• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.933-941
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• 2021

Ginsenoside Rg4 is a rare ginsenoside that is naturally found in ginseng, and exhibits a wide range of biological activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in several cell types. The purpose of this study was to use an in vivo model of hair follicle (HF)-mimic based on a human dermal papilla (DP) spheroid system prepared by three-dimensional (3D) culture and to investigate the effect of Rg4 on the hair-inductive properties of DP cells. Treatment of the DP spheroids with Rg4 (20 to 50 ㎍/ml) significantly increased the viability and size of the DP spheres in a dose-dependent manner. Rg4 also increased the mRNA and protein expression of DP signature genes that are related to hair growth including ALP, BMP2, and VCAN in the DP spheres. Analysis of the signaling molecules and luciferase reporter assays further revealed that Rg4 induces the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and the inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3β, which activates the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway. These results correlated with not only the increased nuclear translocation of β-catenin following the treatment of the DP spheres with Rg4 but also the significant elevation of mRNA expression of the downstream target genes of the WNT/β-catenin pathway including WNT5A, β-catenin, and LEF1. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg4 promotes the hair-inductive properties of DP cells by activating the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in DP spheres, suggesting that Rg4 could be a potential natural therapy for hair growth.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1942-1949
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• 2019

Objective: Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is associated with several physiological processes including inflammation, tumorigenesis, and natural killer T cell generation. Chicken LECT2 (chLECT2) gene was originally identified as one of the differentially expressed genes in chicken kidney tissue, where the chickens were fed with different calcium doses. In this study, the molecular characteristics and gene expression of chLECT2 were analyzed under the stimulation of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) ligand to understand the involvement of chLECT2 expression in chicken metabolic disorders. Methods: Amino acid sequence of LECT2 proteins from various species including fowl, fish, and mammal were retrieved from the Ensembl database and subjected to Insilco analyses. In addition, the time- and dose-dependent expression of chLECT2 was examined in DF-1 cells which were stimulated with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly [I:C]), a TLR3 ligand. Further, to explore the transcription factors required for the transcription of chLECT2, DF-1 cells were treated with poly (I:C) in the presence or absence of the nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ ($NF{\kappa}B$) and activated protein 1 (AP-1) inhibitors. Results: The amino acid sequence prediction of chLECT2 protein revealed that along with duck LECT2 (duLECT2), it has unique signal peptide different from other vertebrate orthologs, and only chLECT2 and duLECT2 have an additional 157 and 161 amino acids on their carboxyl terminus, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that chLECT2 is evolved from a common ancestor along with the actinopterygii hence, more closely related than to the mammals. Our quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed that, the expression of chLECT2 was up-regulated significantly in DF-1 cells under the stimulation of poly (I:C) (p<0.05). However, in the presence of $NF{\kappa}B$ or AP-1 inhibitors, the expression of chLECT2 is suppressed suggesting that both $NF{\kappa}B$ and AP-1 transcription factors are required for the induction of chLECT2 expression. Conclusion: The present results suggest that chLECT2 gene might be a target gene of TLR3 signaling. For the future, the expression pattern or molecular mechanism of chLECT2 under stimulation of other innate immune receptors shall be studied. The protein function of chLECT2 will be more clearly understood if further investigation about the mechanism of LECT2 in TLR pathways is conducted.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2021

Republic of Korea has many nuclear facilities in the country, and Democratic People's Republic of Korea(North Korea) locates in the surrounding country. Therefore, it is necessary to construct the target facility's nuclear forensic data in a preemptive response to the changing international situation. For this reason, this study suggests "signature" materials used to understand the origins and sources of nuclear and other radioactive materials, taking into account domestic nuclear facilities and the nuclear fuel cycle. In domestic, pressurized light water reactors and pressurized heavy water reactors are in operation, and enriched and natural uranium are used as fuels. In the front-end fuel cycle, the signature materials can be nature uranium and UF6 in the uranium enrichment process. The domestic back-end fuel cycle adopts a non-circulating cycle excluding the reprocessing process, and the primary signature material is spent nuclear fuel. According to IAEA recommendation, the importance of these materials as the signature and characteristic contents are suggested in this study. To prove the integrity of nuclear material and build a national nuclear forensics library, it is necessary to grasp the signature material and acquire the characteristic data considering the domestic nuclear facilities and the nuclear fuel cycle.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2021

The main purpose of this study is to assess the safety of the fixed anchorages subjected to the seismic motion for an operating facilities in the actual power plant. Thus, the experimental study was conducted to investigate the load response in the event of an actual seismic to the anchorages of a nonstructural components. Since there are economic and spatial constraints to study nonstructural components that actually have various forms, alternative test specimens of steel frames with mass were built and the shaking table test was carried out. In order to evaluate the dynamic characteristics and seismic performance, the natural frequency of the target structure was identified through the shaking table test and then the load response characteristics of the anchorage were evaluated by generating an artificial seismic effect like actual seismic. Finally, the structural stiffness was reinforced by fixing the steel frame to the test specimen using bolts, thereby reducing the load transmitted to the anchorage. It will be carried out on the reliability verification of the experiments and areas that have not been carried out due to the site conditions through the analytical approach in the future.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.137-149
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• 2021

Cable-stayed bridges are infrastructure facilities of a highly public nature; therefore, it is essential to ensure operational safety and prompt response in the event of a collapse or damage caused by natural and social disasters. Among social disasters, impact accidents can occur in bridges when a vehicle collides with a pier or when crashes occur due to aircraft defects. In the case of offshore bridges, ship collisions will occur at the bottom of the pylon. In this research, a procedure to evaluate the structural behavior of a cable-stayed bridge for aircraft impact is suggested based on a numerical analysis approach, and the feasibility of the procedure is demonstrated by performing an example assessment. The suggested procedure includes 1) setting up suitable aircraft impact hazard scenarios, 2) structural modeling considering the complex behavior mechanisms of cable-stayed bridges, and 3) structural behavior evaluation of cable-stayed bridges using numerical impact simulation. It was observed that the scenario set in this study did not significantly affect the target bridge. However, if impact analysis is performed through various scenarios in the future, the load position and critical load level to cause serious damage to the bridge could be identified. The scenario-based assessment process employed in this study is expected to facilitate the evaluation of bridge structures under aircraft impact in both existing bridges and future designs.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1666-1689
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• 2021

The red line of Permanent Basic Farmland is the most important part in the "three-line" demarcation of China's national territorial development plan. The scientific and reasonable delineation of the red line is a major strategic measure being taken by China to improve its ability to safeguard the practical interests of farmers and guarantee national food security. The delineation of Permanent Basic Farmland zoning (DPBFZ) is essentially a multi-objective optimization problem. However, the traditional method of demarcation does not take into account the synergistic development goals of conservation of cultivated land utilization, ecological conservation, or urban expansion. Therefore, this research introduces the idea of artificial immune optimization and proposes a multi-objective model of DPBFZ red line delineation based on a clone selection algorithm. This research proposes an objective functional system consisting of these three sub-objectives: optimal quality of cropland, spatially concentrated distribution, and stability of cropland. It also takes into consideration constraints such as the red line of ecological protection, topography, and space for major development projects. The mathematical formal expressions for the objectives and constraints are given in the paper, and a multi-objective optimal decision model with multiple constraints for the DPBFZ problem is constructed based on the clone selection algorithm. An antibody coding scheme was designed according to the spatial pattern of DPBFZ zoning. In addition, the antibody-antigen affinity function, the clone mechanism, and mutation strategy were constructed and improved to solve the DPBFZ problem with a spatial optimization feature. Finally, Tongxu County in Henan province was selected as the study area, and a controlled experiment was set up according to different target preferences. The results show that the model proposed in this paper is operational in the work of delineating DPBFZ. It not only avoids the adverse effects of subjective factors in the delineation process but also provides multiple scenarios DPBFZ layouts for decision makers by adjusting the weighting of the objective function.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

The Ministry of Environment of Korea has been releasing Asiatic black bears since 2004 at Jirisan National Park. It exceeded the target number of Asiatic black bears in 2018. As of July 2020, in addition to 67 traceable bears, many Asiatic black bears are dispersed outside Jirisan National Park. Jirisan National Park is a very dense place with more than 3 million visitors every year. In this study, the roads and trails through Jirisan National Park were considered to be the main dispersion factors of Asiatic black bears, and the fragmentation analysis was conducted. As of July 2017, the length of roads and trails in Jirisan National Park was 363.4km. Based on this, Jirisan National Park was fragmented into 163 patches. There is only one place that maintains a single area of more than 50㎢ that is suitable for large mammals to inhabit, and 141 places are less than 5㎢. There are 6 patches of 24 to 200㎢ area suitable for living of large mammals including Asiatic black bears, in Jirisan National Park. Compared to the announcement made by the Korea National Park Service in 2014, activities of Asiatic black bears were rare in areas below 5㎢ area and the frequency of activities was high in more than 20㎢ area. This shows that human activities in protected areas such as national parks can directly affect the activities of wild animals, including Asiatic black bears. Therefore, efforts should be made to improve the habitat of Asiatic black bears by reducing the pressure of visiting for Jirisan National Park. In addition, as a result of analyzing the fragmentation of the park's natural conservation zone 107.7km, 45% of the trail of Jirisan National Park, was opened, which is more fragmentation than other use zones. The park nature conservation zone accounts for about 32% of the total area of Jirisan National Park, but the average patch area is only 2.93㎢ and seven large shelters are located. Therefore the Asiatic black bears are negatively affected. This is the result of inconsistent national park use zone setting and actual park management. In overseas countries, research is active on the negative effects of human activity on ecosystems in protected areas. However, there is a lack of research of that in Korea. Thus, that research is required for protection area management in the future.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.211-219
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• 2021

Alopecia is a distressing condition caused by the dysregulation of anagen, catagen, and telogen in the hair cycle. Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) regulate the hair cycle and play important roles in hair growth and regeneration. Myristoleic acid (MA) increases Wnt reporter activity in DPCs. However, the action mechanisms of MA on the stimulation of anagen signaling in DPCs is not known. In this study, we evaluated the effects of MA on anagen-activating signaling pathways in DPCs. MA significantly increased DPC proliferation and stimulated the G2/M phase, accompanied by increasing cyclin A, Cdc2, and cyclin B1. To elucidate the mechanism by which MA promotes DPC proliferation, we evaluated the effect of MA on autophagy and intracellular pathways. MA induced autophagosome formation by decreasing the levels of the phospho-mammalian target of rapamycin (phospho-mTOR) and increasing autophagy-related 7 (Atg7) and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3II (LC3II). MA also increased the phosphorylation levels of Wnt/β-catenin proteins, such as GSK3β (Ser9) and β-catenin (Ser552 and Ser675). Treatment with XAV939, an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, attenuated the MA-induced increase in β-catenin nuclear translocation. Moreover, XAV939 reduced MA-induced effects on cell cycle progression, autophagy, and DPC proliferation. On the other hand, MA increased the levels of phospho (Thr202/Tyr204)-extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERK). MA-induced ERK phosphorylation led to changes in the expression levels of Cdc2, Atg7 and LC3II, as well as DPC proliferation. Our results suggest that MA promotes anagen signaling via autophagy and cell cycle progression by activating the Wnt/β-catenin and ERK pathways in DPCs.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.607-616
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• 2022

Corrosion and degradation of reinforced structures due to abnormal climates and natural disasters further accelerate the aging of structures. Coping with the decrease in structure performance, many old structures are being repaired and reinforced with low-weight and high-strength materials such as glass fiber composite material (GFRP). To further contribute, this paper focus on a more economical and eco-friendly material, basalt fiber composite (BFRP), which provide a more effective lateral constraint effect for seismic reinforcement. The main variables considered in this study are the curing temperature during the manufacturing of BFRP and the material characteristics of the target concrete member. The lateral constraint reinforcement effect was investigated through the evaluation of the performance of normal concrete and those with improved durability through fiber reinforcement. The reinforcement effect was 3.15 times for normal concrete and 3.72 times for fiber reinforced concrete, and the difference in reinforcement effect due to the improvement of the durability characteristics of the compression member was not significant. Lastly, the performance of the BFRP was compared with the results of the GFRP reinforcement from the previous study. The effect of the BFRP reinforcement was 1.18 times better than that of the GFRP reinforcement.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.47-58
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• 2022

This research presented development contents for application of realistic content approach study that can experience T-ball sports used in regular physical education classes at indoor space with screen. The scope of application can be used for ball sports training in virtual reality sports room of elementary and junior high schools. The approach process presents an appropriate approach system for sustainable training education which is to improve T-ball sports training to target users through consultation-based collaboration with sports experts and T-ball leaders, focusing on basic training content of T-ball textbooks. In other words, the training mode was designed to induce immersion in T-ball sports classes and provide natural basic training for students at elementary schools rather than simply experience-based realistic content. The developed training content provided basic attack training according to weekly differentiated curriculum, and the approach process of training mode by difficulty level was presented to allow the user to improve the training by the degree of difficulty. In addition, the match mode approach process that reflects the game rules of T-ball sports was presented. This study can be presented as a reference production case that can be used to improve basic training and physical exercise of ball sports for industries related to development of realistic content.