• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제41권5호
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• pp.556-561
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• 2014

Background Groin dissections result in large wounds with exposed femoral vessels requiring soft tissue coverage, and the reconstructive options are diverse. In this study we reviewed our experience with the use of the pedicled anterolateral thigh and vertical rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps in the reconstruction of large groin wounds. Methods Groin reconstructions performed over a period of 10 years were evaluated, with a mean follow up of two years. We included all cases with large or complex (involving perineum) defects, which were reconstructed with the pedicled anterolateral thigh musculocutaneous or the vertical rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (VRAM) flaps. Smaller wounds which were covered with skin grafts, locally based flaps and pedicled muscle flaps were excluded. Results Twenty-three reconstructions were performed for large or complex groin defects, utilising the anterolateral thigh (n=10) and the vertical rectus abdominis (n=13) pedicled musculocutaneous flaps. Femoral vein reconstruction with a prosthetic graft was required in one patient, and a combination flap (VRAM and gracilis muscle flap) was performed in another. Satisfactory coverage was achieved in all cases without major complications. No free flaps were used in our series. Conclusions The anterolateral thigh and vertical rectus abdominis pedicled musculocutaneous flaps yielded consistent results with little morbidity in the reconstruction of large and complex groin defects. A combination of flaps can be used in cases requiring extensive cover.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• 제6권4호
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• pp.1248-1266
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• 2012

This paper presents a multilevel reversible data hiding method based on histogram shifting which can recover the original image losslessly after the hidden data has been extracted from the stego-image. The method of prediction is adopted in our proposed scheme and prediction errors are produced to explore the similarity of neighboring pixels. In this article, we propose two different predictors to generate the prediction errors, where the prediction is carried out using the center prediction method and the JPEG-LS median edge predictor (MED) to exploit the correlation among the neighboring pixels. Instead of the original image, these prediction errors are used to hide the secret information. Moreover, we also present an improved method to search for peak and zero pairs and also talk about the analogy of the same to improve the histogram shifting method for huge embedding capacity and high peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). In the one-level hiding, our method keeps image qualities larger than 53 dB and the ratio of embedding capacity has 0.43 bpp (bit per pixel). Besides, the concept with multiple layer embedding procedure is applied for obtaining high capacity, and the performance is demonstrated in the experimental results. From our experimental results and analytical reasoning, it shows that the proposed scheme has higher PSNR and high data embedding capacity than that of other reversible data hiding methods presented in the literature.

• 한국식품조리과학회지
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.65-70
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• 1986

수확적기의 한국산 사과품종별 총펙틴함량과 각 펙틴 fraction 함량을 알아보고 2% Sodium hexa metaphosphate (SHMP)로 추출한 펙틴의 품종간 그리고 시판 펙틴과의 성분을 비교하였다. Nitta 방법에 의해 정량한 사과의 품종별 펙틴함량은 건조중량으로 1.76∼4.0％로 품종간에 차이를 보여 국광이 4.0%로 가장 높았으며 스퍼 얼리 브래이스 골덴 딜리셔스, 후지, 홍옥의 순이었다. 각 펙틴 fraction을 보면 용해성 펙틴함량은 국광이 가장 낮았고 스퍼 얼리 브레이스와 골덴 딜리셔스가 가장 높았다. 한편 스퍼 얼리 브레이스와 골덴 딜리셔스의 불용성 펙틴함량이 낮은 것으로 보아 이 두 사과는 숙성초기에 펙틴물질이 많이 변하는 것 같다. 2% SHMP로 추출한 총펙틴질의 성분 분석에서 회분함량은 사과품종간에 차이를 보이며 시판 펙틴보다 높았다. Anhydrogalacturonic acid (AUA) 함량은 시판 펙틴보다 낮으며 품종간에 범위가 다양했다. 메톡실함량은 시판펙틴보다 높으며 모든 사과품종이 70% 이상의 에스터화정도를 가졌다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.102-105
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• 2016

Objective: The goal of this study was to compare the semen parameters of two successive samples obtained within an interval of less than 60 minutes from patients planning to undergo intrauterine insemination (IUI) whose first samples exhibited low semen quality. Methods: Thirty-two consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. On the day of IUI, the semen analysis of the samples initially presented by all patients met at least two of the following criteria: sperm concentration $<5{\times}10^6/mL$, total sperm count $<10{\times}10^6$, progressive sperm motility (a+b) in the native sample <30%, and total motile sperm count (TMSC) $<4{\times}10^6$. A successive semen sample was obtained no more than 60 minutes after the first sample. Results: Compared to the first sample, the second exhibited significantly (p<0.05) improved sperm concentration, TMSC, progressive motility, and vitality. Regarding TMSC, the most critical parameter on the day of IUI, 23 patients (71.8%) improved it, while nine (28.2%) displayed poorer outcomes. Conclusion: In defined cases, requesting a second successive ejaculate on the day of insemination may result in a high percentage of cases in an improvement of the quality of the sample.

• Mycobiology
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.164-169
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• 2011

Spent mushroom compost (SMC) of Pleurotus pulmonarius (an edible fungus) was used as soil conditioner for the improvement of growth of four common Nigerian vegetables (Abelmoschus esculentus, Lycopersicum esculentum, Capsicum annum and Capsicum chinense). The results of these investigations showed that the vegetables responded well to the SMC treatment. Each of them attained its best growth and gave the highest number of flowers and fruits when planted on 6 kg of depleted garden soil supplemented with 600 g of SMC. The control experiment that has the seedlings of the vegetables planted on 6 kg of depleted garden soil only, without the application of SMC, showed stunted and poor growth, with few or no flower and fruit production. A. esculentus was the best utilizer of iron utilizing 118.0 mg/kg in the SMC used. Similarly; this vegetable utilized 1.48 mg/kg of nitrogen in the SMC. The highest height in each vegetable was attained with 6 kg of depleted garden soil supplemented with 600 g of SMC. At 9 wk, A. esculentus has the mean height of 85.0 cm while these values significantly increased to 100.00 cm at 14 wk ($p{\leq}0.05$). At 9 wk, L. esculentum has the highest mean height of 65.00 cm which increased to 71.00 cm after 14 wk. It was also observed that A. esculentus has the highest mean number of fruits (9.00), followed in order by C. chinense (8.00) and L. esculentum (7.00) ($p{\leq}0.05$) while, C. annum produced the least mean number of fruits (5.00). No fruits production was seen in the control experiments. The results of these findings were discussed in relation to the usage of SMC as possible organic fertilizer for the improvement of growth of vegetables in Nigeria.

• Mycobiology
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.103-108
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• 2011

Amylases and cellulases are important enzymes that can be utilized for various biological activities. Ten different wild Nigerian mushrooms (Agaricus blazei, Agaricus sp., Corilopsis occidentalis, Coriolus versicolor, Termitomyces clypeatus, Termitomyces globulus, Pleurotus tuber-regium, Podoscypha bolleana, Pogonomyces hydnoides, and Nothopanus hygrophanus) were assayed for production of these secondary metabolites. The results revealed that most of the tested wild fungi demonstrated very good amylase and cellulase activities. With the incorporation of carboxymethyl-cellulose (a carbon source) into the culture medium, Agaricus blazei had the highest amylolytic activity of 0.60 unit/mL (at $25^{\circ}C$, pH 6.8). This was followed in order by P. tuber-regium and Agaricus sp. with 0.42 and 0.39 unit/mL, respectively ($p {\leq} 0.05$). Maltose and sucrose supplementation into the submerged liquid medium made N. hygrophanus and P. hydnoides to exhibit very low amylase activities of 0.09 and 0.11 unit/mL, respectively. Introducing peptone (an organic nitrogen source) into the basal medium enhanced the ability of C. versicolor to produce a cellulase value of 0.74 unit/mL. Other organic nitrogen sources that supported good cellulase activities were yeast extract and urea. Sodium nitrate (inorganic nitrogen source) generally inhibited cellulase production in all mushrooms. The best carbon source was carboxymethyl-cellulose, which promoted very high cellulase activity of 0.67 unit/mL in C. versicolor, which was followed in order by P. tuber-regium, T. chypeatus, and C. occidentalis ($p {\leq} 0.05$). Sucrose was the poorest carbon compound, supporting the lowest values of 0.01, 0.01, and 0.14 unit/mL in P. hydnoides, A. blazei, and Agaricus sp., respectively.

• Mycobiology
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• 제41권4호
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• pp.191-201
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• 2013

Distinguishing individual Russula species has been difficult due to extensive phenotypic plasticity and obscure morphological and anatomical discontinuities. Due to highly similar macroscopic features, such as the presence of a red-cap, species identification within the Russula subgenus Amoenula is particularly difficult. Three species of the subgenus Amoneula have been reported in Korea. We used a combination of morphology and three molecular markers, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), 28S nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU), and RNA polymerase II gene (RPB2), for identification and study of the genetic diversity of Russula subgenus Amoenula in Korea. We identified only two species in Korea (R. mariae and R. violeipes); these two species were indistinguishable according to morphology and LSU, but were found to be reciprocally monophyletic species using ITS and RPB2. The markers, ITS, LSU, and RPB2, have been tested in the past for use as DNA barcoding markers, and findings of our study suggest that ITS and RPB2 had the best performance for the Russula subgenus Amoneula.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2014

The Kenyan aquaculture sector is broadly categorized into freshwater aquaculture and mariculture. Whereas freshwater aquaculture has recorded significant progress over the last decade, the mariculture sector has yet to be fully exploited. The Kenyan aquaculture industry has seen slow growth for decades until recently, when the government-funded Economic Stimulus Program increased fish farming nationwide. Thus far, the program has facilitated the alleviation of poverty, spurred regional development, and led to increased commercial thinking among Kenyan fish farmers. Indeed, national aquaculture production grew from 1,000 MT/y in 2000 (equivalent to 1% of national fish production) to 12,000 MT/y, representing 7% of the national harvest, in 2010. The production is projected to hit 20,000 MT/y, representing 10% of total production and valued at USD 22.5 million over the next 5 years. The dominant aquaculture systems in Kenya include earthen and lined ponds, dams, and tanks distributed across the country. The most commonly farmed fish species are Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus, which accounts for about 75% of production, followed by African catfish Clarias gariepinus, which contributes about 21% of aquaculture production. Other species include common carp Cyprinus carpio, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, koi carp Cyprinus carpio carpio, and goldfish Carassius auratus. Recently, Kenyan researchers have begun culturing native fish species such as Labeo victorianus and Labeo cylindricus at the National Aquaculture Research Development and Training Centre in Sagana. Apart from limited knowledge of modern aquaculture technology, the Kenyan aquaculture sector still suffers from an inadequate supply of certified quality seed fish and feed, incomprehensive aquaculture policy, and low funding for research. Glaring opportunities in the Kenyan aquaculture industry include the production of live fish food, e.g., Artemia, daphnia and rotifers, marine fish and shellfish larviculture; seaweed farming; cage culture; integrated fish farming; culture of indigenous fish species; and investment in the fish feed industry.

• 대한화장품학회지
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.79-104
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• 2003

Introducing to the market place, safe and effective product is an important responsibility of clinical investigators as well as regulatory agencies in all developed countries. Products claiming to improve skin wrinkles are no exceptions. To date, Renova(R) (all-trans retinoic acid), Avage(R) (tazarotene), and Botox(R) (botulinum toxin) are the only agents FDA approved to ameliorate wrinkles associated with photoaged skin in the USA. For all three, clinical evaluation of wrinkle severity was the primary endpoint required for the approval process. No sophisticated instrument measurements of wrinkles were required, nor used in the pivotal studies. The Division of Dermatologic & Dental Products of the US FDA (Director, Jonathan Wilkin, MD) is not against the use of mechanical instruments in assessing wrinkle severity. Its position on this issue however, remains that any such device must be grounded in patients' or product users' perspective, which means that the evaluation instrument must be clinically relevant and clinically perceptible. Sophisticated devices that can detect minimal improvement, but imperceptible to the users are considered useless in the eyes of the US FDA. Two instruments that have been tried in some antiwrinkle studies in the USA are silicone replicas and Primos. Despite their sophistications, they have clear limitations; thus have never replaced clinical evaluations in these studies. At most, they have served as secondary measures to provide corroborative data on the clinical efficacy of antiwrinkle products. For the foreseeable future, at least in the USA, careful clinical assessment of wrinkles will continue to serve as the critical benchmark to determine whether an antiwrinkle product has enough efficacy to benefit its users. We must not lose sight of the fact that sophisticated devices are only to serve in generating supportive evidence, and not the primary evidence, in any clinical studies.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.332-340
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• 2019

Background: Studies of morphological variation within and among populations provide an opportunity to understand local adaptation and potential patterns of gene flow. To study the evolutionary divergence patterns of Schlegel's Japanese gecko (Gekko japonicus) across its distribution, we analyzed data for 15 morphological characters of 324 individuals across 11 populations (2 in China, 4 in Japan, and 5 in Korea). Results: Among-population morphological variation was smaller than within-population variation, which was primarily explained by variation in axilla-groin length, number of infralabials, number of scansors on toe IV, and head-related variables such as head height and width. The population discrimination power was 32.4% and in cluster analysis, populations from the three countries tended to intermix in two major groups. Conclusion: Our results indicate that morphological differentiation among the studied populations is scarce, suggesting short history for some populations after their establishment, frequent migration of individuals among the populations, and/or local morphological differentiation in similar urban habitats. Nevertheless, we detected interesting phenetic patterns that may predict consistent linkage of particular populations that are independent of national borders. Additional sampling across the range and inclusion of genetic data could give further clue for the historical relationship among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean populations of G. japonicus.