• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2013

Previous studies have shown that Aloe QDM complex, which is consisted of chromium (Cr), aloesin (ALS) and processed Aloe vera gel (PAG), exert antidiabetic activity in a high fat diet-induced mouse model of type 2 diabetes. In this study we examined the mechanism of the antidiabetic activity of the Aloe QDM complex. Rat myoblast cell line L6 cells were cultured in the presence of Cr, ALS, and PAG alone and in combinations, and then the capability of the cells to uptake glucose was examined using radiolabeled glucose. All of the 3 agents, Cr, ALS and PAG, exerted glucose uptake-enhancing activity in L6 cells. The most potent capability to uptake glucose was observed when L6 cells were cultured with the Aloe QDM complex. The activity of the Aloe QDM complex to enhance glucose uptake was prominent in conditions where existing insulin concentrations are low. We also examined the effects of the Aloe QDM complex on the plasma membrane expression of GLUT4 in L6 cells. The Aloe QDM complex increased the content of GLUT4 in the plasma membrane, while decreasing the content of GLUT4 in the light microsome. Taken together, these results show that the antidiabetic activity of the Aloe QDM complex is at least in part due to the stimulation of glucose uptake into the muscle cells, and this activity of the Aloe QDM complex is mediated through the enhancement of the translocation of GLUT4 into the plasma membrane.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.96-103
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• 2012

Obesity-induced disorders contribute to the development of metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, fatty liver diseases, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this study, we evaluated whether the Aloe QDM complex could improve metabolic disorders related to blood glucose levels and insulin resistance. Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of Aloe QDM complex or pioglitazone (PGZ) or metformin (Met) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Dietary Aloe QDM complex lowered body weight, fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin, and leptin levels, and markedly reduced the impairment of glucose tolerance in obese mice. Also, Aloe QDM complex significantly enhanced plasma adiponectin levels and insulin sensitivity via AMPK activity in muscles. At the same time, Aloe QDM decreased the mRNA and protein of $PPAR{\gamma}/LXR{\alpha}$ and scavenger receptors in white adipose tissue (WAT). Dietary Aloe QDM complex reduces obesity-induced glucose tolerance not only by suppressing $PPAR{\gamma}/LXR{\alpha}$ but also by enhancing AMPK activity in the WAT and muscles, both of which are important peripheral tissues affecting insulin resistance. The Aloe QDM complex could be used as a nutritional intervention against T2D.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.336-342
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• 2010

Obesity-induced disorders contribute to the development of metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, fatty liver diseases, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this study, we evaluated the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of aloe formula in high fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6N mice. Male mice fed HFD for 28 weeks received a supplement of aloe formula, PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and an Aloe QDM complex for a further 8 weeks and were then compared with regular diet fed mice. After the experimental period, the blood glucose levels of the Aloe QDM complex-and PGZ-supplemented mice were significantly lower than those of the HFD-fed mice. Aloe formula, especially the Aloe QDM complex, and the PGZ treatment group profoundly affected the IPGTT and HOMA-IR. Immunochemistry was done for the morphological observation and the resulting sizes of adipocytes around the epididymis were significantly decreased when comparing the aloe formula-treated and HFD-fed groups. Further, aloe formula decreased mRNA expression of fatty acid synthesis enzymes and led to reduced hepatic steatosis in both liver and WAT. These results suggest that supplementation of Aloe QDM complex in the HFD-fed mice improved insulin resistance by lowering blood glucose levels and reducing adipocytes. Our data suggest that dietary aloe formula reduces obesity-induced glucose tolerance by suppressing fatty acid synthesis in the WAT and liver, both of which are important peripheral tissues affecting insulin resistance. The Aloe QDM complex could be used as a nutritional intervention against T2D.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2011

Background: Insulin resistance is an integral feature of metabolic syndromes, including obesity, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, we evaluated whether the aloe component could reduce obesity-induced inflammation and the occurrence of metabolic disorders such as blood glucose and insulin resistance. Methods: Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of aloe formula (PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and Aloe QDM complex) or pioglitazone (PGZ) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Results: Aloe QDM lowered fasting blood glucose and plasma insulin compared with HFD. Obesity-induced inflammatory cytokine (IL-$1{\beta}$, -6, -12, TNF-${\alpha}$) and chemokine (CX3CL1, CCL5) mRNA and protein were decreased markedly, as was macrophage infiltration and hepatic triglycerides by Aloe QDM. At the same time, Aloe QDM decreased the mRNA and protein of $PPAR{\gamma}/LXR{\alpha}$ and $11{\beta}$-HSD1 both in the liver and WAT. Conclusion: Dietary aloe formula reduces obesity-induced glucose tolerance not only by suppressing inflammatory responses but also by inducing anti-inflammatory cytokines in the WAT and liver, both of which are important peripheral tissues affecting insulin resistance. The effect of Aloe QDM complex in the WAT and liver are related to its dual action on $PPAR{\gamma}$ and $11{\beta}$-HSD1 ression and its use as a nutritional intervention against T2D and obesity-related inflammation is suggested.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.107-113
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• 2011

Background: Metabolic disorders, including type II diabetes and obesity, present major health risks in industrialized countries. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has become the focus of a great deal of attention as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic syndromes. In this study, we evaluated whether dietary aloe could reduce obesity-induced inflammation and adipogenesis. Methods: Male C57BL/6 obese mice fed a high-fat diet for 54 days received a supplement of aloe formula (PAG, ALS, Aloe QDM, and Aloe QDM complex) or pioglitazone (PGZ) and were compared with unsupplemented controls (high-fat diet; HFD) or mice fed a regular diet (RD). RT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to quantify the expression of obesity-induced inflammation. Results: Aloe QDM complex downregulated fat size through suppressed expression of scavenger receptors on adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) compared with HFD. Both white adipose tissue (WATs) and muscle exhibited increased AMPK activation through aloe supplementation, and in particular, the Aloe QDM complex. Obesity-induced inflammatory cytokines (IL-$1{\beta}$ and -6) and $HIF1{\alpha}$ mRNA and protein were decreased markedly, as was macrophage infiltration by the Aloe QDM complex. Further, the Aloe QDM complex decreased the translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 from the cytosol in the WAT. Conclusion: Dietary aloe formula reduced obesity-induced inflammatory responses by activation of AMPK in muscle and suppression of proinflammatory cytokines in the WAT. Additionally, the expression of scavenger receptors in the ATM and activation of AMPK in WAT led to reduction in the percent of body fat. Thus, we suggest that the effect of the Aloe QDM complex in the WAT and muscle are related to activation of AMPK and its use as a nutritional intervention against T2D and obesity-related inflammation.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.468-475
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• 2018

In medical ultrasound imaging, frequency-dependent attenuation downshifts and reduces a center frequency and a frequency bandwidth of received echo signals, respectively. This causes considerable errors in quadrature demodulation (QDM), result in lowering signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast resolution (CR). To address this problem, adaptive dynamic QDM (ADQDM) that estimates center frequencies along depth was introduced. However, the ADQDM often fails when imaging regions contain hypoechoic regions. In this paper, we introduce a valid region-based ADQDM (VR-ADQDM) method to reject the misestimated center frequencies to further improve SNR and CR. The valid regions are regions where the center frequency decreases monotonically along depth. In addition, as a low-pass filter of QDM, Gaussian wavelet based dynamic filtering was adopted. From the phantom experiments, average SNR improvements of the ADQDM and the VR-ADQDM over the traditional QDM were 1.22 and 5.27 dB, respectively, and the corresponding maximum SNR improvements were 2.56 and 10.58 dB. The contrast resolution of the VR-ADQDM was also improved by 0.68 compared to that of the ADQDM. Similar results were obtained from in vivo experiments. These results indicate that the proposed method would offer promises for imaging technically-difficult patients due to its capability in improving SNR and CR.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.41-57
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• 2002

We have written a code called QDM_sca, which numerically solves the problem of radiative transfer in an anisotropically scattering, spherical atmosphere. First we formulate the problem as a second order differential equation of a quasi-diffusion type. We then apply a three-point finite differencing to the resulting differential equation and transform it to a tri-diagonal system of simultaneous linear equations. After boundary conditions are implemented in the tri-diagonal system, the QDM_sca radiative code fixes the field of specific intensity at every point in the atmosphere. As an application example, we used the code to calculate the brightness of atmospheric diffuse light(ADL) as a function of zenith distance, which plays a pivotal role in reducing the zodiacal light brightness from night sky observations. On the basis of this ADL calculation, frequent uses of effective extinction optical depth have been fully justified in correcting the atmospheric extinction for such extended sources as zodiacal light, integrated starlight and diffuse galactic light. The code will be available on request.

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 1997

Concurrent Engineering is one of the methods which are used for the rapid product development. One of the important features in Concurrent Egineering is that the development process is to be parallel and the organization should be cross-functional. In order that the process be parallel and that the organization be cross-functional, an integrated information system such as PDM (Product Data Management) is required. Although the integrated data base is constructed, it could be meaningless if the application softwares were not inter-operable. This study shows an example of intergrated information system from three-dimensional product design to mold design and tooling for the development of Deflection Yoke(DY) which is one of the important parts of Cathode Ray Tube(CRT). A three-dimensional product design software, which is based on a commercial code, has been developed by ourselves. Selective Laser Sintering(SLS), which is one of the rapid prototyping techniques, has been used in this study. Mold design has been done by the three-dimensional way. A newly developed method of mold tooling, which is called Quick Die Manufacturing(QDM), has been introduced.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.1043-1050
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• 2018

For an efficient Monte Carlo (MC) burnup analysis, an accurate high-order depletion scheme to consider the nonlinear flux variation in a coarse burnup-step interval is crucial accompanied with an accurate depletion equation solver. In a Seoul National University MC code, McCARD, the high-order depletion schemes of the quadratic depletion method (QDM) and the linear extrapolation/quadratic interpolation (LEQI) method and a depletion equation solver by the Chebyshev rational approximation method (CRAM) have been newly implemented in addition to the existing constant extrapolation/backward extrapolation (CEBE) method using the matrix exponential method (MEM) solver with substeps. In this paper, the quadratic extrapolation/quadratic interpolation (QEQI) method is proposed as a new high-order depletion scheme. In order to examine the effectiveness of the newly-implemented depletion modules in McCARD, four problems in the VERA depletion benchmarks are solved by CEBE/MEM, CEBE/CRAM, LEQI/MEM, QEQI/MEM, and QDM for gadolinium isotopes. From the comparisons, it is shown that the QEQI/MEM predicts ${k_{inf}}^{\prime}s$ most accurately among the test cases. In addition, statistical uncertainty propagation analyses for a VERA pin cell problem are conducted by the sensitivity and uncertainty and the stochastic sampling methods.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2021.06a
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• pp.41-41
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• 2021

최근 전 세계적으로 급증하는 기후변화의 영향으로 이상기후로 인한 자연재해들의 강도 및 발생 빈도의 증가가 다양한 연구를 통하여 확인되고 있으며, 이를 대비 및 대응하기 위한 방안수립 연구가 세계의 가장 중요한 주제로 부상되고 있다. 우리나라의 경우에는 기후변화에 따른 심각성 문제가 대두되고 있지만 국가적 대응기반조성 및 수자원정책 의사결정에 직접적으로 활용될 수 있는 일관성 있고 통합적인 기후 정보가 부족한 실정이다. 미래 기상 변동성을 나타내는 기후모델은 전 지구적 대규모 기상장(large scale climate pattern)을 비교적 정확하게 묘사하는 것으로 알려져 있으나 모형에 내재해 있는 시·공간적 편의(spatial-temporal bias) 및 불확실성으로 인하여 통계학적 상세화가 필수적으로 요구된다. 이러한 편향성은 일반적으로 지상 관측 자료를 격자에 보간하여 보정하는 방법이 적용되고 있지만, 관측자료의 불연속성 및 관측소의 불균등성으로 인하여 공간적 신뢰성이 낮다. 이에, 본 연구에서는 Bayesian 기반의 Kriging을 통한 공간적 편의보정 및 QDM(quantile delta mapping)을 연계한 새로운 격자 기반의 통계적 상세화 모형 Bayesian Kriging-QDM을 개발하였다. 본 연구를 통하여 산정된 결과는 과거자료에 근거하여 이루어지는 기존의 보수적인 수자원 관리 체계의 위험성을 저감 시킬 수 있는 의사결정에 직접적으로 활용될 수 있는 기초 자료로 이용 가능할 것으로 판단된다.