• Title/Summary/Keyword: Multi Agent

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Antimicrobial efficacy and safety analysis of zinc oxide nanoparticles against water borne pathogens

  • Supraja, Nookala;Avinash, B.;Prasad, T.N.V.K.V.
    • Advances in nano research
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.127-140
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    • 2017
  • Metal nanoparticles have been intensively studied within the past decade. Nano-sized materials have been an important subject in basic and applied sciences. Zinc oxide nanoparticles have received considerable attention due to their unique antibacterial, antifungal, and UV filtering properties, high catalytic and photochemical activity. In this study, microbiological aspects of scale formation in PVC pipelines bacteria and fungi were isolated. In the emerging issue of increased multi-resistant properties in water borne pathogens, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle are being used increasingly as antimicrobial agents. Thus, the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum fungal concentration of ZnO nanoparticles towards pathogens microbe were examined in this study. The results obtained suggested that ZnO nanoparticles exhibit a good anti fungal activity than bactericidal effect towards all pathogens tested in in-vitro disc diffusion method (170 ppm, 100 ppm and 30 ppm). ZnO nanoparticles can be a potential antimicrobial agent due to its low cost of production and high effectiveness in antimicrobial properties, which may find wide applications in various industries to address safety issues. Stable ZnO nanoparticles were prepared and their shape and size distribution characterized by Dynamic light scattering (35.7 nm) and transmission electron microscopic TEM study for morphology identification (20 nm), UV-visible spectroscopy (230 nm), X-ray diffraction (FWHM of more intense peak corresponding to 101 planes located at $36.33^{\circ}$ using Scherrer's formula), FT-IR (Amines, Alcohols, Carbonyl and Nitrate ions), Zeta potential (-28.8). The antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles was investigated against Bacteria and Fungi present in drinking water PVC pipelines biofilm. In these tests, Muller Hinton agar plates were used and ZnO nanoparticles of various concentrations were supplemented in solid medium.

Antibacterial Activity of Salvia Miltiorrhiza against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (丹參의 methicillin 내성 황색포도구균에 대한 효과)

  • Seo, Myung-won;Jeong, Seung-il;Shin, Chol-gyun;Ju, Young-sung;Kim, Hong-jun;Ko, Byoung-seob
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.94-99
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    • 2003
  • Objectives : Gram-positive bacteria have became increasing resistant to antibacterial agents, and hence multi-drug-resistant bacterial pathogens are now a major problem in clinical medicine. There is, therefore, a need for new antibacterial agents. In the course of our screening program for potent antibacterial agent from medicinal plants, the extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza (S. miltiorrhiza) showed antibacterial activity against methcillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and antibiotic-resistant S. aureus. Methods : S. miltiorrhiza was extracted with 80$\%$ EtOH. The extract was suspended in H2O and fractionated successively with hexane chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-buthanol. The chloroform fraction, which showed the highest antibacterial activity(MICs, 78㎍/ml) against MRSA, was chromatographed on a silica gel column and recycling prep-LC to give the pure antibacterial component. Results and Conclusions : The second fraction among the chloroform soluble portion of an aqueous EtOH extract of S. miltiorrhiza root showed outstanding antibacterial activity against MRSA and antibiotic-resistant S. aureus compared to the other fraction. An active compound was isolated from the second fraction using silica gel column chromatoraphy and recycling prep-LC. Based on these data together with the IH-, 13C-NMR, mass and mp, the active compounds were identified tanshinone Ⅰ, dehydrotanshinone Ⅰ and cryptotanshinone. Among tanshinones, cryptotanshinone and dihydrotanshinone Ⅰ MICs against MRSA and antibiotics-resistant S. aureus were 12.5, 12.5 and 6.3㎍/ml, respectively.

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Optimization of an Ozone-based Advanced Oxidation Process for the Simultaneous Removal of Particulate Matters and Nitrogen Oxides in a Semiconductor Fabrication Process (반도체 제조공정 미세먼지-질소산화물 동시 저감을 위한 오존 고속산화공정 최적화 연구)

  • Uhm, Sunghyun;Lee, Seung Jun;Ko, Eun Ha;Hong, Gi Hoon;Hwang, Sangyeon
    • Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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    • v.32 no.6
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    • pp.659-663
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    • 2021
  • 10 m3/min (CMM) multi-pollutants abatement system was successfully developed by effectively integrating ozone oxidation, wet scrubbing, and wet electrostatic precipitation for the simultaneous removal of particulate matters (PMs) and NOx in a semiconductor fabrication process. The sophisticated control and optimization of operating parameters were conducted to maximize the destruction and removal efficiency of NOx. In particular, the stability test of a wet electrostatic precipitator was carried out in parallel for 30 days to validate the reliability of core parts including a power supply. An O3/NO ratio, which is the most important operating parameter, was optimized to be about 1.5 and the optimization of wet scrubbing with a reducing agent made it possible to analyze the contribution of neutralization reaction.

Fusion anti-cancer drugs of cisplatin analogue and fatty acids for multi-targeted cancer treatment (시스플라틴과 지방산을 결합한 퓨전 항암제)

  • Byeon, Hong-Ju;Lee, Hyang-Yeol
    • Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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    • v.35 no.4
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    • pp.1386-1392
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    • 2018
  • Cispatin has become one of the most widely used anticancer drugs for decades. One of the drawback of cisplatin (II) complex is that it not only targets cancerous cells but also normal cells causing several serious side effects in patients. We have synthesized Pt(IV) complex that are needed to have the ability to kill target cells selectively in a short time before drug resistance develops. By introducing PDK inhibitor, butyric acid and valproic acid, on Pt complex, two fusion anti-cancer agents 3 and 4 have been synthesized and characterized their structures by nmr and mass spectrometer. MTT assay was performed with $Pt(IV)-Bu_2$ 3 and $Pt(IV)-Val_2$ 4 against MCF-7 cell line. As a result, cisplatin, Pt(IV) complexes 3 and 4 were treated, cell viabilities at $50{\mu}M$ cencentration were decreased to 39%, 54% and 84% respectively.

A HARMS-based heterogeneous human-robot team for gathering and collecting

  • Kim, Miae;Koh, Inseok;Jeon, Hyewon;Choi, Jiyeong;Min, Byung Cheol;Matson, Eric T.;Gallagher, John
    • Advances in robotics research
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    • v.2 no.3
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    • pp.201-217
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    • 2018
  • Agriculture production is a critical human intensive task, which takes place in all regions of the world. The process to grow and harvest crops is labor intensive in many countries due to the lack of automation and advanced technology. Much of the difficult, dangerous and dirty labor of crop production can be automated with intelligent and robotic platforms. We propose an intelligent, agent-oriented robotic team, which can enable the process of harvesting, gathering and collecting crops and fruits, of many types, from agricultural fields. This paper describes a novel robotic organization enabling humans, robots and agents to work together for automation of gathering and collection functions. The focus of the research is a model, called HARMS, which can enable Humans, software Agents, Robots, Machines and Sensors to work together indistinguishably. With this model, any capability-based human-like organization can be conceived and modeled, such as in manufacturing or agriculture. In this research, we model, design and implement a technology application of knowledge-based robot-to-robot and human-to-robot collaboration for an agricultural gathering and collection function. The gathering and collection functions were chosen as they are some of the most labor intensive and least automated processes in the process acquisition of agricultural products. The use of robotic organizations can reduce human labor and increase efficiency allowing people to focus on higher level tasks and minimizing the backbreaking tasks of agricultural production in the future. In this work, the HARMS model was applied to three different robotic instances and an integrated test was completed with satisfactory results that show the basic promise of this research.

Picropodophyllotoxin Induces G1 Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells via ROS Generation and Activation of p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway

  • Lee, Seung-On;Kwak, Ah-Won;Lee, Mee-Hyun;Seo, Ji-Hye;Cho, Seung-Sik;Yoon, Goo;Chae, Jung-Il;Joo, Sang Hoon;Shim, Jung-Hyun
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.31 no.12
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    • pp.1615-1623
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    • 2021
  • Picropodophyllotoxin (PPT), an epimer of podophyllotoxin, is derived from the roots of Podophyllum hexandrum and exerts various biological effects, including anti-proliferation activity. However, the effect of PPT on colorectal cancer cells and the associated cellular mechanisms have not been studied. In the present study, we explored the anticancer activity of PPT and its underlying mechanisms in HCT116 cells. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to monitor cell viability. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell cycle distribution, the induction of apoptosis, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), assess the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), and multi-caspase activity. Western blot assays were performed to detect the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, apoptosis-related proteins, and p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). We found that PPT induced apoptosis, cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and ROS in the HCT116 cell line. In addition, PPT enhanced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, which regulates apoptosis and PPT-induced apoptosis. The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was inhibited by an antioxidant agent (N-acetyl-L-cysteine, NAC) and a p38 inhibitor (SB203580). PPT induced depolarization of the mitochondrial inner membrane and caspase-dependent apoptosis, which was attenuated by exposure to Z-VAD-FMK. Overall, these data indicate that PPT induced G1 arrest and apoptosis via ROS generation and activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

A study on narrative text analysis from the perspective of information processing - focusing on four computational methodologies (정보처리 관점에서의 서사 텍스트 분석에 관한 연구 - 네 가지 전산적 방법론을 중심으로)

  • Kwon, Hochang
    • Trans-
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    • v.13
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    • pp.141-169
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    • 2022
  • Analysis of narrative texts has been regarded as academically and practically important, and has been made from various perspectives and methods. In this paper, the computational narrative analysis methodology from the perspective of information processing was examined. From the point of view of information processing, the creation and acceptance of narrative is a bidirectional coding process mediated by narrative text, and narrative text can be said to be a multi-layered structured code. In this paper, four methodologies that share this point of view - character network analysis, text mining and sentiment analysis, continuity analysis of event composition, and knowledge analysis of narrative agents - were examined together with cases. Through this, the mechanism and possibility of computational methodology in narrative analysis were confirmed. In conclusion, the significance and side effects of computational narrative analysis were examined, and the necessity of designing a human-computer collaboration model based on the consilience of the humanities and science/technology was discussed. Based on this model, it was argued that aesthetically creative, ethically good, politically progressive, and cognitively sophisticated narratives could be made more effectively.

Heating Transferring Charcteristics of Cement Mortar Block with Waste CNT and Conduction Activator (폐CNT와 전도촉진재를 혼입한 시멘트 모르타르 블록의 발열 전도 특성)

  • Koo, Hounchul;Kim, Woon-Hak;Oh, Hongseob
    • Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.176-183
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    • 2022
  • High-purity waste CNTs were mixed into cement mortar to manufacture heat-generating concrete that can use low voltage power, and carbon fiber and waste cathode materials were also used improve the conductivity of the mortar. The waste CNTs were analyzed to have a high concentration of multi-walled CNTs, and substituted liquid type waste CNTs were used during mortar mixing in order to increase dispersibility. The temperature change of the mortar with CNT was evaluated when using electric power below DC 24 V in order to utilize a small self-generation facility such as small solar power module when the mortar heats up and to minimize electromagnetic waves. When liquid-type waste CNTs were applied and a voltage of DC 24 V was introduced, it rose to 60 ℃ in a 200 × 100 × 50 mm mortar block specimen. The field applicability of self heating mortar with waste CNT was sufficient and also the amount of change in heat energy in mortar with liquid type waste CNT, carbon fiber and waste cathode materials is more effective compared to it of other variables.

Consensus-based Cooperative Control for multiple leaders and single follower with interaction nonlinearities (상호작용 비선형성이 있는 다중 리더와 단일 추종자를 위한 일치 기반의 협력 제어)

  • Tack, Han-Ho;Lim, Young-Hun
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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    • v.25 no.11
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    • pp.1663-1669
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    • 2021
  • This paper considers the cooperative control problem for multiple leaders and a single follower with interactions. The leaders are controllable, and the follower has interactions with all leaders and is controlled by the interactions. Then, we study the cooperative control problem that achieves the consensus by controlling the leaders. The leaders and the follower are modeled by the single-integrator and the double-integrator, respectively, and it is assumed that the interactions have the nonlinearities. The leaders can estimate the interaction between the follower and exchange the estimated information with neighbors. Then, this paper proposes the consensus-based cooperative control algorithm using the information exchange of the estimated interactions and the virtual velocity variables to achieve the velocity consensus. We analyze the convergence of the agents to the common state based on the Lasalle's Invaraince Principle. Finally, we provide the numerical example to validate the theoretical results.

Designing Integrated Development Environments and Integration Agents for Intelligent Software Development (지능형 소프트웨어 개발을 위한 통합개발환경 및 연동 에이전트 설계)

  • Min-gi Seo;Da-na Jung;Yeon-je Cho;Ju-chul Shin;Seong-woo Kim
    • Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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    • v.27 no.5
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    • pp.635-642
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    • 2023
  • With the development of artificial intelligence technology, drones are evolving beyond simple remote control tools into intelligent drones that perform missions autonomously. The importance of drones is gradually gaining attention due to the use of drones in overseas military conflicts and the analysis of the future operational environment in Korea. AMAD is proposed for the rapid development of intelligent drones. In order to develop intelligent software based on AMAD, an integrated development environment (IDE) that supports users with functions such as debugging, performance evaluation, and monitoring is essential. In this paper, we define the concepts of the development environment required for intelligent software development and describe the results of reflecting them in the design of the IDE and AMAD's agents, SVI and MPD, which are interfaced with the IDE.