• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2003

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMPI) exhibits considerable sequence heterogeneity among EBV isolates. Seven distinct EBV strains have been defined based on sequence polymorphisms in the LMPI gene, which are designated China 1, China 2, China 3, Alaskan, Mediterranean, NC, and the B95-8 strains. In this study, we analyzed a 30-bp deletion and sequence variations in the carboxy-terminal region of the LMPl gene in 12 EBV isolates from spontaneous lym-phoblastoid cell lines derived from individuals with non-EBV associated cancers in Korea. Eleven of the 12 isolates showed a 30-bp deletion spanning LMPI amino acids 342 to 353, suggesting a high prevalence of the LMPI 30-bp deletion variant among EBV isolates in Korea. In addition, all 12 isolates had a 15-bp common deletion in the 33-bp repeat region and multiple base-pair changes relative to the prototype B95-8 EBV strain along with variations in the number of the 33-bp repeats. The bp changes at positions 168746, 168694, 168687, 168395, 168357, 168355, 168631, 168320, 168308, 168295, and 168225 were highly conserved among the isolates. Comparative analysis of sequence change patterns in the LMPI carboxy-terminal coding region identified nine 30-bp deletion variants as China 1, two deletion variants as a possible interstrain between the Alaskan and China 1 strains, and a single undeleted variant as a possible variant of the Alaskan strain. These results suggest the predominance of the China 1 EBV strain in the Korean population.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1908-1917
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• 2016

Wild strain L-6 was subjected to combined mutagenesis, including UV irradiation, atmospheric and room temperature plasma, and ion beam implantation, to increase the yield of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA). With application of a high-throughput screening method, mutant Gluconobacter oxydans I-2-239 with a DHA productivity of 103.5 g/l in flask-shake fermentation was finally obtained with the starting glycerol concentration of 120 g/l, which was 115.7% higher than the wild strain. The cultivation time also decreased from 54 h to 36 h. Compared with the wild strain, a dramatic increase in enzyme activity was observed for the mutant strain, although the increase in biomass was limited. DNA and amino acid sequence alignment revealed 11 nucleotide substitutions and 10 amino acid substitutions between the sldAB of strains L-6 and I-2-239. Simulation of the 3-D structure and prediction of active site residues and PQQ binding site residues suggested that these mutations were mainly related to PQQ binding, which was speculated to be favorable for the catalyzing capacity of glycerol dehydrogenase. RT-qPCR assay indicated that the transcription levels of sldA and sldB in the mutant strain were respectively 4.8-fold and 5.4-fold higher than that in the wild strain, suggesting another possible reason for the increased DHA productivity of the mutant strain.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2019

Strain-rate and temperature have significant effects on the one-dimensional (1D) compression behavior of soils. This paper focuses on the bonding degradation effect of soil structure on the time and temperature dependent behavior of soft structured clay. The strain-rate and temperature dependency of preconsolidation pressure are investigated in double logarithm plane and a thermal viscoplastic model considering the combined effect of strain-rate and temperature is developed to describe the mechanical behavior of unstructured clay. By incorporating the bonding degradation, the model is extended that can be suitable for structured clay. The extended model is used to simulate CRS (Constant Rate of Strain) tests conducted on structural Berthierville clay with different strain-rates and temperatures. The comparisons between predicted and experimental results show that the extended model can reasonably describe the effect of bonding degradation on the stain-rate and temperature dependent behavior of soft structural clay under 1D condition. Although the model is proposed for 1D analysis, it can be a good base for developing a more general 3D model.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1447-1452
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• 2012

Aim: To evaluate the differential diagnostic potential of lesion stiffness assessed by the sonoelastographic strain index ratio (SR) and elastographic color scoring system (UE) for breast lesions. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and forty two breast masses (158 benign and 184 malignant) from 325 consecutive patients (mean age 44.2 years; range 16-81)who had been scheduled for a sonographically guided core biopsy were examined proposed by Itoh et al, with scoring 1-3=benign and 4-5=malignant. Strain and area ratios of each lesion were calculated within the same machine. Histological diagnosis was used as the reference standard. The area under the curve (AUC) and cut-off point were obtained by receiver operating curve and the cross table Fischer Test was carried out for assessing diagnostic value. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, accuracy and false-discovery rates were compared. Results: The mean strain ratios for benign and malignant lesions were 1.87 and 7.9 respectively. (P<0.0001). When a cutoff point of 3.54 was used, SR had a sensitivity of 94.6%, a specificity 94.3%, a PPV of 95.1%, an NPV of 93.7% and an accuracy of 94.4%. The AUC values were 0.90 for the 5 point scoring system (UE) and 0.96 for the strain index ratio. The overall diagnostic performance was SR method was better (P<0.05). Conclusions: Strain ratio measurement could be another effective predictor in elastography imaging besides 5 the point scoring system for differential diagnosis of breast lesions.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.66.1-66.9
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• 2021

Background: Maedi/Visna virus (MVV) is a contagious viral pathogen that causes considerable economic losses to the sheep industry worldwide. Objectives: In China, MVV has been detected in several regions, but its molecular characteristics and genetic variations were not thoroughly investigated. Methods: Therefore, in this study, we conducted next-generation sequencing on an MVV strain obtained from northwest China to reveal its genetic evolution via phylogenetic analysis. Results: A MVV strain obtained from Inner Mongolia (NM) of China was identified. Sequence analysis indicated that its whole-genome length is 9193 bp. Homology comparison of nucleotides between the NM strain and reference strains showed that the sequence homology of gag and env were 77.1%-86.8% and 67.7%-75.5%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the NM strain was closely related to the reference strains isolated from America, which belong to the A2 type. Notably, there were 5 amino acid insertions in variable region 4 and a highly variable motif at the C-terminal of the surface glycoprotein (SU5). Conclusions: The present study is the first to show the whole-genome sequence of an MVV obtained from China. The detailed analyses provide essential information for understanding the genetic characteristics of MVV, and the results enrich the MVV library.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.183-186
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• 2022

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) ST was isolated from De'ang pickled tea in Yunnan Province, China. The genomes of strain ST were fully sequenced and analyzed using the PacBio RS II sequencing system. Our previous study has shown that L. plantarum ST is a potential probiotic strain. It had strong tolerance in the simulated artificial gastrointestinal tract, and in the antagonism tests, this strain showed strong antibacterial activity. Therefore, as a probiotic, it may be used in animal breeding. L. plantarum ST genome was composed of 1 circular chromosome and 7 plasmids. The length of the whole genome was 3320817 bp, and the annular chromosome size was 3058984 bp, guanine + cytosine (G ± C) content (%) was 44.76%, which contained 2945 protein-coding sequences (CDS). This study will contribute to a further comprehensive understanding of L. Plantarum ST at the genomic level and provide a theoretical basis for its future application in animal breeding.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1570-1578
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• 2016

Commercial application of laccase is often hampered by insufficient enzyme stocks, with very low yields obtained from natural sources. This study aimed to improve laccase production by mutation of a Coriolopsis gallica strain and to determine the biological properties of the mutant. The high-yield laccase strain C. gallica TCK was treated with N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and ultraviolet light. Among the mutants isolated, T906 was found to be a high-production strain of laccases. The mutant strain T906 was stabilized via dozens of passages, and the selected ones were further processed for optimization of metallic ion, inducers, and nutritional requirements, which resulted in the optimized liquid fermentation medium MF9. The incubation temperature and pH were optimized to be 30℃ and 4.5, respectively. The mutant strain T906 showed 3-times higher laccase activity than the original strain TCK under optimized conditions, and the maximum laccase production (303 U/ml) was accomplished after 13 days. The extracellular laccase isoenzyme 1 was purified and characterized from the two strains, respectively, and their cDNA sequence was determined. Of note, the laccase isoenzyme 1 transcription levels were overtly increased in T906 mycelia compared with values obtained for strain TCK. These findings provide a basis for C. gallica modification for the production of high laccase amounts.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2022

This paper discusses the effect of high temperatures (T_s) on the compressive strength and stress-strain curve of recycled fine aggregate concrete (RFAC), based on the experimental results. A total of 90 prisms (100 mm×100 mm×300 mm) were tested. The results show that the compressive strength and elastic modulus of RFAC specimens decreased significantly with increasing T values. As T increased, the strain corresponding to peak stress decreased first when T<200℃ and then increased afterwards. With increasing T values, the stress-strain curves became flat gradually, the peak stress dropped gradually, and ε_p decreased when T<200℃ and increased in the T range of 400-800℃. A stress-strain relations for RFAC exposed to high T_s is proposed, which agree quite well with the test results and may be used to practical applications.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.168-173
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• 2013

Apple ring rot disease, caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea (Moug. ex. Fr) Ces. et de Not., is one of the most important diseases on apple fruits. In this study, strain 9001 isolated from healthy apple fruits from an infested orchard was evaluated for its biocontrol activity against apple ring rot in vitro and in vivo. Strain 9001 showed obvious antagonistic activity to B. dothidea YL-1 when plated on potato dextrose agar. Soaking healthy apples in the bacterial suspensions of strain 9001 prior to artificial inoculation of fungal pathogen resulted in a dramatic decrease in disease incidence when compared to the control. Moreover, either field application in the growth season or postharvest treatment of apples from infected orchards with bacterial suspensions of strain 9001 resulted in significantly reduced disease incidence within the storage period for 4 months at room temperature. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA and the gyrA gene, strain 9001 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. These results indicated that B. amyloliquefaciens 9001 could be a promising agent in biocontrol of apple ring rot on fruit, which might help to minimize the yield loss of apple fruit during the long postharvest period.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2024

This study presents an energy analysis for large-strain cavity expansion problem based on the general strength criterion and energy theory. This study focuses on the energy dissipation problem during the cavity expansion process, dividing the soil mass around the cavity into an elastic region and a plastic region. Assuming compliance with the small deformation theory in the elastic region and the large deformation theory in the plastic region, combined with the general strength criterion of soil mass and energy theory, the energy dissipation solution for cavity expansion problem is derived. Firstly, from an energy perspective, the process of cavity expansion in soil mass is described as an energy conversion process. The energy dissipation mechanism is introduced into the traditional analysis of cavity expansion, and a general analytical solution for cavity expansion related to energy is derived. Subsequently, based on this general analytical solution of cavity expansion, the influence of different strength criterion, large-strain, expansion radius, cavity shape and characteristics of soil mass on the stress distribution, displacement field and energy evolution around the cavity is studied. Finally, the effectiveness and reliability of theoretical solution is verified by comparing the results of typical pressure-expansion curves with existing literature algorithms. The results indicate that different strength criterion have a relatively small impact on the displacement and strain field around the cavity, but a significant impact on the stress distribution and energy evolution around the cavity.