• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.540-549
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• 2021

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is involved in breast cancer and Myxococcus fulvus KYC4048 is a myxobacterial strain that can produce a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites. Although a previous study revealed that KYC4048 metabolites exhibit anti-proliferative effects on breast cancer, the biochemical mechanism involved in their effects remains unclear. In the present study, KYC4048 metabolites were separated into polar and non-polar (ethyl acetate and n-hexane) fractions via liquid-liquid extraction. The effects of these polar and non-polar KYC4048 metabolites on the viability of breast cancer cells were then determined by MTT assay. Expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin pathway proteins were determined by Western blot analysis. Cell cycle and apoptosis were measured via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). The results revealed that non-polar KYC4048 metabolites induced cell death of breast cancer cells and decreased expression levels of WNT2B, β-catenin, and Wnt target genes (c-Myc and cyclin D1). Moreover, the n-hexane fraction of non-polar KYC4048 metabolites was found most effective in inducing apoptosis, necrosis, and cell cycle arrest, leading us to conclude that it can induce apoptosis of breast cancer cells through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These findings provide evidence that the n-hexane fraction of non-polar KYC4048 metabolites can be developed as a potential therapeutic agent for breast cancer via inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.57-70
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• 2018

In this study, verification of the nonlinear effective stress analysis is performed for introducing performance based earthquake resistance design of port and harbor structures. Seismic response of gravitational caisson quay wall in numerical analysis is compared directly with dynamic centrifuge test results in prototype scale. Inside of the rigid box, model of the gravitational quay wall is placed above the saturated sand layer which can show the increase of excess pore water pressure. The model represents caisson quay wall with a height of 10 m, width of 6 m under centrifugal acceleration of 60 g. The numerical model is made in the same dimension with the prototype scale of the test in two dimensional plane strain condition. Byrne's liquefaction model is adopted together with a nonlinear constitutive model. Interface element is used for sliding and tensional separation between quay wall and the adjacent soils. Verification results show good agreement for permanent displacement of the quay wall, horizontal acceleration at quay wall and soil layer, and excess pore water pressure increment beneath the quay wall foundation.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.143-149
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• 2019

In this study, a U-shape composite beam was developed to be effectively used for a steel parking lot which is 8m or lower in height. When the U-shape composite beam was applied to a steel parking lot, essential considerations were story-height and long-span. In addition, due to the mixed structural system with reinforced concrete and steel material, the U-shape composite beam needed to have a structural integrity and reliable performance over demand capacity. The main objective of this study was to investigate the performance of the structure consisting of the reinforced concrete (RC) slab and U-shape beam. A U-shape composite beam generally used at a parking lot served as a control specimen. Four specimens were tested under four-point bending. To calculate theoretical values, strain gauges were attached to rebar, steel plate, and concrete surface in the middle of the specimens. As the results, initial yielding strength of the control specimen occurred at the bottom of the U-shaped steel. After yielding, the specimen reached the maximum strength and the RC slab concrete was finally failed by concrete crush due to compressive stress. The structural performance such as flexural strength and ductility of the specimen with the increased beam depth was significantly improved in comparison with the control specimen. Furthermore, the design of the U-shape composite beam with the consideration of flexural strength and ductility was effective since the structural performance by a negative loading was relatively decreased but the ductile behavior was evidently improved.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.165-170
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of different storage periods of lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-fermented low moisture fresh rice straw silage. The low moisture fresh rice straw sample was inculcated with LAB and stored for different storage periods such as 45, 90, and 365 days, respectively. The low moisture fresh rice straw (LMFRS) silage inoculated with LAB exhibited reduction in pH throughout the fermentation as compared with the control (P<0.05). The lactic acid content was increased at the late fermentation period (90 and 365 days, respectively) in LAB inoculated LMFRS silage as compared with the control (P<0.05). In contrast, the acetic acid and butyric acid concentrations were slightly reduced in the LAB inoculated LMFRS silage sample at 90 and 365 days fermentation, respectively. Meanwhile, the non-inoculated LMFRS silage showed higher amounts of acetic acid and butyric acid at an extended fermentation with low bacterial population as compared with the LAB inoculated LMFRS silage. However, lactic acid concentration was slightly high in the non-inoculated LMFRS silage at early 45 days fermentation. Additionally, the nutrient profile such as crude protein (CP), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), and total digestibility nutrients (TDN) were not significantly different in control and LAB inculcated samples during all fermentation. Though, the microbial population was greater in the LAB inoculated LMFRS silage as compared with the control. However, the massive population was noted in the LAB inoculated LMFRS silage during all fermentation. It indicates that the inoculated LAB is the main reason for increasing fermentation quality in the sample through pH reduction by organic acids production. Overall results suggest that the LAB inoculums are the effective strain that could be a suitable for LMFRS silage fermentation at prolonged days.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 2021

Although many swine farms continuously vaccinated to sow to prevent Porcine epidemic diarrhea(PED), PED has occurred annually in swine herds in Jeonbuk province, Korea. In the present study, the small intestine and feces samples from 17 farms where severe watery diarrhea and death of newborn piglets occurred in 2019 were collected, amplified by RT-PCR and determined the complete nucleotide sequences of the spike (S) glycoprotein genes of nine Jeonbuk PEDV isolates. The spike (S) glycoprotein is an important determinant for molecular characterization and genetic relationship of PEDV. These nine complete S gene isolates were compared with other PEDV reference strains to identify the molecular diversity, phylogenetic relationships and antigenicity analysis. 9 field strains share 98.5~100% homologies with each other at the nucleotide sequence level and 97.3~100% homologies with each other at the amino acid level. The nine Jeonbuk PEDV isolates were classified into G2b group including a genetic specific signal, S-indels (insertion and deletion of S gene). In addition, comparisons the neutralizing epitopes of S gene between 9 field strains and domestic vaccine strains of Korea mutated 12-15 amino acids with SM-98-1 (G1a group) and mutated 0-3 amino acids with QIAP1401 (G2b group). Therefore, the development of G2b-based live vaccines will have to be expedited to ensure effective prevention of endemic PED in Korea. In addition, we will need to be prepared with periodic updates of preventive vaccines based on the PEDV variants for the re-emergence of a virulent strain.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.73-80
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• 2022

This study evaluated changes in fluidity and rheological properties over time for 3D printed composite materials, and evaluated compressive strength and splitting tensile strength properties for laminated and molded specimens. The composite material for 3D printing starts to change rapidly after 30 minutes of extrusion, and the viscosity of the material tends to be maintained up to 90 minutes, but it was confirmed that construction within 60 minutes after mixing is effective. The compressive strength of the laminated test specimen showed equivalent or better performance at all ages compared to the molded test specimen. In the stress-strain curve of the laminated specimen, the initial slope was similar to that of the molded specimen, but the descending slope was on average 1.9 times higher than that of the molded specimen, indicating relatively brittle behavior. The splitting tensile strength of the P-V laminated specimen was about 6% lower than that of the molded specimen. It is judged that this is because the interfacial adhesion force against the vertical load is affected by the pattern direction of the laminated test specimen.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.103-110
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to experimentally evaluate the stiffness and strength reduction according to the reinforcing bar details of the vertically divided reinforced concrete shear walls. To confirm the effect of reducing strength and stiffness according to vertical division, four real-scale specimens were fabricated and repeated lateral loading tests were performed. As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that the strength and stiffness were decreased according to the vertical division. In particular, as the stiffness reduction rate is greater than the strength reduction rate, it is expected that safety against extreme strength can be secured when the load is redistributed according to vertical division. As a result of checking the crack pattern, a diagonal crack occurred in the wall subjected to compression control among the divided walls. It was confirmed that two neutral axes occurred after division, and the reversed strain distribution appeared in the upper part, showing the double curvature pattern. In future studies, it is necessary to evaluate the stiffness reduction rate considering the effective height of the wall, to evaluate additional variables such as wall aspect ratio, and to conduct analytical studies on various walls using finite element analysis.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2022

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is the causal agent responsible for the bacterial canker disease of kiwifruit plants. Psa strains are divided into five different biovars based on genetic and biochemical characteristics. Among them, biovar 2 and 3 strains of Psa were isolated and have been causing widespread damages in Korea. One of the most effective ways to control Psa is to use an antibiotic such as streptomycin. However, Psa strains resistant to this antibiotic were isolated in Korea, and an earlier study revealed that the resistance in the biovar 2 is associated with strA-strB genes. This study aimed to determine the molecular resistance mechanism of Psa biovar 3 strains to streptomycin. Sequencing the rpsL gene encoding ribosomal protein S12 from three streptomycin-resistant strains screened in the laboratory revealed that a spontaneous mutation occurred either at codon 43 or 88. Meanwhile, in four streptomycin-resistant strains of Psa biovar 3 isolated from two kiwifruit orchards, a single nucleotide in codon 43 of the rpsL, which is AAA in streptomycin-sensitive strain, was substituted for AGA causing an amino acid change from lysine to arginine. The resistant mechanism in all biovar 3 strains obtained in Korea was identified as a mutation of the rpsL gene.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2024

An automated dynamic structural analysis module stands as a crucial element within a structural integrated mitigation system. This module must deliver prompt real-time responses to enable timely actions, such as evacuation or warnings, in response to the severity posed by the structural system. The finite element method, a widely adopted approximate structural analysis approach globally, owes its popularity in part to its user-friendly nature. However, the computational efficiency and accuracy of results depend on the user-provided finite element mesh, with the number of elements and their quality playing pivotal roles. This paper introduces a computationally efficient adaptive mesh generation scheme that optimally combines the h-method of node movement and the r-method of element division for mesh refinement. Adaptive mesh generation schemes automatically create finite element meshes, and in this case, representative strain values for a given mesh are employed for error estimates. When applied to dynamic problems analyzed in the time domain, meshes need to be modified at each time step, considering a few hundred or thousand steps. The algorithm's specifics are demonstrated through a standard cantilever beam example subjected to a concentrated load at the free end. Additionally, a portal frame example showcases the generation of various robust meshes. These examples illustrate the adaptive algorithm's capability to produce robust meshes, ensuring reasonable accuracy and efficient computing time. Moreover, the study highlights the potential for the scheme's effective application in complex structural dynamic problems, such as those subjected to seismic or erratic wind loads. It also emphasizes its suitability for general nonlinear analysis problems, establishing the versatility and reliability of the proposed adaptive mesh generation scheme.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.1146-1153
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• 2024

The increasing economic losses associated with growth retardation caused by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), a microsporidian parasite infecting penaeid shrimp, require effective monitoring. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1 region, the non-coding region of ribosomal clusters between 18S and 5.8S rRNA genes, is widely used in phylogenetic studies due to its high variability. In this study, the ITS-1 region sequence (~600-bp) of EHP was first identified, and primers for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting that sequence were designed. A newly developed nested-PCR method successfully detected the EHP in various shrimp (Penaeus vannamei and P. monodon) and related samples, including water and feces collected from Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, India, and Malaysia. The primers did not cross-react with other hosts and pathogens, and this PCR assay is more sensitive than existing PCR detection methods targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) and spore wall protein (SWP) genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS-1 sequences indicated that the Indonesian strain was distinct (86.2% nucleotide sequence identity) from other strains collected from Thailand and South Korea, and also showed the internal diversity among Thailand (N = 7, divided into four branches) and South Korean (N = 5, divided into two branches) samples. The results revealed the ability of the ITS-1 region to determine the genetic diversity of EHP from different geographical origins.