• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.57.1-57.11
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• 2020

Background: Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) acts as an etiological agent for lameness, neurological signs, and high mortality in pigs. Despite its importance in pig industries and zoonotic potential, little is known about the effects of this pathogen. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the molecular characteristics and antimicrobial resistance of SDSE strains isolated from diseased pigs. Methods: A total 11 SDSE isolates were obtained from diseased pigs. Bacterial identification, PCR for virulence genes, emm typing, and antimicrobial resistance genes, multilocus sequence typing, and antimicrobial susceptibility test were performed. Results: Nine isolates were from piglets, and 8 showed lameness, sudden death, or neurological signs. The isolates were PCR-positive for sla (100%), sagA (100%), and scpA (45.5%), and only 1 isolate amplified the emm gene (stL2764). Eight different sequence types were detected, categorized into 2 clonal complexes and 4 singletons. All the isolates in this study were included in a small cluster, which also contained other strains derived from humans and horses. The minimum inhibitory concentrations for the tested beta-lactams were low, while those for macrolides, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones were relatively high. PCR analysis of the macrolide and tetracycline resistance genes demonstrated that the isolates carried erm(B) (18.2%, n = 2), mef(A/E) (9.1%, n = 1), tet(M) (18.2%, n = 2), and tet(O) (90.2%, n = 10). Two isolates presented a mutation in parC, which is associated with fluoroquinolone resistance. Conclusion: This study provided insight into swine-derived SDSE, as it is related to veterinary medicine, and elucidated its zoonotic potential, in the context of molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance in public health.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.199-204
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• 2022

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the influence of water molecule thickness on frictional behavior at the nanoscale using molecular dynamics simulation. Three different models, comprising water thin films of various thicknesses, were built, and indentation and sliding simulations were performed using the models. Various normal loads were applied by indenting the Si tip on the water film for the sliding simulation to evaluate the interplay between the water thin film thickness and the normal load. The results of the simulations showed that the friction force generally increased with respect to the normal load and thickness of the water thin film. The friction coefficient varied with respect to the normal load and the water film thickness. The friction coefficient was the smallest under a moderate normal force and increased with decreasing or increasing normal loads. As the water film became thicker, the contact area between the tip and water film became larger. Under well-lubricated conditions, the friction force was proportional to the contact area regardless of the water film thickness. As the normal force increased above a critical condition, the water molecules beneath the Si tip spread out; thus, the film could not provide lubrication. Consequently, the substrate was permanently deformed by direct contact with the Si tip, while the friction force and friction coefficient significantly increased. The results suggest that a thin water film can effectively reduce friction under relatively low normal load and contact pressure conditions. In addition, the contact area between the contacting surfaces dominates the friction force.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.98-107
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• 2022

The incidence of Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) and biological and molecular characterization of the Palestinian isolates of ToBRFV are described in this study. Symptomatic leaf samples obtained from Solanum lycopersicum L. (tomatoes) and Nicotiana tabacum L. (cultivated tobacco) plants were tested for tobamoviruses infection by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Tomato leaf samples collected from Tulkarm and Qalqilia are infected with ToBRFV-PAL with an infection rate of 76% and 72.5%, respectively. Leaf samples collected from Jenin and Nablus were found to be mixed infected with ToBRFV-PAL and Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) (100%). Sequence analysis of the ToBRFV-PAL genome showed that the net average nucleotide divergence between ToBRFV/F48-PAL strain and the Israeli and Turkish strains was 0.0026398±0.0006638 (±standard error of mean), while it was 0.0033066±0.0007433 between ToBRFV/F42-PAL and these two isolates. In the phylogenetic tree constructed with the complete genomic sequence, all the ToBRFV isolates were clustered together and formed a sister branch with the TMV. The sequenced Palestinian isolates of ToBRFV-PAL shared the highest nucleotide identity with the Israeli ToBRFV isolate suggesting that the virus was introduced to Palestine from Israel. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of the biological and molecular characteristics of ToBRFV which would help in the management of the disease.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2023

This study presents a molecular simulation of adhesion control between carbon nanotube (CNT) and Ag thin film deposited on silicon substrate. Rough and flat Ag thin film models were prepared to investigate the effect of surface roughness on adhesion force. Heat treatment was applied to the models to modify the adhesion characteristics of the Ag/CNT interface based on thermal wetting. Simulation results showed that the heat treatment altered the Ag thin film morphology by thermal wetting, causing an increase in contact area of Ag/CNT interface and the adhesion force for both the flat and rough models changed. Despite the increase in contact area, the adhesion force of flat Ag/CNT interface decreased after the heat treatment because of plastic deformation of the Ag thin film. The result suggests that internal stress of the CNT induced by the substrate deformation contributes in reduction of adhesion. Contrarily, heat treatment to the rough model increases adhesion force because of the expanded contact area. The contact area is speculated to be more influential to the adhesion force rather than the internal stress of the CNT on the rough Ag thin film, because the CNT on the rough model contains internal stress regardless of the heat treatment. Therefore, as demonstrated by simulation results, the heat treatment can prevent delamination or wear of CNT coating on a rough metallic substrate by thermal wetting phenomena.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.4A
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• pp.529-536
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• 2008

The failure behavior of structures is changed under different loading rates, which might arise from the rate dependency of materials. This phenomenon has been focused in the engineering fields. However, the failure mechanism is not fully understood yet, so that it is hard to be implemented in numerical simulations. In this study, the numerical experiments to a brittle material are simulated by the Molecular Dynamics (MD) for understanding the rate dependent failure behavior. The material specimen with a notch is modeled for the compact tension test simulation. Lennard-Jones potential is used to describe the properties of a brittle material. Several dynamic failure features under 6 different loading rates are achieved from the numerical experiments, where remarkable characteristics such as crack roughness, crack recession/arrest, and crack branching are observed during the crack propagation. These observations are interpreted by the energy inflow-consumption rates. This study will provides insight about the dynamic failure mechanism under different loading rates. In addition, the applicability of the MD to the macroscopic mechanics is estimated by simulating the previous experimental research.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.209-218
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• 2023

In induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), pluripotency is induced artificially by introducing the transcription factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. When a transgene is introduced using a viral vector, the transgene may be integrated into the host genome and cause a mutation and cancer. No integration occurs when an episomal vector is used, but this method has a limitation in that remnants of the virus or vector remain in the cell, which limits the use of such iPSCs in therapeutic applications. Chemical reprogramming, which relies on treatment with small-molecule compounds to induce pluripotency, can overcome this problem. In this method, reprogramming is induced according to the gene expression pattern of extra-embryonic endoderm (XEN) cells, which are used as an intermediate stage in pluripotency induction. Therefore, iPSCs can be induced only from established XEN cells. We induced XEN cells using small molecules that modulate a signaling pathway and affect epigenetic modifications, and devised a culture method which can produce homogeneous XEN cells. At least 4 passages were required to establish morphologically homogeneous chemically induced XEN (CiXEN) cells, whose properties were similar to those of XEN cells, as revealed through cellular and molecular characterization. Chemically iPSCs derived from CiXEN cells showed characteristics similar to those of mouse embryonic stem cells. Our results show that the homogeneity of CiXEN cells is critical for the efficient induction of pluripotency by chemicals.

• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.272-286
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• 2019

Developing elite hybrid rice varieties is one important objective of rice breeding programs. Several genes related to male sterilities, restores, and pollinators have been identified through map-based gene cloning within natural variations of rice. These identified genes are good targets for introducing genetic traits in molecular breeding. This study was conducted to breed elite hybrid lines with major genes related to hybrid traits and disease/insect resistance in 240 genetic resources and F₁ hybrid combinations of rice. Molecular markers were reset for three major hybrid genes (S5, Rf3, Rf4) and thirteen disease/insect resistant genes (rice bacterial blight resistance genes Xa3, Xa4, xa5, Xa7, xa13, Xa21; blast resistance genes Pita, Pib, Pi5, Pii; brown planthopper resistant genes Bph18(t) and tungro virus resistance gene tsv1). Genotypes were then analyzed using molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS). Biological assay was then performed at the Red River Delta region in Vietnam using eleven F₁ hybrid combinations and two control vatieties. Results showed that nine F₁ hybrid combinations were highly resistant to rice bacterial blight and blast. Finally, eight F₁ hybrid rice varieties with resistance to disease/insect were selected from eleven F₁ hybrid combinations. Their characteristics such as agricultural traits and yields were then investigated. These F₁ hybrid rice varieties developed with major genes related to hybrid traits and disease/insect resistant genes could be useful for hybrid breeding programs to achieve high yield with biotic and abiotic resistance.

• Composites Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2024

Solid-state hydrogen storage is gaining prominence as a crucial subject in advancing the hydrogen-based economy and innovating energy storage technology. This storage method shows superior characteristics in terms of safety, storage, and operational efficiency compared to existing methods such as compression and liquefied hydrogen storage. In this study, we aim to evaluate the solid hydrogen storage performance on the nanotube surface by various structural design factors. This is accomplished through molecular dynamics simulations (MD) with the aim of uncovering the underlying ism. The simulation incorporates diverse carbon nanotubes (CNTs) - encompassing various diameters, multi-walled structures (MWNT), single-walled structures (SWNT), and boron-nitrogen nanotubes (BNNT). Analyzing the storage and effective release of hydrogen under different conditions via the radial density function (RDF) revealed that a reduction in radius and the implementation of a double-wall configuration contribute to heightened solid hydrogen storage. While the hydrogen storage capacity of boron-nitrogen nanotubes falls short of that of carbon nanotubes, they notably surpass carbon nanotubes in terms of effective hydrogen storage capacity.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.72.1-72.14
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• 2024

Importance: Identifying bovine mastitis agents using molecular methods to reveal their phylogenetic relationships and antimicrobial resistance profiles is essential for developing up-to-date databases in mastitis cases that cause severe economic losses. Objective: This study examined bacterial mastitis agents in cows with clinical and subclinical mastitis observed in various dairy cattle farms to reveal their phylogenetic relationships and antibiotic resistance properties. Methods: Sixty-two clinical and subclinical bovine mastitis milk samples were collected from 15 dairy farms. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the 16S rRNA gene regions of the bacteria. The 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from sequencing include the V4-V6 regions. The strains were compared using a similarity analysis method that produced phylogenetic trees using the Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis 11 program. Antibiotic susceptibilities were determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: Sixty-three bacteria were isolated and identified in this study. The most isolated bacteria from all mastitis cases were Staphylococcus spp. (30.2%), Escherichia coli (25.4%), Streptococcus spp. (14.3%), and Aerococcus spp. (7.9%), respectively. The phylogenetic trees were drawn from the 16S rRNA sequences. Some of these bacteria showed resistance to different types of antibiotics at varying rates. Conclusions and Relevance: The bacteria isolated in this study originated from environmental sources. Regular cleaning of barns and proper hygiene practices are essential. Regular screenings for mastitis should be conducted in herds instead of the random or empirical use of antibiotics.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.30-32
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• 1996

Although the transport of small molecules through polymer membranes has been extensively studied for a long time, understanding of the transport mechanism is still far from satisfactory. This in turn makes difflcult the search for new membrane materials with the desired transport characteristics. Therefore it is of the utmost interest to study the correlations between a polymer's structure and morphology and its transport properties. Generally, polyurethanes serve as excellent polymer materials for such studies since their physical and chemical properties can be widely and systematically modified by varying the length, composition and chemical structure of the hard and soft segments. In this paper liquid crystalline polyurethanes are presented as new membrane materials for liquld separation and their transport properties with respect to molecular and supermolecular-structure are discussed.