• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.377-385
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• 2017

Objectives: Although mercury (Hg) exposure is known to be neurotoxic in humans, its effects on liver function have been less often reported. The aim of this study was to investigate whether total Hg exposure in Korean adults was associated with elevated serum levels of the liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Methods: We repeatedly examined the levels of total Hg and liver enzymes in the blood of 508 adults during 2010-2011 and 2014-2015. Cross-sectional associations between levels of blood Hg and liver enzymes were analyzed using a generalized linear model, and nonlinear relationships were analyzed using a generalized additive mixed model. Generalized estimating equations were applied to examine longitudinal associations, considering the correlations of individuals measured repeatedly. Results: GGT increased by 11.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.5 to 18.0%) in women and 8.1% (95% CI, -0.5 to 17.4%) in men per doubling of Hg levels, but AST and ALT were not significantly associated with Hg in either men or women. In women who drank more than 2 or 3 times per week, AST, ALT, and GGT levels increased by 10.6% (95% CI, 4.2 to 17.5%), 7.7% (95% CI, 1.1 to 14.7%), and 37.5% (95% CI,15.2 to 64.3%) per doubling of Hg levels, respectively, showing an interaction between blood Hg levels and drinking. Conclusions: Hg exposure was associated with an elevated serum concentration of GGT. Especially in women who were frequent drinkers, AST, ALT, and GGT showed a significant increase, with a significant synergistic effect of Hg and alcohol consumption.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.508-518
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• 2019

Objective: This research aimed to determine biological pathways and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks for 305-d milk yield (MY), 305-d fat yield (FY), and age at first calving (AFC) in the Thai multibreed dairy population. Methods: Genotypic information contained 75,776 imputed and actual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from 2,661 animals. Single-step genomic best linear unbiased predictions were utilized to estimate SNP genetic variances for MY, FY, and AFC. Fixed effects included herd-year-season, breed regression and heterosis regression effects. Random effects were animal additive genetic and residual. Individual SNP explaining at least 0.001% of the genetic variance for each trait were used to identify nearby genes in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database. Pathway enrichment analysis was performed. The PPI of genes were identified and visualized of the PPI network. Results: Identified genes were involved in 16 enriched pathways related to MY, FY, and AFC. Most genes had two or more connections with other genes in the PPI network. Genes associated with MY, FY, and AFC based on the biological pathways and PPI were primarily involved in cellular processes. The percent of the genetic variance explained by genes in enriched pathways (303) was 2.63% for MY, 2.59% for FY, and 2.49% for AFC. Genes in the PPI network (265) explained 2.28% of the genetic variance for MY, 2.26% for FY, and 2.12% for AFC. Conclusion: These sets of SNP associated with genes in the set enriched pathways and the PPI network could be used as genomic selection targets in the Thai multibreed dairy population. This study should be continued both in this and other populations subject to a variety of environmental conditions because predicted SNP values will likely differ across populations subject to different environmental conditions and changes over time.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2002

The combined action of two factors on organisms can be either antagonistic, non-effective, additive or synergistic. Although synergism is of biological importance, the common features of synergistic interaction between harmful environmental factors are largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to establish general rules describing the response of various organisms to the combined action of heat with another inactivating agent. Synergistic interaction due to the simultaneous treatment of hyperthermia with ionizing or non-ionizing radiation has been analyzed using the experimental data mainly obtained with yeast cells. In addition, the results reported by others for viruses, bacterial spores, cultured mammalian cells, plants and animals were also analyzed to check the regularities revealed. The common rules of the synergistic interaction obtained in this study can be summarized as follows. For any constant rate of exposure, the synergy can be observed only within a certain temperature range. An increase in exposure rate resulted in an increase of this specific temperature and vice versa. For a constant temperature at which the irradiation occurs, synergy can be observed within a certain dose rate range. As the exposure temperature is reduced, the optimal intensity decreases and vice versa. A new conception taken into consideration those regularities can make a clue for environmental disaster preventive analysis of the synergy of radiation with the other factor.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2013

Background: Nefopam, a non-opiate analgesic, has been regarded as a substance that reduces the requirement for morphine, but conflicting results have also been reported. The inhibition of monoamine reuptake is a mechanism of action for the analgesia of nefopam. The spinal cord is an important site for the action of monoamines however, the antinociceptive effect of intrathecal nefopam was not clear. This study was performed to examine the antinociceptive effect of intrathecal (i.t.) nefopam and the pattern of pharmacologic interaction with i.t. morphine in the formalin test. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with an i.t. catheter, and were randomly treated with a vehicle, nefopam, or morphine. Formalin was injected into the hind-paw 10 min. after an i.t. injection of the above experiment drugs. After obtaining antinociceptive $ED_{50}$ of nefopam and morphine, the mixture of nefopam and morphine was tested for the antinociceptive effect in the formalin test at a dose of 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 of $ED_{50}$, or $ED_{50}$ of each drug followed by an isobolographic analysis. Results: Intrathecal nefopam significantly reduced the flinching responses in both phases of the formalin test in a dose-dependent manner. Its effect, however, peaked at a dose of $30{\mu}g$ in phase 1 (39.8% of control) and $10{\mu}g$ during phase 2 (37.6% of control). The isobolograhic analysis indicated an additive interaction of nefopam and morphine during phase 2, and a synergy effect in antinociception during phase 1. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that i.t. nefopam produces an antinociceptive effect in formalin induced pain behavior during both phases of the formalin test, while interacting differently with i.t. morphine, synergistically during phase 1, and additively during phase 2.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.14-18
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• 1993

Greenhouse study was undertaken to find tank-mix feasibility of quinclorac with molinate and propanil, selective post-emergence herbicides in controlling barnyardgrass, for reducing the application rate of quinclorac. Following foliar application in combination of quinclorac at 0.038, 0.075, 0.150, and 0.300kg ai/ha with molinate at 0.190, 0.380, 0.750 and 1.500kg ai/ha, and propanil at 0.263, 0.525, 1.050, and 2.100kg ai/ha at 3.5-leaf stage of barnyardgrass, fresh weight and weeding efficacy and their interaction by Colby's efficacy method were evaluated. Percent inhibition of barnyardgrass growth by quinclorac, molinate and propanil at recommended rate were 78.1, 26.1, and 61.7%, respectively. The dose combination shown above 85% in weeding efficacy were from 0.300kg of quinclorac with 0.75kg of molinate and 0.150kg of quinclorac with all rates of propanil. Therefore, combination of quinclorac with molinate tended to additive interaction and that of quinclorac with propanil appeared partially synergistic interaction. Conclusively, for reducing the application rate of quinclorac, the combination of quinclorac with propanil was more synergistic than that of quinclorac with molinate.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.296-301
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• 2013

Carbon coils could be synthesized using $C_2H_2/H_2$ as source gases and $SF_6$ as an incorporated additive gas under the thermal chemical vapor deposition system. A 304-type stainless steel was used as a substrate with nickel powders as the catalyst. The surface of the substrate was pretreated using a sand paper or a mechanical drill to enhance the production yield of the carbon coils. The characteristics of the deposited carbon nanomaterials on the substrates were investigated according to the surface state on the stainless steel substrate. The protrusion induced by the grooves on the substrate surface could enhance the formation of the carbon nanomaterials having the coils geometries. The cause for the enhancement of the carbon coils formation by the grooves was suggested and discussed with the surface energies for the interaction between as-growing carbon elements. Finally, we could obtain the massive production yield of the carbon coils by the surface pretreatment using SiC sand papers on the several tens grooved stainless steel substrate.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.157-169
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• 2004

This paper presents a prescriptive approach to group decision making with group members' imprecise preference information. This includes an alternative method to Salo's inventive approach for identifying group's preferred alternative when attribute weights, consequences, and possibly group members' importance weights are specified in imprecise ways. The imprecise additive group value function can be decomposed into individual group member's imprecise decision making problems, which are finally aggregated to identify group's preferred alternative. The proposed approach is intuitive and easy to implement, and has merits in a couple of points. First. it is possible to view individual group member's inclinations toward conflicting alternatives and the degree of discrepancies to each other. Second, we can observe how much previous decision results of individual decision maker are influenced during interaction since decisions usually are not made at a single step especially in presence of partial preference information. Finally, the individual group member's decision results can be utilized for further investigation of dominance relations among alternatives in a case that interactive questions and responses fail to give a convergent group consensus.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.19-25
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• 2017

PURPOSES : In this paper, the flow of construction material was simulated using computational fluid dynamics in a 2D axisymmetric condition to evaluate the effect of initial or varying material properties on the final shape of a specimen. METHODS : The CFD model was verified by using a well-known analytical solution for a given test condition followed by performing a sensitivity analysis to evaluate the effect of material properties on the final shape of material. Varying dynamic viscosity and yield stress were also considered. RESULTS : The CFD model in a 2D axisymmetric condition agreed with the analytical solution for most yield stress conditions. Minor disagreements observed at high yield stress conditions indicate improper application of the pure shear assumption for the given material behavior. It was also observed that the variation of yield stress and dynamic viscosity during curing had a meaningful effect on the final shape of the specimen. CONCLUSIONS : It is concluded that CFD modeling in a 2D axisymmetric condition is good enough to evaluate fluidal characteristics of material. The model is able to consider varying yield stress and viscosity during curing. The 3D CFD-DEM coupled model may be required to consider the interaction of aggregates in fluid.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.169-176
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• 2020

Separation of basic compounds using reverse phase chromatography on a silica-based stationary phase represents a major challenge, because of the interaction between the cationic sites of the basic compounds with the anionic silanols of the stationary phase. This study presents a simple, reliable, and organic solvent - free liquid chromatographic method for the determination of terbutaline and salbutamol, in which a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) is used as mobile phase additive. We investigated various mobile phase parameters affecting the retention of the two compounds, such as types and concentration of RTILs and, pH of the mobile phase were investigated. The developed method was validated according to International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines and successfully applied effectively to determine salbutamol sulfate in pharmaceutical preparations.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.303-308
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• 2005

In this paper, the effects of oxidants on tungsten chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process were investigated using three different oxidizers such as Fe(NO₃)₃, KIO₃ and H₂O₂. Moreover, the interaction between the tungsten film and the oxidizer was discussed by potentiodynamic polarization measurement with three different oxidizers, in order to compare the effects of W-CMP and electrochemical characteristics on the tungsten film as a function of oxidizer. As an experimental result, the tungsten removal rate reached a maximum at 5 wt％ Fe(NO₃)₃concentration, and when 5 wt％ H₂O₂was added in the slurry, the removal rate of W increased. Also, the microstructures of surface layer by atomic force microscopy(AFM) image were greatly influenced by the slurry chemical composition of oxidizers. It was shown that the surface roughness and removal rate of the polished surface were improved in Fe(NO₃)₃than KIO₃. The electrochemical results indicate that the corrosion current density of the 5 wt％ H₂O₂ and 5 wt％ H₂O/sub 2+/＋ 5 wt％ Fe(NO₃)₃was higher than the other oxidizers. Therefore, we conclude that the W-CMP characteristics are strongly dependent on the kinds of oxidizers and the amounts of oxidizer additive.