• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.337-341
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• 2021

In this paper, we describe the fabrication of a paper-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect polygalacturonase (PG), which is used as a biomarker to determine whether a plant is infected with a disease. The proposed paper-based ELISA can analyze the concentration of PG in a short time using a small sample compared to the traditional ELISA, which is generally performed using a well plate. To increase the resolution of the sensor, we optimized the dilution ratio of the HRP-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody and the dilution ratio of the anti-PG and HRP-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG antibodies. Furthermore, for quantitative analysis of PG concentration, Delta RGB analysis was conducted to detect color changes in the sensing window displayed by the PG samples at various concentrations. Based on the experiment, the fabricated paper-based ELISA could measure at least 0.25 ㎍ of PG and the measurement range was 0.25-2 ㎍. Therefore, the paper-based ELISA for detecting PG is expected to be able to determine the presence or absence of disease in crops at the infection stage in the future.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.65-73
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• 1988

T-2 toxin is one of mycotoxins produced by fungi such as Fusarium spp. and possesses a potent cytotoxicity to eukaryotic cell. The contamination of mycotoxins in cereals and feedstuffs is one of the great concerns in health authorities. Therefore, the development of the specific, sensitive and simplified analysis method for T -2 toxin is required. During more than ten years, several chemical and biological analysis methods were proposed and applied for the detection and quantification of T-2 toxin. TLC, GLC-FID and GC-MS are widely employed, but these methods required numerous clean-up procedures before analysis, and the detection limit for T-2 toxin is more than 10 ppb. Biological analysis methods with dermal tissues and cultured cells are not specific to T-2 toxin, since T-2 toxin and other related derivatives possess a similar toxicological activity although their relative activity is different each otber. Based on tbe specific reaction between antibody and antigen, the authors tried to introduce the immunochemical methods for determination of T-2 toxin. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method using monoclonal antibody for T-2 toxin was applied to analyse T-2 toxin. The detection limit of T-2 toxin by ELISA method was 0.1 ppb. The correlation between ELISA and GC-MS method on these samples was very high. ELISA method developed for the detection and quantification of T -2 toxin in this paper possesses simplicity, high sensitivity and specific for T-2 toxin. Furthermore, the ELISA method with T-2 toxin monoclonal antibody was an excellent tool for the screening of Fusarium spp. which was suspected to produce T-2 toxin.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.137-160
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• 2008

The increasing availability of personal location data pushed by the widespread use of location-sensing technologies raises concerns with respect to the safeguard of location privacy. To address such concerns location privacy-preserving techniques are being investigated. An important area of application for such techniques is represented by Location Based Services (LBS). Many privacy-preserving techniques designed for LBS are based on the idea of forwarding to the LBS provider obfuscated locations, namely position information at low spatial resolution, in place of actual users' positions. Obfuscation techniques are generally based on the use of geometric methods. In this paper, we argue that such methods can lead to the disclosure of sensitive location information and thus to privacy leaks. We thus propose a novel method which takes into account the semantic context in which users are located. The original contribution of the paper is the introduction of a comprehensive framework consisting of a semantic-aware obfuscation model, a novel algorithm for the generation of obfuscated spaces for which we report results from an experimental evaluation and reference architecture.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2018

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), widely used for the detection of plant viruses, are not easily performed, resulting in a demand for an innovative and more efficient diagnostic method. This paper summarizes the characteristics and research trends of biosensors focusing on the physicochemical properties of both interface elements and bioconjugates. In particular, the topological and photophysical properties of quantum dots (QDs) are discussed, along with QD-based biosensors and their practical applications. The QD-based Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) genosensor, most widely used in the biomolecule detection fields, and QD-based nanosensor for Rev-RRE interaction assay are presented as examples. In recent years, QD-based biosensors have emerged as a new class of sensor and are expected to open opportunities in plant virus detection, but as yet there have been very few practical applications (Table 3). In this article, the details of those cases and their significance for the future of plant virus detection will be discussed.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.79-89
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• 1991

A systematic study was conducted to identify and isolate a serologically pertinent antigen with high specific activity and low cross reactivity from Cysticercus parenchymal antigen. Differential centrifugation of the homogenate yield three particulate and one soluble fractions ; the $480{\times}G$ pellets($CyL_2$), the $7650{\times}G$ pellet($CyL_3$), the $100000{\times}G$ pellet($CyL_4$), and $100000{\times}G$ supernatant($CyL_6$). We compared antigenicity of these antigens to that or cystic fluid antigens($CyF_1$), saline extract of cystic wall($CyL_1$), and n-butanol treated $GyL_4$ antigen ($CyL_6$) based on SDS-PAGE and immunoblot techniques. The data obtained were as follows : 1) The ratio of O.D. value of ELISA against cysticercosis positive pool sera to that of negative pool sera was highest when using $CyF_1$ as antigen. However the ratio was relatively low in case of $CyL_{3.4}$ and $CyL_5$. 2) We have noted in previous paper that most strong antigenic activities are present in 63Kd band with low cross reactivities. An effective serologic reagent must contain components that are recognized by most infected sera. 63Kd band met this criteria and could be considered as a reliable band for the diagnosis of cysticercosis. As far as 63Kd band concern, $CyL_5$ showed most strong activities without disturbance of cross reaction by EITB in spite of low applicability to microplate ELISA. 3) $CyL_5$ could detect the serum antibody of cysticercosis even in very low titers, around cut-off values of microplate ELISA, by immunoblot. It also could detect the cross reactivities of Echinococcus species, which showed high absorbance value in micro plate ELISA and some sparganosis cases. Further purification of this antigen will be able to represents a antigen that can be used in the diagnosis of cysticercosis.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2015

A simple method of assessing the risk of overturning of precast reinforced concrete columns is presented in this paper. The displacement-based methodology introduced herein is distinguished from conventional force-based codified methods of aseismic design of structures. As evidenced by results from field tests precast reinforced concrete columns can be displaced to a generous limit without sustaining damage and then fully recover from most of the displacement afterwards. Realistic predictions of the displacement demand of such (rocking) system in conjunction with the displacement capacity estimates enable fragility curves for overturning to be constructed. The interesting observation from the developed fragility curves is that the probability of failure of the precast soft-storey column decreases with increasing size of the column importantly illustrating the "size effect" phenomenon.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.97-111
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• 2018

Buildings featuring a transfer structure can be commonly found in metropolitan cities situated in regions of lower seismicity. A transfer structure can be in the form of a rigid plate or an array of deep girders positioned at the podium level of the building to support the tower structure of the building. The anomalous increase in the shear force demand on the tower walls above the podium is a major cause for concern. Design guidance on how to quantify these adverse effects is not available. In this paper a simplified method for quantifying the increase in the shear force demand on the tower walls is presented. In view of the very limited ductile nature of this type of construction the analysis presented herein is based on linear elastic behaviour.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09b
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• pp.32-43
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• 2003

UV irradiation on a skin brings about the qualitative and quantitative alterations of the extracellular matrix. Repeated-UV irradiation suppressed the synthesis of collagen and activated the expression of the matrix metalloprotease (MMP). In this paper, on the purpose of development of novel anti-aging agents from natural sources, effects of several natural products on in vitro MMP-1 activity and UVA induced MMP-1 synthesis in human dermal fibroblast (HDF) culture were studied. We measured MMP-1 activities by fluorescence assay using gelatin as substrates. As a result, the extract of Dicentra spectabilis, and flower buds of Tussilago farfara showed strong inhibitory effect. Among them, the extract of flower buds of Tussilago fartara and Dicentra spectabilis inhibited MMP-1 activity by 92% and 87% at 0.05% (w/v). And UVA induced MMP-1 expression were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gelatin-based zymography in HDF culture. The extract of flower buds of Tussilago farfara and Dicentra spectabilis suppressed the UVA induced expression of MMP-1 by similar level of Vitamin C 200$\mu$M at 0.1% (w/v). These results suggest that the extract of Dicentra spectabilis, and flower buds of Tussilago farfara effectively prevent skin from the UV-induced photoaging. So the extracts are thought to have potential as effective raw materials for anti-aging cosmetics.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.81-95
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• 2018

Most buildings feature core walls (and shear walls) that are placed eccentrically within the building to fulfil architectural requirements. Contemporary earthquake design standards require three dimensional (3D) dynamic analysis to be undertaken to analyse the imposed seismic actions on this type of buildings. A static method of analysis is always appealing to design practitioners because results from the analysis can always be evaluated independently by manual calculation techniques for quality control purposes. However, the equivalent static analysis method (also known as the lateral load method) which involves application of an equivalent static load at a certain distance from the center of mass of the buildings can generate results that contradict with results from dynamic analysis. In this paper the Generalised Force Method of analysis has been introduced for multi-storey buildings. Algebraic expressions have been derived to provide estimates for the edge displacement ratio taking into account the effects of dynamic torsional actions. The Generalised Force Method which is based on static principles has been shown to be able to make accurate estimates of torsional actions in seismic conditions. The method is illustrated by examples of two multi-storey buildings. Importantly, the black box syndrome of a 3D dynamic analysis of the building can be circumvented.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.43-57
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• 2011

Force-deformation modelling of cracked reinforced concrete is essential for a displacement-based seismic assessment of structures and can be achieved by fibre-element analysis of the cross-section of the major lateral resisting elements. The non-linear moment curvature relationship obtained from fibre-element analysis takes into account the significant effects of axial pre-compression and contributions by the longitudinal reinforcement. Whilst some specialised analysis packages possess the capability of incorporating fibre-elements into the modelling (e.g., RESPONSE 2000), implementation of the analysis on EXCEL is illustrated in this paper. The outcome of the analysis is the moment-curvature relationship of the wall cross-section, curvature at yield and at damage control limit states specified by the user. Few software platforms can compete with EXCEL in terms of its transparencies, versatility and familiarity to the computer users. The program has the capability of handling arbitrary cross-sections that are without an axis of symmetry. Application of the program is illustrated with examples of typical cross-sections of structural walls. The calculated limiting curvature for the considered cross-sections were used to construct displacement profiles up the height of the wall for comparison with the seismically induced displacement demand.