• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
• /
• 제12권3호
• /
• pp.1098-1112
• /
• 2018

Achievable sum rate and energy efficiency (EE) are investigated for the massive multiple-input multiple-output (Massive MIMO) downlink with channel aging in the time varying Ricean fading channel. Specifically, the expression of the achievable sum rate of the system for the maximum ratio transmission (MRT) precoder with aged channel state information (CSI) in the time varying Ricean fading channel is first presented. Based on the expression, the effect of both channel aging and the Ricean factor on the power scaling law are studied. It is found that the transmit power of base station (BS) is scaled down by $1/{\sqrt{M}}$(where M is the number of the BS antennas) when the Ricean factor K is equal to zero (i.e., time varying Rayleigh fading channel), indicating that aged CSI does not affect the power scaling law. However, the transmit power of the BS is scaled down by 1/M for the time varying Ricean fading channel (where $K{\neq}0$) indicating that the Ricean factor affects the power scaling law and sum rate, and channel aging only leads to a reduction of the sum rate. Second, the EE of the system is analyzed based on the general power consumption model. Both the theoretical analysis and the simulations show that the channel aging could degrade the sum rate and the EE of the system, and it does not affect the power scaling law.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• 제35권5호
• /
• pp.521-529
• /
• 2019

Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus is a species of the widespread geminiviruses. The infection of Nicotiana benthamiana by Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus (TYLCCNV) causes a reduction in photosynthetic activity, which is part of the viral symptoms. ${\beta}C1$ is a viral factor encoded by the betasatellite DNA ($DNA{\beta}$) accompanying TYLCCNV. It is a major viral pathogenicity factor of TYLCCNV. To elucidate the effect of ${\beta}C1$ on plants' photosynthesis, we measured the relative chlorophyll (Chl) content and Chl fluorescence in TY-LCCNV-infected and ${\beta}C1$ transgenic N. benthamiana plants. The results showed that Chl content is reduced in TYLCCNV A-infected, TYLCCNV A plus $DNA{\beta}$ (TYLCCNV A + ${\beta}$)-infected and ${\beta}C1$ transgenic plants. Further, changes in Chl fluorescence parameters, such as electron transport rate, $F_v/F_m$, NPQ, and qP, revealed that photosynthetic efficiency is compromised in the aforementioned N. benthamiana plants. The presense of ${\beta}C1$ aggravated the decrease of Chl content and photosynthetic efficiency during viral infection. Additionally, the real-time quantitative PCR analysis of oxygen evolving complex genes in photosystem II, such as PsbO, PsbP, PsbQ, and PsbR, showed a significant reduction of the relative expression of these genes at the late stage of TYLCCNV A + ${\beta}$ infection and at the vegetative stage of ${\beta}C1$ transgenic N. benthamiana plants. In summary, this study revealed the pathogenicity of TYLCCNV in photosynthesis and disclosed the effect of ${\beta}C1$ in exacerbating the damage in photosynthesis efficiency by TYLCCNV infection.

• 국제학술발표논문집
• /
• The 3th International Conference on Construction Engineering and Project Management
• /
• pp.1599-1607
• /
• 2009

In order to deal with severe competition in the construction market of developing countries, large contractors must continually improve their own performance and operation. Performance measurement is the heart of ceaseless improvement in organizations. Key performance indicators (KPIs) play a key role in measuring project management performance (PMP) of large contractors in developing countries. The main objective of this paper is to identify KPIs, which can be used to measure PMP of contractors, and then analyze the underlying relationships of these KPIs in order to gain insight into PMP of large construction firms in Vietnam construction industry (VCI). Literature reviews and the pilot survey provided 30 KPIs. Fourteen KPIs, which have the mean values higher than 3.0, were considered as important KPIs through a questionnaire survey of 32 professionals. Factor analysis of these KPIs was employed to categorize them. The results of the survey revealed that top six KPIs are construction time and cost, owner satisfaction on services and products, and quality management and project team performance. Factor analysis uncovered that 14 top-ranked KPIs can be grouped under six categories, namely: (1) construction input management, (2) owner satisfaction, (3) cost and quality, (4) manpower management, (5) subcontractor performance and (6) equipment management. The findings of this research can be used as a guideline to measure PMP of contractors in Vietnam as well as in other developing countries. Since contractors from a country to the other country may have the same manner to manage construction projects, the results of this study may be useful not only to practitioners and researchers in Vietnam but also to participants in other developing countries.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• 제24권5호
• /
• pp.72.1-72.16
• /
• 2023

Background: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) on the surface of Streptococcus dysgalactiae, coded with gapC, is a glycolytic enzyme that was reported to be a moonlighting protein and virulence factor. Objective: This study assessed GAPDH as a potential immunization candidate protein to prevent streptococcus infections. Methods: Mice were vaccinated subcutaneously with recombinant GAPDH and challenged with S. dysgalactiae in vivo. They were then evaluated using histological methods. rGAPDH of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) was evaluated using immunoblotting, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. Results: Vaccination with rGAPDH improved the survival rates and decreased the bacterial burdens in the mammary glands compared to the control group. The mechanism by which rGAPDH vaccination protects against S. dysgalactiae was investigated. In vitro experiments showed that rGAPDH boosted the generation of interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Treatment of BMDCs with TAK-242, a toll-like receptor 4 inhibitor, or C29, a toll-like receptor 2 inhibitor, reduced cytokines substantially, suggesting that rGAPDH may be a potential ligand for both TLR2 and TLR4. Subsequent investigations showed that rGAPDH may activate the phosphorylation of MAPKs and nuclear factor-κB. Conclusions: GAPDH is a promising immunization candidate protein for targeting virulence and enhancing immune-mediated protection. Further investigations are warranted to understand the mechanisms underlying the activation of BMDCs by rGAPDH in a TLR2- and TLR4-dependent manner and the regulation of inflammatory cytokines contributing to mastitis pathogenesis.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• 제14권2호
• /
• pp.257-264
• /
• 2014

A novel converter-free AC LED driver that is highly resistant to the fluctuation of AC voltage is proposed in this study. By removing large passive components, such as the bulky capacitor and the large-value inductor, the integration of the driver circuit is enhanced while the driving current remains stable. The proposed circuit provides LED lamps with a driving current that can follow the sinusoid waveform to obtain a very high power factor (PF) and low total harmonic distortion (THD). The LED input current produced by this driving current is insensitive to fluctuations in the AC voltage. Users will thus not feel that LED lamps are flashing during the fluctuation. Experiment results indicate that the proposed system can obtain PF of 0.999 and THD as low as 3.3% for a five-string 6 W LED load under 220 V at 50 Hz.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제13권6호
• /
• pp.2903-2908
• /
• 2012

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is associated with disruption of basement membranes of blood vessels and promotion of metastasis through the lymphatics. However, its prognostic value for survival in patients with gastric cancer remains controversial. Method: We therefore conducted a meta-analysis of the published literature in order to clarify the impact of MMP-9. Clinical studies were selected for further analysis if they provided an independent assessment of MMP-9 in gastric cancer and reported analysis of survival data according to MMP-9 expression. Results: A total of 11 studies, covering 1700 patients, were included for meta-analysis. A summary hazard ratio (HR) of all studies and sub-group hazard ratios were calculated. The combined HR suggested that a positive MMP-9 expression had an impact on overall survival: 1.25 (95% confidence interval 1.11-1.40) in all eligible studies; 1.13 (1.06-1.20) in 8 studies detecting MMP-9 by immunohistochemistry; 1.36 (1.12-1.65) in 7 studies from Asia. Only one study for DFS showed a significant impact on disease free survival (HR 1.73, 95%CI 1.27-2.34). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that MMP-9 protein expression might be a factor for a poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. However, the association was rather weak, so that more prospective studies should further explore the prognostic impact of MMP-9 mRNA and correlations between MMP-9 and clinicopathological characteristics.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제13권7호
• /
• pp.3089-3097
• /
• 2012

Background and Aims: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with resected gastric cancer. However, its role remains controversial. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. Methods: Relevant literature was identified using Medline and survival data from published studies were collected following a methodological assessment. Quality assessment of eligible studies and meta-analysis of hazard ratio (HR) were performed to review the correlation of VEGF overexpression with survival and recurrence in patients with gastric cancer. Results: Our meta-analysis included 44 published studies with 4,794 resected patients. VEGF subtype for the prediction of overall survival (OS) included tissue VEGF (HR=2.13, 95% CI 1.71-2.65), circulating VEGF (HR=4.22, 95% CI 2.47-7.18), tissue VEGF-C (HR=2.21, 95% CI 1.58-3.09), tissue VEGF-D (HR=1.73, 95% CI 1.25-2.40). Subgroup analysis showed that HRs of tissue VEGF for OS were, 1.78 (95% CI 0.90-3.51) and 2.31 (95% CI 1.82-2.93) in non-Asians and Asians, respectively. The meta-analysis was also conducted for disease free survival (DFS) and disease specific survival (DSS). Conclusion: Positive expression of tissue VEGF, circulating VEGF, VEGF-C and VEGF-D were all associated with poor prognosis in resected gastric cancer. However, VEGF demonstrated no significant prognostic value for non-Asian populations. Circulating VEGF may be better than tissue VEGF in predicting prognosis.

• 한국건설관리학회논문집
• /
• 제10권2호
• /
• pp.84-92
• /
• 2009

최근 가변성능에 관하여 공간, 재료, 구조, 공법 등 건설 산업 전반에 걸쳐 많은 연구가 진행 중이며, 이와 더불어 공동주택의 노후화 문제로 인하여 건축요소기술의 개발이 가속화되고 있다. 이에 따라 본 연구에서는 최근 사회적으로 부각되고 있는 가변성능에 관한 공동주택의 요소기술 선정 및 대상사례를 중심으로 한 설문조사와 전문가 의견을 거쳐 건축요소기술의 평가항목을 1차적으로 선정하고자 한다. 그리고 선정된 건축요소기술 항목 중에서 타당성 및 객관성 검증절차를 통하여 건축요소기술을 재정립 및 분류하고, 최종적으로 적용 가능한 다양한 건축요소기술 가운데 우선순위가 높은 항목들을 결정하여 분석 및 평가함으로써 향후 장수명 공동주택의 가변성능향상을 위한 지침을 제시하고자 한다.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• 제43권3호
• /
• pp.452-459
• /
• 2019

Background: Ginsenoside compound K(C-K), a major metabolite of ginsenoside, exhibits anticancer activity in various cancer cells and animal models. A cell signaling study has shown that C-K inhibited nuclear factor-kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$) pathway in human astroglial cells and liver cancer cells. However, the molecular targets of C-K and the initiating events were not elucidated. Methods: Interaction between C-K and Annexin A2 was determined by molecular docking and thermal shift assay. HepG2 cells were treated with C-K, followed by a luciferase reporter assay for $NF-{\kappa}B$, immunofluorescence imaging for the subcellular localization of Annexin A2 and $NF-{\kappa}B$ p50 subunit, coimmunoprecipitation of Annexin A2 and $NF-{\kappa}B$ p50 subunit, and both cell viability assay and plate clone formation assay to determine the cell viability. Results: Both molecular docking and thermal shift assay positively confirmed the interaction between Annexin A2 and C-K. This interaction prevented the interaction between Annexin A2 and $NF-{\kappa}B$ p50 subunit and their nuclear colocalization, which attenuated the activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ and the expression of its downstream genes, followed by the activation of caspase 9 and 3. In addition, the overexpression of Annexin A2-K320A, a C-K binding-deficient mutant of Annexin A2, rendered cells to resist C-K treatment, indicating that C-K exerts its cytotoxic activity mainly by targeting Annexin A2. Conclusion: This study for the first time revealed a cellular target of C-K and the molecular mechanism for its anticancer activity.

• Current Optics and Photonics
• /
• 제5권3호
• /
• pp.250-260
• /
• 2021

A tapered As₂S₃ photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with four layers of air holes in a hexagonal array around the core is designed in this paper. Numerical simulation shows that the dispersion D decreases and the nonlinearity coefficient γ increases from the thick to the thin end along the tapered PCF. We simulate the midinfrared pulse compression in the tapered As₂S₃ PCF using the adaptive split-step Fourier method. Initial Gaussian pulses of 4.4 ps and a central wavelength of 2.5 ㎛ propagating in the tapered PCF are located in the anomalous dispersion region. With an average power of assumed input pulses at 3 mW and a repetition frequency of 81.0 MHz, we theoretically obtain a pulse duration of 56 fs and a compression factor of 78 when the pulse propagates from the thick end to the thin end of the tapered PCF. When confinement loss in the tapered PCF is included in the simulation, the minimum pulse duration reaches 72 fs; correspondingly, the maximum compression factor reaches 61. The results show that in the anomalous-dispersion region, midinfrared pulses can be efficiently compressed in a dispersion-decreasing and nonlinearity-increasing tapered As₂S₃ PCF. Due to confinement loss in the tapered fiber, the efficiency of pulse compression is suppressed.