• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.649-656
• /
• 2002

Fibrinolytic microorganisms were screened from 42 samples of Korean fermented food (7 kinds of Chungook-jang, 14 kinds of commercial Doen-Jang, 5 kinds of home-made Doen-jang, and 16 kinds of Jeot-gal), 15 samples of Japanese fermented food (5 kinds of home-made soybean paste, and 10 kinds of Natto), and 19 samples of Indonesian fermented food (Tempe) as well as starters of Meju (500 microflora from Korea, and 22 from China). Initially, 11 isolates with strong fibrinolytic activity were selected for further characterization. The fibrinolytic activity of the 11 isolates ranged from 89 to 199% of standard plasmin. Four strains, M5l from Korean fermented food (Meju), I 1-1, I 1-4, and I 5-1 from Indonesian fermented food (Tempe), were chosen based on the degree of activity and reproducibility, and identified as Staphylococcus sciuri, Citrobacter or Enterobacter, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus subtilis, respectively. The first two isolates are pathogenic stains while the latter two are considered as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). Fibrinolytic activity of E. faecalis, characterized and designated as BRCA-5, reached a maximum, when the producer was cultivated in Ml7 broth supplemented with 1.0% glucose for 5 h at 37$^{\circ}C$ with shaking at 180 rpm. Compared to commercial fibrinolytic enzymes, the cell-free culture supernatant of 5. faecaiis BRCA-5 showed stronger activity than plasmin and streptokinase, but similar degree of specific activity as nattokinase and urokinase, aud it also demonstrated anticoagulant and antiplatelet activity ex vivo. These features of E. faecalis make it an attractive agent as a biomaterial for health-promoting foods.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.407-413
• /
• 2015

Paraquat dichloride (N,N-dimethyl-4-4'-bipiridinium, PQ) is an extremely toxic chemical that is widely used in herbicides. PQ generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and causes multiple organ failure. In particular, PQ has been reported to be an immunotoxic agrochemical compound. PQ was shown to decrease the number of macrophages in rats and suppress monocyte phagocytic activity in mice. However, the effect of PQ on macrophage cell viability remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the cytotoxic effect of PQ on the mouse macrophage cell line, RAW264.7 and its possible mechanism of action. RAW264.7 cells were treated with PQ (0, 75, and $150{\mu}M$), and cellular apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and intracellular ROS levels were determined. Morphological changes to the cell nucleus and cellular apoptosis were also evaluated by DAPI and Annexin V staining, respectively. In this study, PQ induced apoptotic cell death by dose-dependently decreasing MMP. Additionally, PQ increased the cleaved form of caspase-3, an apoptotic marker. In conclusion, PQ induces apoptosis in RAW264.7 cells through a ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway. Thus, our study improves our knowledge of PQ-induced toxicity, and may give us a greater understanding of how PQ affects the immune system.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.85 no.1
• /
• pp.89-95
• /
• 2022

Background: With the introduction of Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert), its incorporation into tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic algorithm has become an important issue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Xpert assay in comparison with a commercial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Methods: Medical records of patients having results of both Xpert and AdvanSure TB/NTM real-time PCR (AdvanSure) assays using the same bronchial washing specimens were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Of the 1,297 patients included in this study, 205 (15.8%) were diagnosed with pulmonary TB. Using mycobacterial culture as the reference method, sensitivity of the Xpert assay using smear-positive specimens was 97.5%, which was comparable to that of the AdvanSure assay (96.3%, p=0.193). However, the sensitivity of the Xpert assay using smear-negative specimens was 70.6%, which was significantly higher than that of the AdvanSure assay (52.9%, p=0.018). Usng phenotypic drug susceptibility testing as the reference method, sensitivity and specificity for detecting rifampicin resistance were 100% and 99.1%, respectively. Moreover, a median turnaround time of the Xpert assay was 1 day, which was significantly shorter than 3 days of the AdvanSure assay (p<0.001). Conclusion: In comparison with the AdvanSure assay, the Xpert assay had a higher sensitivity using smear-negative specimens, a shorter turnaround time, and could reliably predict rifampin resistance. Therefore, the Xpert assay might be preferentially recommended over TB-PCR in Korean TB diagnostic algorithm.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.151-157
• /
• 2022

Various approaches have been applied to transform aquaculture from a manual, labour-intensive industry to one dependent on automation technologies in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. Technologies associated with the monitoring of physical condition have successfully been applied in most aquafarm facilities; however, real-time biological monitoring systems that can observe fish condition and behaviour are still required. In this study, we used a video recorder placed on top of a fish tank to observe the swimming patterns of rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus), first one fish alone and then a group of five fish. Rock bream in the video samples were successfully identified using the you-only-look-once v3 algorithm, which is based on the Darknet-53 convolutional neural network. In addition to recordings of swimming behaviour under normal conditions, the swimming patterns of fish under abnormal conditions were recorded on adding an anaesthetic or lowering the salinity. The abnormal conditions led to changes in the velocity of movement (3.8 ± 0.6 cm/s) involving an initial rapid increase in speed (up to 16.5 ± 3.0 cm/s, upon 2-phenoxyethanol treatment) before the fish stopped moving, as well as changing from swimming upright to dying lying on their sides. Machine learning was applied to datasets consisting of normal or abnormal behaviour patterns, to evaluate the fish behaviour. The proposed algorithm showed a high accuracy (98.1%) in discriminating normal and abnormal rock bream behaviour. We conclude that artificial intelligence-based detection of abnormal behaviour can be applied to develop an automatic bio-management system for use in the aquaculture industry.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.782-791
• /
• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the signal intensity of the periosteum using ultrashort echo time pulse sequence with three-dimensional cone trajectory (3D UTE) with or without fat suppression (FS) to distinguish from artifacts in porcine tibias. Materials and Methods: The periosteum and overlying soft tissue of three porcine lower legs were partially peeled away from the tibial cortex. Another porcine tibia was prepared as three segments: with an intact periosteum outer and inner layer, with an intact periosteum inner layer, and without periosteum. Axial T1 weighted sequence (T1 WI) and 3D UTE (FS) were performed. Another porcine tibia without periosteum was prepared and subjected to 3D UTE (FS) and T1 WI twice, with positional changes. Two radiologists analyzed images to reach a consensus. Results: The three periosteal tissues that were partially peeled away from the cortex showed a high signal in 3D UTE (FS) and low signal on T1 WI. 3D UTE (FS) showed a high signal around the cortical surface with an intact outer and inner periosteum, and subtle high signals, mainly around the upper cortical surfaces with the inner layer of the periosteum and without periosteum. T1 WI showed no signal around the cortical surfaces, regardless of the periosteum state. The porcine tibia without periosteum showed changes in the high signal area around the cortical surface as the position changed in 3D UTE (FS). No signal was detected around the cortical surface in T1 WI, regardless of the position change. Conclusion: The periosteum showed a high signal in 3D UTE and 3D UTE FS that overlapped with artifacts around the cortical bone.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 1999.07d
• /
• pp.1861-1863
• /
• 1999

The polarization gratings were fabricated in chalcogenide $As_{40}Ge_{10}Se_{15}S_{35}$ thin film applicable to a medium of the polarization holography and their diffraction efficiencies$(\eta)$ were monitored by real-time measurement. The polarization gratings prepared consisted of the multi-layer thin film system. As a method to improve the $\eta$, we have investigated its change for the field effect. As the results, the value of $\eta$ strongly depended on the voltage applied to the film and the maximum value, $\eta_{max}$ was enhanced to be about 4 times in comparison with that of not biased sample. In addition, an increase in the $\eta$ can be estimated to be due to additional creation of new defects caused by the electric field across the film.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 1995.07c
• /
• pp.1022-1024
• /
• 1995

In this study, $Pb(Zr_xTi_{1-x})O_3$(x=0.65, 0.52, 0.35) thin films were fabricated by Sol-Gel method. A stock solution with excess Pb 10[mol.%] of $Pb(Zr_xTi_{1-x})O_3$ was made and spin-coated on the Pt/$SiO_2$/Si substrate at 4000[rpm] for 30[sec.]. Coated specimens were dried on the hot-plate at $400[^{\circ}C]$ for 10[min.]. Sintering temperature and time were $500{\sim}800[^{\circ}C]$ and $1{\sim}60$[min.]. To investigate crystallization condition, PZT thin films were analyzed with sintering temperature, time and composition by the XRD. The microstructure of thin films were investigated by SEM. The ferroelectric perovskite phases precipitated under the sintering of $700[^{\circ}C]$ for 1 hour. In the PZT(52/48) composition, dielectric constant and dielectric loss were 2133, 2.2[%] at room temperature, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.225-232
• /
• 2013

In this paper, the study was conducted on the subject of the hybrid electric vehicles used by the military, and optimized the propulsion system for fuel economy considering energy supply to the mission equipments. For the analysis of the vehicles, a method based on the geometry and some assumptions was applied with basic vehicle dynamics. The sources of energy supply in the military hybrid electric vehicles are an engine, a battery and an ultra-capacitor. The optimal operation point among an engine, a battery and an ultra-capacitor can be found by minimizing energy consumption of driving power train and mission equipments. In the study, it was possible to find the optimal propulsion system by comparing fuel efficiency of the vehicles during the driving cycle.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.343-346
• /
• 2012

This study was investigated the effects of feeding the combination with Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis on the diarrhea incidence and fecal microflora of weaned calves. A total of 12 newly weaned calves were allocated to two dietary treatments in a randomized design based on body weight. The dietary treatments included a commercial basal diet supplemented with: 1) no microbial inoculants (Control); 2) a mixture of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis (LB). Calves were fed diets for a 4-week period. At the end of the experiment, the counts of fecal lactic acid bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae in LB were significantly improved compared to control (P<0.05). Over the 4-week period, fecal scores and duration of diarrhea in LB were significantly decreased compared with those in control (P<0.05). The present results suggest that LB is a potential feed additive which could be used for the balance of intestinal microflora and the prevention of diarrhea in Korean native calves.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.109-119
• /
• 2017

Objectives : The purpose of this report was to show that oriental therapy, specifically Shinbaro pharmacopuncture is effective for improvement of symptoms and and range of motion (ROM) in patients diagnosed with meniscus tears in the knee. Methods : Three patients were treated with herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping, Shinbaro pharmacopuncture. The efficacies of the treatments in the three cases were assessed and the progress of the three cases were measured Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), European Quality of Life five dimensions dimensions (EQ-5D), and range of motion (ROM) measurements. Results : After all the treatments, NRS, WOMAC, and EQ-5D decreased. Active and passive ROM of the knee increased. Conclusion : These reports show the effect of Shinbaro pharmacopucture on a meniscus tear. Due to the small number of cases in this study, further case reports are needed.