• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.682-697
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Tibetan tea is a kind of dark tea, due to the inherent complexity of natural products, the chemical composition and beneficial effects of Tibetan tea are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to unravel the composition of Tibetan tea using knowledge-guided multilayer network (KGMN) techniques and explore its potential antioxidant and hypolipidemic mechanisms in mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: The C57BL/6J mice were continuously gavaged with Tibetan tea extract (T group), green tea extract (G group) and ddH2O (H group) for 15 days. The activity of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in mice was detected. Transcriptome sequencing technology was used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects of Tibetan tea in mice. Furthermore, the expression levels of liver antioxidant and lipid metabolism related genes in various groups were detected by the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. RESULTS: The results showed that a total of 42 flavonoids are provisionally annotated in Tibetan tea using KGMN strategies. Tibetan tea significantly reduced body weight gain and increased T-AOC and SOD activities in mice compared with the H group. Based on the results of transcriptome and qPCR, it was confirmed that Tibetan tea could play a key role in antioxidant and lipid lowering by regulating oxidative stress and lipid metabolism related pathways such as insulin resistance, P53 signaling pathway, insulin signaling pathway, fatty acid elongation and fatty acid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first to use computational tools to deeply explore the composition of Tibetan tea and revealed its potential antioxidant and hypolipidemic mechanisms, and it provides new insights into the composition and bioactivity of Tibetan tea.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.4A
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• pp.329-335
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to provide the efficient method and guideline of controlling the cracking in bridge deck concrete due to differential drying shrinkage. Drying shrinkage cracking is mainly influenced by the moisture diffusion coefficient that determines moisture diffusion rate inside concrete structures. In addition to the diffusion coefficient, surface coefficient of concrete surface and relative humidity of ambient air simultaneously affect the moisture evaporation from concrete inside to external air outside. Within the framework of cracking shrinkage cracking mechanism, it is necessary to conceive the numerical analysis, which involves these three influencing factors to predict and control the shrinkage cracking of concrete. In this study, moisture diffusion and stress analysis corresponding to drying shrinkage on bridge deck are performed with consideration of diffusion coefficient, surface coefficient, and relative humidity of ambient air. From the numerical results, it is found that cracking behavior due to differential drying shrinkage of bridge deck concrete shows different feature according to three influencing factors and the methodology of controlling of drying shrinkage cracks can be suggested from this study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.95-95
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• 2022

Maize is one of the world's three largest crops and has a long cultivation history, and is an important crop used for various purposes such as food, feed, and industrial raw materials. Recently, the agricultural environment is changing, in which the limit of cultivation of crops is shifted to the north due to the rise in temperature due to climate change. This study was conducted in experimental field of Suwon in 2022 by setting a seeding period earlier than the sowing time to establish the North Korean agricultural climatic zone and meteorological conditions. The test cultivars were silage cultivars, Kwangpyeongok and Dacheongok. As a priming test method, it was used to directly plant seeds in the field through immersion using 4mM zinc (Zn) and 2.5mM manganese (Mn), which are trace elements for seeds. The planting season was early on March 15th, April 1st, and April 15th. The number of days from sowing to silk stage of the two cultivars sown on March 15, April 1, and April 15 was 107, 93, and 85 days for Kwangpyeongok and 109, 95, and 87 days for Dacheongok, respectively. The seed priming test did not show any difference from the control group in the growth survey up to the middle stage of growth. In another test, low-temperature recovery was confirmed through nitrogen (2-5%) foliar fertilization after 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days in refrigeration (0 degrees), a selective low temperature treatment for com in the third leaf stage. As a result of this study, it was confirmed that the low-temperature damaged com treated at 0℃ showed the same growth as that of the untreated com through nitrogen foliar fertilization. These results suggest that urea foliar fertilization for low-temperature damage reduction of corn for silage in high-latitude climates will be helpful. In addition, through the results of the study, additional studies are needed on the recovery mechanism and field application through urea foliar fertilization.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.629-646
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• 2023

Host rock of Cheonjeon-ri petroglyph is shale belonging to the Daegu Formation of Cretaceous Gyeongsang Supergroup. The rocks were hornfelsified by thermal alteration, and shows high density and hardness. The petroglyph forms weathered zone with certain depth, and has difference in mineral and chemical composition from the unweathered zone. As the physical deterioration evaluations, most of cracks on the surface appear parallel to the bedding, and are concentrated in the upper part with relatively low density. Breakout parts are occurred in the upper and lower parts of the petroglyph, accounting for 6.0% of the total area and occurs to have been created by the wedging action of cracks crossing. The first exfoliation parts occupying the surface were 23.8% of the total area, the second exfoliations covered with 9.3%, and the exfoliation parts with three or more times were calculated as 3.4%. It is interpreted that this is not due to natural weathering, and the thermal shock caused by the cremation custom here in the past. As the ultrasonic properties, the petroglyph indicates highly strength in the horizontal direction parallel to bedding, and the area with little physical damage recorded mean of 4,684 m/s, but the area with severe cracks and exfoliations showed difference from 2,597 to 3,382 m/s on average. Physical deterioration to the Cheonjeon-ri petroglyph occurred to influence by repeated weathering, which caused the rock surface to become more severe than the inside and the binding force of minerals to weaken. Therefore, it can be understood that when greater stress occurs in the weathered zone than in the unweathered zone, the relatively weathered surface loses its support and exfoliation occurs.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.441-447
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• 2023

Recently, as demand for high-strength, lightweight materials has increased, there has been great interest in joining with metals. In the case of mechanical bonding, such as bolting and riveting, chemical bonding using adhesives is attracting attention as stress concentration, cracks, and peeling occur. In this paper, surface treatment was performed to improve the adhesive strength, and the change in adhesive strength was analyzed. For the adhesive strength test were conducted with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic(CFRP), CR340(Steel), and Al6061(Aluminum), and laser and plasma surface treatment were used. After plasma surface treatment, the adhesive strength improved by 7.3% and 39.2% in CFRP-CR340 and CFRP-Al6061, respectively. CR340-Al6061 was improved by 56.2% in laser surface treatment. Surface free energy(SFE) was measured by contact angle after plasma treatment, and it is thought that the adhesion strength was improved by minimizing damage through a chemical reaction mechanism. For laser surface treatment, it is thought that creates a rough bonding surface and improves adhesive strength due to the mechanical interlocking effect. Therefore, surface treatment is effect to improve adhesive strength, and based on this paper, the long-term fatigue test will be conducted to prevent fatigue failure, which is a representative cause of actual structural damage.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

Purpose: Lycopene is abundantly contained in Tomatoes and is known for diverse biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. In this study, the antioxidative potential of lycopene was investigated through the induction of hemeoxygenase (HO)-1 by nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor2 (Nrf2) and upstream signaling molecules, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Aktin RAW 264.7 cells. Methods: The antioxidative potential of lycopene against oxidative stress and its molecular mechanisms were determined by the cell viability assay, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation assay, and Western blot analysis in RAW 264.7 cells. Results: Lycopene treatment significantly attenuated tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) induced intracellular ROS formation in a dose-dependent manner without any cytotoxicity. In addition, 50 µM of lycopene for 6 h treatment induced potent HO-1 expression and its transcription factor, Nrf2. MAPK and PI3K/Aktwere also analyzed due to their critical roles in the regulation of cellular redox homeostasis against oxidative damage. As a result, phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) was significantly induced by lycopene treatment while the activated status of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and Akt, were not given any effect. To confirm the antioxidative mechanism of HO-1 mediated by ERK activation, each selective inhibitor was employed in a protection assay, in which oxidative damage occurred by t-BHP. Lycopene, SnPP, and CoPP treatments reflected accelerated HO-1 expression could be a protective role against oxidative damage-initiated cell death. A selective inhibitor for ERK significantly inhibited the lycopene-induced cytoprotective effect but selective inhibitors for other signaling molecules did not attenuate the rate of t-BHP-induced cell death. Conclusion: In conclusion, lycopene potently scavenged intracellular ROS formation and enhanced the HO-1 mediated antioxidative potential through the modulation of Nrf2, MAPK signaling pathway in RAW 264.7 cells.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.169-189
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• 2024

In the current work, a series of three-dimensional finite element analyses have been carried out to understand the behaviour of pre-existing single piles and pile groups to adjacent Shield TBM tunnelling by considering various reinforcement conditions. The numerical modelling has analysed the effect of the pile cutting, ground reinforcement and pile cap reinforcement. The analyses concentrate on the ground settlements, the pile head settlements, the axial pile forces and the shear stress transfer mechanism at the pile-soil interface. In all cases of the pile tips supported by weathered rock, the distributions of shear stresses presented a similar trend. Also, when the pile tips were cut, tensile forces or compressive forces were induced on the piles depending on the relative positions of the piles. Furthermore, when the pile tips are supported by weathered rock, approximately 70% of the load is supported by surface friction, and only the remaining 30% is supported by the pile tip. Furthermore the final settlement of the piles without reinforcement showed approximately 70% more settlement than the piles for which ground reinforcement is considered. It has been found that the ground settlements and the pile settlements are heavily affected by the pile cutting and reinforcement conditions. The behaviour of the single pile and group piles, depending on the pile cutting, conditions of ground and pile cap reinforcement, has been extensively examined and analysed by considering the key features in great details.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.89-103
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• 2024

In the disposal environment, gases can be generated at the interface between canister and buffer due to various factors such as anaerobic corrosion, radiolysis, and microbial degradation. If the gas generation rate exceeds the diffusion rate, the gas within the buffer may compress, resulting in physical damage to the buffer due to the increased pore pressure. In particular, the rapid movement of gases, known as gas breakthroughs, through the dilatancy pathway formed during this process may lead to releasing radionuclide. Therefore, understanding these gas generation and movement mechanism is essential for the safety assessment of the disposal systems. In this study, an experimental apparatus for investigating gas migration within buffer was constructed based on a literature review. Subsequently, a gas injection experiment was conducted on a compacted bentonite block made of Bentonile WRK (Clariant Ltd.) powder. The results clearly demonstrated a sharp increase in stress and pressure typically observed at the onset of gas breakthrough within the buffer. Additionally, the range of stresses induced by the swelling phenomenon of the buffer, was 4.7 to 9.1 MPa. The apparent gas entry pressure was determined to be approximately 7.8 MPa. The equipment established in this study is expected to be utilized for various experiments aimed at building a database on the initial properties of buffer and the conditions during gas injection, contributing to understanding the gas migration phenomena.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.4 s.179
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• pp.369-384
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• 2006

Korean Peninsula, located on the southeastern part of Eurasian plate, belongs to the intraplate region. The characteristics of intraplate earthquake show the low and rare seismicity and the sparse and irregular distribution of epicenters comparing to interplate earthquake. To evaluate the exact seismic activity in intraplate region, long-term seismic data including historical earthquake data should be archived. Fortunately the long-term historical earthquake records about 2,000 years are available in Korea Peninsula. By the analysis of this historical and instrumental earthquake data, seismic activity was very high in 16-18 centuries and is more active at the Yellow sea area than East sea area. Comparing to the high seismic activity of the north-eastern China in 16-18 centuries, it is inferred that seismic activity in two regions shows close relationship. Also general trend of epicenter distribution shows the SE-NW direction. In Korea Peninsula, the first seismic station was installed at Incheon in 1905 and 5 additional seismic stations were installed till 1943. There was no seismic station from 1945 to 1962, but a World Wide Standardized Seismograph was installed at Seoul in 1963. In 1990, Korean Meteorological Adminstration(KMA) had established centralized modem seismic network in real-time, consisted of 12 stations. After that time, many institutes tried to expand their own seismic networks in Korea Peninsula. Now KMA operates 35 velocity-type seismic stations and 75 accelerometers and Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources operates 32 and 16 stations, respectively. Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and Korea Electric Power Research Institute operate 4 and 13 stations, consisted of velocity-type and accelerometer. In and around the Korean Peninsula, 27 intraplate earthquake mechanisms since 1936 were analyzed to understand the regional stress orientation and tectonics. These earthquakes are largest ones in this century and may represent the characteristics of earthquake in this region. Focal mechanism of these earthquakes show predominant strike-slip faulting with small amount of thrust components. The average P-axis is almost horizontal ENE-WSW. In north-eastern China, strike-slip faulting is dominant and nearly horizontal average P-axis in ENE-WSW is very similar with the Korean Peninsula. On the other hand, in the eastern part of East Sea, thrust faulting is dominant and average P-axis is horizontal with ESE-WNW. This indicate that not only the subducting Pacific Plate in east but also the indenting Indian Plate controls earthquake mechanism in the far east of the Eurasian Plate. Crustal velocity model is very important to determine the hypocenters of the local earthquakes. But the crust model in and around Korean Peninsula is not clear till now, because the sufficient seismic data could not accumulated. To solve this problem, reflection and refraction seismic survey and seismic wave analysis method were simultaneously applied to two long cross-section traversing the southern Korean Peninsula since 2002. This survey should be continuously conducted.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.509-515
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• 2009

Three earthquakes with local magnitude ($M_L$) greater than 3.0 occurred on April 24, June 2 and September 12 in 1999 nearby the Gyeongju area. Redetermined epicenters were located within the radius of 1 km. We carried out waveform inversion analysis to estimate focal mechanism of June 2 event, and P and S wave polarity and their amplitude ratio analysis to estimate focal mechanisms of April 24 and September 12 events. June 2 and September 12 events had similar fault plane solutions each other. The fault plane solution of April 24 event included those of other 2 events, but its distribution range was relatively broad. Focal mechanisms of those events had a strike slip faulting with a small normal component. P-axes of those events were ENE-WSW which were similar to previous studies on the P-axis of the Korean Peninsula. Considering distances between epicenters, similarities of seismic waves and sameness of polarities of seismic data recorded at common seismic stations, these events might occurred at the same fault. The seismic moment of June 2 event was estimated to be $3.9\;{\times}\;10^{14}\;N{\cdot}m$ and this value corresponded to the moment magnitude ($M_W$) 3.7. The moment magnitude estimated by spectral analysis was 3.8, which was similar to that estimated by waveform inversion analysis. The average stress drop was estimated to be 7.5 MPa. Moment magnitudes of April 24 and September 12 events were estimated to be 3.2 and 3.4 by comparing the spectrum of those events recorded at common single seismic station.