• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2008

Retinal prosthesis is regarded as the most feasible method for the blind caused by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age related macular degeneration (AMD). Recently Korean consortium launched for developing retinal prosthesis. One of the prerequisites for the success of retinal prosthesis is the optimization of the electrical stimuli applied through the prosthesis. Since electrical characteristics of degenerate retina are expected to differ from those of normal retina, we performed voltage stimulation experiment both in normal and degenerate retina to provide a guideline for the optimization of electrical stimulation for the upcoming prosthesis. After isolation of retina, retinal patch was attached with the ganglion cell side facing the surface of microelectrode arrays (MEA). $8{\times}8$ grid layout MEA (electrode diameter: $30{\mu}m$, electrode spacing: $200{\mu}m$, and impedance: $50k{\Omega}$ at 1 kHz) was used to record in-vitro retinal ganglion cell activity. Mono-polar electrical stimulation was applied through one of the 60 MEA channel, and the remaining channels were used for recording. The electrical stimulus was a constant voltage, charge-balanced biphasic, anodic-first square wave pulse without interphase delay, and 50 trains of pulse was applied with a period of 2 sec. Different electrical stimuli were applied. First, pulse amplitude was varied (voltage: $0.5{\sim}3.0V$). Second, pulse duration was varied $(100{\sim}1,200{\mu}s)$. Evoked responses were analyzed by PSTH from averaged data with 50 trials. Charge density was calculated with Ohm's and Coulomb's law. In normal retina, by varying the pulse amplitude from 0.5 to 3V with fixed duration of $500{\mu}s$, the threshold level for reliable ganglion cell response was found at 1.5V. The calculated threshold of charge density was $2.123mC/cm^2$. By varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1,200{\mu}s$ with fixed amplitude of 2V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$. The calculated threhold of charge density was $1.698mC/cm^2$. Even after the block of ON-pathway with L-(1)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB), electrical stimulus evoked ganglion cell activities. In this APB-induced degenerate retina, by varying the pulse duration from 100 to $1200{\mu}s$ with fixed voltage of 2 V, the threshold level was found at $300{\mu}s$, which is the same with normal retina. More experiment with APB-induced degenerate retina is needed to make a clear comparison of threshold of charge density between normal and degenerate retina.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.110-119
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• 2009

Sosang Pal-Kyung(瀟湘八景), which originated in China and means eight scenes of So River and Sang River, greatly influenced the poems and the pictures in East Asia for a long time and became a cultural phenomenon leading the stereotype of the traditional landscapes in Korea and Japan. Studies on 'Kyung(a scene)' such as 'Pal-Kyung(八景)', have been made continuously until now, but there are no results of a study intensively focusing on the meaning and the form of Sosang Pal-Kyung, which is the origin of the domestic Pal-Kyung culture. The goal of this study is to investigate the typical form observed in Sosang Pal-Kyung-Ga(瀟湘八景歌) and Sosang Pal-Kyung-Do(瀟湘八景圖), as a text of a cultural landscape, and to clear up the coherence structure between a recognition system and a way of thinking that existed in the cultural phenomenon of Sosang Pal-Kyung. In this study, the symbolism of Pal(八) was summarized and the surface structure and the correlation of each Kyung of Sosang Pal-Kyung was explained in light of semiotics through segmenting and disjointing the lexeme of a landscape while the coherence structure and the meaning of Sosang Pal-Kyung-Ga and Sosang Pal-Kyung-Do as a text were investigated. Sosang Pal-Kyung is based on the view of the Sun and the Moon(or Positive and Negative) and the Eight Trigrams(八卦) for divination and is a linguistic symbol in which human life and the principle of circulation and conversion of nature are expressed as characters and picture texts. Its structure has strong coherence and cohesion, which attempt to move the abstruse truth of nature into human consciousness by developing and corresponding the grammatical structure and form of the sentences and the implicative languages emphasizing the symbolism of the words to the characteristics of similarities and contrast. In addition, Sosang Pal-Kyung expresses human life, the processes of birth and death of nature and the mutual response dialectically by putting various factors of the landscape in the frame of regular formality and structure. It is considered that the image signs in Sosang Pal-Kyung emphasize the theory of circulation of human life and nature are narrative scenery, which one looks at with a contemplative view in the circulation system of the time and the season. The cultural phenomena of Sosang Pal-Kyung in the Joseon Dynasty, which had been handed down from the Goryeo Dynasty, had become the driving force of leading aesthetics of Joseon's art and literature by adding the scenery of the point of view of Sung Confucianism. Its coherence structure was changed, but its cohesion was handed down continuously so that it became not only the basic text of the traditional and cultural landscape but also, the typical Korean-style stereotype of a landscape.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2018

A method of transmitting an alert signal in case of man-overboard (MOB) systems in a small fishing vessel navigating within coastal area is being operated as VHF-DSC equipment via a distress alert button and V-P ass Equipment via alert button or beacon separation. However, a small fishing vessel with a couple of crews on board is an inappropriate way to alert a man-overboard condition. However, internationally, MOB equipment using VHF-DSC, AIS, and Bluetooth technologies is used to transmit alert signals directly to the mother ship and other radio stations. In order to analyze the performance and technology of the MOB equipment operating in foreign countries, it was confirmed that the alarm signal can be received within a maximum of one nautical mile when the MOB device is on the water surface. An MOB device that meets domestic conditions needs to send an alarm signal to a station within the VHF communication range. However, in order to reduce the false alert signal, it is most appropriate to operate the VHF-DSC radio equipment installed on the ship remotely. Analysis of various technologies connecting the MOB and the VHF-DSC revealed that the Bluetooth system has advantages such as device miniaturization. When an emergency signal is transmitted from the MOB device, it can be received by a dedicated receiver and recognized through an external input terminal of the VHF-DSC equipment generating its own alarm. If the emergency situation cannot be processed at the mother ship, a distress alert is sent to all radio stations via VHF-DSC for response under emergencies faced by small fishing vessels.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.135-146
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• 2001

Background : One of the important mechanisms responsible for a tumor escaping the immune response is an absence of the tumor associated antigen (TAA) on the cancer cell surface. To overcome this, combination gene therapy using a herpes simplex thymidine kinase (HSTK) gene, prototype of drug sensitizing gene, was conducted to enhance T AA release by cell destruction, as well as the cytokine genes for immune cell attraction. Methods : We investigated whether or not transduction with the adenovirus-HSTK (Ad-HSTK) enhanced the sensitivity of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) to ganciclovir (GCV) and induced a bystander effect. A Tumor vaccine trial was performed using LLC with ad-HSTK$\pm$ad-GM-CSF$\pm$ad-IL-2 to determine if they exhibit some antitumor effect on established lung cancer xenografts. Results : LLC with ad-HSTK revealed a much higher sensitivity to ganciclovir (GCV). LLC transduced with ad-HSTK and/or ad-IL-2, ad-GM-CSF showed a lower in vivo tumorigenicity. In the treatment experiment, vaccination with LLC transduced with ad-HSTK, ad-IL-2, or ad-GM-CSF alone modestly suppressed the growth of an established tumor. Combined transduction with HSTK and GM-CSF induced stronger growth suppression of a established lung cancer, while HSTK and IL-2 combination transduction did not have any antitumor effect on individual transduction. Vaccination with LLC-HSTK-GM-CSF increased the infiltration of dendritic cells in the spleen. Conclusion : It was concluded that a tumor vaccine transduced with HSTK and GM-CSF induces strong antitumor immunity by activating the dendritic cells.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.274-278
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• 2017

In this study, predictive mathematical models were developed to estimate the kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus growth in processed meat product galbitang. Processed meat product galbitang was inoculated with 0.1 mL of S. aureus culture and stored at 4, 10, 20, $37^{\circ}C$. The ${\mu}_{max}$ (maximum specific growth rate) and LPD (lag phase duration) values were calculated. The primary model was used to develop a response surface secondary model. The growth parameters were analyzed using the square root model as a function of storage temperature. The developed model was confirmed by calculating RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) values as statistic parameters. The LPD decreased, but ${\mu}_{max}$ increased with an increase in the storage temperature. At 4, 10, 20 and $37^{\circ}C$, $R^2$ was 0.99, 0.98, 0.99 and 0.99, respectively; RMSE was 0.39. The developed predictive growth model can be used to predict the risk of S. aureus contamination in processed meat product galbitang; hence, it has potential as an input model for the risk assessment.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.208-217
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• 2020

A biopolymer based on microorganism-derived β-glucan and xanthan gum is being studied as a new eco-friendly material that stabilizes the riverbank slope, and also promotes vegetation growth. However, it is still inconclusive whether biopolymers have a positive effect on plant performance in the riverbanks which are subjected to various climatic factors and plant competitions. For a practical ecological evaluation of the biopolymers, their effect on plant growth promotion was studied in a natural environment. Considering the relationship between competition and plant community formation, the effects of biopolymers on competition were also investigated. For four plant species (Echinochloa crus-galli, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Leonurus japonicus, and Coreopsis lanceolata), the biopolymer effects under intra/interspecific competition were tested at the riverbank (20 m × 10 m) near Samjigyo Bridge in Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do. A biopolymer powder was mixed with water and commercial soil following the manufacturer's recommendations. The soil mixed with the biopolymer was filled in a pot or applied to the surface of the commercial soil with a thickness of 3 cm. Across the competition treatments, the biopolymer treatment promoted root growth of the target plant species and decreased the specific leaf area. The total biomass and shoot dry weight of P. alopecuroides increased in response to the biopolymer treatment. The competition treatment decreased the total biomass and shoot dry weight compared to the case without competition. Notably, such a competitive effect was similar in all the biopolymer treatments. Thus, biopolymers, when mixed with soil, promote the growth of some plant species, but do not appear to affect the competitive ability of plants.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.9
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• pp.1081-1090
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to develop a functional porridge prepared with mulberry leaf and mulberry fruit powder, which can ameliorate hypertension. The experiment was designed according to the central composite design. For optimization of the mixture ratio of mulberry leaf powder (MLP) and mulberry fruit powder (MFP), the independent variables were defined as MLP (X1) and MFP (X2) and the dependent variables were defined as K (Y1), Na (Y2), ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (Y3), cyanidin-3-glycoside (C3G) (Y4), rutin (Y5), and flavonoid (Y6). The optimal MLP to MFP mixture ratio according to the response surface method were 5.41 g of MLP and 2.65 g of MFP. The amounts of K, Na, GABA, C3G, rutin, and flavonoid in the optimal MLP and MFP mixture were 1,844.22 mg/100 g, 52.74 mg/100 g, 139.98 mg/100 g, 1,134.89 mg/100 g, 101.56 mg/100 g, and 201.28 mg/100 g, respectively. The amounts of Ca, K, Mg, and Na in the functional porridge at this optimal point were 27.66 mg/100 g, 131.32 mg/100 g, 19.57 mg/100 g, and 3.59 mg/100 g, respectively. Overall, this functional porridge can help reduce hypertension.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2000

The effects of fermentation temperature$(0{\sim}l5^{\circ}C)$ and salt concentration$(1.5{\sim}4.0%)$ on the fermentation property of Chinese cabbage Kimchi were analyzed by response surface methodology. The pH decreased and acidity increased with increasing fermentation time. The reduction and increment velocities of pH and acidity were increased by increasing fermentation temperature and decreasing salt concentration. The optimum pH 4.2 was reached within $14{\sim}24$ days at $5{\sim}15^{\circ}C$, while pHs of 24 days at $0{\sim}5^{\circ}C$ were still lower value than 4.2. The effect of salt concentration more affected terminal fermentation period than initial fermentation period. The maximum edible acidity, 0.75%, was reached within 8 days at $15^{\circ}C$, while acidifies of 24 days at $0^{\circ}C$ were $0.35{\sim}0.43%$. The effects of salt concentration at $0^{\circ}C$ was higher than those at $15^{\circ}C$. The fermentation time, fermentation temperature and salt concentration were the first, second and third affecting factors on the pH and acidity of Kimchi. Based on the coefficients of determination, pH and acidity were highly fitted to the experimental data$(r^2>0.9276)$. For the suitable acidity range, $0.40{\sim}0.75%$, the edible period of Kimchi at $15^{\circ}C,\;10^{\circ}C\;and\;5^{\circ}C$ were 4 days, 10 days and 18 days at the 2.75% of salt concentration, respectively. The edible period increased from 14 days to 19 days with increased salt concentration from 1.50% to 4.00% at $5^{\circ}C$ of fermentation temperature.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.343-357
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• 1992

Tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$(TNF), a polypeptide hormone secreted primarily by activated macrophages, was originally identified on the basis of its ability to cause hemorrhagic necrosis and tumor regression in vivo. Subsequently, TNF has been shown to be an important component of the host responses to infection and cancer and may mediate the wasting syndrome known as cachexia. These systemic actions of TNF are reflected in its diverse effects on target cells in vitro. TNF initiates its diverse cellular actions by binding to specific cell surface receptors. Although TNF receptors have been identified on most of animal cells, regulation of these receptors and the mechanisms which transduce TNF receptor binding into cellular responses are not well understood. Therefore, in the present study, the mechanisms how TNF receptors are being regulated and how TNF receptor binding is being transduced into cellular responses were investigated in rat liver plasma membranes (PM) and ME-180 human cervical carcinoma cell lines. $^{125}I$-TNF bound to high ($K_d=1.51{\pm}0.35nM$)affinity receptors in rat liver PM. Solubilization of PM with 1% Triton X-100 increased both high affinity (from $0.33{\pm}0.04\;to\;1.67{\pm}0.05$ pmoles/mg protein) and low affinity (from $1.92{\pm}0.16\;to\;7.57{\pm}0.50$ pmoles/mg protein) TNF binding without affecting the affinities for TNF, suggesting the presence of a large latent pool of TNF receptors. Affinity labeling of receptors whether from PM or solubilized PM resulted in cross-linking of $^{125}I$-TNF into $M_r$ 130 kDa, 90 kDa and 66kDa complexes. Thus, the properties of the latent TNF receptors were similar to those initially accessible to TNF. To determine if exposure of latent receptors is regulated by TNF, $^{125}I$-TNF binding to control and TNF-pretreated membranes were assayed. Specific binding was increased by pretreatment with TNF (P<0.05), demonstrating that hepatic PM contains latent TNF receptors whose exposure is promoted by TNF. Homologous up-regulation of TNF receptors may, in part, be responsible for sustained hepatic responsiveness during chronic exposure to TNF. As a next step, the post-receptor events induced by TNF were examined. Although the signal transduction pathways for TNF have not been delineated clearly, the actions of many other hormones are mediated by the reversible phosphorylation of specific enzymes or target proteins. The present study demonstrated that TNF induces phosphorylation of 28 kDa protein (p28). Two dimensional soidum dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE) resolved the 28kDa phosphoprotein into two isoforms having pIs of 6.2 and 6.1. The pIs and relative molecular weight of p28 were consistent with those of a previously characterized mRNA cap binding protein. mRNA cap binding proteins are a class of translation initiation factors that recognize the 7-methylguanosine cap structure found on the 5' end of eukaryotic mRNAs. In vitro, these proteins are defined by their specific elution from affinity columns composed of 7-methylguanosine 5'-triphosphate($m^7$GTP)-Sepharose. Affinity purification of mRNA cap binding proteins from control and TNF treated ME-180 cells proved that TNF rapidly stimulates phosphorylation of an mRNA cap binding protein. Phosphorylation occurred in several cell types that are important in vitro models of TNF action. The mRNA cap binding protein phosphorylated in response to TNF treatment was purifice, sequenced, and identified as the proto-oncogene product eukaryotic initiation factor-4E(eIF-4E). These data show that phosphorylation of a key component of the cellular translational machinery is a common early event in the diverse cellular actions of TNF.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2010

Acid mine drainage (AMD) from abandoned mine sites typically has low pH and contains high level of various heavy metals, aggravating ground- and surface water qualities and neighboring environments. This study investigated removal of heavy metals in a biological treatment system, mainly focusing on the removal by adsorption on a substrate material. Bench-scale batch experiments were performed with a mushroom compost to evaluate the adsorption characteristics of heavy metals leached out from a mine tailing sample and the role of SRB in the overall removal process. In addition, adsorption experiments were perform using an artificial AMD sample containing $Cd^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, $Pb^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ to assess adsorption capacity of the mushroom compost. The results indicated Mn leached out from mine tailing was not subject to microbial stabilization or adsorption onto mushroom compost while microbially mediated stabilization played an important role in the removal of Zn. Fe leaching significantly increased in the presence of microbes as compared to autoclaved samples, and this was attributed to dissolution of Fe minerals in the mine tailing in a response to the depletion of $Fe^{3+}$ by iron reduction bacteria. Measurement of oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and pH indicated the reactive mixture maintained reducing condition and moderate pH during the reaction. The results of the adsorption experiments involving artificial AMD sample indicated adsorption removal efficiency was greater than 90% at pH 6 condition, but it decreased at pH 3 condition.