Search

Recently, a generative adversarial network (GAN)-based method employing the coarse-to-fine network with the contextual attention module (CAM) has shown outstanding results in image inpainting. However, this method requires numerous computational resources due to its two-stage process for feature encoding. To solve this problem, in this paper, we present a novel network structure, called PEPSI: parallel extended-decoder path for semantic inpainting. PEPSI can reduce the number of convolution operations by adopting a structure consisting of a single shared encoding network and a parallel decoding network with coarse and inpainting paths. The coarse path produces a preliminary inpainting result with which the encoding network is trained to predict features for the CAM. At the same time, the inpainting path creates a higher-quality inpainting result using refined features reconstructed by the CAM. PEPSI not only reduces the number of convolution operation almost by half as compared to the conventional coarse-to-fine networks but also exhibits superior performance to other models in terms of testing time and qualitative scores.

A novel actinobacterial strain, designated KGMB04489T, was isolated from the faeces of a healthy Korean. Cells of the strain were strictly anaerobic, Gram-stain-positive and short-rod-shaped. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain KGMB04489T belonged to the genus Olsenella and was most closely related to Olsenella scatoligenes SK9K4T (94.3 %), Olsenella uli ATCC 49627T (93.5 %), Olsenella umbonata lac31T (93.4 %) and Olsenella profusa D315A-29T (93.3 %). The major end product was lactic acid. The DNA G+C content was 65.5 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids of strain KGMB04489T were C18 : 1 cis9, C18 : 1 cis9 DMA and C16 : 0. Strain KGMB04489T contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the diamino acid in the peptidoglycan. The polar lipids consisted of an unidentified phospholipid, six unidentified glycolipids and an unidentified lipid. Based on phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain KGMB04489T is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Olsenella , for which the name Olsenella faecalis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KGMB04489T (=KCTC 15699T=CCUG 72345T).

This study proposes a monitoring chart for anomaly detection of non-linear process signals generated by semiconductor manufacturing processes. In these manufacturing processes, fault detection and classification (FDC) and statistical process control (SPC) have been established as fundamental techniques to improve production efficiency and yield. Non-linear process signals are collected through automatic sensing during each operation cycle of a manufacturing process. As these cyclic signals non-linearly vary on the process state, the usage of the prevalent SPC chart is limited. Therefore, we propose a more efficient monitoring chart considering non-linear and time-variant characteristics. Using the principal curve, a non-linear smoothing algorithm, we construct a time-variant centerline that represents the standard pattern of the process. Then, control limits are calculated with time-variant variances over the course of the process. To evaluate performance, the proposed method was applied to industrial data for chemical vapor deposition (CVD), a semiconductor manufacturing process. We employed the misdetection ratio of signals to evaluate the performance. The proposed method demonstrated superior performance compared to other existing methods.

This study focuses on optimizing the manifold design for a 1 kW-class flat-tubular solid oxide fuel cell stack by performing extensive three-dimensional numerical simulations on numerous manifold designs. The stack flow uniformity and the standard flow deviation indexes are implemented to characterize the flow distributions in the stack and among the channels of FT-SOFC's, respectively. The results of the CFD calculations demonstrate that the remodeled manifold without diffuser inlets and 6 mm diffuser front is the best among investigated designs with uniformity index of 0.996 and maximum standard flow deviation of 0.423%. To understand the effect of manifold design on the performance of stack, both generic and developed manifold designs are investigated by applying electrochemical and internal reforming reactions modeling. The simulation results of the stack with generic manifold are validated using experimental data and then validated models are adopted to simulate the stack with the developed manifold design. The results reveal that the stack with developed manifold design achieves more uniform distribution of species, temperature, and current density with comparatively lower system pressure drop. In addition, the results also showed ∼8% increase in the maximum output power due to the implementation of uniform fuel velocity distributions in the cells.

We report on the p-type conductivity control using N and Te codoping and thermal annealing in the ZnO films, heteroepitaxially grown on Al2O3 substrates and homoepitaxially grown on ZnO substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy, respectively. The N and Te codoping and the homoepitaxy effectively reduce the background electron concentration in ZnO films due to the suppression of various defect generation, and the thermal annealing causes the conductivity conversion from n-type to p-type due to the activation of N-related defects and the annihilation of donor-type defects. The p-type conductivity with a hole concentration of 1.61016 cm-3 and a hole mobility of 16 cm2/Vsec is obtained in the ZnO:N+T film grown on the Al2O3 substrate and the p-type conductivity with a hole concentration of 4.01016 cm-3 and a hole mobility of 11 cm2/Vsec is obtained in the ZnO:N+Te film grown on the ZnO substrate.

PacBio's long-read sequencing technologies can be successfully used for a complete bacterial genome assembly using recently developed non-hybrid assemblers in the absence of secondgeneration, high-quality short reads. However, standardized procedures that take into account multiple pre-existing second-generation sequencing platforms are scarce. In addition to Illumina HiSeq and Ion Torrent PGM-based genome sequencing results derived from previous studies, we generated further sequencing data, including from the PacBio RS II platform, and applied various bioinformatics tools to obtain complete genome assemblies for five bacterial strains. Our approach revealed that the hierarchical genome assembly process (HGAP) non-hybrid assembler resulted in nearly complete assemblies at a moderate coverage of ~75x, but that different versions produced non-compatible results requiring post processing. The other two platforms further improved the PacBio assembly through scaffolding and a final error correction.

[Purpose] This study investigated the effects of proprietary foot orthotics in young adults with flatfoot to determine changes in the ankle joint angle in the coronal plane during the midstance phase. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 15 college students diagnosed with flatfoot. Changes in the ankle joint angle in the coronal plane in the midstance phase were measured using the Vicon Motion System before and after use of the orthotic. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Win 16.0. [Results] The subjects showed significant increases in left and right ankle joint angles in the coronal plane during the midstance phase of the gait cycle after use of the orthotics. However, the difference between the left and right ankle joint angles showed no significant change, even though the difference increased after use of the orthotics. [Conclusion] Young adults with flatfoot showed increased ankle joint angles after use of the orthotics. This suggests that orthotic footwear can shape the plantar arch and affect the ankle joint, and that constant use of orthotics would cause a dynamic change in normal walking.

For high yield management, process monitoring has become an increasingly important task. The real-time contrasts (RTC) control chart uses the real-time classification method for process monitoring and outperforms the existing real-time control chart. The original RTC control chart identifies the cause of faults using a random forest classifier. However, the random forest provides discrete monitoring statistics that could make the overall performance less efficient. To improve the performance of the RTC control chart, we propose a random-forest-based RTC control chart that uses adaptive breakpoints with symbolic aggregate approximation (ABP-SAX). The monitoring statistics of the RTC control chart indicate the process condition, and the quality of the monitoring statistics is determined by the classification performance of the classifier. Therefore, to improve the classification performance of individual decision trees, we proposed ABP-SAX. The original SAX causes time-information loss and distortions in the data slope and pattern. We prevent these problems using the mean squared error to minimize the difference between the represented and original data. After the applied ABP-SAX representation, the raw data are represented by categorical values that preserve information from the original data, and the represented data improve the performance of the RTC control chart. Therefore, the proposed RTC control chart could detect shifts more quickly and identify the cause of the faults. Our improvements can contribute to high yield management and quick response to abnormalities.

Category: Trauma; Ankle Introduction/Purpose: Isolated lateral malleolus fracture is one of the most common fractures. However, there is controversy regarding the rehabilitation protocols used after surgery. In particular, the initiation point for the weight bearing has not been standardized. In the present study, we investigated the prognostic difference between the immediate and delayed weight bearing on isolated lateral malleolus fractures. Methods: Retrospectively, the medical records of matched 50 and 41patients in the immediate and delayed weight-bearing groups were reviewed. All patients were treated with open reduction and internal fixation using an anatomical locking compression plate. In the immediate weight-bearing group (IWB), tolerable weight bearing (i.e., that can be endured immediately after surgery with crutches) was permitted. In the delayed weight-bearing group (DWB), weight bearing was completely restricted for 4 weeks after surgery. Ankle motion exercise were permitted in both groups since postoperative day. Radiographic assessment data and the clinical outcomes were reviewed. Results: There were no significant differences noted in the radiographic assessments and complications between the two groups. Significant differences of shortening the return to work and hospital stays of IWB rehabilitation protocol were confirmed(5.7 vs. 8.0 days, 6.0 vs. 8.0 days in the IBW and DWB groups, respectively). In FAOS, there was a significant difference in the sport factor evaluated at postoperative 3 months(75.5 vs 68.5, respectively). Conclusion: There were no significant differences between the two groups in the postoperative radiological outcome and complications. And benefits of shortening the return to work and hospital stays of IWB rehabilitation protocol were confirmed. Conclusively, immediate weight bearing is recommended in patients with isolated lateral malleolus fracture, following anatomical reduction and firm fixation through surgery.

In order to increase the yield of a process, it is essential to establish a process control based on manufacturing data. Process management systems mainly consist of statistical process control (SPC), fault detection and classification (FDC), and advanced process control (APC), and are modeled using time series data. However, large amounts of time series data and various distributions are collected in the process; hence, preprocessing measures, such as length adjustment, are essential for modeling. Dynamic time warping (DTW) has been widely used as an algorithm that can measure the similarity between two different time series data and adjust their length. However, owing to the complex structure and time lag of processing time series data, there are limitations in applying the traditional DTW. Therefore, to solve this problem, we propose the shape segment dynamic time warping (SSDTW) algorithm that improves DTW in consideration of the structure information of time series data. By using the maximum overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT), the proposed method reflects the peripheral information of the time series data and divides the time series data interval to achieve a reasonable local alignment path. SSDTW attains more accurate alignment paths than DTW, derivative dynamic time warping (DDTW), and shapeDTW. Experiments conducted using semiconductor signal data and UCR time series data sets show that the proposed method is more effective than DTW, DDTW, and shapeDTW.

Fusaricidin analogs, produced by

The Gram-positive rhizosphere bacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa promotes plant growth and produces various antibiotics. Herein, we review research on this species over the past two and a half decades, and focus on the mechanisms of P. polymyxa strain E681, isolated from barley roots in the South Korea in 1995. Strain E681 has outstanding growth-promoting effects on barley, cucumber, pepper, sesame, and Arabidopsis thaliana and produces antimicrobial compounds that protect plants against pathogenic fungi, oomycetes, and bacteria. Induced systemic resistance elicited by treating seeds or roots with strain E681 is a possible mechanism for protecting systemic plant tissues from biotic and other environmental stresses. Genome sequencing has broadened our horizons for antibiotic development and other industrial applications beyond agricultural use. At least six gene clusters for the biosynthesis of antibiotics have been discovered, including polymyxin (pmx), which was recently re-instated as an antibiotic of last resort against Gram-negative drug-resistant bacteria. Three groups of antibiotic synthetases include the gene clusters that encode one for the non-ribosomal peptide polymyxin, fusaricidin, and tridecaptin, another for the lantibiotic paenilan, and the third for a polyketide. We successfully introduced the pmx gene cluster into the surrogate host Bacillus subtilis and created polymyxin derivatives by domain swapping. Furthermore, various E681 derivatives, including a high fusaricidin producer and strains lacking multi-antibiotics production, have been constructed by random mutagenesis and genome engineering. Thus, E681 is an important bacterium that contributes to both plant and human health.

Bacillus subtilis WB800N is a genetically engineered variant of B. subtilis 168, such that all extracellular proteases are disrupted, which enables WB800N to be widely used for the expression of secretory proteins. Here, we report the 4.2-Mb complete genome sequence of WB800N and present all of the disrupted gene structure.

A Gram-stain-positive, obligately anaerobic, non-motile, nonspore-forming, and rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated KGMB01110T, was isolated from a faecal sample of a healthy male in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene showed that strain KGMB01110T belonged to Clostridium cluster XIVa and was most closely related to Mediterraneibacter glycyrrhizinilyticus KCTC 5760T (95.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The DNA G + C content of strain KGMB01110T based on its whole genome sequence was 44.1 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) of the isolate were C14:0 and C16:0. The strain KGMB01110T was positive for arginine dihydrolase, β-galactosidase-6-phosphatase, and alkaline phosphatase. The strain KGMB01110T also produced acid from D-glucose and D-rhamnose, and hydrolyzed gelatin and aesculin. Furthermore, HPLC analysis and UV-tests of culture supernatant revealed that the strain KGMB01110T produced butyrate as the major end product of glucose fermentation. Based on the phylogenetic and phenotypic characteristics, strain KGMB01110T represent a novel species of the genus Mediterraneibacter in the family Lachnospiraceae. The type strain is KGMB01110T (= KCTC 15684T = CCUG 72830T).

Xanthorrhizol (XTZ), isolated from Curcuma xanthorrhiza, has potent antifungal and antibacterial activity. It shows very strong activity against Gram-positive bacteria, such as Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus aureus, but is generally not active against Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we explored the possibility of using a combination strategy for expanding the antimicrobial spectrum of XTZ against Gram-negative bacteria. To take advantage of XTZ being a food-grade material, 10 food-grade or generally recognized as safe (GRAS) antimicrobial compounds with low toxicities were selected for combination therapy. In addition, polymyxin B nonapeptide (PMBN), which is less toxic than polymyxin B, was also selected as an outer membrane permeabilizer. The antibacterial activity of various double or triple combinations with or without XTZ were assayed in vitro against four Gram-negative bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Vibrio cholerae), with synergistic combinations exhibiting clear activity subjected to further screening. The combinations with the greatest synergism were XTZ + PMBN + nisin, XTZ + PMBN + carvacrol, and XTZ + PMBN + thymol. These combinations also showed potent antimicrobial activity against Shigella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, and Acinetobacter baumannii. In time-kill assays, the three combinations achieved complete killing of E. coli within 2 h, and S. Typhi and V. cholera within 15 min. This is the first report on expanding the activity spectrum of XTZ against Gram-negative bacteria through combination with PMBN and food-grade or GRAS substances, with the resulting findings being particularly useful for increasing the industrial and medical applications of XTZ.

With the coming of the 4th industrial revolution era, manufacturers produce high-tech products. As the production process is refined, inspection technologies become more important. Specifically, the inspection of a printed circuit board (PCB), which is an indispensable part of electronic products, is an essential step to improve the quality of the process and yield. Image processing techniques are utilized for inspection, but there are limitations because the backgrounds of images are different and the kinds of defects increase. In order to overcome these limitations, methods based on machine learning have been used recently. These methods can inspect without a normal image by learning fault patterns. Therefore, this paper proposes a method can detect various types of defects using machine learning. The proposed method first extracts features through speeded-up robust features (SURF), then learns the fault pattern and calculates probabilities. After that, we generate a weighted kernel density estimation (WKDE) map weighted by the probabilities to consider the density of the features. Because the probability of the WKDE map can detect an area where the defects are concentrated, it improves the performance of the inspection. To verify the proposed method, we apply the method to PCB images and confirm the performance of the method.

In a semiconductor manufacturing process, defect cause analysis is a challenging task because the process includes consecutive fabrication phases involving numerous facilities. Recently, in accordance with the shrinking chip pitches, fabrication (FAB) processes require advanced facilities and designs for manufacturing microcircuits. However, the sizes of the particle defects remain constant, in spite of the increasing modernization of the facilities. Consequently, this increases the particle defect ratio. Therefore, this study proposes a particle defect management method for the reduction of the defect ratio. The proposed method provides a kernel-density-based particle map that can overcome the limitations of the conventional method. The method consists of two phases. The first phase is the acquisition of cumulative coordinates of the defect locations on the wafer using the FAB database. Subsequently, this cumulative data is used to generate a particle defect map based on the estimation of kernel density; this map establishes the advanced monitoring statistics. In order to validate this method, we conduct an experiment for comparison with the previous industrial method.

This paper presents a novel method to detect the static subtitle using the saliency map. In the proposed method, subtitle candidates are first extracted by using an unconstrained scene text detector algorithm, called FASText. Then, the saliency map is employed to select the final subtitle among the subtitle candidates. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves more accurate subtitle detection performance as compared with the conventional methods.

In the semiconductor manufacturing post-FAB process, predicting a package test result accurately in the wafer testing phase is a key element to ensure the competitiveness of companies. The prediction of package test can reduce unnecessary inspection time and expense. However, an analysing method is not sufficient to analyze data collected at wafer testing phase. Therefore, many companies have been using a summary information such as a mean, weighted sum and variance, and the summarized data reduces a prediction accuracy. In the paper, we propose an analysis method for Wafer Map Image collected at wafer testing process and conduct an experiment using real data. †

Background Arthroscopic iliopsoas tendon release was introduced in 2000. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes of arthroscopic iliopsoas tendon release for painful internal snapping hip with concomitant hip pathologies. Methods Between January 2009 and December 2011, we performed arthroscopic iliopsoas tendon release and related surgeries in 25 patients (20 men and 5 women; mean age, 32 years; range, 17 to 53 years) with combined intraarticular hip pathologies. The patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. Clinical and radiological evaluations were performed. Results Snapping sounds had disappeared by the 2-year follow-up in 24 of the 25 patients. All patients who had presented with loss of flexion strength postoperatively showed recovery at postoperative week 6 to 10. Harris hip score improved from 65 points (range, 46 to 86 points) preoperatively to 84 points (range, 67 to 98 points) postoperatively (p < 0.001). Seven hips (28%) had an excellent score, 15 hips (60%) a good score, 2 hips (8%) a fair score, and one hip (4%) a poor score (p < 0.001). The Tonnis grade of osteoarthritis did not change in any of the patients at the last follow-up. Conclusions Patients with painful internal snapping hip have combined hip pathologies. Therefore, the surgeon should keep in mind that painful internal snapping hips are frequently combined with concomitant intraarticular pathologies.

Even for a tele-operated robot system, collision avoidance should be performed with some level of autonomy because of the mistake of tele-operators. In this paper, we suggest a simple but efficient method of collision avoidance. This suggestion complements the Expanded Guide Circle algorithm and can be used to give correct moving commands to a robot. Also we implement this method in a complex environment and show the usefulness of our algorithm.

In this paper, we will investigate the activation energies of Nb for TiO using Hall effect measurement and photoluminescence (PL) system. Nb-doped TiO thin film was grown on SrTiO substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. After measurements, activation energies of niobium donor were 14.52 meV in Hall effect measurement, and 6.72 meV in PL measurement, respectively. These results showed different tendencies which are measured from the samples with acceptor materials. Therefore, it is thought that more research on activation energies for dopants of shallow donor level is expected.

경북대학교 지질학과(Department of Geology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Korea)요약:황철석이 다량 존재하는 지역에서 산성암석배수에 의한 중금속 거동과 관련된 단층비지의 역할을 알아보기 위해, 양산지역에 분포하는 함황철석 안산암의 모암과 단층비지에 대하여 XRD, pH, XRF, SEM-EDS, ICP 분석을 실시하였다. 연구결과 모암의 주 구성광물로 석영(quartz), 엽랍석(pyrophyllite), 황철석(pyrite), 일라이트(illite), 황옥(topaz)이 관찰되었고 짙은 갈색의 단층비지 시료의 경우 석영(quartz), 일라이트(illite), 녹니석(chlorite), 스멕타이트(smectite), 침철석(goethite), 카콕세나이트(cacoxenite)가 동정되었으며 침철석이 주 구성광물이었다. 모암에서 동정된 광물 종으로 보아 모암은 열수 변질 작용을 많이 받은 것으로 보인다. ICP분석 결과 각 시료의 중금속 농도는 모암의 경우 Zn > As > Cu > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd 순을 보였으며, 단층비지의 경우 As > Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Ni > Cd 순으로 나타났다. 두 시료를 비교해 보면 중금속의 총량은 전체적으로 단층비지에서 상대적으로 더 높은 값을 나타내며 특히 Pb, As, Cr은 2배 이상의 큰 차이를 보인다. 이러한 차이는 단층비지의 주 구성광물인 침철석의 높은 반응성과 넓은 표면적에 의해 Pb, As, Cr과 같은 중금속들이 공침 혹은 흡착되어 특히 높은 농도를 나타내며 또한 황철석의 산화에 의한 낮은 pH에 의하여 이러한 효과가 더욱 증가되었다고 사료된다. 그리고 자연환경에 쉽게 영향을 줄 수 있는 labile (step 1)과 acid-soluble (step 2)을 합한 농도의 비율은 대부분의 중금속이 모암에서 더 높게 나타나는 것을 확인하였다. 결과적으로 연구지역에서 단층비지는 모암에 비하여 많은 양의 중금속을 함유하고 연속추출법 단계 중 상대적으로 자연에 쉽게 유출될 수 있는 단계의 비율이 낮은 것으로 나타나 산성암석배수에 의한 피해가 예상되는 지역에서 단층비지는 중금속이 쉽게 용출되지 않게 하는 저장소로 큰 역할을 하는 것으로 판단된다.주요어:단층비지, 산성암석배수, 중금속, 침철석, 연속추출법ABSTRACT : To investigate the role of fault gauge in the behavior of heavy metals caused by the acid rock drainage in the area of pyrite-rich andesite, XRD, pH measurement, XRF, SEM-EDS, ICP, and sequential extraction method were used. Bed rock consists of quartz, pyrophyllite, pyrite, illite, and topaz, but the brown-colored fault gouge is composed of quartz, illite, chlorite, smectite, goethite, and cacoxenite. The mineral composition of bed rock suggests that it is heavily altered by hydrothermal activity. The concentrations of heavy metals in the bed rock are as follows, Zn > As > Cu > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd, and those in fault gouge are As > Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Ni > Cd. The concentrations of

In Bacillus subtilis, large genomic deletions have been carried out for genome reduction, antibiotic overproduction, and heterologous protein overexpression. In view of the eco-friendliness of B. subtilis, it is critical that engineering preserves its food-grade status and avoids leaving foreign DNA in the genome. Existing methods of generating large genomic deletions leave antibiotic resistance markers or display low mutation efficiency. In this study, we introduced a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-derived genome engineering technique to develop a highly efficient method of generating large genomic deletions in B. subtilis without any trace of foreign DNA. Using our system, we produced 38 kb plipastatin-synthesizing pps operon deletion with 80% efficiency. The significant increase in mutation efficiency was due to plasmids-delivered Streptococcus pyogenes-originated SpCas9, target-specific sgRNA and a donor DNA template, which produces SpCas9/sgRNA endonuclease complex continuously for attacking target chromosome until the mutagenic repair occurs. Our system produced single-gene deletion in spo0A (∼100%), point mutation (∼68%) and GFP gene insertion (∼97%) in sigE and demonstrated its broad applicability for various types of site-directed mutagenesis in B. subtilis.

Chromosome-integrated recombinant protein expression in bacteria has advantages for the stable maintenance of genes without any use of antibiotics during large-scale fermentation. Even though different levels of gene expression were reported, depending upon their chromosomal position in bacterial species, only a limited number of integration sites have been used in B. subtilis. In this study, we randomly integrated the GFP and AprE expression cassettes into the B. subtilis genome to determine integration sites that can produce a high yield of heterologous protein expression. Our mariner transposon-based expression cassette integration system was able to find integration sites, which can produce up to 2.9-fold and 1.5-fold increased expression of intracellular GFP and extracellular AprE, respectively, compared to the common integration site amyE. By analyzing the location of integration sites, we observed an adjacent promoter effect, gene dosage effect, and gene knock-out effect all complexly contributing to the increased level of integrated gene expression. Besides obtaining a high yield of heterologous protein expression, our system can also provide a wide-range of expression to expand the systematic application for steady-state metabolic protein production.

Aims To analyse the function of a putative lantibiotic gene cluster of Paenibacillus polymyxa E681 and to characterize its product, paenilan. Methods and Results Comparative analysis of the lantibiotic gene cluster of E681 revealed that the cluster, consisting of 11 open reading frames, is involved in the biosynthesis of a class I lantibiotic. The pnlA gene encoding the prepeptide PnlA was identified and P. polymyxa strain EPT14 producing only paenilan was constructed by knockout of the other five antibiotic biosynthetic gene clusters of E681. Paenilan was purified from EPT14 culture by solvent partitioning, ODS silica gel chromatography and reversed-phase preparative HPLC. The molecular mass (2510.10 Da) and structure of paenilan analysed by Nanoelectrospray ionization MS and MS/MS showed that paenilan is a novel class I lantibiotic. Paenilan exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus and Paenibacillus durus. The paenilan gene is well-conserved in different Paenibacillus spp. isolated from globally distant places. Conclusions The lantibiotic gene cluster of P. polymyxa E681 was analysed and its product, a novel and useful lantibiotic named paenilan that inhibits the growth of some Gram-positive bacteria, was characterized. Significance and Impact of the Study Paenibacillus species are a good source of new lantibiotics, and the conservation of the paenilan gene among Paenibacillus spp. implies paenilan has an important function(s) for their survival. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

We report a method of cancer immunotherapy using an attenuated Salmonella typhimurium strain engineered to secrete Vibrio vulnificus flagellin B (FlaB) in tumor tissues. Engineered FlaB-secreting bacteria effectively suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in mouse models and prolonged survival. By using Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5)-negative colon cancer cell lines, we provided evidence that the FlaB-mediated tumor suppression upon bacterial colonization is associated with TLR5-mediated host reactions in the tumor microenvironment. These therapeutic effects were completely abrogated in TLR4 and MyD88 knockout mice, and partly in TLR5 knockout mice, indicating that TLR4 signaling is a requisite for tumor suppression mediated by FlaB-secreting bacteria, whereas TLR5 signaling augmented tumor-suppressive host reactions. Tumor microenvironment colonization by engineered Salmonella appeared to induce the infiltration of abundant immune cells such as monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils via TLR4 signaling. Subsequent secretion of FlaB from colonizing Salmonella resulted in phenotypic and functional activation of intratumoral macrophages with M1 phenotypes and a reciprocal reduction in M2-like suppressive activities. Together, these findings provide evidence that nonvirulent tumor-targeting bacteria releasing multiple TLR ligands can be used as cancer immunotherapeutics.

We report the draft genome sequences of two insecticidal strains against lepidopteran pests, Bacillus thuringiensis serovar kurstaki strain BP865, an isolate from the South Korean phylloplane, and strain HD-133, a reference strain of B. thuringiensis serovar aizawai.

In the micro process such as semiconductor process, Variation of variables directly affects the quality of the end product. So, it is important to monitor and manage the fluctuations in the variable. At this time, the signal is generated. However, the signal has a moving average and non-uniform variance, and different lengths in specific portion. Also it has a different total length. Recently, the DTW(Dynamic Time Warping) is used to coordinate of signal. However, the mean and variance of the signal is not uniform, there arises a problem that the singularity occurs. Singularity means unintuitive alignments that single point in time series connects onto a portion of another time series. To solve the problem that the singularity occurs, in this paper, we propose to use MODWT (Maximal Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform) as a feature of signal and then calculate the warping path using divided matrices. We solve the singularity problem when applying the DTW to process the signal. Also, by comparing the result of applying process signal to DTW and proposed method, the proposed method is confirmed to be better than DTW in process signal.

In a previous study, we developed an E1 monobody specific for the tumor biomarker hEphA2 [PLoS ONE (2015) 10(7): e0132976]. E1 showed potential as a molecular probe for in vitro and in vivo targeting of cancers overexpressing hEphA2. In the present study, we constructed expression vectors for E1 conjugated to optical reporters such as Renilla luciferase variant 8 (Rluc8) or enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and purified such recombinant proteins by affinity chromatography in E. coli. E1-Rluc8 and E1-EGFP specifically bound to hEphA2 in human prostate cancer PC3 cells but not in human cervical cancer HeLa cells, which express hEphA2 at high and low levels, respectively. These recombinant proteins maintained >40% activity in mouse serum at 24 h. In vivo optical imaging for 24 h did not detect E1-EGFP signals, whereas E1-Rluc8 showed tumor-specific luminescence signals in PC3 but not in HeLa xenograft mice. E1-Rluc8 signals were detected at 4 h, peaked at 12 h, and were undetectable at 24 h. These results suggest the potential of E1-Rluc8 as an EphA2-specific optical imaging agent.

Tumor-specific expression of antitumor drugs can be achieved using attenuated Salmonella typhimurium harboring the PBAD promoter, which is induced by L-arabinose. However, L-arabinose does not accumulate because it is metabolized to D-xylulose-5-P by enzymes encoded by the ara operon in Salmonellae. To address this problem, we developed an engineered strain of S. typhimurium in which the ara operon is deleted. Linear DNA transformation was performed using λ red recombinase to exchange the ara operon with linear DNA carrying an antibiotic-resistance gene with homology to regions adjacent to the ara operon. The ara operon-deleted strain and its parental strain were transformed with a plasmid encoding Renilla luciferase variant 8 (RLuc8) or cytolysin A (clyA) under the control of the PBAD promoter. Luciferase assays demonstrated that RLuc8 expression was 49-fold higher in the ara operon-deleted S. typhimurium than in the parental strain after the addition of L-arabinose. In vivo bioluminescence imaging showed that the tumor tissue targeted by the ara operon-deleted Salmonella had a stronger imaging signal (~30-fold) than that targeted by the parental strain. Mice with murine colon cancer (CT26) that had been injected with the ara operon-deleted S. typhimurium expressing clyA showed significant tumor suppression. The present report demonstrates that deletion of the ara operon of S. typhimurium enhances L-arabinose accumulation and thereby drives PBAD-promoted expression of cytotoxic agents and imaging agents. This is a promising approach for tumor therapy and imaging.

Fusaricidin, a lipodepsipeptide isolated from Paenibacillus polymyxa, has high antimicrobial activity against fungi and Gram-positive bacteria. Through mutagenesis, we obtained two mutant strains, N1U7 and N17U7, which produce 6.2- to 7.9-fold more fusaricidin than their parent strain. Causal mutations were identified by whole-genome sequencing, and the two strains each contained at least eleven point mutations, including four common mutations. A mutation in the PPE04441 gene (pgm), encoding an α-phosphoglucomutase, was found to be an important factor in fusaricidin overproduction by complementation experiments. Null mutation of pgm in the parental strain increased fusaricidin production by 5.2-fold. Increased growth and cell viability in stationary phase, reduced exopolysaccharide production, and increased fusA expression were observed in the pgm mutant strains, which might be related to fusaricidin overproduction. This is the first report revealing that PGM deficiency leads to an overproduction of fusaricidin.

To evaluate the differences of cervical alignment between standing cervical lateral radiograph and whole-spine lateral radiograph with clavicle position. We prospectively evaluated 101 asymptomatic adults from whom standing cervical lateral radiograph with hands on both side followed by whole-spine lateral radiographs with clavicle position were obtained from April 2012 to December 2013. On two radiographs, cervical sagittal alignment from C2 to C7 was analyzed by Gore angle (GA) and Cobb angle (CA); head position was evaluated using the translation distance (TD, distance of the anterior tubercle of C1 compared with the vertical line through the posterior-inferior body of C7) and McGregor angle (MA, angle between the McGregor and horizontal lines). T1-slope was also evaluated. Cervical alignment on the cervical radiograph (GA −13.59° [−15.58 to −11.60], CA −9.76° [−11.65 to −7.86]) was significantly more lordotic than that on whole-spine radiographs (GA −6.28° [−8.65 to −3.91] and −4.14° [−6.40 to −1.89]). TD and MA on cervical radiographs (TD 34.98 mm [33.22–36.75]; MA 7.20° [6.35–8.35]) were meaningfully higher than those on whole-spine radiographs (TD 31.31 mm [29.47–33.16]; MA 6.32° [5.25–7.39]), but the MA values were not significant (p = 0.064). T1-slope was significantly lower in whole-spine radiographs (20.11° [18.88–21.35]) than in cervical radiographs (24.37° [23.14–25.6]). Values are expressed as mean (95 % confidence interval). Clavicle position during whole-spine radiograph caused a substantial decrease in the T1-slope; head position posteriorly translated followed by the cervical sagittal alignment became more hypo-lordotic, with slight downward gazing in comparison with the cervical radiograph.

In response to microbial infection, expression of the defensin-like peptide hepcidin (encoded by Hamp) is induced in hepatocytes to decrease iron release from macrophages. To elucidate the mechanism by which Salmonella enterica var. Typhimurium (S. typhimurium), an intramacrophage bacterium, alters host iron metabolism for its own survival, we examined the role of nuclear receptor family members belonging to the NR3B subfamily in mouse hepatocytes. Here, we report that estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ, encoded by Esrrg) modulates the intramacrophage proliferation of S. typhimurium by altering host iron homeostasis, and we demonstrate an antimicrobial effect of an ERRγ inverse agonist. Hepatic ERRγ expression was induced by S. typhimurium-stimulated interleukin-6 signaling, resulting in an induction of hepcidin and eventual hypoferremia in mice. Conversely, ablation of ERRγ mRNA expression in liver attenuated the S. typhimurium-mediated induction of hepcidin and normalized the hypoferremia caused by S. typhimurium infection. An inverse agonist of ERRγ ameliorated S. typhimurium-mediated hypoferremia through reduction of ERRγ-mediated hepcidin mRNA expression and exerted a potent antimicrobial effect on the S. typhimurium infection, thereby improving host survival. Taken together, these findings suggest an alternative approach to control multidrug-resistant intracellular bacteria by modulating host iron homeostasis.

This paper studies the security module for the reliable transmission of the meter reading and the control data between the remote terminals and the upper server-side in smart water grid. The proposed security module was implemented to make it attachable to the remote terminal without security function. In particular, unlike the smart grid of electric field, the low power is considered due to the use of battery power in the smart water grid, and the ARIA-GCM-128 symmetric key method is adopted taking into the account that the damp and constrictive environments by the installed meter location in the underground occur a communication obstacle on building of the large-scale network system. The encryption module of this paper was devised to ensure the safety between the reading data on the terminal and the control data from the upper server, and secure the stability of the remote meter reading system by taking protection against an arbitrary alteration or modification.