• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.111-123
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• 2021

Objective: Using domestic cats as a biomedical research model for fertility preservation, the present study aimed to characterize the influences of ovarian tissue encapsulation in biodegradable hydrogel matrix (fibrinogen/thrombin) on resilience to cryopreservation, and static versus non-static culture systems following ovarian tissue encapsulation and cryopreservation on follicle quality. Methods: In experiment I, ovarian tissues (n=21 animals; 567 ovarian fragments) were assigned to controls or hydrogel encapsulation with 5 or 10 mg/mL fibrinogen (5 or 10 FG). Following cryopreservation (slow freezing or vitrification), follicle viability, morphology, density, and key protein phosphorylation were assessed. In experiment II (based on the findings from experiment I), ovarian tissues (n=10 animals; 270 ovarian fragments) were encapsulated with 10 FG, cryopreserved, and in vitro cultured under static or non-static systems for 7 days followed by similar follicle quality assessments. Results: In experiment I, the combination of 10 FG encapsulation/slow freezing led to greater post-thawed follicle quality than in the control group, as shown by follicle viability (66.9%±2.2% vs. 61.5%±3.1%), normal follicle morphology (62.2% ±2.1% vs. 55.2%±3.5%), and the relative band intensity of vascular endothelial growth factor protein phosphorylation (0.58±0.06 vs. 0.42±0.09). Experiment II demonstrated that hydrogel encapsulation promoted follicle survival and maintenance of follicle development regardless of the culture system when compared to fresh controls. Conclusion: These results provide a better understanding of the role of hydrogel encapsulation and culture systems in ovarian tissue cryopreservation and follicle quality outcomes using an animal model, paving the way for optimized approaches to human fertility preservation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.446-452
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• 2021

As a higher standard for food consumption is required, the consumption of chicken meat that can satisfy the subdivided food preferences is increasing. In March 2003, the quality criteria for chicken carcasses notified by the Livestock Quality Assessment Service suggested quality grades according to fecal contamination and the size and weight of blood and bruises. On the other hand, it is too difficult for human inspection to qualify mass products, which is key to maintaining consistency for grading thousands of chicken carcasses. This paper proposed the computer vision algorithm as a non-destructive inspection, which can identify chicken carcass parts according to the detailed standards. To inspect the chicken carcasses conveyed at high speed, the image calibration was involved in providing robustness to the side effect of external lighting interference. The separation between chicken and background was achieved by a series of image processing, such as binarization based on Expectation Maximization, Erosion, and Labeling. In terms of shape analysis of chicken carcasses, the features are presented to reveal geometric information. After applying the algorithm to 78 chicken carcass samples, the algorithm was effective in segmenting chicken carcass against a background and analyzing its geometric features.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.344-353
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• 2021

Background: Korean Red ginseng extract (KRGE) has beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system by improving endothelial cell function. However, its pharmacological effect on endothelial cell senescence has not been clearly elucidated. Therefore, we examined the effect and molecular mechanism of KRGE on the senescence of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: HUVECs were grown in normal or KRGE-supplemented medium. Furthermore, they were transfected with heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene or treated with its inhibitor, a NF-κB inhibitor, and a miR-155-5p mimic or inhibitor. Senescence-associated characteristics of endothelial cells were determined by biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: Treatment of HUVECs with KRGE resulted in delayed onset and progression of senescence-associated characteristics, such as increased lysosomal acidic β-galactosidase and decreased telomerase activity, angiogenic dysfunction, and abnormal cell morphology. KRGE preserved the levels of anti-senescent factors, such as eNOS-derived NO, MnSOD, and cyclins D and A: however, it decreased the levels of senescence-promoting factors, such as ROS, activated NF-κB, endothelial cell inflammation, and p21 expression. The beneficial effects of KRGE were due to the induction of HO-1 and the inhibition of NF-κB-dependent biogenesis of miR-155-5p that led to the downregulation of eNOS. Moreover, treatment with inhibitors of HO-1, NF-κB, and miR-155-5p abolished the anti-senescence effects of KRGE. Conclusion: KRGE delayed or prevented HUVEC senescence through a signaling cascade involving the induction of HO-1, the inhibition of NF-κB-dependent miR-155-5p biogenesis, and the maintenance of the eNOS/NO axis activity, suggesting that it may protect against vascular diseases associated with endothelial senescence.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.751-760
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• 2021

Most bridges in Korea are over 20 years old, and many problems linked to their deterioration are being reported. The current practice for bridge inspection mainly depends on expert evaluation, which can be subjective. Recent studies have introduced data-driven methods using building information modeling, which can be more efficient and objective, but these methods require manual procedures that consume time and money. To overcome this, this study developed an image-based automaticbridge component classification network to reduce the time and cost required for converting the visual information of bridges to a digital model. The proposed method comprises two convolutional neural networks. The first network estimates the type of the bridge based on the superstructure, and the second network classifies the bridge components. In avalidation test, the proposed system automatically classified the components of 461 bridge images with 96.6 % of accuracy. The proposed approach is expected to contribute toward current bridge maintenance practice.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.231-239
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• 2021

Entering the era of the fourth industrial revolution, information and communication technologies such as CCTV, home network systems and equipment are being used in the construction industry. In particular, in order to increase the autonomy of information and communication technologies in apartments, the government has announced an administrative revision of information and communication-related laws, and companies are focusing on developing technologies such as smart home services. In addition, most domestic and foreign studies on the information and communication work were mainly conducted on technology and management. However there is a lack of research on physical defects affecting the quality of ICT. Therefore, this study collected the defect data registered in the project management system of three domestic construction companies and classified them according to the standards of the Enforcement Decree of the Apartment House Management Act. According to the analysis of the frequency of defects work type, 88.10% of defects occurred in home network equipment work. In addition, analysis of defects type in the four detailed works showed the highest number of operation error. The cause was analyzed and prevention measures and countermeasures were presented in parts of design, construction, and maintenance. The results of this study will improve the quality of apartment housing and be used as basic data for future research on practical defect minimization and prevention measures.

• Korean Association of Arts Management
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• no.59
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• pp.5-31
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze social perceptions and discourses about creating arts in the era of artificial intelligence with making an implication of responding to the emergence of artificial intelligence. We conceptually understand the principles and limitations of creating visual arts using artificial intelligence whilst this paper addresses ai art in the social context by borrowing the theoretical lens from the sociology of arts. This article considers 472 newspapers about artificial intelligence art as the main data, which are interpreted through semantic network analysis. The analysis of this research shows that it is a controversial issue regarding who/which creates the artworks between humans and computers. However, judging from the dominant influence of a group of words representing the recognition of intellectual property rights, we have detected that social awareness is formed around the perspective of considering artificial intelligence creates visual arts rather than artists. In addition, based on the close relationship between the cluster and the cluster reflecting institutional support, we confirm that the discourse about artificial intelligence art is limited to technological development and legal system maintenance. Thus, this study suggests the need for defining artificial intelligence as the medium of art and constructing policy discourses on artificial intelligence art as an artistic genre.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.65-76
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• 2022

The New Excellent Technology (NET) designation system, introduced in 1989 for the purpose of promoting the development of domestic construction technology and enhancing national competitiveness, reviews the statement of construction cost of new technologies. And the cost reduction effect such as design, construction, and maintenance cost and the effect of reducing the construction duration are evaluated as an evaluation criteria of economic feasibility. However, in this evaluation process, differences of opinion between the institution of construction cost estimating standard management and the new technology developer about unique technologies frequently occur. In addition it is difficult to objectively compare the construction duration with existing similar technologies because there is no information on productivity as the current cost estimating standards for new technologies only present the required amount per unit quantity. In this study, the current state of cost estimating criteria review procedure, evaluation criteria, and cost estimating standards establishment method were analyzed when screening for the designation of a new construction technologies, and compared with overseas cost estimating standards, measures to improve the cost estimating standards of current construction new technologies were suggested. Through the improved cost estimating standards of this study, it is expected that cost information on new technologies will be provided to clients in more detail than the current ones, and the availability and applicability of new construction technologies would be improved by simplifying the construction cost calculation process more.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.58-70
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• 2022

The emergency preparedness exercise currently conducted by the government has been conducted as a message-based exercise for more than 50 years. Therefore, in this study, a simulation-based maintenance practice model was developed focusing on infectious disease situations, and the possibility of a training system applying scientific techniques was presented. As a result, First, a simulatioon logic assuming an infectious disease outbreak situation was developed. The situation of an infectious disease outbreak was made to occur when measures are not taken within 24 hours for the death due to disease, and when appropriate measures are not taken for contaminated food (24 hours), drinking water (12 hours), and drinking water shortage (24 hours). Second, in order to implement the simulation logic, simulation engine SW was developed for emergency medical team, epidemiological investigation team, dead burial team, quarantine and disinfection team, etc., and situation map SW was developed so that these contents could be expressed in the situation map. As suggested in this paper, if scientific techniques are applied to the simulation-based government practice model to expand the scope, training will be possible by creating practical situations that can occur in the real world, and the Chungmu plan and various emergency preparedness plans will be verified.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 2022

As the impermeable area of soil increases due to urbanization, the water circulation system of the city is deteriorating. The existing guidelines for low impact development (LID) facilities installed to solve these water problems or in previous studies, engineering aspects are more prominent than landscaping aspects. This study attempted to present an engineering and landscaping model for reducing pollutants by identifying the effects of vegetation on rainfall outflows and pollutant reduction in bioretention and the economic aspects of planting. Based on the results of artificial rainfall monitoring at Jeonju Seogok Park and the literature on vegetation rainfall runoff and pollutant reduction performance, the best vegetation for reducing pollution compared to cost was Lythrum salicaria L and Salix gracilistyla Miq. was the best vegetation for carbon storage. If you insist to design plants with only these two plantation, there is no choice but to take risks such as biodiversity. Herbaceous plants such as Lythrum salicaria L can be replaced by death of the plants or pests if considered planting various plants. The initial planting cost could expensive, but it is also necessary to mix and plant Salix gracilistyla Miq, which are woody plants that are advantageous in terms of maintenance, according to the surrounding environment and conditions. Based on the conclusions drawn in this study, it can be a reference material when considering the reduction of pollution by species and carbon storage of vegetation in LID facilities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.79-88
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• 2022

Cable-supported bridges, as important large infrastructures, require a long-term and systematic maintenance strategy. In particular, various methods have been proposed to secure safety for the bridges, such as installing various types of sensor on members in the bridges, and setting management thresholds. It is evidently necessary to propose a strategic plan to efficiently manage increasing number of cable-supported bridges and data collected from a number of sensors. This study aims to develop an analysis tool that can automatically remove abnormal signals and calculate statistical results for the purpose of efficiently analyzing a wide range of data collected from a long span bridge measurement system. To develop the tool, basic information such as the types and quantity of sensors installed in long span bridges and signal characteristics of the collected data were analyzed. Thereafter, the Humpel filtering method was used to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality in the signal and then filtered. The statistical results with filtered data were shown. Finally, one cable-stayed bridge and one suspension bridge currently in use were chosen as the target bridges to verify the performance of the developed tool. Signal processing and statistical analysis with the tool were performed. The results are similar to the results reported in the existing work.