• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.595-601
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• 2005

A mobile robot system utilizing NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) method is designed and fabricated f3r automatic integrity evaluation of large sized industrial reservoirs and pipelines. The developed mobile robot can crawl over the outer surface of the industrial facilities even though the shape of the structures is various and unsymmetric. The robot detects defects such as pinholes, cracks and thickness reduction at the wall of the facilities using EMAT (Electro-Magnetic Acoustic Transducer). Image processing technology for weld line detection at the surface of the target and host programs including defect detecting algorithms are also developed. Automation of defect detection for these kinds of large facilities using mobile robots is helpful to prevent significant troubles of the structures without danger of human beings under harmful environment.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.375-383
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• 2013

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections is thought to account for more than 80% of primary liver cancers. Both HBV and HCV can establish chronic liver inflammatory infections, altering hepatocyte and liver physiology with potential liver disease progression and HCC development. Cyclophilin A (CypA) has been identified as an essential host factor for the HCV replication by physically interacting with the HCV non structural protein NS5A that in turn interacts with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase NS5B. CypA, a cytosolic binding protein of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine A, is overexpressed in many cancer types and often associated with malignant transformation. Therefore, CypA can be a good target for molecular cancer therapy. Because of antiviral activity, the CypA inhibitors have been tested for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Nonimmunosuppressive Cyp inhibitors such as NIM811, SCY-635, and Alisporivir have attracted more interests for appropriating CypA for antiviral chemotherapeutic target on HCV infection. This review describes CypA inhibitors as a potential HCC treatment tool that is contrived by their obstructing chronic HCV infection and summarizes roles of CypA in cancer development.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.5.1-5.13
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• 2023

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a Gram-negative aerobic diplococcus bacterium that primarily causes sexually transmitted infections through direct human sexual contact. It is a major public health threat due to its impact on reproductive health, the widespread presence of antimicrobial resistance, and the lack of a vaccine. In this study, we used a bioinformatics approach and performed subtractive genomic methods to identify potential drug targets against the core proteome of N. gonorrhoeae (12 strains). In total, 12,300 protein sequences were retrieved, and paralogous proteins were removed using CD-HIT. The remaining sequences were analyzed for non-homology against the human proteome and gut microbiota, and screened for broad-spectrum analysis, druggability, and anti-target analysis. The proteins were also characterized for unique interactions between the host and pathogen through metabolic pathway analysis. Based on the subtractive genomic approach and subcellular localization, we identified one cytoplasmic protein, 2Fe-2S iron-sulfur cluster binding domain-containing protein (NGFG RS03485), as a potential drug target. This protein could be further exploited for drug development to create new medications and therapeutic agents for the treatment of N. gonorrhoeae infections.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.39 no.10
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• pp.1011-1016
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• 2015

Gas piping systems in power plants and factories are always influenced by the mechanical vibrations of rotational machines such as pumps, blowers, and compressors. Unusual vibrations in a gas piping system influence possible leakages of liquids or gases, which can lead to large explosive accidents. Real-time measurements of unusual vibrations in piping systems in situ prohibit them from being possible leakages owing to the repeated fatigue of vibrations. In this paper, a non-contact 3-dimensional measurement system that can detect the vibrations of a solid body and monitor its vibrational modes is introduced. To detect the displacements of a body, a stereoscopic camera system is used, through which the major vibration types of solid bodies (such as X-axis-major, Y-axis-major, and Z-axis-major vibrations) can be monitored. In order to judge the vibration types, an artificial neural network is used. The measurement system consists of a host computer, stereoscopic camera system (two-camera system, high-speed high-resolution camera), and a measurement target. Through practical application on a flat plate, the measured data from the non-contact measurement system showed good agreement with those from the original vibration mode produced by an accelerator.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.455-460
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• 1993

In the present study, the effects of 4 agricultural chemicals commonly used in this conuntry were experimentally assessed on Lymnaea viridis the intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, which in non-target organism of these chemicals. The major habitat of the snail is rice paddies in Korea and many agricultural chemicals are used for weed, fungi or insect control in rice paddies and there is a general concern that certain levels of these chemicals could reach the aquatic ecosystem and possible alter the snail life. Agricultural chemicals used in this study included two herbicides, an insecticide and a fungicide. The tenth generation of laboratory reared snails were selected and exposed to the varying concentrations(0-100 ppm) of these chemicals. As concentrations and time of exposure increase, the per cent mortality increases(p<0.01). $LC_{50}$(lethal concentration for 50% mortality) values of these chemicals on snail after 96-hour exposure were variable; iprobenfos showed the highest acute toxicity(12.6 ppm), while carbofuran showed the lowest acute toxicity(74.5ppm). Sublethal concentrations of chemicals after 96-hour exposure were also variable ; bentazone showed the highest chronic toxicity(0.81ppm), while carbofuran showed the lowest chronic toxicity(5.04 ppm).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.510-518
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• 2021

Bacteriophages are considered excellent sensing elements for platforms detecting bacteria. However, their lytic cycle has restricted their efficacy. Here, we used the minor coat protein pIII domain (N1N2) of phage CTXφ to construct a novel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor that could detect Vibrio cholerae. N1N2 harboring the domains required for phage adsorption and entry was obtained from Escherichia coli using recombinant protein expression and purification. SDS-PAGE revealed an approximate size of 30 kDa for N1N2. Dot blot and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed that the protein bound to the host V. cholerae but not to non-host E. coli K-12 cells. Next, we used amine-coupling to develop a novel recombinant N1N2 (rN1N2)-functionalized SPR biosensor by immobilizing rN1N2 proteins on gold substrates and using SPR to monitor the binding kinetics of the proteins with target bacteria. We observed rapid detection of V. cholerae in the range of approximately 10³ to 10⁹ CFU/ml but not of E. coli at any tested concentration, thereby confirming that the biosensor exhibited differential recognition and binding. The results indicate that the novel biosensor can rapidly monitor a target pathogenic microorganism in the environment and is very useful for monitoring food safety and facilitating early disease prevention.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.42.1-42.23
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• 2023

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis, one of the most deadly infections in humans. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Mtb strains presents a global challenge. Mtb has shown resistance to many frontline antibiotics, including rifampicin, kanamycin, isoniazid, and capreomycin. The only licensed vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guerin, does not efficiently protect against adult pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop new vaccines to prevent infections caused by these strains. We used a subtractive proteomics approach on 23 virulent Mtb strains and identified a conserved membrane protein (MmpL4, NP_214964.1) as both a potential drug target and vaccine candidate. MmpL4 is a non-homologous essential protein in the host and is involved in the pathogen-specific pathway. Furthermore, MmpL4 shows no homology with anti-targets and has limited homology to human gut microflora, potentially reducing the likelihood of adverse effects and cross-reactivity if therapeutics specific to this protein are developed. Subsequently, we constructed a highly soluble, safe, antigenic, and stable multi-subunit vaccine from the MmpL4 protein using immunoinformatics. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the stability of the vaccine-bound Tolllike receptor-4 complex on a nanosecond scale, and immune simulations indicated strong primary and secondary immune responses in the host. Therefore, our study identifies a new target that could expedite the design of effective therapeutics, and the designed vaccine should be validated. Future directions include an extensive molecular interaction analysis, in silico cloning, wet-lab experiments, and evaluation and comparison of the designed candidate as both a DNA vaccine and protein vaccine.

• International Journal of Ocean System Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.52-59
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• 2011

A prototype radar display unit was implemented using inexpensive off-the-shelf components, including a nonlinear estimation algorithm for the target tracking in a clutter environment. Two custom designed boards; an analog signal processing board and a DSP board, can be plugged into an expansion slot of a personal computer (PC) to form a maritime radar display unit. Our system provided all the functionality specified in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) resolution A422(XI). The analog signal processing board was used for A/D conversion as well as rain and sea clutter suppression. The main functions of the DSP board were scan conversion and video overlay operations. A host PC was used to run the tracking algorithm of targets in clutter, using the discrete-time Bayes optimal (nonlinear, and non-Gaussian) estimation method, and the graphic user interface (GUI) software for Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA). The proposed tracking method recursively found the entire probability density function of the target position and velocity by converting into linear convolution operations.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2017

In the present study, we investigated the effects of two herbicide-resistant genetically modified rice (GM rice) varieties, Milyang 204 and Iksan 483, recently developed in Korea on non-target insects and a spider. No difference in host preferences of the English grain aphid Sitobion avenae and the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens were observed between GM rice and non-GM rice. Wolf spider Pirata subpiraticus, feeding on N. lugens reared on GM rice or non-GM rice, revealed no significant difference in body weight. P. subpiraticus, fed with N. lugens reared on Milyang 204, showed survival rates similar to that in P. subpiraticus fed with N. lugens reared on non-GM rice. However, P. subpiraticus feeding on N. lugens reared on Iksan 483 demonstrated significantly lower survival rates than that in P. subpiraticus feeding on N. lugens reared on Milyang 204 or non-GM rice. In addition, when larvae of the western honeybee Apis mellifera were supplied with Iksan 483 pollen, a significantly longer pupal period occurred, as compared with that of A. mellifera supplied with pollen of Milyang 204 or non-GM rice. As GM rice has negative effects on P. subpiraticus, which is an important predator in agricultural ecosystems, and on A. mellifera, which plays important roles in pollination and honey production, additional studies on risk assessment of GM rice should be conducted before releasing newly developed herbicide-resistant GM rice to the agricultural environment.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.181-194
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• 2009

Flash memory is increasingly being used in a wide range of storage applications because of its low power consumption, low access latency, small form factor, and high shock resistance. However, the current platforms for flash memory software development do not meet the ever-increasing requirements of flash memory applications. This paper presents three different hardware platforms for flash memory/NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) software development that overcome the limitations of the current platforms. The three platforms target different types of host system and provide various features that facilitate the development and verification of flash memory/NVRAM software. In this paper, we also demonstrate the usefulness of the three platforms by implementing three different types of storage system (one for each platform) based on them.