• Advances in nano research
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.443-457
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• 2019

In this investigation, dynamic and bending behaviors of isolated protein microtubules are analyzed. Microtubules (MTs) can be considered as bio-composite structures that are elements of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells and posses considerable roles in cellular activities. They have higher mechanical characteristics such as superior flexibility and stiffness. In the modeling purpose of microtubules according to a hollow beam element, a novel single variable sinusoidal beam model is proposed with the conjunction of modified strain gradient theory. The advantage of this model is found in its new displacement field involving only one unknown as the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, which is even less than the Timoshenko beam theory. The equations of motion are constructed by considering Hamilton's principle. The obtained results are validated by comparing them with those given based on higher shear deformation beam theory containing a higher number of variables. A parametric investigation is established to examine the impacts of shear deformation, length scale coefficient, aspect ratio and shear modulus ratio on dynamic and bending behaviors of microtubules. It is remarked that when length scale coefficients are almost identical of the outer diameter of MTs, microstructure-dependent behavior becomes more important.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.473-479
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities of luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside were compared in galactosamine (GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatitic ICR mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male ICR mice (6 weeks old) were divided into 4 groups: normal control, GalN/LPS, luteolin, and luteolin-7-O-glucoside groups. The latter two groups were administered luteolin or luteolin-7-O-glucoside (50 mg/kg BW) daily by gavage for 3 weeks after which hepatitis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of GalN and LPS (1 g/kg BW and $10{\mu}g/kg\;BW$, respectively). RESULTS: GalN/LPS produced acute hepatic injury by a sharp increase in serum AST, ALT, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ levels, increases that were ameliorated in the experimental groups. In addition, markedly increased expressions of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and its transcription factors, nuclear factor $(NF)-{\kappa}B$ and activator protein (AP)-1, were also significantly attenuated in the experimental groups. Compared to luteolin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin more potently ameliorated the levels of inflammatory mediators. Phase II enzymes levels and NF-E2 p45-related factor (Nrf)-2 activation that were decreased by GalN/LPS were increased by luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside administration. In addition, compared to luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glucoside acted as a more potent inducer of changes in phase II enzymes. Liver histopathology results were consistent with the mediator and enzyme results. CONCLUSION: Luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside protect against GalN/LPS-induced hepatotoxicity through the regulation of inflammatory mediators and phase II enzymes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.339-364
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• 2010

Following a joint OECD/NEA-IAEA-sponsored meeting to define the current role and future perspectives of the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to nuclear reactor safety problems, three Writing Groups were created, under the auspices of the NEA working group WGAMA, to produce state-of-the-art reports on different aspects of the subject. The work of the second group, WG2, was to document the existing assessment databases for CFD simulation in the context of Nuclear Reactor Safety (NRS) analysis, to gain a measure of the degree of quality and trust in CFD as a numerical analysis tool, and to take initiatives to extend the existing databases. The group worked over the period of 2003-2007 and produced a final state-of-the-art report. The present paper summarises the material gathered during the study, illustrating the points with a few highlights. A total of 22 safety issues were identified for which the application of CFD was considered to potentially bring real benefits in terms of better understanding and increased safety. A list of the existing databases was drawn up and synthesised, both from the nuclear area and from other parallel, non-nuclear, industrial activities. The gaps in the technology base were also identified and discussed. In order to initiate new ways of bringing experimentalists and numerical analysts together, an international workshop -- CFD4NRS (the first in a series) -- was organised, a new blind benchmark activity was set up based on turbulent mixing in T-junctions, and a Wiki-type web portal was created to offer online access to the material put together by the group giving the reader the opportunity to update and extend the contents to keep the information source topical and dynamic.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.307-318
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was to identify topics for evidence-based clinical nursing practice guidelines in Korea. Methods: Data were collected from 330 staff nurses from 10 general hospitals and 53 nurses in charge of nursing education in 110 hospitals with over 500 beds. Using open questions, the nurses identified activities which could not be verified, which lacked consistency among nurses, clinical units and/or hospitals, which were not based on the up-to-date knowledge and which needed reform. The data were analysed by content analysis using a qualitative methodology. Results: Collected data consisted of 1882 clinical topics, which were classified into 50 topics, 207 mid-categories, and 456 sub-categories. The most frequent topics in order of frequency were medications, central line management, intravenous injections, urinary catheterization, perioperative nursing care, skin tests, pressure ulcer care, blood transfusions, laboratory examination-culture, respiratory care which were performed routinely in clinical setting by staff nurses. Conclusion: The research findings indicate the urgent need to develop evidence-based clinical nursing practice guidelines related to these research findings. Further research is needed to identify topics related to health promotion, and symptom/management of health problem.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2019

Estrogen withdrawal in post-menopausal women leads to overactivation of osteoclasts, which contributes to the development of osteoporosis. Inflammatory cytokines are known as one of mechanisms of osteoclast activation after estrogen deficiency. SPA0355 is a thiourea derivative that has been investigated for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, its efficacy in bone resorption has not been previously investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of SPA0355 on the development of osteoporosis and to explore its mode of action. In vitro experiments showed that SPA0355 inhibited receptor activator of $NF-{\kappa}B$ ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis in primary bone marrow-derived macrophages. This effect appears to be independent of estrogen receptor activation as ICI 180,782 failed to abrogate its effects on osteoclasts. Further signaling studies revealed that SPA0355 suppressed activation of the MAPKs, Akt, and $NF-{\kappa}B$ pathways. SPA0355 also increased osteoblastic differentiation, as evidenced by its effects on alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization nodule formation. Intraperitoneal administration of SPA0355 to ovariectomized mice prevented bone loss, as verified by three-dimensional images and bone morphometric parameters derived from ${\mu}CT$ analysis. Noticeably, SPA0355 did not show hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity and also had little effect on hematological parameters. Taken together, the results indicate that SPA0355 may protect against bone loss in ovariectomized mice by stimulation of osteoblast differentiation and by inhibition of osteoclast resorption. Therefore, SPA0355 is a safe and potential candidate for management of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2019

Oxidative stress is considered a major contributor in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy and in diabetes complications, such as nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases. Diabetic neuropathy, which is the most frequent complications of diabetes, affect sensory, motor, and autonomic nerves. This study aimed to investigate whether 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) protects SH-SY5Y neuronal cells against high glucose-induced toxicity. In the current study, we found that diabetic patients exhibited higher lipid peroxidation caused by oxidative stress than healthy subjects. 7,8-DHF exhibits superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities. High glucose-induced toxicity severely damaged SH-SY5Y neuronal cells, causing mitochondrial depolarization; however, 7,8-DHF recovered mitochondrial polarization. Furthermore, 7,8-DHF effectively modulated the expression of pro-apoptotic protein (Bax) and anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) under high glucose, thus inhibiting the activation of caspase signaling pathways. These results indicate that 7,8-DHF has antioxidant effects and protects cells from apoptotic cell death induced by high glucose. Thus, 7,8-DHF may be developed into a promising candidate for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.

• 재활복지
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.1-22
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• 2018

The purpose of the study was to identify available evidence related to physical activity interventions that were effective to improve health-related physical fitness levels of children and youth with disabilities. Studies were accumulated from multiple databases (i.e., ERIC, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus with Full Text, and CINAHL Plus with Full Text). From the initial process, 1195 articles were identified and of those, 13 studies (n = 13) were analyzed. Based on the results, community-based physical activities were the most common environment of interventions followed by school-based and home-based. Further, the most improved health-related physical fitness outcomes were muscular strength, muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory endurance while limited evidence on weight reduction was available. There is a need for more research on physical activity intervention which particularly improves health related physical fitness of children and youth with disabilities.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.753-758
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• 2018

Surface activities including CMC, surface tension, foaming power etc. of the rhamnolipid (RL), a biosurfactant fermented by microorganism were investigated. Both the RL and liquid detergent contained RL showed a good surface activity. For the detergency test, the liquid detergent with RL showed a slightly better performance than that of using an fatty acid. However for the foaming profile, the liquid detergent with RL exhibited a lot of foam volume and the suppression of the rinsing and foaming during rinsing cycles with the RL was not seen. Therefore it can be concluded that RL can be used as a main surfactant or co-surfactant in liquid detergents without functions of foaming suppression or rinse-aid.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.15.1-15.8
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• 2019

Corexit 9500 is a dispersant commercially available in Nigeria that is used to change the inherent chemical and physical properties of oil, thereby changing the oil's transport and fate with potential effects on the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the biochemical (enzymes and electrolyte) toxicity of Corexit 9500 dispersant on the gills, liver and kidney of juveniles of Clarias gariepinus after exposure for 21 days. One hundred sixty fish were used without gender consideration. Range-finding tests were conducted over a 96-h period after acclimatisation of the test organisms in the laboratory. The test organisms (10/treatment) were exposed to Corexit 9500 in the following concentrations-0.00, 0.0125, 0.025 and 0.05 ml/l in triplicate. Twenty-one days later, fish was dissected. 0.5 g from each of the following organs-gills, liver and kidney tissues-was removed, homogenised and tested for enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)], urea, creatinine and electrolytes (sodium ($Na^+$), potassium ($K^+$), chloride ($Cl^-$), bicarbonate ($HCO_3{^-}$)) following standard methods. In the gills, SOD and ALT to AST ratio were significantly lower than in control while the creatinine was significantly higher in the toxicant. In the kidney, creatinine was significantly higher in fish exposed to the toxicant. In the liver, ALP increased in the toxicant while urea was decreased. The mean electrolyte concentrations ($Na^+$, $K^+$, $Cl^-$ and $HCO_3{^-}$) increased significantly in the concentration of the toxicant (P < 0.05). The alterations observed in the activities of these electrolytes and enzymes indicated that Corexit 9500 interfered with transamination and metabolic functions of the fish.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2019

Objectives: In this study, we investigated an assessment for exposure levels of hazardous substances to kids cafes that unregulated by law. Methods: Heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, pesticides and phthalate were measured at 20 kids cafes in Gyeonggi-do and Incheon. Samplings were conducted from April to July in 2018. Results: Heavy metals were detected over the standard mainly around the floor and walls in the 19 kids cafes. Pesticides were detected in 7 locations with chlorpyrifos, diazinon and cypermethrin, and showed the highest detection level of chlorpyrifos. The concentrations of DEHP in all kids cafes were exceeded with standard. The risk assessment results showed that HCHO as carcinogen had a safety level and DEHP as non-carcinogens had a safety level as assessed to be under than 0.1. Conclusions: Considering the exposure investigation results and the importance of child health protection, kids cafe should be included in the legal management list of children's activities zones.