• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.75.2-75.2
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• 2010

We investigate the dependence of occurrence of bar in galaxies on galaxy properties and environment. The environmental conditions considered include the large-scale background density and distance to the nearest neighbor galaxy. We use a volume-limited sample of 33,296 galaxies brighter than $M_r$=-19.5+5logh at $0.02{\leqq}z{\leqq}0.05489$, drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. We classify the galaxies into early and late types, and identify bars by visual inspection. We find that the fraction of barred galaxies ($f_{bar}$) is 18.2% on average in the case of late-type galaxies, and depends on both u-r color and central velocity dispersion $(\sigma);f_{bar}$ is a monotonically increasing function of u-r color, and has a maximum value at intermediate velocity dispersion (${\sigma}{\simeq}170km\;s^{-1}$). This trend suggests that bars are dominantly hosted by systems having intermediate-mass with no recent interaction or merger history. We also find that $f_{bar}$ does not directly depend on the large-scale background density as its dependence disappears when other physical parameters are fixed. We discover the bar fraction decreases as the separation to the nearest neighbor galaxy becomes smaller than 0.1 times the virial radius of the neighbor regardless of neighbor's morphology. These results imply that it is difficult for bars to be maintained during strong tidal interactions, and that the source for this phenomenon is gravitational and not hydrodynamical.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.235-241
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Doenjang, Korean traditional fermented soybean paste has been reported to have an anti-obesity effect. Because adipose tissue is considered a major source of inflammatory signals, we investigated the protective effects of Doenjang and steamed soybean on oxidative stress and inflammation in adipose tissue of diet-induced obese mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a low fat diet (LF), a high-fat diet (HF), or a high-fat containing Doenjang diet (DJ) or a high-fat containing steamed soybean diet (SS) for 11 weeks. RESULTS: Mice fed a DJ diet showed significantly lower body and adipose tissue weights than those in the HF group. Although no significant differences in adipocyte size and number were observed among the HF diet-fed groups, consumption of Doenjang alleviated the incidence of crown-like structures in adipose tissue. Consistently, we observed significantly reduced mRNA levels of oxidative stress markers (heme oxygenase-1 and $p40^{phox}$), pro-inflammatory adipokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1), macrophage markers (CD68 and CD11c), and a fibrosis marker (transforming growth factor beta 1) by Doenjang consumption. Gene expression of anti-inflammatory adipokine, adiponectin was significantly induced in the DJ group and the SS group compared to the HF group. The anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects observed in mice fed an SS diet were not as effective as those in mice fed a DJ diet, suggesting that the bioactive compounds produced during fermentation and aging may be involved in the observed health-beneficial effects of Doenjang. CONCLUSIONS: Doenjang alleviated oxidative stress and restored the dysregulated expression of adipokine genes caused by excess adiposity. Therefore, Doenjang may ameliorate systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in obesity via inhibition of inflammatory signals of adipose tissue.

• Mycobiology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.249-254
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• 2008

Minimal growth inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of chitosan acetate (M.W. 60 kDa) on heterotrophic bacteria (strains MK1, S, and R) isolated from the soft-rotten tissues of Neungee mushroom (Sarcodon aspratus) were measured. The slimy substance produced by the MK1 strain was responsible for the diseased mushroom’s appearance. The S and R strains were members of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. These strains showed different levels of susceptibility toward chitosan acetate. The MIC of chitosan acetate against the MK1 and S strains was 0.06%. The MIC against the R strain was greater than 0.10%. Survival fractions of the MK1 and S strains at the MIC were $3\;{\times}\;10^{-4}$ and $1.4\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$ after 24 h, and $2\;{\times}\;10^{-4}$ and $7\;{\times}\;10^{-4}$ after 48 h, respectively. Survival fractions of the R strain after 24 and 48 hr at 0.1% chitosan acetate were $1\;{\times}\;10^{-2}$ and $6.9\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$, respectively. Compared to the MK1 and S strains, the low susceptibility of the R stain towards chitosan acetate could be due to the ability of the R strain to utilize chitosan as a carbon source. Thirty-eight percent of Neungee pieces treated in a 0.06% chitosan acetate solution for $2{\sim}3$ second did not show any bacterial growth at 4 days, whereas bacterial growth around untreated mushroom pieces occurred within 2 days. These data suggest that chitosan acetate is highly effective in controlling growth of indigenous microorganisms on Neungee. The scanning electron micrographs of the MK1 strain treated with chitosan revealed a higher degree of disintegrated and distorted cellular structures.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2013

Betaine supplementation has been shown to alleviate altered glucose and lipid metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet or a high-sucrose diet. We investigated the beneficial effects of betaine in diabetic db/db mice. Alleviation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and oxidative stress was also examined in the livers and brains of db/db mice fed a betaine-supplemented diet. Male C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice were fed with or without 1% betaine for 5 wk (referred to as the db/db-betaine group and the db/db group, respectively). Lean non-diabetic db/+ mice were used as the control group. Betaine supplementation significantly alleviated hyperinsulinemia in db/db mice. Betaine reduced hepatic expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha, a major transcription factor involved in gluconeogenesis. Lower serum triglyceride concentrations were also observed in the db/db-betaine group compared to the db/db group. Betaine supplementation induced hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a mRNA levels, and reduced acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity. Mice fed a betaine-supplemented diet had increased total glutathione concentrations and catalase activity, and reduced lipid peroxidation levels in the liver. Furthermore, betaine also reduced ER stress in liver and brain. c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity and tau hyperphosphorylation levels were lower in db/db mice fed a betaine-supplemented diet, compared to db/db mice. Our findings suggest that betaine improves hyperlipidemia and tau hyperphosphorylation in db/db mice with insulin resistance by alleviating ER and oxidative stress.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.91-103
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• 2006

Given a bill of materials (BOM) tree T labeled by the breadth first search (BFS) order from node 0 to node n and a general network ${\Im}=(V,A)$, where V={1,2,...,m} is the set of production facilities and A is the set of arcs representing transportation links between any of two facilities, we assume that each node of T stands for not only a component. but also a production stage which is a possible stocking point and operates under a periodic review base-stock policy, We also assume that the random demand which can be achieved by a suitable service level only occurs at the root node 0 of T and has a normal distribution $N({\mu},{\sigma}^2)$. Then our integrated model of facility location problems and safety stock optimization problem (FLP&SSOP) is to identify both the facility locations at which partitioned subtrees of T are produced and the optimal assignment of safety stocks so that the sum of production cost, inventory holding cost, and transportation cost is minimized while meeting the pre-specified service level for the final product. In this paper, we first formulate (FLP&SSOP) as a nonlinear integer programming model and show that it can be reformulated as a 0-1 linear integer programming model with an exponential number of decision variables. We then show that the linear programming relaxation of the reformulated model has an integrality property which guarantees that it can be optimally solved by a column generation method.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.302-312
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine whether Phellodendri Cortex extract (PCE) could improve learning and memory impairments caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in the rat brain. The effect of PCE on modulating pro-inflammatory mediators in the hippocampus and its underlying mechanism were investigated. Injection of LPS into the lateral ventricle caused acute regional inflammation and subsequent deficits in spatial learning ability in the rats. Daily administration of PCE (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) for 21 days markedly improved the LPS-induced learning and memory disabilities in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance test. PCE administration significantly decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-$1{\beta}$, and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in the hippocampus, as assessed by RT-PCR analysis and immunohistochemistry. Together, these findings suggest that PCE significantly attenuated LPS-induced spatial cognitive impairment through inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in the rat brain. These results suggested that PCE may be effective in preventing or slowing the development of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, by improving cognitive and memory function because of its anti-inflammation activity in the brain.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1491-1498
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• 2006

The feasibility of pullulan acetate nanoparticles (PAN) with ionic strength (IS) sensitivity as a radioisotope carrier to inhibit tumor growth is demonstrated. PAN was radiolabeled with rhenium 188 (Re-188) without any chelating agents. The labeling efficiency of Re-188 into PAN (Re-188PAN) was $49.3{\pm}4.0%$ as determined by TLC. The tumor volumes of mice treated with 0.45 mCi of Re-188-PAN were measured and compared with that of free Re-188 after 5 days of intratumoral injection. For the histological evaluation of apoptotic nuclei of tumor cells, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotinylated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining were performed. The mean tumor volume of the Re-188-PAN-treated group was decreased by 36% after 5 days, whereas that the free Re-188-treated group was decreased by only 15% (P<0.05). The mean number of TUNEL-positive cells in Re-188-PAN-treated tumors at $144.3{\pm}79.9$ cells/section was significantly greater than the control ($26.7{\pm}7.9$ cells/section, P=0.03). The numbers of leukocyte and lymphocyte were decreased in both free Re-188- and Re-188-PAN-treated mice. These results indicated that the intratumoral injection of Re-188-PAN effectively inhibits the tumor growth by prolonging Re-188 retention time in tumor site induced by the IS sensitivity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.135-140
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• 2022

Most machines are made of several types of . In particular, the shaft system of the ship consists of the brass of the propeller blade and the stainless steel of the shaft. When dissimilar the electrolyte solution of seawater, a voltaic cell and a shaft electromotive force is generated. This electromotive force causes electrical corrosion of the bearing and shaft supporting the shaft system. prevent this corrosion, a shaft grounding system is installed in ships. As for the experimental method, various information acquired by designing a program to periodically measure the electromotive force of the controllable pitchpropeller) system using an A/D converter of NI. This study analyzed the generation and characteristics of accumulator electromotive force for CPP and considered the installation location of the grounding system to remove the accumulator electromotive force.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.3 s.117
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• pp.366-377
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• 2006

Environmental gradients and phytoplankton community were studied on a monthly basis, at 3 stations of Lake Yongdam, from April 2002 March 2004. During July to August, thermocline formed at the depth of about 10 m, but it was lowerd depth, in between 25${\sim}$30 m in October. Monthly variations of the epilimnetic (0${\sim}$5 m) TP concentrations at station 1, 2 and 3 were in the range of $5.1{\sim}36.1\;mg\;P\;{\cdot}\;m^{-3}$, $6.1{\sim}77.7\;mg\;P\;{\cdot}\;m^{-3}$ and $6.7{\sim}47.7\;mg\;P\;{\cdot}\;m^{-3}$ respectively; with higher concentrations at the upstream areas showing. Monthly average of the epilimnetic (0${\sim}$5 m) TN concentration at Station 1 was in the range of $0.88{\sim}1.73\;mg\;N\;{\cdot}\;L^{-1}$, and Station 3 was in the range of $0.94{\sim}2.77\;mg\;N\;{\cdot}\;L^{-1}$, which is higher if compared with the values of station 1. Transparency wa:s in the range of 0.8${\sim}$6.7 m, with lower values at upstream areas and higher at the downstream area. As for phytoplankton, during the winter season, diatoms had high appearance rate; during the spring season, Cyclotella comta, Aulacoseira ambigua f. spiralis, A. granulata and similar diatoms, during spring and summer Ankistrodesmus spiralis, Chodatella subsala, Crucigenia irregularis, Coelastrum cambricum, Scenedesmus ecornis v. ecornis.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2004

Purpose: Chitosan has been studied as a non-viral gene delivery vector, drug delivery carrier, metal chelator, food additive, and radiopharmaceutical, among other things. Recently, galactose-graft chitosan was studied as a non-viral gene and drug delivery vector to target hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of nuclear imaging for in vivo evaluation of targeting the hepatocyte by galactose grafting. Methods and Materials: Galactosyl methylated chitosan (GMC) was produced by methylation to lactobionic acid coupled chitosan. Cytotoxicity of $^{99m}Tc$-GMC was determined by MTT assay. Rabbits were injected via their auricular vein with $^{99m}Tc$-GMC and $^{99m}Tc$-methylated chitosan (MC), the latter of which does not contain a galactose group, and images were acquired with a gamma camera equipped with a parallel hole collimator. The composition of the galactose group in galactosylated chitosan (GC), as well as the tri-, di-, or mono-methylation of GMC, was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. Results: The results of MTT assay indicated that $^{99m}Tc$-GMC was non-toxic. $^{99m}Tc$-GMC specifically accumulated in the liver within 10 minutes of injection and maintained high hepatic uptake. In contrast, $^{99m}Tc$-MC showed faint liver uptake. $^{99m}Tc$-GMC scintigraphy of rabbits showed that the galactose ligand principally targeted the liver while the chitosan functionalities led to excretion through the urinary system. Conclusion: Bioconjugation with a specific ligand endows some degree of targetability to an administered molecule or drug, as in the case of galactose for hepatocyte in vivo, and evaluating said targetabililty is a clear example of the great benefit proffered by nuclear imaging.