• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.263-272
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• 2007

Nebulin is a giant actin binding protein (600-900 kDa) which is specific to skeletal muscle. This protein is known to regulate thin filaments length in sarcomere as a molecular template. The C-terminus of nebulin is located in the Z-disc of muscle sarcomere and is bound to other proteins such like myopalladin, titin, archvillin, and desmin. The N-terminus of nebulin binds to tropomodulin at the pointed ends of the thin filaments. In recent research, nebulin not only found in brain but also expressed in heart, stomach, and liver. So, the roles of nebulin in non-muscle tissue have been studied. However, lack of information or studies on nebulin binding proteins and nebulin function in brain are available so far. Therefore, the current study have investigated a novel binding partner of Nebulin C-terminus by using yeast two-hybrid screening with human brain cDNA library. Nebulin C-terminus, containing simple repeats, serine rich and SH3 domain, interacts with osteonectin C-terminal region. The specific interaction of nebulin and osteonectin were confirmed in vitro by using GST pull-down assay and reconfirmed in vivo by using transfected COS-7 cells with EGFP-tagged nebulin and DsRed-tagged osteonectin. Consequently, this study identified SH3 domain in nebulin C-terminus specifically binds to extracellular Ca-binding (EeC domain in osteonectin. Also, nebulin C-terminus fusion protein colocalized with osteonectin EC domain fusion protein in transfected COS-7 cells. The current study found the interaction between nebulin and osteonectin in human brain for the first time and suggested the nebulin in brain may be associated with osteonectin, as a regulator of cell cycle progression and mitosis.

• Journal of KIISE:Computer Systems and Theory
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.213-217
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• 2001

Excessive memory buffer requirement in continuous media playback is a serious impediment of wide spread usage of on-line multimedia service. Skewed access frequency of available video files provides an opportunity of re-using the date blocks which has been loaded by one session for later usage. We present novel algorithm which minimizes the buffer requirement in multiple sessions of multimedia playbacks. In continuous media playback originated from the disk, a certain amount of memory buffer is required to synchronize asynchronous disk. Read operation and synchronous playback operation. As aggregate playback bandwodth increases, larger amount of buffer needs to be allocated for this synchronization purpose. The focus of this work is to study the asymptotic behavior of the synchronization buffer requirement and to develop an algorithm coping with this excessive buffer requirement under bandwidth congestioon. We argue that in a large scale continuous media server, it may not be necessary to read the blocks for each session directly from the disk. The beauty of our work lies in the fact that it dynamically adapts to disk utilization of the server and finds the optimal way of servicinh the individual sessions while minimizing the overall buffer space requirement. Optimality of the proposed algorithm is shown by proof. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed scheme is examined via simulation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.17-22
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• 2016

For the self-adaptive equalization of higher-order QAM systems, this paper proposes a new soft decision-directed (SDD) algorithm that opens the eye patterns quickly as well as significantly reducing the error level in the steady-state when it is applied to the initial equalization stage with completely closed eye patterns. The proposed method for M-QAM application minimized the computational complexity of the existing SDD by the symbol estimated based on the two symbols closest to the observation, and greatly simplified the soft decision independently of the QAM order. Furthermore, in the symbol estimating it increased the reliability of the estimates by applying the superior properties of the sigmoid function and avoiding the erroneous estimation of the threshold function. In addition, the initialization performance was improved when an error is generated to update the equalizer, weighting the symbol decision by the threshold function to the error, resulting in an extension of the range of error fluctuations. As a result, the proposed method improves remarkably the computational complexity and the properties of initialization and convergence of the traditional SDD. Through simulations for 64-QAM and 256-QAM under multipath channel conditions with additive noise, the usefulness of the proposed methods was confirmed by comparing the performance of the proposed 2-SDD and two forms of weighted 2-SDD with CMA.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.2 no.9
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• pp.603-614
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• 2013

The popularity of mobile devices provides their users with a circumstance that services and information can be accessed wherever and whenever users need. Accordingly, various studies have been proposed personalized methods to improve accessibility of mobile users to information. However, since these personalized methods require users' private information, they gives rise to problems on security. An efficient way to resolve security problems is to estimate user information by using their online and offline behavior. In this paper, for this purpose, it is proposed a novel user information identification system that identifies users' personal and social information by using both his/her behavior on social network services and proximity patterns obtained from GPS data. In the proposed system, personal information of a user like age, gender, and so on is estimated by analyzing SNS texts and POI (Point of Interest) patterns, while social information between a pair of users like family and friend is predicted with proximity patterns between the users. Each identification module is efficiently designed to handle the characteristics of user data like much noise in SNS texts and missing signals in GPS data. In experiments to evaluate the proposed system, our system shows its superiority against ordinary identification methods. This result means that the proposed system can efficiently reflect the characteristics of user data.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.283-294
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• 2018

An accurate pedestrian-delay model is essential for the pedestrian-oriented evaluation of signalized intersection (SI). The crossing behaviors of pedestrians at signalized pedestrian crosswalks (SPCs) are various, and their arrival behaviors consist of two types, random and platoon. It is natural, hence, that the behaviors of pedestrian crossing and arrival should be considered in order to estimate accurate pedestrian delay. Despite this necessity, a simple pedestrian-delay model that cannot explain these behaviors of pedestrian movements is still recommended in Highway Capacity Manual (HCM). For these reasons, a pedestrian-delay model, suitable for various SPCs and SIs, is required to make pedestrian-oriented decisions on the design and operation of various SPCs and SIs. This paper proposes a novel pedestrian-delay model that is based on the behaviors of pedestrian crossing and arrival. The proposed model consists of two sub models: the one for SPC and the other for SI. The SPC delay model was developed based on the behaviors of pedestrian crossing during pedestrian green time. The SI delay model was designed based on the behaviors of pedestrian crossing and platoon arrival. The results of a numerical simulation showed that the proposed delay model can successfully overcome the under- and overestimation problems of the HCM model with explaining various behaviors of pedestrian crossing and arrival.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2009

In order to develop a novel polymer electrolyte membrane for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), styrene monomer was graft-polymerized into poly(tetrafluoroethylene perfluoropropyl vinyl ether) (PFA) film followed by a sulfonation reaction. The graft polymerization was prepared by the $\Upsilon$-ray radiation-grafting method. Subsequently, sulfonation of the radiation-grafted film was carried out in a chlorosulfonic acid/1,2-dichloroethane (2 v/v%) solution. The chemical, physical, electrochemical and morphological properties of the radiation-grafted membranes (PFA-g-PSSA) were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The water uptake, ionic conductivity, and methanol permeability of the PFA-g-PSSA membrane were also measured. The cell performances of MEA prepared with the PFA-g-PSSA membranes were evaluated and the cell resistances were measured by an impedance analyzer. The MEA using PFA-g-PSSA membranes showed superior performance for DMFCs in comparison with the commercial Nafion 112 membrane.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.139-144
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• 2002

Sterols play two major roles in plants: a bulk component in biological membranes and precursors of plant steroid hormones. Physiological effects of plant steroids, brassinosteroids (BRs), include cell elongation, cell division, stress tolerance, and senescence acceleration. Arabidopsis mutants that carry genetic defects in BR biosynthesis or its signaling display characteristic phenotypes, such as short robust inflorescences, dark-green round leaves, and sterility. Currently there are more than 100 dwarf mutants representing 7 genetic loci in Arabidopsis. Mutants of 6 loci, dwf1/dim1/cbb1, cpd/dwf3, dwf4, dwf5, det2/dwf6, dwf7 are rescued by exogenous application of BRs, whereas bri1/dwf2 shares phenotypes with the above 6 loci but are resistant to BRs. These suggest that the 6 loci are defective in BR biosynthesis, and the one locus is in BR signaling. Biochemical analyses, such as intermediate feeding tests, examining the levels of endogenous BR, and molecular cloning of the genes revealed that dwf7, dwf5, and dwf1 are defective in the three consecutive steps of sterol biosynthesis, from episterol to campesterol via 5-dehydroepisterol. Similarly, det2/dwf6, dwf4, and cpd /dwf3 were shown to be blocked in D$^4$reduction, 22a-hydroxylation, and 23 a-hydroxylation, respectively. A signaling mutant bril/dwf2 carries mutations in a Leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase. Interestingly, the bri1 mutant was shown to accumulate significant amount of BRs, suggesting that signaling and biosynthesis are dynamically coupled in Arabidopsis. Thus it is likely that transgenic plants over-expressing the rate-limiting step enzyme DWF4 as well as blocking its use by BRIl could dramatically increase the biosynthetic yield of BRs. When applied industrially, BRs will boost new sector of plant biotechnology because of its potential use as a precursor of human steroid hormones, a novel lead compound for cholesterol-lowering effects, and a various application in plant protection.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.9
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• pp.656-663
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• 2014

Gintonin, a novel, ginseng-derived G protein-coupled lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor ligand, elicits $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ transients in neuronal and non-neuronal cells via pertussis toxin-sensitive and pertussis toxin-insensitive G proteins. The slowly activating delayed rectifier $K^+$ ($I_{Ks}$) channel is a cardiac $K^+$ channel composed of KCNQ1 and KCNE1 subunits. The C terminus of the KCNQ1 channel protein has two calmodulin-binding sites that are involved in regulating $I_{Ks}$ channels. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of gintonin-mediated activation of human $I_{Ks}$ channel activity by expressing human $I_{Ks}$ channels in Xenopus oocytes. We found that gintonin enhances $I_{Ks}$ channel currents in concentration- and voltage-dependent manners. The $EC_{50}$ for the $I_{Ks}$ channel was $0.05{\pm}0.01{\mu}g/ml$. Gintonin-mediated activation 1 of the $I_{Ks}$ channels was blocked by an LPA1/3 receptor antagonist, an active phospholipase C inhibitor, an $IP_3$ receptor antagonist, and the calcium chelator BAPTA. Gintonin-mediated activation of both the $I_{Ks}$ channel was also blocked by the calmodulin (CaM) blocker calmidazolium. Mutations in the KCNQ1 $[Ca^{2+}]_i$/CaM-binding IQ motif sites (S373P, W392R, or R539W)blocked the action of gintonin on $I_{Ks}$ channel. However, gintonin had no effect on hERG $K^+$ channel activity. These results show that gintonin-mediated enhancement of $I_{Ks}$ channel currents is achieved through binding of the $[Ca^{2+}]_i$/CaM complex to the C terminus of KCNQ1 subunit.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2003

Growth Hormone (GH) gene is a member of gene family through the evolutionary process from a small common ancestral gene by a series of gene duplications. The role of the GH in growth and performance controls has been extensively studied in human, mice and livestock. Many researchers have considered GH as a strong candidate gene for evaluation of genetic polymorphisms that could be associated with economic traits in cattle. We report here a novel missense mutation within the exon 5 of the bovine Growth Hormone (bGH) gene. We could amplified 522 bp fragments from eight unrelated Hanwoo cattle by PCR, then, subsequently cloned and sequenced. An Msp I RFLP corresponding to a C to T transition was observed at position 2258 nt. From this result, we could predict a missense mutation (Arg to Trp) at codon 166 in a highly conserved region among many mammals. Codominant Mendelian segregation of the two alleles, Msp I (+) and Msp I (－), was observed in two full-sib F2 families (n = 32, African taurine Bos taurus ${\times}$ African zebu Bos indicus) and eight half-sib Hanwoo families. For the availability of genetic marker, we have performed PCR-RFLP with a large number of individual animals from 15 different cattle breeds (European and Asian taurines, and African indicines). Consideration of breed frequencies of Msp I (－) allele in relation to breed type and their geographic origins, shows higher frequencies in humped breeds or Asian cattle breeds than in humpless or European breeds. This result indicates that the missense mutation can be contributed the functional significance such as the signal transduction through the receptor binding, also may be used as a marker for selection of the economic traits in Hanwoo.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.267-278
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• 2018

With climate change and population growth, there are significant increases in water scarcity. There have been water security assessments to abate the gap between water demand and availability to support water resource management. However, most of the assessments are focusing on the water that flows through either on or below the land surface, failing to consider water that infiltrates and can be used by vegetation. This study presents water scarcity assessment accounting for Blue and Green water concept, and applied the method to Boryung region. Monthly streamflow, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture were estimated by SWAT modeling, and each of them was used to analyze Blue and Green water scarcity. Blue and Green water scarcity had different aspect, and the result indicated the time when water scarcity is more likely to happen. The water scarcity assessment framework presented in this paper provides novel assessment method integrating hydrologic and ecosystem aspects, thereby improving the understanding of how water resources should be managed.