• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.15.1-15.9
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• 2018

Background: Inflammation has been known to associate with many human diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate an anti-inflammatory effect of ozonated krill (Euphausia superba) oil, which was prepared by the treatment of krill oil using ozone gas. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Results: Ozonated krill oil significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production and suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Ozonated krill oil also reduced the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory activity of ozonated krill oil, we evaluated the effects of ozonated krill oil on the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway. Ozonated krill oil suppressed the LPS-stimulated phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK). Conclusion: This study revealed that the ozonated krill oil exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that ozonated krill oil suppressed pro-inflammatory mediator and cytokine expression in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and JNK.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.227-234
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• 2006

The comparison of Corylopsis coreana populations between natural groups and deforestation groups is carried in five regions such as Seungju, Woldeung, Hwangjeon in Suncheon, Myeongseok in Jinju and Mt. Baegun in Pocheon. The number of sprouting per both $100m^2$ and each individual stump were appeared more in deforestation than in natural groups. In contrast, the height and the diameter of individuals by the number of sprouting are higher and larger in the natural groups. The relationship between the floristic composition and vegetation in the two groups of C. coreana populations was not appeared. Corylopsis coreana are propagated sprouting as well as seedling in deforestation groups located an opening area. Because of the powerful environmental adaptability through growth of the sprouting and the seedling in deforestation groups, the population of C. coreana are not extinction of species oneself, and on the contrary are showed expansion of C. coreana population after temporary disturbance.

• Mycobiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.458-466
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• 2015

Oak tree death caused by symbiosis of an ambrosia beetle, Platypus koryoensis, and an ophiostomatoid filamentous fungus, Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae, has been a nationwide problem in Korea since 2004. In this study, we surveyed the yeast species associated with P. koryoensis to better understand the diversity of fungal associates of the beetle pest. In 2009, a total of 195 yeast isolates were sampled from larvae and adult beetles (female and male) of P. koryoensis in Cheonan, Goyang, and Paju; 8 species were identified by based on their morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses. Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Candida kashinagacola were found to be the two dominant species. Among the 8 species, Candida homilentoma was a newly recorded yeast species in Korea, and thus, its mycological characteristics were described. The P. koryoensis symbiont R. quercusmongolicae did not show extracelluar CM-cellulase, xylanase and avicelase activity that are responsible for degradation of wood structure; however, C. kashinagacola and M. guilliermondii did show the three extracellular enzymatic activities. Extracelluar CM-cellulase activity was also found in Ambrosiozyma sp., C. homilentoma, C. kashinagacola, and Candida sp. Extracelluar pectinase activity was detected in Ambrosiozyma sp., C. homilentoma, Candida sp., and M. guilliermondii. All the 8 yeast species displayed compatible relationships with R. quercus-mongolicae when they were co-cultivated on yeast extract-malt extract plates. Overall, our results demonstrated that P. koryoensis carries the yeast species as a symbiotic fungal associate. This is first report of yeast diversity associated with P. koryoensis.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 2018

The structural design of offshore installations against explosions has been required to protect vital areas (e.g. control room, worker's area etc.) and minimize the damage from explosion accidents. Because the explosion accident will not only result in significant casualties and economic losses, but also cause serious pollution and damage to surrounding environment and coastal marine ecosystems. Over the past two decades, an incredible efforts was made to develop reliable methods to reduce and manage the explosion risk. Among the methods Quantitative Risk Assessment and Management (QRA&M) is the one of cutting-edge technologies. The explosion risk can be quantitatively assessed by the product of explosion frequency based on probability calculation and consequence analyzed using computer simulations, namely Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). However to obtain reliable consequence analysis results by CFD and FEA, uncertainties associate with modeling and simulation are needed to be identified and validated by comparison with experimental data. Therefore, large-scaled explosion test procedure is developed in this study. And developed test procedure can be helpful to obtain precious test data for the validation of consequence analysis using computer simulations, and subsequently allow better assessment and management of explosion risks.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 2008

Ship detection from satellite remote sensing is a crucial application for global monitoring for the purpose of protecting the marine environment and ensuring marine security. It permits to monitor sea traffic including fisheries, and to associate ships with oil discharge. An automatic ship detection approach for RADARSAT Fine Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image is described and assessed using in situ ship validation information collected during field experiments conducted on August 6, 2004. Ship detection algorithms developed here consist of five stages: calibration, land masking, prescreening, point positioning, and discrimination. The fine image was acquired of Ulsan Port, located in southeast Korea, and during the acquisition, wind speeds between 0 m/s and 0.4 m/s were reported. The detection approach is applied to anchoring ships in the anchorage area of the port and its results are compared with validation data based on Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) radar. Our analysis for anchoring ships, above 68 m in length (LOA), indicates a 100% ship detection rate for the RADARSAT single beam mode. It is shown that the ship detection performance of SAR for smaller ships like barge could be higher than the land-based radar. The proposed method is also applied to estimate the ship's dimensions of length and breadth from SAR radar cross section(RCS), but those values were comparatively higher than the actual sizes because of layover and shadow effects of SAR.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.487-491
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• 2008

Purpose : Although Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infection can cause wheezing in non-asthmatic children, the mechanisms of this symptom remain unclear. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major mediator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability, and is also known to be elevated in cases of chronic pulmonary disease such as asthma. We hypothesized that VEGF may increase in children with acute M. pneumoniae pneumonia and wheezing. Methods : Nine patients with clinical and laboratory evidence of acute M. pneumoniae pneumonia were enlisted from children admitted to Korea University Hospital. They had had more than one episode of wheezing during the illness, which was confirmed by a physician; they comprised the wheezer group. The individuals with M. pneumoniae pneumonia without wheezing were 63 in number, and they comprised the non-wheezer group. Patients with a history of asthma or who had received asthma medications were excluded. Serum concentrations of VEGF, total IgE, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and peripheral blood eosinophil counts were measured. Results : The serum VEGF concentrations were higher in the wheezer group ($mean{\pm}SD$; $650.2{\pm}417.9pg/mL$) than in the non-wheezer group ($376.5{\pm}356.2pg/mL$, P=0.049). M. pneumoniae antibody (1:1,380 vs. 1:596, P=0.048) and serum total IgE (591.8 IU/mL vs. 162.2 IU/mL, P=0.032) were higher in the wheezer group than in the non-wheezer group. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of serum ECP concentration or blood eosinophil count. Conclusion : In the presence of wheezing, serum VEGF concentrations were higher in the children with M. pneumoniae pneumonia. This finding suggests that VEGF may associate with wheeze-related symptoms in children with acute M. pneumoniae pneumonia.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5799-5804
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• 2012

Family with sequence similarity 189, member B (FAM189B), alias COTE1, a putative oncogene selected by microarray, for the first time was here found to be significantly up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens and HCC cell lines. mRNA expression of COTE1 in HCC samples and cell lines was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR, while protein expression of COTE1 in HCC tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry. In addition, invasion of HCC cells was observed after overexpressing or silencing COTE1. In the total of 48 paired HCC specimens, compared with the adjacent non-cancer tissues, the expression of COTE1 was up-regulated in 31 (p<0.01). In HCC cell lines, COTE1 expression was significantly higher than in normal human adult liver (p<0.01). Overexpression of COTE1 enhanced HCC-derived LM6 and MHCC-L cellular invasion in vitro. In contrast, COTE1 knockdown via RNAi markedly suppressed these phenotypes, as documented in LM3 and MHCC-H HCC cells. Mechanistic analyses indicated that COTE1 could physically associate with WW domain oxidoreductase (WWOX), a tumor suppressor. COTE1 may be closely correlated with invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and thus may serve as an effective target for gene therapy.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.469-476
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• 2000

This study was performed to understand the behavior and source characteristics of particulate trace metals in Daegu area. To do this, total of 84 samples had been collected from January to December 1999. TSP (total suspended particulate matter) and PM-10(particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less 10${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$) were collected by filters on portable air sampler, and in TSP and PM-10 were analyzed by ICP(Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer) after preliminary treatment. The results were follow as: first, annul means of TSP and PM-10 concentration were 123 and 69$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎤ respectively. The concentration of TSP adn PM-10 were highest in winter season compared to other seasons. Second, the concentration of Al, Fe, Mn were higher in TSP than in PM-10, indicating that these metals are generally associate with natural contributions. Third, a hierarchical clustering technique was used to group 9 metals. The results from the cluster analysis of TSP and PM-10 shows a similar clustering pattern : Fe, Al in a group and the rest of the metals such as Ni, Cr, As, Mn, Cd, Pb, Zn in the other group. One group of metal such as Fe, Al is associated with natural sources such as soil and dust. The other is closely related to urban anthropogenic sources such as fuel combustion, incineration, and refuse burning, Finally, using Al as a reference element, enrichment factors were used for identifying the major particulate contributors. The enrichment factors of Al. Fe<10 (standard value of enrichment factor) were considered to have a significant dust and soil source and termed nonenriched. Ni, Cr, As, Mn, Cd, Pb, Zn》10 is enriched and has a significant which is contributed by athropogenic sources.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.554-569
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• 2017

Sensitivity analysis on $PM_{10}$ forecasting simulations was carried out by using two different initial and boundary conditions of meteorological fields: NCEP/FNL (National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Final Analysis) reanlaysis data and NCEP/GFS (National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Global Forecast System) forecasting data, and the comparisons were made between two different simulations. The two results both yielded lower $PM_{10}$ concentrations than observations, with relatively lower biased results by NCEP/FNL than NCEP/GFS. We explored the detailed individual meteorological variables to associate with $PM_{10}$ prediction performance. With the results of NCEP/FNL outperforming GFS, our conclusion is that no particular significant bias was found in temperature fields between NCEP/FNL and NCEP/GFS data, while the overestimated wind speed by NCEP/GFS data influenced on the lower $PM_{10}$ concentrations simulation than NCEP/FNL, by decreasing the duration time of high-$PM_{10}$ loaded air mass over both coastal and metropolitan areas. These comparative characteristics of FNL against GFS data such as maximum 3~4 m/s weaker wind speed, $PM_{10}$ concentration control with the highest possible factor of 1.3~1.6, and one or two hour difference of peak time for each case in this study, were also reflected into the results of statistical analysis. It is implying that improving the surface wind speed fluctuation is an important controlling factor for the better prediction of $PM_{10}$ over Korean Peninsula.

• Water Engineering Research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.55-68
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• 2004

The GLEAMS (Groundwater Loading Effects of Agricultural Management System, version 3.0) water quality model was used to predict hydrology and water quality and to evaluate the effects of soil types from a cattle-grazed pasture field of Bermuda-Rye grass rotation with poultry litter application as a fertilizer in North Alabama. The model was applied and evaluated by using four years (1999-2002) of field-measured data to compare the simulated results for the 2.71- ha Summerford watershed. $R^2$ values between observed and simulated runoff, sediment yields, TN, and TP were 0.91, 0.86, 0.95, and 0.69, respectively. EI (Efficiency Index) of these parameters were 0.86, 0.67, 0.70, and 0.48, respectively. The statistical parameters indicated that GLEAMS provided a reasonable estimation of the runoff, sediment yield, and nutrient losses at the studied watershed. The soil infiltration rates were compared with the rainfall events. Only high intensity rainfall events generated runoff from the watershed. The measured and predicted infiltration rates were higher during dry soil conditions than wet soil conditions. The ratio of runoff to precipitation was ranging from 2.2% to 8.8% with average of 4.3%. This shows that the project site had high infiltration and evapotranspiration which generated the low runoff. The ratio of runoff to precipitation according to soil types by the GLEAMS model appeared that Sa (Sequatchie fine sandy loam) soil type was higher and Wc (Waynesboro fine sandy loam, severely eroded rolling phase) soil type relatively lower than the weighted average of the soil types in the watershed. The model under-predicted runoff, sediment yields, TN, and TP in Wb (Waynesboro fine sandy loam, eroded undulating phase) and Wc soil types. General tendency of the predicted data was similar for all soil types. The model predicted the highest runoff in Sa soil type by 105% of the weighted average and the lowest runoff in Wc soil type by 87% of the weighted average