• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.255-264
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• 2014

This study was performed to elucidate the biochemical mechanism of metabolism on reducing blood lipid, by oral administration of egg yolk in rats. A total of 36 Sprague Dawley male rats were randomized into four treatment groups, according to a randomized block design. Each group was further divided into three repeat cages, with each repeat cage comprising of 3 rats. The animals were orally administered with egg yolk once a day, while feeding the same purified pellet diet for 6 weeks. The four treatment groups were: C(control, saline 1.0 g), T1(pork belly oil 1.0 g), T2(egg yolk 1.0 g), T3(pork belly oil 1.0 g and egg yolk 1.0 g alternating every week). The measured parameters in each group are listed as follows in the order of highest to the lowest: daily average gain of body weight(T1>T3>T2>C); blood triglyceride and total cholesterol(T1>C>T3>T2) HDL-C (T2>C>T3>T1); and LDL-C (T1>T3>C>T2). AST and ALT, which are the index of liver function, were the highest in T1 but was lowest in T2. The weights of the liver, spleen, and kidney, except for the abdominal fat, showed no significant difference. The weight of abdominal fat was the highest in T1, but there were no significant difference among C, T2, and T3. The HMG-CoA reductase activity was the highest in T1 followed by T3, C but T2 was lowest. The daily fecal excretions of the total sterol, neutral sterol and acid sterol was highest in T2 but lowest in T1. The results of this study show that the egg consumption reduces the blood lipid through facilitation of fecal excretions of sterols and inhibition of enzyme activity in cholesterol biosynthesis, in the liver of animal and human.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.139-148
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• 2017

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate family caregivers' opinions about out-of-pocket payment for long-term care (LTC) facilities, and find the differences in the opinions for family caregivers of all different levels of income. Methods: We used the data of the study on out-of-pocket payment in national long-term care insurance, including 1,552 family caregivers with the elderly in long-term care facilities. Results: The average out-of-pocket payment per month was 511,635 Korean won and distributed from 230,750 to 1,365,570 Korean won. The amount of out-of-pocket payment might be affected by not co-payment but the cost of non-covered service. There were differences in them for family caregivers of all different levels of income. Opinions were surveyed about 5 issues. By levels of income, there were differences in their opinions about 3 issues, the financial burden on LTC, the necessity of reducing out-of-pocket payments, and to be willing to pay more for a high quality service. But there were not different opinions about the interruption of LTC service and staying with LTC facilities. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the range of out-of-pocket payment for LTC facility is wide and it can be a burden to lower income group. It should be to prepare the policies to ease the financial burden and support the appropriate LTC use.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.149-154
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• 2005

Fuel cell performance evaluation logic was developed using G-language (LabVIEW) to measure performance stability. Degree of stability and reliability of performance data were improved with averaged value and standard deviation method. Water injection system was introduced and the performance using this method was comparable to that of conventional humidification method. Water injection system has advantage of lowering operation energy consumption, reducing the number of parts needed in humidification, therefore increasing efficiency of fuel cell system. Fuel cell performance was decreased in case of low temperature operation such as sub freezing condition. Air purge method was tested to reduce the water content in cell fixture before sub freezing condition. The performance degradation due to low temperature operation was minimized by air purge method in medium size cell fixture ($25cm^2$) case.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.371-377
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• 2017

Muscle atrophy is characterized by a decrease in the mass of the muscle. With an increase in life expectancy and chronic illnesses, the incidence of muscle atrophy is increasing and the quality of life of patients is decreasing. Thus, reducing muscle atrophy is of high clinical and socio-economic importance. Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that has been used as a traditional medicine in many countries to treat various human illnesses. It has been reported that Korean mistletoe extract (KME) has diverse biological functions including anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity properties, and extension of lifespan. Especially, we have recently reported that KME improves exercise endurance in mice, indicating its beneficial roles in enhancing the capacity of skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated whether KME could activate the signaling pathway related to protein synthesis in a mouse model of muscle atrophy. Interestingly, KME efficiently activated the Akt/mTOR pathway, and Akt and mTOR are important signaling hub molecules for the acceleration of protein synthesis in muscle cells. In addition, KME also increased the activity of S6 kinase which is involved in the regulation of muscle cell size. Moreover, the ERK activity, required for transcription of ribosomal RNA for protein synthesis, was also enhanced in KME-treated mouse muscle. These data support the idea that KME increases muscle mass via increased protein synthesis. Our findings also suggest that Korean mistletoe might be a promising candidate for the development of functional foods that are beneficial for preventing muscle atrophy.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.172-176
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming an important public health problem as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes have become epidemic. In this study we investigated the protective effect of Cordyceps militaris (C. militaris) against NAFLD in an obese mouse model. MATERIALS/METHODS: Four-week-old male ob/ob mice were fed an AIN-93G diet or a diet containing 1% C. militaris water extract for 10 weeks after 1 week of adaptation. Serum glucose, insulin, free fatty acid (FFA), alanine transaminase (ALT), and proinflammatory cytokines were measured. Hepatic levels of lipids, glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxide were determined. RESULTS: Consumption of C. militaris significantly decreased serum glucose, as well as homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), in ob/ob mice. In addition to lowering serum FFA levels, C. militaris also significantly decreased hepatic total lipids and triglyceride contents. Serum ALT activities and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were reduced by C. militaris. Consumption of C. militaris increased hepatic GSH and reduced lipid peroxide levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that C. militaris can exert protective effects against development of NAFLD, partly by reducing inflammatory cytokines and improving hepatic antioxidant status in ob/ob mice.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 2014

The effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers esterified in diacylglycerol (DAG)-rich oil on lipid metabolism was investigated. Since dietary DAG has been known to induce the regression of atherosclerosis, CLA-DAG and olive-DAG oils containing similar levels of DAG (51.4~54.2%) were synthesized from olive oil. Hyperlipidemic C57BL/6J mice were then fed high-fat high-cholesterol diets supplemented with these oils (5% each) for 7 wk. The CLA-DAG diet containing 2.1% CLA isomers (0.78% c9,t11-CLA; 1.18% t10,c12-CLA) remarkably increased the levels of total plasma cholesterol and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) along with hepatic cholesterol and triacylglycerol (TAG) contents. Furthermore, the CLA-DAG diet inhibited fat uptake into adipose tissue whereas fat deposition (especially in the liver) was increased, resulting in the development of fatty livers. Hepatic fatty acid composition in the CLA-DAG mice was different from that of the olive-DAG mice, showing higher ratios of C16:1/C16:0 and C18:1/C18:0 in the liver. The activity of hepatic acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) was higher in CLA-DAG mice while plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity and the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) were lower in CLA-DAG mice compared to the olive-DAG animals. Results of the present study suggest that CLA incorporation into DAG oil could induce atherosclerosis in mice.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 2020

In this study, the current state of management efficiency of ocean carriers in Korea and the factors affecting them were analyzed. The purpose of this research is to enhance global competitiveness of ocean carriers by presenting suggestions that can improve management efficiency based on the analysis results. The measurement of management efficiency was made using the DEA model. The results of testing the adequacy of the input and output variables used are as follows. Appropriate inputs are total assets, cost of goods sold, charter expenses, sales and general management expenses, and interest expenses. Appropriate variables are sales, operating income, and operating cash flow. According to the analysis results of the DEA model by these variables, inefficient carriers (78%) are nearly four times more than efficient carriers(22%). However, container carriers have the most improved management efficiency compared to 2016 and 2017. According to the panel regression analysis, the charter rate has the greatest negative impact on efficiency (CRS), and the debt rate has a significant negative impact. Thus, it appears that reducing the charter size and the debt-to-sale rate facilitate improvement of the management efficiency of ocean carriers. Additionally, the pre-sales tax return rate, value added rate, total asset turnover rate, and the scale variable and interest coverage rate have a positive (+) effect. Thus ocean carriers should restore their global competitiveness by improving management efficiency by securing stable cargoes increasing sales profitability from the cost management perspective, increasing productivity, and enhancing the efficiency of their total assets through efficient fleet management.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.1064-1069
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• 2014

The use of emulsified fuel and EGR (Exhaust gas recirculation) system are effective methods to reduce NOx emission from diesel engines. In general, it is considered that EGR method influences diesel engine combustion in three different ways: thermal, chemical and dilution effect. Among others, the thermal effect is related to the increase of specific heat capacity due to the presence of $CO_2$ and $H_2O$ in inlet air. Meanwhile, emulsified fuel method of utilizing latent heat of vaporization and miro-explosion has been recognized as an effective technique for reducing diesel engine emissions. In this paper, an author studied on combustion and emission characteristics by using emulsified fuel (EF, Light oil : 80% + Water : 20%) and EGR (30% EGR ratio) system. And the effect of fuel injection pattern control was investigated.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.377-386
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• 2009

The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of temperature and salt concentration on the physicochemical properties of salted Chinese cabbage. Salted Chinese cabbage samples were prepared with various concentrations of salt(4, 5, 6 and 7%), and were stored for 10 days at three temperatures(8, 14, and $25^{\circ}C$). The salting ratio of Chinese cabbage evidenced a decreasing trend regardless of the salting temperature and salt concentration, and their decrement appeared relatively high as the salting temperature increased. The period required to achieve a critical salting ratio(85%) decreased with increases in the salt concentration at $25^{\circ}C$, and a similar trend was observed at lower temperatures(8 and $14^{\circ}C$). The salinity of all samples evidenced an increasing trend during the salting period, and at $25^{\circ}C$, in particular, a continuous increment was observed. At salt concentrations of 4%, the critical salinity(2.2%) was not achieved regardless of the temperature and salting period. The pH of salted Chinese cabbage achieved critical pH in 3 days at a salting temperature of $25^{\circ}C$, but the critical pH 5.5 of samples at 8 and $14^{\circ}C$ appeared after a long period of approximately 4 to 10 days. The average hardness values of salted Chinese cabbage at a salting ratio of 85% were approximately 1.49 MPa, 1.87 MPa, and 1.97 MPa, respectively, at three temperatures($25^{\circ}C$, $14^{\circ}C$, and $8^{\circ}C$). The initial reducing sugar content of cabbage juice was 11.8 mg/$m{\ell}$, and this value decreased substantially to 3 to 5 mg/$m{\ell}$ on day 1.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2015

In this paper, we have developed the gantry automation system via information technology (IT) to improve the productivity of fuel filter manufacturing process. The monitoring system of manufacturing process plays an important role in analyzing the defective products as well as improving the production yield rate. The experimental results of 3 months with 10000 samples validate that the error rate is decreased from 0.65 % to 0.45 %. Also, the defect of raw material is decreased via monitoring of material tools which can notify the time for replacement and accurate insertion of raw materials to the loader. The productivity is increased by reducing the process time from 94.7 sec to 78.8 sec per raw material through comparing the whole manufacturing courses : from inserting of raw material to outcome of product. The process time is decreased by 20.2 % by automation of inserting and outcome course. Moreover, safety of worker as well as reduction of transfer time are highly related with increase of productivity.