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We have previously reported that Ahnak-mediated TGFβ signaling leads to down-regulation of c-Myc expression. Here, we show that inhibition of Ahnak can promote generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) via up-regulation of endogenous c-Myc. Consistent with the c-Myc inhibitory role of Ahnak, mouse embryonic fibroblasts from Ahnak-deficient mouse (Ahnak(-/-) MEF) show an increased level of c-Myc expression compared with wild type MEF. Generation of iPSC with just three of the four Yamanaka factors, Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4 (hereafter 3F), was significantly enhanced in Ahnak(-/-) MEF. Similar results were obtained when Ahnak-specific shRNA was applied to wild type MEF. Of note, expressionof Ahnak was significantly induced during the formation of embryoid bodies from embryonic stem cells, suggesting that Ahnak-mediated c-Myc inhibition is involved in embryoid body formation and the initial differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. The iPSC from 3F-infected Ahnak(-/-) MEF cells (Ahnak(-/-)-iPSC-3F) showed expression of all stem cell markers examined and the capability to form three primary germ layers. Moreover, injection of Ahnak(-/-)-iPSC-3F into athymic nude mice led to development of teratoma containing tissues from all three primary germ layers, indicating that iPSC from Ahnak(-/-) MEF are bona fide pluripotent stem cells. Taken together, these data provide evidence for a new role for Ahnak in cell fate determination during development and suggest that manipulation of Ahnak and the associated signaling pathway may provide a means to regulate iPSC generation.

OBJECTIVES: Soybean(Glycine max L.) sprouts are widely used in Korea as main and sub materials in various dishes such as stew, ‘Bibimbap’, ‘Haejangguk’, and seasoned bean sprouts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the variations of general compositions and antioxidant properties in sprout soybean seed according to varieties and sowing dates in the central region of Korea, and to utilize the basic data for stable supply of raw soybeans in response to the changes in production environment. METHODS: Sprout soybean were produced from the experimental field of Department of Central Area Crop Science of the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), located in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. The sowing dates were on June 30(th), July 10(th) and July 20(th) in 2018 respectively. Planting and cultivation were followed by standard soybean cultivation methods of NICS. The harvested raw sprout soybean seeds at each seeding time were ground for the general compositions analysis. Antioxidant capacity was measured with total polyphenol contents and DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity. RESULTS: Approximate compositions of sprout soybean seed showed significant differences according to varieties and sowing date. Moisture, crude fat, and crude protein were the highest in the first sowing date, and tended to decrease in most varieties as the seeding time was delayed, whereas carbohydrate content increased at late sowing time. DPPH radical scavenging activity showed the highest tendency in second seeding. ABTS radical scavenging activity decreased as the seeding time was delayed in the most varieties, but ‘Soyeon’ and ‘Aram’ increased in second seeding. CONCLUSIONS: Taken the above results together, the significant differences in the approximate compositions and antioxidant capacities recognized due to varieties and sowing dates. Therefore, it was considered that the selection of proper varieties and sowing date should be considered carefully when growing raw sprout soybean grains in the central region in Korea. FUNDING SOURCES: This study was supported by the RDA Agenda Project (project number: PJ01251603).

Rationale Severe alcoholic hepatitis (AH) has a very high mortality rate. Current guidelines recommend oral corticosteroids as first-line agents in individuals with severe AH to reduce short-term mortality. However, systemic corticosteroids have serious adverse effects. In individuals with AH, infection, which is one of the complications of steroid use, can result in serious outcomes, such as acute-on-chronic liver failure. Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a life-threatening opportunistic infection which may occur when high-dose corticosteroids are prescribed for more than 1 month. Therefore, when high-dose corticosteroids are used, providing PCP prophylaxis is warranted. Although trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is the drug of choice for the prophylaxis of PCP, its hepatotoxicity limits its use in patients with severe AH who are on high-dose corticosteroids. Moreover, there is a lack of consensus on which drugs should be used for PCP prophylaxis in individuals with severe AH who are on glucocorticoid treatment. Herein, we report a case of a 43-year-old male with fatal PCP that occurred after the use of corticosteroids for severe AH. Patient concerns A 43-year-old alcoholic man presented with a hematoma on his right leg. His liver function was poor, and he was he was diagnosed with severe AH and treated with oral corticosteroids for 26 days. After glucocorticoid treatment, he developed a productive cough. Diagnoses A sputum PCR test was positive for Pneumocystis jirovecii. Interventions He was initially treated with TMP-SMX and required artificial ventilation. Outcomes He developed disseminated intravascular coagulation and multi-organ failure, and died 10 days after starting TMP-SMX. Lessons To date, prevention of PCP in individuals with severe AH who are on corticosteroids has been overlooked. This case illustrates the need for prophylaxis of PCP in individuals with severe AH taking corticosteroids.

Backgrounds Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) plays important role in gut homeostasis. We aimed to evaluate the expression of endogenous IAP and to assess the clinical course according to the expression of endogenous IAP in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Methods A total of 32 consecutive patients (14 males) with CD were included in the study. We measured the level of endogenous iAP in inflamed and noninflamed colonic mucosa. To verify the inflammation status, we measured the level of mRNA for IL-6, TNF-α, and TLR-4. We monitored the clinical courses of patients during follow-up after acquisition of biopsy specimens. Results Median age of patients was 22.5 years (range, 15–49). Median CD activity index (CDAI, range) was 93.7 (22.8~ 154.9). There were colonic involvements in all patients and perianal involvement in 43.8% patients. The mRNA levels of IL-6 (p = 0.005) and TLR-4 (p = 0.013) in inflamed mucosa were significantly higher than those in non-inflamed mucosa. However, there was no difference of expression of TNF-α mRNA (p = 0.345). During a 14-month follow-up (range, 9 months–54 months), there were 19 patients with clinical recurrences. There were 9 patients (9/19, 47.4%) with IAP expression ratio (inflamed to non-inflamed) ≤ 1.0 in patients with clinical recurrence while there was one patient (1/13, 7.7%) with IAP ratio ≤ 1.0 in patients without clinical recurrence (p = 0.024). Conclusion Lower expression of IAP in inflamed mucosa compared to non-inflamed mucosa may be associated with clinical recurrence in patients with CD.

This paper deals with the group control method of MMC (Modular Multilevel Converter) HVDC system. The proposed scheme increases the number of SMs (Submodules) of MMC HVDC system to more than 500 (2GW class) without changing the sampling time. This method is called Cluster Stream Buffer (CSB) method, and the total SMs are divided into several clusters, and a cluster is composed of 32 SMs. It is easy for the Cluster Stream Buffer method to expand HVDC system to several GW Class and it is easy to keeping the system performances. Consequently, this method was validated using MATAB/Simulink program.

Abnormalities in gene expression that negatively affect embryonic development are frequently observed in cloned embryos generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In the present study, we successfully produced a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-conjugated with coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) protein from mammalian cells and confirmed introduction into donor somatic cells and cloned 8-cell embryos within 3 hours after addition to culture medium. In addition, H3R17 dimethylation and embryonic development up to the blastocyst stage were increased in the group treated with exogenous CPP-CARM1 protein compared with the untreated group (control). Interestingly, the number of total cells and trophectoderm in blastocysts as well as implantation rate were significantly increased in the CPP-CARM1 protein-treated group. However, the cell number of inner cell mass (ICM) was not changed compared with the control group; similarly, expression of pluripotency-related genes Oct4 and Nanog (ICM markers) was not significantly different between groups. On the other hand, expression of the implantation-related gene Cdx2 (trophectoderm marker) was transiently increased after treatment with CPP-CARM1 protein. On the basis of these results, we conclude that supplementation with exogenous CPP-CARM1 protein improves embryonic development of cloned embryos through regulation of histone methylation and gene expression. In addition, our results suggest that CPP-CARM1 protein may be a useful tool for strengthening implantation of mammalian embryos.

Glycine max, commonly known as soybean or soya bean, is a species of legume native to East Asia. The interactions between climatic conditions and genetic characteristic affect the agricultural performance of soybean. Therefore, an investigation to identify the main elements affecting the agricultural performances of 11 soybeans was conducted in Northeast Asia, China [Harbin (45°12′N) Yanji (42°53′N) Dalian (39°30′N) Qingdao (36°26′N)] Republic of Korea [Suwon (37°16′N) and Jeonju (35°49′N)]. The days to flowering (DTF) of soybeans with the e1-nf and e1-as alleles and the E1e2e3e4 genotype, except Keumgangkong, Tawonkong, and Duyoukong, was relatively short compared to soybeans with other alleles. Although DTF of the soybeans was highly correlated to all climatic conditions, days to maturity (DTM) and 100-seed weight (HSW) of the soybeans showed no significant correlation with any climatic conditions. The soybeans with a dominant Dt1 allele, except Tawonkong, had the longest stem length (STL). Moreover, the STL of the soybeans grown at the test fields showed a positive correlation with only day length (DL) although the results of our chamber test showed that STL of soybean was positively affected by average temperature (AVT) and DL. Soybean yield (YLD) showed positive correlations with latitude and DL (except L62-667, OT89-5, and OT89-6) although the response of YLD to the climatic conditions was cultivar-specific. Our results show that DTF and STL of soybeans grown in Northeast Asia are highly affected by DL although AVT and genetic characteristic also affect DTF and STL. Along with these results, we confirmed that the DTM, HSW, and YLD of the soybeans vary in relation to their genetic characteristic.

Background/aim The number of elderly patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been increasing. But there is no proper management based on age stratification in elderly patients. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of elderly HCC patients more than 75 years old in South Korea. Patients and methods Five hundred and fifty elderly patients with HCC were enrolled and divided into the oldest-old (age ≥85 years), middle-old (age between 80 and 85 years), and young-old groups (age between 75 and 80 years). Results Fifty-one, 153, and 346 patients were included in the oldest-old (mean age: 87 years), middle-old (mean age: 82 years), and young-old groups (mean age: 77 years), respectively. There was a significantly lower rate of alcohol-related and hepatitis B virus-related diseases in the oldest-old group than in the other groups, whereas there was no significant difference in other characteristics. With increasing age, conservative treatment was predominantly performed. Transarterial chemoembolization was the main modality of active treatment in all groups. In multivariate analysis, the performance score, model for end-stage liver disease score, modified Union for International Cancer Control staging, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging, presence of portal vein tumor thrombosis, ruptured HCC, and active treatment were risk factors of overall survival. Conclusion When the therapeutic approach is used in elderly patients with HCC, the patient's performance status, liver function, and stage of cancer should be considered, and its use should not be restricted to those of advanced age.

This paper proposes a method for analyzing common mode voltage(CMV) and three algorithms for reducing it in a low level MMC (Modular Multilevel Converter) system. An arm voltage, a pole voltage and a common mode voltage are defined according to the switching state of each submodule. In order to analyze characteristics of the MMC system, an independent space vector is used to express the upper and lower reference. This paper analyzed the principle of the modulation process of MMC system and proposed three common mode voltage reduction techniques based on NLC+PWM modulation method. DCRM (Discontinuous PWM CMV Reduction Method) to reduce the number of common mode voltage generation, PCRM (Partial CMV Reduction Method) to reduce the maximum value of common mode voltage, and CCRM (Complete CMV Reduction Method) method to completely reduce the common mode voltage to 0. The validity of the proposed common mode voltage generation analysis and reduction methods are verified by MATLAB simulation and experiments using a 5-level MMC set.

Background Eradication rate for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has decreased due to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, new strategies are needed to enhance H. pylori eradication, especially for H. pylori with high antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to evaluate anti-H. pylori activities of constituents from key lime (Citrus aurantifolia) and their possible inhibitory effects on urease activity of H. pylori. Methods Helicobacter pylori strain ATCC 43526 and triple drug resistant (TDR) H. pylori strains were used in this study. Urease activities of H. pylori strains were measured by ammonia colorimetrical quantification using ELISA reader. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined by agar dilution method for antibiotics and by modified media dilution method for each constituent of Citrus aurantifolia (C. aurantifolia). Results Citrus aurantifolia extract decreased the number of colonies of H. pylori strain ATCC 43526 and TDR H. pylori stains. An increasing concentration of C. aurantifolia extract attenuated urease activities of H. pylori strain ATCC 43526 and TDR H. pylori strains. Among constituents of C. aurantifolia, citral and 4-hexen-3-one were found to be able to inhibit the growth of H. pylori strain ATCC 43526 and TDR H. pylori strains. Furthermore, citral and 4-hexen-3-one inhibited urease activities of H. pylori strain ATCC 43526 and TDR H. pylori strains in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion Citrus aurantifolia has antimicrobial effect on TDR H. pylori strains, suggesting that C. aurantifolia might have therapeutic potential to control antibiotic-resistant H. pylori strains that cause eradication failure using other antibiotics.

Expression of neuregulin-2 (NRG2) is intense in a few regions of the adult brain where neurogenesis persists; however, little is understood about its role in developments of newborn neurons. To study the role of NRG2 in synaptogenesis at different developmental stages, newborn granule cells in rat hippocampal slice cultures were labeled with retrovirus encoding tetracycline-inducible microRNA targeting NRG2 and treated with doxycycline (Dox) at the fourth or seventh postinfection day (dpi). The developmental increase of GABAergic postsynaptic currents (GPSCs) was suppressed by the early Dox treatment (4 dpi), but not by late treatment (7 dpi). The late Dox treatment was used to study the effect of NRG2 depletion specific to excitatory synaptogenesis. The Dox effect on EPSCs emerged 4 d after the impairment in dendritic outgrowth became evident (10 dpi). Notably, Dox treatment abolished the developmental increases of AMPA-receptor mediated EPSCs and the AMPA/NMDA ratio, indicating impaired maturation of glutamatergic synapses. In contrast to GPSCs, Dox effects on EPSCs and dendritic growth were independent of ErbB4 and rescued by concurrent overexpression of NRG2 intracellular domain. These results suggest that forward signaling of NRG2 mediates GABAergic synaptogenesis and its reverse signaling contributes to dendritic outgrowth and maturation of glutamatergic synapses.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe hippocampal dentate gyrus is one of special brain regions where neurogenesis persists throughout adulthood. Synaptogenesis is a critical step for newborn neurons to be integrated into preexisting neural network. Because neuregulin-2 (NRG2), a growth factor, is intensely expressed in these regions, we investigated whether it plays a role in synaptogenesis and dendritic growth. We found that NRG2 has dual roles in the development of newborn neurons. For GABAergic synaptogenesis, the extracellular domain of NRG2 acts as a ligand for a receptor on GABAergic neurons. In contrast, its intracellular domain was essential for dendritic outgrowth and glutamatergic synapse maturation. These results imply that NRG2 may play a critical role in network integration of newborn neurons.

Induced neural precursor cells (iNPCs) are one source of transplantable dopaminergic neurons used in cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease. In the present study, we demonstrate that iNPCs can be generated by transducing Brn2, Ascl1, Myt1L and Bcl-xL in a culture supplemented with several mitogens and subsequently can be differentiated to dopaminergic neurons (DA). However, studies have shown that iDA and/or iNPC-derived DA neurons using various conversion protocols have low efficiency. Here, we show that early exposure of FGF8 to fibroblasts efficiently improves differentiation of DA neurons. So our study demonstrates that FGF8 is a critical factor for generation of iNPC-derived DA neurons.

Phomopsis seed decay (PSD) caused by Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae (Lehman) Wehmeyer, Diaporthe phaseolorum (Cooke & Ellis) Sacc. var. caulivora Athow & Caldwell, and Phomopsis longicolla Hobbs reduces quality of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seed when it is wet and warm condition during seed maturation period. To study of the PSD in Taiwan in March 2008, three unidentified fungal isolates (isolate1, isolate2 and isolate3) were isolated from soybean stems infected with pod and stem blight which is associated with seed decay. Based on their morphological and genotypic characteristics, three isolates were regarded as Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae. For PSD assay, we found that the best condition for the fungal isolates growth was on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media at 24°C temperature for 24 or 15 hr photoperiod. Leaf- stem and pods of soybean were inoculated by an atomizer with two isolates among three isolates to investigate PSD infection. In the result of two inoculation parts with two isolates, there was no significant difference in degree of pod infection and seed infection rate (%) between isolate2 and isolate3, but there was a tendency that pod inoculation than leaf- stem inoculation caused higher level of seed infection. These isolates obtained in this study would be applicable to screening of PSD resistant soybean germplasms in the breeding program.

Bacterial leaf pustule (BLP) caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines (Xag) is a serious disease in soybean. To investigate the role of transcription factors (TFs) in plant defense mechanisms under Xag treatment, soybean near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying BLP-susceptible and BLP-resistant allele were analyzed by RNA-seq. A total of 2,415 differentially expressed genes were identified at 0, 6, and 12 hr after Xag infection. Using SoyDB and SoybeanTFDB (soybean TF databases), a total of 351 differentially expressed TF genes were identified, of which 80% were top ten major TF families. Among 351 TF genes, 263 and 40 were up-regulated and down-regulated, repectively, in BLP-resistant NIL compared to that in BLP-susceptible NIL at the three time points (0, 6, and 12 hr) after Xag infection. The rest 48 TF genes were either up-regulated or down-regulated at each time period in BLP-resistant NIL. Most TF genes were highly up-regulated in the BLP-resistant NIL at 0 hr. Additionally, cis-regulatory elements (CREs) involving in regulation of stress-responsive transcription, ABRE, G-box, MYBR, MYCR, and W-box were investigated. A total of 1,092 downstream genes were identified. Our results will improve the understanding on how plant immunity occurs via TFs and CREs.

Background/Objectives Prediction of malignancy in patients with BD-IPMNs is critical for the management. The aim of this study was to elucidate predictors of malignancy in patients with ‘pure' BD-IPMNs who had a main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter of ≤5 mm according to the most recent international consensus criteria and in whom MPD involvement was excluded on postoperative histology. Methods We identified 177 patients with ‘pure' BD-IPMNs based on preoperative imaging and postoperative histology from 15 tertiary referral centers in Korea. BD-IPMNs with low-grade ( n = 72) and moderate-grade ( n = 66) dysplasia were grouped as benign and BD-IPMNs with high-grade dysplasia ( n = 10) and invasive carcinoma ( n = 29) were grouped as malignancy. Results On univariate analysis, particular symptoms (jaundice and clinical pancreatitis), CT findings (cyst size > 3 cm, the presence of enhancing mural nodules) and EUS features (the presence of mural nodules, the mural nodule size > 5 mm) were significant risk factors predicting malignant BD-IPMNs. Multivariate analysis revealed that the cyst size > 3 cm (odds ratio = 9.9), the presence of enhancing mural nodules on CT (odds ratio = 19.3) and the mural nodule size > 5 mm on EUS (odds ratio = 14.9) were the independent risk factors for the presence of malignancy in BD-IPMNs ( p Conclusions The cyst size > 3 cm, the presence of enhancing mural nodules on CT, the mural nodule size > 5 mm on EUS are three independent predictors of malignancy in patients with ‘pure' BD-IPMNs.

Parkinson's disease (PD), primarily caused by selective degeneration of midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons, is the most prevalent movement disorder, affecting 1-2% of the global population over the age of 65. Currently available pharmacological treatments are largely symptomatic and lose their efficacy over time with accompanying severe side effects such as dyskinesia. Thus, there is an unmet clinical need to develop mechanism-based and/or disease-modifying treatments. Based on the unique dual role of the nuclear orphan receptor Nurr1 for development and maintenance of mDA neurons and their protection from inflammation-induced death, we hypothesize that Nurr1 can be a molecular target for neuroprotective therapeutic development for PD. Here we show successful identification of Nurr1 agonists sharing an identical chemical scaffold, 4-amino-7-chloroquinoline, suggesting a critical structure-activity relationship. In particular, we found that two antimalarial drugs, amodiaquine and chloroquine stimulate the transcriptional function of Nurr1 through physical interaction with its ligand binding domain (LBD). Remarkably, these compounds were able to enhance the contrasting dual functions of Nurr1 by further increasing transcriptional activation of mDA-specific genes and further enhancing transrepression of neurotoxic proinflammatory gene expression in microglia. Importantly, these compounds significantly improved behavioral deficits in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rat model of PD without any detectable signs of dyskinesia-like behavior. These findings offer proof of principle that small molecules targeting the Nurr1 LBD can be used as a mechanism-based and neuroprotective strategy for PD.

According to the generalization of mobile device use in our life, the complexity and diversity of mobile applications are increased, and thus the importance of application test to find faults and errors quickly and easily before release grows. This paper reviews the current automatic testing methodologies for mobile device applications and their element technologies. Also, well-known commercial tools for automatic testing are surveyed and case studies of their recent industry applications in domestic and foreign countries are performed.

Bruchid (Callosobruchus chinenesis L.) and pod sucking bug (Riptortus clavatus Thunberg) are serious insect pests during the reproduction stage and seed storage period of legume crops worldwide. However, few sources of resistance to each of these insects have been identified and characterized, and no genetic studies have been carried out with simultaneous tests of these two insects. In this study, the inheritance of seed resistance to Callosobruchus chinenesis L. and Riptortus clavatus Thunberg was examined in a mungbean cultivar, Jangan mungbean, which was developed by backcrossing with the V2709 resistant donor. The F1, F2, and F3 seed generations were developed from the cross between susceptible and resistant parents, and evaluated for resistance to the two insects. It was found that resistance to bruchid and bean bug was controlled by a single dominant gene in the F1 and F2 seeds. However, the segregation pattern of reciprocal reaction to each insect in F2 seeds showed seeds were susceptible to each insect. These results suggest that the resistance genes in Jangan mungbean to bug and weevil are either different or closely linked with each other. A genetic linkage map 13.7 cM in length with 6 markers was successfully constructed. Two QTLs were identified for bruchid resistance, and a QTL for bean bug resistance was detected. One of the QTLs for resistance to bruchid was shared with the QTL for bean bug. These newly developed closely linked markers will be used for cloning of the resistance genes to bruchid and bean bug in the future.

Intracellular Vitamin C (VC) is maintained at high levels in the developing brain by the activity of sodium-dependent VC transporter 2 (Svct2), suggesting specific VC functions in brain development. A role of VC as a cofactor for Fe(II)-2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases has recently been suggested. We show that VC supplementation in neural stem cell cultures derived from embryonic midbrains greatly enhanced differentiation toward midbrain-type dopamine (mDA) neurons, the neuronal subtype associated with Parkinson's disease. VC induced gain of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and loss of H3K27m3 in DA phenotype gene promoters, which are catalyzed by Tet1 and Jmjd3, respectively. Consequently, VC enhanced DA phenotype gene transcriptions in the progenitors by Nurr1, a transcription factor critical for mDA neuron development, to be more accessible to the gene promoters. Further mechanism studies including Tet1 and Jmjd3 knockdown/inhibition experiments revealed that both the 5hmC and H3K27m3 changes, specifically in the progenitor cells, are indispensible for the VC-mediated mDA neuron differentiation. We finally show that in Svct2 knockout mouse embryos, mDA neuron formation in the developing midbrain decreased along with the 5hmC/H3k27m3 changes. These findings together indicate an epigenetic role of VC in midbrain DA neuron development. Stem Cells 2015;33:1320–1332

The MMC is an emerging and highly attractive multilevel converter topology for medium and high voltage applications. Various modulation strategies are being used to control the MMC system. Balancing the cascaded submodule voltages and eliminating the second order circulating current in the leg of the MMC system are the main concerns of many researchers in the area of MMC system. Mostly, for circulating current suppression, a PI current controller in the double fundamental frequency rotating reference frame is adopted. Six current sensors are used to measure the six arm currents of the MMC system and the actual leg currents are calculated by taking the average value of the upper and lower arm currents of each leg. However, the scaling errors of the current sensors affect the operation of the circulating current suppressing controller and cause additional harmonic components in the leg currents. This paper proposes a scaling error compensation algorithm which can be easily implemented and eliminate the harmonics produced in the leg current due to the errors of the current sensors. The validity of the proposed algorithm is verified through both simulation and experimental results.

Generation of functional dopamine (DA) neurons is an essential step for the development of effective cell therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). The generation of DA neurons can be accomplished by overexpression of DA-inducible genes using virus- or DNA-based gene delivery methods. However, these gene delivery methods often cause chromosomal anomalies. In contrast, mRNA-based gene delivery avoids this problem and therefore is considered safe to use in the development of cell-based therapy. Thus, we used mRNA-based gene delivery method to generate safe DA neurons. In this study, we generated transformation-free DA neurons by transfection of mRNA encoding DA-inducible genes Nurr1 and FoxA2. The delivery of mRNA encoding dopaminergic fate inducing genes proved sufficient to induce naive rat forebrain precursor cells to differentiate into neurons exhibiting the biochemical, electrophysiological, and functional properties of DA neurons in vitro. Additionally, the generation efficiency of DA neurons was improved by the addition of small molecules, db-cAMP, and the adjustment of transfection timing. The successful generation of DA neurons using an mRNA-based method offers the possibility of developing clinical-grade cell sources for neuronal cell replacement treatment for PD.

This paper presents the reconstruction method of three phase current for AC motor by inserting a shunt resistor at the neutral point of a 3-level Neutral Point Clamped(NPC) inverter. To precisely acquire the phase currents from the shunt resistor, the switching time of the effective voltage vectors needs to secure the minimum time. For this reason, the direct measurement of the accurate phase current from the shunt resistor is impossible without using a special measurement algorithm. In the conventional methods, the phase currents are reconstructed by shifting the switching pattern of the space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) or injecting voltage. However, these methods cause a high Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) in the reconstructed phase current. To reduce the THD, this paper proposes the current reconstruction method using the estimated phase current and partitioning the current-unmeasurable area for the minimum voltage injection. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is verified through the simulation. The simulation is performed on a SPMSM (Surface mounted Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) of the washing machine.

Background and aim Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is commonly used to obtain tissue external to the gastrointestinal tract. EUS-FNA is relatively safe, but occasionally adverse events have been reported. There is scarcity of data on risk factors of adverse events. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors associated with EUS-FNA. Methods In this multicenter case-control study, we retrospectively reviewed 4,097 cases between 2009 and 2012 at 15 hospitals in Korea. Among the patients there were 104 cases (2.5%) who had adverse events of which 12 (0.29%) were severe. We matched 520 controls (1:5 ratios) stratified by hospital to analyze the potential risk factors. Results The most common adverse events were pancreatitis (45/104, 43.3%) and infection (46/104, 44.2%). Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) on the same day was a risk factor of all adverse events [OR = 2.41, 95% CI (1.41, 4.12)], pancreatitis [OR = 2.31, 95% CI (1.02, 5.25)], and infection [OR = 2.75, 95% CI (1.31, 5.78)]. More than 15 to-and-fro movements during puncture increased the risk of pancreatitis [OR = 2.30, 95% CI (1.11, 4.77)] and infection [OR = 3.65, 95% CI (1.55, 8.59)]. A higher number of punctures was positively correlated with pancreatitis [OR = 1.34, 95% CI (1.08, 1.67)] but negatively correlated with infection [OR = 0.66, 95% CI (0.48, 0.89)]. Conclusions EUS-FNA is a safe procedure in which serious adverse events are rare. We define some risk factors of adverse events during EUS-FNA, including ERCP on the same day, a higher number of punctures, and more than 15 to-and-fro movements.

This experiment was carried out to investigate the differences of the growth and yield characteristics at different planting dates in two soybean ecotypes from 2012 to 2013. Three summer types of soybean varieties, Seaol, Chamol, Hanol and three autumn types, Hwanggum, Taegwang, Daepung were planted 4 times from 1 May to 1 August in paddy field at the experimental field of National Institute of Crop Science in Suwon, Korea. Emergence rate was shown to difference among the varieties and the lowest planting at 29 June cause of the severe drought in 2012. The emergence period and days to flowering shortened as planting date delayed regardless of varieties. Emergence period more reduced in 2013 than in 2012 and days to flowering was more shortened in the summer types than in the autumn types. Stem height, number of main stem nodes, stem diameter were different among the summer types and the autumn types and reduced as planting date delayed. Number of main stem nodes and number of branch were different but no difference were observed in the stem height and stem diameter between 2012 and 2013. The number of pod per plant was the highest planting at 21 May and the lowest planting at 1 August and more in the autumn types than in the summer types. The number of seed per plant was the highest at planting 29 June and the lowest at planting 1 August and more in the autumn types than in the summer types and more in 2012 than in 2013. It was observed that one hundred seed weight was reduced rapidly planting at 1 August and heavier in the summer types than in the autumn types and heavier in 2013 than in 2012. Seed yield was the highest at planting 29 June and the lowest at planting 1 August, and 85kg/10a higher in the autumn types and 47kg/10a higher in 2012 than in the summer types and 2013, respectively.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas characterized by progressive fibrotic destruction of the pancreatic parenchyma and resulting in severe pain with pancreatic exocrine and endocrine insufficiency. The clinical manifestations of CP include abdominal pain as well as exocrine and/or endocrine insufficiency. Most patients with CP have abdominal pain. Physicians usually focus on treating pain in CP as opposed to exocrine insufficiency, despite the fact that malabsorption and maldigestion can result in nutrition deficiency. Nutrition deficiency negatively affect outcome if they are not treated. Most important step for early diagnosis of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency in CP is special attention to nutritional status of patients. Abdominal pain, pancreatic exocrine and endocrine insufficiencies should be managed with multidisciplinary approach to prevent complications and to maintain good quality of life. The mainstay of treatment is abstinence of alcohol and smoking, pain treatment, dietary modifications and pancreatic enzyme replacement.

Summary We here report that doxycycline, an antibacterial agent, exerts dramatic effects on human embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cells (hESC/iPSCs) survival and self-renewal. The survival-promoting effect was also manifest in cultures of neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from hESC/iPSCs. These doxycycline effects are not associated with its antibacterial action, but mediated by direct activation of a PI3K-AKT intracellular signal. These findings indicate doxycycline as a useful supplement for stem cell cultures, facilitating their growth and maintenance., Highlights • Doxycycline enhances human pluripotent ESC/iPSC survival and self-renewal • Doxycycline-mediated survival effects are also shown in human neural stem cell (NSC) • Doxycycline effects are not associated with its antibacterial action • The doxycycline actions are mediated by direct activation of a PI3K-Akt signaling, In this article, Lee and colleagues show that doxycycline, an antibacterial agent, can be used as a useful culture supplement for facilitating cell survival and self-renewal of human embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cells (hESC/iPSCs). These doxycycline effects are not associated with its antibacterial action but mediated by direct activation of a PI3K-Akt intracellular signal.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most widely used organophosphate insecticides with several harmful effects, including neurotoxicity. Although many studies have addressed the neurotoxicity induced by CPF, most data on neurodevelopmental damage was obtained from animal models. We are the first group to use human neural precursor cells (hNPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as a developing neuron model to evaluate the mechanisms involved in CPF-induced neurotoxicity. CPF was cytotoxic to these cells in a concentration-dependent manner, as shown by decreased cell viability and increased lactate dehydrogenase release. Furthermore, CPF reduced the expression of AKT and ERK proteins which are involved in intracellular survival pathways. Exposure of hNPCs to CPF led to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the antioxidant N-acetyl-cystein (NAC) attenuated ROS production induced by CPF. In addition, CPF increased cytochrome c release into the cytosol and activated caspase-9 and -3, indicating that cell death induced by CPF was due to apoptosis in hNPCs. Consistent with these findings, CPF treatment reduced the level of Bcl-2 protein and increased the level of Bax protein. Especially, CPF increased the translocation of BAX into the mitochondria. CPF also induced nuclear accumulation of NF-κB and p53 proteins in a concentration-dependent manner, and their inhibitors attenuated CPF-induced cytotoxicity. In addition, an inhibitor of NF-κB nuclear translocation blocked the increase of p53 in CPF-treated hNPCs. These findings show that CPF induced hNPCs death in part through NF-κB activation via ROS generation, enabling the interaction of p53 with Bcl-2 and Bax and subsequent release of cytochrome c. Collectively, these results represent a unique molecular characterization of CPF-induced cytotoxicity in hNPCs. These data suggest that CPF may affect neurodevelopment in a manner similar to that of several known and suspected neurotoxicants.

Resistance to root-knot nematodes [Meloidogyne arenaria (Neal) Chitwood] is needed for cultivation of peanut in major peanut-growing areas, but significant resistance is lacking in the cultivated species (Arachis hypogaea L.). Markers to two closely-linked genes introgressed from wild relatives of peanut have been identified previously, but phenotypic evidence for the presence of additional genes in wild species and introgression lines has eluded quantitative trait locus (QTL) identification. Here, to improve sensitivity to small-effect QTLs, an advanced backcross population from a cross between a Florunner component line and the synthetic amphidiploid TxAG-6 [Arachis batizocoi × (A. cardenasii × A. diogoi)]4× was screened for response to root-knot nematode infection. Composite interval mapping results suggested a total of seven QTLs plus three putative QTLs. These included the known major resistance gene plus a second QTL on LG1, and a potentially homeologous B-genome QTL on LG11. Additional potential homeologs were identified on linkage group (LG) 8 and LG18, plus a QTL on LG9.2 and putative QTLs on LG9.1 and 19. A QTL on LG15 had no inferred resistance-associated homeolog. Contrary to expectation, two introgressed QTLs were associated with susceptibility, and QTLs at some homeologous loci were found to confer opposite phenotypic responses. Long-term functional conservation accompanied by rapid generation of functionally divergent alleles may be a singular feature of NBS-LRR resistance gene clusters, contributing to the richness of resistance alleles available in wild relatives of crops. The significance for peanut evolution and breeding is discussed.

Understanding how dopamine (DA) phenotypes are acquired in midbrain DA (mDA) neuron development is important for bioassays and cell replacement therapy for mDA neuron-associated disorders. Here, we demonstrate a feed-forward mechanism of mDA neuron development involving Nurr1 and Foxa2. Nurr1 acts as a transcription factor for DA phenotype gene expression. However, Nurr1-mediated DA gene expression was inactivated by forming a protein complex with CoREST, and then recruiting histone deacetylase 1 (Hdac1), an enzyme catalyzing histone deacetylation, to DA gene promoters. Co-expression of Nurr1 and Foxa2 was established in mDA neuron precursor cells by a positive cross-regulatory loop. In the presence of Foxa2, the Nurr1-CoREST interaction was diminished (by competitive formation of the Nurr1-Foxa2 activator complex), and CoREST-Hdac1 proteins were less enriched in DA gene promoters. Consequently, histone 3 acetylation (H3Ac), which is responsible for open chromatin structures, was strikingly increased at DA phenotype gene promoters. These data establish the interplay of Nurr1 and Foxa2 as the crucial determinant for DA phenotype acquisition during mDA neuron development.