• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.427-434
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• 2003

In this paper, we present a speech-based Environmental Control System(ECS) and its application. In the concrete, an ECS using the speech recognition and an portable wheelchair lift control system with the speech synthesis are developed through the simulation and the embodiment. The developed system apply to quadriplegic man and we evaluate the result of physical effect and of mental effect. Speech recognition system is constructed by real time modules using HMM model. For the clinical application of the device, we investigate the result applied to 54-years old quadriplegic man during a week through the questionnaires of Beck Depression Inventory and of Activity Pattern Indicator. Also the motor drive control system of potable wheelchair lift is implemented and the mechanical durability is tested by structural analysis. Speech recognition rate results in over 95% through the experiment. The result of the questionnaires shows higher satisfaction and lower nursing loads. In addition, the depression tendency of the subject were decreased. The potable wheelchair lift shows good fatigue life-cycle as the material supporting the upper wheelchair and shows the centroid mobility of safety. In this paper we present an example of ECS which consists of real-time speech recognition system and potable wheelchair lift. Also the experiments shows needs of the ECS for korean environments. This study will be the base of a commercial use.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 1999

Chlorinated aromatic compounds are one of the largest groups of environmental pollutants as a result of world-wide distribution by using them as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, solvents, hydraulic and heat transfer fluids, plasticizers, and intermediates for chemical synthesis. Because of their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation, the compounds contaminated ubiquitously in the biosphere has attracted public concerns in terms of serious influences to wild lives and a human being, such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and disturbance in endocrine systems. The biological recalcitrance of the compounds is caused by the number, type, and position of the chlorine substituents as well as by their aromatic structures. In general, the carbon-halogen bonds increase the recalcitrance by increasing electronegativity of the substituent, so that the dechlorination of the compounds is focused as an important mechanism for biodegradation of chlorinated aromatics, along with the cleavage of aromatic rings. The removal of the chlorine substituents has been known as a key step for degradation of chlorinated aromatic compounds under aerobic condition. This can occur as an initial step via oxygenolytic, reductive, and hydrolytic mechanisms. The studies on the biochemistry and genetics about microbial dechlorination give us the potential informations for microbial degradation of xenobiotics contaminated in natural microcosms. Such investigations might provide biotechnological approaches to solve the environmental contamination, such as designing effective bioremediation systems using genetically engineered microorganisms.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 2020

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and sword bean (Canavalia gladiata, SB) reportedly possesses various biological activities. Therefore, in this study, to reduce caffeine intake and improve coffee function, SB was selected as a supplementary material for blending coffee. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of coffee with the SB extract at concentrations of 0.1-0.5% (v/v) were evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and RAW 264.7 cells, respectively. The DPPH radical-scavenging activity of SB-treated coffee depended on the concentration of the SB extract. In the cell culture experiment, cytotoxicity was not observed at any SB concentration. In addition, the inducible nitric oxide synthesis protein expression as well as the increases in nitric oxide and interleukin-6 expression were effectively inhibited by SB addition to the coffee. These results indicate that SB might be useful as a supplementary ingredient to enhance the caffeinated drink functions.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.1046-1051
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• 2011

Diallyl disulfide (DADS), the most prevalent oil-soluble organosulfur compound in garlic, is known to have diverse biological activities, including anticarcinogenic, antiatherosclerotic, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant actions. In this study, we investigated the effect of DADS on the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in human liver hepatoma cell line HepG2. Treatment of HepG2 cells by DADS evoked a dose-dependent growth inhibition without significant toxicity to the cells, and also induced the expression of transcription factor Nrf2. However, DADS did not have any enhancing effect on transcription and translation of HO-1 expression in HepG2 cells. In addition, DADS efficiently blocked protein synthesis of HO-1 in HepG2 cells stimulated by CoPP or hemin. But, DADS did not decrease the content of transcripts of HO-1 gene stimulated by CoPP, with accumulation of Nrf2 and small Maf in the nucleus. Based on these results, we conclude that DADS inhibits HO-1 expression by modulation of translational level of CoPP or hemin-induced HO-1 expression in HepG2 cells.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2020

Avian influenza (AI) viruses are highly contagious viruses that infect many bird species and are zoonotic. Ducks are resistant to the deadly and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) and remain asymptomatic to the low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV). In this study, we identified common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after a reanalysis of previous transcriptomic data for the HPAIV and LPAIV infected duck lung cells. Microarray datasets from a previous study were reanalyzed to identify common target genes from DEGs and their biological functions. A total of 731 and 439 DEGs were identified in HPAIV- and LPAIV-infected duck lung cells, respectively. Of these, 227 genes were common to cells infected with both viruses, in which 193 genes were upregulated and 34 genes were downregulated. Functional annotation of common DEGs revealed that translation related gene ontology (GO) terms were enriched, including ribosome, protein metabolism, and gene expression. REACTOME analyses also identified pathways for protein and RNA metabolism as well as for tissue repair, including collagen biosynthesis and modification, suggesting that AIVs may evade the host defense system by suppressing host translation machinery or may be suppressed before being exported to the cytosol for translation. AIV infection also increased collagen synthesis, showing that tissue lesions by virus infection may be mediated by this pathway. Further studies should focus on these genes to clarify their roles in AIV pathogenesis and their possible use in AIV therapeutics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1571-1586
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• 2012

On earth, there are about 5,400 kinds of mammals, of which about 1,000 kinds are herbivores. Among herbivores, about 250 kinds are known to be ruminants. As for cattle and sheep, which are ruminants, fermentation takes places mainly in their rumen; in contrast, for pigs and men, which are non-ruminants, fermentation takes place mainly in their caecum, colon, and rectum. As for the kind and dominance of rumen microorganisms, Bacteroidetes account for 51% and Firmicutes for 43%. As for the dominance of the large intestine microorganisms in men, Firmicutes account for 65% and Bacteroidetes for 25%. Cell wall components are decomposed by microorganisms, and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are generated through fermentation; the ratio of acetate, propionate, and butyrate generate is 60:25:15. Butyrate absorbed through the primary butyrate transporter MCT1 (mono carboxylate transports-1) in the intestines activates such SCFA receptors as GPR43 and GPR41. Butyrate has a strong anti-tumorigenic function. Butyrate is characterized by the fact that it has an effect on many cancer cells, contributes to the coordination of functions in the cells, and induces cancer apoptosis. Butyrate activates caspase but inhibits the activity of HDAC (histone deacetylase), so as to induce apoptosis. In addition, it increases p53 expression, so as to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Anti-inflammation actions of SCFA include the reduction of IL-8 expression in intestinal epithelial cells, the inhibition of NO synthesis, and the restraint of the activity of NF-${\kappa}B$ (nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$), so as to suppress the occurrence of cancers caused by inflammation. Butyrate plays an important role in maintaining physiological functions of intestinal mucous membranes and is used as a cure for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.910-914
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• 2014

For the identification of the Jeju black cattle, Hanwoo and imported beef, we performed a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) associated with microsatellite (MS) and melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene. The MC1R gene plays an important role in regulation of the melanin synthesis within mammalian melanocytes. MC1R encoded by extension (E) locus was almost fixed with recessive red e allele in the Hanwoo. We estimated that the specific genotypes ($E^+/E^+$, $E^+/e$) of MC1R gene were characteristic genotypes of Jeju black cattle. But the PCR products resulted from using the MC1R gene derived primers only are not sufficient to identify Jeju black cattle from other relatives. We performed two times of successive multiplex PCR to provide a more accurate result for the identification of Jeju black cattle. The results suggest that two types of successive multiplex PCR methods using MC1R gene and Microsatellite derived primer set will be more useful to identification of Jeju black cattle, Hanwoo and imported beef.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1233-1243
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• 2018

Sterol regulatory-element binding proteins (SREBPs) are a family of transcription factors that regulate lipid homeostasis and metabolism by controlling the expression of enzymes required for endogenous cholesterol, fatty acid (FA), triacylglycerol, and phospholipid synthesis. The three SREBPs are encoded by two different genes. The SREBP1 gene gives rise to SREBP-1a and SREBP-1c, which are derived from utilization of alternate promoters that yield transcripts in which distinct first exons are spliced to a common second exon. SREBP-2 is derived from a separate gene. Additionally, SREBPs are implicated in numerous pathogenic processes, such as endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis. They also contribute to obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases. Genome-wide analyses have revealed that these versatile transcription factors act as important nodes of biological signaling networks. Changes in cell metabolism and growth are reciprocally linked through SREBPs. Anabolic and growth signaling pathways branch off and connect to multiple steps of SREBP activation and form complex regulatory networks. SREBPs are activated through the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway in these processes, but the molecular mechanism remains to be understood. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of SREBPs in physiology and pathophysiology at the cell, organ, and organism levels.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.195-199
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• 1998

AH alkalophilic Bacillus SP. AIk-7, isolated from soil, produced ethylene. The characteristics of this microorganism is the ability to grow well under the alkaline condition, at pH 10.3. This strain is similar to Bacillus alkalophilus in terms of morphological, physiological and biological characteristics. In observation of relationship of cell growth and ethylene production according to incubation times, the ethylene synthesis mostly occur from the late exponential phase to the death phase of growth. The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of various substrates on the biosynthesis of ethylene in the intact cell and the cell-free system by the Bacillus sp. AIk-7. In both intact cell and cell-free extract, optimum conditions for ethylene production was achieved at pH 10.3 and 3$0^{\circ}C$. Ethylene was effectively produced from L-Met and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). In this case, ACC as the substrate on ethylene production were two fold higher than L-met at each concentration of substrates. On the other hand, the cell-free ethylene-forming system was used as a tool for the elucidation of the biochemical reaction involved in the formation of ethylene by Bacillus sp. AIk-7. Ethylene production in the cell-free system required the presence of manganese and cobalt ion to be stimulated a little. The result obtained in this work suggests that L-met and ACC may be a precursor more directly related to bacterial ethylene production than any other substrates tested.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.397-402
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• 2009

The Portulaca oleracea (P. oleracea) is a popular herbal medicine in East Asia that was known to possess detoxification, antifebrile and antifungal effects. In the present study, we examined the biological activities of ethanol extracts of P. oleracea under various conditions with NIH3T3, B16F10, and MCF-7 cell line model systems. Extracts of P. oleracea (0.5 mg/ml) showed inhibition of expression of tyrosinase, but does not suppress either of TYRP-1 or DCT expression on B16F10 cells. Extracts of P. oleracea (2 mg/ml) showed anti-inflammatory effects on TNF-$\alpha$-stimulated NIH3T3/$NF{\kappa}B$-Luc cells and increase of the synthesis of collagen on NIH3T3 (wild type) cells. These results suggest that extracts of P. oleracea could be used as a functional biomaterial in developing a skin whitening agent and having the anti-inflammatory, anti-wrinkle, and anti-aging activities.