• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.43-48
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• 2009

When the PDD (percentage depth dose) in the megavoltage beams is measured in the water phantom, the polarity and ion recombination effects of ionization chambers with depth in water are not usually taken into consideration. We try to investigate if those variations with depth should be taken into consideration or could be ignored for the thimble type semiflex ionization chamber (PTW $31010^{TM}$, SN 1551). According to the recommendation of IAEA TRS-398, the 4 representative depths of $d_s$, $d_{max}$, $d_{90}$ and $d_{50}$ were used for the electron beams. For the photon beams, the 4 depths were arbitrarily chosen for the photon beams, which were $d_s$, $d_{max}$, $d_{10}$ and $d_{20}$. For the high energy photon beam both polarity and ion recombination factors of the chamber with depth in water gives the good agreements within the maximum $\pm$0.2%, while the $C_{polS}$ with depth came within the maximum $\pm$ 0.4% and the $C_{IRS}$ within the maximum $\pm$0.6% in every electron beam used. This study shows that PDI (percentage depth ionization) could be a good approximation to PDD for the chamber used.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.83-97
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• 2016

The measurement of viral load in HIV-1 infected patients is essential for the establishment of a therapeutic strategy. Several commercial assays have shown shortcomings in quantifying rare genotypes of HIV-1 such as minor groups of N and O. In this study, the HIV-1 RT-qPCR assay was developed. The primers and probe of HIV-1 were designed to target the pol gene and to increase the detection efficiency of various subtypes including group N and O. The HIV-1 quantitative RT-qPCR assay was assessed for its analytical performance and clinical evaluation. The LoD was determined to 33.9 IU/ml. The LoD of several subtypes including A, C, D, CRF_01AE, F, CRF_02AG, G and H, were determined to less than 40 IU/ml. The HIV-1 quantitative RT-qPCR assay was evaluated using the China National Reference Panel of HIV-1 RNA to determine the analytical performance. The results were all within the acceptable range. The clinical evaluation was performed at Hunan CDC in China. The clinical evaluation results were compared with those of the China domestic commercial kit. A significant correlation (fresh samples; $R^2=0.84$, P<0.001, frozen samples; $R^2=0.76$, P<0.001) between the two systems was observed for 64 fresh samples and 76 frozen samples with viral loads, and the Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement (98.4%, 96.1%, respectively). In conclusion, the HIV-1 quantitative RT-qPCR assay had comparable analytical performance with several commercial kits. The study provides basic data for the research of HIV-1 diagnosis and the development of P < HIV-1 molecular diagnostic assay.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.719-747
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• 2012

In this paper a novel approach is proposed to address the problem of deriving non-stationary stochastic processes which are compatible in the mean sense with a given (target) response (uniform hazard) spectrum (UHS) as commonly desired in the aseismic structural design regulated by contemporary codes of practice. The appealing feature of the approach is that it is non-iterative and "one-step". This is accomplished by solving a standard over-determined minimization problem in conjunction with appropriate median peak factors. These factors are determined by a plethora of reported new Monte Carlo studies which on their own possess considerable stochastic dynamics merit. In the proposed approach, generation and treatment of samples of the processes individually on a deterministic basis is not required as is the case with the various "two-step" approaches found in the literature addressing the herein considered task. The applicability and usefulness of the approach is demonstrated by furnishing extensive numerical data associated with the elastic design UHS of the current European (EC8) and the Chinese (GB 50011) aseismic code provisions. Purposely, simple and thus attractive from a practical viewpoint, uniformly modulated processes assuming either the Kanai-Tajimi (K-T) or the Clough-Penzien (C-P) spectral form are employed. The Monte Carlo studies yield damping and duration dependent median peak factor spectra, given in a polynomial form, associated with the first passage problem for UHS compatible K-T and C-P uniformly modulated stochastic processes. Hopefully, the herein derived stochastic processes and median peak factor spectra can be used to facilitate the aseismic design of structures regulated by contemporary code provisions in a Monte Carlo simulation-based or stochastic dynamics-based context of analysis.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.3_4
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• pp.581-609
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• 2012

In this paper a novel non-iterative approach is proposed to address the problem of deriving non-stationary stochastic processes which are compatible in the mean sense with a given (target) response (uniform hazard) spectrum (UHS) as commonly desired in the aseismic structural design regulated by contemporary codes of practice. This is accomplished by solving a standard over-determined minimization problem in conjunction with appropriate median peak factors. These factors are determined by a plethora of reported new Monte Carlo studies which on their own possess considerable stochastic dynamics merit. In the proposed approach, generation and treatment of samples of the processes individually on a deterministic basis is not required as is the case with the various approaches found in the literature addressing the herein considered task. The applicability and usefulness of the approach is demonstrated by furnishing extensive numerical data associated with the elastic design UHS of the current European (EC8) and the Chinese (GB 50011) aseismic code provisions. Purposely, simple and thus attractive from a practical viewpoint, uniformly modulated processes assuming either the Kanai-Tajimi (K-T) or the Clough-Penzien (C-P) spectral form are employed. The Monte Carlo studies yield damping and duration dependent median peak factor spectra, given in a polynomial form, associated with the first passage problem for UHS compatible K-T and C-P uniformly modulated stochastic processes. Hopefully, the herein derived stochastic processes and median peak factor spectra can be used to facilitate the aseismic design of structures regulated by contemporary code provisions in a Monte Carlo simulation-based or stochastic dynamics-based context of analysis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.615-620
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• 2022

The murine leukemia virus-based semi-retroviral replicating vectors (MuLV-based sRRV) had been developed to improve safety and transgene capacity for cancer gene therapy. However, despite the apparent advantages of the sRRV, improvements in the in vivo transduction efficiency are still required to deliver therapeutic genes efficiently for clinical use. In this study, we established a gibbon ape leukemia virus (GaLV) envelope-pseudotyped semi-replication-competent retrovirus vector system (spRRV) which is composed of two transcomplementing replication-defective retroviral vectors termed MuLV-Gag-Pol and GaLV-Env. We found that the spRRV shows considerable improvement in efficiencies of gene transfer and spreading in both human glioblastoma cells and pre-established human glioblastoma mouse model compared with an sRRV system. When treated with ganciclovir after intratumoral injection of each vector system into pre-established U-87 MG glioblastomas, the group of mice injected with spRRV expressing the herpes simplex virus type 1-thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) gene showed a survival rate of 100% for more than 150 days, but all control groups of mice (HSV1-tk/PBS-treated and GFP/GCV-treated groups) died within 45 days after tumor injection. In conclusion, these findings sug-gest that intratumoral delivery of the HSV1-tk gene by the spRRV system is worthy of development in clinical trials for the treatment of malignant solid tumors.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.47.3-48
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• 2021

We studied the large scale dynamo process in a system forced by helical magnetic field. The dynamo process is basically nonlinear, but can be linearized with 𝛼&𝛽 coefficients and large scale magnetic field $\bar{B}$. This is very useful to the investigation of solar (stellar) dynamo. A coupled semi-analytic equations based on statistical mechanics are used to investigate the exact evolution of 𝛼&𝛽. This equation set needs only magnetic helicity ${\bar{H}}_M({\equiv}{\langle}{\bar{A}}{\cdot}{\bar{B}}{\rangle},\;{\bar{B}}={\nabla}{\times}{\bar{A}})$ and magnetic energy ${\bar{E}}_M({\equiv}{\langle}{\bar{B}}^2{\rangle}/2)$. They are fundamental physics quantities that can be obtained from the dynamo simulation or observation without any artificial modification or assumption. 𝛼 effect is thought to be related to magnetic field amplification. However, in reality the averaged 𝛼 effect decreases very quickly without a significant contribution to ${\bar{B}}$ field amplification. Conversely, 𝛽 effect contributing to the magnetic diffusion maintains a negative value, which plays a key role in the amplification with Laplacian ∇²(= - k²) for the large scale regime. In addition, negative magnetic diffusion accounts for the attenuation of plasma kinetic energy E_V(= 〈 U² 〉/2) (U: plasma velocity) when the system is saturated. The negative magnetic diffusion is from the interaction of advective term - U • ∇ B from magnetic induction equation and the helical velocity field. In more detail, when 'U' is divided into the poloidal component U_pol and toroidal one U_tor in the absence of reflection symmetry, they interact with - B • ∇ U and - U • ∇ B from ∇ × 〈 U × B 〉 leading to 𝛼 effect and (negative) 𝛽 effect, respectively. We discussed this process using the theoretical method and intuitive field structure model supported by the simulation result.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2016

Determining the infection history of living organisms is essential for understanding the evolution of infection agents with their host, particularly for key aspects such as immunity. Viruses, which can spread between individuals and often cause disease, have been widely examined. The increasing availability of fish genome sequences has provided specific insights into the diversity and host distribution of retroviruses in fish. The shortspine spurdog (Squalus mitsukurii) is an important elasmobranch species; this medium-sized dogfish typically lives at depths of 100~500 m. However, the retroviral envelope polyprotein in dogfish has not been examined. Thus, the aim of the present study was to identify and analyze the retroviral envelope polyprotein in various tissues of dogfish. The 1334-base pair full-length novel cDNA of dogfish envelope polyprotein (dEnv) was obtained by 3' and 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA end analysis from S. mitsukurii. The open reading frame showed a complete coding sequence of 815 base pairs with a deduced peptide sequence of 183 amino acids that exhibited 34~50% identity with other fish and bird species. It was also expressed according to reverse transcription and real-time polymerase chain reaction in the kidney, liver, intestine, and lung, but not in the gill. This distribution can be assessed by identifying and analyzing endogenous retroviruses in fish, which consists of three main genes: gag, pol and env. Dogfish envelope polyprotein sequence is likely important in evolution and induces rearrangements, altering the regulatory and coding sequences. This is the first report of the identification and molecular characterization of retroviral envelope polyprotein in various tissues of S. mitsukurii.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.280-288
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• 2024

The fusogenic membrane glycoprotein (FMG) derived from the human endogenous retrovirus-W (HERV-W) exhibits fusogenic properties, making it a promising candidate for cancer gene therapy. When cells are transfected with HERV-W FMG, they can fuse with neighboring cells expressing the receptor, resulting in the formation of syncytia. These syncytia eventually undergo cell death within a few days. In addition, it has been observed that an HERV-W env mutant, which is truncated after amino acid 483, displays increased fusogenicity compared to the wild-type HERV-W env. In this study, we observed syncytium formation upon transfection of HeLa and TE671 human cancer cells with plasmids containing the HERV-W 483 gene. To explore the potential of a semi-replication-competent retroviral (s-RCR) vector encoding HERV-W 483 for FMG-mediated cancer gene therapy, we developed two replication-defective retroviral vectors: a gag-pol vector encoding HERV-W 483 (MoMLV-HERV-W 483) and an env vector encoding VSV-G (pCLXSN-VSV-G-EGFP). When MoMLV-HERV-W 483 and pCLXSN-VSV-G-EGFP were co-transfected into HEK293T cells to produce the s-RCR vector, gradual syncytium formation was observed. However, the titers of the s-RCR virus remained consistently low. To enhance gene transfer efficiency, we constructed an RCR vector encoding HERV-W 483 (MoMLV-10A1-HERV-W 483), which demonstrated replication ability in HEK293T cells. Infection of A549 and HT1080 human cancer cell lines with this RCR vector induced syncytium formation and subsequent cell death. Consequently, both the s-RCR vector and RCR encoding HERV-W 483 hold promise as valuable tools for cancer gene therapy.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.239-255
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• 1997

Expression of the cDNA of the VP1 gene on the genome RNA B segment of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) DRT strain in E. coli and a recombinant baculovirus were carried out. The VP1 gene in the pMal-pol clone (Lee et al. 1995) was cleaved with XbaI and transferred into baculovirus transfer vector, pBacPAK9 and it was named pBacVP1 clone. The VP1 gene in the pBacVP1 clone was double-digested with SacI and PstI and then inserted just behind T5 phage promoter and the $6{\times}His$ region of the pQE-3D expression vector, and it was called pQEVPl. Again, the $6{\times}$His-tagged VP1 DNA fragment in the pQEVP1 was cleaved with EcoRI and transferred into the VP1 site of the pBacVP1, resulting pBacHis-VP1 recombinant. The pBacHis-VP1 DNA was cotransfected with LacZ-Hyphantria cunea nuclear polyhedrosis virus (LacZ-HcNPV) DNA digested with Bsu361 onto S. frugiperda cells to make a recombinant virus. One VP1-gene inserted recombinant virus was selected by plaque assay. The recombinant virus was named VP1-HcNPV-1. The $6{\times}$His-tagged VP1 protein produced by the pQEVP1 was purified with Ni-NTA resin chromatography and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. The molecular weight of the VP1 protein was 94 kDa. The recombinant virus, VP1-HcNPV-1 did not form polyhedral inclusion bodies and expressed VP1 protein with 95 kDa in the infected S. frugiperda cells, which was detected by Western blot. The titer of the VP1-HcNPV-1 in the first infected cells was $2.0{\times}10^5\;pfu/ml$ at 7 days postinfection.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 1991

동백종실유(冬栢種實油)에서 컬럼크로마토그래피로 지질(脂質) 성분(成分)을 상호(相互) 분리(分離)하였다. 여기서 얻은 트리글리세리드의 일부(一部)를 취하여 알칼리로 가수분해(加水分解)하거나 또는 pancreatic lipase로 가수분해(加水分解) 하여, 트리글리세리드의 구성(構成) 지방산(脂肪酸) 또는 1, 3- 위치(位置)와 2-위치(位置)에 급합(給合) 한 지방산(脂肪酸) 조성(組成)을 조사(調査)하였다. 나머지 트리글리세리드는 16% $AgNO_3$ TLC로 이중결합선(二重結合敾)별로 나누었으며, 이렇게 나누어진 분획(分劃)을 다시 HPLC로 PN별로 재분획(再分劃) 하였다. 여기서 얻어진 획분(劃分)들 중 PN이 같은 것은 모두 모아서 알칼리 가수분해(加水分解)로 PN의 총지방산(總脂肪酸) 조성(組成)을, pancreatic lipase로 1,3 위치(位置)에 결합선(結合敾)한 지방산(脂肪酸)의 조성(組成)을 조사(調査) 하였다. 여기서 얻어진 결과(結果)로 부터 구성(構成) 트리그리셀리드 분자종(分子種)을 산출(算出)하였더니 다음과 같은 결과(算出)를 얻었다. 1) 종실유(種實油)는 투명(透明)한 액체(液體)로 그 함량(含量)이 73.5%였으며, 그 중 트리글리세리드가 94.8%, 극성(極性) 지질(極性)이 2.0%, 탄화(炭化) 수소(水素)가 1.8%였다. 2) $AgNO_3$-TLC로 트리글리세리드를 분획(分劃)하였더니 5개의 획분(劃分)을 얻었으며, 대부분(大部分)의 트리글리세리드가 이중(二重) 결합선(結合敾) 3${\sim}$5개인 band 2와 band 3에 80% 이상 존재(存在)하였다. 3) $AgNO_3-TLC$에서 얻은 각 획분(劃分)은 모두가 HPLC상에서 PN 46, 48 및 50으로 나누어졌으며 전체(全體) 분획(分劃)에서 PN 48이 78.13%로 제일 많았으며, 다음으로 PN 50이 12.04%였으며, PN 46이 9.83%였다. 4) 전체(全體) 트리글리세리드 분자종(分子種) 중에서 0.1mol% 이상을 차지하고 있는 분자종(分子種)이 43종(種)이었으며, OOO와 POO가 각각 39.8mol%와 25.8mol%로 제일 많았으며, 그 다음으로 OPO가 5.5 mol%, OOL가 4.8 mol%, POS가 3.9mol%, SOO가 3.5mol%. POL이 3.0mol%였다. 또 동백종실유(冬栢種實油)에 존재(存在)하는 트리글리세리드의 분자종(分子種)의 조성(組成)은 1,3-random, 2-random 분포설(分布說)에 따라 구성(分布說)되어 있었다.