• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2024

Purpose: ¹⁸F-FET, a radiopharmaceutical based on a Tyrosine amino acid derivative using the Sodium-Potassium Pump-independent Transporter (System L) for non-invasive evaluation of primary, recurrent, and metastatic brain tumors, exhibits distinct characteristics. Unlike the widely absorbed ¹⁸F-FDG in both tumor and normal brain tissues, ¹⁸F-FET demonstrates specific uptake only in tumor tissue while almost negligible uptake in normal brain tissue. This study aims to compare and evaluate the usefulness of ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹⁸F-FET Brain PET/CT quantitative analysis in brain tumor diagnosis. Materials and Methods: In 46 patients diagnosed with brain gliomas (High Grade: 34, Low Grade: 12), Brain PET/CT scans were performed at 40 minutes after ¹⁸F-FDG injection and at 20 minutes (early) and 80 minutes (delay) after ¹⁸F-FET injection. SUV_max and SUV_peak of tumor areas corresponding to MRI images were measured in each scan, and the SUV_max-to-SUV_peak ratio, an indicator of tumor prognosis, was calculated. Differences in SUV_max, SUV_peak, and SUV_max-to-SUV_peak ratio between ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹⁸F-FET early/delay scans were statistically verified using SPSS (ver.28) package program. Results: SUV_max values were 3.72±1.36 for ¹⁸F-FDG, 4.59±1.55 for ¹⁸F-FET early, and 4.12±1.36 for ¹⁸F-FET delay scans. The highest SUV_max was observed in ¹⁸F-FET early scans, particularly in HG tumors (4.85±1.44), showing a slightly more significant difference (P<0.0001). SUV_peak values were 3.33±1.13 for ¹⁸F-FDG, 3.04±1.11 for ¹⁸F-FET early, and 2.80±0.96 for ¹⁸F-FET delay scans. The highest SUV_peak was in ¹⁸F-FDG scans, while the lowest was in ¹⁸F-FET delay scans, with a more significant difference in HG tumors (P<0.001). SUV_max-to-SUV_peak ratio values were 1.11±0.09 for ¹⁸F-FDG, 1.54±0.22 for ¹⁸F-FET early, and 1.48±0.17 for ¹⁸F-FET delay scans. This ratio was higher in ¹⁸F-FET scans for both HG and LG tumors (P<0.0001), but there was no statistically significant difference between ¹⁸F-FET early and delay scans. Conclusion: This study confirms the usefulness of early and delay scans in ¹⁸F-FET Brain PET/CT examinations, particularly demonstrating the changes in objective quantitative metrics such as SUV_max, SUV_peak, and introducing the SUV_max-to-SUV_peak ratio as a new evaluation metric based on the degree of tumor malignancy. This is expected to further contributions to the quantitative analysis of Brain PET/CT images.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.990-1010
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• 2009

To derive brain-based evolutionary educational principles, this study examined the studies on the structural and functional characteristics of human brain, the biological evolution occurring between- and within-organism, and the evolutionary attributes embedded in science itself and individual scientist's scientific activities. On the basis of the core characteristics of human brain and the framework of universal Darwinism or universal selectionism consisted of generation-test-retention (g-t-r) processes, a Model of Brain-based Evolutionary Scientific Teaching for Learning (BEST-L) was developed. The model consists of three components, three steps, and assessment part. The three components are the affective (A), behavioral (B), and cognitive (C) components. Each component consists of three steps of Diversifying $\rightarrow$ Emulating (Executing, Estimating, Evaluating) $\rightarrow$ Furthering (ABC-DEF). The model is 'brain-based' in the aspect of consecutive incorporation of the affective component which is based on limbic system of human brain associated with emotions, the behavioral component which is associated with the occipital lobes performing visual processing, temporal lobes performing functions of language generation and understanding, and parietal lobes, which receive and process sensory information and execute motor activities of the body, and the cognitive component which is based on the prefrontal lobes involved in thinking, planning, judging, and problem solving. On the other hand, the model is 'evolutionary' in the aspect of proceeding according to the processes of the diversifying step to generate variants in each component, the emulating step to test and select useful or valuable things among the variants, and the furthering step to extend or apply the selected things. For three components of ABC, to reflect the importance of emotional factors as a starting point in scientific activity as well as the dominant role of limbic system relative to cortex of brain, the model emphasizes the DARWIN (Driving Affective Realm for Whole Intellectual Network) approach.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.35-61
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• 2024

Floristic study can help to understand the current status of species diversity, evaluate and predict distribution changes of plants based on the specimens, and record the climate environment and biodiversity of the Korean Peninsula. Boraebong is an area that has plant resources of conservation value, but there is concern about artificial interference through trail and forest road. Therefore, this study aims to report the vascular plants of Boraebong based on voucher specimens and photos and to use them as baseline data to conserve biodiversity of Boraebong. Also, it will be useful to prevent additional influx of invasive species through comparison with previous studies. The investigation was carried out 11 times from April to September in 2022 and confirmed a total of 455 taxa including 87 families, 269 genera, 401 species, 13 subspecies, 35 varieties, 6 forms. In addition, we confirmed the 4 taxa of red list plants (EN 2 taxa, NT 2 taxa), 18 taxa of Korean endemic plants, and 102 taxa of floristic target species (V degree 1 taxon, IV degree 16 taxa, III degree 31 taxa, II degree 31 taxa, I degree 23 taxa). Furthermore, alien plants 17 taxa, invasive species 2 taxa, useful plants 439 taxa were confirmed in Boraebong. As the results of comparison with previous studies, 98 total taxa including 38 families, 76 genera, 86 species, 1 subspecies, 8 varieties, 3 forms were newly identified in this study.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.110-115
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• 2024

Alterations in DNA methylation play an important pathophysiological role in the development and progression of colorectal cancer. We comprehensively profiled DNA methylation alterations in 165 Korean patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), and conducted an in-depth investigation of cancer-specific methylation patterns. Our analysis of the tumor samples revealed a significant presence of hypomethylated probes, primarily within the gene body regions; few hypermethylated sites were observed, which were mostly enriched in promoter-like and CpG island regions. The CpG Island Methylator Phenotype-High (CIMP-H) exhibited notable enrichment of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H). Additionally, our findings indicated a significant correlation between methylation of the MLH1 gene and MSI-H status. Furthermore, we found that the CIMP-H had a higher tendency to affect the right-side of the colon tissues and was slightly more prevalent among older patients. Through our methylome profile analysis, we successfully verified the methylation patterns and clinical characteristics of Korean patients with CRC. This valuable dataset lays a strong foundation for exploring novel molecular insights and potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of CRC.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.60-66
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• 2024

This study was conducted to selection and investigate appropriate conditions for mass production of antagonistic microbes to control cobweb disease caused by Cladobotryum mycophilum. A grampositive bacterium was isolated from spent substrate of Agaricus bisporus and showed significant antagonistic activity against Cladobotryum mycophilum. The bacterium was identified as Bacillus altitudinis. based on the cultural, biochemical and physiological characteristics, and 16S rRNA sequence. The isolate is saprophytic, but not parasitic nor pathogenic to cultivated mushroom whereas it showed strong inhibitory effects against C. mycophilum cells in vitro. The control efficacy of B. altitudinis HC7 against cobweb disease of C. mycophilum was up to 78.2% on Agaricus bisporus. The suppressive bacterium may be useful for the development of biocontrol system. To define the appropriate conditions for the mass production of the Bacillus altitudinis HC7, we have investigated appropriate culture conditions and effects of various nutrient source on the bacterial growth. The appropriate initial pH and temperature were determined as pH 6.0 and 30℃, respectively. The appropriate concentration of medium elements for the growth of pathogen inhibitor bacterium(Bacillus altitudinis HC7) was determined as follows: 3.0% soluble startch, 10% soytone, 1.0% (NH₄)₂HPO₄, 1.0 mmol KCl, and 0.5% L-asparagine.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.88-97
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• 2023

As livestock consumption in Korea has been gradually increasing, the quality of the final products has been improved to meet this increased demand. In particular, maintaining the water holding capacity (WHC) and minimizing the drip loss during the thawing of frozen meat are of utmost importance. This study investigated the physicochemical properties of frozen pork subjected to thawing under different conditions: at room temperature (20℃, under air), at a low temperature (4℃ refrigerator, under air), under water (20℃, under water in a vacuum bag), under microwave (microwave-thawing, 260 W), and under low-pressure tumbling (20℃, 0.015 bar, tumbling). The shortest thawing time for frozen pork was recorded upon low-pressure tumbling thus indicating a fast heat transfer. The lowest drip loss (0.2%) and highest WHC (94.5%) were also recorded under this condition. A significantly higher drip loss was observed upon microwave- (1.0%) and water-thawing (1.2%), which resulted in the lowest WHC in microwave thawing (87.2%). The highest total count of aerobic bacteria and coliform group were observed upon room temp thawing while the low pressure tumbling and thawing resulted in the lowest aerobic bacteria (1.90 log CFU/g) and coliform (0.78 log CFU/g) count. Consequently, thawing by low pressure tumbling afforded the best food quality.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.833-846
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• 2023

Onions are essential vegetables for Koreans' diet and have various physiological activities. However, problems arise every year due to the imbalance between production and demand. Therefore, in this study, nutritional and functional components, and antioxidant activity were analyzed for each growth period in order to utilize onions at the disposal period. Whole onions harvested before June showed higher values of general ingredients, inorganic ingredients, organic acids, spiraeoside, quercetin, total chlorophyll, and antioxidant activity than bulbs harvested in June. On the other hand, the free sugar content was higher in the bulb of the harvest season in June than in whole onions. The total thiosulfinate content was similar to that of whole onions and bulbs in the early stages of growth. In addition, as a result of comparing the flavonoid compound and antioxidant activity of each onion variety, whole onions harvested at 25 weeks were higher in content than onion bulbs harvested in June. In conclusion, onions before the harvest season in June had excellent utilization value as food. Harvesting before 21 weeks is desirable for growing onions with excellent nutritional value, while harvesting after 23 weeks is recommended for excellent functional components and antioxidant activity in onions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1501-1512
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• 2024

Plasma disruption in tokamak experiments is a challenging issue that causes damage to the device. Reliable prediction methods are needed, but the lack of full understanding of plasma disruption limits the effectiveness of physics-driven methods. Data-driven methods based on supervised learning are commonly used, and they rely on labelled training data. However, manual labelling of disruption precursors is a time-consuming and challenging task, as some precursors are difficult to accurately identify. The mainstream labelling methods assume that the precursor onset occurs at a fixed time before disruption, which leads to mislabeled samples and suboptimal prediction performance. In this paper, we present disruption prediction methods based on anomaly detection to address these issues, demonstrating good prediction performance on J-TEXT and EAST. By evaluating precursor onset times using different anomaly detection algorithms, it is found that labelling methods can be improved since the onset times of different shots are not necessarily the same. The study optimizes precursor labelling using the onset times inferred by the anomaly detection predictor and test the optimized labels on supervised learning disruption predictors. The results on J-TEXT and EAST show that the models trained on the optimized labels outperform those trained on fixed onset time labels.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.403-414
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• 2023

Backgrounds/Aims: Pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) is recommended in fit patients with a carcinoma (PDAC) of the pancreatic head, and a delayed resection may affect survival. This study aimed to correlate the time from staging to PD with long-term survival, and study the impact of preoperative investigations (if any) on the timing of surgery. Methods: Data were extracted from the Recurrence After Whipple's (RAW) study, a multicentre retrospective study of PD outcomes. Only PDAC patients who underwent an upfront resection were included. Patients who received neoadjuvant chemo-/radiotherapy were excluded. Group A (PD within 28 days of most recent preoperative computed tomography [CT]) was compared to group B (> 28 days). Results: A total of 595 patents were included. Compared to group A (median CT-PD time: 12.5 days, interquartile range: 6-21), group B (49 days, 39-64.5) had similar one-year survival (73% vs. 75%, p = 0.6), five-year survival (23% vs. 21%, p = 0.6) and median time-to-death (17 vs. 18 months, p = 0.8). Staging laparoscopy (43 vs. 29.5 days, p = 0.009) and preoperative biliary stenting (39 vs. 20 days, p < 0.001) were associated with a delay to PD, but magnetic resonance imaging (32 vs. 32 days, p = 0.5), positron emission tomography (40 vs. 31 days, p > 0.99) and endoscopic ultrasonography (28 vs. 32 days, p > 0.99) were not. Conclusions: Although a treatment delay may give rise to patient anxiety, our findings would suggest this does not correlate with worse survival. A delay may be necessary to obtain further information and minimize the number of PD patients diagnosed with early disease recurrence.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2024

A region can be divided into cultivation zones based on homogeneity in weather variables that have the greatest influence on crop growth and yield. This study classified the cultivation zone of soybean using weather indices as a prior study to classify the agroclimatic zone of soybean. Meteorological factors affecting soybeans were determined through correlation analysis over a 10 year period (from 2013 to 2022) using data from the Miryang and Suwon regions collected from the soybean yield trial database of the Rural Development Administration, Korea and the meteorological database of the Korea Meteorological Administration. The correlation between growth characteristics and the minimum temperature, daily temperature range, and precipitation were high during the vegetative growth stages. Moreover, the correlation between yield components and the maximum temperature, daily temperature range, and precipitation were high during the reproductive growth stages. As a result of k-means clustering, soybean cultivation zones were divided into three zones. Zone 1 was the central inland region and southern Gyeonggi-do; Zone 2 was the southern part of the west coast, the southern part of the east coast, and the South Sea; and Zone 3 included parts of eastern Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, and areas with high altitudes. Zone 1, which has a wide latitude range, was further subdivided into three cultivation zones. The results of this study may provide useful information for estimating agrometeorological characteristics and predicting the success of soybean cultivation in South Korea.