• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.119-124
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• 2019

Objective: It is widely accepted that aging decreases women's fertility capacity. The aim of this study was to assess correlations between maternal age and the morphokinetic parameters and cleavage pattern of embryos. Methods: The morphokinetics of embryos derived from women < 30, 30-35, 36-40, and > 40 years of age were compared retrospectively in terms of time of second polar body extrusion, time of pronuclei appearance, time of pronuclei fading, and time of two to eight discrete cells (t2-t8). Furthermore, abnormal cleavage patterns such as uneven blastomeres at the two-cell stage, cell fusion (Fu), and trichotomous mitoses (TM) were assessed. Results: Only t5 occurred later in women aged 36-40 and > 40 years when compared with those aged < 30 and 30-35 years (p< 0.001). Other morphokinetic timing parameters, as well the presence of uneven blastomeres, were comparable between the groups (p> 0.05). However, Fu and TM were more common in women aged > 40 years than in younger women (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Maternal age was correlated with the cleavage pattern of embryos. Therefore, evaluating embryo morphokinetics may contribute to optimal embryo selection, thereby increasing fertility in patients with advanced maternal age.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.74-80
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• 2013

The aim of this study is to evaluate color removal from leather-dyeing wastewater using $O_3$ and $O_3/H_2O_2$ unit processes and a serial process for $O_3$, followed by the $O_3/H_2O_2$ process. The color removal rate of the $O_3$ alone process was only 65% effective, and the color increased when an applied $O_3$ dose of more than 40 ~ 50 mg/L was applied. On the other hand, the color was completely removed without increments of color by the $O_3/H_2O_2$ process with $H_2O_2$ injection ratio of 0.2 and 0.3 (wt. $H_2O_2$/wt. $O_3$). Even though the injection of $H_2O_2$ had an effect on color removal, the color removal rates from $O_3$ alone and from $O_3/H_2O_2$ were similar up to the initial $O_3$-demand stage with an application of 0 ~ 40 mg/L $O_3$. In conclusion, it was found that the $O_3$ followed by the $O_3/H_2O_2$ serial process, the method injecting $H_2O_2$ after ozonation with $O_3$-demand (30 ~ 40 mg/L) in the first stage, is the most appropriate process for effective color removal from leather-dyeing wastewater.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.378-383
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• 1993

Background: In recent reports, it has been reported that increased coagulation and decreased fibrinolytic activity has been responsible for abnormal fibrin turnover in exudative pleural effusion. In the cases of empyema, the fibrinopurulent stage is characterized by the fibrin deposition resulting in formation of limiting membranes in the visceral and parietal pleura. Recently attention has been focused on intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy capable of removing intrapleural fibrin deposits by urokinase (UK) in the treatment of empyema. However, these clinical trials have provided the clinical evidences for resolution of pleural loculation after intrapleural urokinase injection (UK-injection), the profiles of fibrinolytic activity following the treatment were still not investigated. Therefore in order to demonstrate the fibrinolytic evidences behind the clinical efficacy of intracavitary UK-injection, we examined intrapleural plasminogen activator activity (PA-activity) and D-dimer (D-Di) concentrations before and after each repeated UK-injection into the pleura in subjects with loculated empyema cavity. Methods: In a group of 14 patients with multiple loculated empyema cavity, PA-activity and D-Di concentrations were measured before and after repeated UK-injection. One hundred thousand IU of UK was injected at each time and all sujects had at least two times of UK injection accoring to clinical decisions. Nine out of 14 sujects had three times of UK-injection. Results: The mean (${\pm}SE$) PA-activity prior to treatemnt was $10.5{\pm}7.0$ and it was increased to $91.9{\pm}27.0,\;432.3{\pm}177.1,\;170.0{\pm}85.3$ IU tPA/ml after first, second and third time of UK-injection respectively (p<0.01). D-Di concentrations were also increased from $4.16{\pm}1.06{\times}10^5$ to $9.62{\pm}1.54{\times}10^5,\;12.31{\pm}1.89{\times}10^5,\;8.54{\pm}1.56{\times}10^5$ ng/ml in the same order as above (p<0.05). Conclusion: The suppressed fibrinolytic activity in the empyema cavity get removed sinificantly after inrracavitary injection of urokinase by generation of additional intrapleural plasmin.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2022

Objective: Optimizing culture media for the incubation of immature oocytes is a vital strategy to increase the oocyte maturation rate during in vitro maturation (IVM) programs. This study evaluated the IVM and fertilization rates of human germinal vesicle (GV) and metaphase I (MI) oocytes using two different maturation media (commercial and homemade) with or without growth differentiation factor 9-β (GDF9-β). supplementation. Methods: Immature oocytes from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles were collected and assigned to one of two IVM culture media (commercial or homemade; cleavage-stage base). After maturation, MII oocytes were examined under an inverted microscope for the presence of the polar body, zona pellucida (ZP) birefringence, and meiotic spindle (MS) visualization after maturation in four conditions (commercial or homemade medium, with or without GDF9-β. ICSI was done for matured oocytes, and fertilization was confirmed by the visualization of two distinct pronuclei and two polar bodies. Results: No significant differences were found between the two culture media in terms of the time and rate of oocyte maturation or the rate of fertilization (p>0.05). Growth factor supplementation increased the 24-hour maturation rate for both GV and MI oocytes only in homemade medium. The maturation rate after 24 hours was higher for MI oocytes (p<0.05). Similar results were observed for MS visualization and ZP structure in both types of media (p>0.05). Conclusion: Higher rates of oocyte maturation and fertilization were observed after application of homemade medium supplemented with GDF9-β. Therefore, this combination may be recommended as an alternative for clinical IVM programs.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.388-394
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• 1999

To compare the effect of hyaluronate and dexamethasone on the temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis the author investigated 22 temporomandibular joint disorder(TMD) patients with pain and limitation of mouth opening who visited at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Chosun Dental Hospital and were made a diagnosis as Wilkes stage III or IV of TMJ internal derangement clinically and radiographically. The two groups consisted of 10 patients with injection of sodium hyaluronate 10mg$(Artz^{(R)})$(hyaluronate group) on the upper joint space of the affected temporomandibular joint 5 times at intervals of a week after arthrocentesis, and 12 patients with injection of dexamethasone$(Oradexon^{(R)})$ at a time(dexamethasone group). Maximum mouth opening, pain value and satisfaction value during mastication were assessed on a visual analog scale before arthrocentesis and after 6 months. Then the within-group and between-group differences were evaluated in the obtained data and the clinical success rate of each group was calculated according to our success criteria. The results were as follows. 1. the mean of maximum mouth opening before arthrocentesis and after 6 months in the hyaluronate group were 24.9mm and 39.0mm respectively, and those before arthrocentesis and after 6 months in the dexamethasone group were 25.7mm and 41.3mm respectively. 2. The mean of pain value on a visual analog scale in the hyaluronate group before arthrocentesis and after 6 months were 6.7 and 1.8 respectively, and those in the dexamethasone group before arthrocentesis and after 6 months were 7.0 and 1.8 respectively. 3. The mean of satisfaction value during mastication on a visual analog scale in the hyaluronate group before arthrocentesis and after 6 months were 2.8 and 7.7 respectively, and those in the dexamethasone group before arthrocentesis and after 6 months were 3.1 and 7.8 respectively. 4. There were statistically significant differences between all measurements before arthrocentesis and after 6 months(P<0.001), but no difference between all measurements in the hyaluronate group and those in the dexamethasone group. 5. The over all success rate of the hyaluronate group and the dexamethasone group were 60.0% and 63.6% respectively. In summary, there was significant difference between the effect of hyaluronate and dexamethasone on the temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis but hyaluronate is better than corticosteroid as the injection drug in consideration of the side effect related with repeated injection.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 2021

This study is to identify the mineralogical properties of caprock samples from drilling cores of the Pohang basin, which is the research area for the demonstration-scale CO2 storage project in Korea. The interaction of water-rock-gas that can occur due to CO2 injection was identified using geochemical modeling. Results of mineralogical studies, together with petrographic data of caprock and data on the physicochemical parameters of pore water were used for geochemical modeling. Modelling was carried out using the The Geochemist's Workbench 14.0.1 geochemical simulator. Two steps of modeling enabled prediction of immediate changes in the caprocks impacted by the first stage of CO2 injection and the assessment of long-term effects of sequestration. Results of minerlaogical analysis showed that the caprock samples are mainly composed of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase and a small amount of pyrite, calcite, kaolinite and montmollonite. After the injection of carbon dioxide, the porosity of the caprock increased due to the dissolution of calcite, and dawsonite and chalcedony were precipitated as a result of the dissolution of albite and k-feldspar. In the second step after the injection was completed, the precipitation of dawsonite and chalcedony occurred as a result of dissolution of calcite and albite, and the pH was increased due to this reaction. Results of these studies are expected to be used as data to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of mineral trapping capture in long-term storage of carbon dioxide.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.40-46
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• 2017

Objective: To describe in vitro development of human embryos derived from an individual with a homozygous pathogenic variant in NLRP7 (19q13.42) and recurrent hydatidiform mole (HM), an autosomal recessive condition thought to occur secondary to an oocyte defect. Methods: A patient with five consecutive HM pregnancies was genomically evaluated via next generation sequencing followed by controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection, embryo culture, and preimplantation genetic screening. Findings in NLRP7 were recorded and embryo culture and biopsy data were tabulated as a function of parental origin for any identified ploidy error. Results: The patient was found to have a pathogenic variant in NLRP7 (c.2810+2T>G) in a homozygous state. Fifteen oocytes were retrieved and 10 embryos were available after fertilization via intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Developmental arrest was noted for all 10 embryos after 144 hours in culture, thus no transfer was possible. These non-viable embryos were evaluated by karyomapping and all were diploid biparental; two were euploid and eight had various aneuploidies all of maternal origin. Conclusion: This is the first report of early human embryo development from a patient with any NLRP7 mutation. The pathogenic variant identified here resulted in global developmental arrest at or before blastocyst stage. Standard IVF should therefore be discouraged for such patients, who instead need to consider oocyte (or embryo) donation with IVF as preferred clinical methods to treat infertility.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.142-152
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• 2004

Tensile tests of two types of injection-molded polystyrene(PS) samples have been carried out over a wide range of temperature and strain rates in order to characterize their crazing behaviors. Mechanical properties were affected by the formation of crazes as well as test variables. Below the brittle-ductile transition temperature, the tensile stress and the ultimate elongation increased with the molecular weight, strain rate, and with decreasing temperature while the number and average length of crazes also increase. The crazing stress increased with molecular weight, strain rate, and with decreasing temperature. However, the dependence was small compared to the tensile stress. The gap between crazing stress and tensile stress which represents time fur craze formation and growth increased with molecular weight, strain rate, and with decreasing temperature. Crazing was activated near the ${\beta}$-relaxation temperature; crazing stress abruptly decreased at this temperature. During the tensile test, the craze density changed exponentially with the applied stress. At the initial stage, crazes formed slowly. Once a certain number of craze formed, however, the craze density increased rapidly. Craze nucleation and growth occur simultaneously.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.386-392
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• 2017

This paper considers the analysis of the flight performance reserve, which is required propellant to compensate various launch vehicle performance deviations, to inject the payload of a 3-staged launch vehicle to a circular sun synchronous orbit at a height of 700 km. The various error sources, which affect the orbit injection accuracy, and their uncertainty are defined first. Then the sensitivity analysis, which has the advantage that each error source effect can be investigated independently, is performed for the extreme ${\pm}3{\sigma}$ conditions of the launch vehicle performance errors. Monte carlo simulations are also conducted to compute the propellant reserve, which can consider the combined effects of each error source. Finally the obtained flight performance reserves by the two approaches are compared and it is confirmed that they show similar results.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 1997

The objective of this study was to compare retrospectively the survival and pregnancy rates(PR) of cryopresered-thawed embryos obtained from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF). Ninety-six cycles of cryopresered-thawed embryo transfer (ET) were performed in 79 patients from June, 1996 to September, 1997 and grouped as followings: 20 cycles (16 patients) inseminated by ICSI (ICSI Group) and 76 cycles (63 patients) by conventional IVF (IVF Group). Slow-freezing and rapid-thawing protocol was used with 1.5M propanediol (PROH) and 0.1M sucrose as cryoprotectant. All embryos were frozen-thawed at the two pronuclear (2 PN) stage excluding four cycles in which the early cleavage stage embryos were frozen, and allowed to cleave in vitro for one day before ET. The duration from freezing to thawing was comparable in both groups ($mean{\pm}SD$, $112.1{\pm}80.0$ vs. $124.8{\pm}140.1$ days). The age of female ($31.2{\pm}3.4$ vs. $32.6{\pm}3.3$ years) and the endometrial thickness prior to progesterone injection ($9.4{\pm}2.0$ vs. $9.3{\pm}1.8$ mm) were also comparable in both groups. There was no significant difference in the outcomes of cryopreserved-thawed ET between two groups: survival rate ($85.2{\pm}16.1%$ vs. $82.2{\pm}19.7%$), cleavage rate ($96.9{\pm}6.7%$ vs. $94.7{\pm}13.0%$), cumulative embryo score (CES, $54.5{\pm}31.1$ vs. $49.0{\pm}20.0$), preclinical loss rate (5.0% vs. 5.3%), clinical miscarriage rate (0% vs 29.4%), clinical PR per transfer (35.0% vs. 22.4%), implantation rate (9.9% vs. 5.6%), and multifetal PR (42.9% vs. 17.6%). In conclusion, human embryos resulting from ICSI can be cryopreserved-thawed and transferred successfully, and the survival rate and PR are comparable to conventional IVF.