• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.265-272
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• 2011

It is well known that adipose tissue or body fat has been proved as a crucial component of brain-peripheral axis which can modulate the activities of reproductive hormonal axis in female mammals including rodents and human. Concerning the male reproduction, however, the role of adipose tissue has not been thoroughly studied. The present study was carried out to elucidate the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet on the reproductive system of postpubertal male rats. The HF diet (45% energy from fat, HF group) was applied to male rats from week 8 after birth for 4 weeks. The blood glucose levels, body and tissue weights were measured. Histological studies were performed to assess the structural alterations in the reproductive tissues. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus and pituitary, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Body weights (p<0.01) and blood glucose levels (p<0.01) of HF group were significantly higher than those of control animals. Similarly, the weights of epididymis (p<0.05), prostate (p<0.01), seminal vesicle (p<0.01) in HF group were higher than control levels. The weights of testis were not changed. The weights of kidney (p<0.001) and spleen (p<0.01) were significantly higher than control levels while the adrenal and pancreas weights were not changed. There were only slight alterations in the microstructures of accessory sex organs; the shape of luminal epithelial cells in epididymis from HF group were relatively thicker and bigger than those from control animals. In the semi-quantitative RT-PCR studies, the mRNA levels of hypothalamic GnRH (p<0.05) in HF group were significantly higher than those from the control animals. The mRNA levels of kisspeptin in HF group tend to be higher than control levels, the difference was not significant. Unlike the hypothalamic GnRH expression, the mRNA levels of pituitary $LH{\beta}$ and $FSH{\beta}$ were significantly decreased in HF group (p<0.05). The present study indicated that the 4-weeks feeding HF diet during the postpubertal period can alter the hypothalamus-pituitary (H-P) neuroendocrine reproductive system These results suggest that the increased body fat and the altered leptin input might disturb the H-P reproductive hormonal activities in male rats, and the changed activities seem to be responsible for the changes of tissue weights in accessory sex organs.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.78-88
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate dietary fat and individual fatty acids intake pattern of 174 college women living in Seoul and Gyong-gi province through internet nutritional assessment system. Each of the subjects was required to input their own food intake for three days, which included two days during the week and one day of the weekend, on the web program directly and all of the data collected were used for statistical analysis. The mean daily caloric intake of the subjects was 1,500.9 kcal which was at 71.5% of Estimated Energy Requirement (EER). Dietary fat contributed 27.6% of the total caloric intake which was slightly higher than the recommended limit of 25%. Daily cholesterol intake was 310.0 mg, which was also high to some degree. Mean daily N6 and N3 fatty acid intake was 6.1 g and 0.9 g, respectively, and calory % calculated from each were 3.63% and 0.53%. This result showed the intake of N3 fatty acid fell in Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMR) $0.5\sim1.0%$ but that of N6 fatty acid was somewhat lower than the AMDR $4\sim8%$. N6/N3 ratio 8.5/l, however, was within the desirable range $4\sim10/1$. Considering overall dietary fatty acids intake, oleic acid was the most abundant, followed by linoleic and palmitic acid. And among polyunsaturated fatty acids intake, linoleic acid was exclusively high, accounting for 97.4% of total N6 fatty acid intake. On the contrary, three fatty acids, linolenic (67.3%), DHA (21.1%) and EPA (10.0%), together supplied 98.4% of total N3 fatty acid intake. Mean P/M/S was 0.9/l.1/1.0. The subjects' intake of fat, many fatty acids and cholesterol came from diverse food groups including meats, fats and oils, milk and milk products, eggs, fish, and soybean products. Nevertheless, the subjects tended to show unfavorable fat and fatty acids intake pattern in terms of quantity and quality. Based on these results, it is important to monitor dietary fat intake pattern of the general population continuously and an internet program such as the one used for this study would be valuable, especially for assessing dietary patterns in the younger generation.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.495-498
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• 2018

In this paper, we propose an DAP system for dose evaluation of medical and industrial X-ray generator. Based on the DAP measurement technique using the Ion-Chamber, the proposed system can clearly measure the exposure radiation dose generated by the diagnostic X-ray apparatus. The hardware part of the DAP measures the amount of charge in the air that is captured by an X-ray. The high-speed processing algorithm part for cumulative radiation dose measurement through microcurrent measures the amount of charge captured by X-ray at a low implementation cost (power) with no input loss. The wired/wireless transmission/reception protocol part synchronized with the operation of the X-ray generator improves communication speed. The PC-based control program part for interlocking and aging measures the amount of X-ray generated in real time and enables measurement graphs and numerical value monitoring through PC GUI. As a result of evaluating the performance of the proposed system in an accredited testing laboratory, the measured values using DAP increased linearly in each energy band (30, 60, 100, 150 kV). In addition, since the standard deviation of the measured value at the point of 4 division was ${\pm}1.25%$, it was confirmed that the DAP showed uniform measurements regardless of location. It was confirmed that the normal operation was not less than ${\pm}4.2%$ of the international standard.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.393-398
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• 2005

An electromechanical type is the most useful mechanism in the various pumping mechanisms. It, however, requires a movement converting system including a ball screw, a helical cam, or a solenoid-beam spring, which makes the device complex and may lessen reliability. Thus, the authors have hypothesized that an electromagnetic actuator mechanism can eliminate the movement converting system and that thereby enhance the mechanical reliability and operative simplicity of an electro­pneumatic pump. The purpose of this study was to show a novel application of electromagnetic actuator mechanism in pulsatile pump and to provide preliminary data for further evaluations. The electromagnetic actuator consists of stators with a single winding excitation coil and movers with a high energy density neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet. A 0.5mm diameter wire was used for the excitation coil, and 1000 turns were wound onto the stators core with parallel. A prototype of extracorporeal electro-pneumatic pump was constructed, and the pump performance tests were performed using a mock system to evaluate the efficiency of the electromagnetic actuator mechanism. When forward and backward electric currents were supplied to the excitation coil, the mover effectively moved back and forth. The nominal stroke length of the actuator was 10mm. The actuator dimension was 120mm in diameter and 65mm in height with a mass of 1.4kg. The prototype pump unit was 150mm in diameter, 150mm in thickness and 4.5kg in weight. The maximum force output was 70N at input current of 4.5A and the maximum pump rate was 150 beats per minute. The maximum output was 2.0 L/minute at a rate of 80bpm when the afterload was 100mmHg. The electromagnetic actuator mechanism was successfully applied to construct the prototype of extracorporeal electro­pneumatic pump. The authors provide the above results as a preliminary data for further studies.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.235-252
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• 2022

Forward osmotic pressure-free reverse osmosis (Δ𝜋=0 RO) was invented in 2013. The first patent (US 9,950,297 B2) was registered on April 18, 2018. The "Osmotic Pressure of Concentrated Solutions" in JACS (1908) by G.N. Lewis of MIT was used for the estimation. The Chang's RO system differs from conventional RO (C-RO) in that two-chamber system of osmotic pressure equalizer and a low-pressure RO system while C-RO is based on a single chamber. Chang claimed that all aqueous solutions, including salt water, regardless of its osmotic pressure can be separated into water and salt. The second patent (US 10.953.367B2, March 23, 2021) showed that a low-pressure reverse osmosis is possible for 3.0% input at Δ𝜋 of 10 to 12 bar. Singularity ZERO reverse osmosis from his third patent (Korea patent 10-22322755, US-PCT/KR202003595) for a 3.0% NaCl input, 50% more water recovery, use of 1/3 RO membrane area, and 1/5th of theoretical energy. These numbers come from Chang's laboratory experiments and theoretical analysis. Relative residence time (RRT) of feed and OE chambers makes Δ𝜋 to zero or negative by recycling enriched feed flow. The construction cost by S-ZERO was estimated to be around 50~60% of the current RO system.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.55-66
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• 2020

Near-inertial waves (NIW) which are primarily generated by wind can contribute to vertical mixing in the ocean. The energetic NIW can be generated by typhoon due to its strong wind and preferable wind direction changes especially on the right-hand side of the typhoon. Here we investigate the generation and distribution of NIW using the output of a real-time ocean forecasting system. Five-year model outputs during 2013-2017 are analyzed with a focus on cases of energetic NIW generation by the passage of three typhoons (Halong, Goni, and Chaba) over the East Sea. Calculations of wind energy input (${\bar{W}}_I$), and horizontal kinetic energy in the mixed layer (${\bar{HKE}}_{MLD}$) reveal that the spatial distribution of ${\bar{HKE}}_{MLD}$, which is strengthened at the right-hand side of typhoon tracks, is closely related with ${\bar{W}}_I$. Horizontal kinetic energy in the deep layer (${\bar{HKE}}_{DEEP}$) shows patch-shaped distribution mainly located at the southern side of the East Sea. Spatial distribution of ${\bar{HKE}}_{DEEP}$ shows a close relationship with negative relative vorticity regions caused by warm eddies in the upper layer. Monthly-mean ${\bar{HKE}}_{MLD}$ and ${\bar{HKE}}_{DEEP}$ during a typhoon passing over the East Sea shows about 2.5-5.7 times and 1.2-1.6 times larger values than those during summer with no typhoons, respectively. In addition, their magnitudes are respectively about 0.4-1.0 and 0.8-1.0 times from those during winter, suggesting that the typhoon-induced NIW can provide a significant energy to enhance vertical mixing at both the mixed and deep layers during summer.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: High input to the arable land is contributed to increasing productivity with causing the global environmental problems at the same time. Rapeseed cultivation has been forced to reassess its positive point for utilization of winter fallow field. The Objective of this study was performed to assess the environmental impact of rapeseed cultivation with double-cropping system in paddy rice on Yeonggwang district using life cycle assessment technique. METHODS AND RESULTS: For assessing each stage of rapeseed cultivation, it was collected raw data for input materials as fertilizer and pesticide and energy consumption rate by analyzing the type of agricultural machinery and working hours by 1 ton rapeseed as functional unit. Environmental impacts were evaluated by using Eco-indicator 95 method for 8 impact categories. It was estimated that 216 kg $CO_2$-eq. for greenhouse gas, 3.98E-05 kg CFC-11-eq. for ozone lazer depletion, 1.78 kg SO2-eq. for acidification, 0.28 kg $PO_4$-eq. for eutrophication, 5.23E-03 kg Pb-eq. for heavy metals, 2.51E-05 kg B(a)p-eq. for carcinogens, 1.24 kg SPM-eq. for smog and 6,460 MJ LHV for energy resource are potentially emitted to produce 1 ton rapeseed during its whole cultivation period, respectively. It was considered that 90% of these potential came from chemical fertilizer. For the sensitivity analysis, by increasing the productivity of rapeseed by 1 ton per ha, potential environmental loading was reduced at 22%. CONCLUSION(s): Fertilization affected most dominantly to the environmental burden, originated from the preuse stage, i.e. fertilizer manufacturing and transporting. It should be included and assessed an indirect emission, which is not directly emitted from agricultural activities. Recycling resource in agriculture with reducing chemical fertilizer and breeding the high productive variety might be contribute to reduce the environmental loading for the rapeseed cultivation.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.279-309
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• 2009

Greenhouse gas emissions should be precisely forecast to reduce the emissions from industrial production processes. This study calculated the direct and indirect $CO_2$ emission intensities of 401 industries using the Input-Output tables 2003 and statistical data on the amount of energy use. This study had some limitations in drawing study findings because overseas data were used given the lack of domestic data. Other limiting factors included the oil distribution problems in the oil refinery sector, re-review of carbon neutral, and insufficient consideration of waste treatment. Nonetheless, this study is very meaningful since the direct and indirect $CO_2$ emission intensities of 401 industries were calculated. Specifically, this study considered from the zero-waste perspective the effects of waste, which attract interest worldwide since coke gas and gas from the steel industry are obtained as byproducts for the first time in Korea. According to the results of the analysis of $CO_2$ emission intensity per industry, typical industries whose indirect $CO_2$ emission intensity is high include crude steel making, Remicon, steel wire rods & track rail, cast iron, and iron reinforcing rods & bar steel. These industries produce products using the raw materials produced in the industrial sector whose $CO_2$ emission intensity is high. The representative industries whose direct $CO_2$ emission intensity is high include cement, pig iron, lime & plaster products, andcoal-based compounds. These industries extract raw ore from nature and refine them into raw materials that are useful in other industries. The findings in this study can be effectively used for the following case: estimation of target $CO_2$ emission reduction level reflecting each industrial sector's characteristics, calculation of potential emission reduction of each policy to reduce $CO_2$ emissions, identification of a firm's $CO_2$ emission level, and setting of the target level of emission reduction. Moreover, the findings in this study can be utilized widely in fields such as System of integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting(SEEA) and Material Flow Analysis(MFA) as the current topic of research in Korea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.3 s.178
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• pp.255-268
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• 2006

Recent 22-year (1981-2002) meteorological data of 58 Korea Meteorological Adminstration (KMA) station were analyzed to investigate spatial and temporal variation of surface air temperature (SAT) and ground surface temperature (GST) in Korea. Based on the KMA data, multiple linear regression (MLR) models, having two regression variables of latitude and altitude, were presented to predict mean surface air temperature (MSAT) and mean ground surface temperature (MGST). Both models showed a high accuracy of prediction with $R^2$ values of 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. The prediction of MGST is particularly important in the areas of geothermal energy utilization, since it is a critical parameter of input for designing the ground source heat pump system. Thus, due to a good performance of the MGST regression model, it is expected that the model can be a useful tool for preliminary evaluation of MGST in the area of interest with no reliable data. By a simple linear regression, temporal variation of SAT was analyzed to examine long-term increase of SAT due to the global warming and the urbanization effect. All of the KMA stations except one showed an increasing trend of SAT with a range between 0.005 and $0.088^{\circ}C/yr$ and a mean of $0.043^{\circ}C/yr$. In terms of meteorological factors controlling variation of GST, the effects of solar radiation, terrestrial radiation, precipitation, and snow cover were also discussed based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of the meteorological data.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.457-463
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• 2014

This study was carried out to find out major factors to mitigate carbon emission using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). System boundary of LCA was confined from sowing to packaging during vegetable production. Input amount of agri-materials was calculated on 2007 Income reference of white radish, chinese cabbage and chive produced at open field and film house published by Rural Development Administration. Domestic data and Ecoinvent data were used for emission factors of each agri-material based on the 1996 IPCC guideline. Carbon footprint of white radish was 0.19 kg $CO_2kg^{-1}$ at open fields, 0.133 kg $CO_2kg^{-1}$ at film house, that of chinese cabbage was 0.22 kg $CO_2kg^{-1}$ at open fields, 0.19 kg $CO_2kg^{-1}$ at film house, and that of chive was 0.66 kg $CO_2kg^{-1}$ at open fields and 1.04 kg $CO_2kg^{-1}$ at film house. The high carbon footprint of chive was related to lower vegetable production and higher fuel usage as compared to white radish and Chinese cabbage. The mean proportion of carbon emission was 35.7% during the manufacturing byproduct fertilizer; white radish at open fields was 50.6%, white radish at film house 13.1%, Chinese cabbage at outdoor 38.4%, Chinese cabbage at film house 34.0%, chive at outdoor 50.6%, and chive at film house 36.0%. Carbon emission, on average, for the step of manufacturing and combustion accounted for 16.1% of the total emission; white radish at open fields was 4.3%, white radish at film house 15.6%, Chinese cabbage at open fields 6.9%, Chinese cabbage at film house 19.0%, chive at open fields 12.5%, and chive at film house 29.1%. On the while, mean proportion of carbon footprint for the step of $N_2O$ emission was 29.2%; white radish at open fields was 39.2%, white radish at film house 41.9%, Chinese cabbage at open fields 34.4%, Chinese cabbage at film house 23.1%, chive at open fields 28.8%, and chive at film house 17.1%. Fertilizer was the primary factor and fuel was the secondary factor for carbon emission among the vegetables of this study. It was suggested to use Heug-To-Ram web-service system, http://soil.rda.go.kr, for the scientific fertilization based on soil testing, and for increase of energy efficiency to produce low carbon vegetable.