• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.155-164
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• 2023

In this paper, we examine the influence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)-related content on the success of online crowdfunding proposals. Along with the increasing significance of ESG standards in business, investment proposals incorporating ESG concepts are now commonplace. Due to the ESG trend, conventional wisdom holds that the majority of proposals with ESG concepts will have a higher rate of success. We investigate by analyzing over 9000 online business presentations found in a Kickstarter dataset to determine which characteristics of these proposals led to increased investment. We first utilized lexicon-based measurement and Feature Engineering to determine the relationship between environment and society scores and financial indicators. Next, Logistic Regression is utilized to determine the effect of including environmental and social terms in a project's description on its ability to obtain funding. Contrary to popular belief, our research found that microentrepreneurs were less likely to succeed with proposals that focused on ESG issues. Our research will generate new opportunities for research in the disciplines of information science and crowdfunding by shedding new light on the environment of online micro-entrepreneurship.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.1327-1339
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• 2022

Objective: Fat deposition in poultry is an important factor in production performance and meat quality research. miRNAs also play important roles in regulating adipocyte differentiation process. This study was to investigate the expression patterns of miRNAs in duck adipocytes after differentiation and explore the role of miR-214 in regulating carnitine palmitoyltransferases 2 (CPT2) gene expression during duck adipocyte differentiation. Methods: Successful systems for the isolation, culture, and induction of duck primary fat cells was developed in the experiment. Using Illumina next-generation sequencing, the miRNAs libraries of duck adipocytes were established. miRanda was used to predict differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and their target genes. The expression patterns of miR-214 and CPT2 during the differentiation were verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. Luciferase reporter assays were used to explore the specific regions of CPT2 targeted by miR-214. We used a miR-214 over-expression strategy in vitro to further investigate its effect on differentiation process and CPT2 gene transcription. Results: There were 481 miRNAs identified in duck adipocytes, included 57 DE miRNA candidates. And the 1,046 targets genes of DE miRNAs were mainly involved in p53 signaling, FoxO signaling, and fatty acid metabolism pathways. miR-214 and CPT2 showed contrasting expression patterns before and after differentiation, and they were selected for further research. The expression of miR-214 was decreased during the first 3 days of duck adipocytes differentiation, and then increased, while the expression of CPT2 increased both in the transcriptional and protein level. The luciferase assay suggested that miR-214 targets the 3'untranslated region of CPT2. Overexpression of miR-214 not only promoted the formation of lipid droplets but also decreased the protein abundance of CPT2. Conclusion: Current study reports the expression profile of miRNAs in duck adipocytes differentiated for 4 days. And miR-214 has been proved to have the regulator potential for fat deposition in duck.

• The Korean Journal of Woman Psychology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.457-474
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• 2012

In order to understand the gender differences in factors affecting willingness for self-sufficiency, this study examined the level of willingness for self-sufficiency of 424 male and female program participants from 36 local self-sufficiency centers nation-wide in Korea, and investigated the factors affecting willingness for self-sufficiency. The results show that, in the male group, age, debt, and family support were statistically significantly associated with willingness for self-sufficiency while depressed mood, professionals ' support, and family support were significantly associated in the female group. While males' willingness for self-sufficiency were found to be higher with older age, possessing no debt, and higher family support, femails' willingness for self-sufficiency were found to be higher when they felt less depressed, and received more support from professionals and their family. Based on these findings, it was confirmed that family support played an important role both in male and female participants, and was found that different factors were associated with willingness for self-sufficiency in male and female program participants. It was also discussed that policy and micro-level intervention need to consider the gender differences in promoting willingness for self-sufficiency.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.85-99
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• 2022

Dryers becoming commercially available for experimental and industrial use are classified to general drying oven, hot-air dryer, vacuum dryer, freezing dryer, etc. and kinds of them are various from the function, size and volume, etc. But the moisture measurement is not applied although it is important factor for the quality control and the performance improvement of products, and then now is very passive because the weight is weighed arbitrarily after dry-end. Generally the method for measuring moisture is divided by a direct measurement method and a indirect measurement method, and the former such as the change of weight or volume on the front and rear of separation of moisture, etc. is mainly used. Relatively a indirect measurement is very limited to apply due to utilize measurement apparatuses using temperature conductivity and micro-wave etc. In this research, we easily designed the moisture measurement system using the open-source based Arduino, and monitored moisture fluctuations and weight profiles in the real-time without the effect of external environment. Concretely the temperature-humidity and load cell sensors were packaged into a drying oven and the various change values were measured, and their sensors capable to operate 60℃ and 80℃ were selected to suitable for the moisture sensitive materials and the food dry. And also the performance safety using the organic samples of banana, pear, sawdust could be secured because the changes of evaporation rate as the dry time and temperature, and the measurement values of load cell appeared stable response characteristics through repeated experiments. Hereafter we judge that the reliability can be improved increasingly through the expansion of temperature-humidity range and the comparative analysis with CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) program.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.196-206
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• 2023

Benthic attached diatoms (BADs), a major primary producer in lotic stream and river ecosystems are micro-sized organisms and require a highly magnified microscopic technique in the observation work. Thus, it is often not easy to ensure accuracy and precision in both qualitative and quantitative analyses. This study proposed a new technique applicable to improve quality control of aquatic ecosystem monitoring and assessment using BADs. In order to meet the purpose of quality control, we developed a permanent mounting slide technique which can be used for both qualitative and quantitative analyses simultaneously. We designed specimens with the combination of grid on both cover and slide glasses and compared their efficiency. As a result of observation and counting of BADs, the slide glass designed with the color-lined grid showed the highest efficiency compared to other test conditions. We expect that the method developed in this study could be effectively used to analyze BADs and contributed to improve the quality control in aquatic ecosystem health monitoring and assessment.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.437-450
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• 2024

Objective: Vanin-1 (VNN1) is a pantetheinase that catalyses the hydrolysis of pantetheine to produce pantothenic acid and cysteamine. Our previous studies have shown that the VNN1 is specifically expressed in chicken liver which negatively regulated by microRNA-122. However, the functions of the VNN1 in lipid metabolism in chicken liver haven't been elucidated. Methods: First, we detected the VNN1 mRNA expression in 4-week chickens which were fasted 24 hours. Next, knocked out VNN1 via CRISPR/Cas9 system in the chicken Leghorn Male Hepatoma cell line. Detected the lipid deposition via oil red staining and analysis the content of triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein-C (HDL-C) after VNN1 knockout in Leghorn Male Hepatoma cell line. Then we captured various differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between VNN1-modified LMH cells and original LMH cells by RNA-seq. Results: Firstly, fasting-induced expression of VNN1. Meanwhile, we successfully used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to achieve targeted mutations of the VNN1 in the chicken LMH cell line. Moreover, the expression level of VNN1 mRNA in LMH-KO-VNN1 cells decreased compared with that in the wild-type LMH cells (p<0.0001). Compared with control, lipid deposition was decreased after knockout VNN1 via oil red staining, meanwhile, the contents of TG and LDL-C were significantly reduced, and the content of HDL-C was increased in LMH-KO-VNN1 cells. Transcriptome sequencing showed that there were 1,335 DEGs between LMH-KO-VNN1 cells and original LMH cells. Of these DEGs, 431 were upregulated, and 904 were downregulated. Gene ontology analyses of all DEGs showed that the lipid metabolism-related pathways, such as fatty acid biosynthesis and long-chain fatty acid biosynthesis, were enriched. KEGG pathway analyses showed that "lipid metabolism pathway", "energy metabolism", and "carbohydrate metabolism" were enriched. A total of 76 DEGs were involved in these pathways, of which 29 genes were upregulated (such as cytochrome P450 family 7 subfamily A member 1, ELOVL fatty acid elongase 2, and apolipoprotein A4) and 47 genes were downregulated (such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1) by VNN1 knockout in the LMH cells. Conclusion: These results suggest that VNN1 plays an important role in coordinating lipid metabolism in the chicken liver.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2024

Various innovative technologies and methods are being applied to ensure the stability of steep rock slopes. However, there are design limitations concerning site ground conditions, leading to discrepancies between the designed and actual ground conditions during construction. In the case of the retaining wall in Yeosu, where the study area is located, although the construction of a 5-stage retaining wall is planned, at the current completion of the second stage, cracks on the upper part of the wall, settlement in the front of the wall, and seepage have been observed. After the completion of stages one and two, issues regarding cracks and settlement on the upper part of the wall and seepage in the front of the wall were discovered. Thus, there was a need to reevaluate the results of the existing stability assessment. It was confirmed that the issue was due to groundwater leakage, attributed to the lack of clear assessment of the colluvial soil layer during the initial design stage. Therefore, to conservatively reflect groundwater level conditions, a groundwater level contour was positioned at the top of the wall to conduct a slope stability assessment. The assessment results indicated that the safety factor during the rainy season exceeded the required value of 1.3, with a calculated safety factor of 1.31. However, during seismic events, the safety factor was determined to be 1.12, falling short of the required safety factor of 1.3. Therefore, it is suggested that the existing retaining walls constructed during stages one and two undergo reinforcement using methods such as micro-piles with grouting, and additional work should be carried out to ensure a clear assessment of the colluvial soil layer.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.541-554
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• 2023

The utilization of underground spaces in relation to tunnels and energy/waste storage is on the rise. To ensure the stability of underground spaces, it is crucial to reinforce rock fractures and discontinuities. Discontinuities, such as joints, can weaken the strength of the rock and lead to groundwater inflow into underground spaces. In order to enhance the strength and stability of the area around these discontinuities, rock grouting techniques are employed. However, during rock grouting, it is impossible to visually confirm whether the grouting material is being smoothly injected as intended. Without proper injection, the expected increases in strength, durability, and degree of consolidation may not be achieved. Therefore, it is necessary to predict in advance whether the grouting material is being injected as designed. In this study, we aimed to assess the injection performance based on injection variables such as the water/cement mixture ratio, injection pressure, and injection flow using UDEC (Universal Distinct Element Code) numerical program. Additionally, numerical results were validated by the lab experiment. The results of this study are expected to help optimize variables such as injection material properties, injection time, and pump pressure in the grouting design in the field.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.555-567
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• 2023

The cracks in the tunnel are currently determined through visual inspections conducted by inspectors based on images acquired using tunnel imaging acquisition systems. This labor-intensive approach, relying on inspectors, has inherent limitations as it is subject to their subjective judgments. Recently research efforts have actively explored the use of deep learning to automatically detect tunnel cracks. However, most studies utilize public datasets or lack sufficient objectivity in the analysis process, making it challenging to apply them effectively in practical operations. In this study, we selected test datasets consisting of images in the same format as those obtained from the actual inspection system to perform an objective evaluation of deep learning models. Additionally, we introduced ensemble techniques to complement the strengths and weaknesses of the deep learning models, thereby improving the accuracy of crack detection. As a result, we achieved high recall rates of 80%, 88%, and 89% for cracks with sizes of 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, and 0.5 mm, respectively, in the test images. In addition, the crack detection result of deep learning included numerous cracks that the inspector could not find. if cracks are detected with sufficient accuracy in a more objective evaluation by selecting images from other tunnels that were not used in this study, it is judged that deep learning will be able to be introduced to facility safety inspection.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.96-107
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• 2024

Purpose: Deproteinized bovine bone or synthetic hydroxyapatite are 2 prevalent bone grafting materials used in the clinical treatment of peri-implant bone defects. However, the differences in bone formation among these materials remain unclear. This study evaluated osteogenesis kinetics in peri-implant defects using 2 types of deproteinized bovine bone (Bio-Oss^® and Bio-Oss/Collagen^®) and 2 types of synthetic hydroxyapatite (Apaceram-AX^® and Refit^®). We considered factors including newly generated bone volume; bone, osteoid, and material occupancy; and bone-to-implant contact. Methods: A beagle model with a mandibular defect was created by extracting the bilateral mandibular third and fourth premolars. Simultaneously, an implant was inserted into the defect, and the space between the implant and the surrounding bone walls was filled with Bio-Oss, Bio-Oss/Collagen, Apaceram-AX, Refit, or autologous bone. Micro-computed tomography and histological analyses were conducted at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (Refit and autologous bone were not included at the 6-month time point due to their rapid absorption). Results: All materials demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and osteoconductivity. At 3 months, Bio-Oss and Apaceram-AX exhibited significantly greater volumes of formation than the other materials, with Bio-Oss having a marginally higher amount. However, this outcome was reversed at 6 months, with no significant difference between the 2 materials at either time point. Apaceram-AX displayed notably slower bioresorption and the largest quantity of residual material at both time points. In contrast, Refit had significantly greater bioresorption, with complete resorption and rapid maturation involving cortical bone formation at the crest at 3 months, Refit demonstrated the highest mineralized tissue and osteoid occupancy after 3 months, albeit without statistical significance. Conclusions: Overall, the materials demonstrated varying post-implantation behaviors in vivo. Thus, in a clinical setting, both the properties of these materials and the specific conditions of the defects needing reinforcement should be considered to identify the most suitable material.