• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.174-183
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• 2023

Educational evaluation involves data collection and the analysis of various education-related factors to make decisions that improve educational quality. Systematic educational evaluation is essential for enhancing the quality of education. This study reports a case of student-conducted process evaluation of a medical school's student support system and the procedure for devising improvement plans. Sixteen Inje University College of Medicine students participated in the Education Evaluation Committee (IUCM-EEC) to understand the educational improvement process as learners and actively achieve improvement. The Quality Improvement Committee of the Inje University College of Medicine (IUCM-QIC) decided to reform its student support system based on a previous educational evaluation in 2019. The evaluation of the student support system was conducted for 10 months in 2021 by the student subcommittee, under the guidance of the IUCM-EEC. The CIPP (context-input-process-product) evaluation model was used for a systematic evaluation. Accordingly, the subcommittee developed evaluation criteria and indicators, and analyzed relevant data collected from surveys and the previous literature. For further recommendations and revision ideas, the student subcommittee members interviewed faculty members from six other medical schools and also conducted a focus group interview with the dean and vice deans of IUCM. Finally, the student subcommittee submitted a report to the IUCM-QIC. Communication with various stakeholders is essential for a successful evaluation process. In this case, students, as key stakeholders in education, evaluated the student support system. Their active participation helped improve their understanding of the evaluation process.

• The Journal of Bigdata
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.235-244
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• 2022

The rental history data of public bicycles in Seoul were analyzed to examine how pandemic phenomena such as COVID-19 caused changes in people's micro mobility. Data for 2019 and 2021 were compared and analyzed by dividing them before and after COVID-19. Data were collected from public data portal sites, and data marts were created for in-depth analysis. In order to compare the changes in the two periods, the riding direction type dimension and the rental station type dimension were added, and the derived variables (rotation rate per unit, riding speed) were newly created. There is no significant difference in the average rental time before and after COVID-19, but the average rental distance and average usage speed decreased. Even in the mobility of Ttareungi, you can see the slow rhythm of daily life. On weekdays, the usage rate was the highest during commuting hours even before COVID-19, but it increased rapidly after COVID-19. It can be interpreted that people who are concerned about infection prefer Ttareungi to village buses as a means of micro-mobility. The results of data mart-based visualization and analysis proposed in this study will be able to provide insight into public bicycle operation and policy development. In future studies, it is necessary to combine SNS data such as Twitter and Instagram with public bicycle rental history data. It is expected that the value of related research can be improved by examining the behavior of bike users in various places.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.316-325
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• 2008

An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrument equipped with flow injection-hydride generation system was used for the determination of trace arsenic in seawater sample. The accuracy in this method was verified by the analysis of certified reference materials (CRM) of seawater (CASS-4, NASS-5). The analytical results agreed with certified value within the range of uncertainty. The expanded uncertainties for CASS-4 and NASS-5 in this experiment were ranged from 6.2% to 6.8% obtained from repeated analyses of the CRMs (n=5). The detection limit of $As^+$ (m/z=74.9216) in this method was confirmed about 0.01 ug/kg. Linearity obtained from calibration curve of arsenic was excellent ($R^2=1$). The detection at $As^+$ (m/z=74.9216) and $AsO^+$ (m/z=90.9165) by using oxygen reaction gas in DRC mode was compared. Sensitivity at $AsO^+$ (m/z=90.9165) was decreased about 25-fold, but the analytical results are the same that at $As^+$ (m/z=74.9216).

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.1D
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• pp.107-117
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• 2008

Private financing is playing an increasing role in public infrastructure construction projects worldwide. However, private investors/operators are exposed to the financial risk of low profitability due to the inaccurate estimation of facility demand, operation income, maintenance costs, etc. From the operator's perspective, a sound and thorough financial feasibility study is required to establish the appropriate capital structure of a project. Operators tend to reduce the equity amount to minimize the level of risk exposure, while creditors persist to raise it, in an attempt to secure a sufficient level of financial involvement from the operators. Therefore, it is important for creditors and operators to reach an agreement for a balanced capital structure that synthetically considers both profitability and repayment capacity. This paper presents an optimal capital structure model for successful private infrastructure investment. This model finds the optimized point where the profitability is balanced with the repayment capacity, with the use of the concept of utility function and multi-objective GA (Generic Algorithm)-based optimization. A case study is presented to show the validity of the model and its verification. The research conclusions provide a proper capital structure for privately-financed infrastructure projects through a proposed multi-objective model.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.1213-1227
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• 2023

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a prevalent obstetric condition. This study aimed to investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in regulating the inflammatory response and gut microbiota structure in FGR. An FGR animal model was established in rats, and ODN1668 and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were administered. Changes in gut microbiota structure were assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was conducted. HTR-8/Svneo cells were treated with ODN1668 and HCQ to evaluate cell growth. Histopathological analysis was performed, and relative factor levels were measured. The results showed that FGR rats exhibited elevated levels of TLR9 and myeloid differentiating primary response gene 88 (MyD88). In vitro experiments demonstrated that TLR9 inhibited trophoblast cell proliferation and invasion. TLR9 upregulated lipopolysaccharide (LPS), LPS-binding protein (LBP), interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α while downregulating IL-10. TLR9 activated the TARF3-TBK1-IRF3 signaling pathway. In vivo experiments showed HCQ reduced inflammation in FGR rats, and the relative cytokine expression followed a similar trend to that observed in vitro. TLR9 stimulated neutrophil activation. HCQ in FGR rats resulted in changes in the abundance of Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group at the family level and the abundance of Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group and Bacteroides at the genus level. TLR9 and associated inflammatory factors were correlated with Bacteroides, Prevotella, Streptococcus, and Prevotellaceae_Ga6A1_group. FMT from FGR rats interfered with the therapeutic effects of HCQ. In conclusion, our findings suggest that TLR9 regulates the inflammatory response and gut microbiota structure in FGR, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of FGR and suggesting potential therapeutic interventions.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.336-340
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• 2023

A dog (2-year old, female, Shih-Tzu) presented with hyperthermia and right-sided facial paralysis characterized by the inability to close the right eye and drooling from the right side of the mouth after H3N2 influenza vaccination [A/Canine/Korea/01/07(H3N2) strain; Caniflu-Max, Bionote, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, ROK]. To determine the cause of the fever and neurological symptoms, physical examination, ophthalmic examination, thoracic and abdominal radiography, abdominal ultrasonography, complete blood counts, serum chemistry values, and electrolyte levels were determined. In addition, Cerebrospinal fluid analysis, antinuclear antibody test, fever of unknown origin polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel, tick-borne pathogen PCR panel were performed. As a result, hyperthermia, leukocytosis, and elevated C-reactive protein were confirmed. In addition, neurological examination revealed decreased right eyelid reflexes, corneal reflexes, threat response, and facial sensation, it was possible to suspect problems with the trigeminal and facial nerves of the cranial nerve. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion suggestive of myositis in the right muscular lesion at atlanto-occipital junction level on site of vaccine injection. Therefore, right-sided facial paralysis was tentatively determined to be a secondary cause of nerve damage caused by myositis. The patient was treated with immunosuppressants such as prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil. After 3 months of immunosuppressant therapy, the patient's symptoms improved.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.100-104
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• 2023

Van der Waals heterostructures have garnered significant attention in recent research due to their excellent electronic characteristics arising from the absence of dangling bonds and the exclusive reliance on Van der Waals forces for interlayer coupling. However, most studies have been confined to fundamental research employing the Scotch tape (mechanical exfoliation) method. We fabricated Van der Waals vertical heterojunction transistors to advance this field using materials exclusively grown via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). CVDgrown graphene was patterned through photolithography to serve as electrodes, while CVD-grown MoSe₂ was employed as the pickup/transfer material, resulting in the realization of Van der Waals heterojunction transistors with interlayer charge transfer effects. The electrical characteristics of the fabricated devices were thoroughly examined. Additionally, we observed variations in the transistor's performance based on the presence of defects in MoSe₂ layer.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.19-32
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Atherosclerosis is associated with increased inflammation in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Vitamin D has been reported to modulate the inflammatory responses of stromal vascular cells (SVCs) and adipocytes in adipose tissue, but the role of vitamin D in atherosclerosis biology is unclear. This study examined the effects of in vitro 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (1,25[OH]₂D₃) treatment on the inflammatory responses of SVCs and adipocytes from atherosclerotic mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: C57BL/6J (B6) mice were divided randomly into 2 groups and fed a 10% kcal fat control diet (control group, CON) or 41% kcal fat, 0.21% cholesterol (high fat + cholesterol, HFC) diet (obese group, OB), and B6.129S7-Ldlr^tm1Her/J (Ldlr^-/-) mice were fed a HFC diet (obese with atherosclerosis group, OBA) for 16 weeks. SVCs and adipocytes isolated from VAT were pre-incubated with 1,25(OH)₂D₃ for 24 h and stimulated with lipopolysaccarides for the next 24 h. Proinflammatory cytokine production by adipocytes and SVCs, the immune cell population in SVCs, and the expression of the genes involved in the inflammatory signaling pathway in SVCs were determined. RESULTS: The numbers of total macrophages and SVCs per mouse were higher in OB and OBA groups than the CON group. The in vitro 1,25(OH)₂D₃ treatment significantly reduced macrophages/SVCs (%) in the OBA group. Consistent with this change, the production of interleukin-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) by SVCs from the OBA group was decreased by 1,25(OH)₂D₃ treatment. The 1,25(OH)₂D₃ treatment significantly reduced the toll-like receptor 4 and dual-specificity protein phosphatase 1 (also known as mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1) mRNA levels in SVCs and MCP-1 production by adipocytes from all 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that vitamin D can attribute to the inhibition of the inflammatory response in VAT from atherosclerotic mice by reducing proinflammatory cytokine production.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.501-512
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• 2024

Background/Aims: Optimal risk stratification based on simplified geriatric assessment to predict treatment-related toxicity and survival needs to be clarified in older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods: This multicenter prospective cohort study enrolled newly diagnosed patients with DLBCL (≥ 65 yr) between September 2015 and April 2018. A simplified geriatric assessment was performed at baseline using Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL (IADL), and Charlson's Comorbidity Index (CCI). The primary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS). Results: The study included 249 patients, the median age was 74 years (range, 65-88), and 125 (50.2%) were female. In multivariable Cox analysis, ADL, IADL, CCI, and age were independent factors for EFS; an integrated geriatric score was derived and the patients stratified into three geriatric categories: fit (n = 162, 65.1%), intermediate-fit (n = 25, 10.0%), and frail (n = 62, 24.9%). The established geriatric model was significantly associated with EFS (fit vs. intermediate-fit, HR 2.61, p < 0.001; fit vs. frail, HR 4.61, p < 0.001) and outperformed each covariate alone or in combination. In 87 intermediate-fit or frail patients, the relative doxorubicin dose intensity (RDDI) ≥ 62.4% was significantly associated with worse EFS (HR, 2.15, 95% CI 1.30-3.53, p = 0.002). It was related with a higher incidence of grade ≥ 3 symptomatic non-hematologic toxicities (63.2% vs. 27.8%, p < 0.001) and earlier treatment discontinuation (34.5% vs. 8.0%, p < 0.001) in patients with RDDI ≥ 62.4% than in those with RDDI < 62.4%. Conclusions: This model integrating simplified geriatric assessment can risk-stratify older patients with DLBCL and identify those who are highly vulnerable to standard dose-intensity chemoimmunotherapy.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.657-666
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• 2007

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary addition of caprylic acid(CA)-cyclodextrin (CD) complex on in vitro fermentation characteristics, total gas and methane production. Experiment was done with six treatment groups; 1) no CA-CD complex(control), 2) CA 20 mg(T1), 3) CD 830 mg(T2), 4) CA-CD complex 425 mg(T3), CA-CD complex 850mg(T4), CA-CD complex 1,700 mg(T5). Ruminal pH, ammonia and total VFA concentrations of T2, T3, T4 and T5 were lower(P<0.05) than those of control and T1 for the 12h incubation. The increase in molar percentage of propionate was observed in T4 and T5 compared with control and T2 for the 8h incubation(P<0.05), however, the ratio of acetate to propionate was unchanged in all treatments. Total gas of T1 was lower than that of control, but T2, T3, T4 and T5 were higher compared with control for 12h incubation(P<0.05). If the methane ratio (as %) to total gas for all treatments was compared, T3, T4 and T5(CA-CD supplemented groups) averaged 2.7% whereas control, T1 and T2 showed 3.4, 2.8 and 5.1%, respectively. Therefore, according to these results, it might be concluded that supplementation of CA-CD complex could reduce methane production without disrupting ruminal fermentation.