• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.411-416
• /
• 2023

Methamphetamine (METH) is a powerful neurotoxic psychostimulant affecting dopamine transporter (DAT) activity and leading to continuous excess extracellular dopamine levels. Despite recent advances in the knowledge on neurobiological mechanisms underlying METH abuse, there are few effective pharmacotherapies to prevent METH abuse leading to brain damage and neuropsychiatric deficits. α-Pinene (APN) is one of the major monoterpenes derived from pine essential oils and has diverse biological properties including anti-nociceptive, anti-anxiolytic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory actions. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of APN in a METH abuse mice model. METH (1 mg/kg/day, i.p.) was injected into C57BL/6 mice for four alternative days, and a conditioned place preference (CPP) test was performed. The METH-administered group exhibited increased sensitivity to place preference and significantly decreased levels of dopamine-related markers such as dopamine 2 receptor (D2R) and tyrosine hydroxylase in the striatum of the mice. Moreover, METH caused apoptotic cell death by induction of inflammation and oxidative stress. Conversely, APN treatment (3 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reduced METH-mediated place preference and restored the levels of D2R and tyrosine hydroxylase in the striatum. APN increased the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 to pro-apoptotic Bax ratio and decreased the expression of inflammatory protein Iba-1. METH-induced lipid peroxidation was effectively mitigated by APN by up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes such as manganese-superoxide dismutase and glutamylcysteine synthase via activation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2. These results suggest that APN may have protective potential and be considered as a promising therapeutic agent for METH-induced drug addiction and neuronal damage.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.119-138
• /
• 2023

Concrete carbonation is a prevalent phenomenon that leads to steel reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC) structures, thereby decreasing their service life as well as durability. The process of carbonation results in a lower pH level of concrete, resulting in an acidic environment with a pH value below 12. This acidic environment initiates and accelerates the corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete, rendering it more susceptible to damage and ultimately weakening the overall structural integrity of the RC system. Lower pH values might cause damage to the protective coating of steel, also known as the passive film, thus speeding up the process of corrosion. It is essential to estimate the carbonation factor to reduce the deterioration in concrete structures. A lot of work has gone into developing a carbonation model that is precise and efficient that takes both internal and external factors into account. This study presents an ML-based adaptive-neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) approach to predict the carbonation depth of fly ash (FA)-based concrete structures. Cement content, FA, water-cement ratio, relative humidity, duration, and CO2 level have been used as input parameters to develop the ANFIS model. Six performance indices have been used for finding the accuracy of the developed model and two analytical models. The outcome of the ANFIS model has also been compared with the other models used in this study. The prediction results show that the ANFIS model outperforms analytical models with R-value, MAE, RMSE, and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index values of 0.9951, 0.7255 mm, 1.2346 mm, and 0.9957, respectively. Surface plots and sensitivity analysis have also been performed to identify the repercussion of individual features on the carbonation depth of FA-based concrete structures. The developed ANFIS-based model is simple, easy to use, and cost-effective with good accuracy as compared to existing models.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.499-507
• /
• 2024

Specific sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays is one of the mechanisms responsible for widespread skin damage. This study tested whether 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene (THB), a compound abundant in marine products, might inhibit UVB radiationinduced NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) in both human HaCaT keratinocytes and mouse dorsal skin and explore its cytoprotective mechanism. The mechanism of action was determined using western blotting, immunocytochemistry, NADP⁺/NADPH assay, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection, and cell viability assay. THB attenuated UVB-induced NOX4 expression both in vitro and in vivo, and suppressed UVB-induced ROS generation via NADP⁺ production, resulting in increased cell viability with decreased apoptosis. THB also reduced the expression of UVB-induced phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). THB suppressed UVB-induced NOX4 expression and ROS generation by inhibiting AMPK and JNK signaling pathways, thereby inhibiting cellular damage. These results showed that THB could be developed as a UV protectant.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.615-626
• /
• 2013

In this study, spatial patterns of the urban flood vulnerability index in Seoul are examined by considering climate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability associated with floodings for recent 5 year (2006~2010) period by the smallest administrative unit called Dong. According to the results of correlation analyses based on the IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)'s vulnerability model, among many variables associated with urban flooding, rainwater tank capacity, 1-day maximum precipitation and flood pumping station capacity have statistically-significant, and relatively-high correlations with the number of flood damage in Seoul. The flood vulnerability map demonstrates that the extensive areas along Anyang and Joongnang streams show relatively high flood vulnerability in Seoul due to high sensitivity. Especially in case of Joongnang stream areas, climatic factors also contribute to the increase of flood vulnerability. At local scales, several Dong areas in Gangdong-gu and Songpa-gu also show high flood vulnerability due to low adaptability, while those in Gangnam-gu do due to high sensibility and climate factor such as extreme rainfall events. These results derived from the flood vulnerability map by Dong unit can be utilized as primary data in establishing the adaptation, management and proactive policies for flooding prevention within the urban areas in more detail.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.201-210
• /
• 2007

Pollution by chemical substances such as POPs, EDCs and PBTs in the ecosystem has become more complex and varied, increasing the possibility of irreversible damage to human health or the ecosystem. It is necessary to have a exposure assessment in a multi-media environment for various chemical substances is required for efficient management. This study applied MUSEM(Multi-media Simplebox-systems Environmental Model), a multimedia environmental model that can simultaneously evaluate the possibility of exposure of hundreds of chemical substances in order to efficiently manage chemical substances that can have negative impact on human health or ecological environment through environmental contamination. MUSEM executed the modeling for Japan by setting all 47 prefectures of japan as the regional area for 62 chemical substances and the rest of the territory of japan, excluding regional area, as the continental area and made the estimation of concentration among environment media in each administrative area and made the sensitivity analysis on Tokyo area. The results of simulation for chemical distribution showed that most of the target chemicals located in water region. The result of sensitivity analysis for octanol-water partition rate showed that the concentration change of soil in urban/industrial area and sediment in freshwater was high. In the case of sensitivity analysis for degradation rate showed that the concentration change of freshwater, soil in urban/industrial area, and sediment in freshwater was high.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.57-65
• /
• 2022

This study investigated the electromechanical response of smart ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concretes (S-UHPFRCs) under flexural loading to evaluate the self-sensing capacity of S-UHPFRCs in both tension and compression region. The electrical resistivity of S-UHPFRCs under flexural continuously changed even after first cracking due to the deflection-hardening behavior of S-UHPFRCs with the appearance of multiple microcracks. As the equivalent bending stress increased, the electrical resistivity of S-UHPFRCs decreased from 976.57 to 514.05 kΩ(47.0%) as the equivalent bending stress increased in compression region, and that did from 979.61 to 682.28 kΩ(30.4%) in tension region. The stress sensitivity coefficient of S-UHPFRCs in compression and tension region was 1.709 and 1.098 %/MPa, respectively. And, the deflection sensitivity coefficient of S-UHPFRCs in compression region(30.06 %/mm) was higher than that in tension region(19.72 %/mm). The initial deflection sensing capacity of S-UHPFRCs was almost 50% of each deflection sensitivity coefficient, and it was confirmed that it has an excellent sensing capacity for the initial deflection. Although both stress- and deflection-sensing capacity of S-UHPFRCs under flexural were higher in compression region than in tension region, S-UHPFRCs are sufficient as a self-sensing material to be applied to the construction field.

• Journal of Photoscience
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.15-21
• /
• 1996

To investigate the chilling sensitivity related injuries in the photosynthetic apparatus of cucumber leaves, the light-chilling induced alterations of chlorophyll fluorescence transients in cucumber leaves were compared with those in pea leaves. As an early effect of light-chilling, an increase in Fp/Fm$^*$ was observed in both pea and cucumber leaves, which was saturated by about 6 h chilling. However, the saturated value of Fp/Fm was almost 1.0 in cucumber, in contrast to about 0.8 in pea. During the recovery period after 24 h chilling, the light-chilling induced changes in pea seemed to be reversed, but those in cucumber leaves were thought to be irreversible, because Fo was increased significantly. Light-chilling caused significant decreases in qQ and qE in cucumber leaves, but qR was increased until 6 h, and decreased thereafter. In both pea and cucumber leaves, Fm was increased by 2 h dark treatment. The Fm from the predarkened pea leaf discs was higher than the value from the preilluminated ones during the whole period of light-chilling (500 $\mu$mol m$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ PAR). However, the predarkened cucumber leaf discs showed a reduction in Fm and an increase in Fo during the 2 h chilling in the light. These results indicate that the causes of chilling sensitivities in photosynthetic apparatus of cucumber leaves are possibly related with the damage in PSI reaction center and the ability of acidification of lumen by PSII.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.321-341
• /
• 2011

Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring was conducted for mortar specimens under three types of static loading patterns (cubic-splitting, direct-shear and pull-out). Each of the applied loading patterns was expected to produce a particular fracture process. Subsequently, the AEs generated by various fracture or damage processes carried specific information on temporal micro-crack behaviors of concrete for post analysis, which was represented in the form of detected AE signal characteristics. Among various available characteristics of acquired AE signals, frequency content was of great interest. In this study, cement-based piezoelectric sensor (as AE transducer) and home-programmed DEcLIN monitoring system were utilized for AE monitoring on mortar. The cement-based piezoelectric sensor demonstrated enhanced sensitivity and broad frequency domain response range after being embedded into mortar specimens. This broad band characteristic of cement-based piezoelectric sensor in frequency domain response benefited the analysis of frequency content of AE. Various evaluation methods were introduced and employed to clarify the variation characteristics of AE frequency content in each test. It was found that the variation behaviors of AE frequency content exhibited a close relationship with the applied loading processes during the tests.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.105-109
• /
• 2013

Purpose: Preoperative radiographic assessment of the mandibular third molars is essential to prevent inferior alveolar nerve damage during extraction. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of panoramic signs of association between the roots of teeth and the canal, and to compare the panoramic signs with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) findings. Materials and Methods: CBCT images of 132 impacted mandibular third molars were evaluated to determine the association of the root to the canal. The CBCT findings were compared with the corresponding panoramic images. Logistic regression analysis was used to define the diagnostic criteria of the panoramic images. Results: Among the panoramic signs, loss of the cortical line was the most frequent radiographic sign predicting association (sensitivity: 79.31). Contact of the tooth with the canal was observed in all cases in which the loss of cortical line of the canal or darkening of the roots was found on the panoramic radiographs. Conclusion: Darkening of the roots and loss of the cortical line on panoramic radiographs might be highly suggestive of the risk of nerve injury.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.57-75
• /
• 2013

It is still inadequate for investigating the highly nonlinear and complex mechanical behaviors of single-layer latticed domes by only performing a force-based demand-capacity analysis. The energy-based balance method has been largely accepted for assessing the seismic performance of a structure in recent years. The various factors, such as span-to-rise ratio, joint rigidity and damping model, have a remarkable effect on the load-carrying capacity of a single-layer latticed dome. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the maximum load-carrying capacity of a dome under extreme loading conditions. In this paper, a mechanical model for members of the semi-rigidly jointed single-layer latticed domes, which combines fiber section model with semi-rigid connections, is proposed. The static load-carrying capacity and seismic performance on the single-layer latticed domes are evaluated by means of the mechanical model. In these analyses, different geometric parameters, joint rigidities and roof loads are discussed. The buckling behaviors of members and damage distribution of the structure are presented in detail. The sensitivity of dynamic demand parameters of the structures subjected to strong earthquakes to the damping is analyzed. The results are helpful to have a better understanding of the seismic performance of the single-layer latticed domes.