• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.673-681
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• 2024

This study was conducted to develop kombucha with better functionality. The developed kombucha (CK) was prepared using the sugar extracts from fruits of Cudrania tricuspidata (Carrière) Bureau ex Lavallée instead of the sugar, which is used as a substrate for SCOBY in conventional kombucha (K). During fermentation, the soluble solids content significantly decreased in CK compared to K, and the pH change decreased rapidly in CK compared to K. On the 14^th day of fermentation, the weight of the SCOBY in CK was higher than that in K. Immediately after preparation, K contained only sucrose, but CK contained sucrose, glucose, and fructose. SCOBY appears to use glucose and fructose preferentially during fermentation. K contained acetic acid and citric acid right after preparation. However, as fermentation progressed, the composition changed to acetic acid, citric acid, and lactic acid. At the same time, CK initially consisted of citric acid, lactic acid, and acetic acid. However, acetic acid and citric acid increased but lactic acid decreased significantly on the 14^th day of fermentation. In the cytotoxicity studies, the CK showed a proliferation-promoting effect on normal lung cells (MRC-5) and strong cytotoxicity against human lung cancer cells (A549). These results suggest that the kombucha made from sugar extracts of C. tricuspidata fruits can be used as a more functional beverage than regular kombucha.

• The Korean Journal of Medicine
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• v.99 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2024

Background/Aims: In Korea, the incidence of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNSL) is increasing and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has improved the survival of younger patients. We explored our real-world experience with PCNSL at Asan Medical Center (AMC). Methods: We used the AMC lymphoma registry to collect patient data prospectively. We analyzed 279 patients diagnosed from 2002 until August 2019. Results: The PCNSL incidence at AMC increased progressively and comprised 7.4-8.9% of new non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients annually during the most recent 4 years. The median age was 60 years (range, 17-85) and males comprised 55%. Patients under 65 years of age (n = 183) had no significant differences in characteristics compared to those aged 65 years or over, with the exception of less occipital lobe involvement and lower beta-2 microglobulin levels. Rituximab, methotrexate, procarbazine, and vincristine (R-MPV) combination induction had the best overall response, of 95%. The median overall survival was 3.8 years with 5- and 10-year survival rates of 41.5% and 30.2%, respectively. Survival was better in younger patients and those treated with ASCT. Thiotepa, busulfan, and cytoxan (TBC) conditioning chemotherapy had better survival than other combinations. The International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center prognostic score systems were valid in this cohort. Age and performance status were independent prognostic factors. Exclusive extra-central nervous system failure occurred in six patients (5.6%) among 107 failures. Conclusions: The incidence of PCNSL is rising. R-MPV induction therapy followed by ASCT with TBC has improved the survival of young, fit PCNSL patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 2024

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS) is an Clinical symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on residual enzyme activity and genetic mutations. In Korea, 27 cases of LNS have been reported. We report the results of an 11-year comparative follow-up of two cases of children who visited because of pink diapers, one who died from LNS with no residual enzymes and one case with partial residual enzymes. Case 1: During follow-up, seizures, developmental delay, and regression were observed. The boy experienced insomnia and severe constipation. He exhibited self-mutilating behavior, a grand mal seizure, scoliosis with severe spasticity, truncal hypotonia, choreoathetoid movement, and ataxia. After prolonged emaciation, staghorn calculi, and recurrent pneumonia, the patient died suddenly at the age of 11 years. Genetic testing revealed a hemizygous HPRT1 variant (c.151C>T (p.Arg51Ter)). Uric acid level was 10.5 mg/dL (normal range: ~3.5-7.9) and HPRT activity 0.02 nmol/hr/spot (10-23.8 nmol/hr/spot). Case 2: During follow-up, the patient remained underweight. He has normal intelligence attending primary school. Self-mutilation symptoms were not observed. Regular renal ultrasonography did not reveal urolithiasis. The patient had a hemizygous HPRT1 variant (c.35A>C (p.Asp12Ala)). Uric acid level and HPRT activity were 11 mg/dL and 0.56 nmol/hr/spot. Pink diapers after the neonatal period and severe protein aversion, neurological problems, and kidney stones, differentiation for LNS is necessary. When suspected, serum uric acid levels, HPRT enzyme activity, and molecular biological tests may be helpful in predicting the prognosis of LNS.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.397-416
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• 2024

This study assessed the hydrogeological properties of the deep geological environment to develop safety criteria for the natural barriers used in the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in Korea. The assessment focused on the distribution and trends of hydraulic conductivity and permeability properties appropriate for the domestic geological environment, using various in-situ hydraulic test data collected for groundwater development and management. To develop a depth-hydrogeological property relationship model suitable for domestic conditions, the study reviewed various international research examples and applied a representative model that explains the trends of hydraulic conductivity and permeability with depth. The development of the model suitable for Korea involved applying ensemble regression analysis to account for the uncertainty of various factors in the collected data. The results confirmed that existing international depth-hydrogeological property relationship models adequately describe the characteristics of the domestic geological environment. Considering the preferred hydrogeological criteria suggested by countries like Sweden, Germany, and Canada, there is a high likelihood that a suitable geological environment exists in Korea. Additionally, the application of hydrogeological criteria indicative of low-permeability environments showed that suitable conditions for disposal construction increase at depths greater than 300 m, where the influence of fractures on groundwater flow might be minimal at depths exceeding 500 m. This research can serve as foundational information for establishing hydrogeological safety standards for natural barriers in Korea according to international regulatory guidelines.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.434-441
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• 2023

Determining the size or area of a plant's leaves is an important factor in predicting plant growth and improving the productivity of indoor farms. In this study, we developed a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based model to accurately predict the length and width of lettuce leaves using photographs of the leaves. A callback function was applied to overcome data limitations and overfitting problems, and K-fold cross-validation was used to improve the generalization ability of the model. In addition, ImageDataGenerator function was used to increase the diversity of training data through data augmentation. To compare model performance, we evaluated pre-trained models such as VGG16, Resnet152, and NASNetMobile. As a result, NASNetMobile showed the highest performance, especially in width prediction, with an R_squared value of 0.9436, and RMSE of 0.5659. In length prediction, the R_squared value was 0.9537, and RMSE of 0.8713. The optimized model adopted the NASNetMobile architecture, the RMSprop optimization tool, the MSE loss functions, and the ELU activation functions. The training time of the model averaged 73 minutes per Epoch, and it took the model an average of 0.29 seconds to process a single lettuce leaf photo. In this study, we developed a CNN-based model to predict the leaf length and leaf width of plants in indoor farms, which is expected to enable rapid and accurate assessment of plant growth status by simply taking images. It is also expected to contribute to increasing the productivity and resource efficiency of farms by taking appropriate agricultural measures such as adjusting nutrient solution in real time.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2024

This study was carried out to analyze the growth of grafted seedlings produced in a container-type farm system and a greenhouse to stably produce high-quality seedlings. For 14 days after graft-taking, the characteristics of korean melon grafted seedlings were compared by container farm and greenhouse. The container seedling system maintained a stable day/night temperature (25/20℃), relative humidity (70%), and light environment (PPFD 200µmol·m^-2·s^-1, photoperiod (16/8h). The difference between day and night temperature (DIF) was relatively large, with a mean temperature of 28.1/15.4℃ in the high-temperature greenhouse. Plant height of the korean melon seedling was longer in the greenhouse than in the closed seedling system, and the average SPAD value was 30.5 and 41.1 in the greenhouse and closed seedling system, respectively. To calculate the compactness of the graft seedlings, the shoot dry weight was divided by the plant height, and the value was 44.9±2.64 mg/cm and 24.4±1.56 mg/cm in the closed seedling system and the greenhouse treatment, respectively, 7 days after graft-taking. To produce high-quality seedlings during high-temperature or low-photo periods, it will be necessary to analyze the key factors that affect growth characteristics and transplanting growth and to verify the effects of the closed seedling system based on post-transplanting growth and yield.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.47-61
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• 2024

As a recycling technology for recovering zinc contained in large amounts in electric arc furnace dust (EAFD), the most commercialized technology in the world is the Wealz Kiln Process. The Wealz Kiln Process is a process in which components such as Zn and Pb in EAFD are reduced/volatile (endothermic reaction) in high-temperature Kiln and then re-oxidized (exothermic reaction) in the gas phase and recovered in the form of Crude zinc oxide (60wt%Zn) in the Bag Filter installed at the rear end of Kiln. In this study, an experimental Wealz kiln was produced to investigate the optimal process variable value for practical application to the recycling process of large-scale kiln on a commercial scale. Additionally, Pellets containing EAFD, reducing agents, and limestone were continuously loaded into Kiln, and the amount of input, heating temperature, and residence time were examined to obtain the optimal crude zinc oxide recovery rate. In addition, the optimal manufacturing conditions of Pellets (drum tilt angle, moisture addition, mixing time, etc.) were also investigated. In addition, referring to the SiO₂-CaO-FeO ternary system diagram, the formation behavior of a low melting point compound, a reaction product inside Kiln according to the change in the basicity of Pellet, and the reactivity (adhesion) with the castable constructed on the inner wall of Kiln were investigated. In addition, in order to quantitatively investigate the possibility of using anthracite as a substitute for Coke, a reducing agent, changes in the temperature distribution inside Kiln, where oxidation/reduction reactions occur due to an increase in the amount of anthracite, the quality of Crude zinc oxide, and the behavior of tar in anthracite were also investigated.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.155-173
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• 2024

Using Regional Employment Survey, this article analyzes the widening employment gap between Capital and Non-Capital regions since the 2008 global financial crisis through describing the spatial distribution of employment by industry and occupation, calculating the regional downward employment rate of university graduates, and estimating the regional distribution of employment growth in terms of wage distribution, and then statistically analyzes the effect of the declining manufacturing employment in the Non-Capital region since the mid-2010s on total employment change. The results from these analyses are as follows. First, since the mid-2000s, the share of producer services and white-collar jobs has increased in the Capital region. Second, the Non-Capital region has a higher share of non-regular workers relative to wage workers than the Capital region. Third, while the downward employment rate has increased in the Non-Capital region since the mid-2010s, it has risen very modestly or stagnated in the Capital region. Fourth, in terms of wage distribution, the pattern of employment growth since the mid-2010s has been U-shaped, a typical polarized pattern of simultaneous growth in low- and high-wage jobs and decline in middle-wage jobs in the Non-Capital region, while in the Capital region it has been L-shaped with the sides reversed, driven by growth in high-wage jobs. Fifth, this employment polarization in the Non-Capital region since the mid-2010s is associated with employment changes in manufacturing, which accounts for a large share of middle wage jobs. Finally, according to the analysis of the effect of regional manufacturing employment changes on total employment changes since the mid-2010s, declines in manufacturing employment reduce the region's regular employment rate and have a larger negative employment effect in the Non-Capital region. Based on these findings, some policy issues are discussed including the branch plant economy regime based on spatial separation of conception and execution, the mix of geographic and skill mobility, the need to improve employability and jobs through human capital accumulation, and short- and long-term responses to employment fluctuations.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.9-47
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• 1975

These experiments were caried out to study the effects of caponization and various hormone treatments upon meat production and improvement of meat quality of growing chicken. Sixtyseven days old 160 New Hampshire cockerels were treated and growth rate, carcass yield, change of weight of individual organs, meat composition and change of amino acid were measured and analysed. Otherwise change of testis and thyroid gland by hormone treatment were investigated histologically. The results obtained were as follows. 1. The effectst of caponization and hormone treatment upon meat production were; 1) Body weight of cockerels in D. E. S. group without caponization was increased. upon 96.86% than initial period and A. C. T. H. group was 104.22% but other groups and all carponization groups were lighter than those of control group. 2) Weekly body gain of D. E. S. group without caponization was best showing the significance (102.69 g) and the group with caponization were lower than those groups without caponization. 3) Carcass yield was best in Testo. group without caponization (831.2 g) and the group with caponization were lower than the group without caponization. 4) Carcass rate was highest in A. C. T. H. group with caponization and (67.22%) lowest in Testo. group without caponization (63.37%), but any significance was not recognized. 2. The effects of caponizatitn and hormone treatments upon the coposition of meat and amino acids were; 1) Any significance was not recognized between treated and untreated group about change of moisture, crude protein, crude ash and glycogen contents in meat. 2) Fat co tent in muscle in the all treated groups were higher than that of control group. 3) Extracts of group without caponization were higher than those of groups with caponization. 4) Lysin contents were highest in D. E. S. group with caponization (11. 12/ 16.0 g N) and generelly Testo. group was lower compared with D. E. S. group. 5) Histidine and Arginine contents were higher in the groups with caponization than without caponization. 6) Aspartic acid content were higher in D. E. S. group and A. C. T. H. group without depend on caponization. 7) Treonine content was higher in Testo. group without caponization and in the group with caponization and without hormone treatment compared with those of control group without caponization. 8) Serine content was decreased in the group with caponization and increased by D. E. S. and A. C. T. H treatment groups and glutamic acid was also decreased in Testo. group with out caponization. 9) Cystine content was decreased by Testo. treatment and was not appeared in Testo. group without caponization. 10) Valine content was lower in control group with caponization but significance was not recognized between other groups and control group without caponization. 11) Glycine, Alanine, Methionine. Isoleucine, Leucine, Thyrosine and Phenylalanine contents were not so difference between hormone treated groups and control group without caponization. 3. The effects of caponization and hormone treatment upon the change of organs were: 1) The weight of all organs were heaviest in D. E. S. group without caponization (18.5g) and lightest in A. C. T. H. group without caponization (155. 3g) but no significance was recognized between hormone treatment groups. 2) Heart weight was heaviest in D. E. S. group without caponization (7.46 g) and lightest in Testo. group without caponization (5.95 g). 3) Liver weight was heaviest in D. E. S. group without caponization(32.89g) and lightest in hormone untreated group with caponization(29.66g). Significance was not recognized. 4) Spleen weight was heaivest in Testo. group with caponization (3.22 g) and lightest in D. E. S. group without caponization(2.00g) in contrast with the other groups. High significance was recognized among the groups (P<0.01). 5) Cloacal thymus weight was lightest in D. E. S. group with or without caponization compared with control group without caponization. High significance was recognized among the groups. 6) Muscle fat content was not appeared in A. C. T. H. group with caponization, but it was highly increased in D. E. S. group with or without caponization. 7) Testis weight was lightest in D. E. S. group (0.38g) compared with control group (2.66g). Significance was recognized among the groups. 8) Large intestine, small intestine and cecum weight and length were heavier and longer in D. E. S. group without caponization and control group without caponization was lighter than those of hormone treated groups. 4. The effects of caponization and hormone treatment upon histological change of testis and thyroid gland: 1) The histological change of testis was significantly appeared in D. E. S. group that seminifirous tubles was slowly atrophied, the funtion of spernatogenesis was ceased, spermatocyte was changed as degeneration by pyknosis and karyorrhexis and interstitial cell was also atrophied, but in Testo. and A. C. T. H. group were similar as control group. 2) The histological change of thyroid gland in Testo. and A. C. T. H. groups without caponization were similar to that of control group without caponization, but in D. E. S. group without caponization, was changed squamously. Thyroid gland of the groups with caponization, epithelium of was atrophied and changed squamously as degeneration by pyknosis and karyorrhexis and the function of thyroid gland was slowly ceased in colloid and in hormone treated group with caponization.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.463-471
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• 2003

The long-term results of combined mitral valve repair and aortic valve replacement (AVR) have not been well evaluated. This study was performed to investigate the early and long-term results of mitral valve repair with AVR. Material and Method: We retrospectively reviewed 45 patients who underwent mitral valve repair and AVR between September 1990 and April 2002. The average age was 47 years: 28 were men and 17 women. Twelve patients had atrial fibrillation and three had a previous cardiac operation. The mitral valve disease consisted of pure insufficiency (MR) in 34 patients, mitral stenosis (MS) in 3, and mixed lesion in 8. Mitral valve disease was due to rheumatic origin in 24 patients, degenerative in 11, annular dilatation in 8, and ischemia or endocarditis in 2. The functional anatomy of mitral valve was annular dilatation in 31 patients, chordal elongation in 19, leaflet thickening in 19, commissural fusion in 13, chordal fusion in 10, chordal rupture in 6, and so on. Aortic prostheses used included mechanical valve in 32 patients, tissue valve in 12, and pulmonary autograft in one. The techniques of mitral valve repair included annuloplasty in 32 patients and various valvuloplasty of 54 techniques in 29 patients. Total cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross clamp time were 204$\pm$62 minute and 153$\pm$57 minutes, respectively. Result: Early death was in one patient due to low output syndrome (2.2%). After follow up of 57$\pm$37 months, late death was in one patient and the actuarial survival at 10 years was 96$\pm$4%. Recurrent MR developed grade II or III in 11 patients and moderate MS in 3. Three patients required reoperation for valve-related complications. The actuarial freedom from recurrent MR, MS, and reoperation were 64$\pm$11%, 86$\pm$8%, and 89$\pm$7% respectively. Conclusion: Combined mitral valve repair with AVR offers good early and long-term survival, and adequate techniques and selection of indication of mitral valve repair, especially in rheumatic disease, are prerequisites for better long-term results.