• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2020

Objective: To investigate the effects of training using a trunk control robot (TCR) system combined with conventional therapy (CT) on balance and gait abilities in persons with chronic stroke. Design: Two-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: Thirty-five subjects with chronic stroke were randomly assigned to either the TCR group (n=17) or the trunk extension-training (TET) group (n=18). Both groups performed CT for 30 minutes, after which the TCR group performed TCR training and the TET group performed trunk extension training for 20 minutes. Both groups performed the therapeutic interventions 3 days per week for 6 weeks. Balance ability was evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test. Gait ability was measured using the 10 m Walk Test (10MWT) and the NeuroCom Smart Balance Master. Results: TCR group showed significant improvements in static balance (weight bearing) and dynamic balance (weight shifting speed, weight shifting direction, BBS, and TUG), 10MWT, gait speed, and step width (p<0.05); step length was not significant. The TET group showed a significant partial improvement of dynamic balance (weight shifting speed, weight shifting direction, BBS, and 10MWT (p<0.05), but the improvements in static balance, TUG, gait speed, and step width and step length was not significant. Additionally, significant differences in static balance, dynamic balance (weight shifting speed, weight shifting direction, BBS, and TUG), 10MWT, gait speed, and step width were detected between groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: TCR training combined with CT is effective in improving static and dynamic balance, as well as gait abilities in persons with chronic stroke.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.89-96
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• 2020

This study explores the characteristics and ways to improve the area of science education in secondary teacher employment test (hereafter, TET). We investigated ways to differentiate second-phase science education tests from those of the first phase in the TET, and ways to improve practical tests such as designing instructional plans, teaching demonstrations, in-depth interviews, and science experiment tests. Major findings of the study include increasing the proportion of teaching demonstration while maintaining the test of designing instructional plans, which have a different focus from the paper-based exam in the first phase of the TET. Teaching demonstration tests, applying the credit of student-teaching to the TET, assessing teaching expertise in real classroom contexts focusing on subject teaching expertise, etc. along with science experiment tests, making the science experiment test compulsory for all municipal offices of education, and the necessity of evaluating the experimental design and teaching of scientific inquiry. Based on these results, developing and implementing tests such as teaching demonstrations, in-depth interviews, etc. at the local municipal education offices, introducing the apprentice teacher system, and introducing graduate schools of education were suggested.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2016

Objective: The number of assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics, ART cycles, clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), and number of newborns conceived using ART have steadily increased in South Korea. This aim of this study was to describe the status of ART in South Korea between January 1 and December 31, 2011. Methods: A localized online survey was created and sent to all available ART centers via email in 2015. Fresh embryo transfer (FET) cases were categorized depending on whether standard in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), or half-ICSI procedures were used. Thawed embryo transfer (TET) and other related procedures were surveyed. Results: Data from 36,990 ART procedures were provided by 74 clinics. Of the 30,410 cycles in which oocytes were retrieved, a complete transfer was performed in 91.0% (n=27,683). In addition, 9,197 cycles were confirmed to be clinical pregnancies in the FET cycles, representing a pregnancy rate of 30.2% per oocyte pick-up and 33.2% per ET. The most common number of embryos transferred in the FET procedures was three (38.1%), followed by two (34.7%) and one (14.3%). Of the 8,826 TET cycles, 3,137 clinical pregnancies (31.1%) were confirmed by ultrasonography. Conclusion: While the overall clinical pregnancy rate for the TET cycles performed was lower than the rate reported in 2010 (31.1% vs. 35.4%), the overall CPR for the FET cycles was higher than in 2010 (33.2% in 2011 and 32.9% in 2010). The most common number of embryos transferred in FET cycles was three, as was the case in 2010.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1042-1052
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• 2010

Forty-seven Salmonella Typhimurium (33 zoonotic, 14 clinical) strains were tested for antimicrobial resistance using the standard disk diffusion method. The presence of relevant resistance genes and class 1 integrons were investigated by using PCR. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and plasmid profiling were carried out to determine the genomic diversity of Salmonella Typhimurium. Approximately 57.4% of the S. Typhimurium strains were multidrug resistant (MDR) and showed high resistance rates to tetracycline (70.2%), sulfonamides (57.4%), streptomycin (53.1%), ampicillin (29.7%), nalidixic acid (27.6%), kanamycin (23.4%), chloramphenicol (21.2%), and trimethoprim (19.1%). Resistance towards cephalosporins was noted for cephalothin (27.6%), cephradine (21.2%), amoxicillin clavulanic acid (17.0%), and cephalexin (17.0%). Resistance genes, $bla_{TEM}$, strA, aadA, sul1, sul2, tetA, tetB, and tetC, were detected among the drug-resistant strains. Thirtythree strains (70.2%) carried class 1 integrons, which were grouped in 9 different profiles. DNA sequencing identified sat, aadA, pse-1, and dfrA genes in variable regions on class 1 integrons. Thirty-five strains (74.4%) were subtyped to 22 different plasmid profiles, each with 1-6 plasmids (2.0 to 95 kb). PFGE subtyped the 47 strains into 39 profiles. In conclusion, high rates of multidrug resistance were found among the Malaysian Salmonella Typhimurium strains. The emergence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium to cephalosporin antibiotics was also observed. The strains were very diverse and no persistent clone was observed. The emergence of MDR Salmonella Typhimurium is a worldwide problem, and this report provides information for the better understanding of the prevalence and epidemiology of MDR S. Typhimurium in Malaysia.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.298-305
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• 2011

Most intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially superoxide anion ($O_2^{{\bullet}_-}$) that is converted from oxygen, are overproduced by excessive electron leakage from the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Intracellular oxidative stress that damages cellular components can contribute to lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and arteriosclerosis, and age-related diseases such as cancer and neuronal degenerative diseases. We have previously demonstrated that the excessive mitochondrial $O_2^{{\bullet}_-}$ production caused by SDHC mutations (G71E in C. elegans, I71E in Drosophila and V69E in mouse) results in premature death in C. elegans and Drosophila, cancer in mouse embryonic fibroblast cells and infertility in transgenic mice. SDHC is a subunit of mitochondrial complex II. In humans, it has been reported that mutations in SDHB, SDHC or SDHD often result in inherited head and neck paragangliomas (PGLs). Recently, we established Tet-mev-1 conditional transgenic mice using our uniquely developed Tet-On/Off system, which equilibrates transgene expression to endogenous levels. These mice experienced mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction that resulted in $O_2^{{\bullet}_-}$ overproduction. The mitochondrial oxidative stress caused excessive apoptosis leading to low birth weight and growth retardation in the neonatal developmental phase in Tet-mev-1 mice. Here, we briefly describe the relationships between mitochondrial $O_2^{{\bullet}_-}$ and aging phenomena in mev-1 animal models

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2015

Objective: Great advances have been made in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART) since the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) baby was born in Korea. This study was designed to report on the current status of ART therapy in South Korea between January 1 and December 31 of 2010. Methods: A revised survey, originally developed by the International Committee Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies, was sent to all available ART centers via email in 2013. Fresh embryo transfer (FET) cases were categorized into standard IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injections. These cases, the thawing embryo transfer (TET) cases, and other related procedures were surveyed. Results: Data from 30,785 ART procedures were provided by 78 clinics. Of the 28,200 cycles in which oocytes were retrieved, 92.2% of these cycles were completely transferred. In addition, 8,075 cycles were confirmed to be clinical pregnancies in the FET cycles, which represent a pregnancy rate of 28.6% per oocyte pick-up and 31.1% per embryo transfer. The most common number of embryos transferred in the FET was three embryos (37.3%) followed by two embryos (36.3%) and one embryo (14.0%). Of the 6,648 TET cycles transferred, 2,356 clinical pregnancies were confirmed by ultrasonography. The most common number of embryos in the TET group was two embryos (43.4%) followed by three embryos (25.4%) and one embryo (18.9%). Conclusion: The clinical pregnancy rate per transfer in the FET cycles was similar in 2009 and 2010. Among the FET cycles where one or two embryos were transferred, the clinical pregnancy rate per transfer slightly increased from 2009 (28.7%) to 2010 (32.9%).

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.734-742
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• 2021

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence and species of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) in retail pork meat samples collected during nationwide monitoring. The staphylococcal isolates were characterized for antimicrobial and zinc chloride resistance and enterotoxigenic potential. Methods: A total of 260 pre-packaged pork meat samples were collected from 35 retail markets in 8 provinces in Korea for isolation of staphylococci. Antimicrobial and zinc chloride resistance phenotypes, and genes associated with the resistance phenotypes were determined on the isolates. Furthermore, the presence and distribution of 19 staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes and enterotoxin-like genes among the pork-associated staphylococci were determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based assays using the specific primer sets. Results: A total of 29 staphylococcal strains (29/260, 11.1%) were isolated from samples of retail pork meat, 24 (83%) of which were CoNS. The four CoNS species identified were S. saprophyticus (n = 16, 55%), S. sciuri (n = 3, 10%), S. warneri (n = 3, 10%), and S. epidermidis (n = 2, 7%). Among the 29 isolates, four methicillin-resistant CoNS (MR-CoNS; three S. sciuri and one S. epidermidis) and one methicillin-resistant CoPS (MR-CoPS; one S. aureus) were identified. In addition, a relatively high level of tetracycline (TET) resistance (52%) was confirmed in CoNS, along with a predominant distribution of tet(K). The most prevalent SEs were sep (45%), and sen (28%), which were carried by 81% of S. saprophyticus. Conclusion: These findings suggest that CoNS, especially S. saprophyticus strains, in raw pork meat could be a potential risk factor for staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), and therefore, requires further investigation to elucidate the role of SEls in SFP and virulence of the pathogen. Our results also suggest that CoNS from raw pork meat may act as a source for transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes such as staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec and tet(K).

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics A
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• v.30A no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 1993

Hydrogenation on the top gate and bottom gate Poly-Si TET's was performed by using Nh$_{3}$ plasma and annealing SiN film deposited by PECVD and then the electric characteristics on Poly-Si TET were investigated. As the time of NA$_{3}$ plasma treatment increaes, on/off current ratio gradually increases and the swing value decreases. The trap densities of graim boundaries in Poly-Si decrease very much during the inital 20min of hydrogenation time, and the decreasing scale becomes smaller after 20 min. The electric characteristics of the top gate TFT are better than those of the bottom gate TFT, it is considered due to the defects at the interface between the Poly-Si and the underlayer, SiO$_{2}$. After NH$_{3}$ plasma was treated for 2 hours for the top gate TFT, as the aging time atroon temperature increases on current was not scacely changed and off current decreases more than 1 order. Gate current density recovers to original value after the aging treatment for 8 days and then the electric characteristics are finally improved. It is suggested that the degraded characteristics of gate oxide are improved, from the variations of C-V characteristics with aging time. For the hydrogenation of isothermal and isochronal annealing SiN film deposited by PECVD, the characteristics of Poly-Si TFT are improved with increasing annealing temperature and are not largely changed with increasing annealing time. This results is good in agreement with the hydrogen reduction in Sin film as variations of annealing temperature and time.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.227-239
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• 2009

At the present study, it was aimed to detect virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance genes among 102 strains of 12 Salmonella serotypes isolated from pigs and cattle. In polymerase chain reaction (PCR), invA was detected from all strains of Salmonella spp., spvC was detected from Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) (100%), S. Bradenburg (75%), and S. Typhimurium (20.4%). Drug resistance related genes of 12 types were detected from all strains. TEM ($bla_{TEM}$) gene was detected from 51 (92.7%) of 55 $\beta$-lactams (54 ampicillin or 1 amoxicillin) resistance strains. 55 (100%) of 55 chloramphenicol resistance strains, 3 (100%) of 3 gentamicin resistance strains and 5 (100%) of 5 kanamycin resistance strains did contain cml, aadB, and aphA1-Iab, respectively. strB (89.9%), strA (88.4%), aadA2 (84.1%) and aadA1 (72.5%) were detected from 69 streptomycin resistance strains. sulII and dhfrXII were detected from 49 (100%) of 49 sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim resistance strains, but sulI was not detected. tetA (97.9%) and tetB (21.6%) were detected from 97 tetracycline resistance strains. int gene was detected from 58 (56.9%) of 102 strains. 54 S. Typhimurium of 102 Salmonella spp. were attempted to detect drug resistance genes. TEM was detected from 44 (95.7%) of 46 $\beta$-lactams (45 ampicillin or 1 amoxicillin) resistance strains. cmlA was detected from 51 (100%) of 51 chloramphenicol resistance strains. aadA2 (100%), strA (100%), strB (100%), and aadA1 (79.6%) were detected from 54 streptomycin resistance strains. sulII (100%) and dhfrXII (100%) were detected from 49 sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim resistance strains. tetA was detected from 54 (100%) of 54 tetracycline resistance strains. int gene was detected from 54 (100%) of 54 strains. The major drug resistance pattern and resistance gene profile were ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and tetracycline (ACSSuT) and TEM, cmlA, aadA1, aadA2, strA, strB, sulII, dhfrXII, tetA and int, respectively.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.110-114
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• 2010

The yeast three-hybrid system (Y3H), a powerful method for identifying RNA-binding proteins, still suffers from many false positives, due mostly to RNA-independent interactions. In this study, we attempted to efficiently identify false positives by introducing a tetracycline operator (tetO) motif into the RPR1 promoter of an RNA hybrid expression vector. We successfully developed a tight tetracycline-regulatable RPR1 promoter variant containing a single tetO motif between the transcription start site and the A-box sequence of the RPR1 promoter. Expression from this tetracycline-regulatable RPR1 promoter in the presence of tetracycline-response transcription activator (tTA) was positively controlled by doxycycline (Dox), a derivative of tetracycline. This on-off control runs opposite to the general knowledge that Dox negatively regulates tTA. This positively controlled RPR1 promoter system can therefore efficiently eliminate RNA-independent false positives commonly observed in the Y3H system by directly monitoring RNA hybrid expression.