• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.18-25
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• 2002

The pikromycin biosynthetic system in Streptomyces venezuleae is unique for its ability to produce two groups of antibiotics that include the 12-membered ring macrolides methymycin and neomethymycin, and the 14-membered ring macrolides narbomycin and pikromycin. The metabolic pathway also contains two post polyketide-modification enzymes, a glycosyltransferase and P450 hydroxylase that have unusually broad substrate specificities. In order to explore further the substrate flexibility of these enzymes a series of hybrid polyketide synthases were constructed and their metabolic products characterized. The plasmid-based replacement of the multifunctional protein subunits of the pikromycin PKS in S. venezuelae by the corresponding subunits from heterologous modular PKSs resulted in recombinant strains that produce both 12- and 14-membered ring macrolactones with predicted structural alterations. In all cases, novel macrolactones were produced and further modified by the DesVII glycosyltransferase and PikC hydroxylase leading to biologically active macrolide structures. These results demonstrate that hybrid PKSs in S. venezuelae can produce a multiplicity of new macrolactones that are modified further by the highly flexible DesVII glycosyltransferase and PikC hydroxylase tailoring enzymes. This work demonstrates the unique capacity of the S. venezuelae pikromycin pathway to expand the toolbox of combinatorial biosynthesis and to accelerate the creation of novel biologically active natural products. The polyketide backbone of rifamycin B is assembled through successive condensation and ${\beta}$-carbonyl processing of the extender units by the modular rifamycin PKS. The eighth module, in the RifD protein, contains nonfunctional DH domain and functional KR domain, which specify the reduction of the ${\beta}$-carbonyl group resulting in the C-21 bydroxyl of rifamycin B. A four amino acid substitution and one amino acid deletion were introduced in the putative NADPH binding motif in the proposed KR domain encoded by rifD. This strategy of mutation was based on the amino acid sequences of the corresponding motif of the KR domain of module 3 in the RifA protein, which is believed dysfunctional, so as to introduce a minimum alteration and retain the reading frame intact, yet ensure loss of function. The resulting strain produces linear polyketides, from tetraketide to octaketide, which are also produced by a rifD disrupted mutant as a consequence of premature termination of polyketide assembly. Much of the structural diversity within the polyketide superfamily of natural products is due to the ability of PKSs to vary the reduction level of every other alternate carbon atom in the backbone. Thus, the ability to introduce heterologous reductive segments such as ketoreductase (KR), dehydratase (DH), and enoylreductase (ER) into modules that naturally lack these activities would increase the power of the combinatorial biosynthetic toolbox. The dehydratase domain of module 7 of the rifamycin PKS, which is predicted to be nonfunctional in view of the sequence of the apparent active site, was replaced with its functional homolog from module 7 of rapamycin-producing polyketide synthase. The resulting mutant strain behaved like a rifC disrupted mutant, i.e., it accumulated the heptaketide intermediate and its precursors. This result points out a major difficulty we have encountered with all the Amycolatopsis mediterranei strain containing hybrid polyketide synthases: all the engineered strains prepared so far accumulate a plethora of products derived from the polyketide chain assembly intermediates as major products instead of just analogs of rifamycin B or its ansamycin precursors.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.143-150
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• 2007

Although animal and epidemiological studies have suggested oxidative stress as an etiological factor in pathogenesis including cancer, inflammation, sepsis, fibrosis, cardiovascularlneurodegenerative diseases and aging-related disorders, conflicting results have been obtained in clinical trial with antioxidants. The reason for this discrepancy remains unknown but may be due, in part, to the lack of a validated assay system for evaluating antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant activity of a series of sugar alcohols against peroxyl radicals, hydroxyl radicals and peroxynitrites was determined by the total oxy-radical scavenging capacity (TOSC) assay and cell-based assay using H4IIE cells. Specific TOSC values calculated from the slope of the linear regression for erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol or mannitol against peroxyl radicals was $2.1{\pm}0.2,\;3.7{\pm}0.3,\;9.1{\pm}0.3$ or $8.7{\pm}1.1$ TOSC/mM, respectively. Specific TOSC values for erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol or mannitol against peroxynitrite was $1.9{\pm}0.3,\;3.9{\pm}0.4,\;7.8{\pm}0.7$ or $7.7{\pm}0.5$ TOSC/mM, respectively. These results suggest that oxy-radical scavenging capacity is dependent on the number of aliphatic hydroxyl group in sugar alcohols of monosaccharide. Tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced cell toxicity determined by MTT assay was marginally attenuated by 10 mM erythritol, but completely inhibited by 10 mM xylitol, 2 mM sorbitol or 0.75 mM maltitol, a disaccharide alcohol. Oxidative stress markers, such as glutathione (GSH) and malondial-dehyde (MDA) levels, were measured in t-BHP-treated cells using HPLC equipped with a fluorescence detector and a reverse phase column. Erythritol did not change the levels of GSH and MDA in H411E cells treated with t-BHP. The t-BHP-induced changes in cellular GSH and MDA levels were ameliorated by 10 mM xylitol and completely blocked by 10 mM sorbitol and maltitol. These results indicate that sugar alcohols protect cells against oxidative stress via scavenging oxy-radical and suggest that TOSC assay in conjunction with cell-based assay is a valid method for evaluating antioxidant capacity of natural and synthetic chemicals.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.358-373
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• 2013

In this study, both mild acid and alkali treatments with 1.0 wt% and 2.0 wt% of $H_2SO_4$ and NaOH solution were applied to evaluate the effects on chemical compositions of wood biomass. Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) and larch (Larix kaempferi C.) were chosen due to major species planted in Korea. Chemical treatments of biomass were carried out by being soaked in either acid or alkali solution with 1:20 ratio for 72 hours at ambient temperature. Afterward, lignin, 5 major reduced sugars, ash contents and elemental composition were determined. To statistically understand the relationship between samples and chemical treatments, the Tukey test, simple linear regression model and ANOVA analysis were introduced using a statistical software R. As results from both wet chemistry and statistical analysis, yellow poplar was more affected on the lignin and xylose contents by acid treatments under these experimental conditions. Meanwhile, larch was more affected on the composition of galactose and lignin by alkali treatments. A series of results in this study would show that equivalent chemical treatment makes a change the chemical composition of each species.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2015

This study tests the potential of detecting small-magnitude earthquakes (~M3.0) and their precursors using a long-term groundwater-monitoring database. In groundwater records from April to June 2012, abnormal changes in water level, temperature, and electrical conductivity were identified in the bedrock monitoring wells of the Gimcheon-Jijwa, Gangjin-Seongjeon, and Gongju-Jeongan stations. These anomalies could be attributed to the M3.1 earthquake that occurred in the Youngdeok area on May 30th, although no linear relationship was found between the scale of changes and the distance between each monitoring station and the epicenter, which is attributed in part to the wide screen design of the monitoring wells. Groundwater monitoring networks designed specifically for monitoring earthquake impacts could provide better information on the safety of underground space and on the security of emergency water-resources in earthquake disaster areas.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.252-263
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• 2008

This study was conducted to derive the optimal regionalization of the precipitation data which can be classified on the basis of climatologically and geographically homogeneous regions all over the regions except Cheju and Ulreung islands in Korea. A total of 65 rain gauges were used to regional analysis of precipitation. Annual maximum series for the consecutive durations of 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72hr were used for various statistical analyses. K-means clustering mettled is used to identify homogeneous regions all over the regions. Five homogeneous regions for the precipitation were classified by the K-means clustering. Using the L-moment ratios and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the underlying regional probability distribution was identified to be the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution among applied distributions. The regional and at-site parameters of the generalized extreme value distribution were estimated by the linear combination of the probability weighted moments, L-moment. The regional and at-site analysis for the design rainfall were tested by Monte Carlo simulation. Relative root-mean-square error (RRMSE), relative bias (RBIAS) and relative reduction (RR) in RRMSE were computed and compared with those resulting from at-site Monte Carlo simulation. All show that the regional analysis procedure can substantially reduce the RRMSE, RBIAS and RR in RRMSE in the prediction of design rainfall. Consequently, optimal design rainfalls following the regions and consecutive durations were derived by the regional frequency analysis.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.416-427
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• 2018

As the loan size of real estate PF is huge, its market ripple effect gets bigger when overdue occurs. Accordingly, the management of the delinquency rate and macroeconomic analysis are required. As the preceding research mainly proceeded with microeconomic analysis through the real estate PF data of individual banks to evaluate importance of list or analyzed core factors for delinquency, it lacked research on comprehensive real estate PF size. In order to overcome the limitations of such data, this research studied real estate PF delinquency rate of the entire market and effect relationship by the size. The research utilized the size of real estate PF loans, money supply, interest rate, consumer price index(CPI), and GDP data. Also, it applied the first model of VECM as linear relationship between at least two or more variables, following the result of co-integration test. As a result of Granger-causality test, the real estate PF loans delinquency rate is influenced by their loan size, and as a result of impulse response analysis, the interest rate is shown to be affecting delinquency rate the most. Interest rate could risesomeday and aggravate the delinquency rate of real estate PF. Also, risk exposure could be serious as the loan size increases.Therefore, the management of real estate PF delinquency rate requires continuous monitoring, tracking and observing issued loans from a macro point of view. The plans to prevent delinquency will be necessary.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.281-298
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• 2007

The load carrying capacity of a bridge needs to be properly assessed to operate the bridge safely and maintain it efficiently. For the evaluation of load carrying capacity considering the current state of a bridge, static and quasi-static loading tests with weight-controlled heavy trucks have been conventionally utilized. In these tests, the deflection (or strain) of the structural members loaded by the controlled vehicles are measured and analyzed. Using the measured data, deflection (or strain) correction factor and impact correction factor are calculated. These correction factors are used in the enhancement of the load carrying capacity of a bridge, reflecting the real state of a bridge. However, full or partial control of the traffic during the tests and difficulties during the installment of displacement transducers or strain gauges may cause not only inconvenience to the traffic but also the increase of the logistics cost and time. To overcome these difficulties, an alternative method is proposed using an excited response part of full measured ambient acceleration data by ordinary traffic on a bridge without traffic control. Based on the modal properties extracted from the ambient vibration data, the initial finite element (FE) model of a bridge can be updated to represent the current real state of a bridge. Using the updated FE model, the deflection of a bridge akin to the real value can be easily obtained without measuring the real deflection. Impact factors are obtained from pseudo-deflection, which is obtained by double-integration of the acceleration data with removal of the linear components on the acceleration data. For validation, a series of tests were carried out on a steel plategirder bridge of an expressway in Korea in four different seasons, and the evaluated load carrying capacities of the bridge by the proposed method are compared with the result obtained by the conventional load test method.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 1988

To elucidate the mechanism of action of local anesthetics, the effects of local anethetics on the microenvironment of the lipid bilayers of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMV) isolated from bovine brain and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) multilamellar liposomes were investigated employing the intermolecular excimer fluorescence technique and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The relative intensities of excimer and monomer fluorescence of pyrene are a simple linear function of the viscosity of a homologous series of solvents. The microviscosity(${\eta}$)of the hydrocarbon region of SPMV was measured by this method and the value was $57.3{\pm}5.3\;cP$ at $37^{\circ}C$. In the presence of lidocaine-HCl and procaine-HCl, the values decreased to $46.5{\pm}5.1\;cP$ and $54.7{\pm}4.8\;cP$, respectvely. The differential scanning thermograms of DMPC multilamellar liposomes showed that local anesthetics significantly lowered the phase transition temperature, broadened the thermogram peaks, and reduced the size of the cooperative unit. These results indicate that local anesthetics have significant fluidizing effects on biomembranes and perturbation of membrane lipids may produce some, but not all, of their pharmacological actions.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2007

This paper describes methodology that enables animators to create the facial expression animations and to control the facial expressions in real-time by reusing motion capture datas. In order to achieve this, we fix a facial expression state expression method to express facial states based on facial motion data. In addition, by distributing facial expressions into intuitive space using LLE algorithm, it is possible to create the animations or to control the expressions in real-time from facial expression space using user interface. In this paper, approximately 2400 facial expression frames are used to generate facial expression space. In addition, by navigating facial expression space projected on the 2-dimensional plane, it is possible to create the animations or to control the expressions of 3-dimensional avatars in real-time by selecting a series of expressions from facial expression space. In order to distribute approximately 2400 facial expression data into intuitional space, there is need to represents the state of each expressions from facial expression frames. In order to achieve this, the distance matrix that presents the distances between pairs of feature points on the faces, is used. In order to distribute this datas, LLE algorithm is used for visualization in 2-dimensional plane. Animators are told to control facial expressions or to create animations when using the user interface of this system. This paper evaluates the results of the experiment.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.41
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• pp.4.1-4.10
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• 2019

Background: The mandibular third molar (M3) is typically the last permanent tooth to erupt because of insufficient space and thick soft tissues covering its surface. Problems such as alveolar bone loss, development of a periodontal pocket, exposure of cementum, gingival recession, and dental caries can be found in the adjacent second molars (M2) following M3 extraction. The specific aims of the study were to assess the amount and rate of bone regeneration on the distal surface of M2 and to evaluate the aspects of bone regeneration in terms of varying degree of impaction. Methods: Four series of panoramic radiographic images were obtained from the selected cases, including images from the first visit, immediately after extraction, 6 weeks, and 6 months after extraction. ImageJ software^® (NIH, USA) was used to measure linear distance from the region of interest to the distal root of the adjacent M2. Radiographic infrabony defect (RID) values were calculated from the measured radiographic bone height and cementoenamel junction with distortion compensation. Repeated measures of analysis of variance and one-way analysis of variance were conducted to analyze the statistical significant difference between RID and time, and a Spearman correlation test was conducted to assess the relationship between Pederson's difficulty index (DI) and RID. Results: A large RID (> 6 mm) can be reduced gradually and consistently over time. More than half of the samples recovered nearly to their normal healthy condition (RID ≤ 3 mm) by the 6-month follow-up. DI affected the first 6 weeks of post-extraction period and only showed a significant positive correlation with respect to the difference between baseline and final RID. Conclusions: Additional treatments on M2 for a minimum of 6 months after an M3 extraction could be recommended. Although DI may affect bone regeneration during the early healing period, further study is required to elucidate any possible factors associated with the healing process. The DI does not cause any long-term adverse effects on bone regeneration after surgical extraction.