• Title/Summary/Keyword: Issue Cause

Search Result 676, Processing Time 0.032 seconds

A New Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein, SrbB Is Critical for Hypoxia Adaptation and Virulence in the Human Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus

  • Chung, Dawoon;Barker, Bridget M.;Carey, Charles C.;Merriman, Brittney;Werner, Ernst R.;Lechner, Beatrix E.;Dhingra, Sourabh;Cheng, Chao;Xu, Wenjie;Blosser, Sara J.;Morohashi, Kengo;Mazurie, Aurelien;Mitchell, Thomas K.;Haas, Hubertus;Mitchell, Aaron P.;Cramer, Robert A.
    • 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
    • /
    • 2015.05a
    • /
    • pp.15-15
    • /
    • 2015
  • Aspergillus fumigatus is a major cause of invasive aspergillosis (IA), a significant health issue worldwide with high mortality rates up to 95%. Our lab is interested in how A. fumigatus adapts to low oxygen conditions 'hypoxia', which is one of the important host microenvironments. A. fumigatus SrbA is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional regulator and belongs to sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) family members. Loss of SrbA completely blocks growth in hypoxia and results in avirulence in murine models of IA suggesting an essential role of SrbA in hypoxia adaptation and virulence in A. fumigatus. We conducted chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) with A. fumigatus wild type using a SrbA specific antibody, and 97 genes were revealed as SrbA direct targets. One of the 'SrbA regulons' (AFUB_099590) was a putative bHLH transcriptional regulator whose sequence contained a characteristic tyrosine substitution in the basic portion of the bHLH domain of SREBPs. Therefore, we designated AFUB_099590 SrbB. Further characterization of SrbB demonstrated that SrbB is important for radial growth, biomass production, and biosynthesis of heme intermediates in hypoxia and virulence in A. fumigatus. A series of quantitative real time PCR showed that transcription of several SrbA regulons is coordinately regulated by two SREBPs, SrbA and SrbB in hypoxia. This suggests that SrbA and SrbB have both dependent and independent functions in regulation of genes responsible for hypoxia adaptation in A. fumigatus. Together, our data provide new insights into complicated roles of SREBPs in adaptation of host environments and virulence in pathogenic fungi.

  • PDF

Climate Change by Global Warming and Its Effects on Production Efficiency of Lactating Dairy Cows in Korea : a Simulation Modeling Approach (지구온난화에 따른 국내 기후변화와 젖소 착유우의 생산효율에 미치는 영향 평가 : 모델 시뮬레이션을 이용한 접근)

  • Lee, Jung-Jin;Lee, Jun-Sung;Kim, Jong-Nam;Seo, Ja-Keum;Jo, Nam-Chul;Park, Seong-Min;Ki, Kwang-Seok;Seo, Seong-Won
    • Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
    • /
    • v.21 no.4
    • /
    • pp.711-723
    • /
    • 2013
  • The objectives of this study were to access climate change by global warming in Korea, and to investigate its effects on production efficiency of lactating dairy cows. Two regions, Daegu and Daekwanryung, were selected to represent a warm and a cold area, respectively. Time-series analyses on meteorological records for 25 years (from January 1, 1988 to December 31, 2012) revealed significant and different climate changes in two regions. In the warm area there has been a significant (P<0.05) increase in low temperature during the summer, which can cause heat stress to the animal. On the other hand, a decrease in low temperature during the winter was observed in the cold region (P<0.01), and cold stress in winter can thus be an issue in this region. Simulations using a model integrated the Korean feeding standard for dairy cattle and the environmental effect module of Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System, indicated that a reduction in feed efficiency can be a problem during the winter in the cold region while during the summer in the warm area. We conclude that the effect of climate change by global warming varies in different areas in Korea and a region-specific management strategy should be developed in order to maintain productivity, health and welfare of lactating dairy cows.

A Murine Model of Toluene Diisocyanate-induced Contact Hypersensitivity

  • Chai, Ok Hee;Park, Sung Gil;Sohn, Jang Sihn;Hwang, Seung Soo;Li, Guang Zhao;Han, Eui-Hyeog;Kim, Hyoung Tae;Lee, Moo Sam;Lee, Hurn-Ku;Lee, Yong Chul;Song, Chang Ho
    • IMMUNE NETWORK
    • /
    • v.2 no.3
    • /
    • pp.158-165
    • /
    • 2002
  • Background: Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) can cause contact allergy and occupational asthma, but the mechanism underlying sensitization to this chemical compound remains controversal. Also the correlation of mast cell with contact hypersensitivity (CHS) and the role of mast cell in the TDI-induced CHS is unknown. This issue was investigated by administrating TDI on the skin of genetically mast cell-deficient WBB6F1/$J-Kit^{W}/Kit^{W-v}$ ($W/W^{V}$) and congenic normal WBB6F1/J-Kit+/+ (+/+) mice. Methods: To development of animal model of TDI-induced CHS and to investigate the correlation of mast cell with CHS and the role of mast cell in the TDI-induced CHS, $W/W^V$ and +/+ mice were sensitized with TDI on the back skin at day 1 and day 8, and then challenged with 1% TDI on the ear at day 15. At 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours after 1% TDI challenge, the ear thicknesses were measured. It was investigated the histologic changes of dermis in the ear of $W/W^V$ and +/+ mice at 24 hours after 1% TDI challenge. Results: TDI induced a significant ear swelling response in $W/W^V$ and +/+ mice. TDI induced the significant infiltrations of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and eosinophils in $W/W^V$ and +/+ mice, but not of mast cells in normal mice. And TDI increased a characteristic extent of mast cell degranulation in normal mice. There were no significant differences in the ear swelling and the infiltrations of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and eosinophils of normal versus $W/W^V$ mice, either at baseline or after TDI-induced CHS. Conclusion: From the above results, TDI can be used as a murine CHS model, and the mast cells may not be essential in TDI-induced CHS.

Multi-target Data Association Filter Based on Order Statistics for Millimeter-wave Automotive Radar (밀리미터파 대역 차량용 레이더를 위한 순서통계 기법을 이용한 다중표적의 데이터 연관 필터)

  • Lee, Moon-Sik;Kim, Yong-Hoon
    • Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
    • /
    • v.37 no.5
    • /
    • pp.94-104
    • /
    • 2000
  • The accuracy and reliability of the target tracking is very critical issue in the design of automotive collision warning radar A significant problem in multi-target tracking (MTT) is the target-to-measurement data association If an incorrect measurement is associated with a target, the target could diverge the track and be prematurely terminated or cause other targets to also diverge the track. Most methods for target-to-measurement data association tend to coalesce neighboring targets Therefore, many algorithms have been developed to solve this data association problem. In this paper, a new multi-target data association method based on order statistics is described The new approaches. called the order statistics probabilistic data association (OSPDA) and the order statistics joint probabilistic data association (OSJPDA), are formulated using the association probabilities of the probabilistic data association (PDA) and the joint probabilistic data association (JPDA) filters, respectively Using the decision logic. an optimal or near optimal target-to-measurement data association is made A computer simulation of the proposed method in a heavy cluttered condition is given, including a comparison With the nearest-neighbor CNN). the PDA, and the JPDA filters, Simulation results show that the performances of the OSPDA filter and the OSJPDA filter are superior to those of the PDA filter and the JPDA filter in terms of tracking accuracy about 18% and 19%, respectively In addition, the proposed method is implemented using a developed digital signal processing (DSP) board which can be interfaced with the engine control unit (ECU) of car engine and with the d?xer through the controller area network (CAN)

  • PDF

Diagnostic Value of Human Epididymis Protein 4 Compared with Mesothelin for Ovarian Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

  • Lin, Jia-Ying;Qin, Jin-Bao;Li, Xiao-Yan;Dong, Ping;Yin, Bing-De
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
    • /
    • v.13 no.11
    • /
    • pp.5427-5432
    • /
    • 2012
  • Background and Purpose: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecologic cancers because of the lack of effective early detection methods. Accuracies of the human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) and mesothelin in detecting ovarian cancer have never been systematically assessed. The current systematic review aimed to tackle this issue. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched (September 1995-November 2011) for studies on the diagnostic performances of HE4 and mesothelin in differentiating ovarian cancer from other benign gynecologic diseases. QUADAS items were used to evaluate the qualities of the studies. Meta-DiSc software was used to handle data from the included studies and to examine heterogeneity. All included studies for diagnostic performance were combined with sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratios (DORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves, and areas under the SROC curves (AUC). Results: A total of 18 studies and 3,865 patients were eligible for the final analysis. The pooled sensitivity estimates for HE4 (74.4%) were significantly higher than those for mesothelin (49.3%). The pooled specificity estimates for mesothelin (94.5%) were higher than those for HE4 (85.8%). The pooled DOR estimates for HE4 (26.22) were higher than those for mesothelin (24.01). The SROC curve for HE4 showed better diagnostic accuracy than that for mesothelin. The PLR and NLR of HE4 were 6.33 (95% CI: 3.58 to 11.18) and 0.27 (95% CI: 0.21 to 0.34), respectively. The PLR and NLR for mesothelin were 11.0 (95% CI: 6.21 to 19.59) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.42 to 0.62), respectively. The combination of the two tumor markers or their combination with CA-125 increased sensitivity and specificity to different extents. Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy of HE4 in differentiating ovarian cancer from other benign gynecologic diseases is better than that of soluble mesothelin-related protein. Combinations of two or more tumor markers show more sensitivity and specificity.

Key Re-distribution Scheme of Dynamic Filtering Utilizing Attack Information for Improving Energy Efficiency in WSNs (무선 센서 네트워크에서 에너지 효율성 향상을 위해 공격정보를 활용한 동적 여과 기법의 키 재분배 기법)

  • Park, Dong-Jin;Cho, Tae-Ho
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
    • /
    • v.26 no.2
    • /
    • pp.113-119
    • /
    • 2016
  • Wireless sensor networks are vulnerable to an adversary due to scarce resources and wireless communication. An adversary can compromise a sensor node and launch a variety of attacks such as false report injection attacks. This attack may cause monetary damage resulting in energy drain by forwarding the false reports and false alarms at the base station. In order to address this problem, a number of en-route filtering schemes has been proposed. Notably, a dynamic en-route filtering scheme can save energy by filtering of the false report. In the key dissemination phase of the existing scheme, the nodes closer to the source node may not have matching keys to detect the false report. Therefore, continuous attacks may result in unnecessary energy wastage. In this paper, we propose a key re-distribution scheme to solve this issue. The proposed scheme early detects the false report injection attacks using initially assigned secret keys in the phase of the key pre-distribution. The experimental results demonstrate the validity of our scheme with energy efficiency of up to 26.63% and filtering capacity up to 15.92% as compared to the existing scheme.

Review on Quantitative Measures of Robustness for Building Structures Against Disproportionate Collapse

  • Jiang, Jian;Zhang, Qijie;Li, Liulian;Chen, Wei;Ye, Jihong;Li, Guo-Qiang
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
    • /
    • v.9 no.2
    • /
    • pp.127-154
    • /
    • 2020
  • Disproportionate collapse triggered by local structural failure may cause huge casualties and economic losses, being one of the most critical civil engineering incidents. It is generally recognized that ensuring robustness of a structure, defined as its insensitivity to local failure, is the most acceptable and effective method to arrest disproportionate collapse. To date, the concept of robustness in its definition and quantification is still an issue of controversy. This paper presents a detailed review on about 50 quantitative measures of robustness for building structures, being classified into structural attribute-based and structural performance-based measures (deterministic and probabilistic). The definition of robustness is first described and distinguished from that of collapse resistance, vulnerability and redundancy. The review shows that deterministic measures predominate in quantifying structural robustness by comparing the structural responses of an intact and damaged structure. The attribute-based measures based on structural topology and stiffness are only applicable to elastic state of simple structural forms while the probabilistic measures receive growing interest by accounting for uncertainties in abnormal events, local failure, structural system and failure-induced consequences, which can be used for decision-making tools. There is still a lack of generalized quantifications of robustness, which should be derived based on the definition and design objectives and on the response of a structure to local damage as well as the associated consequences of collapse. Critical issues and recommendations for future design and research on quantification of robustness are provided from the views of column removal scenarios, types of structures, regularity of structural layouts, collapse modes, numerical methods, multiple hazards, degrees of robustness, partial damage of components, acceptable design criteria.

Future Residential Forecasting and Recommendations of Housing Using STEEP-V Analysis (STEEP-V 방법론을 활용한 미래주거예측 및 대응방안)

  • An, Se-Yun;Lee, Sangho;Yoon, Jeong Joong;Kim, So-Yeon;Ju, Hannah;Kim, Sungwhan
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
    • /
    • v.20 no.6
    • /
    • pp.230-240
    • /
    • 2020
  • Recently, the social debate about the fourth industrial revolution has been actively developed, and it is predicted that the 4th Industrial Revolution will have a great influence on our society, cities, residential and industrial spaces. Especially, it is anticipated that the technological development of the 4th Industrial Revolution will cause a wide range of changes in residential style and culture. Therefore, it is necessary to grasp the direction of future change in advance and proactively respond to future tasks and strategies need. The purpose of this study is to predict the direction and characteristics of the mid - to long - term changes in future housing that will be brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution and to define future social, spatial and technological impacts and issues and to find policy measures for them. STEEP (V) as a methodology for forecasting future has been used. It is a process of deriving technical and social issues by using Big Data. It collects various keywords and draws out key issues and summarizes social change patterns related to each core issue. The proposed strategy for future housing prediction and countermeasures can be used as a basic data for future directions of housing policy and suggests a process for deriving reasonable and reasonable results from multiple data sets rather than accurate prediction.

A Study on the Influence of Service Nature by Service Industry on Job Performance (서비스산업별 서비스본질이 직무성과에 미치는 영향 연구)

  • Byun, MiYoung;Kim, Hyunsoo
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
    • /
    • v.20 no.4
    • /
    • pp.331-347
    • /
    • 2020
  • In the modern economic area of service-based logic, the importance of the service industry continues to increase. Yet in spite of the various promotional policies of the government, growth remains at a standstill. It is now time to turn away from the outwardly visible form of the issue and to contemplate its root cause. This study thus investigated the service essentials based on philosophical thought in order to secure the continuous growth and competitive advantage of a service industry with an unshakable foundation. The effect of service essentials on job performance by service industry was also empirically analyzed. To conduct the study, a research hypothesis was verified by using the final 900 copies of survey data for service industry workers for data analysis. The results of the study on service essentials showed that interaction and harmony were found to have a positive effect on job performance in the transportation industry, while it verified the positive effects on job performance for interactivity and horizontality in the finance and insurance industry, and interactivity, horizontality and harmony in the hotel and resort industries. As a result, it was confirmed that service essentials had a partial effect on performance in the service industry. Various and in-depth studies on service essentials are thus required in the future, and it is also necessary to expand the parameters or adjustment variables that are capable of affecting performance.

Intake of fruits and vegetables may modify the risk of cataract in Korean males: data from Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012 (채소 및 과일의 섭취가 백내장 유병율에 미치는 영향 : 2012년 국민건강영양조사 자료를 이용하여)

  • Lee, Eunkyung;Choi, Jeong-Hwa;Heo, Young-Ran
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
    • /
    • v.51 no.5
    • /
    • pp.423-432
    • /
    • 2018
  • Purpose: Cataract is a major cause of a loss of eye sight, and is a critical health issue in an aging society. The oxidative stresses to the lens due to various exterior/interior stimuli leads to degenerative changes of the visual system, resulting in cataract. Therefore, reducing the level of oxidative damage is critical in the prevention of the disease. This study examined the association between the risk of cataract and intake of fruits and vegetables, the major dietary source of antioxidants. Methods: Using the data of Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012, the intake of fruits and vegetables of 1,332 males (222 cases) and 2,012 females (377 cases) were analyzed, taking into account the cataract phenotype. Their dietary intake was categorized in 6 groups: TV (total vegetables), F (fruits), TVF (TV+F), SV (salted vegetables), NSV (Non-SV), and NSVF (NSV+F). The level of intakes were evaluated referring to the recommendation level of various dietary guidelines. Results: The presence of cataract was associated with some type of fruit and vegetable intake. In males, the controls had more TVF (p < 0.001), TV (p = 0.001), SV (p = 0.012), NSV (p = 0.007), and NSVF (p < 0.001) intake than the cases, and the lower intake of TVF (< 500g), TV (300g), NSV (< 100g), and NSVF (< 400g) increased the risk of cataract by up to 1.7 fold [95% confidence interval: 1.06-2.71]. In females, the controls also had a higher intake of TVF (p < 0.001), TV (p = 0.042), and NSVF (p < 0.001), but the intake of such fruits and vegetables did not predict the meaningful risk of cataract. The intake of SV and F was not associated with the cataract phenotype in either males or females. Conclusion: The intake of fruits and vegetables can modify the risk of cataract in Korean males and a sufficient intake of those could be effective in the prevention of cataract.