• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was designed to optimize the flip angle (FA) and scan timing of the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) using the 3D T1-weighted, gradient-echo (GRE) imaging with controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA) technique on gadoxetic acid-enhanced 3T liver MR imaging. Materials and Methods: Sixty-two patients who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced 3T liver MR imaging were included in this study. Four 3D T1-weighted GRE imaging studies using the CAIPIRINHA technique and FAs of $9^{\circ}$ and $13^{\circ}$ were acquired during HBP at 15 and 20 min after intravenous injection of gadoxetic acid. Two abdominal radiologists, who were blinded to the FA and the timing of image acquisition, assessed the sharpness of liver edge, hepatic vessel clarity, lesion conspicuity, artifact severity, and overall image quality using a five-point scale. Quantitative analysis was performed by another radiologist to estimate the relative liver enhancement (RLE) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Statistical analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and one-way analysis of variance. Results: The scores of the HBP with an FA of $13^{\circ}$ during the same delayed time were significantly higher than those of the HBP with an FA of $9^{\circ}$ in all the assessment items (P < 0.01). In terms of the delay time, images at the same FA obtained with a 20-min-HBP showed better quality than those obtained with a 15-min-HBP. There was no significant difference in qualitative scores between the 20-min-HBP and the 15-min-HBP images in the non-liver cirrhosis (LC) group except for the hepatic vessel clarity score with $9^{\circ}$ FA. In the quantitative analysis, a statistically significant difference was found in the degree of RLE in the four HBP images (P = 0.012). However, in the subgroup analysis, no significant difference in RLE was found in the four HBP images in either the LC or the non-LC groups. The SNR did not differ significantly in the four HBP images. In the subgroup analysis, 20-min-HBP imaging with a $13^{\circ}$ FA showed the highest SNR value in the LC-group, whereas 15-min-HBP imaging with a $13^{\circ}$ FA showed the best value of SNR in the non-LC group. Conclusion: The use of a moderately high FA improves the image quality and lesion conspicuity on 3D, T1-weighted GRE imaging using the CAIPIRINHA technique on gadoxetic acid, 3T liver MR imaging. In patients with normal liver function, the 15-min-HBP with a $13^{\circ}$ FA represents a feasible option without a significant decrease in image quality.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.392-396
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• 1989

Methylobacterium organophilum, a facultative methylotroph was cultivated on a methanol as a sole carbon and energy source. The cell growth was affected by the various components of minimal synthetic medium and the medium composition was optimized with 0.5% (v/v) methanol at pH 6.8 and at 3$0^{\circ}C$. The maximum specific growth rate of M. organophilum was achieved to 0.26 hr$^{-1}$ in the optimized medium which has following composition: Methanol, 0.5% (v/v):(NH$_4$)$_2$SO$_4$, 1.0g/l:KH$_2$PO$_4$, 2.13g/l:KH$_2$PO$_4$, 1.305g/ι:MgSO$_4$.7$H_2O$. 45g/l and trace elements (CaCl$_2$.2$H_2O$, 3.3mg:FeSO$_4$.7$H_2O$, 1.3mg:MnSO$_4$.4$H_2O$, 130$\mu\textrm{g}$:ZnSO$_4$.5$H_2O$, 40$\mu\textrm{g}$:Na$_2$MoO$_4$.2$H_2O$, 40$\mu\textrm{g}$:CoCl$_2$.6$H_2O$, 40$\mu\textrm{g}$:H$_3$BO$_3$, 30$\mu\textrm{g}$ per liter). By the limitation of nitrogen and deficiency of Mn$^{+2}$ or Fe$^{+2}$, the cell growth was significantly repressed. Methanol greatly repressed the cell growth and the complete inhibition was observed at concentration above 4% (v/v). In order to overcome the methanol inhibition and to prevent the methanol limitation, intermittent feeding of methanol was conducted by a D.O.-stat technique. PHB production by M. organophilum was stimulated by deficiency of nutrients such as NH$_{4}^{+}$, SO$_{4}^{-2}$, $Mg^{+2}$, $K^{+}$, or PO$_{4}^{-3}$ in the medium. The maximum PHB content was obtained as 58% of dry cell weight under deficiency of potassium ion in the optimized synthetic medium.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.55-62
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• 2015

Purpose Various methods for reducing radiation exposure have been continuously being developed. The aim of this study is to evaluate effectiveness of dose reduction, image quality and PET SUV changes by applying combination of automatic exposure dose(AEC), automated dose-optimized selection of X-ray tube voltage(CAREkV) and sinogram affirmed iterative reconstruction(SAFIRE) which can be controled by user. Materials and Methods Torso, AAPM CT performance and IEC body phantom images were acquired using biograph mCT64, (Siemens, Germany) PET/CT scanner. Standard CT condition was 120 kV, 40 mAs. Radiation exposure and noise were evaluated by applying AEC, CAREkV(120 kV, 40 mAs) and SAFIRE(120 kV, 25 mAs) with torso phantom compare to standard CT condition. And torso, AAPM and IEC phantom images were acquired with combination of 3 methods in condition of 120 kV, 25 mAs to evaluate radiation exposure, noise, spatial resolution and SUV changes. Results When applying AEC, CTDIvol and DLP were decreased by 50.52% and 50.62% compare to images which is not applying AEC. mAs was increased by 61.5% to compensate image quality according to decreasing 20 kV when applying CAREkV. However, CTDIvol and DLP were decreased by 6.2% and 5.5%. When reference mAs was the lower and strength was the higher, reduction of radiation exposure rate was the bigger. Mean SD and DLP were decreased by 2.2% and 38% when applying SAFIRE even though mAs was decreased by 37.5%(from 40 mAs to 25 mAs). Combination of 3 methods test, SD decreased by 5.17% and there was no significant differences in spatial resolution. And mean SD and DLP were decreased by 6.7% and 36.9% compare to 120 kV, 40 mAs with AEC. For SUV test, there was no statistical differences(P>0.05). Conclusion Combination of 3 methods shows dose reduction effect without degrading image quality and SUV changes. To reduce radiation exposure in PET/CT study, continuous effort is needed by optimizing various dose reduction methods.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.458-463
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• 2009

In this study, white ginseng water extract (WGWE) solutions were analyzed to set up the functional saponin content and quality optimization condition. The highest saponin content among the total white ginseng extracts was 8.32 mg/10 ml which was extracted at $75^{\circ}C$ for 18 hours. In addition, the saponin content decreased according to the increased extraction temperature and time. The highest content of $Rb_2$ and Re was 0.89 mg/10 ml, 0.82 mg/10 ml at $75^{\circ}C$ for 18 hours which decreased according to the increased extracted temperature and time. The highest content of $Rg_3$ was 1.67 mg/10 ml at $95^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours which decreased according to the increased time. The turbidity, sweetness and reducing sugar content were increased according to the increased extracted time at $75^{\circ}C$, $85^{\circ}C$, $95^{\circ}C$, but pH were decreased according to the increased extracted time. Therefore, the most appropriate white ginseng extracting method have to extracted the proper temperature for saponin content at first time in combination with raise the temperature for taste at second time.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.348-355
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• 1998

The developments of various processed foods and the high quality dried fruits, in particular, are urgently needed for the enhancement of fruit consumption and their competitive values. Therefore, in this study, three variables by three level factorial design and response surface methodology were used to determine optimum conditions for osmotic dehydration of kiwifruit. The relationships of moisture losses, solid gains, weight reductions, sugar contents, titratable acidities and vitamin C contents depending on changes with temperature, sugar concentration and immersion time were investigated. The moisture loss, solid gain, weight reduction and reduction of moisture content after osmotic dehydration were increased as temperature, sugar concentration and immersion time increased. The effect of concentration was more significant than those of temperature and time on mass transfer. Sugar content was increased by increasing sugar concentration, temperature, immersion time during osmotic dehydration. Titratable acidity and vitamin C content were increased by decreasing temperature, immersion time and increasing concentration during osmotic dehydration. The regression models showed a significant lack of fit (P>0.05) and were highly significant with satisfying values of $R^2$. At the given conditions such as $66{\sim}69%$ moisture content, above $24^{\circ}Brix$ sugar content and more than 23 mg% vitamin C, the optimum condition for osmotic dehydration was $37^{\circ}C,\;55^{\circ}Brix$ and 1.5 hour.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.287-297
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• 2013

The optimization of analytical method for the thermal desorption of seven VOCs (volatile organic compounds) by TD-GC/MS (thermal desorption-gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer) with solid phase sorbent tube, and comparative analysis for the determination of VOCs plotted by standard sorbent tubes prepared using both gas phase and liquid phase materials were investigated. The result of paired t-test showed that a liquid phase standard sorbent tube method was in agreement with a gas phase standard sorbent tube method for six species of VOCs including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m-, and p-xylene except for styrene at the significance level (${\alpha}=0.01$), while the 15.6% of difference in response factor between both of gas phase and liquid phase standard plotting for the determination of styrene showed that both methods were significantly different at the significance level. Therefore, the liquid phase standard plotting method was employed to reduce erroneous data for the determination of styrene including BTEX. Under the optimized analytical method by liquid phase standard sorbent tube, recovery was between $100{\pm}5%$ for 7 species of VOCs, reproducibility ranged from 0.3 to 7.7%, and method detection limit (MDL) ranged from $0.01{\mu}g/m^3$ for o-xylene to $0.27{\mu}g/m^3$ for toluene. The optimized standard method was applied to determine VOCs VOCs from indoor air of of dormitory, one bedroom apartment, and a new car.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.288-296
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• 2007

Monascus pilosus (KCCM 60160) in submerged culture was optimized based on culture medium and fermentation conditions. Monacolin-K (Iovastatin), one of the cholesterol lowing-agent which was produced by Monascus pilosus may maintain a healthy lipid level by inhibiting the biosynthesis of cholesterol. Plackett-Burman design and response surface method were employed to study the culture medium for the desirable monacolin-K production. As a result of experimental designs, optimized production medium components and concentrations (g/L) were determined on soluble starch 96, malt extract 44.5, beef extract 30.23, yeast extract 15, $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ 4.03, $Na_2HPO_4{\cdot}12H_2O$ 0.5, L-Histidine 3.0, $KHSO_4$ 1.0, respectively. Monacolin-K production was improved about 3 times in comparison with shake flask fermentation of the basic production medium. The effect of agitation speed (300, 350, 400 and 450 rpm) on the monacolin-K production were also observed in a batch fermenter. Maximum monacolin-K production with the basic production medium was 68 mg/L when agitation speed was 500 rpm. And it was found that all spherical pellets (average diameter of $1.0{\sim}1.5mm$) were dominant during fermentation. Based on the results, the maximum production of 185 mg/L of monacolin-K with the optimized production medium was obtained at pH (controlled) 6.5, agitation rate 400 rpm, aeration rate 1 vvm, and inoculum size 3%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.366-370
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• 2007

Wild grapes contain various organic acids, vitamins, and inorganic salts compared to other various fruits. Their anthocyanin compounds are also known to have excellent effects in preventing cancers and heart diseases. Wild grapes are supposed to be a superior material for wine fermentation. This study was performed for searching optimum conditions for producing wild grape wines to improve their quality and taste. Four wild strains were isolated from Muscat Bailey A, ‘Kyoho’ grapevine, and wild grapes. For wild grape wine production, an optimum initial sugar concentration was $24^{\circ}Brix$ and an optimum temperature was $24^{\circ}C$. Sensory characteristics of the wild grape wine were evaluated for incense, sour taste, astringency, and sweet taste. Quality properties of the wild grape wine produced under the optimized fermentation conditions were analyzed. Total sugar, polyphenol contents, and acidity of the wild grape wine were 50.00 mg/mL, 25.30 mg/mL, and 0.95%, showing higher value than those of commercial grape wines. Amino acids, tannins, alcohol contents, and pH were 1.80 mg/mL, 1.88 mg/mL, 12%, and 3.59, respectively. The optimum fermentation conditions can be used to improve quality of the wild grape wine.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.293-300
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• 2011

This study is conducted to develop an efficient transformation system via particle bombardment with PLBs (Protocorm-like bodies) in Cymbidium. For this, pCAMBIA3301 vector which carries a herbicide-resistant bar gene and gus gene as a reporter gene was used for transformation with Cymbidium cultivars 'Youngflower ${\times}$ masako' line. To select transformants, proper concentration of herbicide, PPT (phosphinotricin), should be determined. As a result, 5 mg/l of PPT was selected as a proper concentration. Further, proper conditions for particle bombardment were determined to obtain a high frequency of transformation. Results showed that 1.0 ${\mu}g$ of DNA concentration, 1,100 and 1,350 psi for helium gas pressure, 1.0 ${\mu}m$ of gold particle and 6 cm of target distance showed the best result for the particle bombardment experiment. Also, pre-treatment with combination 0.2 M sorbitol and 0.2 M mannitol for 4 hrs prior to genetic transformation increased the transformation efficiency up to 2.5 times. Using transformation system developed in this study, 3.2 ~ 4.0 transgenic cymbidium plants can be produced from 100 bombarded PLBs on average. Putative transgenic plants produced in this system confirmed the presence of the bar gene by PCR analysis. Also, leaves from randomely selected five transgenic lines were applied for Basta solution (0.5% v/v) to check the resistance to the PPT herbicide. As a result, three of them showed resistance and one of them showed the strongest resistance with the maintenance of green color as non-transformed plants showed. Using this established transformation system, more genes of interests can be introduced into Cymbidium plants by genetic transformation in the future.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.149-156
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• 2004

This study was carried out to obtain basic data on physiological characteristics for an artificial cultivation of fruiting body of Cordyceps. Specimens such as Cordyceps longissima, C. militaris and C. pruinosa were collected at Mt. Halla of Cheju island in July, 2003. Among four different culture media which have been used for culture of mushrooms, MCM medium was selected for the favorable culture medium of the Cordyceps tested. The initial pH of solid medium for mycelial growth of Cordyceps was good in the range of pH 5.0~7.0 lower than 8.0. The mycelial growth of C. longissima was most favorable on culture media supplemented with glucose, one of monosaccharides. In C. militaris, nine carbon sources were favorable to the mycelial growth as compared with control among 11 carbon sources. Six nitrogen sources were favorable to the mycelial growth of C. longissima as compared with control among 9 carbon sources; namely, the mycelial growth of C. longissima was most favorable on culture media contained potassium nitrate, and followed in order by ammonium citrate and sodium nitrate in 4 weeks incubation.