• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.14-21
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• 2019

Supported liquid membrane process usually is used for recovering or enrichment of valuable metals in the industrial wastewater. But, even if the metals in the wastewater was separated with high chemical selectivity, it cannot be enough concentrated since separation performance of supported liquid membrane (SLM) process is limited by concentration gradient between feed solution and stripping solution. If metal concentration in the stripping solution to be enough low, transport of metal through membrane can be accomplishment constantly. Therefore, Electrodialysis (ED) has been placed after SLM process and the stripping solution of SLM was used as the feed solution for the ED process. Transport of ions in the solutions is successfully performed by ED process. Thus, the metal concentration in the stripping solution does not rise as to stop ion transport. Besides, valuable metals easily are concentrated by ED process for re-use. In this study, effects of operation parameters like initial Cd(II) concentration, HCl concentration in the feed solution of SLM and applied voltage are investigated on separation efficiency, flux and permeability of the both processes. As the feed solution concentration increased, all performance values has increased. When initial concentration of 100 mg/L is used, separation performances (SP) are 55% and 70%, for SLM and consecutive process, respectively. The best HCl concentration in the feed solution of SLM has determined as 2 M, in this conditions SP are 64% and 72%, for SLM and consecutive process, respectively. With increased of applied voltage on ED process, SP of the consecutive process has been raised from 72% to 83%. According to the obtained experimental data, consecutive process has better separation performance than SLM. When the separation performances of both processes were compared for the same operating conditions, it was determined higher the separation efficiency, permeability and flux values of the consecutive process, 8%, 9% and %10.6, respectively. Consequently, the use of the consecutive process increases the performance efficiency of both processes. The consecutive process studied has quite a good chemical separation efficiency, and enrichment capability. Moreover, this process requires few water and energy.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.386-397
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the effect of hospitals' family-friendly management on married female nurses' retention intention. The focus was the mediating effects of the work-family interface (work-family conflict, work-family enrichment and work-family balance). Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. The participants were 307 nurses working at five public and five private hospitals with more than 200 beds in Seoul. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from September 10 to September 17, 2018 and analyzed with SPSS 24.0. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test, a one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression following the Baron and Kenny method and Sobel test for mediation. Results: There were significant correlations among family-friendly management, the work-family interface, and retention intention. Work-family conflict showed a partial mediating effect on the relationship between family-friendly management and retention intention. Work-family enrichment showed a partial mediating effect on the relationship between family-friendly management and retention intention. Work-family balance showed a partial mediating effect on the relationship between family-friendly management and retention intention. Conclusion: These findings indicate that both hospitals' family-friendly management and nurses' work-family interface are important factors associated with nurses' retention intention. Therefore, hospitals should actively implement family-friendly management for nurses and establish strategies to enhance nurses' work-family interface for effective human resource management.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권6호
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• pp.1638-1649
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• 2019

Top soil samples across the state of Kuwait numering ninety were collected and analysed using gamma-ray spectrometry, to evaluate the elemental concentration of $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{40}K$ and their depletion/enrichment. Results of elemental concentration ranges from 0.48 to 2.61 mg/kg, 0.87-5.23 mg/kg, and 0.24-2.23%, with a mean values of 1.39 mg/kg, 3.47 mg/kg, and 1.18%, for the $^{238}U$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{40}K$, respectively. Further analysis was conducted amongst the five identified soil types, i.e. Aquisalids (S1), Calcigypsids (S2), Petrocalcids (S3), Petrogypsids (S4), and torripsamment (S5). The highest radioactivity concentrations from both uranium and thorium were recorded in the S2 (Calcigypsids) soil, with a value of 1.71 (mg/kg) and 4.45 (mg/kg), respectively. Minimum and maximum values of $^{40}K$ are 1.1(%) and 1.27(%) and is prevalent in Aquisalids (S1) and Petrocalcids (S3) soil types, respectively. Ratios of elemental concentration for $^{232}Th/^{238}U$, $^{40}K/^{238}U$, $^{40}K/^{232}Th$ across the soil types are 2.53, 0.09 and 0.03, with a correlation coefficient of 0.92, 0.34, and 0.38, respectively. A progressively higher $^{232}Th/^{238}U$ ratio is observed moving south-wards, indicating lower $^{238}U$ content in soils from the south relative to the northern part. Overall results indicate Kuwait to be relatively an area with low level of natural radioactivity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.508-518
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• 2019

Objective: This research aimed to determine biological pathways and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks for 305-d milk yield (MY), 305-d fat yield (FY), and age at first calving (AFC) in the Thai multibreed dairy population. Methods: Genotypic information contained 75,776 imputed and actual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from 2,661 animals. Single-step genomic best linear unbiased predictions were utilized to estimate SNP genetic variances for MY, FY, and AFC. Fixed effects included herd-year-season, breed regression and heterosis regression effects. Random effects were animal additive genetic and residual. Individual SNP explaining at least 0.001% of the genetic variance for each trait were used to identify nearby genes in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed. The PPI of genes were identified and visualized of the PPI network. Results: Identified genes were involved in 16 enriched pathways related to MY, FY, and AFC. Most genes had two or more connections with other genes in the PPI network. Genes associated with MY, FY, and AFC based on the biological pathways and PPI were primarily involved in cellular processes. The percent of the genetic variance explained by genes in enriched pathways (303) was 2.63% for MY, 2.59% for FY, and 2.49% for AFC. Genes in the PPI network (265) explained 2.28% of the genetic variance for MY, 2.26% for FY, and 2.12% for AFC. Conclusion: These sets of SNP associated with genes in the set enriched pathways and the PPI network could be used as genomic selection targets in the Thai multibreed dairy population. This study should be continued both in this and other populations subject to a variety of environmental conditions because predicted SNP values will likely differ across populations subject to different environmental conditions and changes over time.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.452-458
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• 2019

Objective: The study was carried to determine the interaction effects of pen enrichment and sex on behavioral activities, skin lesions and physiology of Windsnyer pigs. Methods: Forty-eight growing Windsnyer pigs of both sex, with an average initial body weight of 21.6 (${\pm}9.01$) kg were used. Four pigs were randomly assigned to either enriched or barren pens at a stocking density of $0.35m^2/pig$. Enriched pens contained 2 L bottles filled with stones and suspended at head level on ropes stretching across the pens. In addition, two plastic balls (90 mm in diameter) and 500 mL bottles (235 mm long) were placed on the floor of each enriched pen. Results: Pigs in barren environments had higher heart rates (p<0.001) than those in enriched pens. There was an interaction of pen environment and sex on rectal temperature (p<0.001). Females in enriched pens had higher rectal temperatures (p<0.05) than females in barren pens. There was no interaction of pen environment and sex on time spent eating and drinking (p>0.05). Time spent bullying was influenced (p<0.05) by pen environment and sex. Female pigs in barren environment spent more time on bullying than females in enriched pens. There was an interaction of pen environment and sex on time spent lying down and walking (p<0.05). Female pigs in enriched pens spent more time lying down than females in barren pens. Males in barren pens spent more time walking than males in enriched pens while no effect of pen environment was observed in females. There was an interaction of pen environment and sex on the number of skin lesions in the head, neck and shoulder region and other parts of the body (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was concluded that pen enrichment reduced the number of skin lesions and anti-social behaviors, especially for female pigs. There is a need, therefore of housing indigenous pigs under confinement.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.365-377
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• 2022

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine-threonine kinase member of the cellular phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, which is involved in multiple biological functions by transcriptional and translational control. mTOR is a downstream mediator in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and plays a critical role in cell survival. In cancer, this pathway can be activated by membrane receptors, including the HER (or ErbB) family of growth factor receptors, the insulin-like growth factor receptor, and the estrogen receptor. In the present work, we congregated an electronic network of mTORC1 built on an assembly of data using natural language processing, consisting of 470 edges (activations/interactions and/or inhibitions) and 206 nodes representing genes/proteins, using the Cytoscape 3.6.0 editor and its plugins for analysis. The experimental design included the extraction of gene expression data related to five distinct types of cancers, namely, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, hepatic cirrhosis, cervical cancer, glioblastoma, and anaplastic thyroid cancer from Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI GEO) followed by pre-processing and normalization of the data using R & Bioconductor. ExprEssence plugin was used for network condensation to identify differentially expressed genes across the gene expression samples. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to find out the over-represented GO terms in the network. In addition, pathway enrichment and functional module analysis of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were also conducted. Our results indicated NOTCH1, NOTCH3, FLCN, SOD1, SOD2, NF1, and TLR4 as upregulated proteins in different cancer types highlighting their role in cancer progression. The MCODE analysis identified gene clusters for each cancer type with MYC, PCNA, PARP1, IDH1, FGF10, PTEN, and CCND1 as hub genes with high connectivity. MYC for cervical cancer, IDH1 for hepatic cirrhosis, MGMT for glioblastoma and CCND1 for anaplastic thyroid cancer were identified as genes with prognostic importance using survival analysis.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.20.1-20.13
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• 2022

Recent studies have focused on the early detection of ovarian cancer (OC) using tumor materials by liquid biopsy. The mechanisms of microRNAs (miRNAs) to impact OC and signaling pathways are still unknown. This study aims to reliably perform functional analysis of previously validated circulating miRNAs' target genes by using pathfindR. Also, overall survival and pathological stage analyses were evaluated with miRNAs' target genes which are common in the The Cancer Genome Atlas and GTEx datasets. Our previous studies have validated three downregulated miRNAs (hsa-miR-885-5p, hsa-miR-1909-5p, and hsa-let7d-3p) having a diagnostic value in OC patients' sera, with high-throughput techniques. The predicted target genes of these miRNAs were retrieved from the miRDB database (v6.0). Active-subnetwork-oriented Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was conducted by pathfindR using the target genes. Enrichment of KEGG pathways assessed by the analysis of pathfindR indicated that 24 pathways were related to the target genes. Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, spliceosome and Notch signaling pathway were the top three pathways with the lowest p-values (p < 0.001). Ninety-three common genes were found to be differentially expressed (p < 0.05) in the datasets. No significant genes were found to be significant in the analysis of overall survival analyses, but 24 genes were found to be significant with pathological stages analysis (p < 0.05). The findings of our study provide in-silico evidence that validated circulating miRNAs' target genes and enriched pathways are related to OC and have potential roles in theranostics applications. Further experimental investigations are required to validate our results which will ultimately provide a new perspective for translational applications in OC management.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• 제21권6호
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• pp.466-475
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• 2022

Surface oxides and intergranular (IG) oxidation phenomena in Alloy 600 depending on hydrogen concentration were characterized to obtain clear insight into the primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) behavior upon exposure to pressurized water reactor primary water. When hydrogen concentration was between 5 and 30 cm³ H₂/kg H₂O, NiFe₂O₄ and NiO type oxides were found on the surface. NiO type oxides were found inside the oxidized grain boundary when hydrogen concentration was 5 cm³ H₂/kg H₂O. However, only NiFe₂O₄ spinel on the surface and Ni enrichment were observed when hydrogen concentration was 30 cm³ H₂/kg H₂O. These results indicate that the oxidation/reduction reaction of Ni in Alloy 600 depending on hydrogen concentration can considerably affect surface oxidation behavior. It appears that the formation of NiO type oxides in a Ni oxidation state and Ni enrichment in a Ni reduction (or metallic) state are common in primary water. It is believed that the above different oxidation/reduction reactions of Ni in Alloy 600 depending on hydrogen concentration can also significantly affect the resistance to PWSCC of Alloy 600.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제65권5호
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• pp.697-709
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• 2022

Objective : The present study aimed to identify the function of ischemic stroke (IS) patients' peripheral blood and its role in IS, explore the pathogenesis, and provide direction for clinical research progress by comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. Methods : Two datasets, including GSE58294 and GSE22255, were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database. GEO2R was utilized to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs were performed using the database annotation, visualization and integrated discovery database. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs was constructed by search tool of searching interactive gene and visualized by Cytoscape software, and then the Hub gene was identified by degree analysis. The microRNA (miRNA) and miRNA target genes closely related to the onset of stroke were obtained through the miRNA gene regulatory network. Results : In total, 36 DEGs, containing 27 up-regulated and nine down-regulated DEGs, were identified. GO functional analysis showed that these DEGs were involved in regulation of apoptotic process, cytoplasm, protein binding and other biological processes. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs mediated signaling pathways, including human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I infection and microRNAs in cancer. The results of PPI network and cytohubba showed that there was a relationship between DEGs, and five hub genes related to stroke were obtained : SOCS3, KRAS, PTGS2, EGR1, and DUSP1. Combined with the visualization of DEG-miRNAs, hsa-mir-16-5p, hsa-mir-181a-5p and hsa-mir-124-3p were predicted to be the key miRNAs in stroke, and three miRNAs were related to hub gene. Conclusion : Thirty-six DEGs, five Hub genes, and three miRNA were obtained from bioinformatics analysis of IS microarray data, which might provide potential targets for diagnosis and treatment of IS.

• 가족자원경영과 정책
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.85-94
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• 2022

본 연구는 이혼·사별을 경험한 중년기 여성 한부모의 주관적 안녕감 예측 변인을 파악하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 이를 위해 여성가족패널조사(KLoWF) 7차 응답자 중 혼인상태가 이혼 혹은 사별인 40세에서 60세 중년기 유자녀 취업 여성 244명을 대상으로 빈도, 평균 등의 기술통계 및 다중회귀분석을 실시하였다. 회귀분석 결과 중년기 여성 한부모의 행복감에 영향을 미치는 인구사회학적 특성, 개인 및 일 관련 변인으로는 결혼지위, 주관적 건강상태, 여가활동만족도, 스트레스, 일 만족도, 일-가족 향상이 유의미한 변인으로 나타났으며, 우울의 경우 주관적 경제상태, 스트레스가 영향을 미쳤다. 중년기 여성 한부모의 주관적 안녕감 향상을 위해 건강한 여가 활동 참여 및 스트레스 관리, 일 만족도 향상이 중요함을 발견하였고 이와 관련한 중년기 여성 한부모 대상 정책 방향을 논의하였다.