• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.8-20
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• 2016

Banks are the engines that drive the operations in financial sector, money markets and growth of economy. With growing banking industry in India, frauds in Banks are increasing and fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated and ingenious. Shockingly, banking industry in India dubs rising fraud as "an inevitable cost of doing business." As part of study, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 2012-13 among 345 Bank employees "to know their perception towards bank frauds and evaluate factors that influence the degree of their compliance level." The study reveals, "there are poor employment practices and lack of effective employee training; usually over-burdened staff, weak internal control systems, and low compliance levels on the part of Bank Managers, Offices and Clerks. Although banks cannot be 100% secure against unknown threats, a certain level of preparedness can go a long way in countering fraud risk. Internal audit professionals should play an integral role in organization's fraud-fighting efforts. Some other promising steps are: educate customers about fraud prevention, make application of laws more stringent, leverage the power of data analysis technologies, follow fraud mitigation best practices, and employ multipoint scrutiny.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.39-45
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• 2017

Metformin (1,1-dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride), derived from French lilac (Galega officinalis), is a first-line anti-diabetic drug prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the role of metformin in odontoblastic cell differentiation is still unclear. This study therefore undertook to examine the effect of metformin on regulating odontoblast differentiation in MDPC-23 mouse odontoblastic cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells. As compared to controls, metformin significantly accelerated the mineralization, significantly increased and accelerated the expressions of ALP and Col I mRNAs, and significantly increased the accelerated expressions of DSPP and DMP-1 mRNAs, during differentiation of MDPC-23 cells. There was no alteration in cell proliferation of MDPC-23 cells, on exposure to metformin. These results suggest that the effect of metformin on MDPC-23 mouse odontoblastic cells derived from mouse dental papilla cells, facilitates the odontoblast differentiation and mineralization, without altering the cell proliferation.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.361-365
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• 2005

In this study, we chronicle the establishment of a novel transformation system for the unicellular marine green alga, Dunaliella salina. We introduced the CaMV35S promoter-GUS construct into D. salina with a PDS1000/He micro-particle bombardment system. Forty eight h after transformation, via histochemical staining, we observed the transient expression of GUS in D. salina cells which had been bombarded under rupture-disc pressures of 450 psi and 900 psi. We observed no GUS activity in either the negative or the blank controls. Our findings indicated that the micro-particle bombardment method constituted a feasible approach to the genetic transformation of D. salina. We also conducted tests of the cells' sensitivity to seven antibiotics and one herbicide, and our results suggested that 20 ${\mu}g$/ ml of Basta could inhibit cell growth completely. The bar gene, which encodes for phosphinothricin acetyltransferase and confers herbicide tolerance, was introduced into the cells via the above established method. The results of PCR and PCR-Southern blot analyses indicated that the gene was successfully integrated into the genome of the transformants.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2001

The effect of trisodium phosphate and chitosan on aerobic plate counts, generation time, pH, shear force, and sensory evaluations in Korean beef loins stored at 4 or 10$^{\circ}C$ was assessed. The beef loins were treated with 5∼7.5% (w/v) trisodium phosphate and 1% (w/v) chitosan at exposure times of 10 min. The generation time of aerobic microorganisms on the beef loins increased with higher trisodium phosphate levels during storage at 4$^{\circ}C$. During storage at 10$^{\circ}C$, treatments of 5% trisodium phosphate and 1% chitosan were the most effective for preventing the growth of aerobic spoilage microorganisms. Shear values of the beef loins treated with trisodium phosphate and chitosan or chitosan alone were lower than those of trisodium phosphate during storage at 4$^{\circ}C$. The results of sensory evaluation indicated that the beef loins treated with trisodium phosphate and chitosan were in the \"liked less to typical\" category for odor and appearance scores compated to the controls during storage at 4$^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.198-198
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• 2017

Climate change causes unpredictable and erratic climatic patterns which affects crop production in agriculture and threatens public health. To cope with the challenges of climate change, sustainable and sound growth environment for crop production should be secured. Recent attention has been given to the development of smart irrigation system using sensors and wireless network as a solution to achieve water conservation as well as improvement in crop yield and quality with less water and labor. This study developed the smart irrigation technique for farmlands by monitoring the soil moisture contents and real-time climate condition for decision-making support. Central to this design is micro-controller which monitors the farm condition and controls the distribution of water on the farm. In addition, a series of laboratory studies were conducted to determine the optimal irrigation pattern, one time versus plug time. This smart technique allows farmers to reduce water use, improve the efficiency of irrigation systems, produce more yields and better quality of crops, reduce fertilizer and pesticide application, improve crop uniformity, and prevent soil erosion which eventually reduce the nonpoint source pollution discharge into aquatic-environment.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.75-86
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to address policy preparation and amendments on regulations in accommodation sharing for resource distribution by fostering better adjustment in a society, since previous studies are rarely investigated in those issues. After conduct exploratory research about laws and regulations of accommodation sharing, this study investigates how effective policy instruments improve trust in accommodation sharing and potential growth by investigating the perceptions of individuals and by applying policymaking procedures. Research design, data and methodology: The data is collected via online survey. Structural equation modeling with confirmatory factor analysis and non-recursive model with multiple regression analysis were applied. Results: The results of this study found that among proposed policy instruments, individuals perceive local ordinances, government publicizing and campaign, trust marks, taxation, penalties, and government controls are effective to build trust in accommodation sharing. Policies geared toward the majority of the public are more effective, while governments should establish a strategic approach as to which policies are introduced in public and which role the government plays in the departments. Conclusions: The results provide policy and managerial implications how to enhance distributional values of accommodation sharing economy with proper preparations and amendments of laws and regulations.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.9
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• pp.670-679
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• 2021

Vesicle-associated membrane proteins 721 and 722 (VAMP721/722) are secretory vesicle-localized arginine-conserved soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (R-SNAREs) to drive exocytosis in plants. They are involved in diverse physiological processes in plants by interacting with distinct plasma membrane (PM) syntaxins. Here, we show that synaptotagmin 5 (SYT5) is involved in plant defense against Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst) DC3000 by regulating SYP132-VAMP721/722 interactions. Calcium-dependent stimulation of in vitro SYP132-VAMP722 interaction by SYT5 and reduced in vivo SYP132-VAMP721/722 interaction in syt5 plants suggest that SYT5 regulates the interaction between SYP132 and VAMP721/722. We interestingly found that disease resistance to Pst DC3000 bacterium but not to Erysiphe pisi fungus is compromised in syt5 plants. Since SYP132 plays an immune function to bacteria, elevated growth of surface-inoculated Pst DC3000 in VAMP721/722-deficient plants suggests that SYT5 contributes to plant immunity to Pst DC3000 by promoting the SYP132-VAMP721/722 immune secretory pathway.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.475-483
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• 2019

Vegetation cover plays a vital role in stabilizing the soil structure, thereby contributing to surface erosion control. Surface vegetation acts as a shelterbelt that controls the flow velocity and reduces the kinetic energy of the water near the soil surface, whereas vegetation roots reinforce the soil via the formation of root-particle interactions that reduce particle detachment. In this study, two vegetation-testing trials were conducted. The first trial was held on cool-season turfgrasses seeded in a biopolymer-treated site soil in an open greenhouse. At the end of the test, the most suitable grass type was suggested for the second vegetation test, which was conducted in an environmental control chamber. In the second test, biopolymers, namely, starch and xanthan gum hydrogels (pure starch, pure xanthan gum, and xanthan gum-starch mixtures), were tested as soil conditioners for improving the water-holding capacity and vegetation growth in sandy soils. The results support the possibility that biopolymer treatments may enhance the survival rate of vegetation under severe drought environments, which could be applicable for soil stabilization in arid and semiarid regions.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to develop a packing-free wet scrubber to prolong the maintenance interval compared with the conventional packed bed wet scrubbers with which frequent operation stops are unavoidable to clean the packing materials. The main- and interaction-effects were quantitatively analyzed by regression analysis for the measured ammonia scrubbing data from the experiments prepared by experimental design. The scrubbing efficiency of the newly developed wet scrubber was found to be over 95% under the condition of flue gas flow rate of 90CMM and liquid-to-gas ratio $2l/m^3$ for all considered trials of experimental design. The interaction effect between the inlet duct spray and the filter was found to be important, which controls the droplet growth due to the droplet collisions between the duct- and scrubbing tower-spray. The presented methodology to analyze the impacts of operational and design factors on the scrubber efficiency showed potential for applications to optimize the future flue gas abatement process in semiconductor plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1827-1834
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• 2020

Candida albicans is a major fungal pathogen in humans. In our previous study, we reported that an ethanol extract from Aucklandia lappa weakens C. albicans cell wall by inhibiting synthesis or assembly of both (1,3)-β-D-glucan polymers and chitin. In the current study, we found that the extract is involved in permeabilization of C. albicans cell membranes. While uptake of ethidium bromide (EtBr) was 3.0% in control cells, it increased to 7.4% for 30 min in the presence of the A. lappa ethanol extract at its minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), 0.78 mg/ml, compared to uptake by heat-killed cells. Besides, leakage of DNA and proteins was observed in A. lappa-treated C. albicans cells. The increased uptake of EtBr and leakage of cellular materials suggest that A. lappa ethanol extract induced functional changes in C. albicans cell membranes. Incorporation of diphenylhexatriene (DPH) into membranes in the A. lappa-treated C. albicans cells at its MIC decreased to 84.8%, after 60 min of incubation, compared with that of the controls, indicate that there was a change in membrane dynamics. Moreover, the anticandidal effect of the A. lappa ethanol extract was enhanced at a growth temperature of 40℃ compared to that at 35℃. The above data suggest that the antifungal activity of the A. lappa ethanol extract against C. albicans is associated with synergistic action of membrane permeabilization due to changes in membrane dynamics and cell wall damage caused by reduced formation of (1,3)-β-D-glucan and chitin.