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A 78-year-old woman with a medical history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus who underwent surgery for lumbar stenosis died of sudden cardiac arrest two days after the operation. An autopsy was performed; however, the cause of death was not identified macroscopically. Congo red staining detected amyloid deposits in the systemic organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, thyroid, and kidney. Immunohistochemical staining revealed an immunoglobulin lambda light chain, which can cause the primary form of systemic amyloidosis. The prognosis of patients with systemic amyloidosis is directly associated with cardiac involvement. In this case, amyloid formation was noted in the myocardial interstitium and intramyocardial vascular wall, which caused luminal narrowing, subsequently causing arrhythmia and ischemic heart disease in each tissue, respectively. We present a case of primary systemic amyloidosis with severe cardiac involvement that was diagnosed after a comprehensive postmortem examination.

We investigated the effect of polymer topologies on the efficiency of self-healing in polymer networks containing B-O bonds.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Variants of SARSCoV-2 have caused distinct COVID-19 surges worldwide. The Omicron variant has replaced other variants as a cause of COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea. Fortunately, COVID-19 patients infected with Omicron have a decreased disease severity. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health threat worldwide, and the incidence of TB is still high in the Republic of Korea. We report the case of a deceased illegal migrant who died at home. An autopsy revealed fatal pneumonia with pulmonary TB caused by the Omicron subvariant BA.2 of SARS-CoV-2. We assumed that a superimposed SARS-CoV-2 infection caused this fatal pneumonia with a previous TB infection. After a comprehensive postmortem (PM) examination, including gross dissection, microscopic studies, PM computed tomography, and PM laboratory tests, the cause of death was determined to be pneumonia, and the death manner was natural. We present this case with a comprehensive PM examination from the perspective of forensic pathology and the public healthcare system.

Forensic autopsy is performed to investigate a death. However, this is difficult in some cases, particularly in putrefied bodies. Pulmonary ossification is a rare pathological process, characterized by progressive and metaplastic ossification, which leads to the formation of small bony fragments in the pulmonary tissue. This condition can develop within the pulmonary tissues that are injured due to various causes. Metastatic and dystrophic calcification occur in normal tissues in conditions of deranged calcium metabolism and dead or degenerative tissue, respectively. Here, we describe the case of a 54-year-old man who lived alone and whose putrefied body was discovered by his landlord. A forensic pathologist identified needle-like sharp materials in both the lower lobes of the lungs during autopsy. Microscopic examination revealed dendriform pulmonary ossification with calcification. After autopsy, his medical history, including chronic kidney disease, was recorded by forensic pathologist. A review of his past medical history and comprehensive postmortem examination findings of the gross dissection, microscopic examination, and postmortem laboratory tests led to the determination of the cause of death as renal problems.

In this work, we investigated the metal-free frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of glycidol. It was observed that the type of Lewis bases influences on the polymer topologies and unique physical properties.

We developed a recyclable catalytic system for the metal-free cationic polymerization under ambient conditions, which provides mild and environmentally friendly polymerization condition as well as unique polymer topology.

A malignancy is a fatal condition that could occur through various mechanisms. Forensic pathologists sometimes find unexpected findings during autopsy and post-mortem (PM) tests. Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The deceased was a 64-year-old man with a medical history of right hemicolectomy due to colon cancer approximately two years earlier. He was found dead at his home. He was admitted to the hospital due to subdural hemorrhage (SDH) two days prior to his demise and was discharged without the permission of the doctor after one day of hospitalization. An autopsy was performed within two days of his death. After gross dissection, the cause and manner of death were assumed to be SDH and unnatural death, respectively. Microscopic examination revealed fresh SDH and dural metastasis of signet-ring cell carcinoma. Furthermore, metastasis was identified in the heart, stomach, and peritoneum. Immunohistochemical examination revealed cancer cells to originate from the colon. After meticulous PM examination, including gross dissection, microscopic examination, PM computed tomography, and PM laboratory tests, the cause and manner of death were determined as SDH and natural death, respectively. This case report highlights the importance of comprehensive PM evaluation for investigating death.

Biopolymer-based optical hydrogels represent an emerging class of materials with potential applications in biocompatible integrated optoelectronic devices, bioimaging applications, and stretchable/flexible photonics. We have synthesized stimuli-responsive three-dimensional hydrogels from genetically engineered elastin-like polymers (ELPs) and have loaded these hydrogels with an amine-containing p-phenylenevinylene oligomer (OPPV) derivative featuring highly tunable, environmentally sensitive optical properties. The composite ELP/OPPV hydrogels exhibit both pH- and temperature-dependent fluorescence emission, from which we have characterized a unique optical behavior that emerged from OPPV within the hydrogel environment. By systematic comparison with free OPPV in solution, our results suggest that this distinct behavior is due to local electronic effects arising from interactions between the hydrophobic ELP microenvironment and the nonprotonated OPPV species at pH 7 or higher.

On September 27, 2012, an explosion from hydrofluoric acid occurred in Gumi city of Gyeongbuk province, Republic of Korea, exposing livestock animals nearby to Hydrofluoric acid (HF). This study aimed at evaluating the HF exposure among cattle raised near the accident site by determining the fluoride ion (F(−1)) levels and other biochemical parameters in the animals’ urine and serum. The study groups included 90 cattle raised on farms near the accident site and, as controls, 21 cattle raised on a farm more than 100 km away from the accident site. Urine and blood serum samples were taken from 10% to 20% of the cattle on each farm that were present 17 days after the accident. The F(−1) concentrations in the samples were analysed by the fluoride-ion-selective electrode method or a biochemistry analyser. The mean F(−1) levels in the cattle serum samples (expressed as mg/L) were 0.23 (100 m), 0.15 (500 m), 0.23 (800 m), 0.11 (900 m), 0.07 (1.2 km), 0.16 (1.5 km), and 0.10 in the control group. The mean F(−1) levels in the cattle urine samples (expressed as F(−1) mg/g creatinine) were 27.8 (100 m), 24.4 (500 m), 11.1 (800 m), 16.3 (900 m), 3.02 (1.2 km), 9.16 (1.5 km), and 3.58 in the control group. The mean ± SD concentrations of calcium ions in serum (expressed as mg/dL) were 9.72 ± 0.41 (100 m), 9.54 ± 0.57 (500 m), 8.31 ± 0.44 (800 m), 9.06 ± 0.40 (900 m), 8.36 ± 0.89 (1.2 km), 9.13 ± 0.98 (1.5 km), and 10.48 ± 1.43 in the control group. The serum and urine F(−1) levels in cattle exposed to HF decreased with the distance from the accident site, suggesting that the relative F(−1) levels in urine after normalization through concentration of urinary creatinine could be a more reliable biomarker for HF exposure in cattle than the urine F(−1) level alone.

Biofluid-based biomarkers provide an efficient tool for hazard identification of chemicals. Here, we explored the potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers for hepatotoxicity of chemicals by linking in vitro to in vivo animal models. A search of the literature identified candidate circulating miRNA biomarkers of chemical-induced hepatotoxicity. The expression of candidate miRNAs (miR-122, miR-151a, miR-192, miR-193a, miR-194, miR-21, miR-29c), was determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in in vivo acute liver injury induced by acetaminophen, and then were further compared with those of in vitro cell assays. Candidate miRNAs, except miR-29c, were significantly or biologically upregulated by acetaminophen, at a dose that caused acute liver injury as confirmed by hepatocellular necrosis. Except miR-122 and miR-193a, other miRNAs elevated in in vivo models were confirmed by in vitro models using HepG2 cells, whereas they failed by in vitro models using human primary hepatocytes. These findings indicate that certain miRNAs may still have the potential of toxicological biomarkers in linking in vitro to in vivo hepatotoxicity.

The present study investigates the design buckling capacities of a Gaztransport and Technigaz (GTT) NO96-type liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo containment system (NO96 CCS), one of the most critical failure modes for a box-type LNG cargo containment system, against sloshing dynamic loads from an LNG carrier cargo tank. The design load for NO96 CCS (sloshing) is a typical dynamic event; hence, the dynamic effect on the buckling capacity is investigated as the defining dynamic strength factor. A series of finite-element (FE) analyses for the insulation system are performed using commercial FE software (i.e., ABAQUS and ANSYS) and considering the environmental temperature and material properties of the system. The design buckling strength under both static and dynamic conditions is provided based on the FE calculations and compared with the as-designed criteria of DNV GL for a membrane-type LNG cargo tank.

In this study, a numerical and experimental investigation of the quasi-static crushing behavior of steel tubular structures was conducted. As the crushing failure behavior involves a high level of nonlinearity for the numerical simulations, these were compared with previous experimental works, including crushing tests of steel square tubes to calibrate the numerical results. Six parameters for the numerical simulations, namely (1) loading boundary condition, (2) geometrical imperfection, (3) friction coefficient, (4) element size, (5) element type, and (6) material nonlinearity model, were examined using a series of finite element analyses. Through the sensitivity study for each parameter, the deformation and crushing load of the steel tube were investigated, and the value that best matched the experimental results was selected. The results of the numerical analysis for the determined model were compared with the experimental results. Finally, the authors provided recommendations that should be considered when performing nonlinear finite element simulations of crushing failure events.

The International Maritime Organization stipulates that greenhouse gas emissions from ships should be reduced by at least 50% relative to the amount observed in 2008. Consequently, the demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled ships has increased significantly. Therefore, an independent type-C cylindrical tank, which is typically applied as an LNG fuel tank, should be investigated. In this study, structural integrity assessments using finite element analysis are performed on C-type LNG fuel tanks for a sea-cleaning vessel. In addition, the applicability of stainless steel and aluminum alloys is evaluated for LNG tank construction. Structural analyses and fatigue limit evaluations, including heat transfer analyses for the tank based on IGC code requirements, are performed, and the results are compared. The results of this study are expected to facilitate the selection of materials used for independent type-C tanks.

Purpose: This study analyzed the quality properties of cookies made with sea tangle powder in order to improve bowel movements in pregnant women. Methods: To identify the optimal sensory mixing ratio using response surface analysis of sea tangle cookies with sea tangle powder and sugar as independent variables and following a central composite design, which is required for optimizing manufacturing conditions. Results: Based on the results of modeling experimental results and verification of significance, a linear model was selected for color (brightness, redness, yellowness) and moisture content, a 2FI model was selected for hardness and a quadratic model was selected for spreadability. Sea tangle powder was the most significant variable affecting brightness, redness, and yellowness among the mechanical characteristics of cookies. These characteristics were inversely correlated with the amount of sea tangle powder added (p

The purpose of this study is to technology impact assessment uncertainties and influences of factors for the coexistence technology in MR (mixed reality) and to derive the ripple effect of the target technology in many different application fields. This survey is to perform technology impact assessment in order to assess the impact of new technologies on economy, society, culture, ethics and environment in advance and to reflect the results in policy research. This survey is to evaluate the impact of new technologies on economy, society, culture, ethics and environment in advance and to reflect the results in policy research. The survey is to strengthen the intrinsic intent of technology assessment to strengthen positive impacts and minimize adverse impacts by identifying the various factors affecting society when the coexistence technology in MR (mixed reality) was commercialized as well as by evaluating the positive and negative impacts from a more balanced view. We apply the new theoretical basis elements to this study in order to analyze in advance and improve the method and the results of TA of previous researches. Therefore, it will be meaningful to analyze the difference of the results by analyzing between the results of the TA study designed with the new method and the results of the previous research for the target technology and conducting the demographic characteristics and technology acceptance This study is meaningful for comparative analysis between. For achieving this, we prior research and the theoretical background about TA, the trends and issues of coexistence technology in MR (mixed reality), the industrial trends and prospect of target technology, the new method design to better analyze a citizen participation TA survey, conducting TA experts' FGI and reflecting the results, and conducting to survey TA for general citizens in between positive impact and negative impact of demographic, and we will lead to conclusions from above works.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES This research analyzes the effects of the food choices of industrial workers according to their sugar intake pattern on their job satisfaction through the construction of a model on the relationship between sugar intake pattern and job satisfaction. SUBJECTS/METHODS Surveys were collected from May to July 2015. A statistical analysis of the 775 surveys from Kyungsangnam-do was conducted using SPSS13.0 for Windows and SEM was performed using the AMOS 5.0 statistics package. RESULTS The reliability of the data was confirmed by an exploratory factor analysis through a Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and the measurement model was proven to be appropriate by a confirmatory factor analysis in conjunction with AMOS. The results of factor analysis on food choice, sugar intake pattern and job satisfaction were categorized into five categories. The reliability of these findings was supported by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.6 and higher for all factors except confection (0.516) and dairy products (0.570). The multicollinearity results did not indicate a problem between the variables since the highest correlation coefficient was 0.494 (P < 0.01). In an attempt to study the sugar intake pattern in accordance with the food choices and job satisfaction of industrial workers, a structural equation model was constructed and analyzed. CONCLUSIONS All tests confirmed that the model satisfied the recommended levels for the goodness of fit index, and thus, the overall research model was proven to be appropriate.

With the increased use of cell therapy in the veterinary sector, there is a growing demand for the development of cell-based medicinal products and the determination of their safety. Currently, the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has established a guideline for evaluating the safety of cell-based medicinal products for animal use. The guideline includes items related to definition, classification, management, manufacturing procedure and quality control (standard and test method), stability testing, toxicity testing, pharmacological testing, and performance of clinical trials. In addition, testing protocols related to safety assessment of animal cell-based products such as chromosome karyotyping, tumorigenicity testing, confirmatory testing of biodistribution and kinetics, and target animal safety testing are described in detail. Moreover, because cell-based medicinal products are novel therapies, deviations from traditional designs may be justified in order to obtain relevant safety information on the treatment. Additionally, this guideline can be amended on the basis of new scientific findings.

KTX wheelset bearings have thus far been maintained in accordance with the maintenance system of French national railway company, SNCF. The overhaul cycle time (OCT) of KTX wheelset bearings is now 1.4 million km in mileage. This value, however, has not been validated in Korea that has much different railway environments with France. In fact, it is impossible to validate OCT of wheelset bearings directly because they are disassembled and cleaned only when some faults are detected. In this paper, the accuracy of the current OCT value was evaluated indirectly by investigating the effect of grease lubricants on the bearing life. Five grease samples (one new and four aged greases) were used in this study. Four aged greases of different conditions were obtained from four wheelset bearings whose mileages were about 0.3, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.8 million km, respectively. Each grease sample was then injected into the RCF (Rolling Contact Fatigue) tester and fatigue lifetime was experimentally estimated. In addition, the wt% of Fe in each grease sample was analysed. The experiment results reveal that the bearing lifetime is inversely proportional to the mileage of grease sample while the wt% of Fe increases with the mileage of grease sample. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the current OCT value is appropriate for the first overhaul of wheelset bearings. However, further validation is required to determine the second and third OCT values.

To explain the performance gap between firms in the same industry, this study focuses on innovation. It provides a new framework using the dynamic-capability view based on empirical analysis of domestic businesses. The findings of this study are as follows: First, when the uncertainty and competition intensity in the business environment and the level of innovation have “fit”, it means that when the former goes up, so does the latter. In this regard, when the innovation capability of a firm is high, being “fit” means that the level of innovation is also high. When there was fitting innovation on industrial environment and innovation capacity, companies were able to achieve relatively high performance. Also, it was confirmed that instead of innovation for innovation capacity, innovation for industrial environment led to relatively higher performances of firms.

We previously reported that dietary methylselenocysteine (MSC) inhibits N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU)-induced mammary tumorigenesis by resetting circadian gene expression disrupted by the carcinogen at the early stage of tumorigenesis. To investigate the underlying mechanism, we developed a circadian reporter system comprised of human mammary epithelial cells with a luciferase reporter driven by the promoter of human PERIOD 2 (PER2), a core circadian gene. In this in vitro model, NMU disrupted cellular circadian rhythm in a pattern similar to that observed with SIRT1-specific inhibitors; in contrast, MSC restored the circadian rhythms disrupted by NMU and protected against SIRT1 inhibitors. Moreover, NMU inhibited intracellular NAD+/NADH ratio and reduced NAD+-dependent SIRT1 activity in a dose-dependent manner, while MSC restored NAD+/NADH and SIRT1 activity in the NMU-treated cells, indicating that the NAD+-SIRT1 pathway was targeted by NMU and MSC. In rat mammary tissue, a carcinogenic dose of NMU also disrupted NAD+/NADH oscillations and decreased SIRT1 activity; dietary MSC restored NAD+/NADH oscillations and increased SIRT1 activity in the mammary glands of NMU-treated rats. MSC-induced SIRT1 activity was correlated with decreased acetylation of BMAL1 and increased acetylation of histone 3 lysine 9 at the Per2 promoter E-Box in mammary tissue. Changes in SIRT1 activity were temporally correlated with loss or restoration of rhythmic Per2 mRNA expression in NMU-treated or MSC-rescued rat mammary glands, respectively. Together with our previous findings, these results suggest that enhancement of NAD+-dependent SIRT1 activity contributes to the chemopreventive efficacy of MSC by restoring epigenetic regulation of circadian gene expression at early stages of mammary tumorigenesis.

In this study, the experimental and analytical investigation on structural integrity evaluation of spline shaft of self propelled artillery’ generator were carried out. For this work, macro and microstructure fractography of spline shaft were observed. According to the results of the structure analysis and simulation, the shaft was redesigned and optimized. To improve the stiffness and shear stress, the material was changed from the SNCM220 to SNCM439 and surface roughness and protective coating treatment are changed to increase the stress relaxation, respectively. From the result of the torsion test of shaft and accelerated life test of generator, the shaft of a SNCM439 with heat-treatment(Q/T) and electroless nickel plating was superior quality reliability and durability than the others. Therefore, modeling and simulation corresponded well with the experimental result and structural safety was confirmed by generator performing.Key Words : Self Propelled Artillery(자주포), Spline Shaft(스플라인 축), Structure Analysis(구조해석) Shear Stress(전단강도)

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal mixing ratio of Gynura procumbens and milk in the preparation of beef patties. The experiment was designed according to the central composite design for estimating the response surface, demonstrating 10 experimental points including 2 replicates for Gynura procumbens and milk. The physical, mechanical and sensory properties of the test materials were measured, and a canonical form and perturbation plot were used to show the influence of each ingredient on the final product mixture. Results of the measurements showed significant increases or decreases in the following properties: dough moisture (p