• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.589-599
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• 2019

Background: Panax ginseng Meyer is known as a conventional herbal medicine, and ginsenoside Rg1, a steroid glycoside, is one of its components. Although Rg1 has been proved to have an antiobesity effect, the mechanism of this effect and whether it involves adipose browning have not been elucidated. Methods: 3T3-L1 and subcutaneous white adipocytes from mice were used to access the thermogenic effect of Rg1. Adipose mitochondria and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Protein level and mRNA of UCP1 were also evaluated by Western blotting and realtime polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results: Rg1 dramatically enhanced expression of brown adipocyte-especific markers, such as UCP1 and fatty acid oxidation genes, including carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1. In addition, it modulated lipid metabolism, activated 5' adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase, and promoted lipid droplet dispersion. Conclusions: Rg1 increases UCP1 expression and mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3-L1 and subcutaneous white adipose cells isolated from C57BL/6 mice. We suggest that Rg1 exerts its antiobesity effects by promoting adipocyte browning through activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.440-448
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• 2021

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) establishes long-term infections associated with severe gastric diseases such as peptic ulceration and gastric cancer. Exposure to an antibacterial agent can help regulate the expression levels of its pathogenic genes. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptional changes in H. pylori genes induced by β-caryophyllene. We used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to analyze RNA expression changes, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed as required to verify the results. The NGS results showed that 30 out of 1,632 genes were expressed differentially by β-caryophyllene treatment. Eleven genes associated with DNA replication, virulence factors, and T4SS components were significantly downregulated. RT-PCR confirmed that treatment reduced the expression levels of 11 genes. RT-PCR showed the reduced expression of 11 genes (dnaE, dnaN, holB, gyrA, cagA, vacA, secA, flgE, virB2, virB4, and virB8) following β-caryophyllene treatment. These results suggest that β-caryophyllene can modulate various H. pylori pathogenic determinants and be a potential therapeutic agent for H. pylori infection.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1100-1104
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• 2021

Objective: The objective of present study was to estimate heritability of non-return rate (NRR) and success of first insemination (SFI) by using the Bayesian approach with Gibbs sampling. Methods: Heifer Traits were denoted as NRR-h and SFI-h, and cow traits as NRR-c and SFI-c. The variance covariance components were estimated using threshold model under Bayesian procedures THRGIBBS1F90. Results: The SFI was more relevant to evaluating success of insemination because a high percentage of animals that demonstrated no return did not successfully conceive in NRR. Estimated heritability of NRR and SFI in heifers were 0.032 and 0.039 and the corresponding estimates for cows were 0.020 and 0.027. The model showed low values of Geweke (p-value ranging between 0.012 and 0.018) and a low Monte Carlo chain error, indicating that the amount of a posteriori for the heritability estimate was valid for binary traits. Genetic correlation between the same traits among heifers and cows by using the two-trait threshold model were low, 0.485 and 0.591 for NRR and SFI, respectively. High genetic correlations were observed between NRR-h and SFI-h (0.922) and between NRR-c and SFI-c (0.954). Conclusion: SFI showed slightly higher heritability than NRR but the two traits are genetically correlated. Based on this result, both two could be used for early indicator for evaluate the capacity of cows to conceive.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.330-339
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• 2023

Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a crucial tumor suppressor involved in various cellular processes, including embryonic development, tumor initiation and progression, cell adhesion, apoptosis, and metabolism. However, the precise mechanisms underlying its functions remain elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that LKB1 interacts directly with malic enzyme 3 (ME3) through the N-terminus of the enzyme and identified the binding regions necessary for this interaction. The binding activity was confirmed to promote the expression of ME3 in an LKB1-dependent manner and was also shown to induce apoptosis activity. Furthermore, LKB1 and ME3 overexpression upregulated the expression of tumour suppressor proteins (p53 and p21) and downregulated the expression of antiapoptotic proteins (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)). Additionally, LKB1 and ME3 enhanced the transcription of p21 and p53 and inhibited the transcription of NF-κB. Moreover, LKB1 and ME3 suppressed the phosphorylation of various components of the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway. Overall, these results suggest that LKB1 promotes pro-apoptotic activities by inducing ME3 expression.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.11-18
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• 2023

Oil was extracted from cashew nuts. The physicochemical parameters of the oil were determined. A chromatographic assay of the oil was carried out using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Seventeen compounds were detected: Phenol, Phenol 2-methyl-, Cyclohexene 4, 4-dimethyl-, m-Fluoro-2-diazoacetophenone 4-dimethyl-, Tetradecanoic acid, Phenol 4-octyl-, n-Hexadecanoic acid. Others are 9, 12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z) - methyl ester, Hexadecanoic acid methyl ester, Methyl stearate, Dodecanoic acid methyl ester, 9, 12, 15-Octadecatrienoic acid methyl ester, 9, 12, 15-Octadecatrienoic acid (Z, Z, Z)-, Oleic acid, Octadecanoic acid, Tetracosanoic acid and 9-Octadecenoic acid methyl ester. Among the components are omega three and omega six essential free fatty acids. The rheological profiling and flow properties of cashew nut oil were determined using a Programmable Rheometer. Cashew nut oil exhibits slight dilatant behaviour at the low end of shear rate. The long chain and high molecular weight of its constituents controlled its rheology. Long-chained 9-Octadecenoic acid methyl ester, 9, 12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z) - methyl ester, Tetracosanoic acid and methyl stearate, coupled with their high molecular weights are responsible for the shear thickening effect observed. Two models, Carreau-Yasuda and Ostwald-de Waele Power Law were employed to fit the rheological data. The Carreau-Yasuda model followed well the data.

• Journal of Smart Tourism
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2022

This review paper aims at providing a systematic analysis of articles published in various journals and related to the uses and business applications of big data. The goal is to provide a holistic picture of the place of big data in the tourism industry. The reviewed articles have been selected for the period 2013-2020 and have been classified into 8 broad categories namely business strategy and firm performance; banking and finance; healthcare; hospitality; networks and telecommunications; urbanism and infrastructures; law and legal regulations; and government. While the categories are reflective of components of tourism industries and infrastructures, the meta-analysis is organized around 3 broad themes: preferred research contexts, conceptual developments, and methods used to research big data business applications. Main findings revealed that firm performance and healthcare remain popular contexts of research in the big data realm, but also demonstrated a prominence of qualitative methods over mixed and quantitative methods for the period 2013-2020. Scholars have also investigated topics involving the notions of competitive advantage, supply chain management, smart cities, but also ethics and privacy issues as related to the use of big data.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.64-88
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• 2024

Security and reliability are the utmost importance facts in intelligent networked vehicles. Stochastic Petri Net and Z (SPZN) as an excellent formal verification tool for modeling concurrent systems, can effectively handles concurrent operations within a system, establishes relationships among components, and conducts verification and reasoning to ensure the system's safety and reliability in practical applications. However, the application of a system with numerous nodes to Petri Net often leads to the issue of state explosion. To tackle these challenges, a refinement and abstraction method based on SPZN is proposed in this paper. This approach can not only refine and abstract the Stochastic Petri Net but also establish a corresponding relationship with the Z language. In determining the implementation rate of transitions in Stochastic Petri Net, we employ the interval average and weighted average method, which significantly reduces the time and space complexity compared to alternative techniques and is suitable for expert systems at various levels. This reduction facilitates subsequent comprehensive system analysis and module analysis. Furthermore, by analyzing the properties of Markov Chain isomorphism in the case study, recommendations for minimizing system risks in the application of intelligent parking within the intelligent networked vehicle system can be put forward.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.7.1-7.27
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• 2023

The mammalian intestines harbor trillions of commensal microorganisms composed of thousands of species that are collectively called gut microbiota. Among the microbiota, bacteria are the predominant microorganism, with viruses, protozoa, and fungi (mycobiota) making up a relatively smaller population. The microbial communities play fundamental roles in the maturation and orchestration of the immune landscape in health and disease. Primarily, the gut microbiota modulates the immune system to maintain homeostasis and plays a crucial role in regulating the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of inflammatory, neuronal, and metabolic disorders. The microbiota modulates the host immune system through direct interactions with immune cells or indirect mechanisms such as producing short-chain acids and diverse metabolites. Numerous researchers have put extensive efforts into investigating the role of microbes in immune regulation, discovering novel immunomodulatory microbial species, identifying key effector molecules, and demonstrating how microbes and their key effector molecules mechanistically impact the host immune system. Consequently, recent studies suggest that several microbial species and their immunomodulatory molecules have therapeutic applicability in preclinical settings of multiple disorders. Nonetheless, it is still unclear why and how a handful of microorganisms and their key molecules affect the host immunity in diverse diseases. This review mainly discusses the role of microbes and their metabolites in T helper cell differentiation, immunomodulatory function, and their modes of action.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.1244-1251
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• 2008

The aim of the present study was to delineate the expression and secretion of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system components by pig liver cells. Hepatocytes were prepared from 3-wk-old weanling piglets following a two-step collagenase perfusion procedure, after which the cells were incubated for 24 or 48 h at a density of $2{\pm}10^5$ cells per 35-mm dish in 2-ml Williams' medium E. The cells were found to express the genes encoding IGF-I, IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs)-2 and -3 and acid-labile subunit (ALS) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) following the culture. However, IGF-I was localized to hepatocytes by immunohistochemical analysis, whereas IGFBP-3 was localized to endothelial cells, but not to hepatocytes. This indicated that the IGFBP-3 gene expression detected by RT-PCR was likely to have been contributed by unidentified non-parenchymal cells that had not been removed during the hepatocyte preparation. The conditioned culture medium (CCM) of the cells contained immunoreactive IGF-I and IGF-II, with the latter being seven-fold more abundant than the former. The CCM also contained 43-, 40-, 34-, 31-kDa doublet and 26-kDa IGFBPs as examined by Western ligand blotting. The 40-, 34- and 31-kDa doublet IGFBPs were approximately three-fold as abundant as the 43- and 26-kDa IGFBPs. Moreover, the 43- and 40-kDa doublet and the 34-kDa IGFBPs were immunoprecipitable with IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-2 antibodies, respectively. Overall, these results are similar to those known in the rat, which suggests that the IGF system components are likely to be expressed and secreted in pig liver in a manner similar to that in rat liver.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.67-76
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• 2011

This paper describes the development of interactive visualization techniques and a program that allow us to visualize the structure of the volume data and interactively select and visualize the isosurface components using contour tree. The main characteristic of this technique is to provide an algorithm that draws the contour tree in 2D plane in a way that users easily understand the tree, and to provide an algorithm that can efficiently extract an isosurface component utilizing GPU's parallel architecture. The main characteristic of the program we developed through implementing the algorithms is to provide us with an interactive user interface based on the contour tree for extracting an isosurface component and visualization that integrates with previous isosurface and volume rendering techniques. To show the excelland vof our methods, we applied 3D biomedical volume data to our algorithms. The results show that we could interactively select the isosurface components that represent a polypeptide chain, a ventricle and a femur respectively using the user interface based on our contour tree layout method, and extract the isosurface components with 3x-4x higher speed compared to previous methods.