• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.178-183
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• 2018

Pruritus is the most prominent symptom of atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases. It is not easily improved and is a major factor that threatens the quality of life of patients and their families. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of HyungGae-Water, which was bath preparation made from Korean medicine herbs, for children and adolescents suffering pruritus. The participants were 50 boys and girls aged from 2 to 15 years old. The HyungGae-Water was used once a day for 6 weeks, and we were followed up three times every two weeks. Of 50 participants enrolled, 47 completed the study. The outcome variables were dermatology quality of life scales in children, pruritus VAS, and investigator global assessment (IGA). The results of the study show that the dermatology quality of life is significantly improved and the VAS of pruritus has meaningful changes. In the IGA, moderate or severe improvement was observed in 48.9% and slight improvement in 17%. There were seven suspected or less relevant adverse events using HyungGae-Water. The present results suggest that the HyungGae-Water has alleviating effect for the pruritus in children and adolescents.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.786-791
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• 1994

A simple and rapid sample pretreatment process necessary for determination of metal oxides in water was proposed. Samples were injected into the continuous-flow tube installed inside the microwave oven and the treated samples were cooled before entered to the Ion Chromatography (IC) or Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). By coupling this microwave digestion system with IC or ICP, a fully automatic analytical procedures may be easily established. In this study, two different types of digestion methods were considered; the open tubing method (OTM) and the restraint tubing method (RTM). The RTM was proved to be 3 times faster in digestion period and 10 times higher in detection range than the OTM. Validation of proposed sample digestion system was carried out by using an ICP. The results showed that both of continuous-flow methods, the OTM and the RTM were comparable in accuracies with the conventional batch-type vessel digestion method.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.771-783
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• 2017

Using a transparent fracture replica with aperture size and water-cement ratio (w/c), the factors affecting the penetration behavior of rock grouting were investigated through laboratory experiments. In addition, the waterproof efficiency was estimated by the reduction of water outflow through the fractures after the grout curing process. Penetration behavior shows that grout penetration patterns present similarly radial forms in all experimental cases; however, velocity of grout penetration showed clear differences according to the aperture sizes and water-cement ratio. It can be seen that the waterproof efficiency increased as the aperture size and w/c decreased. During grout injection or curing processes, air bubbles formed and bleeding occurred, both of which affected the waterproof ability of the grouting. These two phenomena can significantly prevent the successful performance of rock grouting in field-scale underground spaces, especially at deep depth conditions. Our research can provide a foundation for improving and optimizing the innovative techniques of rock grouting.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.211-218
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• 2022

This study characterizes Proctor and geophysical properties in a broad range of grading and fines contents. The results show that soil index properties such as uniformity and fines plasticity control the optimum water content and peak dry unit trends, as well as elastic wave velocity. The capillary pressure at a degree of saturation less than S = 20% plays a critical role in determining the shear wave velocity for poorly graded sandy soils. The reduction in electrical resistivity with a higher water content becomes pronounced as the water phase is connected A parallel set of compaction and geophysical properties of sand-kaolinite mixtures reveal that the threshold boundaries computed from soil index properties adequately capture the transitions from sand-controlled to kaolinite-controlled behavior. In the transitional fines fraction zone between F_F ≈ 20 and 40%, either sand or kaolinite or both sand and kaolinite could dominate the geophysical properties and all other properties associated with soil compaction behavior. Overall, the compaction and geophysical data gathered in this study can be used to gain a first-order approximation of the degree of compaction in the field and produce degree of compaction maps as a function of water content and fines fraction.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2016

To enhance the physiological activities of roasted coffee (RC), 30 kinds of green coffee beans (GCB) with different cultivating areas and varieties were fermented with Monascus ruber mycelium (MR) by solid-state culture. After the dried MR-fermented GCB was subjected medium roasting, each RC was extracted with hot-water. Among the hot-water extracts, the highest yield was the hot-water extract of RC from MR-fermented Indonesia Mandheling GCB (15.5%). However, the hot-water extract of RC from MR-fermented Ethiopia Sidamo GCB showed significantly higher polyphenolic contents (3.08 mg GAE/100 mg) and ABTS free radical scavenging activity (25.41 mg AEAC/100 mg). Meanwhile, the hot-water extract of RC from MR-fermented Vietnam Robusta GCB showed not only the effective inhibition of $TNF-{\alpha}$ level (73.7% inhibition of LPS-stimulated control) from LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells but also significant inhibition of lipogenesis (63.5% inhibition of lipid differentiation control) in 3T3-L1 pre-adipose cells. In conclusion, these results suggest that roasted coffees from Ethiopia Sidamo and Vietnam Robusta green coffee beans fermented with Monascus ruber mycelium using solid-state culture could have industrial applications as functional coffee beverages.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.253-262
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• 2024

Dynamic properties are pivotal in soil analysis, yet their experimental determination is hampered by complex methodologies and the need for costly equipment. This study aims to predict dynamic soil properties using static properties that are relatively easier to obtain, employing machine learning techniques. The static properties considered include soil cohesion, friction angle, water content, specific gravity, and compressional strength. In contrast, the dynamic properties of interest are the velocities of compressional and shear waves. Data for this study are sourced from 26 boreholes, as detailed in a geotechnical investigation report database, comprising a total of 130 data points. An importance analysis, grounded in the random forest algorithm, is conducted to evaluate the significance of each dynamic property. This analysis informs the prediction of dynamic properties, prioritizing those static properties identified as most influential. The efficacy of these predictions is quantified using the coefficient of determination, which indicated exceptionally high reliability, with values reaching 0.99 in both training and testing phases when all input properties are considered. The conventional method is used for predicting dynamic properties through Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and compared the outcomes with this technique. The error ratio has decreased by approximately 0.95, thereby validating its reliability. This research marks a significant advancement in the indirect estimation of the relationship between static and dynamic soil properties through the application of machine learning techniques.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 2024

Permafrost refers to the condition where the ground is frozen. It is crucial to review and evaluate the ground's characteristics before construction. In this study, electrical resistivity surveying is chosen as the investigative technique to apply and illustrate the results on the state of permafrost ground and to summarize its applicability. Field experiments are conducted in the Yeoncheon area of South Korea, which has a freezing index of 522.6°C·days. The target area is categorized into two ground conditions: the first where the original ground freezes, and the second involves excavating the original ground up to a depth of 3 meters, backfilling it, and then artificially injecting fluid. Thus, frozen ground conditions are simulated under both natural and artificial circumstances. Electrical resistivity surveys are performed under both above-freezing and sub-zero temperature conditions, with the experiments conducted at sub-zero temperatures revealing relatively more high-resistivity zones due to the temperature conditions. In this area, the distribution of soil moisture content is also investigated using the Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) technique. It is observed that the ground into which water is artificially injected had a relatively higher moisture content, although the difference is minor. Finally, a 3D map of the target ground is constructed based on the measured electrical resistivity values, and through this, the distribution of porosity, a crucial design parameter, is also depicted. This research demonstrates that the electrical resistivity technique can effectively evaluate the state of frozen and unfrozen ground and further suggests that it can detailed extract the characteristics of the target ground.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.461-467
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• 2005

Phthalate esters is recently considered as an environmental pollutant. This study investigated removal methods of phthalate esters in water environment. On tap water treatment condition with batch test, removal efficiency of coagulation precipitation of one oxidation were $26.6{\sim}33.8%$ and $10{\sim}15%$, respectively. Phthalate esters was effectively removed by the activated carbon adsorption process on tap water treatment condition. The operation of raw water with EBCT of 10 minutes on continuous process satisfied the standard of drinking water by the WHO and US EPA when the concentration of phthalate esters was $100\;{\mu}g/L$. On pilot plant test, coagulation precipitation process got $32{\sim}44%$ of removal efficiency, sand filtration process $6{\sim}10%$ and ozone oxidation process $8{\sim}10%$, respectively. DEP, DBP, BBP and DEHP were not detected after the raw water was processed with activated carbon. The actual survey of phthalate esters removal by advanced water treatment showed that $29{\sim}76%$, $3{\sim}29%$ and $17{\sim}22%$ of phthalate esters were removed on coagulation precipitation process, sand filtration and ozone oxidation process, respectively. DEP, DBP, BBP and DEHP were not detected after the raw water was processed with activated carbon.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2021

The biological activities of non-edible extracts of asparagus stems and roots were investigated using hot water and ethanol. The highest contents of rutin and total polyphenol were 31.74 mg/g and 20.14 mg GAE/g, respectively, in the stem hot water extract. ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities were 541.1±21.0 and 649.5±6.6 ㎍/mL, respectively, in stem hot water extract. All extracts were non-cytotoxic in HepG2 cells, but 200 ㎍/mL stem extracts tended to decrease the viability of RAW 264.7 cells. The highest xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity was 43.68% in the root hot water extract at 200 ㎍/mL. The expression level of MMP-9 was significantly decreased in the asparagus extracts. The highest GGT, AST, and LDH activities showed a concentration-dependent decrease in the stem ethanol extract. In conclusion, the presence of bioactive substances in the non-edible extracts of asparagus was confirmed for the development of extracts with antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anti-gout activities.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.428-436
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• 2015

Five extraction conditions (AE, autoclave extraction; OE, oven extraction; HWSE, hot water and sonication extraction; HWASE, hot water acidified with 0.5% (v/v) acetic acid and sonication extraction; and BE, boiling extraction) were examined to compare the effects of different hot water extraction methods on the antioxidant properties of blueberries. The extraction yields of the AE, OE, HWSE, HWASE, and BE were 7.94%, 8.35%, 8.55% 9.15%, and 8.50%, respectively. The polyphenol and flavonoid contents of AE were 3.47 mg GAE/g and 1.59 mg RE/g, respectively, which were highest centents among others. Those of OE were ranked second to the highest. The total anthocyanin content of HWSE (5.29 mg/g) was significantly higher than that of others whereas that of AE showed the lowest content (0.96 mg/g). The order of ABTS radical and alkyl radical scavenging activities was as follows: AE > BE > OE > HWSE > HWASE. The antioxidant properties were considerably correspondent with the total polyphenol and flavonoid content. DPPH radical scavenging activity was quite high in HWSE, AE, and BE extraction, however, there were no significant differences among the five extraction methods in the aspect of $Fe^{2+}$ ion chelating activities. Moreover, AE showed the highest SOD activity, and protected the dermal fibroblast the best against $H_2O_2$-induced cytotoxicity. In conclusion, it was suggested that the autoclave extraction (AE) would be the most effective method for preparing blueberry hot water extracts with relatively high antioxidant activities.