• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.95-106
• /
• 2011

The transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) cation channel, a member of the TRP vanilloid subfamily, is expressed in a broad range of tissues. Nitric oxide (NO) as a gaseous signal mediator shows a variety of important biological effects. In many instances, NO has been shown to exhibit its activities via a protein S-nitrosylation mechanism in order to regulate its protein functions. With functional assays via site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate herein that NO induces the S-nitrosylation of TRPV4 $Ca^{2+}$ channel on the $Cys^{853}$ residue, and the S-nitrosylation of $Cys^{853}$ reduced its channel sensitivity to 4-${\alpha}$ phorbol 12,13-didecanoate and the interaction between TRPV4 and calmodulin. A patch clamp experiment and $Ca^{2+}$ image analysis show that the S-nitrosylation of $Cys^{853}$ modulates the TRPV4 channel as an inhibitor. Thus, our data suggest a novel regulatory mechanism of TRPV4 via NO-mediated S-nitrosylation on its $Cys^{853}$ residue.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.12
• /
• pp.1376-1380
• /
• 2005

In this study, ethanolic extracts from 18 seaweed variants were assessed for hepatoprotective activity against tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells. Only one of these, Ecklonia stolonifera Okamura (Laminariaceae), a member of the brown algae, exhibited promising hepatoprotective activity. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the active ethyl acetate (EtOAc) soluble fraction obtained from the ethanolic extract of E. stolonifera, resulted in the isolation of several phlorotannins [phloroglucinol (1), eckstolonol (2), eckol (3), phlorofucofuroeckol A (4), and dieckol (5)]. Compounds 2 and 4 were determined to protect Hep G2 cells against the cytotoxic effects of tacrine, with $EC_{50}$ values of 62.0 and 79.2 $\mu$g/mL, respectively. Silybin, a well characterized hepatoprotective agent, was used as a positive control, and exhibited an $EC_{50}$ value of 50.0 $\mu$g/mL. It has been suggested that the phlorotannins derived from marine brown algae might prove useful sources in the development of novel hepatoprotective agents.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.42 no.7
• /
• pp.557-567
• /
• 2019

TSPAN12, a member of the tetraspanin family, has been highly connected with the pathogenesis of cancer. Its biological function, however, especially in ovarian cancer (OC), has not been well elucidated. In this study, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset analysis revealed that upregulation of TSPAN12 gene expression was significantly correlated with patient survival, suggesting that TSPAN12 might be a potential prognostic marker for OC. Further exploration showed that TSPAN12 overexpression accelerated proliferation and colony formation of OVCAR3 and SKOV3 OC cells. Knockdown of TSPAN12 expression in A2780 and SKOV3 cells decreased both proliferation and colony formation. Western blot analysis showed that several cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) (e.g., Cyclin A2, Cyclin D1, Cyclin E2, CDK2, and CDK4) were significantly involved in the regulation of cell cycle downstream of TSPAN12. Moreover, TSPAN12 accelerated mitotic progression by controlling cell cycle. Thus, our data demonstrated that TSPAN12 could be a novel molecular target for the treatment of OC.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.286-293
• /
• 2022

Background: The death rate of workers due to industrial accidents in South Korea (3.61 persons in 2017) is higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average (2.43) and the fifth highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries. Although the pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed, the socioeconomic aspects of Korean society, the number of Koreans suffering accidents and the number of deaths in 2020 have increased. It is necessary to take measures to prevent accidents and make comprehensive efforts to return to work. This study proposes research questions about the effect of workers' positive perception on whether to work after accidents and the impact of the experience of rehabilitation services on the return to work. Methods: This research performed a panel logistic regression analysis using data on workers' compensation insurance in Korea for two years (2018-2019). Results: This research finds that workers' positive perceptions of workability and life satisfaction contributed affirmatively to their re-employment. Several factors related to employment (e.g., work period, the number of job qualifications) also positively affect their return to work. However, the experience of rehabilitation services did not have a significant effect on re-employment. The variables of their health conditions (e.g., disability grade, feelings of health problems, age) negatively influenced their return to jobs. Conclusion: These results suggest the importance of workers' mental recovery and the need to innovate rehabilitation services for their employment. Positive thinking and self-rehabilitation could be critical for workers, parallel with social welfare policies.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.66-86
• /
• 2019

Purpose - This paper describes the use of trade preferences under the EU-Korea free trade agreement (FTA) and empirically examines potential reasons for the less than full use, using data on daily EU imports from Korea at the product level. Design/methodology - We employ a probit model to analyse the relationship between the use of trade preferences on the one hand and variables such as potential duty savings, rules of origin and the characteristics of the good traded (intermediate input or final product) on the other. Findings - The paper finds that EU imports from Korea make good use of trade preferences with an overall preference utilisation rate of close to 90% in 2016, which is up from about 80% in 2012. It further shows that potential duty savings influence preference utilisation positively and that more than one quarter of the observations in our sample made use of preferences under EU-Korea FTA in 2012, despite duty savings standing at €10 or less. Originality/value - The finding that a non-negligible share of observations use preferences even when the duty savings are low has not yet figured in the literature. We further show how preference utilisation rates differ by importing EU Member State and by section of the Harmonised System and estimate the marginal impact of an increase in potential duty savings on the preference utilisation rate by broad product group, which is novel.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.48 no.5
• /
• pp.599-610
• /
• 2023

To avoid debonding failure, a novel type of hybrid anchorage (HA) is proposed in this study that uses a slotted plate to lock the ends of the fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheet in addition to the usual bonding over the substrate of the strengthened member. An experimental investigation was performed on three groups of RC beams, which differed from one another in either concrete strength or steel reinforcement ratio. The test results indicate that the end self-locking of the CFRP sheet can improve the failure ductility, ultimate capacity of the beams and its utilization ratio. Although intermediate debonding occurred in all the strengthened beams, it was not a fatal mode of failure for the three specimens with end anchorage. Among them, FRP rupture occurred in the beam with higher concrete strength and lower steel reinforcement ratio, whereas the other two failed by concrete crushing. The beam strengthened by HA obtained a relatively high percentage of increase in ultimate capacity when the rebar ratio or concrete strength decreased. The expressions in the literature were inspected to calculate the critical loads at intermediate debonding, FRP rupturing and concrete crushing after debonding for the strengthened beam. Then, the necessity of further research is addressed.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.67.4-68
• /
• 2021

In studying the dynamical evolution of galaxy clusters, one intriguing approach is to compare the spatial distributions of various components, such as the dark matter, the member galaxies, the gas, and the intracluster light (ICL; the diffuse light from stars, which are not bound any individual cluster galaxy). If we find a visible component whose spatial distribution coincides with the dark matter distribution, then we could draw a dark matter map without requiring laborious weak lensing analysis. Furthermore, if the component traces the dark matter distribution better for more relaxed galaxy cluster, we could use the similarity as a dynamical stage estimator of the galaxy cluster. We present a novel new methodology to quantify the similarity of two or more 2-dimensional spatial distributions. We apply the method to a sample of galaxy clusters at different dynamical stages simulated within N-cluster Run, which is an N-body simulation using the galaxy replacement technique. Among the various components (stellar particles, galaxies, ICL), the velocity defined ICL+ brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) component traces the dark matter best. Between the sample galaxy clusters, the relaxed clusters show stronger similarity of the spatial distribution between the dark matter and ICL+BCG than the dynamically young clusters.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.200-205
• /
• 2023

DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), a member of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related kinase family is a well-known player in repairing DNA double-strand break through non-homologous end joining pathway. This mechanism has allowed us to understand its critical role in T and B cell development through V(D)J recombination and class switch recombination, respectively. We have also learned that the defects in these mechanisms lead to the severely combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Here we highlight some of the latest evidence where DNA-PKcs has been shown to localize not only in the nucleus but also in the cytoplasm, phosphorylating various proteins involved in cellular metabolism and cytokine production. While it is an exciting time to unveil novel functions of DNA-PKcs, one should carefully choose experimental models to study DNA-PKcs as the experimental evidence has been shown to differ between cells of defective DNA-PKcs and those of DNA-PKcs knockout. Moreover, while there are several DNA-PK inhibitors currently being evaluated in the clinical trials in an attempt to increase the efficacy of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, multiple functions and subcellular localization of DNA-PKcs in various types of cells may further complicate the effects at the cellular and organismal level.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.133-154
• /
• 2023

Obscured structural members are mostly under-evaluated during condition assessment due to lack of visual inspection capability. Insufficient information about the integrity of these structural members poses a significant risk for public safety. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is a novel approach in structural health monitoring (SHM). Ordinary coaxial cables "as is" without a major modification are not suitable for SHM with TDR. The objective of this study is to propose a practical and cost-effective modification approach to commercially available coaxial cables in order to use them as a "cable sensor" for damage detection with the TDR equipment for obscured structural members. The experimental validation and assessment of the proposed modification approach was achieved by conducting 3-point bending tests of the model piles as a representative obscured structural member. It can be noted that the RG59/U-6 and RG6/U-4 cable sensors expose higher strain sensitivity in comparison with non-modified "as is" versions of the cables used. As a result, the cable sensors have the capability of sensing both the presence and the location of a structural damage with a maximum aberration of 3 cm. Furthermore, the crack development can be monitored by the RG59/U-6 cable sensor with a simple calibration.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
• /
• v.40 no.11
• /
• pp.2305-2315
• /
• 2015

Frequency resource value is growing more and more with the development of the wireless communication. With the advent of the current information society comes a serious shortage of frequency resource, as the amount of supply is far from meeting its demands. Thus, cognitive radio (CR) technique is receiving more attention as a way to make use of the temporarily unoccupied frequency resource. In this paper we propose a novel out-of-band spectrum sensing and dynamic channel access scheme for frequency hopping-based cognitive radio ad-hoc networks. At the beginning of each current channel hopping time, member nodes perform spectrum sensing for the next hopping channel. Based on the proposed collision free primary detection notification, member nodes can determine whether they should execute a hopping time extension procedure of the current channel or not. When the primary detected hopping channel is re-idled, the hopping pattern recovery procedure is performed. In this paper we evaluated the performance of the proposed dynamic sensing and hopping channel extension mechanism for the various wireless network conditions. As a result, we show that the proposed method can increase channel utilization and provide reliable channel management operation.