• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.367-375
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• 2016

In this study, the skin-improving effect was investigated through the oral intake of DuOligo (51.67% lactulose and 15.8% galactooligosaccharides). Thirty seven healthy women (40~60 in ages) were divided into placebo group (dextrin) and treatment group (DuOligo group), and each group was given a sample for oral intake for 8 weeks. After that, corneometer value, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), melanin index, erythema index, and wrinkle index were measured. As a result, moisture content of DuOligo group increased 38.22% than control group after 8 weeks significantly (p < 0.01). The TEWL of control group decreased by $3.39g/h/m^2$ after 8 weeks but the TEWL of DuOligo group decreased by $5.32g/h/m^2$ after 8 weeks. The melanin index of the control group was significantly increased with times, but the melanin index of the DuOligo group did not show any significant difference with times. The total wrinkles, length of total wrinkles, number of wrinkles, and depth of wrinkles significantly decreased (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. These results suggested that the applicability of DuOligo as a skin improving functional material was confirmed.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.170-180
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• 2008

Purpose : Some antibiotics were known to exert neuroprotective effects in the animal model of hypoxic-ischemic (H-I) brain injury, but the mechanism is still unclear. A recent study reported that geneticin (G418), an aminoglycoside antibiotic, increased survival of human breast cancer cells by suppressing apoptosis. We investigated the neuroprotective effects of systemically administrated geneticin via anti-apoptosis following the H-I brain injury Methods : Seven-day-old Sprague-Dawley rat pups were subjected to unilateral (left) common carotid artery occlusion followed by 2.5 hours of hypoxic exposure and the cortical cell culture of rat brain was done under a hypoxic incubator. Apoptosis was measured in the injured hemispheres 7 days after H-I insult and in the injured cells from hypoxic chamber using morphologic analysis by Terminal dUTP Nick-end Labeling(TUNEL) assay and immunohistochemistry for caspase-3, and cytologic analysis by western blot and real time PCR for bax, bcl-2, and caspase-3. Results : The gross appearance and hematoxylin and eosin stain revealed increased brain volume in the geneticin-treated animal model of perinatal H-I brain injury. The TUNEL assay revealed decreased apoptotic cells after administration of geneticin in the cell culture model of anoxia. Immunohistochemistry showed decreased caspase-3 expression in geneticin-treated cortical cell culture. Western blot and real-time PCR showed decreased caspase-3 expression and decreased ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 expression in geneticin-treated animal model. Conclusion : Geneticin appears to exert a neuroprotective effect against perinatal H-I brain injury at least via anti-apoptosis. However, more experiments are needed in order to demonstrate the usefulness of geneticin as a preventive and rescue treatment for H-I brain injuries of neonatal brain.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.532-537
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• 2008

In order to investigate the factors affecting the culture of mouse preantral follicles in vitro, we examined the effect of culture media, protein supplements, and culture period on their growth. The oocyte diameter (initial size: $55.6{\pm}2.5{\mu}m$) was progressively increased during culture, and the maximum size ($72.0{\pm}2.4{\mu}m$) was reached on day 10 of the in vitro culture. The chromatin configuration in the germinal vesicle (GV) oocyte progressively shifted from a non-surrounded nucleolus (NSN) to a surrounded nucleolus (SN). On day 10 of the culture, most of the oocytes progressed to the SN pattern. The survival and metaphase II rates of the oocytes in alpha-minimal essential medium (alpha-MEM) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in Waymouth and tissue culture medium (TCM)-199. As a protein source, fetal bovine serum (FBS) was more suitable for the culture of mouse preantral follicles as compared to human follicular fluid (hFF) and bovine serum albumin (BSA); the optimal concentration of FBS was 5%. These results suggest that in a culture of mouse preantral follicles, alpha-MEM and 5% FBS are an optimal medium and a protein source, respectively; further, the 10 days of culture is required for the complete growth of oocytes in this culture system.

• ALGAE
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.209-219
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• 2007

Marine algal flora and community structure of medicinal seaweeds were examined at Kkotji of Taean Peninsula, Korea from May 2005 to January 2006. Seventy-nine seaweeds including 42 medicinal algae and one marine plant were identified. Sargassum thunbergii was the representative alga occurred at all seasons and shore levels. The dominant medicinal seaweeds were perennial S. thunbergii, Neorhodomela aculeata, and Corallina pilulifera, and ephemeral Monostroma grevillei, Porphyra yezoensis, and Ulva pertusa. Their vertical distribution were N. aculeata – P. yezoensis, M. grevillei, and U. pertusa – C. pilulifera from high to low intertidal zone. The average biomass of medicinal seaweeds varied from 34.17 g m–2 in spring to 56.41 g m–2 in summer. At Kkotji shore, the opportunistic species (Enteromorpha, Ulva, and Cladophora) and turf-forming algae (Caulacanthus okamurae and Gelidium divaricatum) were easily observed. Such fast growing ESG II (ecological state group) was 87.50% and slow growing perennial algae, ESG I was only 12.15%. Also, diversity index (H’) and dominance index (DI) indicate that the seaweed community of Kkotji is unstable. Therefore, Kkotji rocky shore should be more protected from human activities such as turbulence and eutrophication in order to maintain species diversity and abundance of medicinal seaweeds.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.30 no.2 s.109
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• pp.89-94
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• 2005

The compression strength of corrugated fiberboard container for packaging the agricultural products rapidly decreases because of various environmental conditions during distribution of unitized products. Among various environmental conditions, the main factors affecting the compression strength of corrugated fiberboard are absorption of moisture, long-term accumulative load, and fatigue caused by shock and vibration. An estimated rate of damage for fruit during distribution is about from 30 to 40 percent owing to the shock and vibration. This study was carried out to characterize the durability of corrugated fiberboard container for packaging the fruit and vegetables under simulated transportation environment. The vibration test system was constructed to simulate the land transportation using truck. After the package with corrugated fiberboard container was vibrated by vibration test system at various experimental conditions, the compression test for the package was performed. The compression strength of corrugated fiberboard container decreased with loading weight and vibrating time. The multiple nonlinear regression equation for predicting the decreasing rate of compression strength of corrugated fiberboard containers were developed using four independent variables such as input acceleration level, input frequency, loading weight and vibrating time. The influence of loading weight on the decreasing rate of corrugated fiberboard container was larger than other variables.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.71-75
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• 2012

Purpose : Dental trauma is frequently unpredictable. The initial assessment and urgent treatment are essential for dentists to save the patient's teeth. Mobile-phone-assisted teleconsultation and telediagnosis for dental trauma could be an aid when a dentist is not available. In the present in-vitro study, we evaluated the success rate and time to transfer images under various conditions. Materials and Methods : We analyzed the image quality of cameras built into mobile phones based on their resolution, autofocus, white-balance, and anti-movement functions. Results : The image quality of most built-in cameras was acceptable to perform the initial assessment, with the autofocus function being essential to obtain high-quality images. The transmission failure rate increased markedly when the image size exceeded 500 kB and the additional text messaging did not improve the success rate or the transmission time. Conclusion : Our optimal protocol could be useful for emergency programs running on the mobile phones.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.23-48
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• 2020

This qualitative case study focuses on five small and medium-sized enterprises which have put family-friendly management into successful practice. Through in-depth unstructured interviews with five human resources managers and ten employees, we describe each firm's approach to work-life balance including working hour reductions, breaks, work flexibility, and parental leave to build an overall picture. We also discuss the four key factors of the CEO's role; democratic communication between all staff, the usefulness of family-friendly certification as a starting point; and governmental support for promoting work-life balance at small and medium-sized enterprises. Finally, we suggest three political implications of governmental support, namely CEO education, changing the criteria of family-friendly certification to redefine working hours and work flexibility, and incentives specifically for small to medium-sized enterprises.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2014

Hesperetin has been shown to possess a potential anti-angiogenic effect, including vascular formation by endothelial cells. However, the mechanisms underlying the potential anti-angiogenic activity of hesperetin are not fully understood. In the present study, we evaluated whether hesperetin has anti-angiogenic effects in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were treated with 50 ng/mL vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to induce proliferation as well as vascular formation, followed by treatment with several doses of hesperetin (25, 50, and $100{\mu}M$) for 24 h. Cell proliferation and vascular formation were analyzed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and tube formation assay, respectively. In addition, cell signaling related to cell proliferation and vascular formation was analyzed by western blot. Furthermore, a mouse aorta ring assay was performed to confirm the effect of hesperetin on vascular formation. Hesperetin treatment did not cause differences in HUVECs proliferation. However, hesperetin significantly inhibited VEGF-induced cell migration and tube formation of HUVECs (P<0.05). Moreover, hesperetin suppressed the expression of ERK, p38 MAPK, and PI3K/AKT in the VEGF-induced HUVECs. In an ex vivo model, hesperetin also suppressed microvessel sprouting of mouse aortic rings. Taken together, the findings suggest that hesperetin inhibited vascular formation by endothelial cells via the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT, ERK and p38 MAPK signaling.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.215-222
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• 2024

Because collagen is inherently piezoelectric, research is being actively conducted to utilize it to harvest energy. In this study, a collagen solution was prepared using edible low-molecular-weight peptide collagen powder, and collagen films were fabricated using a dip coating method. The collagen films prepared by dip coating showed a smooth surface without defects such as pinholes or cracks. Dehydrothermal treatment of the collagen films was performed to induce a stable molecular structure through cross-linking. The collagen film subjected to dehydrothermal treatment at 110 ℃ for 24 h showed a thickness reduction rate of 19 %. Analysis of the collagen films showed that the crystallinity of the collagen film improved by about 7.9 % after dehydrothermal treatment. A collagen film-based piezoelectric nanogenerator showed output characteristics of approximately 13.7 V and 1.4 ㎂ in a pressure test of 120 N. The generator showed a maximum power density of about 2.91 mW/m² and an output voltage of about 8~19 V during various human body movements such as finger tapping. The collagen film-based piezoelectric generator showed improved output performance with improved crystallinity and piezoelectricity after dehydrothermal treatment.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.13.1-13.6
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• 2024

Avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) present significant threats to both animal and human health through their potential for cross-species transmission and global spread. Clade 2.3.4.4 H5Nx highly pathogenic avian IAVs initially emerged in East Asia between 2013 and 2014. Since then, they have spread to Europe, Africa, and America via migratory bird flyways. However, beyond viral transmission primarily facilitated by migratory birds, the potential involvement of other intermediate factors for virus transmission remains poorly investigated. This study aimed to investigate the role of wild rodents as intermediary hosts in the ecology of avian IAVs in Gyeonggi province, South Korea. By capturing and analyzing 189 wild rodents near poultry farms and migratory bird habitats in 2013 and 2014 and employing serological assays and virus isolation techniques, we found no evidence of IAV infection among these populations. Our results suggest that wild rodents may not significantly contribute to the transmission dynamics of IAVs within these regions.