• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2024

Multi-agent systems can be utilized in various real-world cooperative environments such as battlefield engagements and unmanned transport vehicles. In the context of battlefield engagements, where dense reward design faces challenges due to limited domain knowledge, it is crucial to consider situations that are learned through explicit sparse rewards. This paper explores the collaborative potential among allied agents in a battlefield scenario. Utilizing the Multi-Robot Warehouse Environment(RWARE) as a sparse reward environment, we define analogous problems and establish evaluation criteria. Constructing a learning environment with the QMIX algorithm from the reinforcement learning library Ray RLlib, we enhance the Agent Network of QMIX and integrate Random Network Distillation(RND). This enables the extraction of patterns and temporal features from partial observations of agents, confirming the potential for improving the acquisition of sparse reward experiences through intrinsic rewards.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.73-91
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• 2024

This paper has focused on presenting vibration analysis of trapezoidal sandwich plates with a damaged core and FG wavy CNT-reinforced face sheets. A damage model is introduced to provide an analytical description of an irreversible rheological process that causes the decay of the mechanical properties, in terms of engineering constants. An isotropic damage is considered for the core of the sandwich structure. The classical theory concerning the mechanical efficiency of a matrix embedding finite length fibers has been modified by introducing the tube-to-tube random contact, which explicitly accounts for the progressive reduction of the tubes' effective aspect ratio as the filler content increases. The First-order shear deformation theory of plate is utilized to establish governing partial differential equations and boundary conditions for the trapezoidal plate. The governing equations together with related boundary conditions are discretized using a mapping-generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method in spatial domain. Then natural frequencies of the trapezoidal sandwich plates are obtained using GDQ method. Validity of the current study is evaluated by comparing its numerical results with those available in the literature. After demonstrating the convergence and accuracy of the method, different parametric studies for laminated trapezoidal structure including carbon nanotubes waviness (0≤w≤1), CNT aspect ratio (0≤AR≤4000), face sheet to core thickness ratio (0.1 ≤ ${\frac{h_f}{h_c}}$ ≤ 0.5), trapezoidal side angles (30° ≤ α, β ≤ 90°) and damaged parameter (0 ≤ D < 1) are carried out. It is explicated that the damaged core and weight fraction, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) waviness and CNT aspect ratio can significantly affect the vibrational behavior of the sandwich structure. Results show that by increasing the values of waviness index (w), normalized natural frequency of the structure decreases, and the straight CNT (w=0) gives the highest frequency. For an overall comprehension on vibration of laminated trapezoidal plates, some selected vibration mode shapes were graphically represented in this study.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.387-403
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury (MIRI) has high morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to explore the role of long noncoding RNA lysyl oxidase like 1 antisense RNA 1 (LOXL1-AS1) in cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. Methods: Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury was constructed in human cardiomyocyte (HCM). The level of LOXL1-AS1, miR-761, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and pyroptosis-related proteins was monitored by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or western blot. Flow cytometry examined the pyroptosis level. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB and cardiac troponin I levels were detected by test kits. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measured the release of inflammatory cytokines. Dual-luciferase assay validated the binding relationship among LOXL1-AS1, miR-761, and PTEN. Finally, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) animal model was constructed. Hematoxylin and eosin staining assessed morphological changes of myocardial tissue. NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) and casepase-1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. Results: After H/R treatment, LOXL1-AS1 and PTEN were highly expressed but miR-761 level was suppressed. LOXL1-AS1 inhibition or miR-761 overexpression increased cell viability, blocked the release of LDH and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-18), inhibited pyroptosis level, and downregulated pyroptosis-related proteins (ASC, cleaved caspase-1, gasdermin D-N, NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18) levels in HCMs. LOXL1-AS1 sponged miR-761 to up-regulate PTEN. Knockdown of miR-761 reversed the effect of LOXL1-AS1 down regulation on H/R induced HCM pyroptosis. LOXL1-AS1 aggravated the MIRI by regulating miR-761/PTEN axis in vivo. Conclusions: LOXL1-AS1 targeted miR-761 to regulate PTEN expression, then enhance cardiomyocyte pyroptosis, providing a new alternative target for the treatment of MIRI.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.39.1-39.13
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• 2020

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic and systemic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration in the exocrine glands. In SS, type I IFN has a pathogenic role, and recently, inflammasome activation has been observed in both immune and non-immune cells. However, the relationship between type I IFN and inflammasome-associated pyroptosis in SS has not been studied. We measured IL-18, caspase-1, and IFN-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) in saliva and serum, and compared whether the expression levels of inflammasome and pyroptosis components, including absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD), and gasdermin E (GSDME), in minor salivary gland (MSG) are related to the expression levels of type I IFN signature genes. Expression of type I IFN signature genes was correlated with mRNA levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD in MSG. In confocal analysis, the expression of caspase-1 and GSDMD was higher in salivary gland epithelial cells (SGECs) from SS patients. In the type I IFN-treated human salivary gland epithelial cell line, the expression of caspase-1 and GSDMD was increased, and pyroptosis was accelerated in a caspase-dependent manner upon inflammasome activation. In conclusion, we demonstrate that type I IFN may contribute to inflammasome-associated pyroptosis of the SGECs of SS patients, suggesting another pathogenic role of type I IFN in SS in terms of target tissue -SGECs destruction.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.2 s.54
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• pp.223-230
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• 2009

In this study we deal with bending behaviors of a concrete filled tubular(CFT) with various diameter-thickness ratios and concrete strengths. In finite element analysis using a commercial package(LUSAS), the bonding effect between concrete and steel in CFT structures is modeled by applying a joint element for the bonding surface. In order to consider the nonlinearity of concrete and steel tubes, stress-strain curves of the concrete and steel are used for the increased stresses in a plastic domain. The numerical results obtained from the proposed method show good agreement with the experimental data from load-displacement curves of a steel tube under distributed loads. Several parametric studies are focused on structural characteristics of CFT under bending effects for different diameter-thickness ratios and concrete strengths.

• International Journal of Oncology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.320-330
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the anticancer effects of lupeol on human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MTT assay and Trypan blue exclusion assay were used to evaluate the cell viability. DAPI staining and flow cytometric analysis were used to detect apoptosis. Molecular docking and western blot analysis were performed to determine the target of lupeol. We found that lupeol suppressed the proliferation and colony formation of NSCLC cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, lupeol increased chromatin condensation, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, sub-G1 cell populations, and the proportion of Annexin V-positive cells, indicating that lupeol triggered the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. Notably, lupeol inhibited the phosphorylation of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR). A docking experiment revealed that lupeol directly bound to the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR. We observed that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a downstream molecule of EGFR, was also dephosphorylated by lupeol. Lupeol suppressed the nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of STAT3 and downregulated the expression of STAT3 target genes. The constitutive activation of STAT3 by STAT3 Y705D overexpression suppressed lupeol-induced apoptosis, demonstrating that the inhibition of STAT3 activity contributed to the induction of apoptosis. The anticancer effects of lupeol were consistently observed in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant H1975 cells (EGFR L858R/T790M). Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that lupeol may be used, not only for EGFR TKI-naïve NSCLC, but also for advanced NSCLC with acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.233-247
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• 2024

The damage to structures during an earthquake can be varied depending on the frequency characteristics of seismic waves and the geological properties of the ground. Therefore, considering such attributes in the design ground motions is crucial. The Korean seismic design standard (KDS 17 10 00) provides design response spectra for various ground classifications. If required for time-domain analysis, ground motion time series can be either selected and adjusted from motions recorded at rock sites in intraplate regions or artificially synthesized. Ground motion time series at soil sites should be obtained from site response analysis. However, in practice, selecting suitable ground motion records is challenging due to the overall lack of large earthquakes in intraplate regions, and artificially synthesized time series often leads to unrealistic responses of structures. As an alternative approach, this study provides a case study of generating ground motion time series based on the hybrid broadband ground motion simulation of selected scenario earthquakes at sites in the Nakdonggang delta region. This research is significant as it provides a novel method for generating ground motion time series that can be used in seismic design and response analysis. For large-magnitude earthquake scenarios close to the epicenter, the simulated response spectra surpassed the 1000-year design response spectra in some specific frequency ranges. Subsequently, the acceleration time series at each location were used as input motions to perform nonlinear 1D site response analysis through the PySeismoSoil Package to account for the site response characteristics at each location. The results of the study revealed a tendency to amplify ground motion in the mid to long-period range in most places within the study area. Additionally, significant amplification in the short-period range was observed in some locations characterized by a thin soil layer and relatively high shear wave velocity soil near the upper bedrock.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.619-628
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• 2010

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) has recently received attention in developing implantable surgical equipments and it is expected to lead the future medical device market by adequately imitating surgeons' flexible and delicate hand movement. However, SMA actuators have not been used widely because of their nonlinear behavior called hysteresis, which makes their control difficult. Hence, we propose a parameter, $t_1$, which is necessary for temperature control, by analyzing the open-loop step response between current and temperature and by comparing it with the values of linear differential equations. $t_1$ is a pole of the transfer function in the invariant linear model in which the input and output are current and temperature, respectively; hence, $t_1$ is found to be related to the state variable used for temperature control. When considering the parameter under heat treatment conditions, $T_{max}$ was found to assume the lowest value, and $t_1$ was irrelevant to the heat treatment.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2011

Forty yeast strains isolated from soils taken from different locations in Egypt were tested for their P-solubilizing activities on the basis of analyzing the clear zone around colonies growing on a tricalcium phosphate medium after incubation for 5 days at $25^{\circ}C$, denoted as the solubilization index (SI). Nine isolates that exhibited P-solubilization potential with an SI ranging from 1.19 to 2.76 were genetically characterized as five yeasts belonging to the genus Saccharomyces cerevisiae and four non-Saccharomyces, based on a PCR analysis of the ITS1-26S region amplied by SC1/SC2 species-specific primers. The highest P-solubilization efficiency was demonstrated by isolate PSY- 4, which was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a sequence analysis of the variable D1/D2 domain of the 26S rDNA. The effects of single and mixed inoculations with yeast PSY-4 and Bacillus polymyxa on the P-uptake and growth of corn were tested in a greenhouse experiment using different levels of a phosphorus chemical fertilizer (50, 100, and 200 kg/ha super phosphate 15.5% $P_2O_5$). The results showed that inoculating the corn with yeast PSY-4 or B. polymyxa caused significant increases in the shoot and root dry weights and P-uptake in the shoots and roots. The P-fertilization level also had a significant influence on the shoot and root dry weights and P-uptake in the shoots and roots when increasing the P-level from 50 up to 200 kg/ha. Dual inoculation with yeast strain PSY-4 and B. polymyxa at a P-fertilization level of 200 kg/ha gave higher values for the shoot and root dry weights and P-uptake in the shoots and roots, yet these increases were nonsignificant when compared with dual inoculation with yeast strain PSY-4 and B. polymyxa at a P-fertilization level of 100 kg/ha. The best increases were obtained from dual inoculation with yeast strain PSY-4 and B. polymyxa at a P-fertilization level of 100 kg/ha, which induced the following percentage increases in the shoot and root dry weights, and P-uptake in the shoots and roots; 16.22%, 46.92%, 10.09%, and 31.07%, respectively, when compared with the uninoculated control (fertilized with 100 kg/ha).

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.511-516
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• 2013

Bladder cancer is the seventh most common cancer in men that smoke, and the incidence of disease increases with age. The mechanism of occurrence has not yet been established. Potassium channels have been linked with cell proliferation. Some two-pore domain $K^+$ channels (K2P), such as TASK3 and TREK1, have recently been shown to be overexpressed in cancer cells. Here we focused on the relationship between cell growth and the mechanosensitive K2P channel, TREK2, in the human bladder cancer cell line, 253J. We confirmed that TREK2 was expressed in bladder cancer cell lines by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR. Using the patch-clamp technique, the mechanosensitive TREK2 channel was recorded in the presence of symmetrical 150 mM KCl solutions. In 253J cells, the TREK2 channel was activated by polyunsaturated fatty acids, intracellular acidosis at -60 mV and mechanical stretch at -40 mV or 40 mV. Furthermore, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated TREK2 knockdown resulted in a slight depolarization from $-19.9mV{\pm}0.8$ (n=116) to $-8.5mV{\pm}1.4$ (n=74) and decreased proliferation of 253J cells, compared to negative control siRNA. 253J cells treated with TREK2 siRNA showed a significant increase in the expression of cell cycle boundary proteins p21 and p53 and also a remarkable decrease in protein expression of cyclins D1 and D3. Taken together, the TREK2 channel is present in bladder cancer cell lines and may, at least in part, contribute to cell cycle-dependent growth.