• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.281-286
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• 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major health burden, and though various treatments through much research are available, difficulties in early diagnosis and drug resistance to chemotherapy-based treatments render several ineffective. Cancer stem cell model has been used to explain formation of heterogeneous cell population within tumor mass, which is one of the underlying causes of high recurrence rate and acquired chemoresistance, highlighting the importance of CSC identification and understanding the molecular mechanisms of CSC drivers. Extracellular CSC-markers such as CD133, CD90 and EpCAM have been used successfully in CSC isolation, but studies have indicated that increasingly complex combinations are required for accurate identification. Pseudogene-derived long non-coding RNAs are useful candidates as intracellular CSC markers - factors that regulate pluripotency and self-renewal - given their cancer-specific expression and versatile regulation across several levels. Here, we present the use of microarray data to identify stemness-associated factors in liver cancer, and selection of sole pseudogene-derived lncRNA ZNF204P for experimental validation. ZNF204P knockdown impairs cell proliferation and migration/invasion. As the cytosolic ZNF204P shares miRNA binding sites with OCT4 and SOX2, well-known drivers of pluripotency and self-renewal, we propose that ZNF204P promotes tumorigenesis through the miRNA-145-5p/OCT4, SOX2 axis.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2015

With the growth of aging population in Korea, a better care of chronic and other degenerative illnesses is urgently needed. Evidences suggest that this can be achieved through incorporating a wide range of care options, expanding beyond medical interventions. The aim of this study is to analyze the distribution of publically funded research to understand if the Korean research and development funding system matches various approaches and purposes to successfully tackle the chronic care needs of an aging society. We complied the list of funded projects to be analyzed by searching the National Technical Information Service database with key words such as aging society/senescence, chronic diseases, disability, and health promotion. Most projects were based on the biomedical approach with the purpose of establishing the etiology and clinical (treatment) interventions. Health promotion projects showed a distinctive distribution with more percentage of projects based on psycho-behavioral approaches while research on chronic diseases predominantly biomedical. It would be necessary to diversify publically-funded research projects to develop effective and efficient care technologies for the future.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.276-282
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• 2007

Protein phosphorylation is one of the major mechanisms by which eukaryotic cells transduce extracellular signals into intracellular responses. Calcium/calmodulin ($Ca^{2+}/CaM$)-dependent protein phosphorylation has been implicated in various cellular processes, yet little is known about $Ca^{2+}/CaM$-dependent protein kinases (CaMKs) in plants. From an Arabidopsis expression library screen using a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated soybean calmodulin isoform (SCaM-1) as a probe, we isolated a full-length cDNA clone that encodes AtCK (Arabidopsis thaliana calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase). The predicted structure of AtCK contains a serine/threonine protein kinase catalytic domain followed by a putative calmodulin-binding domain and a putative $Ca^{2+}$-binding domain. Recombinant AtCK was expressed in E. coli and bound to calmodulin in a $Ca^{2+}$-dependent manner. The ability of CaM to bind to AtCK was confirmed by gel mobility shift and competition assays. AtCK exhibited its highest levels of autophosphorylation in the presence of 3 mM $Mn^{2+}$. The phosphorylation of myelin basic protein (MBP) by AtCK was enhanced when AtCK was under the control of calcium-bound CaM, as previously observed for other $Ca^{2+}/CaM$-dependent protein kinases. In contrast to maize and tobacco CCaMKs (calcium and $Ca^{2+}/CaM$-dependent protein kinase), increasing the concentration of calmodulin to more than $3{\mu}M$ suppressed the phosphorylation activity of AtCK. Taken together our results indicate that AtCK is a novel Arabidopsis $Ca^{2+}/CaM$-dependent protein kinase which is presumably involved in CaM-mediated signaling.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.221-239
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• 2016

This research investigates the current state of beauty related curriculums and departments of undergraduate and graduate programs in Korea. The results also compared beauty related programs at selected overseas universities. A comprehensive list of 4-year universities with beauty related undergraduate and/or graduate programs were surveyed using the KCUE University Entrance Information (http://www.adiga.kr) site provided by the Korean Council for University Education. Information on the name of the department, curriculum, and year of foundation were obtained from the websites of individual universities. There were 58 universities which have beauty related higher education programs; 43 undergraduate programs, 12 graduate programs, and 40 special graduate programs. The number of special graduate departments were 3.7 times larger than the graduate departments; in addition, 43.9% of the special graduate departments were located in the Seoul/Gyeonggi/Incheon area. The curriculums of beauty related 4-year undergraduate departments were focused on the 'Beauty care service' area (50.2%), whereas the curriculums of graduate departments were focused on the 'Cosmetic science' area (40.8%). In case of the special graduate programs, there was little difference between the 'Beauty care service' area (24.4%) and the 'Cosmetic science' area (27.7%). Beauty related programs of overseas universities were mostly focused on cosmetic science with some universities specialized in the marketing aspect.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2014

This article discusses the state of a community forestry program in a protection forest in Indonesia, which has been running for almost two decades. We found that the program did not achieve its objective mainly because of frequent changes in regulations. There are also activities such as: measuring and mapping working area boundaries, drawing up a work plan, planting, maintenance and security, paying royalties to those who harvest forest resources, and submitting annual reports on land use to the district government head, which have not worked as expected. We also found that the major incentives for local people to participate in the program are getting certificates of management and the program's effectiveness in minimizing land-use conflicts. Participants perceived that their major role on the program is to follow farmer-group directives or government rules. To achieve the program's purposes, farmer groups need technical assistance related to protection-forest management and opportunities for financing.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.269-276
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• 2008

Purpose: In this study the effects of Self-Development program on self-esteem and communication in middle school students were examined. Method: Forty-three middle school students in D City participated in a survey, which was carried out from October to November, 2007. To test the effects of the Self-Development Program, the students were divided into two groups, an experimental group (23) and a control group (20). The research design used in this study was a nonequivalent control group pre-posttest quasi-experimental research design. The research tools included a self-esteem scale and a communication scale. Chi-square test, paired t-test, and t-test were used to analyze the data with the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. Result: Significant differences were found in self-esteem scores between the experimental group and the control group. But there were no significant differences between the two groups on communication scores. Conclusion: The results suggest that the Self-Development program is a useful nursing intervention for improving the self-esteem of middle school students.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.55-65
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• 2014

Objectives: This study aims to develop a decent sallimyok program and provide basic data which are helpful in improving psychological wellbeing for adults who are exposed to stress and fatigue. Methods: Middle-aged women living in Cheongju, Chungbuk were divided into experimental and control groups (10 people each) through convenience sampling, and a questionnaire survey on psychological wellbeing was distributed to them and collected. For data analysis, IBM/SPSS 20.0 was used. In terms of statistical analysis, a reliability test (Cronbach's ${\alpha}$) was conducted. To test research questions 1 and 2, independent t-test and paired sample t-test were carried out. Results: First, a sallimyok program features meditation (floor-sitting, slow walk), forest therapy, stretching exercise, wrapping-up and sharing feelings. Second, it was confirmed that a sallimyok program has a positive effect on the improvement of psychological wellbeing and the depression for women. Conclusions: The sallimyok program improved participants' psychological wellbeing, which means that it could reduce their anxiety and stress.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.155-165
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• 2021

Background: This study aimed to assess the course of anxiety and pain during lower third molar (LTMo) surgery and explore the role of mobile and single-channel electroencephalography under clinical and surgical conditions. Methods: The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), and Interval Scale of Anxiety Response (ISAR) were used. The patient self-rated anxiety (PSA), the pain felt during and after surgery, EEG, heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) were assessed. Results: The Attention (ATT) and Meditation (MED) algorithms and indicators evaluated in this study showed several associations. ATT showed interactions and an association with STAI-S, pain during surgery, PSA level, HR, and surgical duration. MED showed an interaction and association with DAS, STAI-S, and pain due to anesthesia. Preclinical anxiety parameters may influence clinical perceptions and biological parameters during LTMo surgeries. High STAI-Trait and PSA scores were associated with postoperative pain, whereas high STAI-State scores were associated with more pain during anesthesia and surgery, as well as DAS, which was also associated with patient interference during surgery due to anxiety. Conclusions: The findings suggest that single-channel EEG is promising for evaluating brain responses associated with systemic reactions related to anxiety, surgical stress, and pain during oral surgery.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.22-29
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• 2015

In this study, an in-house program to predict steady state operation of micro gas turbines is constructed using MATLAB. The program consists of two parts: design and off-design simulations. The program is fully modular in its structure, and performance of each component (compressor, combustor, turbine, recuperative heat exchanger and pipe elements) is calculated in a separate calculation module using mass and energy balances as well as models for off-design characteristics. The off-design modules of compressor and turbine use performance maps, which are program inputs. The off-design operation of a micro gas turbine under development was predicted by the program. The prediction results were compared with those by commercial software, and the validity of the in-house program was confirmed.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.363-368
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• 2021

Despite the synergistic effect of Opisthorchis viverrini and Helicobacter pylori co-infection on pathogenesis of severe hepatobiliary abnormalities (HBA) including advanced periductal fibrosis and replace with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) have been established, the immune response to H. pylori in O. viverrini infected population has never been explored. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the antibody responses to 2 immunogenic H. pylori proteins in O. viverrini-infected patients with HBA and CCA. The risk analysis by multinomial logistic regression revealed that GroEL seropositivity was associated with higher risks of hepatobiliary abnormalities and CCA with adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 2.11 (95% CI=1.20-3.71, P=0.008) and 2.13 (95% CI=1.21-3.75, P=0.009), respectively. These findings indicate that GroEL seropositivity might be a biomarker for early detection of O. viverrini associated HBA and CCA.