• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.360-366
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• 2008

Purpose: Botulinum toxin type A(BoTA) can block the release of vasoconstriction cotransmitters as well as acetylcholine in nerve terminal. The authors observed that BoTA increases flap survival by preventing sympathetic collapse of peripheral vessels. Methods: 10 Sprague Dawley rats were divided into control(n=5), and BoTA group(n=5). $3{\times}10cm$ sized random pattern cutaneous flaps were elevated on the dorsal side in both groups. In BoTA group, BoTA was injected into the flap via intradermal to subdermal route, 7 days before the flap elevation. Flap survival rates (survival area/total area) were measured 7 days after the elevation. Cutaneous blood flow was measured in proximal, middle and distal compartments of the flap using laser Doppler flowmetry initially, preoperatively, at immediate postoperation, and 7 days after flap elevation, respectively. Histological examination was performed 7 days after the flap elevation. The number and shape of the vessels were evaluated under microscope. Results: Mean flap survival was $53.18{\pm}6.58%$ in control group and $93.79{\pm}6.06%$ in BoTA group, displaying statistically significant difference(p=0.0008, p<0.05). In the control group, blood flow to the middle and distal compartments of the flap decreased significantly immediately after flap elevation. In the BoTA group, blood flow to the middle compartment did not decrease(p=0.002) and slightly decreased in the distal compartment(p=0.001). Cutaneous blood flow was significantly higher in all compartments of the flap in BoTA group than in control group, 7 days after the flap elevation. In histopathologic examination, greater number of vessels were noted in the BoTA group than in the control group. Conclusion: Botulinum toxin A can increase the survival of the random pattern cutaneous flap in rats by preventing the sympathetic collapse of peripheral vessels.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2010

Eighteen cultivars of tomato were tested for their regeneration response. Lycopersicon esculentum cv. 2001-58 showed a very high frequency of regeneration (93%). We evaluated the effect of two compounds with known antioxidant activity (ascorbic acid and cystein). The use of ascorbic acid ($200\;-\;300\;{\mu}M/L$) has a positive effect on shoot regeneration. To develope a system for plastid transformation in tomato via homologous recombination, we constructed the tomato plastid expression vector (pKRT22-AG) harboring 2.2 kb flanking sequences cloned from intact plastid genome and gfp gene. To investigate the factors affecting the delivery system of the pKRT22-AG into chloroplast using bombardment, We assessed the optimal DNA concentration, gold particle volume and target distance. Expression of the GFP protein was observed within chloroplast on protoplast of cotyledon explant by confocal laser scanning microscopy, which indicates that the protocol developed in this study be useful for the production of plastid transgenic plants in tomato.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.215-219
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated effects of Monegy (mixture of Sophorae Radix, Panax ginseng, Salvia miltiorrhiza BUNGE) on epilate-induced hair-loss in dorsal region of C57/BL6 mice and external structure of human hair. For morphological and histological analysis in scalp of epilate-induced hair-loss animal model, we utilized several microscopic techniques, such as confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and LAS 4000. Confocal analysis showed the distribution of FITC-conjugated Monegy and penetration depth compared with normal and control group. Furthermore, when Monegy was topically administrated onto a C57BL6 mouse, it penetrated very well. The fluorescence intensity was increased upto 205 and 113 folds compared to normal and control group, respectively. Also, area of fluorescence was increased to upto 255 to 127 folds compared to normal and control group. Broad scale area of fluorescence in dermis region was observed in the Monegy-treated mice. Furthermore, Monegy induced upto 75% hair repair against depilation. It might be promoted via the induction of growth factors in hair follicle.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2008

For spatial analysis and decision-making based on territorial and urban information, technologies on 3D GIS with digital image data and photo-realistic 3D image models to visualize 3D modeling are being rapidly developed. Currently, satellite images, aerial images and aerial LiDAR data are mostly used to build 3D models and textures from oblique aerial photographs or terrestrial photographs are used to create 3D image models. However, we are in need of quality 3D image models as current models cannot express topographic and features most elaborately and realistically. Thus, this study analyzed techniques to use aerial photographs, aerial LiDAR, terrestrial photographs and terrestrial LiDAR to create a 3D image model with artificial features and special topographic that emphasize spatial accuracy, delicate depiction and photo-realistic imaging. A 3D image model with spatial accuracy and photographic texture was built to be served via 3D image map services systems on the Internet. As it was necessary to consider intended use and display scale when building 3D image models, in this study, we applied the concept of LoD(Level of Detail) to define 3D image model of buildings in five levels and established the models by following the levels.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.474-483
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• 2019

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a pivotal role in pathologic ocular neovascularization and vascular leakage via activation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic mechanisms and effects of the tetrapeptide Arg-Leu-Tyr-Glu (RLYE), a VEGFR2 inhibitor, in the development of vascular permeability and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). In cultured human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs), treatment with RLYE blocked VEGF-A-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR2, Akt, ERK, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), leading to suppression of VEGF-A-mediated hyper-production of NO. Treatment with RLYE also inhibited VEGF-A-stimulated angiogenic processes (migration, proliferation, and tube formation) and the hyperpermeability of HRMECs, in addition to attenuating VEGF-A-induced angiogenesis and vascular permeability in mice. The anti-vascular permeability activity of RLYE was correlated with enhanced stability and positioning of the junction proteins VE-cadherin, ${\beta}$-catenin, claudin-5, and ZO-1, critical components of the cortical actin ring structure and retinal endothelial barrier, at the boundary between HRMECs stimulated with VEGF-A. Furthermore, intravitreally injected RLYE bound to retinal microvascular endothelium and inhibited laser-induced CNV in mice. These findings suggest that RLYE has potential as a therapeutic drug for the treatment of CNV by preventing VEGFR2-mediated vascular leakage and angiogenesis.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of erythrosine-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) on Streptococcus mutans biofilm recovery by counting its colony-forming units (CFUs) and via confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis at different time points following PDT. In PDT, photosensitizer was an erythrosine. S. mutans ATCC25175 biofilms were irradiated using an LED curing light. Chlorhexidine (CHX) was used as positive control. After each antimicrobial treatment, samples were cultured to allow biofilm recovery. Viability was measured by calculating the CFU counts after treatment and after every 3 hours for up to 24 hours. Immediately after treatment, the PDT and CHX groups showed equally significant decreases in S. mutans CFU counts compared to the negative control. After 12 hours of reculture, the PDT group showed no significant difference in the decrease in CFU count compared to the negative control, whereas the CHX group showed significantly lower CFU counts throughout the 24-hour period. Erythrosine-mediated PDT can effectively inhibit S. mutans biofilm formation. However, biofilm recovery occurred earlier in the CHX group after PDT. This study provides insights into the clinical effectiveness of PDT in preventing dental caries.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.521-535
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• 2022

Efficient management of deteriorating civil infrastructure is one of the most important research topics in many developed countries. In particular, the remote displacement measurement of bridges using linear variable differential transformers, global positioning systems, laser Doppler vibrometers, and computer vision technologies has been attempted extensively. This paper proposes a remote displacement measurement system using closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) and a computer-vision-based method for in-situ bridge bearings having relatively large displacement due to temperature change in long term. The hardware of the system is composed of a reference target for displacement measurement, a CCTV to capture target images, a gateway to transmit images via a mobile network, and a central server to store and process transmitted images. The usage of CCTV capable of night vision capture and wireless data communication enable long-term 24-hour monitoring on wide range of bridge area. The computer vision algorithm to estimate displacement from the images involves image preprocessing for enhancing the circular features of the target, circular Hough transformation for detecting circles on the target in the whole field-of-view (FOV), and homography transformation for converting the movement of the target in the images into an actual expansion displacement. The simple target design and robust circle detection algorithm help to measure displacement using target images where the targets are far apart from each other. The proposed system is installed at the Tancheon Overpass located in Seoul, and field experiments are performed to evaluate the accuracy of circle detection and displacement measurements. The circle detection accuracy is evaluated using 28,542 images captured from 71 CCTVs installed at the testbed, and only 48 images (0.168%) fail to detect the circles on the target because of subpar imaging conditions. The accuracy of displacement measurement is evaluated using images captured for 17 days from three CCTVs; the average and root-mean-square errors are 0.10 and 0.131 mm, respectively, compared with a similar displacement measurement. The long-term operation of the system, as evaluated using 8-month data, shows high accuracy and stability of the proposed system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.174-175
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• 2012

(In, Ga) N-based III-nitride semiconductor materials have been viewed as the most promising materials for the applications of blue and green light emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes. Although the InGaN alloy can have wide range of visible wavelength by changing the In composition, it is very hard to grow high quality epilayers of In-rich InGaN because of the thermal instability as well as the large lattice and thermal mismatches. In order to avoid phase separation of InGaN, various kinds of structures of InGaN have been studied. If high-quality In-rich InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) structures are available, it is expected to achieve highly efficient phosphor-free white LEDs. In this study, we proposed a novel InGaN double hetero-structure grown on GaN nano-pyramids to generate broad-band red-color emission with high quantum efficiency. In this work, we systematically studied the optical properties of the InGaN pyramid structures. The nano-sized hexagonal pyramid structures were grown on the n-type GaN template by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. SiNx mask was formed on the n-type GaN template with uniformly patterned circle pattern by laser holography. GaN pyramid structures were selectively grown on the opening area of mask by lateral over-growth followed by growth of InGaN/GaN double hetero-structure. The bird's eye-view scanning electron microscope (SEM) image shows that uniform hexagonal pyramid structures are well arranged. We showed that the pyramid structures have high crystal quality and the thickness of InGaN is varied along the height of pyramids via transmission electron microscope. Because the InGaN/GaN double hetero-structure was grown on the nano-pyramid GaN and on the planar GaN, simultaneously, we investigated the comparative study of the optical properties. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of nano-pyramid sample and planar sample measured at 10 K. Although the growth condition were exactly the same for two samples, the nano-pyramid sample have much lower energy emission centered at 615 nm, compared to 438 nm for planar sample. Moreover, nano-pyramid sample shows broad-band spectrum, which is originate from structural properties of nano-pyramid structure. To study thermal activation energy and potential fluctuation, we measured PL with changing temperature from 10 K to 300 K. We also measured PL with changing the excitation power from 48 ${\mu}W$ to 48 mW. We can discriminate the origin of the broad-band spectra from the defect-related yellow luminescence of GaN by carrying out PL excitation experiments. The nano-pyramid structure provided highly efficient broad-band red-color emission for the future applications of phosphor-free white LEDs.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.300-308
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• 2006

$\underline{Purpose}$: To develop a wireless CCTV system in semi-beam's eye view (BEV) to monitor daily patient setup in radiation therapy. $\underline{Materials\;and\;Methods}$: In order to get patient images in semi-BEV, CCTV cameras are installed in a custom-made acrylic applicator below the treatment head of a linear accelerator. The images from the cameras are transmitted via radio frequency signal (${\sim}2.4\;GHz$ and 10 mW RF output). An expected problem with this system is radio frequency interference, which is solved utilizing RF shielding with Cu foils and median filtering software. The images are analyzed by our custom-made software. In the software, three anatomical landmarks in the patient surface are indicated by a user, then automatically the 3 dimensional structures are obtained and registered by utilizing a localization procedure consisting mainly of stereo matching algorithm and Gauss-Newton optimization. This algorithm is applied to phantom images to investigate the setup accuracy. Respiratory gating system is also researched with real-time image processing. A line-laser marker projected on a patient's surface is extracted by binary image processing and the breath pattern is calculated and displayed in real-time. $\underline{Results}$: More than 80% of the camera noises from the linear accelerator are eliminated by wrapping the camera with copper foils. The accuracy of the localization procedure is found to be on the order of $1.5{\pm}0.7\;mm$ with a point phantom and sub-millimeters and degrees with a custom-made head/neck phantom. With line-laser marker, real-time respiratory monitoring is possible in the delay time of ${\sim}0.17\;sec$. $\underline{Conclusion}$: The wireless CCTV camera system is the novel tool which can monitor daily patient setups. The feasibility of respiratory gating system with the wireless CCTV is hopeful.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.620-626
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• 2015

$Ho^{3+}$ doped $SrAl_2O_4$ upconversion phosphor powders were synthesized by spray pyrolysis, and the crystallographic properties and luminescence characteristics were examined by varying activator concentrations and heattreatment temperatures. The effect of organic additives on the crystal structure and luminescent properties was also investigated. $SrAl_2O_4:Ho^{3+}$ powders showed intensive green emission due to the $^5F_4/^5S_2{\rightarrow}^5I_8$ transition of $Ho^{3+}$. The optimal $Ho^{3+}$ concentration in order to achieve the highest luminescence was 0.1%. Over this concentration, emission intensities were largely diminished via a concentration quenching due to dipole-dipole interaction between activator ions. According to the dependence of emission intensity on the pumping power of a laser diode, it was clear that the upconversion of $SrAl_2O_4:Ho^{3+}$ occurred via the ground state absorption-excited state absorption processes involving two near-IR photons. Synthesized powders were monoclinic as a major phase, having some hexagonal phase. The increase of heat-treatment temperatures from $1000^{\circ}C$ to $1350^{\circ}C$ led to crystallinity enhancement of monoclinic phase, reducing hexagonal phase. The hexagonal phase, however, did not disappear even at $1350^{\circ}C$. When both citric acid (CA) and ethylene glycol (EG) were added to the spray solution, the resulting powders had pure monoclinic phase without forming hexagonal phase, and led to largely enhancement of crystallinity. Also, N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) addition to the spray solution containing both CA and EG made it possible to effectively reduce the surface area of $SrAl_2O_4:Ho^{3+}$ powders. Consequently, the $SrAl_2O_4:Ho^{3+}$ powders prepared by using the spray solution containing CA/EG/DMF mixture as the organic additives showed about 168% improved luminescence compared to the phosphor prepared without organic additives. It was concluded that both the increased crystallinity of high-purity monoclinic phase and the decrease of surface area were attributed to the large enhancement of upconversion luminescence.