• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.305-311
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• 2019

Background: Gintonin is a ginseng-derived exogenous ligand of the G protein-coupled lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor. We previously reported that gintonin stimulates gliotransmitter release in primary cortical astrocytes. Astrocytes play key roles in the functions of neurovascular systems. Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to influence the normal growth and maintenance of cranial blood vessels and the nervous system, there is little information about the effect of gintonin on VEGF regulation in primary astrocytes, under normal and hypoxic conditions. Methods: Using primary cortical astrocytes of mice, the effects of gintonin on the release, expression, and distribution of VEGF were examined. We further investigated whether the gintonin-mediated VEGF release protects astrocytes from hypoxia. Results: Gintonin administration stimulated the release and expression of VEGF from astrocytes in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The gintonin-mediated increase in the release of VEGF was inhibited by the LPA1/3 receptor antagonist, Ki16425; phospholipase C inhibitor, U73122; inositol 1,4,5- triphosphate receptor antagonist, 2-APB; and intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ chelator, BAPTA. Hypoxia further stimulated astrocytic VEGF release. Gintonin treatment stimulated additional VEGF release and restored cell viability that had decreased due to hypoxia, via the VEGF receptor pathway. Altogether, the regulation of VEGF release and expression and astrocytic protection mediated by gintonin under hypoxia are achieved via the LPA receptor-VEGF signaling pathways. Conclusion: The present study shows that the gintonin-mediated regulation of VEGF in cortical astrocytes might be neuroprotective against hypoxic insults and could explain the molecular basis of the beneficial effects of ginseng on the central nervous system.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.861-869
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• 2018

To determine the origin of the inhomogeneous microstructure and texture observed in drawn and annealed high purity copper wires, two kinds of drawing process conditions and their influence was investigated. The regular condition, based on a symmetric die, and a condition designed intentionally to produce an inhomogeneous shear deformation using an asymmetric die were employed. The difference in intensity of <111>-<100> distributed texture between the two wires confirmed that the wire drawn under the asymmetric die condition experienced a higher amount of shear deformation. The extensive shear strain in the wire drawn under the asymmetric die condition gave rise to inhomogeneous primary and secondary recrystallization behavior. After annealing at $200^{\circ}C$, grains with <100> texture, which were larger than the surrounding recrystallized grains, were extensively present on one half circle of the wire drawn under the asymmetric die condition, while larger grains with <100> were sparsely observed around the middle region of the wire drawn under the regular condition. Interestingly, the area where the larger grains with <100> texture existed was identical to the area where the high shear strain occurred during drawing in both wires. During annealing at $400^{\circ}C$, grains with <112> texture started to grow abnormally at the center of both wires as a result of secondary recrystallization. After annealing at $900^{\circ}C$ grains with <112> due to secondary recrystallization occupied the entire region of the wire drawn under the regular condition. On the other hand, in the wire drawn under the asymmetric die condition and then annealed at $900^{\circ}C$, the <100> oriented grains as a result of the normal grain growth of the larger <100> grains which were observed after annealing at $200^{\circ}C$, coexisted with the abnormally grown <112> grains. These results indicate that dynamic recrystallization induced by the shear strain during drawing plays an important role in the inhomogeneity of the microstructure and texture of wires after annealing.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2021

This study observed the release of microplastics according to washing weights and filtering conditions, measured microplastic generation rates, fiber lengths, and fiber diameters. This study attempted to present data for the development of filters that decrease microplastic generation. For test samples, polyester piled knit fabric (cut-pile) was selected, which currently has the highest amount of consumption in the clothing industry, but can easily cause marine pollution because of its low biodegradability. For test equipment, a drum washer was used and microplastics were collected using two filter pore sizes, 5 ㎛ and 20-25 ㎛. Microplastic fibers weights and lengths were measured. The results of the experiment showed the following: 1) The release of microplastics differed according to the fabric weights and washing process; 2) washing fabric weights showed a differences in the collection amount according to the filter pore size (5 ㎛, 20-25 ㎛); 3) observations of differences in the lengths of the microplastics that occur during the washing process by filter pore size were made. Fibers with shorter lengths appeared with filter pore sizes of 5㎛ in comparison to filter pore sizes of 20-25㎛. The results from this study on microplastic generation by fabric during washing, demonstrated the following conclusions that can be used to reduce the release of microplastics. First, the release of microplastics according to fabric weights and washing courses are affected by physical force. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the amount of physical force due to water flow, increase the fabric weight, or wash the material in low temperatures. Second, in the manufacturing of washing machines, microplastic filtration can be promoted or legislatation supporting microplastic filtration can be introduced.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.304-312
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• 2021

The present study aimed to develop new physiologically active ingredients from Angelica gigas. The polysaccharides purified from A. gigas, AGE-2c-I, showed potent anti-complementary activity in a dose-dependent manner. C₃ activation products were identified through crossed immuno-electrophoresis using anti-human C₃ antibodies and the anti-complementary activity of AGE-2c-I under Ca⁺⁺-free conditions suggests that AGE-2c-I may induce complementary activation via both alternative and classical pathways. In addition, AGE-2c-I augmented the production of various cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-α, by peritoneal macrophages. Furthermore, intravenous (i.v.) administration of AGE-2c-I dose-dependently enhanced natural killer cell cytotoxicity against YAC-1 lymphoma. In experimental lung metastasis, prophylactic i.v. administration of AGE-2c-I inhibited lung metastasis by 58% at 100 ㎍/mouse. From the above results, we suggest that AGE-2c-I purified from A. gigas has potent immune system-stimulating activities, and is a potentially promising food ingredient beneficial to human health.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.45-52
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• 2020

An open-spandrel arch bridges, which consists of slab deck, arch rib, and vertical members, shows a various level of moment and axial forces according to the supporting boundary condition of arch rib and vehicle speeds. Also, the definition of impact factor accepts any kind of response parameters, not only displacement response at slab deck. The present study considers concrete open-spandrel arch bridges constrained with fixed conditions at the ends of arch rib and investigates the impact factor variation due to moving load speeds, response parameters, measuring locations, and vertical member spacing ratio of the bridges. The results of Reference model show that the impact factor is biggest when the reactive moment resulted at the vehicle-inducing opposite end of the arch rib is applied. The peak impact factor is a similar level obtained for the middle of the span adjacent to the slab deck center, but it is 19% higher than the peak impact factor calculated using the axial force developed at the same location. Reducing the spacing ratio of the vertical members as half as the reference model whose ratio is 1/9.375 produces a similar level of the moment-based peak impact factor compared to the reference model. However, when the spacing ratio is doubled, the peak impact factor is 4.4 times greater than the reference model.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.292-302
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to use Google Classroom for Cooking Practice Subject. We would like to present a practice class operation method suitable for the current educational environment and conditions. If the Untact Class in the Practice Subject is conducted in the future, we want to cultivate the core competencies and practical skills of the major. In addition, Q Methodology, which can be extracted by type, was applied by analyzing subjective opinions or perception structures for the cooking major students who are currently experiencing the curriculum. The survey period was conducted from March 23 to April 30, 2020 for first-year Cooking Major students taking the Cooking Practice Subject. Type 1 (N=11): Development of cooking training kit, Type 2 (N=7): Special lectures from industry experts, Type 3 (N=7): Development of practice form self-directed learning, respectively. Based on this study, it is expected to contribute to the Q Methodology on the development of the curriculum for the operation of the cooking practice subject, the effectiveness of education, and the application of learning methods.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.81-87
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to investigate the actual conditions of students before and after acquiring national technical qualifications for nail cosmetologists, and to provide basic data for building systematic data according to students' competency and effective educational methods for acquiring qualifications. The statistical package program SPSS v 18.0 was used for the trend of acquiring national technical qualifications for nail cosmetologists among each variable according to careers in the nail beauty industry for nail beauty students residing in Gwangju. As a result of using the statistical package program SPSS v 18.0, the analysis showed that the proportion of women (80.8%), single (70.8%), 20s (47.7%), college or university graduates (26.2%), and students (42.3%) was high. In addition, as a result of cross-analysis of the period and cost according to gender for obtaining the national technical license of the nail beautician, it was concluded that the Pearson chi-square significant probability (p) was .416 and .899, respectively, and there was a difference between men and women. The field experience of the nail beauty industry was found to have a significant positive (+) effect on the training period, course cost, educational institution, and exam experience (p <.001) for obtaining a certificate. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to promote the development of nail beauty marketing and to present a constructive vision of the nail beauty industry to be pursued in the future.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.217-226
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to quantitatively examine the perception of fire officials for college students who need to prepare and choose fire officials, and to identify and present practical and specific improvement measures along with raising awareness of fire officials. In order to achieve the basic purpose of the study set above, we tried to find out whether there are differences in the general level of awareness of fire officials, the working environment of fire officials, and group welfare according to the gender, major, grade, family or relative of college students. The subjects of the study were 600 students enrolled in a four-year university in the Department of Firefighting, and 513 valid questionnaires were used. The survey contents were divided into three categories of perceptions of firefighting officials and consisted of 20 questions, and the frequency and percentage were calculated and compared using the SPSS/win (Ver10.0) program. As a result, first, compensation for awareness improvement and the expansion of safety facilities and equipment are necessary. Second, it is necessary to improve working conditions, such as guaranteeing appropriate working hours and raising and replenishing wages. Third, the results of the establishment of a national fire hospital and the need for psychological counseling were derived. Based on these results, we suggest that national-level laws and systems, and administrative and legislative support should be provided for firefighters.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.501-514
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• 2022

This study aimed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of Chikusetsusaponin V (CsV) on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and vascular endothelial cell functions. Different concentrations of CsV were added to animal models, bovine aorta endothelial cells (BAECs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured in vitro. qPCR, Western blotting (WB), and B ultrasound were performed to explore the effects of CsV on mouse endothelial cell functions, vascular stiffness and cellular eNOS mRNA, protein expression and NO release. Bioinformatics analysis, network pharmacology, molecular docking and protein mass spectrometry analysis were conducted to jointly predict the upstream transcription factors of eNOS. Furthermore, pulldown and ChIP and dual luciferase assays were employed for subsequent verification. At the presence or absence of CsV stimulation, either overexpression or knockdown of purine rich element binding protein A (PURA) was conducted, and PCR assay was employed to detect PURA and eNOS mRNA expressions, Western blot was used to detect PURA and eNOS protein expressions, cell NO release and serum NO levels. Tube formation experiment was conducted to detect the tube forming capability of HUVECs cells. The animal vasodilation function test detected the vasodilation functions. Ultrasonic detection was performed to determine the mouse aortic arch pulse wave velocity to identify aortic stiffness. CsV stimulus on bovine aortic cells revealed that CsV could upregulate eNOS protein levels in vascular endothelial cells in a concentration and time dependent manner. The expression levels of eNOS mRNA and phosphorylation sites Ser1177, Ser633 and Thr495 increased significantly after CsV stimulation. Meanwhile, CsV could also enhance the tube forming capability of HUVECs cells. Following the mice were gavaged using CsV, the eNOS protein level of mouse aortic endothelial cells was upregulated in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and serum NO release and vasodilation ability were simultaneously elevated whereas arterial stiffness was alleviated. The pulldown, ChIP and dual luciferase assays demonstrated that PURA could bind to the eNOS promoter and facilitate the transcription of eNOS. Under the conditions of presence or absence of CsV stimulation, overexpression or knockdown of PURA indicated that the effect of CsV on vascular endothelial function and eNOS was weakened following PURA gene silence, whereas overexpression of PURA gene could enhance the effect of CsV upregulating eNOS expression. CsV could promote NO release from endothelial cells by upregulating the expression of PURA/eNOS pathway, improve endothelial cell functions, enhance vasodilation capability, and alleviate vessel stiffness. The present study plays a role in offering a theoretical basis for the development and application of CsV in vascular function improvement, and it also provides a more comprehensive understanding of the pharmacodynamics of CsV.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.482-490
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• 2022

Sarcopenia, a geriatric and multifactorial syndrome characterized by progressive systemic skeletal muscle disorder, may be associated with many comorbidities. Sarcopenia caused by a decrease in muscle mass and muscle strength is accompanied by the aggravation of various pathological conditions, and as life expectancy increases, its prevalence will continue to increase in the future. During the aging process, chronic oxidative stress and increased inflammatory responses act as major contributors to skeletal muscle loss. In addition, disruption of autophagy and apoptosis signals associated with dysfunction of mitochondria, which are essential for energy metabolism, accelerates the loss of muscle proteins. The pharmacological effect of cordycepin, a major physiologically active substance in the genus Cordyceps, which has been widely used for the prevention and treatment of various diseases for a long time, is directly related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. In this review, we present the correlation between apoptosis, autophagy, protein catabolism, and satellite cell activity important for muscle regeneration using cordycepin for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia. Although there have been few studies so far on the use of cordycepin for sarcopenia, previous studies suggest that cordycepin may contribute to inhibiting the age-related weakening of mitochondrial function and blocking the breakdown of muscle proteins. In addition, the protective effect of cordycepin on muscle cell damage is considered to be closely related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, it is considered that more continuous basic research is needed, focusing on the molecular biological mechanism of cordycepin, which is involved in the anti-aging of muscle cells.