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The aim of this paper is to study changes in attitude to Jeju dialect. 3 different research papers written by Jeong Min, Lee in 1981, Yeong bong, Kang in 2013 and this writer in 2017 were compared. As a result, respondents show positive attitudes to Jeju dialect. Women tend to have more positive attitudes than men, whereas men have more positive attitude to Korean standard language. This results break down social conventions that women prefer standard language. This change is also related to the changes of society. Status of Women have been raised in social activities and education, so social environment could affect the changes in attitudes to language. According to Lee’s research, people showed negative feelings to dialect. This is the result of policy that the government preferred Korean standard language. However, attitudes to dialect changed and people showed significantly positive feelings to dialect in 2017. This change is because of social factors like maintenance policies of Jeju dialect and education.

There is a paucity of data regarding the differentiating characteristics of patients with laboratory-confirmed and those negative for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in South Korea. This hospital-based retrospective study compared MERS-CoV-positive and MERS-CoV-negative patients. A total of seven positive patients and 55 negative patients with a median age of 43 years (P = 0.845) were included. No statistical differences were observed with respect to their sex and the presence of comorbidities. At the time of admission, headache (28.6% vs. 3.6%; odds ratio [OR], 10.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-92.27), myalgia (57.1% vs. 9.1%; OR, 13.33; 95% CI, 2.30-77.24), and diarrhea (57.1% vs. 14.5%; OR, 7.83; 95% CI, 1.47-41.79) were common among MERS-CoV-positive patients. MERS-CoV-positive patients were more likely to have a low platelet count (164 ± 76.57 vs. 240 ± 79.87) and eosinophil (0.27 ± 0.43 vs. 2.13 ± 2.01; P = 0.003). Chest radiography with diffuse bronchopneumonia was more frequent in MERS-CoV-positive patients than in negative patients (100% vs. 62.5%; P = 0.491). The symptoms of headache, myalgia, and diarrhea, as well as laboratory characteristics, including low platelet counts and eosinophil, and chest X-ray showing diffuse bronchopneumonia might enhance the ability to detect patients in South Korea infected with MERS-CoV.

Indeterminacy maintains that the simultaneous measurement of object location and speed is theoretically impossible. This study present indeterminacy as a theoretic tool to interpret a variety of expression characteristics that seem disorderly in recent fashion illustrations; in addition, it analyzes the characteristics and meaning of indeterminacy as expressed in fashion illustrations. This study reviews concepts and related theories on indeterminacy to examine characteristics of indeterminacy expressed in the arts and fashion; subsequently, indeterminacy characteristics found in fashion illustrations are analyzed. In expressing the fashion figure, indeterminacy finds expression in a distorted figure transformations that include a hybridized combination of heterogeneous forms that dismantle and reconstruct the human body. The hybridized body of combined machines, animals and plants indicates an indeterminate body endlessly transforming itself. Indeterminate space expression finds expression in space expression by projection with the overlapping and juxtaposition of irrelevant constituent elements as well as a space expression from the insertion of unexpected images. An unclarified inconclusive open space provides space with fluidity, causes space expansion and conveys inconclusive meaning. Indeterminate expressions found in fashion illustrations reveal the ambiguity and complexity of a postmodern society with polysemous aesthetic values and the expanded visual concepts of fashion illustrations.

Staphylococcus haemolyticus L62 (SHL62) lipase was displayed on the outer membrane of Escherichia coli using the OmpA signal peptide and the autotransporter EstAβ8 protein. Localization of SHL62 lipase on the outer membrane of E. coli was confirmed using immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. Lipase activity of the displayed SHL62 lipase was also measured using spectrophotometry and pH titration. SHL62 lipase activity of whole cells reached 2.0 U/ml culture (OD 600 nm of 10) when it was measured by the p -nitrophenyl caprylate assay after being induced with 1 mM IPTG for 24 h. The optimum temperature and pH for the lipase was 45 °C and 10, respectively. Furthermore, it maintained more than 90% of maximum lipase activity at up to 50 °C and in a pH range of 5–9. The hydrolytic activity assay conduted with various substrates confirmed that p -nitrophenyl caprylate and corn oil were preferred substrates among various synthetic and natural substrates, respectively. The displayed SHL62 lipase produced fatty acid esters from various alcohols and plant oils through transesterification.

RFID system has been used in a variety of services. So, a lot of attacks like a free ride on the service, leakage of property or personal information are known. Therefore, the solutions that address these attacks have been proposed. Among the attacks, mafia fraud, a kind of relay attack, can not be addressed by common authentication protocol. So, Hancke and Kuhn used distance bounding protocol for RFID authentication. After that, Munilla and Peinado modified HK protocol by adding void challenge. So the mafia fraud success probability of adversary is lower than probability of HK protocol. Ahn et al. proposed a protocol that reduces number of a hash computation and traffic than MP protocol. Here, we show that MP protocol can not defend the terrorist fraud and is vulnerable to noise. And we show that also AYBN protocol is vulnerable to mafia fraud and key leakage. Moreover, we propose a new protocol and our experimental results show that our protocol is secure to terrorist and mafia fraud. 논문 14-39A-11-05 The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences '14-11 Vol.39A No.11 http://dx.doi.org/10.7840/kics.2014.39A.11.660 660 ※이 논문은 2012학년도 경북대학교 학술연구비에 의하여 연구되었음. First Author : College of IT Engineering, Kyungpook National University, heyjk90@gmail.com, 학생회원 ° Corresponding Author : College of IT Engineering, Kyungpook National University, sjkim@ee.knu.ac.kr, 종신회원 논문번호:KICS2014-10-431, Received October 24, 2014; Revised November 11, 2014; Accepted November 11, 2014 논문 / 테러리스트 공격과 마피아 공격에 안전한 RFID 거리 제한 프로토콜

Many image hiding schemes based on least significant bit (LSB) transformation have been proposed. One of the LSB-based image hiding schemes that employs diamond encoding was proposed in 2008. In this scheme, the binary secret data is converted into base n representation, and the converted secret data is concealed in the cover image. Here, we show that this scheme has two vulnerabilities: noticeable spots in the stego-image, i.e., a non-smooth embedding result, and inefficiency caused by rough re-adjustment of falling-off-boundary value and impractical base translation. Moreover, we propose a new scheme that is efficient and produces a smooth and high quality embedding result by restricting n to power of 2 and using a sophisticated re-adjustment procedure. Our experimental results show that our scheme yields high quality stego-images and is secure against RS detection attack.

Staphylococcus haemolyticus L62 (SHL62) lipase was displayed on the cell surface of Escherichia coli using an autotransporter protein of Pseudomonas putida EstAβ8 as an anchoring motif. Localization of the SHL62 lipase on the cell surface of E. coli was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry analysis, Western blot, protease accessibility, and whole-cell enzyme activity assays. SHL62 lipase activity of whole cells reached 168 U/g dry cell weight toward p -nitrophenyl caprylate after being induced by 0.1 mM IPTG for 24 h. The optimum temperature and pH of the displayed SHL62 lipase was 40–45 °C and pH 10, respectively. The displayed SHL62 was stable up to 45 °C, at which it had >80% of maximum activity. The displayed SHL62 lipase showed a preference for medium chain fatty acids of p -nitrophenyl esters. Moreover, the displayed SHL62 lipase was used as a whole cell catalyst to produce biodiesel that was obtained at a yield of nearly 89.4% after a 96 h reaction at 30 °C. These results suggest that the displayed SHL62 lipase on the cell surface of E. coli using an EstAβ8 anchoring motif can be used for biocatalytic applications.

Persona means the mask of personality where the internal ego exposes itself to the outside. The complicated structure and diversity of contemporary society has provided men with a more variegated and diversified persona; in addi- tion, advancements in internet and information communications creates the possibility for the emergence of more var- iegated and new persona. This study probes the persona of virtual space expressed in fashion designs; subsequently, this study reviews the concept and various characteristics of persona and examines the type of persona in the virtual space from the perspective of the manifestation of identity. The type of persona in the virtual space canbe categorized into flex- ible identity and falsified identity; subsequently, the characteristics and meanings of virtual space persona in fashion designs are analyzed. Flexible identity-oriented personas expressed in fashion designs are revealed through the images of animals or dolls. This is a childlike persona expression that expresses ego through other substances in an effort to express infantile substances such as dreams and fantasy cherished in childhood. Falsified identity-oriented personas are expanded as a realm of expression of the body and the realities are camouflaged as transformed persona. Negating exist- ence itself by covering the eyes or face as well as the concealment of the body with masks or veils is an expression of a self-denying persona.

Objective To investigate whether secretion of human β-defensin 2 (HBD-2) is induced by bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and to determine whether HBD-2 affects BCG internalisation in bladder cancer cells. Materials and Methods Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to determine whether HBD-2 mRNA increases after incubation with BCG. HBD-2 proteins in 5637 and T24 human bladder cancer cell lines were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The internalisation rate was evaluated by double immunofluorescence assay and confocal microscopy to test the optimal dose of HBD-2 for BCG internalisation. We also investigated the difference in internalisation rates and cell viability between recombinant HBD-2 protein, anti-HBD-2 antibody, and HBD-2 plus anti-HBD-2 antibody pretreatments. Results BCG induced HBD-2 mRNA expression and HBD-2 production dose and time-dependently in bladder cancer cells and affected BCG internalisation. Pretreatment with recombinant HBD-2 protein lowered internalisation of BCG dose-dependently. Moreover, anti-HBD-2 antibody prevented the effect of HBD-2 on BCG internalisation in bladder cancer cells. The internalisation rate of BCG pretreated with anti-HBD-2 antibody was higher than that in the control in 5637 (P < 0.01) and T24 cells (P < 0.05). The BCG internalisation rate in cells pretreated with anti-HBD-2 antibody plus recombinant HBD-2 protein was higher than that in the control in 5637 (P < 0.01) and T24 cells (P < 0.05). Mycobacterium bovis BCG decreased bladder cancer cell viability, and anti-HBD-2 antibody prevented the inhibitory role of HBD-2 on the anti-proliferative effects of M. bovis BCG in bladder cancer cells Conclusion Bladder cancer cells produce HBD-2 when they are infected by BCG to defend themselves against BCG internalisation, which plays an important role during the initiation and propagation of the immunotherapeutic response in bladder cancer cells.

The government has implemented operating the bus information terminal (hereinafter, `BIT`) to use by building it at a major bus station to solve the problem of traffic congestion. Busan Metropolitan City has been continuously expanding the installation of `BIT` since 2003. However, there are few research on the factor to use and satisfaction survey on `BIT` from the perspective of the users. This study, in an effort to inquire into the `BIT` utilization factor and its vitalization plan, conducted a face to face survey of 172 citizens who had the experience in the `BIT`. The result of the data analysis showed that usability, convenience, and availability were the critical factors for a BIT use. In addition, the general intention to use `BIT` was found to be very high as much as 90.7%. The contributions of this study are as follows. The academic contributions is that it proved the relationship between usability, convenience and the intention to use suggested by the information technology acceptance model is supported even in case of `BIT.` For the practitioners this study provides ground data for a local government to make a plan of a BIT extension.

많은 인증 키 합의 프로토콜이 제안되어 왔다. 여전히 안전한 인증키 합의 프로토콜을 설계하는 것이 이슈화되고 있다. 이 논문에서는, 전형적인 ID 기반의 암호화 시스템의 공개키와 개인키 뿐 아니라 하나 더 많은 공개키와 개인키를 사용하는 원 라운드 인증 그룹키 합의 프로토콜을 제안한다. 제안된 프로토콜은 Shi et al. 프로토콜과 He et al. 프로토콜을 수정 보완하였다. 제안된 프로토콜의 공개키 개인키와 서명 과정은 그들의 프로토콜보다 단순하다. 제안한 프로토콜은 안전하며, 통신과 계산 비용 면에서 그들의 프로토콜보다 더 효율적이다.

Various plant oils and animal fats can be used for the production of biodiesel, a renewable and eco-friendly alternative fuel. In this research, transesterification of olive oil and methanol was performed using Staphylococcus haemolyticus L62 lipase expressed in Escherichia coli cells. L62 lipase was relatively methanol-stable and could produce biodiesel by a one-step methanol-feeding process. This enzyme was immobilized on a poly (methacrylate-co-divinyl benzene) resin by two different methods: hydrophobic adsorption/entrapment (H-L62) and hydrophobic adsorption/entrapment plus covalent cross-linking (HC-L62). Both immobilized enzymes showed quite increased temperature and pH stabilities, whereas they had very similar optimal temperature and pH in comparison with the soluble free enzyme. Soluble L62, H-L62 and HC-L62 lipases could produce biodiesel efficiently from olive oil. Among them, HC-L62 lipase was the most robust enzyme on the basis of multiple reusability. HC-L62 produced biodiesel with various plant oils including palm, olive fomase oils as well as waste cooking oil, suggesting that it can be utilized as a biocatalyst in the biodiesel industry.

The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of expression and their effects of New painting in fashion illustration since 1990s. This study is focused on searching for the development in expressional techniques of the fashion illustration on the basis of various techniques of New painting. New painting as a trend of new expressionism in America was developed in opposition to the minimalism in the 1980s when the discussion of the post-modernism was most widely. The artists of New painting attempted to resurrect figure through the representation of figure and concrete image, rich in color and strong in image. They also expressed the realistic scene of life with the various kind of medium, materials and styles and appropriation of image from mass media and popular culture. The representation of fashion figure and image through the various kind of painting medium, techniques and styles can express the realistic and sensitive image and increase the communication ability in fashion illustration. It could also deliver the fashion message more clearly through the appropriation of image. These findings indicate that fashion illustrations accept variety by interacting with fine arts and expand the scope of expression.

A technique to communicate with a smart sensor device using the Web is currently being developed. When the user approaches the device, like a beacon, the device sends a URL to the built-in sensor to the user’s smartphone. With this URL, the user can communicate with the smart sensor device through a Web interface. When communicating with a beacon using a Web interface, encryption is required for secure communication between the Web browser and beacon. In this paper, we propose secure communication using a symmetric key distribution. Our method prevents malicious applications from eavesdropping on messages and replaying a message. In addition, we evaluated the execution time.

Recently, we reported that the synthetic Coprisin analog peptide 9-mer dimer CopA3 (consisted of all-L amino acid sequence) was designed based on a defensin-like peptide, Coprisin isolated from Copris tripartitus. The 9-mer dimer CopA3 (L-CopA3) had antibacterial activity and induced apoptosis in human leukemia cells via a caspase-independent pathway. In this study, all of amino acid sequences of L-CopA3 were modified to all D-form amino acids (D-CopA3) to develop a more effective antimicrobial peptide. We investigated whether D-CopA3 had antimicrobial activities against pathogenic microorganisms and proapoptotic effects in human leukemia cells (U937, Jurkat, and AML-2). The synthetic peptide D-CopA3 had antimicrobial activities against various pathogenic bacteria and yeast fungus with MIC values in the 4~64 microM range. Moreover, D-CopA3 caused cell growth inhibition, and increased the chromosomal DNA fragmentation and the expression of inflammatory cytokines, TNF-alpha and IL1-beta, transcripts in human leukemia cells. The all-D amino acid peptide D-CopA3 proved as effective as the L-CopA3 reported previously. These results provide the basis for developing D-CopA3 as a new antibiotic peptide.

We find ourselves living in a post-human era when technology and images coexist with humans. A cyborg, a combination of an organic body and a machine could be called a human fused with a machine. It could be understood as a new species where humans and machines have combined rather than simple protoplasm or an organic body. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that a concept of a body in post humanism era is finding expression in fashion illustration through cyborg images. The concepts of post humanism and cyborg are analysed by means of research into literature and characteristics in which cyborg images as post humans are expressed through art, and images of a cyborg body in fashion illustration and their meanings are explored with the foregoing as a framework of reference. Cyborg image reflects new images and concept of a human in post humanism. The cyborg body images in fashion illustration are expressed through the addition of mechanical images, digital virtual body, monster image by means of hybrid combination, distorted physical transformation and fragmented body and body absence. And cyborg image in fashion illustration shows the extension of body concepts through the technology and uncertain and ambiguous identity.

Crysochroa fulgidissima (Bidan-beole, Spanish fly) is traditionally used as a crude drug and insecticide in the East Asia and Korea, respectively. This study investigated the effect of ethanol extract of C. fulgidissima on the NO production activity. The C. fulgidissima extract was a potent inducer of NO production in CPAE cells and a stimulator of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in a dose-dependent manner. This study also evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of this extract by determining the level of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and prostaglandin from HUVEC cells. Although C. fulgidissima extract was a potent inducer of NO production in the CPAE cells, it showed weak inhibitory effects on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production in HUVEC cells. HPLC and GC-MS analysis of the ethanol extract of C. fulgidissima revealed the presence of cantharidin.

The recent innovations in technoscience have changed the patterns of everyday lives for women and their politics of identity. Among the various debates on a women`s relationship to technoscience, Donna J. Haraway`s theory of the cyborg has been one of the most influential, as it provides new modes of conceiving subjectivity as well as new notions of women`s shared experiences. For Haraway, the cyborg is an image of a female subject that will lead the future of science and technology as an amalgamation of non-hierarchical differences. This study examines the characteristics and meanings for the distortion, anti-aesthetic body, and clothing in fashion design through the cyborg feminism theory. Characteristics and meanings of the cyborg in fashion designs find their expression through mechanical images, distorted physical transformations, reconstruction of a destructed body, expression of an anatomical and heterogeneous body, and the persona image. Such expressions are not simply an act of distorting and destroying a body image but extending the category of a body, but of going beyond the limit of a real body and create a new body.

The late endosome (MVB) plays a key role in coordinating vesicular transport of proteins between the Golgi complex, vacuole/lysosome, and plasma membrane. We found that deleting multiple genes involved in vesicle fusion at the MVB (class C/D vps mutations) impairs transcriptional activation by Gcn4, a global regulator of amino acid biosynthetic genes, by decreasing the ability of chromatin-bound Gcn4 to stimulate preinitiation complex assembly at the promoter. The functions of hybrid activators with Gal4 or VP16 activation domains are diminished in class D mutants as well, suggesting a broader defect in activation. Class E vps mutations, which impair protein sorting at the MVB, also decrease activation by Gcn4, provided they elicit rapid proteolysis of MVB cargo proteins in the aberrant late endosome. By contrast, specifically impairing endocytic trafficking from the plasma membrane, or vesicular transport to the vacuole, has a smaller effect on Gcn4 function. Thus, it appears that decreasing cargo proteins in the MVB through impaired delivery or enhanced degradation, and not merely the failure to transport cargo properly to the vacuole or downregulate plasma membrane proteins by endocytosis, is required to attenuate substantially transcriptional activation by Gcn4.

A fundamental study on warm incremental forming of a magnesium alloy sheet has been carried out. In order to enhance the incremental formability of the magnesium alloy sheet, a local heating device was newly designed and manufactured. Through the incremental forming tests of AZ31 under various forming conditions, the effects of process parameters such as the temperature, feeding depth per cycle, and inclination angle on the incremental formability of AZ31 were investigated. In addition, conventional FLDs at elevated temperatures were constructed experimentally and applied to predict the forming failure.

Image which appears in fashion illustration on the late twentieth century is not the representative image as an equivalence to the real fashion styles but the virtual image which bears no relation to any reality. The purpose of this study is review the concept of virtuality and analyze in which way virtual image is expressed in fashion illustrations on the background of Jean Baudrillard`s simulacre theory. In post-modem paintings the expression methods of image-virtualization were image mixing through photo-image appropriation, image overlapping, and the icons inserted unreasonably, the focus-out effect through scrubbing and the over-painting on the photograph. Image-virtualization in fashion illustration was expressed through image mixing and expression of image uncertainty. Image mixing was made by photo-image appropriation, image overlapping, connection of heterogeneous images and using interface image, and uncertain image was expressed through the expression of visual ambiguity and virtual movement.

Micro-alloyed steels(MA steels) for cold forging was developed to replace the usual quenched and tempered steel. MA steels have several advantages over the conventional quenched and tempered carbon steels. First of all, energy consumption could be lowered due to the elimination of spherodizing annealing and quenching/tempering heat treatment. Also, bending during quenching could be avoided when MA steels are applied for manufacturing of long fastener parts. However, larger amount of load is exerted on the dies compared than in the case of conventional mild steels, which might lead to the earlier fracture of dies, when MA forging steels are applied in forging practice. Therefore, die lift could be a critical factor to determine whether HA forging steels could be widely applied in cold forging practice. In the present study, authors have investigated the forging characteristics of non-heat treated micro-alloyed steel by using a series of experimental and numerical analyses. Firstly, microstructural features and its effect on the deformation behavior have been studied. Numerical analysis has been done on the forging of guide rod pin to investigate for the optimization of forging process and die stress prediction.

The Cyc8p/Tup1p complex mediates repression of diverse genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is recruited by DNA binding proteins specific for the different sets of repressed genes. By screening the yeast deletion library, we identified Cyc8p as a coactivator for Gcn4p, a transcriptional activator of amino acid biosynthetic genes. Deletion of CYC8 confers sensitivity to an inhibitor of isoleucine/valine biosynthesis and impairs activation of Gcn4p-dependent reporters and authentic amino acid biosynthetic target genes. Deletion of TUP1 produces similar but less severe activation defects in vivo. Although expression of Gcn4p is unaffected by deletion of CYC8, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays reveal a strong defect in binding of Gcn4p at the target genes ARG1 and ARG4 in cyc8Delta cells and to a lesser extent in tup1Delta cells. The defects in Gcn4p binding and transcriptional activation in cyc8Delta cells cannot be overcome by Gcn4p overexpression but are partially suppressed in tup1Delta cells. The impairment of Gcn4p binding in cyc8Delta and tup1Delta cells is severe enough to reduce recruitment of SAGA, Srb mediator, TATA binding protein, and RNA polymerase II to the ARG1 and ARG4 promoters, accounting for impaired transcriptional activation of these genes in both mutants. Cyc8p and Tup1p are recruited to the ARG1 and ARG4 promoters, consistent with a direct role for this complex in stimulating Gcn4p occupancy of the upstream activation sequence (UAS). Interestingly, Gcn4p also stimulates binding of Cyc8p/Tup1p at the 3' ends of these genes, raising the possibility that Cyc8p/Tup1p influences transcription elongation. Our findings reveal a novel coactivator function for Cyc8p/Tup1p at the level of activator binding and suggest that Gcn4p may enhance its own binding to the UAS by recruiting Cyc8p/Tup1p.

Two amide synthetic derivatives of 3,4-di(OH)-hydrocinnamate (HC), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpropionic (l-serine methyl ester) amide (E030) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpropionic (l-aspartic acid) amide (E076), were investigated to compare their lipid-lowering efficacy with HC. Male rats were fed a 1 g/100 g high-cholesterol diet for 6 weeks with supplements of either clofibrate (0.02%, w/w), HC (0.025%, w/w), E030 (0.039%, w/w) or E076 (0.041%, w/w). The clofibrate supplement was used as a positive control for the lipid-lowering efficacy. The food intakes and body weight gains were not significantly different among the groups. The plasma and hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride levels were lower in clofibrate, HC, E030, and E076-supplemented groups compared to the control group. The supplementation of HC and its amide derivatives was as effective as clofibrate in increasing the ratio of HDL-cholesterol to total plasma cholesterol and reducing the atherogenic index (AI). The hepatic cholesterol level in the HC and E076 groups was significantly lower than that in the clofibrate group. The hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA reductase) and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activities were significantly lower in the all test groups than in the control group. The excretion of neutral sterol was significantly higher in the HC, E030, and E076-supplemented groups compared to the control group. The plasma AST and ALT activities, indirect indexes of hepatic toxicity, were significantly lower in the HC, E030, and E076-supplemented groups than in the control group. Accordingly, the current results suggest that E030 and E076, two amide synthetic derivatives of HC, are effective in lowering lipid activity.

Transcription of the arginine biosynthetic gene ARG1 is repressed by the ArgR/Mcm1p complex in arginine-replete cells and activated by Gcn4p, a transcription factor induced by starvation for any amino acid. We show that all four subunits of the arginine repressor are recruited to ARG1 by Gcn4p in cells replete with arginine but starved for isoleucine/valine. None of these proteins is recruited to the Gcn4p target genes ARG4 and SNZ1 , which are not regulated by ArgR/Mcm1p. Mcm1p and Arg80p were found in a soluble complex lacking Arg81p and Arg82p, and both Mcm1p and Arg80p were efficiently recruited to ARG1 in wild-type cells in the presence or absence of exogenous arginine, and also in arg81 Δ cells. By contrast, the recruitment of Arg81p and Arg82p was stimulated by exogenous arginine. These findings suggest that Gcn4p constitutively recruits an Mcm1p/Arg80p heterodimer and that efficient assembly of a functional repressor also containing Arg81p and Arg82p occurs only in arginine excess. By recruiting an arginine-regulated repressor, Gcn4p can precisely modulate its activation function at ARG1 according to the availability of arginine.

Authors from Seoul describe their experience with patients already on triple therapy by intracavernosal injection who changed to oral sildenafil. Rather surprisingly, they found that patients had had a greater preference than expected for triple therapy, feeling that they had a better quality of erection on intracavernosal injection. The subject of the effect of renal transplantation on sperm quality and sex hormone levels is discussed by authors from Teheran. They found that sperm morphology and density remained unchanged, but there were significant improvements in sperm mobility. There was also an improvement in hormone levels and sexual function. OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy and preference for oral sildenafil or intracavernosal injection (ICI) therapy in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) already using ICI. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 69 patients with ED (mean age 55.1 years, sd 12.3) on ICI therapy with triple solution (papaverine/phentolamine/prostaglandin-E1) for > 1 year were recruited for the study. Their erection quality, adverse reactions and selection rate of oral sildenafil or ICI as treatment, after using sildenafil for 3 months, and the reasons for their preferences, were compared between the regimens, RESULTS Overall, 52 men (75%) responded to sildenafil; of these men, the erection quality with ICI was better than that with sildenafil in 46 (89%) and 16 (31%) preferred ICI as their treatment. Eighteen patients (35%) used each treatment alternately and 18 (35%) used sildenafil exclusively. The main reason given by patients for choosing ICI was a better quality of erection (74%). CONCLUSION More patients with ED and using ICI preferred it as their main treatment than was expected, even though they had a good response to oral sildenafil. A better quality of erection with ICI was the reason why experienced patients chose this method, differing from the choice of patients starting treatment for ED.

Chain code, a data compression technique, has been widely used to encode the contour information of an object or gesture. Although this chain code is effective for data compression, it is impossible to avoid the duplication of borders. That is, even though they represent different objects, the encoding results can be made similar. The vector chain code (VCC), which contains the direction and distance information to solve the problems of the existing chain code is proposed. Also, the integrated VCC is composed of internal and external class-based VCCs to support the encoding of objects that have multiple feature points. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed VCC achieves an improved recognition rate in comparison to that achieved by the existing chain code.

Internet-enabled devices have been increasing due to the development of the system-on-chip technology. It is not practical to use different applications to communicate with these devices due to many different types of the devices. To use the existing web protocol is an alternative solution because the internet-enabled devices can be accessed and controlled via web browser. However, the privacy exposure when accessing the devices by URL has raised serious concerns. To address this problem, we propose an efficient URL-hiding scheme. The scheme is lightweight and does not expose any information with the URL.

Purpose We investigated whether bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)–induced secretion of murine β-defensin-2 (mBD2) and determined whether mBD2 regulated BCG effects in the normal mouse bladder. Materials and methods A total of 140 C57BL/6 female mice were divided into 28 groups, and the experiment was performed over 3 steps. In the first step (20 groups), mice bladders were stimulated with different doses of BCG (multiplicity of infection [MOI] 0, 1, 10, 30, and 100) and histological analysis was conducted in bladder specimens isolated at different times (0, 4, 8, and 24 h after instillation) to determine optimal dose and time point of BCG internalization and urine mBD2 and cytokine concentration. In the second step (4 groups), BCG internalization and urine cytokine levels were measured after pretreatment of different recombinant mBD2 (rmBD2) (0, 1, 2.5, and 5 ng/ml) at optimal dose and time point. In the third step (4 groups), BCG internalization and urine cytokine levels were compared between pretreatment conditions (control, rmBD2, anti-mBD2 Ab, and rmBD2+anti-mBD2 Ab). Urine was collected for estimating mBD2 levels and a multiplex analysis for 9 cytokines. Real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was used for estimating the relative BCG cell number in mice bladder tissue. Results Bladder edema was induced by BCG (MOI 30 and 100), which progressed to an inflammatory infiltrate composed primarily of neutrophils and increased mBD2 secretion at 4 hours after instillation. Relative BCG cell number and urinary cytokine levels (interferon-γ and interleukins [IL]-2, -4, -6, and -10) response pattern was characterized by a peak at 4 hours after instillation followed by rapid decline. The levels of interferon-γ, and IL-1β, -2, -4, -6, and -10 and relative BCG cell numbers decreased in a dose-dependent manner according to pretreatment with rmBD2 protein, and the responses were potentiated in the anti-mBD2 pretreatment group at 4 hours after BCG (MOI 30) instillation. Conclusion The present results suggest that the mouse urothelium produces mBD2 in response to intravesicular BCG as a defense mechanism against BCG, and blocking mBD2 by an anti-mBD2 antibody increased the effectiveness of BCG.

Poecilocoris lewisi (Korean name: “Kwangdaenolinjae”) is a red-striped gold stink bug (insect) which has been used as a crude drug in traditional medicine of East Asia and Korea. In this study, ethanol extract and glycosaminoglycan from P. lewisi (Pl GAG), as an active substance among its components, were investigated for their potential anti-inflammatory actions. They were found to be a potent inducer of nitric oxide (NO) production from calf pulmonary artery endothelial (CPAE) cells and a stimulator of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-inflammatory activities were also evaluated by determining the level of adhesion molecules related to atherogenesis and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), secretory phospholipase A2, and prostaglandin E2, stimulated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). They also showed inhibitory effects on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production in HUVECs. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and 9) were also inhibited by treatment with this extract or glycosaminoglycan. Furthermore, this GAG showed cytotoxicity against CT-26 colon cancer cells whereas having no cytotoxicity in CHO normal cells. Monosaccharide (amino, acidic, neutral monosaccharides) composition of used GAG was characterized by trimethylsilylated GC–MS analysis method.

To confirm the role of cathelicidin (LL-37) in the internalization of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) into bladder cancer cells.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis evaluated the changes in protein and messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) expression with BCG incubation after LL-37 pretreatment in 5637 and T24 human bladder cancer cells. The internalization rate was evaluated by a double immunofluorescence assay, and confocal microscopy confirmed the function of LL-37 in BCG internalization. We also investigated the difference in internalization rates and cell viability between LL-37, anti-LL-37 antibody, and LL-37 plus anti-LL-37 antibody.The levels of LL-37 increased after BCG exposure in bladder cancer cells in dose- and time-dependent manners. Increasing LL-37 levels using recombinant LL-37 protein further dose dependently decreased BCG internalization in both cell lines. The internalization rates of BCG after LL-37 instillation were lower compared with the controls, and the internalization rate of BCG after anti-LL-37 antibody instillation was significantly higher compared with the controls in both cell lines (P .05). Viability of LL-37 plus BCG group was higher compared with the BCG-alone group. The anti-LL-37 antibody plus BCG group had decreased cell viability compared with the BCG-alone group in both cell lines.Bladder cancer cells produce cathelicidin when infected with BCG and upregulate cathelicidin to defend against BCG by inhibiting its internalization. Blocking the action of cathelicidin may increase the internalization and effectiveness of BCG in reducing bladder cancer cell proliferation.

Coprinus congregatus did not show any growth on a minimal medium in the presence of phosphinothricin which inhibited glutamine synthetase. Genetic transformation to phosphinothricin resistance in C. congregatus was carried out successfully by restriction enzyme-mediated integration. The procedure was improved to yield 550 transformants per μg of DNA, and three laccase mutants were generated. The vector pBARGEM 7-1 which had the phosphinothricin resistance gene was detected in the restriction enzyme fragments of chromosomal DNA from the transformants by Southern hybridization. Transformants showed identical electrophoretic banding patterns but CL1430b had a faster moving band when analyzed by native PAGE.

To investigate whether secretion of human β-defensin 2 (HBD-2) is induced by bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and to determine whether HBD-2 affects BCG internalisation in bladder cancer cells.Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to determine whether HBD-2 mRNA increases after incubation with BCG. HBD-2 proteins in 5637 and T24 human bladder cancer cell lines were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The internalisation rate was evaluated by double immunofluorescence assay and confocal microscopy to test the optimal dose of HBD-2 for BCG internalisation. We also investigated the difference in internalisation rates and cell viability between recombinant HBD-2 protein, anti-HBD-2 antibody, and HBD-2 plus anti-HBD-2 antibody pretreatments.BCG induced HBD-2 mRNA expression and HBD-2 production dose and time-dependently in bladder cancer cells and affected BCG internalisation. Pretreatment with recombinant HBD-2 protein lowered internalisation of BCG dose-dependently. Moreover, anti-HBD-2 antibody prevented the effect of HBD-2 on BCG internalisation in bladder cancer cells. The internalisation rate of BCG pretreated with anti-HBD-2 antibody was higher than that in the control in 5637 (P0.01) and T24 cells (P0.05). The BCG internalisation rate in cells pretreated with anti-HBD-2 antibody plus recombinant HBD-2 protein was higher than that in the control in 5637 (P0.01) and T24 cells (P0.05). Mycobacterium bovis BCG decreased bladder cancer cell viability, and anti-HBD-2 antibody prevented the inhibitory role of HBD-2 on the anti-proliferative effects of M. bovis BCG in bladder cancer cellsBladder cancer cells produce HBD-2 when they are infected by BCG to defend themselves against BCG internalisation, which plays an important role during the initiation and propagation of the immunotherapeutic response in bladder cancer cells.

Lipase-producing bacterial strains were isolated from Antarctic soil samples using the tricaprylin agar plate method. Seven strains with relatively strong lipase activities were selected. All of them turned out to be Bacillus pumilus strains by the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Their corresponding lipase genes were cloned, sequenced, and compared. Finally, three different Bacillus pumilus lipases (BPL1, BPL2, and BPL3) were chosen. Their amino acid sequence identities were in the range of 92-98% with the previous Bacillus pumilus lipases. Their optimum temperatures and pHs were measured to be 40 degrees C and pH 9. Lipase BPL1 and lipase BPL2 were stable up to 30 degrees C, whereas lipase BPL3 was stable up to 20 degrees C. Lipase BPL2 was stable within a pH range of 6-10, whereas lipase BPL1 and lipase BPL3 were stable within a pH range of 5-11, showing strong alkaline tolerance. All these lipases exhibited high hydrolytic activity toward pnitrophenyl caprylate (C8). In addition, lipase BPL1 showed high hydrolytic activity toward tributyrin, whereas lipase BPL2 and lipase BPL3 hydrolyzed tricaprylin and castor oil preferentially. These results demonstrated that the three Antarctic Bacillus lipases were alkaliphilic and had a substrate preference toward short- and mediumchain triglycerides. These Antarctic Bacillus lipases might be used in detergent and food industries.

Contact allergy to methacrylates is uncommon. We present a 55-year-old woman with a 10-year history of persistent pruritus and burning sensation of the gums every time she wore her dentures. Initially she developed swelling and erythema of the face soon after the dentures were placed on the gums. These symptoms abated after a barrier liner was applied between her gums and the dentures. However, the burning sensation and pruritus of the gums progressively worsened and she started to develop blisters on the gums. The skin allergen patch test was 3+ positive with erythema, edema, papules, ulceration, and pruritus for the denture component dimethacrylate. The diagnosis was supported by the patient's medical history, notably positive patch test, and complete amelioration of the symptoms upon cessation of dimethacrylate denture usage.

A synthetic coprisin analog peptide, 9-mer dimer CopA3 (CopA3) was designed based on a defensin-like peptide, Coprisin, isolated from the bacteria-immunized dung beetle Copris tripartitus. Here, CopA3 was investigated for its antimicrobial activity and cancer cell growth inhibition. CopA3 showed antimicrobial activities against various pathogenic bacteria and yeast fungus with MIC values in 2~32 μM ranges, and inhibited the cell viabilities of pancreatic and hepatocellular cancer cells, except MIAPaca2, Hep3B, and HepG2 cells, in a dose-dependent manner. The average IC(50) values of CopA3 against pancreatic and hepatocellular cancer cells were 61.7 μM and 67.8 μM, respectively. The results indicate that CopA3 has potential in the treatments of pancreatic and hepatocellular cancers as well as microorganism infection disease.

Human antimicrobial peptide CAP18/LL37 (hCAP18/LL37) was expressed in Pichia pastoris and its antibacterial activity was tested against pathogenic bacteria. The full length ORF of hCAP18/LL37 was cloned into the pPICZaA vector followed by integration into the genomic AOX1 gene of P. pastoris. Agar diffusion assay demonstrated that the different hCAP18/LL37 transformants showed various antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, and Salmonella gastroenteritis. The secreted form of hCAP18/LL37 exhibited its maximum activity after 72 h incubation with 2% methanol in MM media, not in BMM. This result suggests that the yeast secreted expression system can be used as a production tool of antimicrobial peptides for industrial or pharmaceutical application.