• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 1999

We examined the hepatitis G virus infections among 227 Koreans who were healthy or were suspected of hepatitis and determined the phylogenetic relationship based on a part of the NS-5 region of 5 positive samples. Viral RNA was extracted from sera and cDNA was synthesized and subsequently amplified by RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) or RT-nested PCR using random hexamer and NS-5 specific primers (470-20-1-77F, 470-20-1-211R, HGVNESTFO, HGVNESTRE). Five positives were found to belong to samples of patients showing symptoms of viral hepatitis. Primers used for PCR or nested PCR were derived from the NS-5 region. On the other hand, no amplification was detected using primers derived from the 5'-NCR (G-146F, G-401R). We performed TA cloning and sequencing of 5 amplified fragments, and their sequences were compared with those of foreign isolates of HGV. The phylogenetic analysis using MegAlign programme of DNAstar has shown that the Korean isolates are clustered on the phylogenetic tree. In summary, we confirmed the hepatitis G virus infection in 5 cases out of 12 patients showing the symptoms of viral hepatitis. The phylogenetic analysis of sequences of 5 amplified fragments showed that their relations to each other were closer than those to the foreign HGV isolates reported.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.104-111
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• 2016

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito borne pathogen, belongs to Flaviviridae family having a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome, currently known for causing large epidemics in Brazil. Its infection can cause microcephaly, a serious birth defect during pregnancy. The recent outbreak of ZIKV in February 2016 in Brazil realized it as a major health risk, demands an enhanced surveillance and a need to develop novel drugs against ZIKV. Amodiaquine, prochlorperazine, quinacrine, and berberine are few promising drugs approved by Food and Drug Administration against dengue virus which also belong to Flaviviridae family. In this study, we performed molecular docking analysis of these drugs against nonstructural 3 (NS3) protein of ZIKV. The protease activity of NS3 is necessary for viral replication and its prohibition could be considered as a strategy for treatment of ZIKV infection. Amongst these four drugs, berberine has shown highest binding affinity of -5.8 kcal/mol and it is binding around the active site region of the receptor. Based on the properties of berberine, more similar compounds were retrieved from ZINC database and a structure-based virtual screening was carried out by AutoDock Vina in PyRx 0.8. Best 10 novel drug-like compounds were identified and amongst them ZINC53047591 (2-(benzylsulfanyl)-3-cyclohexyl-3H-spiro[benzo[h]quinazoline-5,1'-cyclopentan]-4(6H)-one) was found to interact with NS3 protein with binding energy of -7.1 kcal/mol and formed H-bonds with Ser135 and Asn152 amino acid residues. Observations made in this study may extend an assuring platform for developing anti-viral competitive inhibitors against ZIKV infection.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.43-49
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• 1983

In this paper, an architecture for high-speed RNS multiplier were proposed by using com-binational logic circuit. The optimum conditions of moduli set which could be saved hardware and operation time were also considered. In the case of RRNS multiplier, output translation could be achieved effectively by means of the modified CRT with magnitude index. It is shown that the estimated multiplication time is about 31.7 ns in NRNS, whereas 47.95 ns in RRNS, respectively.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.25-39
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• 2013

Objectives : This study was designed to find out the differences of the acupuncture sensation by type of pharmacopuncture. And furthermore we try to find out whether normal saline(NS) is able to be constituted as an appropriate control group for the Calculus Bovis Fel Ursi Moschus(BUM) pharmacopuncture, mountain ginseng pharmacopuncture and sciatica no. 5 pharmacopuncture. Methods : NS and three type of pharmacopunctures were inserted into $ST_{36}$, and $ST_{37}$ of the subjects. Before and after the treatment, subjects completed a questionnaire rating the intensity of 13 kinds of acupuncture sensation(acupuncture sensation scale, ASS). We compared the subjective acupuncture sensation between the NS and three type of pharmacopunctures. Results : BUM pharmacopuncture showed significantly intense acupuncture sensation comparing other two pharmacopunctures and NS. There was no statistically significant difference among mountain ginseng pharmacopuncture, sciatica no. 5 pharmacopuncture and NS. Conclusions : We found that NS may be able to be an placebo pharmacopuncture for mountain ginseng pharmacopuncture and sciatica no. 5 pharmacopuncture. Additional study is needed for placebo pharmacopuncture of BUM pharmacopuncture.

• Composites Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.141-146
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• 2012

The strength design for the lightweight bicycle wheel made of the Carbon/Epoxy composite laminates has been discussed in this paper. For bicycle wheel design, lightness of the wheel is important. Also, it has to satisfy the required strength under specific loading cases. Two testing methods for the bicycle wheel, i.e. vertical and complex loadings, are adopted in this study. Because the strengths of composite wheel is different in relation to the stacking sequence and the number of plies, it is important to decide an appropriate stacking sequence and number of layers for the composite wheel. From the finite element analysis results, the most stable sequence orientation and number of layers are determined. The stacking sequence $[0]_{8n}$, $[90]_{8n}$, $[0/90]_{2ns}$, $[{\pm}45]_{2ns}$, $[0/{\pm}45/90]_{ns}$ (n=1,2,3,4)are performed for finite element analysis. From results, $[0/{\pm}45/90]_{3s}$ lay-up is a good selection for the composite bicycle wheel. Also, the weakest point and layer are found in this study.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1801-1809
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• 2020

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was first identified in 1952 as a causative agent of outbreaks. CHIKV is transmitted by two mosquito species, Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus. Symptoms after CHIKV infection in human are typically fever and joint pain, but can also include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, polyarthralgia, and rash. CHIKV is an enveloped single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus with a diameter of approximately 70 nm. The pathogenesis of CHIKV infection and the mechanism by which the virus evades the innate immune system remain poorly understood. Moreover, little is known about the roles of CHIKV-encoded genes in the viral evasion of host immune responses, especially type I interferon (IFN) responses. Therefore, in the present study, we screened CHIKV-encoded genes for their regulatory effect on the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a critical transcription factor for the optimal activation of IFN-β. Among others, non-structural protein 2 (nsP2) strongly inhibited melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5)-mediated induction of the NF-κB pathway in a dose-dependent manner. Elucidation of the detailed mechanisms of nsP2-mediated inhibition of the MDA5/RIG-I signaling pathway is anticipated to contribute to the development of virus-specific therapeutics against CHIKV infection.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.403-416
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• 2020

This study investigated the effect of alkaline activators - NaOH_aq (NH) (NH: 0-16 M) and Na₂SiO_3aq (NS) (NS/NH: 0-3.5) in the synthesis of silico-manganese fume (SMF) and ground blast furnace slag (BFS) blended alkali-activated mortar (AASB). The use of individual activator was ineffective in producing AASB of sufficient fresh and hardened properties, compared to the synergy of both activators. This may be attributed to incomplete dissolution and condensation of oligomers required for gelation of the binder. An inverse relationship was noted among the fresh properties and the NH concentration or NS/NH ratio. This was influenced by the dissolution and condensation of silicate monomers under polymerization process. The maximum 28-day strength of ~45 MPa, setting time of 60 min and flow of 182 mm was obtained with the use of combined activators (10M-NH and NS/NH=2.5). The combined activators at NS/10M-NH=2.5 constituted SiO₂/Na₂O, H₂O/Na₂O and H₂O/SiO₂ molar ratio of 1.61, 17.33 and 10.77, respectively. This facilitated the formation of C-S-H, C/K-A-S-H and C-Mn-S-H in the framework together with an increase in the crystallinity due to more silicate re-organization within the aluminosilicate chain. On comparison of the high concentrated with mild alkali synthesized product, it revealed that the concentration of OH^- and Si monomers together with alkali metals influenced the dissolution of precursors and embedment of the constituent elements in the polymeric matrix. These factors eventually contributed to the microstructural densification of the mortar prepared with NS/10M-NH=2.5 thereby enhancing the compressive strength.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.457-465
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• 2019

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) often suffer from diverse skin disorders, which might be attributable to skin barrier dysfunction. To explore the role of lipid alterations in the epidermis in DM skin disorders, we quantitated 49 lipids (34 ceramides, 14 free fatty acids (FFAs), and cholesterol) in the skin epidermis, liver, and kidneys of db/db mice, a Type 2 DM model, using UPLC-MS/MS. The expression of genes involved in lipid synthesis was also evaluated. With the full establishment of hyperglycemia at the age of 20 weeks, remarkable lipid enrichment was noted in the skin of the db/db mice, especially at the epidermis and subcutaneous fat bed. Prominent increases in the ceramides and FFAs (>3 fold) with short or medium chains ($LXR{\alpha}/{\beta}$ and $PPAR{\gamma}$, nuclear receptors promoting lipid synthesis, lipid synthesis enzymes such as elongases 1, 4, and 6, and fatty acid synthase and stearoyl-CoA desaturase were highly expressed in the skin and livers of the db/db mice. Collectively, our study demonstrates an extensive alteration in the skin and systemic lipid profiles of db/db mice, which could contribute to the development of skin disorders in DM.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.491-500
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• 2005

Every time laboratory in the world follows an international standard time scale and GPS (Global Positioning System) is playing an important role. Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science is also operating a permanent GPS station for time transfer. To improve the accuracy and precision of the clock offsets derived from GPS we used carrier phase measurements. In addition, we tested four different kinds of GPS satellite orbits and compared the results. The precision of the time offsets using rapid and ultra-rapid orbits was about 0.5 nanoseconds (ns). Tn the case of broadcast orbits, the precision was better than 2 ns.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.232-238
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• 2017

Objective : An apparent increase of use of drugs affecting hemostasis in our neurosurgical department since the 1990s has encouraged us to investigate whether these drugs influence the clinical course and results of surgery for chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). Methods : This retrospective analysis included 178 patients admitted for CSDH from 2007 to 2011 who were divided into two groups : on drugs affecting hemostasis (40; 22%) and no bleeding disorders (138; 78%). Medications in the first group included oral anticoagulants (33; 82.5%), antiplatelets (5; 12.5%) and low molecular weight heparins (2; 5%). Results : The patients on drugs affecting hemostasis were older ($74.3{\pm}7.4$ vs. $68.4{\pm}14.8$; p-value 0.01) and the group without bleeding disorders had more head trauma history (61% vs. 38%, p-value 0.01). The groups did not differ in bilateral hematoma rates (25% vs. 20%, p-value=NS). At diagnosis, mean hematoma thickness was lower in patients on drugs affecting hemostasis ($18.7{\pm}7.4mm$ vs. $21.9{\pm}7.9mm$, p-value<0.01). Average stay of hospital was 1 day longer in patients on drugs affecting hemostasis ($11.7{\pm}4.1$ vs.$10.9{\pm}5.3$, p-value=NS) and was related to the necessity of bleeding disorder reversal. Mean neurological status at presentation was similar between the groups (p-value=NS) as was the likelihood of hematoma recurrence (p-value=NS). Glasgow Outcome Scale results were comparable. Conclusion : Patients on drugs affecting hemostasis are less often aware of a head trauma history, possibly suggesting a higher CSDH risk after minor trauma in this group. In these patients, smaller hematomas are symptomatic, probably due to faster hematoma formation. Drugs affecting hemostasis do not affect treatment results.