• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.301-308
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• 2022

Since nanoporous silica aerogel was first synthesized in 1931, its potential as an ultra-lightweight superinsulation material has been steadily attracting attention. Silica aerogel is the best thermal insulation material to date. However, the potential applications of this lightweight material have so far been hindered by its inherent fragibility and brittleness arising from its ultra-porous nature. Although the monolithic form of silica aerogel has the best ultra-lightweight superinsulation properties, it cannot be used in this form. Instead it is used in the form of powders, particles, and blankets. However, these forms still have shortcomings. Silica aerogel is most widely applied in the form of a fiber-reinforced aerogel blanket, but this form is likely to generate dust when handled. Although silica aerogel particles have been proven to be non-toxic to humans, dust formation remains a major barrier to the widespread application of silica aerogel blankets. This paper will investigate the unique properties of silica aerogel and determine what fields it can be used in or potentially be used in due to its unique properties. In addition, we will review the important advances in silica aerogel synthesis technology and its commercialization so far, and then consider the problems that exist for its widespread commercialization in the future and how to overcome them.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.30-50
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• 2023

Objectives : To investigate the active compounds and therapeutic mechanisms of Atractylodes Lancea(Thunb.) D.C. and Magnolia Officinalis Rehder et Wilson in the treatment of dermatitis accompanied by pruritus, as well as their potential to complement or replace standard drugs. Methods : We conducted the network pharmacological analysis. We selected effective ingredients among the active compounds of research target herbs. Then we explore pathway/terms of the common target proteins among research target herbs, fexofenadine and disease. Results : We selected 9 active compounds are selected from Atractylodes lancea and identified 231 target proteins. Among them, 74 proteins are associated with inflammatory skin diseases that cause pruritus. These proteins are involved in various pathways including, 'Nitric-oxide synthase regulator activity', 'Hydroperoxy icosatetraenoate dehydratase activity, Aromatase activity', 'RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity', 'Arachidonic acid metabolism', 'Peptide hormone processing', 'Chemokine binding' and 'Sterol biosynthetic process'. Additionally, coregenes are involved in 'IL-17 signaling pathway'. Similarly, we selected 2 active compounds from Magnolia officinalis and identified 133 target proteins. Among them, 33 proteins are related to inflammatory skin diseases that cause pruritus. These proteins are primarily involved in 'Vascular associated smooth muscle cell proliferation' and 'Arachidonic acid metabolism'. There is no significant difference between the pathways in which coregenes are involved. Conclusions : It is expected that Atractylodes Lancea will be able to show direct or indirect anti-pruritus and anti-inflammatory effects on skin inflammation accompanied pruritus through suppressing inflammation and protecting skin barrier. Meanwhile, it is expected that Magnolia Officinalis will only be able to show indirect anti-inflammation effects. Therefore, Atractylodes Lancea and fexofenadine are believed to complement each other, whereas Magnolia Officialinalis is expected to provide supplementary support on skin disease.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.1-25
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• 2011

Internet-based commerce has undergone an explosive growth over the past decade as consumers today find it more economical as well as more convenient to shop online. Nevertheless, the shift in the common mode of shopping from offline to online commerce has caused consumers to have worries over such issues as private information leakage, online fraud, discrepancy in product quality and grade, unsuccessful delivery, and so forth, Numerous studies have been undertaken to examine the role of perceived risk as a chief barrier to online purchases and to understand the theoretical relationships among perceived risk, trust and purchase intentions, However, most studies focus on empirically investigating the effects of trust on perceived risk, with little attention devoted to the effects of perceived risk on trust, While the influence trust has on perceived risk is worth studying, the influence in the opposite direction is equally important, enabling insights into the potential of perceived risk as a prohibitor of trust, According to Pavlou (2003), the primary source of the perceived risk is either the technological uncertainty of the Internet environment or the behavioral uncertainty of the transaction partner. Due to such types of uncertainty, an increase in the worries over the perceived risk may negatively affect trust, For example, if a consumer who sends sensitive transaction data over Internet is concerned that his or her private information may leak out because of the lack of security, trust may decrease (Olivero and Lunt, 2004), By the same token, if the consumer feels that the online merchant has the potential to profit by behaving in an opportunistic manner taking advantage of the remote, impersonal nature of online commerce, then it is unlikely that the merchant will be trusted, That is, the more the probable danger is likely to occur, the less trust and the greater need to control the transaction (Olivero and Lunt, 2004), In summary, a review of the related studies indicates that while some researchers looked at the influence of overall perceived risk on trust level, not much attention has been given to the effects of different types of perceived risk, In this context the present research aims at addressing the need to study how trust is affected by different types of perceived risk, We classified perceived risk into six different types based on the literature, and empirically analyzed the impact of each type of perceived risk upon consumer trust in an online merchant and further its impact upon purchase intentions. To meet our research objectives, we developed a conceptual model depicting the nomological structure of the relationships among our research variables, and also formulated a total of seven hypotheses. The model and hypotheses were tested using an empirical analysis based on a questionnaire survey of 206 college students. The reliability was evaluated via Cronbach's alphas, the minimum of which was found to be 0.73, and therefore the questionnaire items are all deemed reliable. In addition, the results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) designed to check the validity of the measurement model indicate that the convergent, discriminate, and nomological validities of the model are all acceptable. The structural equation modeling analysis to test the hypotheses yielded the following results. Of the first six hypotheses (H1-1 through H1-6) designed to examine the relationships between each risk type and trust, three hypotheses including H1-1 (performance risk ${\rightarrow}$ trust), H1-2 (psychological risk ${\rightarrow}$ trust) and H1-5 (online payment risk ${\rightarrow}$ trust) were supported with path coefficients of -0.30, -0.27 and -0.16 respectively. Finally, H2 (trust ${\rightarrow}$ purchase intentions) was supported with relatively high path coefficients of 0.73. Results of the empirical study offer the following findings and implications. First. it was found that it was performance risk, psychological risk and online payment risk that have a statistically significant influence upon consumer trust in an online merchant. It implies that a consumer may find an online merchant untrustworthy if either the product quality or the product grade does not match his or her expectations. For that reason, online merchants including digital storefronts and e-marketplaces are suggested to pursue a strategy focusing on identifying the target customers and offering products that they feel best meet performance and psychological needs of those customers. Thus, they should do their best to make it widely known that their products are of as good quality and grade as those purchased from offline department stores. In addition, it may be inferred that today's online consumers remain concerned about the security of the online commerce environment due to the repeated occurrences of hacking or private information leakage. Online merchants should take steps to remove potential vulnerabilities and provide online notices to emphasize that their website is secure. Second, consumer's overall trust was found to have a statistically significant influence on purchase intentions. This finding, which is consistent with the results of numerous prior studies, suggests that increased sales will become a reality only with enhanced consumer trust.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

The final disposal of spent nuclear fuel(SNF) from nuclear power plants takes place in a deep geological repository. The metal canister encasing the SNF is made of cast iron and copper, and is engineered to effectively isolate radioactive isotopes for a long period of time. The SNF is further shielded by a multi-barrier disposal system comprising both engineering and natural barriers. The deep disposal environment gradually changes to an anaerobic reducing environment. In this environment, sulfide is one of the most probable substances to induce corrosion of copper canister. Stress-corrosion cracking(SCC) triggered by sulfide can carry substantial implications for the integrity of the copper canister, potentially posing a significant threat to the long-term safety of the deep disposal repository. Sulfate can exist in various forms within the deep disposal environment or be introduced from the geosphere. Sulfate has the potential to be transformed into sulfide by sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB), and this converted sulfide can contribute to the corrosion of the copper canister. Bentonite, which is considered as a potential material for buffering and backfilling, contains oxidized sulfate minerals such as gypsum(CaSO4). If there is sufficient space for microorganisms to thrive in the deep disposal environment and if electron donors such as organic carbon are adequately supplied, sulfate can be converted to sulfide through microbial activity. However, the majority of the sulfides generated in the deep disposal system or introduced from the geosphere will be intercepted by the buffer, with only a small amount reaching the metal canister. Pyrite, one of the potential sulfide minerals present in the deep disposal environment, can generate sulfates during the dissolution process, thereby contributing to the corrosion of the copper canister. However, the quantity of oxidation byproducts from pyrite is anticipated to be minimal due to its extremely low solubility. Moreover, the migration of these oxidized byproducts to the metal canister will be restricted by the low hydraulic conductivity of saturated bentonite. We have comprehensively analyzed and summarized key research cases related to the presence of sulfates, reduction processes, and the formation and behavior characteristics of sulfides and pyrite in the deep disposal environment. Our objective was to gain an understanding of the impact of sulfates and sulfides on the long-term safety of high-level radioactive waste disposal repository.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2017

This study intends to analyze the contents of rutin, procyanidin B3, quercetin, kaempferol, known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects, among the polyphenol type contained in the grape pruning stem extracts (GPSE), utilizing grape stems being discarded after harvest, measure the effects on the skin moisture, inhibition of skin cell proliferation, anti-inflammatory on the damaged skin of a HR-1 mice induced with UVB, and verify the applicability as a material for functional food and functional cosmetics. The results of verifying the photoprotection effects through the skin proliferation control through of GPSE showed similar result to suncream was achieved at the GPSE concentration of 2,000 mg/kg on the epidermis (p<0.05). The results showed anti-inflammatory effects on all groups applied with GPSE as compared to the control group irradiated with UVB, but at the GPSE concentration of 1,000 mg/kg, a lower COX-2 protein expression at 8%, lower than the 22% of suncream, was observed to achieve an excellent anti-inflammatory effect (p<0.05). The results of this study confirmed the existence of active polyphenol type, such as rutin, kaempferol, querocetin and procyanidin B3, within the GPSE, and GPSE has improvement effects on moisturizing effects, skin proliferation control effect, inflammatory control effect and improvement effects on the skin barrier function through UV ray damage. GPSE is a functional ingredient with a potential for skin protection effects, and has high utilization as an ingredient for functional food and functional cosmetics.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.185-192
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• 2021

Psoriasis is a chronic intractable skin disease caused by various inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, CXCL8, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, as well as IL-17A secreted from Th17 cells and is characterized by hyperkeratosis and chronic inflammation of the epidermis. Brazilin, an active ingredient of Caesalpinia sappan L., is known to exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and function in skin barrier improvement. In particular, it was shown as a potential material for treating psoriasis in a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-stimulated HaCaT keratinocyte model. However, the direct regulation of the C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) 20, a psoriasis-inducing factor, by brazilin has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the suppression of CCL20 and the regulatory mechanism by brazilin using a psoriasis-like model. First, brazilin downregulated CCL20 and CXCL8 in IL-17A-stimulated HaCaT cells in a concentration-dependent manner by inhibiting signal transducer and transcription (STAT)3 phosphorylation. In addition, brazilin significantly inhibited the expression of psoriasis-related genes CXCL8, CCL20, IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α in TNF-α/IL-17A/IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT cells. Moreover, brazilin also had a positive effect on improving the skin barrier in TNF-α/IL-17A/IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT cells. The above results indicated that brazilin ultimately downregulated CCL20 expression by inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation, and also suppressed the expression of psoriasis-induced cytokines. If the efficacy of brazilin in improving psoriasis is verified through animal models and clinical trials in the future, it may represent a potentially therapeutic substance for psoriasis patients.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.22-37
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• 2006

The applicability of biobarrier or in situ microbial filter technology for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent was investigated through batch microcosm study. The efficiency and rates of reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are known to be highly dependent on hydrogen concentration. In this study, the effect of electron donors on the reductive dechlorination of PCE was investigated using vermicompost (or worm casting) and peat as a biobarrier medium. The effect of organic acids (lactate, butyrate and benzoate), yeast extract and vitamin $B_{12}$ on the reductive dechlorination was investigated. In the absence of biobarrier medium (adsorbent), addition of electron donors stimulated the dechlorination rate of PCE compared to the control experiment (i.e., no electron donor added). Among the treatments, addition of lactate or lactate/benzoate as hydrogen donor exhibited the highest dechlorination rate ($k_1=0.0260{\sim}0.0266\;day^{-1}$). In case of using vermicompost as a biobarrier medium, amendment of lactate/benzoate exhibited the highest dechlorination rate following with a pseudo-first-order degradation rate constant of $k_1=0.0849\;day^{-1}$. In contrast, when Pahokee peat was used as a biobarrier medium, either butyrate or lactate addition exhibited the highest dechlorination rate with $k_1$ values of 0.1092 and $0.1067\;day^{-1}$, respectively. The results of this study showed the potential applicability of in situ biobarrier technology using vermicompost or peat as a barrier material for the remediation of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvent.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.247-253
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• 2016

It confirmed the applicability as an anti-inflammatory material from Rubus occidentalis seed (RSE) extract. In HaCaT cells to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential as a material RSE extract on the activity of the inflammatory factors caused by UVB and $IFN-{\gamma}/TNF-{\alpha}$. We measured the activity of ROS, interleukin-$1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) by ROS-Glo $H_2O_2$ assay and ELISA kit. Our results showed that the RSE extracts inhibit the UVB and $IFN-{\gamma}/TNF-{\alpha}$-induced ROS activities and expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and IL-8 in a dose-dependent manner. Also it was found that inflammatory mediators of the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition were also brought, the expression of which is increased $PGE_2$ by COX-2 also inhibited. Finally RSE extracts measure the seed expression of filaggrin in the skin barrier, the main factor of the extract could be confirmed to increase the expression of the filaggrin damaged as a result of this concentration-dependent manner. Through this, it was able to confirm that the efficacy RSE extract to protect the inflammation by restoring the damaged layers of the epidermis. Results from more than RSE extract was able to confirm that the extract that has anti-inflammatory effects by improving the inflammation being produced from UVB.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.18 no.2 s.23
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• pp.65-66
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• 2004

There have been groves, in many cases, along with hedgerows and remnant forests around a traditional Korean village. A village grove is very closely connected to the life of residents. Sometimes it was a holy place where important village festivals were held, and became a resting place for farmers, especially in sunny summer. As a matter of fact, it is noted that traditional Korean village groves had been fostered for many purpose as religion, Confucianism, scenery, sanitation, traffic guard, public security, agriculture, hunting, and military and public uses were included in Chosun Govemor General(1938). Village groves were usually located at the outlet of watershed inside which a village was built. In addition, village groves used to be established along part of mountain ranges, streams and streets. A unique type of village grove, called bibosoop was fostered especially where the outlet of watershed was largely opened. In other cases, it was placed where a part of mountain range was relatively low, or where village residents were likely to see ugly objects such as a huge cliff, stony upland with an unvegetated area and the like(Kim and Jang 1994). In a sense, a sheltebelt is a sort of bibosoop as it is a landscape element to complement places that are exposed to strong winds. However, it is comparable to other typical bibosoop that is situated at a topographically very specific zone of watershed. In this paper, we will address potential functions of Korean village groves from a perspective of modern landscape ecology and show current status of some remnants, based on preliminary surveys. A village grove functions as barrier or filter of objects such as water, nutrients, and other elements and habitat of wildlife (park et al. 2003, Lee 2004). The village grove slows down the flow of water and air, maintains soil moisture an hinders soil erosion, enabling cultivation of crops and bringing up creatures nearby. It contributes to enhancing biodiversity. Birds rest on shrubby and woody trees of the element. Presumably, other organisms may also inhabit the village groves and take advantage of it when those move from a forest patch to others. Emerging insects acclimate themselves in the shade of the green space before they fly to sunny air. Besides the village grove acts as a component of agroforestry system as leaf litter is shed from a grove to an asjacent agricultural area, and transformed into green manure(Lee 2004). By the way, many of the landscape elements were destroyed or declined in Koea during the past several decades. The losses have been parallel or linked to environmental degradation. Unfortunately, we have a little reliable data as for how many groves have disappeared in Korea until now. There has been no complete census on the village groves in Korea, and the viewpoints of survey were to a degree different depending on surveyors. So, it is difficult to analyze the temporal and spatial change of village groves. Currently, national inventory data of Korean village groves are available in three reports. We reviewed the locations of village groves and arranged those according to the present administrative units, DONG. With the limited data, we found that at least 484 of village groves were recorded in South Korea. Among all provinces, village groves were most in Gyeongsanbuk-Do Province and least in Chungcheongbuk-Do Province(Table 1). This is a preliminary report prepared while some quantitative data regarding functions and lossers of the village groves are being collected. More detailed data will be introduced in the near future.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.356-362
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• 2019

Scutellaria baicalensis (SB) has widely used in the treatment for various brain diseases in the field of Oriental medicine. Biofermantation of SB can make major chemical constituents of SB to pass blood-brain barrier easily and to have more potent anti-oxidant ability. There is a little information about the contribution of fermented SB (FSB) to the formation or maintenance of the neural plasticity in the hippocampus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of FSB extract on hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) - induced impairments of the induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP), an electrophysiological marker for the neural plasticity in the hippocampus. From hippocampal slices of rats, the field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were evoked by the electrical stimulation to the Schaffer collaterals - commissural fibers in the CA1 areas and LTP by theta-burst stimulation by using 64 - channels in vitro multi-extracellular recording system. In order to induce oxidative stress to hippocampal slices two different concentrations (200, 400 μM) of H₂O₂ were given to the perfused aCSF before and after the LTP induction, respectively. The ethanol extract of FBS with concentration of 25 ㎍/ml, 50 ㎍/ml was diluted in perfused aCSF that had 200 μM H₂O₂, respectively. Oxidative stress by the treatment of H₂O₂ resulted in decrease of the induction rate of LTP in the CA1 area with a dose - dependent manner. However, the ethanol extract of FSB prevented the reduction of the induction rate of LTP caused by H₂O₂ - induced oxidative stress with a dose - dependent manner. These results may support a potential application of FSB to ameliorate impairments of hippocampal dependent neural plasticity or memory caused by oxidative stress.