• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• 제11권4호
• /
• pp.515-530
• /
• 2016

In this paper, five different quantitative parameters were proposed for the characterization of the primary roughness which is the component of surface morphology that prevails during large strike-slip faults of more than 50 m. These parameters are mostly the anisotropic properties of rock surface morphology at various scales: (i) coefficient ($k_a$) and degree (${\delta}_a$) of apparent structural anisotropy of surface; (ii) coefficient ($k_r$) and degree (${\delta}_r$) of real structural anisotropy of surface; (iii) surface anisotropy function P(${\varphi}$); and (iv) degree of surface waviness ($W_s$). The coefficient and degree of apparent structural anisotropy allow qualifying the anisotropy/isotropy of a discontinuity according to a classification into four classes: anisotropic, moderately anisotropic/isotropic and isotropic. The coefficient and degree of real structural anisotropy of surface captures directly the actual surface anisotropy using geostatistical method. The anisotropy function predicts directional geometric properties of a surface of discontinuity from measurements in two orthogonal directions. These predicted data may subsequently be used to highlight the anisotropy/isotropy of the surface (radar plot). The degree of surface waviness allows qualifying the undulation of anisotropic surfaces. The proposed quantitative parameters allows their application at both lab and field scales.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제26권6호
• /
• pp.554-557
• /
• 2008

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) induces gene silencing in a sequence-specific manner by a process known as RNA interference (RNAi). The RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) is a multi-subunit ribonucleoprotein complex that plays a key role in RNAi. VIG (Vasa intronic gene) has been identified as a component of Drosophila RISC; however, the role VIG plays in regulating RNAi is poorly understood. Here, we examined the spatial and temporal expression patterns of VIG-1, the C. elegans ortholog of Drosophila VIG, using a vig-1::gfp fusion construct. This construct contains the 908-bp region immediately upstream of vig-1 gene translation initiation site. Analysis by confocal microscopy demonstrated GFP-VIG-1 expression in a number of tissues including the pharynx, body wall muscle, hypodermis, intestine, reproductive system, and nervous system at the larval and adult stages. Furthermore, western blot analysis showed that VIG-1 is present in each developmental stage examined. To investigate regulatory sequences for vig-1 gene expression, we generated constructs containing deletions in the upstream region. It was determined that the GFP expression pattern of a deletion construct (${\Delta}-908$ to -597) was generally similar to that of the non-deletion construct. In contrast, removal of a larger segment (${\Delta}-908$ to -191) resulted in the loss of GFP expression in most cell types. Collectively, these results indicate that the 406-bp upstream region (-596 to -191) contains essential regulatory sequences required for VIG-1 expression.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• 제16권5호
• /
• pp.446-456
• /
• 2008

A recent theoretical approach based on the coupling of both the Flory-Huggins (FH) and the Association Equilibria thermodynamic (AET) theories was modified and adapted to study the miscibility properties of a multi-component system formed by two polymers (a proton-donor and a proton-acceptor) and a proton-acceptor solvent, named copolymer(A)/solvent(B)/polymer(C). Compatibility between polymers was mainly attained by hydrogen-bonding between the hydroxyl group on the phenol unit of the poly(styrene-co-vinyl phenol) (PSVPh) and the carbonyl group of the biodegradable and environmentally friendly poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). However, the self-association of PSVPh and specific interactions between the PSVPh and the H-acceptor group (an ether oxygen atom) of the epichlorohydrin (ECH) solvent were also established in a lower extension, which competed with the polymer-polymer association. All the binary specific interactions and their dependence with the system composition as well as with the copolymer content were evaluated and quantified by means of two excess functions of the Gibbs tree energy, ${\Delta}g_{AB}$ and ${\Delta}g_{AC}$. Experimental results from fluorescence spectroscopy were consistent with the theoretical simulations derived with the model, which could also be applied and extended to predict the miscibility in solution of any polymer blend with specific interactions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제16권10호
• /
• pp.1640-1645
• /
• 2006

We studied the diversity of the halophilic archaea and bacteria in crystallizer ponds of a Korean solar saltern by analyzing 16S rRNA gene libraries. Although diverse halophilic archaeal lineages were detected, the majority (56%) were affiliated with the uncultured and cultured Halorubrum group. Halophilic archaea that have been frequently observed in solar saltern environments previously, such as Halogeometricum, Halococcus, Haloarcula, and Haloferax, were not detected in our samples. The majority of clones (53%) belonged to the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides and ${\alpha}-,\;{\gamma}-,\;and\;{\delta}-Proteobacteria$ groups, with 47% of the clones being affiliated with ${\gamma}-Proteobacteria$. We also identified new ${\delta}-Proteobacteria$-related bacteria that have not been observed in hypersaline environments previously. Our data show that the diversity of the halophilic archaea and bacteria in our Korean saltern differs from that of solar salterns found in other geographic locations. We also showed by quantitative real-time PCR analysis that bacteria can form a significant component of the microbial community in solar salterns.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제29권6호
• /
• pp.643-649
• /
• 2021

Literature has revealed that the delta opioid receptor (DOR) exhibited diverse pharmacological effects on neuron and skin. In the present study, we have investigated whether the activation of DOR has hair-growth promotion effects. Compared with other opioid receptor, DOR was highly expressed in epidermal component of hair follicle in human and rodents. The expression of DOR was high in the anagen phase, but it was low in the catagen and telogen phases during mouse hair cycle. Topical application of UFP-512, a specific DOR agonist, significantly accelerated the induction of the anagen in C₃H mice. Topical application of UFP-512 also increased the hair length in hair organ cultures and promoted the proliferation and the migration of outer root sheath (ORS) cells. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition of DOR by naltrindole significantly inhibited the anagen transition process and decreased hair length in hair organ cultures. Thus, we further examined whether Wnt/β-catenin pathway was related to the effects of DOR on hair growth. We found that Wnt/β-catenin pathway was activated by UFP-512 and siRNA for β-catenin attenuated the UFP-512 induced proliferation and migration of ORS cells. Collectively, result established that DOR was involved in hair cycle regulation, and that DOR agonists such as UFP-512 should be developed for novel hair-loss treatment.

• 한국유기농업학회지
• /
• 제18권2호
• /
• pp.257-269
• /
• 2010

본 실험은 질소안정동위원소존재비($\delta^{15}N$)를 이용하여 유기벼와 일반벼의 판별 가능성을 탐색하기 위하여 실시하였다. 시료는 전국에 걸처 유기벼 17점, 그리고 유기벼 재배 인근지역에서 일반벼 13점을 수집하여 2008년 11월부터 2010년 1월까지 설문 및 분석 작업을 수행하였다. 벼는 벼와 현미, 백미, 왕겨로 도정한 다음 이들의 질소 및 질소안정동위원소 자연존재비($\delta^{15}N$)를 분석하였다. 이 성분이 두 그룹의 간의 판별에 이용될 수 있을지를 검증하기 위하여 판별분석을 적용, 그 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 1. 유기벼 농가가 사용한 질소원은 퇴비, 쌀겨, 균배양체, 버섯배지, 유박이었고 사용량은 농가에 따라 큰 차이가 있었고, 볏짚은 모두 논에 환원하였다. 그러나 일반벼 농가는 복합비료를 쓰고 볏짚은 회수하여 판매한 경우가 많았다. 2. 유기벼의 벼와 현미, 백미, 왕겨의 중질소자연존재비의 차이가 가장 컸으나 통계적 유의성은 없었고 지역간의 차이도 유의성이 없었다. 일반벼에서도 유기벼와 같은 경향이었다. 3. 유기벼와 일반벼의 질소안정동위원소존재비는 유의한 차이가 있었고(p<0.01) 이러한 차이는 유기 및 비유기 왕겨에서도 나타났다(p<0.05). $\delta^{15}N$값은 유기벼 및 비유기벼 판별의 지표로 유용한 것으로 사료된다. 4. 판별분석 SPSS와 Logistic을 적용하였을 때 현미와 백미를 제외하고 모두 유의한 차이가 있었다. 판별에는 왕겨가 가장 유용하였고, 미지시료의 83.3%가 바르게 분류될 수 있는 것으로 나타났다. SPSS방법은 벼와 왕겨, Logistic 방법은 네 가지 구성성분 모두 유의하게 나타났으나 그 중 검정값이 가장 높게 나타난 것은 왕겨로 83.3%가 바르게 분류될 수 있음이 확인되었다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제40권3호
• /
• pp.119-129
• /
• 2002

Although there are many reports on the splenic (systemic) T cell response after Toxoptasma gondii infection, little information is available regarding the local T cell responses of peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) and gut intraepithelial Iymphocytes (IEL) following peroral infection with bradyzoites. Mice were infected with 40 cysts of the 76K strain of T. gondii, and then sacrificed at days 0, 1, 4, 7 and 10 postinfection (PI). The cellular composition and T cell responses of PEC and IEL were analyzed. The total number of PEC and IEL per mouse increased after infection, but the ratio of increase was higher in IEL. Lymphocytes were the major component of both PEC and IEL. The relative percentages of PEC macrophages and neutrophils/eosinophils increased signiflcantly at day 1 and 4 PI, whereas those of IEL did not change significantly. The percentage of PEC NK1.1 and ${\gamma\delta}T$ cells peaked at day 4 PI (p < 0.0001), and CD4 and $CD8{\alpha}T$ cells increased continuously after infection. The percentages of IEL $CD8{\alpha}$ and ${\gamma\delta}T$ cells decreased slightly at first, and then increased. CD4 and NK1.1 T cells of IEL did not change significantly after infection. $IFN-{\gamma}-producing$ PEC NK1.1 T cells increased significantly from day 1 PI, but the other T cell subsets produced $IFN-{\gamma}$ abundantly thereafter. The proportion of IEL $IFN-{\gamma}-producing$ $CD8{\alpha}$ and ${\gamma\delta}T$ cells increased significantly after infection, while IEL NK1.1 T cells had similar $IFN-{\gamma}$ production patterns. Taken together, CD4 T cells were the major phenotype and the important $IFN-{\gamma}$ producing T cell subsets in PEC after oral infection with T. gondii whereas $CD8{\alpha}T$ cells had these roles in IEL. These results suggest that PEC and IEL comprise different cell differentials and T cell responses, and according to infection route these factors may contribute to the different cellular immune responses.

• 한국근적외분광분석학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국근적외분광분석학회 2001년도 NIR-2001
• /
• pp.1626-1626
• /
• 2001

In this study, a newly constructed optical measurement system, whose main components were a parametric tunable laser and a near infrared photoelectric multiplier, was applied to detection of the information for the inside of Satsuma mandarin using time-of-flight near infrared spectroscopy (TOF-NIRS). The combined effects on the time resolved profile of sample diameter, sugar content, the wavelength of the laser beam, and the detection position of transmitted light were investigated in detail. The samples used were Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshu $M_{ARC}$.) (location: Wakayama, Japan) having the diameters of 50-84 mm. The sugar content measured by a refractometer varied from 9.9 to 16.3 Brix%. Equator of sample was irradiated vertically with the pulsed laser, and transmitted output power was measured on the restricted position of the equator using the optical fiber cable. The sampling time and the number of averaging the output power were 100 ns and 100 times, respectively. The variation of the attenuance of peak maxima At, the time delay of peak maxima $\Delta$t and the variation of full width at half maximum Δw were strongly dependent on the detection position and the wavelength of the laser beam. At, $\Delta$t and $\Delta$w increased gradually as the sample diameter increased to be much absorbed and vigorously scattered. On the other hand, each optical parameter had a tendency to increase as the sugar content increased. Such behavior was remarkable when the transmitted light was detected at the side face of a sample. When we apply TOF-NIRS to detection of the information for the inside of fruit with high moisture content like Satsuma mandarin, it is very important to give attention to the difference in the scattered light within tissues and the semi-straightly propagated light. Furthermore, we tried to express the resulting phenomena by using a model samples composed of water, sucrose, and milk. The variation of the time resolved profile is strongly governed by the combination of the light absorption component, scattering medium, and refractive index.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• 제11권2호
• /
• pp.228-236
• /
• 2011

The ${\Delta}\;V_{10}$ or 10-Hz flicker index, as a common method of measurement of voltage flicker severity in power systems, requires a high computational cost and a large amount of memory. In this paper, for measuring the ${\Delta}\;V_{10}$ index, a new method based on the Adaline (adaptive linear neuron) system, the FFT (fast Fourier transform), and the PSO (particle swarm optimization) algorithm is proposed. In this method, for reducing the sampling frequency, calculations are carried out on the envelope of a power system voltage that contains a flicker component. Extracting the envelope of the voltage is implemented by the Adaline system. In addition, in order to increase the accuracy in computing the flicker components, the PSO algorithm is used for reducing the spectral leakage error in the FFT calculations. Therefore, the proposed method has a lower computational cost in FFT computation due to the use of a smaller sampling window. It also requires less memory since it uses the envelope of the power system voltage. Moreover, it shows more accuracy because the PSO algorithm is used in the determination of the flicker frequency and the corresponding amplitude. The sensitivity of the proposed method with respect to the main frequency drift is very low. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by simulations. The validity of the simulations is proven by the implementation of the algorithm with an ARM microcontroller-based digital system. Finally, its function is evaluated with real-time measurements.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제17권11호
• /
• pp.1818-1825
• /
• 2007

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) was previously documented to activate secondary metabolism in a variety of Streptomyces spp. and to promote actinorhodin (ACT) and undecylprodigiosin (RED) in Streptomyces coelicolor. The SAM-induced proteins in S. coelicolor include several ABC transporter components (SCO5260 and SCO5477) including BldKB, the component of a well-known regulatory factor for differentiations. In order to assess the role of these ABC transporter complexes in differentiation of Streptomyces, SCO5260 and SCO5476, the first genes from the cognate complex clusters, were individually inactivated by gene replacement. Inactivation of either SCO5260 or SCO5476 led to impaired sporulation on agar medium, with the more drastic defect in the SCO5260 null mutant (${\Delta}SCO5260$). ${\Delta}SCO5260$ displayed growth retardation and reduced yields of ACT and RED in liquid cultures. In addition, SAM supplementation failed in promoting the production of ACT and RED in ${\Delta}SCO5260$. Inactivation of SCO5476 gave no significant change in growth and production of ACT and RED, but impaired the promoting effect of SAM on ACT production without interfering with the effect on RED production. The present study suggests that SAM induces several ABC transporters to modulate secondary metabolism and morphological development in S. coelicolor.