• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.29-41
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• 2007

Structural design, like other complex decision problems, involves many trade-offs among competing criteria. Although mathematical programming models are becoming increasingly realistic, they often have design limitations, that is, there are often relevant issues that cannot be easily captured. From the understanding of these limitations, a decision-support system is developed that can generate some useful alternatives as well as a single optimum value in the optimization of steel frame structures. The alternatives produced using this system are "good" with respect to modeled objectives, and yet are "different," and are often better, with respect to interesting objectives not present in the model. In this study, we created a decision-support system for designing the most cost-effective moment-resisting steel frame structures for resisting lateral loads without compromising overall stability. The proposed approach considers the cost of steel products and the cost of connections within the design process. This system makes use of an optimization formulation, which was modified to generate alternatives of optimum value, which is the result of the trade-off between the number of moment connections and total cost. This trade-off was achieved by reducing the number of moment connections and rearranging them, using the combination of analysis based on the LRFD code and optimization scheme based on genetic algorithms. To evaluate the usefulness of this system, the alternatives were examined with respect to various design aspects.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.558-566
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• 2020

Purpose: Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) is a rare genetic autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in ATP8B1, ABCB11 or ABCB4. Mutational analysis of these genes is a reliable approach to identify the disorder. Methods: We collected and analyzed relevant data related to clinical diagnosis, biological investigation, and molecular determination in nine children carrying these gene mutations, who were from unrelated families in South China. Results: Of the nine patients (five males, four females) with PFIC, one case of PFIC1, four cases of PFIC2, and four cases of PFIC3 were diagnosed. Except in patient no. 8, jaundice and severe pruritus were the major clinical signs in all forms. γ-glutamyl transpeptidase was low in patients with PFIC1/PFIC2, and remained mildly elevated in patients with PFIC3. We identified 15 different mutations, including nine novel mutations (p.R470HfsX8, p.Q794X and p.I1170T of ABCB11 gene mutations, p.G319R, p.A1047P, p.G1074R, p.T830NfsX11, p.A1047PfsX8 and p.N1048TfsX of ABCB4 gene mutations) and six known mutations (p.G446R and p.F529del of ATP8B1 gene mutations, p.A588V, p.G1004D and p.R1057X of ABCB11 gene mutations, p.P479L of ABCB4 gene mutations). The results showed that compared with other regions, these three types of PFIC genes had different mutational spectrum in China. Conclusion: The study expands the genotypic spectrum of PFIC. We identified nine novel mutations of PFIC and our findings could help in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.159-165
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• 2007

For the development of basic genetic materials for specific and effective therapeutic approach to suppress multiplication of hepatitis C virus (HCV), HCV internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-targeting hammerhead ribozyme which activity is allosterically regulated by HCV regulatory protein, NS5B RNA replicase, was developed. The ribozyme targeted most effectively to +382 nucleotide (nt) site of HCV IRES RNA. The allosteric ribozyme was designed to be composed of sequence of RNA aptamer to HCV NS5B, communication module sequence which can transfer structural transition for inducing ribozyme activity upon binding NS5B to the aptamer, and sequence of ribozyme targeting +382 nt of HCV IRES. Noticeably, we employed in vitro selection technology to identify the most appropriate communication module sequence which can induce ribozyme activity depending on the US5B protein. We demonstrated that the ribozyme was nonfunctional either in the absence of any proteins or in the presence of control bovine serum albumin. In sharp contrast, the allosteric ribozyme can induce activity of cleavage reaction with HCV IRES RNA in the presence of the HCV NS5B protein. This allosteric ribozyme can be used as lead compound for specific and effective anti-HCV agent, tool for highthroughput screening to isolate lead chemicals for HCV therapeutics, and ligand for biosensor system for HCV diagnosis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.1 s.81
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• pp.1-5
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• 2007

The Precesses for leaf development in dicotyledonous plants are surprisingly complex, while the mechanism of controlling and coordinating them is poorly understood. To characterize the fundamental features of the leaf development of Arabidopsis, we first attempted to isolate mutants that alter leaf morphology. Here, leaf morphological mutant of Arabidopsis, lanceolatal (lan1) which has small and narrow leaves have isolated and characterized. To clarify the function of LAN1 in organ development, we characterized lan1-7 mutant using an anatomical and genetic approach. The lan1-7 mutant had reduced size of foliage leaves and reduced dimensions of stems. A reduction both in cell size and in cell number was evident at the cellular level in the lan1 mutant, revealing that LAN1 gene appears to affect cell division at an earlier stage and cell elongation throughout the development of leaf primordia. from the analysis of heterogeneous plant with lan1 mutation and 35S-AG transgenic plant, AG gene is revealed to regulate leaf morphology under the control of 35S promoter. Thus, MADS-box gene was revealed to have some relationship to that of LAN1 gene at certain stage in leaf development processes.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.402-407
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• 2005

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown potential for cardiac repair following myocardial injury, but this approach is limited by their poor viability after transplantation. To reduce cell loss after transplantation, we introduced the fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) gene ex vivo before transplantation. The isolated MSCs produced colonies with a fibroblast-like morphology in 2 weeks; over 95% expressed CD71, and 28% expressed the cardiomyocyte-specific transcription factor, Nkx2.5, as well as ${\alpha}$-skeletal actin, Nkx2.5, and GATA4. In hypoxic culture, the FGF-2-transfected MSCs (FGF-2-MSCs) secreted increased levels of FGF-2 and displayed a threefold increase in viability, as well as increased expression of the anti-apoptotic gene, Bcl2, and reduced DNA laddering. They had functional adrenergic receptors, like cardiomyocytes, and exposure to norepinephrine led to phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Viable cells persisted 4 weeks after implantation of $5.0{\times}10^5$ FGF-2-MSCs into infarcted myocardia. Expression of cardiac troponin T (CTn T) and a voltage-gated $Ca^{2+}$ channel (CaV2.1) increased, and new blood vessels formed. These data suggest that genetic modification of MSCs before transplantation could be useful for treating myocardial infarction and end-stage cardiac failure.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2011

Most clinicians understand clinical trials as the evaluation process for new medicine before their use. However, clinical trials can also be applied to laboratory diagnostic tests (LDTs) to verify diagnostic accuracy and efficacy before their clinical laboratory implementation for patients. The clinical trial of LDT has two distinctive characteristics that are different from the case of pharmaceuticals and thus worth special consideration. One of them is the level of evidence. The well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are known to provide the best evidence to prove the clinical efficacy of any pharmaceutical products. However, RCTs lose practicality when applied to LDTs due to various issues including ethical complications. For this reason, comparative study format is considered more feasible approach for LDTs. In addition pharmaceuticals and LDTs are different in that the user's intervention is not required for the former but critical to the latter. Moreover, in the case of pharmaceuticals, end-products are produced by manufacturers before being used by clinicians. However, in LDTs, once reagents and instruments are provided by manufacturers, they are first utilized by clinical laboratories to produce test results in order for clinicians to use them later. In other words, when it comes to LDTs, clinical laboratories play the role of manufacturers, providing reliable test results with improved quality assurance. Considering the distinctive characteristics of LDTs, we would like to offer detailed suggestions to successfully perform clinical trials in LDTs, which include analytical performance measures, clinical test performance measures, diagnostic test accuracy measures, clinical effectiveness measures, and post-implementation surveillance.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.395-408
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• 2020

This paper aims to develop and apply three different machine learning approaches (i.e., artificial neural networks (ANN), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS), and wavelet-based neural networks (WNN)) combined with an evolutionary optimization algorithm and the k-fold cross validation for multi-step (days) streamflow forecasting at the catchment located in Algeria, North Africa. The ANN and ANFIS models yielded similar performances, based on four different statistical indices (i.e., root mean squared error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), correlation coefficient (R), and peak flow criteria (PFC)) for training and testing phases. The values of RMSE and PFC for the WNN model (e.g., RMSE = 8.590 ㎥/sec, PFC = 0.252 for (t+1) day, testing phase) were lower than those of ANN (e.g., RMSE = 19.120 ㎥/sec, PFC = 0.446 for (t+1) day, testing phase) and ANFIS (e.g., RMSE = 18.520 ㎥/sec, PFC = 0.444 for (t+1) day, testing phase) models, while the values of NSE and R for WNN model were higher than those of ANNs and ANFIS models. Therefore, the new approach can be a robust tool for multi-step (days) streamflow forecasting in the Seybous River, Algeria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.997-1006
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• 2018

As shown during the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (A(H1N1)pdm09) outbreak, egg-based influenza vaccine production technology is insufficient to meet global demands during an influenza pandemic. Therefore, there is a need to adapt cell culture-derived vaccine technology using suspended cell lines for more rapid and larger-scale vaccine production. In this study, we attempted to generate a high-growth influenza vaccine strain in MDCK cells using an A/Puerto/8/1934 (H1N1) vaccine seed strain. Following 48 serial passages with four rounds of virus plaque purification in MDCK cells, we were able to select several MDCK-adapted plaques that could grow over $10^8PFU/ml$. Genetic characterization revealed that these viruses mainly had amino acid substitutions in internal genes and exhibited higher polymerase activities. By using a series of Rg viruses, we demonstrated the essential residues of each gene and identified a set of high-growth strains in MDCK cells ($PB1_{D153N}$, $M1_{A137T}$, and $NS1_{N176S}$). In addition, we confirmed that in the context of the high-growth A/PR/8/34 backbone, A/California/7/2009 (H1N1), A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2), and A/environment/Korea/deltaW150/2006 (H5N1) also showed significantly enhanced growth properties (more than $10^7PFU/ml$) in both attached- and suspended-MDCK cells compared with each representative virus and the original PR8 vaccine strain. Taken together, this study demonstrates the feasibility of a cell culture-derived approach to produce seed viruses for influenza vaccines that are cheap and can be grown promptly and vigorously as a substitute for egg-based vaccines. Thus, our results suggest that MDCK cell-based vaccine production is a feasible option for producing large-scale vaccines in case of pandemic outbreaks.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.535-539
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• 2000

Ectopic eruption of a tooth into the oral environment occurs commonly whereas ectopic eruption of a tooth into other sites is rare. Those that have been reported include the nasal cavity, chin, mandibular condyles, coronoid processes, orbits and maxillary sinus. The etiologic factors of ectopic eruption are developmental disturbances such as cleft palate and teeth displaced by trauma or cysts, maxillary infection, genetic factors, crowding and exceptionally dense bone. In many cases, however, the etiology cannot be identified. Eruption of the teeth into the maxillary sinus is uncommon, however the identification of such teeth can be important since they have the potential to cause considerable morbidity. The definitive treatment is surgical removal of the teeth. A 7 year-old-boy visited the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University for treatment of dental caries. The abnormal erupting paths of the left and right maxillary canines were found during routine panoramic radiographic investigations. A panoramic radiograph taken at 13 years old revealed that two maxillary canines were located into the sinus. The teeth were extracted by the Caldwell-Luc approach.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.236-242
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• 1988

Mitochondrial DNAs of two Mdh allelotypes of the dark chub, Z. temmincki inhabiting in Korean fresh water, were analysed. Samples of each type were collected from four populations, and the fragment patterns for mtdNA of each type were explained from 7 of the eleven restriction enzymes with hexanucleotide recognition site. Genome size was approximately 16.7 kilobases. The highly typical mtdNA fragments of each type were discovered in digestion profiles produced by Eco RI and Pst I enzyrnes. The comparisons of restriction fragment patterns and relative digestion maps permitted the estimation of fragment homology (F) and nucleotide sequence divergence(p). Between the two identical types, sequence divergence(p) was 0.128(MS), and 0.045(MM), ; between the two different types, 0.195 (range 0.177-0.226). These result may provide a distinct difference more than the value derived from allozyrne analysis, and a powerful new molecular approach for assessing genetic-evolutionary relationship among fishes.