• Title/Summary/Keyword: Contrast agent

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A Simulation Method For Virtual Situations Through Seamless Integration Of Independent Events Via Autonomous And Independent Agents

  • Park, Jong Hee;Choi, Jun Seong
    • International Journal of Contents
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.7-16
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    • 2018
  • The extent and depth of the event plan determines the scope of pedagogical experience in situations and consequently the quality of immersive learning based on our simulated world. In contrast to planning in conventional narrative-based systems mainly pursuing dramatic interests, planning in virtual world-based pedagogical systems strive to provide realistic experiences in immersed situations. Instead of story plot comprising predetermined situations, our inter-event planning method aims at simulating diverse situations that each involve multiple events coupled via their associated agents' conditions and meaningful associations between events occurring in a background world. The specific techniques to realize our planning method include, two-phase planning based on inter-event search and intra-event decomposition (down to the animated action level); autonomous and independent agents to behave proactively with their own belief and planning capability; full-blown background world to be used as the comprehensive stage for all events to occur in; coupling events via realistic association types including deontic associations as well as conventional causality; separation of agents from event roles; temporal scheduling; and parallel and concurrent event progression mechanism. Combining all these techniques, diverse exogenous events can be derived and seamlessly (i.e., semantically meaningfully) integrated with the original event to form a wide scope of situations providing chances of abundant pedagogical experiences. For effective implementation of plan execution, we devise an execution scheme based on multiple priority queues, particularly to realize concurrent progression of many simultaneous events to simulate its corresponding reality. Specific execution mechanisms include modeling an action in terms of its component motions, adjustability of priority for agent across different events, and concurrent and parallel execution method for multiple actions and its expansion for multiple events.

Quantitative Changes of Collagen and Malonedialdehyde as the Parameters of Skin Alteration (피부노화의 지표가 되는 collagen과 malonedialdehyde의 정량적인 변화)

  • 김기영;이재형;진주영;양시용
    • Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.135-140
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    • 2004
  • Anti-skin aging agent could be have an inhibition effect of ROS production as well as fragmentation and change of collagen cross linkage in collagen molecule. For the monitoring of lipid peroxidation and collagen degradation, the skin of young and old rats were incised and observed 7 days. In the result, the wound closure was observed in the skin from 10 of 11 young rats and in 8 of 11 old rats. And the longer wound length but shorter wound closure, weaker collagen density and thicker epidermis were observed in old rats than in young rats. The level of hydroxyproline as a parameter of collagen synthesis and MDA as a parameter of lipid peroxidation was lower in old group than in young group. The cyst and lacuna between collagen bundle and fibroblast were observed in old rats in contrast to young rats. So that we propose that MDA and hydroxyproline could be used for monitoring of anti-skin aging agent.

Experimental Study on the Antiinflammatory Activities of Bojeasodok-um subtracted Scrophulariae Radix, Lasiosphaera seu Calvatia, Isatidis Radix added indigo Naturalis, Lithospermi Radix (보제소독음가감방(普濟消毒飮加減方)의 소염작용(消炎作用)에 관한 실험적(實驗的) 연구(硏究))

  • Kim, Sung-Hak;Park, Jong-Hyung;Kim, Kyung-Jum
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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    • v.23 no.3
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    • pp.1-10
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    • 2010
  • Objective : Erysipelas is an acute inflammation caused by pyogenic bacteria. This mainly involves the upper part of dermis. It begins as erythematous patches with tenderness, followed by fever, headache, chills and fatigue etc. It may results in edema, obstruction of lymphatics and sepsis. So this experiment is carried out for test whether the Bojeasodok-um subtracted Scrophulariae Radix, Lasiosphaera seu Calvatia, Isatidis Radix added indigo Naturalis, Lithospermi Radix have an anti-inflammatory effect and have suppression effect on immunocyte in the state of inflammation which induced by Erysipelas. Method : Experimental animals made use of 4-5 week-age(weight 20-25g) ICR(male) mouse. In the breeding farm, the lighting time was controlled from 7:00 am till 7:00 pm, the temperature was controlled So we concluded that BS is prospected as an anti-inflammatory agent to cure inflammation induced bywithin 18-23$23^{\circ}C$ and water and food were not limited.The freezing lyophilization powder which were extracted from Bojesodok-Um divided low dose group(200mg/kg-BSL) and high dose group(500mg/kg-BSH) and after melting in water, it was orally administered to the mouse. Compared with inflammation induced group which were induced by triggering-inflammation reagent Carageenan and Zymosan and normal contrast group, we measured the edema decrement effect,macrophage and spleen cell activation. Result : 1. BS has suppress inflammatory reaction induced by Carageenan. 2. BS has suppress increasing activation of abdominal cavity macrophage in the Carageenan and Zymosan induced inflammation. 3. BS has suppress increasing activation of spleen cell in the Carageenan and Zymosan induced inflammation. Based on the above result, BS was improved its suppression effect to the inflammatory reaction through the suppression of spleen cell and macrophage activation. So we concluded that BS is prospected as an anti-inflammatory agent to cure inflammation induced by Erysipelas.

Remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils using eco-friendly nano-scale chelators

  • Lim, Heejun;Park, Sungyoon;Yang, Jun Won;Cho, Wooyoun;Lim, Yejee;Park, Young Goo;Kwon, Dohyeong;Kim, Han S.
    • Membrane and Water Treatment
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    • v.9 no.3
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    • pp.137-146
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    • 2018
  • Soil washing is one of the most frequently used remediation technologies for heavy metal-contaminated soils. Inorganic and organic acids and chelating agents that can enhance the removal of heavy metals from contaminated soils have been employed as soil washing agents. However, the toxicity, low removal efficiency and high cost of these chemicals limit their use. Given that humic substance (HS) can effectively chelate heavy metals, the development of an eco-friendly, performance-efficient and cost-effective soil washing agent using a nano-scale chelator composed of HS was examined in this study. Copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) were selected as target heavy metals. In soil washing experiments, HS concentration, pH, soil:washing solution ratio and extraction time were evaluated with regard to washing efficiency and the chelation effect. The highest removal rates by soil washing (69% for Cu and 56% for Pb) were achieved at an HS concentration of 1,000 mg/L and soil:washing solution ratio of 1:25. Washing with HS was found to be effective when the pH value was higher than 8, which can be attributed to the increased chelation effect between HS and heavy metals at the high pH range. In contrast, the washing efficiency decreased markedly in the low pH range due to HS precipitation. The chelation capacities for Cu and Pb in the aqueous phase were determined to be 0.547mmol-Cu/g-HS and 0.192mmol-Pb/g-HS, respectively.

Implementation of Network Management by Communicating Mobile Agents with the SNMP Agents (이동 에이전트와 SNMP 에이전트와의 대화를 통한 통신망 관리 구현)

  • Jeon, Byung-Kook
    • Journal of Information Management
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    • v.32 no.1
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    • pp.50-70
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    • 2001
  • As todays's networks are typically heterogeneous and very often comprised of multi-platform, multi-vendor network components, mobile agents have been proposed as a solution to the problem of the management of increasingly heterogeneous networks. Mobile agents are no longer statically resident on managed devices for network management: in contrast, they are migratory, replaceable at any time as necessary, and may be equipped with mini expert systems which can diagnose and fix networks' faults on behalf of the manager. Therefore, in this paper, the MIB browsing facilities for network management using the JAMAS and mobile agents are implemented. That is, the network manager accesses the MIB information through mobile agents with which communicate the SNMP agent of each of managed devices. The implementation performance is also evaluated.

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Extract of Linum usitatissimum L. inhibits Coxsackievirus B3 Replication through AKT Signal Modulation (아마인 추출물의 AKT 신호 조절을 통한 콕사키바이러스 증식억제)

  • Shin, Ha-Hyeon;Moon, Sung-Jin;Lim, Byung-Kwan;Kim, Jin Hee
    • Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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    • v.49 no.4
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    • pp.291-297
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    • 2018
  • Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a very well-known causative agent for viral myocarditis and meningitis in human. However, the effective vaccine and therapeutic drug are not developed yet. CVB3 infection activates host cell AKT signaling. Inhibition of AKT signaling pathway may attenuate CVB3 replication and prevent CVB3-mediate viral myocarditis. In this study, we determined antiviral effect of the selected natural plant extract to develop a therapeutic drug for CVB3 treatment. We screened several chemically extracted natural compounds by using HeLa cell-based cell survival assay. Among them, Linum usitatissimum L. extract was selected for antiviral drug candidate. L. usitatissimum extract significantly decreased CVB3 replication and cell death in CVB3 infected HeLa cells with no cytotoxicity. CVB3 protease 2A induced eIF4G1 cleavage and viral capsid protein VP1 production were dramatically decreased by L. usitatissimum extract treatment. In addition, virus positive and negative strand genome amplification were significantly decreased by 1 mg/ml L. usitatissimum extract treatment. Especially, L. usitatissimum extract was associated with inhibition of AKT signal and maintain mTOR activity. In contrast, Atg12 and LC3 expression were not changed by L. usitatissimum extract treatment. In this study, the potential AKT signal inhibitor, L. usitatissimum extract, was significantly inhibited viral genome replication and protein production by inhibition of AKT signal. These results suggested that L. usitatissimum extract is a novel therapeutic agent for treatment of CVB3-mediated diseases.

Chlorination of TRU/RE/SrOx in Oxide Spent Nuclear Fuel Using Ammonium Chloride as a Chlorinating Agent

  • Yoon, Dalsung;Paek, Seungwoo;Lee, Sang-Kwon;Lee, Ju Ho;Lee, Chang Hwa
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.193-207
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    • 2022
  • Thermodynamically, TRUOx, REOx, and SrOx can be chlorinated using ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) as a chlorinating agent, whereas uranium oxides (U3O8 and UO2) remain in the oxide form. In the preliminary experiments of this study, U3O8 and CeO2 are reacted separately with NH4Cl at 623 K in a sealed reactor. CeO2 is highly reactive with NH4Cl and becomes chlorinated into CeCl3. The chlorination yield ranges from 96% to 100%. By contrast, U3O8 remains as UO2 even after chlorination. We produced U/REOx- and U/SrOx-simulated fuels to understand the chlorination characteristics of the oxide compounds. Each simulated fuel is chlorinated with NH4Cl, and the products are dissolved in LiCl-KCl salt to separate the oxide compounds from the chloride salt. The oxide compounds precipitate at the bottom. The precipitate and salt phases are sampled and analyzed via X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. The analysis results indicate that REOx and SrOx can be easily chlorinated from the simulated fuels; however, only a few of U oxide phases is chlorinated, particularly from the U/SrOx-simulated fuels.

Stain Fungi and Discoloration Control on Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.) by Vacuum-Pressure Treatment with Catechin from Gambir (Uncaria gambir Roxb.)

  • Dodi NANDIKA;Elis Nina HERLIYANA;Arinana ARINANA;Yusuf Sudo HADI;Mohamad Miftah RAHMAN
    • Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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    • v.51 no.3
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    • pp.183-196
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    • 2023
  • Recently, the morphological and molecular features of five stain fungi infecting rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis), namely Paecilomyces maximus, Paecilomyces formosus, Penicillium crustosum, Paecilomyces lecythidis and Aspergillus chevalieri, have been studied. Prior to this study, the authors revealed that catechin from gambir (Uncaria gambir) could inhibit the growth of the white-rot fungus Schizophyllum commune, and it was important to determine the bioactivity of the aforementioned agent against A. chevalieri. The efficacy of the biocidal agent was examined using a laboratory wooden block test. Rubberwood blocks, 8 mm in thickness, 20 mm in width, and 30 mm in length, were impregnated with catechin solution at concentrations of 6%, 9%, 12%, and 15% (w/v) using the vacuum-pressure method, and their bioactivity was monitored over three weeks through visual and scanning electron microscope assessment of fungal growth as well as the discoloration intensity of the wood samples. The results showed that catechin treatment increased the resistance of wood samples to A. chevalieri. Overall, the higher the catechin concentration, the lower the fungal growth. The lowest fungal growth was observed in the wood samples treated with 12% and 15% catechin (score of 0), demonstrating no discoloration. In contrast, the fungal growth score of the untreated wood samples reached 4, indicating severe discoloration. Catechins appear to be adequate biofungicides against stain fungi in rubberwood.

Analysis of Contrast Medium Dilution Rate for changes in Tube Current and SOD, which are Parameters of Lower Limb Angiography Examination (하지 혈관조영검사 시 매개변수인 관전류와 SOD에 변화에 대한 조영제 희석률 분석)

  • Kong, Chang gi;Han, Jae Bok
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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    • v.14 no.5
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    • pp.603-612
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    • 2020
  • This study has a purpose to look into the effect of the relationship between the Tube current (mA) and SOD(Source to Object Distance), which is a parameter of lower limb angiography examination, and the dilution rate of the contrast medium concentration (300, 320, 350) on the image. To that end, using 3 mm vessel model water phantom, a vessel model custom made in the size of peripheral vessel diameter, this study measured relationships between change of parameters, such as tube current (mA), SOD and varying concentrations (300, 320, 350) of contrast medium dilution into SNR and CNR values while analyzing the coefficients of variance(cv<10). The software used to measure SNR and CNR values was Image J 1.50i from NIH (National Institutes of Health, USA). MPV (mean pixel value) and SD (standard deviation) were used after verifying numerically the image signal for region of interest (ROI) and background on phantom from the DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) 3.0 file transmitted to PACS. As to contrast medium dilution by the change of tube current, when 146 mA and 102 mA were compared, For both SNR and CNR, the coefficient of variation value was less than 10 until the section of CM: N/S dilution (100% ~ 30% : 70%) but CM: N/S dilution rate (20%: 80% ~ 10% : 90%) the coefficient of variation was 10 or more. As to contrast medium dilution by concentration for SOD change, when SOD's (32.5 cm and 22.5 cm) were compared,For both SNR and CNR, the coefficient of variation value was less than 10 until the section of CM: N/S dilution (100% ~ 30% : 70%) but CM: N/S dilution rate (20%: 80% ~ 10% : 90%) the coefficient of variation was 10 or more. As to contrast medium dilution by concentration for SOD change, when SOD's (32.5 cm and 12.5 cm) were compared,For both SNR and CNR, the coefficient of variation value was less than 10 until the section of CM: N/S dilution (100% ~ 30% : 70%) but CM: N/S dilution rate (20%: 80% ~ 10% : 90%) the coefficient of variation was 10 or more. As a result, set a low tube current value in other tests or procedures including peripheral angiography of the lower extremities in the intervention, and make the table as close as possible to the image receiver, and adjust the contrast agent concentration (300) to CM: N/S dilution (30%: 70%). ) Is suggested as the most efficient way to obtain images with an appropriate concentration while simultaneously reducing the burden on the kidney and the burden on exposure.

Correlation between Epidurographic Contrast Flow Patterns and Clinical Effectiveness in Chronic Lumbar Discogenic Radicular Pain Treated with Epidural Steroid Injections Via Different Approaches

  • Gupta, Ruchi;Singh, Saru;Kaur, Sukhdeep;Singh, Kulvinder;Aujla, Kuljeet
    • The Korean Journal of Pain
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.353-359
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    • 2014
  • Background: Epidural steroid injections are an accepted procedure for the conservative management of chronic backache caused by lumbar disc pathology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidurographic findings for the midline, transforaminal and parasagittal approaches in lumbar epidural steroid injections, and correlating them with the clinical improvement. Methods: Sixty chronic lower back pain patients with unilateral radiculitis from a herniated/degenerated disc were enrolled. After screening the patients according to the exclusion criteria and randomly allocating them to 3 groups of 20 patients, fluoroscopic contrast enhanced epidural steroids were injected via midline (group 1), transforaminal (group 2) and parasagittal interlaminar (group 3) approaches at the level of the pathology. The fluoroscopic patterns of the three groups were studied and correlated with the clinical improvement measured by the VAS over the next 3 months; any incidences of complications were recorded. Results: The transforaminal group presented better results in terms of VAS reduction than the midline and parasagittal approach groups (P < 0.05). The epidurography showed a better ventral spread for both the transforaminal (P < 0.001) and the paramedian approaches (P < 0.05), as compared to the midline approach. The nerve root filling was greater in the transforaminal group (P < 0.001) than in the other two groups. The ventral spread of the contrast agent was associated with improvement in the VAS score and this difference was statistically significant in group 1 (P < 0.05), and highly significant in groups 2 and 3 (P < 0.001). In all the groups, any complications observed were transient and minor. Conclusions: The midline and paramedian approaches are technically easier and statistically comparable, but clinically less efficacious than the transforaminal approach. The incidence of ventral spread and nerve root delineation show a definite correlation with clinical improvement. However, an longer follow-up period is advisable for a better evaluation of the actual outcom.