• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.135-142
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• 2018

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed early gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol compared to a conventional midfollicular GnRH antagonist protocol and a long GnRH agonist protocol for in vitro fertilization (IVF) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: Randomized patients in all three groups (early antagonist, n = 14; conventional antagonist, n = 11; long agonist, n = 11) received 21 days of oral contraceptive pill treatment prior to stimulation. The GnRH antagonist was initiated on the 1st day of stimulation in the early antagonist group and on the 6th day in the conventional antagonist group. The GnRH agonist was initiated on the 18th day of the preceding cycle. The primary endpoint was the number of oocytes retrieved, and the secondary endpoints included the rate of moderate-to-severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and the clinical pregnancy rate. Results: The median total number of oocytes was similar among the three groups (early, 16; conventional, 12; agonist, 19; p= 0.111). The early GnRH antagonist protocol showed statistically non-significant associations with a higher clinical pregnancy rate (early, 50.0%; conventional, 11.1%; agonist, 22.2%; p= 0.180) and lower incidence of moderate-to-severe OHSS (early, 7.7%; conventional, 18.2%; agonist, 27.3%; p= 0.463), especially among subjects at high risk for OHSS (early, 12.5%; conventional, 40.0%; agonist, 50.0%; p= 0.324). Conclusion: In PCOS patients undergoing IVF, early administration of a GnRH antagonist may possibly lead to benefits due to a reduced incidence of moderate-to-severe OHSS in high-risk subjects with a better clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer. Further studies with more subjects are required.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.330-334
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: More recently, it has been shown that atmospheric ammonia (NH₃) plays a primary role in the formation of secondary particulate matter by reacting with the acidic species, e.g. SO₂, NOx, to form PM2.5 aerosols in the atmosphere. The Jeonbuk region is an area with high concentration of particulate matter. Due to environmental changes in the Saemangeum reclaimed land with an area of 219 km², it is necessary to evaluate the impact of the particulate matter and atmospheric ammonia in the Jeonbuk region. METHODS AND RESULTS: Atmospheric ammonia concentrations were measured from June 2020 to May 2021 using a passive sampler and CRDS analyzer. Seasonal and annual atmospheric ammonia concentration measured using passive sampler was significantly lower in Jangjado (background concentration), and the concentration ranged from 11.4 ㎍/m³ to 18.2 ㎍/m³. Atmospheric ammonia concentrations in Buan, Gimje, Gunsan, and Wanju regions did not show a significant difference, although there was a slight seasonal difference. The maximum atmospheric ammonia concentration measured using the CRDS analyzer installed in the IAMS near the Saemangeum reclaimed land was 51.5 ㎍/m³ in autumn, 48.0 ㎍/m³ in summer, 37.6 ㎍/m³ in winter, and 32.7 ㎍/m³ in spring. The minimum concentration was 4.9 ㎍/m³ in spring, 4.2 ㎍/m³ in summer, and 3.5 ㎍/m³ in autumn and winter. The annual average concentration was 14.6 ㎍/m³. CONCLUSION(S): Long term monitoring of atmospheric ammonia in agricultural areas is required to evaluate the formation of fine particulate matter and its impact on the environment. In addition, continuous technology development is needed to reduce ammonia emitted from farmland.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.310-317
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• 2019

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the survival rate of composite resin restorations in permanent first molars in pediatric patients focusing on the influence of risk factors related to patients and teeth. 172 patients (6 - 12 years old) who had their permanent first molars restored with composite resin from July 2010 to July 2012 were investigated. From the dental records, the influence of the risk factors on the survival of restorations was assessed. Location of teeth, classification of cavities, patients' age and caries risk were included as risk factors in this study. The caries risks of patients were evaluated by the value of the decayed-missing-filled teeth index with the records of patients taken at 5 years old. Among 354 restorations, 272 restorations retained and 82 restorations were replaced. The overall cumulative survival rate at 5 years was 73.9%. The main reason for replacement of restorations was secondary caries (81.7%). Patients with older age group and with lower caries risk group showed higher survival rate of restorations. No statistically significant influence was detected between the survival rates and the possible risk factors : location of teeth, patients' age and caries risk. The survival rate of restorations was significantly affected by the classification of the cavities (p = 0.002).

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2019

Isoflavones, a group of secondary metabolites present in plants and especially abundant in soybeans, are garnering increasing interest because of their medicinal properties. Numerous environmental factors influence isoflavone accumulation in plants. Successful attempts to increase isoflavone contents in soybean seeds have not been widely reported. In this report, we examined an effective method for producing a high amount of isoflavones during soybean seed germination, by treating the seed with 4 abiotic factors. Soybean seeds were exposed to ultrasound (50 Hz) and heat ($40^{\circ}C$) for 30minutes, then germinated for 5 days in darkness. Another sample was subjected to water deficit during germination in darkness, and the other sample was subjected to light conditions during the germination period. The results showed that the ultrasound treatment increased isoflavone content during soybean germination. Three days after germination, the ultrasound-treated seeds presented the highest isoflavone content (6,042.1 ug/g dry weight) compared to the other treatments, which was also 1.3-fold increases over the content of the raw seed's before germination. With respect to each type of isoflavone group, aglycone (partially genistein) content was markedly higher, whereas glucoside was lower than that of the untreated samples. In other experiment, total isoflavone content after heat, water deficit, and light treatments was 5,600.0, 4,740.1, and 5,631.4 ug/g, respectively. These present work suggests that ultrasound treatment is a novel approach for improving the production of isoflavones in soybean seeds during germination.

• Journal of vocational education research
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.1-23
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore the direction of school system reorganization in order to strengthen the educational competitiveness of Meister high school. Specifically, the first one was to review prior research related to the school system reorganization of vocational education at the secondary level, and to propose school system reorganization plans of Meister high school. And second one was to analyze the perceptions of related parties about this reorganization plans and to derive important implications. The results of this study were as follows. First, based on the results of the analysis of precedent research, school system reorganization plans of Meister high school was composed of (1) introduction of credit system, (2) introduction of 3-semester system, and (3) expansion of school year. Second, as a result of the questionnaire survey conducted by 138 Meister high school teachers and 185 Meister high school graduates, both group seemed to agree on the necessity of school system reorganization of Meister high school. In addition, the necessity of introducing the proposed reorganization plans was more than a certain level, but the applicability was recognized as somewhat lower than the necessity of introduction. Third, the results of the FGI analysis on industrial personnel showed a positive response, especially regarding the operation of advanced course due to the expansion of school year. Based on this results, it was proposed to design a more systematic reorganization model and provide policy support, to examine the whole scale expansion through pilot application, and to collect opinions more systematically from industrial field experts on school system reorganization plans.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.23-40
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• 2019

The main purpose of this study is to analyze and examine the problems of the law systems of the safety and maintenance of nuclear facilities and to propose the improvements with respect to the related problems especialy focused on safety management of aquatic products. Therefore, the results of the paper would be helpful to build an effective management law system of safety and maintenance of nuclear facilities and fisheries products. The research methods are longitudinal and horizontal studies. This study compares domestic policies with foreign policies of nuclear plants and aquatic products. Using the above methods, examining the current system of nuclear-related laws and regulations, we have found that there exist 13 Acts including "Nuclear Safety Act", etc. Safety laws related on nuclear facilities have seven Acts including "Nuclear Safety Act", "the Act on Physical Protection and Radiological Emergency", "Radioactive waste control Act", "Act on Protective Action Guidelines against Radiation in the Natural Environment", "Special Act on Assistance to the locations of facilities for disposal low and intermediate level radioactive waste", "Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety Act". "Act on Establishment and Operation of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission". The seven laws are composed of 119 legislations. They have 112 lower statute of eight Presidential Decrees, six Primeministrial Decrees and Ministrial Decrees, 92 administrative rules (orders), 6 legislations of local self-government aself-governing body. The concluded proposals of this paper are as follows. Firstly, we propose that the relationship between the special law and general law should be re-established. Secondly, the terms with respect to law system of safety and maintenance of nuclear plants should be redefined and specified. Thirdly, it is advisable to re-examine and re-establish the Law System for Safety and Maintenance of Nuclear Facilities. and environmental rights like the French Nuclear Safety Legislation. Lastly, inadequate legislation on the aquatic pollution damage should be re-established. It is necessary to ensure sufficient transparency as well as environmental considerations in the policy decisions of the Korean government and legislation of the National Assembly. It is necessary to further study the possibilities of accepting the implications of the French legal system as a legal system in Korea. In conclusion, the safety management of nuclear facilities is not only focused on the secondary industry and the tertiary industry centering on power generation and supply, but also on the primary industry, which is the food of the people. It is necessary to prevent damage to be foreseen. Therefore, it is judged that there should be no harm to the people caused by contaminated marine products even if the "Food Safety Law for Prevention of Radiation Pollution Damage" is enacted.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.871-878
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the anticancer activities of an 80% methanol extract and various fractions of Rhododendron brachycarpum (RB). The n-hexane fraction of RB showed the highest inhibitory activity (Inhibit concentration $50%=20.2{\pm}1.2{\mu}g/ml$) in HT-29 cells. Colony- and sphereforming abilities were significantly correlated with a decrease in the cell count and size. A TOP/FOP flash reporter assay revealed that the inhibitory activity of the n-hexane fraction of RB ($0.22{\pm}0.02$ fold change) was lower than that of the 80% methanol extract and that of other fractions. The n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions of RB were predominantly dependent on the expression levels of intracellular ${\beta}-catenin$. Western blotting using $p-GSK3{\beta}$ with only the n-hexane fraction of RB was conducted to examine whether these secondary metabolites reduced ${\beta}-catenin$ degradation. Intracellular ${\beta}-catenin$ regulation resulted in quantitative changes in the nucleus. In summary, these results demonstrate the potential of the n-hexane fraction of RB as a natural anticancer agent.

• Journal of the Korean Data Analysis Society
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.3201-3209
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors predicting increased usage hours of smartphone among adolescents. Secondary data was analyzed to be collected from a nationally representative sample of 2017 Korean adolescents. This study sample included 54,601 students in middle or high schools of Korea. The collected data were analyzed SPSS version 23.0 program for frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and binary logistic regression analysis. In the results, the mean usage hour of smartphone among the adolescents was 28.42 (SD 23.30) per week. Analyses of the differences in usage hours of smartphone according to research variables were found that the groups of lower level of study (F=1361.067, p<.001) and sociality content type (F=761.549, p<.001) spent more time, as compared to the other groups. The logistic analysis showed the predictive factors for increased hour of using smartphone were smartphone usage for sociality (OR: 2.44, 95% CI: 2.26-2.64) and peer group counselor (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.49). Conclusionally, the findings of this study suggests that it needs to understand cause or purpose of smartphone using of adolescent and to cope and educate on the cause.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.483-493
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• 2021

Urban overcrowding has created an explosive supply and demand for high-rise buildings. High-rise buildings are contributing to enhancing the image of the city by serving as focal points, but due to the stack effect, malfunction of elevator doors, difficulties in opening and closing the doors and windows of the outer wall, smoke and odors spreading to the upper floors, noise, energy loss, fire and pollutants have been causing various unexpected problems such as rapid spread of fire. This study classified high-rise buildings according to their vertical zoning, analyzed the causes of and solutions to the stack effect, and derived design and construction methods. Through the initial plan to block the outside air and securing airtightness through precise construction, we sought ways to secure the airtightness inside and outside the building by actively blocking the airflow from the lower floors. In addition, the facility solution can be a measure to reduce the specific phenomena caused by the stack effect, but it should only be applied to the minimum extent because the potential for secondary damage is high. This study emphasized the need for systematic stack effect management by suggesting design and construction measures for each vertical zoning of the causes and countermeasures of the stack effect. It is expected that this study will be helpful not only for design and construction, but also for building maintenance.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.192-198
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• 2021

Red yeast rice has been extensively used as food and traditional medicine for thousands of years in East Asian countries. It is produced by the fermentation of a particular yeast (in general, Monascus purpureus) as rice and various cereals (barley, soybean, etc.). Monascus sp. produces many secondary metabolites during its growth, including pigments, monacolins, and γ-aminobutyric acid. Some metabolites―specifically, monacolin K, γ-aminobutyric acid, dimerumic acid, and monascus pigments―have been reported to lower cholesterol and blood pressure while showing anti-obesity effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of ethanol extract from red yeast barley (RYB) fermented with Monascus sp. BHN-MK 2 on 3T3-L1 cells. The anti-obesity effects of RYB extract were examined: its lipid accumulation inhibitory effect was tested by Oil Red O staining, and obesity-related mRNA expression levels were tested by real-time RT-PCR in MDI stimulated 3T3-L1 cells. The intracellular lipid content of MDI-stimulated 3T3-L1 cells decreased significantly to 5.04%, 12.24%, and 23.52% in response to 200, 400, and 800 ㎍/ml RYB, respectively. Moreovers, we evaluated that RYB extract significantly downregulated the expression of C/EBPα, SREBP-1, and PPAR-γ gene in a dose-dependent manner. As a result, red yeast barley ethanol extracts exerted the strongest anti-obesity effects. Also, the results indicate that red yeast barley could be used as a functional anti-obesity food material.