• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.349-354
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• 2024

This study investigates the effectd of substituting Undaria pinnatifida with a laver Porphyra tenera by-product (LB) on the growth performance, and soft body composition of juvenile abalone Haliotis discus hannai. A total of 750 juvenile abalones were evenly distributed across 15 tanks with 90 individuals per tank. Five diets were formulated; a control diet (Con) containing 30% U. pinnatifida and four experimental diets in which 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% U. pinnatifida were substituted with equal amounts of LB (LB25, LB50, LB75, and LB100, respectively). The feeding trial lasted for 6 weeks, with daily feeding at 16:00. Survival rate, growth performance (weight gain and specific growth rate), and soft body composition of the abalones were not affected by the substitution levels (P>0.05). Therefore, this study concluded that complete replacement of LB with 100% U. pinnatifida in the abalone diet did not adversely affect survival, growth performance, or soft body composition.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.181-192
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• 2014

In Korea, the chemical oxygen demand($COD_{sed}$) in freshwater sediments has been measured by the potassium permanganate method used for marine sediment because of the absence of authorized analytical method. However, this method has not been fully verified for the freshwater sediment. Therefore, the use or modification of the potassium permanganate method or the development of the new $COD_{sed}$ analytical method may be necessary. In this study, two modified $COD_{sed}$ analytical methods such as the modified potassium permanganate method for $COD_{Mn}$ and the modified closed reflux method using potassium dichromate for $COD_{Cr}$ were compared. In the preliminary experiment to estimate the capability of the two oxidants for glucose oxidation, $COD_{Mn}$ and $COD_{Cr}$ were about 70% and 100% of theoretical oxygen demand(ThOD), respectively, indicating that $COD_{Cr}$ was very close to the ThOD. The effective titration ranges in $COD_{Mn}$ and $COD_{Cr}$ were 3.2 to 7.5 mL and 1.0 to 5.0 mL for glucose, 4.3 to 7.5 mL and 1.4 to 4.3 mL for lake sediment, and 2.5 to 5.8 mL and 3.6 to 4.5 mL for river sediment, respectively, within 10% errors. For estimating $COD_{sed}$ recovery(%) in glucose-spiked sediment after aging for 1 day, the mass balances of the $COD_{Mn}$ and $COD_{Cr}$ among glucose, sediments and glucose-spiked sediments were compared. The recoveries of $COD_{Mn}$ and $COD_{Cr}$ were 78% and 78% in glucose-spiked river sediments, 91% and 86% in glucose-spiked lake sediments, 97% and 104% in glucose-spiked sand, and 134% and 107% in glucose-spiked clay, respectively. In conclusion, both methods have high confidence levels in terms of analytical methodology but show significant different $COD_{sed}$ concentrations due to difference in the oxidation powers of the oxidants.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.475-483
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• 2012

High capacitance X5R MLCCs based on $BaTiO_3$ ceramic dielectric layers exhibit a single broad, asymmetric arc shape impedance and modulus response over the wide frequency range between 1 MHz to 0.01 Hz. Analysis according to the conventional brick-layer model for polycrystalline conductors employing a series connection of multiple RC parallel circuits leads to parameters associated with large errors and of little physical significance. A new parametric impedance model is shown to satisfactorily describe the experimental spectra, which is a parallel network of one resistor R representing the DC conductivity thermally activated by 1.32 eV, one ideal capacitor C exactly representing bulk capacitance, and a constant phase element (CPE) Q with complex capacitance $A(i{\omega})^{{\alpha}-1}$ with ${\alpha}$ close to 2/3 and A thermally activated by 0.45 eV or ca. 1/3 of activation energy of DC conductivity. The feature strongly indicate the CK1 model by J. R. Macdonald, where the CPE with 2/3 power-law exponent represents the polarization effects originating from mobile charge carriers. The CPE term is suggested to be directly related to the trapping of the electronic charge carriers and indirectly related to the ionic defects responsible for the insulation resistance degradation.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.279-286
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• 2005

This study was conducted to analyze the changing pattern of the bird community after the construction of artificial wetland at Sihwah lake from may 2000 to January 2002. Total seventy seven bird species were recorded at Sihwa artificial wetland area during the survey. Number of the bird species and individuals were increased in second year than first survey year. Especially shorebirds and raptors were more increased than other groups. Long-term and continuous monitoring of bird community would be needed to clarify the reasons of increasing pattern of bird species and individuals in artificial wetlands of Sihwa lake. Until now, this area has been considered as suitable habitat for dabbling ducks than shore birds and has simple habitat environment consisting of open water surface and reed beds. Therefore, we suggest the follows for creation of diverse habitat types: 1) seasonal water-level manipulation 2) management of diverse aquatic plants and 3) creation of diverse land cover; sandy fields, gravelly fields, grasslands, etc.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.283-291
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• 2006

The survival and growth of epithelial cells depends on adhesion to the extracellular matrix. An adhesion signal may regulate the initiation of differentiation, since epidermal keratinocytes differentiate as they leave the basement membrane. A metabolically dead cornified cell envelope is the end point of epidermal differentiation so that this process may be viewed as a specialized form of programmed cell death. In order to investigate the precise cellular signaling events loading to terminal differentiation of keratinocytes, we have utilized HaCaT cells to monitor the biological consequences of $Ca^{2+}$ stimulation and numerous downstream signaling pathways, including activation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase(ERK) pathway and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K). The results presented in this study show that $Ca^{2+}$ function as potent agents for the differentiation of HaCaT keratinocytes, and this differentiation depends or the activation of ERK, Protein kinase B(PKB) and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase(p70S6K). Finally, the results show that the expression of Activator protein 1(AP-1; c-Jun and c-Fos) increased following $Ca^{2+}$-mediated differentiation of HaCaT cells, suggesting that ERK-mediated AP-1 expression is critical for initiating the terminal differentiation of keratinocytes.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2012

In this study, mechanical tests and microstructural analyses including TEM analyses with EDX of precipitates in modified 9Cr-1Mo steel were carried out to determine the cause of embrittlement observed after heat-treatment, which limits the usage of the alloy for power plants. Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel specimens at austenite temperature were quenched to the molten salt baths at $760^{\circ}C$ and $700^{\circ}C$, in which the specimens were kept for 10 min ~ 10 hr with subsequent air-cooling. Impact tests showed that the impact value dropped abruptly when the specimens were kept longer than 30 min at $\sim760^{\circ}C$ reaching to minima in about 1 hr, and then increasing at further retention. The tensile strength of the specimens reached the minimum value without much change afterward, whereas the values of elongation showed the same trend as that of the impact value. The isothermally heat-treated steel at $700^{\circ}C$ also showed a minimum impact value in about 1 hr. These results suggest that the isothermal heattreatment at 760 and $700^{\circ}C$ for about 1 hr induces temporal embrittlement in Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel. The microstructural examination of all the specimens with extraction replica of the carbides revealed that the specimens with temporal embrittlement had $Cr_2C$, indicating that the cause of the embrittlement was the precipitation of the $Cr_2C$. In addition, TEM/EDX results showed that the Fe/Cr ratio was 0.033 to 0.055 for $Cr_2C$, whereas it was 0.48 to 0.75 for $Cr_{23}C_6$, making the distinction of the $Cr_2C$ and $Cr_{23}C_6$ possible even without direct electron diffraction analyses.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.329-334
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• 2020

Inflammasomes are cytosolic, multiprotein complexes that act at the frontline of the immune responses by recognizing pathogen- or danger-associated molecular patterns or abnormal host molecules. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to possess multipotency to differentiate into various cell types and immunoregulatory effects. In this study, we investigated the expression and functional regulation of NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs). hUCB-MSCs expressed inflammasome components that are necessary for its complex assembly. Interestingly, NLRP3 inflammasome activation suppressed the differentiation of hUCB-MSCs into osteoblasts, which was restored when the expression of adaptor proteins for inflammasome assembly was inhibited. Moreover, the suppressive effects of MSCs on T cell responses and the macrophage activation were augmented in response to NLRP3 activation. In vivo studies using colitic mice revealed that the protective abilities of hUCB-MSCs increased after NLRP3 stimulation. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the NLRP3 inflammasome components are expressed in hUCB-MSCs and its activation can regulate the differentiation capability and the immunomodulatory effects of hUCB-MSCs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.32-38
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• 2011

In this study, the correlations of concentrations in sediment heavy metals between two pretreatment methods, total digestion and aqua regia digestion, have been investigated. Total 43 samples had been collected from streams and lakes in Yeongsan and Seomjin watersheds. They were decomposed in two pretreatment methods and five metal components (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn) were analyzed. Overall average concentrations of heavy metals were Zn>Cr>Pb>Ni>Cd in the order. The concentrations of aqua regia digestion were 35.0% (Cd), 53.8% (Cr), 66.2% (Ni), 64.4% (Pb) and 76.4% (Zn) of the concentrations of total digestion and heavy metal concentrations of total digestion were higher. Heavy metal concentrations in sediments from lakes were higher than those from streams. The correlation equations between the concentrations of total digestion and aqua regia digestion were obtained. The concentrations of Zn and Ni, which showed strong linear correlations, increased in aqua regia digestion as the concentration in total digestion increased. The linear correlation coefficients between two digestion methods for most analyzed metals were above the average correlation. However, these results can be applied with limitations due to heterogeneity of sediments.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.986-992
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• 2011

The alcohol fermentation of apple juice was optimized as a preliminary study for the production of natural apple cider vinegar. To gain an optimal fermentation yield, a central composite design was used to investigate the effects of the independent variables [initial Brix (12/14/16/18/20, $X_1$), fermentation time(48/54/60/66/72h, $X_2$), and fermentation temperature(24/26/28/30/$32^{\circ}C$, $X_3$)] on the dependent variables (alcohol content, reducing sugar, Brix, acidity). The alcohol content was 3.4-6.4%, the reducing sugar was 1.93-6.24%, and the Brix was $6.1-13.8^{\circ}$. The alcohol content was mainly affected by the fermentation temperature and increased along with the fermentation time and temperature. The amount of the reducing sugar was significantly affected by the initial Brix and fermentation temperature. The optimal conditions for the alcohol content were found to be 15.22 initial Brix, 64.97 h fermentation time, and $31.56^{\circ}C$ temperature.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.39.1-39.15
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• 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination may non-specifically alter the host immune system. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on hepatitis B surface Ag (HBsAg) titer and host immunity in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Consecutive 2,797 CHB patients who had serial HBsAg measurements during antiviral treatment were included in this study. Changes in the HBsAg levels after COVID-19 vaccination were analyzed. The dynamics of NK cells following COVID-19 vaccination were also examined using serial blood samples collected prospectively from 25 healthy volunteers. Vaccinated CHB patients (n=2,329) had significantly lower HBsAg levels 1-30 days post-vaccination compared to baseline (median, -21.4 IU/ml from baseline), but the levels reverted to baseline by 91-180 days (median, -3.8 IU/ml). The velocity of the HBsAg decline was transiently accelerated within 30 days after vaccination (median velocity: -0.06, -0.39, and -0.04 log₁₀ IU/ml/year in pre-vaccination period, days 1-30, and days 31-90, respectively). In contrast, unvaccinated patients (n=468) had no change in HBsAg levels. Flow cytometric analysis showed that the frequency of NK cells expressing NKG2A, an NK inhibitory receptor, significantly decreased within 7 days after the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine (median, -13.1% from baseline; p<0.001). The decrease in the frequency of NKG2A⁺ NK cells was observed in the CD56^dimCD16⁺ NK cell population regardless of type of COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccination leads to a rapid, transient decline in HBsAg titer and a decrease in the frequency of NKG2A⁺ NK cells.