• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.269-276
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• 2020

Fibrosis is characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components. The fibrotic process ultimately leads to organ dysfunction and failure in chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, advanced kidney disease, and liver cirrhosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common form of progressive and chronic interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology. Pathophysiologically, the parenchyma of the lung alveoli, interstitium, and capillary endothelium becomes scarred and stiff, which makes breathing difficult because the lungs have to work harder to transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveolar space and bloodstream. The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and scarring of the lung tissue. Recent clinical trials focused on the development of pharmacological agents that either directly or indirectly target kinases for the treatment of IPF. Therefore, to develop therapeutic targets for pulmonary fibrosis, it is essential to understand the key factors involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and the underlying signaling pathway. The objective of this review is to discuss the role of kinase signaling cascades in the regulation of either TGF-β-dependent or other signaling pathways, including Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase, c-jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5, and p90 ribosomal S6 kinase pathways, and potential therapeutic targets in IPF.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.174-176
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• 2016

In this study, we maximize the temperature difference between the ends of a HgTe nanoparticle(NP) thin film on a thermoelectric platform with a through-substrate via. The thermoelectric characteristics of the HgTe NP thin film show p-type behavior and its Seebeck coefficient is $290{\mu}V/K$. In addition, we demonstrate the possibility of wearable thermoelectric devices transforming body heat into electricity from through-substrate via thermoelectric platforms on human skin.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.335-340
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• 2004

Mesangial expansion caused by cell proliferation and glomerular extracellular matrix accumulation is one of the earliest renal abnormalties observed at the onset of hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus. Transcription factor Sp1 is implicated in the transcriptional regulation of a wide range of genes participating in cell proliferation, and is assumed to play an essential role in mesangial expansion, transforming growth factor (TGF)-$\beta$1, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1. We have generated a phosphorothioated double-stranded Sp1-decoy oligodeoxynucleotide that effectively blocks Sp1 binding to the promoter region for transcriptional regulation of TGF-$\beta$1 and PAI-1. The Sp1 decoy oligodeoxynucleotide suppressed transcription of these cytokines and proliferation of primary rat mesangial cells in response to serum stimulation. These results suggest that the Sp1 decoy oligodeoxynucleotide could bea powerful tool in preventing the pathogenesis of renal hypertrophy.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.180-188
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• 2007

In vivo studies have demonstrated that aldosterone is an independent contributor to glomerulosclerosis. In the present study, we have investigated whether aldosterone itself mediated glomerulosclerosis, as angiotensin II (Ang II) did, by inducing cultured renal mesangial cells to produce plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and whether these effects were mediated by aldosterone-induced increase in transforming growth factor $\beta_1$ (TGF-$\beta_1$) expression and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity. Quiescent rat mesangial cells were treated by aldosterone alone or by combination of aldosterone and spironolactone, Ang II, neutralizing antibody to TGF-$\beta_1$ or antioxidant Nacetylcysteme (NAC). This study indicate that aldosterone can increase PAI-1 mRNA and protein expression by cultured mesangial cells alone, which is independent of aldosterone-induced increases in TGF-$\beta_1$ expression and cellular ROS. The effects on PAI-1, TGF-$\beta_1$ and ROS generation were markedly attenuated by spironolactone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, which demonstrate that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) may play a role in mediating these effects of aldosterone.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.47 no.9
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• pp.55-69
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• 2009

The purpose of this research was to analyze scolding experiences of three parents with children of same gender. For this research, a narrative inquiry was used as the research method. The research results showed that scolding toward children and scolding from parents resembled each other while the experiences of the three parents regarding scolding were revealed as the following four larger themes and three smaller themes: mimicking the scolding of their parents (taking on the parental role toward the projected, internal self of the past, acceptance of familiarity, providing a safety fence to the children), transforming the scolding of their parents, projecting the unsolved task of parenting to children, beginning to transform and evolve scolding, and cautious practice within daily living. In the discussion, methods for transforming and evolving scolding based on experiences of the three parents regarding scolding were studied, while research on parents scolding children with differing genders and how positive experience such as praising, encouragement, and support, from parents reemerged within children are suggested.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.205-212
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• 2009

Through this study, I explored a creation of the postmodern furniture aesthetics through the transformation by student's interpretation in experiencing the art/craft/handmade/studio furniture aesthetics in postmodernism theoretically for 'wood culture experience class' or 'wood love experience class' by the Korea Forest Service because the class tends to focus on making simple wood works involved just in the practical part. Qualitative conceptual analysis as the principal methodology was used to achieve the theoretical context in the experience programs. Following the lesson one on defining the postmodern aesthetics in New Design furniture as metaphor and the lesson two on interpreting an aesthetics of art and everyday life with the wood furniture which expresses the metaphorical and symbolical aesthetics appeared as New Design furniture in postmodernism in the previous papers, I developed lesson three on creating an object using eco-friendly materials like wood in transforming an aesthetics of postmodern furniture as the final stage of the study. Therefore, the students will be able to create a piece of eco-friendly wood furniture for our environment as metaphor transformed by his/her perspective regarding a piece of selected New Design furniture.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.39-49
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• 2002

The author measured IL-8 and $TGF-{\beta}1$ levels of 84 ears - 48 ears of them had treated by antibiotics, 36 of them by Kamihyunggyeyungyotang(KHY) - of pediatric recurrent otitis media with effusion using ELISA assay, and compared them. The results were obtained as follows. 1. The level of IL-8 in KHY group was significantly lower than that in antibiotics group(p<0.05). 2. The level of $TGF-{\beta}1$ in KHY group was lower than that in antibiotics group. According to above results, KHY is considered to be used for treating recurrent otitis media with effusion by controlling the production of interleukin-8 and transforming $growthfactor-{\beta}1$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2005

Effects of antioxidants on the established nephropathy were investigated. The experimental nephropathy was induced in rats by intravenous injection of adriamycin (2 mg/kg). Six weeks later, when proteinuria was apparent, the rats were supplemented with N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 1 g/kg/day) in drinking water for additional 6 weeks. Glomerulosclerosis score and tubulointerstitial injury index were determined by light microscopy. Expression of transforming growth factor (TGF) ${\beta}1$ and laminin ${\beta}1$ was determined in the renal cortex by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunogold electron microscopy. The adriamycin-induced proteinuria as well as the glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial injury was ameliorated by the treatment with NAC. Adriamycin increased the expression of TGF ${\beta}1$ mRNA and protein, which was ameliorated by NAC. Although the expression of laminin ${\beta}1$ mRNA was increased, adriamycin did not significantly alter that of its protein. These results indicate that antioxidants ameliorate the established nephropathy in association with normalization of overexpressed TGF ${\beta}1$.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2000.07a
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• pp.363-365
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• 2000

This paper presents an improved method to estimate the maximum load level for heavily loaded power systems with the load-generation variation vector by using the elliptic pattern of the P-e curve. The previous study suggested a simple technique of removing e-f coupling, where only high voltage load flow solutions to calculate transforming angle of system reference is needed. The proposed algorithm is improved to require only one load flow solution at a specific load level in addition to the operating point at the beginning stage, which reduces the computation time and the iteration number of estimation. The proposed method can be efficiently applied to heaviIy loaded systems with the combination of CPFlow when the reactive power limit and ULTC are considered. In this paper, the effect of ULTC on the estimation of maximum loadability index is also investigated. The proposed algorithm is tested on New England 39 bus system and IEEE 118 bus system.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics B
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• v.31B no.5
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• pp.65-72
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• 1994

We resolve the suboptimal $\infty$ control problem using (J,J')-lossless coprime factorization by transforming the linear fractional transformation (LFT) into chain scattering description (CSD) in discrete-time systems. The condition transformed LFT into CSD is that the inverse matrix of $P_{21}$ of standard plant exists. But, this paper presents the method of transforming LFT into CSD for 4-block problem in case that the inverse matrix of $P_{21}$ of standard plant does not exist and parameterization of the all suboptimal $\infty$T controllers using (J,J')-lossless coprime factorization. It is shown that this method can resolve the suboptimal $\infty$ control problem solving only two Riccati equations in discrete-time systems.