• Cross-Cultural Studies
• /
• 제34권
• /
• pp.115-146
• /
• 2014

Cyclical stories on Caucasus and Sebastopol Sketches, including War and Peace, have generally been said as masterpieces dealing with the theme of war in Leo Tolstoy's literature. Among them, it is no doubt that War and Peace is absolutely the best one describing the grand panorama of people's lives and war itself. The plot of this novel consists of the so-called Napoleonic War of 1812 and of diverse lives both from the upper class and lower class, more essentially it dramatically presents how these pictures made all literary participants experienced their destiny and lives. Throughout these texts, war, including of its cause and effects and participants, re-considers and re-evaluates all of each features. The most important themes in War and Peace is war itself as the novel's title says. Rather than a just backdrop to the novel, the war plays a significant role in providing the reader with various realistic, philosophic, moral and existentialist perspectives. Moreover, War and Peace for the writer shows contradictory two views about war; he severally criticizes the Napoleonic war of 1812 in the sense that it violets people's reason and nature. At the same time, however, Tolstoy considers that the war as liberation is justified and necessary for guarding people's nation, otechestvo in Russian. What the writer attempts to show from this novel, however, goes beyond the simple descriptions which were done above. Leo Tolstoy successfully offers and what he tries to show in the long run is that how people go through all kinds of sufferings and hardship and their spiritual resurrection, thereby leading to the vital force making history. For the writer, the essential force that makes history and people's lives is not heroic military leader like Napoleon, but those common people. And the novel serves a wonderful prelude expecting the Decembrist revolt in 1825, because all of the vital and active streams that Tolstoy emphasizes turn out true in Russian history.

• ALGAE
• /
• 제37권1호
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2022

Cyanobacteria are distributed worldwide, and many new cyanobacterial species are discovered in tropical region. The Nostoc-like genus Amazonocrinis has been separated from the genus Nostoc based on polyphasic methods. However, species diversity within this genus remains poorly understood systematically because only one species (Amazonocrinis nigriterrae) has been described. In this study, two novel strains (NUACC02 and NUACC03) were isolated from moist rice field soil in Thailand. These two strains were characterized using a polyphasic approach, based on morphology, 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, internal transcribed spacer secondary structure and ecology. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences confirmed that the two novel strains formed a monophyletic clade related to the genus Amazonocrinis and were distant from the type species A. nigriterrae. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (<98.1%) between novel strains and all other closely related taxa including the Amazonocrinis members exceeded the cutoff for species delimitation in bacteriology, reinforcing the presence of a new Amazonocrinis species. Furthermore, the novel strains possessed unique phenotypic characteristics such as the presence of the sheath, necridia-like cells, larger cell dimension and akinete cell arrangement in long-chains and the singularity of D1-D1', Box-B, V2, and V3 secondary structures that distinguished them from other Amazonocrinis members. Considering all the results, we described our two strains as Amazonocrinis thailandica sp. nov. in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제20권4호
• /
• pp.708-711
• /
• 2010

We report the isolation and characterization of a novel knottin-type antimicrobial peptide from the yellow-spotted long-horned beetle Psacothea hilaris. A cDNA encoding a 56-mer knottin-type propeptide was identified and its predicted molecular mass and pI were 5.92 kDa and 8.28, respectively. A 34-mer mature peptide was also selected and named herein as psacotheasin. The antimicrobial activity of chemically synthesized psacotheasin against human bacterial pathogens was subsequently investigated. The results showed that psacotheasin exerted potent activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The present study suggests that psacotheasin can be applied to develop novel therapeutic agents.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• 제11권2호
• /
• pp.237-243
• /
• 2011

Lithium batteries are widely used in mobile electronic devices due to their higher voltage and energy density, lighter weight and longer life cycle when compared to other secondary batteries. In particular, a high demand for lithium batteries is expected for electric cars. In the case of the lithium batteries used in electric cars, driving distance must be calculated accurately and discharging should not be done below a level that makes it impossible to crank. Therefore, accurate information on the state-of-charge (SOC) becomes an essential element for reliable driving. In this paper, a novel method for estimating the SOC of lithium polymer batteries using AC impedance is proposed. In the proposed method, the parameters are extracted by fitting the measured impedance spectrum on an equivalent impedance model and the variation in the parameter values at each SOC is used to estimate the SOC. Also to shorten the long length of time required for the measurement of the impedance spectrum, a novel method is proposed that can extract the equivalent impedance model parameters of lithium polymer batteries with the impedance measured at only two specific frequencies. Experiments are conducted on lithium polymer batteries, with similar capacities, made by different manufacturers to prove the validity of the proposed method.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• 제54권10호
• /
• pp.422-424
• /
• 2011

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that typically follows an infection or vaccination and has a favorable long-term prognosis. We describe the first reported case of ADEM after vaccination against novel influenza A (H1N1). A previously healthy 34-month-old boy who developed ADEM presented with a seizure and left-sided weakness 5 days after vaccination against novel influenza A (H1N1). Cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed elevated cell counts. T2-weighted images and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images revealed multiple patchy hyperintense lesions in the frontal and parietal subcortical white matter and the left thalamus. After the administration of intravenous corticosteroid, the patient's clinical symptoms improved and he recovered completely without neurologic sequelae.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 한국고분자학회 2006년도 IUPAC International Symposium on Advanced Polymers for Emerging Technologies
• /
• pp.228-228
• /
• 2006

Conjugated oligomers, used as models for fluorene-thiophene copolymers, are compared in terms of the microscopic morphology of thin deposits and the optical properties. The AFM images and the solid-state absorption and emission spectra are interpreted in line with the structural data, in terms of the assembly of the conjugated molecules. The compound with a terthiophene central unit and fluorene end-groups shows well-defined monolayer-by-monolayer assembly into micrometer-long strip-like structures, with a crystalline herringbone-type organization within the monolayers. Polarized confocal microscopy indicates a strong orientation of the crystalline domains within the stripes. In contrast, the compound with a terfluorene central unit and thiophene end groups forms no textured aggregates. The difference in behavior between the two compounds most probably originates from their different capability of forming densely-packed assemblies of ${\pi-pi}$ interacting molecules. These assemblies are used as active elements in organic field effect transistors designed by using soft lithography technique.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제23권12호
• /
• pp.1699-1707
• /
• 2013

During the fermentative production of 1,3-propanediol under high substrate concentrations, accumulation of intracellular 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde will cause premature cessation of cell growth and glycerol consumption. Discovery of oxidoreductases that can convert 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde to 1,3-propanediol using NADPH as cofactor could serve as a solution to this problem. In this paper, the yqhD gene from Klebsiella pneumoniae DSM2026, which was found encoding an aldehyde reductase (KpAR), was cloned and characterized. KpAR showed broad substrate specificity under physiological direction, whereas no catalytic activity was detected in the oxidation direction, and both NADPH and NADH can be utilized as cofactors. The cofactor binding mechanism was then investigated employing homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulations. Hydrogen-bond analysis showed that the hydrogen-bond interactions between KpAR and NADPH are much stronger than that for NADH. Free-energy decomposition dedicated that residues Gly37 to Val41 contribute most to the cofactor preference through polar interactions. In conclusion, this work provides a novel aldehyde reductase that has potential applications in the development of novel genetically engineered strains in the 1,3-propanediol industry, and gives a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in cofactor binding.

• Mycobiology
• /
• 제41권1호
• /
• pp.37-41
• /
• 2013

Laccases (EC 1.10.3.2) are copper-containing polyphenol oxidases found in white-rot fungi. Here, we report the cloning and analysis of the nucleotide sequence of a new laccase gene, fvlac7, based on the genomic sequence of Flammulina velutipes. A primer set was designed from the putative mRNA that was aligned to the genomic DNA of F. velutipes. A cDNA fragment approximately 1.6-kb long was then amplified by reverse transcriptase-PCR using total RNA, which was subsequently cloned and sequenced. The cDNA sequence of fvlac7 was then compared to that of the genomic DNA, and 16 introns were found in the genomic DNA sequence. The fvlac7 protein, which consists of 538 amino acids, showed only 42~51% identity with 12 different mushroom species containing two laccases of F. velutipes, suggesting the fvlac7 is a novel laccase gene. The first 25 amino acids of Fvlac7 correspond to a predicted signal sequence, four copper-binding sites, and four N-glycosylation sites. Fvlac7 cDNA was heterologously overexpressed in an Escherichia coli system with an approximate expected molecular weight of 60 kDa.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제5권2호
• /
• pp.220-227
• /
• 2010

This paper presents a novel fault location scheme on Korean AC electric railway systems. On AC railway system, because of long distance, 40[km] or above, between two railway substations, a fault location technique is very important. Since the fault current flows through the catenary system, it must be modeled exactly to analyze the fault current magnitude and fault location. In this paper, suggesting the novel scheme of fault location, a 9-conductor modeling technique including boost wires and impedance bonds is introduced based on the characteristics of Korean AC electric railway. After obtaining a 9-conductor modeling, the railway system is constructed for computer simulation by using PSCAD/EMTDC. By case studies, we can verify superiority of a new fault location scheme and propose a powerful model for fault analysis on electric railway systems.

• Current Optics and Photonics
• /
• 제5권6호
• /
• pp.606-616
• /
• 2021

A photonic integrated interferometric imaging system possesses the characteristics of small-scale, low weight, low power consumption, and better image quality. It has potential application for replacing conventional large space telescopes. In this paper, the principle of photonic integrated interferometric imaging is investigated. A novel lenslet array arrangement and lenslet pairing approach are proposed, which are helpful in improving spatial frequency coverage. For the novel lenslet array arrangement, two short interference arms were evenly distributed between two adjacent long interference arms. Each lenslet in the array would be paired twice through the novel lenslet pairing approach. Moreover, the image reconstruction model for optical interferometric imaging based on compressed sensing was established. Image simulation results show that the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) of the reconstructed image based on compressive sensing is about 10 dB higher than that of the direct restored image. Meanwhile, the normalized mean square error (NMSE) of the direct restored image is approximately 0.38 higher than that of the reconstructed image. Structural similarity index measure (SSIM) of the reconstructed image based on compressed sensing is about 0.33 higher than that of the direct restored image. The increased spatial frequency coverage and image reconstruction approach jointly contribute to better image quality of the photonic integrated interferometric imaging system.