• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권9호
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• pp.1401-1411
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• 2019

Mycobacterial cell walls comprise thick and diverse lipids and glycolipids that act as a permeability barrier to antibiotics or other chemical agents. The use of OH radicals from a non-thermal plasma jet (NTPJ) for the inactivation of mycobacteria in aqueous solution was adopted as a novel approach. Addition of water vapor in a nitrogen plasma jet generated OH radicals, which converted to hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) that inactivated non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis and pathogenic Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. A stable plasma plume was obtained from a nitrogen plasma jet with 1.91 W of power, killing Escherichia coli and mycobacteria effectively, whereas addition of catalase decreased the effects of the former. Mycobacteria were more resistant than E. coli to NTPJ treatment. Plasma treatment enhanced intracellular ROS production and upregulation of genes related to ROS stress responses (thiolrelated oxidoreductases, such as SseA and DoxX, and ferric uptake regulator furA). Morphological changes of M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis H37Rv were observed after 5 min treatment with $N_2+H_2O$ plasma, but not of pre-incubated sample with catalase. This finding indicates that the bactericidal efficacy of NTPJ is related to the toxicity of OH and $H_2O_2$ radicals in cells. Therefore, our study suggests that NTPJ treatment may effectively control pulmonary infections caused by M. tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) such as M. avium or M. abscessus in water.

• 환경분석과 독성보건
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.243-251
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• 2018

Pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluents have been recognized as emerging pollutants threatening freshwater organisms. To extend understanding for bioaccumulation and toxicity in those organisms, information on biotransformation products (or metabolites) and their metabolic pathway are crucial. The aim of the present study is to identify and elucidate metabolites of pharmaceuticals formed in exposed organisms using suspect and nontarget screening approach using LC-HRMS. As the target pharmaceuticals, carbamazepine, ketoprofen, metoprolol, propranolol, and verapamil were selected whereas Daphnia magna and Gammarus pulex were used as test organisms. After 24h exposure, metabolites formed in the organisms were identified using LC-HRMS. The structures of metabolites were elucidated via analysis of MS/MS fragment pattern and the comparison with fragment database. As the results, a total of 10 metabolites were identified for 5 parent compounds (C253/C356 for carbamazepine, K211 for ketoprofen, M256 for metoprolol, P218/P276/P306 for propranolol, V196/V291/V441 for verapamil). Among them, the presence of C253 and V291 was confirmed using standard materials. Most of the identified metabolites were formed through oxidative reactions such as hydroxylation, N-demethylation, and dealkylation. Cysteine conjugation (phase II reaction) metabolite (C356) for carbamazepine was found in daphnia. The metabolic pathway of verapamil showed similar metabolic pathways and metabolic pathways for both species. Although the toxicological information on the identified metabolites could not be confirmed, the molecular structure information of the proposed metabolites can be used for future evaluation and prediction of toxicity.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.255-263
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• 2022

Lime stabilization has conventionally been listed amid the key techniques of chemical stabilization. Replacing lime with sustainable agro-based by-products have gained prominence in recent decades. Bagasse ash (BA) is one such potential alternatives, an industrial waste with abundance in production, and industries exploring sustainable solutions for its safe disposal. Supplementing BA with lime could be an ideal approach to reduce lime consumption. However, suitability of BA and lime for the stabilization of expansive clays, such as black cotton (BC) soil is yet to be explored. This paper therefore aims to investigate the suitability of BA-lime mixtures to stabilize BC soil with emphasis to compaction behaviors and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) using standard laboratory procedures. Suitability of BA-lime mixture is then assessed against addition of calcium sulphate which, from previous experience, is detrimental with lime stabilization. Experimental outcomes nominate 15% BA as the optimum value observed from both compaction and UCS data, while addition of 4% lime to 15% BA showed the best results. Mineralogical and microstructural analysis show the presence of cementitious compounds with addition of lime and calcium sulphate with curing periods. While, formation of Ettringite needles were noted with the addition of calcium sulphate in BA-lime mixtures (at optimum values) after 90-day curing, and UCS results showed a decrease at this point. To this end, addition of BA in lime stabilization showed encouraging results as assessed from the compaction and UCS results. Nonetheless usage of calcium salts, with utmost emphasis on calcium sulphate and equivalent should be avoided.

• 센서학회지
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• 제30권6호
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• pp.369-375
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• 2021

In this study, heterogeneous ZnO/CNTF composites were developed to improve the NO₂-sensing response, facilitated by the self-heating property. Highly conductive and mechanically stable CNTFs were prepared by a wet-spinning process assisted by the liquid crystal (LC) behavior of CNTs. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of ZIF-8 were precipitated on the surface of the CNTF (ZIF-8/CNTF) via one-pot synthesis in solution. The subsequent calcination process resulted in the formation of the ZnO/CNTF composites. The calcination temperatures were controlled at 400, 500, and 600 ℃ in an N₂ atmosphere to confirm the evolution of the microstructures and NO₂-sensing properties. Gas sensor characterization was performed at 100 ℃ by applying a DC voltage to induce Joule heating through the CNTF. The results revealed that the ZnO/CNTF composite after calcination at 500 ℃ (ZnO/CNTF-500) exhibited an improved response (R_air/R_gas = 1.086) toward 20 ppm NO₂ as compared to the pristine CNTF (R_air/R_gas = 1.063). Selective NO₂-sensing properties were demonstrated with negligible responses toward interfering gas species such as H₂S, NH₃, CO, and toluene. Our approach for the synthesis of MOF-driven ZnO/CNTF composites can provide a new strategy for the fabrication of wearable gas sensors integrated with textile materials.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.189-201
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• 2022

Jellyfish is an emerging aquaculture species, farmed for Oriental cuisines and nutraceutical ingredients. This study aimed to examine antioxidative and antimicrobial potentials of various fractions of the jellyfish, Acromitus hardenbergi. The bell and oral arms of the jellyfish were sequentially extracted with petroleum ether (PE), dichloromethane (DCM), chloroform (CHCl₃), methanol (MeOH), and water (H₂O) to extract its bioactive in an increasing polarity gradient. Test fractions were assayed for antiradical activities using electron spin resonance spectrometry, β-carotene-linoleate model and Folin-Ciocalteu assay; and antimicrobial activity against 2 Gram-negative bacteria, 4 Gram-positive bacteria and 2 fungal species using the disc diffusion assay. All fractions were also subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis to identify types of functional groups present. It was found that the hydrophilic extracts (H₂O fractions) possessed the most effective radical scavenging activity (p < 0.05) while the lipophilic extracts (PE fractions) the most active antimicrobial activity, especially against Gram-positive bacteria (p < 0.05). Total oxidation substrates content was found to be highest in the PE fractions of jellyfish bell and oral arms (p < 0.05). FTIR data showed that the H₂O and MeOH fractions contains similar functional groups including -OH, -C=O, -N-H and -S=O groups, while the PE, DCM, and CHCl₃ fractions, the -CH₃, -COOH groups. This study showed that A. hardenbergi contains antioxidants and antimicrobials, thereby supporting the traditional claim of the jellyfish as an anti-aging and health-promoting functional food. Bioassay-guided fractionation approach serves as a critical milestone for the strategic screening, purification, and elucidation of therapeutically significant actives from jellyfish.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제56권5호
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• pp.523-536
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• 2023

Purpose: This study investigated the association between sleep problems and food allergies (FAs) in Chinese preschoolers and assessed whether there is a difference in this association among children with/without siblings. Methods: A cluster-stratified sampling approach was employed to select four districts in Chongqing based on demographic considerations. A total of 16 kindergartens (n = 966 parents) participated in this study. Parents completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and a standard FAs questionnaire. Analysis of covariance and multiple logistic regression were used to assess the associations between sleep problems and FAs after adjusting for relevant confounders. Results: The study found that 16.3% of children had FAs, with eggs, shellfish, and fruit being the most common allergenic foods. The prevalence of FAs was significantly higher in single children (20.63%) than in children with siblings (13.36%). A total of 70.39% of children had CSHQ scores above the clinical cut-off for sleep disorder. Factor analysis revealed five underlying dimensions from the CSHQ. Factor scores, except for the 'difficulty morning waking' factor, were not significantly different between the two groups. Remarkably, the factor scores of 'parasomnias' and 'sleep anxiety' were significantly higher when children had both siblings and FAs. For all subjects, the odds ratios (ORs) of FAs significantly increased with the presence of sleep disorder (OR, 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.50-3.68) and 'difficulty falling asleep' (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.22-1.48). The subgroup analysis showed that the probability of FAs significantly increased with the 'difficulty falling asleep' (OR, 1.32 vs. 1.38) and sleep disorder (OR, 2.48 vs. 2.14) in children with and without siblings, respectively. The 'parasomnias' was positively associated only with children with siblings. Conclusion: This study suggests that children with siblings might be more susceptible to FAs when accompanied by certain sleep problems. Further studies are warranted to address the underlying dimensions and possible mediation effects of having siblings with sleep problems.

• 한국산업융합학회 논문집
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.601-607
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• 2024

The discharge of oily wastewater into water bodies and soil poses a serious hazard to the environment and public health. Various conventional techniques have been employed to treat oil-water mixtures and emulsions; Unfortunately, these approaches are frequently expensive, time-consuming, and unsatisfactory outcomes. Porous materials and adsorbents are commonly used for purification, but their use is limited by low separation efficiencies and the risk of secondary contamination. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have driven the development of innovative materials and technologies for oil-contaminated wastewater treatment. Nanomaterials can offer enhanced oil-water separation properties due to their high surface area and tunable surface chemistry. The fabrication of nanofiber membranes with precise pore sizes and surface properties can further improve separation efficiency. Notably, novel technologies have emerged utilizing nanomaterials with special surface wetting properties, such as superhydrophobicity, to selectively separate oil from oil-water mixtures or emulsions. These special wetting surfaces are promising for high-efficiency oil separation in emulsions and allow the use of materials with relatively large pores, enhancing throughput and separation efficiency. In this study, we introduce a facile and scalable method for fabrication of superhydrophobic-superoleophilic felt fabrics for oil/water mixture and emulsion separation. AlN nanopowders are hydrolyzed to create the desired microstructures, which firmly adhere to the fabric surface without the need for a binder resin, enabling specialized wetting properties. This approach is applicable regardless of the material's size and shape, enabling efficient separation of oil and water from oil-water mixtures and emulsions. The oil-water separation materials proposed in this study exhibit low cost, high scalability, and efficiency, demonstrating their potential for broad industrial applications.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제33권5호
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• pp.535-544
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• 2024

In the rapidly advancing landscape of computer vision (CV) technology, there is a burgeoning interest in its integration with the construction industry. Camera calibration is the process of deriving intrinsic and extrinsic parameters that affect when the coordinates of the 3D real world are projected onto the 2D plane, where the intrinsic parameters are internal factors of the camera, and extrinsic parameters are external factors such as the position and rotation of the camera. Camera pose estimation or extrinsic calibration, which estimates extrinsic parameters, is essential information for CV application at construction since it can be used for indoor navigation of construction robots and field monitoring by restoring depth information. Traditionally, camera pose estimation methods for cameras relied on target objects such as markers or patterns. However, these methods, which are marker- or pattern-based, are often time-consuming due to the requirement of installing a target object for estimation. As a solution to this challenge, this study introduces a novel framework that facilitates camera pose estimation using standardized materials found commonly in construction sites, such as concrete forms. The proposed framework obtains 3D real-world coordinates by referring to construction materials with certain specifications, extracts the 2D coordinates of the corresponding image plane through keypoint detection, and derives the camera's coordinate through the perspective-n-point (PnP) method which derives the extrinsic parameters by matching 3D and 2D coordinate pairs. This framework presents a substantial advancement as it streamlines the extrinsic calibration process, thereby potentially enhancing the efficiency of CV technology application and data collection at construction sites. This approach holds promise for expediting and optimizing various construction-related tasks by automating and simplifying the calibration procedure.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.123-144
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• 2017

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate affection on how users perceive colors viewed from an automotive visual display according to cultural and radical differences including North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. This study especially aims to identify effects of the variation of tone and chroma of representative color groups by analyzing affection differences depending on cultural and racial differences targeting the colors constituted through variation of tone and chroma, centered on representative colors. Background: The colors of the menu, information display or background viewed through an automotive visual display are an important factor stimulating consumer's affection, and therefore an effort to express the vehicle's brand and product image through colors is made. The studies on colors focus only on the research on unique characteristics of colors, but an affective approach lacks according to cultural and racial differences on colors considering tone and chroma variation within a color from the currently used automotive visual displays. Method: To grasp the visual affection felt by users, this study extracted affective adjectives related with colors through existing literature and a dictionary for adjectives, and presented human affection dimensions on colors through evaluation of various colors. Prior to carrying out affection evaluation, the basic light sources, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) constituting the colors used for automotive visual displays were defined as a representative color group, respectively. When colors in a color group are constituted, the evaluation target of each color group consisted of the colors considering the variation of tone and chroma by changing color sense through RGB values of the remaining two light sources. And then, this study carried out affection evaluation on the constituted colors targeting the subjects with cultural and racial differences. Results: As a result of evaluating the constituted colors with representative affections, there were statistically significant differences between the groups having cultural and racial differences. As a result of S-N-K post-hoc analysis on the colors showing significant differences, North America and Europe were classified as heterogeneous groups. In some cases, Korea was classified as the homogeneous group with North America, but Korea was mainly classified as the homogenous group with Europe. Conclusion: The representative affections on colors from an automotive visual display was drawn as three affective dimensions: passionate, neat, and masculine. Based on these, the affection of Korea and Europe on the constituted colors showed significant differences from that of North America, as a result of affection evaluation on the constituted colors viewed through the visual display by reflecting cultural and racial factors. Regarding representative color groups, bigger cultural and racial differences were revealed in terms of affection on red and green colors than on blue color, and variation of affection was the biggest in the red color. Application: This study analyzed correlations of affection considering the colors constituted through variation of tone and chroma, and the culture and race in the representative color groups constituting a visual display. The results of this study are predicted to be utilized in coordination and selection of colors viewed from an automotive visual display taking into account culture and race.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제50권7호
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• pp.678-685
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• 2007

목 적 : 조기사춘기 여아에게 성선자극호르몬 방출호르몬 효능약제(gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue, GnRHa)와 성장호르몬(growth hormone, GH)의 병합치료를 시행하여 성인신장획득에 대한 효과를 알아보고자 하였다. 방 법 : 2001년 1월부터 2004년 1월까지 조기사춘기로 소아과 외래를 내원한 여아 중 예측성인신장이 -2 표준편차점수 이하로 표적키보다 훨씬 작은 23명($9.73{\pm}1.59$세)을 대상으로 초경을 시작하지 않은 군(Group 1, n=19, $9.59{\pm}1.59$세)과 초경을 시작한 군(Group 2, n=4, $10.38{\pm}1.44$세)으로 나누어 GnRHa와 GH의 병합치료를 시행하고, 치료 시작 전후 및 두 군 간의 역연령, 골연령, 성장속도, 신장, 예측성인신장, 혈청 IGF-1, IGFBP-3 치, BMI를 비교 분석하였다. 결 과 : 치료 시작 시의 두 군의 역연령, 성장속도, BMI는 유의한 차이는 없었으나 골연령 및 골연령과 역연령의 차이는 Group 2에서 Group 1보다 유의하게 증가되어 있었다. 신장은 Group 1의 평균이 $130.7{\pm}7.4cm$, Group 2의 평균이 $140.7{\pm}6.0cm$으로 유의하게 차이가 있었으나 표적키, 예측성인신장, 혈청 IGF-1과 IGFBP-3은 유의한 차이가 없었다. 치료 종료 시의 Group 1의 골연령은 평균 $12.18{\pm}1.02$세, Group 2의 골연령은 평균 $13.56{\pm}0.83$세로 치료 시작 전과 마찬가지로 Group 2에서 유의하게 높았으나, 골연령과 역연령의 차이, 신장, 그리고 IGF-1은 차이가 없었다. 전체에서 골연령과 역연령의 차이가 치료 시작 전에 평균 $2.50{\pm}2.46$세, 치료 종료 후에 평균 $1.10{\pm}0.97$세로 감소되었고, 역연령에 대한 골연령의 비도 $1.22{\pm}0.16$에서 $1.10{\pm}0.10$으로 감소되어서 결국 골연령의 증가는 현저히 감소하였다. 성장 속도 역시 평균 $7.46{\pm}2.44cm$/년에서 $5.65{\pm}2.08cm$/년으로 감소하였다. 예측성인신장은 치료 전에 평균 $146.6{\pm}3.50cm$, 치료 후에 평균 $153.8{\pm}4.7cm$으로 현저히 증가하였으며 신장의 표준편차점수도 $-0.66{\pm}1.02$ SDS에서 $-0.34{\pm}1.04$ SDS로 유의하게 증가하였다. BMI는 치료 전 평균 $18.80{\pm}2.35kg/m^2$, 치료 후에 평균 $20.4{\pm}2.53kg/m^2$로 유의하게 증가하였고, 혈청 IGF-1은 치료 후에 유의하게 증가하였으나 IGFBP-3는 유의한 변화가 없었다. 치료 전후에 두 군에서 각 성장 변수의 변화를 보면 골연령과 역연령의 차이는 유의하게 감소하였고 신장, 예측성인신장, BMI는 유의하게 증가하였다. 그러나 혈청 IGF-1의 경우, Group 1에서는 치료 후에 현저히 증가하였으나 Group 2에서는 별 차이가 없었다. 혈청 IGFBP-3는 모두에서 유의한 차이가 없었다. 결 론 : 조기사춘기 여아에게 GnRHa와 GH의 병합치료를 시행했을 때, 골연령의 증가 속도와 성장속도가 감소하고, 혈청 IGF-1이 증가함으로써 예측성인신장이 의미 있게 증가하며 표적키에 가깝게 증가한다. 또한 IGF-1의 변화를 보면 초경을 시작하지 않은 조기사춘기 여아가 초경을 시작한 경우보다 성장획득에 대한 가능성이 더 클 것으로 생각된다.