to be at least 5000 mg/kg/day for general systemic function, developmental/reproductive function, and estrogenic activity. Conclusion: Our results suggest that G1899 is not toxic to juveniles at doses of up to 5000 mg/kg/day.

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.29-35
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• 2024

Recently, the Korean financial market has implemented a ban on unleveraged short selling, and leveraged short selling, which involves selling borrowed securities, is called general short selling. This study sought to come up with improvement measures to revitalize short selling from the perspective of individual investors. Short selling refers to selling stocks you do not own in the stock market, predicting that the stock price of the stock will fall, and borrowing stocks to sell them. Based on the results of this study, the short selling market's growth and improvement plans are as follows. First, a plan must be developed to expand short selling opportunities for individual investors. In the domestic short selling market, including KOSPI and KOSDAQ, foreign and institutional participants account for more than 95% of the market, and individual investors are very small. Therefore, its expansion is inevitable. Second, monitoring and punishment for unfair short selling transactions must be strengthened. Representative improvement measures that can minimize the side effects of short selling include strengthening monitoring of unfair trading and short selling, and raising the level of punishment. In addition, measures must be taken to further increase the level of punishment for short selling related to unfair transactions. Third, the short selling reporting and disclosure system needs to be improved. In the case of Korea, short selling transactions are not yet as active as in developed countries, but there is a need to expand the disclosure system to strengthen market transparency in preparation for future short selling transactions becoming more active. In conclusion, it is reported that if short selling regulations are excessively strengthened, losses may occur in terms of price efficiency and market liquidity, which may ultimately have a negative impact on the market. Therefore, policies related to short selling must be made while taking into account the positive aspects of regulatory effects and the negative impact on the market.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.153-161
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• 2024

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is mainly produced in the skin by UV rays. Along with melatonin, it is a representative chronobiotic substance, and the skin plays an important role in distinguishing between day and night. However, vitamin D cannot be used directly in cosmetics because it is a vitamin that acts as a coenzyme and plays a hormonal role in regulating the expression of various types of genes. Therefore, it was to investigate the skin efficacy of provitamin D (7-dehydrocholesterol), a vitamin D precursor that can be used in cosmetics. Our findings reveal that pro vitamin D can effectively inhibit the expression of tyrosinase, the melanin-producing enzyme, thereby attenuating melanin synthesis. This skin tone regulatory effect has been corroborated in vitro using artificial skin models. Additionally, pro vitamin D demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing the expression of TNFa and, upon conversion to vitamin D through UV exposure, it was observed to induce the production of the antimicrobial peptide CAMP (LL-37). The inhibitory effect of pro vitamin D on melanin production appears to be a result of it reducing the UV absorption capacity of melanin, thereby inducing the conversion of pro D to vitamin D. Utilizing pro vitamin D in cosmetic formulations could not only modulate skin tone and enhance skin immunity but also expect to contribute to other cutaneous benefits as anti-aging and barrier function improvement with everyday UV exposure. This multifaceted efficacy positions pro vitamin D as a promising ingredient in advancing the formulation of skin care products.