• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.6
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• pp.983-994
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• 2021

Objective : The effectiveness of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) in the treatment of brain metastases is well established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of maximizing the radiation dose in GKR and the factors influencing tumor control in cases of small and medium-sized brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods : We analyzed 230 metastatic brain tumors less than 5 mL in volume in 146 patients with NSCLC who underwent GKR. The patients had no previous radiation therapy for brain metastases. The pathologies of the tumors were adenocarcinoma (n=207), squamous cell carcinoma (n=18), and others (n=5). The radiation doses were classified as 18, 20, 22, and 24 Gy, and based on the tumor volume, the tumors were categorized as follows : small-sized (less than 1 mL) and medium-sized (1-3 and 3-5 mL). The progression-free survival (PFS) of the individual 230 tumors and 146 brain metastases was evaluated after GKR depending on the pathology, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score (PS), tumor volume, radiation dose, and anti-cancer regimens. The radiotoxicity after GKR was also evaluated. Results : After GKR, the restricted mean PFS of individual 230 tumors at 24 months was 15.6 months (14.0-17.1). In small-sized tumors, as the dose of radiation increased, the tumor control rates tended to increase (p=0.072). In medium-sized tumors, there was no statistically difference in PFS with an increase of radiation dose (p=0.783). On univariate analyses, a statistically significant increase in PFS was associated with adenocarcinomas (p=0.001), tumors with ECOG PS 0 (p=0.005), small-sized tumors (p=0.003), radiation dose of 24 Gy (p=0.014), synchronous lesions (p=0.002), and targeted therapy (p=0.004). On multivariate analyses, an improved PFS was seen with targeted therapy (hazard ratio, 0.356; 95% confidence interval, 0.150-0.842; p=0.019). After GKR, the restricted mean PFS of brain at 24 months was 9.8 months (8.5-11.1) in 146 patients, and the pattern of recurrence was mostly distant within the brain (66.4%). The small and medium-sized tumors treated with GKR showed radiotoxicitiy in five out of 230 tumors (2.2%), which were controlled with medical treatment. Conclusion : The small-sized tumors were effectively controlled without symptomatic radiation necrosis as the radiation dose was increased up to 24 Gy. The medium-sized tumors showed potential for symptomatic radiation necrosis without signifcant tumor control rate, when greater than 18 Gy. GKR combined targeted therapy improved the tumor control of GKR-treated tumors.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.3
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• pp.406-418
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• 2021

This study was conducted to evaluate optimal storage techniques for bare root plants and container seedlings of Quercus variabilis and Zelkova serrata in order to maintain high quality of seedlings until planting. Refrigerated storage treatments were given at two temperatures (-2℃ [freezing] and 2℃ [cooling]) for nine different durations (0, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300, and 360 days after storage). We analyzed total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) content and measured shoot moisture content (SMC) during the storage stage and survival rate (SR) and dry weight during the planting stage of seedlings. The TNC content and SMC of the seedlings of the two species decreased with an increase in storage duration. The TNC content of seedlings rapidly decreased after 180~240 days of storage. The TNC reduction rate in the freezing treatment was lower than that in the cooling treatment. Also, with an increase in the storage duration of the two species, the SMC reduction rate in the cooling treatment increased in comparison with that in the freezing treatment. In both the species, the SR after planting decreased rapidly after 60 days of cooling storage and 180 days of freezing storage, respectively. The SR after planting was less than 60% when the TNC content for both the species dropped below 20 mg g^-1. In addition, the SR was lower than 80% when SMC measured before storage decreased by approximately 30% and 20% for Q. variabilis and Z. serrata, respectively. Our results suggest that cooling (1~2℃) storage is recommended for a short-term period (2 months or less), whereas freezing (-2~-4℃) storage is suitable for longer periods (2~6 months). These optimal storage techniques, allied with seedling harvesting and handling systems, will improve the quality of seedling production in nursery stages and increase seedling growth performances in plantations.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

Innovation and Scale-up of Start-up companies are becoming important national tasks. In the past, it was spread the start-up policy paradigm such as 'Start-up America', 'Start-up Chile', 'Start-up Britain' to overcome the recession globally. However as the economic recovery has become more visible recently in advanced economies, it is shifting from a start-up support policy to a scale-up oriented policy paradigm such as 'Scale-up America', Scale-up UK', 'Scale-up Denmark'. It is necessary to enter the scale-up phase beyond the start-up phase to increase the number of high-quality jobs and to continue economic growth. Therefore, it is necessary to grow the start-up into a strong medium-sized company and to lay the foundation for survival. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to consider the antecedent factors that influence the scale-up aspiration for the start-up firm to grow into a scale-up company, and empirically identifies the differences between the stages of economic development and entrepreneurs in the country. In order to accomplish the purpose, this study predicted scale-up by aspiration which is a predictor of scale-up behavior because it is difficult to achieve visible growth in a short period of time due to the characteristics of start-up companies. In order to empirically explore these relationships, the data were collected from nascent entrepreneurs who have less than 3.5 years of the Adult Population Survey(APS) among the subjects surveyed by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor(GEM) and the national economic development stage are divided into Innovation-driven, Efficiency-driven, Factor-driven type economies. For the test hypotheses, this study adopted the multi-level model analysis for comparison between national economic development stages and using the R 3.5.0 program. The results of this study are as follows. There is difference between the national economic development and the entrepreneur in the relationship between innovation orientation of entrepreneurs and scale-up aspirations. As the economy of the country develops, the innovation activity of the entrepreneur becomes more active. Since start-ups are heavily influenced by entrepreneurs, there is a difference in the degree of aspiration depending on how innovative an entrepreneur is in the same environment. In terms of the relationship between innovation orientation and scale-up aspiration, the fear of failure was found to differ between national economic development and entrepreneurs. The fear of failure differ from country to country, and this is one of the important factors affecting entrepreneurial activities. It is expected that the factors influencing the growth of the start-up companies which are identified through the results of these studies, will be used to create a suitable scale-up ecosystem according to the national economic development stage.

• International Area Studies Review
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.163-186
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the institutional conditions and problems for the transition to the North Korean economic system. As a research method, we first analyzed the legislative processes of 4th stage market reform policies (liberalization, privatization, privatization, and corporation) by major economic transition countries. And we found out the difference with North Korea. Based on this, it analyzed the process of institutionalization of North Korea's 4th stage economic reform policies (7.1 measures, comprehensive market policies, Currency reform, 6.28 policy). According to research, There are three important conditions that can not compare the changes of the North Korean market economy with those of the transition economies. First, the internal and external conditions and environment for the transition of the economic system and the role of the state and civil society are very different. Second, the means and objectives of the policy decision process and the implementation process are different. Third, it differs absolutely in terms of the nature and effectiveness of the nation's political and economic policies. Fourth, the priority, contents, and legislation process of economic policies for economic reform differ considerably from those of North Korea. Especially, when discussing the possibility of transition to the 'Chinese model', it is accompanied a considerable risk. It is because the purpose of market entry of control power in North Korea and their survival network are quite unique. In addition, China's domestic market size, population size, and type of control are quite different from North Korea. A necessary and sufficient condition for the transition of the North Korean economic system is the relaxation of physical control mechanisms and institutions in the market area. Next, it is necessary to make a legitimate institutionalization as well as an entire survey on the illegal ownership market. Based on this, it is necessary to gradually change the dependence of the domestic market on China to South Korea. In other words, this is a paradigm shift in the semi-controlled power exclusion, post-automation and domestic market.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.410-420
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• 2019

Citrus unshiu peel extracts possess a variety of beneficial effects, and studies on their anticancer activity have been reported. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this activity remain unclear. In the current study, the apoptotic effect of ethanol extract of C. unshiu peel (EECU) on human breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells and related mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that the survival rate of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with EECU was significantly inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner, which was associated with the induction of apoptosis. EECU-induced apoptosis was associated with the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9, which initiate extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways, respectively, and caspase-3, a representative effect caspase. EECU suppressed the expression of the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins, leading to an increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and proteolytic degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. EECU also enhanced the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytosol, along with truncation of Bid. In addition, EECU activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, significantly weakened EECU-induced apoptosis and cell viability reduction. Furthermore, EECU promoted the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which acted as upstream signals for AMPK activation as pretreatment of cells, with the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine reversing both EECU-induced AMPK activation and apoptosis. Collectively, these findings suggest that EECU inhibits MDA-MB-231 adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by activating intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, which was mediated through ROS/AMPK-dependent pathways.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.400-408
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• 2018

Biodiversity has continued to degrade in the $21^{st}$ century due to global warming occasioned by destruction of the environment around the world.. The Nagoya protocol places Korea in a unique position to effectively develop and protect its domestic genetic resources. Microalgae under study in this research contains large amount of antioxidant substances such as beta carotene and astaxanthin, that can be used as biological resource owing to the large amounts of biomass that can be secured through photosynthesis. However, it is difficult to preserve it since cryopreservation method used for long-term preservation is yet to be developed. A basic study for long term cryopreservation was carried out on Nizschia frustulum and Nitzschia amabilis which belong to marine diatoms. As cryoprotectants (CPAs), glycerol, DMSO, and methanol which penetrate into cells were prepared at 5%, 10%, and 15% concentrations each, in case of methanol, it was tested at concentrations of 5%, 10% and 12% by its nature. Two kinds of microalgae, N. frustulum and N. amabilis, were diluted with $10^2$, $10^3$ and $10^4cells\;ml^{-1}$, respectively. The highest survival rate was shown at12% concentration of methanol, and the figures were $6.94{\pm}0.31%$ in N. frustulum and $8.85{\pm}0.16%$ in N. amabilis. As a result of 3 weeks cultivation of thawed microalgae after freezing, the result is shows that N. frustulum increased about 10 times faster and N. amabilis increased about 12 times the original concentration.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.63-73
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• 2019

Recently, as young and senior entrepreneurs are getting interested in starting a business, the domestic startup rate is gradually increasing. However, the survival rate of start-ups is so low. In this regard, this study empirically examines how the entrepreneurial intention affects both financial and non-financial start-up performances through the intermediation effects of experiential competence, financing competency, marketing competence and differentiated competitive advantage. In doing so, the purpose of this study is to find out the key elements to successful start-ups. To this end, the survey results of 200 start-ups in Pohang from January 21 to February 1, 2019 were used to test the research hypotheses. The results of the study are summarized as follows. First, it is shown that the entrepreneurial intention have a positive effect on the experiential competence, financing competence and marketing competence. Second, it is found that both experiential competence and marketing competence have significant positive effects on the differentiated competitive advantage. On the other hand, the financing competence has not been shown to have a significant effect on the differentiated competitive advantage, which might result from the characteristic of the data that most of the respondents are from new businesses. Third, it is shown that the differentiated competitive advantage has a positive effect on both financial and non-financial performances. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest a theoretical basis for the successful start-up performance. Namely, it is necessary for the founders of start-ups to secure differentiated competitive advantage through the entrepreneurial intention and the entrepreneurial competences such as financing competence and marketing competence because the differentiated competitive advantage leads to the successful financial and non-financial start-up performances. In addition, the results of this study suggest to both entrepreneurs and managers that for the successful business performance, it is important for them to make continuous efforts to come up with new ideas and to reinforce financing and marketing activities in order to achieve the differentiated competitive advantage.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 2019

The present study investigated pine trees, which forms a major plantation species in Korea, with the objective of improving the survival rate of pine trees after planting. Growth responses and characteristics were assessed by controlling the level of fertilizer application, which is a basic controlling the growth of pine seedlings, to identify the optimal fertilization treatment. Pine tree seedlings were grown in 104 containers and were examined 8 weeks after planting. Stem height and were measured at 4-week intervals. In terms of fertilization treatment for 1-0 pine seedlings, the treatment group with gradually-increasing fertilizer concentration ($500{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$) had the biggest increase in stem height and diameter at the root. The survey results indicated that the increased concentration treatment group and the gradually-increasing concentration treatment group had more growth compared with that in the fixed concentration treatment group. The gradually-increasing concentration treatment group ($500{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$) had the highest total dry matter production. Nine weeks after fertilization, the tips of the pine leaves turned yellow in the fixed concentration treatment group ($3000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$). The same phenomenon was observed in the treatment group in which the concentration was increased to $2000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$, and in the gradually-increasing concentration treatment group, when the concentration was raised up to $2000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$. We concluded that the optimal fertilization conditions for producing healthy pine 1-0 seedlings involve fertilizing once a week with Multifeed 19 at $500mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ during the seedling period, Multifeed 19 at $1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ during the rapid growth period, and Multifeed 32 at $1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ during the maturation period.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1406-1415
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• 2018

Based on the antioxidative effects in organic solvent fractions obtained from the main methanolic extract of Houttuynia cordata Thunb, the cytoprotective effects by oxidative-stress were here analyzed. Regarding the antioxidant activity of organic solvent fractions, the electron-donating ability of DPPH increased in a dose-dependent manner, and $ED_{50}$ exhibited the highest concentration at $175{\mu}g/ml$ in the Hc-EtOAc fraction. The cell viability of Hc-EtOAc fractions on $H_2O_2$-induced HaCaT cell death ($IC_{50}$) increased in a concentration-dependent manner and a visible cell survival rate of 74% was observed at a concentration of $100{\mu}g/ml$. Meanwhile, the gene expression patterns in HaCaT cells treated with $100{\mu}g/ml$ of the Hc-EtOAc fraction for 6 and 24 hr were identified with microarray analysis. The genes involved in signal transduction, cell division, antioxidant activity, and epithelial cell proliferation were found to be 2-fold up-regulated genes in HaCaT cells following the Hc-EtOAc fraction treatment. Especially, proinflammatory cytokines (IL1B, TNF, and IL6) were identified as involved in antioxidant activity based on the expression patterns of the HaCaT cells, and pathway analysis indicated that TLR4 might be considered an upstream regulator of these genes. In order to verify the activity of IL1B, TNF, and IL6, qRT-PCR showed that the expression increased more than 2 times in HaCaT cells treated with at least $100{\mu}g/ml$ of the Hc-EtOAc fraction. The activity of the upstream regulator TLR4 protein was also increased by the Hc-EtOAc fraction. As a result, the antioxidative activity of the Hc-EtOAc fraction is predicted to pass from TLR4 through cytokines such as IL1B, TNF, and IL6.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.766-778
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• 2019

In this study, Poria cocos bark were extracted by supercritical process, and anti-inflammatory, whitening, and antioxidant effects were measured in comparison with ethanol extract. Also, An effective percutaneous permeation method using a selected formulation of the extract and a drug delivery peptide was proposed. Pachymic acid, known as the anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory compound of the ventricle, is an indicator component and the HPLC analysis shows that the supercritical extract of the pericardium is more than twice that of the Poria cocos bark extract. In order to confirm antioxidative effect of Bombyx mori, DPPH scavenging ability and ABTS scavenging ability test showed that the ethanol extract of Poria cocos Back had lower concentration than the supercritical extract of Poria cocos back. However, RAW 264.7 Measurements of Nitric oxide (NO) production in cells showed lower NO production at the same concentration than the Poria cocos back ethanol extract. In addition, after 72 hours of processing of $20{\mu}g/mL$ of the Poria cocos back extract in B16 melanoma cells, both the intracellular and extracellular melanin extract were effective and the supercritical extract was lower melanin content. No toxicity was observed at the concentration of $800{\mu}g/mL$ in RAW 264.7 cells used in NO production experiments. However, in B16 melanoma cells, even at $50{\mu}g/mL$, both Poria cocos back ethanol extract and supercritical extract showed a survival rate of less than 60%. The liposome formulation and drug delivery peptides were shown to be useful for percutaneous permeation of Supercritical Extract of Poria cocos back using a liposome formulation and a drug delivery peptide. it is expected that there will be great potential for development as a variety of cosmetic materials for Poria cocos back.