• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.30-39
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• 2003

Background and Objectives : Patients with pathologic voice often concern about recovery of voice after surgery. In our investigation, we give controlled values of three parameters of voice synthesis program of Dr. Speech Science. such as jitter, shimmer, and NNE(normalized noise energy) which characterize someone's voice from others and deviced a method to synthesize the predicted voice after performing operation. Subjects and Method : Values of vocal jitter, vocal shimmer, and glottal noise were measured with voices of 10 vocal cord Paralysis and 10 vocal Polyp Patients 1 week Prior to and 1 month after the surgery. With Dr. Speech science voice synthesis program we synthesized 'ae' vowel which is closely identical to preoperative and post-operative voice of the patients by controlling the values of jitter, shimmer, and glottal noise. then we analyzed the synthesized voices and compared with pre and post-operative voice. Results : 1) After inputting the preoperative and corrected values of jitter, shimmer, and glottal noise into the voice synthesis Program, voices identical to vocal Polyp Patients' Pre- and Postoperative voices withiin statistical significance were synthesized 2) After elimination of synergistic effects between three paramenter, we were able to synthesize voice identical to vocal paralysis patients' preoperative voices. 3) After inputting only slightly increased jitter, shimmer into the synthesis program, we were able to synthesize voice identical to vocal cord paralysis patients' postoperative voices. Conclusion : Voices synthesized with Dr. Speech science program were identical to patients' actual pre and postoperative voice, and clinicians will be able to give the patients more information and thus increased patients cooperability can be expected.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Although Angelica keiskei (AK) has widely been utilized for the purpose of general health improvement among Asian, its functionality and mechanism of action. The aim of this study was to determine the protective effect of ethanol extract of AK (AK-Ex) on acute hepatotoxicity induced by acetaminophen (AAP) in HepG2 human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cells and HepaRG human hepatic progenitor cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: AK-Ex was prepared HepG2 and HepaRG cells were cultured with various concentrations and 30 mM AAP. The protective effects of AK-Ex against AAP-induced hepatotoxicity in HepG2 and HepaRG cells were evaluated using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, flow cytometry, and Western blotting. RESULTS: AK-Ex, when administered prior to AAP, increased cell growth and decreased leakage of LDH in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 and HepaRG cells against AAP-induced hepatotoxicity. AK-Ex increased the level of Bcl-2 and decreased the levels of Bax, Bok and Bik decreased the permeability of the mitochondrial membrane in HepG2 cells intoxicated with AAP. AK-Ex decreased the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and the activation of caspase-9, -7, and -3. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that AK-Ex downregulates apoptosis via intrinsic and extrinsic pathways against AAP-induced hepatotoxicity. We suggest that AK could be a useful preventive agent against AAP-induced apoptosis in hepatocytes.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: To improve the Daechung reservoir water quality, a quantitative estimation of the delivery load from upper watershed need to be conducted prior to others. To do so, an intensive monitoring is necessary because of the complexity and uncertainty of the delivery load from uppper watershed. However, intensive monitoring need to invest much time, cost, and effort. So, many researcher have developed an equation to estimate the delivery loads. But, relatively little research has been conducted on the applicability of pre-developed equation using other sites. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate application of the equation for BOD, T-N and T-P delivery load. METHODS AND RESULTS: To verify the applicability of the equation, the following equation was used; Delivery loads(kg/day)=generated pollutant loads${\times}(1-{\alpha}){\times}$(daily outflow/${\beta})^{\gamma}$. The equations could be calculated the daily delivery loads of streams without any data of water quality, only with the data of daily runoff of study sites. The equations were applied to Youngdogcheon, Chogangcheon, Bocheongcheon, Sookcheon to examine its applicability using monitoring data. The results showed that the estimated delivery loads were in a good agreement with the observed data and indicated reasonable applicability of the equations. CONCLUSION(s): Overall, the equations were satisfactory in estimation of delivery loads at upper watershed of the Daechung reservoir. Therefore, the equations could be contributed to better water quality management in the Daechung reservoir.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.126-132
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• 2010

The Housing Performance Rating System, enacted on 9 January 2006, an active measure containing provisions on improved quality and advanced performance of the Fire-Protection System for equalized ability to secure safety of life to some extent, is a desirable policy in fire-safety regard. The study of theoretical background of each performance rating section for the purpose of active and wide application of The Fire-Protection System category of the Housing Performance Rating System currently in effect internally. In accordance with the result of the study, the reform measures for the currently detailed evaluation criteria have been suggested to improve the performance of the Fire-Protection area of The Housing Performance Rating System currently being in force based on the assumption of prior settlement of the following; upward settlement of the point distribution standards on the performance ratings of each head backed up by an institutional Government policy with overriding priority; and urgently enacted Fire-Protection related laws and regulations.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2014

Background: Cassava and corn milling is a growing small-scale enterprise in Africa. We aimed to determine the incidence of hand-arm musculoskeletal complaints among vibration-exposed Congolese cassava and corn millers in the previous 12 months. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, prior to a follow-up study, from March to May 2013 among cassava/corn millers in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, in which 365 millers age-matched to 365 civil workers anonymously answered a questionnaire. Results: Overall incidence of hand-arm musculoskeletal complaints was 25.8% in millers (vs. 5.2% in civil workers; p < 0.001). The risk of experiencing musculoskeletal symptoms was seven times higher in millers [vs. civil workers; odds ratio (OR) = 7.10; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.03-12.50; p < 0.0001]; 2.4 times higher in smoking millers (vs. smoking civil office workers; OR = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.42-3.88; p < 0.001); 3.6 times higher in millers with longer daily exposure (> 8 hours; vs. those working ${\leq}8$ hours; OR = 3.56; 95% CI: 1.93-3.61; p = 0.026); and 7.4 times higher in young millers (vs. older millers, OR = 7.39; 95% CI: 1.29-75.52; p < 0.001). Smoking, number of cigarettes, and daily exposure duration were positively correlated with musculoskeletal complaints. Conclusion: This study revealed a relatively high incidence of musculoskeletal complaints among African cassava and corn millers. The use of anti-vibration protective equipment and the regulation of this hazardous occupation may reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disorders in millers.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.222-226
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• 2017

Background: Long-term ginseng intake can increase longevity in healthy individuals. Here, we examined if long-term treatment with Panax ginseng Meyer (Korean Red Ginseng, KRG) can also enhance survival duration (SD) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 252 HIV-1 patients diagnosed from 1986 to 2013 prior to the initiation of antiretroviral therapy. Overall, 162 patients were treated with KRG ($3,947{\pm}4,943g$) for $86{\pm}63$ mo. The effects of KRG on SD were analyzed according to the KRG intake level and the length of the follow-up period. Results: There were significant correlations between the total amount of KRG and SD in the KRG intake group (r = 0.64, p < 0.0001) as well as between total amount of KRG and mean annual decrease in $CD4^+$ T-cell count in all 252 patients (r = -0.17, p < 0.01). The annual decrease in $CD4^+$ T-cell count (change in $cells/{\mu}L$) was significantly slower in KRG-treated patients than in patients receiving no KRG ($48{\pm}40$ vs. $106{\pm}162$; p < 0.001). The SD (in months) was also significantly longer in the KRG group than in the no-KRG group ($101{\pm}64$ vs. $59{\pm}40$, p < 0.01). Conclusion: KRG prolongs survival in HIV-1 patients, possibly by slowing the decrease in $CD4^+$ T-cell count.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.419-428
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• 2018

Background: Despite the large number of studies on ginseng, pharmacological activities of ginseng seed oil (GSO) have not been established. GSO is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, mostly oleic and linoleic acids. Unsaturated fatty acids are known to exert a therapeutic effect in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, we investigated the protective effect and underlying mechanisms of GSO against NAFLD using in vitro and in vivo models. Methods: In vitro lipid accumulation was induced by free fatty acid mixture in HepG2 cells and by 3 wk of high fat diet (HFD)-feeding in Sprague-Dawley rats prior to hepatocyte isolation. The effects of GSO against diet-induced hepatic steatosis were further examined in C57BL/6J mice fed a HFD for 12 wk. Results: Oil Red O staining and intracellular triglyceride levels showed marked accumulation of lipid droplets in both HepG2 cells and rat hepatocytes, and these were attenuated by GSO treatment. In HFD-fed mice, GSO improved HFD-induced dyslipidemia and hepatic insulin resistance. Increased hepatic lipid contents were observed in HFD-fed mice and it was lowered in GSO (500 mg/kg)-treated mice by 26.4% which was evident in histological analysis. Pathway analysis of hepatic global gene expression indicated that GSO increased the expression of genes associated with ${\beta}$-oxidation (Ppara, Ppargc1a, Sirt1, and Cpt1a) and decreased the expression of lipogenic genes (Srebf1 and Mlxipl), and these were confirmed with reverse transcription and quantitative polymerase-chain reaction. Conclusion: These findings suggest that GSO has a beneficial effect on NAFLD through the suppression of lipogenesis and stimulation of fatty acid degradation pathway.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.41-48
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• 2011

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome is very common knee problem and altered hip rotation may play a role in patellofemoral pain. The purpose of this case study is to describe the manual therapy of and the therapeutic exercise for a patient with asymmetrical hip rotation and patellofemoral pain. Method: The patient was a 29 years old woman with an 3 month history of anterior right knee pain, without known trauma or injury. Prior to intervention, her score on the VAS was Max 6 to Min 4. Left hip internal rotation was less than right hip internal rotation, and manual muscle testing showed weakness of the left hip internal rotator and abductor muscles. The intervention consisted of manual therapy and therapeutic exercise for three times a weeks, two weeks for increasing right hip medial rotation, improving left hip muscle strength, and eliminating anterior right knee pain. Result: After intervention for 2weeks, passive left and right hip medial rotations were symmetrical, and her right hip internal rotator and abductor muscle grades were Good plus. Her VAS score was Max 2 to Min 0. Conclusion: Manual therapy and therapeutic exercise is effective in improving for patient had patellofemoral pain with pattern of asymmetrical hip rotation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.297-303
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• 2007

In this paper, the stroke-based text extraction algorithm for digital video is proposed. The proposed algorithm consists of four stages such as text detection, text localization, text segmentation and geometric verification. The text detection stage ascertains that a given frame in a video sequence contains text. This procedure is accomplished by morphological operations for the pixels with higher possibility of being stroke-based text, which is called as seed points. For the text localization stage, morphological operations for the edges including seed points ate adopted followed by horizontal and vortical projections. Text segmentation stage is to classify projected areas into text and background regions according to their intensity distribution. Finally, in the geometric verification stage, the segmented area are verified by using prior knowledge of video text characteristics.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.376-383
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• 2015

Background: Panax ginseng has a wide range of biological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory functions. Wild ginseng cambial meristematic cells (CMCs) were obtained from P. ginseng cambium. This study examined the protective mechanism of wild ginseng CMCs against $\small{D}$-galactosamine (GalN)-induced liver injury. GalN, a well-known hepatotoxicant, causes severe hepatocellular inflammatory damage and clinical features similar to those of human viral hepatitis in experimental animals. Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats using GalN (700 mg/kg, i.p.). Wild ginseng CMCs was administered orally once a day for 2 wks, and then 2 h prior to and 6 h after GalN injection. Results: Wild ginseng CMCs attenuated the increase in serum aminotransferase activity that occurs 24 h after GalN injection. Wild ginseng CMCs also attenuated the GalN-induced increase in serum tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-6 level, and hepatic cyclooxygenase-2 protein and mRNA expression. Wild ginseng CMCs augmented the increase in serum interleukin -10 and hepatic heme oxygenase-1 protein and mRNA expression that was induced by GalN, inhibited the increase in the nuclear level of nuclear factor-kappa B, and enhanced the increase in NF-E2-related factor 2. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that wild ginseng CMCs protects liver against GalN-induced inflammation by suppressing proinflammatory mediators and enhancing production of anti-inflammatory mediators.