• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.321-329
• /
• 2023

The bacterium Neobacillus endophyticus BRMEA1^T, isolated from the medicinal plant Selaginella involvens, known as its thermotolerant can grow at 50℃. To explore the genetic basis for its heat tolerance response and its potential for producing valuable natural compounds, the genomes of two thermotolerant and four mesophilic strains in the genus Neobacillus were analyzed using a bioinformatic software platform. The whole genome was annotated using RAST SEED and OrthVenn2, with a focus on identifying potential heattolerance-related genes. N. endophyticus BRMEA1^T was found to possess more stress response genes compared to other mesophilic members of the genus, and it was the only strain that had genes for the synthesis of osmoregulated periplasmic glucans. This study sheds light on the potential value of N. endophyticus BRMEA1^T, as it reveals the mechanism of heat resistance and the application of secondary metabolites produced by this bacterium through whole-genome sequencing and comparative analysis.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.23-34
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the force delivery profile of thermoformed aligners (TFA) compared with direct-printed aligners (DPA) and to explore the effect of different activation amounts on forces and moments of respective groups. A secondary objective is to observe the amount of stress relaxation that occurs over the 7~14 days when aligners are maintained in a simulated intraoral environment. Materials and Methods: An in vitro setup was created to quantify forces and moments. It consisted of a three dimensional-printed base plate and segmented maxillary teeth, placed in a semi-enclosed chamber to maintain a temperature of 37℃. Ninety clear aligners were divided into nine groups of ten aligners each based on material types (Zendura, ATMOS, TC-85) and activation amounts. Aligners were created with 0.00, 0.25- and 0.50-mm activations for lingual bodily movement of the upper left central incisor and kept on models in the "stressed" position in a 37℃ water bath. Three force components acting on the upper left lateral incisor, upper left central incisor, and upper right central incisor were measured for each time point, beginning from the initial baseline measurement, 8 hours, 16 hours, 24 hours, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, 6 days, 7 days, and lastly, 14 days. Result: TC-85 aligners in every activation group showed less force on teeth than Zendura and ATMOS. Significant force levels from 0.0 mm activation were present and stayed consistent over the course of 14 days. Comparisons made for baseline measurements to 7-days and 14-days showed statistically significant change from the baseline force level. Conclusion: TC-85 aligners demonstrated lower, more consistent forces with fewer side effects. Aligners can generate forces even when no activation is programmed. No major decreases in force levels over time were observed; the intra-oral clinical simulated environment and length of observation time could contribute to this.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.83-92
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study aims to compare and analyze the changes in the physical and mental health status of middle-aged women before and after menopause and their quality of life over the past 10 years. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted by using secondary data from the 4th and 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) involving middle-aged women in menopause (N=8,363). Data were analyzed using the complex sample x² test. Results: Compared to 10 years ago, notable changes were observed in general characteristics. These included increase in age, education level, economic activity, and urban residency. In addition, there was an increase in alcohol consumption, a decrease in smoking, and a decline in regular exercise. The study also observed changes in obesity rates and an increase in dyslipidemia and stress levels, along with positive changes across all aspects of quality of life. Conclusion: The results indicate temporal changes in general characteristics, major physical and mental health factors, and the quality of life of middle-aged women in menopause. Thus, it is essential to consider these changes when designing health interventions such as health promotions and education initiatives for middle-aged women experiencing menopause. Further research is necessary for identifying factors influencing the quality of life of middle-aged women in menopause.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.29 no.3B
• /
• pp.239-245
• /
• 2009

Levees, the hydro-engineering structure, are similar to earth dams in aspects of shape and structure. However, they are different from earth dams in the external force conditions. As a levee is the structure that is complexly affected by the flow and the water stage in the river, it may be unreasonable to analyze the seepage safety as previous studies derived from the neglect of river flow. In this study, an experiment was conducted to investigate flow structures in a trapezoidal open-channel and the influence of the channel flow on the seepage through a levee. Flow structures in a trapezoidal open-channel were distinguished from a rectangular open-channel such as velocity and bottom shear stress distributions. In case with the flow velocity of 0.5 m/s, seepage water heads were higher 10 percent as compared with the stagnant case. This result is caused by dynamic heads, secondary currents, turbulent fluctuation forces, and various physical factors. It is suggested that external force boundary considered in terms of the flow as well as the water stage is proper to seepage analyses.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2022.10a
• /
• pp.287-287
• /
• 2022

In this study, we analyze RNA-seq data from OxF3Hand WT at several points (Oh, 3 h, 12 h, and 24 h) after WBPH infection. A number of the genes were further validated by RT-qPCR. Results revealed that highest number of DEGs (4,735) between the two genotypes detected after 24 h of infection. Interestingly, many of the DEGs between the WT and OsF3H under control conditions were also found to be differentially expressed in OsF3H in response to WBPH infestation. These results indicate that significant differences in gene expression between the "OxF3H" and "WT" exist as the infection time increases. Many of these DEGs were related to oxidoreductase activity, response to stress, salicylic acid biosynthesis, metabolic process, defense response to pathogen, cellular response to toxic substance, and regulation of hormones level. Moreover, genes involved in salicylic acid (SA) and Ethylene (Et) biosynthesis were upregulated in OxF3H plants while jasmonic acid (JA), Brassinosteroid (Br), and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways were found downregulated in OxF3H plant during WBPH infestation. Interestingly, many DEGs related to pathogenesis such as OsPR1, OsPR1b, NPR1, OsNPR3 and OsNPR5 were found significantly upregulated in OxF3H plants. Additionally, genes related to MAPKs pathway, and about 30 WRKY genes involved in different pathways were found upregulated in OxF3H plants after WBPH infestation. This suggests that overexpression of the OxF3H gene leads to multiple transcriptomic changes and impact plant hormones, pathogenic related and secondary metabolites related genes and enhancing the plant resistance to WBPH infestation.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.289-302
• /
• 2023

Insulating glass units (IGUs) have been widely used in buildings in recent years due to their superior thermal insulation performance. However, because of the panel reciprocating motion and fatigue deterioration of sealants under long-term wind loads, many IGUs have the problem of early failure of watertight properties in real usage. This study aimed to propose a statistical method for wind-induced deflection of IGU panels during the whole life service period, for further precise analysis of the accumulated fatigue damage at the sealed part of the edge bond. By the estimation of the wind occurrence regularity based on wind pressure return period, the events of each wind speed interval during the whole life were obtained for the IGUs at 50m height in Beijing, which are in good agreement with the measured data. Also, the wind-induced deflection analysis method of IGUs based on the formula of airspace coefficient was proposed and verified as an improvement of the original stiffness distribution method with the average relative error compared to the test being about 3% or less. Combining the two methods above, the deformation of the outer and inner panes under wind loads during 30 years was precisely calculated, and the deflection and stress state at selected locations were obtained finally. The results show that the compression displacement at the secondary sealant under the maximum wind pressure is close to 0.3mm (strain 2.5%), and the IGUs are in tens of thousands of times the low amplitude tensile-compression cycle and several times to dozens of times the relatively high amplitude tensile-compression cycle environment. The approach proposed in this paper provides a basis for subsequent studies on the durability of IGUs and the wind-resistant behaviors of curtain wall structures.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.197-204
• /
• 2024

In this paper, the structural performance of Suwon Hwaryeongjeon Unhangak, a representative traditional timber structure in the late Joseon Dynasty, was evaluated. Based on the structure composition of Unhangak, an analysis model was elaborately constructed with Midas Gen, a 3-dimensional structural analysis software. The safety and serviceability of major structural members were evaluated by static analysis, and the dynamic behavior characteristics were evaluated by eigenvalue analysis. Most of the members satisfied the safety and serviceability standards with a margin; however, the bending stress ratio in the oemogdori exceeds the standard by 20.7%, so it is considered that long-term monitoring is needed for this member. The natural period of Unhangak is 1.079 seconds, which is slightly longer than traditional timber buildings of similar scale. In particular, it is analyzed that torsional movement occurred in the secondary mode due to the influence of the rear masonry firewall.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.131-143
• /
• 2024

Shield tunneling construction commonly crosses underground pipelines in urban areas, resulting in soil loss and followed deformation of grounds and pipelines nearby, which may threaten the safe operation of shield tunneling. This paper investigated the pipeline deformation caused by double curved shield tunnels in soil-rock composite stratum in Nanjing, China. The stratum settlement equation was modified to consider the double shield tunneling. Moreover, a three dimensional finite element model was established to explore the effects of hard-layer ratio, tunnel curvature radius, pipeline buried depth and other influencing factors. The results indicate the subsequent shield tunnel would cause secondary disturbance to the soil around the preceding tunnel, resulting in increased pipeline and ground surface settlement above the preceding tunnel. The settlement and stress of the pipeline increased gradually as buried depth of the pipeline increased or the hard-layer ratio (the ratio of hard-rock layer thickness to shield tunnel diameter within the range of the tunnel face) decreased. The modified settlement calculation equation was consistent with the measured data, which can be applied to the settlement calculation of ground surface and pipeline settlement. The modified coefficients a and b ranged from 0.45 to 0.95 and 0.90 to 1.25, respectively. Moreover, the hard-layer ratio had the most significant influence on the pipeline settlement, but the tunnel curvature radius and the included angle between pipeline and tunnel axis played a dominant role in the scope of the pipeline settlement deformation.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.15-20
• /
• 2022

Objectives: Suicide is the major public mental health concerns all over the world. The comparison of suicide attempters and suicide completers could be the fundamental evidence for the suicide prevention. The aim of this study is to explore the differences between suicide attempters and suicide completers in terms of the stressors, suicide methods, and psychiatric diagnosis. Methods: Two types of secondary data were collected for the analyses. Data of the suicide attempters (n = 680) were gathered by intensive reviewing the medical records of Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Data of suicide completers (n = 11,722) were collected by the psychological autopsy data which were gathered by Korean Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicidal methods, psychiatric disorders and stressors before suicidal attempt were compared between suicide attempter and completers. Results: Suicide completers were older and male predominant compared to suicidal attempt. Hanging or gas intoxication were more commonly used in the suicide completion, while wrist cutting or drug intoxication were more common in suicide attempters. All types of stressors were found to be high in suicide completers than suicide attempters. However, the proportion of economic and physical stress were greater in suicide completers, while the proportion of family stress were greater in suicide attempters. According to the recorded diagnoses, the rates of depressive disorders, sleep-wake disorders, substance-related disorders were higher in suicide completers, while the rates of anxiety disorders and trauma- and stressor-related disorders, bipolar and related disorders and somatic symptom disorders were higher in suicide attempters. However, after controlling the gender and age, there were no significant differences in diagnosis between suicide attempters and suicide completers. Conclusion: These findings implicate that suicide attempters and completers differed in suicide methods and type of stress. The results suggests that economic stressors, physical illness might raise the risk of suicide completion.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.33 no.12
• /
• pp.1015-1024
• /
• 2023

Antibiotics have greatly contributed to the treatment and prevention of bacterial diseases in humans, animals, and fish. However, antibiotic misuse has led to the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. In addition to antibiotic discovery research, efforts are being made to combat such multidrug-resistant bacteria using antimicrobial agents, antioxidants, host immune enhancement, probiotics, and bacteriophages, as well as various symptomatic therapies. To discover novel bioactive compounds, it is crucial to adopt approaches that incorporate fresh ideas, new targets, innovative techniques, and untapped resources. Halophytes are plants that grow in high-salt soils and are known to adapt to salt-induced stress through unique metabolic processes that produce secondary metabolites. This study aimed to investigate the effects of extracts of halophytes native to Korea on oxidative stress and to determine whether they exert inhibitory activity against biofilms, which are major pathogenic factors of infectious bacteria. The Acinetobacter baumannii strain ATCC 17978, a representative drug-resistant bacterium, was used to measure anti-biofilm activity. The results showed that Aster spathulifolius, Carex kobomugi, Rosa rugosa, and Asparagus cochinchiensis exerted strong antioxidant and anti-biofilm effects without affecting bacterial growth itself. The halophytes used in this study are promising candidates for the development of pharmaceutical agents with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.