• Title/Summary/Keyword: Human structure and function

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Biochemical Properties of Second Site Mutation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Integrase

  • Kim, Do-Jin;Oh, You-Take;Lee, Sang-Kwang;Shin, Cha-Gyun
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.32 no.6
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    • pp.599-604
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    • 1999
  • A highly conserved amino acid, glutamic acid (Glu), present at position 152 in the catalytic domain of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) protein has been known to be critical for enzymatic function since substitution of Glu 152 with other residues results in a complete loss of enzymatic activities. In order to better understand the role of Glu 152 as a conserved residue in enzymatic action, intragenic second site mutations have been introduced around residue 152 of a mutant IN (E152A), and their biochemical properties were analyzed in terms of enzymatic activities. Disintegration activities were found to be significantly restored in several second site mutant INs, while integration activities were only recovered weakly. However, endonucleolytic activities were not discovered in all the mutant INs. These findings indicate that the second site mutations can partially restore that catalytic structure of the active site disturbed by the E152A mutation and lead to the regaining of integration and disintegration activities. In addition, it is also suggested that endonucleolytic activity requires a more accurate structure of the catalytic site than that for the integration and disintegration activities.

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Structure and Function of the Genes Involved in the Biosynthesis of Carotenoids in the Mucorales

  • Iturriaga, Enrique A.;Velayos, Antonio;Eslava, Arturo P.
    • Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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    • v.5 no.4
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    • pp.263-274
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    • 2000
  • Carotenoids are widely distributed natural pigments which are in an increasing demand by the market, due to their applicatins in the human food, animal feed, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. Although more than 600 carotenoids have been identified in nature, only a few are industrially important (${\beta}$-carotene, astaxanthin, lutein or lycopene). To date chemical processes manufacture most of the carotenoid production, but the interest for carotenoids of biological origin is growing since theire is an increased public concern over the safety of artificial food colorants. Although much interest and effort has been devoted to the use of biological sources for industrially important carotenoids, only the production of biological ${\beta}$-carotene and astaxanthin has been reported. Among fungi, several Mucorales strains, particularly Blakeslea trispora, have been used to develop fermentation processes for the production of ${\beta}$-carotene on almost competitive cost-price levels. Similarly, the basidiomycetous yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (the perfect state of Phaffia rhodozyma), has been proposed as a promising source of astaxanthin. This paper focuses on recent findings on the fungal pathways for carotenoid production, especially the structure and function of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids in the Mucorales. An outlook of the possibilities of an increased industrial production of carotenoids, based on metabolic engineering of fungi for carotenoid content and composition, is also discussed.

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Isoflavones: Chemistry, Analysis, Functions and Effects on Health and Cancer

  • Ko, Kwang-Pil
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.17
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    • pp.7001-7010
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    • 2014
  • Isoflavones are phytoestrogens and natural plant compounds which are similar to 17-${\beta}$-estradiol in chemical structure. It is known that they can act as estrogen agonists or antagonists, depending on endocrine estrogenic levels, but actions of isoflavones are rather complex due to large number of variables such as chemical structures and mechanisms. Some hypotheses on biological mechanisms have not satisfactorily been confirmed to date and human epidemiological and experimental studies have been relatively limited. Nevertheless, isoflavones and isoflavone rich foods have become a focus onf interest due to positive health benefits on many diseases, especially prevention of hormone-related cancers, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and adverse postmenopausal symptoms, and improvement of physiological condition such as maintaining cognitive function. This review provides an overview of chemistry, analytical techniques (focused on human biospecimens), functions including biological mechanisms, and effects of isoflavones, on the basis of the available meta-analysis and review articles and some original articles, on health and cancer.

Informational Analysis for Error Prediction of Emergency Tasks in Nuclear Power Plants (원자력발전소 비상운전 직무의 오류 예측을 위한 정보적 분석)

  • Jeong, Won-Dae;Kim, Jae-Hwan;Yun, Wan-Cheol
    • Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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    • v.18 no.3
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    • pp.41-53
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    • 1999
  • More than twenty HRA (Human Reliability Analysis) methodologies have been developed and used for the safety analysis in nuclear field during the past two decades. However, no methodology appears to have universally been accepted, as various limitations have been raised for more widely used ones. One of the most important limitations of conventional HRA is insufficient analysis of the task structure and problem space. To resolve this problem, we suggest a framework of informational analysis for HRA. The proposed informational analysis consists of three parts. The first part is the scenario analysis that investigates the contextual information related to the given task on the basis of selected scenarios. The second is the goals-means analysis to define the relations between the cognitive goal and task steps. The third is the cognitive function analysis that identifies the cognitive patterns and information flows involved in the task. Through the three-part analysis. systematic investigation is made possible from the macroscopic information on the tasks to the microscopic information on the specific cognitive processes. It is expected that analysts can attain a structured set of information that helps to predict the types and possibility of human error in the given task.

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Regulation and Function of the Peg3 Imprinted Domain

  • He, Hongzhi;Kim, Joomyeong
    • Genomics & Informatics
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.105-113
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    • 2014
  • A subset of mammalian genes differ functionally between two alleles due to genomic imprinting, and seven such genes (Peg3, Usp29, APeg3, Zfp264, Zim1, Zim2, Zim3) are localized within the 500-kb genomic interval of the human and mouse genomes, constituting the Peg3 imprinted domain. This Peg3 domain shares several features with the other imprinted domains, including an evolutionarily conserved domain structure, along with transcriptional co-regulation through shared cis regulatory elements, as well as functional roles in controlling fetal growth rates and maternal-caring behaviors. The Peg3 domain also displays some unique features, including YY1-mediated regulation of transcription and imprinting; conversion and adaptation of several protein-coding members as ncRNA genes during evolution; and its close connection to human cancers through the potential tumor suppressor functions of Peg3 and Usp29. In this review, we summarize and discuss these features of the Peg3 domain.

Dynamic Personal Knowledge Network Design based on Correlated Connection Structure (결합 연결구조 기반의 동적 개인 지식네트워크 설계)

  • Shim, JeongYon
    • The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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    • v.18 no.6
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    • pp.71-79
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    • 2015
  • In a new era of Cloud and Big data, how to search the useful data from dynamic huge data pool in a right time and right way is most important at the stage where the information is getting more important. Above all, in the era of s Big Data it is required to design the advanced efficient intelligent Knowledge system which can process the dynamic variable big data. Accordingly in this paper we propose Dynamic personal Knowledge Network as one of the advanced Intelligent system approach. Adopting the human brain function and its neuro dynamics, an Intelligent system which has a structural flexibility was designed. For Structure-Function association, a personal Knowledge Network is made to be structured and to have reorganizing function as connecting the common nodes. We also design this system to have a reasoning process in the extracted optimal paths from the Knowledge Network.

A STUDY ON THE MOST SUITABLE DESIGNING OF SHOEMAKING -Centering around the adhesive tensile and absorption percentage of assembly insole- (제화의 최적설계에 관한 연구 -조립식 중창의 접착강도 및 흡수율을 중심으로-)

  • 이종철
    • Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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    • v.12 no.20
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    • pp.33-38
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    • 1989
  • In order to achieve the most suitable designing of shoemaking, the structure of shoemaking is described in this study by inquiring into structural and functional effects given by shoes to human feet. Also, the role of insole that is an essential portion in view of function in shoemaking is described and. for the improvement of quality the fact that selection of material of insole has an effect to quality is substantiated through experiments of adhesive tensile and absorption percentage. Though identification of the qualify of insole with the naked eyes is impossible because it is inserted between the internal layers of a shoe. It is not only an essential portion for the improvement of the quality of shoemaking but it gives an essential effect to the sanitation and health of human body(feet) when insole of lower qualify is used. In view of these the improvement and enhancement of the quality of home-made material of insole are earnestly required.

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The Molecular Functions of RalBP1 in Lung Cancer

  • Lee, Seunghyung
    • Biomedical Science Letters
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.49-55
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    • 2014
  • RalBP1 is an ATP-dependent non-ABC transporter, responsible for the major transport function in many cells including many cancer cell lines, causing efflux of glutathione-electrophile conjugates of both endogenous metabolites and environmental toxins. RalBP1 is expressed in most human tissues, and is over-expressed in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines and in many other tumor types. Blockade of RalBP1 by various approaches has been shown to increase sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs, leading to cell apoptosis. In xenograft tumor models in mice, RalBP1 blockade or depletion results in complete and sustained regression across many cancer cell types including lung cancer cells. In addition to its transport function, RalBP1 has many other cellular and physiological functions, based on its domain structure which includes a unique Ral-binding domain and a RhoGAP catalytic domain, as well as docking sites for multiple signaling proteins. Additionally, RalBP1 is also important for stromal cell function in tumors, as it was recently shown to be required for efficient endothelial cell function and angiogenesis in solid tumors. In this review, we discuss the cellular and physiological functions of RalBP1 in normal and lung cancer cells.

A Study on Interactive Artistic Characteristics of Architecture Surface Design (건축 표피디자인의 인터렉티브 아트적 표현연구)

  • Lee, Kyung-Hwa
    • Journal of The Korean Digital Architecture Interior Association
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.39-46
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    • 2008
  • Current architecture can receive support of and command various ways of expression by more advanced technology of the present time, this means the formation of changeable external design of building, and has the tendency to be interactive non-rheological shape. Accordingly surface of building is decorated not only by the basic function and the expression of information, but also by complex narrative image structure or text, so far as recognizes human as the subject of communication, and is trying the artistic expression interacting with the general public. In various expressive tendency of current architecture surface design, such an approach from a view of an interactive art trying the communication between architecture, art, and human has the meaning of suggesting the direction of directing emotional architecture giving a present to the morderners who are growing more and more an earnest desire for experiencing culture and art in their daily life.

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A Model of the Operator Cognitive Behaviors During the Steam Generator Tube Rupture Accident at a Nuclear Power Plant

  • Mun, J.H.;Kang, C.S.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.28 no.5
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    • pp.467-481
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    • 1996
  • An integrated framework of modeling the human operator cognitive behavior during nuclear power plant accident scenarios is presented. It incorporates both plant and operator models. The basic structure of the operator model is similar to that of existing cognitive models, however, this model differs from those existing ones largely in too aspects. First, using frame and membership function, the pattern matching behavior, which is identified as the dominant cognitive process of operators responding to an accident sequence, is explicitly implemented in this model. Second, the non-task-related human cognitive activities like effect of stress and cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and availability bias, are also considered. A computer code, OPEC is assembled to simulate this framework and is actually applied to an SGTR sequence, and the resultant simulated behaviors of operator are obtained.

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