• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 2007

구리는 환경에 광범위하게 존재하며, 생물체에게 필수적인 무기질이지만 고농도로 존재할 경우 독성을 발휘한다. 본 연구는 프로티옴 기술을 응용하여 수서태계에 구리와 같은 중금속의 존재 여부를 신속하게 평가하기 위한 생물지표를 발굴하기 위하여 수행되었다. 즉, 송사리(Oryzias latipes)를 이용하여 여러 농도의 구리용액(0.1, 1, 5 mg/L)에 24시간 노출시킨 다음, 머리부분에서 선택적으로 발현이 증가되는 단백질을 동정하고자 시도하였다. 본 시스템에서 유의적으로 발현이 증가하는 것으로 나타난 단백질은 beta-tubulin, heat shock cognate 70 (hsc70)이었으며, 이 결과의 일부를 semi-quantitative RT-PCR를 이용하여 확인하였다. 이와 같이 구리 처리에 특이적으로 발현이 증가된 송사리 단백질들은 노출평가를 위한 생물지표로서 개발을 위하여 더 연구할 가치가 있는 것으로 평가된다.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.112-122
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• 2023

This study was conducted as part of a summer Korean language and culture program at a university in Korea, aimed at examining the changes in intercultural sensitivity among American students who participated in the program, as well as the Korean students who served as their language partners. The research utilized a mixed-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative analysis. To derive research findings, pre- and post-program Intercultural Sensitivity Scale surveys were administered to participating students and semi-structured interview data were collected from a randomly selected group of six students. The research findings indicated that among a total of twenty-seven students including both American and Korean students, significant changes in intercultural sensitivity were observed in the domain of Interaction Engagement. Furthermore, fourteen American students showed significant changes in their Interaction Confidence, while the Korean students who participated as language partners did not exhibit significant changes in the five subdomains of intercultural sensitivity.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2010

Follicular cystic ovary (FCO) is one of the major causes of reproductive failure in cattle. Genetic alterations affect the function of diverse cells and/or tissues, which could be present in cystic ovaries. A microarray analysis was performed to screen differential gene expressions in follicular cystic follicles of cattle. In this study, we hypothesized that follicular cysts may be induced by changes in ion- and transporter-related gene expression. Microarray data showed that fibrinogen-gamma (FGG) and low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8) were up-regulated, while choline transporter-like protein 4 (SLC44A4), very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase homolog 2 (SLC27A5), annexin 8 (ANXA8), and aquaporin 4 were down-regulated in follicular cystic follicles. A semi-quantitative RT-PCR was carried out to validate DEGs altered in follicular cystic follicles. Of six DEGs, three DEGs (FGG, SLC44A4, and aquaporin 4) showed a positive correlation between microarray and semi-quantitative PCR data. We focused on FGG, among three DEGs, which was highly up-regulated in follicular cystic follicles. The FGG mRNA was upregulated by 8.4-fold and by 1.7-fold in the bovine follicular cystic follicles as judged by microarray and RT-PCR analysis, respectively. However, there was no significant changes in the expression level of FGG protein in both follicular cystic follicles and granulosa cells isolated from follicular cystic follicles by Western blot analysis. Although this study does not reveal a positive correlation between the mRNA and protein level, FGG appears to be an important biomarker in the discrimination of follicular cyst from normal ovary.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.165-172
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• 2003

This article deals with the spin loss analysis of friction drive CVTs, especially for the cases of S-CVT and SS-CVT. There are two main sources of power loss resulting from slippage in the friction drive CVT, spin and slip loss. Spin loss, which is also a main design issue in traction drives, results from the elastic contact deformation of rotating bodies having different rotational velocities. The structure and operating principles of the S-CVT and SS-CVT are first reviewed briefly. And to analyze the losses resulting from slippage, we reviewed previous analyses of the friction mechanism. A modified classical friction model is proposed, which describes the friction behavior including Stribeck (i.e., pre-sliding) effect. It is also performed an in-depth study for the velocity fields generated at the contact regions along with a Hertzian analysis of deflection. Hertzian results were employed to construct the geometric parameters and normal pressure distributions of the contact surface with respect to elastic and plastic deformations. With analytic formulations of the relative velocity field, deflection, and friction mechanism of the S-CVT and SS-CVT, quantitative analyses of spin loss for each case are carried out. As a result, explicit models of spin loss were developed.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.273-279
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• 2010

Follicular cystic follicles (FCFs) show delayed regression with persistent follicle growth. However, the mechanism by which follicles are persistently grown remains unclear. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are drug-metabolizing and detoxification enzymes that are involved in the intracellular transport and metabolism of steroid hormones. In this study, a proteomic analysis was performed to identify whether GST expression is changed in bovine FCFs and to predict the interactions between GST and other proteins. Normal follicles and FCFs were classified based on their sizes (5 to 10 mm and 25 mm). In bovine follicles, GST mu 1 (GSTM1) was detected as a differentially expressed protein (DEP) and significantly up-regulated in FCFs compared to normal follicles (p<0.05). Consistent with the proteomic results, semi-quantitative PCR data and western blot analysis revealed an up-regulation of GSTM1 in FCFs. Expression levels of aromatase and dehydrogenase proteins were changed in FCFs. These results show that the up-regulation of GSTM1 that is observed in bovine FCFs is likely to be responsible for the persistent follicle growth in FCFs as the activity of aromatase and the dehydrogenases.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.109-120
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• 1996

Cardiac function is evaluated quantitatively using angiographic images via the analysis of the shape change or the heart wall boundaries. To kin with, boundary defection or ESLV(End Systolic Lert Ventricular) and EDLV(End Diastolic Left Ventricular) is essential for the quantitative analysis of cardiac function. The boundary detection methods proposed in the past were almost semi-automatic. Intervention by a knowledgeable human operator was still required Of con, manual tracing of the boundaries is currently used for subsequent analysis and diagnosis. This method would not cut excessive time, labor, and subjectivity associated with manual intervention by a human operator. EDLV images have noncontiguous and ambiguous edge signal on some boundary regions. In this paper, we propose a new method for automated detection of boundaries in noncontiguous and ambiguous EDLV images. The boundary detection scheme which based on a priori knowledge information is divided into two steps. The first step is to detect the candidate edge points of EDLV using ESLV boundaries. The second step is to correct detected boundaries of EDLV using the LV shape. We developed the algorithm of modifying EDLV boundaries defined adaptive modifier. We experimented the method proposed in this paper and compared our proposed method with the manual method in detecting boundaries of EDLV. In the areas within estimated boundaries of EDLV, the percentage of error was about 1.4%. We verified the useflilness and obtained the satisfying results througll the experiments of the proposed method.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.33-44
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• 2019

Objectives : This study aims to record and conserve oral traditional knowledge of medicinal animals from the indigenous people living in the local communities of Songnisan National Park, Korea. Methods : Data was collected by participatory observations and in-depth interviews with semi-structured questionnaires. Quantitative comparative analyses were accomplished through data received from the following three methods: informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and network analysis. Results : The investigation reveals that the indigenous people have used 49 species of medicinal animals distributed within 45 genera, belonging to 39 families with 336 different usages. According to the distribution of recorded families, the most representative families were Scolpendridae and Phasianidae, which were utilized 36 times each (10.71 % each). The category with the highest degree of consensus from informants was disorders related to the nervous system (0.97). 16 species were classified with a fidelity level of 100 %. The network analysis revealed that a lack of vigor was related to 23 species, including Agkistrodon blomhoffii, Gallus domesticus, and Canis familiaris, among the total 49 species investigated. Conclusions : This documentation can help preserve the traditional knowledge and local health traditions of Korea that are disappearing due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and death of the elderly with traditional knowledge. Additionally, the animals investigated in this study can be developed into medicinal food and drug for treating specific health conditions through further research.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.343-347
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• 2014

Background: Maspin expression is a potential prognostic factor for various malignancies but its relation with gallbladder cancer is unknown and needs to be investigated needs to be investigated. We therefore here focused on maspin mRNA expression in normal, gall stone disease and gallbladder cancer subjects, with particular attention to prognostic importance in individuals with malignancies. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out at the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India. Gallbladder samples from normal (n=25), gall stone disease (n=25) and cancer patients (n=38) were analysed for maspin mRNA expression by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR and quantitative real time PCR. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Students t test or ANOVA. Survival analysis was conducted according to the Kaplan-Meier method and correlations were assessed using the Pearson correlation method. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Significant increase (p=0.028) in expression of maspin mRNA was observed in gallbladder cancer as compared to gall stone disease, whereas no expression was found in normal tissues. Significant correlation (Pearson's coefficient(r)=-0.798, p<0.0001) was observed between relative quantification of maspin mRNA and survival of cancer patients after surgery, with significantly shorter (p=0.002) survival in patients having relative quantification >1.5 as compared to those having relative quantification <1.5. Similarly, significant differences in patient survival for maspin mRNA expression was observed for stage II (p=0.025) and III (p=0.011) cancer. Conclusions: Higher expression of maspin mRNA in gallbladder cancer has prognostic significance for stage II and III cancer, which needs to be investigated further.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.459-467
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• 1998

A new set of functional group interaction energy descriptors relevant to the ACE (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme) inhibitory peptide, QSAR (Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships), is presented. The functional group interaction energies approximate the charged interactions and distances between functional groups in molecules. The effective energies of the computationally derived geometries are useful parameters for deriving 3D-QSAR models, especially in the absence of experimentally known active site conformation. ACE is a regulatory zinc protease in the renin-angiotensin system. Therapeutic inhibition of this enzyme has proven to be a very effective treatment for the management of hypertension. The non bond interaction energy values among functional groups of six-feature of ACE inhibitory peptides were used as descriptor terms and analyzed for multivariate correlation with ACE inhibition activity. The functional group interaction energy descriptors used in the regression analysis were obtained by a series of inhibitor structures derived from molecular mechanics and semi-empirical calculations. The descriptors calculated using electrostatic and steric fields from the precisely defined functional group were sufficient to explain the biological activity of inhibitor. Application of the descriptors to the inhibition of ACE indicates that the derived QSAR has good predicting ability and provides insight into the mechanism of enzyme inhibition. The method, functional group interaction energy analysis, is expected to be applicable to predict enzyme inhibitory activity of the rationally designed inhibitors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10917-10922
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• 2015

Background: This study was conducted to determine DEPDC1 expression in hepatocelluar carcinomas (HCCs) and to reveal its potential role in diagnosis and prognosis of affected patients. Materials and Methods: DEPDC1 expression at the mRNA level was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 205 cases of HCC and paired adjacent normal liver tissues, and by semi-quantitative RT-PCR in 20 cases. Survival curves were obtained by using Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. Independent predictors associated with regard to disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: High DEPDC1 mRNA levels were detected in 144 out of 205 cases (70.24%) of HCC, significantly associated with clinicopathological parameters, including tumor size (${\geq}4cm$), alpha-fetoprotein (${\geq}100ng/ml$), B-C of BCLC stage and recurrence. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that HCC patients with high DEPDC1 expression had poor OS and DFS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that high DEPDC1 expression was an independent predictor for OS (HR=1.651; 95% 95%CI, 1.041-2.617; p=0.033) and DFS (HR=1.583; 95%CI, 1.01-2.483; p=0.045). Conclusions: Our results indicate DEPDC1 might be a novel diagnostic marker and an independent prognostic predictor for HCC patients.