• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.247-256
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• 2013

In this study, alginate beads containing birnessite (Bir-AB), a highly reactive oxidative catalyst for the transformation of phenolic compounds, was prepared and its 1-naphthol (1-NP) removal efficiency was investigated in a batch test. Based on scanning electron microscopy image, it can be inferred that the alginate gel cluster acts as a bridge which bind the birnessite particles together. Kinetic experiment with Bir-AB of different mixing ratios of birnessite to alginate (Bir : AG=0.25 : 1~1 : 1 w/w) indicate that pseudo-first order kinetic constants, $k(hr^{-1})$ for the 1-NP removals increased about 1.5 times when the birnessite mixing ratio was doubled. The removals of 1-NP was found to be dependent on solution pH and the pesudo-first order rate constants were increased from 0.331 $hr^{-1}$ at pH 10 to 0.661 $hr^{-1}$ at pH 4. The analysis of total organic carbon for the reaction solutions showed that a higher removal of dissolved organic carbon was achieved with Bir-AB as compared to birnessite. HPLC chromatographic analysis of the methanol extract after reaction of 1-NP with Bir-AB suggest that the reaction products could be removed through incorporation into the aliginate beads as a bound residue. Mn ions produced from the oxidative transformation of 1-NP by birnessite were also removed by sorption to Bir-AB. The Bir-AB was recovered quantitatively by simple filtration and was reused twice without significant loss of the initial reactivity.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.301-309
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• 2012

This study was performed to compare the properties affecting the palatability of 33 commercial brands of rice. Five rice varieties were identified including Chucheongbyeo, Hitomebore, Ilpumbyeo, Nampyeongbyeo, Seachucheongbyeo, were compared in terms of physicochemical characteristics, texture, head riceratio, and palatability through Toyo values. We also analyzed the relationship between grain characteristics and palatability. Amylose content of 5 rice varieties ranged from 17.04-17.98%. Nampyeongbyeo had the lowest and Seachucheongbyeo had the highest content of amylose among rice varieties. The protein content of 5 varieties ranged from 6.72-7.55%. Nampyeongbyeo showed the highest content. The moisture content varied from 13.08-14.83%. Chucheongbyeo has the highest moisture content. The head rice ratio of Ilpumbyeo, Chucheongbyeo, and Seachucheongbyeo were over the 90%, which was lower than that of Japan. Chucheongbyeo had the lowest hardness value and the highest adhesiveness value as measured by texture analyzer. The palatability value was highest in Chucheongbyeo, and the lowest in both Nampyeongbyeo and Ilpumbyeo. The palatability value was negatively correlated with protein content, but positively correlated with texture, moisture content, and head rice ratio. Based on this results, the rice varieties with high palatability had lower contents of amylose and protein, but higher moisture content and head rice ratio. Chucheongbyeo seemed to be the valuable variety with the highest palatability among them.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.286-295
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• 2012

This study was carried out to assess the variation of saponin contents in 293 Korean native soybean landraces reintroduced from USA to Korea in 2007. Group A saponin content ranged from 149.8 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ to 1279.0 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ with an average of 484.9 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$. Group B saponin content ranged from 2160.1 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ to 7868.6 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ with an average of 3670.0 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$. Total saponin content including both group A and B contents ranged from 2502.8 to 8764.0 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ with an average of 4154.9 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$. Five promising landraces for use as breeding materials that showed higher than any other landraces in group B and total saponin content were IT226841, IT226761, IT226841, IT226828 and IT228534. IT226841 showed the highest saponin content with group B content of 7868.5 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ and total saponin content of 8764.0 ${\mu}g\;g^{-1}$ among landraces. In the relationship among each components, group A saponin content showed a positive correlation with group B saponin content (r=0.3708) and total saponin content (r=0.5119). Group B saponin content showed a very high positive correlation (r=0.9876) with total saponin content. When landraces were compared for the total saponin content based on collected location, landraces from North Korea showed the highest, Gyeonggi-do showed second highest content, followed by Chungcheongbuk-do, Gangwon-do, Gyongsangbuk-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Gyongsangnam-do, Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do. Landraces were also grouped according to seed size and seed coat color. Small seed group was higher than medium and large seed groups that showed no significant difference in total saponin content. Seed coat colors showed no significant difference in total saponin content.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.328-335
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• 2012

In order to use in the classification of minor crop for the mutual application of safe use guideline, it was investigated the residue property of fungicide dimethomorph and pyraclostrobin in green onion, a stem-crop. After pesticides were applied 2 times with 1 week interval in that day of harvest, 3 days, 7 days, 10 days and 14 days before harvest, a green onion was harvested. The residue of dimethomorph in a green onion was 26.31 and 39.08 mg/kg in that day of harvest, however, in according to elapse time, it was reduced to 6.86 and 9.34 mg/kg in 14 days before harvest. In case of pyraclostrobin, it was also reduced from 13.46 and 39.08 mg/kg to 3.57 and 5.21 mg/kg. Based on the residue in that day of harvest, the deposit of spray solution in a green onion was calculated. The deposit of spray solution of dimethomorph was 274.35~345.84 mL/kg, in case of pyraclostrobin, it was calculated 213.65~343.33 mL/kg. When the amount of the deposit of both pesticides was compared in a green onion, it was so similar. On the other hand, it was estimated the predicted dissipation curve of pesticides in the green onion during cultivation. The half-life of dimethomorph was 6.95~7.45 days, in case of pyraclostrobin, 7.15~7.45 days. When both pesticides were compared with the residue property, the deposit of spray solution and half-life of dissipation were so similar.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.335-373
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• 2014

According to one Medicare report, in the US, total federal spending on health care expends almost 18 percent of the nation's GDP, about double what most industrialized nations spend on health care. And in 2011, Medicare spending reached close to $554 billion, which amounted to 21 percent of the total spent on U.S. health care in that year. Of that $554 billion, Medicare spent 28 percent, or about $170 billion, on patients' last six months of life. So what are the reasons of this high cost in EOL care and its possible solutions? Much spendings of Medicare on End-of-Life care for the terminally ill/chronically ill in the US has led health economics experts to assess the characteristics of the care. Decades of study shows that EOL care is usually supply-sensitive and poor in cost-effectiveness. The volume of care is sensitively depending on the supply of resources, rather than the severity of illness or preferences of patients. This means at the End-of-Life care, the medical resources are being overused. On the other hand, opposed to the common assumption, "The more care the better utility", the study shows that the outcome is very poor. Actually the patient preference and concerns are quite the opposite from what intense EOL care would bring about. This study analyzes the reasons for the supply-sensitiveness of EOL care. It can be resulted from the common misconception about the intense care and the outcome, physicians' mission for patients, lack of End-of-Life Care Decision which helps the patients choose their own preferred treatment intensity. It also could be resulted from physicians' fear of legal liabilities, and the management strategy since the hospitals are also seeking for financial benefits. This study suggests the possible solutions for over-treatment at the End-of-Life resulting from supply-sensitiveness. Solutions can be sought in two aspects, legal implementation and management strategy. In order to implement advance directive properly, active ethics education for physicians to change their attitude toward EOL care and more conversations about end-of-life care between physicians and patients is crucial, and incentive system for the physicians who actively have the conversations with patients will also help. Also, the general education towards the public is also important in the long run, and easy and official advance directive registry system-such as online registry-has to be built and utilized more widely. Alternative strategies in management are also needed. For example, the new strategic cost management and management education, such as cutting unnecessary costs and resetting values as medical providers have to be considered. In order to effectively resolve the problem in EOL care for the terminally ill/chronically ill and provide better experience to the patients, first of all, the misconception and the wrong conventional wisdom among doctors, patients, and the government have to be overcome. And then there should be improvements in systems and cultures of the EOL care.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.144-153
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• 2000

Purpose : Effects to predict tile progression of chronic renal failure (CRF) in children, using mathematical models based on transformations of serum creatinine (Scr) concentration, have failed. Error may be introduced by age-related variations in creatinine production rate. Height (Ht) is a reliable reference for creatinine production in children. Thus, Scr, factored for Ht, could provide a more accurate predictive model. We examined this hypothesis. Methods : The progression of of was detected in 63 children who proceeded to end-stage renal disease. Derivatives of Scr, including 1/Scr, log Scr & Ht/Scr, were defined fir the period Scr was between 2 and 5 mg/dl. Regression equation were used to predict the time, in months, to Scr > 10 mg/dl. The prediction error (PE) was defined as the predicted time minus actual time for each Scr transformation. Result : The PE for Ht/Scr was lower than the PE for either 1/Scr or log Scr (median: -0.01, -2.0 & +10.6 mos respectively; P<0.0001). For children with congenital renal diseases, the PE for Ht/Scr was also lower than for the other two transformations (median: -1.2, -3.2 & +8.2 mos respectively; P<0.0001). However, the PEs for children with glomerular diseases was not as clearly different (median: +0.9, +0.5 & +9.9 respectively). In children < 13 yrs, PE for Ht/Scr was tile lowest, while in older children, 1/Scr provided the lowest PE but not significantly different from that for Ht/Scr. The logarithmic transformation tended to predict a slower progression of CRF than actually occurred. Conclusion : Scr, floored for Ht, appears to be a useful model to predict the rate of progression of CRF, particularly in the prepubertal child with congenital renal disease.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.313-323
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• 2009

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been demonstrated to be a practical method for the diagnosis of various brain diseases such as acute infarction, brain tumor, and white matter disease. In this study, we used two techniques to examine the average signal intensity (SI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the brains of patients who ranged in age from 10 to 60 years. Our results indicated that the average SI was the highest in amygdala (as derived from DWI), whereas that in the cerebrospinal fluid was the lowest. The average ADC was the highest in the cerebrospinal fluid, whereas the lowest measurement was derived from the pons. The average SI and ADC were higher in $T_2^*$-DW-EPI than in FLAIR-DW-EPI. The higher the b-value, the smaller the average difference in both imaging techniques; the lower the b-value, the greater the average difference. Also, comparative analysis of the brains of patients who had experienced cerebral infarction showed no distinct lesion in the general MR image over time. However, there was a high SI in apparent weighted images. Analysis of other brain diseases (e.g., bleeding, acute, subacute, chronic infarction) indicated SI variance in accordance with characteristics of the two techniques. The higher the SI, the lower the ADC. Taken together, the value of SI and ADC in accordance with frequently occurring areas and various brain disease varies based on the b-value and imaging technique. Because they provide additional useful information in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with various brain diseases through signal recognition, the proper imaging technique and b-value are important for the detection and interpretation of subacute stroke and other brain diseases.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.838-847
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• 1999

Based on the results that the extract of Korean mistletoe (KM-110) has immunological and anti-tumor activities and its main component is lectin called KML-U, this study was carried out to investigate the immunostimulatory and anti-tumor activities of FKM-110, fermented KM-110 with lactobacillus, as a basic study for the development of functional food with anti-tumor activity. The amount of lectin after fermentation determined by ELISA was varied with the fermentation time and kinds of lactobacillus. Cytotoxic effects of FKM-110 on the various tumor cells was significant and dependent on the concentration of KML-U and the kinds of lactobacillus. FKM-110 stimulated macrophage and resulted in the secretion of some cytokines such as IL-1 and $IFN-{\gamma}$, but this effect was not correlated with the concentration of lectin. FKM-110 fermented with Marshall Lactobacillus casei showed the most potent antitumor activity in experimental and spontaneous metastasis models. When yoghurt produced with KM-110, Marshall Lactobacillus casei and skim milk was administered orally to mouse, the metastasis of tumor cells was significantly inhibited.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.363-370
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• 2007

Objectives: The principal objective of this study was to determine the relationship between maternal exposure to air pollution and low birth weight and to propose a possible environmental health surveillance system for low birth weight. Methods: We acquired air monitoring data for Seoul from the Ministry of Environment, the meteorological data from the Korean Meteorological Administration, the exposure assessments from the National Institute of Environmental Research, and the birth data from the Korean National Statistical Office between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2003. The final birth data were limited to singletons within $37{\sim}44$ weeks of gestational age. We defined the Low Birth Weight (LBW) group as infants with birth weights of less than 2500g and calculated the annual LBW rate by district. The air monitoring data were measured for $CO,\;SO_2,\;NO_2,\;and\;PM_{10}$ concentrations at 27 monitoring stations in Seoul. We utilized two models to evaluate the effects of air pollution on low birth weight: the first was the relationship between the annual concentration of air pollution and low birth weight (LBW) by individual and district, and the second involved a GIS exposure model constructed by Arc View 3.1. Results: LBW risk (by Gu, or district) was significantly increased to $1.113(95%\;CI=1.111{\sim}1.116)\;for\;CO,\;1.004(95%\;CI=1.003{\sim}1.005)\;for\;NO_2,\;1.202(95%\;CI=1.199{\sim}1.206\;for\;SO_2,\;and\;1.077(95%\;CI=1.075{\sim}1.078)\;\;for\;PM_{10}$ with each interquartile range change. Personal LBW risk was significantly increased to $1.081(95%\;CI=1.002{\sim}1.166)\;for\;CO,\;1.145(95%\;CI=1.036{\sim}1.267)\;for\;SO_2,\;and\;1.053(95%\;CI=1.002{\sim}1.108)\;for\;PM_{10}$ with each interquartile range change. Personal LBW risk was increased to $1.003(95%\;CI=0.954{\sim}1.055)\;for\;NO_2$, but this was not statistically significant. The air pollution concentrations predicted by GIS positively correlated with the numbers of low birth weights, particularly in highly polluted regions. Conclusions: Environmental health surveillance is a systemic, ongoing collection effort including the analysis of data correlated with environmentally-associated diseases and exposures. In addition. environmental health surveillance allows for a timely dissemination of information to those who require that information in order to take effective action. GIS modeling is crucially important for this purpose, and thus we attempted to develop a GIS-based environmental surveillance system for low birth weight.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.217-222
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• 2005

Purpose: To develop the respiration simulating phantom with thermocouple for evaluating 4D radiotherapy such as gated radiotherapy breathing control radiotherapy and dynamic tumor tracking radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: The respiration monitoring mask(ReMM) with thermocouple was developed to monitor the patient's irregular respiration. The signal from ReMM controls the simulating phantom as organ motion of patients in real-time. The organ and the phantom motion were compared with its respiratory curves to evaluate the simulating phantom. ReMM was used to measure patients' respiration, and the movement of simulating phantom was measured by using $RPM^{(R)}$. The fluoroscope was used to monitor the patient's diaphragm motion. relative to the organ motion, respectively. The standard deviation of discrepancy between the respiratory curve and the organ motion was 8.52% of motion range. Conclusion: Patients felt comfortable with ReMM. The relationship between the signal from ReMM and the organ motion shows strong correlation. The phantom simulates the organ motion in real-time according to the respiratory signal from the ReMM. It is expected that the simulating phantom with ReMM could be used to verify the 4D radiotherapy.