• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2009

This study examined the association of cytokine gene polymorph isms with intrahepatic bile duct wall fibrosis in human clonorchiasis. A total of 240 residents in Heilongjiang, China underwent ultrasonography, blood sampling, and stool examination. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites for $IFN-{\gamma}$ (+874 T/A), IL-10 (-1,082 G/A, -819 C/T, -592 C/A), $TNF-{\alpha}$ (-308 G/A), and $TGF-{\beta}1$ (codon 10 T/C, codon 25 G/C) genes were observed with the TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. No significant correlation was observed between individual cytokine gene polymorphisms and intrahepatic duct dilatation (IHDD). Among individuals with clonorchiasis of moderate intensity, the incidence of IHDD was high in those with $IFN-{\gamma}$ intermediate-producing genotype, +874AT (80.0%, P=0.177), and in those with $TNF-{\alpha}$ low-producing genotype, -308GG (63.0%, P=0.148). According to the combination of $IFN-{\gamma}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$ genotypes, the risks for IHDD could be stratified into high (intermediate-producing $IFN-{\gamma}$ and low producing $TNF-{\alpha}$), moderate, and low (low-producing $IFN-{\gamma}$ and high producing $TNF-{\alpha}$) risk groups. The incidence of IHDD was significantly different among these groups (P=0.022): 88.9% (odds ratio, OR=24.0) in high, 56.5% (OR=3.9) in moderate, and 25.0% (OR=1) in low risk groups. SNP of $IFN-{\gamma}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$ genes may contribute to the modulation of fibrosis in the intrahepatic bile duct wall in clonorchiasis patients.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.297-303
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• 2019

Corticosteroids are commonly used for pain control in rotator cuff tear. Deregulated $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation is a hallmark of chronic inflammatory diseases and has been responsible for the pathogenesis of rotator cuff tear. The Dexamethasone(DEXA) is a synthetic corticosteroid. The purpose of this study was to examine the exact effect of dexamethasone on $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling in rotator cuff tear. We measured $NF-{\kappa}B$ expression in four groups: control, $TNF-{\alpha}$-treated, DEXA-treated, and combined treatment with $TNF-{\alpha}$ and DEXA. Tenocytes were isolated from patients with rotator cuff tears and pre-incubated with $TNF-{\alpha}$ (10 ng/ml), DEXA ($1{\mu}M$), or both of them for 10 min, 1 h, and 2 h. Expression of p65, p50, and p52 in the nuclei and cytosol was analyzed by western blotting and immunofluorescence imaging using confocal microscopy. We also evaluated nucleus/cytosol (N/C) ratios of p65, p50, and p52. In our study, the combined treatment with DEXA and $TNF-{\alpha}$ showed increased N/C ratios of p65, p50, and p52 compared with those in the $TNF-{\alpha}$ group at all time points. Additionally, in the DEXA group, N/C ratios of p65, p50, and p52 gradually increased from 10 min to 2 h. In conclusion, DEXA promoted the nuclear localization of p65, p50, and p52, but was not effective in inhibiting the inflammatory response of $TNF-{\alpha}$-stimulated rotator cuff tear.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2012

The aim of this study is to compare measurements of abdominal muscle thickness using ultrasonography imaging (USI) to those using a special transducer head device, during five different trunk stabilization exercises, ultimately to determine which exercise led to the greatest muscle thickness. Thirty eight healthy subjects participated in this cross-sectional study. The five types of trunk stabilization - i.e., a sit-up on the supine, an upper and lower extremity raise with quadruped on the prone, a leg raise in sitting on the ball, trunk rolling on the ball, and balance using sling on the prone position - were each performed with an abdominal draw. The thickness of the abdominal muscle - including the transverse abdominal (TrA), internal oblique (IO), and external oblique (EO) - was measured by USI with a special transducer head device, at rest and then at contraction in each position. Data were analyzed using one-way repeated ANOVA with the level of significance set at ${\alpha}$=.05. The results were as follows: 1) the TrA thickness was statistically significant (p<.05), whereas the IO and EO thicknesses were not (p>.05); 2) among the five types of trunk stabilization, TrA thickness significantly increased with the balance using a sling in the prone position, (p<.05), whereas no significant difference was noted for the four types of trunk stabilization (p>.05); 3) reliability data showed that there was a high degree of consistency among the measurements taken using the special transducer head device (ICC=.92). In conclusion, the balance using a sling in the prone position was more effective than any of the four other types of trunk stabilization in increasing TrA thickness in healthy subjects.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.25-25
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• 2010

With the aim of resolving important physical problems in the chromosphere of the Sun, we developed the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph for several years, and at last successfully installed it in the Coude room of the 1.6 meter New Solar Telescope at Big Bear in 2010 May. The instrument is an Echelle spectrograph with imaging capability based on slit scan, and can record two spectral bands (e.g., H alpha band and Ca II 8542 band) simultaneously. The early runs of the instrument produced data of high quality that are suited for the study of quiet Sun, filaments on the disk, prominences outside the limb, active regions and sunspots. We are ready to do good solar sciences using our own instrument, and will be able to do best sciences with the coming improvement of spatial resolution.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.97.2-97.2
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• 2012

The main payload of Science and Technology Satellite 3 (STSAT-3), Multipurpose InfraRed Imaging System (MIRIS) is the first Korean infrared space mission to explore the near-infrared sky with a small astronomical instrument developed by KASI. The 8-cm passively cooled telescope with a wide field of view (3.67 deg. ${\times}$ 3.67 deg.) will be operated in the wavelength range from 0.9 to $2{\mu}m$. It will carry out wide-band imaging and the Paschen-${\alpha}$ emission line survey. After the calibration of MIRIS in our laboratory, MIRIS has been delivered to SaTReC and successfully assembled into the STSAT-3. The main purposes of MIRIS are to perform the observation of Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) at two wide spectral bands (I and H band) and to survey the Galactic plane at $1.88{\mu}m$ wavelength, the Paschen-${\alpha}$ emission line. CIB observation enables us to reveal the nature of degree-scale CIB fluctuation detected by the IRTS (Infrared Telescope in Space) mission and to measure the absolute CIB level. The MIRIS will continuously monitor the seasonal variation of the zodiacal light towards the both north and south ecliptic poles for the purpose of calibration as well as the effective removal of zodiacal light. The Pashen-${\alpha}$ emission line survey of Galactic plane helps us to understand the origin of Warm Ionized Medium (WIM) and to find the physical properties of interstellar turbulence related to star formation. Here, we also discuss the observation plan with MIRIS.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.1262-1266
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated the use of liquid crystals to selectively detect the activity of enzymes at interfaces decorated with oligopeptide-based membranes. We prepared a mixed monolayer of tetra(ethylene glycol)-terminated lipids and carboxylic acid-terminated lipids at the aqueous-liquid crystal (LC) interface. The 17 amino-acid oligopeptide SNFKTIYDEANQFATYK was then immobilized onto this mixed monolayer through N-hydroxysuccinimide-activation of the carboxylic acid groups. We examined the orientational behavior of nematic 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) after conjugation of the 17 amino-acid oligopeptide with the mixed monolayer assembled at the interface. Immobilization of the oligopeptide caused orientational transitions in 5CB, with a change from homeotropic (perpendicular) to tilted alignment, which was primarily due to the reorganization of the monolayer. The orientation of the 5CB molecules returned to its homeotropic state after contacting the interface containing ${\alpha}$-chymotrypsin, which can cleave the immobilized oligopeptide. Control experiments confirmed that the enzymatic activity of ${\alpha}$-chymotrypsin triggered the ordering transitions in the LC. These results suggest that the LC can provide a facile method for selective detection of enzymatic activity.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.90.2-90.2
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• 2013

Filament eruptions are one of the energetic phenomena on the solar surface with flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). We observed the whole process of filament eruption that occurred in AR 11305 in association with a C5.6 flare on 2011 September 29th using the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph (FISS) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The eruption consists of a slow phase with a transverse speed of ~10 km $s^{-1}$ in 16 minutes and a fast phase with a transverse speed of ~200 km $s^{-1}$ in 3 minutes. Near the beginning of slow phase eruption, preflare brightening occurred beneath the filament in $H{\alpha}$ and some EUV images. The preflare brightening region is associated with a blue-shifted $H{\alpha}$ feature with a speed of ~60 km $s^{-1}$. It appears that this is the outflow from magnetic reconnection which may have occurred at relatively low atmosphere. Our result support the notion that the preflare brightening is a process of magnetic reconnection playing an important role in triggering the filament eruption by deformative the magnetic field lines under the eruptive filament.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.75.1-75.1
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• 2017

Ram pressure due to the intracluster medium (ICM) is known to play a crucial role in removing the cool gas content of a galaxy on a short timescale, potentially driving a star forming galaxy to evolve into a red passive population. Although many HI imaging studies find clear evidence of diffuse atomic gas stripping from cluster galaxies, it is still debatable whether the ram pressure can also strip dense molecular gas. NGC 4522, a Virgo spiral, undergoing strong ram pressure stripping, is one of the few cases where extraplanar CO emission together with stripped HI gas and $H{\alpha}$ knots has been identified, providing an ideal laboratory to study the molecular gas stripping event and the extraplanar star formation activity. The aim of this work is to investigate the origin of extraplanar molecular clouds near NGC 4522 (e.g. stripped or forming in situ), and to probe a relation between the molecular gas surface density and the star formation rate (i.e. the Kennicutt-Schmidt law) at sub-kpc scale, especially in the extraplanar space, using ALMA Cycle 3 CO data and $H{\alpha}$ data of NGC 4522. We present the results from our ALMA observations, and discuss possible scenarios for the origin of extraplanar molecular clouds and to characterize the star formation activity associated with stripped gas outside the galactic disk.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.483-493
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• 1995

The microstructural changes during semi-solid state processing of hypereutectic Al-Si alloy has been investigated in the present study. Stirring of semi-solid slurry results in the morphological changes of the primary Si particles, i.e. from angular rod shape to near-spherical shape. Besides the spherodization of primary Si particles, the average particle size increases, especially, at much higher rate in the final stage than that in the early stage of stirring. Various microstructure characterization techniques, such as anisotropic etching, SEM imaging and ECP analysis, reveal that the spherodization of primary Si particles occurs by the combinations of the mechanisms of coalescence, fracture, and wear of the individual particles. Isothermal shearing of hypereutectic Al-Si at $580^{\circ}C$ shows that spherical ${\alpha}-Al$ particles are formed by the dissociation of Al-Si eutectic structure at the early stage of isothermal shearing. The spherical ${\alpha}-Al$ particles gradually grow by the mechanisms of Ostwald ripening and coalescence of the particles.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.53-53
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• 2013

We present preliminary results of far-infrared(FIR) study of the supernova remnant(SNR)s in the Large Magellanic Cloud using the Herschel HERITAGE (HERschel Inventory of The Agents of Galaxy Evolution) data set. HERITAGE provides FIR data covering the entire LMC at 100,160, 250, 350, and 500 um. In order to confirm FIR emission associated with SNRs, we refer to Magellanic Cloud Emission-Line Survey (MCELS) H-alpha & SII data, Spitzer surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution (SAGE) Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) 24um & 70um data, Chandra Supernova Remnants Catalog, and ATCA 4.8GHz continuum images of Dickel et al. (2005). Among 47 SNRs in the LMC, 7 SNRs show associated FIR emission. We present multi-wavelength view of 5 SNRs; DEM L249, N49, N63A, N132D, and the SNR in N4. N49 and N132D show morphological correlation in FIR and X-ray, suggesting that the FIR emission is from dust grains collisionally heated by X-ray emitting plasma. The FIR emission of N63A resembles H-alpha emission, which implies that the FIR line radiation could be dominant. The FIR images of the rest two objects, DEM L249 and SNR in N4, show no correlation to the other-waveband images.