• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.10 s.293
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• pp.646-652
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• 2006

Several oxynitride glasses were fabricated by means of adding $Si_3N_4$ powders as nitrogen source to Ca-Al-Si-O-N (CAS) and Mg-Al-Si-O-N (MAS) glass powders, and heat-treated in graphite crucible at 1600$^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. The physical and mechanical properties as well as impact resistance were generally increased and compared with each other. The impact resistance properties of those manufactured glasses were evaluated by DOP (depth of penetration) method which is a way to analyze armor materials. There were two means to be used herein; the copper jet impacted at hyper velocity by exploding K2l5 warhead and tungsten heavy alloy (WHA) impact bar at high velocity by firing in 30 mm solid propellent gun. The impact resistance properties against copper jet were increased and then decreased with increasing nitrogen content, while those against WHA bar were not changed apparently with nitrogen content.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.10
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• pp.711-720
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• 2019

Sink strength optimizes sucrose import, which is fundamental to support developing seed grains and increase crop yields, including those of rice (Oryza sativa). In this regard, little is known about the function of vacuolar invertase (VIN) in controlling sink strength and thereby seed size. Here, in rice we analyzed mutants of two VINs, OsVIN1 and OsVIN2, to examine their role during seed development. In a phenotypic analysis of the T-DNA insertion mutants, only the OsVIN2 mutant osvin2-1 exhibited reduced seed size and grain weight. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the small seed grains of osvin2-1 can be attributed to a reduction in spikelet size. A significant decrease in VIN activity and hexose level in the osvin2-1 spikelets interfered with spikelet growth. In addition, significant reduction in starch and increase in sucrose, which are characteristic features of reduced turnover and flux of sucrose due to impaired sink strength, were evident in the pre-storage stage of osvin2-1 developing grains. In situ hybridization analysis found that expression of OsVIN2 was predominant in the endocarp of developing grains. A genetically complemented line with a native genomic clone of OsVIN2 rescued reduced VIN activity and seed size. Two additional mutants, osvin2-2 and osvin2-3 generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 method, exhibited phenotypes similar to those of osvin2-1 in spikelet and seed size, VIN activity, and sugar metabolites. These results clearly demonstrate an important role of OsVIN2 as sink strength modulator that is critical for the maintenance of sucrose flux into developing seed grains.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2019

Upon viral infection, the 2', 5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS)-ribonuclease L (RNaseL) system works to cleave viral RNA, thereby blocking viral replication. However, it is unclear whether OAS proteins have a role in regulating gene expression. Here, we show that OAS1 and OAS3 act as negative regulators of the expression of chemokines and interferon-responsive genes in human macrophages. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease (Cas9) technology was used to engineer human myeloid cell lines in which the OAS1 or OAS3 gene was deleted. Neither OAS1 nor OAS3 was exclusively responsible for the degradation of rRNA in macrophages stimulated with poly(I:C), a synthetic surrogate for viral double-stranded (ds)RNA. An mRNA sequencing analysis revealed that genes related to type I interferon signaling and chemokine activity were increased in $OAS1^{-/-}$ and $OAS3^{-/-}$ macrophages treated with intracellular poly(I:C). Indeed, retinoic-acid-inducible gene (RIG)-I- and interferon-induced helicase C domain-containing protein (IFIH1 or MDA5)-mediated induction of chemokines and interferon-stimulated genes was regulated by OAS3, but Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)- and TLR4-mediated induction of those genes was modulated by OAS1 in macrophages. However, stimulation of these cells with type I interferons had no effect on OAS1- or OAS3-mediated chemokine secretion. These data suggest that OAS1 and OAS3 negatively regulate the expression of chemokines and interferon-responsive genes in human macrophages.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.31-45
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• 2005

Background and Objectives : Constipation is a common digestive disorder and enema is one of the external intervention for constipation. Coffee enema was originated by Dr. Gerson for the purpose of colon cleansing and detoxification. However there has been no study about the effect of coffee enema on constipation. Therefore, this study was planned to evaluate the effect of coffee enema on constipation in the terms of constipation degree and satisfaction questionnaire. Methods : 42 patients were treated of the coffee enema 2 times a week. The constipation score(Constipation Assessment Scale) and frequency of defecation were checked 3 times (before treatment, 1 week and 1 month later). The satisfaction score was also checked 1 week and 1 month later. The interval differences of constipation score between pre- and post-treatment according to body mass index were also analyzed. Results and Conclusions : The constipation scores, frequency of defecation scores checked 1 week and 1 month later were significantly(p<0.01) improved as compared with those before the treatment. The satisfaction scores were close to 'moderately satisfied' 1 week and 1 month later. The scores of 6 parameters in constipation assessment scale, frequency of defecation scores and satisfaction scores were maintained until 1 month later. There was no significant difference in the change of constipation scores between normal BMI and overweight group. 4.2% of the patients reported adverse effects, which were nausea, abdominal distension each.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.457-465
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• 2018

The expression of BCL-2 interacting cell death suppressor (BIS), an anti-stress or anti-apoptotic protein, has been shown to be regulated at the transcriptional level by heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) upon various stresses. Recently, HSF1 was also shown to bind to BIS, but the significance of these protein-protein interactions on HSF1 activity has not been fully defined. In the present study, we observed that complete depletion of BIS using a CRISPR/Cas9 system in A549 non-small cell lung cancer did not affect the induction of heat shock protein (HSP) 70 and HSP27 mRNAs under various stress conditions such as heat shock, proteotoxic stress, and oxidative stress. The lack of a functional association of BIS with HSF1 activity was also demonstrated by transient downregulation of BIS by siRNA in A549 and U87 glioblastoma cells. Endogenous BIS mRNA levels were significantly suppressed in BIS knockout (KO) A549 cells compared to BIS wild type (WT) A549 cells at the constitutive and inducible levels. The promoter activities of BIS and HSP70 as well as the degradation rate of BIS mRNA were not influenced by depletion of BIS. In addition, the expression levels of the mutant BIS construct, in which 14 bp were deleted as in BIS-KO A549 cells, were not different from those of the WT BIS construct, indicating that mRNA stability was not the mechanism for autoregulation of BIS. Our results suggested that BIS was not required for HSF1 activity, but was required for its own expression, which involved an HSF1-independent pathway.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2012

To broaden the understanding of classical Cepheid structure, evolution and atmospheres, we have extended our continuing secret lives of Cepheids program by obtaining XMM/Chandra X-ray observations, and Hubble space telescope (HST) / cosmic origins spectrograph (COS) FUV-UV spectra of the bright, nearby Cepheids Polaris, ${\delta}$ Cep and ${\beta}$ Dor. Previous studies made with the international ultraviolet explorer (IUE) showed a limited number of UV emission lines in Cepheids. The well-known problem presented by scattered light contamination in IUE spectra for bright stars, along with the excellent sensitivity & resolution combination offered by HST/COS, motivated this study, and the spectra obtained were much more rich and complex than we had ever anticipated. Numerous emission lines, indicating $10^4$ K up to ${\sim}3{\times}10^5$ K plasmas, have been observed, showing Cepheids to have complex, dynamic outer atmospheres that also vary with the photospheric pulsation period. The FUV line emissions peak in the phase range ${\varphi}{\approx}0.8-1.0$ and vary by factors as large as $10{\times}$. A more complete picture of Cepheid outer atmospheres is accomplished when the HST/COS results are combined with X-ray observations that we have obtained of the same stars with XMM-Newton & Chandra. The Cepheids detected to date have X-ray luminosities of log $L_X{\approx}28.5-29.1$ ergs/sec, and plasma temperatures in the $2-8{\times}106$ K range. Given the phase-timing of the enhanced emissions, the most plausible explanation is the formation of a pulsation-induced shocks that excite (and heat) the atmospheric plasmas surrounding the photosphere. A pulsation-driven ${\alpha}^2$ equivalent dynamo mechanism is also a viable and interesting alternative. However, the tight phase-space of enhanced emission (peaking near 0.8-1.0 ${\varphi}$) favor the shock heating mechanism hypothesis.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.95-101
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• 2012

To manufacture of a completely biodegradable and compostable biomass -based blend polymer film, two types of cellulose acetates(DS=2.4 and DS=2.7) were blended with 5 - 50 wt% of low average molecular weight polylactide(PLA) by mixing each polymer solution having same viscosity in 10 wt% methanol/dichloromethane. Their surface morphology, thermal and mechanical properties were studied. The chemical structures of blend films were confirmed by the fourier transform IR spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection(FT-IR ATR) spectrophotometer. Scanning electron microscope(SEM) photos of blend films of both CAs with less than 5 % of PLA showed homogeneous morphology. On the contrary, the other blends with higher than 20 wt% of PLA content showed a large phase separation with spherical domains. The thermal property of blend films was also analyzed with thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter(DSC). The tensile strength of CA/PLA blend films was increased up to $820kg_f/cm^2$ for TAC/PLA and $600kg_f/cm^2$ for DAC/PLA.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.209-220
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was performed to suggest how to re-establish criterion for toxic substances under the Chemical Control Act (CCA) in South Korea by comparing the GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals) score and toxic properties. Methods: Toxic substances were classified into seven groups (Acute toxicity (1A), Chronic toxicity (2C), Environmental hazards (3E), Acute toxicity & chronic toxicity (4AC), Chronic toxicity & environmental hazards (5CE), Acute toxicity & environmental hazards (6AE), and Acute toxicity & chronic toxicity & environmental hazards (7ACE)) according to their toxic properties. The GHS score was calculated to sum up five toxicity indicators (health acute toxicity, health repeated toxicity, carcinogenicity, health other chronic toxicity and environmental hazards). Results: The GHS score of 7ACE was higher by 7 times that of 1A. 1A is the only group which has lower than the total GHS score. The highest score was 47, for sodium chromate (CAS no. 7775-11-3), which belongs to group 7ACE. This is classified as acute toxicity, carcinogenicity, germ cell mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, and acute and chronic environmental hazard. On the other hand, the lowest score was 2.75, which was assigned to 177 chemicals belonging to group 1A. When the health acute toxicity indicator was omitted from the toxic criterion, toxic substances could be divided into the sub-groups 'human chronic hazards group' (HCG) and 'environmental hazards group' (EG) according to their GHS score and properties. Conclusions: The proposed criterion for toxic substances is to establish sub-groups defined as HCG and EG for separate control and that the 1A group be moved to substances requiring preparation for accidents under the CCA.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.887-896
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• 2023

The inflammatory response have been considered as one of important targets for cancer treatment because they play a key role during all steps of tumor development including initiation, promotion, malignant conversion and progression. To investigate the anti-inflammatory response during anti-tumor activity of an aqueous extracts of Ecklonia cava (AEC), alterations on the distribution of mast cells and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor (NF)-κB, inflammasome compositional protein and inflammatory cytokines were examined in CT26 colon tumor-bearing BALB/cKorl syngeneic mice after administrating AEC for five weeks. After treatment of AEC, total weight of tumor and necrotic region of tumor section were significantly decreased compared to vehicle treated group. The number of infiltered mast cells was higher in AEC treated group than vehicle treated group, while the expression levels of COX-2 and iNOS were decreased in AEC treated group. Also, similar decrease pattern were detected in the expression levels of NF-κB, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and caspase-1 (Cas-1) after AEC treatment although the decrease rate was varied. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of three inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were remarkably decreased in AEC treated group compared to vehicle treated group. These results suggest that inhibition of inflammatory response may be tightly associated with anti-tumor activity of AEC in CT26 colon tumor-bearing BALB/cKorl syngeneic mice.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.637-645
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the occurrences and the factors contributing to constipation in the post surgical period following major orthopedic surgery. Methods: The sample included 133 patients who had surgery of the hip, knee, or spine. Patients were excluded from the study if there was a history of bowel surgery or constipation from chart review. Data were collected using questionnaires such as Korean version of Modified Barthel index (K-MBI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS) before surgery and on the third postoperative day. Results: Reports of constipation occurred in 77 instances (57.9%). The first reported defecation was within $4.0{\pm}2.2days$ following surgery. Mean days of first defecation of constipation group vs. non-constipation group was $5.5{\pm}1.7days$ vs. $2.1{\pm}1.0days$. There were statistically significant differences between patients who reported than those who did not in terms of age, length of NPO period, postoperative ADL, and the reported incidents of preoperative and postoperative depressive symptoms. Postoperative ADL, age, and NPO period were significant influencing factors of constipation and explained 52.4% of the variance. Conclusion: Constipation is a very common symptom for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. These results indicate a need for improving patient's ADL after surgery to prevent constipation.