• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• 제55권5호
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• pp.429-438
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• 2022

This study evaluated the effect of the degree of weathering on the particle size distribution and the amount of fine particles generated in the aggregate production process during the crushing of igneous rock. Rock samples were collected from three areas with differences in strength from the Schmith hammer measurement at the aggregate quarry in Geochang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. After crushing with a jaw crusher under the same conditions in laboratory, particle size analysis, mineral analysis, chemical analysis, and weathering index were calculated. The Schmidt hammer measurements were 56, 28, and <10, and the CIA and CIW values of weathering index were also different, so the rock samples were classified into hard rock, soft rock, and weathered rock according to the weathering degree. It shows a smaller particle size distribution toward weathered rocks under the microscope, and the proportion of altered clay minerals such as sericite increased. The composition of feldspar and quartz was high for hard rock, and the ratio of muscovite and kaolinite was low. As a result of the crushing of the jaw crusher, hard rock produced a lot of coarse crushed material (13.2mm), while soft rock and weathered rock produced fine crushed material (4.75mm). The former showed the characteristics of the beta distribution curve, and the latter showed the bimodal distribution curve. The production of fine rock particles (based on 0.71mm of sieve, wt. %) increased to 13%<21%<22% in hard rock, soft rock, and weathered rock, and the greater the degree of weathering, the more fine rock particles were generated. The fine particles are recovered by the operation of the sand unit in the wet aggregate production process. Therefore, in order to minimize the amount of sludge generated in the aggregate production process, it was judged that a study on the optimal operation of cyclones could be necessary.

• Journal of Life Science
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.242-251
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB) administration with and without endurance exercise training on endurance exercise performance and skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation using a mouse model. Forty-eight male wild-type ICR mice (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups: sedentary control (Sed+Con), (Sed+Con), sedentary β-HB (Sed+β-HB), exercise control (Exe+Con), and exercise β-HB (Exe+β-HB). β-HB was dissolved in PBS (150 mg/ml) and injected subcutaneously daily (250 mg/kg) for 8 weeks. Mice performed 5 days/week of a 20 min treadmill running exercise for 8 weeks. The running exercise was carried out at a speed of 10 m/min at a 10° incline for 5 min, and then the speed was increased by 1 m/min for every 1 min of the remaining 15 min. Following 8 weeks of treatments, visceral fat mass and skeletal muscle mass, blood parameters, and the markers for autophagy and protein synthesis were analyzed. The data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA (p<0.05) using the SPSS 21 program. Eight weeks of Exe+β-HB treatment significantly lowered blood lactate levels compared with the other three groups (Sed+Con, Sed+β-HB, and Exe+β-HB) Exe+β-HB) (p<0.05). Eight weeks of Exe+β-HB significantly increased maximal running time (time to exhaustion) compared with the Sed+Con and Exe+Con groups (p<0.05). Eight weeks of β-HB administration significantly decreased autophagy flux and autophagy-related proteins in the skeletal muscle of mice (p<0.05). Conversely, the combined treatment of β-HB and endurance exercise training increased protein synthesis (mTOR signaling and translation) (p<0.05). The 8-week β-HB treatment and endurance exercise training had synergistic effects on the increase in endurance performance, increase in protein synthesis, and decrease in protein degradation in the skeletal muscle of mice.

• Journal of Life Science
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.357-362
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• 2023

This report looks at an agar-degrading marine bacterium and characterization of its agarase. Agar-degrading marine bacterium JS-1 was isolated with Marine agar 2216 media from seawater from the seashore of Sojuk-do, Changwon in Gyeongnam Province, Korea. The agar-degrading bacterium was named as Agarivorans sp. JS-1 by phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The extracellular agarase was prepared from the culture media of Agarivorans sp. JS-1 and used for characterization. Relative activities at 20℃, 30℃, 35℃, 40℃, 45℃, 50℃, 55℃, and 60℃ were 70%, 74%, 78%, 83%, 87%, 100%, 74%, and 66%, respectively. Relative activities at pH 5, 6, 7, and 8 were 91%, 100%, 90%, and 89%, respectively. Its extracellular agarase showed maximum activity (207 units/l) at pH 6.0 and 50℃ in 20 mM Tris-HCl buffer. The residual activity after heat treatment at 20℃, 30℃, and 50℃ for 30 minutes was 90%, 70%, and 50% or more, respectively. After a 2-hour heat treatment at 20℃, 30℃, 35℃, 40℃, and 45℃, the residual activity was 80%, 68%, 65%, 63%, and 57%, respectively. At 50℃ and above, after heat treatment for 30 minutes, the residual activity was below 60%. Thin layer chromatography analysis suggested that Agarivorans sp. JS-1 produces extracellular β-agarases as they hydrolyze agarose to produce neoagarooligosaccharides such as neoagarohexaose (20.6%), neoagarotetraose (58.5%), and neoagarobiose (20.9%). Agarivorans sp. JS-1 and its thermotolerant β-agarase would be useful in the production of neoagarooligosaccharides, showing functional activity such as inhibition of bacterial growth and delay of starch degradation.

• Resources Recycling
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.42-49
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• 2023

The glass ceramic secondary resource containing Li-Al-Si is used in inductor, fireproof glass, and transparent cookware and accounts for 14% of the total consumption of Li, which is the second most widely used after Li-ion batteries. Therefore, new Li resources should be explored when the demand for Li is exploding, and extensive research on Li recovery is needed. Herein, we recovered Li from fireproof Li-Al-Si glass ceramic, which is a new secondary resource containing Li. The fireproof glass among all Li-Al-Si glass ceramics was used as raw material that contained 1.5% Li, 9.4% Al, and 28.9% Si. The process for recovering Li from the fireproof glass was divided into two parts: (1) calcium salt roasting and (2) water leaching. In calcium salt roasting, a sample of fireproof glass was crushed and ground below 325 mesh. The leaching efficiency was compared based on the presence or absence of heat treatment of the fireproof glass. Moreover, the leaching rates based on the input ratios of calcium salt, Li-Al-Si glass, and ceramics and the leaching process based on calcium salt roasting temperatures were compared. In water leaching, the leaching and recovery rates of Li based on different temperatures, times, solid-liquid ratios, and number of continuous leaching stages were compared. The results revealed that fireproof glass ceramics containing Li-Al-Si should be heat treated to change phase to beta-type spodumene. CaCO₃ salt should be added at a ratio of 6:1 with glass ceramics containing Li-Al-Si, and then leached 4 times or more to achieve a recovery efficiency of Li over 98% from a solution containing 200 mg/L of Li.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.83-90
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• 2023

The β-Ga₂O₃ has the most thermodynamically stable phase, a wide band gap of 4.8~4.9 eV and a high dielectric breakdown voltage of 8MV/cm. Due to such excellent electrical characteristics, this material as a power device material has been attracted much attention. Furthermore, the β-Ga₂O₃ has easy liquid phase growth method unlike materials such as SiC and GaN. However, since the grown pure β-Ga₂O₃ single crystal requires the intentionally controlled doping due to a low conductivity to be applied to a power device, the research on doping in β-Ga₂O₃ single crystal is definitely important. In this study, various source powders of un-doped, Sn 0.05 mol%, Sn 0.1 mol%, Sn 1.5 mol%, Sn 2 mol%, Sn 3 mol%-doped Ga₂O₃ were prepared by adding different mole ratios of SnO₂ powder to Ga₂O₃ powder, and β-Ga₂O₃ single crystals were grown by using an edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) method. The crystal direction, crystal quality, optical, and electrical properties of the grown β-Ga₂O₃ single crystal were analyzed according to the Sn dopant content, and the property variation of β-Ga₂O₃ single crystal according to the Sn doping were extensively investigated.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.84-98
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• 2022

Estuary is important in terms of biodiversity because it has the characteristics of transition waters, created by the mixing of fresh- and seawater. The estuarine water circulation provides a variety of habitats with different environments by inducing gradients in the chemical and physical environment, such as water quality and river bed structure, which are ultimately the main factors influencing biological community composition. If the water circulation is interrupted, the loss of brackish areas and the interception of migration of biological communities will lead to changes in the spatial distribution of biodiversity. In this study, among the sites covered by the Estuary Aquatic Ecosystem Health Assessment, we selected study sites where changes in biodiversity can be assessed by spatial gradient from the upper reaches of the river to the lower estuarine area. The α-, γ- and β-diversity of diatom, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish communities were calculated, and they were divided into open and closed estuary data and compared to determine the trends in biodiversity variation due to estuarine circulation. As results, all communities showed higher γ-diversity at open estuary sites. The benthic macroinvertebrate community showed a clear difference between open and closed estuaries in β-diversity, consequently the estuarine transects were considered as a factor that decreases spatial heterogeneity of their diversity among sites. The biodiversity trends analyzed in this study will be used to identify estuaries with low γ- and β-diversity by community, providing a useful resource for further mornitoring and management to maintain estuarine health.

• Journal of Life Science
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.245-253
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• 2024

We investigated to analyze total flavonoid content and fatty acid composition of Stachys sieboldii Miq root. In order to determine antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of fractions from S. sieboldii Miq. root, we conducted 1.1-Diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt radical cation (ABTS) assays for antioxidant and measured nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we examined an inhibitory effect of fractions from S. sieboldii Miq. root on smad signaling induced by transforming growth factor (TGF) β. Among the fractions, n-butanol (n-BuOH) fraction showed the highest flavonoid content (16.67 mg/g), followed by n-Hexane, water and 85% aqueous methanol (85% aq. MeOH) fractions. The fatty acid composition of S. sieboldii Miq. root was in the following order : n-6 fatty acids (54.3%) > n-3 fatty acids (21.2%) > saturated fatty acids (19.7%) > n-9 fatty acids (3.6%). As a result of the antioxidant efficacy, the DPPH and ABTS assays showed that n-BuOH fraction had higher scavenging activity compared to other fractions. Inhibitory effect on NO production showed that all fractions decreased LPS-induced NO production, indicating an anti-inflammatory activity of S. sieboldii Miq. root. 85% aq. MeOH and water fractions showed a higher efficacy in inhibiting transforming growth factor (TGF) β induced smad signaling. From the results, it suggests that food processing products using S. sieboldii Miq. root will be developed as a functional food for promoting health.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• 제68권4호
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• pp.402-412
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• 2023

To cope with climate change, we compared the quality of naked oats (Avena sativa L.) cultivated in different regions. Naked oats were collected from domestic farms in different cultivation regions grouped as G1 and G2 for 3 years (2020-2022). The appearance, quality, and nutritional and functional compounds in the samples were assessed. In terms of appearance quality, the brightness and yellowness of the samples from the G1 region were significantly lower than those of the samples from the G2 region in 2020; however, no differences were observed between cultivation regions in the other 2 years. The results of testing the vitality of naked oats seeds showed that the electrical conductivity value was significantly lower in the samples from the G1 region than in those from the G2 region only in 2022. Among the nutritional components, moisture content was higher in the G2 region than in the G1 region over all 3 years, and the crude protein content was significantly higher in the G2 region than in the G1 region over all years. Carbohydrate content was significantly higher in the G1 region than in the G2 region in all 3 years and was inversely proportional to the crude protein content. The crude fat content tended to be significantly higher in the G1 region than in the G2 region, except in 2022. The levels of beta-glucan, a functional compound rich in naked oats, ranged between 3.4% and 4.2%, and except in 2020, there was no significant difference between cultivation regions. In addition, the content of avenanthramides, representative functional compounds that exist only in oats, was assessed. Over 2 years, in 2021 and 2022, the avenanthramide content was in the range of 2.4-20.7 ㎍/g and tended to be significantly higher in the G2 region than in the G1 region in both years. According to a survey of the average and minimum temperatures during the growing season of naked oats from 2020 to 2022, the average and minimum temperatures in January in the G2 region, which is the cultivation-limit area, were similar to those in Haenam in the G1 region. In conclusion, differences in nutritional and functional compounds were observed in naked oats grown in different cultivation areas. Therefore, considering the cultivation area of naked oats is expanding because of climate change, changes in the compounds that affect quality should be investigated.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• 제84권3호
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• pp.638-652
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• 2023

Purpose To investigate the MRI markers for the prediction of amyloid β (Aβ)-positivity in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to evaluate the differences in MRI markers between Aβ-positive (Aβ [+]) and -negative groups using the machine learning (ML) method. Materials and Methods This study included 139 patients with MCI and AD who underwent amyloid PET-CT and brain MRI. Patients were divided into Aβ (+) (n = 84) and Aβ-negative (n = 55) groups. Visual analysis was performed with the Fazekas scale of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and cerebral microbleeds (CMB) scores. The WMH volume and regional brain volume were quantitatively measured. The multivariable logistic regression and ML using support vector machine, and logistic regression were used to identify the best MRI predictors of Aβ-positivity. Results The Fazekas scale of WMH (p = 0.02) and CMB scores (p = 0.04) were higher in Aβ (+). The volumes of hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and precuneus were smaller in Aβ (+) (p < 0.05). The third ventricle volume was larger in Aβ (+) (p = 0.002). The logistic regression of ML showed a good accuracy (81.1%) with mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and regional brain volumes. Conclusion The application of ML using the MMSE, third ventricle, and hippocampal volume is helpful in predicting Aβ-positivity with a good accuracy.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.474-485
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• 2024

The purposes of this study were to isolate the potential Lacticaseibacillus spp. from the feces of infants before weaning, to investigate the safety of antibiotics resistance and beta-haemolysis, and to evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects between the selected strains and Oenanthe javanica (Oj) fermented by them. As a result of analyzing the intestinal microbial community among the stools of four infants, the genus Bifidobacterium was the most dominant, but Lacticaseibacillus (L.) rhamnosus was the most frequently isolated because of the easy culture. Nine test strains, including Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG (ATCC 53103) as the positive control, were sensitive against 8 kinds of antibiotics without vancomycin in comparison with the cut-off values at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and there was no hemolysis. In the antibacterial activity experiment, the Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus L22-FR28 (L28, KACC 92513P) strain and Oj+L28 ferment showed significantly (p<0.05) higher activities than LGG against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, these decreased the activity of the NF-kB/AP-1 transcription factor and inhibited the nitric oxide and cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) produced in macrophage RAW cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Consequently, the L. rhamnosus L28 strain and Oenanthe javanica+L. rhamnosus L28 (Oj+L28) ferment selected with the high anti-inflammatory effect will improve health functionality after more research, such as the verification of animal level and identification of mechanism on an anti-inflammatory.