• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.92-98
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• 2010

Ferritic stainless steels, which have relatively small thermal expansion coefficient and excellent corrosion resistance, are increasingly being used in vehicle manufacturing, in order to increase the lifetime of exhaust manifold parts. But, there are limits on use because of the problem related to cosmetic resistance, corrosions of condensation and high temperature salt etc. So, Aluminum-coated stainless steel instead of ferritic stainless steel are utilized in these parts due to the improved properties. In this investigation, Al-8wt% Si alloy coated 409L ferritic stainless steel was used as the base metal during Gas Tungsten Arc(GTA) welding. The effects of coated layer on the microstructure and hardness were investigated. Full penetration was obtained, when the welding current was higher than 90A and the welding speed was lower than 0.52m/min. Grain size was the largest in fusion zone and decreased from near HAZ to base metal. As welding speed increased, grain size of fusion zone decreased, and there was no big change in HAZ. Hardness had a peak value in the fusion zone and decreased from the bond line to the base metal. The highest hardness in the fusion zone resulted from the fine re-precipitation of the coarse TiN and Ti(C, N) existed in the base metal during melting and solidification process and the presence of fine $Al_2O_3$ and $SiO_2$ formed by the migration of the elements, Al and Si, from the melted coating layer into the fusion zone.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.108-125
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• 2013

This study examined the actual reconstruction drawing, composite mineral, particle size and property test, fine organic matters, color differences and main ingredients of the earthen mold excavated in Dongcheon-dong, Gyungju. The cross-section of the inner mold and outer mold divides into inside (1st layer) and outside (2nd layer), with organic matters mixed outside. The cross-section has been altered due to heat and form removal agent. X-ray analysis revealed that the layer was made of minerals with high transmissivity and only quartz particles were observed through a polarizing microscope. The inside of cross-section in SEM observation identified enlarged air gap, with crack developed in the center, but no changes observed on the outside. The particle size of the composites is almost the same for the inner mold and outer mold and is silt clay loam. The ratio between silt clay and silt clay loam was about 2.7:1 and 2.9:1 respectively. In the property test, the density and absorption rate of inner mold and outer mold were similar, but porosity was different, with inner mold of 27.36% and outer mold of 31.09%. The color difference of cross-section seems to have been caused by the spread of soot on the 1st layer surface for removal of form or by the covering of ink to protect the 1st layer. Composite mineral analysis revealed the same composition for the inner mold and outer mold, except for the magnetite that was detected in the inner mold alone. As for the main ingredient analysis, the average content of $SiO_2$ was 71.64% and that of $Al_2O_3$ was 14.59%. As for the sub-ingredients, $Fe_2O_3$ was 4.51%, $K_2O$ 3.06%, $Na_2O$, MgO, CaO, $TiO_2$, $P_2O_5$ and MnO was less than 2%.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.403-409
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• 2018

Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of a lipid-coated zinc oxide (ZnO) supplement Shield Zn (SZ) at the sub-pharmacological concentration on intestinal morphology and gene expression in weanling pigs, with an aim to gain insights into the mechanism of actions for SZ. Methods: Forty 22-day-old weanling pigs were fed a nursery diet supplemented with 100 or 2,500 mg Zn/kg with uncoated ZnO (negative control [NC] or positive control [PC], respectively), 100, 200, or 400 mg Zn/kg with SZ for 14 days and their intestinal tissues were taken for histological and molecular biological examinations. The villus height (VH) and crypt depth (CD) of the intestinal mucosa were measured microscopically following preparation of the tissue specimen; expression of the genes associated with growth and immune function was determined using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: There was no difference in daily gain, gain:feed, and diarrhea score between the SZ group and either of NC and PC. The VH and VH:CD ratio were less for the SZ group vs NC in the jejunum and duodenum, respectively (p<0.05). The jejunal mucosal mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) and interleukin (IL)-10 regressed and tended to regress (p = 0.053) on the SZ concentration with a positive coefficient, respectively, whereas the IL-6 mRNA level regressed on the SZ concentration with a negative coefficient. The mRNA levels of IGF-I, zonula occludens protein-1, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and IL-10 did not differ between the SZ group and either of NC and PC; the occludin and transforming growth $factor-{\beta}1$ mRNA levels were lower for the SZ group than for PC. Conclusion: The present results are interpreted to suggest that dietary ZnO provided by SZ may play a role in intestinal mucosal growth and immune function by modulating the expression of IGF-I, IL-6, and IL-10 genes.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2012

The distributions of phytoplankton community are investigated from 29 reservoirs in Yeongsan and Seomjin River Basins, Korea. As a microalgal flora, a total of 424 species of phytoplankton were identified. They were 157 Chlorophyceae, 161 Bacillariophyceae, 39 Cyanophyceae, and 67 other algal taxa. The phytoplankton diversity were low in stream type reservoirs such as Kumho, Youngsan and Youngam Reservoirs. The population density of phytoplankton ranged from 29 cells $mL^{-1}$ to 53,161 cells $mL^{-1}$. The dominant phytoplankton species more than 20% of total standing crops were $Asterionella$ $formosa$, $Aulacoseira$ $ambigua$, $Aulacoseira$ $distans$, $Aulacoseira$ $granulata$, $Cyclotella$ sp., $Synedra$ $acus$, $Coelastrum$ $reticulatum$, $Pandorina$ $morum$, $Scenedesmus$ $arcuatus$, $Aphanothece$ $clathrata$, $Microcystis$ $aeruginosa$, $Phormidium$ sp. The concentration of chlorophyll $a$ ranged from 0.41 mg $m^{-3}$~220.72 mg $m^{-3}$, and showed highest concentration in Gaecho-je. The concentrations of TN and TP have no clear relationships with chlorophyll $a$ concentrations.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.561-571
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• 2010

Colon cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the western world and the second leading cause of cancer death in Korea. Epidemiology studies have shown a reduced incidence of colon cancer among populations consuming a large quantity of ${\omega}3$-polyunsaturated fatty acids (${\omega}3$-PUFA) of marine origin. Recently, it has been found that ${\omega}3$-PUFA has an antineoplastic effect in several cancers. This study was designed to investigate the mechanism of the anti-invasive effect of ${\omega}3$-PUFA in colon cancer. ${\omega}3$-PUFA, docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) treatment resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth in SW480 human colon cancer cells. In contrast, arachidonic acid (AA), a ${\omega}6$-PUFA, exhibited no significant effect. This action likely involves apoptosis, given that DHA treatment increased apoptotic cells in TUNEL assay. Moreover, invasiveness of SW480 cells was inhibited following treatment of DHA in a dose-dependent manner; in contrast, AA had no effect. The levels of MMP-9 and MMP-2 mRNA decreased after DHA pretreatment. MMP-9 and MMP-2 promoter activities were also inhibited by DHA treatment. The levels of NF-kB and p-IkB protein were down-regulated by DHA pretreatment in a dose dependent manner. In addition, DHA inhibited NF-kB promoter reporter activities. These findings suggest that ${\omega}3$-PUFA may inhibit cancer cell invasion by inhibition of MMPs via reduction of NF-kB in colon cancer. In conclusion, ${\omega}3$-PUFA could be used for chemoprevention and treatment of human colon cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2008

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most common organism associated with nosocomial infections. MRSA infections are becoming increasing important because they have emerged no only as healthcare-associated (HA) infections but also as community-associated (CA) ones. This study examined the moleculo-epidemiology of MRSA, which was isolated from nasal swabs in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Konyang University Hospital. MRSA are classified into HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA. Methods: From June to September 2006, 353 patients who were admitted to the ICU in Konyang University Hospital were enrolled in this study. Single nasal swabs were obtained for culture in the ICU on the 1st day. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and the antimicrobial resistant patterns were analyzed between HA- and CA-MRSA. An antimicrobial sensitivity test was also performed. Results: Forty two strains of MRSA were isolated from 353 patients (11.9%). Among the 42 isolates, HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA were found in 33 (78.6%), and 9 (21.4%), respectively. Eleven different PFGE types (type A to K) were identified. Types A (n=9) and B (n=7) were the most common for HA-MRSA, and types A (n=2) and B (n=2) were identified in CA-MRSA. The proportion of types A and B in CA-MRSA (44.4%) was similar to that in HA-MRSA (48.5%). The rates of resistance rates to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin were higher in HA-MRSA than in CA-MRSA. Conclusion: The rate of isolation of MRSA in an ICU setting was 11.9%. HA-MRSA was isolated more frequently than CA-MRSA. The rate of resistance of HA-MRSA to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin was higher than that of CA-MRSA. Despite the small number of subjects, the main isolates (type A and B) of CA-MRSA were similar to those of HA-MRSA.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1094-1104
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• 1997

Background : Spontaneous pneumothoraces(SP) are divided into primary spontaneous pneumothoraces (PSP) which develop in healthy individuals without underlying pulmonary disorders and secondary spontaneous pneumothoraces(SSP) which occur in those who have underlying disorders such as tuberculosis or chronic obstructive lung diseases. Yet there is no established standard therapeutic approach to this disorder, i.e., from the spectrum of noninvasive treatment such as clinical observation with or without oxygen therapy, to aggressively invasive thoracoscopic bullectomy or open thoracotomy. Although chest tube thoracostomy has been most widely used, the patients should overcome pain in the initiation of tube insertion or during indwelling it potential infection and subcutaneous emphysema. Thus smaller-caliber tube has been challenged for the treatment of pneumothorax. Previously, we studied the therapeutic efficacy of 8 French catheter for spontaneous pneumothorax. But there has been few data for effectiveness of small-caliber catheterization in comparison with that of chest tube. In this study, we intended to observe the long-term effectiveness of 8 French catheter for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothoraces in comparison with that of chest tube thoracostomy. Method : From January, 1990 to January, 1996, sixty two patients with spontaneous pneumothoraces treated at Chung-Ang University Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were sub-divided into a group treated with 8 French catheter(n=23) and the other one with chest tube insertion(n=39). The clinical data were reviewed(age, sex, underlying pulmonary disorders, past history of pneumothorax, size of pneumothorax, follow-up period). And therapeutic effect of two groups was compared by treatment duration(duration of indwelling catheter or tube), treatment-associated complications and recurrence rate. Results : The follow-up period(median) of 8 French catheter group and chest tube group was 28 and 22 months, which had no statistical significance. Ther was no statistically significant difference of clinical characteristics between two groups with SP, PSP, SSP. The indwelling time of 8 French catheter group was $6.2{\pm}3.8$ days, which was significantly shorter than that of chest tube group in SP, $9.1{\pm}7.5$ days(p=0.047). In comparison of treatment-related complication in PSP, 8 French catheter group as 6.25% of complication showed lower tendency than the other group as 23.8% (p=0.041 ; one-tailed, p=0.053; two-tailed). The recurrence rate in each group of SP was 17.4%, 10.3%, which did not show any statistically significant difference. Conclusion : Treatment with 8 French catheter resulted in shorter indwelling time in sponteous pneumothorax, and lower incidence of treatment-related complication in primary spontaneous pneumothorax. And the recurrence rate in each of treatment group showed no statistically significant difference. So, we can recommend the 8 French small-caliber catheter for the initial therapy for spontaneous pneumothorax for the replacement of conventional chest tube thoracostomy. But further prospective study with more subjects of spontaneous pneumothorax will be needed for the evaluation of effectiveness of 8 French cateter.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2009

Objectives : To assess the protective effects of wearing protective devices among the residents and volunteers who participated in the cleanup of the Hebei Spirit oil spill. Methods : A total of 288 residents and 724 volunteers were surveyed about symptoms, whether they were wearing protective devices and potential confounding variables. The questionnaires were administered from the second to the sixth week following the accident. Spot urine samples were collected and analyzed for metabolites of 4 volatile organic compounds(VOCs), 2 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), and 6 heavy metals. The association between the wearing of protective devices and various symptoms was assessed using a multiple logistic regression adjusted for confounding variables. A multiple generalized linear regression model adjusted for the covariates was used to test for a difference in least-square mean concentration of urinary biomarkers between residents who wore protective devices and those who did not. Results : Thirty nine to 98% of the residents and 62-98% of volunteers wore protective devices. Levels of fatigue and fever were higher among residents not wearing masks than among those who did wear masks(odds ratio 4.5; 95% confidence interval 1.23-19.86). Urinary mercury levels were found to be significantly higher among residents not wearing work clothes or boots(p<0.05). Conclusions : Because the survey was not performed during the initial high-exposure period, no significant difference was found in metabolite levels between people who wore protective devices and those who did not, except for mercury, whose biological half-life is more than 6 weeks.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.335-341
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• 2021

In this study, experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of high- temperature stress on paprika in a semi-closed greenhouse where cooling is available and a normal plastic greenhouse. Paprika grown in a semi-closed greenhouse in which geothermal cooling is provided showed a significantly higher speed of photosynthesis than paprika grown in a 3-layer plastic greenhouse in which there is no cooling system. It suggests that the photosynthesis speed of paprika in a plastic house decreases owing to high temperature stress. Plant height increased by 13cm more in the semi-closed greenhouse, and the size of leaf showed similar growth speed until the 2nd week after transplanting, however, after 3 weeks, the semi-closed greenhouse showed a big difference by 47% compared with the plastic greenhouse. In terms of the fruit count, the semi-closed greenhouse had 10.6 fruits/plant and the plastic greenhouse had 4.6 fruits/plant, indicating that the semi-closed greenhouse had a higher number of fruits by 130% than the plastic greenhouse. The fruit weight also presented a difference between the semi-closed greenhouse and the plastic greenhouse by 46%, which is 566.7g/plant and 387g/plant, respectively. According to the above mentioned results, it was validated that when paprika is cultivated in a semi-closed greenhouse where a cooling system is applied, photosynthesis and growth were better than in the normal plastic greenhouse. Thus, if the hot summer season is overcome by applying the elemental technologies for the cooling system to the normal plastic greenhouse, farm income may increase through improvement in the yield and quality.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.187-208
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• 2000

By the activation of ovary hormone, many morphological changes occur in the epithelial cell lines and muscle cells in rat uterus. These two cells in uterus are important to the implantation of embryo, maintaining pregnancy and starting parturition. One important change associated with the morphological change of these two cells in uterus is the change on prostaglandin(PG) metabolism. Its presence and synthesis in endometriurn and myometrium in uterus affects estrous cycle and the start of embryo implantation in uterus. It also performs as an important modulator in parturition. So the abnormally weak expression of PG causes difficulty during labor and over-expression causes pre-term labor. PG biosynthesis starts from either free or liberated arachidonic acids from membrane phospholipid by phospholipase. Such arachidonic acids are converted into PG catalyzed by Cyclooxygenase. Under normal physiological condition, Cyclooxygenase-1(COX-1) having 602 units of amino acids controls the synthesis of PG. It acts as a local hormone regulating vasomodulation of blood flow, flexible muscle movement, increasing the blood permeability and contributing the protective role in preserving integrity of the stomach lining and Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is induced by the inflammation, pregnancy and increased its expression until parturition. Lipid metabolite like PG is located in uterine and expression of COX-2 increased with pregnancy. Increased expression of COX proteins in epithelial cells and myometrial cells are told to increase the muscle contractility in uterus but decreased right after the labor in rat. It is a good sign indicating that COX proteins are deeply related to the start of labor. Currently, Several studies report the use of PG and COX-2 inhibitor as medication for controlled abortion or to prevent pre-term labor but they entail various side-effects. Our study proposed to suggest use of acupuncture as an another mediator to control abortion or pre-term labor without causing unnecessary side-effects by those medicines. Two acupuncture sites, LI-4 & SP-6 were selected due to their known efficacy. From the immunohistochemical staining of COX-2, normal expression of COX-2 protein in nonpregnant SD rat's uterus revealed that COX-2 protein was primarily detected in the lumina epithelial lining and in the epithelial cell lining contacting the stromal cells. High resolution optical microscopic scanning revealed distinguishable staining in the myometrial mucosa. LI-4 acupuncture administered nonpregnant rat's uterus showed strong expression for COX-2 in endometrium contacted with lumina epithelial lining of rat uterus and in myometrial mucosa. Stromal cells showed more staining than untreated nonpregnant rat's uterus and stronger staining in stromal cells contacting myometrial layer compared to untreated nonpregnant rat's uterus. SP-6 acupuncture administered nonpregnant rat's uterus showed weak expression for COX-2 in myometrial layers and stromal cells but no staining was visible in lumina epitheliai and glandular epithelial cells. Few stromal cells and myometrial mucosa were positively stained for COX-2. Pregnant SD rat's uterus was also immunostained for COX-2 expression after 18 days of pregnancy. Unlike to untreated nonpregnant rat's uterus, luminal epithelial cells were not positively stained for COX-2 but stronger staining for COX-2 was revealed in stromal cells. LI-4 acupunctured SD rat's uterus had very strong expression of COX-2 in luminal epithelial lining. Few stromal cells showed stronger positive COX-2 staining and myometrial layers also showed more expression than untreated pregnant rat. SP-6 acupuncture administered pregnant SD rat's uterus showed positive expression of COX-2 in epithelial cells of luminal mucosa layer but weaker than that of LI-4 acupuncture treatment's case. However, strong positive staining was revealed in stromal mucosa and myometrial layers. Virgin SD rat's uterus motility index during LI-4 acupuncture was 66.52 % (Prob〉T = 0.0197) compared to its motility before the acupuncture treatment but the motility index was slighdy elevated up to 79.58 % (Prob〉T = 0.1175) after the acupuncture. During the SP-6 acupuncture treatment for 30 minutes, uterus motility index was 90.52 % (Prob〉T = 0.1832) showing lesser decrement but consequently reached similar motility index decreasal to 79.95 % (Prob〉T = 0.0215) after the acupuncture treatment as LI-4 showed. LI-4 acupuncture tend to be a quick treatment to reducing the uterus motility in a virgin rat but eventually both two acupuncture administration created very similar reduction of uterus motility seeing the index after the both acupunctures. The uterus movement monitored during the LI-4 acupuncture administered for 30 minutes, Pregnant SD rat showed decreased motility down to 77.90 % (Prob〉 T = 0.0076) compared to uterus motility before the acupuncture and it continuously decreased down to 71.81 %(Prob〉T = 0.0214) after the removal of needle. The statistical analysis using paired t-test showed significance difference for both two motility indexs at =0.05. SP-6 acupuncture administered to pregnant SD rat also had similar pattern of decreasing uterus motility index down to 74.70 % (Prob〉T = 0.1730) during the initial 30 minutes acupuncture administration and it was continuously lowered to 71.52 % (Prob〉T = 0.0155) after the acupuncture. The paired t-test resuit for SP-6 suggest prompt response of uterus motility index to the SP-6 acupuncture treatment but consequently reached same level of inducing the motility reduction as LI-4 at =0.05 level.