• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.5-12
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• 2018

Plastic containers which provides the opportunity to reduce transportation costs are lighter and less brittle than glass containers. As a results, efforts to replace glass with plastic are ongoing. The blow molding method is a typical approach in producing plastic containers. Single-stage injection blow molding (ISBM) is one of the blow molding methods. However, the difficulty in controlling the temperature during the injection molding process is considered its main disadvantage. In this study, ISBM process analysis of relatively thick walled containers such as cosmetic containers is carried out. The initial temperature distribution of the preform is deemed to be the most influential factor in the accuracy of blow molding for the thick vessel. In order to accurately predict this, all heat transfer processes of the preform are considered. The validity of this analytical procedure is verified by comparing the cross-sectional thickness with the actual product. Finally, the validated analytical method is used to evaluate the factors affecting the thickness of the final molded part. The ISBM analysis technique for thick walled vessels developed through this study can be used as an effective predictor for preform design and blow process.

• Journal of Software Engineering Society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2013

Variable length information message is a communication protocol standard in order for computer network systems to provide efficient delivery of information. The variable length information messages were developed for varying and controlling details of information in accordance with message receiver's required information level or information access level. In the previous studies, data compressing techniques have been in use for information message optimization technologies in order to reduce physical sizes of information messages. In optimization technologies for information messages, accuracy of information is considered as the most important factor; therefore, only non-loss compression techniques are applied to the optimization technologies. However, the non-loss compression based information message optimization methods are not efficient in data compression, and these are limited to efficient delivery of information in wireless network environments that have constraint bandwidth. In this paper, we attempt to optimize information in the variable length information messages at message fields in order to reduce physical sizes of messages more efficiently. To demonstrate the efficiency of our approach, we conduct optimization experiments for variable length information messages.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.111-118
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• 2019

This study examined the effect of amorphous metallic (AM) fibers on the spalling properties of ultra high strength concrete. Six specimens with concrete strengths of 100 MPa and 150 MPa were evaluated with mix proportions of polypropylene (PP) fibers of 0.15% by concrete volume, and proportions of AM fibers of 0.3% and 0.5% by concrete volume. These specimens were then heated in accordance with the ISO-834 heating curve. The movement of water vapor through a pore network formed by molten PP fibers was found to be a dominant factor controlling the spalling of high-strength concrete. Spalling control was not found to be significantly affected by the addition of 0.3% AM fibers; however, when 0.5% AM fibers was added, cracking was limited and so were paths for water vapor migration, increasing the likelihood of a moisture clog and creating the differential internal pressure often blamed for concrete spalling.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.191-197
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• 2019

This study aims to evaluate the effects of the root bark of Morus alba (RMA) on the regulation of the Hippo-YAP pathway. Hippo-YAP signaling is a critical regulator in controlling organ size and tissue homeostasis. Hippo, the serine/threonine kinase phosphorylate the LATS. Phosphorylated LATS then phosphorylates and inactivates the YAP and TAZ, which are two closely related transcriptional co-activator. Here we report RMA activates the Hippo signaling, thereby inhibits the YAP/TAZ activity. First, we examine the cytotoxic effects of RMA by MTT assay. RMA was cytotoxic at concentrations higher than $50{\mu}g/ml$ in HEK293A cells. The reporter gene assay was performed to measure the activity of TEAD, a key transcription factor that controls cell growth and proliferation. RMA significantly suppressed the luciferase activity. By phos-taq gel shift assay, and western blotting, we showed that RMA enhanced the phosphorylation of YAP in wild type cells, but not in LATS1/2 knock out cells, which means RMA activates classical Hippo pathway. RMA induced the cytoplasmic sequestration of YAP. RMA also suppressed the mRNA expression of CTGF and CYR61; the two major YAP dependent genes. Taken together, RMA is considered to be a good candidate for proliferative disease such as cancer, by facilitating cell death through activating the Hippo signaling pathway.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.68-76
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• 2019

Objective : The goal of this study was to investigate the characteristics of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), and associated neurocognitive functions as seen in visitors for military designation process. Methods : This retrospective study included 111 males aged 18 to 24 years among three groups: 41 visitors for military designation process (VMD), 21 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and 49 healthy subjects. We collected the results of the Young Schema Questionnaire, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, three neurocognitive tests as well as their clinicodemographic data. We analyzed the differences in EMSs between these three groups, and the correlations among the identified EMSs and neurocognitive performances within the VMD group. Results : Compared with both the OCD and healthy groups, the evaluation of the VMD group showed significantly higher scores in mistrust/abuse (F=6.4, p=0.002), vulnerability to harm (F=6.6, p<0.0001) and negativity/pessimism schema (F=7.3, p<0.0001), even when controlling for depression scores and levels of education. These three schemas also exhibited significant negative correlations with the score of Stroop test with r ranging from -0.34 to -0.44. Conclusion : These findings suggest that people who are likely to have difficulties adjusting to living in a military life may have psychological vulnerabilities related to certain EMSs. Further studies are warranted to test the clinical potentials of these findings, such as a treatment target and a predictor factor.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2019

The rapid development of the automobile industry is an important factor that led to the dramatic development of synthetic rubber. The tread part of tire that comes in direct contact with the road surface is related to the service life of the tire. Rubber compounds used in tire treads are often blended with SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber) and BR (butadiene rubber) to satisfy physical property requirements. However, when two or more kinds of rubber are blended, phase separation and silica dispersion problems may occur due to non-uniform mixing of the rubber. Therefore, in this study, we synthesized an SBR copolymer with the same composition as that of a typical SBR/BR blend compound by controlling butadiene content during ESBR (emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber) synthesis. Subsequently, silica filled compounds were manufactured using the synthesized ESBR, and their mechanical properties, dynamic viscoelasticity, and crosslinking density were compared with those of the SBR/BR blended compound. When the content of butadiene was increased in the silica filled compound, the cure rate accelerated due to an increased number of allylic positions, which typically exhibit higher reactivity. However, the T-2 compound with increased butadiene content by synthesis less likely to show an increase in crosslink density due to poor silica dispersion. In addition, the T-3 compound containing high cis BR content showed high crosslink density due to its monosulfide crosslinking structure. Because of the phase separation, SBR/BR blend compounds were easily broken and showed similar $M_{100%}$ and $M_{300%}$ values as those of other compounds despite their high crosslink density. However, the developed blend showed excellent abrasion resistance due to the high cis-1,4 butadiene content and low rolling resistance due to the high crosslink density.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2019

We investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of Pyunkang-tang extract (PGT), a complex herbal extract based on traditional Chinese medicine that is used in Korea for controlling diverse pulmonary diseases, on cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary pathology in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The constituents of PGT were Lonicerae japonica, Liriope platyphylla, Adenophora triphilla, Xantium strumarinum, Selaginella tamariscina and Rehmannia glutinosa. Rats were exposed by inhalation to a mixture of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and sulfur dioxide for three weeks to induce COPD-like pulmonary inflammation. PGT was administered orally to rats and pathological changes to the pulmonary system were examined in each group of animals through measurement of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) at 21 days post-CSE treatment. The effect of PGT on the hypersecretion of pulmonary mucin in rats was assessed by quantification of the amount of mucus secreted and by examining histopathologic changes in tracheal epithelium. Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with PGT for 30 min and then stimulated with CSE plus PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate), for 24 h. The MUC5AC mucin gene expression was measured by RT-PCR. Production of MUC5AC mucin protein was measured by ELISA. The results were as follows: (1) PGT inhibited CSE-induced pulmonary inflammation as shown by decreased TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 levels in BALF; (2) PGT inhibited the hypersecretion of pulmonary mucin and normalized the increased amount of mucosubstances in goblet cells of the CSE-induced COPD rat model; (3) PGT inhibited CSE-induced MUC5AC mucin production and gene expression in vitro in NCI-H292 cells, a human airway epithelial cell line. These results suggest that PGT might regulate the inflammatory aspects of COPD in a rat model.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2019

Numerous studies have reported that enteric neurons involved in controlling neurotransmitter secretion and motility in the gut critically contribute to the progression of gut inflammation. Clostridium difficile toxins, which cause severe colonic inflammation, are also known to affect enteric neurons. Our previous study showed that C. difficile toxin A directly induces neural cell toxicities, such as viability loss and apoptosis. In the current study, we attempted to identify a potent inhibitor of toxin A-induced neural cell toxicity that may aid in managing toxin A-induced gut inflammation. In our recent study, we found that the Korea dung beetle-derived antimicrobial peptide CopA3 completely blocked neural cell apoptosis caused by okadaic acid or 6-OHDA. Here, we examined whether the antimicrobial peptide CopA3 inhibited toxin A-induced neural cell damage. In neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, CopA3 treatment protected against both apoptosis and viability loss caused by toxin A. CopA3 also completely inhibited activation of the pro-apoptotic factor, caspase-3. Additionally, CopA3 rescued toxin A-induced downregulation of neural cell proliferation. However, CopA3 had no effect on signaling through ROS/p38 $MAPK/p27^{kip1}$, suggesting that CopA3 inhibits toxin A-induced neural cell toxicity independent of this well-characterized toxin A pathway. Our data further suggest that ability of CopA3 to rescue toxin A-induced neural cell damage may also ameliorate the gut inflammation caused by toxin A.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.249-262
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• 2021

The most effective way to control newly emerging infectious disease, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, is to strengthen preventative or therapeutic public health strategies before the infection spreads worldwide. However, global health systems remain at the early stages in anticipating effective therapeutics or vaccines to combat the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. While maintaining social distance is the most crucial metric to avoid spreading the virus, symptomatic therapy given to patients on the clinical manifestations helps save lives. The molecular properties of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been quickly elucidated, paving the way to therapeutics, vaccine development, and other medical interventions. Despite this progress, the detailed biomolecular mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 infection remains elusive. Given virus invasion of cells is a determining factor for virulence, understanding the viral entry process can be a mainstay in controlling newly emerged viruses. Since viral entry is mediated by selective cellular proteases or proteins associated with receptors, identification and functional analysis of these proteins could provide a way to disrupt virus propagation. This review comprehensively discusses cellular machinery necessary for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Understanding multifactorial traits of the virus entry will provide a substantial guide to facilitate antiviral drug development.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.174-181
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• 2008

The stability of the cathode materials for Li secondary battery is an important factor for its cyclability. The present paper focuses on the structural stability of $LiNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$ during lithiation/delithiation of Li ions and compared to that of $LiMn_{2}O_4$. $LiMn_{2}O_4$ and $LiNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$ powders are synthesized using a solgel method and their structural and electrochemical properties are investigated by XRD, SEM, and charge-discharge tests. $Li_xMn_2O_4$ and $Li_xNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$(x = 0.9,0.5,0.1) specimens are obtained after charge/discharge tests by controlling the cut-off voltage for XRD and TEM investigation. The charge-discharge tests shows that initial capacity of $LiNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$ is 125 mAh/g and that of LiMn2O4 is around 100 mAh/g. The capacity of $LiNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$ is maintained 95% of its initial capacity whereas the capacity of $LiMn_{2}O_4$ is maintained 65% of its initial capacity.