• Development and Reproduction
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 1998

This study was done to find optimal cryopreservation medium and method to improve the post-thaw motility of human sperm. Thirty three semaen samples were included in the study. Of these, nineteen Samples showing normal semen profile were frozen using three cryprotectants (TYB, TYB+DTT and KS II)to compare post-thaw motility. Fourteen samples were frozen with vapor freezing and programmable freezing methods to compare post-thaw motility in correlation with freezing method. After 24 hrs of cryostorage , the vials were thawed and the post-thaw sperm motility was assessed by two kinds of computer-aededsperm analysis (CASA; SAIS and Hamilton Thorn). As a result, the post-thaw motility of the KS II group was higher than the TYB or TYB+DTT group in normal semen(34.8%, 28.3% and 23.0%, respectively). In the asthenospermia group, a significantly hither post-thaw motility was observed in the KS II (18.5%) compared to those of TYB or TYB+DTT group (13.6%, 10.0%, respectively). No difference was observed between vapor freezing group and computerized freezing group in normal semen (27.8%, 33.2%, respectively) and semen group showing asthenospermia (12.8%, 12.9%, respectively). In conclusion, our results indicate that KS II medium is reliable for cryopreservation of human sperm and vapor freezing and programmable freezing were equally effective in terms of the recovery of motile spermatozoa.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.14-18
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• 2020

This study investigates the nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) sensing characteristics of an Si MOSFET gas sensor with a tungsten trioxide (WO₃) sensing layer deposited using the sputtering method. The Si MOSFET gas sensor consists of a horizontal floating gate (FG) interdigitated with a control gate (CG). The WO₃ sensing layer is deposited on the interdigitated CG-FG of a field effect transistor(FET)-type gas sensor platform. The sensing layer is deposited with different thicknesses of the film ranging from 100 nm to 1 ㎛ by changing the deposition times during the sputtering process. The sensing characteristics of the fabricated gas sensor are measured at different NO₂ concentrations and operating temperatures. The response of the gas sensor increases as the NO₂ concentration and operating temperature increase. However, the gas sensor has an optimal performance at 180℃ considering both response and recovery speed. The response of the gas sensor increases significantly from 24% to 138% as the thickness of the sensing layer increases from 100 nm to 1 ㎛. The sputtered WO₃ film consists of a dense part and a porous part. As reported in previous work, the area of the porous part of the film increases as the thickness of the film increases. This increased porous part promotes the reaction of the sensing layer with the NO₂ gas. Consequently, the response of the gas sensor increases as the thickness of the sputtered WO₃ film increases.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.649-654
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• 2012

Background Deep burns of the elbow lead to soft tissue necrosis and infection, with exposure of deep structures. Adequate wound coverage of this area requires thin, pliable, and durable tissue, while optimal functional recovery requires early coverage and functional rehabilitation. We have found 3 types of island flaps that provide reliable coverage for the elbow. Methods A retrospective study was performed on all patients who underwent flap coverage of an elbow defect at our hospital. The patients' data including age, sex, cause of injury, wound dimensions, timing of flap coverage, postoperative elbow motion, and complications were investigated. Results Between 2001 and 2012, 16 patients were treated at our hospital. The mean age was 53.3 years. Three kinds of flaps were performed: 9 latissimus dorsi flaps, 4 lateral arm flaps, and 4 radial forearm flaps. The average defect size was 183.5 $cm^2$ (range, 28 to 670 cm2). Wound coverage was performed at mean duration of 45.9 days (range, 14 to 91 days). The mean postoperative active elbow flexion was $98^{\circ}$ (range, $85^{\circ}$ to $115^{\circ}$). Partial flap failure occurred in 1 latissimus dorsi flap. Minor complications included partial flap loss (11.8%), hematoma (23.5%), seroma (35.3%), and wound infection (5.9%). Conclusions Flap selection for elbow reconstruction is determined by the defect size and the extent of the adjacent tissue injury. Elbow reconstruction using an island flap is a single-staged, reliable, and relatively simple procedure that permits initiation of early rehabilitation, thereby improving a patient's functional outcome.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.44-54
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• 2014

A standard plastic garbage bag which was discarded from Incheon Metropolitan City was composed of 4.5% recyclable resources (aluminum cans 0.2%, steel cans 2.5%, glass 1.8%), 92.5% resources with recoverable energy (papers 23.0%, plastics 15.5%, combustible etc. 54.0%) and 3.0% non-combustible etc. Recycling is more effective than landfilling for aluminum cans, steel cans, and glass. The energy recovery process using solid refuse fuel (SRF) is more effective than incineration for papers and plastics. Incineration is more effective than recycling for combustible etc. 2,068,948 Million Btu of total energy savings and 21,008 $MTCO_2E$ of total GHG reductions were obtained by the application of the proposed scheme. The total energy savings were equivalent to an economic benefit of 422 billion won per year. The total GHG reductions were equivalent to a GHG benefit of 4,119 passenger cars not running per year. The lower calorific value of the combustible materials was obtained to be 1,936 kcal/kg of papers, 5,079 kcal/kg of plastics and 2,462 kcal/kg of combustible other resources, respectively. If papers and plastics are properly mixed, the mixture can be used as SRF. The lower calorific value of combustible other resources does not meet the quality criteria for refuse derived fuel, therefore its components are inappropriate to used as solid refuse fuel.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 2010

Background and Objectives : Transient minor voice changes after thyroidectomy are not infrequent complaints even in cases without any evidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve damage. However, clinical course, diagnosis and management of such voice changes are not fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of minor voice changes after thyroidectomy. We also tried to assess the significance and feasibility of superior laryngeal nerve monitoring and to find out the optimal evaluation tools for such voice changes after thyroidectomy. Materials and Method : Nine adult patients who received total thyroidectomy without evidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were enrolled for this prospective study. Voice evaluations were performed preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively ; acoustic analyses including voice range profile, aerodynamic study, stroboscopic evaluation and subjective voice assessment with questionnaires. The external branch of superior laryngeal nerve was monitored by nerve stimulator after ligation of superior thyroidal vessels. Results: Four of nine patients complained their voice change at 3 months after the surgery. Three of them reported complete recovery of their voice at 6 months after the surgery. Acoustic analysis revealed significant decrease in their phonatory range especially with high tone loss. Questionnaires related to singing was more sensitive than previously well-known "voice handicap index". Stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve was feasible in most of the cases (94.4%), but it failed to show any correlation with minor voice changes after thyroidectomy. Conclusion : Minor voice changes were not rare events during the first 6 month after thyroidectomy. Decrease in phonatory range with high tone loss and therefore, discomfort in singing was the most common finding. Superior laryngeal monitoring was feasible but it was not a sensitive tool for the prediction of minor voice change after thyroidectomy.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.879-886
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• 2010

This study investigated the removal characteristics of highly concentrated $NH_4$-N and $PO_4$-P by struvite crystallization using converter slag as a seed crystal. The optimal pH range for removal and recovery of $NH_4$-N and $PO_4$-P by struvite crystallization was measured to be 8.0~8.75, in which total removal efficiencies for $NH_4$-N and $PO_4$-P by struvite precipitation and crystallization were 34.3~61.0% and 91.0~96.2%, respectively. The maximum removal efficiencies for $NH_4$-N and $PO_4$-P by struvite crystallization were 29.4% at pH 8.5 and 65.1% at pH 8.0, respectively. The removal efficiency of $NH_4$-N by struvite crystallization decreased with increasing calcium ion concentration. The analysis results of SEM, EDS and XRD exhibited that $NH_4$-N and $PO_4$-P in meta-stable region of struvite crystallization could be eliminated through formation of magnesium ammonia phosphate (MAP) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) on seed crystals by struvite precipitation and crystallization.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.346-352
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• 2016

This study was conducted to obtain the correlation between the plant surface spray adhesion amount of pesticides and the pest control effect. The linearity of the standard curves of dinotefuran and thiodicarb was $R^2=0.9999$, and recovery was between 70% to 120% which was satisfactory for insecticide residue analyses. The pest control effect was evaluated by assessing the number of apple leafminers (Phyllonorycter ringoniella, Gracillariidae, Lepidoptera) captured by sex pheromone traps from late June to late September in 2015. For the adhesion amount, dinotefuran recovered from trap A and B, respectively were $47{\mu}g/50cm^2$ and $23{\mu}g/50cm^2$, which can be characterized as a very low adhesion amount in comparison to the average adhesion amount of $81{\mu}g/50cm^2$ in the field. In case of thiodicarb, $691{\mu}g/50cm^2$ and $71{\mu}g/50cm^2$ were recovered from trap A and B, respectively, and the average amount in the field is $325{\mu}g/50cm^2$. These results showed close correlation with the insect population captured by trap A and B. The numbers of insects captured by trap A and B between the end of July and late August were similar. After spraying thiodicarb on August 28, the number of apple leafminers captured by trap B is bigger than that of trap A. It appears that pest occurrence tended to be high at low adhesion amounts of the active ingredient. Therefore, in order to obtain an optimal control effect, it is suggested that uniform application of insecticides is critical instead of relying on the amount of insecticide applied in the field.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2013

Embryos formed in vivo were collected from 171 donors housed in Chung Cheong Buk-Do Institute of Livestock and Veterinary Research of the Chungbuk community during the years 2009~2012. We evaluated annual embryo collection, effect of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), controlled internal drug release (CIDR) and prostaglandin (PG) administration to the donor for superovulation and controlling the estrus cycle, seasonal effects of embryo collection and compared the number of embryos recovered as per the collection days and pregnancy rate. In all, 1,243 embryos were collected from 118 donors with an average of $7.31{\pm}5.35$ embryos per donor, out of which 69.4% were transferable. Dosages of FSH required for inducing superovulation in various donors were compared. Average number of embryos collected from donors administered with 30 AU of FSH ($7.13{\pm}5.74$ per donor) was not significantly different from that of donors who were given an injection of 24 AU of FSH ($7.53{\pm}4.91$ per donor). However, the percentage of transferable embryos in the 30AU FSH-administered group (63.2 %, 449 of 711) was higher than that in the 24AU FSH-administered group (77.8%, 414 of 532). In the group of donors under a natural estrus cycle, the FSH dose administered did not influence the number of transferable embryos produced ($7.49{\pm}6.25$ per donor for 30 AU of FSH vs $7.49{\pm}4.92$ per donor for 24 AU of FSH). However, in donors administered with CIDR and PG for controlling the estrus cycle, the FSH dose affected the average number of transferable embryos collected ($4.25{\pm}2.87$ per donor for 30 AU of FSH vs $8.50{\pm}6.36$ per donor for 24 AU of FSH). We collected embryos from donors 6, 7 or 8 days after artificial insemination (AI). Results showed that the percentage of transferable embryos among those collected 8 days after AI was significantly higher than that among embryos collected 6 or 7 days after AI. Seasonal variations did not affect number of recovered embryos and pregnancy rates in natural estrus cycle and CIDR treatment groups (48.28% and 42.55%) but higher than pregnancy rate of frozen embryos (19.63%). These results indicated that administration of FSH beyond a threshold dose (at least 24 AU) has no beneficial effect on the production embryos and that collection of embryos 7~8 days after AI is optimal for embryo recovery. CIDR treatment induced superovulation in short term and had no influence on the natural estrus cycle. Finally, although good-quality embryos were transferred, freezing significantly reduced the pregnancy rates after transfer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.989-998
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• 2016

Acidic endo-polygalacturonases are the major part of pectinase preparations and extensively applied in the clarification of fruits juice, vegetables extracts, and wines. However, most of the reported fungal endo-polygalacturonases are active and stable under narrow pH range and low temperatures. In this study, an acidic endo-polygalacturonase (EPG4) was purified and characterized from a mutant strain of Penicillium oxalicum. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of EPG4 (ATTCTFSGSNGAASASKSQT) was different from those of reported endo-polygalacturonases. EPG4 displayed optimal pH and temperature at 5.0 and 60-70℃ towards polygalacturonic acid (PGA), respectively, and was notably stable at pH 2.2-7.0. When tested against pectins, EPG4 showed enzyme activity over a broad acidic pH range (>15.0% activity at pH 2.2-6.0 towards citrus pectin; and >26.6% activity at pH 2.2-7.0 towards apple pectin). The K_m and V_max values were determined as 1.27 mg/ml and 5,504.6 U/mg, respectively. The enzyme hydrolyzed PGA in endo-manner, releasing oligo-galacturonates from PGA, as determined by TLC. Addition of EPG4 (3.6 U/ml) significantly reduced the viscosity (by 42.4%) and increased the light transmittance (by 29.5%) of the papaya pulp, and increased the recovery (by 24.4%) of the papaya extraction. All of these properties make the enzyme a potential application in the beverage industry.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.119-128
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• 1998

This paper describes a filtering algorithm which employs apriori information of SPECT lesion detectability potential for the filtering of degraded projection images prior to the backprojection reconstruction. In this algorithm, we determined m minimum detectable lesion sized(MDLSs) by assuming m object contrasts uniformly-chosen in the range of 0.0-1.0, based on a signal/noise model which provides the capability potential of SPECT in terms of physical factors. A best estimate of given projection image is attempted as a weighted combination of the subimages from m optimal filters whose design is focused on maximizing the local S/N ratios for the MDLS-lesions. These subimages show relatively larger resolution recovery effect and relatively smaller noise reduction effect with the decreased MDLS, and the weighting on each subimage was controlled by the difference between the subimage and the maximum-resolution-recovered projection image. The proposed filtering algoritym was tested on SPECT image reconstruction problems, and produced good results. Especially, this algorithm showed the adaptive effect that approximately averages the filter outputs in homogeneous areas and sensitively depends on each filter strength on contrast preserving/enhancing in textured lesion areas of the reconstructed image.