• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.269-278
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• 2024

Objectives: The Chepang people, an indigenous ethnic group in Nepal, experience substantial marginalization and socioeconomic disadvantages, making their communities among the most vulnerable in the region. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in the Chepang communities of Raksirang Rural Municipality, Makwanpur District, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to April 2023 among 231 Chepang women selected using simple random sampling from Raksirang Rural Municipality. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for interviewing the mothers. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, using odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Variables with a variation inflation factor of more than 2 and a p-value of more than 0.25 were excluded from the final model. Results: The study revealed that the prevalence rate of adolescent pregnancy among Chepang women was 71.4% (95% CI, 65.14 to 77.16). A large percentage of participants (72.7%) were married before the age of 18 years. Poor knowledge of adolescent pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 10.3; 95% CI, 8.42 to 14.87), unplanned pregnancy (aOR, 13.3; 95% CI, 10.76 to 19.2), and lack of sex education (aOR, 6.57; 95% CI, 3.85 to 11.27) were significantly associated with adolescent pregnancy. Conclusions: The prevalence of adolescent pregnancy among the Chepang community was high. These findings highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the potential consequences of adolescent pregnancy and implementing comprehensive sexuality education programs for preventing adolescent pregnancies within this community.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.163-177
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• 2024

The fingerprint image quality relies on the clearness of separated ridges by valleys and the uniformity of the separation. The condition of skin still dominate the overall quality of the fingerprint. However, the identification performance of such system is very sensitive to the quality of the captured fingerprint image. Fingerprint image quality analysis and enhancement are useful in improving the performance of fingerprint identification systems. A fuzzy technique is introduced in this paper for both fingerprint image quality analysis and enhancement. First, the quality analysis is performed by extracting four features from a fingerprint image which are the local clarity score (LCS), global clarity score (GCS), ridge_valley thickness ratio (RVTR), and the Global Contrast Factor (GCF). A fuzzy logic technique that uses Mamdani fuzzy rule model is designed. The fuzzy inference system is able to analyse and determinate the fingerprint image type (oily, dry or neutral) based on the extracted feature values and the fuzzy inference rules. The percentages of the test fuzzy inference system for each type is as follow: For dry fingerprint the percentage is 81.33, for oily the percentage is 54.75, and for neutral the percentage is 68.48. Secondly, a fuzzy morphology is applied to enhance the dry and oily fingerprint images. The fuzzy morphology method improves the quality of a fingerprint image, thus improving the performance of the fingerprint identification system significantly. All experimental work which was done for both quality analysis and image enhancement was done using the DB_ITS_2009 database which is a private database collected by the department of electrical engineering, institute of technology Sepuluh Nopember Surabaya, Indonesia. The performance evaluation was done using the Feature Similarity index (FSIM). Where the FSIM is an image quality assessment (IQA) metric, which uses computational models to measure the image quality consistently with subjective evaluations. The new proposed system outperformed the classical system by 900% for the dry fingerprint images and 14% for the oily fingerprint images.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1101-1121
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• 2024

Thorough understanding of user demands and formulation of product development strategies are crucial in product design, and can effectively stimulate consumer behavior. Scientific categorization and classification of demands contribute to accurate design development, design efficiency, and success rates. In recent years, e-commerce has become important consumption platforms for smart wearable products. However, there are few studies on product design and development among those related to promoting platform product services and sales. Meanwhile, design strategies focusing on real consumer needs are scarce among smart wearable product design studies. Therefore, an empirical consumer demand analysis method is proposed and design development strategies are formulated based on a categorized interpretation of demands. Using representative smart bracelets from wearable smart products as a case, this paper classifies consumer demands with three methods: big data semantic analysis, KANO model analysis, and satisfaction analysis. The results reveal that analysis methods proposed herein can effectively classify consumer demands and confirm that differences in consumer demand categories have varying impacts on consumer behavior. On this basis, corresponding design strategies are proposed based on four categories of consumer demands, aiming to make product design the leading factor and promote consumer behavior on e-commerce platforms. This research further enriches demand research on smart wearable products on e-commerce platforms, and optimizes products from a design perspective, thereby promoting consumption. In future research, different data analysis methods will be tried to compare and analyze changes in consumer demands and influencing factors, thus improving research on impact factors of product design in e-commerce.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.25-39
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• 2024

Because small and medium-sized businesses lack capabilities and resources, they must effectively procure, share, and utilize scarce resources from outside, and as a result, the importance of networks with external organizations is gradually increasing. In this study, we verified the influence of small and medium-sized enterprises' network capabilities and network characteristics on market performance and financial performance. As a result of testing the hypothesis through a structural equation model, network capabilities were found to have a significant partial impact on financial performance, and all sub-factors of network characteristics such as strength, size, and diversity were found to affect financial performance. Additionally, network capabilities and network characteristics were found to have a significant partial effect on market performance. Market performance was found to have a partial mediating effect in the relationship between network capabilities and financial performance, and a partial mediating effect in the relationship between network characteristics and financial performance. Unlike previous studies, this study simultaneously analyzed the impact of two factors, network capabilities and network characteristics, on corporate performance and presented a new research perspective by analyzing the mediating effect of market performance, which is recognized as a leading factor in financial performance.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.304-312
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• 2023

Purpose: Due to the many problems with commercially available vaccines, the production of effective vaccines against brucellosis is a necessity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immune responses caused by the chimeric protein consisting of trigger factor, Bp26, and Omp31 (TBO) along with aluminum hydroxide (AH/TBO) and selenium (Se/TBO) nanoparticles (NPs) as adjuvants in mouse model. Materials and Methods: Recombinant antigen expression was induced in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) bacteria using IPTG (isopropyl-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside). Purification and characterization of recombinant protein was conducted through NiFe₃O₄ NPs, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and Western blot. NP characteristics, including morphology and particle size, were measured in vitro. The recombinant TBO was loaded on to AH and Se NPs and were administered subcutaneously. After mice immunization, measurement of antibody titter and protection assay was performed. Results: The average sizes of AH and Se NPs were about 60 nm and 150 nm, respectively. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed that the serum of mice immunized by subcutaneous injection with both nanovaccines produced significant immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses against the chimeric antigen. The results of TBO-specific IgG isotype (IgG2a/IgG1) analysis showed that both AH and Se NPs induced a type to T-helper immune response. In addition, the results of the challenge with the pathogenic strain of Brucella melitensis 16M showed that vaccinated mice with AH/TBO NPs indicated a higher reduction of bacterial culture than immunized mice with Se/TBO NPs and TBO alone. Conclusion: The results showed that AH NPs carrying chimeric antigen can be a promising vaccine candidate against brucellosis by producing protective immunity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to identify the applicability, main compounds, and target genes of Cnidii Fructus (CF) in the treatment of gastritis using network pharmacology. The compounds in CF were searched in Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and a database of medicinal materials and chemical compounds in Northeast Asian traditional medicine (TM-MC). The target gene information of the compounds was collected from pubchem and cross-compared with the gastritis-related target gene information collected from Genecard to derive the target genes. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed on the derived target genes. Afterwards, network analysis between compounds and disease target genes was performed using cytoscape. We identified 121 active compounds and 139 target genes associated with gastritis. Pathways derived from the GO biological process and KEGG pathway DB primarily focus on target genes related to inflammation (IL-6, IL-8, TNF production, NF-κB transcription factor activity, and NF-κB signaling pathway) and cell death (PI3K-Akt, FoxO). Major targets for CF treatment of gastritis include TP53, TNF, BCL2, EGFR, NFKB1, ABCB1, PPARG, PTGS2, IL6, IL1B, and SOD1, along with major compounds such as coumarin, osthol, hexadecanoic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and stigmasterol. This study provided CF's applicability for gastritis, related compounds, and target information. Evaluating CF's effectiveness in a preclinical gastritis model suggests its potential use in clinical practice for digestive system diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.139-151
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• 2024

The objective of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of EMPS (edible mushroom mycelium polysaccharide: Tremella fuciformis) in animal models with colorectal cancer induced by AOM/DSS. The experimental groups consisted of Nor (normal), NC (AOM/DSS), EMPS (EMPS 50, EMPS 100), and PC (Fluorouracil). The NC group had the highest number of colon tumors, whereas it was observed that tumor occurrence was significantly reduced in the EMPS consumption group. The expression of Bcl-2, an apoptosis inhibitor, was significantly lower in the EMPS 50 & 100 and PC groups. On the other hand, the mRNA gene expression of Bax, a factor that induces apoptosis, was significantly higher in the EMPS 50 & 100 and PC groups compared to the NC group. The mRNA expression levels of TNF-α and COX-2 significantly increased in the NC group, but showed a significant decrease in the EMPS and PC groups, indicating inhibition of the cancer-promoting response of cells. At the phylum level of the mice's intestinal microbial composition, the proportion of Bacteroidetes tended to decrease, while the proportion of Firmicutes tended to increase with EMPS administration. This suggests that changes in the gut microbiota caused by inflammation can be influenced by dietary intake.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1213-1224
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between the behavioral routines of beauty service workers on service performance and work performance. The subjects of the study were 311 beauty consumers in Seoul and Gyeonggi, and data were collected and analyzed using a structured questionnaire. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis(CFA), correlation analysis, structural equation model analysis(SEM), and mediating effect analysis using bootstrapping techniques were conducted. The conclusions drawn through a series of research procedures are as follows. First, the behavioral routines of beauty service workers were found to have a statistically significant positive(+) effect on self-efficacy, service performance, and work performance. Second, the self-efficacy of beauty service workers was found to have a statistically significant positive (+) effect on service performance and work performance. Third, the partial mediating effect of self-efficacy was shown in the relationship between beauty service workers' behavioral routines, service performance, and work performance.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.27-37
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of community characteristics of induced participants on values, attitudes, and behaviors (VAB) and intention to continue participation. Convenience sampling (n=192) was used to sample the research subjects, and confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0. The results of this study are as follows. 1) Among the community attributes of the participants, reputation, enjoyment, interaction, and social connection had a significant impact. 2) Value-Attitude-Behavior (VAB) was found to have a significant hierarchical impact. 3) Behavioral intention was found to have a significant effect on continuation intention. Through this, the Judo community needs to build a participant-centered organizational culture that can create positive value in order to increase participants' participation in Judo.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.37-47
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• 2024

In the summer of 2018, the Korea-Japan (KJ) region experienced an extremely severe and prolonged heatwave. This study examines the GloSea6 model's prediction performance for the 2018 KJ heatwave event and investigates how its prediction skill is related to large-scale circulation patterns identified by the k-means clustering method. Cluster 1 pattern is characterized by a KJ high-pressure anomaly, Cluster 2 pattern is distinguished by an Eastern European high-pressure anomaly, and Cluster 3 pattern is associated with a Pacific-Japan pattern-like anomaly. By analyzing the spatial correlation coefficients between these three identified circulation patterns and GloSea6 predictions, we assessed the contribution of each circulation pattern to the heatwave lifecycle. Our results show that the Eastern European high-pressure pattern, in particular, plays a significant role in predicting the evolution of the development and peak phases of the 2018 KJ heatwave approximately two weeks in advance. Furthermore, this study suggests that an accurate representation of large-scale atmospheric circulations in upstream regions is a key factor in seasonal forecast models for improving the predictability of extreme weather events, such as the 2018 KJ heatwave.