• Journal of health informatics and statistics
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.318-323
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• 2016

Objectives: Except the known risk factors for stroke, few studies have identified novel metabolic markers that could effectively detect stroke at an early stage. In this study, we explored the dose-response relationship between serum metabolites and the incidence of stroke. Methods: We studied 213 adults in the Korean Cancer Prevention Study-II (KCPS-II) biobank and estimated dose-response relationship between serum metabolites and stroke (42 cases and 171 controls). Three serum metabolites (Acetylcholine, HexadecylAcetylGlycerol, and 1-acetyl-2-formyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) were used in this study. The analysis included (1) exploratory nonlinear analysis, (2) estimation of flexion points and slopes at below and above the points. In the model to estimate risk of incidence of stroke, we controlled for conventional risk factors such as age, sex, systolic blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, triglyceride, and smoking status. Results: The relationship between incidence of stroke and log-transformed 1-acetyl-2-formyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine was non-linear with flexion point around intensity score of 8.8, whereas other metabolites, log-transformed Acetylcholine and HexadecylAcetylGlycerol, showed negative linear patterns. Conclusions: The study suggests that metabolic markers are associated with incidence of stroke, particularly, at or above the flexion point. The study result may contribute to developing a novel system for precise stroke prediction.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.517-526
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• 2011

Soil structure plays an important role in ecological system, since it controls transport and storage of air, gas, nutrients and solutions. The study of soil structure requires an understanding of the interrelations and interactions between the diverse soil components at various levels of organization. Investigations of the spatial distribution of pore/particle arrangements and the geometry of soil pore space can provide important information regarding ecological or crop system. Because of conveniences in image analyses and accuracy, these investigations have been thrived for a long time. Image analyses from soil sections through impregnated blocks of undisturbed soil (2 dimensional image analyses) or from 3 dimensional scanned soils by computer tomography allow quantitative assessment of the pore space. Image analysis techniques can be used to classify pore types and quantify pore structure without inaccurate or hard labor in laboratory. In this paper, the last 50 years of the soil image analyses have been presented and measurements on various soil scales were introduced, as well. In addition to history of image analyses, a couple of examples for soil image analyses were displayed. The discussion was made on the applications of image analyses and techniques to quantify pore/soil structure.

• Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.383-390
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• 2018

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental syndrome with an increasingly prevalent etiology, yet not fully understood. It has been thought that vitamin D, complex B vitamin levels and homocysteine are associated with environmental factors and are important in ASD. The aim of this study was to examine serum vitamin D, vitamin D receptor (VDR), homocysteine, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate levels in ASD. Methods: In this study, serum vitamin D and VDR, homocysteine, vitamins B6, B12 and folate levels were determined in 60 patients with ASD (aged 3 to 12 years) and in 45 age-gender matched healthy controls. In addition, calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase, which are associated with vitamin D metabolism, were measured from serum in both groups. ASD severity was evaluted by the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Results: Serum vitamin D and VDR were substantially reduced in patients with ASD in comparision to control group. However, homocysteine level was significantly higher and vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate were also reduced in patients with ASD. Total CARS score showed a positive association with homocysteine and a negative correlation with vitamins D,B6, B12, folate and VDR. Conclusion: This comprehensive study, which examines many parameters has shown that low serum levels of vitamins D, B6, B12, folate and VDR as well as high homocysteine are important in the etiopathogenesis of ASD. However, further studies are required to define the precise mechanism(s) of these parameters and their contributions to the etiology and treatment of ASD.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2019

Cadmium is a strong toxic heavy metal which presents in paints and liquid wastes and causes oxidative stress in fish. On the other hand, lead is widely used for different purposes, e.g. lead pipes, it targets vital organs such as liver and kidney causing biochemical alterations. The present study evaluates the effects of 60 days exposure to Cd and Pb either single or combined together in African catfish. Sixty-four fishes were divided into 3 groups and exposed to $CdCl_2$ (7.02 mg/L) or $PbCl_2$ (69.3 mg/L) or a combination of them along with control group. Activities of acid phosphatase (ACP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) were estimated. Moreover, gill, liver and kidney were assayed for activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and levels of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Individual exposure showed that both Cd and Pb significantly decreased LDH activity and SOD activity in the kidney. Pb significantly increased G-6-PDH activity and decreased GSH level in the gill. CAT activity in liver and kidney elevated significantly on Cd exposure while lead caused a significant depletion in the liver and significant elevation in the kidney. Both Cd and Pb significantly increased MDA levels in liver and kidney while Pb increased its level in gills. The combined exposure resulted in normalization of LDH, G-6-PDH activity, and CAT activity in liver and kidney as well as GSH level in both tissues and MDA in gill and kidney. The combination increased SOD activity and MDA level in liver and decreased SOD activity in kidney and GSH level in gills. In conclusion, the antioxidant system of African catfish was adversely affected by prolonged exposure to Cd and Pb. The combined exposure caused less damage than individual exposure and returned most parameters to those of controls.

• Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.415-421
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• 2018

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social skills and communication with repetitive behaviors. Etiology is still unclear although it is thought to develop with interaction of genes and environmental factors. Oxytocin has extensive effects on intrauterine brain development. Vitamin D, affects neural development and differentiation and contributes to the regulation of around 900 genes including oxytocin receptor gene. In the present study, the contribution of D vitamin receptor and oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms in the development of ASD in Turkish community was investigated. To our knowledge, this is the first study examining these two associated genes together in the literature. Methods: Eighty-five patients diagnosed with ASD according to DSM-5 who were referred to outpatient clinics of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Başkent University and Mersin University and 52 healthy, age and gender-matched controls were included in the present study. Vitamin D receptor gene rs731236 (Taq1), rs2228570 (Fok1), rs1544410 (Bsm1), rs7975232 (Apa1) polymorphisms and oxytocin receptor gene rs1042778 and rs2268493 polymorphisms were investigated using real time polymerase chain reaction method. Results: No significant difference between groups in terms of distribution of genotype and alleles in each of polymorphisms for these genes could be found. Conclusion: Knowledge of genes and polymorphisms associated with the development of ASD may be beneficial for early diagnosis and future treatment. Further studies with larger populations are required to demonstrate molecular pathways which may play part in the development of ASD in Turkey.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2016.10a
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• pp.665-667
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• 2016

Due to the depletion of fossil fuels and the environmental problems of recent years it has been increasing every year the interest in renewable energy. Renewable energy is clean and the typical method using solar and wind power and solar power as an energy source reusable. Wind power generation system of which it is a method of using the natural wind, convert the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. Traditionally, implementing a wind power system, wind tunnel tests was to configure an environment similar to a real wind tunnel experiments. However, it costs a lot of money problems hagieneun configure these wind tunnel tests. Therefore, by this paper, in consideration of the fact, the characteristics of the generator in the wind tunnel experiment to experiment with such a wind tunnel test using a bad test by configuring the motor and controls the motor generator to obtain a result similar to the wind tunnel experiment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2019

Electro-coagulation process has been gained an attention recently because it could overcome the membrane fouling problems in MBR(Membrane bio-reactor). Effect of the key operational parameters in electro-coagulation, current density(${\rho}_i$) and contact time(t) on membrane fouling reduction was investigated in this study. A kinetic model for ${\rho}_i$ and t required to reduce the membrane fouling was suggested under different MLSS(mixed liquor suspended solids) concentration. Total 48 batch type experiments of electro-coagulations under different sets of current densities(2.5, 6, 12 and $24A/m^2$), contact times(0, 2, 6 and 12 hr) and MLSS concentration(4500, 6500 and 8500mg/L) were carried out. After each electro-coagulation under different conditions, a series of membrane filtration was performed to get information on how much of membrane fouling was reduced. The membrane fouling decreased as the ${\rho}_i$ and t increased but as MLSS decreased. Total fouling resistances, Rt (=Rc+Rf) were calculated and compared to those of the controls (Ro), which were obtained from the experiments without electro-coagulation. A kinetic approach for the fouling reduction rate (Rt/Ro) was carried out and three equations under different MLSS concentration were suggested: i) ${\rho}_i^{0.39}t=3.5$ (MLSS=4500 mg/L), ii) ${\rho}_i^{0.46}t=7.0$ (MLSS=6500 mg/L), iii) ${\rho}_i^{0.74}t=10.5$ (MLSS=8500 mg/L). These equations state that the product of ${\rho}_i$ and t needed to reduce the fouling in certain amounts (in this study, 10% of fouling reduction) is always constant.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.317-325
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• 2021

Pine wilt disease first appeared in Busan in 1998; it is a serious disease that causes enormous damage to pine trees. The Korean government enacted a special law on the control of pine wilt disease in 2005, which controls and prohibits the movement of pine trees in affected areas. However, existing forecasting and control methods have physical and economic challenges in reducing pine wilt disease that occurs simultaneously and radically in mountainous terrain. In this study, the authors present the use of a deep learning object recognition and prediction method based on visual materials using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to effectively detect trees suspected of being infected with pine wilt disease. In order to observe pine wilt disease, an orthomosaic was produced using image data acquired through aerial shots. As a result, 198 damaged trees were identified, while 84 damaged trees were identified in field surveys that excluded areas with inaccessible steep slopes and cliffs. Analysis using image segmentation (SegNet) and image detection (YOLOv2) obtained a performance value of 0.57 and 0.77, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.443-449
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• 2022

In this study, in order to improve the disadvantages of the environmental error of the infusion set that performs infusion therapy in the existing clinical practice and to maximize the user's convenience by miniaturizing the existing infusion pump system, the structure of the muscle pump of the human vein was imitated. As a double check valve method, a method for preventing the backflow of fluid and discharging a constant fluid in one direction by external pressure was proposed. The proposed bio-mimic muscle pump uses a check valve that controls the flow of fluid in one direction and a silicone tube with elasticity, and a chamber is constructed. A peristaltic pump for applying intermittent pressure to the tube chamber was constructed using a multi-cam structure roller. In order to verify the performance of the proposed pump, optimization was performed while changing the number of multi-cam rollers and adjusting the speed of the roller driving motor, and the reproducibility of the instantaneous discharge amount and the continuous discharge amount of the pump was compared and tested. The performance of the muscle pump proposed in this study was verified through experiments that it can inject up to 1L of fluid within 12 hours, and that it is possible to inject the fluid with an accuracy of ±0.1ml. Real-time monitoring of the fluid injection volume through the bio-mimic muscle pump proposed in this study not only increases the convenience of the administrator, but also provides a precise fluid administration environment to more patients at a low cost, and additionally applies bubble detection and occlusion detection technology If so, it is believed that a safer medical environment can be provided to patients.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.354-359
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• 2022

MitoNEET, a mitochondrial outer membrane protein containing the Asn-Glu-Glu-Thr (NEET) sequence, controls the formation of intermitochondrial junctions and confers autophagy resistance. Moreover, mitoNEET as a mitochondrial substrate undergoes ubiquitination by activated Parkin during the initiation of mitophagy. Therefore, mitoNEET is linked to the regulation of autophagy and mitophagy. Mitophagy is the selective removal of the damaged or unnecessary mitochondria, which is crucial to sustaining mitochondrial quality control. In numerous human diseases, the accumulation of damaged mitochondria by impaired mitophagy has been observed. However, the therapeutic strategy targeting of mitoNEET as a mitophagy-enhancing mediator requires further research. Herein, we confirmed that mitophagy is indeed activated by mitoNEET inhibition. CCCP (carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone), which leads to mitochondrial depolarization, induces mitochondrial dysfunction and superoxide production. This, in turn, contributes to the induction of mitophagy; mitoNEET protein levels were initially increased before an increase in LC3-II protein following CCCP treatment. Pharmacological inhibition of mitoNEET using mitoNEET Ligand-1 (NL-1) promoted accumulation of Pink1 and Parkin, which are mitophagy-associated proteins, and activation of mitochondria-lysosome crosstalk, in comparison to CCCP alone. Inhibition of mitoNEET using NL-1, or mitoNEET shRNA transfected into RAW264.7 cells, abrogated CCCP-induced ROS and mitochondrial cell death; additionally, it activated the expression of PGC-1α and SOD2, regulators of oxidative metabolism. In particular, the increase in PGC-1α, which is a major regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, promotes mitochondrial quality control. These results indicated that mitoNEET is a potential therapeutic target in numerous human diseases to enhance mitophagy and protect cells by maintaining a network of healthy mitochondria.