• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.561-567
• /
• 2012

Objectives: Parabens are widely used as antimicrobial agents in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics as well as by the food industry. Parabens have been reported to show weak estrogenic activity and be related to health effects such as allergic reactions and skin and breast cancer. We evaluated an online solid phase extraction (SPE) method coupled with LC-MS/MS technique using free and conjugated parent parabens in human urine for assessing human exposure to parabens. Methods: We employed LC/MS/MS through online solid phase extraction and column-switching techniques and analyzed free and conjugated parabens as biomarkers of human exposure. Four major parabens, methyl-paraben (MP), ethyl-paraben (EP), propyl-paraben (PP) and butyl-paraben (BP), were analyzed. Method validation was performed by sensitivity, accuracy, precision and comparison of the results of online SPE with offline SPE. Results: The limits of detection (LOD) were in the range of 0.2-2 ng/mL, and actual limits of quantification (LOQ) were in the range of 0.7-6 ng/mL urine, depending upon the compound. Accuracy was in the range of 98.3-106.4%, and precision was in the range of 1.3-8.7% (CV) depending upon the compound. We found a good correlation between the results of analysis by online SPE method and that by off-line SPE method. Conclusions: The online SPE method showed proper LOD and validated accuracy, precision and good correlation with the offline method for analyzing parabens in urine.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.52-56
• /
• 2017

Objectives: Neutrophils represent the front line of human defense against infections. Immediately after stimulation, neutrophilic enzymes are activated and produce toxic mediators such as pro-inflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). These mediators can be toxic not only to infectious agents but also to host tissues. Because flavonoids exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, they are subjects of interest for pharmacological modulation of inflammation. In the present study, the effects of rutin on stimulus-induced NO and tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ productions and MPO activity in human neutrophils were investigated. Methods: Human peripheral blood neutrophils were isolated using Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient centrifugation coupled with dextran T500 sedimentation. The cell preparations containing > 98% granulocytes were determined by morphological examination through Giemsa staining. Neutrophils were cultured in complete Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) medium, pre-incubated with or without rutin ($25{\mu}M$) for 45 minutes, and stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Then, the $TNF-{\alpha}$, NO and MPO productions were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Griess Reagent, and MPO assay kits, respectively. Also, the viability of human neutrophils was assessed using tetrazolium salt 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT), and neutrophils were treated with various concentrations of rutin ($1-100{\mu}M$), after which MTT was appended and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 4 hour. Results: Rutin at concentrations up to $100{\mu}M$ did not affect neutrophil viability during the 4-hour incubation period. Rutin significantly decreased the NO and $TNF-{\alpha}$ productions in human peripheral blood neutrophils compared to PMA-control cells (P < 0.001). Also, MPO activity was significantly reduced by rutin (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this in vitro study, rutin had an anti-inflammatory effect due to its inhibiting NO and $TNF-{\alpha}$ productions, as well as MPO activity, in activated human neutrophils. Treatment with rutin may be considered as a therapeutic strategy for neutrophil-mediated inflammatory/autoimmune diseases.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.174-181
• /
• 2011

An airborne sensor is developed for remote sensing on an aerial vehicle (UV). The sensor is an optical payload for an eletro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) dual band camera that combines visible and IR imaging capabilities in a compact and lightweight package. It adopts a Ritchey-Chr$\'{e}$tien telescope for the common front end optics with several relay optics that divide and deliver EO and IR bands to a charge-coupled-device (CCD) and an IR detector, respectively. The EO/IR camera for dual bands is mounted on a two-axis gimbal that provides stabilized imaging and precision pointing in both the along and cross-track directions. We first investigate the mechanical deformations, displacements and stress of the EO/IR camera through finite element analysis (FEA) for five cases: three gravitational effects and two thermal conditions. For investigating gravitational effects, one gravitational acceleration (1 g) is given along each of the +x, +y and +z directions. The two thermal conditions are the overall temperature change to $30^{\circ}C$ from $20^{\circ}C$ and the temperature gradient across the primary mirror pupil from $-5^{\circ}C$ to $+5^{\circ}C$. Optical performance, represented by the modulation transfer function (MTF), is then predicted by integrating the FEA results into optics design/analysis software. This analysis shows the IR channel can sustain imaging performance as good as designed, i.e., MTF 38% at 13 line-pairs-per-mm (lpm), with refocus capability. Similarly, the EO channel can keep the designed performance (MTF 73% at 27.3 lpm) except in the case of the overall temperature change, in which the EO channel experiences slight performance degradation (MTF 16% drop) for $20^{\circ}C$ overall temperate change.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.98 no.5
• /
• pp.548-557
• /
• 2009

For centuries, forests have been a key component of rural livelihood. They are important both socially and economically in Nepal. Firewood and fodder are the basic forest products that are extracted daily or weekly basis in most of the rural areas in Nepal. In this study, a field survey of 100 households was conducted to examine the degree of forest dependency and forest resource availability, households' livelihood strategy and their relationship with forest dependency in Chitwan, Nepal. A household' response indexes were constructed, Gini coefficient, Head Count Poverty Index (HCI) and Poverty Gap Index (PGI) were calculated and one way ANOVA test was also performed for data analysis. Data revealed that 82/81% of all households were constantly used forest for firewood and fodder collection respectively while 42% of households were used forest or forest fringe for grazing. The Forest Product Availability Indexes (FPAI) showed a sharp decline of forest resources from 0.781 to 0.308 for a 20-yr time horizon while timber wood was noticeably lowered than the other products. Yet, about 33% of households were below the poverty threshold line with 0.0945 PGI. Income distribution among the household showed a lower Gini coefficient 0.25 than 0.37 of landholdings size. However, mean income was significantly varies with F-statistics=246.348 at P=0.05 between income groups (rich, medium and poor). The extraction of firewood, fodder and other forest products were significantly different between the income group with F-statistics=16.480, 19.930, 29.956 at P=0.05 respectively. Similarly, landholdings size and education were also significantly different between the income groups with F-statistics=4.333, 5.981 at P=0.05 respectively. These findings suggested that income status of households was the major indicator of forest dependency while poor and medium groups were highly dependent on the forests for firewood, fodder and other products. Forest dependency still remains high and the availability of forest products that can be extracted from the remaining forestlands is decreasing. The high dependency of households on forest coupled with other socioeconomic attributes like education, poverty, small landholders and so on were possibly caused the forest degradation in Chitwan.Therefore, policy must be directed towards the poor livelihood supporting agenda that may enhance the financial conditions of rural households while it could reduce the degree of forest dependency inspired with other income generating activities in due course.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
• /
• v.24 no.9
• /
• pp.936-943
• /
• 2013

This work presents the design and measured results of the single channel automotive radar system for 76.5~77 GHz long range FMCW radar applications. The transmitter uses a commercial GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit(MMIC) and the receiver uses the down converter designed using 65 nm CMOS process. The output power of the transmitter is 10 dBm. The down converter chip can operate at low LO power as -8 dBm which is easily supplied from the transmitter output using a coupled line coupler. All MMICs are mounted on an aluminum jig which embeds the WR-10 waveguide. A microstrip to waveguide transition is designed to feed the embedded waveguide and finally high gain horn antennas. The overall size of the fabricated radar system is $80mm{\times}61mm{\times}21mm$. The radar system achieved an output power of 10 dBm, phase noise of -94 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset and a conversion gain of 12 dB.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartD
• /
• v.8D no.3
• /
• pp.285-294
• /
• 2001

Recently many efforts on the development of automatic processing system for delivery sequency sorting have been performed in ETRI, which requires the use of postal 4-state bar code system to encode delivery points. This paper addresses the issue on the extension of read range and the improvement of image processing method. For the improvement of image processing procedure, applied information acquisition method through basic two thresholds onto the horizontal axial line of gray image based on reference information of 4-state bar code symbology. Symbol values are computed after creating two threshold values based on the obtained information through search of horizontal axial values. The implementation result of 4-state bar code reader are obtained the symbol values within 30~60 msec (58,000~116,000 mail item/hour)without noise removal or image rotation in spite of the incline $\pm 45^{\circ}$.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.181-191
• /
• 2020

In order to produce accurate initial condition of soil moisture for global Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), spin-up experiment is carried out using Noah Land Surface Model (LSM). The model is run repeatedly through 10 years, under the atmospheric forcing condition of 2008-2017 until climatological land surface state is achieved. Spin-up time for the equilibrium condition of soil moisture exhibited large variability across Koppen-Geiger climate classification zone and soil layer. Top soil layer took the longgest time to equilibrate in polar region. From the second layer to the fourth layer, arid region equilibrated slower (7 years) than other regions. This result means that LSM reached to equilibrium condition within 10 year loop. Also, spin-up time indicated inverse correlation with near surface temperature and precipitation amount. Initialized from the equilibrium state, LSM was spun up to obtain land surface state in 2018. After 6 months from restarted run, LSM simulates soil moisture, skin temperature and evaportranspiration being similar land surface state in 2018. Based on the results, proposed LSM spin-up system could be used to produce proper initial soil moisture condition despite updates of physics or ancillaries for LSM coupled with NWP.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.7575-7581
• /
• 2015

Corticotropin-releasing factor(CRF), one of the stress driven neuropeptides, was widely proposed to influence hair loss and re-growth. For the development of receptor antagonists, the screening system based on intracellular calcium signal process was developed and optimized. The aequorin parental cells were transfected with CRF1 receptor and alpha 16 promiscuous G protein cDNA to establish HEK293a16/hCRF1, a stable cell line for the human CRF1 receptor. In HEK293a16/hCRF1 cells, the range of sauvagine dose response was 12-fold higher($EC_{50}:15.21{\pm}1.83nM$) than in the transiently expressed cells, hence essential conditions for the antagonist screening experiments such as the robust signals and high solvent tolerance were secured. The standard antagonists for the CRF1 receptor, antalarmin and CP154526, resulted $IC_{50}$ values of $414.1{\pm}5.5$ and $290.7{\pm}1.9nM$, respectively. Similar results were presented with frozen HEK293a16/hCRF1 cells. Finally, our HEK293a16/hCRF1 cells with the aequorin based cellular functional assay can be a model system for the development of functional cosmetics and modulators that can have a clinical efficacy on hair re-growth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.1140-1147
• /
• 2016

The plasma and serum of Crocodylus siamensis have previously been reported to exhibit potent antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. During wound healing, these biological properties play a crucial role for supporting the formation of new tissue around the injured skin in the recovery process. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the wound healing properties of C. siamensis plasma and serum. The collected data demonstrate that crocodile plasma and serum were able to activate in vitro proliferation and migration of HaCaT, a human keratinocyte cell line, which represents an essential phase in the wound healing process. With respect to investigating cell migration, a scratch wound experiment was performed which revealed the ability of plasma and serum to decrease the gap of wounds in a dose-dependent manner. Consistent with the in vitro results, remarkably enhanced wound repair was also observed in a mouse excisional skin wound model after treatment with plasma or serum. The effects of C. siamensis plasma and serum on wound healing were further elucidated by treating wound infections by Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 on mice skin coupled with a histological method. The results indicate that crocodile plasma and serum promote the prevention of wound infection and boost the re-epithelialization necessary for the formation of new skin. Therefore, this work represents the first study to demonstrate the efficiency of C. siamensis plasma and serum with respect to their wound healing properties and strongly supports the utilization of C. siamensis plasma and serum as therapeutic products for injured skin treatment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.16 no.9
• /
• pp.6221-6226
• /
• 2015

In this paper, waveguide analysis was interpreted as an optical waveguide using the feedback perturbation method simple and easy to apply compared to the analysis method, while the other almost identical to the numerical calculation method. In addition, efficient coupling with an optical transmission line of optical fiber and the waveguide form the thin film of different functional elements is required in order to achieve the full optical communication system. However, problems arise, such as the light field (field) and the decrease of the access efficiency due to inconsistency in the distribution characteristics of the connection surface by the difference in size of the cross section thereof when connecting the optical fiber and the waveguide directly to the combination of a thin film. Therefore propose a new type of connector structure to increase the efficiency of the connection when connecting the optical fiber waveguide and the thin film was analyzed by applying a coupled mode theory, the binding efficiency of the modified contactor. And by diffusing Ti on the $LiNbO_3$ substrate and a wide range of applications in the manufacture of integrated optical material made of a current low-loss Ti: $LiNbO_3$ optical waveguide and making the Y-branch waveguide, and the properties were confirmed.