• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2019

This study aimed to develop a bile-responsive expression system for lactobacilli. The promoters of four genes, encoding phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase (mannose-specific), L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), HPr kinase, and D-alanine-D-alanine ligase, respectively, which were highly expressed by bile addition in Lactobacillus johnsonii PF01, were chosen. Each promoter was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and fused upstream of the ${\beta}$-glucuronidase gene as a reporter, respectively. Then, these constructs were cloned into E. coli-Lactobacillus shuttle vector pULP2, which was generated by the fusion of pUC19 with the L. plantarum plasmid pLP27. Finally, the constructed vectors were introduced into L. plantarum for a promoter activity assay. The LDH promoter showed the highest activity and its activity increased 1.8-fold by bile addition. The constructed vector maintained in L. plantarum until 80 generations without selection pressure. A bile-responsive expression vector, $pULP3-P_{LDH}$, for Lactobacillus spp. can be an effective tool for the bile-inducible expression of bioactive proteins in intestine after intake in the form of fermented dairy foods.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.450-458
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• 2024

Litsea elliptica, a Southeast Asian tree with a rich history of medicinal applications, is attracting increasing research attention. This study investigated the effects of leaf maturity and solvent selection on the extraction of bioactive compounds from L. elliptica leaves, specifically with regard to their antioxidant activity. 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) method was employed to quantify the free radical scavenging capacity of L. elliptica leaf extracts prepared using three different solvents (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol) at three different leaf stages (tender, immature, and mature). These results highlight the significant effects of leaf maturity and solvent selection on the extraction of phenolic compounds and flavonoids from L. elliptica leaves. Ethanol is the most effective solvent for the extraction of bioactive compounds, particularly from mature leaves. The ethanol extraction of tender leaves demonstrated potential for optimizing the antioxidant content. Further research is necessary to investigate the specific factors influencing the observed differences in antioxidant activity between leaves of varying ages and the potential impacts of other bioactive compounds present in the leaves.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2014

Recent technological advances provide the opportunity to use large amounts of multimedia data from a multitude of sensors with different modalities (e.g., video, text) for the detection and characterization of criminal activity. Their integration can compensate for sensor and modality deficiencies by using data from other available sensors and modalities. However, building such an integrated system at the scale of neighborhood and cities is challenging due to the large amount of data to be considered and the need to ensure a short response time to potential criminal activity. In this paper, we present a system that enables multi-modal data collection at scale and automates the detection of events of interest for the surveillance and reconnaissance of criminal activity. The proposed system showcases novel analytical tools that fuse multimedia data streams to automatically detect and identify specific criminal events and activities. More specifically, the system detects and analyzes series of incidents (an incident is an occurrence or artifact relevant to a criminal activity extracted from a single media stream) in the spatiotemporal domain to extract events (actual instances of criminal events) while cross-referencing multimodal media streams and incidents in time and space to provide a comprehensive view to a human operator while avoiding information overload. We present several case studies that demonstrate how the proposed system can provide law enforcement personnel with forensic and real time tools to identify and track potential criminal activity.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.101-111
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• 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical activity as a risk factor for neck pain recurrence using the National Health Insurance Data Sharing Service that utilizes a nationwide cohort in South Korea. Methods: Medical records spanning a two-year period were extracted from the National Health Insurance database for 541,937 patients who sought healthcare services for neck pain (ICD 10 codes: M54.2) in 2020 and completed the national health examination survey. Selected variables for analysis included age, gender, health insurance premium decile, regional health vulnerability index, body mass index (BMI), acuity, blood pressure, and types of physical activity. A mixed-effect multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the recurrence rate of neck pain and identify risk factors for neck pain recurrence. Results: Among the participants, 124,433 patients (23.0%) experienced a recurrence of neck pain within two years, with higher recurrence rates observed among older individuals and females. Regression analysis revealed that the risk of neck pain recurrence increased with age (OR=1.51), being female (OR= 1.10), being a medical aid recipient (OR=1.51), and having anaerobic (OR=1.04) or vigorous physical activities (OR=1.06). By contrast, an increased health insurance premium decile (OR=0.96) and having moderate physical activity (OR=0.97) were associated with a decreased risk of neck pain recurrence. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of moderate physical activity as an effective strategy for reducing the recurrence of nonspecific neck pain, underscoring the necessity for personalized physical activity programs for patients.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.755-762
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• 2019

Despite decades of research into colorectal cancer (CRC), there is an ongoing need for treatments that are more effective and safer than those currently available. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) show beneficial effects in the context of several diseases, including CRC, and are generally regarded as safe. Here, we isolated a Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR)-derived therapeutic protein, p8, which suppressed CRC proliferation. We found that p8 translocated specifically to the cytosol of DLD-1 cells. Moreover, p8 down-regulated expression of Cyclin B1 and Cdk1, both of which are required for cell cycle progression. We confirmed that p8 exerted strong anti-proliferative activity in a mouse CRC xenograft model. Intraperitoneal injection of recombinant p8 (r-p8) led to a significant reduction (up to 59%) in tumor mass when compared with controls. In recent years, bacterial drug delivery systems (DDSs) have proven to be effective therapeutic agents for acute colitis. Therefore, we aimed to use such systems, particularly LAB, to generate the valuable therapeutic proteins to treat CRC. To this end, we developed a gene expression cassette capable of inducing secretion of large amounts of p8 protein from Pediococcus pentosaceus SL4 (PP). We then confirmed that this protein (PP-p8) exerted anti-proliferative activity in a mouse CRC xenograft model. Oral administration of PP-p8 DDS led to a marked reduction in tumor mass (up to 64%) compared with controls. The PP-p8 DDS using LAB described herein has advantages over other therapeutics; these advantages include improved safety (the protein is a probiotic), cost-free purification, and specific targeting of CRC cells.

• Journal of Engineering Education Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.14-23
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• 2016

This study is to analyze the team interaction in accordance with the team size. Thereby, it is to reveal the team size for the attainment of the effective team interaction and the specific goals to achieve the purpose of this study are as follows. Firstly, the frequency and percentage of team interaction in accordance with the team size are presented. Secondly, the statistical verification of the team interaction in the social emotional area is conducted. Thirdly, the statistical verification of the team interaction in the task area is conducted. In order to do this study, we explain the purpose of study, confidentiality, and withdrawal right were described and then 32 persons who agreed to participate were selected as the subjects for the study. After that, the autonomous organization of team was induced and a total of 8 teams were organized - 3 teams comprised of 3 members, 3 teams of 4 members, 1 team of 5 members, and 1 team of 6 members. Further, Bales' (1950) Interaction Process Analysis (IPA) was used in order to analyze the team interaction, and Mangold INTERACT was used as a coding program. The results of study are as follows. Firstly, the highest frequency of the team interaction showed up in the case of five or six members and the lowest in the case of 3 members. Secondly, a statistically significant difference in the social emotional (positive) area showed up in accordance with the team size and the team organizations of three or four members were effective. Thirdly, a statistically significant value in the answer area showed up in accordance with the team size and the team organizations of five or six members were effective.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.718-722
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• 2015

Techniques for immobilizing effective enzymes on nanoparticles for stabilization of the activity of free enzymes have been developing as a pharmaceutical field. In this study, we examined the effect of three different pH conditions of phosphate buffer, as a dissolving solvent for lysosomal enzymes, on the direct immobilization of lysosomal enzymes extracted from Hen's egg white and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Titanium(IV) oxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles, which are extensively used in many research fields, were used in this study. The lysosomal enzymes immobilized on TiO₂ under each pH condition were evaluated to maintain the specific activity of lysosomal enzymes, so that we can determine the degree of melanin treatment in lysosomal enzymes immobilized on TiO₂. We found that the immobilization efficiency and melanin treatment activity in both lysosomal enzymes extracted from Hen's egg white and S. cerevisiae were the highest in an acidic condition of phosphate buffer (pH 4). However, the immobilization efficiency and melanin treatment activity were inversely proportional to the increase in pH under alkaline conditions. In addition, enhanced immobilization efficiency was shown in TiO₂ pretreated with a divalent, positively charged ion, Ca²⁺, and the melanin treatment activity of immobilized lysosomal enzymes on TiO₂ pretreated with Ca²⁺ was also increased. Therefore, this result suggests that the immobilization efficiency and melanin treatment activity of lysosomal enzymes can be enhanced according to the pH conditions of the dissolving solvent.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.241-249
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• 1998

Platelet-activating factor(PAF) enhanced interleukin-1(IL-1) activity by the interaction with a specific receptor in rat alveolar macrophages. In this study, we investigated the role of endogenous arachidonate metabolites and intracellular calcium mobilization in the PAF-induced IL-1 activity. Alveolar macrophages were preincubated with 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase inhibitors 30 min before the addition of PAF and lipopolysaccharide(LPS). After 24h culture, IL-1 activity was measured in the supernate of sample using the thymocyte proliferation assay. Inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase by nordihydroguaiaretic acid and AA-861 completely blocked the PAF-induced enhancement of IL-1 activity with $IC_{50}\;of\;2\;{\mu}M\;and\;5\;{\mu}M$, respectively. In contrast, the inhibition of cyclooxygenase pathway by indomethacin and ibuprofen resulted in the potentiation in PAF-induced IL-1 activity with maximal effect at $1\;{\mu}M\;and\;5\;{\mu}M$, respectively. In addition, leukotriene $B_4$ and prostaglandin $E_2$ production were observed in PAF-stimulated alveolar macrophage culture. As could be expected, 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase inhibitors abolished PAF- stimulated leukotriene $B_4$ and prostaglandin $E_2$ production, respectively. The effects of PAF on intracellular calcium mobilization in alveolar macrophages were evaluated using the calcium-sensitive dye fura-2 at the single cell level. PAF at any dose between $10^{-16}\;and\;10^{-8}$ M did not increase intracellular calcium. Furthermore, there was no effective change of intracellular calcium level when PAF was added to alveolar macrophages in the presence of LPS or LPS+LTB4, and 4, 24 and 48h after treatment of these stimulants. Together, the results indicate that IL-1 activity induced by PAF is differently regulated through subsequent induction of endogenous 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathways, but not dependent on calcium signalling pathway.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.39-47
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• 2009

Objectives : The mesolimbic dopamine system is believed to play a major role in the reinforcing effect and behavioral hyperactivity of abused drugs including methamphetamine. In the present study, the effect of acupuncture on methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity and c-Fos expression in the striatum and nucleus accumbens of rats were examined. Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats received acupuncture at bilateral Yanggu($SI_5$) point for 30seconds immediately before the subcutaneous injection of saline or methamphetamine(0.5mg/kg). The total amount of locomotor activity for 90min were measured just before brain samples were taken for immunohistochemistry. Results : Results showed that acupuncture at the specific point $SI_5$, but not control point(Kunlun, $BL_{60}$) significantly reduced locomotor activity and c-Fos expression in the striatum and nucleus accumbens induced by acute administration of methamphetamine. Conclusions : These results suggest that acupuncture may be effective in suppressing the reinforcing effect of methamphetamine by regulating neuronal activity.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.278-283
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• 1993

This study was attempted to investigate the effects of enzymatic modification of milk protein with protease on functional properties. The selected functional properties were solubility, emulsifying activity (EA), emulsion stability(ES), foam expansion(FE), and foam stability(FS). These properties were measu-red from pH 3.0 to pH 8.0. The proteases used in this study were iaolated from Meju(fermemted soybean) and had specific activity of 250 units/㎎ protein at pH 7.0, 1600 units of pretense was used for 1gr. of skim milk protein. Skim milk showed 30.5％ degree of hydrolysis for 1 hr. and 36.4% degree of hydrolysis for 3.5 hrs. of protease treatment at pH 7.0. Solubility of native skim milk, control, 1 hr. and 3.5 hrs. groups were 3.37, 3.64, 10.21, 14.34％o at pH 4.0 respcetively. The emulsifying activity of native skim milk, control, 1 hr. and 3.5 hrs. groups were 38.8,42.0,43.0,46.7ft at pH 4.0, respectively. Enzymatic modification resulted in the increase of solubility and emulsifying activity at pH 4.0. However at pH 5.0 emulsifying activity of 1 hr. and 3.5 hr. group were lower than native skim milk and control groups. 1 hr. protease treatment was found to be most effective way of increasing foam expansion at pH 4.0 to 6.0. It was supported that, protease treated skim milk can be used to improve solubility, emulsifying activity, foam expansion at acid pH. meju protease. skim milk, solubility, emulsion, foam.