• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.38.1-38.7
• /
• 2021

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute pediatric vasculitis that affects genetically susceptible infants and children. To identify coding variants that influence susceptibility to KD, we conducted whole exome sequencing of 159 patients with KD and 902 controls, and performed a replication study in an independent 586 cases and 732 controls. We identified five rare coding variants in five genes (FCRLA, PTGER4, IL17F, CARD11, and SIGLEC10) associated with KD (odds ratio [OR], 1.18 to 4.41; p = 0.0027-0.031). We also performed association analysis in 26 KD patients with coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs; diameter > 5 mm) and 124 patients without CAAs (diameter < 3 mm), and identified another five rare coding variants in five genes (FGFR4, IL31RA, FNDC1, MMP8, and FOXN1), which may be associated with CAA (OR, 3.89 to 37.3; p = 0.0058- 0.0261). These results provide insights into new candidate genes and genetic variants potentially involved in the development of KD and CAA.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.7
• /
• pp.2184-2194
• /
• 2021

The Free-Piston Stirling engine (FPSE) is of interest for many research in aerospace due to its advantages of long operating life, higher efficiency, and zero maintenance. In this study, a 1-kW FPSE was proposed by analyzing the requirements of Space Reactor Power Systems (SRPS), of which performance was evaluated by developing a code through the Simple Analysis Method. The results of SAM showed that the critical parameters of FPSE could satisfy the designed requirements. The heater of the FPSE was designed with the copper rectangular fins to enhance heat transfer, and the parametric study of the heater was performed with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software STAR-CCM⁺. The Performance Evaluation Criteria (PEC) was used to evaluate the heat transfer enhancement of the fins in the heater. The numerical results of the CFD program showed that pressure drop and Nusselt number ratio had a linear growth with the height of fins, and PEC number decreased as the height of fins increased, and the optimum height of the fin was set as 4 mm according to the minimum heat exchange surface area. This paper can provide theoretical supports for the design and numerical analysis of an FPSE for SRPSs.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.23 no.12
• /
• pp.55-61
• /
• 2022

Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and much research is underperforming in reducing carbon dioxide. Geological carbon dioxide storage is considered the primary technique for global warming prevention. So, technic development for storing carbon dioxide is required. Using surfactant is considered an effective material for geological carbon dioxide storage. However, research on using surfactants for carbon dioxide sequestration is not enough. In this study, a 2D micromodel experiment depends on the surfactant type (sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate), concentration and carbon dioxide injection rate. As result, geological carbon dioxide sequestration efficiency is increased according to surfactant concentration and carbon dioxide injection rate increase. However, efficiency no more increases after critical concentration and rate.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.349-360
• /
• 2022

The rising prices of landfills and the lack of cement production are motivating researchers to be more interested in using wastes to produce concrete mixtures materials. The use of waste materials such as eggshell and matakoline waste not only reduces landfill costs and space, but also reduces the cost of cement production for the concrete mixture. However, recycling waste materials has become critical in order to effectively manage environmental sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the appropriate properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC) by incorporating waste materials such as crushed ceramics as coarse aggregate and nano egg shell (NES) and nanoclay (NC) as cement replacements. Fresh properties of SCC, such as segregation, flow time and diameter, V-funnel, H2/H1 ratio, and fresh unit weight of concrete mixtures, as well as hardened properties, such as 7, 14, and 28 days compressive strength and 28 and 90 days flexural strength, were measured for this purpose. The presence of NC in the SCC mixture enhanced the compressive strength of the concrete when 5% of NES was added or in the case without the addition of NES compared to the control mixture. The flexural strength enhanced with the incorporation of NC in the SCC increased the flexural strength of the concrete compared to the control mixture, but the incorporation of 5% of NES decreased the flexural strength compared to the mixtures with NC. These results prove the possibility of using crushed ceramics as the coarse aggregate, and NES and NC as substitutes for 5, 7, and 10% of the cement in SCC, because the properties of such SCC in hardened and fresh states are satisfactory.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.81 no.6
• /
• pp.715-728
• /
• 2022

A new type of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) with a longitudinally profiled steel plate working as the core (LPBRB) is proposed and experimentally investigated. Different from conventional BRBs with a constant thickness core, both stiffness and strength of the longitudinally profiled steel core along its longitudinal direction can change through itself variable thickness, thus the construction of LPBRB saves material and reduces the processing cost. Four full-scale component tests were conducted under quasi-static cyclic loading to evaluate the seismic performance of LPBRB. Three stiffening methods were used to improve the fatigue performance of LPBRBs, which were bolt-assembled T-shaped stiffening ribs, partly-welded stiffening ribs and stiffening segment without rib. The experimental results showed LPBRB specimens displayed stable hysteretic behavior and satisfactory seismic property. There was no instability or rupture until the axial ductility ratio achieved 11.0. Failure modes included the out-of-plane buckling of the stiffening part outside the restraining member and core plate fatigue fracture around the longitudinally profiled segment. The effect of the stiffening methods on the fatigue performance is discussed. The critical buckling load of longitudinally profiled segment is derived using Euler theory. The local bulging behavior of the outer steel tube is analyzed with an equivalent beam model. The design recommendations for LPBRB are presented finally.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.19-27
• /
• 2022

Objectives: TSepsis and subsequent acute lung injury (ALI) is a critical state of health caused by infection or endotoxins. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Water Extract of Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Radix (AR) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis in C57BL/6 mice. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with LPS to induce sepsis and ALI. AR was orally fed twice at 30 min and 180 min after LPS injection. At 24 h post injection, mice were sacrificed, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood was collected, and lung tissue was harvested. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed in lung tissues, wet/dry ratio of the lung tissue was measured, and the serum cytokine and chemokine levels were analyzed. Results: AR revoked the LPS-induced pathological changes in lung tissues, such as abnormal histological structures, immune cell infiltration and lung edema. Also, AR suppressed the neutrophil infiltration into the lung which was greatly increased by LPS injection based on the cell content of collected BALF. Serum cytokines and chemokines were measured, and AR reversed the LPS-induced increase of cytokines such as interleukin 1 beta, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor alpha and chemokines including C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 and 2. Conclusion: TAR showed a protective effect in the pathological progress of LPS-induced ALI. Especially, AR suppressed lung edema and infiltration of neutrophils by inhibiting cytokine and chemokine expressions. Such results demonstrate the potential of AR as a therapeutic agent for sepsis and sepsis-induced ALI.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.259-268
• /
• 2023

Purpose: Hyaluronic acid (HA) affects angiogenesis and promotes the migration and differentiation of mesenchymal cells, thereby activating the osteogenic ability of osteoblasts. Although studies on the action of HA during bone regeneration are being actively conducted, the optimal dose of HA required for bone regeneration remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the most effective HA dose for bone formation using a rat critical-size defect model. Methods: Thirty rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, with 6 rats in each group. An absorbable collagen sponge soaked with HA or saline was used to fill an 8-mm defect, which was then covered with a collagen membrane. Different treatments were performed for each group as follows: (1) saline control, (2) 1 mg/mL HA, (3) 25 mg/mL HA, (4) 50 mg/mL HA, or (5) 75 mg/mL HA. After a healing period of 4 weeks, micro-computed tomography and histological analysis were performed. The obtained values were analyzed using analysis of variance and the Tukey test (P<0.05). Results: At week 4, the 75 mg/mL HA group had the highest bone volume/total volume ratio, new bone, and bone fill among the 5 groups, and these values were significantly different from those observed in the control group (P<0.01) and 1 mg/mL HA group (P<0.001). More active bone formation was observed in the higher-dose HA groups (25 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, and 75 mg/mL HA), which included a large amount of woven bone. Conclusions: The 75 mg/mL HA group showed better bone formation than the other groups (1, 25, and 50 mg/mL HA and control).

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.660-673
• /
• 2022

In achieving carbon neutrality and the hydrogen economy, the estimation of H₂ cost is critical in terms of CCU technologies. This study analyzes LCOH of hydrogen produced by the carbon utilization unit with methane reforming and CO₂ from thermal power plant. LCOH for H₂ made with CO is estimated in three ways of Joint Cost Allocations with financial performance risk assessment. Regarding cost analysis, the zero value of LCOH is $6,003/ton. We found that the CCU technology has economic feasibility in terms of profitability. The sensitivity analysis result shows that the input ratio is more influential to the LCOH than other variables. Risk analysis presents the baseline price of zero value of LCOH - $8,408/ton, which is higher than the cost analysis - $6,003/ton. Mainly, the price variability of natural gas primarily affects the LCOH. The study has significant value in analyzing the financial performance risks as well as the cost of H₂ produced by a Plasma-based CCU system.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.66 no.1
• /
• pp.95-104
• /
• 2023

Objective : Hypernatremia is a common complication encountered during the treatment of neurocritically ill patients. However, it is unclear whether clinical outcomes correlate with the severity of hypernatremia in such patients. Therefore, we investigated the impact of hypernatremia on mortality of these patients, depending on the degree of hypernatremia. Methods : Among neurosurgical patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary hospital from January 2013 to December 2019, patients who were hospitalized in the ICU for more than 5 days and whose serum sodium levels were obtained during ICU admission were included. Hypernatremia was defined as the highest serum sodium level exceeding 150 mEq/L observed. We classified the patients into four subgroups according to the severity of hypernatremia and performed propensity score matching analysis. Results : Among 1146 patients, 353 patients (30.8%) showed hypernatremia. Based on propensity score matching, 290 pairs were included in the analysis. The hypernatremia group had higher rates of in-hospital mortality and 28-day mortality in both overall and matched population (both p<0.001 and p=0.001, respectively). In multivariable analysis of propensity score-matched population, moderate and severe hypernatremia were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.15-9.75 and adjusted OR, 6.93; 95% CI, 3.46-13.90, respectively) and 28-day mortality (adjusted OR, 3.51; 95% CI, 1.54-7.98 and adjusted OR, 10.60; 95% CI, 5.10-21.90, respectively) compared with the absence of hypernatremia. However, clinical outcomes, including in-hospital mortality and 28-day mortality, were not significantly different between the group without hypernatremia and the group with mild hypernatremia (p=0.720 and p=0.690, respectively). The mortality rates of patients with moderate and severe hypernatremia were significantly higher in both overall and matched population. Interestingly, the mild hypernatremia group of matched population showed the best survival rate. Conclusion : Moderate and severe hypernatremia were associated with poor clinical outcomes in neurocritically ill patients. However, the prognosis of patients with mild hypernatremia was similar with that of patients without hypernatremia. Therefore, mild hypernatremia may be allowed during treatment of intracranial hypertension using hyperosmolar therapy.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.65 no.3
• /
• pp.479-489
• /
• 2023

Livestock production depends on the utilization of nutrients, and when this is accomplished, there is accelerated momentum toward growth with a low cost-to-feed ratio. Public concern over the consumption of pork with antibiotic residues in animals fed antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) has paved the way for using other natural additives to antibiotics, such as herbs and their products, probiotics, prebiotics, etc. Numerous feed additives are trending to achieve this goal, and a classic example is vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals represent a relatively small percentage of the diet, but they are critical to animal health, well-being, and performance; both play a well-defined role in metabolism, and their requirements can vary depending on the physiological stage of the animals. At the same time, the absence of these vitamins and minerals in animal feed can impair the growth and development of muscles and bones. Most commercial feeds contain vitamins and trace minerals that meet nutrient requirements recommended by National Research Council and animal feeding standards. However, the potential variability and bioavailability of vitamins and trace elements in animal feeds remain controversial because daily feed intake varies, and vitamins are degraded by transportation, storage, and processing. Accordingly, the requirement for vitamins and minerals may need to be adjusted to reflect increased production levels, yet the information presented on this topic is still limited. Therefore, this review focuses on the role and function of different sources of minerals, the mode of action, the general need for micro and macro minerals in non-ruminant diets, and how they improve animal performance.