• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2021

Purpose Brown fat, or brown adipose tissue (BAT), is involved in non-shivering thermogenesis and creates heat through glucose metabolism. BAT activation occurs stochastically by internal factors such as age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) and external factors such as temperature and environment. In this study, as a retrospective, electronic medical record (EMR) observation study, statistical analysis is conducted to confirm BAT activation and various factors. Materials and Methods From January 2018 to December 2019, EMR of patients who underwent PET/CT scan at the National Cancer Center for two years were collected, a total of 9155 patients were extracted, and 13442 case data including duplicate scan were targeted. After performing a univariable logistic regression analysis to determine whether BAT activation is affected by the environment (outdoor temperature) and the patient's condition (BMI, cancer type, sex, and age), A multivariable regression model that affects BAT activation was finally analyzed by selecting univariable factors with P<0.1. Results BAT activation occurred in 93 cases (0.7%). According to the results of univariable logistic regression analysis, the likelihood of BAT activation was increased in patients under 50 years old (P<0.001), in females (P<0.001), in lower outdoor temperature below 14.5℃ (P<0.001), in lower BMI (P<0.001) and in patients who had a injection before 12:30 PM (P<0.001). It decreased in higher BMI (P<0.001) and in patients diagnosed with lung cancer (P<0.05) In multivariable results, BAT activation was significantly increased in patients under 50 years (P<0.001), in females (P<0.001) and in lower outdoor temperature below 14.5℃ (P<0.001). It was significantly decreased in higher BMI (P<0.05). Conclusion A retrospective study of factors affecting BAT activation in patients who underwent PET/CT scan for 2 years at the National Cancer Center was conducted. The results confirmed that BAT was significantly activated in normal-weight women under 50 years old who underwent PET/CT scan in weather with an outdoor temperature of less than 14.5℃. Based on this result, the patient applied to the factor can be identified in advance, and it is thought that it will help to reduce BAT activation through several studies in the future.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.249-254
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• 2022

With the rapid advance of the semiconductor and Information and communication technologies, remote environment monitoring technology, which can detect and analyze surrounding environmental conditions with various types of sensors and wireless communication technologies, is also drawing attention. However, since the conventional remote environmental monitoring systems require external power supplies, it causes time and space limitations on comfortable usage. In this study, we proposed the concept of the self-powered remote environmental monitoring system by supplying the power with the levitation-electromagnetic generator (L-EMG), which is rationally designed to effectively harvest biomechanical energy in consideration of the mechanical characteristics of biomechanical energy. In this regard, the proposed L-EMG is designed to effectively respond to the external vibration with the movable center magnet considering the mechanical characteristics of the biomechanical energy, such as relatively low-frequency and high amplitude of vibration. Hence the L-EMG based on the fragile force equilibrium can generate high-quality electrical energy to supply power. Additionally, the environmental detective sensor and wireless transmission module are composed of the micro control unit (MCU) to minimize the required power for electronic device operation by applying the sleep mode, resulting in the extension of operation time. Finally, in order to maximize user convenience, a mobile phone application was built to enable easy monitoring of the surrounding environment. Thus, the proposed concept not only verifies the possibility of establishing the self-powered remote environmental monitoring system using biomechanical energy but further suggests a design guideline.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.48-54
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• 2021

Purpose In ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, the absorption of ¹⁸F-FDG due to the activation of Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) greatly interferes with the discrimination of lymph node malignant metastasis. Warming the patient's body temperature before and after injection of ¹⁸F-FDG to prevent FDG absorption by BAT is a safe and non-pharmacological approach. The purpose of this study was to identify and select patients with a high potential for BAT activation in advance, and to investigate whether BAT can inhibit FDG absorption when the body temperature is raised for a short time by directly applying heat to the target patient. Materials and Methods Among the patients who underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT at the National Cancer Center from January 2020 to December 2020, 825 female patients (415 in the thermal group, 410 in the non-thermal group) under 50 years old were included. The thermal group was administered heat for 10 minutes before injection of ¹⁸F-FDG. For statistical analysis, the Z test comparing the ratios between the two groups was used, and logistic regression analysis was performed to correct for important variables (BMI, outdoor temperature, blood sugar) according to the results of the previous retrospective study. Results Among 825 patients, 19 patients with BAT activated (Thermal group: 5(1.2%), Non-thermal group: 14(3.41%)) accounted for 2.3% of the total. As a result of performing the Z test to compare the ratios between the two groups, the activation of BAT in the thermal group was significantly decreased (P=0.034). In the univariate logistic regression analysis, the activation of BAT was also decreased in the thermal group (OR: 0.34, P<0.05). In the multivariate results, BAT activation increased in patients younger than 45 years old (OR: 4.46, P<0.05) and outdoor temperature less than 13.2 degrees (OR: 9.97, P<0.05). BAT activation tended to decrease in the thermal group, but there was no significant difference (OR: 0.37, P=0.066). Conclusion We confirmed that the activation of BAT tends to decrease by 62.5% in the group subjected to the thermal method, and it will be of great help in preventing FDG absorption of BAT more effectively in the future.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.361-368
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to establish technology for removing bacteria with human- and eco-friendly material. Staphylococcus aureus as an important component for balanced equilibrium among microbiomes, was cultured under various concentrations of phosphate. Experimental observation relating to physical properties was performed in an addition of phosphate buffer. Statistically minimum value of size and hardness using atomic force microscope was observed on the matured biofilm at 5 mM concentration of phosphate. As a result of absorbance for the biofilm tagged with dye, concentration of biofilm was reduced with phophate, too. To identify whether this reduction by phosphate at the 5 mM is caused by counter ion or not, sodium chloride was treated to the biofilm under the same condition. To elucidate components of the biofilm counting analysis of the biofilm using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry was employed. The secondary ions from the biofilm revealed that alteration of physical properties is consistent to the change of extracellular polymeric substrate (EPS) for the biofilm. Viscoelastic characterization of the biofilm using a controlled shear stress rheometer, where internal change of physical properties could be detected, exhibited a static viscosity and a reduction of elastic modulus at the 5 mM concentration of phosphate. Accordingly, bacteria at the 5 mM concentration of phosphate are attributed to removing the EPS through a reduction of elastic modulus for bacteria. We suggest that the reduction of concentration of biofilm induces dispersion which assists to easily spread its dormitory. In conclusion, it is elucidated that an addition of phosphate causes removal of EPS, and that causes a function of antibiotic.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.618-638
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• 2022

The Middle Jurassic granite dike swarm intruding into the Paleoproterozoic banded gneiss is pervasively observed in Ueumdo, Hwaseong City, mid-western Gyeonggi Massif. Based on their cross-cutting relationships in a representative outcrop, there are four dikes (UE-A, UE-C, UE-D, UE-E), and depending on the direction, there are three granite dike groups, which are NW- (UE-A dike), NW to WNW- (UE-C dike), and NE-trending (UE-D and UE-E dikes). These granite dikes are massive, medium-to coarse-grained biotite granites, and their relative ages observed in outcrops are in the order of UE-A, UE-D (=UE-E), and UE-C. The geometric analysis of the dikes indicates that the UE-A and UE-C dikes intrude under approximately NE-SW trending horizontal minimum stress fields. The UE-A dike, which showed a relatively low average SiO2 content by major element analysis, is a product of early magma differentiation compared to other dikes; therefore, it is consistent with the relative age of each dike. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U weighted mean ages for each dike obtained from SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating were calculated to be 167 Ma (UE-A), 164 Ma (UE-C), 167 Ma (UE-D), and 167 Ma (UE-E), respectively. The samples of the UE-A, UE-D, and UE-E dikes showed very similar ages. The UE-C dike shows the youngest age, which is consistent with the results of the relative age in the outcrops and major element analysis. Therefore, the granite dikes intruded into the Middle Jurassic (approximately 167 and 164 Ma), coinciding with those of the Gyeonggi Massif, where the Middle Jurassic plutons are geographically widely distributed. This result indicates that the wide occurrence of the Middle Jurassic plutons on the Gyeonggi Massif was formed as a result of igneous activity moving in the northwest direction with the shallower subduction angle of the subducting oceanic plate during the Jurassic.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.361-367
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• 2022

This study was conducted to identify annual variation of observation and activity pattern of Korean chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus) using camera traps in the Seoraksan and Jirisan National Parks, South Korea from May 2019 to May 2021. The annual variation was identified based on the observed frequency through weekly observations. Daily activity patterns of the species were also analyzed by season. The daily activity pattern of chipmunk appeared to be constantly diurnal across the years regardless of habitat or season. The Korean chipmunks living in the two different regions were observed in different time periods throughout the year. While the chipmunks inhabiting the Seoraksan were observed from 18^th to 45^th week, the chipmunks inhabiting the Jirisan National Park were observed from 7^th to 48^th week. This may be influenced by the hibernation period of chipmunks in the two different regions. In both regions, chipmunks were most frequently observed in autumn. It is considered that seasonal variation on population dynamic and activity patterns of chipmunks were reflected in the observation frequency. Although the observation frequency of camera trap is an indirect indicator and thus having a limitation that it cannot distinguish the population density and amount of activity for the target species, camera trapping is still an effective survey technique for monitoring mammals due to its high accessibility and easy use.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.697-723
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• 2022

Data-driven models to predict groundwater levels 30 days in advance were developed for 12 groundwater monitoring stations in the middle-Jeju watershed, Jeju Island. Stacked long short-term memory (stacked-LSTM), a deep learning technique suitable for time series forecasting, was used for model development. Daily time series data from 2001 to 2022 for precipitation, groundwater usage amount, and groundwater level were considered. Various models were proposed that used different combinations of the input data types and varying lengths of previous time series data for each input variable. A general procedure for deep-learning-based model development is suggested based on consideration of the comparative validation results of the tested models. A model using precipitation, groundwater usage amount, and previous groundwater level data as input variables outperformed any model neglecting one or more of these data categories. Using extended sequences of these past data improved the predictions, possibly owing to the long delay time between precipitation and groundwater recharge, which results from the deep groundwater level in Jeju Island. However, limiting the range of considered groundwater usage data that significantly affected the groundwater level fluctuation (rather than using all the groundwater usage data) improved the performance of the predictive model. The developed models can predict the future groundwater level based on the current amount of precipitation and groundwater use. Therefore, the models provide information on the soundness of the aquifer system, which will help to prepare management plans to maintain appropriate groundwater quantities.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.319-330
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• 2022

Andong is a place to culture the great amount of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Korea. This study reports a yearly occurrence (March 31~October 25, 2021) of thrips infesting the hot pepper in Andong. Thrips caught to yellow sticky traps were diagnosed by morphological characters and showed two dominant species: Frankliniella occidentalis and F. intonsa. During this period, a total of 107,874 thrips were caught and included F. occidentalis at about 82%, F. intonsa at about 17%, and the other thrips at about 0.3%. There were two main peaks at May~June and at September~October, respectively, in which the total number of thrips was higher in the second peak and most were F. occidentalis. Interestinly, a low level of thrips occurred during July~August was observed and explained by their susceptibility to high temperatures. A laboratory experiment by exposing thrips to high temperatures showed that thrips were susceptible to temperatures higher than 35℃ and not tolerant to 45℃ for 1 h. Indeed, high temperatures higher than 45℃ were recorded in the greenhouses in Andong during July~August. F. occidentalis was more tolerant to the high temperatures than F. intonsa. On the other hand, the thrips showed the highest occurrence peak at July~August in hot pepper-culturing greenhouse in Kangwon, where the average temperatures were mostly lower than those of Andong and no high temperatures higher than 45℃ were recorded during July~August. A viral disease caused by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was observed in the hot peppers cultured in Andong greenhouses. Multiplex PCR was used to detect the virus along with identification of thrips. With a high record of about 30%, the virus-infected thrips were detected during all the monitoring period. The virulent thrips were identified to be only F. intonsa. These results suggest that F. occidentalis gives a direct damage especially during harvesting period with their high populations while F. intonsa gives indirect damage by transmitting TSWV.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.38 no.7
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• pp.5-24
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• 2022

The current performance evaluation of slope anchors qualitatively determines the physical bonding between the anchor head and ground as well as cracks or breakage of the anchor head. However, such performance evaluation does not measure these primary factors quantitatively. Therefore, the time-dependent management of the anchors is almost impossible. This study is an evaluation of the 3D numerical model by SfM which combines UAS images with terrestrial LiDAR to collect numerical data on the damage factors. It also utilizes the data for the quantitative maintenance of the anchor system once it is installed on slopes. The UAS 3D model, which often shows relatively low precision in the z-coordinate for vertical objects such as slopes, is combined with terrestrial LiDAR scan data to improve the accuracy of the z-coordinate measurement. After validating the system, a field test is conducted with ten anchors installed on a slope with arbitrarily damaged heads. The damages (such as cracks, breakages, and rotational displacements) are detected and numerically evaluated through the orthogonal projection of the measurement system. The results show that the introduced system at the resolution of 8K can detect cracks less than 0.3 mm in any aperture with an error range of 0.05 mm. Also, the system can successfully detect the volume of the damaged part, showing that the maximum damage area of the anchor head was within 3% of the original design guideline. Originally, the ground adhesion to the anchor head, where the z-coordinate is highly relevant, was almost impossible to measure with the UAS 3D numerical model alone because of its blind spots. However, by applying the combined system, elevation differences between the anchor bottom and the irregular ground surface was identified so that the average value at 20 various locations was calculated for the ground adhesion. Additionally, rotation angle and displacement of the anchor head less than 1" were detected. From the observations, the validity of the 3D numerical model can obtain quantitative data on anchor damage. Such data collection can potentially create a database that could be used as a fundamental resource for quantitative anchor damage evaluation in the future.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.143-148
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• 2022

This study was to investigate an analytical method for determining dieckol content in Ecklonia stolonifera extract. According to the guidelines of International Conference on Harmonization. Method validation was performed by measuring the specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ) of dieckol using high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array. The results showed that the correlation coefficient of calibration curve (R²) for dieckol was 0.9997. The LOD and LOQ for dieckol were 0.18 and 0.56 ㎍/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision values of dieckol were approximately 1.58-4.39% and 1.37-4.64%, respectively. Moreover, intra- and inter-day accuracies of dieckol were approximately 96.91-102.33% and 98.41-105.71%, respectively. Thus, we successfully validated the analytical method for estimating dieckol content in E. stolonifera extract.