• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.432-437
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• 2010

LBH is a transcription factor as a candidate gene for CHD associated with partial trisomy 2p syndrome. To identify potential LBH-interacting partners, a yeast two-hybrid screen using LBH as a bait was performed with a human heart cDNA library. One of the clones identified encodes ${\alpha}B$-crystallin. Co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays showed that LBH interacts with ${\alpha}B$-crystallin, which is further confirmed by mammalian two-hybrid assays. Co-localization analysis showed that in COS-7 cells, ${\alpha}B$-crystallin that is cytoplasmic alone, accumulates partialy in the nucleus when co-transfected with LBH. Transient transfection assays indicated that overexpression of LBH or ${\alpha}B$-crystallin reduced the transcriptional activities of p53 and p21, respectively, Overexpression of both ${\alpha}B$-crystallin and LBH together resulted in a stronger repression of the transcriptional activities of p21 and p53. These results showed that the interaction of LBH and ${\alpha}B$-crystallin may inhibit synergistically the transcriptional regulation of p53 and p21.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3403-3410
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• 2014

Context: Interest exits in whether TNF-alpha antagonists increase the risk of breast cancer and total malignancies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objectives: To analyze the risk of malignancies, especially breast cancer, in patients with RA enrolled in randomized control trials (RCTs). Methods: A systematic literature search for RCTs from 1 January 1998 to 1 July 2013 from online databases, such as PubMed, WILEY, EMBASE, ISI web of knowledge and Cochrane Library was conducted. Studies included RCTs that compared the safety of at least one dose of the five TNF-${\alpha}$ antagonists with placebo or methotrexate (MTX) (or TNF-${\alpha}$ antagonists plus MTX vs placebo plus MTX) in RA patients for more than 24 weeks and imported all the references into document management software EndNote${\times}6$. Two independent reviewers selected studies and extracted the data about study design, patients' characteristics and the type, number of all malignancies. Results: 28 RCTs from 34 records with 11,741 patients were analyzed. Of the total, 97 developed at least one malignancy during the double-blind trials, and breast cancer was observed in 17 patients (17.5% of total malignancies). However, there was no statistically significant increased risk observed in either the per protocol (PP) model (OR 0.65, 95%CI [0.22, 1.93]) or the modified intention to treat (mITT) model (OR 0.75, 95%CI [0.25, 2.21]). There were also no significant trend for increased risk of total malignancies on anti-TNF-${\alpha}$ therapy administered at approved doses in either model (OR, 1.06, 95%CI [0.64, 1.75], and OR, 1.30, 95%CI [0.80, 2.14], respectively). As to the two models, modified intention to treat model analysis led to higher estimation than per protocol model analysis. Conclusions: This study did not find a significantly increased risk of breast cancer and total malignancies in adults RA patients treated with TNF-${\alpha}$ antagonists at approved doses. However, it cannot be ignored that more patients developed malignancies with TNF-${\alpha}$ antagonists therapy compared with patients with placebo or MTX, in spite of the lack of statistical significance, so that more strict clinical trials and long-term follow-up are needed, and both mITT and PP analyses should be used in such safety analyses.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.72-80
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• 2014

This study proposed a wind power generation system utilizing outdoor air on the rooftop and indoor ventilation, which would increase according to the building height, as a way to help to save energy consumption in a building by using wind power energy of the new renewable energy sources. The study measured the distribution of air currents and power generation according to the usage factor of exhaust pipes in the kitchen and bathroom and identified the elements to consider when applying a wind power generation system to buildings in order to use outdoor air on the rooftop increasing according to the height and the indoor ventilation produced in the facility vertical shafts inside the buildings by installing a wind power generation system on the rooftop. (1) The study measured the ventilation velocity of the kitchen hood and bathroom ventilation fan by changing the zone areas by the households according to the usage factor of [${\alpha}$]=33~100%. As a result, the kitchen ventilation pipe generated the ventilation wind of 3.0m/s or more at the usage factor of [${\alpha}$] 66% or higher, and the bathroom ventilation pipe generated ventilation velocity lower than 3.0m/s, the blade velocity of the wind power generator, even after the usage factor rose to [${\alpha}$]=100%. (2) As the old bathroom ventilation pipe generated the ventilation velocity of 3.0m/s, the blade velocity of the wind power generator, even with the rising usage factor [${\alpha}$], the application of an outdoor air induction module increased the ventilation velocity by 2.9m/s at the usage factor of [${\alpha}$]=33%, 3.8m/s at the usage factor of [${\alpha}$]=66%, and 3.6m/s at the usage factor of [${\alpha}$]=100%. Thus the ventilation velocity of 3.0m/s, the blade velocity of the wind power generator, or higher was secured. (3) The findings prove that the applicability of a wind power generation system using outdoor air on the rooftop and indoor ventilation is excellent, which raises a need for various efforts to increase the possibility of its commercialization such as securing its structural stability according to momentary gusts on the rooftop and typhoons in summer and making the structure light to react to the wind directions of outdoor air on the rooftop according to the seasons.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1629-1635
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• 2014

It is known that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have many beneficial health effects, including anti-oxidative activity and immune regulation. In this study, the immune regulatory effects of Lactobacillus sakei and Lactobacillus plantarum, which are found in different types of kimchi, were evaluated. L. sakei and its lipoteichoic acid (LTA) have greater immune stimulating potential in IL-12, IFN-${\gamma}$, and TNF-${\alpha}$ production as compared with L. plantarum in an in vitro condition. On the other hand, L. plantarum is assumed to repress the Th1 immune response in murine experiments. After being injected with LPS, L. plantarum-fed mice maintained a healthier state, and the level of TNF-${\alpha}$ in their blood was lower than in other bacterial strainfed mice and in the LPS-only control mice. Additionally, IL-12 production was significantly decreased and the production of IL-4 was greatly increased in the splenocytes from L. plantarum-fed mice. Further experiments revealed that the pre-injection of purified LTA from L. plantarum (pLTA), L. sakei (sLTA), and S. aureus (aLTA) decreased TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-4 production in LPS-injected mice. Mouse IL-12, however, was significantly increased by aLTA pre-injection. In conclusion, the L. sakei and L. plantarum strains have immune regulation effects, but the effects differ in cytokine production and the regulatory effects of the Th1/Th2 immune response.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.898-904
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• 2014

The stability of Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase (BLA) under acid condition was enhanced through direct evolution using the error-prone polymerase chain reaction. One beneficial mutation site, H281I, was obtained in BLA. The specific activity of H281I was 161/352 U/mg, which was 62.6/27.5% higher than that of the wild-type (WT) (99/276 U/mg) at pH 4.5/6.5 and $95^{\circ}C$. The pH optimum for H281I was decreased about 1 unit, whereas no significant changes of optimum temperature and thermostability were observed compared with the wild type (WT). The $k_{cat}/K_m$ value of H281I was 1.7-/1.4-fold higher at pH 4.5/6.5, respectively, than that of WT. The structure model analysis indicated that the H281I mutation altered the predicted interaction between the amino acid residues at 281 and 273, thus creating a conducive local environment for substrate binding, as reflected by its decreased $K_m$, and consequently increased the specific activity.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.151-159
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• 2001

This study was performed to investigate the effect of time-dependent creep on the deformation. In the analysis, modified Cam-Clay model was adopted to describe the elastic-plastic behavior of clayey soil. In order to consider effect of creep, the secondary coefficient of consolidation $\alpha$ was supplemented to modified Cam-Clay model. To examine the reliability of the program which is developed in this study, the estimated values by this program were compared with the experimental results. The results of the analysis were in good agreement with the observed values in the field.

• Bulletin of the Korean Mathematical Society
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.1061-1073
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• 2020

In this paper, the expressions of meromorphic solutions of the following nonlinear complex differential equation of the form $$f^n+Qd(z,f)=\sum\limits_{i=1}^{3}pi(z)e^{{\alpha}_i(z)}$$ are studied by using Nevanlinna theory, where n ≥ 5 is an integer, Q_d(z, f) is a differential polynomial in f of degree d ≤ n - 4 with rational functions as its coefficients, p₁(z), p₂(z), p₃(z) are non-vanishing rational functions, and α₁(z), α₂(z), α₃(z) are nonconstant polynomials such that α'₁(z), α'₂(z), α'₃(z) are distinct each other. Moreover, examples are given to illustrate the accuracy of the condition.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.390-399
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• 2012

Endoglucanase gene egIV was cloned from Trichoderma viride AS 3.3711, an important cellulose-producing fungus, by using an RT-PCR protocol. The egIV cDNA is 1,297 bp in length and contains a 1,035 bp open reading frame encoding a 344 amino acid protein with an estimated molecular mass of 35.5 kDa and isoelectronic point (pI) of 5.29. The expression of gene egIV in T. viride AS 3.3711 could be induced by sucrose, corn straw, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), or microcrystalline cellulose, but especially by CMC. The transcripts of egIV were regulated under these substrates, but the expression level of the egIV gene could be inhibited by glucose and fructose. Three recombinant vectors, pYES2-xegIV, $pYES2M{\alpha}$-egIV, and $pYES2M{\alpha}$-xegIV, were constructed to express the egIV gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae H158. The CMCase activity of yeast transformants $IpYES2M{\alpha}$-xegIV was higher than that of transformant IpYES2-xegIV or $IpYES2M{\alpha}$-egIV, with the highest activity of 0.13 U/ml at induction for 48 h, illustrating that the modified egIV gene could enhance CMCase activity and that $MF{\alpha}$ signal peptide from S. cerevisiae could regulate exogenous gene expression more effectively in S. cerevisiae. The recombinant EGIV enzyme was stable at pH 3.5 to 7.5 and temperature of $35^{\circ}C$ to $65^{\circ}C$. The optimal reaction condition for EGIV enzyme activity was at the temperature of $55^{\circ}C$, pH of 5.0, 0.75 mM $Ba^{2+}$, and using CMC as substrate. Under these conditions, the highest activity of EGIV enzyme in transformant $IpYES2M{\alpha}$-xegIV was 0.18 U/ml. These properties would provide technical parameters for utilizing cellulose in industrial bioethanol production.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.811-823
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• 2021

Objective: Eggshell color is an important indicator of egg quality for consumers, especially for brown eggs. Various factors related to laying hens and their environment affect brown eggshell coloration. However, there have been no studies investigating hepatic functions of laying hens with variable intensity of brown eggshell color. Therefore, this study was aimed to identify potential factors affecting brown eggshell coloration in aged laying hens at the hepatic transcriptomic level. Methods: Five hundred 92-wk-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were screened to select laying hens with different intensity of brown eggshell color based on eggshell color fans. Based on eggshell color scores, hens with dark brown eggshells (DBE; eggshell color fan score = 14.8) and hens with light brown eggshells (LBE; eggshell color fan score = 9.7) were finally selected for the liver sampling. We performed RNA-seq analysis using the liver samples through the paired-end sequencing libraries. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) profiling was carried out to identify their biological meaning by bioinformatics. Results: A total of 290 DEGs were identified with 196 being up-regulated and 94 being down-regulated in DBE groups as compared to LBE groups. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that these DEGs belong to several biological pathways including herpes simplex infection (toll-like receptor 3 [TLR3], cyclin-dependent kinase 1, etc.) and influenza A (TLR3, radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2, myxovirus [influenza virus] resistance 1, etc.). Genes related to stress response (ceremide kinase like) and nutrient metabolism (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy-kinase 1, methylmalonic aciduria [cobalamin deficiency] cblB type, glycine receptor alpha 2, solute carrier family 7 member 11, etc.) were also identified to be differentially expressed. Conclusion: The current results provide new insights regarding hepatic molecular functions related to different intensity of brown eggshell color in aged laying hens. These insights will contribute to future studies aiming to optimize brown eggshell coloration in aged laying hens.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Broadcast Engineers Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.103-106
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• 2001

본 논문에서는 MPEG2비디오 스트림에서 직접 얻을 수 있는 정보들을 활용하여 카메라의 움직임을 추정하여 이를 기반으로 하여 움직이는 객체를 추정하고자 한다. 이를 위해, 먼저 MPEG2의 움직임 벡터는 압축의 효율성 때문에 움직임의 예측이 순서적이지 못한데, 예측 프레임들의 속성을 이용하여 이를 광 플로우(Optical Flow)를 갖는 움직임 벡터(Motion Vector)로 변환하였다. 그리고 이러한 벡터들을 이용하여 카메라의 기본적인 움직임인 팬(Fan), 틸트(Tilt). 줌(Zoom) 등을 정의하였다. 이를 위하여 팬, 틸트-줌 카메라 모델의 매개변수와 같은 의미의 $\Delta$x, $\Delta$y, $\alpha$값을 정의하고자 움직임 벡터 성분의 Hough변환을 이용하여 $\Delta$x, $\Delta$y, $\alpha$값들을 구하였다. 또한 이러한 카메라 움직임(Camera Operation)은 시간적으로 연속적으로 발생하는 특징을 이용하여 각 프레임마다 구한 카메라의 움직임을 보정하였다. 마지막으로 움직이는 객체의 추정은 우선 사용자가 원하는 객체를 바운딩박스 형태로 정의한 후 카메라 움직임이 보정된 객체의 움직임 벡터를 한 GOF(Group of Pictures) 단위로 면적 기여도에 따라 누적하여 객체를 추적하고 해석하였으며 DCT 질감 정보를 이용하여 객체의 영역을 재설정 하였다. 물론 압축된 MFEG2비디오에서 얻을 수 있는 정보들은 최대 블록 단위이므로 객체의 정의도 블록단위 이상의 객체로 제한하였다. 제안된 방법은 비디오 스트림에서 직접 정보를 얻음으로써 계산속도의 향상은 물론 카메라의 움직임특성과 움직이는 객체의 추적들을 활용하여 기존의 내용기반의 검색 및 분석에도 많이 응용될 수 있다. 이러한 개발 기술들은 압축된 데이터의 검색 및 분석에 유용하게 사용되리라고 기대되며 , 특히 검색 툴이나 비디오 편집 툴 또는 교통량 감시 시스템, 혹은 무인 감시시스템 등에서 압축된 영상의 저장과 빠른 분석을 요구시 필요하리라고 기대된다.