• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.585-591
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• 2006

We measured the litterfall quantity and investigated the nutrient dynamics in decomposing litter for three years at the LTER sites installed in a deciduous broadleaf natural forest in Mt. Gyebangsan, South Korea. Litterfall production was significantly different among the sampling dates, whereas it was not significantly different among the years. The total annual mean litterfall production for three years was 6,593 kg $ha^{-1}$ $yr^{-1}$ and leaf litter accounted for 82.6% of the litterfall. The leaf litter quantity was highest in Quercus mongolia, followed by leaf of other species, Betula schmidtii, Kaplopanax pictus, Acer pseudo-sieboldianum, etc., which are dominant tree species in the site. The mass loss from the decomposition of leaf litter was fastest in Cortinus controversa (100%), followed by A. preudo-sieboldianum, K. pictus, and B. schmidtii. 100% of litter for C. controversa, 96.1% for A. pseudo-sieboldianum, 92.8% for K. pictus decomposed, while 66.2% of litter for Q. mongolia decayed for 1,003 days. The lower rate of the mass loss in the litter of Q. mongolia may be attributed to the difference in substrate quality, such as lower nutrient concentrations compared with those of other tree species. The concentrations of N, P, and Ca for five litter types increased over time, while the concentrations of K and Mg decreased over time. Compared with the nutrients in the litter of Q. mongolia, the nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) in the litter of other species, C. controversa, A. pseudo-sieboldianum, and K. pictus, were released more rapidly. The results showed that the mass loss and the nutrient dynamics in the litter are variable depending on the tree species even in the same site conditions.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.551-558
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• 2006

Effects of Pb and $CO_2$ on soil microbial community associated with Pinus densiflora were investigated using community level physiological profiles (CLPP) and 16S rDNA PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) methods. Two-years pine trees were planted in Pb-contaminated soils and uncontaminated soils, and cultivated for 3 months in the growth chamber where $CO_2$ concentration was controlled at 380 or 760 ppmv. The structure of microbial community was analyzed in 6 kinds of soil samples (CA-0M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 0 mg/kg + initial, CB-0M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 500 mg/kg + initial, CA-3M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 0 mg/kg + after 3 months, CB-3M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 500 mglkg + after 3 months, EA-3M : $CO_2$ 760 ppmv + Pb 0 mg/kg + after 3 months, EB-3M : $CO_2$ 760 ppmv + Pb 500 mg/kg + after 3 months). After 3 months, the substrate utilization in the uncontaminated soil samples (CA-3M vs EA-3M) was not significantly influenced by $CO_2$ concentrations. However, the substrate utilization in the Pb-contaminated soil samples (CB-3M vs EB-3M) was enhanced by the elevated $CO_2$ concentrations. The results of principal component analysis based on substrate utilization activities showed that the structure of microbial community structure in each soil sample was grouped by Pb-contamination. The similarities of DGGE fingerprints were 56.3 % between the uncontaminated soil samples (CA-3M vs EA-3M), and 71.4% between the Pb-contaminated soil samples (CB-3M vs. EB-3M). The similarities between the soil samples under $CO_2$ 380 ppmv (CA-3M vs CB-3M) and $CO_2$, 760 ppmv (EA-3M vs EB-3M) were 53.3% and 35.8%, respectively. These results suggested that the structure of microbial community associated with Pinus densiflora were sensitively specialized by Pb-contamination rather than $CO_2$ concentration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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• 1993.06a
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• pp.975-976
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• 1993

This talk presents the overview of the author's research and development activities on fuzzy inference hardware. We involved it with two distinct approaches. The first approach is to use application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) technology. The fuzzy inference method is directly implemented in silicon. The second approach, which is in its preliminary stage, is to use more conventional microprocessor architecture. Here, we use a quantitative technique used by designer of reduced instruction set computer (RISC) to modify an architecture of a microprocessor. In the ASIC approach, we implemented the most widely used fuzzy inference mechanism directly on silicon. The mechanism is beaded on a max-min compositional rule of inference, and Mandami's method of fuzzy implication. The two VLSI fuzzy inference chips are designed, fabricated, and fully tested. Both used a full-custom CMOS technology. The second and more claborate chip was designed at the University of North Carolina(U C) in cooperation with MCNC. Both VLSI chips had muliple datapaths for rule digital fuzzy inference chips had multiple datapaths for rule evaluation, and they executed multiple fuzzy if-then rules in parallel. The AT & T chip is the first digital fuzzy inference chip in the world. It ran with a 20 MHz clock cycle and achieved an approximately 80.000 Fuzzy Logical inferences Per Second (FLIPS). It stored and executed 16 fuzzy if-then rules. Since it was designed as a proof of concept prototype chip, it had minimal amount of peripheral logic for system integration. UNC/MCNC chip consists of 688,131 transistors of which 476,160 are used for RAM memory. It ran with a 10 MHz clock cycle. The chip has a 3-staged pipeline and initiates a computation of new inference every 64 cycle. This chip achieved an approximately 160,000 FLIPS. The new architecture have the following important improvements from the AT & T chip: Programmable rule set memory (RAM). On-chip fuzzification operation by a table lookup method. On-chip defuzzification operation by a centroid method. Reconfigurable architecture for processing two rule formats. RAM/datapath redundancy for higher yield It can store and execute 51 if-then rule of the following format: IF A and B and C and D Then Do E, and Then Do F. With this format, the chip takes four inputs and produces two outputs. By software reconfiguration, it can store and execute 102 if-then rules of the following simpler format using the same datapath: IF A and B Then Do E. With this format the chip takes two inputs and produces one outputs. We have built two VME-bus board systems based on this chip for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The board is now installed in a robot at ORNL. Researchers uses this board for experiment in autonomous robot navigation. The Fuzzy Logic system board places the Fuzzy chip into a VMEbus environment. High level C language functions hide the operational details of the board from the applications programme . The programmer treats rule memories and fuzzification function memories as local structures passed as parameters to the C functions. ASIC fuzzy inference hardware is extremely fast, but they are limited in generality. Many aspects of the design are limited or fixed. We have proposed to designing a are limited or fixed. We have proposed to designing a fuzzy information processor as an application specific processor using a quantitative approach. The quantitative approach was developed by RISC designers. In effect, we are interested in evaluating the effectiveness of a specialized RISC processor for fuzzy information processing. As the first step, we measured the possible speed-up of a fuzzy inference program based on if-then rules by an introduction of specialized instructions, i.e., min and max instructions. The minimum and maximum operations are heavily used in fuzzy logic applications as fuzzy intersection and union. We performed measurements using a MIPS R3000 as a base micropro essor. The initial result is encouraging. We can achieve as high as a 2.5 increase in inference speed if the R3000 had min and max instructions. Also, they are useful for speeding up other fuzzy operations such as bounded product and bounded sum. The embedded processor's main task is to control some device or process. It usually runs a single or a embedded processer to create an embedded processor for fuzzy control is very effective. Table I shows the measured speed of the inference by a MIPS R3000 microprocessor, a fictitious MIPS R3000 microprocessor with min and max instructions, and a UNC/MCNC ASIC fuzzy inference chip. The software that used on microprocessors is a simulator of the ASIC chip. The first row is the computation time in seconds of 6000 inferences using 51 rules where each fuzzy set is represented by an array of 64 elements. The second row is the time required to perform a single inference. The last row is the fuzzy logical inferences per second (FLIPS) measured for ach device. There is a large gap in run time between the ASIC and software approaches even if we resort to a specialized fuzzy microprocessor. As for design time and cost, these two approaches represent two extremes. An ASIC approach is extremely expensive. It is, therefore, an important research topic to design a specialized computing architecture for fuzzy applications that falls between these two extremes both in run time and design time/cost. TABLEI INFERENCE TIME BY 51 RULES {{{{Time }}{{MIPS R3000 }}{{ASIC }}{{Regular }}{{With min/mix }}{{6000 inference 1 inference FLIPS }}{{125s 20.8ms 48 }}{{49s 8.2ms 122 }}{{0.0038s 6.4㎲ 156,250 }} }}

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.862-868
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• 2005

Korean mountain ginseng roots were freeze-dried at $-70^{\circ}C$ and extracted by different extracting solution conditions to investigate chemical compositions of extracts. The soluble solid content of the extract from $7.04\~13.45\%\;and\;50\%$ EtOH and MeOH extracts were higher than those of other extracts. $100\%\;water\;and\;90\%$ EtOH extracts gave the highest Brix with $19.98\%$\;and\;19.65\%$, respectively. pH of the extracts were ranged from $5.82\~6.60$. Browning color at 470 nm of the extract were high value in 50$\%$ EtOH extract. In case of Hunter's color value, L value of extract was higher in $100\%$ water extract (21.28) than EtOH extract $(17.18\~21.02)$, a and b values of extract were the highest in $100\%$ water (-0.12) and $90\%$ MeOH extract (1.34). The contents of free sugars in the EtOH extract were increased with the ethanol concentration. Sucrose contents of $90\%$ EtOH and MeOH extracts were 6,159 mg/100 g and 5,238 mg/100 g. Major organic acids of the extract were citric and malic acids. Major free amino acids of the extract were L-arginine, L-proline, $\gamma$ -amino-n-butyric acid, alanine and aspartic acid. The highest ginsenoside content was shown to be about $10.50\%\;in\;90\%$ MeOH extract. Major minerals of extract were P, K, Na, Mg and Ca.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2009

Cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis crispa) is recently recognized as a new edible and/or medicinal mushroom cultivated with conifers. By the way, the mushroom is notorious as a brown-rot fungus that causes a buttrot of larch. So, there should be a careful consideration to apply the mushroom cultivation in coniferous stand. This study was conducted to clarify the seriousness of heartwood decay on conifers such as larch by cauliflower mushroom with surveying the mushroom producing environment and to examine whether the cultivation of cauliflower mushroom produce any problem in conifer stands or not. The mushroom occurred in various coniferous stands such as Larix kaempferi, Pinus koraiensis, P. densiflora and Abies holophylla on fertile soils with adequate moisture. Soil texture of the mushroom producing site was comparatively fine compared to general forest soils; sandy loam, loam and silty loam. Soil pH ranged from 4.6 to 5.2, and organic matter contents were 4~11%, which showed relatively wide range. We could find S. crispa by a DNA technique from the wood that seemed to have no heartwood decay by naked eyes. The damaged wood showed 30% higher moisture contents than that of sound wood, while the compressive strength was 30% lowered down compared to that of sound wood. The fungus may invade conifers through the scars occurred on roots or stems, in this case spore dispersion of the mushroom takes a great role. Thus, we concluded that forest tending activities need to be applied with considering the invasion of S. crispa, and cultivation of cauliflower mushroom in forest should be attempted very carefully. By the way, we also infer that conifer stands can be nurtured without heartwood decay by S. crispa if the stand be managed in good aeration conditions by proper silvicultural practices such as sanitary thinning.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.1446-1451
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• 2010

Silk sericin protein was hydrolyzed by seven proteolytic enzymes to examine the effectiveness of the hydrolysates to bind iron. The amino acid nitrogen contents of hydrolysates by Flavourzyme were higher than the others enzymes, and its iron binding capacity showed dose-dependent increase. The bioavailability of iron binding peptide from sericin hydolysates was investigated in iron-deficient rats. Three-week-old male rats were fed iron-deficient diet for three weeks. Rats were divided into four groups (DD: no treated group on iron deficient diet, DD+HI: heme-iron treated group, DD+OI: sericin-Fe, and DD+II: inorganic iron ($FeSO_4$) treated group, and then iron supplemented by injection for one week. After oral administration for one week, the iron contents of serum and liver were significantly higher in DD+OI ($4.2\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $80.1\;{\mu}g/mL$) and DD+HI ($3.2\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $70.6\;{\mu}g/mL$) than DD ($2.0\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $47.9\;{\mu}g/mL$). Hemoglobin content of treated groups was significantly higher than DD, but the significant difference among groups was not shown. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels did not show any significant difference among all groups. Binding iron to peptide from sericin hydolysates seems to improve its bioavailability and to hasten the cure of iron deficiency in experimental rat.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1419-1425
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the method validation for the determination of eleutherosides (B and E) and ${\beta}$-glucan in Acanthopanax (A.) koreanum. This medicinal plant reportedly mainly included eleutherosides which exhibit the pharmacological effects, and ${\beta}$-glucan substantially enhances the function of the immune system by activating macrophages. The specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD, S/N=3), and limit of quantification (LOQ, S/N=10) were measured by HPLC and enzymatic methods. Our results showed that the coefficient of calibration correlation ($R^2$) for eleutheroside B and E were 0.9997 and 0.9999, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) for eleutheroside B and E were $0.050{\mu}g/mL$ and $0.025{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The recovery rate of eleutheroside B and E were revealed in the high range of 100.66~110.04% and 94.26~111.62%, respectively. The inter-day precision of eleutheroside B and E in the root and stem in A. koreanum were 1.4~5.0% and 1.1~2.5%, respectively. The intra-day precision of eleutheroside B and E in the root and stem in A. koreanum were 2.8~2.9% and 0.4~1.1%, respectively. Furthermore, the inter-day and intra-day precision of ${\beta}$-glucan in the stem, leaf, and fruit of A. koreanum were 1.32~5.67% and 8.01~11.76%, respectively. In conclusion, the methods were validated for the detection of eleutherosides and ${\beta}$-glucan in A. koreanum.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.1370-1377
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• 2013

Rice is widely grown in Asia and is one of the major dietary staples in the world. Also, rice contains antioxidants which can prevent from oxidative stress related diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. Because the rice is consumed cooked, the effect of the cooking process on the antioxidative and antigenotoxic properties of rice is lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of cooking on the antioxidant and antigenotoxic effects of white rice (WR), brown rice (BR), and germinated brown rice (GBR). The antioxidant activities were measured for total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging activity (DPPH RSA), total antioxidant capacity (TRAP), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The highest TPC was found in uncooked BR (18.4 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g). After cooking, the TPC of WR significantly increased, while the TPC of BR and GBR were reduced by 47.7% and 36.7%, respectively. The $IC_{50}$ for DPPH RSA was not significantly different in uncooked rice, while the DPPH RSA of WR and GBR decreased after cooking and the DPPH RSA of BR significantly increased. TRAP values in BR and GBR increased after cooking, while the value of WR decreased. The ORAC values of uncooked WR, BR, and GBR were 5.3, 4.3, and $3.9{\mu}M$ trolox equivalent at the concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$. After cooking, the ORAC value of BR remained unchanged, while the value of GBR increased and the value of WR decreased. The antigenotoxic activities of WR, BR, and GBR were determined by measuring the inhibitory effects of $H_2O_2$-induced DNA damage on human leukocytes using the comet assay. The results showed that all rice tested showed a significant antigenotoxic effect against oxidative stress, except for the cooked white rice. Overall, our results indicate the addition of brown rice and/or germinated brown rice to cooked white rice is a good option for improving the benefits of rice.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.263-269
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• 2006

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of under-staging in patients with advanced gastric cancer that was proven to be unresectable after a laparotomy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 25 gastric cancer patients who had undergone a diagnostic laparotomy between 2001 and 2005. For the preoperative evaluation, spiral CT and multidetector-row CT were performed. We analyzed the clinicopathologic features of patients and compared the image findings and the results of surgery. The causes of under-staging were divided into 3 groups; patient factor, CT factor, and interpretation factor. Results: Grossly, there were 12 cases of Borrmann type-III tumors and 13 cases of Borrmann type-IV tumors. The most frequent histologic type was poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (8 cases) and signet ring cell carcinomas (7 cases). There were 13 cases of adjacent organ invasion, and the pancreas was the most frequently invaded organ (9 cases). There were 17 cases of peritoneal metastasis, and 3 cases of distant lymph node metastasis. For the cause of under-staging, there were four cases of patient factor, 19 cases of interpretation factor, and 9 cases of CT factor. In three cases, the cause of under-staging could not be identified. Conclusion: CT interpretation factor was the most frequent cause of under-staging in the preoperative diagnosis with gastric cancer patients. Therefore, more cautious CT interpretation is necessary to avoid unnecessary laparotomies in gastric cancer patients.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.225-231
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• 2008

Purpose: Laparoscopic gastric resection (LGR) is increasingly being used instead of open gastric resection (OGR) as the standard surgical treatment for gastric submucosal tumors. Yet there are few reports on which technique shows better postoperative outcomes. This study was performed to compare these two treatment modalities for gastric submucosal tumors by evaluating the postoperative outcomes. We also provide an analysis of the learning curve for LGR. Materials and Methods: Between 2003.4 and 2008.8, 103 patients with a gastric submucosal tumor underwent either LGR (N=78) or OGR (n=25). A retrospective review was performed on a prospectively obtained database of 103 patients. We reviewed the data with regard to the operative time, the blood loss during the operation, the time to the first soft diet, the postoperative hospital stay, the tumor size and the tumor location. Results: The clinicopatholgic and tumor characteristics of the patients were similar for both groups. There was no open conversion in the LGR group. The mean operation time and the bleeding loss were not different between the LGR group and the OWR group. The time to first soft diet (3.27 vs. 6.16 days, P<0.001) and the length of the postoperative hospital stay (7.37 vs. 8.88 days, P=0.002) were shorter in the LGR group compared to the OGR group. The tumor size was bigger in the OGR group than that in the LGR group (6.44 vs. 3.65 cm, P<0.001). When performing laparoscopic gastric resection of gastric SMT, the surgeon was able to decrease the operation time and bleeding loss with gaining more experience. We separated the total cases into 3 periods to compare the operation time, the bleeding losses and the complications. The third period showed the shortest operation time, the least bleeding loss and the fewest complications. Conclusion: LGR for treating a gastric submucosal tumor was superior to OGR in terms of the postoperative outcomes. An operator needs some experience to perform a complete laparoscopic gastric resection. Laparoscopic resection could be considered the first-line treatment for gastric submucosal tumors.