• 청정기술
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.449-456
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• 2014

기후변화로 인한 국지적인 이상가뭄 빈발 및 물수지 관련 불확실성 증가 등으로 각국에서는 사용가능한 담수량 확보, 즉 물안보 문제가 크게 대두되고 있다. 사용가능한 담수량 중 상당부분이 전력을 생산하는 발전 분야에도 사용되기 때문에 그 중요성이 점차 증대하고 있다. 신재생에너지원인 태양광발전은 설비제조, 설치 및 운전의 전 과정(life cycle)에서 수자원을 소비하지만 전통적인 에너지원인 화력발전이나 원자력발전에 비하면 상대적으로 수자원을 적게 사용한다는 장점이 있다. 본 연구에서는 태양광시스템의 원료채취부터 운영발전까지 물 사용량을 알아보기 위해 전 과정의 물 발자국을 측정하여 그 결과를 분석했다. 물 발자국 산정결과 태양광시스템의 전체 물 발자국은 $0.989m^3/MWh$이며, 폴리실리콘과 태양전지 공정에서 물 발자국이 높게 나타났다. 폴리실리콘 공정은 에너지 다소비 공정이기 때문에 냉각수 사용량이 많았고 태양전지 공정에서는 고효율 결정질 실리콘 세척을 위한 탈 이온수(deionized water) 사용량이 많았기 때문에 물 발자국이 높은 것으로 보인다. 태양광발전은 기존 에너지원보다 물 사용량이 적은 발전원임을 확인할 수 있었으며, 에너지 분야의 물 사용량을 절감할 수 있는 가치를 가지고 있음을 알 수 있다. 향후 에너지정책 결정에 있어서 신재생에너지의 부가적인 가치로서 물 발자국 개념의 도입이 중요하다.

• 한국건설관리학회논문집
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.112-121
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• 2014

공동주택 PF 부실사업장의 증가는 사업참여 주체인 시행사 및 시공사의 부도뿐만 아니라 금융사의 경영악화로 이어져 장기적으로 경제 전반을 악화시키는 악순환을 형성하고 있어 빠른 정상화가 요구되고 있다. 이를 위해서 많은 대안이 제시될 수 있으나, PF가 우리나라 부동산 개발 시장의 한계 속에서 개발된 금융기법인 만큼 금융시장과 자기자본 건전화 등 구조적 개선을 빠른 시일 내에 이루기에는 한계가 있다. 이에 현실적으로 조속한 정상화를 위해서는 대형시공사의 부실사업장에 대한 투자결정이 필요하다. 그러나 대형사공사와 투자를 원하는 시행사 및 금융사의 투자결정에 관한 중요도 인식에 차이로 사업이 무산되는 경우가 있어 본 연구에서는 각 사업주체별 공동주택 PF 부실사업장에 대한 투자결정시 시공사, 금융사, 시행사인 참여주체별로 고려하는 주요 투자결정요인의 도출하고 요인별 중요도를 비교분석하였다. 나아가 투자 결정요인 중요도 도출을 통해 부실 사업 참여 타당성 평가 모델을 수립하고 실제 사례에 적용함으로써 모델의 현실 적용성을 검증하고자 하였다. 전문가를 대상으로 한 AHP 분석 결과 1계층 중요도는 대형 시공사의 경우 사업성> 토지매입리스크, 분양성> 인허가> PF> 시행사 리스크인 것으로 나타났으며 2계층은 분양가의 경쟁력> 사업수익률> 사업부지 확보율> 사업기간>토지비상승 가능성인 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 시행사와 금융사의 중요도와 차이가 있는 것이며 대형 시공사의 투자결정요인 중요도 모델을 실제 3가지 유형의 투자사례에 적용해 본 결과 실제 투자결정 결과가 일치하여 적용성도 있는 것으로 나타났다.

• Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.698-715
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• 2018

Purpose: Hrd1 has recently emerged as a critical regulator of B-cells in autoimmune diseases. However, its role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to examine Hrd1 expression and B-cell accumulation and their possible roles in CRSwNP. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting were used to assess gene and protein expression in nasal tissue extracts. Cells isolated from nasal tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were characterized by flow cytometry. Local antibody production was measured in tissue extracts with a Bio-Plex assay. Additionally, changes in Hrd1 expression in response to specific inflammatory stimuli were measured in cultured dispersed polyp cells. Results: Nasal polyps (NPs) from patients with eosinophilic CRSwNP (ECRS) had increased levels of Hrd1, B-cells and plasma cells compared with NPs from patients with non-eosinophilic CRSwNP (non-ECRS) or other control subjects (P < 0.05). The average Hrd1 levels in B-cells in NPs from ECRS patients were significantly higher than those from non-ECRS patients and control subjects (P < 0.05). NPs also contained significantly increased levels of several antibody isotypes compared with normal controls (P < 0.05). Interestingly, Hrd1 expression in cultured polyp cells from ECRS patients, but not non-ECRS patients, was significantly increased by interleukin-$1{\beta}$, lipopolysaccharide and Poly(I:C) stimulation, and inhibited by dexamethasone treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Differential Hrd1 expression and B-cell accumulation between the ECRS and non-ECRS subsets suggests that they can exhibit distinct pathogenic mechanisms and play important roles in NP.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권12호
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• pp.1886-1894
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• 2021

Objective: Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) play a critical role in animal growth rates. We aimed to investigate the effect of GH and IGF-I genotypes on body weight (BW), dominance, and gene expression in slow-growing chickens at different ages. Methods: A total of 613 Korat chickens (KRs) were bred and divided into three groups by genotype - A1A1, A1A3, and A3A3 for GH and AA, AC, and CC for IGF-I. Chickens were weighed every two weeks, and liver and breast muscle tissues were collected at 10 weeks of age. Genetic parameters of KRs were estimated using ASReml software. The GH and IGF-I mRNA levels were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Significant differences between traits were analyzed using the generalized linear model. Results: A significant effect of GH genotypes on BW was found at most ages, and the A1A1 genotype had the highest value of BW. Compared with the A3A3 genotype, the A1A1 and A1A3 genotypes showed a higher dominance effect at 0 and 2 weeks, and genotype A1A1 had the highest value of dominance at 8 weeks of age. A difference in GH mRNA levels between genotypes was detected in breast muscle at 6 weeks and in the liver tissue at 2 weeks. In the case of IGF-I gene, the AA genotype had the highest BW at the beginning of life. Significant differences in BW dominance were found at 2 weeks. However, IGF-I mRNA levels were not different among genotypes in both breast muscles and liver tissues. Conclusion: Our results revealed that GH and IGF-I influence growth, but may not be involved in heterosis. GH can be used as a marker gene in selection programs for growth because the homozygous genotype (A1A1) had the highest BW at all ages. The IGF-I is not a useful marker gene for selection programs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제44권7호
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• pp.468-480
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• 2021

Ubiquitin D (UBD) is highly upregulated in many cancers, and plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiological processes of cancers. However, its roles and underlying mechanisms in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of UBD in patients with OSCC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure the expression of UBD in OSCC tissues. Immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect the differential expressions of UBD in 244 OSCC patients and 32 cases of normal oral mucosae. In addition, CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effect of UBD on the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in OSCC. Furthermore, a xenograft tumor model was established to verify the role of UBD on tumor formation in vivo. We found that UBD was upregulated in human OSCC tissues and cell lines and was associated with clinical and pathological features of patients. Moreover, the overexpression of UBD promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of OSCC cells; however, the knockdown of UBD exerted the opposite effects. In this study, our results also suggested that UBD promoted OSCC progression through NF-κB signaling. Our findings indicated that UBD played a critical role in OSCC and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for OSCC treatment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제32권9호
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• pp.1458-1468
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• 2019

Objective: As one of the most important metabolic organs, the liver plays vital roles in modulating the lipid metabolism. This study was to compare miRNA expression profiles of the Large White liver between two different developmental periods and to identify candidate miRNAs for lipid metabolism. Methods: Eight liver samples were collected from White Large of 70-day fetus (P70) and of 70-day piglets (D70) (with 4 biological repeats at each development period) to construct sRNA libraries. Then the eight prepared sRNA libraries were sequenced using Illumina next-generation sequencing technology on HiSeq 2500 platform. Results: As a result, we obtained 346 known and 187 novel miRNAs. Compared with the D70, 55 down- and 61 up-regulated miRNAs were shown to be significantly differentially expressed (DE). Gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis indicated that these DE miRNAs were mainly involved in growth, development and diverse metabolic processes. They were predicted to regulate lipid metabolism through adipocytokine signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase, AMP-activated protein kinase, cyclic adenosine monophosphate, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B, and Notch signaling pathway. The four most abundantly expressed miRNAs were miR-122, miR-26a and miR-30a-5p (miR-122 only in P70), which play important roles in lipid metabolism. Integration analysis (details of mRNAs sequencing data were shown in another unpublished paper) revealed that many target genes of the DE miRNAs (miR-181b, miR-145-5p, miR-199a-5p, and miR-98) might be critical regulators in lipid metabolic process, including acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4, ATP-binding casette A4, and stearyl-CoA desaturase. Thus, these miRNAs were the promising candidates for lipid metabolism. Conclusion: Our study provides the main differences in the Large White at miRNA level between two different developmental stages. It supplies a valuable database for the further function and mechanism elucidation of miRNAs in porcine liver development and lipid metabolism.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.173-186
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• 2021

Purpose: Biliary atresia (BA) is a disease that manifests as jaundice after birth and leads to progressive destruction of the ductal system in the liver. The aim of this study was to investigate histopathological changes and immunohistochemically examine the expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), synaptophysin, and S-100 protein in the gallbladder of BA patients. Methods: The study included a BA group of 29 patients and a control group of 41 children with cholecystectomy. Gallbladder tissue removed during surgery was obtained and examined immunohistochemically and histopathologically. Tissue samples of both groups were immunohistochemically assessed in terms of GDNF, S-100 protein, and synaptophysin expression. Expression was classified as present or absent. Inflammatory activity assessment with hematoxylin and eosin staining and fibrosis assessment with Masson's trichrome staining were performed for tissue sample sections of both groups. Results: Ganglion cells were not present in gallbladder tissue samples of the BA group. Immunohistochemically, GDNF, synaptophysin, and S-100 expression was not detected in the BA group. Histopathological examination revealed more frequent fibrosis and slightly higher inflammatory activity in the BA than in the control group. Conclusion: We speculate that GDNF expression will no longer continue in this region, when the damage caused by inflammation of the extrahepatic bile ducts reaches a critical threshold. The study's findings may represent a missing link in the chain of events forming the etiology of BA and may be helpful in its diagnosis.

• 한국의료질향상학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.73-82
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aims to examine the quality of tuberculosis (TB) care after the 1st to 3rd national quality assessment (QA) program for TB healthcare service in Korea was conducted. Methods: We analyzed Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) claims data of new TB patients during the period of January to June from 2018-2020. The new TB patients were defined as TB patients reported to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA). The unit of analysis was the patient. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the differences in indicator value according to the types of medical facilities. The QA indicators of TB care were divided into 3 areas consisting of the following 7 quality indicators: 4 indicators of diagnosis test (the rate of acid-fast bacilli smear, the rate of acid-fast bacilli culture, the rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-polymerase chain reaction, drug susceptibility test), 1 compliance of treatment guideline, and 2 indicators of care management of TB patients (encounter rate, day of therapy). Results: The QA program for TB care was conducted among 8,246 patients from 534 facilities in 2020. The value of the 7 quality indicators was shown to increase as a result of the QA program. The indicators of the diagnostic test were all higher than 95%, with the exception of the drug susceptibility test which was 84.8%. Both indicators for care management of TB patients were 88.5%. Conclusion: The quality of TB care has been improving with the implementation of the QA program. In order to continue to improve the quality of TB care, it will be necessary to disclose the results of the QA program in medical facilities in the future.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.115-125
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• 2022

Objective: Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a critical economic indicator of pork quality. Studies on IMF among different pig breeds have been performed via high-throughput sequencing, but comparisons within the same pig breed remain unreported. Methods: This study was performed to explore the gene profile and identify candidate long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) and mRNAs associated with IMF deposition among Laiwu pigs with different IMF contents. Based on the longissimus dorsi muscle IMF content, eight pigs from the same breed and management were selected and divided into two groups: a high IMF (>12%, H) and low IMF group (<5%, L). Whole-transcriptome sequencing was performed to explore the differentially expressed (DE) genes between these two groups. Results: The IMF content varied greatly among Laiwu pig individuals (2.17% to 13.93%). Seventeen DE lncRNAs (11 upregulated and 6 downregulated) and 180 mRNAs (112 upregulated and 68 downregulated) were found. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that the following biological processes played an important role in IMF deposition: fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic processes; the extracellular signal-regulated kinase cascade; and white fat cell differentiation. In addition, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-protein kinase B, and mammalian target of rapamycin pathways were enriched in the pathway analysis. Intersection analysis of the target genes of DE lncRNAs and mRNAs revealed seven candidate genes associated with IMF accumulation. Five DE lncRNAs and 20 DE mRNAs based on the pig quantitative trait locus database were identified and shown to be related to fat deposition. The expression of five DE lncRNAs and mRNAs was verified by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results of qRT-PCR and RNA-sequencing were consistent. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the different IMF contents among pig individuals may be due to the DE lncRNAs and mRNAs associated with lipid droplets and fat deposition.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.126-137
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• 2022

Objective: Efficient gene editing technology is critical for successful knock-in in domestic animals. RAD51 recombinase (RAD51) gene plays an important role in strand invasion during homologous recombination (HR) in mammals, and is regulated by checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) and CHK2 genes, which are upstream elements of RAD51 recombinase (RAD51). In addition, mismatch repair (MMR) system is inextricably linked to HR-related pathways and regulates HR via heteroduplex rejection. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated knock-in efficiency of human lactoferrin (hLF) knock-in vector in the bovine β-casein gene locus can be increased by suppressing DNA MMR-related genes (MSH2, MSH3, MSH6, MLH1, and PMS2) and overexpressing DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair-related genes (RAD51, CHK1, CHK2). Methods: Bovine mammary epithelial (MAC-T) cells were transfected with a knock-in vector, RAD51, CHK1, or CHK2 overexpression vector and CRISPR/sgRNA expression vector to target the bovine β-casein gene locus, followed by treatment of the cells with CdCl₂ for 24 hours. After 3 days of CdCl₂ treatment, the knock-in efficiency was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mRNA expression levels of DNA MMR-related and DNA DSB repair-related genes were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Results: Treatment with CdCl₂ decreased the mRNA expression of RAD51 and MMRrelated genes but did not increase the knock-in efficiency in MAC-T cells. Also, the overexpression of DNA DSB repair-related genes in MAC-T cells did not significantly affect the mRNA expression of MMR-related genes and failed to increase the knock-in efficiency. Conclusion: Treatment with CdCl₂ inhibited the mRNA levels of RAD51 and DNA MMR-related genes in MAC-T cells. However, the function of MMR pathway in relation to HR may differ in various cell types or species.