• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to observe the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) contrast changes due to the reaction of human brain at a gustatory sense in response to a salty-taste stimulation. Materials and Methods : Twelve healthy, non-smoking, right-handed male subjects (mean age: 25.6, range: 23-28 years) participated in this salty-taste stimulus functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) study. MRI scans were performed with 1.57 GE Signa, using a multi-slice GE-EPI sequence according to a blood-oxy-gen-level dependent (BOLD) experiment paradigm. Scan parameters included matrix size $128\times128$, FOV 250 mm, TR 5000 msec, TE 60 msec, TH/GAP 5/2 mm. Sequential data acquisitions were carried out for 42 measurements with a repetition time of 5 sec for each taste-stimulus experiments. Analysis of fMRI data was carried out using SPM99 implemented in Matlab. NaCl solution $(3\%)$ was used as a salty stimulus. The task paradigm consisted of alternating rest-stimulus cycles (30-second rest, 15-second stimulus) for 210 seconds. During the stimulus period, NaCl-solution was presented to the subject's mouth through plastic tubes as a bolus of delivered every 5 sec using -processor controlled auto-syringe pump. Results : Insula, frontal opercular taste cortex, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were activated by a salty-taste stimulation $(NaCl,\;3\%)$ in the fMRI experiments. And dosolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was also significantly responded to salty-taste stimuli. Activation areas of the right side hemisphere were more superior to the left side hemisphere. Conclusion : The results of this study well correspond to the fact that both insula, amygdala, OFC, DLPFC areas are established as taste cortical areas by neuronal recordings in primates. Authors found that laboratory-developed auto-syringe pump is suitable for gustatory fMRI study. Further research in this field will accelerate to inquire into the mechanism of higher order gustatory process.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 1988

This study was carried out to develop the powdered Katsuobushi (a kind of boiled, smoked, and dried fish product which is used for seasoning soup as it is.) using skipjack as a natural flavoring substance. The processing conditions of the powdered Katsuobushi and the changes of taste compounds during processing of the products were examined. In preparation of the powdered Katsuobushl, frozen skipjack was thawed, beheaded, gutted, filleted and then sliced to 1cm of thickness. The silted meats were boiled in skipjack extract for 20 minutes, and then it was smoked for, 3 times to $10\~12\%$ moisture content at $80^{\circ}C$ for 8 hours. The smoked - dried meats were followed to be 50 mesh of particle size. The effect of slicing and boiling in skipjack meat extract on enhancing flavor and on preventing lipid oxidation of product during processing were observed. The moisture content and crude lipid content of the powdered Katsuobushi was in the range of 11 to $12\%$ and 4.3 to $4.8\%$, respectively. The taste compounds of the product were nucleotides and their related compounds, 1135.8mg/100g ; free amino acid and related compounds, 2210.2mg/100g ; non-volatile organic acids, 1148.0mg/100g ; and total creatinine. 592.1mg/100g on dry basis, and small amount of betaine and TMAO. The major elements of mineral in the product were found to be K, Mg, Na, and Ca. The content of IMP was 542.0mg/100g, and major free amino acids were found to be histidine, anserine, taurine, carnosine and alanine of which occupied to $83.6\%$ of total free amino acids. In non -volatile organic acids, major ones were lactic acid, succinic acid, pyroglutamic acid and $\alpha-ketoglutaric$ acid. From the results of the chemical experiments and sensory evaluation, we may conclude that the flavor of the product from present experiment is more desirable than that of conventional products although the processing time used were much shortened than that of conventional method, and it can be commercialized as a seasoning powder.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.12 s.269
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• pp.891-899
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• 2006

Background: This study is to evaluate the safety of ATS valve by examining the clinical results of ten-years experience. Material and Method: From July 1995 to March 2005, we reviewed 305 patients with ATS valve implantation. Mean age was $49.8{\pm}11.7$ years and 140(45.6%) males were included. Etiologies were rheumatic diseases in 207 cases(67.4%), degenerative changes in 57 cases(18.6%), valve dysfunction in 23 cases(7.5%) and infective endocarditis in 14 cases(4.6%). AVR was performed in 72 patients(23.5%), MVR in 156 patients (50.8%), DVR(AVR+MVR) in 63 patients(20.5%) and TVR in 16 patients(5.2%). Result: There were 9 operative mortalities(2.9%). Follow up period was $56.5{\pm}34.0(0{\sim}115)$ months and 96.4% patients were followed up with 9 late deaths. Five and ten years survival rates were $94.9{\pm}1.3%,\;91.2{\pm}2.3%$ using Kaplan-Meier's methods. Valve related event free survival rates in 5 and 10 years were $90.8{\pm}2.0%$ and $86.9{\pm}3.2%$. There were 16 anticoagulation-related hemorrhages, 6 thromboembolisms, 3 prosthetic valve endocarditis and 1 paravalvular leakage. NYHA class improved after operation(p<0.05). Postoperative echocardiography showed significant decrease in LA size, LVEDD and IVESD(p<0.01). Patients with 19 and 21 mm valve showed significantly higher transvalvular pressure gradient in aortic position(p<0.001, p<0.001). Conclusion: ATS valve showed good hemodynamic results with few valve related complications and thus can be used with acceptable risk.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.232-242
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to investigate effects of foot massage and supportive communication provided by hospice volunteers on depression, anxiety, and mood of cancer patients who are going under intravenous chemotherapy at out patient department (OPD). Methods: A non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design was used. Sixty-four participants were recruited from out-patients setting in a university hospital by a convenient sampling. Two trained- hospice volunteers first provided regular hospice volunteer service to 34 patients in the control group. Subsequently, foot massage and supportive communication were provided to 30 participants in the experimental group. After the intervention, all participants answered the structured questionnaire with visual analog scales on depression, anxiety, and mood including general characteristics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two sample t-test, and paired t-test by PASW 17. Results: After the intervention, changes in negative moods, i.e. strain and powerlessness in the experimental group were significantly different from those in control group; strain and powerlessness in the experimental group were significantly decreased by foot massage and supportive communication provided by hospice volunteers. Conclusion: The current findings provide an empirical evidence of a brief and efficacious intervention for cancer patients. Further studies are warranted with larger sample size to validate the effectiveness of foot massage and supportive communication as a solid intervention for cancer patients who are undergoing intravenous chemotherapy at OPD.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1060-1065
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• 2006

Non-invasive evaluation of liver function in animal models remains a challenge. Hepatoscintigraphy provides information about changes in liver size and shape, and enables to understand general liver function. Futhermore it is readily used to diagnosis complications of liver transplantation like hepatitis, rejections and biliary complications. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of evaluating the liver function in miniature pigs with $^{99m}Tc-Tin$ colloid and $^{99m}Tc-DISIDA$ which are the most commonly used radiopharmaceuticals in human medicine. In result, $^{99m}Tc-Tin$ colloid was uptaked in lung, liver, gastric wall and kidney in miniature pigs. And $^{99m}Tc-DISIDA$ showed continuous uptake images of heart, lung, liver, gallbladder and duodenum, and it was similar to human's. Therefore we could conclude $^{99m}Tc-Tin$ colloid would not be suitable for evaluating hepatic function because of it's nonspecific affinity, however $^{99m}Tc-DISIDA$ scintigraphy would be an effective method for detecting hepatobiliary function in miniature pigs.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.200-204
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• 2001

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki. cv. Fuyu) fruits were packaged under different conditions, and then stored at $0^{\circ}C$ for 21 weeks. The tried packages were heat-sealed bag of one fruit, heat-sealed bag of five fruits, and tie-sealed bag of five fruits, which used films of three different thickness (0.03 ㎜, 0.05 ㎜ and 0.06 ㎜). Throughout the storage, package free volume, package atmosphere and quality were measured. Package free volume decreased with time with higher rate for heat-sealed bags, in which close contact between fruit and the film was eventually reached in longer storage. However, tie-sealed bags maintained the levels of stabilized free volume. The rate of free volume decrease was faster with thinner film and larger bag size for the packs sealed by the same method. Package atmosphere covered $O_2$ concentration of $1.1{\sim}17.1%$ and $CO_2$ concentration of $1.1{\sim}8.3%$, $O_2$ concentration decreased during storage, whereas $CO_2$ increased. Thinner film package created the internal atmosphere of higher $O_2$ and lower $CO_2$ concentrations. Tie-sealed bags of 5 fruits in the films of 0.05 mm and 0.06 mm thickness maintained the equilibrated package atmosphere of $1.1{\sim}3.0%\;O_2$ and $4.0{\sim}5.5%\;CO_2$, which preserved the fruits best in terms of firmness and less physiological changes of flesh browning and peel browning. At five fruit heat-sealed bag in the films of 0.06 mm thickness with $CO_2\;8.3%$, flesh browning occurred at a high rate, whereas all treatments in the film of 0.03 mm thickness with high $O_2$ and relatively low $CO_2$ contents, flesh and peel browning rates were high.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 2011

Purpose : To describe normal anatomy and compare the differences of external genital organs and urethra on MR imaging in pre- and postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods : A total of 19 pre- and 18 postmenopausal healthy women underwent pelvis MR imaging at 1.5 T. Two radiologists retrospectively scored and compared the image quality of female external genitalia and urethra on axial T2-weighted images (T2WI) and axial fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (FSCE-T1WI) by using Wilcoxon signed ranks test. The radiologists compared the wall thickness or size of external genital organs and urethra on FSCE-T1WI between two groups by using Student t test. Results : Image quality was better with FSCE-T1WI than with T2WI in all subjects (p < 0.05). The vestibular bulb, clitoris and labium minor were more clearly visualized on FSCE-T1WI in premenopausal subjects rather than in postmenopausal subjects (p < 0.05). The urethra had a target-like appearance with three layers in premenopausal and postmenopausal subjects. Postmenopausal subjects were observed to have significantly smaller vaginal wall thickness, urethral wall thickness and vestibular bulb width than premenopausal subjects (p < 0.05). Conclusion : The anatomy and morphologic changes of female external genital organs and urethra were well discernible on FSCE-T1WI.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.687-697
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• 2019

By monitoring sediment grain size and level variation of tidal flat surface for 6 years (2005-2011), and also by mooring TISDOS (tidal-flat sediment dynamics observation system) on the low intertidal flat in 2008, we investigated the sedimentary environment of tidal flat in the dammed Yeongsan River Estuary. The tidal flat of the Yeongsan River Estuary lost 82 % of its area because of coastal development projects, and a narrow tidal flat below mean sea level now remains. Most of the tidal flat sediments are composed of silt up to 70-94 %, and show the characteristics of clay deficiency and silt dominance. This is closely related with the coastal development, which led to the destruction of high tidal flats where most mud settled, and the modification of tidal current patterns. Moreover, the estuarine tidal-flat sediments reveal seasonal variation. They are coarse with abundant silt during windy autumn to spring, fine with abundant clay during the less-windy and high-discharge summer. This phenomenon indicates that the behavior of sediment particles on the low intertidal flats of the Yeongsan River Estuary is influenced by wind waves for silt and fresh water discharge and the tidal process for clay. Monitoring results of the altitude of tidal flat surface showed that the study area had eroded at an average rate of -2.6 cm/y during the period of 2005-2011, and also that an unusual deposition with a rate of 4 cm/y occurred in 2010. The erosion can be explained by an increased tidal amplitude and a strengthened ebb-dominant tidal asymmetry after the construction of an estuary dike and the Yeongam Kumho Seawall. The deposition in 2010 seems to have been closely related to the mass production of suspended materials from dredging of the estuary.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.291-307
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• 2016

Evaluation of the extinction risk of endangered plants at international, national as well as at regional levels is essential to the implementation of plans for direct conservation activities. Reports indicate that 34 endangered plants are distributed in the middle eastern area of Korea. For each endangered plant, we investigated the sites, area of extents, population size, and factors that affect population extinction. We assessed risk factors based on 10 evaluation criteria including the results from the investigation and the life traits each endangered plant has. As a result of evaluating the risk factors, these 34 endangered plants are classified into 3 groups: the first category comprises 12 endangered plants that require active and urgent conservation of habitats due to multiple risk factors; the second group has 16 endangered plants that should be able to persist with the removal of a few direct risk factors; the third category has 6 endangered plants that can persist with minimal management due to comparatively large distributed area and numerous individuals. It was found that most major risk factors in the population of endangered plants are caused by disruption of habitats and population extinction due to the increase of human habitation in the concerned areas, development and illegal harvesting. Futhermore, ecological collapse from decreasing habitats and malfunctioning mechanism of extinction and regeneration due to the changes of vegetational environment can be the other causes. From the area of the present investigations, we selected 5 regions according to the number of species and the frequency of appearance and importance of conservation measures. Also, we suggested a conservation strategy according to the regional characteristics. We suggest that the method for evaluating extinction risk of endangered plants includes distributional data and life traits of species. In addition, we underscore the necessity for understanding population dynamics and ecological niche of the each target species.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.593-603
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate the ecological succession sere and conservative value, and to provide the basic data for the planning of the Provincial Park Management in Seonamsagol(Valley), Jogyesan(Mt.) Provincial Park(altitude 884m), Suncheon City, Korea by analysing the structure of the plant community. Twenty plots(size is $20m{\times}20m$) were set up at an altitude of range from 315m to 480m. As a result of analysis of TWINSPAN which is one of the ordination technique, the plant communities were divided into four groups which are community I(Quercus variabilis community), community II(Q. serrata community), community III(Decideous broad-leaved plant community), and community IV(Carpinus tschonoskii community). The warmth index is $104^{\circ}C{\cdot}month$ based on the data of monthly mean temperature during the past thirty years(1981~2010), so we found out that the vegetation of the study site located in the South Temperate Climate Zone. We supposed that the ecological succession sere of the study site is in the early stage of developing from Q. serrata community to Carpinus tshonoskii community, however we should do a long-term monitoring to investigate the changes of the ecological succession each plant community, meanwhile Sasa borealis was dominant species in the shrub layer. The diameter at breast height of specimen tree is range from 20 to 55cm(average 36cm) and the height of that is range from 14 to 35m(average 23cm). The age of community I was 64 years old, that of community II was from 59 to 64 years old, that of community III was from 51 to 62 years old, and that of community IV was from 41 to 68 years old, thus the age of the study site is about from 38 to 72 years old. According to the index of Shnnon's diversity(unit: $400m^2$), community IV was ranged from 0.8452 to 1.2312, community III was ranged from 0.8044 to 1.1404, community II was ranged from 0.8221 to 0.9971, and community I was 0.8324.