• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.73-89
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• 2008

Muck (Korean traditional starch jelly) is very unique and the one of the oldest starch processing traditional food. The typical ingredients for making muck such as acorns, mungbean and buckwheat have been eaten since the new stone age or even before that era. This study was for investigation on the history of muck and its processing methods in the ancient and the modern culinary literatures from the 1400’s to 1900’s. The summary of the reviews was as follows. In the ages from the 1400’s to 1700’s, using starch powder, Se-myon and Chang-myon were made and their shape were like noodles instead of cubical shape. It was after the 1700’s that muck making methods were revealed in the literature, like ${\ulcorner}Gyeong-do-jabji{\lrcorner}$ (1730) and${\ulcorner}Go-sa-sib-e-jib{\lrcorner}$ (1737). The naming of muck might be from the time after 1800’s, in${\ulcorner}Myoung-mul-kiryak {\lrcorner}$ (around 1870) the basis of the names of Choeng-po (white mungbean jelly) and Whang-po (yellow mungbean jelly) could be found. One of the most well-known muck dish, Tang-pyeong-chae, was recorded many old literatures, so it was found that Tang-pyeong-chae was very popular and governmental policy of Tang-pyeong-chak influenced the food of the common people. In ${\ulcorner}Shi-eui-jeon-seo{\lrcorner}$ (late 1800’s) there were records of several types of muck and starch powder making methods in detail which were handed down to the modern ages.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.361-373
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• 2023

In plant-pathogen interactions, Magnaporthe oryzae causes blast disease on more than 50 species of 14 monocot plants, including important crops such as rice, millet, and most 15 recently wheat. M. oryzae is a model fungus for studying plant-microbe interaction, and the main source for fungal pathogenesis in the field. Here we report that MoJMJD6 is required for conidium germination and appressorium formation in M. oryzae. We obtained MoJMJD6 mutants (ΔMojmjd6) using a target gene replacement strategy. The MoJMD6 deletion mutants were delayed for conidium germination, glycogen, and lipid droplets utilization and consequently had decreased virulence. In the ΔMojmjd6 null mutants, global histone methyltransferase modifications (H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27me3, and H3K36me2/3) of the genome were unaffected. Taken together, our results indicated that MoJMJD6 function as a nuclear protein which plays an important role in conidium germination and appressorium formation in the M. oryzae. Our work provides insights into MoJMJD6-mediated regulation in the early stage of pathogenesis in plant fungi.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1461-1478
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• 2022

The maintenance of poultry gut health is complex depending on the intricate balance among diet, the commensal microbiota, and the mucosa, including the gut epithelium and the superimposing mucus layer. Changes in microflora composition and abundance can confer beneficial or detrimental effects on fowl. Antibiotics have devastating impacts on altering the landscape of gut microbiota, which further leads to antibiotic resistance or spread the pathogenic populations. By eliciting the landscape of gut microbiota, strategies should be made to break down the regulatory signals of pathogenic bacteria. The optional strategy of conferring dietary fibers (DFs) can be used to counterbalance the gut microbiota. DFs are the non-starch carbohydrates indigestible by host endogenous enzymes but can be fermented by symbiotic microbiota to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This is one of the primary modes through which the gut microbiota interacts and communicate with the host. The majority of SCFAs are produced in the large intestine (particularly in the caecum), where they are taken up by the enterocytes or transported through portal vein circulation into the bloodstream. Recent shreds of evidence have elucidated that SCFAs affect the gut and modulate the tissues and organs either by activating G-protein-coupled receptors or affecting epigenetic modifications in the genome through inducing histone acetylase activities and inhibiting histone deacetylases. Thus, in this way, SCFAs vastly influence poultry health by promoting energy regulation, mucosal integrity, immune homeostasis, and immune maturation. In this review article, we will focus on DFs, which directly interact with gut microbes and lead to the production of SCFAs. Further, we will discuss the current molecular mechanisms of how SCFAs are generated, transported, and modulated the pro-and anti-inflammatory immune responses against pathogens and host physiology and gut health.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.233-257
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to reveal the changing aspects of the Promethean motif in SF movies by examining the use of this motif on the three layers of Promethean myth, Frankenstein motif, and contemporary SF movies in the film Ex Machina (2015). First, the greatest change of Ex Machina on the layer of the Promethean myth (creation of a living being) is that the character square of Prometheus - Epimetheus - Pandora - Zeus has been turned into a triangle of Nathan - Caleb - Ava. This means that there is a lack of the being whose role is to solve the problems caused by the development of science and technology and to bring a happy ending through the human's usurpation of God and eventual replacement as Creator. Second, on the layer of the Frankenstein motif (taste of forbidden knowledge, hybris, and creature's hatred towards the Creator), this film maintains the narrative centered around Dr. Frankenstein and his monster (Nathan and Ava) by making Caleb an eyewitness to the story of the Creator and the creature. Caleb's role is similar to that of Captain Robert Walton of the novel Frankenstein, but the film differentiates itself from the novel through the emphasis of Ava's 'mechanicality.' Third, on the layer of contemporary SF movies, unlike other such films, the revolt of the machine in Ex Machina is not quelled. The machine wins, and its power surpasses that of human beings. This requires the establishment of a new relationship between man and machine, suggesting the 'emergence of a new species' that does not belong to humans. The handling of the Promethean motif by Ex Machina through these various layers serves to enrich the narrative by compounding numerous classics into one motif and going further to introduce fresh elements by diverging from the common storyline. The significance of this study is to demonstrate the use of such multilayered motifs and, through this, the expansion of narrative through it in specific cases.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.324-331
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• 2023

In this study, the hydration and carbonation properties of circulating fluidized bed boiler (CFBC) ash with different free-CaO contents were investigated. In addition, the possibility of utilizing CFBC ash with a high free-CaO content as a cementitious material was investigated by carbonation curing as a pretreatment. The CFBC ash with high free-CaO content exhibited rapid setting behavior and low early compressive strength when mixed with cement. For CFBC ash with high free-CaO content, carbon dioxide capture increased with the duration of carbonization curing. In addition, the free-CaO value decreased together, indicating that the free-CaO reacted with carbon dioxide. When the CFBC ash with high free-CaO content was pretreated by carbonation, no fresh set appeared, and the initial compressive strength was improved. From the results of this study, it is confirmed that CFBC ash with high free-CaO content has a high potential to be utilized as a cementitious material through proper carbonation curing.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.576-583
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• 2023

This study aimed to investigate the impact of enhancing the electrode conductivity and mitigating the production of hydrogen peroxide - a by-product arising from lactate oxidation - on the performance of lactate electrodes. The electrical conductivity of the electrode was improved by modifying the surface of carbon paper with single-walled carbon nanotubes. Catalase was introduced to effectively eliminate the hydrogen peroxide produced during the lactate oxidation reaction. The carbon paper electrode, with simultaneous immobilization of both lactate oxidase and catalase, yielded a current 1.7 times greater than the electrode where only lactate oxidase was immobilized. The electrode in which lactate oxidase and catalase were co-immobilized on the surface of carbon paper modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes, produced a current of 171 µA, which was more than twice as much current as the carbon paper with only lactate oxidase immobilized. The optimized electrode showed a linear response up to lactate concentration of 20 mM, confirming that it can be used as a sensor electrode.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.281-298
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• 2024

Stainless steel bolts (SSB) are increasingly utilized in bolted steel connections due to their good mechanical performance and excellent corrosion resistance. Fire accidents, which commonly occur in engineering scenarios, pose a significant threat to the safety of steel frames. The post-fire behavior of SSB has a significant influence on the structural integrity of steel frames, and neglecting the effect of temperature can lead to serious accidents in engineering. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the performance of SSB at elevated temperatures and their residual strength after a fire incident. To investigate the mechanical behavior of SSB after fire, 114 bolts with grades A4-70 and A4-80, manufactured from 316L austenitic stainless steel, were subjected to elevated temperatures ranging from 20℃ to 1200℃. Two different cooling methods commonly employed in engineering, namely cooling at ambient temperatures (air cooling) and cooling in water (water cooling), were used to cool the bolts. Tensile tests were performed to examine the influence of elevated temperatures and cooling methods on the mechanical behavior of SSB. The results indicate that the temperature does not significantly affect the Young's modulus and the ultimate strength of SSB. Up to 500℃, the yield strength increases with temperature, but this trend reverses when the temperature exceeds 500℃. In contrast, the ultimate strain shows the opposite trend. The strain hardening exponent is not significantly influenced by the temperature until it reaches 500℃. The cooling methods employed have an insignificant impact on the performance of SSB. When compared to high-strength bolts, 316L austenitic SSB demonstrate superior fire resistance. Design models for the post-fire mechanical behavior of 316L austenitic SSB, encompassing parameters such as the elasticity modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength, ultimate strain, and strain hardening exponent, are proposed, and a more precise stress-strain model is recommended to predict the mechanical behavior of 316L austenitic SSB after a fire incident.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1249-1259
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• 2023

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for osteoporosis screening. Materials and Methods: Eligible patients who had and had not undergone DXA screening were identified from among those aged 50 years or older at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. Age, sex, screening year (index year), and Charlson comorbidity index of the DXA and non-DXA groups were matched using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) for propensity score analysis. For cost-effectiveness analysis, a societal perspective, 1-year cycle length, 20-year time horizon, and discount rate of 2% per year for both effectiveness and costs were adopted in the incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) model. Results: The outcome analysis included 10337 patients (female:male, 63.8%:36.2%) who were screened for osteoporosis in southern Taiwan between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2021. The DXA group had significantly better outcomes than the non-DXA group in terms of fragility fractures (7.6% vs. 12.5%, P < 0.001) and mortality (0.6% vs. 4.3%, P < 0.001). The DXA screening strategy gained an ICER of US$ -2794 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) relative to the non-DXA at the willingness-to-pay threshold of US$ 33004 (Taiwan's per capita gross domestic product). The ICER after stratifying by ages of 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and ≥ 80 years were US$ -17815, US$ -26862, US$ -28981, and US$ -34816 per QALY, respectively. Conclusion: Using DXA to screen adults aged 50 years or older for osteoporosis resulted in a reduced incidence of fragility fractures, lower mortality rate, and reduced total costs. Screening for osteoporosis is a cost-saving strategy and its effectiveness increases with age. However, caution is needed when generalizing these cost-effectiveness results to all older populations because the study population consisted mainly of women.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1163-1171
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• 2021

Objective: To analyze the correlations between intraoperative ultrasound and MRI metrics of the spinal cord in degenerative cervical myelopathy and identify novel potential predictive ultrasonic indicators of neurological recovery for degenerative cervical myelopathy. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients who underwent French-door laminoplasty for multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy were followed up for 12 months. The Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores were assessed preoperatively and 12 months postoperatively. Maximum spinal cord compression and compression rates were measured and calculated using both intraoperative ultrasound imaging and preoperative T2-weight (T2W) MRI. Signal change rates of the spinal cord on preoperative T2W MRI and gray value ratios of dorsal and ventral spinal cord hyperechogenicity on intraoperative ultrasound imaging were measured and calculated. Correlations between intraoperative ultrasound metrics, MRI metrics, and the recovery rate JOA scores were analyzed using Spearman correlation analysis. Results: The postoperative JOA scores improved significantly, with a mean recovery rate of 65.0 ± 20.3% (p < 0.001). No significant correlations were found between the operative ultrasound metrics and MRI metrics. The gray value ratios of the spinal cord hyperechogenicity was negatively correlated with the recovery rate of JOA scores (ρ = -0.638, p = 0.001), while the ventral and dorsal gray value ratios of spinal cord hyperechogenicity were negatively correlated with the recovery rate of JOA-motor scores (ρ = -0.582, p = 0.004) and JOA-sensory scores (ρ = -0.452, p = 0.035), respectively. The dorsal gray value ratio was significantly higher than the ventral gray value ratio (p < 0.001), while the recovery rate of JOA-motor scores was better than that of JOA-sensory scores at 12 months post-surgery (p = 0.028). Conclusion: For degenerative cervical myelopathy, the correlations between intraoperative ultrasound and preoperative T2W MRI metrics were not significant. Gray value ratios of the spinal cord hyperechogenicity and dorsal and ventral spinal cord hyperechogenicity were significantly correlated with neurological recovery at 12 months postoperatively.