• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.69 no.5
• /
• pp.348-353
• /
• 2010

Background: In this study, we tried to investigate whether carbenoxolone, prunetin, and silibinin affect tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$-induced MUC5AC mucin production and gene expression from human airway epithelial cells. Methods: Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with each agent (carbenoxolone, prunetin, and silibinin) for 30 min and then stimulated with TNF-${\alpha}$ for 24 hours. The MUC5AC mucin gene expression and mucin protein production were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Results: Carbenoxolone, prunetin and silibinin inhibited the production of MUC5AC mucin protein induced by TNF-${\alpha}$; the 3 compounds also inhibited the expression of MUC5AC mucin gene induced by TNF-${\alpha}$. Conclusion: This result suggests that carbenoxolone, prunetin and silibinin can inhibit mucin gene expression and production of mucin protein induced by TNF-${\alpha}$, by directly acting on airway epithelial cells.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.296-313
• /
• 1982

At a time when world population and food supply are in a delicate balance, it is essential that we look at factors to improve this balance. We can alter the environment to better fit the plant's needs, or we can alter the plant to better fit the environment. Improved technology has allowed us to increase the yield level. For moderately detrimental weather events technology has generally decreased the yield variation, yet for major weather disasters the variation has increased. We have raised the upper level, but zero is still the bottom level. As we concentrate the production of particular crops into limited areas where the environment is closest to optimum, we may be increasing the risk of a major weather related disaster. We need to evaluate the degree of variability of different crops, and how weather and technology can interact to affect it. The natural limits of crop production are imposed by important ecological factors. Production is a function of the climate, the soil, and the crop and all activities related to them. In looking at the environment of a crop we must recognize these are individuals, populations and ecosystems. Under intensive agriculture we try to limit the competition to one desired species. The environment is made up of a complex of factors; radiation, moisture, temperature and wind, among others. Plant response to the environment is due to the interaction of all of these factors, yet in attempting to understand them we often examine each factor individually. Variation in crop yields is primarily a function of limiting environmental parameters. Various weather parameters will be discussed, with emphasis placed on how they impact on crop production. Although solar radiation is a driving force in crop production, it often shows little relationship to yield variation. Water may enter into crop production as both a limiting and excessive factor. The effects of moisture deficiency have received much more attention than moisture excess. In many areas of the world, a very significant portion of yield variation is due to variation in the moisture factor. Temperature imposes limits on where crops can be grown, and the type of crop that can be grown in an area. High temperature effects are often combined with deficient moisture effects. Cool temperatures determine the limits in which crops can be grown. Growing degree units, or heat accumulations, have often been used as a means of explaining many temperature effects. Methods for explaining chilling effects are more limited.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.7-20
• /
• 2014

The optimal woodchip production system was developed and the production cost of a forest woodchip fuel was calculated for utilizing the pitch pine, which covers around 480,000ha nationwide. the marginal price of the woodchip fuel considering the factor of supply price, electricity and heat selling price as well as capacity factor were suggested and the economic sensitivity analysis was conducted for various scenario. The most important variable which determine economic feasibility was a fuel cost for the power generation facility. If the electricity price is higher than the current SMP(System Marginal Price) or the capacity factor is higher than 80%, there fully is a benefit to consume the woodchip fuels produced in the suggested production system in this study. In addition, the additional benefit becomes more obvious when considering REC(Renewable Energy Certificate) and CDM(Clean Development Mechanism). Therefore, it is strongly suggested for domestic power generation sector to utilize the forest biomass fuel to achieve the obligatory target of RPS.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.83-100
• /
• 2018

Demand for stone products used as building materials is increasing. The construction industry, the value of the stone industry is sufficient, but the domestic stone industry is very lag regarding IT utilization. However, the overseas stone industry produces high-quality products using IT. In this study, we want to offer an IT application technology priority fit for the stone industries. We identify the current status and production process of the stone industries, then set the priority of various IT, so that obtain competitiveness in the domestic stone industries, and minimize the gap between the overseas stone industries. Therefore, we used AHP method; stone industry production processes were selected as the Enterprise Operation Management, Quarrying, Manufacturing, Construction and Maintenance of first-tier. The second-tier ones are consisted of 30 factors out of IT elements. Focus group interviews were conducted to confirm the validity of each factor. As a result, most important factors of first-tier was selected as the order of Manufacturing, Quarrying, Enterprise Operation Management, and Construction & Maintenance. The top 5 of 30 factors in the second-tier were selected Smart Sensor, Mobile Device, Robot of manufacturing, GIS of quarrying, and SCM of enterprise operation management. And the factor that relatively less important was GPS of construction and maintenance. If properly applied an IT application technology for stone industry, we expect to provide efficient production lines and increase customer satisfaction, which will ultimately expand the promotion for the industry and thus act as positive factor in promoting the stone industry.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.6
• /
• pp.622-626
• /
• 2020

Recent studies have suggested that Canavalia gladiate, a dietary food and traditional folk medicine, has promising pharmaceutical potential, but the effects have mostly been demonstrated using its organo-soluble extract. To date, its immunomodulatory effect depending on the extraction method is unclear. Here, the immune responses of macrophages to C. gladiate and the underlying mechanisms were studied. C. gladiate hot water extract (CGW) induced cytokine production in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) in a dose-dependent manner, whereas its ethanolic extract (CGE) did not. Immunoblotting analysis also showed that CGW activated nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Moreover, an inhibitor assay revealed the involvement of NF-κB, p38, and JNK, but not ERK, in CGW-induced cytokine production. CGE inhibited lipopolysaccharide-stimulated production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activation of NF-κB and MAPKs in BMDMs. The results suggest that C. gladiate regulates the immune responses of macrophages differently depending on the extraction method.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.728-733
• /
• 2007

Bamboo grass, Sasa quelpaertensis, is a native plant to Jeju Island, Korea. The leaves of Sasa plants are widely used in traditional Korean medicine to treat inflammation-related diseases. We investigated the effect of hot water extract from Sasa quelpaertensis leaves (HWE-SQ) on nitric oxide (NO) production and nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B\;(NF-{\kappa}B)$ activation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. HWE-SQ inhibited LPS-induced NO production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. Reporter gene assays indicated that HWE-SQ decreases LPS-induced $NF-{\kappa}B$ transcriptional activation. However, HWE-SQ did not affect the phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitory ${\kappa}B{\alpha}\;(1{\kappa}B{\alpha})$. HWE-SQ also directly inhibited iNOS enzyme activity in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that HWE-SQ suppresses NO synthesis in macrophages by attenuating $NF-{\kappa}B-mediated$ iNOS protein expression and inhibiting iNOS enzymatic activity, thereby implicating a mechanism by which HWE-SQ is able to ameliorate inflammation-related diseases by limiting excessive or prolonged NO production in pathological events.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.129-145
• /
• 2016

This is a case study to analyze the role of technology licensing or transfer office (TLO) as factors of success for the spin-off from government research lab. The case company is a research lab startup, which is a joint venture through technology investment by a government research lab or university in the designated R&D parks and cash investment by the partner company. The case company listed on the stock market in 2015 reaching a market capitalization of US$ 1.2 billion. We confirm the success factors of startups pointed out in many studies: original technology, good understanding of core technology and production technology, technological competitiveness in the market. However, there is an important factor not well discussed in the previous studies, the role of TLO. TLO guided the company ownership, management, technology, and solved problems that pause business itself. The case became the sample of research lab startup and technology investment in Korea.

• Journal of Broadcast Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.1-16
• /
• 2012

In order to improve the workflow of 3D video production, this paper analyzes the visual fatigue caused from distortions in 3D video production stage through a set of subjective visual assessment tests. To establish a set of objective indicators for subjective visual tests, various distortions in production stage are investigated to be categorized into 7 representative visual-fatigue-producing factors, and to conduct visual assessment tests for each selected category, 4 test video clips are produced by combining the extent of camera movement as well as the object(s) movement in the scene. Each produced test video is distorted to reflect each of the selected 7 visual-fatigue-producing factors, and we set 7 levels of distortion for each factor, resulting in 196 5-second-long video clips for testing. Based on these test materials and the recommendation of ITU-R BT.1438, subjective visual assessment tests are conducted by 101 applicants. The test results provide a relative importance and the tolerance limit of each visual-fatigue-producing factor, which corresponds to various distortions in 3D video production field.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.991-995
• /
• 2003

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of unripened fruits and ripened fruits of Rubus coreanus Miquel on murine peritoneal macrophages. The 70% ethyl alcohol extracts (20 or 100 mg/kg) of unripened fruits (RCE-I) and of ripened fruits (RCE-II) were administered p.o. once a day for 7 days to mice. RCE-I and RCE-II decreased the phagocytic activity of murine peritoneal macrophages and the production of nitric oxide. Also, RCE-I and RCE-II increased the production of tumor necrosis factor- a from peritoneal macrophages. In general, the immuno-suppressive action of RCE-I on macrophages was more potent than those of RCE-II. These results suggest that the fruits of Rubus coreanus Miquel regulates the non-specific immune response via decrease of phagocytic activity and increase of production of tumor necrosis factor- a from murine peritoneal macrophages.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.539-546
• /
• 2010

In this work, mass production of Bacillus licheniformis SCD121067 through medium optimization by statistical experimental method was studied. First, galactose, yeast extract and potassium phosphate dibasic were selected as carbon, nitrogen and phosphate sources for mass production of B. licheniformis SCD121067 by using one factor at a time method. Second, according to the result of Plackett-Burman experimental design, key factors was yeast extract and $K_2HPO$. Finally, the response surface methodology was performed to obtain the optimum concentrations of two selected variables. The optimized medium composition consisted of 20 g/L galactose, 36 g/L yeast extract, 0.41 g/L $K_2HPO4$, 0.25 g/L $Na_2CO_3$, 0.4g/L $MgSO_4$ and 0.01g/L $CaCl_2$. Dry cell weight (15.4 g/L) by optimum production medium were increased 10 times, as compared to that determined with basic production medium (1.5 g/L). Fermentation conditions were examined for the mass production of B. licheniformis. The effect of temperature, agitation speed, pH and aeration rate on the mass production of B. licheniformis were also studied in a batch fermenter which was carried out in a 2.5 L bioreactor with a working volume of 1.5 L containing optimized production medium. As a result, dry cell weight of batch culture was 30.7 g/L at $42^{\circ}C$, 300 rpm, pH 8.0 and 2 vvm.