• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.514-524
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• 2016

This work suggests a study on 5 kW plasma power supply design and reactor capacitance estimation algorithm for a wide range of linear output control to operate a plasma reactor. The suggested study is designed to use a two-stage circuit and control the full-bridge circuit of the two-stage circuit using the buck converter output voltage of the single-stage circuit. The switching frequency of the full-bridge circuit is designed to operate through high-frequency switching and obtain maximum output using LC parallel resonance. Soft switching technique(ZVS) is used to reduce the loss caused by high-frequency switching, and duty control of the buck converter is applied to control a wide range of linear output. The internal capacitance of the reactor cannot easily be extracted, and thus, the reactor cannot be operated in an optimized resonant state. To address this issue, this work designs the internal capacitance of the reactor such that estimations can be performed with the developed reactor capacitance estimation algorithm applied to the internal capacitance of the reactor. A 5 kW plasma power supply is designed for a wide range of linear output control, and the validity of the study on the reactor capacitance estimation algorithm is verified.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2119-2128
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• 2016

Due to detection and control errors, some high-frequency harmonics with voltage-source characteristics cause circulating currents in modular inverters. Moreover, the circulating currents are usually affected by the output filters (OF) of each module due to their filter and resonance properties. The interaction among the circulating currents in the modules increase the power loss and reduce system stability and control precision. Therefore, this paper reports the results of a study on the SPWM high-frequency harmonics circulating currents for a double-module VSI. In the paper, an analysis of the circulating-current circuits is briefly described. Next, a mathematic model of the single-module output voltage based on the carrier frequency of SPWM is built. On this basis, through mathematic modeling of high-frequency harmonic circulating currents, the formation mechanism and distribution characteristics of circular currents and their influences are studied in detail. Finally, the influences of the OF on the circulating currents are studied by mainly taking an LC-type filter as an example. A theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate some important characteristics. First, the carrier phase shifting of the SPWM for each module is the major cause of the SPWM harmonic circulating currents, and the circulating currents are in an odd distribution around n-times the carrier frequency $n{\omega}_s$, where n = 1, 2, 3, ${\ldots}$. Second, the harmonic circular currents do not flow into the parallel system. Third, the OF can effectively suppress the non-circulating part of the high-frequency harmonic currents but is ineffective for the circulation part, and actually reduces system stability.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.389-392
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• 1988

A clone pSL 2-1, which is a recombinant plasmid believed to contain the mosquitocidal crystal-line protein gene of the Bacillus sphaericus 1593, was expressed in Escherichia coli JM83 and the product of the clone was purified and identified. The unsolubilized mosquitocidal crystal proteins from the B. sphaericus had formed 43, 58, 64, 100, 113, and 130 Kd bands in the SDS-polyacrylamide gel, but the NaOH-solublized proteins at pH 12 formed 2 protein bands of 43- and 64Kd in the gel because the larger protein (precursor) bands were cleaved. The products of the pSL 2-1 clone was purified by Sephadex G-200 and only the fractions having lethal activity to the 3rd in-star larvae of mosquito Culex pipiens were analyzed by the gel. The only single protein band of 42 Kd toxic to the larvae was formed. The major toxic protein being produced from the B. sphaericus 1593 and the pSL 2-1 clone was found to be the 42 Kd.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.195-202
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• 2009

BIRC5 (Survivin) belongs to the inhibitor of apoptosis gene family. The BIRC5 protein inhibits caspases and consequently blocks apoptosis. Thus, BIRC5 contributes to the progression of cancer allowing for continued cell proliferation and survival. In this study, we identified eight sequence variants of BIRC5 through direct DNA sequencing. Among the eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), six common variants with frequencies higher than 0.05 were selected for larger-scale genotyping (n=1,066). Results of the study did not show any association between the promoter region polymorphisms and the clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence. This is in line with a previous study in which polymorphisms in the promoter region does not influence the function of BIRC5. Initially, we were able to detect a signal with the ＋9194A>G, which disappeared after multiple corrections but led to a change in amino acid. Similarly, we were also able to detect an association signal between two haplotypes (haplotype-2 and haplotype-5) on the onset age of HCC and/or HCC occurrence, but the signals also disappeared after multiple corrections. As a result, we concluded that there was no association between BIRC5 polymorphisms and the clearance HBV infection and/or HCC occurrence. However, our results might useful to future studies.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.187-194
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• 2009

Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, and it is a key enzyme responsible for the metabolic activation of many smallmolecular-weight compounds such as alcohol, which is classified as a human carcinogen. In this study, we identified 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP2E1 in Korean population. In these SNPs, we examined possible genetic association of CYP2E1 polymorphisms with HBV clearance and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Five common polymorphic sites were selected, CYP2E1 polymorphisms at rs381-3867, rs3813870, rs2070673, rs2515641 and rs2480257, considering their allele frequencies, haplotype-tagging status and LDs for genotyping in larger-scale subjects (n=1,092). Statistical analysis demonstrated that CYP2E1 polymorphisms and haplotypes show no significant association with HBV clearance, HCC occurrence and onset age of HCC (p>0.05). Previous studies, however, have shown contradictory findings on associations of CYP2E1 polymorphisms with CYP2E1 activities and HCC risk. Comparing the contrasting results of previous researches suggest that CYP2E1 polymorphism is associated with CYP2E1 activity induced by ethanol, but is not directly associated with HCC risk. CYP2E1 variation/haploype information identified in this study will provide valuable information for future studies on CYP2E1.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.64 no.11
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• pp.1543-1550
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• 2015

Ferroresonance is a non-linear vibrational phenomenon that is generated by the electrical interaction of the inductance component with the capacitor component of a certain capacitance as the device of the inductance component such as a transformer is saturated due to the degradation, the waveform distortion of current and voltage, and the oscillation of overcurrent and overvoltage in a system. Recently, ferroresonance was generated from the waveform distortion of current and voltage, or the overvoltage or undervoltage phenomenon caused by the nature of an electrical power system and design technology of the transformer in the three phase transformer system. Hence, in general, ferroresonance analyzed by converting to the LC equivalent circuit. However, in general, the aforementioned analytical method only applies to the resonance phenomenon that is generated by the interaction of the capacitance of bussbar and grounding, and switching as the capacitor component with PT and the transformer as the inductance component in a system. Subsequently, the condition where ferroresonance was generated since overvoltage was supplied as line voltage to the phase voltage and thus the iron core is saturated due to the interconnection between grounded and ungrounded systems could not be analyzed when single phase PT was connected in a ${\Delta}$/Y connection system. In this study, voltage swell in the configuration of grounded circuit of a step-up transformer with the ${\Delta}-{\Delta}$ connection linked to PT for control power and the ferroresonance generated by overvoltage when the line voltage of the ${\Delta}-{\Delta}$ connection was connected to the phase voltage of the grounded Y-Y connection were analyzed using PSCAD / EMTDC through the failure case of the transformer caused by ferroresonance in the system with the ${\Delta}-{\Delta}$/Y-Y connection, and subsequently, the preventive measure of ferroresonance was proposed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.558-569
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• 2020

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating fungal disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The lack of genetic resources with stable FHB resistance combined with a reliable and rapid screening method to evaluate FHB resistance is a major limitation to the development of FHB resistant wheat germplasm. The present study utilized an immature wheat spike culture method to screen wheat spike culture derived variants (SCDV) for FHB resistance. Mycotoxin concentrations determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) correlated significantly (P < 0.01) with FHB severity and disease progression during in vitro spike culture. Selected SCDV lines assessed for FHB resistance in a Fusarium field disease nursery in Carman, Manitoba, Canada in 2016 showed significant (P < 0.01) correlation of disease severity to the in vitro spike culture screening method. Selected resistant SCDV lines were also crossed with an elite cv. CDC Hughes and the progeny of F₂ and BC₁F₂ were screened by high resolution melt curve (HRM) analyses for the wheat UDP-glucosyl transferase gene (TaUGT-3B) single nucleotide polymorphism to identify resistant (T-allele) and susceptible (G-allele) markers. The progeny from the crosses were also screened for FHB severity using the immature spike culture method and identified resistant progeny grouped according to the HRM genotyping data. The results demonstrate a reliable approach using the immature spike culture to screen for FHB resistance in progeny of crosses in early stage of breeding programs.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.213-223
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• 2021

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) is routinely used in the in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles to increase the number of retrieved mature oocytes. However, the relationship between repeated COH and ovarian function is still controversial. Therefore, we investigated whether repeated ovarian stimulation affects ovarian aging and function, including follicular development, autophagy, and apoptosis in follicles. Ovarian hyperstimulation in mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Mice subjected to ovarian stimulation once were used as a control group and 10 times as an experimental group. Repeated injections with PMSG and hCG significantly reduced the number of primary follicles compared to a single injection. The number of secondary and antral follicles increased slightly, while the number of corpus luteum increased significantly with repeated injections. On the other hand, repeated injections did not affect apoptosis in follicles associated with follicular atresia. The expression of autophagy-related genes Atg5, Atg12, LC3B, and Beclin1, cell proliferation-related genes mTOR, apoptosis-related genes Fas, and FasL was not significantly different between the two groups. In addition, the expression of the aging-related genes Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, and AMH were also not significantly different. In this study, we demonstrated that repeated ovarian stimulation in mice affects follicular development, but not autophagy, apoptosis, aging in ovary. These results suggest that repetition of COH in the IVF-ET cycle may not result in ovarian aging, such as a decrease in ovarian reserve in adult women.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.557-562
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• 2021

Microglial activation is closely associated with neuroinflammatory pathologies. The nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptor containing a pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes are highly organized intracellular sensors of neuronal alarm signaling. NLRP3 inflammasomes activate nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induce inflammatory responses. Moreover, NLRP3 dysfunction is a common feature of chronic inflammatory diseases. The present study investigated the effect of a novel thiazol derivative, N-cyclooctyl-5-methylthiazol-2-amine hydrobromide (KHG26700), on inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated BV-2 microglial cells. KHG26700 significantly attenuated the expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6, in these cells, as well as the LPS-induced increases in NLRP3, NF-κB, and phospho-IkBα levels. KHG26700 also suppressed the LPS-induced increases in protein levels of autophagy protein 5 (ATG5), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), and beclin-1, as well as downregulating the LPS-enhanced levels of ROS, lipid peroxidation, and nitric oxide. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of KHG26700 may be due, at least in part, to the regulation of the NLRP3-mediated signaling pathway during microglial activation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.1836-1847
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• 2024

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), one of the most widely used plastics in the world, causes serious environmental problems. Recently, scientists have been focused on the enzymatic degradation of PET, an environmentally friendly method that offers an attractive approach to the degradation and recycling of PET. In this work, PET hydrolase from Streptomyces sp. W2061 was biochemically characterized, and the biodegradation of PET was performed using the PET model substrate bis (2-hydroxyethyl terephthalate) (BHET). PET hydrolase has an isoelectric point of 5.84, and a molecular mass of about 50.31 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature were 7.0 and 40℃, respectively. LC-MS analysis of the enzymatic products showed that the PET hydrolase successfully degraded a single ester bond of BHET, leading to the formation of MHET. Furthermore, in silico characterization of the PET hydrolase protein sequence and its predicted three-dimensional structure was designed and compared with the well-characterized IsPETase from Ideonella sakaiensis. The structural analysis showed that the (Gly-x1-Ser-x2-Gly) serine hydrolase motif and the catalytic triad (Ser, Asp, and His) were conserved in all sequences. In addition, we integrated molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to analyze the variation in the structural stability of the PET hydrolase in the absence and presence of BHET. These simulations showed the formation of a stable complex between the PET hydrolase and BHET. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on Streptomyces sp. W2061 to investigate the BHET degradation activity of PET hydrolase, which has potential application in the biodegradation of plastics in the environment.