• Toxicological Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.325-332
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• 2017

3-Bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (BDB) is a natural bromophenol compound that is most commonly isolated from red algae. The present study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of BDB on atopic dermatitis (AD) in mice induced by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophages. BDB treatment (100 mg/kg) resulted in suppression of the development of AD symptoms compared with the control treatment (induction-only), as demonstrated by reduced immunoglobulin E levels in serum, smaller lymph nodes with reduced thickness and length, a decrease in ear edema, and reduced levels of inflammatory cell infiltration in the ears. In RAW 264.7 murine macrophages, BDB (12.5, 25, 50, and $100{\mu}M$) suppressed the production of interleukin-6, a proinflammatory cytokine, in a dose-dependent manner. BDB also had an inhibitory effect on the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-${\kappa}B$) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1; Tyr 701), two major signaling molecules involved in cellular inflammation. Taken together, the results show that BDB treatment alleviates inflammatory responses in an atopic dermatitis mouse model and RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results suggest that BDB may be a useful therapeutic strategy for treating conditions involving allergic inflammation such as atopic dermatitis.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2008

In plants, the oxygen generated by photosynthesis can be excited to form reactive oxygen species (ROS) under excessive sunlight. Excess ROS including singlet oxygen ($^1O_2$) inhibit the growth, development and photosynthesis of plants. To isolate ROS-resistant crop plants, we used paraquat (PQ), a generator of $O_2{^-}$ as a source of screening and mutagen, and obtained two PQ-resistant lines in Pisum sativum, namely R3-1 and R3-2. Both lines showed greater resistance to PQ than their wild type (WT) siblings with respect to germination, root growth, and shoot growth. Biochemical analysis showed differences in these lines, in which ROS-scavenging enzymes undergo changes with a distinguishable increase in Mn-SOD. We further observed that the cytosolic catalases (CATs) in leaves in both lines were shifted in a native-PAGE analysis compared with that of the WT, indicating that the release of bound $^1O_2$ was enhanced. Phenotypic analysis revealed distinguishable differences in leaf development, and in flowering time and position. In addition, R3-1 and R3-2 showed shorter individual inter-node lengths, dwarf plant height, and stronger branching compared with the WT. These results suggested that PQ-induced ROS-resistant Pisum have the potential pleiotropic effects on flowering time and stem branching, and that ROS including $^1O_2$ plays not only important roles in plant growth and development as a signal transducer, but also appears as a strong inhibitor for crop yield.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.233-242
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• 2014

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between the hip adductor muscles and abdominal muscles during bridge exercise. METHOD: Participants who met the criteria for this study(n=36) were divided into the three groups. The first experimental group performed normal bridge exercises and the second group performed bridge exercises with the contraction of the hip adductor muscles and the control group didn't perform any exercise. Transversus abdominis muscle thickness was measured by ultrasound imaging with a special transducer head device, at pre exercise, after 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks. RESULT: Data were analyzed using repeated ANOVA with the level of significance set at ${\alpha}=.05$. Transversus abdominis muscle thickness was influenced by contraction of the hip adductor muscles during bridge exercise in people without lower back pain. Compared with normal bridge exercise, transversus abdominis muscle thickness significantly increased in thickness during bridge exercise with contraction of the hip adductor muscles(p<.05). CONCLUSION: The results from this study showed that contraction of the hip adductor muscles during bridge exercise increased change in the transversus abdominis muscle thickness. These results can be a good source to prevent low back pain due to hip adductor weakness. Therefore, inducing activation of hip adductor with abdominal stabilizing exercise is more effective in patients with low back pain.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.257-263
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• 2014

A mammalian cell renovates itself by autophagy, a process through which cellular components are recycled to produce energy and maintain homeostasis. Recently, the abundance of gap junction proteins was shown to be regulated by autophagy during starvation conditions, suggesting that transmembrane proteins are also regulated by autophagy. Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), an ion channel localized to the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is a sensory transducer that is activated by a wide variety of exogenous and endogenous physical and chemical stimuli. Intriguingly, the abundance of cellular TRPV1 can change dynamically under pathological conditions. However, the mechanisms by which the protein levels of TRPV1 are regulated have not yet been explored. Therefore, we investigated the mechanisms of TRPV1 recycling using HeLa cells constitutively expressing TRPV1. Endogenous TRPV1 was degraded in starvation conditions; this degradation was blocked by chloroquine (CLQ), 3MA, or downregulation of Atg7. Interestingly, a glucocorticoid (cortisol) was capable of inducing autophagy in HeLa cells. Cortisol increased cellular conversion of LC3-I to LC-3II, leading autophagy and resulting in TRPV1 degradation, which was similarly inhibited by treatment with CLQ, 3MA, or downregulation of Atg7. Furthermore, cortisol treatment induced the colocalization of GFP-LC3 with endogenous TRPV1. Cumulatively, these observations provide evidence that degradation of TRPV1 is mediated by autophagy, and that this pathway can be enhanced by cortisol.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.32-38
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• 2001

Although the ultrasonic method has been developed and used widely in the fields, it has been used only for measuring the defect size and thickness loss. In this study, the relationship between surface wave attenuation through micro-crack growth and variation of velocity under repeated cyclic loading has been investigated. The specimens are adopted from 2.25Cr-1Mo steel, which is used for power plant and pipeline system, and have dimensions of $200{\times}40{\times}4mm$. The results of ultrasonic test with a 5MHz transducer show that surface wave velocity gradually decreases from the point of 60% of fatigue life and the crack length of 2mm with the increasing fatigue cycles. From the results of this study, it is found that the technique using the ultrasonic velocity change is one of very useful methods to evaluate the fatigue life nondestructively.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.348-353
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• 2004

This study is aimed for the implementation of ultrasonic method to assess the reliability of turbine bearings. A modified ultrasonic immersion technique was carried out in both laboratory experiment and field application. From the laboratory results, we confirmed that the condition of interface layer between the babbitt and base metal be monitored by the C-Scan. The C-scan image by the ultrasonic immersion test can be used successfully to observe the condition of interface layer. The testing with a focused transducer provides a promising approach for estimating the extent of the damaged region and observing the interface layer effectively. The difference of the ultrasonic reflection ratio between the bonding and debonding area at the interface layer is one of the key parameters for assessing the extent of the damaged area; additionally, the reflection amplitude exhibits a favorable correlation with the overall damage level. The technique developed in this study was applied to the inspection of the turbine bearings at several power plants in Korea whereby the applicability in the field can be ascertained.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2004

A circumferential guided wave method was developed to detect the axial crack on the bent feeder pipe. Dispersion curves of circumferential guided waves were calculated as a function of curvature of the pipe. In the case of thin plate, i.e. infinite curvature, as the frequency increases, the $S_0$ and $A_0$ mode coincide and eventually become Rayleigh wave mode. In the case of pipe, however, as the curvature increases, the lowest modes do not coincide even in the high frequencies. Based on the analysis, a rocking technique using angle beam transducer was applied to detect an axial defect in the bent region of PHWR feeder pipe. Based on the analysis of experimenal data for artificial notches, the vibration modes of each signal were identified. It was found that the notches with the depth of )0% of wall thickness can be detected with the method.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.188-194
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• 2016

We propose an acousto-optic technique for the nondestructive evaluation of adhesion properties of a Pt/Ti thin-film interface. Since there are some problems encountered when using prevailing techniques to nondestructively evaluate the interfacial properties of micro/nano-scale thin-films, we applied an interferometer that combined the acoustic and optical methods. This technique is based on the Michelson interferometer but the resultant surface of the thin film specimen makes interference instead of the mirror when the interface is excited from the acoustic transducer at the driving frequency. The thin film shows resonance-like behavior at a certain frequency range, resulting in a low-contrast fringe pattern. Therefore, we represented quantitatively the change in fringe pattern as a frequency spectrum and discovered the possibility that the interfacial adhesion properties of a thin film can be evaluated using the newly proposed technique.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1157-1169
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• 2008

This paper presents spectral element formulation which approximates Lamb wave propagation by PZT transducers bonded on a thin plate. A two layer beam model under 2-D plane strain condition is introduced to simulate high-frequency dynamic responses induced by a piezoelectric (PZT) layer rigidly bonded on a base plate. Mindlin-Herrmann and Timoshenko beam theories are employed to represent the first symmetric and anti-symmetric Lamb wave modes on a base plate, respectively. The Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and 1-D linear piezoelectricity are used to model the electro-mechanical behavior of a PZT layer. The equations of motions of a two layer beam model are derived through Hamilton's principle. The necessary boundary conditions associated with the electro-mechanical properties of a PZT layer are formulated in the context of dual functions of a PZT layer as an actuator and a sensor. General spectral shape functions of response field and the associated boundary conditions are obtained through equations of motions converted into frequency domain. Detailed spectrum element formulation for composing the dynamic stiffness matrix of a two layer beam model is presented as well. The validity of the proposed spectral element is demonstrated through numerical examples.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.68
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• pp.274-281
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• 2018

Experimental studies of the hydrodynamic performance of the draft tube conical spout-fluid bed (DCSF) were conducted using pharmaceutical pellets. The experiments were carried out in a DCSF consisted of two sections: (a) a conical section with the cross section of $120mm{\times}250mm$ and the height of 270 mm, (b) a cylindrical section with the diameter of 250 mm and the height of 600 mm. The flow characteristics of solids were investigated with a high speed camera and a pezoresistive absolute pressure transducer simultaneously. These characteristics revealed different flow regimes in the DCSF: packed bed at low gas velocities, fluidized bed in draft tube at higher gas velocities until minimum spouting, and spouted bed. The stable spouting was identified by the presence of two dominant frequencies of the power spectrum density of pressure fluctuation signature: (i) the frequency band 6-9 Hz and (ii) the frequency band 12-15 Hz. The pressure drops across the draft tube as well as the annulus measured in order to better recognize the flow structure in the DCSF. It was observed that the pressure drop across the draft tube, the pressure drop across the annulus, and the minimum spouting velocity increase with the increase in the height of draft tube and distance of the entrainment zone, but with the decrease in the distributor hole pitch. Finally, this study provided novel insight into the hydrodynamic of DCSF, particularly minimum spouting and stable spouting in the DCSF which contains valuable information for process design and scale-up of spouted bed equipment.