• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.421-426
• /
• 2013

Several studies have shown the mechanisms and importance of immune responses against Toxoplasma gondii infection and the notable role of cholinesterases in inflammatory reactions. However, the association between those factors has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in blood and lymphocytes and the activity of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in serum of rats experimentally infected with T. gondii during the acute phase of infection. For that, an in vivo study was performed with evaluations of AChE and BChE activities on days 5 and 10 post-infection (PI). The activity of AChE in blood was increased on day 5 PI, while in lymphocytes its activity was enhanced on days 5 and 10 PI (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed between groups regarding to the activity of BChE in serum. A positive (P<0.01) correlation was observed between AChE activity and number of lymphocytes. The role of AChE as an inflammatory marker is well known in different pathologies; thus, our results lead to the hypothesis that AChE has an important role in modulation of early immune responses against T. gondii infection.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.431-442
• /
• 2020

Background: Psychosocial risks are increasingly a type of risk analyzed in organizations beyond chemical, physical, and biological risks. To this type of risk, a greater attention has been given following the update of ISO 9001: 2015, more precisely the requirement 7.1.4 for the process operation environment. The update of this normative reference was intended to approximate OHSAS 18001: 2007 reference updated in 2018 with the publication of ISO 45001. Thus, the organizations are increasingly committed to achieving and demonstrating good occupational health and safety performance. Methods: The aim of this study was to characterize the psychosocial risks in a cryopreservation laboratory and to develop a predictive model for psychosocial risk management. The methodology followed to collect the information was the inquiry by questionnaire that was applied to a sample comprising 200 employees. Results: The results show that most of the respondents are aware of the psychosocial risks, identifying interpersonal relationships and emotional feelings as the main factors that lead to this type of risks. Furthermore, terms such as lack of resources, working hours, lab equipment, stress, and precariousness show strong correlation with psychosocial risks. The model presented in this study, based on artificial neural networks, exhibited good performance in the prediction of the psychosocial risks. Conclusion: This work presents the development of an intelligent system that allows identifying the weaknesses of the organization and contributing to the enhancement of the psychosocial risks management.

• Smart Media Journal
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.83-89
• /
• 2016

Guidelines for protecting personal information are already in progress in USA, UK and other countries and announced many guideline like HIPPA. However In Our national environment, we does not have specialized guideline in national medical industries. This thesis suggest De-indentification method in South Korea by referring 'bigdata De-identification Guideline by Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2015)', ICO in U. K and IHE, NIST, HIPPA in U. S. A. We suggest also correlation between Guidelines. Corelation means common techniques in three guidelines (IHE, NIST, HIPPA in U. S. A). As Point becomes closer five points, We recommend that technique to national medical institute for De-Identification. We hope this thesis makes the best use of personal information's development in National medical institute.

• Journal of English Language & Literature
• /
• v.58 no.5
• /
• pp.943-974
• /
• 2012

This paper aims to suggest the compromising vision of nature and technology as the solution to get out of the globally accelerated technology environment in Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis. This novel intends to emphasize on the importance of physical environment as a precondition for the survival of human. Eric wants to be a posthuman with the cybernetic idea, pursuing to be the digital self in a vast biosphere that integrates both the nature and the technology. His obsessive worship of technology through his quest for the futurity results in the effacement of the humanity and the insulation from the nature. Cosmopolis is DeLillo's first 9/11 novel, which describes a young-billionaire asset manager Eric's one-day life in New York in April 2000. Eric can be the third Twin Tower as a symbol of global economic hegemony. By the allusion of the 9/11 catastrophic event, it can be said that Eric's fall is caused by his hubris and avarice as a global capitalist. Crossing the 47th Street toward the West in his limousine, his journey is revealed as the environmental reflections on his desires to attain the futurity and transcendence by technology. This novel cautions that the abuse of technology can bring out the obsolescence and erasure of the humanity and the nature. DeLillo suggests that the best hope for the evolutionary possibility of posthuman can be realized through the correlation with nature and technology. This future-oriented novel warns that the excessive technology should not lead to the disappearance of community and humanity, and the separation of self and nature. It admonishes that they should not follow pseudo-cosmopolitanism as the greedy world citizens, devoting on the velocity of newest technology. This novel recommends that humans should be the world citizen of global ecosystem, making the ameliorative environment through the correlation with self/environment and technology/nature, and gardening the restorative biosphere and the younger planet.

• Advances in Computational Design
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.323-347
• /
• 2020

The enhancements of bioenergy production effectiveness require the comprehensively experimental study of several parameters affecting these bioprocesses. The interpretation of the obtained experimental results and the estimation of optimum yield are extremely complicated such as misinterpreting the results of an experiment. The use of mathematical modeling and statistical experimental designs can consistently supply the predictions of the potential yield and the identification of defining parameters and also the understanding of key relationships between factors and responses. This paper summarizes several mathematical models used to achieve an adequate overall and maximal production yield and rate, to screen, to optimize, to identify, to describe and to provide useful information for the effect of several factors on bioenergy production processes. The usefulness, the validity and, the feasibility of each strategy for studying and optimizing the bioenergy-producing processes were discussed and confirmed by the good correlation between predicted and measured values.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.374-384
• /
• 2024

Soybean paste is a staple food used to make doenjang (DE), cheonggukjang (CGJ), and miso (MI). In this study, solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify volatile components in DE, CGJ, and MI, and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to determine their correlation between soybean pastes. Esters and hydrocarbons accounted for more than 55% of the total volatile components. PCA showed that esters were highly correlated with DE; pyrazines were correlated with CGJ; and alcohols were highly correlated with MI. Because DE, CGJ, and MI are made of the same material, their overall volatile content tended to be similar. However, the main volatile components and fragrances were different. These findings will be used as basic research data to promote quality improvement of soybean-based fermented foods in Korea and Japan.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.811-821
• /
• 2020

Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces mycolic acids which are relevant for persistence, recalcitrance to antibiotics and defiance to host immunity. c-di-GMP is a second messenger involved in transition from planktonic cells to biofilms, whose levels are controlled by diguanylate cyclases (DGC) and phosphodiesterases (PDE). The transcriptional regulator dosR, is involved in response to low oxygen, a condition likely happening to a subset of cells within biofilms. Here, we found that in M. bovis BCG, expression of both BCG1416c and BCG1419c genes, which code for a DGC and a PDE, respectively, decreased in both stationary phase and during biofilm production. The kasA, kasB, and fas genes, which are involved in mycolic acid biosynthesis, were induced in biofilm cultures, as was dosR, therefore suggesting an inverse correlation in their expression compared with that of genes involved in c-di-GMP metabolism. The relative abundance within trehalose dimycolate (TDM) of α-mycolates decreased during biofilm maturation, with methoxy mycolates increasing over time, and keto species remaining practically stable. Moreover, addition of synthetic c-di-GMP to mid-log phase BCG cultures reduced methoxy mycolates, increased keto species and practically did not affect α-mycolates, showing a differential effect of c-di-GMP on keto- and methoxy-mycolic acid metabolism.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.65.1-65.13
• /
• 2020

Background: Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) causes major economic losses in fur-bearing animal production. The control of most AMDV outbreaks is complex due to the difficulties of establishing the source of infection based only on the available on-farm epidemiological data. In this sense, phylogenetic analysis of the strains present in a farm may help elucidate the origin of the infection and improve the control and biosecurity measures. Objectives: This study had the following aims: characterize the AMDV strains from most outbreaks produced at Spanish farms between 2012-2019 at the molecular level, and assess the utility of the combined use of molecular and epidemiological data to track the possible routes of infection. Methods: Thirty-seven strains from 17 farms were partially sequenced for the NS1 and VP2 genes and analyzed phylogenetically with other strains described worldwide. Results: Spanish AMDV strains are clustered in four major clades that generally show a good geographical correlation, confirming that most had been established in Spain a long time ago. The combined study of phylogenetic results and epidemiological information of each farm suggests that most of the AMDV outbreaks since 2012 had been produced by within-farm reservoirs, while a few of them may have been due to the introduction of the virus through international trade. Conclusions: The combination of phylogenetic inference, together with epidemiological data, helps assess the possible origin of AMDV infections in mink farms and improving the control and prevention of this disease.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.121-131
• /
• 2016

In most African urban areas, Particulate Matters (PM) concentration exceeds by far the WHO limits. In these areas, plants can play a key role in removing particles. In this study, we evaluated three ornamental species (Jatropha interrigima, Ficus benjamina, Barleria prionitis) used in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). Leaf-encapsulated saturation isothermal remnant magnetisation (SIRM) were measured and the relationship between PM captured and leaf wettability were done. The sampling were performed at roadsides and Parks. Firstly, Leaf-encapsulated and total leaf SIRM were quantified and the wettability was determined by drop contact angles (DCA). Secondly, the relationship between leaf SIRM and wettability was found. Results showed that leaf SIRM was two to ten times higher at roadsides than in Parks. Total leaf SIRM was also higher on mature leaves in Main roads suggesting a particle accumulation in leaves over time especially in waxy species (Ficus benjamina). This species encapsulated other than 20% of total leaf SIRM. All tested species were highly-wettable ($40^{\circ}$ < DCA < $90^{\circ}$). Thus, Jatropha interrigima with its leaf trichomes and F. benjamina with its leaf waxes were more wettable. A significantly positive correlation was found between wettability intensity and leaf SIRM.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.24 no.11
• /
• pp.1495-1502
• /
• 2014

Metarhizium anisopliae is a widely studied model to understand the virulence factors that participate in pathogenicity. Proteases such as subtilisin-like enzymes (Pr1) and trypsin-like enzymes (Pr2) are considered important factors for insect cuticle degradation. In four M. anisopliae strains (798, 6342, 6345, and 6347), the presence of pr1 and pr2 genes, as well as the enzymatic activity of these genes, was correlated with their virulence against two different insect pests. The 11 pr1 genes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K) and pr2 gene were found in all strains. The activity of individual Pr1 and Pr2 proteases exhibited variation in time (24, 48, 72, and 96 h) and in the presence or absence of chitin as the inductor. The highest Pr1 enzymatic activity was shown by strain 798 at 48 h with chitin. The highest Pr2 enzymatic activity was exhibited by the 6342 and 6347 strains, both grown with chitin at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Highest mortality on S. exigua was caused by strain 6342 at 48 h, and strains 6342, 6345, and 6347 caused the highest mortality 7 days later. Mortality on Prosapia reached 30% without variation. The presence of subtilisin and trypsin genes and the activity of these proteases in M. anisopliae strains cannot be associated with the virulence against the two insect pests. Probably, subtilisin and trypsin enzyme production is not a vital factor for pathogenicity, but its contribution is important to the pathogenicity process.