• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.184-192
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• 2015

This study is a basic research for low maintenance constructed wetlands which can prevent water quality deterioration due to wetland soils. The purpose of this study is to analyze water quality control mechanisms of constructed wetland on the artificial ground which installed the modular revetment structure(MRS), a device that separates water and soil. This study was then conducted with two different wetland mesocosms (a treatment plot and a control). These mesocosms were monitored to analyze effects of water quality control of the MRS. A treatment plot was built, and separated into soil and water, by filling the MRS with the decomposed granite soil in the mesocosm made of rubber material. A control plot was built where the decomposed granite soils were exposed to water by leaving the soil on the bottom of the mesocosm made of rubber material. Water quality was then analyzed by using Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z examination which then showed that pH, BOD, SS, Chl-a, T-P, T-N had statistically valid difference between a container with the MRS and one without it. According to the analysis of the water quality, the temperature and the EC level came out similarly and both mesocosm showed same level on pH and DO. A treatment plot had higher levels of BOD, SS Chl-a, and T-P. A control plot's T-N value was little lower than that of the treatment plot. This study suggests method of constructed wetlands using the MRS prevents problems occurring in wetland soils: aridity of wetlands by soil erosion, eutrophication, and algal blooms due to nutrients released from wetland soil. These functions of constructed wetland with the MRS increase aesthetic, ecologic, social, and economic value of the wetland. Outcomes of this research will later enable more proficient way of stabilizing water quality and provide data for planning low maintenance constructed wetlands.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.117-127
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• 2012

Due to the recent expansion of the Web 2.0 -based services, along with the widespread of smartphones, online social network services are being popularized among users. Online social network services are the online community services which enable users to communicate each other, share information and expand human relationships. In the social network services, each relation between users is represented by a graph consisting of nodes and links. As the users of online social network services are increasing rapidly, the SNS are actively utilized in enterprise marketing, analysis of social phenomenon and so on. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is the systematic way to analyze social relationships among the members of the social network using the network theory. In general social network theory consists of nodes and arcs, and it is often depicted in a social network diagram. In a social network diagram, nodes represent individual actors within the network and arcs represent relationships between the nodes. With SNA, we can measure relationships among the people such as degree of intimacy, intensity of connection and classification of the groups. Ever since Social Networking Services (SNS) have drawn increasing attention from millions of users, numerous researches have made to analyze their user relationships and messages. There are typical representative SNA methods: degree centrality, betweenness centrality and closeness centrality. In the degree of centrality analysis, the shortest path between nodes is not considered. However, it is used as a crucial factor in betweenness centrality, closeness centrality and other SNA methods. In previous researches in SNA, the computation time was not too expensive since the size of social network was small. Unfortunately, most SNA methods require significant time to process relevant data, and it makes difficult to apply the ever increasing SNS data in social network studies. For instance, if the number of nodes in online social network is n, the maximum number of link in social network is n(n-1)/2. It means that it is too expensive to analyze the social network, for example, if the number of nodes is 10,000 the number of links is 49,995,000. Therefore, we propose a heuristic-based method for finding the shortest path among users in the SNS user graph. Through the shortest path finding method, we will show how efficient our proposed approach may be by conducting betweenness centrality analysis and closeness centrality analysis, both of which are widely used in social network studies. Moreover, we devised an enhanced method with addition of best-first-search method and preprocessing step for the reduction of computation time and rapid search of the shortest paths in a huge size of online social network. Best-first-search method finds the shortest path heuristically, which generalizes human experiences. As large number of links is shared by only a few nodes in online social networks, most nods have relatively few connections. As a result, a node with multiple connections functions as a hub node. When searching for a particular node, looking for users with numerous links instead of searching all users indiscriminately has a better chance of finding the desired node more quickly. In this paper, we employ the degree of user node vn as heuristic evaluation function in a graph G = (N, E), where N is a set of vertices, and E is a set of links between two different nodes. As the heuristic evaluation function is used, the worst case could happen when the target node is situated in the bottom of skewed tree. In order to remove such a target node, the preprocessing step is conducted. Next, we find the shortest path between two nodes in social network efficiently and then analyze the social network. For the verification of the proposed method, we crawled 160,000 people from online and then constructed social network. Then we compared with previous methods, which are best-first-search and breath-first-search, in time for searching and analyzing. The suggested method takes 240 seconds to search nodes where breath-first-search based method takes 1,781 seconds (7.4 times faster). Moreover, for social network analysis, the suggested method is 6.8 times and 1.8 times faster than betweenness centrality analysis and closeness centrality analysis, respectively. The proposed method in this paper shows the possibility to analyze a large size of social network with the better performance in time. As a result, our method would improve the efficiency of social network analysis, making it particularly useful in studying social trends or phenomena.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.406-414
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• 2010

Antioxidative activity, including inhibitory activities of angiotensin I converting enzyme(ACE), aminopeptidase N(APN) and $\alpha$-amylase, was investigated in the methanol extracts from Theaceae plants native to Jeju island, in order to select the plant species containing bioactive materials for functional food or medicines. ACE inhibitory activity was above 50% in Ternstroemia japonica(stem bark) and Cleyera japonica(leaf), and APN inhibitory activity was low to be positive only in C. japonica(leaf, stem bark) and T. japonica(stem bark). $\alpha$-Amylase inhibitory activity was above 30% in Camellia japonica(fruit), Eurya emarginata(stem), T. japonica(stem bark) and Thea sinensis(stem). The antioxidative activity, estimated by the DPPH radical scavenging capacity, was above 30% in C. japonica(stem bark), T. japonica(stem bark) and T. sinensis(leaf). Particularly, the antioxidative activity analyzed by dot-blot test was very high in C. japonica(stem bark) relatively to those of other plants, and remained high in the low concentration($1.25\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$). From the TLC analysis of antioxidative compounds, EGC(Rf 0.26) was found to have high activity in stem bark of C. japonica and EGCG(Rf 0.09) was found to have high activity in stem bark of C. japonica, E. emarginata, and T. japonica. Five bands (Rf 0.54, 0.46,0.44, 0.16, 0.03) which were not identified as compared with catechins were detected as polyphenolic compounds on the TLC plates sprayed with the Folin-Ciocalteu solution or the Ferric chloride-alcohol solution. These results suggests that Theaceae plants except E. japonica could be potentially used as a resource of bioactive materials for functional foods or medicines and further research is reguired to identify the bioactive substances and determine the functions of them.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.190-198
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• 2006

Radiation use efficiency (RUE), the amount of biomass produced per unit intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), constitutes a main part of crop growth simulation models. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the variation of RUE of rice plants under various nitrogen nutritive conditions. from 1998 to 2000, shoot dry weight (DW), intercepted PAR of rice canopies, and nitrogen nutritive status were measured in various nitrogen fertilization regimes using japonica and Tongil-type varieties. These data were used for estimating the average RUEs before heading and the relationship between RUE and the nitrogen nutritive status. The canopy extinction coefficient (K) increased with the growth of rice until maximum tillering stage and maintained constant at about 0.4 from maximum tillering to heading stage, rapidly increasing again after heading stage. The DW growth revealed significant linear correlation with the cumulative PAR interception of the canopy, enabling the estimation of the average RUE before heading with the slopes of the regression lines. Average RUE tended to increase with the increased level of nitrogen fertilization. RUE increased approaching maximum as the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) calculated by the ratio of actual shoot N concentration to the critical N concentration for the maximum growth at any growth stage and the specific leaf nitrogen $(SLN;\;g/m^2\;leaf\;area)$ increased. This relationship between RUE (g/MJ of PAR) and N nutritive status was expressed well by the following exponential functions: $$RUE=3.13\{1-exp(-4.33NNNI+1.26)\}$$ $$RUE=3.17\{1-exp(-1.33SLN+0.04)\}$$ The above equations explained, respectively, about 80% and 75% of the average RUE variation due to varying nitrogen nutritive status of rice plants. However, these equations would have some limitations if incorporated as a component model to simulate the rice growth as they are based on relationships averaged over the entire growth period before heading.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.665-672
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• 2011

We evaluated the effects of organic Ca supplements chelated with milk protein (CaMP) in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats. Eight week-old Sprague-Dawley female rats were ovariectomized and fed a low $CaCO_3$ diet (0.1%) for 4 weeks to create an osteoporotic model. At that point, L4-$CaCO_3$ rats were sacrificed and the rest of the rats were divided into 4 groups, each of which was fed an experimental diet for 4 weeks: low-$CaCO_3$ (0.1%; L8-$CaCO_3$) and CaMP at 3 Ca levels: low (0.1%; L8-CaMP), normal (0.5%; N8-CaMP), and high (1.5%; H8-CaMP). Daily weight gain, serum ALP, weight and breaking force of femurs, Ca content of the lumbar, and Ca absorption were measured. Daily weight gain increased in the N8-CaMP and H8-CaMP groups compared to the low Ca groups. The ALP activity in the CaMP-fed rats was significantly lower than in the $CaCO_3$-fed rats. Both breaking force and femur weight were higher in the N8-CaMP and H8-CaMP groups compared to the L8-$CaCO_3$ group. Ca content of the lumbar increased dose-dependently with Ca intake levels of CaMP. Ca absorption rates of the CaMP-fed rats increased more than that of the rats fed low Ca levels of $CaCO_3$. These results demonstrate that the CaMP supplement had positive effects on bone metabolism and Ca bioavailability in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats. Therefore, CaMP may be recommended as a useful Ca supplement to prevent bone loss in osteoporosis.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.114-120
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• 2006

Anti-diabetic effects of extracts and fractions of Sasa borealis (SB), white lotus roots (LR) and leaves (LL), and their mixture were determined in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and Min6 cells by investigating insulin-sensitizing activity and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, respectively. SB, LR, LL, and mixture of SB, LR, and LL (3 : 2 : 3) were extracted using 70% ethanol, and m mixture extract was fractionated by XAD-4 column chromatography with serial mixture solvents of methanol and water. Fractional extractions were utilized for anti-diabetic effect assay. SB and LR extracts increased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, but not as much as mixture of SB, LR, and LL. Significant insulin-sensitizing activities of 20 and 80% methanol fractions of SB, LR, and LL mixture extract were observed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, giving 0.5 or $5\;{\mu}g/mL$ each fraction with 0.2 nM insulin to attain glucose uptake level similar to that attained by 10 nM insulin alone. Similar to pioglitazone, peroxisome proliferators-activated $receptor-{\gamma}\;(PPAR-{\gamma})$ agonist, 20 and 80% methanol fractions increased adipocytes by stimulating differentiation from fibroblasts and triglyceride synthesis. LL extract and 20, 60, and 80% methanol fractions of the mixture suppressed ${\alpha}-amylase$ activity, but did not modulate insulin secretion capacity of Min6 cells in both low and high glucose media. These data suggest 20 and 80% methanol tractions contain potential insulin sensitizers with functions similar to that of $PPAR-{\gamma}$ agonist. Crude extract of SB, LR, and LL mixture possibly improves glucose utilization by enhancing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and inhibiting carbohydrate digestion without affecting insulin secretion in vivo.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.443-453
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• 2008

The Bric-a-brac, Tramtrack, Broad-complex (BTB) domain is a protein-protein interaction domain that is found in many zinc finger transcription factors. BTB containing proteins play important roles in a variety of cellular functions including regulation of transcription, regulation of the cytoskeleton, protein ubiquitination, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a novel human gene, KLHL31, from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. The cDNA of KLHL31 is 5743 bp long, encoding a protein product of 634 amino acids containing a BTB domain. The protein is highly conserved across different species. Western blot analysis indicates that the KLHL31 protein is abundantly expressed in both embryonic skeletal and heart tissue. In COS-7 cells, KLHL31 proteins are localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In primary cultures of nascent mouse cardiomyocytes, the majority of endogenous KLHL31 proteins are localized to the cytoplasm. KLHL31 acts as a transcription repressor when fused to GAL4 DNA-binding domain and deletion analysis indicates that the BTB domain is the main region responsible for this repression. Overexpression of KLHL31 in COS-7 cells inhibits the transcriptional activities of both the TPA-response element (TRE) and serum response element (SRE). KLHL31 also significantly reduces JNK activation leading to decreased phosphorylation and protein levels of the JNK target c-Jun in both COS-7 and Hela cells. These results suggest that KLHL31 protein may act as a new transcriptional repressor in MAPK/JNK signaling pathway to regulate cellular functions.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.62-74
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• 2015

Urban areas are variously under threat including deterioration of ecological functions. Many pond wetland types have been created as part of an effort to improve and restore this urban environment. This study was arranged to examine improvement plans of wetlands in urban areas by analyzing semi-natural wetlands in farm areas. As for environment for water quality, it suggested the inflow of natural water neighboring rivers or the direct inflow of rain as the improvement plans. The result which analyzed soil pH, OM, and T-N content of the soil environment mentioned that urban areas supplied artificial sluices, removed apoptotic bodies, and used artificial soil and waterproofing materials and use of natural materials in design and construction, the sluice state of the natural form, and negligence of autumn plants were suggested as the improvement plans. Florae appeared in the subject sites of the study have found that there are 35 families 69 species in urban areas and 53 families 142 species in rural areas. As the average has found that there are 18.5 families 29.3 species in 4 urban areas and 26.3 families 53.5 species in 4 rural areas, the big difference between them was analyzed. As the cause has found that there are differences in yearly plants in farming areas when compared to urban areas, creation of various basic environments including soil and water quality was suggested to make yearly plants settle down widely. Naturalized plants have found that there are no big differences between urban areas and rural areas. However, the average of the naturalized ratio in urban areas is 17.4% as the naturalized plants are about 1/4 of the appeared plants. As it was analyzed to be higher than 7.7%, the average of the naturalized ratio in farming areas as the big difference, creation of various inhabiting environments was suggested to make more yearly plants appear like the analyzed result of the life type. Consideration of placement, materials, and inhabiting environments was suggested to make creation of wetlands well appreciated to improve functions of wetlands in urban areas. It is expected that the above results of the study will be utilized in creation and improvement of the pond wetlands which can play a huge role in increase and improvement of biological diversity in urban areas.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.116-135
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was intended to clarify how Jakyakkamchobuja-tang (hereinafter referred to JKBT) affects mice of C57BL/10 whose osteoarthritis was induced by papain. Methods: Osteoarthritis was induced in mice by injecting papain in the knee joint. Mice were divided into 4 groups (n=6). The normal group were not treated at all whereas the control group (OAC-control) were induced for osteoarthritis by papain and oral medicated with 200 ul of physiological saline per day. The positive comparison group (OAC-$Joins^{(R)}$) were injected with papain and after 7 days, 100 mg/kg of $Joins^{(R)}$ were medicated with 200 ul of physiological saline mixed. The experimental group (OAC-JKBT) were injected with papain and after 7 days were medicated with 400 mg/kg of JKBT mixed with 200 ul of physiological saline. OAC-$Joins^{(R)}$ and OAC-JKBT were oral medicated for each substance for a total of 4 weeks, once per day. After experiments (from 1 week after injection of papain to 4 weeks elapsed), the function of liver and kidney, inflammation cytokine values within serum, degree of revelation for inflammation cytokine genes, immune cells within blood, metabolism of arachidonic acid and amount of cartilage were measured and histopathological variations for knee joint structures were observed. Results: Functions of liver and kidney were not affected. IL-$1{\beta}$ (interleukin-$1{\beta}$), MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and TNF-${\alpha}$ (tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$) were significantly reduced and IL-6 (interleukin-6) was also reduced but not significantly. After analyzing inflammation cytokine in joints with mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid), revelation of IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) and iNOS-II (inducible nitric oxide synthase-II) were all significantly reduced. Revelation of IL-$1{\beta}$ gene was also reduced but not significantly. Neutrophil for WBC (white blood cell) within serum was significantly reduced; monocyte was also reduced but not significantly. PGE2 (prostaglandin E2), TXB2 (thromboxane B2) were significantly reduced and LTB4 (leukotriene B4) was also reduced but not significantly. Destruction of cartilage on micro CT (computed tomography)-arthrography was reduced but had no significant differences. In terms of histopathology, infiltration of inflammation, proliferation of synovial membrane, subsidence of cartilage and bone due to penetration of excessive formation of synovial cell and destruction of cartilage were small (H&E (hematoxylin and eosin), safranine O staining). Conclusions: Based on these results, Jakyakkamchobuja-tang (JKBT) is believed to be useful for suppressing the progress of osteoarthritis and its treatments because of its anti-inflammatory effects and alleviation of pain with histopathological effective efficacy.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.158-164
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• 2013

The most frequently encountered problems at fixture-implantation sites are lack of adequate bone and proximity to anatomic structures. It is generally accepted that growth factors play an essential role in the healing process and tissue formation, and they have become the focus of grafting materials research. The granules in platelets contain high concentrations of various growth factors. In particular, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a second-generation platelet concentrate that allows the production of fibrin membranes enriched with platelets and growth factors from an anticoagulant-free blood harvest. This study investigated the in vitro effects of PRF on osteoblasts, in terms of the key cellular functions, and especially the effects on two growth factors, the homodimer of platelet-derived growth factor subunit B (BPDGF-BB) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}1$, which are associated with wound healing and regeneration (i.e., proliferation and differentiation). The following parameters were investigated: PDGF-BB and TGF-${\beta}1$ levels in PRF, cell viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, type 1 collagen synthesis, and the expressions of osteoblast differentiation markers (ALP and runt-related transcription factor 2) and bone matrix proteins (type 1 collagen). The release of autologous growth factors from PRF was maintained for a reasonable period of time, and exerted positive effects on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts. The use of PRF thus appears to be a promising method for enhancing bone healing and remodeling.