• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.317-324
• /
• 2000

Candida albicans is one of the most frequently isolated fungal pathogens in human. Recently, the prevalence of candida infection has markedly increased, partially due to the increase of immunocompromised hosts. Proposed virulence factors of the pathogenic Candida are the ability to form hyphae to adhere to epithelial cell surfaces, and to secrete acid proteinases and phospholipases. We measured the relative cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and the ability of proteinase production (PROT), phospholipase production (PLase), adherence to host epithelium (ADH), and hyphal transition (Germ). The relative risk of virulence factors was analyzed by lethality test in murine model of hematogeneously disseminated candidal infection. According to Cox's proportional hazard analysis, the statistically significant virulence factors were PROT, ADH, and CSH. PROT was the highest risk factor of them. To evaluate the applicability for the diagnosis and treatment of Candidiasis, we examined the protective effect of the active and passive immunizations with the materials purified from virulence factors and antibodies to them in Candia-infected mice model. The mean survival times of active and passive immunized groups were slightly longer than those of non-immunized groups.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.147-157
• /
• 2017

In recent years, Super-pixels have become very popular for use in computer vision applications. Super-pixel algorithm transforms pixels into perceptually feasible regions to reduce stiff features of grid pixel. In particular, super-pixels are useful to depth estimation, skeleton works, body labeling, and feature localization, etc. But, it is not easy to generate a good super-pixel partition for doing these tasks. Especially, super-pixels do not satisfy more meaningful features in view of the gestalt aspects such as non-sum, continuation, closure, perceptual constancy. In this paper, we suggest an advanced algorithm which combines simple linear iterative clustering with fuzzy clustering concepts. Simple linear iterative clustering technique has high adherence to image boundaries, speed, memory efficient than conventional methods. But, it does not suggest good compact and regular property to the super-pixel shapes in context of gestalt aspects. Fuzzy similarity measures provide a reasonable graph in view of bounded size and few neighbors. Thus, more compact and regular pixels are obtained, and can extract locally relevant features. Simulation shows that fuzzy similarity based super-pixel building represents natural features as the manner in which humans decompose images.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.375-384
• /
• 2021

This study explored the change in keywords and topics in newspaper articles related to schizophrenia after the Gangnam murder case. The study examined newspaper articles related to schizophrenia for five years before and after the Gangnam murder case. A semantic network analysis was conducted using the NetMiner 4.4.1 program. 610 articles between 2013 and 2018 were retrieved from 8 national newsletters. The most frequent core keyword was 'treatment' before the murder case, but 'incidents' after the case. Four topics were identified: 'becoming chronic if missing the time of treatment due to prejudice', 'being curable with early treatment', 'living an ordinary life with medication', 'being indicted as a murderer while impaired by a mental disorder' before the murder case. After the case, four topics were identified: 'committing murder for delusions, not misogyny', 'medication non-adherence leads to more impulsive behavior', 'claiming leniency for criminals due to the mental impairment', 'killing the police who were mobilized to stop stabbing rampage'. These findings suggest that newspaper articles should provide accurate information about schizophrenia to reduce prejudice and stigma toward patients with schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.113 no.2
• /
• pp.153-163
• /
• 2024

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant shift in the lifestyle patterns of the populace across various domains. Concerns surrounding COVID-19 have emerged as pivotal catalysts of change in recreational habits with people giving a particular preference for environments with low population density and increased openness. This trend has resulted in an uptick in excursions to natural reserves, coastlines, and parks. However, during the peak of infectious outbreaks, widespread adherence to social distancing measures has precipitated a steep decline in tourist footfall across natural recreation forests, exacerbating financial deficits to a considerable extent. Thus, this research sought to compare and analyze the operational efficacy and productivity of national, public, and private natural recreation forests pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing non-parametric methodologies, such as data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist productivity index analysis. The objective was to identify the factors contributing to the decreases in efficiency and productivity and ultimately offer nuanced recommendations tailored to respective administrative bodies. This study's distinctive focus on the analysis of management efficiency and productivity in natural recreation forests nationwide offers significant academic and practical relevance.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.87-96
• /
• 2015

Geosynthetics are widely used in different ways such as reinforcement of structures in road, railway, harbor and dam engineering, drainage, separation and erosion prevention. They are especially applied to reinforced retaining wall and slope or ground reinforcement. Recently, geosynthetics reinforced pile supported (GRPS) embankment was developed to improve stability and construability of embankments in railway engineering. Extension strains are usually measured by strain gauges adhered to geosynthetics to evaluate the stability of geosynthetics. However, the measurements are influenced by manufacturing method and stiffness of geosynthetics and also adherence of strain gauge. In this study, wide-width tensile strength tests were performed on three types of geosynthetics including geogrid, woven geotextile and non-woven geotextile. During the test, strains of geosynthetics were measured by both video extensometer and strain gauges adhered to the geosynthetics and the measured results were compared. Results show that the measured results by strain gauges have high reliability in case of large stiffness geosythetics like geogrid and woven geotextile, whereas they have very low reliability for small stiffness geosythetics like non-woven geotextile.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.10 no.8
• /
• pp.77-86
• /
• 2020

The study aims to analyze the compliance and non-compliance of the Korean health authorities regarding WHO's mask use recommendations following the spread of Covid-19, and to suggest the limitations and implications of the recommendations in the prevention of epidemics by deriving the causes of non-compliance with the results of alternative options. To this end, documents related to masks at home and abroad are reviewed, and WHO's mask recommendations and the Korean health authorities' mask guidelines are targeted for analysis. The analysis results are as follows. First, Korea's health authorities have basically accepted and applied WHO's "limited mask user perspective" in two recommendations. Second, Korea's health authorities have implemented differently from WHO mask recommendations due to the lack of supply and demand of masks. Third, Korea's health authorities were able to succeed in the initial prevention of Corona 19 based on the stabilization of the mask supply. Fourth, in the WHO mask recommendations, mask user restriction resulted in partial errors as a recommendation. The implication derived from the analysis is that even international recommendations based on medical evidence need to be allowed to follow autonomous guidelines according to the country's quarantine situation and competence, rather than strict adherence to international rules, in the infectious disease pandemic situation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.230-239
• /
• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the dietary patterns (DPs) of women during pregnancy. The present study aimed to identify the DPs of pregnant Malaysian women and their associations with socio-demographic, obstetric, and anthropometric characteristics. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 737 participants enrolled in Seremban Cohort Study between 2013 and 2015. Food consumption was assessed using a validated 126-food item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) at four time-points, namely, pre-pregnancy and at each trimester (first, second, and third). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify DPs. RESULTS: Three DPs were identified at each time point and designated DP 1-3 (pre-pregnancy), DP 4-6 (first trimester), DP 7-9 (second trimester) and DP 10-12 (third trimester). DP 1, 4, and 7 appeared to be more prudent diets, characterized by higher intakes of nuts, seeds & legumes, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, eggs, fruits, and milk & dairy products. DP 2, 5, 8, and 11 had greater loadings of condiments & spices, sugar, spreads & creamer, though DP 2 had additional sweet foods, DP 5 and 8 had additional oils & fats, and DP 11 had additional tea & coffee, respectively. DP 3 and 6 were characterized by high protein (poultry, meat, processed, dairy, eggs, and fish), sugars (mainly as beverages and sweet foods), and energy (bread, cereal & cereal products, rice, noodles & pasta) intakes. DP 9 had additional fruits. However, DP 12 had greater loadings of energy foods (bread, cereal & cereal products, rice, noodles & pasta), sugars (mainly as beverages, and sweet foods), and good protein sources (eggs, nuts, seeds & legumes). Malays were more likely to have lower adherence (LA) for DP 1 and 10 than non-Malays. DP 2, 8, and 11 were more prevalent among Malays than non-Malays. Women with a higher education were more likely to have LA for DP 10, and women with a greater waist circumference at first prenatal visit were more likely to show LA for DP 11. CONCLUSIONS: DPs observed in the present study were substantially different from those reported in Western populations. Information concerning associations between ethnicity, waist circumference and education with specific DPs before and throughout pregnancy could facilitate efforts to promote healthy dietary behavior and the overall health and well-being of pregnant women.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2000.04a
• /
• pp.89-91
• /
• 2000

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are highly carcinogenic chemicals and common groundwater contaminants that are observed to persist in soils. The adherence and slow release of PAHs in soil is an obstacle to remediation and complicates the assessment of cleanup standards and risks. Biological degradation of PAHs in soil has been an area of active research because biological treatment may be less costly than conventional pumping technologies or excavation and thermal treatment. Biological degradation also offers the advantage to transform PAHs into non-toxic products such as biomass and carbon dioxide. Ample evidence exists for aerobic biodegradation of PAHs and many bacteria capable of degrading PAHs have been isolated and characterized. However, the microbial degradation of PAHs in sediments is impaired due to the anaerobic conditions that result from the typically high oxygen demand of the organic material present in the soil, the low solubility of oxygen in water, and the slow mass transfer of oxygen from overlying water to the soil environment. For these reasons, anaerobic microbial degradation technologies could help alleviate sediment PAH contamination and offer significant advantages for cost-efficient in-situ treatment. But very little is known about the potential for anaerobic degradation of PAHs in field soils. The objectives of this research were to assess: (1) the potential for biodegradation of PAH in field aged soils under denitrification conditions, (2) to assess the potential for biodegradation of naphthalene in soil microcosms under denitrifying conditions, and (3) to assess for the existence of microorganisms in field sediments capable of degrading naphthalene via denitrification. Two kinds of soils were used in this research: Harbor Point sediment (HPS-2) and Milwaukee Harbor sediment (MHS). Results presented in this seminar indicate possible degradation of PAHs in soil under denitrifying conditions. During the two months of anaerobic degradation, total PAH removal was modest probably due to both the low availability of the PAHs and competition with other more easily degradable sources of carbon in the sediments. For both Harbor Point sediment (HPS-2) and Milwaukee Harbor sediment (MHS), PAH reduction was confined to 3- and 4-ring PAHs. Comparing PAH reductions during two months of aerobic and anaerobic biotreatment of MHS, it was found that extent of PAHreduction for anaerobic treatment was compatible with that for aerobic treatment. Interestingly, removal of PAHs from sediment particle classes (by size and density) followed similar trends for aerobic and anaerobic treatment of MHS. The majority of the PAHs removed during biotreatment came from the clay/silt fraction. In an earlier study it was shown that PAHs associated with the clay/silt fraction in MHS were more available than PAHs associated with coal-derived fraction. Therefore, although total PAH reductions were small, the removal of PAHs from the more easily available sediment fraction (clay/silt) may result in a significant environmental benefit owing to a reduction in total PAH bioavailability. By using naphthalene as a model PAH compound, biodegradation of naphthalene under denitrifying condition was assessed in microcosms containing MHS. Naphthalene spiked into MHS was degraded below detection limit within 20 days with the accompanying reduction of nitrate. With repeated addition of naphthalene and nitrate, naphthalene degradation under nitrate reducing conditions was stable over one month. Nitrite, one of the intermediates of denitrification was detected during the incubation. Also the denitrification activity of the enrichment culture from MHS slurries was verified by monitoring the production of nitrogen gas in solid fluorescence denitrification medium. Microorganisms capable of degrading naphthalene via denitrification were isolated from this enrichment culture.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.98-113
• /
• 1995

The purpose of this study were two fold : first, to determine the effect of aerobic exercise on BP, pulse rate, body fat, body weight, symptoms of sterss response: and secondly, to apply the aerobic exercise on nursing practice in the healthy or ill subjects. In an attempt to investigate the physiological and psychological effect of exercise, a quasi -experiment, non-equivalent control group pre-test & post-test design was planned. Experiments were carried out from July 4, through August 30, 1994 with 37 subjects conveniently sampled from K & Y sports center located in Taejon. The 37 research subjects were assigned to experimental(16 subjects) and control(21 subjects) groups. Aerobic exercise was carried out for experimental group from three times to five times a week for 6 weeks in aerobic center. Data were analyzed with t-test, mean, per centage of change using SAS program. Results were obtained as follows: 1) Systolic blood pressure (M=123.75mmHg, % of change=1.12%) and diastolic blood pressure (M=74.38mmHg, % of change=5.79%) was increased on that of experimental group after 6 weeks experiment. But there was no significant difference between experimental group and control group. 2) Body weight was decreased on that of experimental group(M=56.54Kg, % of change=-1.60%) and that of control group(M=52.05, % of change=-0.99%) after 6 weeks. But there was no significant difference between experimental group and control group. 3) Body fat was decreased on that of experimental group(M=30.53%, % of change=-3.60%) and that of control group (M=28.75%, % of change=-3.52%) after 6 weeks. There was no significant difference between experimental group and control group. 4) Pulse rate was decreased on that of experimental group(M=69.19회/min, % of change -8.43%) and that of control group(M=76.0회/min, % change -0.07%) after 6weeks. There was significant difference(t=-2.621, P<0.05) between experimental group and control group. 5) Symptoms of stress response were decreased on that of experimental group(M=0.97) and that of control group(M=1.15) after 6 weeks. There was no significant difference between experimental group and control group. Therefore, adherence to aerobic exercise for 6 week seem to be affected mainly pulse rate of subjects. A futher study is necessary to determine the difference in the effect of variety exercise, programs, to study over 6 weeks, to produce professional educational program for exercise speciality nurses.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.542-549
• /
• 2018

In this study BGn-incorporated non-fluoride release of pit and fissure sealant $Concise^{TM}$ was developed to improve the mechanical properties and promote antibacterial effect of fit and fissure sealant with the original material. The mechanical properties and antibacterial activity of BGn incorporating vary-ing amounts bioactive glass nano particles(BGn) (0,0.5,1.0 and 2.0 wt% in sealant) were characterized composition of the resulting were investigated. The solubility to aid absorption was calculated by weighing specimens with a diameter of 10 mm and a thickness of 2 mm according to ISO 4049 (2009). The antimicrobial effect was evaluated using three strains of S. mutans, S. aureus and E. coli. The absorbance of the test results was as high as the addition of BGn increased, and the lower the solubility as the solubility was added(p<0.05). Adhesion experiment results S. mutans in contrast to the control group $Concise^{TM}$, BGn-added experimental group showed a somewhat lower adherent surface but no statistically significant difference was observed (p<0.05). However S. aureus and E. coli statistical analysis indicated a significant difference for antibacterial agents between control and BGn containing(p<0.05). It seems that this BGn proved that even a antibacterial effect was demonstrated. Therefore, it was suggest that the additional effects of BGn and research on a wide range of substances.