• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.90-96
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• 2010

Menopause increases the onset of hypertension and heart disease. Whereas it increases the blood LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and total-cholesterol levels, the HDL-cholesterol concentration is reduced. Accordingly, we examined the effect of internal organs of Todarodes pacificus (IOT) on improvement in blood flow ability and changes in serum lipid content by using ovariectomized rats. For this study, the following four groups of 9-week-old Sprague-Dawley strain female rats were evaluated over 6 weeks: normal rats (SHAM), ovariectomized rats (CON) and ovariectomized rats that were treated with IOT extracts. Ovary removal promoted platelet aggregability. However, IOT administration in the CON group after ovary excision resulted in a hinderance of coherence. The blood vessel passing time of ovariectomized rats was slower than the SHAM group. But the blood flow ability, which was slowed down for ovary removal, was improved by IOT administration. Serum triglyceride levels were significantly reduced by IOT administration. Moreover, blood HDL-cholesterol levels were reduced by ovary removal. However, IOT administration after ovary excision significantly increase HDL-cholesterol levels. The biological activity of IOT could be confirmed from these results. Moreover, IOT can be used in the development of functional foods which are meant to improve blood circulation and anti-platelet aggregation function. According to these results, we could know that IOT improved blood flow and anti-platelet aggregation. Therefore, it is expected that IOT can be used for the development of functional foods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1851-1858
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• 2010

Estrogen deficiency in peri- and postmenopausal women results in variety of neurovegetative, psychic and somatic symptoms, and may contribute to severe diseases within the aged female population. Ecklonia stolonifera (ES) is an edible brown algae traditionally used in fishery towns in Far East Asia. This study was performed to investigate the effects of ES extracts on blood flow and serum lipid concentration in ovariectomized rats. Weight-matched female Sprague-Dawley strain rats were assigned to four groups. Three groups were surgically ovariectomized (OVX). The fourth group was sham operated. Rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: sham-operated rats (Sham), ovariectomized control rats (OVX-CON), ovariectomized rats supplemented with ES extract at 50 mg/kg bw/day (OVX-ES50) and ovariectomized rats supplemented with ES extract at 200 mg/kg bw/day (OVX-ES200). Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride contents decreased in the sham group compared to the OVX-CON group. Six weeks feeding of ES extract resulted in a significant (p<0.05) lowering of serum triglyceride and a lowering tendency of total cholesterol level. The level of Hdl-cholesterol in serum increased by supplementation of ES extracts at 50 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg bw/day (p<0.05). Blood passage time of the ES extracts-supplemented group was higher than the OVX-CON group. The ability of platelet aggregation of groups treated with ES extracts was less than that of the OVX-CON group. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of ES extract may be used to possibly improve on the metabolic syndrome of menopausal women.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.168-178
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the physical properties and antibacterial effectiveness of iodoform based root filling pastes, Vitapex^® and Metapex^®, with sodium iodide root filling paste (NaI paste) for primary teeth. Materials and Methods: The physical properties (flowability, film thickness, radiopacity) of the pastes were evaluated according to ISO 6876:2012. The antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis strain (ATCC 6538) was evaluated using a direct contact test. Results: There was no significant statistical difference (p > 0.05) observed in the flow and film thickness of NaI paste when compared to the currently available root canal filling materials. The average flow capacities for Vitapex^®, Metapex^®, and NaI paste were 15.40 mm, 21.25 mm, and 20.01 mm, respectively. The average film thickness for Vitapex^®, Metapex^®, and NaI paste were 33.3 ㎕, 22.6 ㎕, and 25.0 ㎕, respectively. However, NaI paste showed lower radiopacity than the existing materials, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05) NaI paste demonstrated higher antimicrobial activity than the available materials, and this difference was also statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Compared to the existing commercialized root canal filling materials, NaI paste exhibited similar performance in terms of flow and film thickness, and superior antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis. Hence, NaI paste could be a promising root filling material for primary teeth and may be a potential alternative to existing materials.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.130-139
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• 2016

A bacterial strain, producing an excellent lipolytic enzyme, was isolated from the intestinal tracts of an earthworm (Eisenia fetida). The strain was identified as Aeromonas hydrophila by phenotypic, chemotaxonomic characteristics and 16S ribosomal DNA analysis, and was designated as Aeromona hydrophila PL43. The lipolytic enzyme from A. hydrophila PL43 was purified via 35−45% ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-sepharose fast flow ion-exchange, and sephacryl S-300HR gel filtration chromatography. The yield of the purified enzyme was 3.7% and 2.5% of the total activity of crude extracts with p-nitrophenyl butyrate (pNPB) and p-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) as substrates, respectively. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was approximately 74 kDa using gel filtration, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and zymography. The optimal activity of purified enzyme was observed at 50℃ and pH 8.0 using pNPB, and 60℃ and pH 8.0 using pNPP. The purified enzyme was stable in the ranges 20− 60℃ and pH 7.0−10.0. The activity of purified enzyme was inhibited by PMSF, pepstatin A, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Fe²⁺, but was recovered by metal chelating of EDTA. The K_m and V_max values of the purified enzyme were 1.07 mM and 7.27 mM/min using pNPB and 1.43 mM and 2.72 mM/min using pNPP, respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.204-212
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• 2009

A strain producing ${\alpha}$-galactosidase and ${\beta}$-glucosidase was isolated from Kimchi. The isolated strain was identified as Weissella cibaria by 16S rDNA analysis and designated as Weissella cibaria K-M1-4. The enzyme activity of ${\alpha}$-galactosidase and ${\beta}$-glucosidase reached the maximum in the soy medium at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 hr. The enzymes were purified by ethanol fractionation, DEAE sepharose fast flow, and sephacryl S-100HR column chromatography. ${\alpha}$-Galactosidase specific activity was shown by 576 Units/mg protein and the yield was 3.5% of the total activity of crude extracts. ${\beta}$-glucosidase specific activity was shown by 480 Units/mg protein and the yield was 2.9% of the total activity of crude extracts. The optimum temperature for ${\alpha}$-galactosidase was $60^{\circ}C$ and 43% of its original activity remained when it was treated at $80^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. For ${\alpha}$-galactosidase shows the optimum pH of 8.0 and is fairly stable between pH5.0 and pH9.0. The enzyme activity was increased in the presence of $Fe^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$. The value of Km and Vmax for the enzyme were 0.98 mM and $1.81{\mu}$mole/min, respectively. The ${\beta}$-glucosidase has the optimum temperature of $50^{\circ}C$ and 46% of its original activity remained when it was treated at $80^{\circ}C$ for 30min. Its optimum pH of 7.0 and is fairly stable between pH5.0 and pH9.0. The enzyme activity was increased in the presence of $Fe^{2+},\;Co^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$. The value of Km and Vmax for the enzyme were 1.24 mM and $6.81{\mu}$mole/min, respectively.

• ALGAE
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.287-295
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• 2007

Infection of free-living dinoflagellates by endoparasitic dinoflagellates of the genus Amoebophrya are thought to have significant impacts on host population dynamics and have long been proposed to be a potential biological agent for controlling harmful algal bloom (HAB). To understand the impact of Amoebophrya on particular host species, however, it is necessary to quantify aspects the parasites life cycle. Here we used cultures of Amoebophryahost systems from Jinhae Bay, Korea to determine, parasite generation time, and dinospore survival and infectivity. The proportion of host cells infected by Amoebophrya sp. changed sharply from 5% to 87% with increasing dinospore:host inoculation ratios. In the absence of H. triquetra, most free-living dinospores died within 72 hours and their ability to infect host cells decreased remarkably in a day. The relatively short free-living phase of Amoebophrya suggests that the spread of infections is most likely to occur during seasons of high host abundance, as that is when dinospores have the greatest chance of encountering host cells. Infection of host cells inoculated with dinospores during the day was higher than when inoculated during the night, suggesting that infection rates might be related to environmental light conditions and/or diurnal biological rhythm of host species. Total generation times of parasite strains from a thecate dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra were nearly the same regardless of dinospore:host inoculation ratios, representing 54 ± 0.5 h in a 1:1 ratio and 55 ± 1.2 h in a 20:1 ratio. Dinospore production of Amoebophrya sp. infecting Heterocapsa triquetra was estimated to be 125 dinospores per a strain of Amoebophrya sp. There is a growing need to maintain a variety of host-parasite systems in culture and to examine their autecology under various environmental conditions. Such studies would be very helpful in understanding ecological role of these parasites, their overlooked importance in the flow of material and energy in marine ecosystem, and their practical use as biological control agents applied directly to areas affected by HAB.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.102-108
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• 2020

This study was conducted to investigate the genetic diversity and genetic taxonomic relationships between Korean native black goat (KNBG) populations and crossbred goats. The 45,658 common single nucleotide polymorphisms present in the KNBG strain and crossbred goat were used for the analysis. The expected and observed heterozygosity (which can be indicators of genetic diversity) were in the order of crossbred, Gyeongsang National University, Jangsu, then the Tongyeong strains. The variance component represents the degree of genetic diversity between groups. The highest variance (19.98 %) was between the Dangjin and Gyeongsang National University strains. The lowest variance (8.87 %) was between the Jangsu and Tongyeong strains. In addition, the genetic distance between the populations showed that Jangsu and Tongyeong formed one branch (they were very similar genetically). The Dangjin and the Gyeongsang National University strains appeared to form a second branch. Furthermore, the crossbred formed one branch with the Dangjin and the Gyeongsang National University strains. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as basic data to reduce unnecessary inbreeding and genetic resource flow between the KNBG populations. The basic data indicates the uniqueness of the genetic resources of the domestic lineage. These findings provide a basis for differentiating KNBG and Crossbred goats to use to improve the desirable characteristics of this species.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.275-282
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• 2014

Particle-reinforced metal matrix composites exhibit a strengthening effect due to the particle size-dependent length scale that arises from the strain gradient, and thus from the geometrically necessary dislocations between the particles and matrix that result from their CTE(Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) and elastic-plastic mismatches. In this study, the influence of the size-dependent length scale on the particle-matrix interface failure and ductile failure in the matrix was examined using finite-element punch zone modeling whereby an augmented strength was assigned around the particle. The failure behavior was observed by a parametric study, while varying the interface failure properties such as the interface strength and debonding energy with different particle sizes and volume fractions. It is shown that the two failure modes (interface failure and ductile failure in the matrix) interact with each other and are closely related to the particle size-dependent length scale; in other words, the composite with the smaller particles, which is surrounded by a denser dislocation than that with the larger particles, retards the initiation and growth of the interface and matrix failures, and also leads to a smaller amount of decrease in the flow stress during failure.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.207-216
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• 2003

To evaluate the smear zone caused by the drain installation, 10 piezometers were installed in the typical soft ground in the western coastal area of Korea. The dynamic pore water pressure developed during the drain installation was monitored using piezometers installed at a distance of 10cm, 20cm, 30cm, 40cm and 50cm from the location of the drain. The decay of pore pressure with time after pushing piezometers to depths of 5 meters and 7 meters during the drain installation was monitored to assess flow and consolidation characteristics of the soil after disturbance of the soil due to the drain installation. The drain installation results in shear strain and displacement of the soil and it decreases the permeability of the soil. Hence, the comparison between dissipation of the pore water pressure process in 10 pieszometers before as well as after installation of the drain indicated the diameter of disturbance zone and smear zone, which is related to the cross-sectional dimension of the mandrel. In addition, Cone-pressuremeter(CPM) tests were performed to obtain rigidity index of the soil for an interpretation of the dissipation processes. It has been evaluated by in-situ tests that the smear zone is from 3.0 to 3.6 times of the cross-sectional dimension of the mandrel. The hydraulic conductivity expressed in terms of the coefficient of consolidation after the drain installation was calculated from 3 to 8 times decrease evaluated by Teh & Houlsby equation and CPM test results.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.1405-1415
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• 1994

The soil on the behavior of the nonlinear elastic work-hardening plasticity has a variety of stress paths due to the state of soil and the test conditions. The soil with a specific volume ${\upsilon}$ in principal stress space (${\sigma}_1$, ${\sigma}_2$, ${\sigma}_3$, and ${\upsilon}$v) displays the shape of an irregular hexagonal pyramid with an end cap. With variations of ${\upsilon}$ the size of the cap is changed but its shape remains unchanged and the movement of the cap is controlled by the increase or decrease of the plastic volumetric strain. By reflecting such a property of soil various cap models have been developed by researchers. In this thesis, a constitutive model of soil with a combination of the nonlinear elastic work-hardening plastic cap and the failure surfaces of Mohr-Coulomb (M-C cap model) has been developed. According to the the results of analyses using the work-hardening plastic cap model, the normally consolidated soil under shearing has experienced the work-hardening and plastic flow (movement of the cap). But in the shearing of the overconsolidated soil the elastic behavior is shown until the stress path has reached the failure surface and the cap does not move.