• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.179-193
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• 2017

Dynamic response analysis of offshore triceratops with stiffened buoyant legs under impact and non-impact waves is presented. Triceratops is relatively new-generation complaint platform being explored in the recent past for its suitability in ultra-deep waters. Buoyant legs support the deck through ball joints, which partially isolate the deck by not transferring rotation from legs to the deck. Buoyant legs are interconnected using equally spaced stiffeners, inducing more integral action in dispersing the encountered wave loads. Two typical nonlinear waves under very high sea state are used to simulate impact and non-impact waves. Parameters of JONSWAP spectrum are chosen to produce waves with high vertical and horizontal asymmetries. Impact waves are simulated by steep, front asymmetric waves while non-impact waves are simulated using Stokes nonlinear irregular waves. Based on the numerical analyses presented, it is seen that the platform experiences both steady state (springing) and transient response (ringing) of high amplitudes. Response of the deck shows significant reduction in rotational degrees-of-freedom due to isolation offered by ball joints. Weak-asymmetric waves, resulting in non-impact waves cause steady state response. Beat phenomenon is noticed in almost all degrees-of-freedom but values in sway, roll and yaw are considerably low as angle of incidence is zero degrees. Impact waves cause response in higher frequencies; bursting nature of pitch response is a clear manifestation of the effect of impact waves on buoyant legs. Non-impact waves cause response similar to that of a beating phenomenon in all active degrees-of-freedom, which otherwise would not be present under normal loading. Power spectral density plots show energy content of response for a wide bandwidth of frequencies, indicating an alarming behaviour apart from being highly nonlinear. Heave, being one of the stiff degrees-of-freedom is triggered under non-impact waves, which resulted in tether tension variation under non-impact waves as well. Reduced deck response aids functional requirements of triceratops even under impact and non-impact waves. Stiffened group of buoyant legs enable a monolithic behaviour, enhancing stiffness in vertical plane.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.1807-1810
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• 2014

Background: It is known that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)/nitric oxide (NO) plays an integral role during intestinal inflammation, an important factor for colon cancer development. Natural compounds from Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) have long been a potential source of bioactive materials with various beneficial biological functions. Among them, a major active curcuminoid, demethoxycurcumin (DMC) has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages or microglia cells. However, the role of DMC on iNOS expression and NO production in an in vitro inflamed human intestinal mucosa model has not yet been elucidated. This study concerned inhibitory effects on iNOS expression and NO production of DMC in inflamed human intestinal Caco-2 cells. An in vitro model was generated and inhibitory effects on NO production of DMC at 65 ${\mu}M$ for 24-96 h were assessed by monitoring nitrite levels. Expression of iNOS mRNA and protein was also investigated. DMC significantly decreased NO secretion by 35-41% in our inflamed cell model. Decrease in NO production by DMC was concomitant with down-regulation of iNOS at mRNA and protein levels compared to proinflammatory cytokine cocktail and LPS-treated controls. Mechanism of action of DMC may be partly due to its potent inhibition of the iNOS pathway. Our findings suggest that DMC may have potential as a therapeutic agent against inflammation-related diseases, especially in the gut.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.189-197
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• 2017

Background: Despite the recent efforts to prevent industrial accidents in the Republic of Korea, the industrial accident rate has not improved much. Industrial safety policies and safety management are also known to be inefficient. This study focused on dynamic characteristics of industrial safety systems and their effects on safety performance in the Republic of Korea. Such dynamic characteristics are particularly important for restructuring of the industrial safety system. Methods: The effects of damping and elastic characteristics of the industrial safety system model on safety performance were examined and feedback control performance was explained in view of cost and benefit. The implications on safety policies of restructuring the industrial safety system were also explored. Results: A strong correlation between the safety budget and the industrial accident rate enabled modeling of an industrial safety system with these variables as the input and the output, respectively. A more effective and efficient industrial safety system could be realized by having weaker elastic characteristics and stronger damping characteristics in it. A substantial decrease in total social cost is expected as the industrial safety system is restructured accordingly. Conclusion: A simple feedback control with proportional-integral action is effective in prevention of industrial accidents. Securing a lower level of elastic industrial accident-driving energy appears to have dominant effects on the control performance compared with the damping effort to dissipate such energy. More attention needs to be directed towards physical and social feedbacks that have prolonged cumulative effects. Suggestions for further improvement of the safety system including physical and social feedbacks are also made.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.181-198
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• 2020

In the traditional buffeting response analysis method, the spanwise incomplete correlation of buffeting forces is always assumed to be same as that of the incident wind turbulence and the action of the signature turbulence is ignored. In this paper, three typical bridge decks usually adopted in the real bridge engineering, a single flat box deck, a central slotted box deck and a two-separated paralleled box deck, were employed as the investigated objects. The wind induced pressure on these bridge decks were measured via a series of wind tunnel pressure tests of the sectional models. The influences of the wind speed in the tests, the angle of attack, the turbulence intensity and the characteristic distance were taken into account and discussed. The spanwise root coherence of buffeting forces was also compared with that of the incidence turbulence. The signature turbulence effect on the spanwise root coherence function was decomposed and explained by a new empirical method with a double-variable model. Finally, the formula of a sum of rational fractions that accounted for the signature turbulence effect was proposed in order to fit the results of the spanwise root coherence function. The results show that, the spanwise root coherence of the drag force agrees with that of incidence turbulence in some range of the reduced frequency but disagree in the mostly reduced frequency. The spanwise root coherence of the lift force and the torsional moment is much larger than that of the incidence turbulence. The influences of the wind speed and the angle of attack are slight, and they can be ignored in the wind tunnel test. The spanwise coherence function often involves several narrow peaks due to the signature turbulence effect in the high reduced frequency zone. The spanwise coherence function is related to the spanwise separation distance and the spanwise integral length scales, and the signature turbulence effect is related to the deck-width-related reduced frequency.

• 한국경영과학회지
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.61-71
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• 2012

Other-regarding preferences (such as trust, reciprocity and altruism) between companies, between consumers and retailers, and between employers and employees are integral elements in determining economic performance. Social trust which is a core element of social capital, especially, is known to reduce transaction costs, help solve collective action problems, and contribute to economic, social, and political development. Therefore, social trust has been given a great deal of attention across an array of academic disciplines for its role in promoting cooperation among individuals and groups, and for its positive influence on economic performance. Most studies describe Korea as a low-trust society than Japan or China. To identify the causes of social trust, this paper focuses on differences of social values (perception on competition and wealth accumulation) in 4 countries (Japan, China, Korea, and United States). Based on World Values Survey data, this paper analyzes effects of the social values on social trust. Social trust was measured by degree to which a respondent thinks that most people can be trusted. Perception on competition was measured by the degree to which a respondent thinks that competition is harmful, and perception on wealth accumulation was done by the degree to which a respondent thinks that wealth can grow so there is enough for everyone. The results showed that social trust was affected by perception on competition and wealth accumulation. A respondent showed higher level of social trust when he (or she) perceived positively competition and wealth accumulation. For enhancing social trust in a country, it is not easy to reduce income inequality and corruption which were reported as causes of social trust by previous studies. Compared to them, social values can be changed more easily by various concrete measures like education and mass-media. Differently from previous studies this paper stresses the concrete measures to enhance social trust in a country.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.336-343
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• 1995

적응제어의 한 방식인 자기동조제어(STR) 방식이 비선형 노심 모델의 출력 조정에 적용된다. 적응제어는 비선형, 시변 및 확률(Stochastic) 시스템을 위한 준최적 제어기를 설계하기 위한 적절한 제어 방식이다. 제어계통은 미지의 시변 파라메타를 갖는 3차 선형 모델에 기초한다. 파라메타는 가변 망각계수를 도입한 늑장 최소자승법에 의하여 매시간(Time Step) 순환적으로 평가된다. 평가된 파라메타를 이용하여 한 스텝 먼저 냉자재 평균온도가 예측되고 이 예측된 값과 Setpoint 값과의 차이를 최소화함은 물론, 제어봉의 움직임을 막고자 가중(Weighted) One-step-ahead 제어기가 설계된다. 또한 적분동작이 첨가되어 정상상태 에러가 제거된다. 넓은 운전영역을 포괄하는 비선형 PWR 모델이 원자로 출력 조정을 위한 본 제어기를 시뮬레이션하는데 이용되었다. 시뮬레이션 결과로부터 본 제어기의 성능이 우수한 것으로 판명되었다.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.59-67
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• 2011

Background: Insulin resistance is an integral feature of metabolic syndromes, including obesity, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, we evaluated whether the aloe component could reduce obesity-induced inflammation and the occurrence of metabolic disorders such as blood glucose and insulin resistance. Methods: Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of aloe formula (PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and Aloe QDM complex) or pioglitazone (PGZ) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Results: Aloe QDM lowered fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin compared with HFD. Obesity-induced inflammatory cytokine (IL-$1{\beta}$, -6, -12, TNF-${\alpha}$) and chemokine (CX3CL1, CCL5) mRNA and protein were decreased markedly, as was macrophage infiltration and hepatic triglycerides by Aloe QDM. At the same time, Aloe QDM decreased the mRNA and protein of $PPAR{\gamma}/LXR{\alpha}$ and $11{\beta}$-HSD1 both in the liver and WAT. Conclusion: Dietary aloe formula reduces obesity-induced glucose tolerance not only by suppressing inflammatory responses but also by inducing anti-inflammatory cytokines in the WAT and liver, both of which are important peripheral tissues affecting insulin resistance. The effect of Aloe QDM complex in the WAT and liver are related to its dual action on $PPAR{\gamma}$ and $11{\beta}$-HSD1 ression and its use as a nutritional intervention against T2D and obesity-related inflammation is suggested.

• 천문학회보
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.37.2-37.2
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• 2016

There exist scaling relations that link the mass of supermassive black holes with both the velocity dispersion and the mass of the central stellar cusp of their host galaxies. This implies that galaxies co-evolve with their central black holes, potentially through the feedback from actively accreting supermassive black holes (AGN). We use integral field spectroscopy data from the 8.2m Gemini-North telescope to investigate ionized gas outflows in luminous local (z<0.1) Type 2 AGN. Our sample of 6 galaxies was selected based on their [OIII] dust-corrected luminosity (>$10^{42}erg/s$) and signatures of outflows in the [OIII] line profile of their SDSS spectra. These are arguably the best candidates to explore AGN feedback in action since they are < 1% of a large local type 2 AGN SDSS sample selected based on their [OIII] kinematics. Expanding on previously reported results concerning the kinematic decomposition and size determination of these outflows, here we report their photoionization properties and energetics. We find strong evidence that connect the extreme kinematics of the ionized gas with AGN photoionization. The kinematic component related to the AGN-driven outflow is clearly separated from other kinematic components, such as gravitation- or stellar-driven motions, on the velocity and velocity dispersion diagram. Our spatially resolved kinematic analysis reveals that up to 90% of the mass and kinetic energy of the outflow is contained within the central kiloparcec of the galaxy. The total mass and kinetic energy of the outflow correlate well with the AGN bolometric luminosity, resulting in energy conversion efficiencies between 0.01% and 1%. Intriguingly, we detect ubiquitous signs of ongoing circumnuclear star formation. Their small size, the centrally contained mass and energy, and the universally detected circumnuclear star formation cast doubts on the potency of these AGN-driven outflows as agents of negative feedback.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.201-215
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• 2019

A new approach of analyzing the displacements and stress of the surrounding rock for shallow tunnels excavated under non-axisymmetric displacement boundary conditions on a vertical surface is investigated in this study. In the proposed approach, by using a virtual image technique, the shear stress of the vertical ground surface is revised to be zero, and elastic solutions of the surrounding rock are obtained before stress revision. To revise the vertical normal stress and shear stress of horizontal ground surface generated by the combined action of the actual and image sinks, the harmonic functions and corresponding stress function solutions were adopted. Based on the Boussinesq's solutions and integral method, the horizontal normal stress of the vertical ground surface is revised to be zero. Based on the linear superposition principle, the final solution of the displacements and stress were proposed by superimposing the solutions obtained by the virtual image technique and the stress revision on the horizontal and vertical ground surfaces. Furthermore, the ground settlements and lateral displacements of the horizontal and vertical ground surfaces are derived by the proposed approach. The proposed approach was well verified by comparing with the numerical method. The discussion based on the proposed approach in the manuscript shows that smaller horizontal ground settlements will be induced by lower tunnel buried depths and smaller limb distances. The proposed approach for the displacement and stress of the surrounding rocks can provide some practical information about the surrounding rock stability analysis of shallow tunnels excavated under non-axisymmetric displacement boundary conditions on a vertical surface.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.188-195
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• 1993

In order to understand the machanism of action and regulation of ${\beta}$-adrenergic receptor in terms of molecular level, the purification of receptor protein has a fundamental importance. Moreover, species differences among avian, amphibian and mammalian ${\beta}$-adrenergic receptors make it more important to purify mammalian ${\beta}$-adrenergic receptor. Because ${\beta}$-adrenergic receptor is an integral membrane protein, it must be solubilized from the membrane for the purification. The purpose of the present study was to solubilize and characterize the mammalian $\beta$-adrenergic receptor from guinea pig lung in quantities by more efficient and practical method eventually to purify receptor. Guinea pig lung membrane preparation was solubilized by sequential treatment of buffers containing low and high concentration of digitonin which are 0.2 and 1.2% respectively. About 50% of the total receptor pool was released by this double extraction procedure. The $\beta$-adrenoceptors in the digitonin extract were identified using the ${\beta}$-adrenergic antagonist, (-)-[$^3H$]-dihydroalprenolol ([$^3H$]DHA). The solubilized receptor retained all of the essential characteristics of membrane-bound receptor, namely saturability; stereoselectivity; high affinity to ${\beta}$-adrenergic drugs. For the measurement of soluble receptor activity, Sephadex G-50 chromatography method has been widely used. Inspite of its accuracy and wide acceptance, this technique employed troublesome column work which required long time to assay the activity of receptor. We employed another methods to measure receptor activity. When using 0.5% polyethylenimine pretreated GF/B glass fiber filter, filtration technique could be used to measure soluble receptor activity. This technique enabled us to reduce the total amount of time to assay by a factor of 4 as well as to detect soluble receptor. In the present study, we could establish more efficient and practical solubilization method of mammalian $\beta$-adrenergic receptor. The rapidity and high yield of this solubilization scheme, together with the favorable recovery of the receptor activity, are significant steps toward the ultimate purification of the mammalian $\beta$-adrenergic receptor. The result of this study together with more convenient purification method could provide large amount of purified receptor with ease for various research purposes.