• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.125-136
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• 2024

This study presents an automated Python algorithm for analyzing rainfall characteristics to establish critical rainfall thresholds as part of a landslide early warning system. Rainfall data were sourced from the Korea Meteorological Administration's Automatic Weather System (AWS) and the Korea Forest Service's Automatic Mountain Observation System (AMOS), while landslide data from 2020 to 2023 were gathered via the Life Safety Map. The algorithm involves three main steps: 1) processing rainfall data to correct inconsistencies and fill data gaps, 2) identifying the nearest observation station to each landslide location, and 3) conducting statistical analysis of rainfall characteristics. The analysis utilized power law and nonlinear regression, yielding an average R² of 0.45 for the relationships between rainfall intensity-duration, effective rainfall-duration, antecedent rainfall-duration, and maximum hourly rainfall-duration. The critical thresholds identified were 0.9-1.4 mm/hr for rainfall intensity, 68.5-132.5 mm for effective rainfall, 81.6-151.1 mm for antecedent rainfall, and 17.5-26.5 mm for maximum hourly rainfall. Validation using AUC-ROC analysis showed a low AUC value of 0.5, highlighting the limitations of using rainfall data alone to predict landslides. Additionally, the algorithm's speed performance evaluation revealed a total processing time of 30 minutes, further emphasizing the limitations of relying solely on rainfall data for disaster prediction. However, to mitigate loss of life and property damage due to disasters, it is crucial to establish criteria using quantitative and easily interpretable methods. Thus, the algorithm developed in this study is expected to contribute to reducing damage by providing a quantitative evaluation of critical rainfall thresholds that trigger landslides.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2008

A total of 15 different residues of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in each 20 samples of Pacific oysters, dried laver and rockfish obtained from seafood markets were analyzed. The prevalence of samples in which more than one PAH residues were found was 75% in oyster, 35% in rock fish hepatopancreas, 0% in rockfish muscle and laver, respectively. To estimate factors contributing to this residue level difference among organisms, tissue concentrations were analyzed after exposing three organisms to phenanthrene, a representative PAH, with concentration of 0.01 or $0.1{\mu}g/mL$ for 2 weeks. Phenanthrene levels after exposure were higher in the oyster digestive gland, laver and rockfish hepatopancreas, but were lower in the oyster whole meat or rockfish muscle. This finding disproved that any close relationship between the residue difference of market samples and concentrating properties of PAHs. The second possible factor analyzed was total lipid contents in the three organisms. Although higher lipid level in hepatopancreas of rockfish may contribute accumulation of PAH residues in the rockfish, lipid factor did not affect to PAH levels in other organism samples. Activity of 7-ethyoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), a kind of cytochrome $P_{450}$ enzyme, was measured to evaluate the eliminated amount of PAHs through metabolism. The higher EROD activity in rockfish, compared to that in oyster, was likely to contribute to the lower PAH residues in the rockfish. More factors, such as different exposure history, organisms' ability to escape, ingestion through prey organisms, and post-harvest loss, should be studied in the future.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.301-307
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• 2009

In the previous study, we evaluated and reported about the anti-oxidative activities of extract/fraction of Castanea crenata leaf. Extract/fraction of Castanea crenata leaf showed excellent free radical scavenging activity, cell protective activity and inhibitory activity on tyrosinase and elastase. In this study, in order to investigate the stability of cream containing 0.2 % Castanea crenata ethyl acetate fraction. pH, viscosity, and absorbance were measured under 4 different temperature ($4^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, $37^{\circ}C$, $45^{\circ}C)$ and under the sun light at 2 weeks intervals for the 8 weeks. The variations on pH and viscosity of all experimental creams were similar to control cream. The absorbance variation of extract from experimental cream at 353 nm was in the order: under the sun > $45^{\circ}C$ > $37^{\circ}C$ > $20^{\circ}C$ > $4^{\circ}C$. It shows that ethyl acetate fraction in the cream can be oxidized under the sun. The bad smell and discoloration were not shown. Also, physical changes as creaming and cohesion were not shown. Also, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and water contents in skin were measured. The cream containing Castanea cranata leaf extract was applied to the right lower arm. After 120 min, TEWL of parts was decreased as 29.7 % (experimental cream) and 5.4 % (control cream) respectively. And the water contents in skin were increased 22.6 % (experimental cream) and 24.7 % (control cream) respectively. It was confirmed that a cream containing ethyl acetate fraction of Castanea crenata leaf shows the superior moisturizing effect. The results showed that Castanea crenata leaf extract could be used as a new active ingredient for anti-aging cosmeceuticals.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.497-505
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• 2012

The nutritional, physicochemical and sensory quality characteristics of chilled loins of Jeju Black Cattle, Hanwoo and imported Australian beef were compared. For nutritional properties, moisture and crude protein contents of Jeju Black Cattle beef were 65.91% and 17.39% respectively, the lowest among the comparison groups. On the other hand, their crude fat and crude ash contents were 15.89% and 0.79%, respectively, the highest among the comparison groups. There was a significant difference in crude ash content, but there was no significant difference in the other properties. The Fe and Zn contents of Jeju Black Cattle beef were 29.85 and 48.13 ppm, respectively, lower than those of Hanwoo beef, although the difference was not significant. These values were higher than those of Australian beef (p<0.05). There was no significant difference among the samples in contents of Ca, P, Na and Cu. The total amino acid and essential amino acid contents of Jeju Black Cattle beef were 16.81% and 9.08%, respectively, the lowest among the samples, although the difference was not significant. The ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids of Jeju Black Cattle beef was 54.01%, the highest among the samples. The saturated fatty acid (43.25%), stearic acid (13.51%), linoleic acid (2.39%) and essential fatty acid (2.47%) contents of Jeju Black Cattle beef were the lowest. However, their unsaturated fatty acid (56.69%), oleic acid (47.80%) and MUFA/SFA ratios were the highest, and there were significant differences compared with Australian beef. There was no significant difference in the PUFA/SFA ratio. Among physicochemical properties, redness ($a^*$) of Jeju Black Cattle beef was the highest while melting point was the lowest (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in lightness ($L^*$), yellowness ($b^*$), pH, water holding capacity, cooking loss or shear force value. For sensory properties, raw meat aroma, cooked meat aroma and palatability of Jeju Black Cattle beef were superior compared to other comparison groups, with significant differences in comparison with Australian beef (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in taste, juiciness, or tenderness of cooked meat.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.718-725
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• 2018

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been implicated in cell proliferation and apoptosis in several types of cancer. In this study, the impact of TLR4 activation on apoptotic cell death in gynecologic cancers induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was investigated. Cervical cancer cell lines were produced from isolated surgical specimens supplied by Paik Hospital. The primary cultures of normal myometrium and gynecologic cancers, including cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers, were used to examine the differences in morphological characteristics between normal and cancerous cells. A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to determine the relative expression levels of TLR4 gene involved in apoptosis-associated signaling in cervical cancer cells. The cancer cell colonies showed a tendency to reach high levels of confluency compared with normal cells. In addition, an enhanced growth rate and loss of contact inhibition were observed in gynecologic cancer cells compared with normal cells (doubling times of 16.6 hr vs. 26 hr, respectively). The expression level of ITGA5, an alpha-5 integrin marker, was upregulated in normal myometrial cells, but this tendency was not exhibited in cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, p53 tumor suppressor gene expression was upregulated, whereas TLR4 and caspase-3 gene expressions were downregulated in cervical cancer cells. Notably, the expression levels of TLR4 and caspase-3 were increased significantly in LPS-treated cancer cells compared with those in non-LPS-treated cells. These results suggest that the TLR4-mediated caspase-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway could be suggested as a therapeutic target for the treatment of gynecologic cancers, including cervical cancers.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.105-114
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• 2009

Ethane 1,2-dimethane sulfonate (EDS) is a well-known alkylating agent used as selective Leydig cell (LC) toxicant to create a testicular dysfunction model. Previous studies including our own clearly demonstrated the dramatic weight loss of the androgen dependent accessory sex organs such as epididymis, seminal vesicle and prostate gland in this 'LC knock-out' rats. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of EDS administration on histological changes of the epididymis, seminal vesicle and prostate in adult rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (350$\sim$400 g B.W.) were injected with a single dose of EDS (75 mg/kg, i.p.) and sacrificed on weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Tissue weights (testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle and prostate gland) were measured. The histological changes of tissue were observed by a light microscopy using hematoxylin & eosin staining. Weights of the reproductive and accessory organs progressively declined after the EDS treatments (weeks 1, 2 and 3). After this, the decrease was stopped, then gradually returned to the normal levels. There was a partial (about 60%) recovery of the epididymis weight during weeks $6{\sim}7$. The cross section of epididymis revealed an increase in thickness of the epithelium during weeks $1{\sim}3$. In contrast, considerable reduction of epithelial thickness in seminal vesicle was observed during same period. Similarly, a reduction in thickness of prostate epithelial layer was found during weeks $1{\sim}3$, then it was back to normal thickness after week 4. Taken together, the present study demonstrated that the temporally induced androgen-deficiency by EDS treatment could result the prominent alterations in histology of the accessory sex organs. Further studies on the physiological and molecular regulation of these androgen-sensitive organs using EDS model will be helpful to understand the normal and pathological development and differentiation mechanism of these organs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.606-613
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• 2020

This study investigated the effect of olive oil substitution ratio on physicochemical quality of pork patty. Five treatments were performed as follows: control (T0, 20% pork fat), T1 (pork fat 15% and olive oil gel 5%), T2 (pork fat 10% and olive oil gel 10%), T3 (pork fat 5% and olive oil gel 15%), and T4 (olive oil gel 20%). The moisture increased and fat amount was decreased in proportion to olive oil substitution ratio. The L^* and a^* values were highest levels in raw and cooked pork patty of T0, and the b^* value was highly enhanced in of cooked pork patty of T4. The water holding capacity, moisture and fat retention were significantly increased, and the cooking loss, diameter reduction and shrinkage ratio were decreased by olive oil substitution ratio. The hardness, springiness and chewiness showed the highest level in T4, and the cohesiveness and gumminess were highest in T0. The reduction ratio of cholesterol in T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 13.8%, 21.6%, 34.5% and 49.0%, respectively, indicating that the content was lowest level in T4. The palmitic acid was the most abundant saturated fatty acid, and the oleic acid was the most abundant unsaturated fatty acid. The unsaturated fatty acid of pork patty was increased in proportion to olive oil substitution ratio. Therefore, the olive oil gel substitution of low-fat pork patty results in a positive effect on the physicochemical qualities due to reduced cholesterol and saturated fatty acids.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.210-217
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• 2018

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects quality of life and nutrition. Several studies have demonstrated a link between periodontal disease and low bone density, and vitamin D is expected to have a beneficial effect on periodontal disease as well as on bone mineral density and anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study was to identify the association between periodontal disease and vitamin D because the results are different in some studies and there is a lack of research in Korea. In this study, we conducted a multiple linear regression analysis of 8,783 subjects among 23,626 subjects who were older than 20 years of age, who had serum vitamin D levels and periodontal disease, who had three years of the National Health and Nutrition Survey that was conducted in Korea from 2012 to 2014. We examined the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and periodontal disease. Tooth loss and vitamin D levels were negatively correlated (${\beta}=-0.028$, p=0.008). In addition, the prevalence of periodontal disease was found to be higher in men younger than 50 years of age with lower vitamin D levels (Q1: 1.769 [1.125~2.782], Q2: 1.182 [0.743~1.881], Q3: 0.676 [0.400~1.881]; p=0.001). Low vitamin D levels and periodontal disease are common diseases in primary care. Vitamin D supplementation is expected to have favorable effect on periodontal disease and falls, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and cancer. Therefore, patients with periodontal disease may benefit from periodic vitamin D management to improve quality of life as well as to manage periodontal disease. In addition, as shown in this study, not only elderly individuals, but also men younger than 50 years of age are related to periodontal disease, so there should be interest in controlling the levels of vitamin D in adults.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.1226-1231
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• 2009

Enzyme substitution with recombinant phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5) is currently being explored for treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU), an autosomal recessive genetic disorder with mutations of the gene encoding phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.1). However, oral administration of PAL is limited because of proteolytic digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to determine the biochemical properties of PAL and delinate the susceptibility of wild-type PAL to pancreatic proteolysis by exploring several mutants, and to develop therapeutic drugs with PAL for PKU. The specific activity of PAL was assayed and its optimal pH, temperature stability, and intestinal protease susceptibility were investigated. Its $V_{max}$ values for phenylalanine and tyrosine were 1.77 and $0.47{\mu}mol$/ min/mg protein, respectively, and its $K_m$ values were $4.77{\times}10^{-4}$ and $4.37{\times}10^{-4}\;M$, respectively. PAL showed an optimal pH at 8.5, corresponding to the average pH range of the small intestine. It showed no loss of activity at $-80^{\circ}C$ for 5 months and possessed 93.4% of its activity under $4^{\circ}C$ for 4 wks. PAL was susceptible to chymotrypsin digestion and, to a lesser extent, to trypsin, elastase, carboxypeptidase A, and B. The trypsin and chymotrypsin cleaving sites were mutated to investigate protection from pancreatic digestion and the specific activities of these mutants were evaluated. The six mutants displayed low specific activities compared to the wild-type, suggesting that the primary trypsin and chymotrypsin cleaving sites may be essential for catalytic reaction. The PAL mutants could therefore be applied as a pretreatment modality without susceptibility to proteolytic attack, however, additional modification for enhancing enzymatic activity is needed to reduce the Phe levels effectively.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1012-1018
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to determine whether Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP) is dysregulated in adipose tissues of C57BL/6 male mice by high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity, aging, or streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. APP mRNA expression was examined by quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) in subcutaneous (SAT) and epididymal adipose tissues (EAT) from mice in 8 different condition groups. By combining conditions of age (16 weeks/26 weeks of age), diet (normal diet (ND)/high-fat diet), and induction of diabetes (non-diabetic/diabetic), 88 mice were divided into 8 different groups. QPCR demonstrated that APP expression in SAT was significantly increased by about two-fold in HFD-induced obese mice compared to both 16 week-old and 26 week-old mice in the ND group (16 weeks p=0.001; 26 weeks p<0.0001), but no changes in EAT was found. Particular effects of aging on APP gene expression were not observed in either adipose tissue depots. Significantly decreased APP expression was found in SAT in STZ-induced diabetic mice fed on ND or HFD at 16 weeks of age (ND p<0.05; HFD p<0.01). Linear regression analysis demonstrated that APP expression levels correlated with body weight in both the non-diabetic group (R=0.657, p<0.0001, n=39) and the diabetic group (R=0.508, p=<0.0001, n=49), but did not correlate with plasma glucose levels, which suggests that decreased APP expression in STZ-induced diabetic mice is most likely due to weight loss rather than hyperglycemia. These data confirm APP dysregulation by weight changes in humans and suggest a possible role linking midlife obesity with the later development of amyloidogenesis in the brain of older patients with Alzheimer's disease.