• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1689-1695
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• 2008

Leptin, the hormone product of the obese gene, is secreted predominately from white adipose tissue and regulates feed intake, energy metabolism and body composition. It has been considered a candidate gene for performance, carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle. The objective of this study was to identify SNPs in the promoter region of the leptin gene and to evaluate the possible association of the SNP genotypes with carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. We identified a total of 25 SNPs in the promoter region (1,208-3,049 bp upstream from the transcription start site) of the leptin gene, eleven (g.1508C>G, g.1540G>A, g.1545G>A, g.1551C>T, g.1746T>G, g.1798ins(G), g.1932del(T), g.1933del(T), g.1934del(T), g.1993C>T and g.2033C>T) of which have not been reported previously. Their sequences were deposited in GenBank database with accession number DQ202319. Genotyping of the SNPs located at positions g.2418C>G and g.2423G>A within the promoter region was performed by direct sequencing and PCR-SSCP method to investigate the effects of SNP genotypes on carcass and meat quality traits in Korean cattle. The SNP and SSCP genotypes from the two mutations of the leptin promoter were shown to be associated with the BF trait. The average BF value of animals with heterozygous SNP genotype was significantly greater than that of animals with the homozygous SNP genotypes for the g.2418C>G and g.2423G>A SNPs (p<0.05). Analysis of the combined genotype effect in both SNPs showed that animals with the AC SSCP genotype had higher BF value than animals with BB or AA SSCP genotypes (p<0.05). These results suggest that SNP of the leptin promoter region may be useful markers for selection of economic traits in Korean cattle.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.246-258
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• 2013

The relocation of the public institutions such as the provincial government attracts much attentions since it results in substantial regional economic impacts. In this context this paper analyzes the effects of relocation of Gyeongsangbuk-Do provincial government from Daegu city to Gyeongsangbuk-Do, which is scheduled for 2014, on Daegyeong economic region. Based on the interregional input-output model and I-O data which were provided by the Bank of Korea, this paper examines the multiplier effects of the relocation in terms of production, value added, and employment on Daegyeong economic region and other regions, except for the construction effects of the provincial capital. According to the analysis, the relocation is expected to reduce the production by 290million won, value added by 709million won, and employment by 571 persons in Daegyeong economic region. Also, the relocation turns out to decrease the production by 1,179million won and value added by 123million won of other regions. This paper discusses some policy implications of the analysis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1170-1176
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• 2015

Ginsenosides, the major active component of ginseng, are traditionally used to treat various diseases, including cancer, inflammation, and obesity. Among these, compound K (CK), an intestinal bacterial metabolite of the ginsenosides Rb₁, Rb₂, and Rc from Bacteroides JY-6, is reported to inhibit cancer cell growth by inducing cell-cycle arrest or cell death, including apoptosis and necrosis. However, the precise effect of CK on breast cancer cells remains unclear. MCF-7 cells were treated with CK ($0-70{\mu}M$) for 24 or 48 h. Cell proliferation and death were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Changes in downstream signaling molecules involved in cell death, including glycogen synthase kinase $3\beta$ ($GSK3\beta$), $GSK3\beta$, $\beta$-catenin, and cyclin D1, were analyzed by western blot assay. To block $GSK3\beta$ signaling, MCF-7 cells were pretreated with $GSK3\beta$ inhibitors 1 h prior to CK treatment. Cell death and the expression of $\beta$-catenin and cyclin D1 were then examined. CK dose- and time-dependently inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation. Interestingly, CK induced programmed necrosis, but not apoptosis, via the $GSK3\beta$ signaling pathway in MCF-7 cells. CK inhibited $GSK3\beta$ phosphorylation, thereby suppressing the expression of $\beta$-catenin and cyclin D1. Our results suggest that CK induces programmed necrosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells via the $GSK3\beta$ signaling pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1012-1020
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• 2011

A gene coding for an endoglucanase (EglA), of the glycosyl hydrolase family 12 and derived from Aspergillus niger VTCC-F021, was cloned and sequenced. The cDNA sequence, 717 bp, and its putative endoglucanase, a 238 aa protein with a predicted molecular mass of 26 kDa and a pI of 4.35, exhibited 98.3-98.7% and 98.3-98.6% identities, respectively, with cDNA sequences and their corresponding endoglucanases from Aspergillus niger strains from the GenBank. The cDNA was overexpressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 under the control of an AOX1 promoter with a level of 1.59 U/ml culture supernatant, after 72 h of growth in a YP medium induced with 1% (v/v) of methanol. The molecular mass of the purified EglA, determined by SDS-PAGE, was 33 kDa, with a specific activity of 100.16 and 19.91 U/mg toward 1% (w/v) of ${\beta}$-glucan and CMC, respectively. Optimal enzymatic activity was noted at a temperature of $55^{\circ}C$ and a pH of 5. The recombinant EglA (rEglA) was stable over a temperature range of $30-37^{\circ}C$ and at pH range of 3.5-4.5. Metal ions, detergents, and solvents tested indicated a slightly inhibitory effect on rEglA activity. Kinetic constants ($K_m$, $V_{max}$, $k_{cat}$, and $k_{cat}/K_m$) determined for rEglA with ${\beta}$-glucan as a substrate were 4.04 mg/ml, 102.04 U/mg, 2,040.82 $min^{-1}$, and 505.05, whereas they were 10.17 mg/ml, 28.99 U/mg, 571.71 $min^{-1}$, and 57.01 with CMC as a substrate, respectively. The results thus indicate that the rEglA obtained in this study is highly specific toward ${\beta}$-glucan. The biochemical properties of rEglA make it highly valuable for downstream biotechnological applications, including potential use as a feed enzyme.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.5 no.1 s.9
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• pp.95-103
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to find out the distribution of underground biomass and its soil stabilizing effects. Bamboo and grass were examined and compared. 1. Thirty 'soil & root' samples were collected to the depth of 30cm with Impact-corer, and then divided into three sections(0-10cm, 10-20cm, 20-30cm). Each piece had a volume of $950cm^3$ and the underground biomass was separated from the soil particles by washing with flowing water. The average underground biomass rates of bamboo and grass were 10.8% and 4% of each sample, respectively. The rate of grass root biomass declined with depth, but the bamboo root biomass was at peak at around 20cm depth. 2. The shear strength was measured with con-penetration tester at each sample collecting site. Three measurements were made at each depth(0-10cm, 10-20cm, 20-30cm) and were compared with the impact counts needed to insert the corer to the depth of 30cm. The shear strength has clear correlations with underground biomass. The more underground biomass, the higher shear strength. The shear strength of bamboo was about three times larger than the grass.

• Informatization Policy
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.22-44
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• 2015

With the growing interest being reflected in the FinTech industry, much attention has been paid to mobile easy payment services as well. In the era of mobile commerce, the core advantage of using mobile easy payment services(simplifying complex payment procedures and thus facilitating user convenience and reducing the chance of giving up payment) are being more emphasized. Mobile easy payment service market not only includes mobile easy payment service providers but also users, non-users, affiliates, banks, and credit card companies as main stakeholders. Exploring those stakeholders is thus important to thoroughly understand such market. However, extant literature on mobile easy payment services mostly focuses on examining adoption intention of users or non-users. This study, an exploratory research based on interviews, thus aims to extract driving as well as inhibiting factors of mobile easy payment service use from six different perspectives (i.e., social platform, bank, credit card company, affiliate, user, and non-user) and analyze a sequence of cause and effect for each factor. For this, the causal loop diagram was developed to deduce key issues and propose an alternative. Theoretical and practical implications of this study will also be discussed.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.534-549
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• 2012

This study analyzed the effects of housing wealth on the balance accounts of elderly households with an age of over 60 facing the asset decumulation period, capitalizing upon an ordered logit model for the 2011 household finance survey data. Out of some variables representing personal and social characteristics, the age and waged worker variables had a positive effect, but the number of household, low education level, living in the apartment and capital region variables negatively affected the balance accounts of elderly households. Some variables reflecting economic wealth and financial strategies such as the attitude of risk-taking, ordinary income and the ratio of financial assets had a positive impact, but other variables such as DSR did a negative one on the balance accounts of the elderly households. The ownership of housing wealth variable positively, but the ratio of housing assets variable negatively affected the balance accounts of the elderly households, which could be derived from the duality of housing as both consumption goods and assets. However, the ownership of other real estates and the ratio of them in the total assets variables had a negative impact on the balance accounts of the elderly households. Furthermore, since the financial asset-debt ratio worsened the balance accounts of the elderly households with both housing and other real estates, it is implied that the purchase of real estates with excessive bank loans could make them dangerous.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.181-188
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• 2012

Salicornia europaea (glasswort) is succulent, annual, halophytic plant mainly distributed throughout reclaimed land or salt marsh. It has strong tolerance to salt so that it plays the part of the pioneer species in the first succession. According to domestic and foreign studies, S. europaea contains plenty of minerals and antioxidant in the body. Since people take note of an availableness of this plant as health diet, the natural growth sites are threatened. In addition to development of salt marsh and sea shore, imprudent harvest has a bad effect to S. europaea population maintenance. To seek ways to preserve the population of this plant, we carried out the continuity of seed germination and restoration test. Seokmo Island, Daebu Island, Youngjong Island and Sudokwon landfill in Korea are selected sites for research. Result of germination continuity shows that most S. europaea seeds germinate on March but no more after July. However the germination was occurred after that time in the greenhouse. So we concluded that no germination after July is a matter of environmental condition not the number of remaining seeds. Also germination was seldom occurred in the spot where seeds production was not happened. In result of continuity test of seed germination by soil depth, germination was occurred vigorously only in top soil. From these results, we note that most S. europaea germinate in the early spring, and germination is finished by July. And this rapid germination speed makes the number of seeds in soil seed bank rare. If a large number of S. europaea in some area are harvested after July, the number of this species will dramatically decrease in that area the following year. In Seokmo Island, we carried out reintroduction experiment by sowing S. europaea seeds. On the first year, a small number of S. europaea settled and they produced seeds successfully. On April 2010, the second year, we observed many S. europaea in seed sowing sites. And we found out that plowing is more efficient than treatment sea water for settlement of S. europaea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 2010

We evaluated the restoration effect by introducing willows as a means of controlling invasions of giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida L.) on a riparian site. Our preliminary survey demonstrated that a problematic exotic species, giant ragweed and the representative riparian species, Salix koreensis are in competitive exclusive relationship. We planted willows at 1 m intervals on the bank of the Dongmun stream at Munsan, Paju, in Central Western Korea as an experimental restoration practice. We installed two 50 m $\times$ 5 m sized restored and non-restored for this experimental study. The non-restored plots were located on river banks, which were covered with concrete blocks and left in itself without any treatment. The height of willow was measured after each of three consecutive growing seasons and compared with the height of the giant ragweed. Although the height of Salix gracilistyla did not achieve the height of the giant ragweed, the height of S. koreensis surpassed that of giant ragweed in the third year after introduction. The results were also reflected in the relative light intensity on the herb layer of willow stand, and thereby the relative light intensities of stands, which were dominated by S. koreensis or restored by introducing S. koreensis, 1.99 $\pm$ 0.33 (%, mean $\pm$ SD) and 1.92 $\pm$ 0.50 (%, mean $\pm$ SD), respectively were lower than those in the stands treated by S. gracilistyla, 3.01 $\pm$ 0.43 (%, mean $\pm$ SD). The giant ragweed stands receive full sunlight as there are no any vegetation layers higher than the herb layer formed by the giant ragweed. As the result of Detrended Correspondence analysis ordination based on naturally established vegetation, the stands dominated by willows and giant ragweed showed different species composition between both stands. The species composition of the restoratively treated sites resembled the reference sites more than the non-treated sites. The species diversity (H') of the sites restored by introducing S. koreensis and S. gracilistyla was higher than the non-restored site dominated by A. trifida. On the basis of our results, the restoration of riparian vegetation equipped with integrated features could contribute not only to the control of exotic plants including giant ragweed but also to ensure the diversity and stability of riverine ecosystems.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.129-140
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• 2020

In the future, the global container handling market will be reorganized into larger ships and shipping alliances, and the bargaining power of shipping companies will be further strengthened. Therefore, the global terminal operator (GTO), which has a global network, vast experience, and operational know-how, is expected to strengthen its competitiveness. In Korea, the central government promoted the development of GTOs in the mid-2000s, but it failed, mainly due to disagreements between port stakeholders. In this study, the macroeconomic indicators that have the same effect in all regions were used to analyze GTO management performance. In the short term, it could be used to establish the business strategy of domestic terminal operators based on changes in macroeconomic indicators. In the long term, it would be used to establish a promotion strategy for GTOs in Korea. The results of analyzing the impact of macroeconomic indicators on the GTO's profit show that the GTO's profit is significantly affected by cargo handling capacity, the consumer price index of the United States, the Shanghai Composite Index, the Crude Oil Price, and the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (LIBOR). However, the scale of impact was not significantly different between public and private GTOs.