• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제8권1호
• /
• pp.21-25
• /
• 2004

People in tropics have the ability to tolerate heat by residential permanence in the tropics. Previously, we have shown that African and Thai subjects who lived for whole their lives in only their respective countries sweat less under hot conditions than South Koreans who also lived whole their lives in Korea. The difference in sweating responses was attributed to the dissimilar central and peripheral sweating mechanisms operating in people from both groups. In the present study, acetylcholine (ACh), the primary transmitter for the sudomotor functions, was iontophoretically administered to South Koreans and Africans to determine the characteristic sudorific responses of their acclimatized biologic make-up to their respective environments. Using quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART), direct (DIR) and axon reflex (AXR) responses were evaluated. The findings revealed that the sweat onset-time among South Koreans was 0.91 min earlier than among Africans (P<0.01). The axon reflex sweat volume of nicotine receptor activity AXR(1) and sweat volume of muscarinic receptor activity DIR(2) among South Koreans were 79% and 53% greater (P<0.01), respectively. These results indicate that the reduced thermal sweating among Africans is at least in part attributed to the diminished sensitivity of sweat glands to ACh.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제22권5호
• /
• pp.514-518
• /
• 2001

We have explored the importance of two ATP binding domains of Hsp104 protein in protection of yeast cells from cadmium exposure. In the previous study we have discovered that the presence of two ATP binding sites was essential in providing heat sh ock protection as well as rescuing cells from oxidative stress. In this paper we first report wild type cell with functional hsp104 gene is more resistant to cadmium stress than hsp104-deleted mutant cell, judging from decrease in survival rates as a result of cadmium exposure. In order to demonstrate functional role of two ATP binding sites in cadmium defense, we have transformed both wild type (SP1) and hyperactivated ras mutant (IR2.5) strains with several plasmids differing in the presence of ATP binding sites. When an extra copy of functional hsp104 gene with both ATP binding sites was overexpressed with GPD-promoter, cells showed increased survival rate against cadmium stress than mutants with ATP binding sites changed. The degree of protection in the presence of two ATP binding sites was similarly observed in ira2-deleted hyperactivated ras mutant, which was more sensitive to oxidative stress than wild type cell. We have concluded that the greater sensitivity to cadmium stress in the absence of two ATP binding sites is attributed to the higher concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by cadmium exposure based on the fluorescence tests. These findings, taken all together, imply that the mechanism by which cadmium put forth toxic effects may be closely associated with the oxidative stress, which is regulated independently of the Ras-cAMP pathway. Our study provides a better understanding of cadmium defense itself and cross-talks between oxidative stress and metal stress, which can be applied to control human diseases due to similar toxic environments.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.12-19
• /
• 1990

1981년 6월 9일 고리 1호기 원자력발전소에서 발생한 외부 전원 상실사고 자료를 근거로 RELAP5/MOD2코드모델 평가를 하였다. 계산된 주요 열ㆍ수력학 변수를 실측자료와 비교 분석하였으며 증기발생기의 Nodalization 민감도 분석이 수행되었다. 계산된 열ㆍ수력학 변수는 실측치와 비교적 잘 일치하고 있으며, 이러한 유형의 사고 분석에 RELAP5/MOD2가 적합하다는 것을 보였다. 그러나 가압기 압력과 수위변동에서는 상당한 차이를 보였으며 높게 계산되었다. 이러한 사실은 RELAP5의 수직관에서의 층류 열전달 모델에 기인하는 것으로 해당모델의 개선을 요하고 있다는 것을 알았다. 그리고 증기발생기의 Nodalization 연구를 통하여 수위변동을 잘 예측하기 1위해서는 증기발생기 증기 Dome와 Downcomer사이에 압력을 전달시켜주는 유로를 모델링 하여야 한다는 것을 알았다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.66-74
• /
• 1990

원자력 7, 8호기에 장전된 17$\times$17 최적 핵연료집합체의 열수력학적 특성을 원자력 5, 6호기에 장전된 17$\times$17표준 핵연료집합체와 비교하여 분석하였다. 분석된 열수력학적 특성은 정상상태와 과도출력상태에서의 최소 DNBR, 연료봉 중심온도, 출구 기포율등이며, 아울러 연료봉의 중심이 용융되는 국부선출력과 원자로 운전변수들에 대한 DNBR 민감도 계수도 계산하였다. 사용된 코드는 COBRA-IV-I이며, 임계열속 계산에는 R형 그리드에 대해 수정된 W-3 상관식을, 기포율계산에는 drift-flux model을 이용하였다. 계산결과, DNB가 발생할 확률은 최적 핵연료집합체가 더 높았으나, 연료봉의 중심이 용융되는 국부선출력은 표준 핵연료집합체와 거의 동일한 것으로 나타났다.

• 대기
• /
• 제28권4호
• /
• pp.427-441
• /
• 2018

This study examines the impact of the urban parameterization scheme and the land cover change on simulated near surface temperature using Unified Model (UM) over the Seoul metropolitan area. We perform four simulations by varying the land cover and the urban parameterization scheme, and then compare the model results with 46 AWS observation data from 2 to 9 August 2016. Four simulations were performed with different combination of two urban parameterization schemes and two land cover data. Two schemes are Best scheme and MORUSES (Met Office Reading Urban Surface Exchange Scheme) and two land cover data are IGBP (International Geosphere and Biosphere Programme) and EGIS (Environmental Geographic information service) land cover data. When land use data change from IGBP to EGIS, urban ratio over the study area increased by 15.9%. The results of the study showed that the higher change in urban fraction between IGBP and EGIS, the higher the improvement in temperature performance, and the higher the urban fraction, the higher the effect of improving temperature performance of the urban parameterization scheme. 1.5-m temperature increased rapidly during the early morning due to increase of sensible heat flux in EXP2 compared to CTL. The MORUSES with EGIS (EXP3) provided best agreement with observations and represents a reasonable option for simulating the near surface temperature of urban area.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제59권1호
• /
• pp.77-82
• /
• 2021

As malaria remains a major health problem worldwide, various diagnostic tests have been developed, including microscopy-based and rapid diagnostic tests. LabChip real-time PCR (LRP) is a small and portable device used to diagnose malaria using lab-on-a-chip technology. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of LRP for detecting malaria parasites. Two hundred thirteen patients and 150 healthy individuals were enrolled from May 2009 to October 2015. A diagnostic detectability of LRP for malaria parasites was compared to that of conventional RT-PCR. Sensitivity of LRP for Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale was 95.5%, 96.0%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Specificity of LRP for P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale was 100%, 99.3%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Cohen's Kappa coefficients between LRP and CFX96 for detecting P. vivax, P. falciparum, P. malariae, and P. ovale were 0.96, 0.98, 1.00, and 1.00, respectively. Significant difference was not observed between the results of LRP and conventional RT-PCR and microscopic examination. A time required to amplify DNAs using LRP and conventional RT-PCR was 27 min and 86 min, respectively. LRP amplified DNAs 2 times more fast than conventional RT-PCR due to the faster heat transfer. Therefore, LRP could be employed as a useful tool for detecting malaria parasites in clinical laboratories.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제32권1호
• /
• pp.46-55
• /
• 2022

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a significant cause of hospital-acquired and antibiotic-mediated intestinal diseases and is a growing global public health concern. Overuse of antibiotics and their effect on normal intestinal flora has increased the incidence and severity of infections. Thus, the development of new, effective, and safe treatment options is a high priority. Here, we report a new probiotic strain, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BA PMC-80), and its in vitro/in vivo anti-C. difficile effect as a prospective novel candidate for replacing conventional antibiotics. BA PMC-80 showed a significant anti-C. difficile effect in coculture assay, and its cell-free supernatant (CFS) also exhibited a considerable anti-C. difficile effect with an 89.06 ㎍/ml 50% minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) in broth microdilution assay. The CFS was stable and equally functional under different pHs, heat, and proteinase treatments. It also exhibited a high sensitivity against current antibiotics and no toxicity in subchronic toxicity testing in hamsters. Finally, BA PMC-80 showed a moderate effect in a hamster CDI model with reduced infection severity and delayed death. However, further studies are required to optimize the treatment condition of the hamster CDI model for better efficacy and identify the antimicrobial compound produced by BA PMC-80.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• 제47권2호
• /
• pp.87-94
• /
• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the differences between clinical and quantitative sensory testing (QST) results among persistent idiopathic dentoalveolar pain (PIDP), inflammatory dental pain, and control group subjects to identify discriminative clinical features for differential diagnosis. Methods: Thirty-three patients (5 PIDP-a without surgical procedures 10 PIDP-b with surgical procedures, 8 dental pain patients, and 10 controls) were evaluated for clinical features and QST results. Cold pain threshold, heat pain threshold, mechanical pain threshold (MPT), mechanical pain sensitivity, and pressure pain threshold (PPT) were performed. Psychological factors were assessed using Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R) and a chart review was conducted to evaluate additional discriminative clinical features such as pain quality and treatment prognosis. Results: The dental pain group had lower PPT than the PIDP-b and the control group. The PIDP-a group showed higher MPT and PPT than the PIDP-b and dental pain group but the difference was not statistically significant. Differences in SCL-90-R SOM (Somatization), O-C (obsessive-compulsive), ANX (anxiety), and PSY (Psychoticism) values were statistically significant among groups. PIDP-a and PIDP-b groups showed remaining symptoms after treatment and the pain tended to spread widely, whereas, in toothache patients, symptoms disappeared after treatment. However, factors that confound the diagnosis, such as an increase in pain during chewing and a decrease in the pain threshold at the affected site, could also be identified. Conclusions: PIDP and dental pain groups have distinct clinical symptoms, but there are also factors that cause confusing in diagnosis. Therefore, various clinical examination results should be carefully reviewed and comprehensively evaluated in the differential diagnosis process.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제54권1호
• /
• pp.36-48
• /
• 2022

As a valid numerical method to obtain a high-resolution result of a flow field, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have been widely used to study coolant flow and heat transfer characteristics in fuel rod bundles. However, the time-consuming, iterative calculation of Navier-Stokes equations makes CFD unsuitable for the scenarios that require efficient simulation such as sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification. To solve this problem, a reduced-order model (ROM) based on proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and machine learning (ML) is proposed to simulate the flow field efficiently. Firstly, a validated CFD model to output the flow field data set of the rod bundle is established. Secondly, based on the POD method, the modes and corresponding coefficients of the flow field were extracted. Then, an deep feed-forward neural network, due to its efficiency in approximating arbitrary functions and its ability to handle high-dimensional and strong nonlinear problems, is selected to build a model that maps the non-linear relationship between the mode coefficients and the boundary conditions. A trained surrogate model for modes coefficients prediction is obtained after a certain number of training iterations. Finally, the flow field is reconstructed by combining the product of the POD basis and coefficients. Based on the test dataset, an evaluation of the ROM is carried out. The evaluation results show that the proposed POD-ROM accurately describe the flow status of the fluid field in rod bundles with high resolution in only a few milliseconds.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제60권1호
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2022

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by infection with E. multilocularis metacestode, represents one of the most fatal helminthic diseases. AE is principally manifested with infiltrative, proliferating hepatic mass, resembling primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Sometimes metastatic lesions are found in nearby or remote tissue. AE diagnosis largely depends on imaging studies, but atypical findings of imaging features frequently require differential diagnosis from other hepatic lesions. Serological tests may provide further evidence, while obtaining reliable AE materials is not easy. In this study, alternative antigens, specific to AE were identified by analyzing E. granulosus protoscolex proteins. An immunoblot analysis of E. granulosus protoscolex showed that a group of low-molecular-weight proteins in the range from 14 kDa to 16 kDa exhibited a sensitive and specific immune response to AE patient sera. Partial purification and proteomic analysis indicated that this protein group contained myosin, tubulin polymerization promoting protein, fatty-acid binding protein, uncharacterized DM9, heat shock protein 90 cochaperone tebp P-23, and antigen S. When the serological applicability of recombinant forms of these proteins was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, DM9 protein (rEgDM9) showed 90.1% sensitivity (73/81 sera tested) and 94.5% specificity (172/181 sera tested), respectively. rEgDM9 showed weak cross-reactions with patient sera from the transitional and chronic stages of cystic echinococcosis (3 to 5 stages). rEgDM9 would serve as a useful alternative antigen for serodiagnosis of both early- and advanced-stage AE cases.