• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 2001

To explore the feasibility of recycled paper mulching in spring-grown potato the changes of soil environments and the growth and yield of potato under non-mulched control and three mulching treatments of recycled paper (RPM), transparent polyethylene film (TPFM), and black polyethylene film (BPFM) were examined over two spring seasons in 1998 and 1999 at Suwon, Korea. The mulching materials were a recycled mulch paper with 110 g/$m^2$ and a thickness of 0.1mm, which was manufactured from old corrugated containers for this experiment and the commercial polyethylene films with a thickness of 0.01mm. RPM lowered the average soil temperature at 5-cm depth during the potato growing period by 03$^{\circ}C$ compared with the control, whereas TPFM and BPFM raised it by 2.$0^{\circ}C$, and 1.8$^{\circ}C$, respectively. On a sunny day during sprout emergence, RPM reduced the maximum soil temperature by about 5$^{\circ}C$, while TPFM and BPFM enhanced it by about 11$^{\circ}C$ and 6.$0^{\circ}C$, respectively. The temperature difference between the control and the mulching treatments decreased with the development of canopy. All the mulching treatments had an advantage in preserving the soil moisture over the control. RPM and BPFM resulted in the effective control of weed by obstructing light transmission onto soil surface, but TPFM had no control effect of weed. Sprout emergence started two to three days earlier in TPFM and BPFM, but one day later in RPM than in the control due to the altered soil temperature by the mulching treatments. However, the final percentage of emergence was notably lower in TPFM than that in the control because of too high soil temperature during daytime, but was not different among the control, RPM, and BPFM. During the early stage of potato growth, the shoot and root growth under RPM was lower compared with the control, but afterwards, RPM outpaced the control. In 1998 experiment, the tuber yield under RPM and BPFM were significantly higher than those of the control and TPFM. In 1999 experiment, there was no significant difference in tuber yield between RPM and the control.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.393-401
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• 2015

In the construction of a TBM tunnel, it is very important to acquire accurate information of the excavated rock mass for an efficient and safe work. In this study, we developed the prediction system of TBM tunnel face ahead using probe drilling equipment and drilled hole imaging equipment to predict rock mass conditions of the tunnel face ahead. The prediction system consists of the probe drilling equipment, drilled hole imaging equipment and analysis software. The probe drilling equipment has been developed to be applicable to both non-coring and coring. Also the probe drilling equipment can obtain the drilling parameters such as feed pressure, torque pressure, rotation speed, drilling speed and so on. The drilling index is converted to the drilling index RMR through the correlation between a drilling index and core RMR. The developed system verification was carried out through a slope and tunnel field application. From the field application result, the non-coring is four times faster than a coring and the drilling index RMR and core RMR are similar in the distribution range. This system is expected to predict the rock mass conditions of the TBM tunnel face ahead very quickly and efficiently.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.263-269
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• 2008

Hydrazinocurcumin (HC), a synthetic derivative of curcumin, has been reported to inhibit angiogenesis via unknown mechanisms. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of the drug's action is important for the development of improved compounds with better pharmacological properties. A genome-wide drug-induced haploinsufficiency screening of fission yeast gene deletion mutants has been applied to identify drug targets of HC. As a first step, the 50% inhibition concentration $(IC_{50})$ of HC was determined to be $2.2{\mu}M$. The initial screening of 4,158 mutants in 384-well plates using robotics was performed at concentrations of 2, 3, and $4{\mu}M$. A second screening was performed to detect sensitivity to HC on the plates. The first screening revealed 178 candidates, and the second screening resulted in 13 candidates, following the elimination of 165 false positives. Final filtering of the condition-dependent haploinsufficient genes gave eight target genes. Analysis of the specific targets of HC has shown that they are related to septum formation and the general transcription processes, which may be related to histone acetyltransferase. The target mutants showed 65% growth inhibition in response to HC compared with wild-type controls, as shown by liquid culture assay.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: There is intense interest in soy isoflavone as a hormone replacement therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A new kind of isoflavone-enriched whole soy milk powder (I-WSM) containing more isoflavones than conventional whole soy milk powder was recently developed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of I-WSM on bone metabolism in ovariectomized mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Sixty female ICR mice individually underwent ovariectomy (OVX) or a sham operation, and were randomized into six groups of 10 animals each as follows: Sham, OVX, OVX with 2% I-WSM diet, OVX with 10% I-WSM diet, OVX with 20% I-WSM diet, and OVX with 20% WSM diet. After an 8-week treatment period, bone mineral density (BMD), calcium, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) 5b, osteocalcin (OC), procollagen 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), and osteoprotegenin (OPG) were analyzed. RESULTS: BMD was significantly lower in the OVX group compared to the Sham group but was significantly higher in OVX + 10% I-WSM and OVX + 20% I-WSM groups compared to the OVX group (P < 0.05). Serum calcium concentration significantly increased in the OVX + 10% and 20% I-WSM groups. Serum ALP levels were significantly lower in the OVX + 10% and 20% I-WSM groups compared to the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). OC was significantly reduced in the OVX group compared to the Sham group (P < 0.05), but a dose-dependent increase was observed in the OVX groups supplemented with I-WSM. P1NP and OPG levels were significantly reduced, while TRAP 5b level was significantly elevated in the OVX group compared with the Sham group, which was not affected by I-WSM (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that I-WSM supplementation in OVX mice has the effect of preventing BMD reduction and promoting bone formation. Therefore, I-WSM can be used as an effective alternative to postmenopausal osteoporosis prevention.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2010

Purpose: Controversy exists regarding whether pediatric blunt abdominal trauma patients with microscopic hematuria should undergo radiographic evaluation. Adult patients have indications such as shock and deceleration injury. This study was conducted to suggest indications for the use of CT to detect significant renal injury in pediatric blunt abdominal trauma patients with microscopic hematuria. Methods: From January 2005 to December 2009, patients less than 18 years of age with blunt abdominal trauma and microscopic hematuria who had undergone CT were included in this retrospective study. We analyzed the correlation between microscopic hematuria, shock, deceleration injury, and American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) renal injury grade. Patients were divided into two groups: the insignificant renal injury group (AAST grade 1) and the significant renal injury group (AAST grades 2-5). We compared age, gender, mechanism of injury, degree of microscopic hematuria, evidence of shock, presence of deceleration injury, and associated injuries between the two groups. We analyzed the effect of each of the above each factors on renal injury by using a logistic regression analysis. Results: Forty-three children were included, and the median age was 15 years. Five children had a significant renal injury. No significant differences, except age and microscopic hematuria (more than 30 red blood cells per high power field (RBC/HPF), p = 0.005) existed between the insignificant and the significant injury groups. A positive correlation existed between renal injury and microscopic hematuria (rho = 0.406, p = 0.007), but renal injury was not correlated with shock and deceleration injury. In the multivariate regression analysis, microscopic hematuria was the only factor correlated with renal injury (p = 0.042). Conclusion: If a microscopic hematuria of more than 30 RBC/HPF exists, the use of CT should be considerd, regardless of shock and deceleration injury to detect significant renal injury in pediatric blunt abdominal trauma patients.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.22-29
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• 2018

Incorporation of unique barcodes into fission yeast gene deletion collections has enabled the identification of gene functions by growth fitness analysis. For fine tuning, it is important to examine barcode sequences, because mutations arise during strain construction. Out of 8,708 barcodes (4,354 strains) covering 88.5% of all 4,919 open reading frames, 7,734 barcodes (88.8%) were validated as high-fidelity to be inserted at the correct positions by Sanger sequencing. Sequence examination of the 7,734 high-fidelity barcodes revealed that 1,039 barcodes (13.4%) deviated from the original design. In total, 1,284 mutations (mutation rate of 16.6%) exist within the 1,039 mutated barcodes, which is comparable to budding yeast (18%). When the type of mutation was considered, substitutions accounted for 845 mutations (10.9%), deletions accounted for 319 mutations (4.1%), and insertions accounted for 121 mutations (1.6%). Peculiarly, the frequency of substitutions (67.6%) was unexpectedly higher than in budding yeast (~28%) and well above the predicted error of Sanger sequencing (~2%), which might have arisen during the solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis and PCR amplification of the barcodes during strain construction. When the mutation rate was analyzed by position within 20-mer barcodes using the 1,284 mutations from the 7,734 sequenced barcodes, there was no significant difference between up-tags and down-tags at a given position. The mutation frequency at a given position was similar at most positions, ranging from 0.4% (32/7,734) to 1.1% (82/7,734), except at position 1, which was highest (3.1%), as in budding yeast. Together, well-defined barcode sequences, combined with the next-generation sequencing platform, promise to make the fission yeast gene deletion library a powerful tool for understanding gene function.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.691-699
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• 2004

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by exaggerated loss of bone mass, with as much as 50 to 85% of the variation in bone mineral density (BMD) commonly accepted as being genetically determined. Although intensive studies have attempted to elucidate the genetic effects of polymorphisms on BMD and/or osteoporosis in several genes, the genes involved are still largely unknown. The possible associations of genetic variants in five-candidate genes (IL10, CCR3, MCP1, MCP2 and GC) with spinal BMD were investigated in Korean postmenopausal women (n = 370). Fourteen SNPs in five candidate genes were genotyped, and the haplotypes of each gene constructed. The associations of adjusted spinal BMD by age, year since menopause (YSM) and body mass index (BMI), with genetic polymorphisms, were analyzed using multiple regression models. Genetic association analysis of Korean postmenopausal women revealed that IL10 -592A > C and/or IL10 ht2 were associated with decreased bone mass, whereas no significant associations were observed with all polymorphisms in other genes. The levels of spinal BMD in individuals bearing the IL10 -592CC genotype were lower ($0.78{\pm}0.16$) than those in others ($0.85{\pm}0.17$) (P = 0.02), and the BMD of IL10 ht2 bearing individuals were also lower ($0.82{\pm}0.15$) than those in others ($0.85{\pm}0.17$) (P = 0.04). Our results suggest that variants of IL10 might play a role in the decreased BMD, although additional study might need to be followed-up in a more powerful cohort.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.59-63
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• 2005

Respiration motion causes movement of internal structures in the thorax and abdomen, making accurate delivery of radiation therapy to tumors in those areas a challenge. Accounting for such motion during treatment, therefore, has the potential to reduce margins drawn around the clinical target volume (CTV), resulting in a lower dose to normal tissues (e.g., lung and liver) and thus a lower risk of treatment induced complications. Among the techniques that explicitly account for intrafraction motion are breath-hold, respiration gating, and 4D or tumor-tracking techniques. Respiration gating methods periodically turn the beam on when the patient's respiration signal is in a certain part of the respiratory cycle (generally end-inhale or end-exhale). These techniques require acquisition of some form of respiration motion signal (infrared reflective markers, spirometry, strain gauge, thermistor, video tracking of chest outlines and fluoroscopic tracking of implanted markers are some of the techniques employed to date), which is assumed to be correlated with internal anatomy motion. In preliminary study for the respiratory gating radiation therapy, we performed to measurement of this respiration motion signal. In order to measure the respiratory motion signals of patient, respiration measurement system (RMS) was composed with three sensor (spirometer, thermistor, and belt transducer), 4 channel data acquisition system and mobile computer. For two patients, we performed to evaluation of respiratory cycle and shape with RMS. We observed under this system that respiratory cycle is generally periodic but asymmetric, with the majority of time spent. As expected, RMS traced patient's respiration each other well and be easily handled for application.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.765-772
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• 2015

Cast iron is widely used in fields such as the transport and heavy industries. For parts where contact damage is expected to occur, it is necessary to understand the friction and wear characteristics of cast iron. In this study, we use cast iron plates as the specimens to investigate their friction and wear characteristics. We perform various experiments using a reciprocating type tribotester. We assess the frictional characteristics by analyzing the friction coefficient values that were obtained during the sliding tests. We observe the wear surfaces of cast iron and steel balls using a scanning electron microscope, confocal microscope, and 3d profiler. We investigate the friction and wear characteristics of cast iron by injecting sand and alumina particles having various sizes. Furthermore, we estimate the effect of temperature on the friction and wear characteristics. The results obtained are expected to aid in the understanding of the tribological characteristics of cast iron in industry.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.12
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• pp.858-868
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• 2019

Shoot branching is an essential agronomic trait that impacts on plant architecture and yield. Shoot branching is determined by two independent steps: axillary meristem formation and axillary bud outgrowth. Although several genes and regulatory mechanism have been studied with respect to shoot branching, the roles of chromatin-remodeling factors in the developmental process have not been reported in rice. We previously identified a chromatin-remodeling factor OsVIL2 that controls the trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) at target genes. In this study, we report that loss-of-function mutants in OsVIL2 showed a phenotype of reduced tiller number in rice. The reduction was due to a defect in axillary bud (tiller) outgrowth rather than axillary meristem initiation. Analysis of the expression patterns of the tiller-related genes revealed that expression of OsTB1, which is a negative regulator of bud outgrowth, was increased in osvil2 mutants. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that OsVIL2 binds to the promoter region of OsTB1 chromatin in wild-type rice, but the binding was not observed in osvil2 mutants. Tiller number of double mutant osvil2 ostb1 was similar to that of ostb1, suggesting that osvil2 is epistatic to ostb1. These observations indicate that OsVIL2 suppresses OsTB1 expression by chromatin modification, thereby inducing bud outgrowth.