• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6375-6378
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• 2013

Background: The glutathione S transferase (GST) family of enzymes plays a vital role in the phase II biotransformation of environmental carcinogens, pollutants, drugs and other xenobiotics. GSTs are polymorphic and polymorphisms in GST genes have been associated with cancer susceptibility and prognosis. GSTP1 is associated with risk of various cancers including bladder cancer. A case control study was conducted to determine the genotype distribution of GSTP1 A>G SNP, to elucidate the possible role of this SNP as a risk factor in urinary bladder cancer (UBC) development and to examine its correlation with clinico-pathologic variables inUBC cases. Materials and Methods: Using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach, we tested the genotype distribution of 180 bladder cancer patients in comparison with 210 cancer-free controls from the same geographical region with matched frequency in age and gender. Results: We did not observe significant genotype differences between the control and bladder cancer patients overall with an odds ratio (OR)=1.23 (p>0.05). The rare allele (AG+GG) was found to be present more in cases (28.3%) than in controls (24%), though the association was not significant (p<0.05). However, a significant risk of more than 2-fold was found for the variant allele (AG+GG) with smokers in cases as compared to controls (p>0.05). Conclusions: Thus, it is evident from our study that GSTP1 SNP is not implicated overall in bladder cancer, but that the rare, valine-related allele is connected with higher susceptibility to bladder cancer in smokers and also males.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.87-90
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• 2013

Isotope amount ratios of lead in a bronze sample have been successfully determined using multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Matrix separation conditions were tested and optimized using ion exchange chromatography with anion-exchange resin, AG1-X8, and sequential elution of the 0.5 M HBr and 7 M $HNO_3$ to separate lead from very high contents of copper and tin in bronze matrix. Mercury was also removed efficiently in the optimized separation condition. The instrumental isotope fractionation of lead in the MC-ICP-MS measurement was corrected by the external standard sample bracketing method using an external standard, NIST SRM 981 lead common isotope ratio standard followed by correction of procedure blank to obtain reliable isotope ratios of lead. The isotope ratios, $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb$, $^{207}Pb/^{204}Pb$, $^{208}Pb/^{204}Pb$, and $^{208}Pb/^{206}Pb$, of lead were determined as $18.0802{\pm}0.0114$, $15.5799{\pm}0.0099$, $38.0853{\pm}0.0241$, and $2.1065{\pm}0.0004$, respectively, and the determined isotope ratios showed good agreement with the reference values of an international comparison for the same sample within the stated uncertainties

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.295-302
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• 2009

The flow in the draft tube cone of Francis turbines operated at partial discharge is a complex hydrodynamic phenomenon where an incoming steady axisymmetric swirling flow evolves into a three-dimensional unsteady flow field with precessing helical vortex (also called vortex rope) and associated pressure fluctuations. The paper addresses the following fundamental question: is it possible to compute the circumferentially averaged flow field induced by the precessing vortex rope by using an axisymmetric turbulent swirling flow model? In other words, instead of averaging the measured or computed 3D velocity and pressure fields we would like to solve directly the circumferentially averaged governing equations. As a result, one could use a 2D axi-symmetric model instead of the full 3D flow simulation, with huge savings in both computing time and resources. In order to answer this question we first compute the axisymmetric turbulent swirling flow using available solvers by introducing a stagnant region model (SRM), essentially enforcing a unidirectional circumferentially averaged meridian flow as suggested by the experimental data. Numerical results obtained with both models are compared against measured axial and circumferential velocity profiles, as well as for the vortex rope location. Although the circumferentially averaged flow field cannot capture the unsteadiness of the 3D flow, it can be reliably used for further stability analysis, as well as for assessing and optimizing various techniques to stabilize the swirling flow. In particular, the methodology presented and validated in this paper is particularly useful in optimizing the blade design in order to reduce the stagnant region extent, thus mitigating the vortex rope and expending the operating range for Francis turbines.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 1995

The low concentration of cadmium in the whole-blood was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry(GFAAS) after the sample was diluted five-fold by 1% Triton X-100, 2% $(NH_4)_2HPO_4$ as matrix modifier and pyrocoated graphite tube with L'vov platform was tried remove the interferences of blood matrix and reduce the loss of volatility of cadmium at higher ashing temperature($600^{\circ}C$). The criteria for evaluating the accuracy and precision of this analysis was confirmed by analysis of interlaboratory comparison(Japan) and NIST SRM No. 909(Cd in Serum). The limit of the determination for cadium was 0.1ng/ml and the relative standard deviation(RSD) at 1.0ng/ml level was about 10% for the GFAAS.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.166-172
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• 2011

This study was conducted to assess food safety knowledge of college students according to mass-media reports. To accomplish this, a survey was conducted to investigate the reliability, of primary mass-media sources on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy(BSE) as well as the preferences of college students. The most common sources of media consumed by male and female students were terrestrial television(TV)(60%), the internet(21%), and newspapers(11%) and terrestrial TV(60%), newspapers (18%), and the internet(17%), respectively. The preferences for media of major and non-major students were terrestrial TV(64%), newspapers(17%), and the internet(14%) and terrestrial TV(51%), the internet(22%), and newspapers(19%), respectively. The reliability of media as viewed by male students were as follows: terrestrial TV(53%) and the internet(40%), whereas for female students, these values were terrestrial TV(55%) and the internet(37%). The reliability of media as viewed by major and non-major students was as follows: terrestrial TV(67%) and the internet(28%), and terrestrial TV(44%) and the internet(44%), respectively. In the case of male students, the primary sources for information regarding BSE were terrestrial TV(54%) and the internet(38%), whereas for female students, the primary sources were terrestrial TV(57%) and internet (37%). In the case of major students, the primary sources for information regarding BSE were terrestrial TV(52%) and the Internet(40%), and for non-major students, the internet(47%) and terrestrial TV(39%). Both male and female students were found to have less knowledge regarding prions, SRM(Specified Risk Materials), MM(methionine-methionine) type genes, and cow above 30 months associated with BSE compared to the other factors associated with this disease. The BSE-related knowledge held by major and non-major students was revealed unknown more than the majority of responses. Based on these results, greater effort should be made to provide meaningful information to improve the food-safety knowledge of college students according to mass-media.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.129-147
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• 2022

The properties of soil are naturally highly variable and thus, to ensure proper safety and reliability, we need to test a large number of samples across the length and depth. In pile foundations, conducting field tests are highly expensive and the traditional empirical relations too have been proven to be poor in performance. The study proposes a state-of-art Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) hybridized Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS); and comparative analysis of metaheuristic models (ANN-PSO, ELM-PSO, ANFIS-PSO) for prediction of bearing capacity of pile foundation trained and tested on dataset of nearly 300 dynamic pile tests from the literature. A novel ensemble model of three hybrid models is constructed to combine and enhance the predictions of the individual models effectively. The authenticity of the dataset is confirmed using descriptive statistics, correlation matrix and sensitivity analysis. Ram weight and diameter of pile are found to be most influential input parameter. The comparative analysis reveals that ANFIS-PSO is the best performing model in testing phase (R² = 0.85, RMSE = 0.01) while ELM-PSO performs best in training phase (R² = 0.88, RMSE = 0.08); while the ensemble provided overall best performance based on the rank score. The performance of ANN-PSO is least satisfactory compared to the other two models. The findings were confirmed using Taylor diagram, error matrix and uncertainty analysis. Based on the results ELM-PSO and ANFIS-PSO is proposed to be used for the prediction of bearing capacity of piles and ensemble learning method of joining the outputs of individual models should be encouraged. The study possesses the potential to assist geotechnical engineers in the design phase of civil engineering projects.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.123-131
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• 2023

Breast cancer continues to pose a substantial worldwide health challenge, thereby requiring the development of innovative strategies to discover new therapeutic interventions. Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT-3) has been identified as a significant factor in the development of several types of cancer, including breast cancer. This is primarily attributed to its diverse functions in promoting tumour formation and conferring resistance to therapeutic interventions. This study presents an in silico drug repositioning approach that focuses on identifying specific inhibitors of STAT-3 for the purpose of treating breast cancer. We initially examined the structural and functional attributes of STAT-3, thereby elucidating its crucial involvement in cellular signalling cascades. A comprehensive virtual screening was performed on a diverse collection of drugs that have been approved by the FDA from zinc15 database. Various computational techniques, including molecular docking, cross docking, and cDFT analysis, were utilised in order to prioritise potential candidates. This prioritisation was based on their predicted binding energies and outer molecular orbital reactivity. The findings of our study have unveiled a Dihydroergotamine and Paritaprevir that have been approved by the FDA and exhibit considerable promise as selective inhibitors of STAT-3. In conclusion, the utilisation of our in silico drug repositioning approach presents a prompt and economically efficient method for the identification of potential compounds that warrant subsequent experimental validation as selective STAT-3 inhibitors in the context of breast cancer. The present study highlights the considerable potential of employing computational strategies to expedite the drug discovery process. Moreover, it provides valuable insights into novel avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions in the context of breast cancer treatment.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.233-239
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• 2010

Four genes (yqfR, yfmL, ydbR, deaD) were identified as putative DEAD-box RNA helicase genes in the genomic sequence of Bacillus subtilis by homology search. To understand the function of these genes, each of the genes was deleted and the constructed strains were tested for their growth charateristics at different temperatures. The growth rate of ydbR deletion mutant ($T_d$=53 min) was a little bit reduced at $37^{\circ}C$ as compared to that of wild type strain (CU1065). But the growth rate of other three (yqfR, yfmL, deaD) deletion mutants ($T_d$=30-40 min) is nearly equal to the growth rate of wild type ($T_d$=32 min). On the other hands, the growth rate of deletion mutants were reduced at $22^{\circ}C$ in order of yqfR ($T_d$=151 min), yfmL ($T_d$=214 min), ydbR ($T_d$=343 min), which showed cold-sensitive phenotype. The deletion mutant of deaD ($T_d$=109 min) grew equally as compared to the growth rate ($T_d$=102 min) of the wild type at $22^{\circ}C$ and did not show cold-sensitive growth. Double, triple and quadruple deletion mutants of these genes were constructed, and growth rate of these mutants were measured at various temperature conditions ($22^{\circ}C$, $37^{\circ}C$, $42^{\circ}C$) using LB broth. Multiple deletion mutations showed more severe cold-sensitive growth than single deletion mutations, and double deletion of ydbR and yfmL ($T_d$=984 min) showed most cold-sensitive growth than any other double mutants. Such a cold-sensitive growth of these mutations is quite similar to the result of csdA or srmB deletion in E. coli and suggested that physiological role of ydbR and yfmL is related with ribosome assembly.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2017

In this study, the stability of trench slope was analysed in summer and winter seasons for the construction of pipelines in permafrost regions. The construction standards of Korea, Russia and UK were compared for obtaining an optimum trench shape for a pipeline of 30 in. diameter. Using the geotechnical properties of soil in Yakutsk (Russia), the stability of trench slope was analysed using Strength Reduction Method (SRM) according to the horizontal slope angle values of $0^{\circ}$, $10^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$ and $30^{\circ}$ and vertical slope angle values of $20^{\circ}$, $30^{\circ}$ and $40^{\circ}$. In both seasons, an increase in the slope angle results in a decrease in the factor of safety. The results show that horizontal slope angle of $30^{\circ}$ was not safe in summer season. At the vertical slope angle of $20^{\circ}$, trench side failure was observed, whereas, ground slope failure was observed at the vertical slope angles of $30^{\circ}$ and $40^{\circ}$. Due to the solidification of pore water at temperatures below $0^{\circ}C$, cementation of soil particles take place. Therefore, the trench slope was found to be stable in the winter season at all vertical and horizontal slop angles, except for special load cases and abrupt temperature changes.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.41-53
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• 2011

Background and Objectives: Iodine is an essential constituent of the thyroid hormones associated with the growth and development of humans and animals as an inorganic nutrition. This element may be accumulated in human blood, tissues and body through the intake of foodstuffs, a beverage, a nutritional supplement and a medicine, among others. The aim of the research is to find out a better medicinal stuff for the thyroid cancer patient who required a low level of iodine diet. Methods: Neutron activation analysis (NAA) used for the iodine analysis is one of nuclear analytical techniques using radiation and radioisotopes and very useful as sensitive analytical technique for performing both qualitative and quantitative multi-elemental non-destructive analysis of major, minor and trace components in variety of environmental and biological materials. In this study, iodine contents in ten kinds of oriental herb medicinal products, which is frequently used to cancer patients are determined by using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) at the HANARO research reactor. The samples prescribed are manufactured as powdered form for taking medicine easily. The analytical quality control is performed to assure an uncertainty of the measurement and to compensate the measured data using a biological certified reference material, NIST SRM 1572, Citrus Leaves. The measured value is $1.89{\pm}0.35mg/kg$, and the relative error is 2.88%, and relative standard deviation is 19 % due to high counting error by small counts of gamma ray spectrum. The standard deviations for other elements such as Cl, K, Mn and Na were in the range of 2 to 8%. Result: The level of iodine contents of Biki-huan, Chungryong-huan and Chungcho-huan, samples detected is less than 6 mg/kg except Hangam Plus sample (more than 210 mg/kg) and six samples were not detected. Iodine in the samples of Shoxiho-tang, Shopunghualhyl-tang, Shocungryong-tang, Banhasaxim-tang, Insampaedox-san and Myunyuk Plus were not measured, but possible level of content can be estimated from the detection limits. In addition, the concentrations of some major elements like Cl, K, Mn, Na, in the samples were determined with the detection limits. Conclusions: Most of samples showed low iodine contents of less than 6 mg/kg but it turned out that most of testing samples can be used to classify the level of iodine diet samples considering the recommended low level of iodine diet 50 ${\mu}g$/day, and a better medicinal stuff for the thyroid cancer patient can be found.