• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2012

Purpose: This study mainly focuses on the patients treated with chemically stable radiopharmaceutical product $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO (d,l-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime) which yielded reduced image quality due to a decreased brain extraction rate. $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO will be examined further to determine whether this product may be accounted as a factor for this cause. Material and Methods: From January 2010 until December 2010, out of 272 patients who were all subjected to $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO brain blood flow SPECT scans resulting from Cerebral Infarction; 23 patients(ages $55.3{\pm}9$, 21 males, 3 females) with decreased tissue extraction rate were examined in detail. The radiopharmaceutical product $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO was used on patients with normal brain tissue exchange rate as well as those with reduced rate in order to prove its' chemical stability. The patients' age, sex, blood pressure, existence of diabetes, drug use, current health status, known side effects from CT/MRI, examination of the patients' past SPECT before/after images were accounted to determine the factors and correlations affecting the rate of blood tissue extractions. Result: After multiple linear regression analysis, there were no unusual correlations between the 6 factors excluding sex, and before/after examination images. Male subjects showed reduced brain tissue extraction rate than the females ($p$ > 0.05) 91.3% male, 8.7% female. Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks Test was used on the before/after images which yielded a value of 0.06, which did not indicate a significant amount of difference on the 2 tests ($p$ > 0.05). As a result, the before/after images indicated similar brain tissue extraction rates, and there were variations depending on the individual patient. Conclusion: The effects of the chemically stable radiopharmaceutical product $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO depended on the patient's personal characteristics and status, therefore was considered to be a factor in reducing brain tissue extraction rate. The related articles of $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO cerebral blood flow SPECT speculates a cerebrovascular disease and factors resulting from portal veins, and it was not possible to pin point the exact cause of decreasing brain tissue extraction rate. However, the $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO cerebral blood flow SPECT scan proved to be extremely useful in tracking and inspecting brain diseases, as well as offering accurate results from patients suffering from reduced brain tissue extraction rates.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.104-111
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• 2005

Several solvents were used to fractionate an extract obtained from the chapped root bark of Ulmus davidiana Planchon. The each fractionary part was condensed under reduced pressure and then examined to investigate the inhibitory effect on MMPs by modified gelatin zymography, where EA fraction showed the inhibition effect on the activity of MMPs. A compound showing inhibition effect on the MMPs was isolated and purified from EA fraction. Under IR, $^1H$- and $^{13}C$- NMR analyses it is very close to a catethin. This substance showed 48% inhibition effect on measurement of MMP-9 activity at 5 mM and 43% at 10 mM. To verify the effect of this substance on cells, human hepatoma, SK-Hep-1 cells as a cancer model, and Chang liver cells as a normal model were selected. MTT assay was performed to examine the cell viability by treatment of $1{\mu}L/mL$ of the purified substance on cells. The purified substance showed negligible toxicity on human liver cell line.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.620-627
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• 2005

In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) on one of corrugated cardboard box as functional unit was carried out. System boundary of this study divided according to raw material acquisition, corrugated cardboard manufacture and corrugated cardboard box manufacture stage. And environmental impacts are evaluated on each stage and sub-process. The impact categories are classified into eight categories of abiotic resource depletion, global warming stratospheric ozone depletion, photochemical oxidant creation, air acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity and human toxicity. From the results, it is found that environment impacts at raw material acquisition stage is the highest as about 92% of whole stage due to liner board manufacture stage. The highest environmental impacts at sub-process of corrugated cardboard and box manufacture stage is a single facer and D/W backer process that included as main process in corrugated cardboard manufacture, and is caused by used energies like electricity, B-C oil, and etc. And then diagnosis for clean production process system of package is carried out. Through diagnosis, on loss rate is reduced and inner pressure intensity of box is improved. After improvement, environmental impact was decreased about 3.8% compared with before improvement.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.493-501
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• 2007

The membrane pilot plant has being operated in the Hyeondo pumping station to find the optimal operation technique of Gong-Ju membrane water treatment plant (WTP) which is constructing in $250m^3/d$ scale. The pilot plant was consisted of two trains which can treat $30,000m^3/d$ per train. First train was operated for one year under the condition of flux $1m^3/m^2{\cdot}d$ while the effects of flux variation and addition of powdered activated carbon(PAC) were evaluated in second train. The turbidity of membrane product water of first train which is operated on Flux $1m^3/m^2{\cdot}d$ was always below 0.05 NTU regardless of raw water turbidity. And also, the trance-membrane pressure(TMP) was maintained at $0.3{\sim}0.5kgf/cm^2$ for about 9 months and increased rapidly to $1.8kgf/cm^2$ which is maximum operating TMP. However, TMP was rapidly increased to $1.8kgf/cm^2$ within 2 months as flux was increased from 1 to $2m^3/m^2{\cdot}d$, especially, within 10 days under high turbidity(30~50NTU). This reault means that if Gongju membrane WTP is operated in flux $1m^3/m^2{\cdot}d$, chemical cleaning period can be maintained over 6 months. Only 10% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was removed in membrane process while the removal efficiencies of manganese and iron were 60% and 77% respectively. However, because only solid manganese and iron were removed in membrane process, an additional process for treating soluble manganese is required if souble manganese is high in raw water. 70% of 70ng/L 2-MIB which is causing taste & odor was removed in powdered activated carbon (PAC) tank with 50mg/L PAC which is design concentration of Gongju WTP. In addition, TMP was reduced with addition of 50mg/L PAC regardless of flux. Because TMP was not influenced even if 100mg/L PAC was added, the high taste and odor problem can be controled by additional injection of PAC.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.158-164
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• 2007

Uterine leiomyoma is the most common tumor in the female genital tract. Although the tumor is benign, it is a matter of paramount importance since it often causes profuse menstrual bleeding, pressure symptoms and infertility. Nevertheless, the etiology and pathophysiology of this abnormality remain poorly understood. The traditional definitive treatment for uterine leiomyomas is hysterectomy and, even today, symptomatic leiomyomas are the leading cause of hysterectomy in Korea. Clearly, the development of a safe, effective, and nonsurgical method of treatment for leiomyoma would be of great benefit to many women. This study demonstrated growth inhibition of uterine leiomyoma cells using Haeohyultang (HT). When human leiomyoma cells were treated with Haeohyultang, cells showed dose-dependent growth inhibitory effect. Cell growth was inhibited by over 40% as determined by both cell counts and MTS assay. Reduction of cellular viability as a consequence of exposure to Haeohyultang resulted from induction of apoptosis, as assessed by DNA fragmentation, PARP cleavage, caspase 9 and caspase 3 assay. Flow cytometry analysis with uterine leiomyoma cells demonstrated sub G1 cell cycle arrest after treatment with drug Haeohyultang. But, the expression levels of p27 and p21 were not changed in Haeohyultang treated cells compared with control. However, the expression levels of clAP1 were reduced by Haeohyultang compared with control. This reduction of clAP1 data means activation of the caspase family, and then induction of PARP cleavage and apoptosis. These results suggest that Haeohyultang may be potential therapeutic approach in the clinical management of uterine leiomyoma.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 1981

In 1944 Cavallito and Bailey first extracted an essential oil, a powerful antibacterial principle, from the garlic and named it allicin. Later Stoll and Seeback elucidated that allicin was produced from alliin by the enzymatic action of arinase. Damaru observed the depressor responses following intraperitoneal administration of garlic juice in cats. And Thiersch presented evidence that garlic had a protective action against experimental arterosclerosis in cholesterol-fed animals. On the other hand it was also reported that anemias were caused by long-term ingestion of garlic as a result of reduction in hemoglobin and RBC. From the experiment in which the effect of garlic on the blood sugar level was studied, Lee insisted garlic elevated blood sugar level. However, August and Jain claimed that hypoglycemia was induced by garlic administration. Recently Bordia and Bansal suggested that essential oils extracted from onion and garlic have a strong preventive effect on hyperlipemia and prolonged coagulation time resulted from fat-feeding. Furthermore Bordia et al indicated that garlic exerted a strong fibrinolytic activity. In early 1920 s Sugihara reported that essential oil of garlic not only decreased arterial blood pressure but also had a paralytic effect on the isolated heart and intestinal strip of animals. The present study was proposed to investigate the effect of garlic juice and the mechanism of its action on the motility of the isolated rabbit duodenum. The motility of the isolated duodenum was recorded on polygraph by means of force transducer connected with Magnus apparatus. And the isolated duodenum was separtely pretreated with $acetylcholine(5{\times}10^{-7}\;gm/ml)$, $pilocarpine(2.5{\times}10^{-6}\;gm/ml)$, $histamine(5{\times}10^{-6}\;gm/ml)$ and barium $chloride(2.5{\times}10^{-5}\;gm/ml)$ in order to find out interations of these drugs with ASJ. The results obtained were as follows; At concentrations of 0.25%, 0.5% and 1.0% ASJ markedly inhibited contractions of isolated duodenum while tonus as well as contractility of the isolated intestine were decreased also with 0.5% and 1.0% ASJ. Since ASJ markedly abolished augmented motility of isolated intestine by histamine and partly reduced that by $BaCl_2$, it is strongly suggested that inhibitory action of ASJ on the intestinal motility is caused mainly by its antihistamine effect and partly by its direct action on the intestinal smooth muscle.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.107-111
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• 2012

Miniature pig sperm cryopreservation is continually researched in biotechnology for breed conservation and reproduction. It is important to control the temperature at each stage of cryopreservation and cryoprotectant. It is also necessary to find the optimal cryoprotectant concentration and chemical elements of the extender. Recently, many studies have used various cryoprotectant materials, such as dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), ethylene glycol (EG), antifreeze protein (AFP), amides, and glycerol. Glycerol is a commonly used cryoprotectant. However, glycerol has critical cytotoxic properties, including osmotic pressure and it can cause irreversible damage to live cells. Therefore, We focused on membrane fluidity modifications can reduce cell damage from freezing and thawing procedures and evaluated on the positive effects of trehalose to the viability, chromatin integrity, and motility of boar sperm. Miniature pig sperm was separated from semen by washing with modified- Modena B (mMB) extender. After centrifugation, the pellet was diluted with the prepared first extender. This experiment was designed to compare the effects that sperm cryopreservation using two different extenders has on sperm chromatin. The control group used the glycerol only and it was compared with the glycerol and glycerol plus trehalose extender. Sperm viability and motility were evaluated using WST1 assays and computer-assisted semen assays (CASA). Chromatin structure was examined using acridine orange staining. For the motility descriptors, trehalose caused a significant (p<0.01) increase in total motility ($57.80{\pm}4.60%$ in glycerol vs. $75.50{\pm}6.14%$ in glycerol + trehalose) and progressive ($51.20{\pm}5.45%$ in glycerol vs. $70.74{\pm}8.06%$ in glycerol + trehalose). A significant (p<0.05) increase in VAP ($42.70{\pm}5.73{\mu}m/s$ vs. $59.65{\pm}9.47{\mu}m/s$), VSL ($23.06{\pm}3.27{\mu}m/s$ vs. $34.60{\pm}6.58{\mu}m/s$), VCL ($75.36{\pm}11.36{\mu}m/s$ vs. $99.55{\pm}12.91{\mu}m/s$), STR ($54.4{\pm}2.19%$ vs. $58.0{\pm}1.63%$), and LIN ($32.2{\pm}2.05%$ vs. $36.0{\pm}2.45%$) were also detected, respectively. The sperm DNA fragmentation index was 48.8% to glycerol only and 30.6% to glycerol plus trehalose. Trehalose added group showed higher percentages of sperm motility, stability of chromatin structure than glycerol only. In this study, we suggest that trehalose is effective in reducing freezing damage to miniature pig sperm and can reduce chromatin damage during cryopreservation.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.135-150
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• 2016

Objectives : The aim of this study is to review the combination effects and adverse effects of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) on the treatment of obesity. Methods : Four databases were searched, including Pubmed, National assembly library, RISS4u, and NDSL, for studies published before March 31, 2016 using the keywords 'yerba mate', 'Ilex paraguariensis', and those related to 'obesity'. Clinical trials, and both in vivo and in vitro studies were classified according to the following categories: publication year, nationality, types and composition of test compounds, combination effects, adverse effects, and safety. Results : A total of 16 articles (14 clinical trials, one in vivo, one in vitro) were included in the analysis. Combination effects were reported from six YGD (Yerba Mate, Guarana, Damiana, Zotrim), five Meltdown, one Shred-matrix, one DBX (DymaBurn Xtreme), one XSIII research study, and adverse effects were reported from two YGD (Zotrim), four Meltdown, one Shred-matrix and one MetEF research study. YGD and Shred-matrix increased satiety while YGD and MetEF had adverse gastrointestinal effects potentially due to guarana. Meltdown and Shred-matrix increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation and had the adverse effects of increased heart rate and blood pressure due to the thermogenic effect of caffeine and yohimbine. DBX increased resting energy expenditure but no difference was observed in respiratory exchange ratio. XSIII reduced body weight gain and food intake more than each of the extracts did on their own. Conclusion : Taken together, the combination effects and adverse effects differed according to the composition of test compounds and the ratio of ingredients. Multicomponent approaches should be used for treating multifactorial diseases such as obesity. As a general conclusion, there is a place for a combination of herbal components including yerba mate, based on the principle of Kun-Shin-Choa-Sa for the treatment of obesity.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.524-532
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• 2020

In this study, noise radiated from a high-speed fan-motor unit for a cordless vacuum cleaner is reduced by designing splitter blades on the existing impeller. First of all, in order to investigate the flow field through a fan-motor unit, especially impeller, the unsteady incompressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are numerically solved by using computational fluid dynamic technique. With predicted flow field results as input, the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW-H) integral equation is solved to predict aerodynamic noise radiated from the impeller. The validity of the numerical methods is confirmed by comparing the predicted sound pressure spectrum with the measured one. Further analysis of the predicted flow field shows that the strong vortex is formed between the impeller blades. As the vortex induces the loss of the flow field and acts as an aerodynamic noise source, supplementary splitter blades are designed to the existing impeller to suppress the identified vortex. The length and position of splitter are selected as design factors and the effect of each design factor on aerodynamic noise is numerically analyzed by using the Taguchi method. From this results, the optimum location and length of splitter for minimum radiated noise is determined. The finally selected design shows lower noise than the existing one.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.231-239
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• 1999

The microstructure of ceramic composite has been found to be governed by the type and amount of the secondary phase, the sintering aid, and the sintering conditions such as sintering temperature, pressure and holing time. Moreover, tribological properties are strongly dependent on microsturcture of composite and operating conditions. In this study, silicon nitride with various amount of magnesia as a sintering aid were prepared and sintered by a hot pressing (HP) technique. Microstructure, mechanical properties (hardness, strength, and fracture toughness), and tribological properties in different environments of $Si_{3}N_{4}$ (in air, water, and paraffine oil) were investigated as a function of MgO content in $Si_{3}N_{4}$. As increasing the amount of MgO in $Si_{3}N_{4}$, the glassy phase in the grain boundaries enlarged the $\beta$-phase elongated grains, and also degraded the Hertzian contact damage resistance. Tribological behaviors in air was seemed to be determined by fracture toughness of $Si_{3}N_{4}$, and those in water and paraffin oil was seemed to be determined by hardness as well as strength. Since glassy grain-boundary phase (MgO) in $Si_{3}N_{4}$ expected to be reacted with water during sliding, such tribochemical reaction reduced wear. In paraffin oil under a higher applied load, the initial sliding dominated wear rate because of Hertzian contact damage.