• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.430-440
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• 2023

The type three secretion system (T3SS) is a major virulence system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The effector protein Exotoxin S (ExoS) produced by P. aeruginosa is secreted into the host cells via the T3SS. For the purpose of an experiment on inhibitors with regard to ExoS secretion, we developed a sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system. Quercetin was selected because it has a prominent ExoS inhibition effect and also is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on mammalian cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of quercetin on the expression and secretion of ExoS using ELISA and Western blot analysis methods. The results showed that the secretion of ExoS was significantly decreased by 10 and 20 µM of quercetin. Also, popB, popD, pscF, and pcrV which are composed of the T3SS needle, are reduced by quercetin at the mRNA level. We also confirmed the inhibitory effect of quercetin on cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-18) in P. aeruginosa-infected H292 cells by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA. Collectively, quercetin inhibits the secretion of ExoS by reducing both ExoS production and the expression of the needle protein of T3SS. Furthermore, these results suggest that quercetin has the potential to be used as an anti-toxic treatment for the inflammatory disease caused by P. aeruginosa infection.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.6-19
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• 2023

As data management and intelligence capability become proxy indicators of national power, the risk provoked by high depending on digital technology ironically increases. The quicker the changes come to be, the more important digitizing existing data and management of digital data are. The management of archaeological data could not be exceptional. It has to be performed in a more comprehensive, systematic and rapid manner. In order to perform the task, the nature of archaeological data contained in the digital archive should be properly recognized in advance: the primary data are generated by excavation as a process destroying their sources, the data are enormous in type and quantity, including long-term and various human experience, and the natural extinction of primary data in handwritten form is likely to be more crucial than in any other discipline. These characteristics of archaeological data unimaginably devastated the possibility of recovering archives, when we face a digital dark age. Considering both recent trend and the nature of archaeological data mentioned above, we can derive strategies for building a sustainable archaeological digital archive. As an archaeology-major consumer of the digital data, I propose four strategic considerations: ① establishing a system of digital data literacy; ② enhancing evaluation and capability of data reuse; ③ building an international data sharing system; ④ developing it into the platform for digital archaeology.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.561-571
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• 2023

Background: Escalating evidence shows that ginseng possesses an antiaging potential with cognitive enhancing activity. As mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG) is cultivated without agricultural chemicals, MCG has emerged as a popular herb medicine. However, little is known about the MCG-mediated pharmacological mechanism on brain aging. Methods: As we demonstrated that glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is important for enhancing memory function in the animal model of aging, we investigated the role of MCG as a GPx inducer using GPx-1 (a major type of GPx) knockout (KO) mice. We assessed whether MCG modulates redox and cholinergic parameters, and memory function in aged GPx-1 knockout KOmice. Results: Redox burden of aged GPx-1 KO mice was more evident than that of aged wild-type (WT) mice. Alteration of Nrf2 DNA binding activity appeared to be more evident than that of NFκB DNA binding activity in aged GPx-1 KO mice. Alteration in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity was more evident than that in acetylcholine esterase activity. MCG significantly attenuated reductions in Nrf2 system and ChAT level. MCG significantly enhanced the co-localization of Nrf2-immunoreactivity and ChAT-immunoreactivity in the same cell population. Nrf2 inhibitor brusatol significantly counteracted MCG-mediated up-regulation in ChAT level and ChAT inhibition (by k252a) significantly reduced ERK phosphorylation by MCG, suggesting that MCG might require signal cascade of Nrf2/ChAT/ERK to enhance cognition. Conclusion: GPx-1 depletion might be a prerequisite for cognitive impairment in aged animals. MCG-mediated cognition enhancement might be associated with the activations of Nrf2, ChAT, and ERK signaling cascade.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.127-139
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• 2023

Daechung Reservoir has been suffering from severe cyanobacterial blooming periodically due to the water pollutants from the watershed, especially nutrients from nonpoint sources. As a countermeasure, an artificial wetland was constructed to mitigate the pollutant load from the watershed by utilizing the vegetation. We investigated the water quality of the influent and outflow of the wetland during years 2014~2020 to evaluate the performance of pollutant removal through the wetland. Major pollutants (e.g. BOD, COD, SS, T-N, and T-P) were largely reduced during the retention in the wetland while nutrients removal was more efficient than that of organic matters. Pollutant removal efficiency for different inflow concentrations was also investigated to estimate the wetland's capability as a way of managing nonpoint sources. The efficiency of water treatment was significantly higher when inflow concentrations were above 75^th percentile for all pollutant, implying the wetland can be applied to the pre-treatment of high pollution load including initial rainfall runoff. Furthermore, the yearly variation of removal efficiency for seven years was analyzed to better understand long-term trends in water treatment of the wetland. The annual treatment efficiency of T-P was very high in the early stages of vegetation growth with high concentration of inflow water. However, it was confirmed that the concentration of inflow water decreased, vegetation stabilized, and the treatment efficiency gradually decreased as the soil was saturated. The findings of the study suggest that artificial wetlands can be an effective method for controlling harmful algal blooms by alleviating pollutant load from the tributaries of Daechung Reservoir.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.67-75
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• 2023

The object of this study was to analyze factors influencing adult dementia knowledge, fear of dementia, and intention of dementia prevention behavior on the demand for dementia prevention education. The subjects of the study were 265 adults aged 19 to 64 living in Chungnam and Chungbuk, who understood the purpose of the study and agreed to participate in the study. The collected research data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. As a result of the study, adult dementia knowledge (p=.055) and dementia fear (p=.302) were found that they did not significantly affect the demand for dementia prevention education, and the intention of dementia prevention behavior (β=.329, p<.001) was found to have a significant effect on the demand for dementia prevention education. Based on these research results, understanding of dementia and dementia management projects, early screening for dementia and health guidelines for dementia prevention, chronic disease management for dementia prevention, exercise for dementia prevention, healthy eating for dementia prevention, and cognitive enhancement for dementia prevention In addition to the national dementia prevention publicity and national response efforts such as programs, it is necessary to actively participate in the dementia prevention program centered on the community to practice the correct dementia prevention behavior and provide sufficient opportunities to prevent it.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.285-297
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• 2023

The present study aims to investigate the acoustic performance of the creative convergence classrooms in Korea used by elementary school students under the age of 9 introduced through the school space innovation project. In order to do this, acoustic performances of three creative convergence classrooms were measured. The measured acoustic parameters were background noise levels, Reverberation Time (RT), D₅₀, Speech Transmission Index (STI), and Inter-Aural Cross Correlation (IACC). Also, acoustic parameters including Transmission Loss (TL) and standardized level difference (D_nT) have been measured for the analysis of sound insulation performance of walls. In addition, the noise level was measured according to the opening conditions of doors and windows in the classroom. As a result, background noise level was measured at an average of 28.0 dB(A) to 32.8 dB(A) when the air conditioner was not operated, and the RT did not exceed 0.6 s. There were differences in IACC according to various desk layouts, and IACC values were high in the center line and the seats near the sound source. In particular, higher IACC was measured at the seats on the center line facing the source squarely. Regarding noise level in the classroom according to the opening conditions of doors and windows, the standards were exceeded when all windows, or windows and doors front onto the corridor were opened.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2023

Active attention and effort are needed to develop an integrated water management system in response to climate change. In this study, it proposed models for cross-use of agricultural water and river maintenance water using sewage treatment water as an integrated water management system for the Yeongsan River. The impact of the integrated water management models was assessed by applying the concept of Nexus, which is being presented worldwide for sustainable resource management. The target year was set for 2030 and quantitatively analyzed water, energy, land use and carbon emissions and resource availability index by integrated water management models was calculated by applying maximum usable amount by resource. An integrated water management system evaluation model using the Nexus concept developed in this study can play a role that can be viewed in a variety of ways: security and environmental impact assessment of other resources. The results of this research will be used as a foundation for the field of in the establishment of a policy decision support system to evaluate various security policies, as we analyzed changes in other factors according to changes in individual components, taking into account the associations between water, energy, food, and carbon resources. In future studies, additional sub-models need to be built that can be applied flexibly to changes in the future timing of the inter-resource relationship components.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.538-542
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• 2008

The principal objective of this study was to determine the effects of diet knowledge and perception on diet practice behavior among university students. Data were collected between March and April of 2005 from 523 male and female university students in Seoul and Chungbuk, via a self-administered questionnaire. The subjects included 217 male students (41.5%) and 306 female students (58.5%), and 52.0% of the subjects were 21-23 years old. With regard to residence type, 42.6% of the subjects lived in the dormitory, home (29.1%) self-boarding (19.5%) and meal (8.8) were in the order. The average weights and heights of the subjects were as follows: 70.9$\pm$9.0 kg and 174.3$\pm$4.4 cm in the male students and 53.9$\pm$5.9 kg and 161.3$\pm$4.5 cm in the female students. The average BMI values of the male and female students were 23.4$\pm$2.5 and 20.8$\pm$2.1, respectively. The average nutritional knowledge scores were as follows: 1.96 out of 3.0, dietary habit (2.13), nutrition (2.0), exercise (1.98), preferred food (1.90), and chronic disease (1.79). We noted no significant differences between the male and female subjects in terms of scored points. Nutritional knowledge by gender and residence type were shown to be significantly different--the male subjects had higher scores for exercise than did the female subjects. The self-boarding subjects had significantly lower scores with regard to nutritional knowledge and chronic disease. The experience and duration of previous diet practice were also significantly different with regard to gender and residence type. The male subjects tended to conduct diet practice for longer periods than females. The self-boarding students reported more attempts at diet behavior, but for shorter durations. The results show that the nutritional knowledge and diet practice behavior of the subjects were influenced by gender and residence type.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.145-157
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• 2023

Apple grower in the Cheongsong region, Korea has reported the increased loss of apple yield due to severe bitter rot incidence. We noticed that this indience is because the Colletotrichum population has developed resistance to commonly used fungicides. We isolated 39 Colletotrichum isolates from 13 orchards in Cheongsong, and all the isolated Colletotrichum species were identified as C. siamense or C. fructicola. These 39 strains were tested for mycelial growth and conidial germination against 12 fungicides. trifloxystrobin (30-55% in recommended concentrations) was shown lower inhibitory effect on mycelial growth. However, the inhibition of conidial germination was shown higher than mycelial growth (62-100%). Kresoxim-methyl was shown lower inhibitory effect on mycelial growth (29-55%). conidial germination inhibitory effect was shown 51% to 96%. dithianon was shown diversity response to inhibition of mycelial growth (43-100%). Tebuconazole was shown high inhibitory effect on mycelial growth (84-100%) and conidial germination inhibitory effect was shown to be 64 to 100%. metconazole has been found to display with high inhibitory effect on mycelial growth (79-100%) and conidial germination (70-80%). fluazinam was shown to possess high inhibitory effect on mycelial growth (87-100%) and conidial germination (94-100%). This study provides basic information for the effective management of apple bitter rot.

• Korean Journal of Legislative Studies
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.5-40
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• 2021

This study attempts to analyze gender gaps in voter turnout for three different types of elections held since 2017 at the aggregate level using the Central Election Management Commission's turnout data, paying attention to the importance of women's voting. The findings are as follows. First, modern gender gaps in voter turnout at the aggregate level are confirmed in most regions regardless of election types. Second, the gender gap in turnout varies with age. The gender difference is verified in the "widowhood effect," where turnout decreases in the oldest-old. In the new voter group, modern gender gaps appear in most regions. The reversed gender difference in turnout in the late 20s, which reflects the Korean society's characteristics, is confirmed in all elections. Third, it is unclear whether the reverse gender gap in turnout becomes more pronounced in urbanized districts. As urbanization progressed, modern gender differences in voter turnout across age groups are observed at the population-based size level. Paradoxically, the modern gender gap tends to be weak and turns into the traditional gender gap in younger age groups (in the late thirties) in Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu, the most modernized districts in Seoul. These results show that the modern gender gap in turnout is now a common phenomenon and continues to be strengthened by newly recruited voters in Korea. Thus we should pay more attention to female voters' political behavior and a new approach beyond the developmental theory to understand the causal mechanism to generate the modern gender gap in voter turnout.