• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.217-224
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• 2000

Background : It is well known that when macrophages are stimulated with endotoxin, they produce a wide variety of cytokine mediators, including TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$. However, there is an alteration in the macrophages' responsiveness when they are challenged with repeated bouts of endotoxin, termed "endotoxin tolerance" which is regarded as a self-protective phenomenon from continuous stimulation. In this study, endotoxin tolerance in the peripheral blood monocytes of sepsis patients was evaluated. Methods : Fourteen patients with organism-documented sepsis were included. The severity of illness was evaluated by APACHE II score. Peripheral blood monocytes were isolated from the patients and diluted to $1{\times}10^5$ well. After stimulation with endotoxin (LPS of E. coli O114 : B4, 100 ng/ml), they were incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ in 5% $CO_2$ incubator for 24 hours. Supernatant was collected for the measurement of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$ with ELISA method. Peripheral blood monocytes of seven healthy volunteers were used as control. Results : The APACHE II score (mean$\pm$SD) of the patients at the time of blood sampling was 12.2$\pm$5.7. The primary infection foci were urinary tract infection, pneumonia, subacute bacterial endocarditis, and catheter related infection, etc. The causative organisms were gram negative rods (10 cases), gram positive cocci (6 cases) with two cases of mixed infection. Serum TNF-$\alpha$ could be measured in 4 cases with 29.9$\pm$27.7 pg/ml. Serum IL-1$\beta$was measurable in only one patient. The TNF-$\alpha$ level of supernatant of cultured peripheral blood monocytes was 2,703$\pm$2,066 pg/ml in patients and 2,102$\pm$1914 pg/ml in controls. The IL-1$\beta$level of supernatant was 884$\pm$1,050 pg/ml in patients and 575$\pm$558 pg/ml in controls. There was no difference of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$ level between patients and controls. Conclusion : We cannot prove the phenomenon of endotoxin tolerance in this study. Future study needs to be focused on the more severe sepsis patients who were taken for sampling earlier. Addition of serum to the culture medium could be an another valuable option for the success of this study.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.97-121
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• 2013

With the growing importance of knowledge for sustainable competitive advantages and innovation in a volatile environment, many researches on knowledge sharing have been conducted. However, previous researches have mostly relied on the questionnaire survey which has inherent perceptive errors of respondents. The current research has drawn the relationship among primary participant behaviors towards the participation level in knowledge sharing, basically from online user behaviors on Wikipedia, a representative community for online knowledge collaboration. Without users' participation in knowledge sharing, knowledge collaboration for creating knowledge cannot be successful. By the way, the editing patterns of Wikipedia users are diverse, resulting in different revisiting periods for the same number of edits, and thus varying results of shared knowledge. Therefore, we illuminated the participation level of knowledge sharing from two different angles of number of edits and revisiting period. The behavioral dimensions affecting the level of participation in knowledge sharing includes the article talk for public discussion and user talk for private messaging, and community registration, which are observable on Wiki platform. Public discussion is being progressed on article talk pages arranged for exchanging ideas about each article topic. An article talk page is often divided into several sections which mainly address specific type of issues raised during the article development procedure. From the diverse opinions about the relatively trivial things such as what text, link, or images should be added or removed and how they should be restructured to the profound professional insights are shared, negotiated, and improved over the course of discussion. Wikipedia also provides personal user talk pages as a private messaging tool. On these pages, diverse personal messages such as casual greetings, stories about activities on Wikipedia, and ordinary affairs of life are exchanged. If anyone wants to communicate with another person, he or she visits the person's user talk page and leaves a message. Wikipedia articles are assessed according to seven quality grades, of which the featured article level is the highest. The dataset includes participants' behavioral data related with 2,978 articles, which have reached the featured article level, with editing histories of articles, their article talk histories, and user talk histories extracted from user talk pages for each article. The time period for analysis is from the initiation of articles until their promotion to the featured article level. The number of edits represents the total number of participation in the editing of an article, and the revisiting period is the time difference between the first and last edits. At first, the participation levels of each user category classified according to behavioral dimensions have been analyzed and compared. And then, robust regressions have been conducted on the relationships among independent variables reflecting the degree of behavioral characteristics and the dependent variable representing the participation level. Especially, through adopting a motivational theory adequate for online environment in setting up research hypotheses, this work suggests a theoretical framework for the participation level of online knowledge sharing. Consequently, this work reached the following practical behavioral results besides some theoretical implications. First, both public discussion and private messaging positively affect the participation level in knowledge sharing. Second, public discussion exerts greater influence than private messaging on the participation level. Third, a synergy effect of public discussion and private messaging on the number of edits was found, whereas a pretty weak negative interaction effect of them on the revisiting period was observed. Fourth, community registration has a significant impact on the revisiting period, whereas being insignificant on the number of edits. Fifth, when it comes to the relation generated from private messaging, the frequency or depth of relation is shown to be more critical than the scope of relation for the participation level.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.71-80
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• 2012

In order to verify exact dose distributions in the state-of-the-art radiation techniques, a newly designed three-dimensional dosimeter and technique has been took strongly into consideration. The main purpose of our study is to verify the optimized parameters of polymer gel as a real volumetric dosimeter in terms of the various study of MRI. We prepared a gel dosimeter by combing 8% of gelatin, 8% of MAA, and 10 mM of THPC. We used a Co-60 gamma-ray teletherapy unit and delivered doses of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 Gy to each polymer gel with a solid phantom. We used a fast spin-echo pulse to acquire the characterized T2 time of MRI. The signal noise ratio (SNR) of the head & neck coil was a relatively lower sensitivity than the body coil; therefore the dose uncertainty of head & neck coil would be lower than body coil's. But the dose uncertainty and resolution of the head & neck coil were superior to the body coil in this study. The TR time between 1,500 ms and 2,000 ms showed no significant difference in the dose resolution, but TR of 1,500 ms showed less dose uncertainty. For the slice thickness of 2.5 mm, less dose uncertainty of TE times was at 4 Gy, as well, it was the lowest result over 4 Gy at TE of 12 ms. The dose uncertainty was not critical up to 6 Gy, but the best dose resolution was obtained at 20 ms up to 8 Gy. The dose resolution shows the lowest value was over 20 ms and was an excellent result in the number of excitation (NEX) of three. The NEX of two was the highest dose resolution. We concluded that the better result of slice thickness versus NEX was related to the NEX increment and thin slice thickness.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.12-25
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• 2003

Objectives：As increasing number of new antidepressants have been being introduced in clinical practice, pharmacological understanding has been broadened. These changes mandate new information and theories to be incorporated into the treatment process of children with depressive disorders. In light of newly coming knowledge, this review intended to recapitulate the characteristics of new antidepressants and to consider the pivotal issues to develope guidelines for the treatment of depression in childhood and adolescence. Methods：Searching the Pub-Med online database for the articles with the key words of 'new', 'antidepressants' and 'children' ninety-seven headings of review articles were obtained. The author selected the articles of pertinent subjects in terms of either treatment guideline or psychopharmacology of new antidepressants. When required, articles about the clinical effectiveness of individual antidepressants were separatedly searched. In addition, the safety information of new antidepressants was acquired by browsing the official sites of the United States Food and Drugs Administration and Department of Health and Human Services. Results：1) For the clinical course, treatment phase, and treatment outcome, the reviews or treatment guidelines adopted the information from adult treatment guidelines. 2) Systematic and critical reviews unambiguously concluded that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs) excelled tricyclic antidepressants( TCAs) for both efficacy and side effect profiles, and were recommend for the first-line choice for the treatment of children with depressive disorders. 3) New antidepressants generally lacked treatment experiences and randomized controlled clinical trials. 4) SSRIs and other new antidepressants, when used together, might result in pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic drug-to-drug interaction. 5) The difference of the clinical effectiveness of antidepressants between children and adults should be addressed from developmental aspects, which required further evidence. Conclusion：Treatment guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of childhood and adolescence depression could be constructed on the basis of clinical trial findings and practical experiences. Treatment guidelines are to best serve as the frame of reference for a clinician to make reasonable decisions for a particular therapeutic situation. In order to fulfill this role, guidelines should be updated as soon as new research data become available.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2014

Evaluation of tree responses to temperature elevation is critical for a development of forest management techniques coping with climate change. We conducted a study on the growth responses of Betula costata, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, and Quercus variabilis seedlings to open-field artificial warming. Artificial warming set-up using infra-red heater was built in 2012 and the temperature in warmed plots was regulated to be consistently $3^{\circ}C$ higher than that of control plots. The seeds of three species were sown, and the responses of growth, biomass allocation, and net photosynthetic rate of newly-germinated seedlings on the open-field artificial warming were determined. As a result, the growth responses of the seedlings differed with the species. B. costata showed decreases in the height to diameter ratio (H/D ratio), biomass, root weight to shoot weight ratio, and net photosynthetic rate. However, root collar diameter (RCD), height, biomass, and net photosynthetic rate of Q. variabilis were increased, while the response of F. rhynchophylla was rather obscure. There was no significant difference between warmed and control plots in seedling growth for 3 species in July, whereas, RCD, height, and H/D ratio of Q. variabilis were increased and H/D ratio of B. costata was decreased in November under warming. Species-specific growth responses to warming were similar to the species-specific responses of net photosynthetic rate and biomass allocation; therefore, net photosynthetic rate and biomass allocation might attribute to growth responses to warming. Besides, a relatively obvious response in autumn compared to summer might be affected by the phenological change following artificial warming. Species-specific responses of three deciduous species to warming in this study could be applied to the development of adaptive forest management policies to climate change.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2009

Biofouling in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination process causes many problems such as flux decline, biodegradation of membrane, increased cleaning time, and increased energy consumption and operational cost. Therefore biofouling is considered as the most critical problem in system operation. To control biofouling in early stage, detection of the most problematic bacteria causing biofouling is required. In this study, six model bacteria were chosen; Bacillus sp., Flavobacterium sp., Mycobacterium sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Rhodobacter sp. based on report in the literature and phylogenetic analysis of seawater intake and fouled RO membrane. The adhesion to RO membrane, the high pressure resistance, and the hydrophobicity of the six model bacteria were examined to find out their fouling potential. Rhodobacter sp. and Mycobacterium sp. were found to attach very well to RO membrane surface compared to others used in this study. The test of hydrophobicity revealed that the bacteria which have high hydrophobicity or similar contact angle with RO membrane ($63^{\circ}$ of contact angle) easily attached to RO membrane surface. P. aeruginosa which is highly hydrophilic ($23.07^{\circ}$ of contact angle) showed the least adhesion characteristic among six model bacteria. After applying a pressure of 800 psi to the sample, Rhodobacter sp. was found to show the highest reduction rate; with 59-73% of the cells removed from the membrane under pressure. P. fluorescens on the other hand analyzed as the most pressure resistant bacteria among six model bacteria. The difference between reduction rates using direct counting and plate counting indicates that the viability of each model bacteria was affected significantly from the high pressure. Most cells subjected to high pressure were unable to form colonies even thought they maintained their structural integrity.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2008

DNA variation of MYL2 intron 5 A345G and ADCYAP1R1 intron 2 A337G were investigated for carcass trait association in finished pigs. Three genotypes(two homozygotes and their heterozygote) were found at 10.6% AA, 45.6% AG and 43.8% GG in MYL2 and 60.5% AA, 34.6% AG, and 22.2% GG for ADCYAP1R1. In finished pig population, individuals containing genotype G- of MYL2 had significantly heavier carcass weight by more than 2.4 kg and thicker backfat thickness by more than 1.3 mm than those of AA homozygous pigs(p<0.05). No significant difference was found in other traits tested in this study such as marbling score, meat color, texture, moisture and separation score(p>0.05). The ADCYAP1R1 intron 2 377GG homozygotes showed coarse texture, i.e., meat quality was inferior than those of AG and AA genotypes, and the moisture level of homozygote AA was higher than those of AG and GG genotypes(p<0.05). The other carcass traits were not significantly associated with ADCYAP1R1 genotypes(p>0.05). The genetic polymorphism of MYL2 and ADCYAP1R1 genes affected the carcass traits in finished pig population. Further studies to explain the association between genetic variations and their phenotypic effects including economic traits in pigs are required including critical mutation in both genes through molecular approaches.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2012

Education on the environment and plants offered by arboretum for today's people not only contribute to foster a better natural environment in urban region but also provide visitors with decent refreshment environment and beyond. In the study, the author undertook the observation on usage behavior and satisfaction model of arboretum visitors expect and investigated the facilities and programs to be offered by arboretum in order to propose the opinion regarding the service. For observation size of variables in a multiple regression analysis of variables is influencing satisfaction rankings walks the line of flow, the educational effect on the environment, cleanliness of the facility, visits pay, natural beauty, diversity of trees, accessibility and friendliness of staff, expansion of facilities in the arboretum and appeared as a complement. In case of visitor attribute, the residents living near the facility showed the highest visit frequency of more than 5 times, especially as part of taking a walk. This proves that the visit to arboretum is considered as part of everyday life, and thus a new program and walk path as well as movement route are needed to be developed for the visitors. In the question relating to the facilities and operation programs in Daegu Arboretum, particularly the requests by visitors, they responded that the establishment of cultural event, beautiful natural scenery, refreshment and convenience facilities is the most critical issue. In addition, the management on withered trees and bare lands is an urgent issue as well. In this sense, the Operation and Management Strategies based upon the visitor behaviors and model of satisfaction are needed to deal with the adoption of diverse events and festivals joined by local residents, ombudsman program, environmental program development for students and teachers within the region, negligent bare lands and withered tree replacement, and cafeteria facility improvement and supplement as well as the bench marking of other facilities than arboretums located in other regions. These items are thought to be sufficiently dealt with by Daegu Arboretum having no more external resources. It is recognized that the visitor satisfaction begins from a minor thing, and a small difference determines a great satisfaction, and thus the software approach rather than hardware one is in need.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.407-419
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• 2002

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall characterized by progressive accumulation of lipids, cells, and extracellular matrix. Matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases(TIMPS) contribute to vascular matrix remodeling in atherosclerosis, and some cytokines may play role in the synthesis or activation of MMPs or TIMPs. Material and Method： We produced experimental atherosclerotic plaques in 9 rabbits by atherogenic hypercholesterol diet for 12 weeks, and 10 other rabbits were used as control group with standard laboratory chow, At that time, 19 rabbits were sacrificed and aorta, coronary arteries and blood specimens were prepared. The expressions of MMP-9, TIMP-2 and interleukin(IL)-18, and the bioactivity of IL-6 were investigated with H&E stain, immunohistochemical stain, immunoblotting(Western blot analysis), and bioassay. Result： Serum cholesterol in the experimental group increased up to 1258$\pm$262 mg/dL(control group： 41$\pm$7 mg/dL). All experimental group showed well-developed atherosclerotic plaques in aorta and coronary artery. The expression of MMP-9 in aorta and coronary artery of the experimental group showed significant increase than that of the control group by immunohistochemistry. Among the experimental group, complicated lesions with intimal rupture or complete luminal occlusion, demonstrated stronger expression of MMP-9. Interestingly, there was no difference in expression of TIMP-2 between the experimental and the control group. These findings were confirmed by Western blot analysis. The bioassay revealed significant up-regulation of serum bioactivity of IL-6 in the experimental group(4819.60$\pm$2021.25 IU/$m\ell$) compared to that of IL-6 in the control group(27.20 $\pm$ 12.19 IU/$m\ell$). IL-18 was expressed in all atherosclerotic plaques, whereas little or no expression was detected in the control group. Conclusion： The increased MMP-9 expression along with the unchanged TIMP-2 expression seem to be contributory factors in extracellular matrix degradation in atherosclerosis. Focal overexpression of MMP-9 may promote plaque destabilization and cause complications of atherosclerotic plaques such as thrombosis with/without acute coronary syndrome. Elevation of IL-6 and IL-18 may be more than just markers of atherosclerosis but actual participants in lesion development. Identification of critical regulatory pathway is important to improve the understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of atherosclerosis and may open the way for novel therapeutic strategies.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 1998

This experiment was conducted to clarify the characteristics of germination and emergence of Panicum dichotomiflorum which is a noxious weed species in direct-seeded rice field. P. dichotomiflorum was planted with several treatments such as different depths of irrigation to verifiy the ecological habits of seedling emergence and growth. In order to know the germination characteristics, Panicum dichotomiflorum seeds, pretreated with low-temperature($4^{\circ}C$) stratification for breaking the dormancy, were germinated under different temperature regimes and water potentials. Germination rates of P. dichotomiflorum was increased from 0% of dormant seed to 1%, 35% and 44% by stratification for 21, 28 and 42 days, respectively. Two dominant weed species in directseeded rice fields, Echinochloa crus-galli and Panicum dichotomitlorum, showed different germination habit under different temperature regimes. Echinochloa crus-galli showed more higher germination rate than Panicum dichotomiflorum at relatively low temperature regime(20/$10^{\circ}C$). Both species germinated faster at 30/$20^{\circ}C$ than at 20/$10^{\circ}C$. When the water potential was lowered, germination of Panicum dichotomiflorum was reduced more drastically than Echinochloa crus-galli. The critical water potential for germination of P. dichotomiflorum was -0.7MPa but Echinochloa crus-galli was affected slightly by the same water potential. The results showed that Echinochloa crus-galli can germinate under more wide range of soil water potential than Panicum dichotomiflorum. Emergence of P. dichotomiflorum was highly affected by irrigation depth and the level of water table. When the depth of irrigation water was increased, emergence of P. dichotomiflorum was dragged and emergence rate showed significant difference under the irrigation depth deeper than 6cm. The maximum depth of irrigation water for survival of Panicum dichotomiflorum seedling was 9cm.