• Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.628-647
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• 2018

Purpose: Obesity is associated with metabolic dysregulation, but the underlying metabolic signatures involving clinical and inflammatory profiles of obese asthma are largely unexplored. We aimed at identifying the metabolic signatures of obese asthma. Methods: Eligible subjects with obese (n = 11) and lean (n = 22) asthma underwent body composition and clinical assessment, sputum induction, and blood sampling. Sputum supernatant was assessed for interleukin $(IL)-1{\beta}$, -4, -5, -6, -13, and tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$, and serum was detected for leptin, adiponectin and C-reactive protein. Untargeted gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS)-based metabolic profiles in sputum, serum and peripheral blood monocular cells (PBMCs) were analyzed by orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA) and pathway topology enrichment analysis. The differential metabolites were further validated by correlation analysis with body composition, and clinical and inflammatory profiles. Results: Body composition, asthma control, and the levels of $IL-1{\beta}$, -4, -13, leptin and adiponectin in obese asthmatics were significantly different from those in lean asthmatics. OPLS-DA analysis revealed 28 differential metabolites that distinguished obese from lean asthmatic subjects. The validation analysis identified 18 potential metabolic signatures (11 in sputum, 4 in serum and 2 in PBMCs) of obese asthmatics. Pathway topology enrichment analysis revealed that cyanoamino acid metabolism, caffeine metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, pentose phosphate pathway in sputum, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism and pentose phosphate pathway in serum are suggested to be significant pathways related to obese asthma. Conclusions: GC-TOF-MS-based metabolomics indicates obese asthma is characterized by a metabolic profile different from lean asthma. The potential metabolic signatures indicated novel immune-metabolic mechanisms in obese asthma with providing more phenotypic and therapeutic implications, which needs further replication and validation.

• Journal of Breast Cancer
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.371-381
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• 2018

Purpose: Immune suppression is common in patients with advanced breast cancer but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been sufficiently studied. In this study, we aimed to identify B7 family members that were able to predict the immune status of patients, and which may serve as potential targets for the treatment of breast cancer. We also aimed to identify microRNAs that may regulate the expression of B7 family members. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas data from 1,092 patients with breast cancer, including gene expression, microRNA expression and survival data, were used for statistical and survival analyses. Polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure messenger RNA and protein expression, respectively. Luciferase assay was used to investigate direct microRNA target. Results: Bioinformatic analysis predicted that microRNA (miR)-93, miR-195, miR-497, and miR-340 are potential regulators of the immune evasion of breast cancer cells, and that they exert this function by targeting CD274, PDCD1LG2, and NCR3LG1. We chose CD274 for further investigations. We found that miR-195, miR-497, and CD274 expression levels were inversely correlated in MDA-MB-231 cells, and miR-195 and miR-497 expressions mimic inhibited CD274 expression in vitro. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that miR-195 and miR-497 directly target CD274 3' untranslated region. Conclusion: Our data indicated that the level of B7 family members can predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients, and miR-195/miR-497 regulate CD274 expression in triple negative breast cancer. This regulation may further influence tumor progression and the immune tolerance mechanism in breast cancer and may be able to predict the effect of immunotherapy on patients.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.247-257
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• 2022

Background and Objectives: Although human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) can be efficiently differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CMs), the heterogeneity of the hiPSC-CMs hampers their applications in research and regenerative medicine. Retinoic acid (RA)-mediated signaling pathway has been proved indispensable in cardiac development and differentiation of hiPSC toward atrial CMs. This study was aimed to test whether RA signaling pathway can be manipulated to direct the differentiation into sinoatrial node (SAN) CMs. Methods and Results: Using the well-characterized GiWi protocol that cardiomyocytes are generated from hiPSC via temporal modulation of Wnt signaling pathway by small molecules, RA signaling pathway was manipulated during the differentiation of hiPSC-CMs on day 5 post-differentiation, a crucial time point equivalent to the transition from cardiac mesoderm to cardiac progenitor cells in cardiac development. The resultant CMs were characterized at mRNA, protein and electrophysiology levels by a combination of qPCR, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and whole-cell patch clamp. The results showed that activation of the RA signaling pathway biased the differentiation of atrial CMs, whereas inhibition of the signaling pathway biased the differentiation of sinoatrial node-like cells (SANLCs). Conclusions: Our study not only provides a novel and simple strategy to enrich SANLCs but also improves our understanding of the importance of RA signaling in the differentiation of hiPSC-CMs.

• Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.1493-1507
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• 2018

In this study, based on the results that cooperation increases innovation or increases innovation performance in the same region, the result is that the effects of cooperation in the same region will be more effective, thus starting with the assumption that the innovation performance will be higher. The analysis results showed that the collaborative experience in the same region greatly increases the results of innovation, indicating that the location of cooperative targets in cooperation could be an important decision factor. The implications of this result are that it could have a significant impact on a company's innovation performance. This means that the country's industrial policy should be established in the direction of cluster formation.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.336-343
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• 2017

We propose a real time personalized recommendation algorithm on the mobile device. We use a unified collaborative filtering with reduced data. We use Fuzzy C-means clustering to obtain the reduced data and Konohen SOM is applied to get initial values of the cluster centers. The proposed algorithm overcomes data sparsity since it extends data to the similar users and similar items. Also, it enables real time service on the mobile device since it reduces computing time by data clustering. Applying the suggested algorithm to the MovieLens data, we show that the suggested algorithm has reasonable performance in comparison with collaborative filtering. We developed Android-based smart-phone application, which recommends restaurants with coupons and restaurant information.

• Proceedings of the Korea Association of Information Systems Conference
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• 2005.12a
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• pp.463-470
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• 2005

In a rapidly changing business environment, the improvement of managerial techniques through IT utilization brings about remarkable increases in profitability and redesign of work process for better performances. IT innovation by electronic instruments such as ICT e-business provides accelerates forming inter-organizational information network and helps them benchmark the best practices of advanced organizations. A new shift of paradigm by e-business across all enterprises has turned the traditional aspects of inter-organizational competition and relationship into a form of collaboration. Collaboration enables business activities in parallel position among companies and facilitates cooperation between partner enterprises. Lately, the concept of 'Synchronization' is emerging beyond dimension of cooperation between networks, and the most concepts related to it are converging into 'Collaboration Networks'. This research observes a virtual organization as a form of collaborative networks, and measures the degree of virtualization of Korean collaborative organizations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.16-23
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• 2012

Large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises businesses have tried finding cooperative partner models through win-win activity. In this study, certain factors were researched, which affect on the achievements by win-win activity of large corporative and SMEs from a standpoint of development by SMEs, the establishment of confidence, technical innovation and competence of value chain competence in order to enforce supplying value under the win-win activity. The result of this research presents that the achievement of win-win activity by large corporations and SMEs is related positively to developmental capability, cooperative culture, developmental innovation, innovation of process, outer technological innovation and value chain.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.105-117
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• 2024

This study conducted in-depth interviews with 8 ICT companies experienced in technology transfer and collaboration with government-funded research institutions, employing Grounded Theory methodology. From these interviews, 139 episodes were extracted and categorized into 29 sub-categories across the companies. Validation by independent coders further classified these into 5 categories: potential absorptive capacity, realized absorptive capacity, technology collaboration activities, technology collaboration performance, and innovation intermediaries. The validation results suggest that companies with higher absorptive capacity are more actively involved in technology collaboration. Moreover, companies utilizing innovation intermediaries demonstrate increased collaboration frequencies. The study contributes to academia and industry by providing insights for companies to improve competitiveness and foster smooth technology collaboration, enhancing collaborative outcomes. Future research should focus on quantitatively validating these findings.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.17-39
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• 2016

Despite the importance of university-industry collaboration, issues pertaining to the characteristics of collaborating firms, their modes of interaction, and the relationship between these modes and outcomes are not well-researched. The impact of country's development on these issues is also unclear. This case study examines Japan and Thailand-respectively representing developed and developing countries-and features the following key findings: 1) the characteristics of firms affect modes, with large Japanese firms being more collaborative with universities, whereas Thai SMEs significantly collaborate more with universities; 2) the relationship between modes in Thai firms is stronger than those of Japanese firms because in Thailand, perhaps due to weak technological capacity, R&D collaboration is conducted alongside university consultancy services; and 3) in Japan, R&D and human resource development collaboration lead to product innovation, whereas different outcomes are expected from different modes in Thailand. Apparently, trivial informal collaborations do have significant impact on innovation.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.197-219
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• 2018

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine what motivates users to adopt one of the emerging applications for collaborative consumption of sharing economy. Using the self-determination theory, motivation theory and TAM(Technology Acceptance Model) as the theoretical framework, this study illustrates important factors that influence adoption of collaborative consumption service. We develops the ICTs(Information and Communications Technologies) initiatives and motivation model to collaborative consumption. Design/methodology/approach This paper makes use of a quantitative methodology using survey questionnaire that allows for the measurement of the eight constructs(System Availability, Contents Quality, Design & Personalization, Security & Privacy, Emotional & Social Value, Economic Value, Attitude, Adoption & Consumption) contained in the hypothesized theoretical model on the basis of the prior literatures. Data collected from a sample of 227 respondents who have used the collaborative consumption services and provided the foundation for the examination of the proposed relationships in the model. Findings This study has the following implications for the users and providers of CC platforms and services. The ICTs initiatives (System Availability, Contents Quality, Design & Personalization, Security & Privacy) are the influential factors that motivate the emotional and social value to CC. On the other hand, The ICTs initiatives (System Availability, Contents Quality) are not very significant factors of economic value to CC. The empirical analysis result indicate that there are significant causal effect among emotional & social value, economic value, and adoption to CC. This study provides important theoretical implications for innovation adoption research through an empirical examination of the relationship between ICTs initiatives, motivation factors to collaborative consumption in the sharing economy.