Search

Structures constructed before seismic design standards in Korea were enacted are being seismically and structurally strengthened for structural performance. The jacket method has been used to enhance the shear load-carrying capacity and ductility of reinforced concrete columns. This study investigated the effect of glass fiber-reinforced polyurea (GFRPU) on the enhancement of shear strength and ductility. It was shown that the GFRPU spraying technique played an important role in enhancing the column because of the material characteristics of the GFRPU, that is, high-tensile strength and elongation. The reinforcement effect of GFRPU on the shear-span ratio and axial-force ratio of six reinforced concrete (RC) column specimens was evaluated. The experimental results demonstrated that the lateral-reinforcement effect and energy-dissipation capacity were improved. The H-series and S-series specimens reinforced by the GFRPU with an axial-load ratio of 0.1 exhibited higher shear strength, of about 30% and 18%, than the specimens without reinforcement. The shear-load-carrying capacity of the S-series specimen with the axial-load-force ratio of 0.2 increased by 4%. The design method representing the lateral-resistance ability of the GFRPU was represented by an empirical formula reflecting the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is an alternative strategy for mitigating global warming. The CO2 storage capacity is often characterized by the capillary pressure curve, which in turn depends on the pressure and temperature of the injected CO2 and the internal structure of the reservoir rocks. The key structural feature that influences the storage capacity in porous rocks is their inherent anisotropy. An experimental study was performed to investigate the optimal conditions for CO2 injection into an anisotropic sandstone. The capillary pressure curve and the residual CO2 saturation were determined by injecting three CO2 phases into the directionally cored sandstone specimens with different flow rates. The CO2 saturation in sandstone increased with increasing flow rate, resulting in asymptotic values. The storage capacity of CO2 was the highest in the order of liquid CO2 (LCO2), supercritical CO2 (scCO2), and gaseous CO2 (gCO2). It was also the highest when the direction of CO2 injection was normal in relation to the embedded sandstone layers. The in situ cored sandstone from the Janggi Basin in Korea was further tested to examine the effect of its pore size on the capillary pressure of CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis is an animal‐based medicine used traditionally in China, Japan, and Korea to treat hepatic disorders; it has been shown to possess various pharmacological effects such as antibacterial and antioxidant activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of P. brevitarsis on a testosterone‐induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) rat model. To establish the BPH model, the animals were administered a subcutaneous injection of testosterone daily for 28 days. P. brevitarsis was administered by oral gavage at doses of 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg for 28 days, along with testosterone injection. P. brevitarsis treatment markedly decreased the absolute and relative prostate weight of BPH animals. The levels of dihydrotestosterone was reduced in P. brevitarsis‐treated animals compared to those in the BPH animals. Histological analysis of the prostate showed that P. brevitarsis treatment effectively suppressed the testosterone‐induced hyperplasia of prostatic epithelial cells, which was accompanied by reductions in the PCNA and Ki‐67 expressions in prostatic tissues. These results indicate that P. brevitarsis effectively suppresses testosterone‐induced development of BPH, and thus, is a potential therapeutic agent for BPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichosanthes is a genus in Cucurbitaceae comprising 90–100 species. Trichosanthes species are valuable as herbaceous medicinal ingredients. The fruits, seeds, and roots of species such as T. kirilowii and T. rosthornii are used in Korean traditional herbal medicines. T. rosthornii is only found in China, whereas in South Korea two varieties, T. kirilowii var. kirilowii and T. kirilowii var. japonica , are distributed. T. kirilowii var. kirilowii and T. kirilowii var. japonica have different fruit and leaf shapes but are recognized as belonging to the same species. Furthermore, although its members have herbal medicine applications, genomic information of the genus is still limited. The broad goals of this study were (i) to evaluate the taxonomy of Trichosanthes using plastid phylogenomic data and (ii) provide molecular markers specific for T. kirilowii var. kirilowii and T. kirilowii var. japonica , as these have differences in their pharmacological effectiveness and thus should not be confused and adulterated. Comparison of five Trichosanthes plastid genomes revealed locally divergent regions, mainly within intergenic spacer regions (trnT-UGU–trnL-UAA : marker name Tri, rrn4.5–rrn5 : TRr, trnE-UUC–trnT-GGU : TRtt). Using these three markers as DNA-barcodes for important herbal medicine species in Trichosanthes , the identity of Trichosanthes material in commercial medicinal products in South Korea could be successfully determined. Phylogenetic analysis of the five Trichosanthes species revealed that the species are clustered within tribe Sicyoeae. T. kirilowii var. kirilowii and T. rosthornii formed a clade with T. kirilowii var. japonica as their sister group. As T. kirilowii in its current circumscription is paraphyletic and as the two varieties can be readily distinguished morphologically (e.g., in leaf shape), T. kirilowii var. japonica should be treated (again) as an independent species, T. japonica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]