• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2015

Diabetes mellitus, the most common metabolic disorder, is divided into two types: type 1 and type 2. The essential treatment of type 1 diabetes, caused by immune-mediated destruction of ${\beta}-cells$, is transplantation of the pancreas; however, this treatment is limited by issues such as the lack of donors for islet transplantation and immune rejection. As an alternative approach, stem cell therapy has been used as a new tool. The present study revealed that bone marrowderived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) could be transdifferentiated into pancreatic cells by the insertion of a key gene for embryonic development of the pancreas, the pancreatic and duodenal homeobox factor 1 (PDX1). To avoid immune rejection associated with xenotransplantation and to develop a new cell-based treatment, BM-MSCs from ${\alpha}$-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout (GalT KO) pigs were used as the source of the cells. Transfection of the EGFP-hPDX1 gene into GalT KO pig-derived BM-MSCs was performed by electroporation. Cells were evaluated for hPDX1 expression by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. Transdifferentiation into pancreatic cells was confirmed by morphological transformation, immunofluorescence, and endogenous pPDX1 gene expression. At 3~4 weeks after transduction, cell morphology changed from spindle-like shape to round shape, similar to that observed in cuboidal epithelium expressing EGFP. Results of RT-PCR confirmed the expression of both exogenous hPDX1 and endogenous pPDX1. Therefore, GalT KO pig-derived BM-MSCs transdifferentiated into pancreatic cells by transfection of hPDX1. The present results are indicative of the therapeutic potential of PDX1-expressing GalT KO pig-derived BM-MSCs in ${\beta}-cell$ replacement. This potential needs to be explored further by using in vivo studies to confirm these findings.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.43-45
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• 2013

Background: The aim of this epidemiological study was to establish the laterality of breast cancer (BC) and its association with size, receptor status of the primary tumor and bone metastasis (BM) in a local population. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included cases of BC from Jan-2009 to Dec-2011 who were referred for metastatic work up or follow up survey with Technetium-99m MDP bone scan (BS) to the Nuclear Medicine Department of Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN). A total of 384 patients out of 521 were included and all reviewed for age, primary tumor size (PTS), laterality, receptor status like estrogen receptor (ER) progesterone receptor (PR) and Her-2-Neu receptor, presence or absence of BM with sites of involvement and time interval between diagnosis of BC and appearance of BM. Results: The left to right sided BC proportion was significantly higher than unity (59%:41%; p<0.001). The right sided BC was observed in younger age group (46:52 years; p<0.0001) and with a smaller PTS than the left sided (3.43:4.15 cm; p<0.0001). The patients with BM had relatively higher negative receptor status with a significant predominance of right sided BC. The overall incidence of BM on BS was 28% and relatively higher in right than left breast (33%:24% p=0.068). The average number of BM sites was also significantly greater for the right side (6:4, P<0.0001). The % cumulative risk of BM in right breast was noted at significantly smaller PTS than left side with log rank value of 5.579; p<0.05. The Kaplan Meier survival plot for event free survival of BM in left sided BC was significantly higher than for the right side (log rank value=4.155, p<0.05), with an earlier appearance of BM in right BC. Conclusions: 1) A left sided predominance of BC was seen in local population; 2) right sided BC had a more aggressive behavior with extensive and earlier appearance of BM at relatively younger age, smaller PTS and receptor (s) negativity.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2001

Biological Treatment of Wastewater Containing Chlorinated Phenols by a Mixed Culture. Lee, Wan-Seok1, Sang-Wook Jung, Chan-Sun Park, Byung-Dae Yoon, Jang-Eok Kim\ and Hee-Mock Oh*. Environmental Bioresources Laboratory, Korea Research Institute of Biosicence and Biotechnology, Taejon, Korea, 1 Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Kyungpool< National University, Taegu, Korea - The biodegradation of chlorinated phenols in an artificial wastewater was investigated using a mixed culture. The mixed culture was composed of 8 microorganisms isolated from the soil contaminated with various chlorinated phenols. Pseudomonas sp. BM as a main constituent of a mixed culture was Gram-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive, and rod-shaped, and did not grow at 41°C. It degraded 99% of initial 500 mg!1 of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in the minimal salts medium as a sole source of carbon and energy within 3 days. The degradation efficiency of Pseu.domon.as sp. BM was not affected by the other organic carbon and nitrogen compounds. Pseudomonas sp. BM was able to grow in a broad range of pH 5 - 8, and degrade 2,000 mg/1 PCP. In the experiment with an artificial wastewater containing chlorinated phenols, the degradation efficiency of the mixed culture was the range of 73% (2,4-dichlorophenol) -96% (2-chlorophenol) during an incubation of 7 days. In a continuous culture experiment, the degradation efficiency of mixed culture plus activated sludge was about 2 times higher than that of the control containing only activated sludge. These results indicate that it is possible to apply the mixed culture to other wastewaters containing chlorinated phenols. Key words: Biodegradation, chlorinated phenols, pentachlorophenol, Pseudomonas sp. BM

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.421-432
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• 2020

This paper proposes a 2-kW solid-state power amplifier (SSPA) developed by employing power amplifier pallets designed using gallium-nitride high electron mobility transistors, which is used in S-band military radars and to replace existing traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA). The SSPA consists of a high-power amplifier module, which combines eight power amplifier pallets, a drive amplifier module, a digital control module, and a power supply unit. First, the amplifier module and component were integrated into a small package to account for space limitations; next, an on-board harmonic filter was fabricated to reject spurious components; and finally, an auto gain control system was designed for various duty ratios because recent military radar systems are all active phase radars using the pulse operation mode. The developed SSPA exhibited a max gain of 48 dB and an output power ranging between 63-63.6 dBm at a frequency band of 3.1 to 3.5 GHz. The auto gain control function showed that the output power is regulated around 63 dBm despite the fluctuation of the input power from 15-20 dBm. Finally, reliability of the developed system was verified through a temperature environment test for nine hours at high (55 ℃) / low (-40℃) temperature profile in accordance with military standard 810. The developed SSPA show better performance such as light weight, high output, high gain, various safety function, low repair cost and short repair time than existing TWTA.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2009

Macrophages generated in vitro using macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-6 from bone marrow cells (BM-Mp) are defective in antigen presenting cell (APC) function as shown by their ability to induce the proliferation of anti-CD3 mAb-primed syngeneic T cells. However, they do express major histocompatibility (MHC) class I and II molecules. accessory molecules and intracellular adhesion molecules. Here we demonstrate that the defective APC function of macrophages is mainly due to production of $TGF-{\beta}1$ by BM-Mp. Methods: Microarray analysis showed that $TGF-{\beta}1$ was highly expressed in BM-Mp, compared to a macrophage cell line, B6D. which exerted efficient APC function. Production of $TGF-{\beta}1$ by BM-Mp was confirmed by neutralization experiments of $TGF-{\beta}1$ as well as by real time-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Addition of $anti-TGF-{\beta}1$ monoclonal antibody to cultures of BM-Mp and anti-CD3 mAb-primed syngeneic T cells efficiently induced the proliferation of syngeneic T cells. Conversely, the APC function of B6D cells was almost completely suppressed by addition of $TGF-{\beta}1$. Quantitative real time-PCR analysis also confirmed the enhanced expression of $TGF-{\beta}1$ in BM-Mp. Conclusion: The defective APC function of macrophages generated in vitro with M-CSF and IL-6 was mainly due to the production of $TGF-{\beta}1$ by macrophages.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.235-243
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• 2022

To help the industry, outsourcing was found to be the most efficient method. An extensive literature analysis was done to assess the macroeconomic factors associated with outsourcing to supplement the anxious parties' decision-making process with evidence-based comprehensive tools. As a theoretical framework for evaluating these issues, transaction cost economies and resource-based perspective theories are investigated. Outsourcing is proven to be a result of energy crises and political instability. The advantages of outsourcing assist major industries in the economy. To discover the key drivers behind outsourcing, we used the vector autoregressive (VAR model) and step-wise regression techniques for the period 1992 to 2016. This research adds to the literature in that it not only explains the energy issue but also discusses the dilemma of political instability in the country in the context of outsourcing. The findings indicate that labor cost and export tendency have a positive impact on outsourcing strategy, which confirms the study's third and fourth hypotheses. Customs tax, inflation, and the unemployment rate, on the other hand, have a negative impact on textile outsourcing in Pakistan, according to the study's fifth, sixth, and seventh hypotheses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.635-644
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• 2024

Although the business model(BM) patents act as a creative bridge between technology and the marketplace, limited scholarly attention has been paid to the content analysis of BM patents. This study aims to contextualize converging BM patents by employing topic modeling technique and clustering highly marketable topics, which are expressed through a topic-market impact matrix. We relied on BM patent data filed between 2010 and 2022 to derive empirical insights into the commercial potential of emerging business models. Subsequently, nine topics were identified, including but not limited to "Data Analytics and Predictive Modeling" and "Mobile-Based Digital Services and Advertising." The 2x2 matrix allows to position topics based on the variables of topic growth rate and market impact, which is useful for prioritizing areas that require attention or are promising. This study differentiates itself by going beyond simple topic classification based on topic modeling, reorganizing the findings into a matrix format. T he results of this study are expected to serve as a valuable reference for companies seeking to innovate their business models and enhance their competitive positioning.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.279-284
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• 2016

This paper presents a two stage L-band power amplifier realized with a $0.32{\mu}m$ Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) CMOS technology. To overcome a low breakdown voltage limit of MOSFET, stacked-FET structures are employed, where three transistors in the first stage amplifier and four transistors in the second stage amplifier are connected in series so that their output voltage swings are added in phase. The stacked-FET structures enable the proposed amplifier to achieve a 21.5 dB small-signal gain and 15.7 dBm output 1-dB compression power at 1.9 GHz with a 122 mA DC current from a 4 V supply. The amplifier delivers a 19.7 dBm. This paper presents a two stage L-band power amplifier realized with a $0.32{\mu}m$ Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) CMOS technology. To overcome a low breakdown voltage limit of MOSFET, stacked-FET structures are employed, where three transistors in the first stage amplifier and four transistors in the second stage amplifier are connected in series so that their output voltage swings are added in phase. The stacked-FET structures enable the proposed amplifier to achieve a 21.5 dB small-signal gain and 15.7 dBm output 1-dB compression power at 1.9 GHz with a 122 mA DC current from a 4 V supply. The amplifier delivers a 19.7 dBm saturated output power with a 16 % maximum Power Added Efficiency (PAE). A bond wire fine tuning technology enables the amplifier a 23.67 dBm saturated output power with a 20.4 % maximum PAE. The die area is $1.9mm{\times}0.6mm$.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.58-65
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the rate of cytomegalovirus (CMV) virolactia, and the prevalence of breast milk (BM)-transmitted postnatal CMV infection among premature infants after freeze-thawing (FT) and Holder pasteurization (HP) of breast milk. Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study of 312 infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation, or with a birth weight less than 1,500 g from January 2013 to June 2017. All infants were screened for CMV-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM at birth. Initial CMV specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and CMV culture were performed on mothers' BM and babies' urine within the first 21 days of life. FT and HP of BM was used to prevent the transmission of CMV. For the surveillance of postnatal CMV infection, CMV culture and CMV specific PCR of urine from babies were repeated one to two months after the initial screening. Screening for viremia and viruria was performed if postnatal CMV infection was suspected. Results: Among 178 BM samples obtained from mothers of CMV-IgG-seropositive infants, 80 (44.9%) were CMV PCR positive. CMV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was detected in five of the 22 BM samples (22.7%) obtained from the mothers of CMV-IgG seronegative infants. When CMV DNA load in BM was measured before and after HP, various results were shown. Sixty-three infants out of 232 (27.2%) were evaluated for postnatal CMV infection and four infants out of 63 (6.3%) were infected. Conclusion: Interventions to prevent BM-transmitted CMV infection can reduce the chance of postnatal CMV infection, but not completely eliminate it.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.19-27
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• 1989

Both the SS41 steel and the M.E.F(martensite encapsulated islands of frrite) dual phase steel made of SS41 steel by heat treatment were welded by friction welding, and then manufactured machinemade Vnotch standard Charpy impact specimens and precracked with a fatigue system at BM(base metal), HAZ(heat affected zone) and WZ(weld interface Zone). The impact test of them was performed with an instrumented impact test machine at a number of temperatures in constant loading velocity and the dynamic fracture characteristics were studied on bases of the absorbed energy, dynamic fracture toughness and fractography from the test. The results obtained are as follows; At the room temperature, the absorbed energy is HAZ.geq.WZ.geq.BM in case of the M.E.F. dual phase steel: BM.geq.HAZ.geq.WZ in case of the SS41 steel, HAZ.geq.BM.geq.WZ at the low temperature. The absorbed energy is decreased markedly with the temperature lowering; it is highly dependent on the temperature. The dynamic fracture toughness of the M.E.F. dual phase steel is HAZ.geq.WZ.geq.BM at the room temperature; BM.geq.WZ.geq.HAZ below-60.deg. C. Therefore the reliability of friction welding is uncertain at the low temperature(below-60.deg. C). The dynamic fracture toughness of the SS41 steel; HZA.geq.WZ.geq.BM at overall temperature region. The flaw formed by rotational upsetting pressure was shown y SEM; in this region. The absorbed energy per unit area and dynamic fracture toughness were low relative to other region.