• Development and Reproduction
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.113-123
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• 2020

Metformin has been widely used as an antidiabetic drug, and reported to inhibit cell proliferation in many cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In NSCLC cells, metformin suppresses PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, but effect of metformin on RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway is controversial; several studies showed the inhibition of ERK activity, while others demonstrated the activation of ERK in response to metformin exposure. Metformin-induced activation of ERK is therapeutically important, since metformin could enhance cell proliferation through RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway and lead to impairment of its anticancer activity suppressing PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, requiring blockade of both signaling pathways for more efficient antitumor effect. The present study tested the combination therapy of metformin and trametinib by monitoring the alterations of regulatory effector proteins of cell signaling pathways and the effect of the combination on cell viability in NCI-H2087 NSCLC cells with NRAS and BRAF mutations. We show that metformin alone blocks PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway but induces the activation and phosphorylation of ERK. The combination therapy synergistically decreased cell viability in treatment with low doses of two drugs, while it gave antagonistic effect with high doses. These findings suggest that the efficacy of metformin and trametinib combination therapy may depend on the alteration of ERK activity induced by metformin and specific cellular context of cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.548-557
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• 2021

Cypripedium japonicum Thunb. is an endemic plant in East Asia, distributed only in Korea, China, and Japan. At the global level, the IUCN Red List evaluates it as "Endangered Species (EN)," and at the national level in Korea, it is evaluated as "Critically Endangered Species (CR)." In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the age structure and the sustainability of the population based on the data obtained by demographic monitoring conducted for seven years in the natural habitat. C. japonicum habitats were observed in 7 regions of Korea (Pochoen, Gapyeong, Hwacheon, Chuncheon, Yeongdong, Muju, Gwangyang), and 4,356 individuals in 15 subpopulations were identified. The population size and structure differed from region to region, and artificial management had a very important effect on the size and structural change of the population. Population viability analysis (PVA) based on changes in the number of individuals of C. japonicum showed a very diverse tendency by region. And the probability of population extinction in the next 100 years was 0.00% for Pocheon, 10.90% for Gwangyang, 24.05% for Chuncheon, and 79.50% for Hwacheon. Since the above monitored study sites were located within the conservation shelters, which restricted access by humans, unauthorized collection of C. japonicum, the biggest threat to the species, was not reflected in the individual viability. So, the risk of extinction in Korea is expected to be significantly higher than that estimated in this study. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect population information in several regions that may represent various threats to determine the extinction risk of the C. japonicum population objectively. In the future, we should expand the demographic monitoring of the C. japonicum population known in Korea.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.79-87
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• 2024

This study introduces a method for estimating Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) using Broadband Aerosol Optical Depth (BAOD) derived from direct normal irradiance and meteorological factors observed between 2016 and 2017. Through correlation analyses between BAOD and atmospheric components such as Rayleigh scattering, water vapor, and tropospheric nitrogen dioxide, significant relationships were identified, enabling accurate AOD estimation. The methodology demonstrated high correlation coefficients and low Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) compared to actual AOD₅₀₀ measurements, indicating that the attenuation effects of water vapor and the direct impact of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide concentration are crucial for precise aerosol optical depth estimation. The application of BAOD for estimating AOD₅₀₀ across various time scales-hourly, daily, and monthly-showed the approach's robustness in understanding aerosol distributions and their optical properties, with a high coefficient of determination (0.96) for monthly average AOD₅₀₀ estimates. This study simplifies the aerosol monitoring process and enhances the accuracy and reliability of AOD estimations, offering valuable insights into aerosol research and its implications for climate modeling and air quality assessment. The findings underscore the viability of using BAOD as a surrogate for direct AOD₅₀₀ measurements, presenting a promising avenue for more accessible and accurate aerosol monitoring practices, crucial for improving our understanding of aerosol dynamics and their environmental impacts.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.411-425
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• 2014

A relatively low frequency Lamb wave-based damage identification method called damage imaging method for rectangular composite plate is presented. A damage index (DI) is generated from the delay matrix of the Lamb wave response signals, and it is used to indicate the location and approximate area of the damage. The viability of this method is demonstrated by analyzing the numerical and experimental Lamb wave response signals from rectangular composite plates. The technique only requires the response signals from the plate after damage, and it is capable of performing near real time damage identification. This study sheds some light on the application of Lamb wave-based damage detection algorithm for plate-type structures by using the relatively low frequency (e.g., in the neighborhood of 100 kHz, more suitable for the best capability of the existing fiber optic sensor interrogator system with the sampling frequency of 500 kHz) Lamb wave response and a reference-free damage detection technique.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.64-73
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• 2002

FDG-PET has potential as an effective, non-invasive tool to measure tumor response to anticancer therapy. The changes in tumor FDG uptake may provide an early, sensitive guide to the clinical and subclinical response of tumors to cancer treatment, as well as functional assessment of residual viable tumor. This may allow the evaluation of subclinical response to anticancer drugs in early clinical trials and improvements in patients management. However, monitoring tumor responses with FDG-PET is still in its infancy. The methods of measurement of FDG uptake are currently diverse and timing with respect to anti cancer therapy variable. Therefore, there is a need for larger-scale trials along with standardized methodology and a collection of reproducibility data. The recent guideline from the European group seems to be the most comprehensive. In future, the combination of morphological and metabolic images may improve the quantitative nature of these measurements by relating tumor viability to total tumor mass. More data on sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET technique are needed along with continued advancement of PET methodology.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.294-298
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• 2003

The pathological effect of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry $\delta$-endotoxins on susceptible insect larvae had extensive damage on the midgut epithelial cells. In this study, an ex vivo assay was devised for assessing the insecticidal potency of the cloned Cry4B mosquito-larvicidal protein that is expressed in Escherichia coli. Determination of toxicity was carried out by using a cell viability assay on the midguts that were dissected from 5-day old Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. After incubation with the toxin proteins, the number of viable epithelial cells was determined photometrically by monitoring the quantity of the bioreduced formazan product at 490 nm. The results showed that the 65-kDa trypsin-activated Cry4B toxin exhibited toxic potency ca. 3.5 times higher than the 130-kDa Cry4B protoxin. However, the trypsin-treated products of the non-bioactive Cry4B mutant (R158A) and the lepidopteran-specific Cry1Aa toxin displayed relatively no ex vivo activity on the mosquito-larval midguts. The ex vivo cytotoxicity studies presented here confirms data that was obtained in bioassays.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2022

Objective: Male genital tract infections have been associated with infertility, and Escherichia coli has drawn increasing attention as an important bacterium in this context. This investigation aimed to characterize and compare the distributions of O-antigen serogroups of E. coli in the semen samples of fertile and infertile men. Methods: In this case-control study, semen samples were collected from 618 fertile and 1,535 infertile men. The E. coli-positive samples were evaluated in terms of concentration, morphology, viability, and motility parameters according to the World Health Organization 2010 guidelines. Finally, different serogroups of E. coli were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction targeting the O-antigen variations of the bacterium. Results: The prevalence of E. coli among fertile men was significantly higher than among infertile men (p<0.001). The sperm morphology, viability, and motility in the E. coli-positive fertile group were significantly higher than in the E. coli-positive infertile group (p<0.001). E. coli O6 was the most prevalent serogroup found in both groups. However, there was no significant difference in the frequency of different serogroups of E. coil between the two groups (p=0.55). Conclusion: Despite the higher prevalence of E. coli among fertile men, E. coli had more detrimental effects on semen parameters in infertile men. There was no significant difference in E. coli serogroups between the fertile and infertile groups.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.237-255
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• 2015

The Interferometric Monitoring of Gamma–ray Bright Active galactic nuclei (iMOGABA) program provides not only simultaneous multifrequency observations of bright gamma–ray detected active galactic nuclei (AGN), but also covers the highest Very Large Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) frequencies ever being systematically monitored, up to 129 GHz. However, observation and imaging of weak sources at the highest observed frequencies is very challenging. In the second paper in this series, we evaluate the viability of the frequency phase transfer technique to iMOGABA in order to obtain larger coherence time at the higher frequencies of this program (86 and 129 GHz) and image additional sources that were not detected using standard techniques. We find that this method is applicable to the iMOGABA program even under non–optimal weather conditions.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2012

Mitochondrial dynamics and distribution is critical for their role in bioenergetics and cell survival. We investigated the consequence of altered fission/fusion on mitochondrial function and motility in INS-1E rat clonal ${\beta}$-cells. Adenoviruses were used to induce doxycycline-dependent expression of wild type (WT-Mfn1) or a dominant negative mitofusin 1 mutant (DN-Mfn1). Mitochondrial morphology and motility were analyzed by monitoring mitochondrially-targeted red fluorescent protein. Adenovirus-driven overexpression of WT-Mfn1 elicited severe aggregation of mitochondria, preventing them from reaching peripheral near plasma membrane areas of the cell. Overexpression of DN-Mfn1 resulted in fragmented mitochondria with widespread cytosolic distribution. WT-Mfn1 overexpression impaired mitochondrial function as glucose- and oligomycin-induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization were markedly reduced. Viability of the INS-1E cells, however, was not affected. Mitochondrial motility was significantly reduced in WT-Mfn1 overexpressing cells. Conversely, fragmented mitochondria in DN-Mfn1 overexpressing cells showed more vigorous movement than mitochondria in control cells. Movement of these mitochondria was also less microtubule-dependent. These results suggest that Mfn1-induced hyperfusion leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and hypomotility, which may explain impaired metabolism-secretion coupling in insulin-releasing cells overexpressing Mfn1.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.221-238
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• 2011

The estimated response of large-scale engineering structures to severe wind loads is prone to modelling uncertainties that can only ultimately be assessed by full-scale testing. To this end ambient vibration data from full-scale monitoring of the historic Clifton Suspension Bridge has been analysed using a combination of a frequency domain system identification method and a more elaborate stochastic identification technique. There is evidence of incipient coupling action between the first vertical and torsional modes in strong winds, providing unique full-scale data and making this an interesting case study. Flutter derivative estimation, which has rarely previously been attempted on full-scale data, was performed to provide deeper insight into the bridge aerodynamic behaviour, identifying trends towards flutter at higher wind speeds. It is shown that, as for other early suspension bridges with bluff cross-sections, single-degree-of-freedom flutter could potentially occur at wind speeds somewhat below requirements for modern designs. The analysis also demonstrates the viability of system identification techniques for extracting valuable results from full-scale data.