• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.321-325
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• 2010

Among endogenous oral microflora, Streptococcus mutans plays a critical role in dental plaque formation, which mainly contributes to the development of caries and periodontal disease. Phytochemicals are plant-derived chemical compounds that have been studied as beneficial nutrients to human health. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of phytochemicals against S. mutans. Among them, oleanolic acid (OA) and 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural (HF) from Thomson seedless raisins were tested for anti-microbial effects against various clinically important bacteria. OA inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, but not Gram-negative bacteria. However, HF did not display any antibacterial effect against any of the strains tested. OA also exhibited inhibitory effects in surface adherence and biofilm formation of S. mutans. The results suggest that OA can be utilized as a potential anti-plaque and anti-caries agent by controlling the physiological characteristics of S. mutans on teeth.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.104-113
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• 2005

Large inversions are well characterized in the chloroplast genomes of land plants. In contrast, reports of small inversions are rare and involve limited plant groups. In this study, we report the widespread occurrence of small inversions ranging from 5 to 50 bp in fully and partially sequenced chloroplast genomes of both monocots and dicots. We found that small inversions were much more common than large inversions. The small inversions were scattered over the chloroplast genome including the IR, SSC, and LSC regions. Several small inversions were uncovered in chloroplast genomes even though they shared the same overall gene order. The majority of these small inversions were located within 100 bp downstream of the 3' ends of genes. All had inverted repeat sequences, ranging from 11 to 24 bp, at their ends. Such small inversions form stem-loop hairpin structures that usually have the function of stabilizing the corresponding mRNA molecules. Intra-molecular recombination between the inverted sequences in the stem-forming regions are responsible for generating flip-flop orientations of the loops. The presence of two different orientations of the stem-loop in the trnL-F noncoding region of a single species of Jasminum elegans suggests that a short inversion can be generated within a short period of time. Small inversions of non-coding sequences may influence sequence alignment and character interpretation in phylogeny reconstructions, as shown in nine species of Jasminum. Many small inversions may have been generated by parallel or back mutation events during chloroplast genome evolution. Our data indicate that caution is needed when using chloroplast non-coding sequences for phylogenetic analysis.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.97-108
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• 1997

Natural wastewater treatment systems using the constructed wetland system were evaluated for the wastewater from the industrial complex in rural areas. For the treatment of wastewater from the industrial complex in rural area, a pilot plant of the constructed wetland system was installed at Baeksuk agri-industrial complex in ChunahnCity, Chunchungnam-Do. The experiment with this pilot plants was performed for 1996 and 1997. Results of the study were summarized as follows. For the BOD and COD, when the pollutant loading of them was about 1 3.8g/$m^2$. day (the concentration was l24.0mg/${\ell}$) arid 24.4g/$m^2$.day(the concentration was 220.Omg/${\ell}$), the removal rate of them was high, 90.2% and 93.4%, respectively. For the SS, the effluent concentration was consistently lower than the water quality standard even though the influent concentration varied significantly, which showed that SS was removed by the system effectively which consist of soil and plants. For the T-N and T-P, when the influent pollutant loading of them were moderately high, 2.8g/$m^2$.day to 7.4g/$m^2$. day(concentration 25.0mg/${\ell}$ to 49.7mg/${\ell}$) for T-N and 1.0g/$m^2$.day to 2.6g /$m^2$.day(concentration 8.6mg/${\ell}$ to 14.7mg/${\ell}$) for T-P, the removal rate of them were 86.5% and 94.0%, respectively. The removal rate by the flow distance increased rapidly in the first 4m from the inlet zone, and gradually there after. The width of system was 2m. Overall, the result showed that constructed wetland system is a feasible alternative for the treatment of wastewater from industrial complex in rural areas. Compared to existing systems, this system is quite competitive because it requires low capital cost, almost no energy and maintenance, and therefore, very cost effective.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.52-59
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• 1999

Vegetation canopy plays an important role in $CO_2$/$H_2$O exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere by controlling leaf stomata. In this study, rice (Oryza sativa L.), a staple crop in Asia was investigated to formulate its single leaf model of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were measured with a portable infrared gas analyzer system. Other plant and meteorological variables were also measured. To evaluate empirical constants in this biochemical leaf model, nonlinear least squares technique was used. The maximum catalytic activity of enzyme and the maximum rate of electron transport were $ 100\mu$㏖ $m^{-2}$ $s^{-1}$ and $140 \mu$㏖ m$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (@ 35$^{\circ}C$), respectively. The empirical constants, m and b, associated with stomatal conductance model were 9.7 and $0.06 m^{-2}$ $s^{-1}$ , respectively. On a leaf scale, agreements between the modeled and the measured values of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were on average within 20%, and the simulation of diurnal variation was also satisfactory On a canopy scale, the Simple Biosphere model(SiB2) was tested using the derived parameters. The modeled energy fluxes were compared against the micrometeorologically measured fluxes over a rice canopy. Agreements between the modeled and the measured values of net radiation, sensible heat and latent heat fluxes, and $CO_2$ flux (i.e., net canopy photosynthesis) were on average within 25%.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.312-315
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• 2012

In this study, the model which can predict the quality of effluent has been implemented through multiple regression analysis to use operation data of a sewage treatment plant, to which a media process is applied. Multiple regression analysis were carried out by cases according to variable selection method, removal of outliers and log transformation of variables, with using data of one year of 2011. By reviewing the results of predictable models, the accuracy of prediction for $COD_{Mn}$ of treated water of secondary clarifiers was over 0.87 and for T-N was over 0.81. Using this model, it is expected to set the range of operating conditions that do not exceed the standards of effluent quality. In conclusion, the proper guidance on the effluent quality and energy costs within the operating range is expected to be provided to operators.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.473-492
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• 2016

Objective: This paper discusses the recent challenges to human factors engineering due to the safety culture. Background: As incidents occurring in specific fields such as logistics, plant, energy and medical sectors in Korea, as well as in the public sectors including railway, road, aviation and shipping, are recently raised as social issues from the disaster dimension, those incidents are dealt with as man-made disasters in many cases. The trend regarding all accidents as man-made disasters has been expanded in the active perspective that the controllability of all incidents should be ensured in technology development, due to change from a fatal point of view regarding disasters as random occurrence of uncertainties in the past. Method: Man-made disasters are concluded as human errors, and safety culture stands out as a cause of human errors or a new cause item recently. Because safety culture, however, is a very comprehensive term, of which true nature is obscure, although many definitions of safety culture have been presented, the safety culture may make avoid the true nature and responsibility of an incident, or make the main player and subject obscure. Raising safety culture as a cause without presenting a specific countermeasure will be just a wisdom of hindsight. Results and Conclusion: This study reviews the fundamental discussions on "Is safety culture a task of human factors engineering?" and the existing approach carried out from various perspectives in order to seek an effective approach on the new task of safety culture in the human factors engineering field. This study discusses an engineering approach to meet a precondition that safety culture is not just an added factor through a review of the approaches in the proactive fields such as nuclear power and aviation, and the traditional approaches of human factors engineering. Application: This study especially defines the perspective of socio-technological system that has expanded the existing man-machine system, and discusses a systemic approach embracing various interactions, and several overriding tasks.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.102-111
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• 2010

Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) power plants are one of most attractive electricity generation systems for the use of biogas to generate high-efficiency ultra-clean power. However, MCFCs are considerably more expensive than comparable conventional electricity generation systems. The commercialization of MCFCs has been delayed more than expected. After being effective in the Kyoto protocol and considerably increasing the fossil price, the attention focused on $CO_2$ regression and renewable energy sources has increased dramatically. In particular, the commercialization and application of MCFC systems fed with biogas have been revived because of the characteristics of $CO_2$ collection and fuel variety of MCFCs. Better economic results of MCFC systems fed with biogas are expected because biogas is a relatively inexpensive fuel compared to liquefied natural gas (LNG). However, the pretreatment cost is added when using anaerobic digester gas (ADG), one of the biogases, as a fuel of MCFC systems because it contains high $H_2S$ and other contaminants, which are harmful sources to the MCFC stack in ADG. Thus, an accurate economic analysis and comparison between MCFCs fed with biogas and LNG are very necessary before the installation of an MCFC system fed with biogas in a plant. In this paper, the economic analysis of an MCFC fed with ADG was carried out for various conditions of electricity and fuel price and compared with the case of an MCFC fed with LNG.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 1994

The MCNP 4.2 code was used to calculate the thermal neutron flux distributions for $(n,\;{\gamma})$reaction in mainshell, annular plate, and subshell of the calandria of a CANDU 6 plant during operation. The thermal neutron flux distributions in calandria mainshell, annular plate, and subshell were in the range of $10^{11}{\sim}10^{13}\;neutrons/cm^2-sec$ which is somewhat higher than the previous estimates calculated by DOT 4.2 code. As an application to shielding analysis, photon dose rates outside the side and bottom shields were calculated. The resulting dose rates at the reactor accessible areas were below design target, $6 {\mu}Sv/h$. The methodology used in this study to evaluate the thermal neutron flux distribution for $(n,\;{\gamma})reaction$ can be applied to radiation shielding analysis of CANDU 6 type plants.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.216-221
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• 2016

Background: Very fine radiation-induced aerosol particles are produced in intense radiation fields, such as high-intensity accelerator rooms and containment vessels such as those in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP). Size measurement of the aerosol particles is very important for understanding the behavior of radioactive aerosols released in the FDNPP accident and radiation safety in high-energy accelerators. Materials and Methods: A combined technique using wire screens and imaging plates was developed for size measurement of fine radioactive aerosol particles smaller than 100 nm in diameter. This technique was applied to the radiation field of a proton accelerator room, in which radioactive atoms produced in air during machine operation are incorporated into radiation-induced aerosol particles. The size of $^{11}C$-bearing aerosol particles was analyzed using the wire screen technique in distinction from other positron emitters in combination with a radioactive decay analysis. Results and Discussion: The size distribution for $^{11}C$-bearing aerosol particles was found to be ca. $70{\mu}m$ in geometric mean diameter. The size was similar to that for $^7Be$-bearing particles obtained by a Ge detector measurement, and was slightly larger than the number-based size distribution measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer. Conclusion: The particle size measuring method using wire screens and imaging plates was successfully applied to the fine aerosol particles produced in an intense radiation field of a proton accelerator. This technique is applicable to size measurement of radioactive aerosol particles produced in the intense radiation fields of radiation facilities.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.77-87
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• 1996

The estimation of the remaining life for the aged components in power plant as well as chemical and peroleum plants has been recently coberned. The raw materials used in this syudy are the 1Cr-1Mo-0.25V rotor steel which intensified P and S compositions along with the nominal compositions of ASTM A470 standard. Five kinds of specimens with the different degradation levels were prepared by isothermal aging teat treatment at $630^{\circ}C$ The mechanical properties and fatigue strength of virgin and aged 1Cr-1Mo-0.25V rotor steel have been inbestigated through the hardness, tensile, fatigue test, SEM fractograph and EDS analysis at room temperature. Thus, the data of aged specimens were compared with those of virgin specimen to evaluate the aging effects. The main results obtained in this study are as follows; The decrease of the hardness due to degradation was distinguished until 50, 000hrs simulated service time. And is was confirmed that the considerable amount of P, Mn, Cr and S was precipitated at the grain boundary of aged material through the SEM and EDS analysis. The fatigue strength of 25, 000, 50, 000, 75, 000 and 100, 000hrs aged material was decreased 29.5%, 24.4%, 28.6%, 35.7% than that of virgin material at $10^7$ cycles of room temperature. The major cracks of virgin and aged materials initiated at the inclusions including Si, P and Mn compositions which were located at the outer periphery of the specimen.