• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.227-236
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• 2019

In this work, preparation and characterizations of hybrid membranes containing sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPES) and sulfonated poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (SPVdF-co-HFP) (20, 30 or 40 wt%) were carried out. The structure of hybrid membranes was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The prepared SPAES/SPVdF-30 membrane exhibits higher ionic conductivity of 68.9 mS/cm at $90^{\circ}C$ and 100% RH. Besides, the other studies showed that the hybrid membrane has good oxidation stability, thermal stability, and mechanical stability. Thus, we believe that the prepared hybrid membrane is suitable for the development of membranes for fuel cell applications.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.57-61
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• 2020

Purpose: Purpose: This study was to study the effect of foot bathing on menopausal symptoms and sleep disorders in female subjects in their 50s with menopausal symptoms. Methods: After 12 weeks of foot bath therapy three times a week, pre- and post-menopausal signs were measured. Results: Subjects with hot flashes, heart discomfort, sleep problems, depression, irritability, anxiety, physical and mental fatigue, sexual problems, urination problems, vaginal dryness, and joint and muscle discomfort significantly improved after than before(p < .001). Subjective sleep quality, sleep incubation period, sleep duration, sleep disturbance score, sleep drug use, and sleep dysfunction significantly decreased after foot bath than before(p < .001). Habitual sleep efficiency increased considerably. Conclusions: The subjects showed overall improvement in menopausal symptoms and sleeping quality after a foot-bath. Therefore, foot bath therapy is evaluated as a natural healing therapy suitable for improving menopausal symptoms and sleep.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.70-77
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• 1999

Purpose : The expression of p53, P211WAF/CIP, Bcl-2, and Bax underlying the radiation-induced apoptosis in different pH environments using SCK mammary adenocarcinoma cell line was investigated. Materials and Methods Mammary adenocarcinoma cells of hi) mice (SCK cells) in exponential growth phase were irradiated with a linear accelerator at room temperature. The cells were irradiated with 12 Gy and one hour later, the media was replaced with fresh media at a different pHs. After Incubation at 37Microbioiogy, College of Medicine Dong A University for 0$\~$48 h, the extort of apoptosis was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The progression of cells through the cell cycle after irradiation in different pHs was also determined with flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to monitor p53, p211WAFfCIP, Bcl-2, and Bu protein levels. Results : The induction of apoptosis by irradiation in pH 6.6 medium was markedly less than that in pH 7.5 medium. The radiation-induced G2IM arrest in pH 6.6 medium lasted markedly longer than that in pH 7.5 medium. Considerable amounts of p53 and p21 proteins already existed at pH 7.5 and increased the level of p53 and p21 significantly after 12 Gy X-irradiation. An incubation at pH 6.6 after 12 Gy X-irradiation did not change the level of p53 and p21 protein levels significantly. Bcl-2 proteins were not significantly affected by radiation and showed no correlation with cell susceptibility to radiation-induced apoptosis in different pHs. An exposure to 12 Gy of X-rays increased the level of Bax protein at pH 7.5 but at pH 6.6, it was slight. Conclusions : The molecular mechanism underlying radiation-induced apoptosis in dinerent pH environments using SCK mammary adenocarcinoma cell line was dependent of the expression p53 and P211YVAF/CIP proteins. We may propose following hypothesis that an acidic stress augments the radiation-induced G2iM arrest, which inhibiting the irradiated cells undergo post-mitotic apoptosis. The effects of environmental acidity on anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic function of Bcl-2 family was unclear in SCK mammary adenocarcinoma cell line.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.263-271
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was undertaken to compare ability of frozen-thawed sperm characteristics between two strains (miniature pig and Duroc). The semen was collected by gloved-hand method into a pre-warmed ($37^{\circ}C$) thermos bottle. The semen was diluted with same volume extender and added to LEY solution for freezing. The diluted semen was placed in 0.5 ml straws, and freezing was initiated by exposing the straws to liquid nitrogen ($LN_2$) vapours for 10 min before placing them into $LN_2$ for cryopreservation. The frozen-semen straw were thawed at 20, 37 and $50^{\circ}C$ for 1 min, 45 sec and 10 sec within water-bath. The semen sample were evaluated at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 h after incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for analysis of sperm ability. Abnormality of spermatozoa in miniature pig was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in Duroc at 0, 9 and 12 h of post-thawing incubation after frozen-thawing. The percentage of F-patterned spermatozoa in miniature pig was significantly (p<0.05) lower, while the percentage of AR (acrosome reacted spermatozoa) pattern was higher in the miniature than in the Duroc. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the viability of spermatozoa thawed at different temperature ($20^{\circ}C\;and\;37^{\circ}C$) between two species, but the viability in miniature pig was higher (p<0.05) than in Duroc when sperm was thawed at $50^{\circ}C$. In conclusion, this study suggest that suitable freezing method for miniature pig semen is required for increasing post-thawing viability and fertilization capacity.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.85-96
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• 2023

The study involved the categorization of domestic lakes located in South Korea into three groups based on their salinity levels: upstream reservoirs with salinity less than 0.3 psu, estuarine reservoirs with salinity ranging from 0.3 to 2 psu, and brackish lagoons with salinity exceeding 2 psu. Subsequently, the research assessed variations in the concentrations of total nitrogen (T-N) and total phosphorus (T-P) in the sediment of these lakes using statistical analysis, specifically one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Additionally, a laboratory core incubation test was conducted to investigate the benthic nutrient fluxes in Songji lagoon (salinity: 11.80 psu), Ganwol reservoir (salinity: 0.73 psu), and Janggun reservoir (salinity: 0.08 psu) under both aerobic and anoxic conditions. The findings revealed statistically significant differences in the concentrations of T-N and T-P among sediments in the lakes with varying salinity levels (p<0.05). Further post-hoc analysis confirmed significant distinctions in T-N between upstream reservoirs and estuarine reservoirs (p<0.001), as well as between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). For T-P, a significant difference was observed between upstream reservoirs and brackish lagoons (p<0.01). Regarding benthic nutrient fluxes, Ganwol Lake exhibited the highest diffusive flux of NH₄⁺-N, primarily due to its physical characteristics and the inhibition of nitrification resulting from its relatively high salinity. The flux of NO₃^--N was lower at higher salinity levels under aerobic conditions but increased under anoxic conditions, attributed to the impact of salinity on nitrification and denitrification. Additionally, the flux of PO₄^3--P was highest in Songji Lake, followed by Ganwol Lake and Janggun Reservoir, indicating that salinity promotes the diffusive flux of phosphate through anion adsorption competition. It's important to consider the influence of salinity on microbial communities, growth rates, oxidation-reduction processes, and nutrient binding forms when studying benthic diffusive nutrient fluxes from lake sediments.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.747-754
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• 2005

Nutritional regulation of gene expression associated with growth and feeding behavior in avian species can become an important technique to improve poultry production according to the supply of nutrients in the diet. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) found in chickens has been characterized to be a 70 amino acid polypeptide and plays an important role in growth and metabolism. Although it is been well known that IGF-I is highly associated with embryonic development and post-hatching growth, changes in the distribution of IGF-I gene expression throughout early- to late-embryogenesis have not been studied so far. We revealed that the developmental pattern of IGF-I gene expression during embryogenesis differed among various tissues. No bands of IGF-I mRNA were detected in embryonic liver at 7 days of incubation, and thereafter the amount of hepatic IGF-I mRNA was increased from 14 to 20 days of incubation. In eyes, a peak in IGF-I mRNA levels occurred at mid-embryogenesis, but by contrast, IGF-I mRNA was barely detectable in the heart throughout all incubation periods. In the muscle, no significant difference in IGF-I gene expression was observed during different stages of embryogenesis. After hatching, hepatic IGF-I gene expression as well as plasma IGF-I concentration increases rapidly with age, reaches a peak before sexual maturity, and then declines. The IGF-I gene expression is very sensitive to changes in nutritional conditions. Food-restriction and fasting decreased hepatic IGF-I gene expression and refeeding restored IGF-I gene expression to the level of fed chickens. Dietary protein is also a very strong factor in changing hepatic IGF-I gene expression. Refeeding with dietary protein alone successfully restored hepatic IGF-I gene expression of fasted chickens to the level of fed controls. In most circumstances, IGF-I makes a complex with specific high-affinity IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). So far, four different IGFBPs have been identified in avian species and the major IGFBP in chicken plasma has been reported to be IGFBP-2. We studied the relationship between nutritional status and IGFBP-2 gene expression in various tissues of young chickens. In the liver of fed chickens, almost no IGFBP-2 mRNA was detected. However, fasting markedly increased hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression, and the level was reduced after refeeding. In the gizzard of well-fed young chickens, IGFBP-2 gene expression was detected and fasting significantly elevated gizzard IGFBP-2 mRNA levels to about double that of fed controls. After refeeding, gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression decreased similar to hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression. In the brain, IGFBP-2 mRNA was observed in fed chickens and had significantly decreased by fasting. In the kidney, IGFBP-2 gene expression was observed but not influenced by fasting and refeeding. Recently, we have demonstrated in vivo that gizzard and hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression in fasted chickens was rapidly reduced by intravenous administration of insulin, as indicated that in young chickens the reduction in gizzard and hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression in vivo stimulated by malnutrition may be, in part, regulated by means of the increase in plasma insulin concentration via an insulin-response element. The influence of dietary protein source (isolated soybean protein vs. casein) and the supplementation of essential amino acids on gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression was examined. In both soybean protein and casein diet groups, the deficiency of essential amino acids stimulated chickens to increase gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression. Although amino acid supplementation of a soybean protein diet significantly decreased gizzard IGFBP-2 mRNA levels, a similar reduction was not observed in chickens fed a casein diet supplemented with amino acids. This overview of nutritional regulation of IGF-I and IGFBP-2 gene expression in young chickens would serve for the establishment of the supply of nutrients to diets to improve poultry production.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.133-145
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• 2004

Serum-contain is commoly used for the production of in vitro-derived bovine embryos. However, were biological activity of serum varies from lot to lot, time consuming to choose better serum with good quality and risks of virus, bacteria and mycoplasma infection. This study established serum-free culture systems of in vitro embryo development to efficiently obtain a large number of blastocysts from ovaries of Hanwoo and oocytes maturation, cell number, tlerance of cryopreservation. Secondly, serum-contain medium is suspected of contributing to the large calf size, dystocia, cersarean sections, calf mortality and confirmed these blastocysts are high quality in terms of cyotolerance, high rates of pregancy and normal birth. For these reasons, Culture media (IVMD101 and IVD101) designed specifically for the preimplantation bovine embryo are rather simplistic, being based on salt solutions with additional energy substrates and growth factors. An improved serum-free medium (IVMD101) was developed for bovine oocytes maturation in vitro. Proportions of embryos developing to the blastocyst stage cultured in both IVD101(32.4%) and IVD101(34.5%) serum-free media were higher than in TCM199+10% FBS(12.4%) serumcontaining medium. Futhermore, the cell numbers per blastosyst obtained in the serum-free media were superior to those of blastocysts developed in serum-supplemented medium. Also, cell numbers of blastocysts obtained in the serum-free media were similar with blastocysts derived in vivo. Survival rate blastocysts after 24 hr incubation after thawing, the blastocysts cultured in both IVD101(94.5%) and IVD101(95.8%) serum-free media were higher than in TCM199+10% FBS (52.5%) serum-containing medium. After 72 hr incubation after thawing, hatching rates of blastocysts developed in IVD101(78.4%) and IVMD101(83.7%) were sighnificantly higher than that developed in the serum-supplemented medium(32.0%). The pregnancy rates almost not different between fresh blastocysts(38.2%) and frozen blastocysts(34.9%). The results suggested that the improved serum-free media(IVMD101 and IVD101) offer several advantages over culture in serum-cotaining medium, including increased rates of blastocyst formation and high cel numbers. Additionally, the survival and hatching rates of embryos product in serum-free media after post-thaw culture were superior to those of embryos produced in the serum-containg medium and useful for the production of high quality bovine embryos for cryo-preservation. These improved serum-free media are beneficial not only for the study of the mechanisms of early embryogenesis but also for mass production of good quality embryos for embryo transfer, cloning and transgenesis.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.143-150
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• 2010

Three Hanwoo steers (BW $623{\pm}18.5kg$) with ruminal and duodenal cannulae were used to investigate nutrients degradability and total digestible nutrient (TDN) of whole crop rice silage (WRS) harvested at different mature stages using in situ technique. Crude protein content (mean 4.81%) decreased with progressed maturity at harvest except for WRS harvested at yellow stage. Ruminal dry matter degradability of WRS at milk stage tended to be slightly lower than that of the other stages during the entire incubation time from 12 h post-incubation. The rapidly degradable N (a-fraction) of WRS harvested at milk stage was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of WRS at dough stage whereas the slowly degradable N (b-fraction) of WRS harvested at yellow and dough stages were statistically (p<0.05) higher than those of the other WRS. Effective protein degradability (EPD) of WRS harvested at yellow stage was numerically (compared with dough and milk stages) and statistically (compared with mature stage) higher than EPD of the other WRS. Protein digestibility of WRS at different gastric tracts did not differ (p>0.05) between the harvest stages. TDN of WRS harvested at yellow stage in Hanwoo steers was statistically (compared with milk stage) and numerically (compared with dough and mature stages) higher than TDN of the other WRS. Overall, taking present feed evaluation into consideration, WRS harvested at yellow stage may be recommended for Hanwoo steers. Further studies on in vivo rumen fermentation pattern and minimizing nutrients loss during harvest should be required for accurate feed evaluation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.183-190
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• 2004

On May of 2002, the 34 isolates of Rhizoctonia solani were isolated from the symptom of damping-off on basal stems of 2-year-old to 6-year-old Panax ginseng which were cultivated in the 17 fields in Kyunggi-do, Chun­gcheungnam-do and Jeollabuk-do province in Korea. All isolates were identified as anastomosis group 2-1. Pre-emer­gence damping-off occurred on underground part of stem of 2-year-old ginseng in the pot trial with artificial inoculation. However, in the 4-year-old ginseng field with artificial inoculation, post-emergence damping-off occurred. The severe incidence of damping-off was found in the 6-year-old ginseng field in Kimje-si, Jeollabuk-do province on June 5 of 2003, the rate of which showed $18.6{\%}$ of area in the field by spread of the disease since 2-year-old. The sclerotia of R. solani, started to be formed after 7 days incubation on potato dextrose agar at $25^{\circ}C,$ were grayish brown, spherical to irregular and about $500{\mu}m$ in diameter, which became dark brown after 14 days incubation. The temperature range for the myce­lial growth of R. solani isolates was $5\~30^{\circ}C,$ and the optimal temperature was $25^{\circ}C,$ their growth were very poor at $5\;or\;30^{\circ}C$. The isolates grew at the range of pH $4.5\~8.1$ tested and optimal pH for growth was pH 4.5$\~5.8%, whereas their growth were very poor above the pH 7.2.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 1976

Two experiments were conducted to study the nature of protein degradation in fish muscle postmortem, first one with English sole (Paraphyrus vetulus) followed by another with rockfish (Sebastodes spp.). In the first one, proteolysis was measured by the increase of amino-N in gutted fish during storage in ice and in the homogenates prepared from fish of different ice storage during $20^{\circ}C-incubation$. In order to test the possible involvement of fish muscle a cathepsin, a portion of each homogenate sample was exposed to 0.5 Mrad of gamma radiation to destroy viable microorganisms prior to the incubation. Proteolysis was not detected until viable count reached a level above $10^7$ cells per gm fish flesh, corresponding to 31 days of ice storage. Even if fish flesh were mechanically disrupted by means of homogenization and subsequently incubated at $20^{\circ}C$, proteloysis attributable to muscle cathepsin was not detected. In the second with rockfish muscle aseptically prepared from freshly killed fish, the samples were inoculated with a proteolytic strain of fish spoilage Pseudomonad or irradiated at 0, 0.5 and 3.0 Mrad. The four samle groups were stored at $0-2^{\circ}C$ to compare the spoilage pattern of sterile and non-sterile muscle. In sterile muscle both total-N (extracted in 0.5M KCl) and amino-N $(soluble\;in\;70\%\;ethanol)$ declined slightly while the inoculated muscle showing increase in parallel with the increase of number of inoculated bacterium. The results indicate that proteolysis is a part of normal fish spoilage and the onset of proteolysis is delayed until viable count reaches its maximum level. Contribution of fish muscle cathepsin to protein degradation in white flesh fish muscle post-mortem is nil.