• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.55-63
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• 2006

Bacterial transport models were evaluated in this study to determine the suitable model at describing bacterial transport in saturated column experiments. Four models used in the evaluation were: advective-dispersive equation (ADE) + equilibrium sorption/retardation (ER) + kinetic reversible sorption (KR) (Model I), ADE + two-site sorption (Model 2), ADE + ER + kinetic irreversible sorption (KI) (Model 3), ADE + KR + KI (Model 4). Firstly, analyses were performed with the first experimental data, showing that Model 4 is appropriate for describing bacterial transport. Even if Model 1 and 2 fit well to the observed data, they have a defect of not including the irreversible sorption, which is directly related to mass loss of bacteria. Model 3 can not properly describe the tailing observed in the data. However, further analysis with the second data indicates that Model 4 can not describe retardation of bacteria, even if the sorption-related parameters are varied. Therefore, Model 4 is modified by incorporating retardation factor into the model, resulting in the improved fitting to the data. It indicates that the transport model, into which retardation, kinetic reversible sorption, and kinetic irreversible sorption are incorporated, is suitable at describing bacterial transport in saturated column experiments. It is expected that the selected transport model could be applied to properly analyze the bacterial transport in saturated porous media.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.827-858
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• 2006

The paper presents game theoretic models for self-enforcing coalition formation in order to sustain effective international environmental agreements(IEAs). The model analyzes how the intrinsically strategic nature of a government's environmental policies(the emission allowance standard) calls for rules to sustain an IEA. Focusing on the recent theoretical developments in the infinitely repeated game, the paper introduces some mechanisms to show how self-interested sovereign countries are cooperatively able to maintain an IEA rather than defect to initially profit at the expense of a pollution heaven later on. For a more realistic case needed to sustain an IEA, an optimal international environmental policy with both signatories and non-signatories under imperfect monitoring is also explored. In this extension of the model, the derivation process for a critical discount factor, a trigger price level and the length of punishment period is briefly discussed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.148-153
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• 2006

While the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated, recent studies suggest that polar auxin transport is a key controlling factor in triggering differential growth responses to gravity. Identification of regulatory components in auxin-mediated differential cell expansion would improve our understanding of the gravitropic response. In this study, we identify a mutant designated aux1-like(later changed to aux1), an allele of the aux1 mutant that exhibits a severely disrupted root gravitropic response, but no defects in developmental processes. In Arabidopsis, AUX1 encodes an auxin influx carrier. Since in-depth characterization of the gravitropic response caused by mutations in this gene has been performed previously, we focused on identifying the downstream genes that were differentially expressed compared to wild-type plants. Consistent with the mutant phenotype, the transcription of the auxin-responsive genes IAA17 and GH3 were altered in aux1 plants treated with IAA, 2, 4-D and NAA. In addition, we identified two expansin genes EXP10 and EXPL3 that exhibited different expression in wild-type and mutant plants.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2008

Pollen is very important causing factor for allergy such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and asthma, and pollen allergy has a remarkable clinical impact all over Korea. The main pollination period covers about half the year, from spring to autumn, and the distribution of airborne pollen taxa of allergological interest is related to pollen season dynamics. Korean academy of pediatric allergy and respiratory diseases (KAPARD) has evaluated the pollen characteristics and nationwide pollen count for over 10 years since 1997. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from nationwide 8 stations (Seoul, Guri, Cheongju, Daegu, Kwangju, Busan, Kangneung, and Jeju) by using 7 days-Burkard sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK) in South Korea (July 1, 1997-June 30, 2007). They were counted and recorded along with the meteorological factors daily. Tree pollen is a major airborne allergen in spring, grass is most common in summer, and weed pollen is major pollen in autumn in Korea. There has two peak seasons for pollen allergy, as summer and autumn. There is some evidence suggesting that the prevalence of allergic diseases in Korea has been on the increase in the past decade. However, recent findings of the phase I and II studies of the international Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study showed the absence of increases or little changes in prevalence of asthma symptoms and diagnosis rates in Korea, whereas the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were increased. We reported the evidence that sensitization rate to weed pollen has been increased yearly since 1997 in childhood. Climate change and air pollution must be the major causing factors for the increase of pollen counts and sensitization rate to pollen. Climate change makes the plants earlier pollination and persisting pollination longer. In conclusion, data on pollen count and structure in the last few years, the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants with climate change gave new insights into the mechanism of respiratory allergic diseases in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2015

Objective : The aim of this study was to explore the immunity in rats transplanted with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) and acellular nerve (ACN) for repairing sciatic nerve defects. Methods : ADSCs were isolated from the adipose tissues of Wistar rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish a sciatic nerve defect model and then divided into four groups, according to the following methods : Group A, allogenic nerve graft; Group B, allograft with ACN; Group C, allograft ADSCs+ACN, and Group D, nerve autograft. Results : At the day before transplantation and 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after transplantation, orbital venous blood of the Sprague-Dawley rats in each group was collected to detect the proportion of $CD3^+$, $CD4^+$, and $CD8^+$ subsets using flow cytometry and to determine the serum concentration of interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and $interferon-{\gamma}$ ($IFN-{\gamma}$) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). At each postoperative time point, the proportion of $CD3^+$, $CD4^+$, and $CD8^+$ subsets and the serum concentration of IL-2, $TNF-{\alpha}$, and $IFN-{\gamma}$ in group C were all near to those in group B and group D, in which no statistically significant difference was observed. As compared with group A, the proportion of $CD3^+$, $CD4^+$, and $CD8^+$ subsets and the serum concentration of IL-2, $TNF-{\alpha}$, and $IFN-{\gamma}$ were significantly reduced in group C (p<0.05). Conclusion : The artificial nerve established with ADSCs and ACN has no obvious allograft rejection for repairing rat nerve defects.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2015

Objective : The aims of this study were to investigate the quantitative relationship between pituitary macroadenoma size and degree of visual impairment, and assess visual improvement after surgical resection of the tumor. Methods : The medical records of patients with pituitary adenoma, who had undergone trans-sphenoidal adenectomy between January 2009 and January 2011, were reviewed. Patients underwent an ocular examination and brain MRI before and after surgery. The visual impairment score (VIS) was derived by combining the scores of best-corrected visual acuity and visual field. The relationship between VIS and tumor size/tumor type/position of the optic chiasm was assessed. Results : Seventy-eight patients were included (41 male, 37 female). Thirty-two (41%) patients experienced blurred vision or visual field defect as an initial symptom. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that tumors <2.2 cm tended to cause minimal or no visual impairment. Statistical analysis showed that 1) poor preoperative vision is related to tumor size, displacement of the optic chiasm in the sagittal view on MRI and optic atrophy, and 2) poorer visual prognosis is associated with greater preoperative VIS. In multivariate analysis the only factor significantly related to VIS improvement was increasing pituitary adenoma size, which predicted decreased improvement. Conclusion : Results from this study show that pituitary adenomas larger than 2 cm cause defects in vision while adenomas 2 cm or smaller do not cause significant visual impairment. Patients with a large macroadenoma or giant adenoma should undergo surgical resection as soon as possible to prevent permanent visual loss.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1818-1825
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• 2007

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) was previously documented to activate secondary metabolism in a variety of Streptomyces spp. and to promote actinorhodin (ACT) and undecylprodigiosin (RED) in Streptomyces coelicolor. The SAM-induced proteins in S. coelicolor include several ABC transporter components (SCO5260 and SCO5477) including BldKB, the component of a well-known regulatory factor for differentiations. In order to assess the role of these ABC transporter complexes in differentiation of Streptomyces, SCO5260 and SCO5476, the first genes from the cognate complex clusters, were individually inactivated by gene replacement. Inactivation of either SCO5260 or SCO5476 led to impaired sporulation on agar medium, with the more drastic defect in the SCO5260 null mutant (${\Delta}SCO5260$). ${\Delta}SCO5260$ displayed growth retardation and reduced yields of ACT and RED in liquid cultures. In addition, SAM supplementation failed in promoting the production of ACT and RED in ${\Delta}SCO5260$. Inactivation of SCO5476 gave no significant change in growth and production of ACT and RED, but impaired the promoting effect of SAM on ACT production without interfering with the effect on RED production. The present study suggests that SAM induces several ABC transporters to modulate secondary metabolism and morphological development in S. coelicolor.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.43 no.7
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• pp.635-643
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• 2010

A representative unit hydrograph responding to a small basin is used to calculate the flood discharge in the basin. The peak discharge and the time to peak of the unit hydrograph are dealt with its characteristic values. In this study it is shown and analyzed the fluctuations at peak discharges and times to peak of unit hydrographs by rainfall storms in a small national basin $8.5\;km^2$ wide are no small. And on assumption that a major factor in the fluctuations of the unit hydrographs in a small basin be rainfall intensity of a rainstorm, both relations of peak discharge and time to peak with rainfall intensity are suggested as exponential functions respectively. In this result although it is a limit of the study in which its result is accompanied with not small dispersion in the peak values of unit hydrograph due to a defect in used data it is sure an averaging regression relation between peak discharge and time to peak with rainfall intensity as identified in this study has hydrological worth from the complementary viewpoint of the theory of unit hydrograph.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2012

A study on the electrical characteristic analysis of solar cell diodes under experimental conditions of varying temperature and frequency has been conducted. From the current-voltage (I-V) measurements, at the room temperature, we obtained the ideality factor (n) for Space Charge Region (SCR) and Quasi-Neutral Region (QNR) of 3.02 and 1.76, respectively. Characteristics showed that the value of n (at SCR) decreases with rising temperature and n (at QNR) increases with the same conditions. These are due to not only the sharply increased SCR current flow but the activated carrier recombination in the bulk region caused by defects such as contamination, dangling bonds. In addition, from the I-V measurements implemented to confirm the junction uniformity of cells, the average current dispersion was 40.87% and 10.59% at the region of SCR and QNR, respectively. These phenomena were caused by the pyramidal textured junction structure formed to improve the light absorption on the device's front surface, and these affect to the total diode current flow. These defect and textured junction structure will be causes that solar cell diodes have non-ideal electrical characteristics compared with general p-n junction diodes. Also, through the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements under the frequency of 180 kHz, we confirmed that the value of built-in potential is 0.63 V.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.239-246
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• 1999

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular diseases complicated with atherosclerosis and thromboembolism. Increased plasma homocystein level develops from genetic defect of enzyme for homocystein metabolism or vitamine deficiency, has direct toxic effect for vascular endothelium and makes damages to antithrombotic action of vascular endothelial cell. Most of hyperhomocysteinemia is asymptomatic, but rarely develops cardiopulmonary or cerebrovascular accidents. In case of thromboembolism with unknown cause, the hyperhomocysteinemia should be considered as one of the many etiologies. The authors, first in korea, report a case of multiple thromboembolisms of deep vein of lower extremity, pulmonary vessels, superior sagittal and transverse sinus of brain in a patient with the hyperhomocysteinemia with a review of literature.