• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.601-606
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• 2017

Cystoisospora is responsible for morbidity in immunocompromised patients. PCR is sensitive for diagnosing Cystoisospora; however, it needs reevaluation for differential molecular diagnosis of cystoisosporiasis. We aimed at evaluating melting curve analysis (MCA) after real-time PCR (qPCR) in diagnosis and genotyping of Cystoisospora as an alternative to conventional PCR. We included 293 diarrheic stool samples of patients attending the Department of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of Cairo University Hospitals, Egypt. Samples were subjected to microscopy, nested PCR (nPCR), and qPCR targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 region (ITS2) of the ribosomal RNA (r RNA) gene followed by melting temperatures ($T_ms$) analysis and comparing the results to PCR-RFLP banding patterns. Using microscopy and ITS2-nPCR, 3.1% and 5.8% of cases were Cystoisospora positive, respectively, while 10.9% were positive using qPCR. Genotyping of Cystoisospora by qPCR-MCA revealed 2 genotypes. These genotypes matched with 2 distinct melting peaks with specified $T_ms$ at $85.8^{\circ}C$ and $88.6^{\circ}C$, which indicated genetic variation among Cystoisospora isolates in Egypt. Genotype II proved to be more prevalent (65.6%). HIV-related Kaposi sarcoma and leukemic patients harbored both genotypes with a tendency to genotype II. Genotype I was more prevalent in lymphomas and mammary gland tumors while colorectal and hepatocellular tumors harbored genotype II suggesting that this genotype might be responsible for the development of cystoisosporiasis in immunocompromised patients. Direct reliable identification and differentiation of Cystoisospora species could be established using $qPCR-T_ms$ analysis which is useful for rapid detection and screening of Cystoisospora genotypes principally in high risk groups.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.103-115
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• 1992

This dissertation, which has been prepared in the region of cheju(33o31'N, 126o32'E) from may,1987 to appril, 1989, is to elucidate the dominant characteristics of early stages in secondary succession, by examining the life history of erigeron annuus for the seeding depth of a seed was dependent upon the degree of shading. That is, on the area of ocm,the more tense the shading was, the more germination percentage was increased, while, in the case of 1.5cm, it was somewhat increased, when shading bwcame ess and less tense. The rosette of e. annuus, through its relative light intensity was decreased by shading, up to 5% of natural light, showed some strong shade tolerance, which had no difficulty in matter production. The species diversity of mixed-species community was the highest in the middle of April, the lowest in the last of may. The dominance index was the highest in the late may, the lowest in the middle of April. Toward the end of may, the occupation rate of dominance species was the highest. There was a neutral relationship between intraspecific and interspecific, owing to the differentiation of its niche, temporally and spatially. Productive structure of the community revealed a narrow leaf type which was concentratively distributed in the mid part of community height. The relative light intensity of community ground surface was 6.1%, the leaf inclination 60o,the extinction coefficient(k) 0.4, biomass of community 1,045.6 g.d.w./m2,T/Rratio 9.3, C/Frate 7.0 and sumgermanition, shade toarance and community characteristics on erigeron annuus l.in chejumed leaf area index 3.88. through the various life cycles o e.annuus, we can say that it decreases mortality of seeding caused by some stress and disturbance, for germination lasts for a long time at any opportunity available, and it promotes population growth. The strong shade tolerance of a rosette and the variableness of a life from differentiate the niche between intraspecific and interspecific within the community, and avoid the direct competition between them, thus poromoting community growth.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.311-318
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• 2018

This paper presents the artistic background and implementation structure of a conversational artificial intelligence interactive artwork, "An Evolving GAIA". Recent artworks based on artificial intelligence technology are introduced. Development of biomimetics and artificial life technology has burred differentiation of machine and human. In this paper, artworks presenting machine-life metaphor are shown, and the distinct implementation of conversation system is emphasized in detail. The artwork recognizes and follows the movement of audience using its eyes for natural interaction. It listens questions of the audience and replies appropriate answers by text-to-speech voice, using the conversation system implemented with an Android client in the artwork and a webserver based on the question-answering dictionary. The interaction gives to the audience discussion of meaning of life in large scale and draws sympathy for the artwork itself. The paper shows the mechanical structure, the implementation of conversational system of the artwork, and reaction of the audience which can be helpful to direct and make future artificial intelligence interactive artworks.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2012

We investigated the pulpal response to direct pulp capping in rat molar teeth using mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium hydroxide (CH). A palatal cavity was prepared in rat maxillary molar teeth. Either MTA or CH was placed on the exposed pulp and all cavities were restored with composite. Rats were sacrificed for histological evaluation after 12 hours and at 2, 7, 14 and 21 days. In both the MTA and CH groups, reparative dentin formation was clearly observed on histology after 14 days. The MTA-capped pulps were found to be mostly free from inflammation, and hard tissue of a tubular consistent barrier was observed. In contrast, in CH-capped teeth, excessive formation of reparative dentin toward residual pulp was evident. The pulpal cell response beneath the reparative dentin layer was examined by immunofluorescence using antibodies against DSP. After 2 days, a few DSP immunopositive cells, most of which showed a cuboidal shape, appeared beneath the predentin layer. At 7 days, DSP-immunopositive cells with columnar odontoblast-like cells were seen beneath the newly formed hard tissues. At 14 and 21 days, DSP was more abundant in the vicinity of the odontoblastic process along the dentinal tubules than in the mineralized reparative dentin. The CH group showed strong expression patterns in terms of DSP immunoreactivity. Our results thus indicate that MTA may be a more effective pulp capping material as it induces the differentiation of odontoblast-like cells and the formation of reparative dentin without the loss of residual pulp functions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.784-788
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• 2006

Microsatellite polymorphism and the genetic relationship were estimated using genotype information of 305 horses from 11 microsatellite loci. The breeds include the indigenous Korean breeds, Korean native horse (102) and Jeju racing horse (56) together with Japan Hokkaido horse (5), Mongolian horse (19), Thoroughbred horse (108), Quarter horse (11) and Przewalskii horse (4). Allelic frequencies, the number of alleles per locus were estimated by direct counting from observed genotype, and genetic variability was computed using the CERVUX software and DISPAN. The number of alleles per locus varied from 6 (HMS6) to 18 (ASB17) with an average value of 10.45 in horse breeds. The expected total heterozygosity ($H_T$) and coefficient of gene differentiation ($G_{ST}$) ranged 0.764-0.921 (the average value was 0.830) and 0.102-0.266 (the average value was 0.180) in horse breeds, respectively. Four populations (Przewalskii horse, Japan Hokkaido horse, Quarter horse, Thoroughbred horse) showed lower heterozygosity than the average value (the average value was 0.710). The expected heterozygosity within breed ($H_S$) and mean no. of observed alleles ranged from $0.636{\pm}0.064$ (Japan Hokkaido horse) to $0.809{\pm}0.019$ (Mongolian horse), and from 2.73 (Przewalskii horse) to 8.27 (Korean native horse), respectively. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.490 (Przewalskii horse) to 0.761 (Mongolian horse) with an average value of 0.637 in horse breeds. The results showed three distinct clusters with high bootstrap support: the Korean native horse cluster (Korean native horse, Mongolian horse), the European cluster (Przewalskii horse, Thoroughbred horse), and other horse cluster (Jeju racing horse, Japan Hokkaido horse, and Quarter horse). A relatively high bootstrap value was observed for the Korean native horse cluster and European cluster (87%), and the Korean native horse and Mongolian horse (82%). Microsatellite polymorphism data were shown to be useful for estimating the genetic relationship between Korean native horse and other horse breeds, and also be applied for parentage testing in those horse breeds.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.681-695
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• 2014

This study has the purpose to find basic materials for development of kindergarten's uniform and suggest the improvement of its design based on the survey results from Suncheon area in Jeollanam-do of Korea. Such study methods were conducted as literature review, survey with direct visit, interview, and photographing of dresses regarding the kindergarten uniform. The following are research results. First, kindergarten teachers presented a positive opinion about the necessity for children to wear the uniform. In selection of design, they regarded the activity as most important factor. Kindergartens applying active wear compatible as townwear also accounted for 57.1%, which is more than half. Second, the formal wear, in the winter season was found to consist with jacket or knit cardigan, knit vest, shirts, skirts or pants, and necktie. For color, most of them are in dark tone, which need to be brighter. For pattern, they are in plain color, which needs to have various patterns. As to the cloth material, such problems should be improved as warmth retentivity in consideration of seasonal nature, moisture retentivity, breathability, color retentivity when washing, and harmless to human body. Third, active wear is mostly the casual sportswear type. But it has no characteristic unique to kindergarten in design and needs to be altered for differentiated design. Especially, it is simply divided into winter wear and summer wear in kind. Therefore, it is required to have differentiation for seasonal characteristic and diversity in number of item and improvement in terms of cloth material.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2015

Purpose: This report compared the diagnostic effectiveness between ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) and gadolinium (Gd) based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for differentiation of axillary status in breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The present authors performed a meta-analysis of previous studies that compared USPIO or Gd based MRI with histological diagnosis after surgery or biopsy. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Ovid databases and references of articles to identify studies reporting data until December 2013. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were calculated for every study; summary receiver operating characteristic and subgroup analysis was done. Analyses of study quality and heterogeneity were also assessed. Results: There were 14 publications that met the criteria for inclusion in our meta-analysis. USPIO based MRI showed 0.83 (95% CI: 0.75-0.89) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94-0.98) for pooled sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Gd based MRI represented pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.55-0.67) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87-0.92) for each. Overall weighted area under the curve for USPIO and Gd based MRI were 0.9563 and 0.9051, respectively. Conclusion: USPIO based MRI had a tendency toward high pooled sensitivity and specificity in detection of axillary metastases for breast cancer. This result may mean that USPIO based MRI could be used as complementary modality to differentiate axillary status more precisely, and assist in the decision-making process regarding possible invasive procedures, such as sentinel node biopsy.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.46-55
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• 2013

Objectives: Classifying the pattern of jaundice during diagnosis will significantly improve the outcome of common KM interventions. This study aimed at determining an objective index for accurately diagnosing heat and dampness KM patterns in patients with jaundice. Methods: We systematically reviewed laboratory findings from case reports published in the scientific literature of Korean medicine. Cases were classified as following either the heat or dampness pattern. Biochemical indices were compared using a Bayesian factor (BF) analysis and standard t-tests. Results: The laboratory findings of 32 patients were evaluated. The heat pattern was observed in 17 patients and the dampness pattern in 15. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in terms of white blood cell count (BF=1.659); hemoglobin concentration (BF=2.627); platelet count (BF=1.019); or levels of direct bilirubin (BF=1.453), aspartate aminotransferase (BF=1.226), alanine aminotransferase (BF=1.340), alkaline phosphatase (BF=2.344), or gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (BF=2.782). However, total bilirubin levels were significantly higher in the dampness pattern group (BF=0.854, P-value=0.070). Conclusions: Patients with high total bilirubin levels may predominantly follow the dampness pattern, while those with low levels may predominantly follow the heat pattern. These results are expected to be useful for the development of timely and efficient KM treatments as well as new integrative therapeutic approaches for jaundice. However, further studies are essential to fully validate the utility of total bilirubin as a biomarker for differentiating between heat and dampness patterns.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.137-146
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• 2016

Purpose - Korean agriculture is facing internal and external environmental changes and the need for secure stable outlets. Active participation and mutually beneficial cooperation between enterprises and agricultural is necessary for a win-win situation. This study investigates the case for distribution cooperation and a cooperative system. To respond to the diverse needs of consumers and market reclamation, there is a need to analyze and categorize distribution cooperation. Research design, data, and methodology - A literature study, relevant interviews with enterprises, and meetings with local government practices were conducted. A survey frame was derived through the participation of agricultural enterprises and distribution cooperation models were categorized identifying win-win cooperation and best practices. It was organized on the basis of six best practice examples of distribution cooperation between industry and agricultural sectors, divided into three types: opening distribution channels, exporting cooperation, and developing new products. Results - An innovation management system that can adapt to environmental changes and problems of agriculture is necessary. A company has to supply high-quality agricultural products reliably to meet the preferences of consumers by introducing products that promote domestic market differentiation. In addition, consumers are choosing a variety of products that may include not only high quality products but also local products and safe products. The main areas of cooperation are the direct provision of agrifood raw materials to consumers. Next, would be to help agricultural sectors distribute and pioneer international markets. The ideal step for distribution cooperation is the joint investment in new products by business and agriculture. Conclusions - Agriculture and win-win cooperation with enterprises is in an early stage of social contribution. To implement a distribution cooperation model between business and agricultural sectors, it is crucial to establish a structured support system including joint councils. Additional requirements include strengthening agricultural capacities, creating a legal basis for provision, and producing a win-win cooperation environment. The promotion of win-win cooperation and agricultural enterprises needs to exist in various forms in order to establish a different type of incentive system.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.54-61
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• 1998

This paper presents a prediction method of natural frequencies of vertical hull girder vibration based on design sensitivity analysis in case of design modification and the variation of loading condition. The resented method premises the vibration analysis by the transfer matrix method. Governing sensitivity equation is derived from the direct differentiation of state vector and transfer matrix to parameters and its transfer over all the hull girder elements. Derivatives of natural frequencies and mode shapes are determined by two trial calculation of the governing equation. Using the derivatives, the changes of natural frequencies and mode shapes can be predicted when mass and stiffness parameter's are changed. As results, it is possible to optimize ship structure as well as to avoid troublesome calculation in hull girder vibration analysis rationally and efficiently. To verify the accuracy and efficiency of the resented method numerical results obtained by both the sensitivity analysis and the ordinary reanalysis far a real ore/bulk carrier in case of the change of mass and stiffness parameters are compared.