• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.445-471
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• 2023

Long-term safety over millennia is the top priority consideration in the construction of disposal sites. However, ensuring the mechanical stability of deep geological repositories for spent fuel, a.k.a. radwaste, disposal during construction and operation is also crucial for safe operation of the repository. Imposing restrictions or limitations on tunnel support and lining materials such as shotcrete, concrete, grouting, which might compromise the sealing performance of backfill and buffer materials which are essential elements for the long-term safety of disposal sites, presents a highly challenging task for rock engineers and tunnelling experts. In this study, as part of an extensive exploration to aid in the proper selection of disposal sites, the anticipation of constructing a deep geological repository at a depth of 500 meters in an unknown state has been carried out. Through a review of 2D and 3D numerical analyses, the study aimed to explore the range of properties that ensure stability. Preliminary findings identified the potential range of rock properties that secure the stability of central and disposal tunnels, while the stability of the vertical tunnel network was confirmed through 3D analysis, outlining fundamental rock conditions necessary for the construction of disposal sites.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.315-320
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• 2005

Objective : Toll like receptor(TLR) is known to be involved in innate immunity. Many microbial antigens stimulate TLR, and as a result of intracellular signal transduction, they activate nuclear factor-kB which produces diverse inflammtory cytokines. Until now, many research topics in Kawasaki disease focused on cytokine increasement. In this study, we aim to reveal TLR increasement which might be associated with initiation of inflammatory response. Methods : We obtained the peripheral blood of ten patients who were diagnosed with Kawasaki disease in Yonsei University College of Medicine from March 2003 to August 2003, as well as those of a febrile control group and the same number of a normal control group. Flow cytometry was done in all samples for quantification of TLR-2 expression in CD14 positive monocyte. And we also extracted total RNA of periphral monocyte and quantificated expression of TLR-2 mRNA by RT-PCR. Results : The expression of TLR-2 in Kawasaki disease increased significantly compared with the normal control group but not when compared with the febrile control group. And the expression decreased slightly in the subacute phase of Kawasaki disease compared with the acute phase, but this was statistically insignificant. mRNA expression of TLR-2 in peripheral blood monocyte also increased in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease. Conclusion : Expression of TLR-2 in Kawasaki disease increased when compared with the normal control group, which means that innate immunity is associated with the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2007

We fabricated the in-situ $MgB_2$ wires using the powder-in-tube method and investigated the effects of sintering temperature and SiC contents on the microstructure and superconducting properties. Pure $MgB_2$ wires and 5, 10, 20 wt.% SiC doped $MgB_2$ wires were sintered at $600-1000^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes in Ar atmosphere. We found that $MgB_2$ phase was mostly formed at the sintering temperature of $700^{\circ}C$ and above, and the critical temperature ($T_c$) increased with increasing sintering temperature. For the $MgB_2$ sintered at $850^{\circ}C$, the highest critical current density ($J_c$) was obtained to be $3.7{\times}10^5\;A/cm^2$ at 5 K and 1.6 T by a magnetic properties measurement system (MPMS). The addition of SiC to the $MgB_2$ wires changed microstructure and critical properties. SEM observation showed that the $MgB_2$ core had considerable micro-cracks in undoped wire and the density of micro-cracks decreased with increasing SiC contents. The critical temperature decreased as the SiC contents increased, on the other hand, the critical current density of SiC doped $MgB_2$ wires in high magnetic field was enhanced compared to that of undoped $MgB_2$ wires.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.626-632
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• 2013

In the course of a developing screening method for resistant radish to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani, we found that the fungus produces phytotoxic compound against Raphanus sativus. The culture filtrate of F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani KR1 represented the strongest phytotoxicity when the fungus was incubated in the malt extract broth with 150 rpm at $25^{\circ}C$ for 14 days. Under bioassay-guided purification, we isolated a substance from liquid culture of F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani KR1, with phytotoxic effect against R. sativus. The compound was identified as fusaric acid by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analyses. Phytotoxicity of the compound against cruciferous vegetable crops, including radish, cabbage, and broccoli, was investigated. Fusaric acid represented phytotoxicity on radish seedlings by concentration dependant manner. And the phytotoxin demonstrated strong phytotoxicity on the resistant cultivars as well as susceptible cultivars of radish to F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani. In addition, fusaric acid isolated from the fungus also showed a potent phytotoxic efficacy against non-host Brassicaceae crops of the fungus such as cabbage and broccoli. The results demonstrate that fusaric acid produced by F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani is non-host-specific toxin and for screening of resistant radish to the fungal pathogen, spore suspension of the fungus without the phytotoxin has to be used.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.522-528
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• 2023

In this work, adhesive tapes were prepared for the dicing process in semiconductor manufacturing. Compounds with different numbers of photoreactive groups (f = 1 to 3) were synthesized and incorporated into acrylic copolymers to formulate UV-curable acrylic adhesives. Structural confirmation of the synthesized photoreactive compounds (f = 2 or 3) was performed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The introduction of the photoreactive compounds into the acrylic adhesive was accomplished by urethane reactions, and the successful synthesis of the UV-curable acrylic adhesive was verified by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) measurements. To evaluate the performance of the adhesive, the peel strength was evaluated before and after UV irradiation using a silicon wafer as a substrate. The adhesive exhibited high peel strength (~2000 gf/25 mm) before UV exposure, which was significantly reduced (~5 gf/25 mm) after UV exposure. Interestingly, the adhesive containing multifunctional photoreactive compounds showed the most significant reduction in peel strength. In addition, surface residue measurements by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed minimal surface residue (~0.2%) after UV exposure. Overall, these results contribute to the understanding of the behavior of UV-curable acrylic adhesives and pave the way for potential applications in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.552-556
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• 2006

An advanced oxidation process catalyzed by iron ions in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the so-called Fenton's reaction, has been applied to the treatment of steam generator chemical cleaning waste containing highly concentrated iron(III)- ethyl-enediaminetetraaceticacid (Fe(III)-EDTA) of 70000 mg/L. The experiments for the degradation of Fe(III)-EDTA were carried out not only with a simulated waste, but also with the real one. The effect of pH and the amount of hydrogen peroxide added to the waste on the degradation was examined, and the results were discussed in several aspects. The optimal pH to maximize the degradation efficiency was dependent on the amount of hydrogen peroxide added to the waste. i.e., when the amount of hydrogen peroxide was different, maximum degradation efficiency was obtained at different pH's. The optimal amount of hydrogen peroxide relative to that of Fe(III)-EDTA was found to be 24.7 mol ($H_{2}O_{2}$)/mol (Fe(III)-EDTA) at pH around 9.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.147-155
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• 2008

In previous works, we found that solvent extract of Opuntia humifusa Raf., a member of the lactaceae family, displayed potent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. Thus, all solvent fractions, except for the water layer, showed potent scavenging effects. According to activity-guided fractionation, one of active radical scavenging principles in the ethyl acetate fraction was found to be taxifolin. In this study, we investigated whether taxifolin showed anti-oxidative activity. In addition, taxifolin modulated nitric oxide (NO) release and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA such as interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and TNF-${\alpha}$. Taxifolin showed potent anti-oxidant activity with the $IC_{50}\;of\;8.5{\pm}1.4\;and\;9.3{\pm}1.0{\mu}M$ using xanthine/xanthine oxidase (XO) assay and 2,2-Diphenyl-lpicrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay, respectively. We next determined the role of taxifolin on the immunomodulating activity using murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells. Taxifolin dose-dependently inhibited NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7. It also significantly blocked the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, taxifolin potently suppressed the expression of IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and GM-CSF mRNA in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells, but not that of TNF-${\alpha}$ Moreover, taxifolin significantly inhibited the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) and activator protein -1 (AP-1). These results suggest that taxifolin may downregulate inflammatory iNOS, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and GM-CSF gene expressions through inhibition of NF-K and AP-1 activation in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.329-340
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• 2024

Mangiferin is a kind of natural xanthone glycosides and is known to have various pharmacological activities. However, since the beneficial efficacy of this compound has not been reported in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, this study aimed to evaluate whether mangiferin could protect human RPE ARPE-19 cells from oxidative injury mimicked by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The results showed that mangiferin attenuated H₂O₂-induced cell viability reduction and DNA damage, while inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and preserving diminished glutathione (GSH). Mangiferin also antagonized H₂O₂-induced inhibition of the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes such as manganese superoxide dismutase and GSH peroxidase, which was associated with inhibition of mitochondrial ROS production. In addition, mangiferin protected ARPE-19 cells from H₂O₂-induced apoptosis by increasing the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, decreasing caspase-3 activation, and blocking poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Moreover, mangiferin suppressed the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, which was achieved by interfering with mitochondrial membrane disruption. Furthermore, mangiferin increased the expression and activity of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor-erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2). However, the inhibition of ROS production, cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic effects of mangiferin were significantly attenuated by the HO-1 inhibitor, indicating that mangiferin promoted Nrf2-mediated HO-1 activity to prevent ARPE-19 cells from oxidative injury. The results of this study suggest that mangiferin, as an Nrf2 activator, has potent ROS scavenging activity and may have the potential to protect oxidative stress-mediated ocular diseases.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2014

Citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) has been quarantined by many countries in the world. Recently, the usage of methyl bromide should be limited, application by gamma irradiation on the agricultural production is raised as an alternative method. In this study, the level of gamma irradiation which could decrease of population of Xcc in the suspension or on the surface of citrus fruit was investigated. The $D_{10}$ value of Xcc, which is radiation dose required to reduce the number of the microorganism, was 55 and 28 Gy in the suspension and on the surface of citrus fruit, respectively. Furthermore, disease severity was suppressed on the citrus leaves inoculated with Xcc suspension pre-treated with gamma irradiation. Based on this study, it is suggested that Xcc on the citrus fruit could be eradicated by gamma irradiation and the results of this study may be valuable for application of gamma ray in quarantine activity.

• Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research
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• v.95 no.5
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• pp.286-296
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• 2018

Purpose: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy (SLNB) is widely accepted for staging of melanoma patients. It has been shown that clinico-pathological features such as Breslow thickness, ulceration, age, and sex are better predictors of relapse and survival than SLN status alone. The aims of this study were to evaluate the long-term (10-year) prognostic impact of SLNB and to determine predictive factors associated with SLN metastasis, relapse, and melanoma specific mortality (MSM). Methods: This was a prospective observational study on 289 consecutive patients with primary cutaneous melanoma who underwent SLNB from January 2000 to December 2007, and followed until January 2014, at an Italian academic hospital. Results: SLN was positive in 64 patients (22.1%). The median follow-up was 116 months (79-147 months). Tenyear disease-free survival and melanoma specific survival were poor in patients with positive SLN (58.7% and 66.4%, respectively). Only the increasing Breslow thickness resulted independently associated to an increased risk of SLN metastasis. Cox regression analysis showed that a Breslow thickness >2 mm was an independent predictor of relapse, and male sex and Breslow thickness >2 mm was a predictor of MSM. At 10 years, SLN metastasis was not significantly associated to either relapse or MSM. Conclusion: After the fifth year of follow-up, SLN metastasis is not an independent predictive factor of relapse or mortality which are mainly influenced by the characteristics of the primary tumor and of the patient. Patients with a Breslow thickness >2 mm regardless of the SLN status should be considered at high risk for 10-year relapse and mortality.