• Membrane Journal
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.319-325
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• 2020

In this study, we developed mixed matrix membranes by blending thermoplastic elastomer, i.e. polystyreneblock-polybutadiene-block-polystyrene (SBS) block copolymer with the synthesized UiO-66 particles for CO₂/N₂ gas separation. To investigate the effect of UiO-66 particles in the SBS matrix, we prepared different mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) by varying the mass ratio of SBS and UiO-66 in the blend. To fabricate well-dispersed UiO-66, the SBS/UiO-66 mixture was sonicated and stirred thoroughly. The physico-chemical properties of prepared membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The gas separation performance was measured by time-lag method. The permeability of the MMMs increased significantly as the content of UiO-66 increased, but the CO₂/N₂ selectivity did not decrease significantly. The membranes containing 20% of UiO-66 particles showed the best performance with the CO₂ permeability and CO₂/N₂ selectivity of 663.8 barrer and 13.3, respectively. This result showed performance closer to upper bound than pure SBS membrane in the Robeson plot, as the added UiO-66 particles did not significantly sacrifice selectivity and more than doubled gas permeability.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1836-1840
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• 2009

Recently, hydroxymethylfurfrual (HMF) has been highlighted as a key intermediate for the production of liquid biofuels and other valuable compounds. We used sesame roots as a biocatalyst to synthesize HMF using flask cultures. The synthesis of HMF was identified by GC-mass analysis. The highest root growth was observed in cultures with 1.0 mg/l NAA at $30^{\circ}C$, while root growth was not found in those without NAA treatment. When silver nitrate ($AgNO_3$) was added, the root growth was greatest in those treated with 0.5 mg/l $AgNO_3$ and cultured at $30^{\circ}C$. In the case of HMF synthesis, its highest yield was obtained in those treated with 0.5 mg/l NAA at $25^{\circ}C$, but low HMF was detected in those treated without naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The addition of $AgNO_$ to the culture medium showed a 8-10% reduction in HMF yield compared to that of the control, indicating its inhibitory effect on the synthesis of HMF. On the whole, an optimal culture temperature for HMF synthesis seemed to be between $25-30^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 1997

This study was conducted to establish mass propagation system from the tissue culture using immature embryos in Eleutherococcus senticosus. Immature embryos from seeds were removed under the microscope and placed on MS, $MSB_5\;and\;B_5$ medium containing several plant growth regulators. While the calli were well formed on media containing 2 mg/l of 2, 4-D, 2 mg/l of 2, 4-D and 0.7 mg/l of TDZ, shoot regeneration was better on MS medium with combinations of high concentrations of TDZ and low concentrations of 2, 4-D. Treatment of 2, 4-D alone was better than treatment of TDZ alone in callus induction, but plant regeneration was reversed. The results of callus formation and shoot regeneration on $MSB_5\;and\;B_5$ media were similar to those of MS media. The rate of callus formation was nearly 100% when 2, 4-D was added to $B_5$, medium on concentration of 2 mg/l or 0.7 mg/l. TDZ showed very significant effect on the formation of multiple shoots.

• Journal of health informatics and statistics
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.344-351
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of health behaviors of male workers without diabetes such as smoking, drinking and physical activities on HbA1c using 2015 and 2016 data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods: The final study subjects of KNHANES were a total of 1,703 male workers in their 30s-50s who had normal levels of fasting blood sugar level, HbA1c, and hemoglobin. For the study variables, age, household income, educational level and occupation were included as socio-demographic characteristics; smoking behavior, drinking behavior, and physical activity behavior as characteristics of health behavior; and waist circumference, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL cholesterol as medical examination characteristics were included. The analysis was conducted using independent variables t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results: Socio-demographic factors that affect HbA1c were age, educational level, and occupation. As for HbA1c according to the status of current smoking, it was higher in order of the present, past and nonsmoking and HbA1c according to smoking amount pack-year increased linearly in between less than 1 pack-year and over 30 pack-year (p<0.001). Muscular exercises affected the reduction of HbA1c (p<0.05). In the multiple regression analysis with independent variables of the socio-demographic characteristics and health behavior, factors affecting HbA1c were age, occupation and smoking amount pack-year (p<0.05). In the multiple regression analysis where the characteristics of physical examination were added, factors affecting HbA1c were age, occupation, smoking amount pack-year, waist circumference and total cholesterol (p<0.001). Conclusions: As a result, the health behavior that had the most effect on HbA1c management for male workers without diabetes was the total lifetime smoking amount. Therefore, it is essential to prevent smoking as well as control, cholesterol to prevent diabetes for male workers.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2021

5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a representative photosensitizer used in numerous fields including cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, experiments were conducted to optimize the growth of Rhodobacter sphaeroides and production of ALA through LED irradiation of various wavelengths, addition of organic acid precursors of ALA, and changes in glucose concentration. After 72 h cultivation, the 850 nm wavelength LED irradiated at the same light intensity as the incandescent lamp increased the growth of R. sphaeroides and the production of ALA about 1.5- and 1.8-fold as compared with the control, respectively (p <0.0001 and p <0.0001). As a result of culturing R. sphaeroides by irradiating an LED with a wavelength of 850 nm after adding organic acid to the final concentration of 5 mM in culture medium, the production of ALA was increased about 2.8-fold in medium supplemented with pyruvic acid compared with the control (p <0.0001). In addition, the growth of the strain and the production of ALA were increased about 2.9- and 3.4-fold in medium supplemented with 40 mM glucose compared to the control which added only 5 mM pyruvic acid, respectively (p <0.0001 and p <0.0001). The yield of ALA per cell dry mass was about 1.4 folds higher than that of the control in 20 and 40 mM glucose, respectively (p <0.001). In conclusion, the growth of R. sphaeroides and production of ALA were increased by 850 nm wavelength LED irradiation. It also optimized the growth of R. sphaeroides and production of ALA through organic acid addition and glucose concentration changes.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2022

Eco-friendly materials, such as alternative vegan materials using various fungal resources, are being actively researched to reduce environmental pollution and facilitate a healthy lifestyle. The fungal mycelium-based mushroom mycelium mat is one such emerging material. In this study, the commonly used mushroom mycelium culture method was modified to reduce the time required to produce the mycelium mat, lower the possibility of contamination, and improve the properties and quality of the mat. Shortening the period required for the previously used primary bag culture and secondary mat production culture. A culture method in which the bag culture was omitted was attempted using a mycelium mutated by gamma irradiation to the mycelium of Trametes orientalis. In addition, various nutrients were added to the fungal solution to observe the change in physical properties of the fungal mat. High-quality mycelium mats were produced in the experimental group containing 1.5% CaCO₃ in sawdust medium, and the period was also reduced by more than 10 days compared to the existing production method. In the future, for mass producing mycelium mats, additional selection of medium components and optimization of culture conditions are essential.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.749-758
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• 2019

Objective: To investigate whether a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system based on a deep learning framework (deep learning-based CAD) improves the diagnostic performance of radiologists in differentiating between malignant and benign masses on breast ultrasound (US). Materials and Methods: B-mode US images were prospectively obtained for 253 breast masses (173 benign, 80 malignant) in 226 consecutive patients. Breast mass US findings were retrospectively analyzed by deep learning-based CAD and four radiologists. In predicting malignancy, the CAD results were dichotomized (possibly benign vs. possibly malignant). The radiologists independently assessed Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System final assessments for two datasets (US images alone or with CAD). For each dataset, the radiologists' final assessments were classified as positive (category 4a or higher) and negative (category 3 or lower). The diagnostic performances of the radiologists for the two datasets (US alone vs. US with CAD) were compared Results: When the CAD results were added to the US images, the radiologists showed significant improvement in specificity (range of all radiologists for US alone vs. US with CAD: 72.8-92.5% vs. 82.1-93.1%; p < 0.001), accuracy (77.9-88.9% vs. 86.2-90.9%; p = 0.038), and positive predictive value (PPV) (60.2-83.3% vs. 70.4-85.2%; p = 0.001). However, there were no significant changes in sensitivity (81.3-88.8% vs. 86.3-95.0%; p = 0.120) and negative predictive value (91.4-93.5% vs. 92.9-97.3%; p = 0.259). Conclusion: Deep learning-based CAD could improve radiologists' diagnostic performance by increasing their specificity, accuracy, and PPV in differentiating between malignant and benign masses on breast US.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.8
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• pp.3307-3314
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• 2024

For traditional spent fuel shielding materials, due to physical and chemical defects and cost constraints, they have been unable to meet the needs. Therefore, this paper carries out the first discussion on the application and performance of bismuth in neutron shielding by establishing Monte Carlo simulation on the neutron flux model of shielded spent fuel. Firstly, functional fillers such as bismuth oxide, lead oxide, boron oxide, gadolinium oxide and tungsten oxide are added to the matrices to compare the shielding rates of aluminum alloy matrix and silicone rubber matrix. The shielding rate of silicone rubber mixture is higher than aluminum alloy mixture, reaching more than 56%. The optimal addition proportion of bismuth oxide and lead oxide is 30%, and the neutron radiation protection efficiency reaches 60%. Then, the mass attenuation coefficients of bismuth oxide, lead oxide, boron oxide, gadolinium oxide and tungsten oxide in silicone rubber matrix are simulated with the change of functional fillers proportion and neutron energy. This simulation result shows that the mixture with functional fillers has good shielding performance for low energy neutrons, but poor shielding effect for high energy neutrons. Finally, in order to further evaluate the possibility of replacing lead oxide with bismuth oxide as shielding material, the half-value layers and various properties of bismuth oxide and lead oxide are compared. The results show that the shielding properties of bismuth oxide and lead oxide are basically the same, and the mechanical properties, heat resistance, radiation resistance and environmental protection of bismuth oxide are better than that of lead oxide. Therefore, in the case of neutron source strengths in the range of 0.01-6 MeV and secondary gamma rays produced below 2.5 MeV, bismuth can replace lead in neutron shielding applications.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.2 s.46
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• pp.200-216
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• 1994

In present study, the authors investigated the possible effect of coffee consumption on serum cholesterol level in 1017 men between the ages of 40 and 59 years, who were randomly selected from the members of Seoul Cohort Study. Serum total cholesterol data was collected with other serologic indices (e.g. systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hight, weight, etc.) through the program of biennial health check-up offered by Korean Medical Insurance Corporation (KMIC). The amount of coffee consumption was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire through mailing. Other confounding factors, such as age, body mass index, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and other dietary intake pattern were also determined by the questionnaire. The differences in means of serum total cholesterol in compared to non consumers were $-0.4{\pm}3.56mg/dl$ for those drinking less than 1 cup a day, $-0.6{\pm}3.60mg/dl$ for those drinking 1 cup a day, and $7.1{\pm}3.41mg/dl$ for those drinking more than 2 cups a day. Since smoking interacted the relationship between coffee consumption and serum total choleaterol, we re-analyzed those relationship in smokers and non-smokers separately Other atherogenic behaviors were well correlated with total cholesterol, so we adjusted the mean values of serum total cholesterol through multivariate model selection with age(r=0.12), total cigarette index (cigarette-years; r=0.10), Quetelet's index ($Kg/m^2$, r=0.16), daily calory expenditure (kcal/day, r=0.06), weekly meat and poultry consumption(g/week, r=0.05), weekly fish consumption (g/week, r=0.08), other caffeinated beverage intake (cups/week), and the amount of sugar and prim added to the coffee. Among those variables only age, Quetelet's index, fish consumption, and total cigarette index (in smokers) were remained in the models. After adjustment, the corresponing differences of total cholesterol in smokers were changed to $0.4{\pm}5.24mg/dl,\;-0.5{\pm}4.97mg/dl,\;and\;8.9{\pm}4.78mg/dl$, which were significantly different among themselves (P=0.011). In non-smokers, however, the differences were not statistically significant (P=0.76). Adjusted mean values of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were also determined to evaluate the direct effect of coffee to cardiovascular system, but their means were not significantly different by coffee consumption(p=0.18 for SBP, p=0.48 for DBP). Asuming instant coffee in the most popular type of coffee in Korea, the association observed in our study between coffee and serum total cholesterol, especially in smokers, is very interesting finding for the connection between coffee and serum total cholesterol, because only 'boiled coffee' tend to show significant lipid raising effect rather than to other types of coffee, like filtered or espresso, in most of the western countries. We concluded that people who drink coffee more than 2 cups a day have significantly higher serum total cholesterol level than those who never drink coffee, especially in smokers.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.44-51
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• 2022

In the steelmaking process using an electric arc furnace (EAF), light-burnt dolomite, which is a flux containing MgO, is used to protect refractory materials and improve desulfurization ability. Furthermore, a recarburizing agent is added to reduce energy consumption via slag foaming and to induce the deoxidation effect. Herein, a waste MgO-C based refractory material was used to achieve the aforementioned effects economically. The waste MgO-C refractory materials contain a significant amount of MgO and graphite components; however, most of these materials are currently discarded instead of being recycled. The mass recycling of waste MgO-C refractory materials would be achievable if their applicability as a flux for steelmaking is proven. Therefore, experiments were performed using a target composition range similar to the commercial EAF slag composition. A pre-melted base slag was prepared by mixing SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and FeO in an alumina crucible and heating at 1450℃ for 1 h or more. Subsequently, a mixed flux #2 (a mixture of light-burnt dolomite, waste MgO-C based refractory material, and limestone) was added to the prepared pre-melted base slag and a melting reaction test was performed. Injecting the pre-melted base slag with the flux facilitates the formation of the target EAF slag. These results were compared with that of mixed flux #1 (a mixture of light-burnt dolomite and limestone), which is a conventional steelmaking flux, and the possibility of replacement was evaluated. To obtain a reliable evaluation, characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry were used, and slag foam height, slag basicity, and Fe recovery were calculated.