• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.375-380
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• 2018

We have previously found that mycelia culture broth of eight kinds of traditional herbal extracts fermented with Phellinus linteus (previously named as 8-HsPLCB) not only inhibited melanin and tyrosinase activity, but also reduced the contents of melanogenesis-related proteins, including tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, in 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine-stimulated B16F0 melanoma cells. For a further study, the effect of 8-HsPLCB against skin pigmentation in brown guinea pigs with ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced hyperpigmentation was investigated. 8-HsPLCB (3%) and arbutin (2%) as positive controls were applied topically twice daily for 4 weeks to the hyperpigmented areas. 8-HsPLCB showed skin-lightening effect as effective as arbutin, one of the most widely used in whitening cosmetics. Melanin index values as the degree of pigmentation showed a significant reduction week by week post 8-HsPLCB treatment and then substantially reduced by 4 weeks. The degree of depigmentation after 4 weeks of topical application with 8-HsPLCB was 32.2% as compared with before treatment (0 week). Moreover, using Fontana-Masson staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining, 8-HsPLCB reduced melanin pigmentation in the basal layer of the epidermis and epidermal thickness changes exposed to the UV-B irradiation as compared with non-treatment and vehicle treatment. The intensity of the skin-lightening effect of 8-HsPLCB was similar to arbutin. These results suggest that the skin-lightening effect of 8-HsPLCB might be resulted from inhibition of melanin synthesis by tyrosinase in melanocytes. To conclude, 8-HsPLCB treatment showed reduction of the melanin pigment and histological changes induced by UV irradiation in brown guinea pigs.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2004

The objectives of this study were to determine the natural frequency of a walking-type cultivator's handle using a modal analysis, to determine whether or not the handle resonates with forcing frequency induced by its engine, and to determine a method to reduce the handle vibration using a technique of the operational deflection shapes(ODS). Results of the study are as follows: The natural frequencies of the handle up to third harmonics were found to be 20.4, 22.5 and 92.1 Hz in the vertical direction and 14.9, 93, and 132 Hz in the horizontal direction. It was found that the handle does not resonate with the forcing frequency of the engine, which is 52 Hz. The operational deflection shape analysis revealed the deflected shapes of the handle in the vertical and horizontal directions and suggested that the handle vibration can be reduced by adding some mass to the place where the largest deflection occurs. Attaching of 1.1 kg mass adjacent to the largely deflected area resulted in reductions of vibration from 9.45 to 8.03 m/s$^2$ in x-axis direction from 3.89 to 3.16 m/s$^2$ in y-axis direction and from 7.89 to 3.09 m/s$^2$ in z-axis direction, which are respectively 15, 19 and 61% reductions. The total vibration level was reduced by 29%, indicating that mass-adding method by the ODS is very effective for reducing the handle vibrations of the cultivators.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.23-29
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• 2018

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to apply a cost effective ultrasonic odor reduction method that generated micro-bubbles using ejector to the Southeast Asian wastewater market. Research design, data, and methodology - A leather maker located in Ansan-city, Gyunggi-do, South Korea was sampled from the collection tank to select experimental materials. Experimental setup consisted of circulating water tank-air ejector-ultrasonic device, and circulating wastewater. Sample analysis was performed by CODcr, T-N, T-P, and turbidity by the National Environmental Science Institute. Results - Experimental results show that it is most effective in removing odors when the frequency range of ultrasonic wave is 60~80 Khz and the output is 200 W. It showed that the concentration of complex odor dropped from a maximum of 14,422 times to a minimum of 120 times. Also, analysis of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in specific odor substances has shown that they were reduced from 1.5 ppm to 0.4 ppm and from 0.6 ppm to 0.1 ppm, respectively. Conclusions - It is possible to shorten more than 12 hours in the treatment of micro-organisms. It can be seen that the processing time of odor after ultrasonic treatment in the pre-treatment facility is reduced by 25% when compared to the resultant micro-organisms after the chemical treatment, that is, the time of the bio-treatment of micro-organisms. Based on the results, it was confirmed that the pre-treatment method using the ultrasonic and the air ejector device of the experiment shows the effect of reducing the water pollutants and odor more effectively in a relatively short time than the conventional advanced oxidation method.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.312-319
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• 2017

For high value-added applications of natural blue diatomite, the physical refining process and synthesis of SiC from refined diatomite were investigated. Approximately 30 percent Fe ($Fe_2O_3$) in raw blue diatomite was removed by a particle sieve separation process; the Fe composition for 325 mesh down powder was approximately 2 percent. Although a wet and/or dry magnetic separation process had some influence on the separation and/or refining of Fe composition, the Fe composition in the non-magnetic by-product was approximately 2 percent. Water leaching separation was effective in removing the Fe composition; approximately 40 percent of the Fe in raw blue diatomite was removed. The synthesis of ${\beta}$-SiC by a carbothermal reduction of the $SiO_2$ in the refined diatomite using carbon (graphite, carbon black), the effects of an acid-treatment on removing the Fe, and the specific surface area for the synthesized powder were also investigated. The impurities were mostly eliminated and the specific surface area was increased to $52.5m^2/g$.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sageretia thea is traditionally used as a medicinal herb to treat various diseases, including skin disorders, in China and Korea. This study evaluated the inhibitory effect of Sageretia thea fruit on melanogenesis and its underlying mechanisms in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells. The active chemical compounds in anti-melanogenesis were determined in Sageretia thea. MATERIALS/METHODS: Solvent fractions from the crude extract were investigated for anti-melanogenic activities. These activities and the mechanism of anti-melanogenesis in B16F10 cells were examined by determining melanin content and tyrosinase activity, and by performing western blotting. RESULTS: The n-hexane fraction of Sageretia thea fruit (HFSF) exhibited significant anti-melanogenic activity among the various solvent fractions without reducing viability of B16F10 cells. The HFSF suppressed the expression of tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP1). The reduction of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expression by the HFSF was mediated by the Akt/glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta ($GSK3{\beta}$) signaling pathway, which promotes the reduction of ${\beta}-catenin$. Treatment with the $GSK3{\beta}$ inhibitor 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO) restored HFSF-induced inhibition of MITF expression. The HFSF bioactive constituents responsible for anti-melanogenic activity were identified by bioassay-guided fractionation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis as methyl linoleate and methyl linolenate. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that HFSF and its constituents, methyl linoleate and methyl linolenate, could be used as whitening agents in cosmetics and have potential for treating hyperpigmentation disorders in the clinic.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 2017

The adsorptive removal properties of synthetic A4 zeolite were investigated against a total of 16 offensive odors consisting of reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs), nitrogenous compounds (NCs), volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and phenols/indoles (PnI). Removal of these odors was measured using a laboratory-scale impinger-based adsorption setup containing 25 g of the zeolite bed (flow rate of $100mL\;min^{-1}$). The high est and lowest breakthrough (%) values were shown for PnIs and RSCs, respectively, and the maximum and minimum adsorption capacity (${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$) of the zeolite was observed for the RSCs (range of 0.77-3.4) and PnIs (0.06-0.104), respectively. As a result of sorptive removal by zeolite, a reduction in odor strength, measured as odor intensity (OI), was recorded from the minimum of approximately 0.7 OI units (indole [from 2.4 to 1.6]), skatole [2.2 to 1.4], and p-cresol [5.1 to 4.4]) to the maximum of approximately 4 OI units (methanethiol [11.4 to 7.5], n-valeric acid [10.4 to 6.5], i-butyric acid [7.9 to 4.4], and propionic acid [7.2 to 3.7]). Likewise, when removal was examined in terms of odor activity value (OAV), the extent of reduction was significant (i.e., 1000-fold) in the increasing order of amy acetate, i-butyric acid, phenol, propionic acid, and ammonia.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.103-112
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• 2013

Background: The Korean government launched a project in 2008, where the amount of rice used as raw ingredient in rice-based foods in 2012 was planned to increase up to 10% (470,000 ton) of the total rice production through developing various new rice-based processed foods and their commercial manufacturing technology. Among the four major rice-based processed foods, rice cakes and noodles need rice flour as their main raw ingredient. Technology in rice flour utilization and manufacturing is far behind than the technology pertinent to wheat flour in many subject areas. Purpose: This review aims to provide information on rice flour utilization and manufacturing with some fundamental subjects in the area of size reduction. Results: A variety of food items including bread, noodle, cake, cookie, muffin, pre-mix, beverage, vinegar, surimi, and artificial meat have found rice flour as their raw ingredient. Rice bread made out of 100% rice flour has been developed and is now sold in retail stores. Various noodle products made from rice flour are also on the market. Issues on product definition and labeling regulation about rice flour content of the products were explored. Generalized grinding equations available in the literature were seldom used in practice; instead, it has been a general practice to develop empirical equations from test milling data. Introductory remarks on three popular particle size measurement methods (sieving, Coulter counter, light diffraction) were explained. Mathematical expressions frequently used to describe particle size distribution and to correlate cumulative quantity of particles with particle size were represented. Milling methods used in producing rice flour were described along with their advantages and disadvantages. Because of their profound effect on functional properties of the rice flour, four rice flour milling equipments used at both laboratory experiments and commercial manufacturing plants were discussed.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.169-174
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• 2013

The acute and subacute hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic effects of drinkable ripe onion juice (Commercial product name is "Black Onion Extract") were investigated in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. For tests of acute and subacute hypoglycemic effects, ripe onion juice (5 and 15 mL/kg b.w.) was administered by oral gavage to normal Sprague Dawley rats and measurements of fasting glucose levels and oral glucose tolerance tests were performed. Tolbutamide was used as a reference drug at a single oral dose of 250 mg/kg b.w. To test anti-hyperglycemic activity, the ripe onion juice was administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by oral gavage at single dose of 15 mL/kg b.w. per day for 7 consecutive days. Oral administration of the ripe onion juice at either dosed level of 5 or 15 mL/kg b.w. showed no remarkable acute hypoglycemic effect in normal rats. The two dosed levels caused a relatively small reduction, only 18% and 12% (5 and 15 mL/kg b.w., respectively) decrease in glucose levels at 2 h after glucose loading in normal rats. However, at 3 h after glucose loading, blood glucose levels in the ripe onion juice-dosed rats were decreased to the corresponding blood glucose level in tolbutamide-dosed rats. Although showing weak hypoglycemic potential compared to that of tolbutamide, oral administration of ripe onion juice (15 mL/kg b.w.) for a short period (8 days) resulted in a slight reduction in the blood glucose levels that had elevated in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. In conclusion, these results suggest that the commercial product "Black Onion Extract" may possess antihyperglycemic potential in diabetes.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.423-427
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• 2009

This study investigated antithrombotic and hypocholesterolemic activities of defatted soybean grits (DSG) and fermented DSG (FD). The FD was prepared by the solid state fermentation using Bacillus subtilis NUC1 at $40^{\circ}C$ for 24h. The water extracts of fermented DSG (FDW) exhibited higher fibrinolytic activity and inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by ADP than water extracts of DSG (DW). However, the DW and FDW inhibited HMG-CoA reductase activity and significantly decreased the intracellular cholesterol contents in HepG2 cells. In addition, DW treatment did not show any cholesterol adsorption capacity, while FDW demonstrated the highest cholesterol adsorption by 90%. The results suggest that fermented DSG have significant antithrombotic and hypocholesterolemic effects in vitro and these activities were improved during fermentation by B. subtilis NUC1.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2009

Field test was conducted to investigate primary factors reducing rapeseed harvesting using a reciprocating cutter-bar of combine. The results showed that the correlation between crop moisture content and yield loss had a U-type, which indicated that the yield reduction increased at too high and too low crop moisture contents. The proper ranges of crop moisture contents were 27${\sim}$35%, 21${\sim}$56%, and 62${\sim}$73% in case of grain, pod and stem, respectively. Crop moisture content was negatively correlated with header loss, but positively correlated with threshing loss. In contrary, stem moisture content showed positive correlations with total loss, threshing loss and separation loss. Working speed was positively correlated with header loss. Total flow rate, pod flow rate and stem flow rate were highly correlated with threshing loss and separation loss. However, grain flow rate did not show any correlation with total loss. According to the principal component analysis, two principal components were derived as components with eigenvalues greater than 1.0. The contribution rates of the first and the second components were 52.7% and 38.9%, which accounted for 91.6% of total variance. As a contributive factor influencing total loss of rapeseed mechanical harvesting, a crop moisture content factor was greater than a crop flow rate factor. The stepwise multiple regression analysis for total loss was conducted using crop moisture content factor, crop flow rate factor and coefficient. However, the model did not show any correlation among independent and dependent factors ($R^2$=0.060).