• Title/Summary/Keyword: activity index

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The Correlations between Renminbi Fluctuations and Financial Results of Venture Companies in the Floating Exchange Rate (변동환율제도하의 위안화 환율변동과 벤처기업의 재무성과 간 상관관계 연구)

  • Sun, Zhong Yuan;Chang, Seog-Ju;Na, Seung-Hwa
    • 한국벤처창업학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2010.08a
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    • pp.139-160
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    • 2010
  • On July 21st in 2005, People's Bank of China (PBOC) turned the currency peg against the U.S. dollar into managed currency system based on a basket of unnamed currencies under China's exchanged rate regime. This change means that China's enterprises are not free from currency fluctuations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relations between Renminbi fluctuations in the floating exchange rate and financial results of venture companies. The process and outcomes of this study are as follows, First, in order to measure the financial results of venture companies, I choose venture companies in Shandong Province listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) at random and several quarter financial sheets according to safety ratios, profitability ratios, growth ratios, activity ratios. Second, I arrange the daily Renminbi exchange rate data announced from July 21st, 2005 to December 31st, 2008 by PBOC into the quarterly data. Third, in order to confirm the relations between Renminbi fluctuations and financial results of venture companies, I carry out Pearson's correlation analysis. As a result, the revaluation of the Chinese Renminbi has weakly negative effects on debt ratio, total assets turnover ratio and equity turnover ratio in statistics. But the revaluation of the Chinese Renminbi is not related to other financial index in statistics. The result of this study is that the revaluation of the Chinese Renminbi has little influence on the export and import of Chinese venture companies and certifies the fact that Chinese venture companies have much foreign currency assets. In addition to avoid the currency exposure risk, this study shows the effective method about currency exposure risk which adjusts proportion of Renminbi to foreign currency.

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Anti-diabetic effect and mechanism of Korean red ginseng extract in C57BL/KsJ db/db mice

  • Yuan, Hai-Dan;Shin, Eun-Jung;Chung, Sung-Hyun
    • Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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    • 2007.12a
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    • pp.57-58
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    • 2007
  • Purpose: Ginseng is a well-known medical plant used in traditional Oriental medicine. Korean red ginseng (KRG) has been known to have potent biological activities such as radical scavenging, vasodilating, anti-tumor and anti-diabetic activities. However, the mechanism of the beneficial effects of KRG on diabetes is yet to be elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the anti-diabetic effect and mechanism of KRG extract in C57BL/KsJ db/db mice. Methods: The db/db mice were randomly divided into six groups: diabetic control group (DC), red ginseng extract low dose group (RGL, 100 mg/kg), red ginseng extract high dose group (RGH, 200 mg/kg), metformin group (MET, 300 mg/kg), glipizide group (GPZ, 15 mg/kg) and pioglitazone group (PIO, 30 mg/kg), and treated with drugs once per day for 10 weeks. During the experiment, body weight and blood glucose levels were measured once every week. At the end of treatment, we measured Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride (TG), adiponectin, leptin, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA). Morphological analyses of liver, pancreas and white adipose tissue were done by histological observation through hematoxylin-eosin staining. Pancreatic islet insulin and glucagon levels were detected by double-immunofluorescence staining. To elucidate an action of mechanism of KRG, DNA microarray analyses were performed, and western blot and RT-PCR were conducted for validation. Results: Compared to the DC group mice, body weight gain of PIO treated group mice showed 15.2% increase, but the other group mice did not showed significant differences. Compared to the DC group, fasting blood glucose levels were decreased by 19.8% in RGL, 18.3% in RGH, 67.7% in MET, 52.3% in GPZ, 56.9% in PIO-treated group. With decreased plasma glucose levels, the insulin resistance index of the RGL-treated group was reduced by 27.7% compared to the DC group. Insulin resistance values for positive drugs were all markedly decreased by 80.8%, 41.1% and 68.9%, compared to that of DC group. HbA1c levels in RGL, RGH, MET, GPZ and PIO-treated groups were also decreased by 11.0%, 6.4%, 18.9%, 16.1% and 27.9% compared to that of DC group, and these figure revealed a similar trend shown in plasma glucose levels. Plasma TG and NEFA levels were decreased by 18.8% and 16.8%, respectively, and plasma adiponectin and leptin levels were increased by 20.6% and 12.1%, respectively, in the RGL-treated group compared to those in DC group. Histological analysis of the liver of mice treated with KRG revealed a significantly decreased number of lipid droplets compared to the DC group. The control mice exhibited definitive loss and degeneration of islet, whereas mice treated with KRG preserved islet architecture. Compared to the DC group mice, KRG resulted in significant reduction of adipocytes. From the pancreatic islet double-immunofluorescence staining, we observed KRG has increased insulin production, but decreased glucagon production. KRG treatment resulted in stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in the db/db mice liver. To elucidate mechanism of action of KRG extract, microarray analysis was conducted in the liver tissue of mice treated with KRG extract, and results suggest that red ginseng affects on hepatic expression of genes responsible for glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. In summary, multiple administration of KRG showed the hypoglycemic activity and improved glucose tolerance. In addition, KRG increased glucose utilization and improved insulin sensitivity through inhibition of lipogenesis and activation of fatty acid $\beta$-oxidation in the liver tissue. In view of our present data, we may suggest that KRG could provide a solid basis for the development of new anti-diabetic drug.

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Beneficial Effect of an Agar Mask against Skin Damage Induced by UV Exposure in SKH-1 Hairless Mice (UV조사에 의해 유발된 SKH-1 hairless 마우스의 피부노화에 미치는 한천마스크의 개선효과)

  • Song, Bo Ram;Kim, Ji Eun;Yun, Woo Bin;Lee, Mi Rim;Choi, Jun Young;Park, Jin Ju;Kim, Dong Seob;Lee, Chung Yeoul;Lee, Hee Seob;Lim, Yong;Jung, Min Wook;Kim, Bae Hwan;Hwang, Dae Youn
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.27 no.9
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    • pp.975-985
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    • 2017
  • To investigate the beneficial effects of an agar gel mask (AGM) on UV-induced photoaging, SKH-1 hairless mice were treated with a topical application of AGM and an AGM dipped in essence (AGMdE). The mice were divided into an no radiation group, UV + AGM, UV + AGMdE, and UV + vehicle (PBS) treatment groups. Alterations in skin wrinkles, skin phenotype, histological structures, oxidative status, and toxicity were then evaluated during 4 weeks of exposure. The topical application of AGM and AGMdE inhibited wrinkle formation, suppressed the erythema index, prevented transepidermal water loss, and enhanced skin hydration. In addition, epidermal thickness recovered to a similar level as that in the no irradiation group in the UV + AGM and UV + AGMdE treatment groups compared with the UV + vehicle (distilled water) group. Furthermore, the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and tyrosinase were reduced in the UV + AGM and UV + AGMdE treatment groups, although the highest level varied. Moreover, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly lower in the UV + AGM and UV + AGMdE treatment groups as compared with the UV + vehicle group. No significant alterations induced by most toxic compounds were measured in serum biochemical markers and liver and kidney histological features of the UV + AGM and UV + AGMdE treatment groups. These results suggest that AGM may protect against skin aging by regulating skin morphology, histopathological structures, and oxidative conditions.

Antioxidant Activities and Quality Characteristics of Germinated Rough Rice Tea according to Roasting Temperature, Time and Leaching Condition (볶음 조건 및 침출 조건에 따른 발아 벼차의 항산화 활성 및 품질 특성)

  • Lee, Sang-Hoon;Lee, Youn-Ri;Hwang, In-Guk;Woo, Koan-Sik;Kim, Kyoung-Ho;Kim, Kee-Jong;Jeong, Heon-Sang
    • Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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    • v.41 no.4
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    • pp.386-391
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    • 2009
  • To verify the possibility of manufacturing a germinated rough rice tea, germinated rough rice was roasted at 200, 220, and $250^{\circ}C$ for 10, 20, and 30 min. The treated rice powder was then put into tea bags and leached for 1, 3, and 5 min, after which their antioxidant, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics were compared. The total polyphenol content and 2,2'-Azino-bis-(3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities of the germinated rough rice tea increased as the roasting temperature increased as well as in response to increased roasting and leaching times. Furthermore, the greater the roasting temperature, roasting time, and leaching time, the greater the increase in total soluble solid contents. Moreover, the turbidity and browning index of the germinated rice tea rose as the roasting temperature, roasting time, and leaching time increased. Additionally, the pH tended to decrease as the roasting temperature, roasting time, and leaching time increased. Evaluation of the sensory characteristics of the germinated rice tea revealed that the formation of a Maillard reaction product in the course of heating the rice added a unique flavor, which led to increase preference for the color, flavor, and taste, and therefore, the overall preference.

Strategy to Improve the Productivity of Broilers: Focusing on Pre-Starter Diet (초이사료 배합설계를 통한 육계 생산성 증대방안)

  • Nam, Doo Seok;Lee, Jinyoung;Kong, Changsu
    • Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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    • v.42 no.3
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    • pp.247-256
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    • 2015
  • There are approximately 1,500 broiler farms in Korea, each raising 55,000 birds. Ninety-five percent of the farms are contracted with Integration Company. According to the Korean broiler performance index, broilers in Korea are marketed at 32 days with 1.52 kg of body weight. In contrast, the market age and body weight of broilers are 47 days/2.8 kg in the United States and 42 days/2.5 kg in Europe. Because of the younger market age of the Korean broiler, the pre-starter feed is important. Chicks exhibit poor absorption of dietary nutrients up to 7 days after hatching due to an immature digestive system and low enzyme secretion rate and activity. At the beginning of hatching, chicks obtain their nutrients from the egg yolk sac. It is highly recommended that chicks, after consuming the nutrients in the egg yolk sac, are given supplemented pre-starter feed to increase early growth rates and improve the performance of broiler production. Pre-starter nutrient requirements are not expressed in NRC, so Korean feeding standards for poultry and commercial breeding companies determine the nutrient requirements of pre-starter broiler chickens. Three approaches are followed to formulate specially designed pre-starter feeds for broiler chicks: (i) selective use of raw materials, (ii) proper standards of nutrient supply, and (iii) application of feed additives such as exogenous enzymes. In the selection of raw materials, those with high digestibility can be used. The absorption rate of carbohydrates in grains can be increased through feed processing at high temperature and high pressure. Soy proteins and fish meal can also be added as protein sources. As an energy source, vegetable oils are preferred over animal fats because of the former's high digestibility. It is suggested that the levels of proteins and amino acids are higher in pre-starter feed than in starter feed. With regard to energy, the sources of energy are more important than the levels of energy in feed. Feed additives such as exogenous enzymes can be used to improve nutrient digestibility. In addition, organic acids and plant extracts can be used as alternatives to animal growth promoters to stimulate immunity and prevent diseases. The growth performance of broilers is affected by various factors, such as management and disease control, in addition to the nutritional strategy; however, nutritional strategies play an important role in improving the productivity of broilers. Therefore, nutritional strategies, along with management and disease control, are required for improving the productivity of broilers in Korea.

Study on Ventilation Efficiency of A Naturally Ventilated Broiler House-( I ) Summer Season (자연환기식 육계사내의 환기효율성 조사연구-( I )하절기)

  • 이인복;유병기;정문성;윤진하;전종길;김경원;성시흥
    • Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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    • v.9 no.1
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    • pp.9-18
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    • 2003
  • Most of broiler houses in Korea have the trouble of environmental control such as suitability, stability, and uniformity of internal climate, resulting in serious stress on chickens. Accordingly, it is very urgent to develop optimum designs of naturally and mechanically ventilated broiler houses for Korean climate. In this study, the internal climates such as air temperature, humidity, dust, ammonia gas, and air velocity were measured at a naturally ventilated broiler house. The data were collected during summer season including local weather data. It was found that the difference between measured and optimum air temperatures was $14.0^{\circ}C$ in maximum during the summer time. The daily maximum range of internal averaged air temperature was found $10.5^{\circ}C$ while the uniformity was $5.2^{\circ}C$ in maximum. The maximum, average, and minimum internal averaged relative humidity were 89.3%, 73.7%, and 49.2%, respectively while locally measured were 95.1% and 47.2%, respectively in maximum and minimum. Considering Temperature-humidity index, during summer season, over 97% of totally rearing period was shown that counter plan is needed for thermal stress while it was very dangerous situation for 22% of the rearing period. The ammonia gas and dust concentrations were seriously affected by the broilers activity, growth level, and relative humidity.

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The Effect of LDL on Vibrio vulnificus Septicemia (비브리오 패혈증에 미치는 LDL의 영향)

  • Kim, Jong-Hyeon;Kim, Jong-Suk;Yoo, Wan-Hee;Hur, Hyeon
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.213-217
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    • 2006
  • The halophilic bacterium Vibrio vulnificus is known to be a foodborne pathogen that causes septicemia in human. V. vulnificus infection is characterized by the high fatality rates and the primary attack against a person who have underlying diseases such as liver cirrhosis. However, there is no effective treatment for V. vulnificus septicemia except for classical treatments such as antibiotics. Recently, it has been known that lipoprotein (LDL) plays a major role in the protection against infection and inflammation. Consequently in this paper we analyzed the effects of LDL on V. vulnificus septicemia. We purified V. vulnificus cytolysin, a major virulent factor of V. vulnificus infection and measured inhibitory effects of mouse serum, cholesterol, and LDL on its hemolytic activity. Next experiments were performed to investigate whether LDL has a protective role against septicemia induced by V. vulnificus in mice. Intraperitoneal injection of LDL (1mg as protein) into mice 3hr before V. vulnificus $(1\times10^6\;CFU)$ injection, and V. vulnificus -induced lethality was determined. For the determination the relationship between LDL or cholesterol and prognosis, we determined serum levels of cholesterol and lipoprotein from V. vulnificus septicemia patients (n=15) who had visited the Chonbuk National University Hospital in Chonju. V. vulnificus cytolysin -induced hemolysis of mice erythrocytes was completely inhibited by serum, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein. V. vulnificus- induced lethality of mice injected with LDL showed only 40% compared to 100% of control. In survival groups (n=4) of V. vulnificus septicemia patients (n=15), their serum LDL and cholesterol revealed normal levels ($153.3{\pm}40.7,\;LDL;\;190.8{\pm}16.3$, Total cholesterol). However, in death groups (n=11) showed very low levels ($35.6{\pm}13.9,\;LDL;\;59.2{\pm}15.1$, Total cholesterol). Our study indicates that cholesterol and LDL are a prognosis indicator of V. vulnificus septicemia as well as an inhibitor of virulent action of V. vulnificus cytolysin. We suggested that the serum levels of cholesterol or LDL would be major index in the treatment and prevention of V. vulnificus septicemia.

Risk Assessment of As, Cd, Cu and Pb in Different Rice Varieties Grown on the Contaminated Paddy Soil (중금속 오염 논토양에서 재배된 벼 품종간 위해성평가 비교)

  • Kim, Won-Il;Kim, Jin-Kyoung;Yoo, Ji-Hyock;Paik, Min-Kyoung;Park, Sang-Won;Kwon, Oh-Kyung;Hong, Moo-Ki;Yang, Jay-E;Kim, Jeong-Gyu
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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    • v.42 no.1
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    • pp.53-57
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    • 2009
  • Heavy metal pollution may be one of the most serious challenges confront crop production and human health. Therefore, the selection of heavy metal tolerance cultivars which adapted to the contaminated fields will introduced a suitable solution for management this critical environmental risk. The objectives of this research is to assess human health risk using geochemical analyses and exposure assessment of heavy metals in rice cultivars. Risk for inhabitants in the closed mine area was comparatively assessed for As, Cd, Cu and Pb in 10 rice varieties as a major exposure pathway. The average daily dose (ADD) of each heavy metal was estimated by analyzing the exposure pathways to rice and soil. For the non-carcinogenic risk characterization, Hazard Quotient (HQ) and Hazard Index (HI) were calculated using toxicity indices provided by US-EPA IRIS. The different rice varieties revealed a wide range of HI values from 23.6 to 34.3, indicating that all rice varieties have a high potential toxic risk. The DA rice variety showed the lowest HI value while the TB rice variety the highest. The probabilities of cancer risk for As via rice consumption were varied with rice varieties ranging from 2.0E-03 to 3.5E-03 which exceeded the regulatory acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 set by US-EPA. The DA rice variety also showed the lowest value while the TB rice variety gave the highest value. Our results indicate that risk assessment can be contribute to screen the pollution safe rice cultivars in paddy fields affected by the mining activity.

A Study on the Effect of Patent Management on New Business Development Performance : Focusing on the Mediation Effect of Convergence Expert Cooperation (특허경영이 신사업 개발 성과에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 융합 전문가 협동의 매개효과 중심으로)

  • Jeong, Un Seob;Ha, Kyu Soo
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.19-38
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    • 2019
  • This study is a study on the effect of patent management on the performance of new business development, focusing on fusion expert collaboration. In the past, most studies on patent management have been influenced by the quantitative patent index on the business performance. Therefore, research on the effect of patent management on the performance of new business development through the cooperation of fusion experts was very insufficient. Therefore, this study examined the influence of existing patent management on the performance of new business development and the causal relationship between the influence of patent management on new business development performance, focusing on fusion expert collaboration. The results of the hypothesis empirical analysis are as follows. First, patent management showed positive (+) influence on convergence expert cooperation. Patents management has a positive effect on fostering convergence specialists and utilizing convergence experts. Second, patent management has a positive effect on new business development performance. Patent management has a positive effect on the success of the business, the achievement of target sales, the development of new markets, the development of new technologies, and the degree of reflection of customer requirements. Third, patent management mediated by convergence expert cooperation has a negative effect on financial aptitude among new business development outcomes. The results of this study are as follows. First, it is concluded that patent management through mediation of convergence expert cooperation has a positive effect on non - financial performance of new business development performance. Financial performance includes business success and achievement of target sales. Non-financial performance includes new technology development and new market development. Therefore, in order to continuously generate business performance of domestic convergence new business development companies, it suggests that we should make efforts to be linked with new business development performance through revitalization of patent management centered on convergence expert cooperation that has positive (+) influence.

Development of remote control automatic fire extinguishing system for fire suppression in double-deck tunnel (복층터널 화재대응을 위한 원격 자동소화 시스템 개발 연구)

  • Park, Jinouk;Yoo, Yongho;Kim, Yangkyun;Park, Byoungjik;Kim, Whiseong;Park, Sangheon
    • Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.167-175
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    • 2019
  • To effectively deal with the fire in tunnel which is mostly the vehicle fire, it's more important to suppress the fire at early stage. In urban tunnel, however, accessibility to the scene of fire by the fire fighter is very limited due to severe traffic congestion which causes the difficulty with firefighting activity in timely manner and such a problem would be further worsened in underground road (double-deck tunnel) which has been increasingly extended and deepened. In preparation for the disaster in Korea, the range of life safety facilities for installation is defined based on category of the extension and fire protection referring to risk hazard index which is determined depending on tunnel length and conditions, and particularly to directly deal with the tunnel fire, fire extinguisher, indoor hydrant and sprinkler are designated as the mandatory facilities depending on category. But such fire extinguishing installations are found inappropriate functionally and technically and thus the measure to improve the system needs to be taken. Particularly in a double-deck tunnel which accommodates the traffic in both directions within a single tunnel of which section is divided by intermediate slab, the facility or the system which functions more rapidly and effectively is more than important. This study, thus, is intended to supplement the problems with existing tunnel life safety system (fire extinguishing) and develop the remote-controlled automatic fire extinguishing system which is optimized for a double-deck tunnel. Consequently, the system considering low floor height and extended length as well as indoor hydrant for a wide range of use have been developed together with the performance verification and the process for commercialization before applying to the tunnel is underway now.