• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2010

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explain the effect and reciprocal action among tumor necrosis factor (TNF) like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14), and transforming growth factor-$\beta1$ (TGF-$\beta1$) on degeneration of human intervertebral disc (IVD). Methods: Human intervertebral disc tissues and cells were cultured with Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium/Nutrient F-12 Ham (DMEM/F-12) media in $37^{\circ}C$, 5% $CO_2$ incubator. When IVD tissues were cultured with TWEAK, Fn14 that is an antagonistic receptor for TWEAK and TGF-$\beta1$, the level of sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) was estimated by dimethyl methyleneblue (DMMB) assay and sex determining region Y (SRY)-box 9 (Sox9) and versican messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels were estimated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: When human IVD tissue was cultured for nine days, the sGAG content was elevated in proportion to culture duration. The sGAG was decreased significantly by TWEAK 100 ng/mL, however, Fn14 500 ng/mL did not change the sGAG production of IVD tissue. The Fn14 increased versican and Sox9 mRNA levels decreased with TWEAK in IVD tissue TGF-$\beta1$ 20 ng/mL elevated the sGAG concentration 40% more than control. The sGAG amount decreased with TWEAK was increased with Fn14 or TGF-$\beta1$ but the result was insignificant statistically. TGF-$\beta1$ increased the Sox9 mRNA expression to 180% compared to control group in IVD tissue. Sox9 and versican mRNA levels decreased by TWEAK were increased with TGF-$\beta1$ in primary cultured IVD cells, however, Fn14 did not show increasing effect on Sox9 and versican. Conclusion: This study suggests that TWEAK would act a role in intervertebral disc degeneration through decreasing sGAG and the mRNA level of versican and Sox9.

• Bulletin of the Korean Mathematical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.215-221
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• 2003

There seems to be a love-hate relationship between Brouwer's fixed point theorem and the fundamental theorem of algebra; in this note we offer one more tweak at it, and give a version of Rouches theorem.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.93-101
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• 2013

PURPOSES : This study is to investigate the relationship of socioeconomic characteristics and road network structure with traffic growth patterns. The findings is to be used to tweak traffic forecast provided by traditional four step process using relevant socioeconomic and road network data. METHODS: Comprehensive statistical analysis is used to identify key explanatory variables using historical observations on traffic forecast, actual traffic counts and surrounding environments. Based on statistical results, a multiple regression model is developed to predict the effects of socioeconomic and road network attributes on traffic growth patterns. The validation of the proposed model is also performed using a different set of historical data. RESULTS : The statistical analysis results indicate that several socioeconomic characteristics and road network structure cleary affect the tendency of over- and under-estimation of road traffics. Among them, land use is a key factor which is revealed by a factor that traffic forecast for urban road tends to be under-estimated while rural road traffic prediction is generally over-estimated. The model application suggests that tweaking the traffic forecast using the proposed model can reduce the discrepancies between the predicted and actual traffic counts from 30.4% to 21.9%. CONCLUSIONS : Prediction of road traffic growth patterns based on surrounding socioeconomic and road network attributes can help develop the optimal strategy of road construction plan by enhancing reliability of traffic forecast as well as tendency of traffic growth.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.959-962
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• 2008

We have performed FlexX docking experiments to predict the best docking poses of 5-androst-16-en-3-ol or 5-androst-16-en-3-one to Boar salivary lipocalin (SAL). Since no steroids were found inside of the binding pocket of the X-ray structure of 1GM6, we tried to find docking structures after opening the pocket using the random tweak option implemented in SYBYL. This operation allowed the ligand to enter the pocket. The best poses generated from FlexX were different from the structures reported earlier, which calculated docking poses by manual docking followed by minimization. Analysis of docking poses allowed us to identify pharmacophores. From this information, virtual screening experiments using UNITY were performed. Among six candidates, 3-(3,7-dimethyloct-6-enylamino)propane-1,2-diol (Leadquest code name: 5755) was chosen for further development. Future work will involve synthesis of some derivatives of 5755 and biological experiments if any derivatives can control the biostimulation and improve reproductive efficiency in pigs.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.1-25
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• 2003

The wave of globalisation initiated by marketisation has increasingly penetrated into all sectors across the world, accordingly, the health & hospital service sector could not be made no escapes, and it currently faces the order of more marketised competition more than ever. Traditionally, the characteristic of the hospital services in the UK has considered as a model of social provision by government. However, contrary to our knowledge, the sphere of the hospital service in the UK has already been immersed in by the marketisation, in which the private actors have been embedded in order to tweak the activities of the hospital service with in the European Union. As the methodology of this research, the qualitative analysis, namely the interview with some doctors in Surgery, NHS Trusts staffs and relevant specialists in has been performed on April to May, 2003. And on the other hand, the various documents related to its service have been analysed. Thus, this paper will review the characteristics of the health service sector in the UK. In doing so, it will illuminate what would be the structural factors derived from its existing system, as a result, it will shed light on how the UK government makes an effort to resolve the problematic situation by reviewing the policy direction of Foundation Hospital proposed recently. In the next stage, it will analyse how all elements consist of the hospital management in the UK has been adjusted and be likely to be changed within Europe. More specifically focuses on how the private hospital service has been managed and related with the activities of its public hospital service-NHS Trusts. Also, under the circumstance, what private health insurance companies function will be studied. In conclusion, it will be concluded that what will be the implication of Korean hospital service market so as to correspond to globally open market by WTO. Now the UK health service system has faced a turning point of becoming more health care market internally and externally pressed by global and regional factors. Thus it is meaningful to scrutinize how a key part of social provision in the health care market system tends to adjust to globally marketised regulation.