• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.9
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• pp.513-518
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• 2015

Factors that modulate cholesterol levels have major impacts on cardiovascular disease. Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) functions as a sterol transporter mediating intestinal cholesterol absorption and counter-balancing hepatobiliary cholesterol excretion. The liver receptor homolog 1 (LRH-1) had been shown to regulate genes involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and reverse cholesterol transport. To study whether human NPC1L1 gene is regulated transcriptionally by LRH-1, we have analyzed evolutionary conserved regions (ECRs) in HepG2 cells. One ECR was found to be responsive to the LRH-1. Through deletion studies, LRH-1 response element was identified and the binding of LRH-1 was demonstrated by EMSA and ChIP assays. When SREBP2, one of several transcription factors which had been shown to regulate NPC1L1 gene, was co-expressed with LRH-1, synergistic transcriptional activation resulted. In conclusion, we have identified LRH-1 response elements in NPC1L1 gene and propose that LRH-1 and SREBP may play important roles in regulating NPC1L1 gene. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(9): 513-518]

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.702-713
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• 2019

Multilevel Inverters (MLIs) are widely used in medium voltage applications due to their various advantages. In addition, there are numerous types of MLIs for such applications. However, the diode-less 3-level (3L) T-type Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) MLI is the most advantageous due to its low conduction losses and high potential efficiency. The power circuit of a 3L T-type NPC is derived by the conventional two level inverter by a slight modification. In order to explore the MLI performance for various Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) schemes, this paper examines the operation of a 3L (five level line to line) T-type NPC MLI for various types of Multi-Carriers Pulse Width Modulation (MCPWM) schemes. These PWM schemes are compared in terms of their voltage profile, total harmonic distortion (THD) and conduction losses. In addition, a 3L T-type NPC MLI is also compared with the conventional NPC in terms of number of switches, clamping diodes, main diodes and capacitors. Moreover, the capacitor-balancing problem is also investigated using the Neutral Point Fluctuation (NPF) method with all of the MCPWM schemes. A 1kW 3L T-type NPC MLI is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink and implemented experimentally and its performance is tested with a 1HP induction motor. The results indicate that the 3L T-type NPC MLI has better performance than conventional NPC MLIs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.4019-4023
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• 2014

Metformin has been shown to be useful in reducing insulin resistance by restoring sensitivity. Recent evidence suggests that metformin might also possess anti-tumour activity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cisplatin combined with metformin on the proliferation, invasion and migration of HNE1/DDP human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, and to provide a new target for treating metastasis. The MTT assay was used to assess viability of HNE1/DDP cells after exposure to different concentrations of 2, 5-diaminopyrimidine-4, 6-diol (DDP; 2, 4, 8, 16, and $32{\mu}mol{\cdot}L^{-1}$), metformin (5, 10, 15, 20, and $25{\mu}mol{\cdot}L^{-1}$), and $4{\mu}mol{\cdot}L^{-1}$ of DDP combined with metformin. Wound healing and transwell migration assays were performed to assess cell migration and invasion, and expression of E-cadherin and MMP-9 was detected using Western blotting. MTT assay results showed that DDP could inhibit the proliferation of HNE1/DDP cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 of $32.0{\mu}mol{\cdot}L^{-1}$ at 24 h (P < 0.05), whereas low concentrations of DDP had almost no inhibitory effects on cell invasion and migration. DDP combined with metformin significantly inhibited cell invasion and migration. In addition, genes related to migration and invasion, such as those of E-cadherin and MMP-9, showed differential expression in the NPC cell line HNE1/DDP. In the present study, with an increasing concentration of metformin, the expression of MMP-9 was downregulated whereas that of E-cadherin was significantly upregulated. Taken together, our results show that cisplatin combined with metformin has effects on proliferation, invasion, and migration of human NPC cells.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2014.11a
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• pp.113-114
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• 2014

대용량 분산 발전원이 증가하면서 이러한 대용량 분산 발전을 효율적으로 운전하기 위한 많은 연구가 진행되고 있다. 본 논문에서는 멀티레벨 인버터 토폴로지 중 3L-NPC와 3L-T-type 인버터에 DSVPWMx(DSVPWMP, DSVPWMN, DSVPWMPN0, DSVPWMPN1, DSVPWMPN2, DSVPWMPN3)를 적용하였을 때 두 개의 멀티레벨 인버터에서 발생하는 효율의 차이를 비교하였다. 이를 검증하기 위한 방법으로 Psim Thermal Module을 활용하여 회로를 구성하고 각 PWM방식에서 전압변조비에 따른 효율을 비교 분석하였다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3547-3553
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• 2014

Background: The prognostic value of serum alkaline phosphatase (S-ALP) has not been fully validated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Materials and Methods: S-ALP levels were measured in 601 patients newly diagnosed with NPC before radical treatment, and possible associations of these levels with 5-year overall survival (OS) and tumor-free survival (TFS) were explored using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Elevated pretreatment S-ALP (>85 U/L) was significantly less frequent among patients classified as T1+2 or stage I+II than among those classified as T3+4 or stage III+IV. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated pretreatment S-ALP (>85 U/L), age, T classification and N stage were independent predictors of poor OS and TFS. Conclusions: Pretreatment S-ALP may be a reliable biomarker to evaluate the long-term prognosis of patients with NPC.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.2036-2045
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• 2018

An endo-${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase gene, cel5L, was cloned using the shot-gun method from Bacillus sp.. The gene, which contained a predicted signal peptide, encoded a protein of 496 amino acid residues, and the molecular mass of the mature Cel5L was estimated to be 51.8 kDa. Cel5L contained a catalytic domain of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5 and a carbohydrate-binding module family 3 (CBM_3). Chromatography using HiTrap Q and CHT-II resulted in the isolation of two truncated forms corresponding to 50 (Cel5L-p50) and 35 kDa (Cel5L-p35, CBM_3-deleted form). Both enzymes were optimally active at pH 4.5 and $55^{\circ}C$, but had different half-lives of 4.0 and 22.8 min, respectively, at $70^{\circ}C$. The relative activities of Cel5L-p50 and Cel5L-p35 for barley ${\beta}$-glucan were 377.0 and 246.7%, respectively, compared to those for carboxymethyl-cellulose. The affinity and hydrolysis rate of pNPC by Cel5L-p35 were 1.7 and 3.3 times higher, respectively, than those by Cel5L-p50. Additions of each to a commercial enzyme set increased saccharification of pretreated rice straw powder by 17.5 and 21.0%, respectively. These results suggest CBM_3 is significantly contributing to thermostability, and to affinity and substrate specificity for small substrates, and that these two enzymes could be used as additives to enhance enzymatic saccharification.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.11
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• pp.1785-1790
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• 2014

This study was carried out to compare the physicochemical characteristics and sensory qualities of Sikhye (Korean traditional rice beverage) prepared with foxtail millet, proso millet, and sorghum. The cultivated varieties were Setaria italica Beauv. cv. Samdamae (SDM) and Samdachal (SDC), Panicum miliaceum L. cv. Ibaekchal (IBC), Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench cv. Nampungchal (NPC), Donganme (DAM), Oryza sativa cv. Ilpum (IP), and Baegokchal (BOC). The brix degrees of SDM, SDC, IBC, NPC, DAM, IP, and BOC Sikhye were 9.53, 8.63, 5.67, 7.57, 6.27, 12.50, and $12.27^{\circ}Bx$, respectively. There were no significant differences in pH (5.99~6.10) among the groups. The highest turbidity was 1.07 in DAM Sikhye. The L-value, a-value, and b-value were 30.85~41.11, -0.34~2.52, and 2.56~5.67, respectively. Total polyphenol contents of SDM, SDC, IBC, NPC, DAM, IP, and BOC Sikhye were 241.52, 213.69, 202.34, 258.25, 193.24, 160.81, and $170.31{\mu}g\;GAE/mL$, respectively. Total flavonoid contents of Sikhye were $19.21{\sim}54.30{\mu}g\;CE/mL$. The highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were $16.85{\pm}0.39$ and $64.75{\pm}2.92mg\;TE/100mL$ in DAM Sikhye, respectively. Finally, the sensory evaluation results indicate that there were significant differences in appearance, aroma, and taste between the groups, and SDM Sikhye was similar with IP and BOC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.47-52
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• 2004

This study was conducted to determine the effects of egg phospholipids [(Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM)] on intestinal absorption of cholesterol and other lipids. Each rat with Iymph cannula was infused via a duodenal catheter at 3.0 mL/h for 8 h with a lipid emulsion containing triolein, cholesterol and PC in 24 mL PBS. The PC in the lipid emulsion was egg PC (EPC), hydrogenated egg PC (HPC), or soy PC (SPC). The EPC in the lipid emulsion markedly lowered the Iymphatic absorption of cholesterol, compared with SPC and a lipid emulsion containing no PC. The HPC further lowered the absorption of cholesterol. The phospholipid output was not affected by the source of PC infused. The total Iymphatic output of oleic acid (18: 1), the major fatty acid infused in the form of triolein, did not differ among the NPC, SPC and EPC groups, but was significantly lower in the HPC group. The findings provide the first evidence that EPC markedly lowers the Iymphatic absorption of cholesterol under in vivo conditions. The inhibitory effect of EPC appears to be due to the higher degree of saturation of its acyl groups relative to SPC, suggesting that the intestinal absorption of egg cholesterol may be reduced by the presence of PC in e99 yolk. Experiment 2 was designed to determine whether egg SM, structurally similar to PC, also inhibits the Iymphatic absorption of cholesterol. Egg SM lowered the Lymphatic absorption of cholesterol in a dose dependent manner. Likewise, SM lowered the Iymphatic absorption of oleic acid, whereas it had no effect on retinol absorption. SM at a high dose lowered the Iymphatic outputs of both PC and SM, whereas there was no such effect at a lower dose. These results also indicate that luminal egg SM has an inhibitory effect on the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and other lipids of relatively high hydrophobicity.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2014

Nanopowdered chitosan (NPC) has high biological activities, such as blood cholesterol lowering effect and antidiabetic activity. This study is carried out to determine the effects of nano-powdered chitosan-added Maribo cheese (NCMC) for the physicochemical properties and sensory analysis during its ripening at $14^{\circ}C$ for 6 mon. From the results, the moisture and fat levels are not significantly influenced from the addition of chitosan (p>0.05), but ash contents increased with increasing chitosan concentrations and the protein contents decreased with increasing chitosan concentrations. In the short-chain fatty acids analysis during the ripening, the total production is initially 13.79 ppm in 0.2% NCMC and 13.81 ppm in control, and their levels have steadily increased to 59.94 and 53.11 ppm, respectively. For the color levels, the $L^*$ values decreased, while the $a^*$ and $b^*$ values significantly increased during ripening for all samples (p<0.05). In texture analysis, the hardness and gumminess of NCMC significantly decreased as compared to the control during ripening (p<0.05), while the cohesiveness, springiness and chewiness were not significantly different among the treatments (p>0.05). In sensory analysis, the butyric off-flavor and bitterness increased slightly with increasing concentrations of NCMC during ripening. The overall acceptability of 0.2% NCMC held the highest score amongst the samples during the ripening. From the results obtained, the 0.2% NCMC was preferred during the ripening and observed the possibility of functional cheese.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2641-2646
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• 2014

Background: To evaluate efficacy and side effects of glycididazole sodium (CMNa) combined with chemotherapy (cisplatin plus 5-FU/folic acid, PLF) and radiotherapy in treating patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Patients with III~IV stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC),were randomly divided into treatment group (46 patients) and control group (45 patients). Both groups received radiotherapy concomitant with PLF chemotherapy. The treatment group at the same time cwas given CMNa ($800mg/m^2$ before radiotherapy), by l h intravenous drip, three times a week. Results: When the dose of radiation was over 60 Gy, complete response rates of nasopharyngeal tumor and lymph node metastases in treatment group were significantly higher than in the control group (93.5% vs 77.8%; 89.1% vs 93.5%, p<0.05). Three months after radiotherapy, complete response rate of nasopharynx cancer and lymph node metastases in treatment group was both 97.8%, again higher than in the control group (84.4% and 82.2%) (p<0.05). In the treatment group, 1, 3, 5 year disease-free survival rates were 95.7%, 86.7% and 54.5%; and in control group, the corresponding disease-free survival rates were 93.3%, 66.2% and 38.6%, respectively, the difference being statistically significant (log-rank =5.887, p=0.015). One, 3, 5 year overall survival rates in two groups of patients were 97.8%, 93.5%, 70.4% and 95.5%, 88.07%, 48.4%, respectively, again with a statistically significant difference (log-rank=6.470, p=0.011). Acute toxicity and long-term radiotherapy related toxicity in the two groups did not differ (p>0.05). Conclusions: Glycididazole sodium could improve curative effects without increasing adverse reactions when treating paitents with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.