Some Characteristics of Chinese Literary Criticism

Ngan, Yuen-wan 서울대학교 동아문화연구소 1981 東亞文化 Vol.18 No.-

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci Associated with Horticultural Traits using a Germplasm Collection in Tomato

Ngan Thi Phan,Sung-Chur Sim 한국원예학회 2017 한국원예학회 학술발표요지 Vol.2017 No.5

Traumatic brain injury-induced hypo-O-GlcNAcylation contributes to cognitive dysfunction in adult zebrafish

Ngan An Bui,Dong Yeol Kim,Jiwon Park,Sang-Min Kim,Hyun Jae Sung,Thuy-Duong ThiTran,Quynh T N Nguyen,Inn-Oc Han 한국당과학회 2022 한국당과학회 학술대회 Vol.2022 No.07

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known as a functional corruption of the brain caused by a bump or blast to the head when an object hits suddenly or pierces the skull and penetrates brain tissues. There is an urgent need of understanding the pathophysiology following TBI because the morbidity and mortality rates worldwide caused by TBI have remained high throughout decades. In this study, we used a novel model of adult zebrafish to study the molecular and physiological changes following TBI. Using T-maze, on the 3rd-day post-stab-lesion injury (dpi), learning and memory deficits and poor social response were observed. Results from mirror biting and novel tank tests also provided us insight into their defective mobility, explorational, and territorial instincts. Neurogenesis impairment and severe brain inflammation were also altered following TBI, especially at 3 dpi. Upon injury, a notable decrease of O-GlcNAc level was remarked at 3dpi. Deregulation of O-GlcNAcylation which led to impaired glucose metabolism was informed to contribute to the pathologies of neurodegenerative diseases. Glucosamine (GlcN), a natural compound found in cartilage, is known as a derivative of the pathway that can increase O-GlcNAcylation by bypassing the reaction catalyzed by a rate liming enzyme GFAT. To further investigate the correlation, after TBI exposure, zebrafish had been recovered 3 days in 0.1g/L glucosamine (GlcN) diluted in water. Under the treatment of GlcN, the inflammation level reduced significantly, indicated by the decrease of Nuclear factor-kappa B and Glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in the telencephalon. TBI-induced downregulation of the cAMP signaling pathway and its relevant proteins in synaptic plasticity were rescued by GlcN. O-GlcNAc deficiency observed previously, as well as L/M capability were retrieved. GlcN also elevated the number of new cells regenerations and neuronal differentiation. As a result, regulation of brain O-GlcNAcylation may hold a potential role in TBI’s recuperation.

Growth-Inhibiting, Bactericidal, and Urease Inhibitory Effects of Paeonia lactiflora Root Constituents and Related Compounds on Antibiotic-Susceptible and -Resistant Strains of Helicobacter pylori

Ngan, Luong Thi My,Moon, Joon-Kwan,Shibamoto, Takayuki,Ahn, Young-Joon American Chemical Society 2012 Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol.60 No.36

<P>An assessment was made of the growth-inhibiting, bactericidal, and urease inhibitory activities of paeonol (PA), benzoic acid (BA), methyl gallate (MG), and 1,2,3,4,6-penta-<I>O</I>-galloyl-β-<SMALL>d</SMALL>-glucopyranose (PGG) identified in Paeonia lactiflora root, structurally related compounds, and four antibiotics toward three reference strains and four clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori using broth dilution bioassay and Western blot. BA and PA showed strong bactericidal effect at pH 4, while MG and PGG were effective at pH 7. These constituents exhibited strong growth-inhibiting and bactericidal activity toward the five strains resistant to amoxicillin (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) 12.5 mg/L), clarithromycin (64 mg/L), metronidazole (64 mg/L), or tetracycline (15 mg/L), indicating that these constituents and the antibiotics do not share a common mode of action. Structural characteristics, such as types of functional groups and carbon skeleton, and hydrophobicity appear to play a role in determining the anti-H. pylori activity. H. pylori urease inhibitory activity of PGG was comparable to that of acetohydroxamic acid, while MG was less potent at inhibiting urease than thiourea. The UreB band disappeared at 250 mg/L PGG on Western blot, while the UreA bands were faintly visible at 1000 mg/L PGG. These constituents showed no significant cytotoxicity. Global efforts to reduce the level of antibiotics justify further studies on P. lactiflora root-derived materials containing MG, PA, and PGG as potential antibacterial products or lead molecules for the prevention or eradication from humans from diseases caused by H. pylori.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/jafcau/2012/jafcau.2012.60.issue-36/jf3035034/production/images/medium/jf-2012-035034_0009.gif'></P>

Soft-tissue Sarcomas in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Systematic Review

Ngan, Roger,Wang, Edward,Porter, David,Desai, Jayesh,Prayogo, Nugroho,Devi, Beena,Quek, Richard Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.11

Background: Soft-tissue sarcomas require tailored and multidisciplinary treatment and management. However, little is known about how sarcomas are treated and managed throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Materials and Methods: MEDLINE was systematically searched using prespecified criteria. Publications (previous 10 years) that reported tumour characteristics, treatment patterns, survival outcomes, and/or safety outcomes of patients with soft-tissue sarcoma were selected. Exclusion criteria were studies of patients <18 years of age; ${\leq}10$ patients; countries other than Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, or Thailand; >20% benign tumours; sarcomas located in bones or joints; gastrointestinal stromal tumour; Kaposi's sarcoma; or not reporting relevant outcomes. Results: Of the 1,822 publications retrieved, 35 (32 studies) were included. Nearly all patients (98%, 1,992/2,024; 31 studies) were treated with surgery, and more studies used adjuvant radiotherapy than chemotherapy (24 vs 17 studies). Survival outcomes and recurrence rates varied among the studies because of the different histotypes, sites, and disease stages assessed. Only 5 studies reported safety findings. Conclusions: These findings highlight the lack of specific data available about soft-tissue sarcomas in the Asia-Pacific region. Better efforts to understand how the sarcoma is managed and treated will help improve patient outcomes in the region.

Preparing Students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution through Mathematical Learning: The Constructivist Learning Design

Ngan Hoe Lee,June Lee,Zi Yang Wong 대한수학교육학회 2021 수학교육학연구 Vol.31 No.3

Characterised by increased automation and digitalisation of work processes, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has displaced and redesigned many existing jobs, and will create new occupations that are currently non-existent. To prepare a future workforce that is adaptive amid a volatile employment landscape, schools should provide the necessary learning experiences to help students today develop transferrable competencies, which encompass deep conceptual understanding of domain-specific knowledge and 21st century competencies in the cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal domains. In this paper, we study this possibility in the context of mathematics learning and propose a constructivist learning design (CLD) that affords students to engage in deeper learning processes. In the proposed CLD, students first work collaboratively to solve a complex problem targeting a math concept that they have yet to learn, before being engaged in instruction that builds upon their solutions in the teaching of the concept, and practices that reinforce these ideas. Testing CLD in mathematics learning at secondary level via a quasi-experimental design, we found out that (1) CLD facilitates deeper learning as it encouraged students to apply their cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal competencies, and (2) CLD students (n=23) outperformed their Direct Instruction counterparts (n=18) on mathematical conceptual understanding and transfer. Overall, this study suggests that the CLD has the potential to cultivate competencies that allow students to transfer in novel situations, rendering it as a possible learning environment to better prepare students for the 4IR.

Washability and abrasion resistance of illuminative knitted e-textiles with POFs and silver-coated conductive yarns

Ngan Yi Kitty Lam,Jeanne Tan,Anne Toomey,Ka Chun Jimmy Cheuk 한국의류학회 2022 Fashion and Textiles Vol.9 No.1

For the integration of conductive yarns in e-textiles, knitting ofers structural versatility and malleability for wider product applications in the contexts of wearables and interiors. To enable mass adoption of conductive materials, it is imperative for users to be able to launder these materials as part of product maintenance. Interactive textiles knitted from polymeric optical fbres (POFs) and silver-coated conductive yarns are able to illuminate and change colours via integrated touch sensor systems. Current research only focuses on the washability and abrasion resistance of conductive yarns solely and not both POF and conductive yarn within the same fabric structure. This study is novel as it investigates the washability and abrasion resistance of POF and silver-coated conductive yarn integrated knitted textiles with diferent loop structures and the impact to their illuminative function. POFs were knitted within the same fabric structure by the inlay method using a 7-gauge industrial hand-operated fatbed knitting machine. This study examined how washing and abrasion afect POFs and silver-coated conductive yarn in fve diferent knit structures, and the illuminative function of the knitted textiles. Washing and abrasion afected the resistance of conductive yarns. Scratches and bent POFs were observed after 20 gentle washing cycles. However, washing had minimal impact on the illuminative function of the knitted e-textiles examined in this study. The experiments provide evidence that e-textiles knitted with POFs and conductive yarns in the same fabric structure withstand washing and abrasion and thus have the potential for mass market adoption in fashion and interior applications.

A Zero Current Detector with Low Reverse Current by Forcing Freewheel Switch Operation in Buck Converter

Ngan K. Hoang,우영진,이상국 한국과학기술원 반도체설계교육센터 2015 IDEC Journal of Integrated Circuits and Systems Vol.1 No.1

At light load condition, buck converter usually requires a zero-current detector (ZCD) to prevent reverse current flowing back to the source to improve conversion efficiency. This paper presents a ZCD with enhanced time response of the freewheel switch operation. The proposed ZCD was simulated using a 0.18-µm CMOS process in a PWM voltage mode control type-III compensation buck converter, to convert a DC input voltage of 3.3V to a DC output voltage of 1.8V. The buck converter was designed to work in CCM at heavy load, PFM at light load, and DCM in a short transient between CCM and PFM. The PWM switching frequency is 2MHz, and the output load current range is from 20mA up to 300mA. The proposed ZCD was tested as compared to the conventional one for the same condition, showing maximum improvement of 6.9% in efficiency in PFM, making the overall conversion efficiency greater than 89.7%.

Moving toward Universal Coverage of Health Insurance in Vietnam: Barriers, Facilitating Factors, and Lessons from Korea

Ngan Do,오주환,이진석 대한의학회 2014 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.29 No.7

Vietnam has pursued universal health insurance coverage for two decades but has yet tofully achieve this goal. This paper investigates the barriers to achieve universal coverageand examines the validity of facilitating factors to shorten the transitional period inVietnam. A comparative study of facilitating factors toward universal coverage of Vietnamand Korea reveals significant internal forces for Vietnam to further develop the NationalHealth Insurance Program. Korea in 1977 and Vietnam in 2009 have commoncharacteristics to be favorable of achieving universal coverage with similarities of level ofincome, highly qualified administrative ability, tradition of solidarity, and strong politicalleadership although there are differences in distribution of population and structure of theeconomy. From a comparative perspective, Vietnam can consider the experience of Koreain implementing the mandatory enrollment approach, household unit of eligibility, designof contribution and benefit scheme, and resource allocation to health insurance forsustainable government subsidy to achieve and sustain the universal coverage of healthinsurance.

Growth-inhibiting effects of Paeonia lactiflora root steam distillate constituents and structurally related compounds on human intestinal bacteria.

Ngan, Luong Thi My,Moon, Joon-Kwan,Kim, Jeong-Han,Shibamoto, Takayuki,Ahn, Young-Joon Springer 2012 World journal of microbiology biotechnology Vol.28 No.4

<P>The growth-inhibiting activities of Paeonia lactiflora (Paeoniaceae) root steam distillate constituents and structurally related compounds against nine harmful intestinal bacteria and eight lactic acid-producing bacteria were compared with those of two antibiotics, amoxicillin and tetracycline. Thymol, α-terpinolene, (-)-perilla alcohol and (1R)-(-)-myrtenol exhibited high to extremely high levels of growth inhibition of all the harmful bacteria, whereas thymol and α-terpinolene (except for Lactobacillus casei ATCC 393) inhibited the growth of all the beneficial bacteria (MIC, both 0.08-0.62 mg mL(-1)). Tetracycline and amoxicillin exhibited extremely high level of growth inhibition of all the test bacteria (MIC, <0.00002-0.001 mg mL(-1)). 1,8-Cineole, geraniol, (-)-borneol, (1S,2S,5S)-(-)-myrtanol, nerol, (S)-(-)-β-citronellol and ()-lavandulol also exhibited inhibitory activity but with differing specificity and levels of activity. Structure-activity relationship indicates that structural characteristics, such as geometric isomerism, degrees of saturation, types of functional groups and types of carbon skeleton, appear to play a role in determining the growth-inhibiting activity of monoterpenoids. Global efforts to reduce the level of antibiotics justify further studies on naturally occurring P. lactiflora root-derived materials as potential preventive agents against various diseases caused by harmful intestinal bacteria such as clostridia.</P>