• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.439-447
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• 2019

In this study, experiments were conducted to establish appropriate measures for slopes with high risk of collapse and to obtain results for minimizing slope collapse damage by detecting the micro-displacement of soil in advance by installing a laser sensor and a vibration sensor in the landslide reduction model experiment. Also, the behavior characteristics of the soil layer due to rainfall and moisture ratio changes such as pore water pressure and moisture were analyzed through a landslide reduction model experiment. The artificial slope was created using granite weathering soil, and the resulting water ratio(water pressure, water) changes were measured at different rainfall conditions of 200mm/hr and 400mm/hr. Laser sensors and vibration sensors were applied to analyze the surface displacement, and the displacement time were compared with each other by video analysis. Experiments have shown that higher rainfall intensity takes shorter time to reach the limit, and increase in the pore water pressure takes shorter time as well. Although the landslide model test does not fully reflect the site conditions, measurements of the time of detection of displacement generation using vibration sensors show that the timing of collapse is faster than the method using laser sensors. If ground displacement measurements using sensors are continuously carried out in preparation for landslides, it is considered highly likely to be utilized as basic data for predicting slope collapse, reducing damage, and activating the measurement industry.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.406-413
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• 2018

In OBIGGS, a small amount of ozone in the atmosphere damages the polymer membrane. Therefore, the ozone removal device is installed at the front end to prevent the damage of the membrane by reducing the concentration of ozone in the gas delivered to the membrane. In this study, two hollow fiber membranes, PI and PSf, used to fabrication hollow fiber module with an effective membrane area of $6.37cm^2$ for gas separation in OBIGGS. The ozone concentration in the chamber was maintained at 2-3 ppm. The gas was continuously supplied into the module by using a pump. The gas permeation characteristics and the tensile strength were evaluated as a function of ozone exposure time. The PI-based hollow fiber membrane showed only 20% reduction in the transmittance, and remained its original uniformity without any significant changes. However, when PSf type hollow fiber membranes were used, the permeability decreased by more than 80% and the tensile strength decreased by more than 70%.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.235-243
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• 2021

Photobiomodulation (PBM)-based therapy, which uses a phenomenon in which a light source of a specific wavelength band promotes ATP production in mitochondria, has attracted much attention in the fields of biology and medicine because of its effects on wound healing, inflammation reduction, and pain relief. Research on PBM-based therapy has mainly used lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources and, despite the advantages of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), there have been only a few cases where OLEDs were used in PBM-based therapy. In this research, the skin-care effect of PBM was analyzed using red (λ = 620 nm), green (λ = 525 nm), and blue (λ = 455 nm) OLED lighting modules, and was compared to the PBM effect of LEDs. We demonstrated the PBM-based skin-care effect of the red, green, blue OLED lighting modules by measuring the increase in the amount of collagen type-1 synthesis, the inhibition of melanin synthesis, and the suppression of nitric oxide generation, respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Analysis, Health and Toxicology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.264-280
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• 2018

In this study, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured using a proton transfer reaction-time of flight-mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) at the Seoul Metropolitan Area Intensive Monitoring Station (SIMS) in Korea during the summer season of 2018. The results revealed that oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) contributed a large fraction (83.6%) of the total VOCs, with methanol being the most abundant constituent (38.6%). The VOCs measured at SIMS were strongly influenced by local conditions. Non-volatile organic compounds (NVOCs), such as pinene, increased due to northeasterly wind direction in the morning, and OVOCs and anthropogenic VOCS (AVOCs) increased with northwesterly wind direction during the daytime. This was the result of the eastward location of Bukhansan National Park and the westward location of urban area from the SIMS location. The VOCs included abundant oxidized forms of VOCs, which can affect the generation of fine dust through various response pathways in the atmosphere. The real-time measurement technique using PTR-ToF-MS suggested in this study is expected to contribute to an improved scientific understanding of high-concentration fine dust events because the high temporal resolution makes it possible to analyze the variations of VOCs reflected in dynamic events.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.326-333
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• 2020

Nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide (NO) pathway is a major alternative source of NO and is essential for NO - dependent physiological functions in body. Food supplements having nitrate/nitrite can improve metabolic syndromes including hypertension through antioxidant activity or vasodilation. The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of fermented garlic (F. garlic) having high concentration of NO2- on changes in blood flow and nitric oxide synthesis in the cerebral cortex of rodents. The generation of nitric oxide detected by a chemi-luminescence detector was higher in F. Garlic compared with NaNO2 solution under artificial gastric juice with pH 2.0. Ether F. garlic or NaNO2 diluted with artificial cerebrospinal fluid was directly applied into around the needle probe of laser Doppler flow meter that was located on epidural surface of the cortex. Direct application of F. garlic resulted in increase of cerebral blood flow detected by a laser Doppler flow meter with a dose-dependent manner. Compared with NaNO2 solution, F. garlic produced changes in cerebral blood flow at lower concentration of NO2-. Pretreatment of methylene blue, a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor prevented upregulation of cerebral blood flow by the treatment of F. garlic. In addition, the application of F. garlic with 250, 500ppm of NO2- caused significantly the production of NO in the cortical tissue but NaNO2 solution with 500ppm of NO2- did not. In summary, these results suggested that F. garlic with high content of NO2- induce increase in cerebral blood flow through nitric oxide-dependent signal pathway.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.331-341
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• 2020

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate perceptions of safety and risk among Korean industrial hygienists and the change between before and after the Sewol Ferry Disaster in 2014. Two surveys with questionnaires composed of 51 questions were completed by attendees of the Korea Industrial Hygiene Association(KIHA) conference. Methods: One was conducted at the 2013 KIHA Fall Conference(N=181) and the other was from the 2014 KIHA Summer Conference(N=123). Between these two surveys was the Sewol Ferry Disaster on April 14, 2014, which was believed to seriously affect safety and risk perceptions in Korea. Results: It was revealed that industrial hygienists' awareness of safety rules strengthened after the Sewol Ferry Disaster(p<0.05). It was apparent that people over the age of 30 were more sensitive to social safety. There was no significant difference in the evaluation and attitude regarding governmental safety policy between the years of 2013 and 2014. The credibility of public organizations responsible for the disaster management system decreased. The self-evaluation of respondents' safety level also decreased. This trend shows mainly in the younger generation. It was evaluated that the overall social safety level decreased and the anxiety level increased. The score on social safety on a ±5 Likert scale was 0.68 in the 2013 survey and -0.33 in the 2014 survey(p<0.05). It was reported that the most serious threat factors for accident or disaster were 'building collapse > illegalities and corruption > side effects of radiation therapy >accidents in normal activity > occupational disease,' in order. They picked 'safety ignorance > hurry-up habits and culture > focusing on short-term benefit > easy-going attitude > insufficient safety education' for the causes of low social safety levels in 2013. In 2014, they were 'safety ignorance > easy-going attitude > focusing on short-term benefit > insufficient safety education > hurry-up habits and culture'. Conclusions: This study has some limitations because it was originally not designed to survey attitudes prior to the Sewol Ferry disaster in 2013. In addition, the survey targets are industrial hygienists who are familiar with occupational disease and injury.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.22-28
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• 2021

Combustion characteristics were examined experimentally for a swirl-stabilized double cone premixed burner nozzle used for industrial gas turbines for power generation. An original model and a variant with a different fuel injection pattern are tested to compare their combustion characteristics such as NOx, CO and stability in pressurized conditions with single burner-flame and in an ambient multi-flame conditions with multi-burners. Test results show that NOx emissions are smaller for the variant, whose number of fuel holes is reduced with the same total area of fuel holes, in ambient and pressurized single-flame conditions with single burner, which results from enhanced fuel/air mixing due to a higher penetration of fuel into the air stream. The multi-burnerflame test results show that NOx emissions are smaller for the variant due to reduced flame interactions, which, on the contrary, slightly reduces the stability margin. On-site test results fromin an actual power plants also show that NOx emissions are reduced for the variant, compared with the original one, which is in agreement with the lab test results stated above.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.9-21
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• 2022

In this study, a novel antiviral coating method for the air filtration system of subway station was investigated. Using dry aerosol coating process, we developed a high-performance antiviral air filter with spark discharger and carbon brush type ionizer. Silver nanoparticles were produced by a spark discharge generation system with ion injection system and were used as antiviral agents coated onto a medium grade air filter. The pressure drop, filtration efficiency, and antiviral ability of the filter against aerosolized MS2 virus particles as a surrogate of SARS-CoV-2 virus were tested with dust contamination. Dust contamination caused the increase of the filtration efficiency and pressure drop, while the antiviral agents (in this study, silver nanoparticles) coating did not have any significant effect on the filtration efficiency and pressure drop. Using these properties, we suggested a novel method to maximize the antiviral performance of the antiviral air filter that was contaminated by dust particles. Moreover theoretical analysis of antiviral ability with dust contamination and re-coated antiviral agents was carried out using a mathematical model to calculate the time-dependent antiviral effect of the filter under actual conditions of subway station. Our model can be used to apply on antiviral air filtration system of subway station for prevention of pandemic diffusion, and predict the life cycle of an antiviral filter.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.14-32
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) has a central role in regulating muscle differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism. PGC-1α stimulates muscle growth and muscle fiber remodeling, concomitantly regulating lactate and lipid metabolism and promoting oxidative metabolism. Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thumb.) has been widely employed as a traditional herbal medicine and possesses antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, hypolipemic, hypoglycemic, and anticancer properties. We investigated whether G. pentaphyllum extract (GPE) and its active compound, gypenoside L (GL), affect muscle differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism via activation of the PGC-1α pathway in murine C2C12 myoblast cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: C2C12 cells were treated with GPE and GL, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot were used to analyze the mRNA and protein expression levels. Myh1 was determined using immunocytochemistry. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation was measured using the 2'7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay. RESULTS: GPE and GL promoted the differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes and elevated mRNA and protein expression levels of Myh1 (type IIx). GPE and GL also significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of the PGC-1α gene (Ppargc1a), lactate metabolism-regulatory genes (Esrra and Mct1), adipocyte-browning gene fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 gene (Fndc5), glycogen synthase gene (Gys), and lipid metabolism gene carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b gene (Cpt1b). Moreover, GPE and GL induced the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase, p38, sirtuin1, and deacetylated PGC-1α. We also observed that treatment with GPE and GL significantly stimulated the expression of genes associated with the anti-oxidative stress response, such as Ucp2, Ucp3, Nrf2, and Sod2. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that GPE and GL enhance exercise performance by promoting myotube differentiation and mitochondrial metabolism through the upregulation of PGC-1α in C2C12 skeletal muscle.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.531-543
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• 2022

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) has focused on efficient response to various water related disasters by climate change. In particular, more flexible usage of conventional water resources infrastructures is expected to provide an eco-friendly water management. Multi-purpose dams and water supply dams are well known as water management facilities for securing and supplying water in drought season. Recently, based on the report '2021 multi-purpose use of hydropower dams in Han river', contribution of hydropower dams on water resources management is becoming more significant beyond the traditional role of hydropower generation. In drought conditions, the dams control water supply depending on the pre-defined drought stages. In the case of multi-purpose dams, an operation standard during drought has been already prepared and applied; however, for the hydropower dams, specific standards are not fully prepared yet in South Korea. In this study, a method for calculation of standard water storage and discharge reduction of hydropower dams according to drought stage is newly proposed reflecting the characteristics of hydropower dams. The proposed method was applied to the hydropower dams in Han river, where six hydropower dams are located. A case study of the historical droughts occurred in 2014-2017 demonstrated that the proposed hydropower dam operation rule could improve the water supply stability under severe drought conditions compared to the conventional operations. In the future, the role of hydropower dams for water resources management is expected to become more important, and this study can be widely used for water supply planning such as drought response using hydropower dams.