• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2001

In this study, we examined the effects of dietary fatty acids and vitamin E supplementation on antioxidant systems in the rat brain regions. The Sprague Dawley rats were fed the experimental diets 3-4 wks prior to the conception. Experimental diet consisted of 10% fat(wt/wt) which were safflower oil(SO, poor in $\omega$3 fatty acids), mixed oil(MO, P/M/S ratio=1.03:1.45:1,$\omega$6/$\omega$3 ratio=6.3) and mixed oil supplemented with vitamin E(ME:MO+500mg vitamin E/kg diet). At 3 and 9 weeks of age of the newborn rats, frontal cortex(FC), corpus striatum(CS), hippocampus(H) cerebellum(CB) were dissected out from the whole brain. Activities of glutathione peroxidase(GSH-P(sub)x, superoxide dismutase(SOD) concentrations of malondialdehyde(MDA) were mesaured. Dietary fatty acids were not effective in antioxidative system for rat brain. However, when vitamin E was supplemented to the diet(ME), the activities of GSH-P(suh)x tended to increase in comparison to MO group. Therefore, the activites of GSH-P(suh)x of FC and H at the age of 3 weeks showed significant differences(p<0.05). The activities of Total-SOD tended to decrease in ME group compared to MO group. There were significant differences(p<0.05) in FC and CS at the age of 3 weeks. The activities of Mn-SOD tended to increase and Cu, Zn-SOD tended to decrease when vitamin E was supplemented. The activity levels of antioxidative enzymes at the age of 3 weeks and 9 weeks were similar. This suggested that the activity level of antioxidative enzymes reached to the adult level at the age of 3 weeks which is the end point of lactation period. The concentrations of MDA were not altered by experimental diets. When the activities of antioxidant enzymes were compared, the activities of antioxidant enzymes were the lowest in H and FC. In conclusion, the antioxidative system were not altered by dietary fatty acid at the age of 3 weeks and 9 weeks, but the supplementation of vitamin E altered the antioxidative systems. Therefore, these findings should be considered comprehensively in scope of the balance of various antioxidative systems and their interactions(Korean J Nutrition 34(1):14-22, 2001)

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.668-675
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• 2005

A full-length cDNA encoding taxadiene synthase (designated as TmTXS), which catalyzes the first committed step in the Taxol biosynthetic pathway, was isolated from young leaves of Taxus media by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA of TmTXS had a 2586 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein of 862 amino acid residues. The deduced protein had isoelectric point (pI) of 5.32 and a calculated molecular weight of about 98 kDa, similar to previously cloned diterpene cyclases from other Taxus species such as T. brevifolia and T. chinenisis. Sequence comparison analysis showed that TmTXS had high similarity with other members of terpene synthase family of plant origin. Tissue expression pattern analysis revealed that TmTXS expressed strongly in leaves, weak in stems and no expression could be detected in fruits. This is the first report on the mRNA expression profile of genes encoding key enzymes involved in Taxol biosynthetic pathway in different tissues of Taxus plants. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that TmTXS had closest relationship with taxadiene synthase from T. baccata followed by those from T. chinenisis and T. brevifolia. Expression profiles revealed by RT-PCR under different chemical elicitor treatments such as methyl jasmonate (MJ), silver nitrate (SN) and ammonium ceric sulphate (ACS) were also compared for the first time, and the results revealed that expression of TmTXS was all induced by the tested three treatments and the induction effect by MJ was the strongest, implying that TmTXS was high elicitor responsive.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.343-349
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• 2010

Rapid on-site sensing of nitrate-nitrogen and potassium ions in hydroponic solution would increase the efficiency of nutrient use for greenhouse crops cultivated in closed hydroponic systems while reducing the potential for environmental pollution in water and soil. Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are a promising approach because of their small size, rapid response, and the ability to directly measure the analyte. The capabilities of the ISEs for sensing nitrate and potassium in hydroponic solution can be affected by the presence of other ions such as calcium, magnesium, sulfate, sodium, and chloride in the solution itself. This study was conducted to investigate the applicability of two ISEs consisting of TDDA-NPOE and valinomycin-DOS PVC membranes for quantitative determinations of $NO_3$-N and K in hydroponic solution. Nine hydroponic solutions were prepared by diluting highly concentrated paprika hydroponic solution to provide a concentration range of 3 to 400 mg/L for $NO_3$-N and K. Two of the calibration curves relating membrane response and nutrient concentration provided coefficients of determination ($R^2$) > 0.98 and standard errors of calibration (SEC) of < 3.79 mV. The use of the direct potentiometry method, in conjunction with an one-point EMF compensation technique, was feasible for measuring $NO_3$-N and K in paprika hydroponic solution due to almost 1:1 relationships and high coefficients of determination ($R^2$ > 0.97) between the levels of $NO_3$-N and K obtained with the ion-selective electrodes and standard instruments. However, even though there were strong linear relationships ($R^2$ > 0.94) between the $NO_3$-N and K concentrations determined by the Gran's plot-based multiple standard addition method and by standard instruments, hydroponic $NO_3$-N concentrations measured with the ISEs, on average, were about 10% higher than those obtained with the automated analyzer whereas the K ISE predicted about 59% lower K than did the ICP spectrometer, probably due to no compensation for a difference between actual and expected concentrations of standard solutions directly prepared.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.77-84
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• 2006

The objective of this research is to evaluate various reclamation methods of sewage sludge cake after treating with microwave under optimum conditions. In this study the sewage sludge cakes used from S and N wastewater treatment plants in the P city. Microwave with an induced electricity heating way was employed for dehydration of sewage sludge cake. Microwave operation conditions is 2,450 MHz of frequency and the power with 1 to 4 kW. This sewage sludge cake had a moisture content of 70%. The moisture content of the sludge decreased notable up to 2%(wt) resulted in breaking of cell wall. When the treated sewage sludge cake mixed with soils could be applied to use midterm and last cover material soils. Moreover, the adsorption ability of heavy metals such as copper, lead, chromium and cadmium was greatly enhanced by treated sewage sludge cake. Within 30 minutes, 1ppm of copper, chromium and cadmium and 10ppm of lead with 1g of the treated sewage sludge cake in $100m{\ell}$ were below detection. It was possible to use the treated sewage sludge cake as an absorbent for absorption of toxic heavy metals. Results from this research indicated that using of microwave radiation was an effective method for treating sewage sludge cake economically and environmental. A point of view of reclamation, the treated sewage sludge cake appeared to be feasible with an adsorption of heavy metals in steady of using expensive yellow earth.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.887-895
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• 2019

Recently, the number of underground road development projects has been increasing to solve traffic problems in the national capital region and metropolitan areas with intensified overcrowding, and there has been a tendency to plan underground roads by applying a double-deck tunnel technology that has advantages in constructability and economical efficiency. The double-deck tunnel has a structure where one excavation section is divided into two parts and used as up and down lines, and is mainly used as a road for small vehicles only due to its low floor height. In addition, due to the small cross-sectional area, it has characteristics different from those of general road tunnels in terms of ventilation and disaster prevention. In this regard, this study proposed an operational plan that applies an oversized exhaust system, which is one of semi-transverse ventilation systems, to small cross-sectional tunnels like double-deck tunnel with low floor height, and a comparative analysis between smoke exhaust characteristics according to the fire occurrence locations and oversized exhaust systems was conducted using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). The results showed that unlike uniform exhaust, intensive smoke exhaust using the oversized exhaust port maximized the delay effect of smoke diffusion and limited the smoke within 50 m above and below the fire point.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.433-444
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• 2017

This study was conducted to identify relationships between lung function disorders and Metabolic Syndrome(MetS) that have common comorbidities such as Cardio Vascular Diseases(CVD). According to the hypothesis that there may be a significant relationship between them, analyses were conducted to identify the proper management point for those diseases. Overall, 53,829 data were taken from KNHANES 2008-2013. Included data were PFT(Pulmonary Function Test) done and age over 40. All the 14 confounders applied, only 8,137 cases (M:3,951, F:4,186) were left. Low pulmonary function was divided into two categories, obstructive and restrictive patterns, based on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease(GOLD) criteria, while MetS was defined based on the revised NCEP-ATPIII criteria. The relationships between those diseases were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. In addition, for the prevalence rate, cross-tab analysis were conducted. There were no significant relationships observed between obstructive lung disease and MetS, but a restrictive pattern had a meaningful relationship with MetS. Specifically, MetS showed a higher prevalence rate for both obstructive and restrictive pattern patients than the control group. Restrictive pattern patients showed a higher prevalence rate to MetS than obstructive patients. Overall, restrictive lung patterns showed a meaningful association with MetS, but not with obstructive patterns. Additionally, the prevalence rate of MetS among restrictive patients was higher than among obstructive patients.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1425-1434
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• 2011

This experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of the processing method of common vetch seed (CVS) (Vicia sativa) on laying performance, egg quality, metabolic parameters and liver histopatology during the peak production period in hens. Lohman layers, 46 wk of age in 6 replicate cages each containing 4 hens, were allocated randomly to one of four dietary treatments. Diets were control (C) diet containing no common vetch and experimental diets containing 25% raw common vetch (RCV), 25% soaked in water for 72 h with exchange of water every 24 h (SCV) and 25% soaked&boiled at $100^{\circ}C$ for 30 minute common vetch (SBCV). Inclusion of RCV into the diet deteriorated all laying performance variables. SCV did not alleviate the adverse effect of raw common vetch on feed intake, egg weight, feed conversion, final weight and weight change. SCV partially alleviated egg production (p<0.001). SBCV diminished the adverse effect on feed intake, egg weight, feed conversion, final weight and weight change compared to raw vicia sativa (p<0.001). No significant difference was detected between SBCV and the control group in terms of egg production, feed conversion, final weight and weight change. Regardless of the processing method, all the common vetch groups had lower shell strength compared to the control group. Haugh units did differ between all groups (p<0.001). Inclusion of RCV and SCV into the basal diet decreased triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein and serum glucose concentrations (p<0.001). Hovewer, inclusion of SBCV into the basal diet increased these parameters. Liver samples were stained with Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and evaluated by light microscopy. A biopsy of native liver tissue was used as a control. No histopathologic finding was present in the control group. Raw V. sativa compared with the control caused lipid accumulations in hepatocytes, severe congestion of hepatic blood vessels, inflammation, increased numbers of Kupffer cells and sinusoidal dilatations. Whereas, the livers from groups given treated V. sativa showed only different degrees of sinusoidal dilatations. Findings from the present study point out the risk of increased hepatic damage due to use of raw Vicia sativa. Increasing treatment of V. sativa lead to a decrease of liver damages. Inclusion of raw and soaked vetch seeds in rations affected adversely all parameters examined in laying hens. But alleviation was observed when soaked and boiled vetch seeds (SBCV) were fed. The results of these experiments indicated that soaked&boiled Vicia sativa seeds may safely be used at a 25% level in rations of laying hens.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7621-7628
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• 2013

Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) status is an important prognostic factor in breast cancer. There is no globally accepted method for determining its status, and which method is most precise is still a matter of debate. We here analyzed HER2 mRNA expression by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and HER2 DNA amplification using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). In parallel, we performed a routine evaluation of HER2 protein by immunohistochemistry (IHC). To assess the accuracy of the RT-PCR and MLPA techniques, a combination of IHC and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used, substituting FISH when the results of IHC were ambiguous (2+) and for those IHC results that disagreed with MLPA and qRT-PCR, this approach being termed IHC-FISH. The IHC results for four samples were not compatible with the MLPA and qRT-PCR results; the MLPA and qRT-PCR results for these samples were confirmed by FISH. The correlations between IHC-FISH and qRT-PCR or MLPA were 0.945 and 0.973, respectively. The ASCO/CAP guideline IHC/FISH correlation with MLPA was (0.827) and with RT-PCR was (0.854). The correlations between the IHC results (0, 1+ as negative, and 3+ as positive) and qRT-PCR and MLPA techniques were 0.743 and 0.831, respectively. Given the shortcomings of IHC analysis and greater correlations between MLPA, qRT-PCR, and FISH methods than IHC analysis alone with each of these three methods, we propose that MLPA and real-time PCR are good alternatives to IHC. However a suitable cut-off point for qRTPCR is a prerequisite for determining the exact status of HER2.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.195-200
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• 2007

We fabricated thermally-evaporated 10 nm-Ni/70 w-Poly-Si/200 $nm-SiO_2/Si$ and $10nm-Ni_{0.5}Co_{0.5}/70$ nm-Poly-Si/200 $nm-SiO_2/Si$ structures to investigate the microstructure of nickel monosilicide at the elevated temperatures required fur annealing. Silicides underwent rapid anneal at the temperatures of $600{\sim}1100^{\circ}C$ for 40 seconds. Silicides suitable for the salicide process formed on top of the polycrystalline silicon substrate mimicking the gates. A four-point tester was used to investigate the sheet resistances. A transmission electron microscope and an Auger depth profile scope were employed for the determination of cross sectional microstructure and thickness. 20nm thick nickel cobalt composite silicides on polycrystalline silicon showed low resistance up to $900^{\circ}C$, while the conventional nickle silicide showed low resistance below $900^{\circ}C$. Through TEM analysis, we confirmed that the 70nm-thick nickel cobalt composite silicide showed a unique silicon-silicide mixing at the high silicidation temperature of $1000^{\circ}C$. We identified $Ni_3Si_2,\;CoSi_2$ phase at $700^{\circ}C$ using an X-ray diffractometer. Auger depth profile analysis also supports the presence of this mixed microstructure. Our result implies that our newly proposed NiCo composite silicide from NiCo alloy films process may widen the thermal process window for the salicide process and be suitable for nano-thick silicides.