• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.92-100
• /
• 2017

Acetoin (AC) is a volatile platform compound with various potential industrial applications. AC contains two stereoisomeric forms: (3S)-AC and (3R)-AC. Optically pure AC is an important potential intermediate and widely used as a precursor to synthesize novel optically active materials. In this study, chiral (3R)-AC production from meso-2,3-butanediol (meso-2,3-BD) was obtained using recombinant Escherichia coli cells co-expressing meso-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (meso-2,3-BDH), NADH oxidase (NOX), and hemoglobin protein (VHB) from Serratia sp. T241, Lactobacillus brevis, and Vitreoscilla, respectively. The new biocatalyst of E. coli/pET-mbdh-nox-vgb was developed and the bioconversion conditions were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, 86.74 g/l of (3R)-AC with the productivity of 3.61 g/l/h and the stereoisomeric purity of 97.89% was achieved from 93.73 g/l meso-2,3-BD using the whole-cell biocatalyst. The yield and productivity were new records for (3R)-AC production. The results exhibit the industrial potential for (3R)-AC production via whole-cell biocatalysis.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2011.05a
• /
• pp.18-18
• /
• 2011

Climate change is impacting and will increasingly impact both the quantity and quality of the world's water resources in a variety of ways. In some areas warming climate results in increased rainfall, surface runoff, and groundwater recharge while in others there may be declines in all of these. Water quality is described by a number of variables. Some are directly impacted by climate change. Temperature is an obvious example. Notably, increased atmospheric concentrations of $CO_2$ triggering climate change increase the $CO_2$ dissolving into water. This has manifold consequences including decreased pH and increased alkalinity, with resultant increases in dissolved concentrations of the minerals in geologic materials contacted by such water. Climate change is also expected to increase the number and intensity of extreme climate events, with related hydrologic changes. A simple framework has been developed in New Zealand for assessing and predicting climate change impacts on water resources. Assessment is largely based on trend analysis of historic data using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall method. Trend analysis requires long-term, regular monitoring data for both climate and hydrologic variables. Data quality is of primary importance and data gaps must be avoided. Quantitative prediction of climate change impacts on the quantity of water resources can be accomplished by computer modelling. This requires the serial coupling of various models. For example, regional downscaling of results from a world-wide general circulation model (GCM) can be used to forecast temperatures and precipitation for various emissions scenarios in specific catchments. Mechanistic or artificial intelligence modelling can then be used with these inputs to simulate climate change impacts over time, such as changes in streamflow, groundwater-surface water interactions, and changes in groundwater levels. The Waimea Plains catchment in New Zealand was selected for a test application of these assessment and prediction methods. This catchment is predicted to undergo relatively minor impacts due to climate change. All available climate and hydrologic databases were obtained and analyzed. These included climate (temperature, precipitation, solar radiation and sunshine hours, evapotranspiration, humidity, and cloud cover) and hydrologic (streamflow and quality and groundwater levels and quality) records. Results varied but there were indications of atmospheric temperature increasing, rainfall decreasing, streamflow decreasing, and groundwater level decreasing trends. Artificial intelligence modelling was applied to predict water usage, rainfall recharge of groundwater, and upstream flow for two regionally downscaled climate change scenarios (A1B and A2). The AI methods used were multi-layer perceptron (MLP) with extended Kalman filtering (EKF), genetic programming (GP), and a dynamic neuro-fuzzy local modelling system (DNFLMS), respectively. These were then used as inputs to a mechanistic groundwater flow-surface water interaction model (MODFLOW). A DNFLMS was also used to simulate downstream flow and groundwater levels for comparison with MODFLOW outputs. MODFLOW and DNFLMS outputs were consistent. They indicated declines in streamflow on the order of 21 to 23% for MODFLOW and DNFLMS (A1B scenario), respectively, and 27% in both cases for the A2 scenario under severe drought conditions by 2058-2059, with little if any change in groundwater levels.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.65 no.6
• /
• pp.1180-1193
• /
• 2023

Most carcass and meat quality traits are moderate to highly heritable, indicating that they can be improved through selection. Genetic evaluation for these types of traits is performed using performance data obtained from commercial and progeny testing evaluation. The performance data from commercial farms are available in large volume, however, some drawbacks have been observed. The drawback of the commercial data is mainly due to sorting of animals based on live weight prior to slaughter, and this could lead to bias in the genetic evaluation of later measured traits such as carcass traits. The current study has two components to address the drawback of the commercial data. The first component of the study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for carcass and meat quality traits in Korean Hanwoo cattle using a large sample size of industry-based carcass performance records (n = 469,002). The second component of the study aimed to describe the impact of sorting animals into different contemporary groups based on an early measured trait and then examine the effect on the genetic evaluation of subsequently measured traits. To demonstrate our objectives, we used real performance data to estimate genetic parameters and simulated data was used to assess the bias in genetic evaluation. The results of our first study showed that commercial data obtained from slaughterhouses is a potential source of carcass performance data and useful for genetic evaluation of carcass traits to improve beef cattle performance. However, we observed some harvesting effect which leads to bias in genetic evaluation of carcass traits. This is mainly due to the selection of animal based on their body weight before arrival to slaughterhouse. Overall, the non-random allocation of animals into a contemporary group leads to a biased estimated breeding value in genetic evaluation, the severity of which increases when the evaluation traits are highly correlated.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.19
• /
• pp.8489-8493
• /
• 2014

Objective: To verify the basic preoperative evaluation in the discrimination between benign and malignant adnexal masses in our clinical practice. Materials and Methods: Data were collected on the records of 636 women with adnexal masses who had undergone surgery either by open or endoscopic approaches. Those with obvious signs of malignancy, any history of cancer, emergency surgeries without basic evaluation were excluded. The preoperative features by age, ultrasound and serum Ca125 level were compared with final histopathological diagnosis at the four departments of the institution. These are the general gynecology (Group 1: exploratory laparotomy), the gynecologic endoscopy (Group 2: laparoscopy and adnexectomy), the gynecological oncology (Group 3: staging laparotomy) and the gynecologic endocrinology and infertility (Group 4: laparoscopy and cystectomy). Results: There were simple and complex cyst rates of 22.3% and 77.2%, respectively. There were 86.3% benign, 4.1% (n:20) borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) and 6.4% (n:48) malignant lesions. There were 3 BOT and 9 ovarian cancers in Group 1 and one BOT and two ovarian cancer in the Group 2. During the surgery, 15 BOT (75%) and 37 ovarian cancer (77%) were detected in the Group 3, only one BOT was encountered in the Group 4. The risk of rate of unsuspected borderline or focally invasive ovarian cancer significantly increased by age, size, complex morphology and Ca125 (95% CI, OR=2.72, OR=6.60, OR=6.66 and OR=4.69, respectively). Conclusions: Basic preoperative evaluation by comprehensive ultrasound imaging combined with age and Ca125 level has proved highly accurate for prediction of unexpected malignancies. Neither novel markers nor new imaging techniques provide better information that allow clinicians to assess the feasibility of the planned surgery; consequently, the risk of inadvertent cyst rupture during laparoscopy may be significantly decreased in selected cases.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
• /
• v.5
• /
• pp.67-89
• /
• 1978

This study is the third partial study of the 'A Bibliographical Study of the Toegye.' The contents of the study is divided into three chapters as following : In the first chapter, the authorship of Hsin-ching-fu-chu(心經附註) is described Hsin-ching(心經) was edited by Chen-Te-Hsiu(眞德秀), a scholar of the Sung Dynasty (1178-1235A.D.). He selected several articles on Hsin Study(心學) from classics of ancient China, with the view of spreading of Hsin thought of ancestor. Hsin-ching-fu-chu is an annotated work of Hsin-ching, which was edited by $Ch'\^{e}ng-Min-Ch\^{e}ng$(程敏政). $Ch'\^{e}ng-Min-Ch\^{e}ng$ was a scholar of the Ming Dynasty (died 1499 A.D). His annotation of Hsin-ching was according to the edition of Tuan-Ping (端平) 1st (1234 A.D.). Hsin-ching-fu-chu which was first published in 1492 A.D., by his student, named Wang-Tsu(汪祚). In the second chapter, the editions of Hsin-ching-fu-chu which was published in Korea before 1566 A.D., when Toe-gye's postscript was written, are described. In Korea, three editions were published. The first was published before 1523 A.D. in, kwang-ju(光州), by the wooden plate block. The second was published ca 1564 A.D. in Pyeong-yang(平壤), by the wooden plate, too. These two editions have remained. The last was published ca 1564 A.D., in Hae-ju(海州), but the method of printing couldn't be found out because I have not been able to get the book itself and records on the printing. In the last chapter, facts on Hsin-ching-fu-chu related to Toegye are described. Toegye found Kwang-ju edition of Hsin-ching-fu-chu in 1533 A.D., at Seong-gyun-gwan(成均館) in Seoul. He acquired the book from his friend. He read and studied very hard and remembered all the text. Also, he taught the Hsin-ching-fu-chu to his pupils and guided the reading of Hsin-ching-fu-chu to his followers and student. He read many proof sheets of the new publication of Hsin-ching-fy-chu, correcting then on detail and making notes on them.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.173-178
• /
• 2005

Objective: The goal of this study is to provide the clinical data of patients with brainstem cavernous hemangiomas after treatment with microsurgery or radiosurgery after conducting a retrospective analysis of 21 patients at one institution. Methods: Twenty one patients with brainstem cavernous hemangiomas were treated at the authors' institution between 1995 and 2004 and clinical analysis was performed by retrospective review of medical records and neuroimaging examinations. Thirteen patients underwent microsurgical resection and radiosurgery was performed as an initial treatment in 9 patients. Results: Radical excision was achieved in 12 among 13 patients and transitory neurological deterioration or new neurological deficit developed during the immediate postoperative period in 7 (54%). The final outcomes at 5 - 70 months after surgery were improved in 11 patients (85%) and worsened in 2 patients (15%) compared with the preoperative state. Radiosurgery was performed in 9 patients. During the follow up period from 5 to 70 months there was neurological improvement in 3 patients, no significant change in 3 and deterioration in 3 patients. Two patients developed rebleeding at 5 months, 60 months respectively after radiosurgery. Conclusion: Microsurgery for symptomatic cavernous hemangioma of brainstem can be performed with acceptable morbidity. Fatal complication is rare with careful selection of the optimal operative approach in well selected patients. Radiosurgery is an effective alternative for the lesions which are not accessible by surgical approach, however, there is still a possibility of rebleeding over a long period after radiosurgical treatment and microsurgery should be considered as a treatment with priority for the majority of cases.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.240-244
• /
• 2008

Objective : Sotos Syndrome is characterized by macrocephaly, overgrowth, and developmental delay, and more than 300 patients have been reported worldwide to date. The authors reviewed the clinical characteristics of 8 patients with Sotos Syndrome in Korea for a new understanding and treatment strategies. Methods : The medical records of a total of eight Korean children with Sotos Syndrome were reviewed. All patients underwent developmental checkup, lumbar punctures for measurement of intracranial pressure (ICP), brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography. Results : All 8 patients showed macrocephaly and the characteristic craniofacial features of Sotos Syndrome. Other clinical characteristics shown were overgrowth (7/8), developmental delay (7/8), congenital heart defect (3/8), flat foot (8/8), scoliosis (4/8), spina bifida (8/8), hydrocephalus (4/8), cavum vergae (3/8), and increased subdural fluid collection (5/8). Mean ICP measured via lumbar puncture was $27.35{\pm}6.25\;cm$ $H_2O$ (range 20 to 36 cm $H_2O$). Two patients received ventriculo-peritoneal shunt, and 1 patient underwent subduro-peritoneal shunt with improvement. Spinal orthosis was applied to 4/5 patients with scoliosis and 4/8 children with flat foot were provided with foot orthosis. Conclusion : In this first Korean study of 8 Sotos Syndrome patients we demonstrated the presence of spina bifida and increased ICP, which had not been previously described. The authors therefore suggest that all patients with Sotos Syndrome should undergo examination for the presence of spina bifida, and that shunt procedures would improve development and alleviate clinical symptoms.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
• /
• v.17B no.2
• /
• pp.115-124
• /
• 2010

Stereo matching techniques are categorized in two major schemes, local and global matching techniques. In global matching schemes, several investigations are introduced, where cost accumulation is performed in multiple matching lines. In this paper, we introduce a new multi-line stereo matching techniques which expands a conventional single-line matching scheme to multiple one. Matching cost is based on simple normalized cross correlation. We expand the scan-line optimization technique to a multi-line scan-line optimization technique. The proposed technique first generates a reliability image, which is iteratively updated based on the previous reliability measure. After some number of iterations, the reliability image is completed by a hole-filling algorithm. The hole-filling algorithm introduces a disparity score table which records the disparity score of the current pixel. The disparity of an empty pixel is determined by comparing the scores of the neighboring pixels. The proposed technique is tested using the Middlebury and CMU stereo images. The error analysis shows that the proposed matching technique yields better performance than using conventional global matching algorithm.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.77-82
• /
• 2008

Fishborne zoonotic metacercariae have not been reported from brackish water and marine fish from Vietnam waters although these parasites are common in the country's freshwater fish. Both wild-caught and cultured grouper (Epinephelus coioides and Epinephelus bleekeri), and mullet (Mugil cephalus) from brackish and marine waters located in Khanh Hoa province in central coastal Vietnam were examined, and found positive for zoonotic trematode metacercariae. From grouper, Heterophyopsis continua and Procerovum varium were recovered. The prevalence of H. continua ranged from 2.0 to 6.0% and that for P. varium ranged from 11.6 to 15.8%. Mullet were infected with Pygidiopsis summa and H. continua; both of these species are new records for Vietnam. The prevalence of P. summa in mullet was generally high, ranging from 17.6 to 75.5%, and was significantly higher than the prevalence of H. continua (2.5 to 32.4%). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of metacercariae between grouper from natural or cultured habitats, indicating that the highest risk of infection occurs in the wild-caught state prior to their placement in culture. Further, there was no difference in metacercarial prevalence between the 2 species of grouper. Infected wild-caught seed were only observed from January to October. Monthly variation in prevalence suggests seasonal variation in mullet infections occurs in this region with the highest transmission taking place from October to December. Basic investigations on the ecology and epidemiology of these intestinal flukes need to be carried out to determine their significance as a public health problem and the aspects of their biology that may be vulnerable to control interventions.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2018.10a
• /
• pp.32-32
• /
• 2018

Flora investigations in Korea have been conducted by many researchers for diverse purposes. Accumulated flora investigation data has not been utilized efficiently because there is no accessible database for comparison. To overcome this shortcoming, we constructed web-based database of flora investigation, named as the Integrated Korean Flora Database (IKFD; http://www.floradb.net/intro.php). Until now, 284 flora references (263 papers, 14 reports and books, and 7 unpublished papers written in between 1962 and 2017) were digitalized into the database. From 134,711 records, 4,301 species belonging to 228 families and 1,079 genera were identified via mapping with two major Korean plant species lists. Polygon areas originated from references were used for distribution of plant species, identifying precise distribution area. It will be a better index to show plant ecological characteristics. Collected micro-climate data provided by Korea Meteorology Administration were also integrated in IFKD for understanding correlation between distribution of plants and micro-climate. Cold hardiness zone which has been utilized for classifying climate zones. 12 out of 26 zones identified based on micro-climate data in Korea were mapped with distribution of plants. More than half species were appeared in zone 6a, 6b, 7a, and 7b. Taken together with these results, IKFD will be a fundamental platform for understanding plants in Korea flora investigation as well as a new standard for classifying distribution of plants. Moreover, Biodiversity Observation Database (BODB; http://www.biodiversitydb.info/intro.php) which integrates plant distribution data was also integrated for further studies.