• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.300-306
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• 2022

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade is essential for a wide range of cellular responses in plants, including defense responses, responses to abiotic stress, hormone signaling, and developmental processes. Recent investigations have shown that the stress, ethylene, and MAPK signaling pathways negatively affect the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules by directly modulating the symbiotic signaling components. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the defense responses mediated by MAPK signaling in the organogenesis of nitrogen-fixing nodules remain unclear. In the present study, I demonstrate that the Medicago truncatula mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 5 (MtMKK5)-Medicago truncatula mitogen-activated protein kinase 3/6 (MtMPK3/6) signaling module, expressed specifically in the symbiotic nodules, promotes defense signaling, but not ethylene signaling pathways, thereby inhibiting nodule development in M. truncatula. U0126 treatment resulted in increased cell division in the nodule meristem zone due to the inhibition of MAPK signaling. The phosphorylated TEY motif in the activation domain of MtMPK3/6 was the target domain associated with specific interactions with MtMKK5. I have confirmed the physical interactions between M. truncatula nodule inception (MtNIN) and MtMPK3/6. In the presence of high expression levels of the defense-related genes FRK1 and WRKY29, MtMKK5a overexpression significantly enhanced the defense responses of Arabidopsis against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000). Overall, my data show that the negative regulation of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodule organogenesis by defense signaling pathways is mediated by the MtMKK5-MtMPK3/6 module.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.149-157
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• 2023

Phytoplasmas were discovered in diseased Elaeocarpus sylvestris trees growing on Jeju Island that showed symptoms of yellowing and darkening in the leaves. Leaf samples from 14 symptomatic plants in Jeju-si and Seogwipo-si were collected and phytoplasma 16S rRNA was successfully amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction using universal primers. The sequence analysis detected two phytoplasmas, which showed 99.5% identity to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' and 'Ca. P. malaysianum' affiliated to 16SrI and 16SrXXXII groups, respectively. Through polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses using the AfaI (RsaI) restriction enzyme, the presence of two phytoplasmas strains as well as cases of mixed infection of these strains was detected. In a virtual RFLP analysis with 17 restriction enzymes, the 16S rRNA sequence of the 'Ca. P. asteris' strain was found to match the pattern of the 16SrI-B subgroup. In addition, the phytoplasmas in the mixed-infection cases could be distinguished using specific primer sets. In conclusion, this study confirmed mixed infection of two phytoplasmas in one E. sylvestris plant, and also the presence of two phytoplasmas (of the 16SrI and 16SrXXXII groups) in Jeju Island (Republic of Korea).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.80.1-80
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• 2003

Several plant and microbial genes that could confer disease resistance in transgenic rice plants are being cloned and characterized. We are currently constructing transgenic rice lines that overexpress the gene products, such as a galactinol synthase, a defensin, and a bacterial ACC deaminase. Subtractive hybridization of a rice cDNA library constructed from the Xanthomonas oryzae-infected ice leaves resulted in isolation of many inducible cDNA clones including a elongation factor EF2, a oryzain alpha, a catalase, a aldehyde dehydrogenase, a S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, a caffeic acid O-methyltransferase, a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a light-regulated protein, nKY transcription factors, and a nucleotide diphosphate kinase. Some genes among those may be useful genetic sources for construction of disease resistant transgenic rice. Full lengths of the rice OsFIERG and a rice oryzain genomic clones were cloned, and serial deletion fragments of the promoter regions of these genes were fused with GUS reporter gene in pCAMBIA1201, respectively. Promoter activities of these constructs will be examined upon various stresses and Pathogen infections to obtain the pathogen specific inducible-promoter. This work was supported by a grant from BioGreen 21 Program, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.4005-4012
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• 2022

As high-level radioactive waste (HLW) generated from nuclear power plants is harmful to the human body, it must be safely disposed of by an engineered barrier system consisting of disposal canisters and buffer and backfill materials. A gap exists between the canister and buffer material in a HLW repository and between the buffer material and natural rock-this gap may reduce the water-blocking ability and heat transfer efficiency of the engineered barrier materials. Herein, the basic characteristics and thermal properties of granular bentonite, a candidate gap-filling material, were investigated, and their effects on the temperature change of the buffer material were analyzed numerically. Heat transfer by air conduction and convection in the gap were considered simultaneously. Moreover, by applying the Korean reference disposal system, changes in the properties of the buffer material were derived, and the basic design of the engineered barrier system was presented according to the gap filling material (GFM). The findings showed that a GFM with high initial thermal conductivity must be filled in the space between the buffer material and rock. Moreover, the target dry density of the buffer material varied according to the initial wet density, specific gravity, and water content values of the GFM.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.421-431
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• 2023

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) have technical specifications (Tech Specs) to ensure that the equipment and key operating parameters necessary for the safe operation of the power plant are maintained within limiting conditions for operation (LCO) determined by a safety analysis. The LCO of Tech Specs that identify the lowest functional capability of equipment required for safe operation for a facility must be complied for the safe operation of NPP. There have been previous studies to aid in compliance with LCO relevant to rule-based expert systems; however, there is an obvious limit to expert systems for implementing the rules for many situations related to LCO. Therefore, in this study, we present a retrieval methodology for similar LCO cases in determining whether LCO is met or not met. To reflect the natural language processing of NPP features, a domain dictionary was built, and the optimal term frequency-inverse document frequency variant was selected. The retrieval performance was improved by adding a Boolean retrieval model based on terms related to the LCO in addition to the vector space model. The developed domain dictionary and retrieval methodology are expected to be exceedingly useful in determining whether LCO is met.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2022

Seawater desalination is doubtlessly a viable option to supply fresh drinking water. Nevertheless, RO (reverse osmosis) desalination plants in specific areas may be intermittently operated to match the imbalance between water demand and supply. Although a handful of works have been done on other membrane systems, few studies have attempted to mitigate fouling in intermittent RO systems. Accordingly, the objectives of this paper were to examine the effect of the intermittent operation on RO fouling; and to compare four intermittent operation modes including feed solution recirculation, membrane storage in the feed solution, deionized water (DI) recirculation, and membrane storage in DI water. Results showed that intermittent operation reduced RO fouling under several conditions. However, the extents of fouling mitigation were different depending on the feed conditions, foulant types, and membrane lay-up methods. When the feed solution was recirculated during the lay-up, the restoration of the flux was less significant than that by the feed solution feed-up. The use of deionized water during the lay-up was effective to restore flux, especially when the feed solution contains scale-forming salts (CaSO₄) and/or colloidal silica.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.184-189
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• 2023

Normal activation of platelets and their aggregation are crucial during hemostasis process. It appears excessive or abnormal aggregation of platelets may bring about cardiovascular diseases like stroke, atherosclerosis, and thrombosis. For this reason, finding a substance that can regulate platelet aggregation or suppress aggregation will aid in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Artemisinin, a compound derived from Artemisia or Scopolia plants, has shown potential in various areas such as anticancer and Alzheimer's disease research. However, the specific role and mechanisms by which artemisinin influences platelet activation and thrombus formation are not yet fully understood. This study investigated the effects of artemisinin on platelet activation and thrombus formation. This study examined the effect of artemisinin on regulation of U46619-induced platelet aggregation, granule secretion. In addition, the effects of artemisinin on phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathway involved in platelet aggregation was studied. As a result, artemisinin significantly downregulated of PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathway. In addition, artemisinin significantly reduced granule secretion, and platelet aggregation was inhibited by artemisinin. Therefore, we suggest that artemisinin is an anti-platelet substance that regulates PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathway and is valuable as a therapeutic and preventive agent for platelet-derived cardiovascular disease.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.273-285
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• 2023

The commercial buildings greening can generate multiple benefits to achieve a sustainable building and business environment. However, a comprehensive systematic review of commercial buildings greening across multiple disciplines has yet to be reported. This study conducted a systematic analysis of 39 literature on commercial building greening from Web of Science over the past 19 years and utilized CiteSpace to visualize the academic evolution and trends in this field. Key findings were: 1) The number of publications in the past five years has increased, indicating that commercial building greening research has received widespread attention. 2) The large number of publications means that the research field of commercial building greening is relatively broad. 3) The study of commercial building greening has become a global participation and cooperation research topic. The top cooperating countries mainly come from the United States and Europe, while the differences in cooperation between institutions in developing countries are less significant. 4) The greening of commercial buildings is more related to research on behavioral activities. 5) The research on commercial building greening has developed from architecture and plants to interdisciplinary fields, including psychology, economics, and management. 6) The cost of commercial buildings greening is generally an obstacle to installation. This study provides specific references for stakeholders and plays a crucial role in determining the evolution of commercial building greening research and predicting future research needs and opportunities.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2024

This study investigates the effects of temperatures and strain rates on the strength and ductility of Gr.91 (ASME Grade 91) steel which is widely being used as a heat-resistant material in Generation IV nuclear and super critical thermal power plants. The tensile behavior of modified 9Cr-1Mo (Gr.91) steel was studied for the three strain rates of 6.67×10^-5/s, 6.67×10^-4/s and 6.67×10-3/s over the temperature range from room temperature (RT) to 650℃. Experimental results showed that at specific combinations of temperatures (300~400℃) and strain rates, serrations appeared in the stress-strain curves. Concurrently, abnormal behaviors such as a plateau in yield strength and tensile strength, a minimum in ductility and negative strain rate sensitivity were observed. These phenomena were analyzed as significant characteristics of dynamic strain aging (DSA). Since this abnormal behavior in Gr.91 steel affects the material strength, it is judged that a correlation analysis between DSA and material strength should be crucial in the design and integrity evaluation of Gr. 91 steel pressure vessel and piping subjected to high-temperature loading.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1284-1295
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• 2024

Due to increasing operational security demands, digital and intelligent condition monitoring of nuclear power plants is becoming more significant. However, establishing an accurate and effective anomaly detection model is still challenging. This is mainly because of data characteristics of nuclear power data, including the lack of clear class labels combined with frequent interference from outliers and anomalies. In this paper, we introduce a Transformer-based unsupervised model for anomaly detection of nuclear power data, a modified loss function based on the maximum correntropy criterion (MCC) is applied in the model training to improve the robustness. Experimental results on simulation datasets demonstrate that the proposed Trans-MCC model achieves equivalent or superior detection performance to the baseline models, and the use of the MCC loss function is proven can obviously alleviate the negative effect of outliers and anomalies in the training procedure, the F1 score is improved by up to 0.31 compared to Trans-MSE on a specific dataset. Further studies on genuine nuclear power data have verified the model's capability to detect anomalies at an earlier stage, which is significant to condition monitoring.