• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.961-964
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• 2006

GDP-mannosyltransferase (GMT) is an enzyme responsible for the addition of a mannose to glucose ($\alpha$[1$\rightarrow$3]) during biosynthesis of the water-soluble branched polysaccharide acetan in Acefobacter species. In an effort to obtain a cellulose-overproducing bacterium, a mutant defective in GMT of Acetobacter xylinum KCCM 10100 was constructed by single crossover homologous recombination using part of the aceA gene encoding GMT amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The GMT-disrupted mutant produced 23% more cellulose, but 16% less water-soluble polysaccharide than those of the wild-type strain. Analysis of the sugar composition by gel permeation chromatography revealed that water-soluble polysaccharides produced by the GMT-defective mutant contained no mannose molecule.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권10호
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• pp.3726-3729
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• 2011

Biofilm formation is inevitable in a bioelectrochemical system in which microorganisms act as a sole biocatalyst. Cathodic biofilm (CBF) works as a double-edged sword in the performance of the air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Proton and oxygen crossover through the CBF are limited by the robust structure of extracellular polymeric substances, composition of available constituents and environmental condition from which the biofilm is formed. The MFC performance in terms of power, current and coulombic efficiency is influenced by the nature and origin of CBF. Development of CBF from different ecological environment while keeping the same anode inoculums, contributes additional charge transfer resistance to the total internal resistance, with increase in coulombic efficiency at the expense of power reduction. This study demonstrates that MFC operation conditions need to be optimized on the choice of initial inoculum medium that leads to the biofilm formation on the air cathode.

• 산업경영시스템학회지
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.169-180
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• 2015

Recently, scheduling problems with position-dependent processing times have received considerable attention in the literature, where the processing times of jobs are dependent on the processing sequences. However, they did not consider cases in which each processed job has different learning or aging ratios. This means that the actual processing time for a job can be determined not only by the processing sequence, but also by the learning/aging ratio, which can reflect the degree of processing difficulties in subsequent jobs. Motivated by these remarks, in this paper, we consider a two-agent single-machine scheduling problem with linear job-dependent position-based learning effects, where two agents compete to use a common single machine and each job has a different learning ratio. Specifically, we take into account two different objective functions for two agents: one agent minimizes the total weighted completion time, and the other restricts the makespan to less than an upper bound. After formally defining the problem by developing a mixed integer non-linear programming formulation, we devise a branch-and-bound (B&B) algorithm to give optimal solutions by developing four dominance properties based on a pairwise interchange comparison and four properties regarding the feasibility of a considered sequence. We suggest a lower bound to speed up the search procedure in the B&B algorithm by fathoming any non-prominent nodes. As this problem is at least NP-hard, we suggest efficient genetic algorithms using different methods to generate the initial population and two crossover operations. Computational results show that the proposed algorithms are efficient to obtain near-optimal solutions.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.272-276
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• 2019

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy and safety of procedures using ultrasound equipment for acupuncture treatment. Methods: A pilot, prospective randomized, single blinded, crossover clinical study on the accuracy and safety of ultrasound-guided Gyeontonghyeol (BP-LE6) acupuncture treatment was conducted. Patients (n = 13) with shoulder pain were randomly divided into 2 groups. During Visit 1, ultrasound-guided BP-LE6 acupuncture was administered to the experimental group. In the control group, patients received BP-LE6 acupuncture (without checking ultrasound images) by manipulating the ultrasound probe as if administering ultrasound-guided acupuncture. Visit 2 was arranged within 7-14 days and the remaining procedures, other than those administered in Visit 1, were performed. In both the experimental group and control group, the number of needle insertions, and time required for the treatment to result in the patients feeling de-qi was recorded. The numeric rating scale (NRS) score for shoulder pain was recorded before and after the acupuncture treatment. Results: The number of needle insertions was $5.31{\pm}3.50$ times in the experimental group, and $6.62{\pm}3.38$ times in the control group, however, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05). The mean time required to perform the procedure was $151.54{\pm}48.59$ seconds in the experimental group and $86.69{\pm}37.17$ seconds in the control group, which was statistically significantly different (p < 0.05). The changes observed in numerical rating scale scores between groups were not statistically significantly different. Conclusion: Although there was no statistically significant difference, administering acupuncture using ultrasound guidance may lead to accurate needling with a reduced number of needle insertion attempts. A large-scale clinical study of better design should be conducted in the future.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.582-595
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• 2022

Objectives: To investigate the effects of acupuncture at GV20 and EX-HN1 on cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in the middle cerebral arteries (MCA) and anterior cerebral arteries (ACA) and to compare the effects to acupuncture at GV20. Methods: The study was a randomized, crossover trial that included 10 healthy men aged 20 to 29 years who underwent acupuncture treatment four times with a washout period of one week. The CBF velocity and CVR were measured by transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) on both MCAs at the first and second visits, and both ACAs at the third and fourth visits. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups (A and B) before the first and third visits. Group A received two phases of acupuncture intervention at a single GV20 point and a combination of GV20 and EX-HN1 acupoints. Group B received the same interventions, but in the reverse order. Results: The increase in CO₂ reactivity was significantly higher for the combination acupoints of GV20 and EX-HN1 than for the GV20 single acupoint in both MCAs (Right: 136 to 178, p=0.017; Left: 127 to 191, p=0.017) and ACAs (Right: 133 to 158, p=0.013; Left: 122 to 168, p=0.025). No significant change was noted in the corrected velocity at PETCO₂ 40 mmHg, blood pressure, or heart rate. Conclusions: The findings suggest that improvement of the CBF in the MCA and ACA after GV20 acupuncture increases when acupuncture is also performed at EX-HN1. These results clinically support the combined use of EX-HN1 and GV20 to treat disorders of MCA and ACA circulation.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.233-240
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• 2020

Background: Palatal injection of local anesthetics is the most painful injection. To obviate the need for palatal injections, local anesthetic agents with diffusibility are being investigated. Hence the present study was designed to analyze the anesthetic efficacy of 2% lidocaine hydrochloride (HCl) with 1:100,000 adrenaline and 4% articaine hydrochloride (HCl) with 1:100,000 adrenaline using single buccal infiltration for the extraction of maxillary premolars. Methods: A prospective, double-blind, crossover, randomized clinical study was performed on 60 consecutive systemically healthy patients with an age range of 15-30 years, requiring extraction of asymptomatic bilateral maxillary premolars for orthodontic purposes. They received 1ml buccal infiltration of 4% articaine HCl with 1:100,000 adrenaline on one side and 2% lidocaine HCl with 1:100,000 adrenaline on the other side. The extraction procedure on either side was scheduled 14 days apart. Parameters assessed were the time of onset of anesthesia, intraoperative discomfort, hemodynamic parameters, and the duration of analgesia. Analysis of the data was done using the Mann-Whitney test, the Wilcoxon test, the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test, and the chi-square test. Statistical significance was established at P < 0.05. Results: Articaine showed a faster time of onset and longer duration of analgesia than lidocaine. However, the difference in the intraoperative discomfort and hemodynamic parameters was statistically insignificant. Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, it can be concluded that the extraction of maxillary premolars can be performed with a single buccal infiltration of 2% lidocaine HCl with 1:100,000 adrenaline, which is one of the most commonly used local anesthetic agent.

• 한국군사과학기술학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.587-596
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• 2017

In this study, multi-chambered single autoinjector(2in1) and KMARK-1 containing atropine and 2-PAM(pyridine-2-aldoxime methylchloride) were administered to the beagle's muscle, and blood samples were taken for a certain period of time to compare and evaluate the pharmacokinetic profiles of the two drugs. Male beagles were used and classified into two test groups(G1, G2), and crossover pharmacokinetic studies were performed in two test groups. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein for analysis after administration. The 90 % confidence interval(CI) for log transformed data indicated that the Cmax for both atropine(log 0.9683 ~ log 1.113) and 2-PAM(log 0.9453 ~ log 1.214) was within the limits of bioequivalence criteria, but the AUC for atropine(log 1.1786 ~ log 1.3238) failed to meet this criteria. This is expected as the amount of atropine dose is 25 % higher for the test as compared to the reference formulation. In summary, in view of the ATNAA(antidote for nerve agent of US) authorization, the Cmax equivalence was more important than AUC equivalence, so in this study, we also focused on verifying the equality of Cmax between the two autoinjectors.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.872-880
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• 2003

Three vectors, pSG1, 2, and 3, which facilitate in vivo expression technology (IVET) in Gram-negative bacteria, were developed. Vectors pSG1and 2 are derivatives of ColE1, and pSG3 is a derivative of an R6K replicon. These vectors contain oriT sites that allow mobilization when the RK2 Tra functions are provided in trans. These vectors contain promoterless lacZ (pl-lacZ) and promoterless aph (pl-aph) transcriptionally fused together, which allow qualitative and quantitative measurements of the expression of genes in the genome of bacterial cells. pSG1 and 3 contain gentamicin-resistance genes, and pSG2 carries a streptomycin-/spectinomycin-resistance gene, allowing for selection of recombinants generated by a single crossover between a library fragment cloned into a pSG vector and the identical region in the genome of a bacterial species from which the library fragment originated. These vectors were successfully applied to the generation of random fusions at high rates in the genomes of four representative Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, the expression level of ${\beta}-galactosidase$ and the degree of resistance to kanamycin in cells with fusions generated by these vectors were found to be linearly correlated, proving that these vectors can be used for IVET.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.285-297
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• 2016

Fundamental understanding of vanadium ion transport and the detrimental effects of cross-contamination on vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) performance is critical for developing low-cost, robust, and highly selective proton-conducting membranes for VRFBs. The objective of this work is to examine the effect of conductivity and diffusivity, two key membrane parameters, on long-cycle performance of a VRFB at different operating conditions using a transient 2D multi-component model. This single-channel model combines the transport of vanadium ions, chemical reactions between permeated ions, and electrochemical reactions. It has been discovered that membrane selecting criterion for long cycles depends critically on current density and operating voltage range of the cell. The conducted simulation work is also designed to study the synergistic effects of the membrane properties on dynamics of VRFBs as well as to provide general guidelines for future membrane material development.

• 전산구조공학
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.123-132
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• 1995

Genetic Algorithms(GA)는 생명체의 자연진화 법칙에 기초한 최적화 방법으로 그 범용성이 높이 평가되어지고 있다. 기존의 GA는 대부분 설계변수로 2진수형 코드를 사용하는데, 이는 실수형 설계변수로 구성된 최적화 문제를 해결하기 위해 컴퓨터 주 기억용량을 많이 사용하여야 하며, 계산 시간 면에서도 비효율적이고 또한 국부탐색 능력도 떨어지는 단점이 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 GA에 의한 최적화과정에서 실수형 설계변수를 직접 사용할 수 있도록 교배와 돌연변이 과정을 새로이 정식화하였다. 그리고 여러 형태의 단일 및 다목적함수 최적화 문제에 대해 실수형 GA와 2진수형 GA의 결과를 비교 검토하였다. 비교 검토 결과, 실수형 GA의 성능이 2진수형 GA보다 우수함을 알 수 있었고, 일반 최적화 방법으로 실수형 GA를 사용하여도 무방하리라 본다.