• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.675-682
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• 2015

The effects of diclazuril on the bursa of Fabricius (BF) structure and secretory IgA (SIgA) expression in chickens infected with Eimeria tenella were examined. The morphology of the BF was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, while ultrastructural changes were monitored by transmission electron microscopy. E. tenella infection caused the BF cell volumes to decrease, irregularly arranged, as well as, enlargement of the intercellular space. Diclazuril treatment alleviated the physical signs of damages associated with E. tenella infection. The SIgA expression in BF was analyzed by immunohistochemistry technique. The SIgA expression increased significantly by 350.4% (P<0.01) after E. tenella infection compared to the normal control group. With the treatment of diclazuril, the SIgA was relatively fewer in the cortex, and the expression level was significantly decreased by 46.7% (P<0.01) compared with the infected and untreated group. In conclusion, E. tenella infection in chickens induced obvious harmful changes in BF morphological structure and stimulated the expression of SIgA in the BF. Diclazuril treatment effectively alleviated the morphological changes. This result demonstrates a method to develop an immunological strategy in coccidiosis control.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2335-2340
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• 2014

Paclitaxel is hydrophobic in nature and is recognized as a highly toxic anticancer drug, showing adverse effects in normal body sites. In this study, we developed a polymeric nano drug carrier for safe delivery of the paclitaxel to the cancer that releases the drug in a sustained manner and reduces side effects. N-isopropylacrylamide/vinyl pyrrolidone (NIPAAm/VP) nanoparticles were synthesized by radical polymerization. Physicochemical characterization of the polymeric nanoparticles was conducted using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance, which confirmedpolymerization of formulated nanoparticles. Drug release was assessed using a spectrophotometer and cell viability assays were carried out on the MCF-7 breast cancer and B16F0 skin cancer cell lines. NIPAAm/VP nanoparticles demonstrated a size distribution in the 65-108 nm range and surface charge measured -15.4 mV. SEM showed the nanoparticles to be spherical in shape with a slow drug release of ~70% in PBS at $38^{\circ}C$ over 96 h. Drug loaded nanoparticles were associated with increased viability of MCF-7 and B16F0 cells in comparison to free paclitaxel. Nano loaded paclitaxel shows high therapeutic efficiency by sustained release action for the longer period of time, i increasing its efficacy and biocompatibility for human cancer therapy. Therefore, paclitaxel loaded (NIPAAm/VP) nanoparticles may provide opportunities to expand delivery of the drug for clinical selection.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.1353-1359
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• 2001

The present study was undertaken to assess the influence of dimethyl-sulfoxide plus sucrose solution as a cryoprotectant on the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, the ultrastructure and the embryonic development of bovine oocytes matured in vitro. We measured the amount of ATP in cumulus cells enclosed oocytes (CO) or denuded oocytes (DO) equilibrated with or removed from the cryoprotectant (1.5 M DMSO + 0.25 M sucrose + 20% fetal bovine serum in physiological saline). As a result, the ATP contents in both CO and DO, equilibrated with the cryoprotectant, were significantly lower (p<0.05) than that of the each control group. However, ATP content of DO was recovered to the level of the control group ailer removal of the cryoprotectant, but failed to restore for CO. In the observation of the ultrastructure by a transmission electron microscope, all of the mitochondria in the ooplasm of CO and DO equilibrated with the cryoprotectant were swollen with peripherally located cristae following decreased electron density. However, a large proportion of these swollen mitochondria were restored to the normal shape which can be observed usually in the control group after removal from the cryoprotectant. To the contrary, the morphology of many mitochondria of the cumulus cells in CO were not recovered to that of the control group after removal of the cryoprotectant. CO with removed cryoprotectant had significantly lower embryonic development up to the blastocysts stage (p<0.05) after in vitro fertilization compared with that in the control group. These results suggest that the addition and removal of a cryoprotectant has a negative effect for the ATP content of cumulus enclosed oocytes. One of the factor(s) causing the lower embryonic development after removal of cryoprotectant, may be associated with ATP metabolism.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

Purpose: Several morphometric studies have been performed to investigate brain abnormalities in congenitally deaf people. But no report exists concerning structural brain abnormalities in congenitally deaf adolescents. We evaluated the regional volume changes in gray matter (GM) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in congenitally deaf adolescents. Materials and Methods: A VBM8 methodology was applied to the T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of eight congenitally deaf adolescents (mean age, 15.6 years) and nine adolescents with normal hearing. All MRI scans were normalized to a template and then segmented, modulated, and smoothed. Smoothed GM data were tested statistically using analysis of covariance (controlled for age, gender, and intracranial cavity volume). Results: The mean values of age, gender, total volumes of GM, and total intracranial volume did not differ between the two groups. In the auditory centers, the left anterior Heschl's gyrus and both inferior colliculi showed decreased regional GM volume in the congenitally deaf adolescents. The GM volumes of the lingual gyri, nuclei accumbens, and left posterior thalamic reticular nucleus in the midbrain were also decreased. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that early deprivation of auditory stimulation in congenitally deaf adolescents might have caused significant underdevelopment of the auditory cortex (left Heschl's gyrus), subcortical auditory structures (inferior colliculi), auditory gain controllers (nucleus accumbens and thalamic reticular nucleus), and multisensory integration areas (inferior colliculi and lingual gyri). These defects might be related to the absence of general auditory perception, the auditory gating system of thalamocortical transmission, and failure in the maturation of the auditory-to-limbic connection and the auditorysomatosensory-visual interconnection.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.9 no.4 s.33
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• pp.515-521
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• 1997

The effects of heat treatment and fiber orientation on tensile strength and fatigue behavior were studied in a continuously reinforced. magnesium-based composite Following an earlier TEM investigation, specimens were thermally aged to modified the interfacial zone between the alumina fibers and the magnesium alloy matrix. From the tensile experimental results, the ultimate tensile strength of the aged specimens were lower than that of the as-fabricated due to weak fiber-matrix interfacial strength with chemical reaction during the thermal processing. The fatigue crack growth experiments were conducted with specimens having the fiber orientation normal to the crack growth direction (longitudinal) and also specimens with the fibers oriented parallel to the crack growth direction(transverse). A comparison of the fatigue crack growth behavior indicates that aged longitudinal specimens are more resistant to fatigue crack growth the as-fabricated longitudinal specimens. Conversely, as-fabricated transverse specimens are more resistant to fatigue crack growth than aged transverse specimens.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2018

Coupling is a mechanical component that transmits rotational force by connecting two shafts. Curvic coupling is widely used in high-performance systems because of its excellent power transmission efficiency and easy machining. However, coupling applications change dynamic behavior by reducing the stiffness of an entire system. Contact surface stiffness is an important parameter that determines the dynamic behavior of a system. In addition, the roughness profile of a contact surface is the most important parameter for obtaining contact stiffness. In this study, we theoretically establish the process of contact and bending stiffness analysis by considering the rough surface contact at Curvic coupling. Surface roughness parameters are obtained from Nayak's random process, and the normal contact stiffness of a contact surface is calculated using the Greenwood and Williamson model in the elastic region and the Jackson and Green model in the elastic-plastic region. The shape of the Curvic coupling contact surface is obtained by modeling a machined shape through an actual machining tool. Based on this modeling, we find the maximum number of gear teeth that can be machined according to the contact angle. Curvic coupling stiffness is calculated by considering the contact angle, and the calculation process is divided into stick and slip conditions. Based on this process, we investigate the stiffness characteristics according to the contact angle.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2319-2324
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• 2012

In this paper, the design of asymmetric branch line couplers using artificial dielectric substrate (ADS) is described. The effective permittivity and permeability increase in ADS because of the lots of the inserted via-holes. So the physical length and width of transmission lines realized on ADS are reduced compared to the standard lines. This enables one to design size-reduced microwave circuits. As an instance in this work, an asymmetric branch line coupler with the ratio of 3:1 is designed at 2GHz. The designed coupler has a small size of 53.4% compared to the normal circuit while the same performances are preserved. A good agreement between the simulated and measured asymmetric power dividing ratio is shown. The measured loss is only less than 0.2dB, which is a very small value.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 1991

Butylated hrdroxyanisole(BHA), a widely used food additive phenolic antioxidant, is known to inhibit cancer formations inducible with a wide variety of chemical carcinogens including aflatoxin $B_1(AFB_1)$. Thus, in the present study morphological characteristics underlying the hepatoprotective effects of BHA against $AFB_1$ inducible ultrastructural changes of hepatocytes have been examined. The obtained results are as follows : 1 . Livers obtained from rats treated with $AFB_1$ in vivo have been examined with transmission electron microscope. Among the many hepatocellular structural aberrations induced by $AFB_1$ treatment, the nuclear chromatins were found to be distributed irregularly('cap formation') and the nuclear membrane was found to be partially segregated. Furthermore, there were many lipid droplets, hyperplasia of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, dialated rough endoplasmic reticulum and, lysosomes arrested at various stages of its development. 2. Also, when $AFB_1$ was given in vitro to hepatocytes which have been isolated from untreated normal rats and examined under scanning electron microscope, there were much 'blobbing' phenomena resulting from cytoskeletal disturbances. 3. However, in the liver obtained from rats pretreated with BHA and then give the $AFB_1$, the observed morphological aberrations were in much reduced extent. Similarly, the BHA-hepatocytes had much decreased severity in the $AFB_1$ inducible blob formations.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.357-366
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• 1996

The present experiments aimed to investigate the metabolism of calcium during oocyte maturation in rat. The concentration of free calcium and calmodulin in oocytes was measured respectively by using of fluo-3/AM and FITC with microscope fluorescence spectrometer. The ultrastructural localization of calcium precipitates in oocytes was observed with the transmission electron microscope. Cumulus-free immature oocytes(GV-oocyte) were cultured in vitro through 15 hours. The free calcium concentration in GV oocyte was $55.9{\pm}3.5nM$. In calcium-containing medium, the free calcium concentration was increased in germinal vesicle breakdown(GVBD) oocyte($64.2{\pm}7.3nM$). In normal medium after calcium chelator treatment ($10{\mu}M$ BAPTA/AM), the free calcium contents were slightly lower than those in control group. In calcium-free medium, the free calcium content was drastically increased in GVBD($72.7{\pm}3.4nM$) and metaphase I - anaphase I ($88.0{\pm}3.4nM$) oocyte. In maturation rate of oocytes, GVBD rate was high in control group($82.9{\pm}6.55%$) and calcium chelator treatment group($91.2{\pm}4.4%$), but in calcium-free medium group, it was low and then the oocyte was degenerated without polar body formation. Relative content of calmodulin in oocyte was significantly(P<0.001) increased in metaphase I - anaphase I than in GV and GVBD oocyte. The calcium precipitates were observed in mitochondria and cytoplasm of GV oocyte but that were not observed in mitochondria of GVBD and metaphase I - anaphase I oocyte. And then the calcium precipitates reappeared in mitochondria of metaphase II oocyte. The above results indicate that changes in free calcium and calmodulin concentration of oocyte occur according to the maturational stages and the extracellular calcium is required during oocyte maturation. Also change of calcium localization in oocyte occurs according to the maturational stages.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.156-159
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• 2013

Background: Cardiac pacemakers are known to be susceptible to strong electromagnetic fields (EMFs). This in vivo study investigated occurrence of electromagnetic interference with pacemakers caused by common environmental sources of EMFs. Methods: Eleven volunteers with a pacemaker were exposed to EMFs produced by two mobile phone base stations, an electrically powered commuter train, and an overhead high voltage transmission lines. All the pacemakers were programmed in normal clinically selected settings with bipolar sensing and pacing configurations. Results: None of the pacemakers experienced interference in any of these exposure situations. However, often it is not clear whether or not strong EMFs exist in various work environments, and hence an individual risk assessment is needed. Conclusions: Modern pacemakers are well shielded against external EMFs, and workers with a pacemaker can most often return to their previous work after having a pacemaker implanted. However, an appropriate risk assessment is still necessary after the implantation of a pacemaker, a change of its generator, or major modification of its programming settings.