• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.172-181
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• 2022

Pubertal onset is known to result from reactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, which is controlled by complex interactions of genetic and nongenetic factors. Most cases of precocious puberty (PP) are diagnosed as central PP (CPP), defined as premature activation of the HPG axis. The cause of CPP in most girls is not identifiable and, thus, referred to as idiopathic CPP (ICPP), whereas boys are more likely to have an organic lesion in the brain. ICPP has a genetic background, as supported by studies showing that maternal age at menarche is associated with pubertal timing in their offspring. A gain of expression in the kisspeptin gene (KISS1), gain-of-function mutation in the kisspeptin receptor gene (KISS1R), loss-of-function mutation in makorin ring finger protein 3 (MKRN3), and loss-of-function mutations in the delta-like homolog 1 gene (DLK1) have been associated with ICPP. Other genes, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor subunit alpha-1 (GABRA1), lin-28 homolog B (LIN28B), neuropeptide Y (NPYR), tachykinin 3 (TAC3), and tachykinin receptor 3 (TACR3), have been implicated in the progression of ICPP, although their relationships require elucidation. Environmental and socioeconomic factors may also be correlated with ICPP. In the progression of CPP, epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, and non-coding ribonucleic acids may mediate the relationship between genetic and environmental factors. CPP is correlated with short- and long-term adverse health outcomes, which forms the rationale for research focusing on understanding its genetic and nongenetic factors.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.28.1-28.11
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• 2024

Background: Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection is ubiquitous around the world. Diagnosis of the porcine circovirus-associated disease requires clinic-pathological elements together with the quantification of viral loads. Furthermore, given pig farms in regions lacking access to sufficient laboratory equipment, developing diagnostic devices with high accuracy, accessibility, and affordability is a necessity. Objectives: This study aims to investigate two newly developed diagnostic tools that may satisfy these criteria. Methods: We collected 250 specimens, including 170 PCV2-positive and 80 PCV2-negative samples. The standard diagnosis and cycle threshold (Ct) values were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Then, two point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platforms, convective polymerase chain reaction (cPCR, qualitative assay: positive or negative results are shown) and EZtargex (quantitative assay: Ct values are shown), were examined and analyzed. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of cPCR were 88.23% and 100%, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity of EZtargex were 87.65% and 100%, respectively. These assays also showed excellent concordance compared with the qPCR assay (κ = 0.828 for cPCR and κ = 0.820 for EZtargex). The statistical analysis showed a great diagnostic power of the EZtargex assay to discriminate between samples with different levels of positivity. Conclusions: The two point-of-care diagnostic platforms are accurate, rapid, convenient and require little training for PCV2 diagnosis. These POC platforms can discriminate viral loads to predict the clinical status of the animals. The current study provided evidence that these diagnostics were applicable with high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of PCV2 infection in the field.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.726-733
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• 2004

The growth of the critical size bubble by diffusion process in viscoelastic medium was treated by an integral method for the concentration boundary layer adjacent to the bubble wall. In this study, we obtained a set of the first order time dependent equations to obtain bubble radius and gas pressure inside the bubble simultaneously. The calculated final cell sizes depending on the initial saturation pressure are in close agreement with the observed ones. The governing equations developed in this study may be used in polymer processing of microcellular foams.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2004.02a
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• pp.28-41
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• 2004

The study is aimed to assess the usefulness of the mixture design for spent resin immobilization in cement. Although a considerable amount of research has been carried out to determine the limits for the composition of an acceptable resin-cement mixture, no efficient experimental strategy exists that explores the full properties of waste form against composition relationship. In order to gain an overall view, this report introduces the method of mixture design and mixture analysis, and describes the design of experiment of the 5-component mixture with the constraint conditions. The mathematic models of 28-day compressive strength varying with the ingredients are fitted, and the main effect and interaction effect of two ingredients are identified quantitatively along with the graphical interpretation using the response trace plot and contour plots.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.35-38
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• 2006

A study of electrowetting using an Octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and Z- Tetraol 2000 perfluoropolyether lubricant as hydrophobic layers on Si and $SiO_2$ wafer was performed. The $SiO_2$ layer used as insulating layer was thermally grown on the silicon wafer to a thickness of 220-230 nm. The results demonstrated that the contact angle decreased from $100^{\circ}$ to $80^{\circ}$ at 28 V applied potential on $SiO_2$ wafer coated with OTS and the contact angle appeared to be reversible. However, the contact angle on the $SiO_2$ wafer coated with Z- Tetraol 2000 was not observable at 28 V applied potential. Furthermore, the contact angle on the Si wafer coated with OTS or Z- Tetraol 2000 appeared to be irreversible due to the generation of electrolysis in the droplet. It is concluded that it is feasible to use SAM as a hydrophobic layer in electrowetting applications.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.171-180
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• 2019

This paper presents a restart iterative approach for time-domain flutter analysis of long-span bridges using the commercial FE package ANSYS. This approach utilizes the recursive formats of impulse-response-function expressions for bridge's aeroelastic forces. Nonlinear dynamic equilibrium equations are iteratively solved by using the restart technique in ANSYS, which enable the equilibrium state of system to get back to last moment absolutely during iterations. The condition for the onset of flutter instability becomes that, at a certain wind velocity, the amplitude of vibration is invariant with time. A long-span suspension bridge was taken as a numerical example to verify the applicability and accuracy of the proposed method by comparing calculated results with wind tunnel tests. The proposed method enables the bridge designers and engineering practitioners to carry out time-domain flutter analysis of bridges in commercial FE package ANSYS.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.69-75
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• 2006

The objective of the study was to assess the general characteristics and motility characteristics with Computer Assisted Sperm Analyzer (CASA) system in Jeju horse semen. Semen was collected from 5 fertile Jeju horse by use of a Missouri type artificial vagina. Semen volume and pH were recorded, and sperm concentration was determined with a hematocytometer and motional characteristics of sperm were analysed by CASA. The viability and morphological abnormalities were assessed by a vital staining. The average volume of ejaculates was 42.5 ml and the average of sperm concentration was $198.5x10^6/m1$. The motional characteristics in Jeju horse semen was showed $70.4{\pm}28.7{\mu}m/s\;for\;VAP,\;69.6{\pm}28.9{\mu}m/s\;for\;VSL,\;94.1{\pm}30.0{\mu}m/s\;fo\;VCL,\;2.3{\pm}0.7{\mu}m/s\;for\;ALH,\;7.6{\pm}1.1Hz\;for\;BCF,\;99.1{\pm}1.2%\;for\;STR,\;and\;77.1{\pm}12.7%\;for\;LIN$. The percentage of sperm with abnormal head, midpiece and tail was 4.2%, 20.6%, 4.6% respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.236-243
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• 2015

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a major side effect of anti-cancer drugs, and our knowledge of its mechanisms is lacking. Several models for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy have been introduced. However, the outcomes of these models differ significantly among laboratories. Our object was to create a model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in rats with cancer. Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Mammary rat metastasis tumor (MRMT-1) cells were implanted subcutaneously in rats. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy was induced by injection of cisplatin once a day for four days. The responses to mechanical and thermal stimuli were examined using von Frey filaments, acetone, and radiant heat. Results: Cisplatin (2 mg/kg/day) produced mechanical allodynia, while it did not induce cold allodynia or thermal hyperalgesia. This dose of cisplatin could work successfully against cancer. Body weight loss was not observed in cisplatin-treated rats, nor were other abnormal behaviors noted in the same rats. Conclusions: Repeated injection of intraperitoneal cisplatin induced peripheral neuropathic pain in rats. Thus, this type of rat model has broad applicability in studies related to searching for the mechanism of cisplatin-induced mechanical allodynia and agents for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2010

Dredged silt from reservoirs in southern Taiwan was sintered to make lightweight aggregates (LWA), which were then used to produce high-performance lightweight aggregate concrete (HPLWC). The HPLWC was manufactured using different amounts of mixing water (140, 150, and 160 $kg/m^3$) and LWA of different particle densities (700, 1100, and 1500 $kg/m^3$) at different W/b ratios (0.28, 0.32, and 0.4). Results show that the lightweight aggregates of dredged silt taken in southern Taiwan perform better than the general lightweight aggregates. In addition, the HPLWC possessed high workability with a slump of 230-270 mm, and a slump flow of 450-610 mm, high compressive strength of over 40 MPa after 28 days of curing, good strength efficiency of cement exceeding $0.1MPa/kg/m^3$, low thermal conductivity of 0.4-0.8 $kcal/mh^{\circ}C$, shrinkage of less than $4.8{\times}10^{-4}$, and high electrical resistivity of above 40 $k{\Omega}-cm$. The above findings prove that HPLWC made from dredged silt can help enhance durability of concrete and provide and an ecological alternative use of dredged silt.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.32-38
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• 2014

Food consumption and conversion efficiency of eri silkworm Samia ricini Donovan were studied during $4^{th}$ and $5^{th}$ larval instars by feeding castor leaves fortified with 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 ppm concentrations of aqueous extracts of cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis. The nutritional indices viz., ingesta, digesta, approximate digestibility (%), reference ratio and efficiency parameters like ECI and ECD were recorded which were significantly high at 400 ppm concentration treated batches of $4^{th}$ instar larvae over control batches. The decline in nutritional efficiency parameters of $5^{th}$ instar treated larvae might be due to higher utilization of the digested food for metabolic activities. Significant difference of ECI to cocoon % and non-significant difference of ECD to cocoon% and shell were observed between the treatments and control. Cyanabacteria feed supplement contains antibiotic and nutritions factors which has reflective effect on the biological parameters in eri silkworm and therefore has greater application in commercial eri silkworm rearing.