• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2007

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one the most common prostate diseases in middle aged and elderly men. This study was conducted to investigate diet and lifestyle risk factors for benign prostatic hyperplasia in a community-dwelling free-living population group. The dietary data were collected from the 601 male subjects aged 50-79 years using the 24-hour recall method. The mean age of the BPH group ($63.0{\pm}7.9$ years) was significantly higher than that of the non-BPH ($58.8{\pm}7.4$ years). Among many nutrients, the amount of animal fat intake was increased while that of carbohydrate intake decreased in subjects with BPH compared to those with non-BPH. In BPH subjects, the proportion of energy from fat was also greater than in subjects with non-BPH. The logistic regression analysis on the food consumption data showed that the consumption of total animal food was increased while that of mushrooms was decreased in patients with BPH compared to the subjects with non-BPH. The age-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidences limits for BPH incidence in subjects whose milk and milk products, beverages and alcoholic liquors intake was greater than the median were 1.796 (1.167-2.782) and 1.738 (1.129-2.676) respectively, compared to those in subjects whose intakes were below the median. These results may be applicable in the development of a nutrition intervention and education program toward a reduction in the risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.215-221
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• 2006

This research presents results from laboratory and pilot-scale experiments to remove high-nitrate in pickling wastewater using the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) as a biological method. During the experimental periods, the influent concentrations of NOx-N and $Ca^{+2}$ were analyzed to be 350-1,600 and 700-800 mg/L, respectively. In order to provide carbon source for denitrification, methanol has been added in proportion to the influent nitrate loading. The mean concentrations of MLSS and MLVSS, the fraction of volatile solids in sludge and the sludge volume index were measured to be 27 g/L, 5 g/L, 18.5% and 7.5, respectively. The solid retention time was kept in the range of 18 to 22 days, specific denitrification rate ($U_{dn}$) was $0.301g{NO_3}^--N/gVSS/day$. The oxidized nitrogen concentration of effluent ranged 2-34 mg/L with an average of 5.2 mg/L, the overall reduction in total nitrogen was more than 99.2%. In order to treat the pickling wastewater including the high concentration of nitrate and $Ca^{+2}$, the continuous flow process is not suitable because the specific gravity of the sludge is considerably increased by $Ca^{+2}$, thus the SBR process is shown to be very effective to treat the pickling wastewater.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.255-262
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• 2002

Objectives : To investigate the fetal cholesterol levels and related factors in a rural adult population. Methods : 3,207 adults(1,272 men and 1,935 women) were examined in 1997 Their heights, weights, and fasting serum total cholesterol levels were measured, and their body mass indices were calculated. A questionnaire interviewing method was used to collect risk factor data. Results : The mean value of total cholesterol were 190.5 mg/dl, and 198.8 mg/dl, and the age-adjusted prevalence rates for hypercholesterolemia (above 240 mg/dl) were 13.7% and 10.2%, in men and women, respectively. From simple analyses, age, educational level, coffee intake, amount of meat and food intake, waist circumference, waist-hip circumference ratio(WHR), and body mass index(BMI) were significant risk factors in men (p<0.05) relating to serum total cholesterol levels. In women, age, educational level, hypertension history, diabetes history, herbal drug history, amount of feed intake, alcohol consumption, waist circumference, WHR, BMI, and menopausal status were significant risk factors (p<0.05). In multiple linear regression analyses, waist circumference (p<0.01), BMI (p<0.01), and coffee intake (p<0.05) proved to be significant risk factors in men. Whereas, menopausal status (p<0.01), BMI (p<0.01), herbal drug history (p<0.01), amount of food intake (p<0.05), waist circumference (p<0.05), and alcohol consumption (p<0.05) were significant risk factors in women. Conclusions : The significant risk factors, for both men and women, relating to the serum total cholesterol were waist circumference and BMI. Thus, for the reduction of serum total cholesterol level, it is recommended that health education for the control of obesity should be implemented.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.334-339
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• 1995

Removal of apical ear after silking is a method to increase seed production in corn inbreds. Due to the phenomenon of apical dominance, the subapical ear would develope and produce seeds following the removal of the apical ear. This experiment was conducted to investigate the varietal difference in subapical ear development and seed production. Days to silking of subapical ears were delayed by about 4 days compared to normal apical ears. Cob length and filled ear length of subapical ears across seven inbreds tested were reduced by 21% and 36%, respectively. Those of inbred INV302 decreased less and subapical ear of inbred NC246 were barren, which incicated the varietal defferences. Number of kernel rows, kernels per row, and total kernels per ear also decreased. The mean reduction rates for those characters were 28%, 37%, and 47%, respectively. Weights of ears and kernels were reduced and showed different response among inbred lines. Coefficients of variations for cob and filled ear lengths, number of kernel rows and kernels were greater in subapical ears than in apical ears. Seed production of subapical ears was 40 ~ 80% of apical ears, depending on inbred lines when the apical ear is removed immediately after silking.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2000

Kunitz-type soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) and chondroitin sulfate (A, and C type) were conjugated using sodium periodate method. And the physicochemical, pharmacokinetic properties and immunogenecity of the conjugates (Chon-A-SBTI or Chon-C-SBTI) were characterized. We expected the conjugation using chondroitin sulfate to reduce the immunogenecity and to improve the pharmacological effect. As the results, the mean molecular weight of the conjugate highly increased. After I.V. injection of the radiolabeled conjugates or native SBTI into mice, it was found that native SBTI showed rapid elimination from plasma, whereas Chon-A-SBTI and Chon-C-SBTI were slowly eliminated. Organ distribution of the two agents at 30 min after I.V. injection was different : Chon-A-SBTI or Chon-C-SBTI accumulated to a large extent in the liver (13% in Chon-A-SBTI and 16% in Chon-C-SBTI), whereas native SBTI was taken up more rapidly by the kidney (107% dose/g of tissue) and excreated into the urine (26%). In addition we evaluated the therapeutic value of the conjugates by using the sublethal septic shock model caused by pseudomonal elastase and tested the immunogenecity by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis shock (PCA). The conjugates were more effective than native SBTI against pseudomonal elastase induced septic shock in guinea pig. In case of the conjugates, the pharmacological and therapeutic effect lasted over 3 hours long. In immunogenecity test, both of the conjugates showed the reduction of their immunogenecity, especially Chon-A-SBTI looked most effective.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.121-130
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• 2016

An ansemble of N players arranged in a circle play a spatially dependent Parrondo game B. One player is randomly selected to play game B, which is based on the toss of a biased coin, with the amount of the bias depending on states of the selected player's two nearest neighbors. The player wins one unit with heads and loses one unit with tails. In game A' the randomly chosen player transfers one unit of capital to another player who is randomly chosen among N - 1 players. Game A' is fair with respect to the ensemble's total profit. The games are said to exhibit the Parrondo effect if game B is losing and the random mixture game C is winning and the reverse-Parrondo effect if game B is winning and the random mixture game C is losing. We compute the exact mean profits for games B and C by applying a state space reduction method with lumped Markov chains and we sketch the Parrondo and reverse-Parrondo regions for $3{\leq}N{\leq}6$.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2000.07b
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• pp.885-888
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• 2000

Among the previous searching methods, there are the typical methods such as full search and three-step search, etc. Block motion estimation using exhaustive search is too computationally intensive. To apply in practice, recently proposed fast algorithms have been focused on reducing the computational complexity by limiting the number of searching points. According to the reduction of searching points, the quality performance is aggravated in those algorithms. In this paper, We present a fast and efficient search algorithm for block motion estimation that produces better quality performance and less computational time compared with a three-step search (TSS). Previously the proposed Two Step Search Algorithm (TWSS) by Fang-Hsuan Cheng and San-Nan sun is based on the ideas of dithering pattern for pixel decimation using a part of a block pixels for BMA (Block Matching Algorithm) and multi-candidate to compensate quality performance with several locations. This method has good quality performance at slow moving images, but has bad quality performance at fast moving images. To resolve this problem, the proposed algorithm in this paper considers spatial and temporal correlation using neighbor and previous blocks to improve quality performance. This performance uses neighbor motion vectors and previous motion vectors in addition, thus it needs more searching points. To compensate this weakness, the proposed algorithm uses statistical character of dithering matrix. The proposed algorithm is superior to TWSS in quality performance and has similar computational complexity

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1446-1451
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• 2012

Levodopa or L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) is the precursor of the neurotransmitter dopamine. L-DOPA is a famous treatment for Parkinson's disease symptoms. In this study, electroenzymatic synthesis of L-DOPA was performed in a three-electrode cell, comprising a Ag/AgCl reference electrode, a platinum wire auxiliary electrode, and a glassy carbon working electrode. L-DOPA had an oxidation peak at 376 mV and a reduction peak at -550 mV. The optimum conditions of pH, temperature, and amount of free tyrosinase enzyme were pH 7, $30^{\circ}C$, and 250 IU, respectively. The kinetic constant of the free tyrosinase enzyme was found for both cresolase and catacholase activity to be 0.25 and 0.4 mM, respectively. A cyclic voltammogram was used to investigate the electron transfer rate constant. The mean heterogeneous electron transfer rate ($k_e$) was $5.8{\times}10^{-4}$ cm/s. The results suggest that the electroenzymatic method could be an alternative way to produce L-DOPA without the use of a reducing agent such as ascorbic acid.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.715-717
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• 2011

Purpose: In cases of breast reconstruction with a free transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap after skin-sparing mastectomy with nipple-areolar complex (NAC) removal, the flat contour of the flap's skin paddle can easily look unnatural and dissatisfying. Reconstructed NAC on the flap surface lacks the elevated contour that the normal areola possesses, resulting in an unnatural final result. Therefore, we would like to introduce a novel method to improve this problem and report the satisfactory results we obtained. Methods: Operations were conducted on 19 patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction with a free TRAM flap and skin-sparing mastectomy from January 2009 to January 2010, with a mean follow-up of nine months. While the TRAM free flap was being inset, a purse-string suture was carried out on the dermal layer of skin flap to create a slight protrusion with Gore-$Tex^{(R)}$ sutures. Results: The elevated mound surrounding the NAC was well maintained for an average follow-up period of nine months. Nipple projection was also well maintained. There was no complaint about breast contour or nipple height reduction. In addition, there was no reported incidence of other complications. Conclusion: The purse-string suture technique presents a more natural breast silhouette around the NAC and helps to maintain nipple projection. Furthermore, it does not require any supplementary incisions or complicated skills. There has been no report of additional complications using this technique.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.575-584
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• 2018

An increase in heavy rainfall and floods have been observed over South Korea due to recent abnormal weather. In this perspective, the high-resolution weather forecasts have been widely used to facilitate flood management. However, these models are known to be biased due to initial conditions and topographical conditions in the process of model building. Theretofore, a bias correction scheme is largely applied for the practical use of the prediction to flood management. This study introduces a new mean field bias correction (MFBC) approach for the high-resolution numerical rainfall products, which is based on a Bayesian Kriging model to combine an interpolation technique and MFBC approach for spatial representation of the error. The results showed that the proposed method can reliably estimate the bias correction factor over ungauged area with an improvement in the reduction of errors. Moreover, it can be seen that the bias corrected rainfall forecasts could be used up to 72 hours ahead with a relatively high accuracy.