• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.166-173
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• 2005

Effect of thermal aging on the weight loss and water absorption of epoxy adhesives was investigated in the presence of three types of different hardeners, such as D-230, G-5022, and HN-2200. Thermal and mechanical properties of the cured epoxy resins were also studied througth the glass transition temperature and shear adhesion strength measurements. Weight losses of DGEBA/D-230 and DGEBA/HN- 2200 systems were not varied. However, the weight of DGEBA/G-5022 system was significantly decreased with increasing the thermal aging time. The water absorption of the specimens was increased as the thermal aging time increased except that using G-5022. DEGBA/HN-2200 system showed higher $T_g$ value than those of other systems, due to the formation of the fine three-dimensional network structure containing aliphatic ring. Shear adhesion strength of all systems was increased with increasing the thermal aging tine, which is attributed to increased degree of cure and fine three-dimensional network structure formation. And $T_g$ values and shear adhesion strength of all specimens exposed to water was decreased as the immersion time increased.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2015

Purpose: Implant beds with an insufficient amount of cortical bone or a loss of cortical bone can result in the initial instability of a dental implant. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of bone cement grafting on implant initial stability in areas with insufficient cortical bone. Methods: Two different circumferential defect depths (2.5 mm and 5 mm) and a control (no defect) were prepared in six bovine rib bones. Fourteen implants of the same type and size ($4mm{\pm}10mm$) were placed in each group. The thickness of the cortical bone was measured for each defect. After the implant stability quotient (ISQ) values were measured three times in four different directions, bone cement was grafted to increase the primary stability of the otherwise unstable implant. After grafting, the ISQ values were measured again. Results: As defect depth increased, the ISQ value decreased. In the controls, the ISQ value was $85.45{\pm}3.36$ ($mean{\pm}standard$ deviation). In circumferential 2.5-mm and 5-mm defect groups, the ISQ values were $69.42{\pm}7.06$ and $57.43{\pm}6.87$, respectively, before grafting. These three values were significantly different (P<0.001). After grafting the bone cement, the ISQ values significantly increased to $73.72{\pm}8.00$ and $67.88{\pm}10.09$ in the 2.5-mm and 5.0-mm defect groups, respectively (P<0.05 and P<0.001). The ISQ value increased to more than double that before grafting in the circumferential 5-mm defect group. The ISQ values did not significantly differ when measured in any of the four directions. Conclusions: The use of bone cement remarkably increased the stability of the implant that otherwise had an insufficient level of stability at placement, which was caused by insufficient cortical bone volume.

• Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.61 no.11
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• pp.573-579
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• 2018

Background and Objectives Cochlear dead region (CDR) is a region in the cochlear where hearing loss has occurred due to damage to the inner hair cells and/or neurons. Recently, a subjective test involving a pure-tone test in the presence of threshold-equalizing noise (TEN) was introduced to identify CDR. However, for uncooperative patients, such a subjective method would be unsuitable and objective methods would be needed instead to detect CDR. The acoustic change complex (ACC) is an evoked potential elicited by changes in the ongoing sound. In this study, we developed an objective method of identifying CDR by combining ACC response with a TEN test, namely the TEN-ACC test, and investigated its feasibility in normal-hearing listeners. Subjects and Method Ten normal-hearing subjects participated in this study. All subjects underwent both behavioral TEN test and electrophysiological TEN-ACC test. The stimuli for the TEN-ACC test consisted of TEN and embedded pure tones with different frequencies/signals to noise ratios (SNRs). To identify the thresholds, the range SNR of stimulation was varied from 0 to 20 dB, in stages of 4 dB. Results The ACC responses of all subjects who participated in this study were well elicited by stimuli developed for the TEN-ACC test. We confirm that the pure-tones embedded in TEN elicited the objective ACC response. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the novel TEN-ACC test can be applied to evoke ACC in normal-hearing listeners. Future research should incorporate hearing-impaired listeners to determine the feasibility of the TEN-ACC test as an objective method to identify CDR.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.834-840
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• 2022

Objective : C-reactive protein (CRP) level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood cell (WBC) count are inflammatory markers used to evaluate postoperative infections. Although these markers are non-specific, understanding their normal kinetics after surgery may be helpful in the early detection of postoperative infections. To compliment the recent trend of reducing the duration of antibiotic use, this retrospective study investigated the inflammatory markers of patients who had received antibiotics within 24 hours after surgery according to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service guidelines and compared them with those of patients who had received antibiotics for 5 days, which was proven to be non-infectious. Methods : We enrolled 74 patients, divided into two groups. Patients underwent posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) at a single institution between 2019 and 2020. Group A included 37 patients who received antibiotics within 24 hours after the PLIF procedure, and group B comprised 37 patients who had used antibiotics for 5 days. A 1 : 1 nearest-neighbor propensity-matched analysis was used. The clinical variables included age, sex, medical history, body mass index, estimated blood loss, and operation time. Laboratory data included CRP, ESR, and WBC, which were measured preoperatively and on postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, 5, and 7. Results : CRP dynamics tended to decrease after peaking on POD 3, with a similar trend in both groups. The average CRP level in group B was slightly higher than that in group A; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed operation time, number of fused levels, and estimated blood loss as significant predictors of a greater CRP peak value (r²=0.473, p<0.001) in patients. No trend (a tendency to decrease from the peak value) could be determined for ESR and WBC count on POD 7. Conclusion : Although slight differences were observed in numerical values and kinetics, sequential changes in inflammatory markers according to the duration of antibiotic administration showed similar patterns. Knowledge of CRP kinetics allows the assessment of the degree of difference between the clinical and expected values.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.71-86
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• 2022

The water quality index (WQI) has been widely used to evaluate marine water quality. The WQI in Korea is categorized into five classes by marine environmental standards. But, the WQI calculation on huge datasets is a very complex and time-consuming process. In this regard, the current study proposed machine learning (ML) based models to predict WQI class by using water quality datasets. Sihwa Lake, one of specially-managed coastal zone, was selected as a modeling site. In this study, adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) and tree-based pipeline optimization (TPOT) algorithms were used to train models and each model performance was evaluated by metrics (accuracy, precision, F1, and Log loss) on classification. Before training, the feature importance and sensitivity analysis were conducted to find out the best input combination for each algorithm. The results proved that the bottom dissolved oxygen (DO_Bot) was the most important variable affecting model performance. Conversely, surface dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN_Sur) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP_Sur) had weaker effects on the prediction of WQI class. In addition, the performance varied over features including stations, seasons, and WQI classes by comparing spatio-temporal and class sensitivities of each best model. In conclusion, the modeling results showed that the TPOT algorithm has better performance rather than the AdaBoost algorithm without considering feature selection. Moreover, the WQI class for unknown water quality datasets could be surely predicted using the TPOT model trained with satisfactory training datasets.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.1612-1618
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• 2023

Objective: In our previous study, we observed that the addition of waste cooking oil (WCO) reduced ammonia (NH₃) emissions during laboratory-scale composting of dairy cattle manure under low-aeration condition. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of addition of WCO on NH₃ emissions reduction during pilot-scale composting of dairy cattle manure, which is close to the conditions of practical composting treatment. Methods: Composting tests were conducted using pilot-scale composting facilities (1.8 m³ of capacity). The composting mixtures were prepared from manure, sawdust, and WCO. Two treatments were set: without WCO (Control) and with WCO added to 3 wt% of manure (WCO3). Composting was conducted under continuous aeration at 40 L/min, corresponding to 22.2 L/(min·m³) of the mixture at the start of composting. The changes in temperatures, NH₃ concentrations in the exhaust gases, and contents of the composted mixtures were analyzed. Based on these analysis results, the effect of WCO addition on NH₃ emissions and nitrogen loss during composting was evaluated. Results: During composting, the temperature increase of the composting mixture became higher, and the decreases of weight and water content of the mixture became larger in WCO3 than in Control. In the decrease of weight, and the residual weight and water content of the mixture, significant differences (p<0.05) were detected between the two treatments at the end of composting. The NH₃ concentrations in the exhaust gases tended to be lower in WCO3 than in Control. Nitrogen loss was 21.5% lower in WCO3 than in Control. Conclusion: Reduction of NH₃ emissions by the addition of WCO under low aeration condition was observed in pilot-scale composting, as well as in laboratory-scale composting. This result suggests that this method is effective in reducing NH₃ emissions in practical-scale composting.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.234-244
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• 2023

Tooth wear refers to the loss of dental hard tissue caused by various physiological and pathological causes, and excessive pathological wear can cause complications such as pathological changes in dimensions, occlusal disharmony, loss of function, and aesthetic problems. The cause of tooth wear can be caused by attrition, abrasion, corrosion and abfraction, and it is known to act in a multifactorial etiology in interocclusal activity. In patients with excessive pathological wear, it is important to determine whether or not the vertical dimension of occlusion is reduced, and complete oral rehabilitation should be achieved with the adaptation of the neuromuscular and temporomandibular joint through accurate diagnosis and analysis. The patient in this case was a 63-year-old male patient, who presented discomfort to cold beverage due to severe tooth wear. After analysis of the patient's vertical dimension of occlusion, a full mouth rehabilitation was performed with increasing vertical dimension of occlusion. The goal of treatment was to improve the occlusal plane with the equal-intensity contact of all teeth, harmonious anterior guidance and immediate disclusion of all posterior contacts. After rehabilitation, the patient was satisfied with function and esthetic appearance.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.343-349
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• 2016

Many minerals and nutrient salts are abundant in Jeju lava sea water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the skin hydration effects of Jeju lava sea water. The skin barrier serves as a protective barrier that prevents the loss of moisture. The water holding capacity and water transport of the epidermis have been proposed to be important determinants of skin hydration. Jeju lava sea water increased the mRNA expression of filaggrin and caspase-14 which is related to natural moisturizing factor (NMF) formation. Aquaporins 3 (AQP3) are proteins that facilitate the transport of water across cell membranes. Jeju lava sea water increased the mRNA expression and protein expression of AQP3. We employed a skin equivalent model to assess the efficacy of Jeju lava sea water. In a skin equivalent model, Jeju lava sea water increased the CD44 (hyaluronic acid receptor) which is related to skin hydration. From these results, we found out Jeju lava sea water maybe help to skin hydration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.106-106
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• 2003

Human papillomavirus type 16(HPV16) has been known to the major factor for the development of uterine cervical carcinomas. We have extended these studies to investigate the in vivo activities of HPV-16 E6/E7 when expressed in squamous epithelia of transgenic mice. Grossly, hK14HPV16E6/E7 transgenic mice had multiple phenotypes, including wrinkled skin that was apparent prior to the appearance of hair on neonates, thickened ears, and loss of hair in adults. In the transgenic mice, the wrinkled skin phenotype on the body and legs died at the age of 3-4 weeks. Histological analysis of demonstrated that E6/E7 causes epidermal hyperplasia in multiple transgenic lineages with high penetrance. This epithelial hyperplasia was characterized by an expansion of the proliferating compartment and an expansion of the keratinocyte and was associated with hyperkeratosis. These transgenic mice expressed E6/E7 transgene mainly in skin, heart, pancreas and kidney. Hyperplasia was found at the skin. The enzyme activities of GR, GPx and CuZnSOD were measured from the transgene cause keratinocyte at the skin. The specific enzyme activities were significantly higher in transgenic mice skin compared to the normal mice skin. Thus these transgenic mice may be useful for the develpment of antioxidant enzymes or other therapies for HPV-associated hyperkeratosis.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.209-216
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• 2009

We have recently reported that the continuous exposure of rats to a concrete building environment under cool temperatures had adverse effects on general health parameters and embryo-fetal development. This study examined to compare the potential effects of concrete and wood building environments on pregnant dams and embryo-fetal development in rats. Groups of 10 mated females were exposed to polycarbonate (control), concrete, or wood cages from gestational days (GD) 0 to 20 under cool temperatures $(11.9\sim12.3^{\circ}C)$. All the females underwent a caesarean section on GD 20, and their fetuses were examined for any morphological abnormalities. The temperatures in the cages were similar in all groups but the relative humidity in the concrete and wood groups were higher than in the control group. The concentration of volatile organic compounds in the wood group was higher than in the control group. In the concrete group, maternal effects manifested as an increase in the incidence of clinical signs, a lower body weight, and a decrease in the thymus and ovary weights. Developmental effects included increased post-implantation loss and decreased litter size. Infrared thermal analysis showed that the skin temperature of the rats in the concrete group was lower than that in the control group. In contrast, there were no exposure-related adverse effects on the maternal and developmental parameters in the wood group. Overall, the exposure of pregnant rats to a concrete building environment under cool temperatures has adverse effects on the clinical signs, body weight, skin temperature, organ weight, and embryo-fetal development. On the other hand, exposure to a wood building environment does not have any adverse effects in rats.