• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

As the interest on the air pollution is gradually rising up at home and abroad, automotive and fuel researchers have been working on the exhaust emission reduction from vehicles through a lot of approaches, which consist of new engine design, innovative after-treatment systems, using clean (eco-friendly alternative) fuels and fuel quality improvement. This research has brought forward various main issues : whether PM emissions should be regulated for diesel and gasoline vehicles and whether gasoline and LPG powered vehicles can be further neglected from PM emission inventories. Finally, the greenhouse gas regulation has been discussed including automotive emission regulation. The greenhouse gas and emissions of automotive had many problem that cause of ambient pollution, health effects. Based on various test modes and ambient conditions, this paper discusses the characteristics of LPG on exhaust emissions and greenhouse gases. Also, this paper assessed emission characteristics due to the test temperature. These test temperature were performed by dividing the temperature of the test mode and the lowest local temperature in winter. Through this study, the correlation of vehicle test mode and ambient condition, exhaust emission, greenhouse gas emission was analyzed.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.26-32
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• 2015

Objectives: Rheum undulatum L. has traditionally been used for the treatment of many diseases in Asia. However, its anti-proliferative activity in cancer has still not been studied. In the present study, we investigated the anti-cancer effects of methanol extract of Rheum undulatum L. (MERL) on human adenocarcinoma gastric cell lines (AGS). Methods: To investigate the anti-cancer effect of MERL on AGS cells, we treated the AGS cells with varying concentrations of MERL and performed 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. Cell cycle analyses, measurements of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), caspase activity assays and Western blots were conducted to determine whether AGS cell death occurred by apoptosis. Results: Treatment with MERL significantly inhibited growth of AGS cells in a concentration dependent manner. MERL treatment in AGS cells leaded to increased accumulation of apoptotic sub G1 phase cells in a concentration dependent manner. In control cultures, 5.38% of the cells were in the sub G1 phase. In MERL treated cells, however, this percentage was significantly increased (9.95% at $70{\mu}g/mL$, 15.94% at $140{\mu}g/mL$, 26.56% at $210{\mu}g/mL$ and 38.08% at $280{\mu}g/mL$). MERL treatment induced the decreased expression of pro-caspase-8 and -9 in a concentration dependent manner, whereas the expression of the active form of caspase-3 was increased. A subsequent Western blot analysis revealed increased cleaved levels of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein. Also, treatment with MERL increased the activities of caspase-3 and -9 compared with the control. MERL treatment increased the levels of the pro-apoptotic truncated Bid (tBid) and Bcl2 Antagonist X (Bax) proteins and decreased the levels of the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) protein, whose is the stabilization of mitochondria. However, inhibitions of p38, extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERKs) and C-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) by MERL treatment did not affect cell death. Conclusion: These results suggest that MERL mediated cell death is associated with an intrinsic apoptotic pathway in AGS cells.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.315-318
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the changes of hormone levels of serum progesterone (P4) and estradiol-$17{\beta}$ (E2) in sows of Landrace (L), Yorkshire (Y) and F1 (L ${\times}$ Y) (respectively n=3) with excellent ability, and to provide a baseline data for improving reproductive performance. In this experiment, the sows at the age of 12 months or more were used. The sows were fed by two way methods, one is conventional methods and the other is 3 days-flushing feed before estrus. Each pig's blood was collected in 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 days after the estrus for the analyses of P4 and E2. Serum was separated by centrifugation for 15 min. with 3,000 rpm. Progesterone and estradiol-$17{\beta}$ were measured by immunochemical assay (ELIZA test). In conventional feeding, serum progesterone levels were significantly (p<0.01) higher in F1 than in L and Y. No significant differences in P4 concentrations were seen between the L and Y of sows. Serum E2 levels were similar the serum progesterone levels. In the case of flushing feed, the tendency of hormonal changes were similar to conventional methods. But almost of hormonal levels were a little higher than that of conventional methods. P4 level of L and Y in flushing feed were significantly different (p<0.01). Serum E2 level of Y in flushing feed was significantly different among the breeds (p<0.01). These results were similar to the tendency of hormonal changes in general sows and moreover, flushing feed is known to develop the swine production, these results proved the fact of the methods. And these results suggested that more studies about hormonal changes in sows according to seasonal and nutritional factors should be needed.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1709-1716
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• 2007

The health benefits of garlic (Allium sativum L.) are derived from a wide variety of components and from the different ways it is administered. The known health benefits of garlic include cardiovascular protective effects, stimulation of immune function, reduction of blood glucose level, protection against microbial, viral and fungal infections, as well as anticancer effects. In the present study, it was examined the effects of water extract of A. sativum (WEAS) on the growth of cultured human tumor cells in order to investigate its anti-proliferative mechanism. Treatment of WEAS to tumor cells resulted in the growth inhibition, especially in leukemia cells, which was associated with induction of G2/M arrest of the cell cycle and apoptosis. In order to further explore the critical events leading to apoptosis in WEAS-treated U937 human leukemia cells, the following effects of WEAS on components of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway were examined: generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), alteration of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and the expression changes of Bcl-2 and IAP family proteins. The cytotoxic effect of WEAS was mediated by its induction of apoptosis as characterized by the occurrence of DNA ladders, apoptotic bodies and chromosome condensation in U937 cells. The WEAS-induced apoptosis in U937 cells was correlated with the generation of intracellular ROS, collapse of MMP, activation of caspase-3 and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins. The quenching of ROS generation with antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine conferred significant protection against WEAS-elicited ROS generation, caspase-3 activation, G2/M arrest and apoptosis. In conclusion, the present study reveals that the cellular ROS generation plays a pivotal role in the initiation of WEAS-triggered apoptotic death in U937 cells.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.470-478
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Orostachys japonicus A. Berger (Crassulaceae) has been used in traditional herbal medicines in Korea and other Asian countries to treat various diseases, including liver disorders. In the present study, the anti-fibrotic effects of O. japonicus extract (OJE) in cellular and experimental hepatofibrotic rat models were investigated. MATERIALS/METHODS: An in vitro hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) system was used to estimate cell viability, cell cycle and apoptosis by MTT assay, flow cytometry, and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining techniques, respectively. In addition, thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis was established in Sprague Dawley rats. Briefly, animals were divided into five groups (n = 8): Control, TAA, OJE 10 (TAA with OJE 10 mg/kg), OJE 100 (TAA with OJE 100 mg/kg) and silymarin (TAA with Silymarin 50 mg/kg). Fibrosis was induced by treatment with TAA (200 mg/kg, i.p.) twice per week for 13 weeks, while OJE and silymarin were administered orally two times per week from week 7 to 13. The fibrotic related gene expression serum biomarkers glutathione and hydroxyproline were estimated by RT-PCR and spectrophotometry, respectively, using commercial kits. RESULTS: OJE (0.5 and 0.1 mg/ mL) and silymarin (0.05 mg/mL) treatment significantly (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001) induced apoptosis (16.95% and 27.48% for OJE and 25.87% for silymarin, respectively) in HSC-T6 cells when compared with the control group (9.09%). Further, rat primary HSCs showed changes in morphology in response to OJE 0.1 mg/mL treatment. In in vivo studies, OJE (10 and 100 mg/kg) treatment significantly ameliorated TAA-induced alterations in levels of serum biomarkers, fibrotic related gene expression, glutathione, and hydroxyproline (P < 0.05-P < 0.001) and rescued the histopathological changes. CONCLUSIONS: OJE can be developed as a potential agent for the treatment of hepatofibrosis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2018

Purpose: Colorectal cancer, which is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in developing and developed countries, is highly associated with obesity. The association is largely attributed to changes to western style diets in those countries containing high-fat and high-energy. Luteolin (LUT) is a known potent inhibitor of inflammation, obesity, and cancer. In this study, we investigated the effects of LUT on chemical-induced colon carcinogenesis in high fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mice. Methods: Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice received a single intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane (AOM) at a dose of 12.5 mg/kg body weight. Mice were then divided into four groups (n = 10) that received one of the following diets for 11 weeks after the AOM injection: normal diet (ND); HFD; HFD with 0.0025% LUT (HFD LL); HFD with 0.005% LUT (HFD HL). One week after AOM injection, animals received 1~2% dextran sodium sulfate in their drinking water over three cycles consisting of five consecutive days each that were separated by 16 days. Results: Body weight, ratio of colon weight/length, and tumor multiplicity increased significantly in the HFD group compared to the ND group. Luteolin supplementation of the HFD significantly reduced the ratio of colon weight/length and colon tumors, but not body weight. The levels of plasma $TNF-{\alpha}$ and colonic expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 protein increased in response to HFD, but were suppressed by LUT supplementation. Immunohistochemistry analysis also showed that iNOS expression was decreased by LUT. Conclusion: Consumption of LUT may reduce the risk of obesity-associated colorectal cancer by suppression of colonic inflammation.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.211-220
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• 2011

This study was carried out to develop salt tolerant varities of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) which can be grown in the high salty reclaimed land. The seeds of three varieties 'Naehan', 'Tammi', and 'Halla' were treated by proton ion beams and gamma rays with 0 to 2,000 Gy. For the selection of salt tolerant lines, emergence and survival rate, and growth characteristics of $M_2$ to $M_4$ generations were investigated in the Saemangeum reclaimed fields with the different salt concentrations. The lines with potential salt tolerance were selected in the $M_4$ generation and tested indoor for their growth characteristics. There was no significant changes in the soil pH for $M_4$ generation during growth period. However, soil EC was higher in early spring than sowing period (mid October). In $M_4$ generation test, the seeds of original and selected line showed high rates of emergence and survival, as determined one month after sowing. After wintering, however, the original varieties showed the significant reduction in the survival rate, while the selected lines showed a higher survival rate and good growth, leading to the completion of their life cycle. Consequently we selected 9 lines from $M_4$ generation with better performance in growth and yield. Soil EC was $2.8{\sim}4.3dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ during $M_4$ generation growth period. The laboratory test of the lines selected from $M_4$ generation was made for their salt tolerance potential. The selected lines showed higher chlorophyll and proline contents than the original varieties. There was also no significant difference in the emergence rate of seed between the original and selected varieties. In 200 mM natural sea salt, the $N{\gamma}600-21-1-641$ line derived from 'Naehan' was the highest in growth rate, leaf chlorophyll and proline contents. $T{\gamma}800-20-2-461$ line derived from 'Tammi' didn't show significant difference in growth rate compared to original variety in 200 mM and withered in 250 mM like other lines as time passed. $H{\gamma}200-7-1-740$ line showed similar growth and chlorophyll content compared to its original variety.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

The importance of high capacity energy storage devices has recently emerged for stable power supply through renewable energy generation. From this point of view, the Na-air battery (NAB), which is a next-generation secondary battery, is receiving huge attention because it can realize a high capacity through abundant and inexpensive raw materials. In this study, activated carbon-based catalysts for hybrid type Na-air batteries were prepared and their characteristics were compared and analysed. In particular, from the viewpoint of resource recycling, activated carbon (Orange-C) was prepared using discarded orange peel, and performance was compared with Vulcan carbon, which is widely used. In addition, a Pt/C catalyst (homemade-Pt/C, HM-Pt/C) was synthesized using a modified polyol method to check whether the prepared activated carbon can be used as a supported catalyst, and a commercial Pt/C catalyst (Commercial Pt/C) and electrochemical performance were compared. The prepared Orange-C exhibited a typical H3 type BET isotherm, which is evidence that micropore and mesopore exist. In addition, in the case of HM-Pt/C, it was confirmed through TEM analysis that Pt particles were evenly distributed on the activated carbon supported catalyst. In particular, the HM-Pt/C-based NAB showed the smallest voltage gap (0.224V) and good voltage efficiency (92.34%) in the 1st galvanostatic charge-discharge test. In addition, the cycle performance test conducted for 20 cycles showed the most stable performance.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.129-142
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• 2012

This study was carried out to evaluate carbon footprint during unhulled rice production and to compare mitigation technologies of methane, main carbon source during rice production, Carbon footprint of unhulled rice was a sum of $CO_2$ emission of agri-materials manufacture, rice cultivation and waste treatment. It was emitted 1.40 kg $CO_2$ during unhulled rice production, its distribution was 71.1% by $CH_4$ emission of rice cultivation, 11.8% of $N_2O$ emission by nitrogen application and 7.6% of complex fertilizer manufacture. $CH_4$ emission could be mitigated by some technologies; cultivation of the early maturing rice variety emitted lower by 44.4% than the mid maturing variety, intermittent drainage of submerged water by 43.8% than the continuous flooding condition, direct seeding by 32.0% than transplanting cultivation, no-ploughing by 20.9% than ploughing cultivation. It means that LCA on Global Warming Potential and the statistical data on innovated technical practice are key tools to systemize Measurable-Reportable-Verifiable (MRV) system for carbon footprint and carbon emission trade in the farm base.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.426-433
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• 2019

Objectives: Zooplankton communities play important roles in aquatic ecosystems as secondary producers that graze on phytoplankton and in turn are preyed upon by planktivorous and juvenile fish. They can shift their distribution, species composition, and abundance in response to environmental changes. Therefore zooplankton communities are important for understanding the energy flow in aquatic ecosystems and can be valuable indicators of environmental conditions. However, zooplankton in streams are still not well-studied, especially in northern Gyeonggi-do Province. This study aims to investigate the zooplankton communities in major streams in northern Gyeonggi-do Province. Methods: Zooplankton is important in the nutrient cycle and energy flow of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, we surveyed zooplankton and measured temperature, DO, BOD, COD, T-N, T-P, and Chl-a in major streams (Sincheon, Gongneungcheon, Wangsukcheon, and Gapyeongcheon Streams) and stagnant water (Gomoji Reservoir). Results: The water quality in Gapyeongcheon Stream was the highest grade, while that of Gomoji Reservoir was mesoeutrophic and eutrophic during the research period. In the zooplankton community, Nauplius, Rotaria, and Monostyla spp. were dominant in Sincheon, Gongneungcheon, and Wangsukcheon Streams, and the dominance index was also high. In the case of Gapyeongcheon Stream, it was found that water quality and aquatic ecosystem health were good, and the lowest dominance index reflected this. In Gomoji Reservoir, Polyarthra spp., Nauplius, and Bosmina longirostris, which can be easily observed as eutrophication progresses, showed a high dominance rate. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the progress of eutrophication in further research. Conclusions: We collected data on the zooplankton communities in streams and investigated their characteristics. As a result, specific species were found to be dominant at each survey sites and some of them are known to be observed as eutrophication progresses. Therefore, we should investigate the zooplankton community of streams around us and apply ecological stream management.