• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to present the possibility a utilization of the tertiary mudstone in Pohang as road subsoil material through pilot experiments on the road embankment structure. This mudstone is an unconsolidated rock that is distributed in the soft rock sedimentary layer, the tertiary layer of the Cenozoic, and causes physical problems such as slaking, swelling, and reduced shear strength and chemical problem like acid drainage. In order to solve various complex problems, an laboratory mixing test was conducted, and the optimal mixing conditions of the tertiary mudstone (90%), composite slag (steel making 70%, blast furnace 30%), and neutralization and coating agent treatment were derived. In order to prove its utilization, a real-scale road embankment structure was constructed and tests were conducted for each section. The pre-processing section is stable due to the design of optimal mixing conditions, while in post-processing section, natural weathering proceeded rapidly, and structural problems were concerned. Since the effect of neutralizing and coating agents was confirmed in temporary-staking section, the neutralizing and coating agents can be applied during the temporary storage period.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2021

Gastrodia elata has a very low pollination rate in natural state, and even in artificial cultivation, there are very few individuals that bloom due to the degeneration, so little studies have been conducted. This study confirmed that the potential as a cosmetic ingredient by evaluating the antioxidant activity through the evaluation of DPPH radical scavenging activity, anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production, and the moisturizing activity through the effect on promoting hyaluronic acid production by artificially flowering G. elata flower. It was also confirmed that the appearance rate and flowering rate of G. elata harvested in spring were high, and the content of gastrodin was 0.36%. The IC50 value of G. elata flower extract was 0.045% and it was confirmed that G. elata flower extract had higher radical scavenging activity than G. elata root extract. The NO production inhibitory activity against the flower extract showed a significant inhibitory effect from 1% to 83.2%. Hyaluronic acid production promotion efficacy was not confirmed in the G. elata root extract, but the production rate increased with concentration dependence in the flower extract, and it was the highest at 46.9% when 0.02% treatment was performed. Based on the above research results, it is judged that G. elata flower extract has high potential for use as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and skin moisturizing cosmetic ingredient.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.400-409
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• 2021

Sanguinarine, a natural benzophenanthridine alkaloid, has been considered a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer because it can induce apoptosis in human cancer cells; however, the underlying mechanisms of action still remain unclear. Tumor suppressor p53 deletion or mutation is an important reason for the resistance of colorectal cancer cells to anticancer agents. Therefore, in the present study, the role of p53 during apoptosis induced by sanguinarine was investigated in p53wild type (WT, p53+/+) and p53null (p53+/+) HCT116 colon carcinoma cells. Sanguinarine significantly caused greater reductions in cell viability in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells than in HCT116 (p53-/-) cells. Consistently, sanguinarine promoted more DNA damage and apoptosis in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells than in HCT116 (p53-/-) cells while increasing the expression of p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21^WAF1/CIP1. Sanguinarine increased the activity of caspase-8 and caspase-9, which are involved in the initiation of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways, respectively, and it activated caspase-3, a typical effect caspase, in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells. Sanguinarine also increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, while destroying the integrity of mitochondria in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells, but not in HCT116 (p53-/-) cells. Overall, the results indicate that sanguinarine induced p53-dependent apoptosis through ROS-mediated activation of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.260-269
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: Diquat dibromide is a fast-acting nonselective herbicide and plant growth regulator. In this study, in order to understand the possibility of unintentional pesticide contamination in the following crops, the phytotoxicity and transition of diquat dibromide residue in soil into the following crops such as pepper, radish, lettuce and corn have been assessed through phytotoxicity trial and residual evaluation in the unintentional contamination of the higher residual diquat dibromide. METHODS AND RESULTS: The pepper, radish, lettuce and corn were cultivated in the sandy soil and loam soil where the 35 mg/kg and 90 mg/kg diquat dibromide were applied, respectively. Mild growth inhibition symptoms were observed in radish, lettuce and corn crops at the 90 mg/kg- diquat dibromide treatment on the 30 day of cultivation. Diquat dibromide was analyzed using liquid chromatography QTRAP (LC-MS/MS). The recovery rates of diquat dibromide from soil and crop were determined within range from 89.1 to 116.4% with relative standard deviation less than 14.7%. Diquat dibromide residues in soil were found to be 23.90-30.22 and 69.59-82.57 mg/kg from the 35 mg/kg and 90 mg/kg of diquat dibromide-treated soil, respectively after 30 days of crop cultivation. This result implicates that diquat dibromide did not convert to metabolites and remained mostly in the soil, even though it was partially decomposed during crop cultivation. In addition, the diquat dibromide in pepper and radish that were grown for 47 days, and lettuce and corn that were cultivated for 30 days were detected to be 0.01 mg/kg or less in the sandy loam and loam soil where the 90 mg/kg diquat dibromide was applied. CONCLUSION(S): Diquat dibromide did not cause severe phytotoxicity in the following crops as well as it did not uptake and distribute to the following crops, even though it was considered to be residual in the soil.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.601-610
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• 2021

The tidal current patterns at Keum River Estuary before and after the construction of coastal structures were compared according to the CASES. The depth-integrated and tidal difference treatment applied FLOW2DH numerical model was used for the tidal current predictions. The test conditions consisted of before construction of coastal structures (CASE1), after construction of coastal structures (CASE2), and the addition of watergate operation(CASE1Q and CASE2Q), and present (CASE3). CASE1 showed a stable tidal current pattern, such as a natural estuary. In CASE2, the tidal current velocities and directions of the Keum River Estuary were changed due to the installed coastal structures. In particular, the tidal current velocities of the Gaeya open channel sections (P5~P9) in CASE2 were calculated to be 10~30% larger than that of CASE1. In the case of the Gunsan Inner Harbor (P4), which is closest to the Geum River Estuary, the ebb flow rate was approximately 250~300% faster than that of other CASEs due to the discharge of the watergate operation for 2.7 hours during the ebb of CASE1Q and CASE2Q. This will affect sediment transport, and it is predicted to lead to seabed changes. CASE3 is considered to be entering the stabilization stage according to the simulation of the tidal current velocities and directions of the Keum River Estuary and the surrounding coastal area.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.659-677
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• 2020

Leonurus japonicus (L. japonicus) Houtt., a biennial plant in the Lamiaceae family is broadly distributed in Asia such as Korea, China, Japan. The aerial part of L. japonicus is used as a traditional medicine to treat uterine disease including dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, sterility. In this study, we examined the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of L. japonicus ethanol extracts. The antioxidant activity of L. japonicus was measured by total polyphenol and flavonoid content, and DPPH, ABTS scavenging, reducing power activity, and intracellular ROS expression assay. The anti-inflammatory effects were measured by nitric oxide (NO), cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) production and inflammatory protein expression in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Total polyphenol and flavonoid content of L. japonicus were 51.40 ± 0.47 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g and 73.28 ± 0.10 mg of rutin equivalents/g respectively. DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity and reducing power activity tended to increase concentration-dependent and treatment L. japonicus with 400 ㎍/mL reduced ROS production by 69.5%. Furthermore, L. japonicus inhibited NO, TNF-α and IL-1β production in a concentration-dependant manner and reduced the expression levels of inflammatory proteins via regulating NF-κB, MAPK pathway. Therefore, we suggest that L. japonicus could be a natural antioxidants and medicinal source to treat oxidative stress and inflammation-related disease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.447-454
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• 2019

Fat accumulation in adipocytes occurs through the process of adipogenesis in which preadipocytes differentiate into adipocytes. Obesity is a metabolic disorder caused by excessive accumulation of fat in the body, which increases the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and various cancers. Recently, inhibition of adipocyte differentiation was shown to be a potential antiobesity strategy. In this study, the inhibitory effect of dichloromethane fractions from Illicium verum Hooker fil. water extract on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to adipocytes was investigated. Dichloromethane fractions from I. verum Hooker fil. significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation when applied during the adipocyte differentiation process, as assessed by measuring fat accumulation using Oil-red O staining. In addition, dichloromethane fractions from I. verum Hooker fil. reduced important adipogenic transcription factors, such as CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ${\alpha}$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$), $C/EBP{\beta}$, and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor ${\gamma}$ ($PPAR{\gamma}$). The expression of FAS and LPL, which are terminal differentiation markers of mature adipocytes, was also reduced in the 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with dichloromethane fractions from I. verum Hooker fil. In addition, the treatment significantly inhibited mitotic clonal expansion, which is essential for adipocyte differentiation, by arresting the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Taken together, these results suggest that dichloromethane fractions from I. verum Hooker fil. may be a natural material with antiobesity effects.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.77-85
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• 2019

Biogasification is a technology that uses organic wastes to reproduce as environmental fuels containing methane gas. Biogasification has attracted worldwide attention because it can produce renewable-energy and stable land treatment with prohibit from landfilling and ocean dumping of organic waste. Biomethane is produced by refining biogas. It is injected into natural gas pipeline or used transportation fuel such as cars and buses. 90 bio-gasification facilities are operating in 2016, and methane gas production is very low due to it is limited to organic wastes such as food waste, animal manure, and sewage sludge. There are seven domestic biomethane manufacturing facilities, and the use of high value-added such as transport fuels and city-gas through upgrading biogas should be expanded. On the other hand, the rapid biogasification of organic wastes in domestic resulted in frequent breakdowns of facilities and low efficiency problems. Therefore, the problem is improving as technical guidance, design and operational technical guidance is developed and field experience is accumulated. However, while improvements in biogas production are being made, there is a problem with low utilization. In this study, the problems of biomethane manufacturing facilities were identified in order to optimize the production and utilization of biogas from organic waste resources. Also, in order to present the design and operation guideline of the gas pretreatment and the upgrading process, we will investigate precision monitoring, energy balance and economic analysis and solutions for on-site problems by facility.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.501-510
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• 2018

This study examined the neurotoxicity induced by lead acetate (LA) on cultured C6 glioma cells and the protective effects of Euphorbiae humifusae L. (EH) extract against LA-induced cytotoxicity. In this study, LA exhibited neurotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner compared to the control, and was determined to be highly-toxic according to the toxic criteria. The $XTT_{50}$ value of LA was calculated at a concentration of $38.6{\mu}M$ after C6 glioma cells were incubated for 72 hours in the media containing $30{\sim}50{\mu}M$ of LA, respectively. In addition, LA-induced neurotoxicity was suggested to correlate with the level of oxidative stress because vitamin E, an antioxidant, increased the cell viability damaged by LA-induced cytotoxicity. The EH extract effectively prevented cell injury from LA-induced cytotoxicity via its antioxidative effects, such as inhibitory ability of lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase-like activity and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-radical scavenging activity. These antioxidative effects may result in components, such as polyphenol or flavonoids including gallic acid or quercetin. In conclusion, natural resources, such as EH extracts, may be a useful putative agent for the treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as lead neurotoxicity.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.233-238
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• 2019

For greenhouse crops, thrips is one of the major insect pests, but its control is difficult owing to short generation time, rapid escaping behavior, and development of pesticide resistance. Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Womersley) is a soil-dwelling predatory mite attacking various soil invertebrate species, including thrips. Using the method by growers' self-production, we mass-reared S. scimitus colony and investigated thrips control in the greenhouse chrysanthemum. The initial density of thrips was six individuals/flower. The treatment with one S. scimitus box in the greenhouse was estimated to be $1,000individuals/m^2$. From August to September 2018, the greenhouse was released with a total of 10 boxes of S. scimitus. The density of thrips in the untreated and the treated cultivar was $53.7{\pm}7.0$ and $13.5{\pm}1.7$ on the late September, respectively, which indicated a reduction of 74.9% in the treated cultivar. Our results suggest that S. scimitus was highly effective for the control of thrips in the greenhouse chrysanthemum although temperature is very high during the summer season.