• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.29.1-29.23
• /
• 2023

Cholesterol (CL) is required for various biomolecular production processes, including those of cell membrane components. Therefore, to meet these needs, CL is converted into various derivatives. Among these derivatives is cholesterol sulfate (CS), a naturally produced CL derivative by the sulfotransferase family 2B1 (SULT2B1), which is widely present in human plasma. CS is involved in cell membrane stabilization, blood clotting, keratinocyte differentiation, and TCR nanocluster deformation. This study shows that treatment of T cells with CS resulted in the decreased surface expression of some surface T-cell proteins and reduced IL-2 release. Furthermore, T cells treated with CS significantly reduced lipid raft contents and membrane CLs. Surprisingly, using the electron microscope, we also observed that CS led to the disruption of T-cell microvilli, releasing small microvilli particles containing TCRs and other microvillar proteins. However, in vivo, T cells with CS showed aberrant migration to high endothelial venules and limited infiltrating splenic T-cell zones compared with the untreated T cells. Additionally, we observed significant alleviation of atopic dermatitis in mice injected with CS in the animal model. Based on these results, we conclude that CS is an immunosuppressive natural lipid that impairs TCR signaling by disrupting microvillar function in T cells, suggesting its usefulness as a therapeutic agent for alleviating T-cell-mediated hypersensitivity and a potential target for treating autoimmune diseases.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.272-278
• /
• 1996

Four subtypes of hepatitis B surface antigen are useful in the epidemiologic studies of the route of virus transmission and clinical significance of simultaneous occurance of hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen in the same serum as well as useful marker for population migration. The sera were obtained from 214 HBs Ag positive patients who are diagnosed as chronic liver disease and following up in the Yeungnam university hospital. The subtypes were determined by solid-phase sandwich EIA using monoclonal antibodies. Among 214 specimens, the subtype adr was 93.9%, adw was 2.8%, ayr was 0.9%, ar was 0.9%, adwr was 1.4% and ayw was not detected. There were no correlation between subtype pattern and disease. In summary, the subtype adr was prominent in our study and the difference of subtype pattern by severity of disease was not significant. However, to determine the prognostic value of HBs Ag subtype and relationship between subtype and disease progression, long-term follow up will be needed.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.355-360
• /
• 2009

In this study, the arylsulfatase gene (astA, 984 bp ORF) from Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora genome was expressed on the cell surface of S. cerevisiae by fusing with Aga2p linked to the membrane anchored protein, Aga1p. The constructed plasmid, pCTAST (7.1 kb), was introduced to S. cerevisiae EBY100 cell, and yeast transformants on YPDG plate showed the hydrolyzing activity for 4-methylumbelliferyl-sulfate and p-nitrophenyl-sulfate. When S. cerevisiae EBY100/pCTAST was grown on YPDG medium, the arylsulfatase activity of cell pellet reached about 1.2 unit/mL, whereas no extracellular arylsulfatase activity was detected. The DNA ladder in agarose prepared from agar by this recombinant arylsulfatase showed similar resolution and migration patterns with a commercial agarose. This results revealed that arylsulfatase expressed on the cell surface of S. cerevisiae could be applicable to the economic production of electrophoretic-grade agarose.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.873-887
• /
• 1996

Platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF) is one of the polypeptide growth fators. PDGF has been reported as a biological mediator which regulates activities of wound healing process including the cell proliferation, migration and metabolism. Recent studies indicated that demineralized root surface as the primary site for growth factor application has advantages over other application method, especially due to binding capacity of growth factor for exposed matrix component of deminera1ized dentin surface. The purpose of this study is to evaluate optimal application time of PDGF-BB on proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts using deminera1ized dentin surface as primary application site. Human gingival fibroblasts and dentin slabs were prepared from the first premolar tooth extracted for the orthodontic treatment, cells were cultured in DMEM/I0% FBS at the $37^{\circ}C$, 5% CO2 incubator. All of the dentin slabs were preconditioned with Tetracycline HCI(100mg/ml) solution and rinsed in PBS. In the cell proliferation experiment, experimental group was immersed in DMEM containing 10% FBS, 50ng/rnl PDGF-BB during different time(30sec, 1, 2, 4, 8 minutes) and dried. Cells at concentration of $1{\times}10^5$cells/ml were seeded in each culture well which contained dentin slabs and incubated for 6 hours. Then, all of the dentin slabs were moved into new 24 well culture dish and incubated for 24, 48, 72 hours. The cell counting was done by hemocytometer with inverted phase contrast microscope after trypsinization. The results were as follows : The application of PDGF-BB for 1, 2 min slightly increased the number of gingival fibroblasts, and the application of PDGF-BB for 4, 8 min prominently increased the number of gingival fibroblasts. The application of PDGF-BB for 4 min showed maximum proliferation rate of gingival fibroblasts at 24, 48, 72 hours, and the application of PDGF-BB for 8 min showed less proliferation rate of gingival fibroblasts compared to the application of PDGF-BB for 4 min at 24, 48, 72 hours. In conclusion, the application of PDGF-BB for 4 min appeared to be optimal to obtain maximum proliferation of gingival fibroblasts using demineralized dentin surface as primary applicaton site of PDGF-BB.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.30-39
• /
• 2001

To consider the distribution of the surface sediments and sedimentary processes in tidal flat after the construction of sea-walls in the semiclosed Muan Bay, the southwest coast of Korea, studies on the sediments and sedimentation rates along two transect lines from February 1999 to March 2000 were carried out. The surface sediments in the bay are classified into 5 facies on the basis of textural parameters. The gravelly sediments including the cobbles and pebbles deposited in the bay-mouth are relic sediments which are formed in nearshore and fluvial environments at the low stand of sea level. In addition, it is considered that the muddy sediments widely distributed on the tidal flat might be originated from suspended matter transported from several rivers and/or offshore. Although the sedimentation rates on the tidal flat vary with season, their estimation rates are -8.9 mm/yr on Line-GR and -48.9 mm/yr on Line-YH, respectively. The erosion-dominated processes in the tidal flat would be caused by strengthened ebb tides due to the decrease of tidal choking at Mokpogu and the migration of tidal currents at the bay-mouth. The hydrodynamical changes mentioned above are interpreted to be occurred after/before the construction of sea-dike/sea-walls in coastal zone of Mokpo.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2008.06a
• /
• pp.546-546
• /
• 2008

Copper (Cu) Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) has been an essential process for Cu wifing of DRAM and NAND flash memory beyond 45nm. Copper has been employed as ideal material for interconnect and metal line due to the low resistivity and high resistant to electro-migration. Damascene process is currently used in conjunction with CMP in the fabrication of multi-level copper interconnects for advanced logic and memory devices. Cu CMP involves removal of material by the combination of chemical and mechanical action. Chemicals in slurry aid in material removal by modifying the surface film while abrasion between the particles, pad, and the modified film facilitates mechanical removal. In our research, we emphasized on the role of chemical effect of slurry on Cu CMP, especially on the effect of amine functional group on removal rate selectivity between Cu and Tantalum-nitride (TaN) film. We investigated the two different kinds of complexing agent both with amine functional group. On the one hand, Polyacrylamide as a polymer affected the stability of abrasive, viscosity of slurry and the corrosion current of copper film especially at high concentration. At higher concentration, the aggregation of abrasive particles was suppressed by the steric effect of PAM, thus showed higher fraction of small particle distribution. It also showed a fluctuation behavior of the viscosity of slurry at high shear rate due to transformation of polymer chain. Also, because of forming thick passivation layer on the surface of Cu film, the diffusion of oxidant to the Cu surface was inhibited; therefore, the corrosion current with 0.7wt% PAM was smaller than that without PAM. the polishing rate of Cu film slightly increased up to 0.3wt%, then decreased with increasing of PAM concentration. On the contrary, the polishing rate of TaN film was strongly suppressed and saturated with increasing of PAM concentration at 0.3wt%. We also studied the electrostatic interaction between abrasive particle and Cu/TaN film with different PAM concentration. On the other hand, amino-methyl-propanol (AMP) as a single molecule does not affect the stability, rheological and corrosion behavior of the slurry as the polymer PAM. The polishing behavior of TaN film and selectivity with AMP appeared the similar trend to the slurry with PAM. The polishing behavior of Cu film with AMP, however, was quite different with that of PAM. We assume this difference was originated from different compactness of surface passivation layer on the Cu film under the same concentration due to the different molecular weight of PAM and AMP.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.104-116
• /
• 2019

Background: The composition of wild bird populations in temperate zones greatly varies depending on phenological changes rather than other environmental factors. Particularly, wild birds appearing in wetlands fluctuate greatly due to the crossover of species arriving for breeding during the summer and for wintering. Therefore, to understand the changes to species composition related to phenology, we conducted this basic analysis of populations to further the cause of the protection of wetland-dependent wild birds. Methods: It is wrong to simply divide a wild bird population investigation into seasons. This study identifies species composition and indicator species that change along with seasons. Wetlands to be surveyed are protected by natural monuments and wetland inventory and are in a state close to nature. In order to identify as many species as possible in wetlands, a survey was conducted in both shallow and deep wetlands. The water depth varied in these areas, ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 m, allowing for both dabbling and diving ducks to inhabit the area. Surveys were conducted using line-transect and distance sampling methods and were conducted at intervals of 2 weeks. The survey was conducted under the following three categories: the eco-tone and emergent zone, the submergent zone, and the water surface. The survey was conducted along a wetland boundary by observing wild birds. A PC-ord program was used for clustering, and the SAS program was used to analyze the changes in species composition. The data strongly indicates that day length is the main factor for seasonal migration periods, despite the fact that climate change and increasing temperatures are often discussed. Results and conclusions: The indicator species for determining seasons include migrant birds such as Ardea cinerea, Alcedo atthis, Anas penelope, and Poiceps ruficollis, as well as resident birds such as Streptopelia orientalis and Emberiza elegans. Importantly, increases in local individual counts of these species may also serve as indicators. The survey results of seasonal fluctuations in temperate zones shows that spring (April to June), summer (July to September), autumn (October), and winter (November to March) are clearly distinguishable, even though spring and summer seasons tend to overlap, leading to the conclusion that additional research could more clearly identify fluctuation patterns in species composition and abundance in the study area.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.333-342
• /
• 2017

In order to understand the mechanism of the cross-shore evolution of storm (barred) and normal (nonbarred) profiles of a sandy beach, the vertically two-dimensional laboratory experiment was performed with a movable bed. The beach profiles and free surface motion were measured under monochromatic wave conditions evolving the storm and normal beach profiles. The observation was conducted in the surf zone during the alternation of the two wave conditions to reach its quasi-equilibrium state. The sandbar-crest and trough and the steep berm were evolved due to the plunging breakers in the storm case, and the bar-trough was decayed due to the spilling breakers in the normal case. From the measurements, it was found that the storm wave case was in an erosion state and the normal wave case was in an accretion state. The strong undertow, which is a dominant factor of the offshore migration mechanism, was developed in the storm wave case, and the weak undertow was developed in the normal wave case. The skewness and the asymmetry of the nonlinear wave motion, which is a dominant factor of the onshore migration mechanism, was measured similarly in both cases.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.416-420
• /
• 2012

The increasing use of recycling products results in the need for assessing the risk to human health. In this study heavy metals's contents of playground flooring were compared with rubber powder which is row material. And it is reviewed characteristics of heavy metals's exposure from absorption of skin, checking amount of dermal uptake for each heavy metal. Despite its high content, Zn had a very low migration rate with 0.1 $mg/cm^2$. This indicates that Zn is not easily released by surface contact. However, the contents of Fe and Al in flooring were 12 times higher than that of Zn and Fe, and Al showed migration rate 5 times higher than that of Zn. This implies that Fe and Al were derived from pigment in flooring. The measurement of dermal exposure to heavy metals at 6 playgrounds found higher level of exposure in Ba than in other heavy metals. It is assumed that despite high content of Zn, Ba had a higher exposure rate because five times as much Ba as Zn was darmal absorptionactor ($AF_{darmal}$).

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.18-24
• /
• 2011

A multi-channel seismic reflection (MCS) survey was conducted in 2009 to explore the deep crustal structure of the Pacific Plate south of Hokkaido. The survey line happened to traverse a 250-km-wide Warm Core Ring (WCR), a current eddy that had been generated by the Kuroshio Extension. We attempted to use these MCS data to delineate the WCR fine structure. The survey line consists of two profiles: one with a shot interval of 200m and the other with a shot interval of 50 m. Records from the denser shot point line show much higher background noise than the records from the sparser shot point line. We identified the origin of this noise as acoustic reverberations between the sea surface, seafloor and subsurface discontinuities, from previous shots. Results showed that a prestack migration technique could enhance the signal buried in this background noise efficiently, if the sound speed information acquired from concurrent temperature measurements is available. The WCR is acoustically an assemblage of concave reflectors dipping inward, with steeper slopes (${\sim}2^{\circ}$) on th ocean side and gentler slopes (${\sim}1^{\circ}$) on the coastal side. Within the WCR, we recognised a 30-km-wide lens-shaped structure with reflectors on the perimeter.