• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.200-207
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• 2010

The sewage treatment plants to be built to improve the water quality of the Mankyung River will total 11, of which combined capacity will reach $39,850m^3/day$, and saying in detail, 5 at Gunsan city, 2 at Iksan city, 1 at Kimje city and 3 at Wanju gun, The scenario for water quality improvement was developed, considering the conditions of plant operation ratio and the accomplishment of the water quality target (BOD 4.4 mg/L, T-P 0.356 mg/L) at the end of the watershed of Mankyung B was predicted, making use of QUAL2E model. As a result of prediction using QUAL2E model based on scenarios with 70% and 100% of operation ratio, respectively, at 11 plants in 2010, the water quality at the watershed of Mankyung B was estimated at 4.322 mg/L which was lower than the target of BOD 4.4 mg/L, indicating the target water quality was achieved, when it comes to 70% of operation ratio, But in case of T-P, it was estimated at 0.565 mg/L, which was higher than the target. When it comes to 100% of operation ratio, T-P also was 0.563 mg/L which exceeded the target, 0.356 mg/L. As indicated above, the effect of water quality improvement appeared very insignificant, which was attributable to the limit of small scale sewage treatment plant in total reduction capacity. Hence, the measures for additional reduction in a bid to achieve the target water quality of T-P at the designated location need to be taken, and the measures to build the Sewage treatment facilities at the place where the pollution is significantly caused by T-P appeared to be required as well.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-9
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• 2008

Objective : Prolonged use of systemic corticosteroids negatively impacts skin barrier function. Corticosteroids have a major role in the practical management of many diseases, so it is necessary to find the drug or supplement which could keep the skin healthy during the systemic corticosteroids therapy. Seed of Trichossnthcs kiiilowii was commonly used for pulmonary disease in traditional Chinese medicine. Many studies have investigated and found that seed of Trichosanthes kirilowii has anti-bacterial, anti-HIV, anti-tumor and immunoregulatory functions. This study was performed to investigate the effect of seed of Trichosmthes kirilowii on the Skin Barrier Method : Triamcinolone 0.4mg was injected male hairless mice for 5 weeks ( 2 times a week, totally 10 times), Just before the first injection, hairless mice were divided into 3 groups; Control ( normal saline medicated group ), GroupA( seed of Trichosuuhes kirilowii qd/day medicated group ) and GroupB( seed of Trichosuuhes kiiilowii bid/day medicated group ), Body weight of all the groups were checked during the experiment, After $10^{th}$ injection, TEWL (Transeidermal water loss) of 3 groups were artificially increased by 9 times tape stripping and the changes of TEWL were checked at before stripping, right after, 2h, 4h, 6h, 24h, 48 and 72h later after stripping, AST, ALT and CBC were also checked. Indeed, stratum corneum of 3 groups were also examined and compared with that of normal hairless mouse. Results : 1. GroupB showed significantly lower body weight among three groups 2, There was no statistical difference at AST, ALT and CBC among three groups 3. GroupB was showed significantly lower TEWL than TEWL of Control at 48h later. 4 GroupB recovered it's TEWL of before tape stripping at 24h later, GroupA recovered that at 48h and Control recovered that at 72h later at the same condition 5. Stratum corneum of GroupA and GroupB were looked almost normal and healthy. On the contrary, stratum corneum of Control was looked thin and unhealthy. Conclusions : Seed of Ttichossnthes kirilowii has some effects on skin barrier function, especially TEWL of high dose corticosteroids injected hairless mouse and the efficacy seemed to be related with the dosage.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.283-289
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• 2010

Ssanghwa-tang (SHT) is a traditional Korean herbal medicine widely prescribed to decrease fatigue following an illness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of SHT on osteoclast differentiation in vitro, and on bone loss in ovariectomized (OVX) rats in vivo. SHT significantly reduced the receptor activator for the nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) ligand (RANKL)-induced tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, and multinucleated osteoclast formation in RAW264.7 cells without affecting cell viability. In addition, SHT significantly attenuated RANKL-induced mRNA expression levels of c-Src and cathepsin K. To examine the in vivo effect of SHT on OVX-induced bone loss in OVX rats, we administered SHT (0.6 g/kg BID) orally to OVX rats for 12 weeks. SHT administration significantly blocked OVX-induced decrease of femoral bone mineral density (BMD) and femoral trabeculae in OVX rats. In conclusion, these results suggest that SHT treatment effectively prevents OVX-induced bone loss, and this effect may result from its inhibitory effect on osteoclast differentiation.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.195-201
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to use high-speed digital imaging (HSDI) to compare vocal vibratory behaviors of persons who stutter (PWS) and persons with muscle tension dysphonia (PMTD) for uttering the /i/ vowel in a bid to identify the characteristics of vocal fold vibratory behaviors of PWS. This study surveyed seven developmental PWSs and seven PMTDs. The findings of the study indicated the following: first, regarding the two groups' vocal fold vibratory behaviors, of seven PWSs, three were found to be close vocal tract (VC) and four were found to be combination vocal tract (VCB). Of the seven PMTDs, one was found to be VC, and the other six were found to be VCB. These results indicate that a voiceprint which is different from the open vocal tract (VO) found in normal groups in research conducted by Jung, et al. (2008b) appeared in both groups of this study. Even between the two groups, there is a difference in the voiceprint before vocalization. Second, a VKG analysis was conducted to identify the two groups' vocal cord contact quotient. As a result, the PWS group's vocal cord contact quotient changed gradually from an irregular one at the initial vocalization stage to a regular one. The PMTD group continued the tension at the initial vocalization. Putting together all of these results, there is a difference in vocal fold vibratory behaviors between PWSs and PMTDs when they speak. Thus, there was a difference in muscular tension between the two groups.

• Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research
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• v.95 no.5
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• pp.240-248
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to validate the synergistic effect of ABT-737 on docetaxel using MDA-MB-231, a triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line overexpressing B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). Methods: Western blot analysis was performed to assess expression levels of Bcl-2 family proteins and caspase-related molecules. Cell viability was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell cycle distribution was determined by flow cytometry analysis. Benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk) was used for pretreatment to assess the role of caspases. Results: Cell viability of MDA-MB-231 after combination treatment with ABT-737 and docetaxel was significantly lower than that after docetaxel or ABT-737 monotherapy based on MTT assay (both P < 0.001), with a combination index of 0.41. The proportion of sub-G1 population after combination treatment was significantly higher than that after docetaxel or ABT-737 monotherapy (P = 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively). Pretreatment with z-VAD-fmk completely restored cell viability of MDA-MB-231 from apoptotic cell death induced by combination therapy (P = 0.001). Although pro-caspase-8 or Bid did not show significant change in expression level, pro-casepase-9 showed significantly decreased expression after combination treatment. Cleaved caspase-3 showed increased expression while poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage was induced after combination treatment. However, hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 totally lost their expression after combination treatment. Conclusion: Combination of ABT-737 with docetaxel elicits synergistic therapeutic effect on MDA-MB-231, a TNBC cell line overexpressing Bcl-2, mainly by activating the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Therefore, adjunct of ABT-737 to docetaxel might be a new therapeutic option to overcome docetaxel resistance of TNBCs overexpressing Bcl-2.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.279-286
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• 2018

Austenitic stainless steels used in nuclear power plants mainly use pipes made of seamless pipes, which depend on imports. The manufacturing process and high cost are some of the problems associated with seamless pipes. Therefore, in this study, the corrosion characteristics of the seamless pipe and the SAW pipe were assessed to determine the safety and reliability of the SAW pipe in a bid to replace the seamless pipe. Microstructure was analyzed using an optical microscope and the degree of hardness was measured using a Rockwell B scale. Intergranular corrosion resistance was evaluated by ASTM A262 Practice A, C, and E methods. The degree of sensitization was determined using a DL-EPR test. Anodic polarization test was performed in deaerated 1% NaCl solution at $30^{\circ}C$ and the U-bend method was used to evaluate the SCC resistance in 0.01 M $Na_2S_4O_6$ at $340^{\circ}C$ and 40% NaOH solution at $290^{\circ}C$. Weld metal of the SAW pipe specimen showed relatively high degree of sensitization and intergranular corrosion rate. However, annealing to SAW pipes improved the corrosion properties in comparison to that of the seamless pipe.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In this study, the apoptogenic activity and mechanisms of cell death induced by hexane extract of aged black garlic (HEABG) were investigated in human leukemic U937 cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazoliumbromide) assay. Apoptosis was detected using 4,6-diamidino-2-phenyllindile (DAPI) staining, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis. Caspase activity was measured using a colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Exposure to HEABG was found to result in a concentration- and time-dependent growth inhibition by induction of apoptosis, which was associated with an up-regulation of death receptor 4 and Fas legend, and an increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 protein expression. Apoptosis-inducing concentrations of HEABG induced the activation of caspase-9, an initiator caspase of the mitochodrial mediated intrinsic pathway, and caspase-3, accompanied by proteolytic degradation of poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase. HEABG also induced apoptosis via a death receptor mediated extrinsic pathway by caspase-8 activation, resulting in the truncation of Bid, and suggesting the existence of cross-talk between the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. However, pre-treatment of U937 cells with the caspase-3 inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, significantly blocked the HEABG-induced apoptosis of these cells, and increased the survival rate of HEABG-treated cells, confirming that HEABG-induced apoptosis is mediated through activation of caspase cascade. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the overall results, we suggest that HEABG reduces leukemic cell growth by inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, implying its potential therapeutic value in the treatment of leukemia.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.157-175
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• 2012

It is difficult to evaluate the performance of process innovation of e-procurement which has large scale and complex processes. The existing evaluation methods for measuring the effects of process innovation have been mainly done with statistically quantitative methods by analyzing operational data or with qualitative methods by conducting surveys and interviews. However, these methods have some limitations to evaluate the effects because the performance evaluation of e-procurement process innovation should consider the interactions among participants who are active either directly or indirectly through the processes. This study considers the e-procurement process as a complex system and develops a simulation model based on MAS(Multi-Agent System) to evaluate the effects of e-procurement process innovation. Multi-agent based simulation allows observing interaction patterns of objects in virtual world through relationship among objects and their behavioral mechanism. Agent-based simulation is suitable especially for complex business problems. In this study, we used Netlogo Version 4.1.3 as a MAS simulation tool which was developed in Northwestern University. To do this, we developed a interaction model of agents in MAS environment. We defined process agents and task agents, and assigned their behavioral characteristics. The developed simulation model was applied to G2B system (KONEPS: Korea ON-line E-Procurement System) of Public Procurement Service (PPS) in Korea and used to evaluate the innovation effects of the G2B system. KONEPS is a successfully established e-procurement system started in the year 2002. KONEPS is a representative e-Procurement system which integrates characteristics of e-commerce into government for business procurement activities. KONEPS deserves the international recognition considering the annual transaction volume of 56 billion dollars, daily exchanges of electronic documents, users consisted of 121,000 suppliers and 37,000 public organizations, and the 4.5 billion dollars of cost saving. For the simulation, we analyzed the e-procurement of process of KONEPS into eight sub processes such as 'process 1: search products and acquisition of proposal', 'process 2 : review the methods of contracts and item features', 'process 3 : a notice of bid', 'process 4 : registration and confirmation of qualification', 'process 5 : bidding', 'process 6 : a screening test', 'process 7 : contracts', and 'process 8 : invoice and payment'. For the parameter settings of the agents behavior, we collected some data from the transactional database of PPS and some information by conducting a survey. The used data for the simulation are 'participants (government organizations, local government organizations and public institutions)', 'the number of bidding per year', 'the number of total contracts', 'the number of shopping mall transactions', 'the rate of contracts between bidding and shopping mall', 'the successful bidding ratio', and the estimated time for each process. The comparison was done for the difference of time consumption between 'before the innovation (As-was)' and 'after the innovation (As-is).' The results showed that there were productivity improvements in every eight sub processes. The decrease ratio of 'average number of task processing' was 92.7% and the decrease ratio of 'average time of task processing' was 95.4% in entire processes when we use G2B system comparing to the conventional method. Also, this study found that the process innovation effect will be enhanced if the task process related to the 'contract' can be improved. This study shows the usability and possibility of using MAS in process innovation evaluation and its modeling.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.768-777
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• 2017

The efforts to improve river levee maintenance technologies have accelerated globally in a bid to deal with the flood damage resulting from the changes to the climate and flood events. This paper, in line with such tendency, proposes an evaluation system of a river levee safety map to maintain the river levee in an efficient manner. The concept of a river levee safety map is aimed at maximizing the maintenance efficiency for a manager to indicate the safety index, including the current river levee sliding, piping, and visual inspection on a GIS map. To develop such an evaluation system, a safety index covering the sliding, piping, and visual inspection are designated through the data and document examination and the rational guideline to classify each index into three grades, A, B, and C, is proposed. Based on the guideline proposed, the sliding and piping characteristics in terms of safety depending on the change to the flood water level duration time at the test section (Nam river) were evaluated by numerical analysis. As a result, both the protected landside and riverside satisfied the requirements for Grade A in terms of sliding, and when it comes to piping, the grade declined to C because the flood water level duration time increased at R2. As a planning study to propose a river levee safety map evaluation system, a further advanced study, standardization of the river levee data, and improvement of the existing system and laws are required.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.705-715
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• 2017

In this study, applicability of compressed air form (CAF) fire water was verified in a bid to use the undersea effluent as fire water. Foam collector was fabricated in accordance with KS B ISO 7203-1 (Specification for low expansion foam concentrates for top application to water-immiscible liquids) and the test was conducted using fresh water as fire water for 19 times and using seawater as fire water 15 times that totaled 34 times. Foam reduction time was 237.73 seconds on average with fresh water and 215.60 seconds with seawater, which proved the applicability of CAF fire water using seawater. Besides, window breaker was fabricated to directly extinguish the fire in train and a full-scale fire test was conducted three times. At the final 3rd test, window glass was broken in 2 seconds to make the hole for fire extinguishing and suppressed the fire in 3 seconds using CAF fire extinguisher.