• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.19B no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to determine the evaluation parameters' osteoporosis predictability in accordance with measuring regions by analyzing the correlations between bone mineral density and trabecular patterns derived from different measuring regions. Experimental subjects were a total of 40 female patients after menopause aged over 40 years, and were classified into 20 control and 20 osteoporotic groups according to the T-score. Bone mineral density was measured on femoral neck, trochanter and ward's triangle by DEXA(Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry). We designated ROI(Region of Interest) with $50{\times}50$ pixel size on each measuring regions, and extracted trabecular patterns by using existing image processing method. We also selected a total of eight evaluation parameters that are categorized into structural(mean gray level, area, perimeter, thickness and terminal distance), skeletonized parameters(number, length) and fractal dimension. As a result, it was observed that area, perimeter, thickness, terminal distance, number, length and fractal dimension reflected the bone mineral density with high statistical validity(p<0.003). We also confirmed that the evaluation parameters could predict the osteoporosis more efficiently.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 2003

Cell differentiation and ultrastructural characteristics in the seminiferous epithelium of Myotis macrodactylus was investigated with the light and electron microscopes. Spermatogenesis has begun at April and finished at September. The nuclei of A spermatogonia (dark and pale type of spermatogonia) were oval, applied to the basal lamina, and surrounded by Sertoli cells. By comparison with other types of spermatogonia, the cell and nucleus of B type of spermatogonium is globular and larger than A types of spermatogonia. The nucleolus appears as a coarse and touches the nuclear membrane. The cell and nucleus of spermatocytes was globular and larger, but primary spematocyte is larger than secondary spermatocyte. Spermiogenesis was divided according to the level of fine structural difference, into Golgi, cap, acrosomal, maturation and spermiation phases; Golgi, cap, acrosomal and spermiation phases were further subdivided into steps of early and late phase respectively, and maturation phase has only one step. Hence, the spermiogenesis has been divided into a total of nine phases. In the change of karyoplasm, the chromatin granules are condensed at late Golgi phase and completed at spermiation phase. The sperm tail began to develop in early Golgi phase and completed in spermiation phase. The process of degeneration of spermatogenic cells in the seminiferous tubules was continually observed from October, before the beginning of hibernation, to hibernation phase (November, December, January, February, March). Immatured spermatogenic cells in the seminiferous tubules have been engulfed by phagocytosis of Sertoli cells during period of degeneration. It is deduced that the adaptative strategy serves as the mechanism to regulate the effective use of energy to prepare for long hibernation and regulation of breeding cycle.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.127-149
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• 2016

Based on a comprehensive literature review on Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Cognitive Theory, this study proposes and empirically examines a structural model consisting of factors affecting voluntary information security compliance behavior. To test the proposed research model, the study analyzes survey results from employees of a major Korean energy company, which employs an enterprise compliance support system. Results indicate three factors: compliance behavioral belief and compliance knowledge affect compliance behavior; compliance knowledge works as a mediator in the relationship between compliance behavioral belief and compliance behavior; and the more relevant the compliance is to an employee's job, the more the employee prioritizes compliance knowledge. This study suggests methods for encouraging employees to embrace voluntary, positive information security compliance standards. By doing so, this article aims to promote a more effective corporate compliance system for information security and enhance sustainable management practices.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.189-195
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• 1997

The structural basis of Iysine specificity of Achromobacter protease I (API) was investigated by means of site-directed mutagenesis. The precursor protein in which Glu190, one of the two candidates for determining Iysine specificity, was substituted by glutamine, aspartic acid or leucine was processed autocatalytically to attaln full pretense activity with lysine specificity. The substitution of the other candidate, Asp225, for asparagine or leucine produced no mature active forms of pro-API. The precursor protein of the mutant D225E slowly matured autocatalytically. The lysylendopeptidase activity of the mature D225E was 0.25% of that of native API, and this reduced activity is mainly due to a decrease in the affinity of the enzyme for lysine. These results suggest that Asp225 plays a critical rol in restricted substrate specificity as a lysylendopeptidase. However, D225E exhibited no measurable activity for synthetic ornithine substrate. Since the hydroxyl group of Ser194 in this mutant retained essentially the same reactivity to DFP or PMSF as that in native API, it can be noted that a methylene unit longer side chain of residue 225 is not compensated by a methylene unit shorter side chain at subsite P1 in the bound substrate.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.16 no.5 s.72
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• pp.609-619
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• 2004

An investigation was conducted on the activities around Europe in order to solve the problem of the thermal bridging of steel studs, which had caused a significant disadvantage. This study included the following: diminishing the contact area between the studs and the sheathing, lengthening the heat transfer route, replacing the steel web with a less conductive material, and placing foam insulation in locations where the thermal shorts are most critical. Although energy efficiency is usually the focus of such foreign cases because their stud application is mostly limited to low-rise residential buildings, both structural and thermal performance are taken into consideration in this study because these target middle-story buildings. A hybrid stud composed of steel and polymer was also developed. This hybrid stud, which is 150 SL in size, is made of a galvanized steel sheet (SGC58) and a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) withepoxy bonding. A total of 32 specimens were manufactured. Its parameters comprise two types of connection detail,s: the thickness of steel (1.0mm and 1.2mm) and of the GFRP (4mm-4ply and 6mm-6ply), and the ratio of the length to the depth (L/D = 3, 6, 9, 12). Steel stud specimens with the same conditions were compared to the hybrid stud. The test revealed that in the case of the steel specimen with a thickness of 1.0mm, the maximum load of hybrid studs increased an average of 1.62 times comparedto that of the steel stud. In the case of the steel specimen with a thickness of 1.2mm, on the other hand, the average increase was 1.46times. All specimens showed full composite action until the collapse.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.357-366
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• 2009

Since weathering weakens the rock fabric and exaggerates any structural weakness, it affects mechanical properties as well as physical and chemical properties of rock. Weathering leads to a decrease in density, strength, friction angle and cohesion, and subsequently it affects negatively on the stability of rock slope. The purpose of the study is to investigate the changes of the rock slope stability caused by discontinuities which have different weathering grades. For that, the discontinuity samples which are divided into two different weathering grades are obtained from the field and tested their mechanical properties such as JCS, JRC and residual friction angle. In order to evaluate the effects on the stability of slope due to weathering, the deterministic analysis is carried out. That is, the factors of safety for planar failure are calculated for rock masses which have two different weathering grades, such as fresh and weathered rock mass. However, since the JRC and friction angle values are widely scattered and the deterministic analysis cannot consider the variation, the factors of safety cannot represent properly the stability of the rock slope. Therefore, the probabilistic analysis has been used to consider the scattered values. In the deterministic analysis, the factors of safety for the fresh discontinuity and weathered discontinuity are 1.25 and 1.0, respectively. The results indicate the fresh discontinuities are stable for planar failure and the weathered discontinuities are marginally stable. However, the probabilities of failure for the fresh discontinuity and weathered discontinuity are 25.6% and 45.9%, respectively. This shows that both discontinuities are analyzed as unstable in the probabilistic analysis.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.18-27
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• 2002

$LaFeO_3$-based thick films with 2wt.%, 5wt.% and 10wt.% $Al_2O_3$ additives were fabricated by screen printing method on $Al_2O_3$ substrates. Structural, electrical and ammonia gas sensing characteristics of the thick films with different heat treatment temperatures were examined. From XRD results, the compound of $LaFeO_3$ and $Al_2O_3$ was not found until the heat treatment at $1200^{\circ}C$. SEM microphotograph showed similar grain growth despite the amount of $Al_2O_3$ additives with the heat treatment. Thick films with high activation energy and low resistance in the electrical properties showed high sensitivity for gases. Thick films with 2wt % $Al_2O_3$ additives heat-treated at $1200^{\circ}C$ showed the sensitivities of 210% for 100 ppm $NH_3$ gas at the working temperature of $350^{\circ}C$. The thick films showed food selectivity to $NH_3$ gas.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.139-145
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• 2011

Parthenocissus tricuspidata is an epiphyte that lacks a main axial stem, but develops adhesive disks along the stem for climbing support. In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were utilized to examine the brick wall surface and the adhesive disks of P. tricuspidata that attached to the surface successfully. The study was mainly focused the outermost layers of both structures before and after adhesion to find out whether there has been some structural and/or physical interactions between the two. The adhesive disks adhered firmly to the brick wall by secreting adhesive materials that help them for a tight attachment to the surface. The rough wall surface appeared facilitating better attachment of the adhesive disks by infiltrating the materials into those spaces leading to some degree of interactions at the interface. EDS analysis on the outermost layers of the adhesive disks that were separated from the substrates was also consistent with the SEM data on the interaction between the adhesive disks and the substrate surface. EDS analysis of the brick wall surface and the adhesive disks demonstrated similar elements of O, Si, Fe, Al, K, Mg, and Na in their components.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2009

In mammals, puberty is a dynamic transition process from infertile immature state to fertile adult state. The neuroendocrine aspect of puberty is started with functional activation of hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal hormone axis. The timing of puberty can be altered by many factors including hormones and/or hormone-like materials, social cues and metabolic signals. For a long time, attainment of a particular body weight or percentage of body fat has been thought as crucial determinant of puberty onset. However, the precise effect of high-fat (HF) diet on the regulation of hypothalamic GnRH neuron during prepubertal period has not been fully elucidated yet. The present study was undertaken to test the effect of a HF diet on the puberty onset and hypothalamic gene expressions in immature female rats. The HF diet (45% energy from fat, HF group) was applied to female rats from weaning to around puberty onset (postnatal days, PND 22-40). Body weight and vaginal opening (VO) were checked daily during the entire feeding period. In the second experiment, all animals were sacrificed on PND 36 to measure the weights of reproductive tissues. Histological studies were performed to assess the effect of HF diet feeding on the structural alterations in the reproductive tissues. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Body weights of HF group animals tend to be higher than those of control animals between PND 22 and PND 31, and significant differences were observed PND 32, PND 34, PND 35 and PND 36 (p<0.05). Advanced VO was shown in the HF group (PND $32.8{\pm}0.37$ p<0.001) compared to the control (PND $38.25{\pm}0.25$). The weight of ovaries (p<0.01) and uteri (p<0.05) from HF group animals significantly increased when compared to those from control animals. Corpora lutea were observed in the ovaries from the HF group animals but not in control ovaries. Similarly, hypertrophy of luminal and glandular uterine epithelia was found only in the HF group animals. In the semi-quantitative RT-PCR studies, the transcriptional activities of KiSS-1 in HF group animals were significantly higher than those from the control animals (p<0.001). Likewise, the mRNA levels of GnRH (p<0.05) were significantly elevated in HF group animals. The present study indicated that the feeding HF diet during the post-weaning period activates the upstream modulators of gonadotropin such as GnRH and KiSS-1 in hypothalamus, resulting early onset of puberty in immature female rats.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.39-46
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• 2018

Many studies on the electrochemical performance of Li secondary batteries have been obtained using coin-type cells due to the ease of assembly, low cost and ensuring reproducibility. The coin-type cell consists of a case, a gasket, a spacer disk, and a wave spring. These structural features require a greater amount of liquid electrolyte to assemble than other types of cells such as laminated cells and cylindrical cells. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted on the effect of excess liquid electrolytes on the electrochemical performances of Li secondary batteries. In this study, we investigate the effect of different amounts of electrolyte on the coin-type cells. The amount of electrolytes is adjusted to 30 and $100mg\;mAh^{-1}$. Cycle performances at room temperature ($25^{\circ}C$) and high temperature ($60^{\circ}C$) and high voltage are performed to investigate the electrochemical properties of the different amount of electrolytes. In the case of the unit cell including the electrolyte of $30mg\;mAh^{-1}$, the discharging capacity retention characteristic is excellent in comparison with the case of $100mg\;mAh^{-1}$ under the high temperature and high voltage condition. The former shows a larger increase in internal resistance than the latter, confirming that the amount of electrolyte significantly influences the discharge capacity retention characteristics of the battery.