• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.211-220
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• 1995

Though the endometriosis is not always related with infertility, endometriosis causes infertility in some patients. There are many treatment modalities of infertile patients who have endometriosis. In recent years, Assisted Reproductive Technology(ART) have been widely accepted as being a useful tool for the treatment of infertile endometriotic patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of ART in infertile endometriotic patients who have been carried out IVF-ET from Jan, 1992 to Dec, 1994 and to compare the results between COH/IUI and IVF-ET in the patients with endometriosis stage I. Tubal disease only patients were grouped(308 patient, 956 cycles) as a control. Endometriosis group was subdivided into 4 groups according to American Fertility Society classification; endometriosis stage I (45 patients, 61 cycles), stage II (26 patients, 39 cycles), stage III (26 pateitns, 37 cycles), stage IV (33 patients, 50 cycles). The outcomes of IVF-ET in endometriosis patients were as follows; The oocyte recovery rates were significantly lower in stage III, IV endometriosis. In case of stage III endometriosis, the fertilization rate was significantly lower than other stages of endometriosis. Clinical pregnancy rates per cycle were not different between the tubal group(22%) and the endometriosis group(25%). According to endometriosis stage, the implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate were significantly lower in stage IV (5.6%, 16%) compared with other stages (I; 10.0%, 26%, II;9.8%, 31%, III;12.6%, 32%). It suggests that some factor like autoantibodies may inhibit implantation of embryos in stage IV endometriosis. To evaluate the possibility that simply increasing the number of gametes at the site of fertilization might account for pregnancies attributed to IVF-ET, the authors retrospectively analyzed the outcome of couples undergoing IUI during hMG cycles and CC cycles between 1992 and 1994 in the women with endometriosis stage 1. In case of stage I endometriosis, though the COH/IUI group showed lower FSH level and lesser age profile than IVF-ET group, IUI group has resulted in lower pregnancy rates(19.2%) compared with the IVF-ET group(26.2%). In conclusion, endometriotic infertile patients can get comparable pregnancy rates with the tubal factor infertility patients during IVF-ET program. Moreover even in stage I endometriosis, IVF-ET may be an more effective treatment modality than COH/IUI.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.301-309
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• 1997

The objective of this study was to determine the microtubule assembly and chromatin configuration during the first cell cycle in bovine oocytes following injection of spermatozoon, sperm head and tail. The microtubule and chromatin configuration was imaged with fluorescent labeled monoclonal ${\alpha}$-tubulin antibody and propidium iodide under laser scanning confocal microscope. Microtubule and chromatin dynamics in bovine oocytes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were not different from those observed during in vitro fertilization (IVF). Following ICSI, the microtubular aster was observed around sperm midpiece. During pronuclear formation, the sperm aster was enlarged and seen around male and female pronuclei. At mitotic metaphase, the microtubular spindle assemble astral poles and chromosomes were aligned on the spindle equator. At mitosis, asters were concentrated to each spindle pole and they filled the cytoplasm. After injection of the isolated sperm head, the microtubular aster was not seen around sperm head in any cases (0/18). Instead, microtubules were organized from the cytoplasm, which filled the whole cytoplasm during pronuclear apposition. These microtubules seem to move male and female pronuclei. These results suggest that isolated sperm head can develop into normal pronucleus in mature bovine oocytes, and competent to participate syngamy with the ootid chromatin. The functional microtubules following isolated sperm head injection in bovine oocytes appeared to be organized solely from maternal stores.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2008

This study compared microbial load, texturre, histological properties, and sensory characteristics of gamma-irradiated (20 kGy) Kimchi and freeze-dried Kimchi under condition; of long-tenn storage. immediately after irradiation, no aerobic bacteria were detected, but microbial load of freeze-dried Kimchi decreased by only 1 log cycle in comparision with the nonirradiated control sample. The firmness of irradiated Kimchi was significantly higher than that of rehydrated freeze-dried Kimchi (p<0.05). Scanning electron microscopy showed collapse of the microstructure in epidermis tissues of rehydrated Kimchi. 'The sensory scores for color, texture, and taste of irradiated Kimchi were higher than those for rehydrated freeze-dried Kimchi.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.391-397
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• 1998

The toxicity evaluation of oriental herbal drugs is of great concern at present. Bojungchisup-tang (BCST, in Korean), a decocted medicine of oriental herbal mixture, is now well used in clinic at oriental hospitals for the treatment of edema of several diseases in practice. However, the toxicity of the oriental herbal decocted medicines such as genetic toxicity is not well defined until now. In this respect, to clarify the genetic toxicity of BCST, in vitro chromosome aberration assay with Chinese hamster lung (CHL) fibroblasts and in vivo supravital micronucleus assay with mouse peripheral reticulocytes were performed in this study. In the chromosome aberration assay, we used 5,000 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml BCST as maximum concentration because no remarkable cytotoxicity in CHL cells was observed both in the presence and absence of S-9 metabolic activation system. No statistical significant differences of chromosome aberrations were observed in CHL cells treated with 5,000, 2,500 and 1,250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml BCST for 6 hour both in the presence and absence of S-9 metabolic activation. However, very weak positive result (6.5-8.0% aberration) of BCST was obtained in the absence of S-9 metabolic activation system at 5,000 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml BCST when treated for 24 hour, i.e. 1.5 normal cell cycle time. And also, in vivo clastogenicity of BCST was studied by acridine orange-supravital staining micronucleus assay using mouse peripheral reticulocytes. We used 2,000 mg/kg as the highest oral dose in this micronucleus assay because no acute oral toxicity of BCST was observed in mice. The optimum induction time of micronucleated reticulocytes (MNRETS) was determined as 36 hours after oral administration of 2,000 mg/kg BCST. No significant differences of MNRETs between control and BCST treatment groups were observed in vivo micronucieus assay. From these results, BCST revealed very weak positive result in chromosome aberration assay in vitro with CHL cells and no clastogenicity in micronucieus assay in vivo.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.567-576
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• 2017

The $Na^+/H^+$ exchanger is responsible for maintaining the acidic tumor microenvironment through its promotion of the reabsorption of extracellular $Na^+$ and the extrusion of intracellular $H^+$. The resultant increase in the extracellular acidity contributes to the chemoresistance of malignant tumors. In this study, the chemosensitizing effects of cariporide, a potent $Na^+/H^+-exchange$ inhibitor, were evaluated in human malignant mesothelioma H-2452 cells preadapted with lactic acid. A higher basal level of phosphorylated (p)-AKT protein was found in the acid-tolerable H-2452AcT cells compared with their parental acid-sensitive H-2452 cells. When introduced in H-2452AcT cells with a concentration that shows only a slight toxicity in H-2452 cells, cariporide exhibited growth-suppressive and apoptosis-promoting activities, as demonstrated by an increase in the cells with pyknotic and fragmented nuclei, annexin V-PE(+) staining, a $sub-G_0/G_1$ peak, and a $G_2/M$ phase-transition delay in the cell cycle. Preceding these changes, a cariporide-induced p-AKT down-regulation, a p53 up-regulation, an ROS accumulation, and the depolarization of the mitochondrial-membrane potential were observed. A pretreatment with the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 markedly augmented the DNA damage caused by the cariporide, as indicated by a much greater extent of comet tails and a tail moment with increased levels of the p-histone H2A.X, $p-ATM^{Ser1981}$, $p-ATR^{Ser428}$, $p-CHK1^{Ser345}$, and $p-CHK2^{Thr68}$, as well as a series of pro-apoptotic events. The data suggest that an inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling is necessary to enhance the cytotoxicity toward the acidtolerable H-2452AcT cells, and it underlines the significance of proton-pump targeting as a potential therapeutic strategy to overcome the acidic-microenvironment-associated chemotherapeutic resistance.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.348-356
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• 2016

Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) gases concentration in atmosphere has been growing since preindustrial times. By sequestering a large amount of atmospheric carbon (C), terrestrial ecosystems are thought to offer a mitigation strategy for reducing global warming. Woody agro-ecosystems such as fruit tree are among the least quantified and most uncertain elements in the terrestrial carbon cycle. $CO_2$ and energy fluxes were measured by the eddy covariance method on a 15-year old apple orchard of South Korea in 2006. Environmental parameters (net radiation, precipitation, etc.) were measured along with fluxes. The results showed that during late June, the ability to sequestrate C was significant at an apple orchard ecosystem and it reached on the peak of $-6.5g\;C\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$. We found that in the apple orchard, the daily average of net ecosystem exchange of $CO_2$ (NEE) and cumulative NEE on a yearly basis were $-1.1g\;C\;m^{-2}$ and $-396.9g\;C\;m^{-2}$, respectively. These results reveal that there is high carbon sequestration in the apple orchard of South Korea, which is the same magnitude with repect to that of a natural forested ecosystem of the same biome rank (temperate-humid deciduous forest).

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.107-116
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• 1994

Interorder somatic hybrids were obtained by protoplast fusion between Pleurotus ostreatus in the order Agaricales and Elfvingia applanata in the order Aphyllophorales. The fusants were classified into stable heterokaryons and spontaneously segregated heterokaryons. Hyphae of all fusion products except two strains did not form clamp connections. Out of them, two clamped and three clampless fusants produced mature fruiting bodies by light-dark cycle on sawdust rice bran medium. All of these basidiocarps had clamp connections. Three fusants were analysed with the distribution of progenies and segregation of genetic characters by random spore analyses. The genetic markers were shown to segregate and recombine in the first generation of monospores isolated from basidiocarps. Phenotypes of a large number of auxotrophic progenies were not detected in the two clamped fusants. The aberration ratio of segregants indicated the gene interaction resulting from different genome structure between distantly related species. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was adopted for the detection of somatic hybrids nuclear DNA. Four fusants showed a positive results in three kinds of primers. The prominent reaction products are represented by new bands in primer # 87 and # 125. Out of four fusants, two somatic hybrids had non-parental mtDNA patterns when digested with EcoR1 and HindIII. Comparison of somatic hybrids, tissue culture isolates(TC) and multispore germination isolates(MS) were made using esterase isozyme analysis. It is apparent that somatic hybrids had a minor banding patterns which are quite different from those of parents.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.563-568
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• 2007

This paper presents a methodology for predicting nonlinear time series based on the neural network with weighted fuzzy membership functions (NEWFM). The degree of classification intensity is obtained by bounded sum of weighted fuzzy membership functions extracted by NEWFM, then weighted average defuzzification is used for predicting nonlinear time series. The experimental results demonstrate that NEWFM has the classification capability of 92.22% against the target class of GDP. The time series created by NEWFM model has a relatively close approximation to the GDP which is a typical business cycle indicator, and has been proved to be a useful indicator which has the turning point forecasting capability of average 12 months in the peak point and average 6 months in the trough point during 5th to 8th cyclical period. In addition, NEWFM measures the efficiency of the economic indexes by the feature selection and enables the users to forecast with reduced numbers of 7 among 10 leading indexes while improving the classification rate from 90% to 92.22%.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.218-220
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• 1999

The performance of the Electric Vehicle and Hybrid Electric Vehicle depends on that of the battery pack composed of series connected batteries. And thermal property is one of the main factors which decide the performance of the battery pack. So heat generation rate from the battery under the various driving mode must be measured as precise as possible because thermal characteristics of the battery affect the driving performance and battery pack's life cycle. Besides, to design and develop the battery thermal management system for the EV and HEV, the measurements of the thermal properties of the batteries are needed. However, the established calorimeter is not adequate to test an EV's battery because its cavity is too small to accommodate the EV's battery. Therefore we developed the calorimeter to test the thermal property of the EV's battery. Its cavity size is 120mm long, 75mm wide and 200mm high. The calorimeter is calibrated by the dummy cell which generates the heat rate from zero to 200W. The measuring accuracy of the calorimeter is within $2\%$ and its voltage stability is 2.5mV in the constant temperature bath.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.125-132
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• 2006

Previous studies showed that epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG) have substantial effects of suppressing the N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine(MNNG)-initiated cell transformation process on the bases of foci formation frequency and loss of anchorage dependency. In this study we tried to clarify the molecular mechanism of suppressing the cell transformation process. Mouse cell line balb/c 3T3 A31-1-1 was exposed 2 days to MNNG followed by 15 days 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate(TPA) treatment for our transformation process. EGCG was added after the time point of 24 hours exposure to TPA and incubated for 19 days. 2029 genes were selected in our transformation process that showed fold change value of 1.5 or more in the microarray gene expression analysis covering the mouse full genome. These genes were found to be involved mainly in the cell cycle pathway, focal adhesion, adherens junction, TGE-$\beta$ signaling, apoptosis, lysine degradation, insulin signaling, ECM-receptor interaction. Among the genes, we focused on the 631 genes(FC>0.5) reciprocally affected by EGCG treatment. Our study suggest that EGCG down-regulate the gene expressions of up stream signaling factors such as nemo like kinase with MAPK activity and PI3-Kinase, Ras GTPase and down stream factors such as cyclin D1, D2, H, T2, cdk6.