• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.268-273
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• 2007

Objectives : Findings from behavioral genetics which demonstrate the high heritability of personality traits have stimulated the search for the specific genes underlying personality. A large number of association studies have investigated a correlation between serotonin transporter-linked promoter region(5-HTTLPR) polymorphism and personality traits but the results have been inconsistent. So, the aim of this study is to investigate in a large sample with homogenous background about ethnicity, gender, occupation, and age. Methods : The participants included 247 healthy Korean female adults(mean age=23.12, SD=3.22)with no history of psychiatric disorders and other physical illnesses. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood, and genotyping was performed by PCR. Personality assessment was done with the Temperament and Character Inventory(TCI). Results : Genotype Frequencies are l/l 3.6%, l/s 32.8% and s/s 63.6%(l allele:20%, s allele:80%). This low frequency of the l allele and l/l genotype was different from Caucasian results. No significant association was observed between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and personality traits in a Korean female population. Conclusions : This study investigated the association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and personality traits in Korean female subjects, a large sample with homogeneous background about ethnicity, gender, occupation, and age. No significant association was observed between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and personality traits in a Korean female population.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

The effect of injector geometries including the injection angle and number of nozzle holes on homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine combustion has been investigated in an automotive-size single-cylinder diesel engine. The HCCI engine has advantages of simultaneous reduction of PM and NOx emissions by achieving the spatially homogenous distribution of diesel fuel and air mixture, which results in no fuel-rich zones and low combustion temperature. To make homogeneous mixture in a direct-injection diesel engine, the fuel is injected at early timing. The early injection guarantees long ignition delay period resulting in long mixing period to form a homogeneous mixture. The wall-impingement of the diesel spray is a serious problem in this type of application. The impingement occurs due to the low in-cylinder density and temperature as the spray penetrates too deep into the combustion chamber. A hole-type injector (5 holes) with smaller angle ($100^{\circ}$) than the conventional one ($150^{\circ}$) was applied to resolve this problem. The multi-hole injector (14 holes) was also tested to maximize the atomization of diesel fuel. The macroscopic spray structure was visualized in a spray chamber, and the spray penetration was analyzed. Moreover, the effect of injector geometries on the power output and exhaust gases was tested in a single-cylinder diesel engine. Results showed that the small injection angle minimizes the wall-impingement of diesel fuel that results in high power output and low PM emission. The multi-hole injector could not decrease the spray penetration at low in-cylinder pressure and temperature, but still showed the advantages in atomization and premixing.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2010

Fee for long-term care insurance in Korea are determined in proportion to resources utilized according to severity rather than based on categorization of beneficiaries in consideration of the characteristics of resource utilization. This adoption is based on the assumption that as beneficiaries of long-term care insurance, characteristically, demands social services rather than needs medical treatments, the characteristics of beneficiaries and the quality of utilized resources are comparatively homogenous. Therefore, the proposition is that the size of resource consumed by beneficiaries in the same grade is identical. However, even in the same grade, the level of utilized resources is different depending on the characteristic of beneficiaries. In this regard, this study is to examine whether there are differences in the volumes of utilized resources depending on the characteristics of beneficiaries even in the same grade. We analyzed time study data for 2003, 2005, 2006 which conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. To look at differences in the volumes of utilized resources, we identified characteristics of beneficiaries that influence utilized resource volumes and categorized services provided by facilities into the rehabilitation treatment category, the problematic behavior category, and the physical malfunction category. Then, we examined each service in consideration of service difficulty levels and wage weights. The result of examination showed that differences in utilized resource volumes exist in all three grades depending on the characteristics of beneficiaries. Especially, in the first grade with a high level of seriousness, utilized resource volumes were different for those three service categories and the problematic behaviour category considered dementia was found to consume the largest volume of resources. Moreover, there was the inversion phenomenon of utilized resources volumes between the grades. This result indicates that utilized resource volumes are different even in the same grade depending on the characteristics of beneficiaries and it is required to consider case-mix for reflection of the volumes of utilized resources depending on the characteristics of beneficiaries.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.40-49
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• 2014

Globalisation has intensified the international movement of labour and South Korea is no exception. Korea, which in the past was itself a labour-exporting country, has seen a reversal in human mobility since the late 1990's with a rapid growth in immigration and a transformation of a previously almost ethnically homogenous society. In this context, the important questions about the cultural and political implications associated with the construction of minority representations in the media have remained highly unexplored. The starting point of this study is an examination of the vital role of public service broadcasting (PSB) in Korean society, where ethnic minorities have increasingly become visible. The study shows the significant role of PSB in representing cultural diversity in public debates and the ways in which such representations and their dissemination reflect media power.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.1197-1205
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• 2013

Urokinase (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) play an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. Targeting the excessive activation of this system as well as the proliferation of the tumor vascular endothelial cell would be expected to prevent tumor neovasculature and halt the tumor development. In this regard, the amino-terminal fragment (ATF) of urokinase has been confirmed as effective to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of cancer cells via interrupting the interaction of uPA and uPAR. Previous studies indicated that ATF expressed in Escherichia coli was mainly contained in inclusion bodies and also lacked posttranslational modifications. In this study, the biologically active and soluble ATF was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The recombinant protein was purified to be homogenous and confirmed to be biologically active. The yield of the active ATF was about 30 mg/l of the P. pastoris culture medium. The recombinant ATF (rATF) could efficiently inhibit angiogenesis, endothelial cell migration, and tumor cell invasion in vitro. Furthermore, it could inhibit in vivo xenograft tumor growth and prolong the survival of tumor-bearing mice significantly by competing with uPA for binding to cell surfaces. Therefore, P. pastoris is a highly efficient and cost-effective expression system for large-scale production of biologically active rATFs for potential therapeutic application.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.85-96
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• 1988

Purification and some properties of alkaline proteinases in the pyloric caeca of skipjack, Katsuwonus vagans, were investigated. Four alkaline proteinases, temporarily designated proteinases I, II, III and IV, were identified from the tissue extract of the pyloric caeca by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 and G-200 gel filtration. Result of disc-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis showed that the purified proteinases II and III were homogenous with the yields of $1.5\%\;and\;1.2\%$, and those specific activities were increased to 33 to 37 fold over that of the crude enzyme solution, respectively. Molecular weight of the proteinases II and III determined by sephadex G-100 gel filtration were 28,500 and 24,200, respectively. The optimum conditions for the caseinolytic activity of the two enzymes were pH 9.6 and $48^{\circ}C$. The reaction rates of the two alkaline proteinases were constant to the reaction time to 80 min in the reaction mixture of $3.4{\mu}g/ml$ of enzyme concentration and $2\%$ casein solution. The Km values against casein substrate determined by the method of Lineweaver-Burk were $0.56\%$ for proteinase II and $0.30\%$ for proteinase II. The proteinases II and III were inactivated under the presence of $Ag^+,\;Hg^{2+},\;Ni{2+},\;Fe^{2+},\;and\;Cu^{2+}$, and but activated by $Mn^{2+}\;and\;Ca^{2+}$ and markedly inhibited by the soybean trypsin inhibitor and N-p-toluenesulfonyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone. Therefore, the proteinases II and III were found to be a group of serine proteases and assured to be trypsin-like proteinases.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.150-154
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• 2000

We investigated the quantum well intermixing (QWI) of a compressively strained InGaAs/InGaAsP multiple quantum well (MQW) by using impurity free vacancy diffusion technique. The samples with InGaAs/$SiO_2$ capping layer showed a higher degree of intermixing compared to that of InP/$SiO_2$ capping layer after rapid thermal annealing (RTA). Band-gap shift difference as large as 123 meV (195 nm) was observed between samples capped with InGaAs/$SiO_2$ and with InP/$SiO_2$ layer at RTA temperature of $700^{\circ}C$. Using the InGaAs/$SiO_2$ cap layer, the band-gap wavelength of MQW was changed by the intermixing from 1.55 $\mu\textrm{m}$ band to 1.3 $\mu\textrm{m}$ band with a wavelength shift of a 237 nm. The transform from MQW structure to homogenous alloy was observed above the RTA temperature of $700^{\circ}C$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.96-100
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• 1996

In order to improve the permeability of the homogenous membrane of poly(carbobenzoxy-L-lysin)(PCLL), which has very high selectivity of helium gas to nitrogen gas, asymmetric porous membranes of PCLL were prepared by casting from 20% solutions in dioxane and dimethylformamide(DMF), respectively. The membranes were characterized by measuring the number of the pores, the pore size distribution of the surface(the skin layer) and the thickness of the skin layer by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. The mean pore size and the pore density were lower for the membrane cast from dioxane than that from DMF, which was explained by the mechanism of the formation of the pores in the asymmetric porous membrane. The permeability coefficient observed could be roughly explained by the viscous flow through the skin layer. However, the selectivity observed was against the theory of the viscous flow.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.37-50
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• 2005

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-caner effect of Bee Venom and Melittin on the prostatic cancer cell(PC-3). The goal of study is to ascertain whether Bee Venom and Melittin inhibits the cell growth and cell cycle of PC-3, or the expression of relative genes and whether the regression of PC-3 cell growth is due to cell death or the expression of gene related to apoptosis. Methods : After the treatment of Pc-3 cells with Bee Venom and Melittin, we performed Fluorescence microscope, MTT assay, Western blotting, Flow cytometry, PAGE electrophoresis and Surface plasmon resonance analysis to identify the cell viability, apoptosis and gene related to apoptosis. Results : 1. Compared with Control cell, the inhibition of cell growth reduced in proportion with the dose of Bee Venom or Melittin($0{\sim}10{\mu}g/ml$) in PC-3. 2. In PC-3, Cell viabilities of Bee Venom or Melittin treatment was decreased significantly. 3. The nucli of Control cells were stained round and homogenous in DAPI staining, but those of PC-3 were stained condense and splitted. 4. In PC-3, apoptosis of Bee Venom or Melittin treatment was increased significantly. 5. Bax, Caspase-3 and P ARP of Bee Venom or Melittin treatment was increased significantly and Bcl-2 of Bee Venom or Melittin treatment was decreased significantly. Caspase-9 of Bee venom treatment was increased significantly. Conclusion : These results indicate that Bee Venom and Melittin inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells, has anti-cancer effects by inducing apoptosis. We wish that the anti-cancer effects of Bee Venom and Melittin are used to clinical caner treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2009

Purpose: Gelatin-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite is similar to inorganic nanostructure of bone. To make a scaffold with osteoinductivity, bone marrow derived stem cells from rabbit femur were impinged into the nanocomposite. This vitro study was to test osteogenic differentiation of the stem cells in the nanocomposite, which was made by authors. Material & Methods: Gel-HA nanocomposite with 10g of HA, 3 g of Gel has been made by co-precipitation process. Bone marrow was obtained from femur of New Zealand White rabbits and osteogenic differentiation was induced by culturing of the BMSCs in an osteogenic medium. The BMSCs were seeded into the Gel-HA nanocomposite scaffold using a stirring seeding method. The scaffolds with the cells were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), colorimetry assay, biochemical assay with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) diagnostic kit, osteocalcin ELISA kit. Results: Gel-HA nanocomposite scaffolds were fabricated with relatively homogenous microscale pores ($20-40{\mu}m$). The BMSCs were obtained from bone marrow of rabbit femurs and confirmed with flow cytometry, Alizarin red staining. Attachment and proliferation of BMSCs in Gel-HA nanocomposite scaffold could be identified by SEM, ALP activity and osteocalcin content of BMSCs. Conclusion: The Gel-HA nanocomposite scaffold with micropores could be fabricated and could support BMSCs seeding, osteogenic differentiation.