• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.445-460
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• 2018

Exposure to indoor air pollution is an emerging world-wide problem, with growing evidence that it is a major cause of morbidity worldwide. Whilst most indoor air pollutants are of outdoor origin, these combine with a range of indoor sourced pollutants that may lead to high pollutant levels indoors. The pollutants of greatest concern are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM), both of which are associated with a range of serious health problems. Whilst current buildings usually use ventilation with outdoor air to remove these pollutants, botanical systems are gaining recognition as an effective alternative. Whilst many years research has shown that traditional potted plants and their substrates are capable of removing VOCs effectively, they are inefficient at removing PM, and are limited in their pollutant removal rates by the need for pollutants to diffuse to the active pollutant removal components of these systems. Active botanical biofiltration, using green wall systems combined with mechanical fans to increase pollutant exposure to the plants and substrate, show greatly increased rates of pollutant removal for both VOCs, PM and also carbon dioxide ($CO_2$). A developing body of research indicates that these systems can outperform existing technologies for indoor air pollutant removal, although further research is required before their use will become widespread. Whilst it is known that plant species selection and substrate characteristics can affect the performance of active botanical systems, optimal characteristics are yet to be identified. Once this research has been completed, it is proposed that active botanical biofiltration will provide a cheap and low energy use alternative to mechanical ventilations systems for the maintenance of indoor environmental quality.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.51-62
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• 2022

This study suggests a design of predictive modeling for a hospital fall risk based on inpatients' posture. Inpatient's profile, medical history, and body measurement data along with basic information about a bed they use, were used to predict a fall risk and suggest an algorithm to determine the level of risk. Fall risk prediction is largely divided into two parts: a real-time fall risk evaluation and a qualitative fall risk exposure assessment, which is mostly based on the inpatient's profile. The former is carried out by recognizing an inpatient's posture in bed and extracting rule-based information to measure fall risk while the latter is conducted by medical staff who examines an inpatient's health status related to hospital fall risk and assesses the level of risk exposure. The inpatient fall risk is determined using a sigmoid function with recognized inpatient posture information, body measurement data and qualitative risk assessment results combined. The procedure and prediction model suggested in this study is expected to significantly contribute to tailored services for inpatients and help ensure hospital fall prevention and inpatient safety.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.5
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• pp.693-707
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• 2022

Bonded joints have proven their performance against conventional joining processes such as welding, riveting and bolting. The single-lap joint is the most widely used to characterize adhesive joints in tensile-shear loadings. However, the high stress concentrations in the adhesive joint due to the non-linearity of the applied loads generate a bending moment in the joint, resulting in high stresses at the adhesive edges. Geometric optimization of the bonded joint to reduce this high stress concentration prompted various researchers to perform geometric modifications of the adhesive and adherends at their free edges. Modifying both edges of the adhesive (spew) and the adherends (bevel) has proven to be an effective solution to reduce stresses at both edges and improve stress transfer at the inner part of the adhesive layer. The majority of research aimed at improving the geometry of the plate and adhesive edges has not considered the effect of temperature and water absorption in evaluating the strength of the joint. The objective of this work is to analyze, by the finite element method, the stress distribution in an adhesive joint between two 2024-T3 aluminum plates. The effects of the adhesive fillet and adherend bevel on the bonded joint stresses were taken into account. On the other hand, degradation of the mechanical properties of the adhesive following its exposure to moisture and temperature was found. The results clearly showed that the modification of the edges of the adhesive and of the bonding agent have an important role in the durability of the bond. Although the modification of the adhesive and bonding edges significantly improves the joint strength, the simultaneous exposure of the joint to temperature and moisture generates high stress concentrations in the adhesive joint that, in most cases, can easily reach the failure point of the material even at low applied stresses.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.32-32
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• 2023

Cadmium and salt exposure to crops is considered vulnerable for production as well as consumption. To address these challenges, the current study aimed to mitigate the toxicity induced by salt and cadmium in soybean plants through the application of bacterial strain Bacillus safensis KJW143 isolated from the rhizosphere of oriental melon..The bioassay analysis revealed that KJW143 is a highly salt-tolerant and cadmium-resistant (Cd) strain with an innate ability to produce melatonin, gibberellin (GA3), Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA), and organic acids (i.e., acetic, succinic, lactic, and propionic acids). Soybean plants at 20 days old were treated with KJW143 in a different form (pellet, broth, and together) and their effect on plant performance was investigated. Inoculation with KJW143enhanced plant biomass and growth attributes in soybean plants compared to the control (non-treated). In particular, we observed that only pellet-treated showed 65%, 27.5%, and 28.7% increase in growth (shoot fresh weight) compared to broth, broth with pellet, and control. In addition, bacterial strain KJW143 treatment (only pellet) modulated the physiochemical apparatus of soybean plants by increasing glucose (390%), arabinose (166%), citric acid (22.98%) and reducing hydrogen peroxide (29.7%), catalase (32.1%), salicylic acid (25.6%) compared to plants with combined stressed plants (cd and salinity). These findings suggest that bacterial strain KJW143 could be usedas a biofertilizer to minimize the probable risk of heavy metal and salinity stress on crops.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.96-108
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• 1985

A study for the assessment of natural environmental radiation exposure at a flat and open field of about $10,000m^2$ in area in CNU Daeduk campus has been carried out by means of gamma-ray scintillation spectrometry and thermoluminescence dosimetry for one year period of time from October 1984. The detectors used were 3'${\phi}{\times}$3' NaI(T1) and two different types of LiF TLD, namely, chip sealed in plastic sheet which tightly pressed on two open holes of a metal plate and Teflon disk. Three 24-hour cycles of in-situ spectrometry, and two 3-month and one 1-month cycles of field TL dosimetry were performed. All the spectra measured were converted into exposure rate by means of G(E) opertaion, and therefrom exposure rate due to terrestrial component of environmental radiation was figured out. Exposure rate determined by the spectrometry was, on average, $(10.54{\pm}2.96){\mu}R/hr$, and the rates of $(12.0{\pm}3.4){\mu}R/hr$ and $(11.0{\pm}3.6){\mu}R/hr$ were obtained from chip and disk TLD, respectively. Fluctuations in diurnal variation of the exposure rate measured by the spectrometry were noticeable sometime even in a single cycle of 24 hours. It is concluded that appropriately combined use of TLD with iu-sitn gamma-ray spectrometry system can give more accurate and precise measure of environmental radiation exposure, and further study for more adequate and sensitive TLD for environmental dosimetry, including improvement and elevation of accuracy in data assessment through inter-laboratory or international intercomparison is necessary.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4531-4536
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• 2012

Objective: To study synergistic effects of nedaplatin and cisplatin on three human carcinoma cell lines (esophageal carcinoma cell line Eca-109, ovarian carcinoma Skov-3 and cervical carcinoma Hela). Methods: Inhibition effects were evaluated by MTT assay and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. In addition, changes of Ki-67, Bax and Bcl-2 at mRNA and protein levels were quantified by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results: Growth inhibition in each cell lines was dose-dependent after exposure to nedaplatin or cisplatin alone. The interaction of the two drugs was synergistic at higher concentrations according to the median-effect principle. The inhibition rates with nedaplatin, cisplatin and combined treatment were $41.9{\pm}4.1%$, $47.4{\pm}2.9%$, $52.5{\pm}0.9%$(Eca-109), $39.0{\pm}1.26%$, $45.0{\pm}1.45%$, $56.2{\pm}1.44%$ (Skov-3) and $44.8{\pm}2.11%$, $46.9{\pm}0.99%$, $56.6{\pm}1.83%$ (Hela) respectively, with increase in apoptosis. Compared with the nedaplatin or cisplatin alone treatment group, the combinative treatment group's Ki-67 and bcl-2 mRNA (protein) expression was decreased while that of Bax mRNA (protein) was increased. Conclusion: Compared to the effects of nedaplatin or cisplatin alone at high concentrations, combination of nedaplatin and cisplatin at low concentrations proved to be much more effective for inhibition of proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in the Eca-109, Skov-3 and Hela cell lines.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.723-730
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• 2007

This study was conducted to develop a combined method for remediating a Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons (CAHs) mixtures-contaminated aquifer. The process is consist of two processes. A chemical process (1st) using natural zinc ores for reducing higher concentrations of CAH mixtures to the level at which biological process is feasible; and A biological process (2nd) using aerobic cometabolism for treating lower concentration of CAH mixtures (less than 1 mg/L). Natural zinc ore showed relatively high transformation capacity, average dehalogenation percentage, and the best economic efficiency in previously our study. To evaluate the feasibility of the process, we operated two columns in series (that is, chemical and biological columns). In the first column filled with natural zinc ore and sand, CAH mixtures were effectively transformed with more than 95% efficiency, the efficiency depends on the Empty Bed Contact Time (EBCT) and the mass of zinc ore packed. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis were performed to make sure whether natural zinc ore played an key role in the dechlorination of the CAH mixtures. The characteristics of zinc metal surface changed after exposure to CAHs due to oxidation of $Zn^0$ to $Zn^{2+}$. In the biological column injecting propane, DO and effluent of the chemical column, only 1,1,1-TCA was cometabolically transformed. Consequently, the combined process would be effective to remediate an aquifer contaminated with high concentrations of CAH mixtures.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

The ubiquitin-proteasome mediated protein degradation pathway plays an important role in regulating both cell proliferation and cell death. Proteasome inhibitors are well known to induce apoptosis in various human cancer cell lines. We investigated the effect of combined treatment with proteasome inhibitor and TRAIL, and a possible mechanism of the enhancing apoptosis by the both treatment, on TRAIL-resistant non-small cell lung cancer. A549 cells were exposed to the N-Acetyl-Leu-Leu-Norleu-al (ALLN) as a proteasome inhibitor and then treated with recombinant TRAIL protein. In A549 cells under proteasome inhibition conditions by pretreatment with ALLN, TRAIL treatment significantly decreased cell viability compared to that ALLN and TRAIL alone treatment. Also, the both treatment induced cell damage through DNA fragmentation and p53 expression. In addition, the combined treatment of both markedly increased caspase-8 activation, especially the exposure for 2 h, and Bax expression and induced the dissipation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential in A549 cells. Taken together, these findings showed that proteasome inhibition by ALLN enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis via DNA degradation by activated P53 and mitochondrial transmembrane potential loss by caspase-8 activation and bax expression. Therefore, our results suggest that proteasome inhibitor may be used a very effectively chemotherapeutic agent for the tumor treatment, especially TRAIL-resistant tumor cell.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.191-201
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• 1973

For fast neutron spectroscopy in MeV region, a recoil proton telescope detector was designed and constructed so as to increase in detection efficiency without appreciable deterioration in energy resolution by adopting a special type of recoil proton radiator which is a combination of a ring-shaped vertical radiator and a cone-shaped horizontal radiator at a certain geometry. A neutron stopper was built in the detector system to minimize the background due to direct exposure of the Si(Li) detectors to primary incident neutrons. The detection efficiency and the energy resolution calculated at various neutron energies and geometries are given and these characteristics of the detector system were tested by 14.1 MeV neutrons. As the calculation predicted, the relative detection efficiency in case of the combined radiator system is almost 2.2 times of that for a single, ring-shaped vertical radiator system. The calculated energy resolution is 3.7% FWHM, whereas the measured resolution was 3.9% which means resolution broadening of approximately. 30% was resulted by introducing a combined radiator system into the telescope. Increase in background less than 40% was also observed.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.50
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• pp.318.1-318.10
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• 2018

Background: In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the association between fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in meconium as biomarkers of prenatal ethanol exposure and growth deficits, as birth outcomes, that constitute several of the key cardinal features of fetal alcohol syndrome. Methods: A total of 157 meconium samples were collected from enrolled infants within 24 hours of birth, and nine FAEEs were quantified using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The relationships between cumulative concentrations of nine species of FAEEs in meconium and birth parameters of growth (age-sex-specific centiles of head circumference [HC], weight, and length) and respective and combined birth outcomes of growth deficits (HC ${\leq}10th$ centile, weight ${\leq}10th$ centile, and length ${\leq}10th$ centile) were determined. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher cumulative concentrations of meconium FAEEs correlated with elevated risks for HC and length, both, 10th percentile or less (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-7.74; P = 0.029) and HC and weight and length, all of them, 10th percentile or less (aOR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.12-9.59; P = 0.031). Conclusion: The elevated cumulative FAEEs in meconium were associated with combined growth deficits at birth, specifically HC and length, both, 10th percentile or less, which might be correlated with detrimental alcohol effects on fetal brain and bone development, suggesting a plausible alcohol-specific pattern of intrauterine growth restriction.