• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.925-935
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• 2014

A cold-adapted carbohydrate esterase, CEST, belonging to the carbohydrate esterase family 6, was cloned from Microbulbifer thermotolerans DAU221. CEST was composed of 307 amino acids with the first 22 serving as a secretion signal peptide. The calculated molecular mass and isoelectric point of the mature enzyme were 31,244 Da and pH 5.89, respectively. The catalytic triad consisted of residues Ser37, Glu192, and His281 in the conserved regions: GQSNMXG, QGEX(D/N), and DXXH. The three-dimensional structure of CEST revealed that CEST belongs to the ${\alpha}/{\beta}$-class of protein consisted of a central six-stranded ${\beta}$-sheet flanked by eight ${\alpha}$-helices. The recombinant CEST was purified by His-tag affinity chromatography and the characterization showed its optimal temperature and pH were $15^{\circ}C$ and 8.0, respectively. Specifically, CEST maintained up to 70% of its enzyme activity when preincubated at $50^{\circ}C$ or $60^{\circ}C$ for 6 h, and 89% of its enzyme activity when preincubated at $70^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. The results suggest CEST belongs to group 3 of the cold-adapted enzymes. The enzyme activity was increased by $Na^+$ and $Mg^{2+}$ ions but was strongly inhibited by $Cu^+$ and $Hg^{2+}$ ions, at all ion concentrations. Using p-nitrophenyl acetate as a substrate, the enzyme had a $K_m$ of 0.278 mM and a $k_{cat}$ of $1.9s^{-1}$. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that the catalytic triad (Ser37, Glu192, and His281) and Asp278 were essential for the enzyme activity.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2006

Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP), also known as histamine releasing factor (HRF), is found abundantly in different eukaryotic cell types. The sequence homology of TCTP between different species is very high, belonging to the MSS4/DSS4 superfamily of proteins. TCTP is involved in both cell growth and human late allergy reaction, as well as having a calcium binding property; however, its primary biological functions remain to be clearly elucidated. In regard to many possible functions, the TCTP of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) is known to bind with an antimalarial agent, artemisinin, which is activated by heme. It is assumed that the endoperoxide-bridge of artemisinin is opened up by heme to form a free radical, which then eventually alkylates, probably to the Cys14 of PfTCTP. Study of the docking of artemisinin with heme, and subsequently with PfTCTP, was carried out to verify the above hypothesis on the basis of structural interactions. The three dimensional (3D) structure of PfTCTP was built by homology modeling, using the NMR structure of the TCTP of Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a template. The quality of the model was examined based on its secondary structure and biological function, as well as with the use of structure evaluating programs. The interactions between artemisinin, heme and PfTCTP were then studied using the docking program, FlexiDock. The center of the peroxide bond of artemisinin and the Fe of heme were docked within a short distance of $2.6{\AA}$, implying the strong possibility of an interaction between the two molecules, as proposed. When the activated form of artemisinin was docked on the PfTCTP, the C4-radical of the drug faced towards the sulfur of Cys14 within a distance of $2.48{\AA}$, again suggesting the possibility of alkylation having occurred. These results confirm the proposed mechanism of the antimalarial effect of artemisinin, which will provide a reliable method for establishing the mechanism of its biological activity using a molecular modeling study.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.179-185
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• 2010

Purpose : Cortical bone thickness is one of the important factor in mini-implant stability. This study was performed to investigate the buccal cortical bone thickness at every interdental area as an aid in planning mini-implant placement. Materials and Methods : Two-dimensional slices at every interdental area were selected from the cone-beam computed tomography scans of 20 patients in third decade. Buccal cortical bone thickness was measured at 2, 4, and 6 mm levels from the alveolar crest in the interdental bones of posterior regions of both jaws using the plot profile function of $Ez3D2009^{TM}$ (Vatech, Yongin, Korea). The results were analyzed using by Mann-Whitney test. Results : Buccal cortical bone was thicker in the mandible than in the maxilla. The thickness increased with further distance from the alveolar crest in the maxilla and with coming from the posterior to anterior region in the mandible (p<0.01). The maximum CT value showed an increasing tendency with further distance from the alveolar crest and with coming from posterior to anterior region in both jaws. Conclusion : Interdental buccal cortical bone thickness varied in both jaws, however our study showed a distinct tendency. We expect that these results could be helpful for the selection and preparation of mini-implant sites.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1355-1360
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• 2014

In this paper, we apply the learning of the mobile robot insect augmented reality Digilog Book. In the era of electronic, book written in paper space just have moved to virtual reality space. The virtual reality, constraints spatial and physical, in the real world, it is a technique that enables to experience indirectly situation not experienced directly as user immersive experience type interface. Applied to the learning robot Digilog Book that allows the fusion of paper analog and digital content, using the augmented reality technology, to experience various interactions. Apply critical elements moving, three-dimensional images and animation to enrich the learning, for easier block assembly, designed to grasp more easily rank order between the blocks. Anywhere at any time, is capable of learning of the robot in Digilog Book to be executed by the mobile phone in particular.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.427-440
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• 2001

The growing use of unprotected or partially protected steelwork in buildings has caused a lively debate regarding the safety of this form of construction. A good deal of recent research has indicated that steel members have a substantial inherent ability to resist fire so that additional fire protection can be either reduced or eliminated completely. A performance based philosophy also extends the study into the effect of structural continuity and the performance of the whole structural totality. As part of the structural system, thermal expansion during the heating phase or contraction during the cooling phase in most beams is likely to be restrained by adjacent parts of the whole system or sub-frame assembly due to compartmentation. This has not been properly addressed before. This paper describes an experimental programme in which unprotected steel beams were tested under load while it is restrained between two columns and additional horizontal restraints with particular concern on the effect of catenary action in the beams when subjected to large deflection at very high temperature. This paper also presents a three-dimensional mathematical modelling, based on the finite element method, of the series of fire tests on the part-frame. The complete analysis starts with an evaluation of temperature distribution in the structure at various time levels. It is followed by a detail 3-D finite element analysis on its structural response as a result of the changing temperature distribution. The principal part of the analysis makes use of an existing finite element package FEAST. The effect of columns being fire-protected and the beam being axially restrained has been modelled adequately in terms of their thermal and structural responses. The consequence of the beam being restrained is that the axial force in the restrained beam starts as a compression, which increases gradually up to a point when the material has deteriorated to such a level that the beam deflects excessively. The axial compression force drops rapidly and changes into a tension force leading to a catenary action, which slows down the beam deflection from running away. Design engineers will be benefited with the consideration of the catenary action.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.295-312
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• 2017

Cast in situ and grouted concrete helical piles with 150-200 mm diameter half cylindrical ribs have become an economical and effective choice in Shanghai, China for uplift piles in deep soft soils. Though this type of pile has been successful used in practice, the reinforcing mechanism and the contribution of the ribs to the total resistance is not clear, and there is no clear guideline for the design of such piles. To study the inclusion of ribs to the contribution of shear resistance, the shear behaviour between silty sand and concrete slabs with parallel ribs at different spacing and angles were tested in a large direct shear box ($600mm{\times}400mm{\times}200mm$). The front panels of the shear box are detachable to observe the soil deformation after the test. The tests were modelled with three-dimensional finite element method in ABAQUS. It was found that, passive zones can be developed ahead of the ribs to form undulated failure surfaces. The shear resistance and failure mode are affected by the ratio of rib spacing to rib diameter. Based on the shape and continuity of the failure zones at the interface, the failure modes at the interface can be classified as "punching", "local" or "general" shear failure respectively. With the inclusion of the ribs, the pull out resistance can increase up to 17%. The optimum rib spacing to rib diameter ratio was found to be around 7 based on the observed experimental results and the numerical modelling.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.31 no.6 s.261
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• pp.635-643
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• 2007

As many engineers and technicians are involved in the design process of large scale and/or complex products, there are a lot of miss matches and interferences due to designers' faults and several kinds of CAD systems. Recently, CAD systems are applied to verify and check the assembly process. Digital Mock-Up(DMU) system, a tool to build a virtual mock-up in the design stage, has been used to prevent the interferences and miss matches during precision design processes. Using the virtual assembly tool, engineers are able to design precision and interference free parts without physical mock-ups. Instead of a single CAD source, several CAD systems are used to design a complex product. Several organizations are involved in the distributed design environment for heterogeneous multi-CAD assembly. XML and the lightweight CAD file are proposed for the multi-CAD assembly. XML data contains hierarchy of the heterogenenous multi-CAD assembly. STEP PDM schema and STEP ISO 10303-28 formations are applied to construct the XML data. The lightweight CAD file produced from various CAD files through ACIS kernel and InterOp not only contains mesn, B-Rep and topological data, but also is used to visualize CAD data and to verify dimensions. Developed system is executed on the desktop computers. It does not require commercial CAD systems to visualize 3D assembly data. Real-time interference and fitness checks, dimensional verification, and design and assembly verification are performed on the developed system. Assembly of heterogeneous models for a car is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the developed DMU system on the Internet.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.246-258
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• 2016

The shield building of AP1000 was designed to protect the steel containment vessel of the nuclear reactor. Therefore, the safety and integrity must be ensured during the plant life in any conditions such as an earthquake. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of water in the water tank on the response of the AP1000 shield building when subjected to three-dimensional seismic ground acceleration. The smoothed particle hydrodynamics method (SPH) and finite element method (FEM) coupling method is used to numerically simulate the fluid and structure interaction (FSI) between water in the water tank and the AP1000 shield building. Then the grid convergence of FEM and SPH for the AP1000 shield building is analyzed. Next the modal analysis of the AP1000 shield building with various water levels (WLs) in the water tank is taken. Meanwhile, the pressure due to sloshing and oscillation of the water in the gravity drain water tank is studied. The influences of the height of water in the water tank on the time history of acceleration of the AP1000 shield building are discussed, as well as the distributions of amplification, acceleration, displacement, and stresses of the AP1000 shield building. Research on the relationship between the WLs in the water tank and the response spectrums of the structure are also taken. The results show that the high WL in the water tank can limit the vibration of the AP1000 shield building and can more efficiently dissipate the kinetic energy of the AP1000 shield building by fluid-structure interaction.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.59-75
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• 1999

Skin is continuously exposed to external stimuli including ultraviolet radiation, which is a major cause of skin photoaging. According to recent discoveries, UVA with a lower energy but deep-penetrating properties, compared to UVB, is likely to play a major part in causing skin photoaging. The clinical and histochemical changes of photoaging are well characterized, but the biochemical mechanisms are poorly understood partly due to the lack of suitable experimental systems. In this work, three-dimensional, reconstituted skin culture models were prepared. After certain period of maturation, the equivalent models were shown to be similar in structure and biochemical characteristics to normal skin. Mature dermal and skin equivalent models were exposed to sub-lethal doses of UVA, and the effects of UVA relevant to dermal photoaging were monitored, including the production of elastin, collagen, collagenase(MMP-1), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1). Interestingly, dermal and skin equivalents reacted differently to acute and chronic exposure to UVA. Elastin production was increased as soon as one week after commencing UVA irradiation by chronic exposure, although a single exposure failed to do so. This early response could be an important advantage of equivalent models in studying elastosis in photoaged skin. Collagenase activity was increased by acute UVA irradiation, but returned to control levels after repeated exposure. On the other hand, collagen biosynthesis, which was increased by a single exposure, decreased slightly during 5 weeks of prolonged UVA exposure. Collagenase has been thought to be responsible for collagen degeneration in dermal photoaging. However, according to the results obtained in this study, elevated collagenase activity is not likely to be responsible for the degeneration of collagen in dermal photoagig, while reduced production of collagen may be the main reason. It can be concluded that reconstituted skin culture models can serve as useful experimental tools for the study of skin photoaging. These culture models are relatively simple to construct, easy to handle, and are reproducible Moreover the changes of dermal photoaging can be observed within 1-4 weeks of exposure to ultraviolet light compared to 4 months to 2 years for human or animal studies. These models will be useful for biochemical and mechanistic studies in a large number of fields including dermatology, toxicology, and pharmacology.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.429-438
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• 2011

In order to simulate a free surface flow in a trench channel, a three-dimensional incompressible unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are closed with the ${\kappa}-{\epsilon}$ model. The artificial compressibility (AC) method is used. Because the pressure fields can be coupled directly with the velocity fields, the incompressible Navier-Stokes (INS) equations can be solved for the unknown variables such as velocity components and pressure. The governing equations are discretized in a conservation form using a second order accurate finite volume method on non-staggered grids. In order to prevent the oscillatory behavior of computed solutions known as odd-even decoupling, an artificial dissipation using the flux-difference splitting upwind scheme is applied. To enhance the efficiency and robustness of the numerical algorithm, the implicit method of the Beam and Warming method is employed. The treatment of the free surface, so-called interface-tracking method, is proposed using the free surface evolution equation and the kinematic free surface boundary conditions at the free surface instead of the dynamic free surface boundary condition. AC method in this paper can be applied only to the hydrodynamic pressure using the decomposition into hydrostatic pressure and hydrodynamic pressure components. In this study, the boundary-fitted grids are used and advanced each time the free surface moved. The accuracy of our RANS solver is compared with the laboratory experimental and numerical data for a fully turbulent shallow-water trench flow. The algorithm yields practically identical velocity profiles that are in good overall agreement with the laboratory experimental measurement for the turbulent flow.