• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2022

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by infection with E. multilocularis metacestode, represents one of the most fatal helminthic diseases. AE is principally manifested with infiltrative, proliferating hepatic mass, resembling primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Sometimes metastatic lesions are found in nearby or remote tissue. AE diagnosis largely depends on imaging studies, but atypical findings of imaging features frequently require differential diagnosis from other hepatic lesions. Serological tests may provide further evidence, while obtaining reliable AE materials is not easy. In this study, alternative antigens, specific to AE were identified by analyzing E. granulosus protoscolex proteins. An immunoblot analysis of E. granulosus protoscolex showed that a group of low-molecular-weight proteins in the range from 14 kDa to 16 kDa exhibited a sensitive and specific immune response to AE patient sera. Partial purification and proteomic analysis indicated that this protein group contained myosin, tubulin polymerization promoting protein, fatty-acid binding protein, uncharacterized DM9, heat shock protein 90 cochaperone tebp P-23, and antigen S. When the serological applicability of recombinant forms of these proteins was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, DM9 protein (rEgDM9) showed 90.1% sensitivity (73/81 sera tested) and 94.5% specificity (172/181 sera tested), respectively. rEgDM9 showed weak cross-reactions with patient sera from the transitional and chronic stages of cystic echinococcosis (3 to 5 stages). rEgDM9 would serve as a useful alternative antigen for serodiagnosis of both early- and advanced-stage AE cases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.26 no.4_2
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• pp.705-713
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• 2023

The phenomenon of abnormal climate conditions resulting from greenhouse gas-induced global warming is increasingly prevalent. To address this challenge, global initiatives are underway to adopt environmentally friendly, zero-emission fuels. In this study, we investigate the hydrogen embrittlement characteristics of materials used for eco-friendly hydrogen storage systems. The effects of hydrogen embrittlement on austenitic stainless steels of the FCC series and structural steel of the BCC series were examined. Initially, test samples of three different steel types were prepared in 2t and 3t sizes, and hydrogen was injected into the specimens using an electrochemical method over a 24-hour period. Subsequently, a universal material testing machine (UTM) was employed to monitor changes in mechanical strength and elongation. The FCC series stainless steels exhibited a tendency for elongation to decrease, indicating low sensitivity to hydrogen. In contrast, the mechanical strength and elongation of the BCC series steel changed significantly upon hydrogen charging, posing challenges for prediction. The results of the present study are expected to serve as a fundamental database for analyzing the impact of hydrogen embrittlement on both FCC and BCC series steel materials.

• Journal of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.185-200
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• 2023

The Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS) is the first satellite navigation enhancement system in Korea developed in compliance with international standards. Technologies accumulated during the development process should be spread to industries such as academia and serve as the basis for developing the domestic satellite navigation field. This paper introduces the development process from design to implementation, testing, and verification of KASS control systems (KCS). First, development standards, milestones, requirements, and interface standards are presented as KCS development methods, and major functional design, physical design, and hardware/software implementation are described based on the allocated requirements. Subsequently, the verification environment, procedures, and results of the development product are covered and the developed operational and maintenance procedures are described. In addition, based on the experience gained through the development, suggestions were made for beneficial technology development and organization when promoting satellite navigation projects in the future. Since this work has important historical value for the development of domestic satellite navigation, it is expected that the development results will be shared with academia and industry in the future and be used as basic data for similar development.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.303-303
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to evaluate agronomic characteristics and identify the useful traits to utilize the wheat genetic resources for breeding programs by understanding the phenotypic variation among germplasm through multivariate analysis. In this study, a total of 394 wheat accessions were characterized for 15 agronomic traits using the National Agrobiodiversity Center (NAC) descriptor list, of which 31 accessions from 6 species and 363 unidentified accession (Triticum spp.) available at the NAC, Rural Development Administration (RDA), Korea. Growth characteristics such as leaf width, culm length, spike length, spikelet length, solid stemmed, days to heading, days to maturity, grain-filing period, and also seed characteristics such as width, height, area, perimeter, circle, solidity, and germination percent were studied. Among the 15 agronomic characteristics, the germination percent showed the smallest variation between resources (CV = 0.4%), and the spikelet length (CV = 66.5%) showed the highest variation. A strong positive correlation was found between seed traits such as seed height and seed area (r = 0.90), seed height and seed perimeter (r = 0.87) and seed length and width (r = 0.80). Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted and the first five principal components comprised 76.7% of the total variance. Among the first five PCs, PCI accounted for 28.5% and PC2 for 20.0%. Wheat resources (394) were classified into four clusters based on cluster analysis, consisting of 215 resources(I), 117 resources(II), 48 resources(III), and 14 resources(IV). Among the clusters, the resources belonging to Cluster III showed the lowest seed width, height, area, and perimeter characteristics compared to other clusters. The wheat resources belonging to cluster IV had small seed width and low germination percent, but took longer to form heads and mature than resources in other clusters. These results will serve as the basis for further genetic diversity studies, and important agronomic characteristics will be used for improving wheat, including developing high-yielding and resistant varieties to biotic and abiotic stresses via breeding programs.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.275-282
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• 2015

In the present study, we synthesized a series of novel 7-methoxy-N-(substituted phenyl)benzofuran-2-carboxamide derivatives in moderate to good yields and evaluated their neuroprotective and antioxidant activities using primary cultured rat cortical neuronal cells and in vitro cell-free bioassays. Based on our primary screening data with eighteen synthesized derivatives, nine compounds (1a, 1c, 1f, 1i, 1j, 1l, 1p, 1q and 1r) exhibiting considerable protection against the NMDA-induced excitotoxic neuronal cell damage at the concentration of $100{\mu}M$ were selected for further evaluation. Among the selected derivatives, compound 1f (with $-CH_3$ substitution at R2 position) exhibited the most potent and efficacious neuroprotective action against the NMDA-induced excitotoxicity. Its neuroprotective effect was almost comparable to that of memantine, a well-known NMDA antagonist, at $30{\mu}M$ concentration. In addition to 1f, compound 1j (with -OH substitution at R3 position) also showed marked anti-excitotoxic effects at both 100 and $300{\mu}M$ concentrations. These findings suggest that $-CH_3$ substitution at R2 position and, to a lesser degree, -OH substitution at R3 position may be important for exhibiting neuroprotective action against excitotoxic damage. Compound 1j was also found to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals and inhibit in vitro lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenate in moderate and appreciable degrees. Taken together, our structure-activity relationship studies suggest that the compound with $-CH_3$ substitution at R2 and -OH substitution at R3 positions of the benzofuran moiety might serve as the lead exhibiting potent anti-excitotoxic, ROS scavenging, and antioxidant activities. Further synthesis and evaluation will be necessary to confirm this possibility.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.3
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• pp.368-377
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• 2024

Background: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease that leads to airway inflammation, destruction, and airflow limitation, which reflects its severity. Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a non-invasive method that uses sound waves to estimate lung function and airway resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of IOS in predicting the severity of bronchiectasis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the IOS parameters and clinical characteristics in 145 patients diagnosed with bronchiectasis between March 2020 and May 2021. Disease severity was evaluated using the FACED score, and patients were divided into mild and moderate/severe groups. Results: Forty-four patients (30.3%) were in the moderate/severe group, and 101 (69.7%) were in the mild group. Patients with moderate/severe bronchiectasis had a higher airway resistance at 5 Hz (R5), a higher difference between the resistance at 5 and 20 Hz (R5-R20), a higher resonant frequency (Fres), and a higher area of reactance (AX) than patients with mild bronchiectasis. R5 ≥0.43, resistance at 20 Hz (R20) ≥0.234, R5-R20 ≥28.3, AX ≥1.02, reactance at 5 Hz (X5) ≤-0.238, and Fres ≥20.88 revealed significant univariable relationships with bronchiectasis severity (p<0.05). Among these, only X5 ≤-0.238 exhibited a significant multivariable relationship with bronchiectasis severity (p=0.039). The receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting moderate-to-severe bronchiectasis of FACED score based on IOS parameters exhibited an area under the curve of 0.809. Conclusion: The IOS assessed by the disease severity of FACED score can effectively reflect airway resistance and elasticity in bronchiectasis patients and serve as valuable tools for predicting bronchiectasis severity.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.567-574
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• 2016

This survey was conducted in 2015, following up on theed tthe occurrence of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) nationwide in radish and Chinese cabbage fields of 28 cities in South Korea. A total of 152 samples of Raphanus sativus and 29 samples of Brassica rapa, showing virus-like symptoms, were collected. Among these, 107 B. rapa samples and 9 B. rapa samples were positive for TuMV when analyzed by RT-PCR. The TuMV strains found in the two crops showed 99% homology in nucleotide and amino acid sequences of coat protein to each other. Furthermore, their sequences showed 99% homology to the sequences of TuMV isolates R007 (GenBank: KU140420) and R041 (GenBank: KU140421) that were collected in 2014. These results suggested TuMV isolated from radish and cabbage in 2015 were the same strain as the isolates R007 and R041 collected in 2014. A screening test was conducted using these two isolates to select TuMV-resistant B. rapa lines out of 167 B. rapa breeding lines.and identified eight lines resistant to R007 (Kenshin, 279002, 279012, 279064, 279081, MP, C-21, HKC-004) and nine lines resistant to R041 (C-26, HKC-005, 11Su-4, 11Su-5, 11Su-7, 11Su-8, Tian Jin Lv Qing Ma Ye, CNU_141193, Jing Lv 60). Our prior data indicated 4.24% difference in sequences between the two isolates and these can serve as potential tools to develop B. rapa markers to screen for resistance against TuMV strainsin breeding populations.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.326-337
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• 2016

This study was conducted to identify the relationships between emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and quality of nursing service for hospital nurses, and to serve as a basis for improvement of nursing service and nursing resources management. All data were collected and conducted with the cooperation of the nursing service department in a tertiary general hospital and two general hospitals located in G province. Questionnaires were completed by 195 nurses who consented to participation in the study from 7 to 28 April 2014. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0. A highly positive relationship (r=0.624, p<0.001, r=0.612, p<0.001) was observed between emotional intelligence and quality of nursing service in the superior general hospitals and the general hospitals. Based on this study, quality of nursing service could be improved by a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction in the superior general hospitals and general hospitals (r=0.430, p<0.001). Therefore, it is important to provide a good occupational environment and develop educational programs to enhance the emotional intelligence of nurses, and a positive measure focused on less experienced and young nurses to improve emotional intelligence.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.455-472
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to serve as a basis for mapping out successful strategies to build the professional self-image of nurses through uniform, by examining their satisfaction with uniform and professional self-image by general characteristics, and identifying the correlational relationship between the two factors. The subjects in this study were 205 nurses who served in general departments of two university hospitals in Seoul. The departments where special uniform was required, including ICU, RR, OR and CSR, were excluded. The data were collected from September 15 through 22, 2000. For measurement of uniform satisfaction level, a uniform satisfaction scale was prepared by myself, and Arthur(1990)'s PSCNI translated and modified by Song Kyong Ae and Rho Chun Hee(1996) was employed. The Cronbach a of the uniform satisfaction scale and PSCNI was 0.90 and 0.86 respectively. The collected data were analyzed by SAS, and real number, percentage, average and standard deviation were calculated. Besides, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's r procedures were utilized, and Scheffe test was conducted as a posttest. The findings of this study were as below: 1. The uniform satisfaction of the nurses investigated was scored 2.52 on the basis of 4 points, which was on the medium level. By subarea, symbolicity satisfaction was 2.48, and aesthetic satisfaction was 2.60. The functionability satisfaction was 2.44. So the esthetic satisfaction was greatest. 2. Among general characteristics of the subjects, two factors made a significant difference to their uniform satisfaction : age(F=4.05, P=.0189), and total career(F=4.25, P=.0061). 3. Their professional self-image got 2.75 on the basis of 4 points, which was on upper middle level. The subarea score was 2.79 for professional work, 2.52 for satisfaction and 2.97 for communication. The communication area was rated highest, and the satisfaction area was scored lowest. 4. Among the general characteristics of the subjects, professional self-image was different according to five factors : age(F=17.83, P=.001), marital status(T=5.18, P=.0000), educational background(F=8.72, P=.0002), position(T=-5.29, P=.0000) and total career(F=15.23, p=.0001). Better professional self-image was possessed by the older group than the younger one, by the married group than the singles, by the better-educated group than the less-educated, by the nurses in position equal to or higher than charge nurse, or by the higher-career group. 5. The correlational relationship of uniform satisfaction to professional self-image was statistically significant, yet very weak(r=.1978, p=.0045). The satisfaction area of professional self-image was correlated to every uniform satisfaction area, including symbolicity(4=.4393, p=.0001), aesthetics(r=.2471, p=.0004), functionability(r=.3094, p=.0001) and total satisfaction(r=.4050, p=.0001). Therefore, the uniform satisfaction gave an impact on the satisfaction area of professional self-image of the nurses, and there was a significant correlational relationship between uniform symbolicity area and total professional self-image(r=.2416, p=.0005).

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.417-425
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• 2019

Biocontrol agents (BCAs) are widely used to protect plants from diverse biotic and abiotic stresses in agricultural and ecological fields. Among the various microbes, many subspecies of the gram-positive genus, Bacillus, have been successfully industrialized as eco-friendly biological pesticides and fertilizers. In the current study, we demonstrated that Bacillus thuringiensis C25 exhibited antagonistic effects on the mycelial growth of Rosellinia necatrix, a fungal phytopathogen. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that B. thuringiensis C25 degraded the cell wall structures of R. necatrix mycelia. In the functional genomic analysis of B. thuringiensis C25, we annotated 5,683 genes and selected the gene sets that potentially encoded fungal cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs). The growth inhibition effects on R. necatrix were highly correlated with the transcriptional activity of the mycelial cell wall degrading genes of B. thuringiensis C25. The transcript levels of CWDEs, including CshiA, B, and Glycos_transf_2 genes in B. thuringiensis C25, were enhanced following co-cultivation with R. necatrix. In conclusion, our study suggested that B. thuringiensis C25 could serve as a suitable candidate for controlling R. necatrix and could facilitate elucidating the mechanisms underlying the antifungal activities of BCAs against phytopathogens.