• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.512-519
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• 2018

Phthalates widely used in the manufacture of plastics have deeply penetrated into our everyday lives. Recently, a concern over the toxicity of phthalates on thyroid, has been raised but in most of cases, the doses employed were unrealistically high. To investigate the effects of phthalates on thyroid, we investigated the effects of the repeated oral exposure to low to high doses (0.3, 3, 30 and 150 mg/kg) di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) from weaning to maturity for 90 days in juvenile rats on the thyroid. The histological examination revealed that DEHP significantly induced hyperplasia in the thyroid from the doses of 30 mg/kg, which was confirmed with Ki67 staining. In line with this finding, increased mRNA expression of thyrotropin releasing hormone (Trh) was observed in the thyroid of female at 0.3 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg as determined by RNAseq analysis. Moreover, significantly increased expression of parathyroid hormone (Pth) in the female at 0.3 mg/kg, and thyroglobulin (Tg) and thyroid hormone responsive (Thrsp) in the male at 0.3 mg/kg were noted in the blood, of which changes were substantially attenuated at 150 m/kg, alluding the meaningful effects of low dose DEHP on the thyroid hormone regulation. Urinary excretion of mono-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate (MEHP), a major metabolite of DEHP was determined to be 4.10 and 12.26 ppb in male, 6.65 and 324 ppb in female at 0.3 and 30 mg/kg DEHP, respectively, which fell within reported human urine levels. Collectively, these results suggest a potential adverse effects of low dose phthalates on the thyroid.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.116-124
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• 2010

While groundwater is the major source for drinking and irrigation purposes, arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater is a serious issue in Bangladesh. With a view to reduce As contamination in drinking water the guideline value recommended for Bangladesh is 0.05 mg/L. We assessed groundwater As in an As-affected Sadar Upazilla (small administrative unit) in the District (administrative unit) of Chapai Nabwabganj during 2006, where 50% hand tube well water were above the recommended limit (0.05 mg/L) during dry season. Almost 20% tube well waters were above the recommended limit during rainy season, perhaps due to the dilution of water table. The groundwater in Bangladesh contaminates surface soils and plants thereby As entering the food chain. In 2005, we examined the As levels in different rice varieties grown in different Districts of Bangladesh and the As concentrations in rice grain ranged from 0.07~1.12 mg/kg while the concentrations in 3 rice varieties were above the recommended limit (1 mg/kg rice grain) and the maximum concentration was 1.12 mg/kg rice grain in the rice variety BR 11. With few exceptions, the As content of rice grain in Bangladesh is not considered to be concentration of greater health concern as yet. We also observed enhanced root uptake, efficient root-to shoot translocation, and a much elevated tolerance through internal detoxification all contribute to As hyperaccumulation in a plant, ladder brake fern (Pteris vittata L.). But the phytoremediation technique might not be an appropriate tool to reduce the As calamity in the vast areas of Bangladesh. To mitigate the As problem of Bangladesh, better coordination among governmental agencies and many other organizations will be required to combat the disaster.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 1992

The quantitatively measured local myocardial perfusion rates with microspheres are used as an objective indicator of even distribution of cardioplegic solution, and the efficacy of the retrograde right atrial route of cardioplegia is evaluated in hearts with various levels of coronary arterial obstruction. After initial antegrade cardioplegia under the median sternotomy and aortic cannulation, 60 hearts from anesthetized New Zealand white rabbits are divided in random order as normal group [ligated left main coronary artery ; MA, MR] and diagonal group [ligated proximal diagonal artery ; LA, LR]. Half of each group [N=10] are perfused with antegrade cardioplegia[A] under the pressure of 100 cmH2O and the other half with retrograde right atrial route[R] under the pressure of 60 cmH2O[St. Thomas cardioplegic solution mixed with measured amount of microspheres]. The myocardium is subdivided into segments as A[atria], RV[right ventricle]. S[septum], LV[normally perfused left ventricular free wall], ROI[ischemic myocardium of left ventricular free wall]. LV and RQI are further divided into N[subendocardium] and P[subepicardium]. The resulting local myocardial perfusion rates and N /P of each group are compared with Wilcoxon rank sum test. The weight of the hearts is 5.94$\pm$0.66g, and there are no statistically significant dif-ferences[p>0.05, ANOVA] between six compared group. The mean flow rate[F: ml /g / min] of MR group is comparable with MA group[p>0.05], but in N and L group, there are significantly depressed F with right atrial route of cardioplegia, which means elevated perfusion resistance with this route. In spite of no significant differences in delivered doses of microsphere[DEL] between compared groups[p>0.05, ANOVA], there are significantly depressed REC and NF in hearts with right atrial cardioplegia which suggests increased requirement of cardioplegic solution with this route. The interventricular septum shows poor perfusion with right atrial route of cardioplegia without obstruction of supplying coronary arteries. But, with obstruction of coronary artery supplying septum as in M group, the flow rate is superior with right atrial route of infusion. The left ventricular free wall perfusion rates of every RQI with R route are superior to that of A route[p<0.05]. But, in LV segments, there are unfavorable effects of right atrial cardioplegia in L group, although the subendocardial perfusion is well maintained in N group. The LV free wall of left main group shows depressed perfusion rates with antegrade route as compared with RQI segments of diagonal group. But, by contraries, there are increased perfusion rates and superior N /P ratio with retrograde right atrial route. It implies more effective perfusion with right atrial route of cardioplegia in more proximal coronary arterial obstruction[i.e., M group as compared with L group]. As a conclusion, all region of ischemia have superior perfusion rates with right atrial car-dioplegia as compared with antegrade route, and especially excellent results can be obtained in hearts with more proximal obstruction of coronary arteries which would otherwise result in more severe ischemic damage. But, the depressed perfusion rates of the segments with normal coronary artery in hearts with coronary arterial obstruction may be a problem of concern with right atrial cardioplegia and needs solution.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.240-245
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• 2008

The consumption of foods containing trans fatty acids (TFAs) is a matter of concern at present. According to many studies, trans fatty acids (TFAs) may cause illnesses such as the coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, large intestine cancer, and breast cancer. They can also raise low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and reduce high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. TFAs can also inhibit the synthesis of phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids in arterial cells. As a consequence the Food and Drug Administration has deemed that saturated fatty acid, cholesterol and trans fatty acid levels be listed on food labels as of 2006. The Korea Food and Drug Administration also has required the listing of trans fatty acid content on food labels since 2007. The aim of this study was to determine the total lipid and trans fatty acid (TFA) contents in retort food, powdered milk, biscuit and pizza products. The number of samples examined were 2 retort food, 6 powdered milk, 7 biscuit and 3 pizza products. The extraction of total lipids in retort food and powdered milk followed the chloroform methanol method. The extraction of total lipids in biscuit and pizza was by the acid digestion method. All samples were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) using a SP-2560 capillary column and a flame ionization detector. The TFA contents per 100g of sample were 1-2.8% (1.9%) in retort foods, 0.4-2.4% (1.37%) in powdered milk products, 0-2.9% (1.23%) in biscuits, and 2.8-3.45% (3.03%) in pizzas.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.468-476
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• 2011

A lack of basic academic skills of junior college students has negatively impacted on the quality of vacational education and student dropout prevention, and yet it is true that there still are unclear alternatives or solutions to come up with that concern. As a way to find out the actual levels of basic academic skills of junior college students and educational efforts to improve these skills, the study investigated prior studies and benchmarked strengths and weaknesses of the related educational programs and supporting systems operated by ten junior colleges around the nation. Further, the study addressed emerging issues and challenges related to basic academic skills, based on the case study of D college. Major research methodologies included literature review, surveys for students and faculty members and focus-group interviews of faculty members in order to examine the states of students' basic academic skills in the area of language, in particular. Accordingly, the study proposed several suggestions with which educational practitioners could assist in supporting students to acquire improved basic academic skills(such as the development of a competence-based curriculum, implementation of reliable diagnosis tools and supporting educational systems for evaluating students' basic academic skills and upgrading of diverse teaching and learning resources and methods).

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.169-186
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• 2019

This study suggests a development direction by comparing the cargo throughput of the port of Yeosu-Gwangyang during 2007-2015 with that of domestic ports. It derived a concentration index (HHI) of cargo throughput in domestic ports by Yeosu-Gwangyang port docks, shipping companies, and abroad regions. The main results were as follows. First, in terms of total cargo handled, the port of Yeosu-Gwangyang was second only to the port of Busan, and the HHIs for the past nine years were relatively low. Second, the port of Yeosu-Gwangyang ranked first for total import and export cargo throughput, showing relatively stable HHIs from 2007 to 2015. Third, the HHIs of container handling performance by national shipping companies showed stable levels below 1,800. Fourth, there were no regions where cargo volume was noticeably concentrated in the port of Yeosu-Gwangyang, and it showed cargo throughput across various abroad regions. While changes in national shipping companies are expected after the Hanjin Shipping Crisis, there should be no serious concern regarding the dependence of the port of Yeosu-Gwangyang. It is expected to develop further by realizing the full use of all its facilities, diversifying the tenants in the Yeosu-Gwangyang area, and improving the demurrage rate.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.47-60
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• 2008

The appearance regulations of many middle and high schools have received attention as the social concern over infringement of students' human right is heightened. This study aimed at examining students' perception of and attitude toward appearance-related regulations enforced by high schools in Seoul. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 866 freshmen and sophomore students from six Co-Ed high schools located in Seoul. Students evaluated each of the 50 appearance-related regulations in terms of how strong they perceive the regulation is enforced in their school, how important they believe the regulation is, and finally, how much they actually observe it. The results indicated that regulations related to school uniforms are perceived important, and also were well-observed. Students, however, showed low levels of observance toward some regulations--i.e., regulations of hair styles or garments worn with school uniforms(coats, scarves, or turtlenecks). Students' personal characteristics were also found to influence their perception and observance of the regulations. This study has an implication for teachers and administers. For these regulations to be more effective, it was suggested that schools communicate the importance of appearance-related regulations to students and convince them, or consider revising their policies to reflect students' perspectives.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2009

The Asian dust storms which originated in the deserts of Mongolia and China transported particles to Korea and led to a high concentration of atmospheric particulate matters (PM) of more than $1000{\mu}g/m^3$ throughout the country in the spring, of 2007. Public concern, in Korea, about the possible adverse effects of these dust events has increased, as these dust storms can contain various air pollutants emitted from heavily industrialized eastern China. The objectives of this study were to understand the concentration characteristics of PM as a function of particle size between the Asian dust storm episodes and non-Asian dust period and to consider the mass size distribution of PM in the Asian dust storms and their water soluble ion species on the potential, possible effects on deposition levels in the three regions (nasopharyngeal, tracheobronchial, and alveolar) of the human respiratory system. The size distribution of PM mass concentration during the Asian dust storms showed a peak in the coarse particle region due to the long-range transport of soil particles from the deserts of Mongolia and China, which was identified by HYSPLIT-4 model for backward trajectory analysis of air arriving in the sampling site of Iksan. During the non-Asian dust period, there were two different types in PM size distribution: bimodal distribution when low concentrations of $PM_{2.5}$ were observed, while unimodal distribution having a peak in fine particle region when high concentrations of $PM_{2.5}$ were showed. This unimodal distribution with high concentrations of fine particulate and secondary air pollutants such as ${SO_4}^{2-}$, ${NO_3}^-$, ${NH_4}^+$ was found to be due to the long-range transport of air pollutants from industrialized eastern China. During the Asian dust storms, the mean concentrations of PM that can be deposited in the nasopharyngeal, tracheobronchial, and alveolar region were $128.8{\mu}g/m^3$, $216.5{\mu}g/m^3$, and $89.6{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. During the non-Asian dust period, the mean concentrations of PM that can be deposited in the nasopharyngeal, tracheobronchial, and alveolar region were $8.4{\mu}g/m^3$, $9.5{\mu}g/m^3$ and $38.5{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.2D
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• pp.217-225
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• 2011

Currently our country has very serious problems of traffic congestion and urban environment due to increasing automobile ownership. Recently, our concern about environmentally sustainable transportation and green transportation is increasing, so the government is pushing ahead the policy of bicycle using activation. So it is needed to develop a model to analyze the service level of bicycle roads more realistically. In this study, a neuro-fuzzy inference model to analyze the service level of bicycle roads was built selecting the width of bicycle roads, the number of conflicts during cycling and pedestrian volume, which have fuzzy characteristics, as input variables. The predictability of the model was evaluated comparing the surveyed and the estimated. The values of the statistics, $R^2$, MAE and MSE were 0.987, 0.142, 0.032. Therefore, It may be judged that the explainability of the model is very high. The service levels of bicyle roads estimated by the model are 1~3 steps lower than KHCM assessments. The reason may be explained that the model estimates the service level considering the width of bicycle roads and the number of conflicts simultaneously besides pedestrian volume.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.549-562
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• 2017

The US railroad network carries 40% of the nation's total freight. Railroad bridges are the most critical part of the network infrastructure and, therefore, must be properly maintained for the operational safety. Railroad managers inspect bridges by measuring displacements under train crossing events to assess their structural condition and prioritize bridge management and safety decisions accordingly. The displacement of a railroad bridge under train crossings is one parameter of interest to railroad bridge owners, as it quantifies a bridge's ability to perform safely and addresses its serviceability. Railroad bridges with poor track conditions will have amplified displacements under heavy loads due to impacts between the wheels and rail joints. Under these circumstances, vehicle-track-bridge interactions could cause excessive bridge displacements, and hence, unsafe train crossings. If displacements during train crossings could be measured objectively, owners could repair or replace less safe bridges first. However, data on bridge displacements is difficult to collect in the field as a fixed point of reference is required for measurement. Accelerations can be used to estimate dynamic displacements, but to date, the pseudo-static displacements cannot be measured using reference-free sensors. This study proposes a method to estimate total transverse displacements of a railroad bridge under live train loads using acceleration and tilt data at the top of the exterior pile bent of a standard timber trestle, where train derailment due to excessive lateral movement is the main concern. Researchers used real bridge transverse displacement data under train traffic from varying bridge serviceability levels. This study explores the design of a new bridge deck-pier experimental model that simulates the vibrations of railroad bridges under traffic using a shake table for the input of train crossing data collected from the field into a laboratory model of a standard timber railroad pile bent. Reference-free sensors measured both the inclination angle and accelerations of the pile cap. Various readings are used to estimate the total displacements of the bridge using data filtering. The estimated displacements are then compared to the true responses of the model measured with displacement sensors. An average peak error of 10% and a root mean square error average of 5% resulted, concluding that this method can cost-effectively measure the total displacement of railroad bridges without a fixed reference.