• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.111-122
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• 2019

This paper presents an experimental work on the post-fire behavior of two kinds of innovative composite stub columns under eccentric compression. The partially precast steel reinforced concrete (PPSRC) column is composed of a precast outer-part cast using steel fiber reinforced reactive powder concrete (RPC) and a cast-in-place inner-part cast using conventional concrete. Based on the PPSRC column, the hollow precast steel reinforced concrete (HPSRC) column has a hollow column core. With the aim to investigate the post-fire performance of these composite columns, six stub column specimens, including three HPSRC stub columns and three PPSRC stub columns, were exposed to the ISO834 standard fire. Then, the cooling specimens and a control specimen unexposed to fire were eccentrically loaded to explore the residual capacity. The test parameters include the section shape, concrete strength of inner-part, eccentricity ratio and heating time. The test results indicated that the precast RPC shell could effectively confine the steel shape and longitudinal reinforcements after fire, and the PPSRC stub columns experienced lower core temperature in fire and exhibited higher post-fire residual strength as compared with the HPSRC stub columns due to the insulating effect of core concrete. The residual capacity increased with the increasing of inner concrete strength and with the decreasing of heating time and load eccentricity. Based on the test results, a FEA model was established to simulate the temperature field of test specimens, and the predicted results agreed well with the test results.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2019

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is mediated by disturbance of $Ca^{2+}$ homeostasis. The store-operated calcium (SOC) channel is the primary $Ca^{2+}$ channel in non-excitable cells, but its participation in agent-induced ER stress is not clear. In this study, the effects of tunicamycin on $Ca^{2+}$ influx in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were observed with the fluorescent probe Fluo-4 AM. The effect of tunicamycin on the expression of the unfolded protein response (UPR)-related proteins BiP and CHOP was assayed by western blotting with or without inhibition of Orai1. Tunicamycin induced endothelial dysfunction by activating ER stress. Orai1 expression and the influx of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ in HUVECs were both upregulated during ER stress. The SOC channel inhibitor SKF96365 reversed tunicamycin-induced endothelial cell dysfunction by inhibiting ER stress. Regulation of tunicamycin-induced ER stress by Orai1 indicates that modification of Orai1 activity may have therapeutic value for conditions with ER stress-induced endothelial dysfunction.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2427-2434
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• 2022

Series of unequal quantity Nd/Ce co-doped ceramic nuclear waste forms, (Gd, Nd)₂(Zr, Ce)₂O₇, were prepared to tailor its ordered pyrochlore or disordered fluorite structure. The phase transition, microtopography, and elemental composition of the ceramic samples were systematically investigated, especially the effect of order-disorder structure on the chemical stability. It was confirmed that unequal quantity of Nd/Ce could synchronously replace the Gd/Zr-sites of Gd₂Zr₂O₇. And the phase transition of order-disorder structure could be successfully tailored by regulating the average cationic radius ratio of (Gd, Nd)₂(Zr, Ce)₂O₇ series. The elements of Gd, Nd, Zr, and Ce are uniformly distributed in the ordered or disordered structures. The MCC-1 leaching results showed that (Gd, Nd)₂(Zr, Ce)₂O₇ pyrochlore ceramic nuclear waste forms had excellent chemical stability, whose elements' normalized leaching rates were as low as 10^-4-10^-7 g·m^-2·d^-1 after 7 days. In particular, the chemical stability of disordered structure was superior to that of ordered structure. It was proposed that the force constant and the closest packing were changed with the structure transformation resulting the chemical stability difference.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.167-174
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• 2022

Background: 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (20(S)-PPD), one of the main active metabolites of ginseng, performs a broad spectrum of anti-tumor effects. Our aims are to search out new strategies to enhance anti-tumor effects of natural products, including 20(S)-PPD. In recent years, fasting has been shown to be multi-functional on tumor progression. Here, the effects of fasting combined with 20(S)-PPD on hepatocellular carcinoma growth, apoptosis, migration, invasion and cell cycle were explored. Methods: CCK-8 assay, trypan blue dye exclusion test, imagings photographed by HoloMonitorTM M4, transwell assay and flow cytometry assay were performed for functional analyses on cell proliferation, morphology, migration, invasion, apoptosis, necrosis and cell cycle. The expressions of genes on protein levels were tested by western blot. Tumor-bearing mice were used to evaluate the effects of intermittent fasting combined with 20(S)-PPD. Results: We firstly confirmed that fasting-mimicking increased the anti-proliferation effect of 20(S)-PPD in human HepG2 cells in vitro. In fasting-mimicking culturing medium, the apoptosis and necrosis induced by 20(S)-PPD increased and more cells were arrested at G0-G1 phase. Meanwhile, invasion and migration of cells were decreased by down-regulating the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in fasting-mimicking medium. Furthermore, the in vivo study confirmed that intermittent fasting enhanced the tumor growth inhibition of 20(S)-PPD in H22 tumor-bearing mice without obvious side effects. Conclusion: Fasting significantly sensitized HCC cells to 20(S)-PPD in vivo and in vitro. These data indicated that dietary restriction can be one of the potential strategies of chinese medicine or its active metabolites against hepatocellular carcinoma.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.29.1-29.12
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• 2023

Background: Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is a widespread and highly infectious pathogen in cats with a high mortality rate. Although Yanji has a developed cat breeding industry, the variation of FPV locally is still unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to isolate and investigate the epidemiology of FPV in Yanji between 2021 and 2022. Methods: A strain of FPV was isolated from F81 cells. Cats suspected of FPV infection (n = 80) between 2021 and 2022 from Yanji were enrolled in this study. The capsid protein 2 (VP2) of FPV was amplified. It was cloned into the pMD-19T vector and transformed into a competent Escherichia coli strain. The positive colonies were analyzed via VP2 Sanger sequencing. A phylogenetic analysis based on a VP2 coding sequence was performed to identify the genetic relationships between the strains. Results: An FPV strain named YBYJ-1 was successfully isolated. The virus diameter was approximately 20-24 nm, 50% tissue culture infectious dose = 1 × 10^-4.94/mL, which caused cytopathic effect in F81 cells. The epidemiological survey from 2021 to 2022 showed that 27 of the 80 samples were FPV-positive. Additionally, three strains positive for CPV-2c were unexpectedly found. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most of the 27 FPV strains belonged to the same group, and no mutations were found in the critical amino acids. Conclusions: A local FPV strain named YBYJ-1 was successfully isolated. There was no critical mutation in FPV in Yanji, but some cases with CPV-2c infected cats were identified.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.221-232
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• 2024

Waste tire management and recycling have grown to be significant issues because they bring up a global environmental concern. Thus, turning recycled waste tires into useful products may help tackle the environmental issue. This research aims to study and compare the effect of recycled carbon black (rCB) and commercial carbon black (CB) at certain 15 vol. % of filler loading on the mechanical, thermal, morphology and electrical properties of epoxy/CB composites. For this project, epoxy resin, diethyltoluenediamine (DETDA), recovered carbon black (rCB) and commercial carbon black (CB) graded N330, N550, N660 and N774 were mixed and compared accordingly to the formulation determined. The CB content was dispersed in the epoxy matrix using the mechanical mixing technique. The distribution and dispersion of CB in the epoxy matrix affect the characteristics of the conductive composites. rCB content at 15 vol% was selected at fixed content for comparison purposes due to the optimum value in electrical conductivity results. The flexural strength results followed the sequence of rCB>N774>N660>N550>N330. As for electrical conductivity results, epoxy/N330 exhibited the highest conductivity value, while the others achieved a magnitude of X10^-3 due to the highest external surface area of N330. In terms of thermal stability, epoxy/N330 and epoxy/N774 were slightly more stable than epoxy/rCB.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6077-6081
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• 2012

Background: This study was performed to analyze the prognostic implications of pretreatment or preoperative thrombocytosis in women with gynecologic malignancies. Material and Methods: We surveyed 2 medical databases, PubMed and EMBASE, to identified all relevant studies. A total of 14 (n=3,490) that evaluated the link between thrombocytosis and 5-year survival were included. REVMAN version 5.1 was used for our analysis and publication bias was evaluated using the Begg's funnel plot and tested by STATA 11.0. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) generated by the random effect model were used to assess the strength of any association. Results: 709(20.3%) of the 3,490 patients exhibited thrombocytosis (platelet counts > $400{\times}10^9/L$) at primary diagnosis, and their mortality was 1.62-fold higher compared with the others (RR=1.62, 95%CI=[1.28-2.05], p<0.0001). Thrombocytosis failed to have a stronger effect on the survival of advanced patients of stages III to IV in our study (n=478, RR=1.29, 95% CI=[1.13-1.48], p=0.0003), nor in women with cervical cancer in stage IB (n=1371, RR=1.73, 95% CI=[1.71-2.58], p=0.007). In addition, when adjusted for different carcinoma, it was associated with worse prognosis for all except the ones with vulvar cancer (n=201, RR=0.43, 95% CI=[0.14-1.29], p=0.13). Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicated that thrombocytosis might be associated with a worse prognosis for patients with gynecologic malignancies but without specificity or sensitivity for the ones in advanced stage. When adjusted for different gynecologic malignancies, it showed a significant effect on survival of all except vulvar cancers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.194-205
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• 2012

Historically, garments have been spontaneously made with human instinct in order to warm and decorate the body using textiles that have been made and used by various peoples in different cultures. Contemporary garments have been used as a means of warming as well as express individual personality and a desire to pursue beauty. They have a unique formativeness and a symbolic nature according to cultural phenomena that reflect a cultural outcome that expresses contemporary thinking and ideology as well as their aesthetic consciousness. This study globally promotes Chinese opera mask culture and proposes the possibility of creative thinking through the introduction of Chinese opera mask elements into contemporary fashion, expressing them as patchworks. In order to endow artistic value (required in contemporary fashion) this study creates works by analyzing and applying a formative sense seen in patchwork techniques and the characteristics of Chinese opera masks; in addition, it sought the possibility of new expressions in garment designs. The results obtained from the research involve the following. First, the introduction of the traditional patchwork technique to contemporary garments may be a dynamic theme of garment expression and exceed stereotypical ideas that enable the creation of designs attuned to the globalization era. Second, it was possible to pursue independent formativeness which is in harmony with a modern sense through the restructuring of the harmony of colors and practical characteristics found in patchworks. Third, it was possible to demonstrate their artistry and unique effect in the expression of contemporary garments by the expression of the analyzed results of characteristic patterns of Chinese opera masks with a patchwork technique in creating works. Results show that it is necessary to conduct research into a patchwork technique that applies diverse materials as a new method to develop contemporary garment design also as a creative design. In addition, if the analyzed results of the characteristic patterns of Chinese opera masks can be expressed with a patchwork technique, they may be able to exhibit a genuine effect along with the artistry of expression in contemporary garments; thereby, relevant follow-up research should be further continued.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.211-222
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• 2020

In today's society, competition of talents is a critical factor of success in modern enterprises due to living in the era of knowledge economy. Also, success of a modern enterprise can be defined by the brand equity or value of the company name defined by general public (functional) and its employees (symbolic). Company brand equity is a subjectively defined by each employee. This article aims to link the relations between employee's perception of employer brand equity to employees' job performance and turnover intention. In order to empirically verify the effects of employer brand on employee's organizational commitment, performance, and turnover intention, study conducted the general employees working for MNC in the field of e-commerce, IT, and Networking business based in China. Total 235 questionnaires were used for the empirical analysis and SPSS 21.0 statistics package was used to analyze the collected data. The results can be summarized as follows: (1) Both the functional employer brand and the symbolic employer brand equity have a significantly positive impact on organizational commitment. (2) Both the functional employer brand equity and the symbolic employer brand equity have a significant positive impact on employee performance. (3) Neither the functional employer brand equity nor the symbolic employer brand equity confirmed the negative relationship between turnover intentions. (4) Organizational commitment play the intermediary role in the impact of employer brand equity on employees' work performance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2453-2458
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• 2015

Background: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) associated factor 1 (XAF1) exhibits aberrantly low or absent expression in various human malignancies, closely associated with anti-apoptosis and overgrowth of cancer cells. However, limited attention has been directed towards the contribution of XAF1 to invasion, apoptosis, and cisplatin (DDP)-resistance of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells. This study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of XAF1 on invasion, cell cycle, apoptosis, and cisplatin-resistance by overexpressing XAF1 in SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells. Methods and Results: The pEGFP-C1-XAF1 plasmid was transfected into SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells, and the expression of XAF1 at both mRNA and protein levels was analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR and Western blotting. Overexpression of XAF1 suppressed XIAP expression in both SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells. Transwell invasion assays demonstrated that XAF1 exerted a strong anti-invasive effect in XAF1-overexpressing cells. Moreover, flow cytometry analysis revealed that XAF1 overexpression arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase, and cell apoptosis analysis showed that overexpression of XAF1 enhanced apoptosis of SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells apparently by activating caspase-9 and caspase-3. Furthermore, MTT assay confirmed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of cisplatin in the tested tumor cells, and overexpression of XAF1 increased the sensitivity of SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells to cisplatin-mediated antiproliferative effects. Conclusions: In summary, our data indicated that overexpression of XAF1 could suppress XIAP expression, inhibit invasion, arrest cell cycle, promote apoptosis, and confer cisplatin-sensitivity in SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells. Therefore, XAF1 may be further assessed as a potential target for the treatment of both cisplatin-resistant and non-resistant EOCs.