• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.4826-4832
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• 2010

The study has been done for about two months through June 2 to July 30 of 2010. The study subjects are three herbal-pharmaceutical companies located in Seoul. Each of them purchased thirteen types of medicinal herbs, then the study did analysis for microbial contamination status of bacteria and fungi. Here, the study focuses on settling out fundamental data bases regarding the investigation standards of microbial contamination. As comparing the study results with contamination limits of bacteria and fungi which are represented by $10^7$ CFU/g and $10^4$ CFU/g in number respectively, the total percentage of fungi contamination which is 12.8% is higher than that of bacteria is only 7.7%. In the DNA homology analysis regarding 16S rRNA gene, 117 of colonization have been selected as study subjects. Including B. cereus composing of resistant spores, soil microbes account for approximately 96.6%. It indicates that it is important to establish collection and preservation systems in handling medicinal herbs. Also, it is critical to manage microbial contamination limits. In conclusion, the study proposes the needs to study on possible mingling of bacteria and fungi in manufacturing process, and microbial contamination status in medicinal herbs.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.474-481
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• 2004

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent oral cancer, which is characterized by its low survival rate, high malignancy, mortality with facial defects, and poor prognosis. Exact cause and pathogenesis of the squamous cell carcinoma is still unknown. Various routes including smoking, radiation, and viral infections predispose its genesis, and recent studies revealed that genetic defects which fail to prevent cancer proliferation play a role. Generally, a cancer develops from the decreased rate of apoptosis which is an active and voluntary cell death, and from the altered cell cycles. Anticancer effect can be obtained by recovering the apoptotic process, and by suppressing the cell cycles. Among the apoptosis related factors, bcl-2, caspase-9, and VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel)are produced in mitochondria of the cell. Cyclosporin-A is known to induce apoptosis through its activation with VDAC. This study was to reveal the anticancer effect of Cyclosporin A to the oral squamous cell carcinoma. The inverted microscope was used to find alterations in the tissue, and sensitivity test to the anticancer cells was performed with MTT (Tetrazolium-based colorimetric) assay. Following cell line culture of primary and metastastic oral squamous cell carcinoma, electrophoresis was performed with extracted total RNA. Finally, semi-quantitative study was carried out through RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction). The results of this study are as follows: 1. The inverted microscopic observation revealed a poorly defined cytoplasm at $2000ng{\sim}3000ng/ml$, indistinct nucleus, and apoptosis. 2. The Growth of cancer cells was decreased at 1000ng/ml of cyclosporin-A. No cancer cell growth was observed at over 2000ng/ml concentration of cyclosporin-A, and at one week, growth of cancer cells was ceased. 3. The MTT assays were decreased as cyclosporin-A concentration was increased. This means that the activation of succinyl dehydrogenase in mitochondria was decreased following administration of cyclosporin A. 4. A result of RT-PCR showed that amount of mRNA of VDAC-2 was decreased half times at a cyclosporine-A concentration of 2000ng/ml. In bcl-2, amount of mRNA was significantly decreased 1/5 times at 2000ng/ml. caspase-9, however, showed slight increase compared to the control group. From the results obtained in this study, administration of cyclosporin-A to the cell lines of oral squamous cell carcinoma induced alterations in morphology and growth of the cells as its concentration increased. Since apoptosis related factors such as VDAS-2, bcl-2, and caspase-9 also showed distinct alterations on their mRNAs, further research on cyclosporin A as an anti-cancer agent will be feasible.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.6 s.181
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• pp.629-641
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• 2006

The Standing Buddha Statue in the Gwanchoksa temple consists of medium to coarse grained biotite granodiorite with dark grey color, and it has a week gneissosity along the pegmatite veins. The results of magnetic susceptibility and geochemical patterns of the host rock of Standing Buddha Statue and the basement rock suggest that both values are formed from the co-genetic magma with the same differentiation process. The CIAs of the basement rock and the Standing Buddha Statue are calculated to 51.43 and 50.86, and the WPIs are estimated 4.52 and 8.95, respectively. So the weathering potential from the host rock of Standing Buddha Statue and basement rock prove to be high. The Standing Buddha Statue is terribly damaged with physical weathering from deterioration and exfoliation, and are scattered with secondary pollutant and precipitate. Basement rock is also in danger of ground collapse because of irregularly developed discontinuity system. Most surface of Standing Buddha Statue is seriously discolored into yellowish brown and dark gray, or black precipitates are also formed. Moreover, it is heavily covered with crustose lichen, fungi and algae, or moss are also found. In order to control the influential factors with the complex deterioration of Standing Buddha Statue, it is needed to rearrange a site environments, and conservation scientific management is required to protect it from covering lichens, exfoliations and fractures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.681-698
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• 2020

The paper addresses contribution to the modeling and optimization of major machinability parameters (cutting force, surface roughness, and tool wear) in finish dry hard turning (FDHT) for machinability evaluation of hardened AISI grade die steel D₃ with PVD-TiN coated (Al₂O₃-TiCN) mixed ceramic tool insert. The turning trials are performed based on Taguchi's L₁₈ orthogonal array design of experiments for the development of regression model as well as adequate model prediction by considering tool approach angle, nose radius, cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut as major machining parameters. The models or correlations are developed by employing multiple regression analysis (MRA). In addition, statistical technique (response surface methodology) followed by computational approaches (genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization) have been employed for multiple response optimization. Thereafter, the effectiveness of proposed three (RSM, GA, PSO) optimization techniques are evaluated by confirmation test and subsequently the best optimization results have been used for estimation of energy consumption which includes savings of carbon footprint towards green machining and for tool life estimation followed by cost analysis to justify the economic feasibility of PVD-TiN coated Al₂O₃+TiCN mixed ceramic tool in FDHT operation. Finally, estimation of energy savings, economic analysis, and sustainability assessment are performed by employing carbon footprint analysis, Gilbert approach, and Pugh matrix, respectively. Novelty aspects, the present work: (i) contributes to practical industrial application of finish hard turning for the shaft and die makers to select the optimum cutting conditions in a range of hardness of 45-60 HRC, (ii) demonstrates the replacement of expensive, time-consuming conventional cylindrical grinding process and proposes the alternative of costlier CBN tool by utilizing ceramic tool in hard turning processes considering technological, economical and ecological aspects, which are helpful and efficient from industrial point of view, (iii) provides environment friendliness, cleaner production for machining of hardened steels, (iv) helps to improve the desirable machinability characteristics, and (v) serves as a knowledge for the development of a common language for sustainable manufacturing in both research field and industrial practice.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.335-339
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• 2003

Purpose : Surfactant protein A(SP-A) is involved in surfactant physiology and structure, and plays a major role in innate host defense and inflammatory processes in the lung. Steroid therapy is widely used for mothers who threaten to deliver prematurely and also used commonly in the management of preterm infants with chronic lung disease. Two SP-A genes(SP-A1, SP-A2) and several alleles have been characterized for each SP-A gene in human. Preliminary evidence indicates that differences may exist among alleles in response to Dexamethasone(Dexa) and that the SP-A 3'UTR plays a role in this process. We studied whether 3'UTR-mediated differences exist among the most frequently found SP-A alleles in response to Dexa. Methods : Constructs containing the 3'UTR from eight different SP-A alleles were made using luciferase as a the reporter gene. These constructs were driven by the SV40 promotor and were transfected along with a transfection control vector in H441 cells that express SP-A. The activity of the reporter gene in the presence or absence of Dexa(100 nM) treatment was measured. All the experiments for the eight SP-A alleles studied, were performed in triplicate and repeated five times. The results were normalized to the transfection control. Results : Expression of alleles of 6A3, 6A, 1A were significantly decreased in response to Dexa. Conclusion : Three UTR mediated differences exist among human SP-A variants both in the basal expression and in response to Dexa. These genotype-dependent differences may point to a need for a careful consideration of individual use of steroid treatment in the prematurely born infant.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.450-457
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• 2020

In the previous study, there was a big difference between the tendency of the delivery efficiency of Yo-Pro-1 and the expression efficiency of the CFP gene, but there was a problem that could not provide a clue to this problem. Therefore, this study aimed to present a clue to this problem by quantifying and comparing the delivery efficiency after labeling DNA using a fluorescent dye, which was one of the methods for quantifying biomolecules. As a fluorescent dye for labeling, Yo-Pro-1 was used, and the delivery efficiency of the fluorescent dye Yo-Pro-1 and the labeled DNA was compared. The delivery efficiency of Yo-Pro-1 and labeled DNA according to the voltage condition of the digital electroporation system was maximized at 96 V, and the delivery efficiency tended to decrease as the voltage increased further. In the comparison of the delivery efficiency of Yo-Pro-1 and labeled DNA according to the number of voltage application conditions, the delivery efficiency was maximized at the number of 8 voltage application times for both delivery materials, and the delivery efficiency tended to decrease as the number of voltage application increases further. Through the two results, it was confirmed that the delivery efficiency using Yo-Pro-1 in the digital electroporation system represents the delivery efficiency of the system well. In addition, through the results of this study, the difference between the tendency of the delivery efficiency of Yo-Pro-1 and the expression efficiency of the CFP gene shown in the preceding study was not the result of the difference in the delivery efficiency of the delivery material, but it can be predicted to be due to a problem with the expression process of the genetic material that had been delivered.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.51-61
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• 2004

In the dental field, the 3D tooth model in which each tooth can be manipulated individually is an essential component for the simulation of orthodontic surgery and treatment. To reconstruct such a tooth model from CT slices, we need to define the accurate boundary of each tooth from CT slices. However, the global threshold method, which is commonly used in most existing 3D reconstruction systems, is not effective for the tooth segmentation in the CT image. In tooth CT slices, some teeth touch with other teeth and some are located inside of alveolar bone whose intensity is similar to that of teeth. In this paper, we propose an image segmentation algorithm based on B-spline curve fitting to produce smooth tooth regions from such CT slices. The proposed algorithm prevents the malfitting problem of the B-spline algorithm by providing accurate initial tooth boundary for the fitting process. This paper proposes an optimal threshold scheme using the intensity and shape information passed by previous slice for the initial boundary generation and an efficient B-spline fitting method based on genetic algorithm. The test result shows that the proposed method detects contour of the individual tooth successfully and can produce a smooth and accurate 3D tooth model for the simulation of orthodontic surgery and treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.462-469
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• 2000

Positron Emission Tomography(PET) is a new diagnostic method that can create functional images of the distribution of positron emitting radionuclides, which when administered intravenously in the body, makes possible anatomical and functional analysis by quantity of biochemical and physiological process. After genetic and biochemical changes in initial stage, malignant tumor undergoes functional changes before undergoing anatomical changes. So, early diagnosis of malignant tumors by functional analysis with PET can be achieved, replacing traditional anatomical analysis, such as computed tomography(CT) and magnetic resonance image(MRI), etc. Similarly, PET can identify malignant tumor without confusion with scar and fibrosis in follow up check. In the Korea Cancer Center Hospital(KCCH) from October 1997 to September 1999, clinical study was performed in 79 cases that underwent 89 times PET evaluation with [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose for diagnosis of oral and maxillofacial tumors, and the data was analysed by Bayesian $2{\times}2$ Classification Table. The results were as follows : Evaluation for initial diagnosis with FDG-PET (P<0.005) 1. Agreement rate or accuracy rate is 88.9%. 2. Sensitivity is 95.2%, and specificity 66.7%. 3. Positive predictive rate is 90.9%, and negative predictive rate 80.0%. 4. In consideration of tumor stage, diagnostic rate in less than stage II was 90% and in greater than stage III 100%. 5. In consideration of tumor size, diagnostic rate in less than T2 was 92.3% and in greater than T3 100%. After primary treatment, evaluation for follow up check with FDG-PET (P < 0.001) 1. Agreement rate or accuracy rate is 85.4%. 2. Sensitivity is 87.5%, and specificity 82.4%. 3. Positive predictive rate is 87.5%, and negative predictive rate 82.4%. 4. In 24 recurred cases, 6 had distant metastasis, and 5 of them were diagnosed with FDG-PET, resulting in diagnostic rate of FDG-PET of 83.3%. From the above results, Positron Emission Tomography with [18F]- Fluorodeoxyglucose appears to be more sensitive and accurate for detecting the presence of oral and maxillofacial tumors, and has various clinical applications such as early diagnosis of tumor in initial and follow up check and detection of distant metastasis.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.156-170
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• 2006

Determining the best visibility positions on terrain surface has been one of the frequently used analytical issues in GIS visibility analysis and the search for a solution has been carried out effectively using spatial search techniques. However, the spatial search process provides operational and methodological challenges for finding computational algorithms suitable for solving the best visibility site problem. For this problem, current GIS visibility analysis has not been successful due to limited algorithmic structure and operational performance. To meet these challenges, this paper suggests four algorithms explored robust search techniques: an extensive iterative search technique; a conventional solution based on the Tornqvist algorithm; genetic algorithm; and simulated annealing technique. The solution performance of these algorithms is compared on a set of visibility location problems and the experiment results demonstrate the useful feasibility. Finally, this paper presents the potential applicability of the new spatial search techniques for GIS visibility analysis by which the new search algorithms are of particular useful for tackling extensive visibility optimization problems as the next GIS analysis tool.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.242-247
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• 2003

Background: Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disorder that is characterized by a marked proliferation of keratinocytes, vascular dilation and leukocyte infiltration. Cytokines play important roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders. An overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines was characterized in psoriasis plaque. Among these cytokines, IL-$1{\beta}$ is major pro-inflammatory cytokine synthesized during the infection and inflammatory process. The IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) competes for the same IL-1 receptor for $IL-1{\alpha}$ and $-1{\beta}$, which prevents activation of the target cells. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL-$1{\beta}$ gene have been reported at position -31, -511 and +3954. Within the IL-1Ra gene (IL-1RN), there is a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) of an 86 bp length in intron 2. These polymorphisms related to cytokine production and associated with various diseases. Methods: We investigated the polymorphisms of IL-1B (promoter -511 and +3954) and IL-1RN on 114 psoriasis patients and 311 healthy normal controls in Korean. We performed PCR-RFLP on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-1B (promoter -511 and +3954) and fragment analysis on IL-1RN 86 bp VNTR polymorphism. Results: The frequency of IL-1B $-511^*1$ allele (patients vs. controls; 50.0% vs. 42.3%, RR=1.4) was significantly increased and IL-1B $-511^*2$ allele (patients vs. controls; 50.0% vs. 57.7%, RR=0.7) decreased in psoriasis patients compared to normal controls. We also analyzed the IL-1B -511 polymorphism according to patients' characters (age of onset, sex and family history). The IL-1B -511 alleles were significantly associated in patients with male and family history than health normal controls. There were no significant associations of IL-1B +3954 and IL-1RN polymorphisms with psoriasis patients. Conclusion: These results suggest that the polymorphism of IL-1B -511 could be genetic susceptibility to psoriasis in Koreans.