• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.45-59
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• 2016

Vegetation and soil conditions of four sites in west coastal forests in South Korea, were examined to analyze the relationship between Pinus thunbergii forests structure and soil conditions. The P. thunbergii forests were divided into four clusters; 1) P. thunbergii - Prunus sargentii var. sargentii, 2) P. thunbergii - Robinia pseudoacacia, 3) P. thunbergii - P. densiflora and 4) P. thunbergii - Quercus serrata. The soil of each site was poor in chemical characteristics but good enough for land plants to grow because of its low salt concentration. According to the results by CCA Ordination, certain excessive soil nutrition has influenced on vegetation and specific species distribution. Forty eight species were found in the whole sites of coastal forests and some species appeared in every site. They are P. thunbergii, R. pseudoacacia, Rhus chinensis, Idesia polycarpa and Morus alba. For the tree species importance value, P. thunbergii was followed by R. pseudoacacia, Q. serrata, P. densiflora, Celtis sinensis, M. alba, I. polycarpa and Q. mongolica in order.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 2006

This study investigated how wood properties (i.e., annual rings, sapwood, heartwood, and cracks) might affect preservative treatment in Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis) round-wood product. We specially focused on small-diameter (~10 cm diameter) wood that is commercially sold in market. Among 100 wood samples, the groups of sample with 13~16, 17~20 annual rings represented 33 and 27 in each frequency, while 2~3 and 4~5 mm annual ring width accounted for 72 and 68 in frequency. More than a half (54%) of wood samples contained a mix of heartwood and sapwood in its surface. The rest (46%) had only heartwood exposed in the wood surface. A wide range of checks were showed in the wood samples, but the highest frequency was observed in samples with 1~6 surface (1~14 mm in size) checks and 1~4 end-grain (8~14 mm in size) checks in each round-wood sample. Pressure treatment resulted in a wide range of penetration of ACQ (Alkaline Copper Quat) into the wood, showing $4.3{\pm}4.19mm$ penetration in the wood samples contained a mix of heartwood and sapwood in its surface. However preservative treatment was much less effective for the heartwood only wood samples, ranging average 1.3 mm with ACQ and 1.1 mm with CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate). These penetration results shown in heartwood samples did not meet the penetration standard that is required for H3 by the Korean Forest Service in relation to wood preservation treatment. These low penetration results were not significantly improved even if we incised wood samples to improve treatment effect, showing only small increase of 0.7 mm with ACQ and 0.6 mm with CCA. When preservative treatment was tested with heartwood, penetration of preservatives decrease with increase of annual rings per a cross-section area (r=0.5345). We also found that the length and number of check had no effect on preservative treatment, showing r=0.1301 and r=0.1802, respectively.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.591-598
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• 2021

Background: Hematopoiesis is the production of blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that reside in the bone marrow. Cyclophosphamide (CTX) is a chemotherapy drug that suppresses the immune system. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) and Colla corii asini (CCA) have been traditionally used for boosting the immune system. Methods: HSCs in the bone marrow, and immune cell subtype in splenocytes, PBMCs, and thymocytes were investigated. Serum levels of hematopoietic-related markers were analyzed using ELISA. Protein expression in spleen tissue was analyzed using western blot analysis. Hematoxylin & eosin staining in the femurs of mice were also conducted. Results: The combination of KRG and CCA with a ratio of 3:2 increased HSCs, CD3 and CD8⁺ T cells in the circulation, and CD3 T cells in the spleen. A ratio of 2:3 (KRG:CCA) increased the thymic regulatory T cells and recovered the CD3 T cells in the spleen and circulation while recovering proteins in the JAK-STAT pathway in the spleen. Overall, blood cell population and differentiating factors vital for cell differentiation were also significantly recovered by all combinations especially in ratios of 3:2 and 2:3. Conclusion: A ratio of 3:2 (KRG:CCA) is the most ideal combination as it recovered the HSC population in the bone marrow of mice.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.144-154
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• 2024

Backgrounds/Aims: Socioeconomic determinants of health are incompletely characterized in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). We assessed how socioeconomic status influences initial treatment decisions and survival outcomes in patients with CCA, additionally performing multiple sub-analyses based on anatomic location of the primary tumor. Methods: Observational study using the 2018 submission of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-18 Database. In total, 5,476 patients from 2004-2015 with a CCA were separated based on median household income (MHI) into low income (< 25th percentile of MHI) and high income (> 25th percentile of MHI) groups. Seventy-three percent of patients had complete follow up data, and were included in survival analyses. Survival and treatment outcomes were calculated using R-studio. Results: When all cases of CCA were included, the high-income group was more likely than the low-income to receive surgery, chemotherapy, and local tumor destruction modalities. Initial treatment modality based on income differed significantly between tumor locations. Patients of lower income had higher overall and cancer-specific mortality at 2 and 5 years. Non-cancer mortality was similar between the groups. Survival differences identified in the overall cohort were maintained in the intrahepatic CCA subgroup. No differences between income groups were noted in cancer-specific or overall mortality for perihilar tumors, with variable differences in the distal cohort. Conclusions: Lower income was associated with higher rates of cancer-specific mortality and lower rates of surgical resection in CCA. There were significant differences in treatment selection and outcomes between intrahepatic, perihilar, and distal tumors. Population-based strategies aimed at identifying possible etiologies for these disparities are paramount to improving patient outcomes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.299-304
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• 2014

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a malignancy of biliary duct with a very poor prognosis, is the leading cause of cancer death in countries of the Mekong subregion. Liver fluke infection is the main etiological factor, but genetic variation has been recognized as also important in conferring susceptibility to CCA risk. Nuclear factor (erythroid derived 2)-like 2 (NRF2) is a key transcription factor in detoxification and antioxidant defense. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that genetic polymorphisms in the NRF2 gene may be associated with cancer development. The objectives of this study were to investigate the association of NRF2 genetic polymorphism with CCA risk and to evaluate the influence of the NRF2 genotype on survival time of affected patients. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the NRF2 gene, including rs6726395: A/G, rs2886161: C/T, rs1806649: C/T, and rs10183914: C/T, were analyzed using TaqMan$^{(R)}$ SNP genotyping assays. Among 158 healthy northeastern Thai subjects, the allele frequencies were 41, 62, 94, and 92%, respectively. The correlation of NRF2 SNPs and CCA risk was analyzed in the 158 healthy subjects and 198 CCA patients, using unconditional logistic regression. The results showed that whereas the NRF2 SNPs were not associated with CCA risk (p>0.05), Kaplan-Meier analysis of 88 intrahepatic CCA patients showed median survival time with rs6726395 genotypes of GG and AA/AG to be $344{\pm}138$ (95%CI: 73-615) days and $172{\pm}37$ (95%CI: 100-244) days, respectively, (p<0.006). On multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, the GG genotype of rs6726395 was found to be associated with longer survival with a hazard ratio of 0.54 (95%CI: 0.31-0.94). In addition, non-papillary adenocarcinoma was associated with poor survival with a hazard ratio of 2.09 (95%CI: 1.16-3.75). The results suggest that the NRF2 rs6726395 polymorphism can be a potential prognostic biomarker for CCA patients.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.146-152
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• 2010

Streptomyces clavuligerus NRRL3585 produces a clinically important $\beta$-lactamase inhibitor, clavulanic acid (CA). In order to increase the production of CA, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene (gap) was deleted in S. clavuligerus NRRL3585 to overcome the limited glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate pool; the replicative and integrative expressions of ccaR (specific regulator of the CA biosynthetic operon) and claR (Lys-type transcriptional activator) genes were transformed together into a deletion mutant to improve clavulanic acid production. We constructed two recombinant plasmids to enhance the production of CA in the gap1 deletion mutant of S. clavuligerus NRRL3585: pHN11 was constructed for overexpression of ccaR-claR, whereas pHN12 was constructed for their chromosomal integration. Both pHN11 and pHN12 transformants enhanced the production of CA by 2.59-fold and 5.85-fold, respectively, compared with the gap1 deletion mutant. For further enhancement of CA, we fed the pHN11 and pHN12 transformants ornithine and glycerol. Compared with the gap1 deletion mutant, ornithine increased CA production by 3.24- and 6.51-fold in the pHN11 and pHN12 transformants, respectively, glycerol increased CA by 2.96- and 6.21-fold, respectively, and ornithine and glycerol together increased CA by 3.72- and 7.02-fold, respectively.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.687-687
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• 2005

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.334-345
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study aimed to find the relationship between characteristics of cultural exchanges, self-efficacy and cultural competence in Korean nursing students. Method: A total of 301 nursing students participated in this study. Data collection was conducted through the use of questionnaires which were constructed to include the General Self-efficacy Scale, the Caffery Cultural Competence Healthcare Scale(CCCHS), and the Cultural Competence Assessment(CCA). Result: Self-efficacy and cultural competency of participants in this study were shown to have moderate levels (Self-efficacy: M=3.0, SD=0.38; Cultural competency: M=2.8, SD=0.55). And the nursing students who have higher grade and foreign friends were found to have significantly higher self-efficacy and cultural competence. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between self-efficacy and cultural competency (r=.394, p .001). Conclusion: The findings suggest that nursing students need to enhance cultural exchanges and self-efficacy to reinforce cultural competence.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.983-995
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• 2023

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance and interobserver agreement between contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for evaluating the resectability in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included treatment-naïve patients with pathologically confirmed eCCA, who underwent both CECT and CE-MRI with MRCP using extracellular contrast media between January 2015 and December 2020. Among the 214 patients (146 males; mean age ± standard deviation, 68 ± 9 years) included, 121 (56.5%) had perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. R0 resection was achieved in 108 of the 153 (70.6%) patients who underwent curative-intent surgery. Four fellowship-trained radiologists independently reviewed the findings of both CECT and CE-MRI with MRCP to assess the local tumor extent and distant metastasis for determining resectability. The pooled area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of CECT and CE-MRI with MRCP were compared using clinical, surgical, and pathological findings as reference standards. The interobserver agreement of resectability was evaluated using Fleiss kappa (κ). Results: No significant differences were observed between CECT and CE-MRI with MRCP in the pooled AUC (0.753 vs. 0.767), sensitivity (84.7% [366/432] vs. 90.3% [390/432]), and specificity (52.6% [223/424] vs. 51.4% [218/424]) (P > 0.05 for all). The AUC for determining resectability was higher when CECT and CE-MRI with MRCP were reviewed together than when CECT was reviewed alone in patients with discrepancies between the imaging modalities or with indeterminate resectability (0.798 [0.754-0.841] vs. 0.753 [0.697-0.808], P = 0.014). The interobserver agreement for overall resectability was fair for both CECT (κ = 0.323) and CE-MRI with MRCP (κ = 0.320), without a significant difference (P = 0.884). Conclusion: CECT and CE-MRI with MRCP showed no significant differences in the diagnostic performance and interobserver agreement in determining the resectability in patients with eCCA.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.297-304
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• 2011

Ramen flour formulation was optimized by applying a mixture experimental design. In the optimization, the overall palatability (OP) of cooked ramen and the rheological properties of selected dough were maximized or minimized. Blended ratios of the ingredients such as Dark Northern Spring (DNS), Hard Red Winter (HRW), and Soft White (SW) were designed on a simplex-lattice. Dough rheological properties were measured by Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA), Farinograph, and Extensograph, and the overall palatability by sensory evaluation. Several principal dough rheological properties such as RVA peak viscosity (PV), Farinograph development time (DT), and Extensograph resistance/extensibility after 45 min (R/E 45 min) were selected to influence the overall palatability by canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Goals of the optimization were given as OP maximized, PV maximized, DT minimized, and R/E at 45 min maximized. The optimization results were found to be DNS 33.3%, HRW 33.3%, and SW 33.3% with OP, 5.825; PV, 587.9 cP; DT, 3.1 min; R/E at 45 min, 2.339 BU/mm.