• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.49-56
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• 2022

Objective: Oxidative stress and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) have been linked to idiopathic male infertility (IMI). Various antioxidants have been tried to improve semen parameters and fertility potential in IMI patients, but with inconsistent results. The study aimed to compare the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and Centrum multivitamins on semen parameters, seminal antioxidant capacity, and SDF in infertile men with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia (OA). Methods: This prospective controlled clinical study involved 130 patients with idiopathic OA and 58 fertile controls. The patients were divided randomly into two groups: the first group received CoQ10 (200 mg/day orally) and the second group received Centrum multivitamins (1 tablet/day) for 3 months. Semen parameters, CoQ10 levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase, SDF, and serum hormone levels (follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, and prolactin) were compared at baseline and after 3 months. Results: Both CoQ10 and Centrum improved sperm concentration and motility, but the improvement was greater with Centrum therapy (p<0.05). Similarly, both therapies improved antioxidant capacity, but TAC and catalase improvement was greater (p<0.01 and p<0.001 respectively) with CoQ10, whereas ROS (p<0.01) and SDF (p<0.001) improvements were greater with Centrum administration. Centrum therapy was associated with reduced serum testosterone (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, both CoQ10 and Centrum were effective in improving semen parameters, antioxidant capacity, and SDF, but the improvement was greater with Centrum than with CoQ10. Therefore, Centrum-as a source of combined antioxidants-may provide more effective results than individual antioxidants such as CoQ10 in the treatment of infertile men with idiopathic OA.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.57-61
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• 2022

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) therapy is beneficial for improving semen parameters and clinical hypogonadism symptoms in hypogonadic oligozoospermic or severe oligozoospermic men with low or borderline testosterone levels. Methods: A weekly dose of 250 ㎍ (equivalent to approximately 6,500 IU) of hCG was administered subcutaneously for 3-6 months to 56 hypogonadic oligozoospermic or severe oligozoospermic men. Semen, biochemical, and genetic analyses were performed before the start of treatment followed by analyzing semen parameters every 3 months after the start of therapy. We grouped participants into responders and non-responders depending on positive changes in semen parameters. Results: Out of 56 men, 47 (83.93%) responded, while 9 (16.07%) did not. Upon statistical analysis, it was found that age did not affect the overall outcomes (p=0.292); however, men with higher body mass index (BMI; 28.09±3.48 kg/m²) showed better outcomes than those with low BMI (25.33±3.06 kg/m²) (p=0.042). The duration of therapy (in months) was higher in non-responders than in responders (p=0.020). We found significant improvements in sperm concentration (p=0.006) and count (p=0.005) after 3 months of therapy. Sperm motility and progressive motility were also found to be higher in responders, but did not show statistically significant changes. Conclusion: We conclude that hCG therapy can be beneficial in men with hypogonadic oligozoospermia or severe oligozoospermia.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.67-74
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• 2023

The earth-abundant element-based Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ (CZTSSe) thin film solar cells (TFSCs) have attracted greater attention in the photovoltaic (PV) community due to their rapid development in device power conversion efficiency (PCE) >13%. In the present work, we demonstrated the fine-tuning of the bandgap in the CZTSSe TFSCs by altering the sulfur (S) to the selenium (Se) chalcogenide ratio. To achieve this, the CZTSSe absorber layers are fabricated with different S/(S+Se) ratios from 0.02 to 0.08 of their weight percentage. Further compositional, morphological, and optoelectronic properties are studied using various characterization techniques. It is observed that the change in the S/(S+Se) ratios has minimal impact on the overall Cu/(Zn+Sn) composition ratio. In contrast, the S and Se content within the CZTSSe absorber layer gets altered with a change in the S/(S+Se) ratio. It also influences the overall absorber quality and gets worse at higher S/(S+Se). Furthermore, the device performance evaluated for similar CZTSSe TFSCs showed a linear increase and decrease in the open circuit voltage (V_oc) and short circuit current density (J_sc) of the device with an increasing S/(S+Se) ratio. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) measured also exhibited a linear blue shift in absorption edge, increasing the bandgap from 1.056 eV to 1.228 eV, respectively.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.119-138
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• 2023

Concrete carbonation is a prevalent phenomenon that leads to steel reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC) structures, thereby decreasing their service life as well as durability. The process of carbonation results in a lower pH level of concrete, resulting in an acidic environment with a pH value below 12. This acidic environment initiates and accelerates the corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete, rendering it more susceptible to damage and ultimately weakening the overall structural integrity of the RC system. Lower pH values might cause damage to the protective coating of steel, also known as the passive film, thus speeding up the process of corrosion. It is essential to estimate the carbonation factor to reduce the deterioration in concrete structures. A lot of work has gone into developing a carbonation model that is precise and efficient that takes both internal and external factors into account. This study presents an ML-based adaptive-neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) approach to predict the carbonation depth of fly ash (FA)-based concrete structures. Cement content, FA, water-cement ratio, relative humidity, duration, and CO2 level have been used as input parameters to develop the ANFIS model. Six performance indices have been used for finding the accuracy of the developed model and two analytical models. The outcome of the ANFIS model has also been compared with the other models used in this study. The prediction results show that the ANFIS model outperforms analytical models with R-value, MAE, RMSE, and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index values of 0.9951, 0.7255 mm, 1.2346 mm, and 0.9957, respectively. Surface plots and sensitivity analysis have also been performed to identify the repercussion of individual features on the carbonation depth of FA-based concrete structures. The developed ANFIS-based model is simple, easy to use, and cost-effective with good accuracy as compared to existing models.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.486-494
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• 2017

Objective: An experiment was conducted to determine the nutrient intake, digestibility, microbial protein synthesis, haemato-biochemical attributes, immune response and growth performance of Gaddi kids fed with oat fodder based basal diet supplemented with either tea seed or tea seed saponin (TSS) extract. Methods: Eighteen male kids, $7.03{\pm}0.16$ months of age and $19.72{\pm}0.64kg$ body weight, were distributed into three groups, $T_0$ (control), $T_1$, and $T_2$, consisting of 6 animals each in a completely randomized design. The kids were fed a basal diet consisting of concentrate mixture and oat fodder (50:50). Animals in group III ($T_2$) were supplemented with TSS at 0.4% of dry matter intake (DMI), and group II ($T_1$) were supplemented with tea seed at 2.6% of DMI to provide equivalent dose of TSS as in $T_2$. Two metabolism trials were conducted, 1st after 21 days and 2nd after 90 days of feeding to evaluate the short term and long term effects of supplementation. Results: The tea seed ($T_1$) or TSS ($T_2$) supplementation did not affect DMI as well as the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, and acid detergent fibre. Nutritive value of diet and plane of nutrition were also comparable for both the periods. However, the average daily gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were improved (p<0.05) for $T_1$ and $T_2$ as compared to $T_0$. The microbial protein supply was also higher (p<0.05) for $T_1$ and $T_2$ for both the periods. There was no effect of supplementation on most blood parameters. However, the triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels decreased (p<0.05) and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol level increased (p<0.05) in $T_2$ as compared with $T_0$ and $T_1$. Supplementation also did not affect the cell mediated and humoral immune response in goats. Conclusion: Tea seed at 2.6% of DMI and TSS at 0.4% DMI can be fed to Gaddi goats to improve growth rate, FCR and microbial protein synthesis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권7호
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• pp.3431-3436
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• 2016

Background: Carcinogenesis is a multifaceted intricate cellular mechanism of transformation of the normal functions of a cell into neoplastic alterations. Metastasis may result in failure of conventional treatment and death Hence, research on metastatic suppressors in cancer is a high priority. The metastatic suppressor gene CD82, also known as KAI1, is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily which was first identified in carcinoma of prostate. Little work has been done on this gene in breast cancer. Herein, we aimed to determine the gene and protein level expression of CD82/KAI1 in breast cancer and its role as a prognosticator. Materials and Methods: In this study, 83 histologically proven cases of breast cancer and a similar number of controls were included. Patient age ranged from 18-70 years. Quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (q-RT PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to investigate KAI1 expression at gene and protein levels, respectively. Statistical analysis was done to correlate expression of KAI1 and clinicopathological parameters. Results: It was revealed that: (i) KAI1 was remarkably diminished in metastatic vs non metastatic breast cancer both at the gene and the protein levels (P < .05); (ii) KAI1 expression levels were strongly correlated with TNM staging, histological grade and advanced stage (p<0.001) and no association was found with any other studied parameter; (iii) Lastly, a significant correlation was observed between expression of KAI1 and overall median survival of BC patients (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Our results suggest that lack of expression of the KAI1 might indicate a more aggressive form of breast cancer. Loss of KAI1 may be considered a significant prognostic marker in predicting metastatic manifestation. When evaluated along with the clinical and pathological factors, KAI1 expression may be beneficial to tailor aggressive therapeutic strategies for such patients.

• 한국농공학회논문집
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• 제63권6호
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• pp.1-16
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• 2021

Global warming due to climate change is expected to significantly affect the hydrological cycle of agriculture. Therefore, in order to predict the magnitude of climate impact on agricultural water resources in the future, it is necessary to estimate the water demand for irrigation as the climate change. This study aimed at evaluating the future changes in water demand for irrigation under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) scenarios for paddy rice in Gimje, South Korea. The APEX-Paddy model developed for the simulation of paddy environment was used. The model was calibrated and validated using the H₂O flux observation data by the eddy covariance system installed at the field. Sixteen General Circulation Models (GCMs) collected from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) and downscaled using Simple Quantile Mapping (SQM) were used. The future climate data obtained were subjected to APEX-Paddy model simulation to evaluate the future water demand for irrigation at the paddy field. Changes in water demand for irrigation were evaluated for Near-future-NF (2011-2040), Mid-future-MF (2041-2070), and Far-future-FF (2071-2100) by comparing with historical data (1981-2010). The result revealed that, water demand for irrigation would increase by 2.3%, 4.8%, and 7.5% for NF, MF and FF respectively under SSP2-4.5 as compared to the historical demand. Under SSP5-8.5, the water demand for irrigation will worsen by 1.6%, 5.7%, 9.7%, for NF, MF and FF respectively. The increasing water demand for irrigating paddy field into the future is due to increasing evapotranspiration resulting from rising daily mean temperatures and solar radiation under the changing climate.