• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1557-1564
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• 2009

Human CDX2 is known as a caudal-related homeodomain transcription factor that is expressed in the intestinal epithelium and is important in differentiation and maintenance of the intestinal epithelial cells. The caudal-related homeobox proteins bind DNA according to a helix-turn-helix structure, thereby increasing the structural stability of DNA. A cancer-tumor suppressor role for Cdx2 has been shown by a decrease in the level of the expression of Cdx2 in colorectal cancer, but the mechanism of transcriptional regulation has not been examined at the molecular level. We developed a large-scale system for expression of the recombinant, novel CDX2, in Escherichia coli. A highly purified and soluble CDX2 protein was obtained in E. coli strain BL21(DE3)RIL and a hexahistidine fusion system using Ni-NTA affinity column, anion exchange, and gel filtration chromatographies. The identity and secondary structure of the purified CDX2 protein were confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS, Western blot, and a circular dichroism analyses. In addition, we studied the DNA-binding activity of recombinant CDX2 by ELISA experiment and isolated human CDX2-binding proteins derived from rat cells by an immobilized GST-fusion method. Three CDX2-binding proteins were found in the gastric tissue, and those proteins were identified to the homeobox protein Hox-D8, LIM homeobox protein 6, and SMC1L1 protein.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.426-433
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• 2017

Ephrin-A5 has been implicated in the regulation of brain morphogenesis and axon pathfinding. In this study, we used bacterial homologous recombination to express a LacZ reporter in various ephrin-A5 BAC clones to identify elements that regulate ephrin-A5 gene expression during mesencephalon development. We found that there is mesencephalon-specific enhancer activity localized to a specific +25.0 kb to +30.5 kb genomic region in the first intron of ephrin-A5. Further comparative genomic analysis indicated that two evolutionary conserved regions, ECR1 and ECR2, were present within this 5.5 kb region. Deletion of ECR1 from the enhancer resulted in disrupted mesencephalon-specific enhancer activity in transgenic embryos. We also found a consensus binding site for basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) in a highly conserved region at the 3'-end of ECR1. We further demonstrated that specific deletion of the bHLH TF binding site abrogated the mesencephalon-specific enhancer activity in transgenic embryos. Finally, both electrophoretic mobility shift assay and luciferase-based transactivation assay revealed that the transcription factor Ascl1 bound the bHLH consensus binding site in the mesencephalon-specific ephrin-A5 enhancer in vitro. Together, these results suggest that the bHLH TF binding site in ECR1 is involved in the positive regulation of ephrin-A5 gene expression during the development of the mesencephalon.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.63-66
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• 2015

Background: Preauricular sinuses represent a common congenital abnormality in children. Classically, a preauricular sinus manifests as a small opening, usually near the anterior limb of ascending helix. The difficulty in the surgical treatment of preauricular sinus is the high recurrence rate. The aim of this article is to review the outcomes of preauricular sinus and to introduce our surgical technique and its prognosis. Methods: A single-institutional retrospective review was performed for all patients who had undergone excision of congenital periauricular sinus between October 2007 and April 2014. Medical records were reviewed for demographic information, wound complication, and recurrence rate. The sinus tract was visualized with the aid of preoperative dye instillation and intraoperative probe insertion. The skin next to the sinus opening was incised elliptically, and the tract itself was dissected medially to the end of the sinus tract and posteriorly to the cartilage of the ascending helix. Results: The review identified 44 patients for a total of 57 preauricular sinus tracts. The mean age at time of operation was 16.3 years with a range from 9 months to 65 years. Unilateral preauricular sinus tract was present in 31 patients (11 right and 20 left preauricular tract), and 13 patients had bilateral sinus tract. None of the patients had experienced wound issues postoperative, and there were no recurrent sinus tract formation or infection. Conclusion: Using a combination of dye instillation, probe insertion, and modified dissection, we were able to achieve a recurrence free series of preauricular sinus tract excision among a heterogenous group of patients. A large patient series is necessary to replicate the results of this study.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2014

Various prediction methods for the bearing capacity of helical piles have been introduced with consideration of both the steel shaft and the helix plates attached to the shaft. In this paper, three representative methods, that is, individual bearing method, cylindrical shear method, and torque correlation method are discussed and compared to each other. The prediction methods were verified by comparing with a series of loading test results performed on moderate-size helical piles from the companion paper. As a result, the measured bearing capacity is greater than the bearing capacity predicted by the cylindrical shear method, but smaller than that of the individual bearing method. In addition, the bearing capacity predicted by the torque correlation method is in good agreement with the measured bearing capacity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.92-99
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• 2021

An automatic transmission, which consists of several decks of planetary gear sets, provides multiple speed and torque ratios by actuating brakes and clutches (mechanical friction components) for connecting central members of the planetary gear sets. The gear set consists of the sun gear, the ring gear, and the carrier supporting multiple planet gears with pin shafts. In designing a new automatic transmission, there are many steps to design and analyze: gears, brakes and clutches, shafts, and other mechanical components. Among them, selecting thrust bearings that not only allow the relative rotation of the central members and other mechanical components but also support axial forces coming from them is important; doing so yields superior driving performance and better fuel efficiency. In selecting thrust bearings, the magnitude of axial forces on them is a critical factor that affects their bearing size and performance; its results are systematically related to the direction of the helical angle of each planetary gear set (a geometric design profile). This research presents the effects of the helical angle direction on the axial forces acting on thrust bearings in an automatic transmission consisting of planetary gear sets. A model transmission was built by analyzing kinematics and power flows and by designing planetary gear sets. The results of the axial forces on thrust bearings were analyzed for all combinations of helix angle directions of the planetary gear sets.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.52.1-52.11
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• 2020

Background: Intradural-intramedullary intervertebral disc extrusion (IIVDE) is a rare condition of intervertebral disc disease. However, the diagnosis of IIVDE is challenging because the prognosis and imaging characteristics are poorly characterized. Objectives: We aimed to describe the clinical and imaging characteristics of tentatively diagnosed IIVDE in dogs to assess the prognostic utility of neurological grade and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Methods: Twenty dogs were included in this retrospective cohort study. Results: Nonchondrodystrophic breeds (n = 16) were more predisposed than chondrodystrophic breeds. Most dogs showed acute onset of clinical signs. Neurological examination at admission showed predominant non-ambulatory paraparesis (n = 9); paresis (n = 16) was confirmed more frequently than paralysis (n = 4). Follow-up neurological examination results were only available for 11 dogs, ten of whom showed neurological improvement and 8 showed successful outcomes at 1 month. The characteristic MRI findings include thoracic vertebra (T)2 hyperintense, T1 hypointense, intramedullary linear tracts with reduced disc volume, and cleft of the annulus fibrosus. None of the MRI measurements were significantly correlated with neurological grade at admission. Neurological grade did not differ according to the presence of parenchymal hemorrhage, parenchymal contrast enhancement, and meningeal contrast enhancement. Neurological grades at admission showed a statistical correlation with those observed at the 1-month follow-up (r = 0.814, p = 0.02). Conclusions: IIVDE is a rare form of disc extrusion commonly experienced after physical activity or trauma and most frequently affects the cranial-cervical and thoracolumbar regions of nonchondrodystrophic dog breeds. Neurological score at admission emerged as a more useful prognostic indicator than MRI findings in dogs with suspected IIVDE.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2004

On 27 June 2004, some one million voters went to the polls in Mongolia to elect 76 members of the Great State Hural, Mongolia's parliament. It was the fourth election held in Mongolia under the 1992 constitution. In the previous election, the former communist MPRP won a landslide, ousting the government of former democracy activists. Under the MPRP, Mongolia's economy performed extraordinary well. Surprisingly, the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) lost its two-thirds majority and half its parliamentarians in the 2004 election. But the Motherland Democracy Coalition (MDC), a coalition of Mongolia's most influential opposition parties, fell short of achieving a majority of its own. After the election, a grand coalition government was formed, paving the way for profound legal, social, and economic reforms.

• World Technopolis Review
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.78-88
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• 2014

This study is concerned with the process of technology transfer and commercialization. It is focused on the entrepreneurial development through the university business incubation process of Thailand. The study analyzes the leading university business incubators (UBIs) as well as major science and technology incubators to understand the strategies for commercialization of technology. The analyses of results, based on the Triple Helix model, have shown that the incubation program is one of the major policy mechanisms to support innovation and suggested that UBIs should act as an intermediary between the spheres of university and industry to provide interactive linkages and promote effective utilization of university research. The empirical study provides theoretical and managerial implications on the government policies to support the entrepreneurial development, innovation development and diffusion.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.60-66
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• 1982

In relation to denaturation of proteins, thermally induced conformational change of poly(D-glutamic acid) was studied in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) at low pH, where poly(D-glutamic acid) undergoes a helix-to-${\beta}$ transition without any other polymer. In a dilute solution, poly(vinyl alcohol) enhanced the ${\alpah}-to-{\beta}_1$ transition of poly(D-glutamic acid) due to intermolecular interaction between the two polymers. On the other hand, this conformational change was interrupted to a large extent in a concentrated solution, due to the interpenetration of poly(vinyl alcohol) chain into poly(D-glutamic acid) chain which prevented the intramolecular association of poly(D-glutamic acid) chain. A conformational change from ${\beta}_1\;to\;{\beta}_2$ of poly(D-glutamic acid) was observed for the films obtained by casting during annealing the mixture solutions. The ${\beta}_2$ content in the cast film increased with increasing poly(vinyl alcohol) content in the mixture.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.59-62
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• 2003

The precision cold forging of helical gear for steering pinion has been studied. Because of the large helix angle, there are many difficult problems to control the material flow and part dimension. The die shape was proposed to improve the flow of workpiece. In order to improve the dimensional accuracy of forged part, a FE analysis was performed. The proposed die shape drives to flow amicably workpiece. The applied load was reduced up to 10 percent, compared to the conventional-shaped-die. The elastic deformation of die has been investigated quantitatively by the 3-dimensional FE analysis. The die-land has been expanded up to $10{\mu}m$ on loading stage, based on the FEM results. Therefore, the elastic deformation amounts should be taken into consideration to improve the dimensional accuracy of forged helical gear.