• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.85-98
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate the geochemical factors governing the distribution of heavy metals(Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the marine surface sediment samples collected from the Samcheonpo coal-fired power plant. Variations of absolute metal concentrations were related to those in textural and/or carbonate and organic matter content. Most elements, except for Pb, showed generally lower contents compared with the average shale concentration, and the effect of anthropogenic input appeared to be minimal in the sediments. Computations of LF%(labile fraction) and EF(enrichment factor) based on all trace metal data indicated the presence of mineralogical control for Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn, and anthropogenic contamination for Pb, which needs to be considered in the design of long term monitoring programmes.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.spc
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• pp.37-50
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• 2020

In this paper, an overview of the scoping calculation results is provided with respect to criticality and radiation shielding of two KBS-3V type PWR SNF disposal systems and one NWMO-type CANDU SNF disposal system of the improved KAERI reference disposal system for SNFs (KRS⁺). The results confirmed that the calculated effective multiplication factors (k_eff) of each disposal system comply with the design criteria (< 0.95). Based on a sensitivity study, the bounding conditions for criticality assumed a flooded container, actinide-only fuel composition, and a decay time of tens of thousands of years. The necessity of mixed loading for some PWR SNFs with high enrichment and low discharge burnup was identified from the evaluated preliminary possible loading area. Furthermore, the absorbed dose rate in the bentonite region was confirmed to be considerably lower than the design criterion (< 1 Gy·hr^-1). Entire PWR SNFs with various enrichment and discharge burnup can be deposited in the KRS⁺ system without any shielding issues. The container thickness applied to the current KRS⁺ design was clarified as sufficient considering the minimum thickness of the container to satisfy the shielding criterion. In conclusion, the current KRS⁺ design is suitable in terms of nuclear criticality and radiation shielding.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.233-240
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• 1991

U-235 enrichment has been measured non-destructively by passive gamma-ray pulse height analysis. Measurement source is 185.7 keV gamma-ray which is emitted from uranium sample during alpha decay of U-235 in it. Factors influencing the measurement such as sample composition, attenuation effect of container wall, collimation effect and counting efficiency were evaluated. Under the optimized counting system, the measured relative errors were~8%, ~8% and~1% from Tag values at 95% confidence level for depleted UF$_{6}$ cylinders, depleted UO$_2$powder, and natural UO$_2$powder respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.799-806
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• 2010

In an effort to characterize temporal and spatial variability of $PM_{10}$ and to quantitatively estimate contribution of sea salt aerosol to $PM_{10}$ mass in Busan area, twenty four-hour averaged concentration of $PM_{10}$ were measured in two distinct areas, Gwaebeopdong(inland) and Dongsamdong(seashore), Busan for summer and fall, 2007. It was found that sea salt accounted for 2.9% and 9.5% of $PM_{10}$ mass in Gwaebeopdong and Dongsamdong, respectively for the study period, indicating that contribution of sea salt to $PM_{10}$ mass and total ion concentration in seashore area were consistently higher by a factor of three compared to inland area. Temporal analysis suggested that sea salt contributions to $PM_{10}$ in Dongsamdong were higher in summer due to the southerly sea breeze while there was no significant fluctuation of sea salt contribution for the summer and fall months in Gwaebeopdong. Sea salt enrichment factors($EF_{sea}$) of $K^+$ $Ca^{2+}$ and ${SO_4}^{2-}$ (>10) indicated major contributions from anthropogenic sources and EFs of $Mg^{2+}$ and $Cl^-$ exhibited strong association with oceanic origins for both areas.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.56-64
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• 2017

We have previously reported that NS-398, a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-selective inhibitor, inhibited replicative cellular senescence in human dermal fibroblasts and skin aging in hairless mice. In contrast, celecoxib, another COX-2-selective inhibitor, and aspirin, a non-selective COX inhibitor, accelerated the senescence and aging. To figure out causal factors for the senescence-modulating effect of the inhibitors, we here performed cDNA microarray experiment and subsequent Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. The data showed that several senescence-related gene sets were regulated by the inhibitor treatment. NS-398 up-regulated gene sets involved in the tumor necrosis factor ${\beta}$ receptor pathway and the fructose and mannose metabolism, whereas it down-regulated a gene set involved in protein secretion. Celecoxib up-regulated gene sets involved in G2M checkpoint and E2F targets. Aspirin up-regulated the gene set involved in protein secretion, and down-regulated gene sets involved in RNA transcription. These results suggest that COX inhibitors modulate cellular senescence by different mechanisms and will provide useful information to understand senescence-modulating mechanisms of COX inhibitors.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.340-348
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• 2007

Although considerable effort has been devoted in the mass spectrometric analysis of phosphorylated peptides, successful identification of multi-phosphorylated peptides in enzymatically digested protein samples still remains challenging. The ionization behavior of multi-phosphorylated peptides appears to be somewhat different from that of mono- or di-phosphorylated peptides. In this study, we demonstrate increased sensitivity of detection of multi-phosphorylated peptides of beta casein without using phosphopeptide enrichment techniques. Proteinase K digestion alone increased the detection limit of beta casein multi-phosphorylated peptides in the LC-MS analysis almost 500 fold, compared to conventional trypsin digestion (~50 pmol). In order to understand this effect, various factors affecting the ionization of phosphopeptides were investigated. Unlike ionizations of phosphopeptides with minor modifications, those of multi-phosphorylated peptides appeared to be subject to effects such as selectively suppressed ionization by more ionizable peptides and decreased ionization efficiency by multi-phosphorylation. The enhanced detection limit of multi-phosphorylated peptides resulting from proteinase K digestion was validated using a complex protein sample, namely a lysate of HEK 293 cells. Compared to trypsin digestion, the numbers of phosphopeptides identified and modification sites per peptide were noticeably increased by proteinase K digestion. Non-specific proteases such as proteinase K and elastase have been used in the past to increase detection of phosphorylation sites but the effectiveness of proteinase K digestion for multi-phosphorylated peptides has not been reported.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.421-433
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• 2021

Morchella is a genus of fungi with the ability to concentrate Cd both in the fruit-body and mycelium. However, the molecular mechanisms conferring resistance to Cd stress in Morchella are unknown. Here, RNA-based transcriptomic sequencing was used to identify the genes and pathways involved in Cd tolerance in Morchella spongiola. 7444 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by cultivating M. spongiola in media containing 0.15, 0.90, or 1.50 mg/L Cd²⁺. The DEGs were divided into six sub-clusters based on their global expression profiles. GO enrichment analysis indicated that numerous DEGs were associated with catalytic activity, cell cycle control, and the ribosome. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the main pathways under Cd stress were MAPK signaling, oxidative phosphorylation, pyruvate metabolism, and propanoate metabolism. In addition, several DEGs encoding ion transporters, enzymatic/non-enzymatic antioxidants, and transcription factors were identified. Based on these results, a preliminary gene regulatory network was firstly proposed to illustrate the molecular mechanisms of Cd detoxification in M. spongiola. These results provide valuable insights into the Cd tolerance mechanism of M. spongiola and constitute a robust foundation for further studies on detoxification mechanisms in macrofungi that could potentially lead to the development of new and improved fungal bioremediation strategies.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.343-352
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• 2022

The advent of the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) has shown great potential as a leading method for analyzing the genome-wide profiling of chromatin accessibility. A comprehensive reference to the ATAC-seq dataset for disease progression is important for understanding the regulatory specificity caused by genetic or epigenetic changes. In this study, we present a genome-wide chromatin accessibility profile of 44 liver samples spanning the full histological spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We analyzed the ATAC-seq signal enrichment, fragment size distribution, and correlation coefficients according to the histological severity of NAFLD (healthy control vs steatosis vs fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), demonstrating the high quality of the dataset. Consequently, 112,303 merged regions (genomic regions containing one or multiple overlapping peak regions) were identified. Additionally, we found differentially accessible regions (DARs) and performed transcription factor binding motif enrichment analysis and de novo motif analysis to determine new biomarker candidates. These data revealed the gene-regulatory interactions and noncoding factors that can affect NAFLD progression. In summary, our study provides a valuable resource for the human epigenome by applying an advanced approach to facilitate diagnosis and treatment by understanding the non-coding genome of NAFLD.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.388-398
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• 2012

In this study, Entropy method and PROMETHEE(Preference Ranking organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations) which is one of the multi criteria decision making methods are applied to estimate the relative inundation risk ranking of the urban sewer systems. Then, the evaluation factors were selected considering two main items to estimate the inundation risk using Entropy and PROMETHEE. In the first item considering topographical and environmental factor, average elevation, average slope, width of area, population, density of conduit were selected as the detailed factors of first item which have influence of the overflow occurrence and damage scale in urban sewer system. And, the relative reliability of sewer network was considered as the second item which can quantify the inundation appearance. Then, the reliability is estimated considering the number of overflow nodes and overflow volume simultaneously. Therefore, the suggested inundation risk evaluation method can be used as the evaluation index for sewer networks and contribute to decision making for the sewer rehabilitation policy.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.699-708
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• 2005

To characterize the elemental composition of fine particles in urban area, $PM_{2.5}$ was collected by a 3-stage DRUM impactor at Gwangju during spring and summer. Time and size resolved concentrations for 19 trace elements were obtained by synchrotron X-Ray fluorescence analysis. Trace elements in summer were distributed in smaller size range compared to those in spring. Almost trace element concentrations in fine particles were highly increased during the Asian dust. In spring, soil elements such as Si, K, Ca, Ti and Fe had low enrichment factors indicating the dominant influence of soil dust. However, all elements had high enrichment factors in summer implying that these elements could be emitted from the anthropogenic sources. Factor analysis was conducted with the elemental composition data in order to identify anthropogenic sources of aerosols in urban area during spring and summer. Fine particles in spring have several sources such as soil dust originating from China continental region, coal and oil combustion, biomass burning, sea salt, ferrous and nonferrous metal sources. On the other hand, fine particles in summer were influenced by road dust, gasoline vehicle as well as coal and oil combustion, sea salt, ferrous and nonferrous metal sources.