• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.437-442
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• 1995

The potency of yeast-derived methionyl-free human growth hormone (rhGH), which was obtained by removal of the N-terminal Met from methionyl-hGH, was estimated by in vitro and in vivo assays. In radio-receptor assay where the binding affinity of growth hormone to the receptor was estimated, the recombinant hGH showed 2.9 international units (IU) per mg of specific activity. In contrast, pitUitary-derived human growth hormone had a slightly lower receptor binding activity (2.5 IU/mg) compared with recombinant growth hormone. For the in vivo assay, efficacy of rhGH was tested by use of hypophysectomized rats, in which pituitary organs were surgically removed, resulting in the termination of growth hormone secretion. The weight-increase in rats by the injection of rhGH was almost identical to the result obtained by the injection of the same amount of pituitary-derived (international standard) hGH. A comparision of the secondary structures of rhGH and rMet-hGH by circular dichroism spectrophotometer demonstrated that the removal of the methionyl residue from rMet-hGH did not exert any effect on the structure of the growth hormone. In conclusion, methionyl-free human growth hormone produced from yeast was highly potent in biological activity and maintained a legitimate three dimensional structure.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.230-239
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• 2020

Previous studies have shown disrupted synaptic plasticity and neural activity in depression. Such alteration is strongly associated with disrupted synaptic structures. Chronic stress has been known to induce changes in dendritic structure in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but antidepressant effect on structure of these brain areas has been unclear. Here, the effects of imipramine on dendritic spine density and morphology in BLA and mPFC subregions of stressed mice were examined. Chronic restraint stress caused depressive-like behaviors such as enhanced social avoidance and despair level coincident with differential changes in dendritic spine structure. Chronic stress enhanced dendritic spine density in the lateral nucleus of BLA with no significant change in the basal nucleus of BLA, and altered the proportion of stubby or mushroom spines in both subregions. Conversely, in the apical and basal mPFC, chronic stress caused a significant reduction in spine density. The proportion of stubby or mushroom spines in these subregions overall reduced while the proportion of thin spines increased after repeated stress. Interestingly, most of these structural alterations by chronic stress were reversed by imipramine. In addition, structural changes caused by stress and blocking the changes by imipramine were corelated well with altered activation and expression of synaptic plasticity-promoting molecules such as phospho-CREB, phospho-CAMKII, and PSD-95. Collectively, our data suggest that imipramine modulates stress-induced changes in synaptic structure and synaptic plasticity-promoting molecules in a coordinated manner although structural and molecular alterations induced by stress are distinct in the BLA and mPFC.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.45 no.1 s.141
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• pp.1-9
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• 2007

The endosymbionts of 4 strains of Acanthamoeba(KA/E9, KA/E21, KA/E22, and KA/E23) isolated from the infected corneas of Korean patients were characterized via orcein stain, transmission electron microscopic examination, and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Double membrane-bound, rod-shaped endosymbionts were distributed randomly throughout both the trophozoites and cysts of each of Acanthamoeba isolates. The endosymbionts of KA/E9, KA/E22, and KA/E23 were surrounded by electron-translucent areas. No lacunae-like structures were observed in the endosymbionts of KA/E21, the bacterial cell walls of which were studded with host ribosomes. Comparative analyses of the 16S rDNA sequences showed that the endosymbionts of KA/E9, KA/E22 and KA/E23 were closely related to Caedibacter caryophilus, whereas the KA/E21 endosymbiont was assigned to the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides(CFB) phylum. In the 4 strains of Acanthamoeba, the hosts of the endosymbionts were identified as belonging to the Acanthamoeba castellanii complex, which corresponds to the T4 genotype. Acanthamoeba KA/E21 evidenced characteristics almost identical to those of KA/E6, with the exception of the existence of endosymbionts. The discovery of these endosymbionts from Acanthamoeba may prove essential to future studies focusing on interactions between the endosymbionts and the amoebic hosts.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2017

Many composite materials are used in the aerospace industry because of their excellent mechanical properties. However, the nature of aviation exposes these materials to high temperature and high moisture conditions depending on climate, location, and altitude. Therefore, the molecular arrangement chemical properties, and mechanical properties of composite materials can be changed under these conditions. As a result, surface disruptions and cracks can be created. Consequently, moisture-impregnating defects can be induced due to the crack and delamination of composite materials as they are repeatedly exposed to moisture absorption moisture release, fatigue environment, temperature changes, and fluid pressure changes. This study evaluates the possibility of detecting the moisture-impregnating defects of CFRP and GFRP honeycomb structure sandwich composite materials, which are the composite materials in the aircraft structure, by using an active infrared thermography technology among non-destructive testing methods. In all experiments, it was possible to distinguish the area and a number of CFRP composite materials more clearly than those of GFRP composite material. The highest detection rate was observed in the heating duration of 50 mHz and the low detection rate was at the heating duration of over 500 mHz. The reflection method showed a higher detection rate than the transmission method.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.14-23
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• 2000

The mitochondrial genome of domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori) was mapped with five restriction endonucleases (BamHI, EcoRI, HindIII, PstI and XbaI), the entire genome was cloned with HindIII and EcoRI. From the end sequencing results of 5$^1$and 3$^1$region for full genome set of eleven mitochondrial clones, the seven mitochondrial genes (NADH dehydrogenase 6, ATPase 6, ATPase 8, tRN $A^{Lys}$, tRN $A^{Asp}$, tRN $A^{Thr}$ and tRN $A^{Phe}$ of mori were identified on the basis of their nucleotide sequence homology. The nucleotide composition of NADH dehydrogenase 6 was heavily biased towards adenine and thymine, which accounted for 87.76%. On basis of the sequence similarity with published tRNA genes from six insect species, the tRN $A^{Lys}$, tRN $A^{Asp}$ and tRN $A^{Thr}$ were showed stable canonical clover-leaf tRNA structures with acceptible anticodons. However, both the DHU and T$\psi$C arms of tRN $A^{Phe}$ could not form any stable stem-loop structure. The two overlapping gene pairs (tRN $A^{Lys}$ -tRN $A^{ASP}$ and ATPase8-ATPase6) were found from our sequencing results. The genes are encoded on the same strad. ATPase8 and ATPase6 overlaps (ATGATAA) which are a single example of overlapping events between abutted protein-coding genes are common, and there is evidence that the two proteins are transcribed from a single bicistronic message by initiation at 5$^1$terminal start site for ATPase8 and at an internal start site for ATPase6. Ultimately, this result will provide assistance in designing oligo-nucleotides for PCR amplification, and sequencing the specific mitochondrial genes for phylogenetics of geographic races, genetically improved silkworm strains and wild silkworm (mandarina) which is estimated as ancestal of domesticated silkworm.sticated silkworm.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.51-56
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• 2007

In a previous study, three larval cuticle protein genes were cloned from the mulberry longicorn beetle, Apriona germari (Comp. Biochem. Physiol. B 136, 803-811, 2003). In the present study, the genomic structures of these three larval cuticle protein genes (AgLCP9.2, AgLCP12.6 and AgLCP12.3) were elucidated. All three cuticle protein genes consist of one intron and two exons. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA suggested that three cuticle protein genes are a single copy gene. In addition, a novel larval cuticle protein gene, AgLCP10.6, was cloned from A. germari in this study. The AgLCP10.6 cDNA contains an ORF of 300 nucleotides that are capable of encoding a 100-amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 10.6 kDa. The amino acid sequence deduced from the AgLCP10.6 cDNA contained a type-specific consensus sequence identifiable in other insect cuticle proteins and is most homologous to Drosophila melanogaster cuticle protein ACP65A (51 % protein sequence identity). Northern blot analysis revealed that AgLCP10.6 showed epidermis-specific expression.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.270-279
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• 2014

Microbial community shifts, associated with performance data, were investigated in an anaerobic batch digester treating high-solid food waste under mesophilic conditions using, a combination of molecular techniques and chemical analysis methods. The batch process was successfully operated with an organic removal efficiency of 44.5% associated with a biogas yield of 0.82 L/g $VS_{removal}$. Microbial community structures were examined by denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis. Clostridium and Symbiobacterium organisms were suggested to be mainly responsible for the organic matter catabolism in hydrolysis and acidogenesis reactions. The dynamics of archaeal and methanogenic populations were monitored using real-time PCR targeting 16S rRNA genes. Methanosarcina was the predominant methanogen, suggesting that the methanogenesis took place mainly via an aceticlastic pathway. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens were also supported in high-solid anaerobic digestion of food waste through syntrophism with syntrophic bacterium. Microbial community shifts showed good agreement with the performance parameters in anaerobic digestion, implying the possibility of diagnosing a high-solid anaerobic digestion process by monitoring microbial community shifts. On the other hand, the batch results could be relevant to the start-up period of a continuous system and could also provide useful information to set up a continuous operation.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.35-45
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• 2012

The development of digital media made the change of architectural paradigm from tectonic to the surface and pattern. This means the transition to the new kind of materiality and the resurrection of ornament. This study started as an aim to apply biological pattern to architectural design from the new perception of pattern. Architectural patterns in the early era appeared as ladders, steps, chains, trees, vortices. But since 21st century, we can find patterns in nature like atoms and molecular structures, fluid forms of dynamics and new geometrical pattern like fractal and first of all biological patterns like viruses and micro-organisms, Voronoi cells, DNA structure, rhizomes and various hybrids and permutations of these. Pattern became one of the most important elements and themes of contemporary architecture through the change of materiality and resurrection of ornament with the new perception of surface in architecture. One of the patterns that give new creative availability to the architectural design is biological pattern which is self-organized as an optimum form through interaction with environment. Biological patterns emerge mostly as self-replicating patterns through morphogenesis, certain geometrical patterns(in particular triangles, pentagons, hexagons and spirals). The architectural application methods of biological patterns are direct figural pattern of organism, circle pattern, polygon pattern, energy-material control pattern, differentiation pattern, parametric pattern, growth principle pattern, evolutionary ecologic pattern. These patterns can be utilized as practical architectural patterns through the use of computer programs as morphogenetic programs like L-system, MoSS program and genetic algorithm programs like Grasshoper, Generative Components with the help of computing technology like mapping and scripting.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.119-137
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• 2011

A bio-inspired two-mode structural health monitoring (SHM) system based on the Na$\ddot{i}$ve Bayes (NB) classification method is discussed in this paper. To implement the molecular biology based Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) array concept in structural health monitoring, which has been demonstrated to be superior in disease detection, two types of array expression data have been proposed for the development of the SHM algorithm. For the micro-vibration mode, a two-tier auto-regression with exogenous (AR-ARX) process is used to extract the expression array from the recorded structural time history while an ARX process is applied for the analysis of the earthquake mode. The health condition of the structure is then determined using the NB classification method. In addition, the union concept in probability is used to improve the accuracy of the system. To verify the performance and reliability of the SHM algorithm, a downscaled eight-storey steel building located at the shaking table of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) was used as the benchmark structure. The structural response from different damage levels and locations was collected and incorporated in the database to aid the structural health monitoring process. Preliminary verification has demonstrated that the structure health condition can be precisely detected by the proposed algorithm. To implement the developed SHM system in a practical application, a SHM prototype consisting of the input sensing module, the transmission module, and the SHM platform was developed. The vibration data were first measured by the deployed sensor, and subsequently the SHM mode corresponding to the desired excitation is chosen automatically to quickly evaluate the health condition of the structure. Test results from the ambient vibration and shaking table test showed that the condition and location of the benchmark structure damage can be successfully detected by the proposed SHM prototype system, and the information is instantaneously transmitted to a remote server to facilitate real-time monitoring. Implementing the bio-inspired two-mode SHM practically has been successfully demonstrated.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.223-226
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• 2001

Acetanilide is a High Production Volume Chemical, which is produced about 2,300 tons/year in Korea as of 1998 survey. Most is used as an intermediate for synthesis of pharmaceuticals and dyes. The chemical is one of seven chemicals, which are under the frame of OECD SIDS program sponsored by National Institute of Environmental Research of Korea. Regarding the information on the environmental fate. bioconcentration is one of important factor to estimate the environmental tranfer. However, measurement of bioconcentration needs high expense and time. For this reason, OECD recommends to use BCFWIN model to estimate bioconcentration of organic chemicals, BCFWIN estimates the bioconcentration factor (BCF) of an organic compound using the log octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) of the compound. Structures are entered into BCFWIN through SMITES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System) notations. The BCFWIN method classifies a compound as either ionic or non-ionic. ionic compounds include carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids and salts of sulfonic acids, and charged nitrogen compounds (nitrogen with a + 5 valence such as quaternary ammonium compounds). All other compounds are classified as non-ionic. In this study, bioaccumulation of acetanilide was estimated using BCFWIN model based on SMIIES notation, chemical name data and partition coefficient as one of environmental fate/distribution of the chemical elements.