• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Earthquake can change underground stress condition around the hypocenter and affect the fracture systems of the rocks. In Korea, the M5.8 Gyeongju earthquake on September 12, 2016 and M5.4 Pohang earthquake on November 15, 2017 occurred inside the Yangsan fault zone and possibly affected the fracture systems in the Yangsan fault zone and nearby rock masses. In this study, the characteristics of the fracture system (fracture orientation, number of the fractures, fracture spacing and aperture, dip angle, fracture density along depth, and relative rock strength) of the rocks in the low/intermediate level radioactive waste repository site located in the coastal area of the East Sea are analyzed by the impact of the Gyeongju and Pohang earthquakes using acoustic televiewer data taken from the boreholes at the radioactive waste repository site in 2005 and 2018. As a result of acoustic televiewer logging analysis, the fracture numbers, fracture aperture, and fracture density along depth overall increased in 2018 comparing to those in 2005. This increase tendency may be due to changes in the fracture system due to the impact of the earthquakes, or due to weathering of the wall of the boreholes for a long period longer than 10 years after the installation of the boreholes in 2005. In the borehole KB-14, on the whole, the orientation of the fractures and the average fracture spacing are slightly different between 2005 and 2018, while dip angle and relative rock strength in 2005 and 2018 are similar each other.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.213-220
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the red fluorescence characteristics of bacterial dental deposits assessed by quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) technology and confirm whether the red fluorescence can distinguish and evaluate quantitatively accumulation of bacterial dental deposits. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study used QLF images captured at a dental clinic from January to December 2016. In each QLF image, a skilled examiner selected one region where the presence of deposits was suspected. Then, the regions were classified into three groups of not detectable deposits(ND), half detectable deposits (HD), and full detectable deposits (FD) by two examiners according to classification criteria. Only those images where the regions of bacterial dental deposits were classified identically by all examiners were used for analysis. The mean red fluorescence intensity (RFI) was defined as the mean value of R/G for all pixels in the regions. The RFI was compared between groups using Welch's ANOVA test, and the Spearman correlation was calculated to assess the association between RFI and accumulation of deposits. Results: In this study, 351 images among the collected images of 605 subjects were finally selected. The mean age of subjects was about 44 years. The R/G values of the ND, HD and FD were 0.73, 1.26 and 1.83 respectively. There were significant differences between all groups (p<0.001), and strong positive correlation was identified between the R/G value and the accumulation of deposits (r = 0.90, p<0.001). Conclusion: The intensity of red fluorescence as observed in the QLF images correlated well with the accumulation maturation of the deposits, which indicates that the QLF technology can be used to evaluate the status of oral hygiene.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.209-217
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• 2019

Background: Ginseng is a traditional herbal medicine for human health. Ginseng contains a bioactive ligand named gintonin. The active ingredient of gintonin is lysophosphatidic acid C18:2 (LPA C18:2). We previously developed a method for gintonin-enriched fraction (GEF) preparation to mass-produce gintonin from ginseng. However, previous studies did not show the presence of other bioactive lipids besides LPAs. The aim of this study was to quantify the fatty acids, lysophospholipids (LPLs), and phospholipids (PLs) besides LPAs in GEF. Methods: We prepared GEF from white ginseng. We used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for fatty acid analysis and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for PL analysis, and quantified the fatty acids, LPLs, and PLs in GEF using respective standards. We examined the effect of GEF on insulin secretion in INS-1 cells. Results: GEF contains about 7.5% linoleic (C18:2), 2.8% palmitic (C16:0), and 1.5% oleic acids (C18:1). GEF contains about 0.2% LPA C18:2, 0.06% LPA C16:0, and 0.02% LPA C18:1. GEF contains 0.08% lysophosphatidylcholine, 0.03% lysophosphatidylethanolamine, and 0.13% lysophosphatidylinositols. GEF also contains about 1% phosphatidic acid (PA) 16:0-18:2, 0.5% PA 18:2-18:2, and 0.2% PA 16:0-18:1. GEFmediated insulin secretion was not blocked by LPA receptor antagonist. Conclusion: We determined four characteristics of GEF through lipid analysis and insulin secretion. First, GEF contains a large amount of linoleic acid (C18:2), PA 16:0-18:2, and LPA C18:2 compared with other lipids. Second, the main fatty acid component of LPLs and PLs is linoleic acid (C18:2). Third, GEF stimulates insulin secretion not through LPA receptors. Finally, GEF contains bioactive lipids besides LPAs.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.104-109
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• 2019

The crops recommended for the plant factory system are diverse. The importance of planting density in the plant factory is being recognized. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal planting density for growth and quality of kohlrabi in a closed-type plant factory system. The kohlrabi was grown under fluorescent lamps and nutrient film technique system. The growth and quality of kohlrabi were investigated under four different planting densities ($22plants/m^2(15{\times}30cm)$, $27plants/m^2(15{\times}25cm)$, and $33plants/m^2(15{\times}20cm)$). There were no significant interactions between Shoot fresh and dry weights per plant or bulb stem fresh and dry weights per plant and planting density. Shoot fresh and dry weight per area or bulb stem fresh and dry weight per area were the highest at $33plants/m^2$. There were no significant interactions between plant height, leaf area, photosynthetic rate, hardness, and chlorophyll content and planting density. Significant differences in Bulb stem height and diameter, and brix were observed. Bulb stem height and diameter and brix of kohlrabi were the highest at $22plants/m^2$. Based on our results, we conclude that the optimal planting density is $33plants/m^2$ for growth of kohlrabi, however, the optimal planting density is $22plants/m^2$ for quality of kohlrabi in a closed-type plant factory system.

• Journal of the Korean neurological association
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.294-301
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• 2018

Background: Neuroimaging can play a crucial role in discovering potential abnormalities to cause secondary headache. There has been a progress in the fields of headache diagnosis and neuroimaging in the past two decades. We sought to investigate neuroimaging findings according to headache disorders, age, sex, and imaging modalities in first-visit headache patients. Methods: We used data of consecutive first-visit headache patients from 9 university and 2 general referral hospitals. The International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition, beta version was used in headache diagnosis. We finally enrolled 1,080 patients undertook neuroimaging in this study. Results: Among 1,080 patients (mean age: $47.7{\pm}14.3$, female: 60.8%), proportions of headache diagnosis were as follows: primary headaches, n=926 (85.7%); secondary headaches, n=110 (10.2%); and cranial neuropathies and other headaches, n=43 (4.1%). Of them, 591 patients (54.7%) received magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neuroimaging abnormalities were found in 232 patients (21.5%), and their proportions were higher in older age groups and male sex. Chronic cerebral ischemia was the most common finding (n=88, 8.1%), whereas 76 patients (7.0%) were found to have clinically significant abnormalities such as primary brain tumor, cancer metastasis, and headache-relevant cerebrovascular disease. Patients underwent MRI were four times more likely to have neuroimaging abnormalities than those underwent computed tomography (33.3% vs. 7.2%, p<0.001). Conclusions: In this study, the findings of neuroimaging differed according to headache disorders, age, sex, and imaging modalities. MRI can be a preferable neuroimaging modality to identify potential causes of headache.

• Yonsei Medical Journal
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• v.59 no.9
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• pp.1026-1033
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• 2018

Purpose: Consistent evidence indicates that cervical and breast cancer screening rates are low among socioeconomically deprived women. This study aimed to assess trends in cervical and breast cancer screening rates and to analyze socioeconomic inequalities among Korean women from 2005 to 2015. Materials and Methods: Data from the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, an annual nationwide cross-sectional survey, were utilized. A total of 19910 women were finally included for analysis. Inequalities in education and household income status were estimated by slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII), along with calculation of annual percent changes (APCs), to show trends in cancer screening rates. Results: Cervical and breast cancer screening rates increased from 54.8% in 2005 to 65.6% in 2015 and from 37.6% in 2005 to 61.2% in 2015, respectively. APCs in breast cancer screening rates were significant among women with higher levels of household income and education status. Inequalities by household income in cervical cancer screening uptake were observed with a pooled SII estimate of 10.6% (95% CI: 8.1 to 13.2) and RII of 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3 to 1.6). Income inequalities in breast cancer screening were shown to gradually increase over time with a pooled SII of 5.9% (95% CI: 2.9 to 9.0) and RII of 1.2 (95% CI: 0.9 to 1.3). Educational inequalities appeared to diminish over the study period for both cervical and breast cancer screening. Conclusion: Our study identified significant inequalities among socioeconomically deprived women in cervical and breast cancer screening in Korea. Especially, income-related inequalities were greater than education-related inequalities, and these were constant from 2005 to 2015 for both cervical and breast cancer screening.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.264-272
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• 2021

Background: Gintonin is a ginseng-derived exogenous G-protein-coupled lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor ligand, which exhibits in vitro and in vivo functions against Alzheimer disease (AD) through lysophosphatidic acid 1/3 receptors. A recent study demonstrated that systemic treatment with gintonin enhances paracellular permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) through the LPA1/3 receptor. However, little is known about whether gintonin can enhance brain delivery of donepezil (DPZ) (Aricept), which is a representative cognition-improving drug used in AD clinics. In the present study, we examined whether systemic administration of gintonin can stimulate brain delivery of DPZ. Methods: We administered gintonin and DPZ alone or coadministered gintonin with DPZ intravenously or orally to rats. Then we collected the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and serum and determined the DPZ concentration through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Results: Intravenous, but not oral, coadministration of gintonin with DPZ increased the CSF concentration of DPZ in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Gintonin-mediated enhancement of brain delivery of DPZ was blocked by Ki16425, a LPA1/3 receptor antagonist. Coadministration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) + gintonin with DPZ similarly increased CSF DPZ concentration. However, gintonin-mediated enhancement of brain delivery of DPZ was blocked by axitinip, a VEGF receptor antagonist. Mannitol, a BBB disrupting agent that increases the BBB permeability, enhanced gintonin-mediated enhancement of brain delivery of DPZ. Conclusions: We found that intravenous, but not oral, coadministration of gintonin facilitates brain delivery of DPZ from plasma via LPA1/3 and VEGF receptors. Gintonin is a potential candidate as a ginseng-derived novel agent for the brain delivery of DPZ for treatment of patients with AD.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.25-35
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• 2021

Recently, the ground anchor method is commonly applied with nail and rock bolt to secure the stability of slopes and structures in Korea. Among them, permanent anchor which is used for long-term stability should secure bearing capacity and durability during the period of use. However, according to recent studies, phenomenon such as deformation to slope and the reduction of residual tensile load over time have been reported along the long-term behavior of the anchors. These problems of reducing residual tensile load are expected to increase in the future, which will inevitably lead to problems such as increasing maintenance costs. In this study, we identified the factors that affect the tensile load of permanent anchor from a literature study on the domestic and foreign, and investigated the prior studies that analyzed previously conducted load cell monitoring data. Afterwards, using this as basic data, the load cell measurement data collected at the actual site were analyzed to identify the tensile load reduction status of anchors, and the long-term load reduction characteristics were analyzed. Finally, by aggregating the preceding results, proposed a technique to predict the long-term load reduction characteristics of permanent anchors through short-term data to around 100 days after installation.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.551-554
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• 2011

One of the key issues in the research of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) is the low-voltage operation. To address this issue, we synthesized poly(styrene-r-benzocyclobutene-r-methyl methacrylate) (P(S-r-BCB-r-MMA)) as a thermally cross-linkable gate dielectrics. The P(S-r-BCB-r-MMA) showed high quality dielectric properties due to the negligible volume change during the cross-linking. The pentacene FETs based on the 34 nm-thick P(S-r-BCB-r-MMA) gate dielectrics operate below 5 V. The P(S-r-BCB-r-MMA) gate dielectrics yielded high device performance, i.e. a field-effect mobility of $0.25cm^2/Vs$, a threshold voltage of -2 V, an sub-threshold slope of 400 mV/decade, and an on/off current ratio of ${\sim}10^5$. The thermally cross-linkable P(S-r-BCB-r-MMA) will provide an attractive candidate for solution-processable gate dielectrics for low-voltage OFETs.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.433-441
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• 2021

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), are primarily characterized as dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Ginsenoside-Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng extract (Rg3-KRGE) is known to exert neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative effects on neurological disorders. However, effects of Rg3-KRGE in EAE remain unclear. Methods: Here, we investigated whether Rg3-KRGE may improve the symptoms and pathological features of myelin oligodendroglial glycoprotein (MOG)_35-55 peptide - induced chronic EAE mice through improving the integrity of the BBB. Results: Rg3-KRGE decreased EAE score and spinal demyelination. Rg3-KRGE inhibited Evan's blue dye leakage in spinal cord, suppressed increases of adhesion molecule platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, extracellular matrix proteins fibronection, and matrix metallopeptidase-9, and prevented decreases of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1, claudin-3, and claudin-5 in spinal cord following EAE induction. Rg3-KRGE repressed increases of proinflammatory transcripts cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, but enhanced expression levels of anti-inflammatory transcripts arginase-1 and IL-10 in the spinal cord following EAE induction. Rg3-KRGE inhibited the expression of oxidative stress markers (MitoSOX and 4-hydroxynonenal), the enhancement of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 2 (NOX2) and NOX4, and NADPH activity in the spinal cord of chronic EAE mice. Furthermore, apocynin, a NOX inhibitor, mimicked beneficial effects of Rg3-KRGE in chronic EAE mice. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Rg3-KRGE might alleviate behavioral symptoms and pathological features of MS by improving BBB integrity through modulation of NOX2/4 expression.