Electronic nose (e-nose) technology for selectively identifying a target gas through chemoresisti... more Electronic nose (e-nose) technology for selectively identifying a target gas through chemoresistive sensors has gained much attention for various applications, such as smart factory and personal health monitoring. To overcome the cross-reactivity problem of chemoresistive sensors to various gas species, herein, we propose a novel sensing strategy based on a single micro-LED (μLED)-embedded photoactivated (μLP) gas sensor, utilizing the time-variant illumination for identifying the species and concentrations of various target gases. A fast-changing pseudorandom voltage input is applied to the μLED to generate forced transient sensor responses. A deep neural network is employed to analyze the obtained complex transient signals for gas detection and concentration estimation. The proposed sensor system achieves high classification (~96.99%) and quantification (mean absolute percentage error ~ 31.99%) accuracies for various toxic gases (methanol, ethanol, acetone, and nitrogen dioxide) w...
Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, genetic engineering,... more Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, genetic engineering, and developing new medicines. However, functional analyses have largely been restricted to model organisms, representing a major hurdle for functional studies and industrial applications. To resolve this, comparative genome analyses can be used to provide clues to gene functions as well as their evolutionary history. To this end, we present Prometheus, a web-based omics portal that contains more than 17,215 sequences from prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. This portal supports interkingdom comparative analyses via a domain architecture-based gene identification system and Gene Search, and users can easily and rapidly identify single or entire gene sets in specific pathways. Bioinformatics tools for further analyses are provided in Prometheus or through Bio-Express, a cloudbased bioinformatics analysis platform. Prometheus is a new paradigm for comparative analyses of large amounts of genomic information.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, May 17, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion is caused by the re1ease of bacilli-1aden caseous materia1 into ... more The tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion is caused by the re1ease of bacilli-1aden caseous materia1 into p1eura1 space and is known to induce an inflammatory reaction with effusion. The definite diagnosis can be estab1ished by the discovery of tubercle bacilli from the effusion or by the patho1ogic examination of p1eura1 tissue. However, these methods have some limitations in clinica1 application due to pro1onged period of more than 4 weeks for bacterio1ogic cu1ture examination and untoward complicati)ns of p1eura1 biopsy procedure. Recent1y immuno1ogic diagnosis of tubercu10sis using enzyme-1inked immunosorbent assay emerged as a new diagnostic method. We measured the anti-mycobacteria1 antibody from tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion using tubercle bacilli-extract(TE) as antigen and obtained the following resu1ts. 1) The abso1ute absorbance of !gG to TE antigen in tubercu10sis p1eura1 effusion was 0.770 土 0.366 and 0.278 土 0. 149 in contro1 group. (P<O. 001) 2) The abs:)lute absorbance of !gM to TE in tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion was 0.821 土 0.369 and 0.475 土 0.286 in contro1 group. (P<O.OO 1) 3) The abso1ute absorbance of !gA to TE in tubercu10s p1eura1 effusion πas 0.544 土 0.329 and 0.358 土 0.234 in contro1 group. (P<0.05) 4) Among 3 immunog1obulin group, !gG to TE ￦ as most he1pfu1 for diagnosis. When the abso1ute absorbance of !gG to TE above contro1 mean+2 S.O. (0. 576) was tentat-ive1y defind as positive, 65% of tubercu10us p1eurisy patients were positive, whereas on1y 3% of contro1s were positive.
High-rate biohydrogen production from xylose using a dynamic membrane bioreactor
Bioresource Technology, 2021
This study aimed a high-rate dark fermentative H2 production from xylose using a dynamic membrane... more This study aimed a high-rate dark fermentative H2 production from xylose using a dynamic membrane module bioreactor (DMBR) with a 444-μm pore polyester mesh. 20 g xylose/L was fed continuously to the DMBR at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) from 12 to 3 h at 37 °C. The maximum average H2 yield (HY) and H2 production rate (HPR) at 3 h HRT were found to be 1.40±0.07 mol H2/mol xyloseconsumed and 30.26±1.19 L H2/L-d, respectively. The short HRT resulted in the maximum suspended biomass concentration (8.92±0.40 g VSS/L) along with significant attached biomass retention (7.88±0.22 g VSS/L). H2 was produced by both butyric and acetic acid pathways. Low HY was concurrent with lactic acid production. The bacterial population shifted from non-H2 producers, such as Lactobacillus and Sporolactobacillus spp., to Clostridium sp., when HY increased. Thus, xylose from lignocellulose is a feasible substrate for dark fermentative H2 production using DMBR.
Due to its excellent optical properties and good stability, all-inorganic halide perovskite CsPbX... more Due to its excellent optical properties and good stability, all-inorganic halide perovskite CsPbX 3 (X=I, Br, Cl) has been attracting interest for use in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). One challenge is improving the efficacy of the spatial confinement of excitons for higher luminescence efficiency. Here, we present a simple yet very effective strategy to form fine-grain-structured CsPbBr 3 polycrystalline films prepared by thermal co-evaporation. The strategy involves controlling growth kinetics by adjusting the deposition flux which, along with growth temperature, determines the nucleation rate and therefore eventual grain structure. A correlation between deposition flux and average grain size was noted except for a very large deposition flux when there were large hillocks, which we attributed to the peculiar growth behavior of PbBr 2 films. The growth conditions that produced a nano-scale grain structure and textured orientations without large hillocks also resulted in the highest luminescence efficiency as we anticipated. With the optimized CsPbBr 3 light emitters, we demonstrate a green light-emitting (at 524 nm) LED with a maximum current efficiency of 1.07 cd/A and an extremely narrow electroluminescence spectrum of 18 nm, a result that highlights the potential of vacuum-processed CsPbBr 3 films for high efficiency LEDs.
Objective: We investigated the usefulness of maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) in evaluating dysp... more Objective: We investigated the usefulness of maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) in evaluating dysphagia subsequent to ischemic stroke. Methods: This study included patients with ischemic stroke who underwent MEP testing and videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), from October 2016 to February 2020. The VFSS findings were interpreted using the penetrationaspiration scale (PAS) and functional dysphagia scale (FDS). Patients were stratified into the non-aspiration (n=59) and aspiration (n=47) groups. Partial correlation analysis among MEP, PAS, and FDS was performed after adjusting for age. Binary logistic regression using PAS was conducted to investigate the risk factors predisposing patients to inclusion in the aspiration group. Multiple linear regression using FDS was conducted to investigate the risk factors according to dysphagia severity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to investigate factors which could be useful for detecting aspiration. Results: Student's t-test revealed a significant difference in MEP between the non-aspiration and aspiration groups. MEP showed a positive correlation with PAS and FDS. MEP was also determined to be a risk factor for inclusion into the aspiration group, and a risk factor according to the severity of dysphagia. In the ROC curve analysis, MEP showed good diagnostic properties to help classify patients with aspiration. Conclusion: Our results indicate that swallowing assessment can predict and help prevent aspiration pneumonia in patients with ischemic stroke. In the present study, MEP showed significant association with aspiration and the severity of dysphagia. Thus, determining the MEP during swallowing assessment in patients with ischemic stroke is potentially a useful parameter to predict dysphagia.
Revista de la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Serie A. Matemáticas, 2020
For some subclasses of close-to-star functions the sharp upper and lower bounds of the second and... more For some subclasses of close-to-star functions the sharp upper and lower bounds of the second and third-order Hermitian Toeplitz determinants are computed.
Background Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is a conserved, multifunctional protei... more Background Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is a conserved, multifunctional protein involved in numerous cellular processes in eukaryotes. Although the functions of TCTP have been investigated sporadically in animals, invertebrates, and plants, few lineage-specific activities of this molecule, have been reported. An exception is in Arabidopsis thaliana, in which TCTP (AtTCTP1) functions in stomatal closuer by regulating microtubule stability. Further, although the development of next-generation sequencing technologies has facilitated the analysis of many eukaryotic genomes in public databases, inter-kingdom comparative analyses using available genome information are comparatively scarce. Methodology To carry out inter-kingdom comparative analysis of TCTP, TCTP genes were identified from 377 species. Then phylogenetic analysis, prediction of protein structure, molecular docking simulation and molecular dynamics analysis were performed to investigate the evolution of TCTP genes and their binding proteins. Results A total of 533 TCTP genes were identified from 377 eukaryotic species, including protozoa, fungi, invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. Phylogenetic and secondary structure analyses reveal lineage-specific evolution of TCTP, and inter-kingdom comparisons highlight the
Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2018
Background and Objectives For safe sinus surgery, it is essential to understand the anatomical st... more Background and Objectives For safe sinus surgery, it is essential to understand the anatomical structure and developmental state of the paranasal sinuses. Structural abnormalies such as aplastic and marked hypoplastic sinuses may not be amenable to sinus surgery or balloon sinuplasty. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of pneumatization of the frontal and sphenoid sinuses in Korean adults. Subjects and Method This retrospective study utilized CT images of 1190 sides from 595 Korean adults. The frontal sinus was classified into normal, hypoplasia, aplasia and unilateral hidden aplasia. The sphenoid sinus was evaluated the incidence regarding the aplasia and unilateral hidden hypoplasia. Results Bilateral frontal sinus hypoplasia was observed in 8.5% of women and 4.2% of men (p＜0.05), while unilateral frontal sinus hypoplasia was found in 3.5% of women and in 4.8% of men (p＞0.05). Bilateral frontal sinus aplasia was observed in 7.1% of women and 2.9% of men (p＜0.05), while unilateral frontal sinus aplasia were found in 7.1% of women and in 5.4% of men (p＞0.05). Unilateral hidden frontal sinus aplasia was observed in 1.7% of women and 1.5% of men (p＞0.05). There was no bilateral sphenoid sinus aplasia and only one woman had unilateral sphenoid sinus aplasia. Unilateral hidden sphenoid sinus hypoplasia was observed in 1.4% of women and 2.9% of men (p＞0.05). Conclusion Bilateral frontal sinus hypoplasia and aplasia are more common in women than in men. Although the incidences of unilateral hidden frontal sinus aplasia and hidden sphenoid sinus hypoplasia are low, sinus surgeons should carefully review CT for sinus surgery or balloon sinuplasty.
Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly potent nosocomial pathogen that is associated with increased ... more Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly potent nosocomial pathogen that is associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Here, we investigated the changes in molecular characteristics of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) isolated from the blood samples of patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in South Korea from January 2009 to July 2015. Whole genome sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) were performed for 98 CRAB clinical isolates. In silico analyses for the prediction of antimicrobial resistance and virulence factor genes were performed. Plasmid sequences, including complete forms, were reconstructed from the sequence reads. Epidemiologic data were collected from the hospital database. MLST using the Oxford scheme revealed 10 sequence types of CRAB, of which ST191 was the dominant type (n = 59). Although bla OXA-23 was shared by most analysed strains, the compositions of antimicrobial resistance determinants differed among sequence types. ST447 and ST451/ST1809 with a few resistance genes were isolated during the later years of the study period. The number of virulence genes increased, while that of ST191 did not change significantly over the investigation period. Intriguingly MLST types, compositions of antimicrobial resistance genes, and virulence genes had no association with clinical outcomes of CRAB bacteraemia. In conclusion, active changes in or accumulations of antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence genes in CRAB were not observed during the research period. Molecular characteristics of CRAB had no association with clinical outcomes of CRAB bacteraemia.
Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), belonging to the Solanaceae family, are one of the most economicall... more Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), belonging to the Solanaceae family, are one of the most economically important crops globally. Like other crops, peppers are threatened by diverse environmental conditions due to different pathogens and abiotic stresses. High-quality reference genomes with massive datasets of transcriptomes from various conditions can provide clues to preferred agronomic traits for breeding. However, few global gene expression profiling datasets have been published to examine the environmental stress-resistant mechanisms in peppers. In this study, we report the RNA-seq analyses of peppers treated with heat, cold, salinity, and osmotic stress at six different time points. RNA-seq libraries from 78 RNA samples containing three biological replicates per time point for each of the abiotic stresses and a mock control were constructed. A total of 204.68 Gb of transcriptome data were verified by differentially expressed genes and gene ontology enrichment analysis. Analyses of ...
Let Σ be the class of meromorphic functions f of the form f ( ζ ) = ζ + ∑ n = 0 ∞ a n ζ − n which... more Let Σ be the class of meromorphic functions f of the form f ( ζ ) = ζ + ∑ n = 0 ∞ a n ζ − n which are analytic in Δ : = { ζ ∈ C : | ζ | > 1 } . For n ∈ N 0 : = N ∪ { 0 } , the nth Faber polynomial Φ n ( w ) of f ∈ Σ is a monic polynomial of degree n that is generated by a function ζ f ′ ( ζ ) / ( f ( ζ ) − w ) . For given f ∈ Σ , by F n , i ( f ) , we denote the ith coefficient of Φ n ( w ) . For given 0 ≤ α < 1 and 0 < β ≤ 1 , let us consider domains H α and S β ⊂ C defined by H α = { w ∈ C : Re ( w ) > α } and S β = { w ∈ C : | arg ( w ) | < β } , which are symmetric with respect to the real axis. A function f ∈ Σ is called meromorphic starlike of order α if ζ f ′ ( ζ ) / f ( ζ ) ∈ H α for all ζ ∈ Δ . Another function f ∈ Σ is called meromorphic strongly starlike of order β if ζ f ′ ( ζ ) / f ( ζ ) ∈ S β for all ζ ∈ Δ . In this paper we investigate the sharp bounds of F n , n − i ( f ) , n ∈ N 0 , i ∈ { 2 , 3 , 4 } , for meromorphic starlike functions of order α and...
Oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa) is one of the most important cultivated cucurbits, a... more Oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa) is one of the most important cultivated cucurbits, and is grown widely in Northeast Asian countries. With increasing interest in its biological properties and economic importance, oriental melon has become an attractive model crop for studying various horticultural traits. A previous genome sequence of the melon was constructed from a homozygous double-haploid line. Thus, individual reference genomes are required to perform functional studies and further breeding applications. Here, we report draft genome sequences of two oriental melons, Chang Bougi and SW3. The assembled 344 Mb genome of Chang Bougi was obtained with scaffold N50 1.0 Mb, and 36,235 genes were annotated. The 354 Mb genome of SW3 was assembled with scaffold N50 1.6 Mb, and has 38,173 genes. These newly constructed genomes will enable studies of fruit development, disease resistance, and breeding applications in the oriental melon.
Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, for genetic engineer... more Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, for genetic engineering, and for developing new medicines. However, functional analyses have largely been restricted to model organisms, representing a major hurdle for functional studies and industrial applications. To resolve this, comparative genome analyses can be used to provide clues to gene functions as well as their evolutionary history. To this end, we present Prometheus (http://prometheus.kobic.re.kr),web-based omics portal that contains more than 17,215 sequences from prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. This portal supports interkingdom comparative analyses via a domain architecture-based gene identification system, Gene Search, and users can easily and rapidly identify single or entire gene sets in specific pathways. Bioinformatics tools for further analyses are provided in Prometheus or through BioExpress, a cloud-based bioinformatics analysis platform. Prometheus suggests a new paradigm for co...
Objective To investigate association between lesion location on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ... more Objective To investigate association between lesion location on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed after an infarction and the duration of dysphagia in middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction. Methods A videofluoroscopic swallowing study was performed for 59 patients with dysphagia who were diagnosed as cerebral infarction of the MCA territory confirmed by brain MRI. Lesions were divided into 11 regions of interest: primary somatosensory cortex, primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, parieto-occipital cortex, insular cortex, posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), thalamus, basal ganglia (caudate nucleus), and basal ganglia (putamen). Recovery time was defined as the period from the first day of L-tube feeding to the day that rice porridge with thickening agent was prescribed. Recovery time and brain lesion patterns were compared and analyzed. Results The mean recovery time of all patients was 26.71±16.39 days. The mean recovery time was 36.65±15.83 days in patients with PLIC lesions and 32.6±17.27 days in patients with caudate nucleus lesions. Only these two groups showed longer recovery time than the average recovery time for all patients. One-way analysis of variance for recovery time showed significant differences between patients with and without lesions in PLIC and caudate (p<0.001). Conclusion Injury to both PLIC and caudate nucleus is associated with longer recovery time from dysphagia.
Electronic nose (e-nose) technology for selectively identifying a target gas through chemoresisti... more Electronic nose (e-nose) technology for selectively identifying a target gas through chemoresistive sensors has gained much attention for various applications, such as smart factory and personal health monitoring. To overcome the cross-reactivity problem of chemoresistive sensors to various gas species, herein, we propose a novel sensing strategy based on a single micro-LED (μLED)-embedded photoactivated (μLP) gas sensor, utilizing the time-variant illumination for identifying the species and concentrations of various target gases. A fast-changing pseudorandom voltage input is applied to the μLED to generate forced transient sensor responses. A deep neural network is employed to analyze the obtained complex transient signals for gas detection and concentration estimation. The proposed sensor system achieves high classification (~96.99%) and quantification (mean absolute percentage error ~ 31.99%) accuracies for various toxic gases (methanol, ethanol, acetone, and nitrogen dioxide) w...
Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, genetic engineering,... more Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, genetic engineering, and developing new medicines. However, functional analyses have largely been restricted to model organisms, representing a major hurdle for functional studies and industrial applications. To resolve this, comparative genome analyses can be used to provide clues to gene functions as well as their evolutionary history. To this end, we present Prometheus, a web-based omics portal that contains more than 17,215 sequences from prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. This portal supports interkingdom comparative analyses via a domain architecture-based gene identification system and Gene Search, and users can easily and rapidly identify single or entire gene sets in specific pathways. Bioinformatics tools for further analyses are provided in Prometheus or through Bio-Express, a cloudbased bioinformatics analysis platform. Prometheus is a new paradigm for comparative analyses of large amounts of genomic information.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, May 17, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion is caused by the re1ease of bacilli-1aden caseous materia1 into ... more The tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion is caused by the re1ease of bacilli-1aden caseous materia1 into p1eura1 space and is known to induce an inflammatory reaction with effusion. The definite diagnosis can be estab1ished by the discovery of tubercle bacilli from the effusion or by the patho1ogic examination of p1eura1 tissue. However, these methods have some limitations in clinica1 application due to pro1onged period of more than 4 weeks for bacterio1ogic cu1ture examination and untoward complicati)ns of p1eura1 biopsy procedure. Recent1y immuno1ogic diagnosis of tubercu10sis using enzyme-1inked immunosorbent assay emerged as a new diagnostic method. We measured the anti-mycobacteria1 antibody from tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion using tubercle bacilli-extract(TE) as antigen and obtained the following resu1ts. 1) The abso1ute absorbance of !gG to TE antigen in tubercu10sis p1eura1 effusion was 0.770 土 0.366 and 0.278 土 0. 149 in contro1 group. (P<O. 001) 2) The abs:)lute absorbance of !gM to TE in tubercu10us p1eura1 effusion was 0.821 土 0.369 and 0.475 土 0.286 in contro1 group. (P<O.OO 1) 3) The abso1ute absorbance of !gA to TE in tubercu10s p1eura1 effusion πas 0.544 土 0.329 and 0.358 土 0.234 in contro1 group. (P<0.05) 4) Among 3 immunog1obulin group, !gG to TE ￦ as most he1pfu1 for diagnosis. When the abso1ute absorbance of !gG to TE above contro1 mean+2 S.O. (0. 576) was tentat-ive1y defind as positive, 65% of tubercu10us p1eurisy patients were positive, whereas on1y 3% of contro1s were positive.
High-rate biohydrogen production from xylose using a dynamic membrane bioreactor
Bioresource Technology, 2021
This study aimed a high-rate dark fermentative H2 production from xylose using a dynamic membrane... more This study aimed a high-rate dark fermentative H2 production from xylose using a dynamic membrane module bioreactor (DMBR) with a 444-μm pore polyester mesh. 20 g xylose/L was fed continuously to the DMBR at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) from 12 to 3 h at 37 °C. The maximum average H2 yield (HY) and H2 production rate (HPR) at 3 h HRT were found to be 1.40±0.07 mol H2/mol xyloseconsumed and 30.26±1.19 L H2/L-d, respectively. The short HRT resulted in the maximum suspended biomass concentration (8.92±0.40 g VSS/L) along with significant attached biomass retention (7.88±0.22 g VSS/L). H2 was produced by both butyric and acetic acid pathways. Low HY was concurrent with lactic acid production. The bacterial population shifted from non-H2 producers, such as Lactobacillus and Sporolactobacillus spp., to Clostridium sp., when HY increased. Thus, xylose from lignocellulose is a feasible substrate for dark fermentative H2 production using DMBR.
Due to its excellent optical properties and good stability, all-inorganic halide perovskite CsPbX... more Due to its excellent optical properties and good stability, all-inorganic halide perovskite CsPbX 3 (X=I, Br, Cl) has been attracting interest for use in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). One challenge is improving the efficacy of the spatial confinement of excitons for higher luminescence efficiency. Here, we present a simple yet very effective strategy to form fine-grain-structured CsPbBr 3 polycrystalline films prepared by thermal co-evaporation. The strategy involves controlling growth kinetics by adjusting the deposition flux which, along with growth temperature, determines the nucleation rate and therefore eventual grain structure. A correlation between deposition flux and average grain size was noted except for a very large deposition flux when there were large hillocks, which we attributed to the peculiar growth behavior of PbBr 2 films. The growth conditions that produced a nano-scale grain structure and textured orientations without large hillocks also resulted in the highest luminescence efficiency as we anticipated. With the optimized CsPbBr 3 light emitters, we demonstrate a green light-emitting (at 524 nm) LED with a maximum current efficiency of 1.07 cd/A and an extremely narrow electroluminescence spectrum of 18 nm, a result that highlights the potential of vacuum-processed CsPbBr 3 films for high efficiency LEDs.
Objective: We investigated the usefulness of maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) in evaluating dysp... more Objective: We investigated the usefulness of maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) in evaluating dysphagia subsequent to ischemic stroke. Methods: This study included patients with ischemic stroke who underwent MEP testing and videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), from October 2016 to February 2020. The VFSS findings were interpreted using the penetrationaspiration scale (PAS) and functional dysphagia scale (FDS). Patients were stratified into the non-aspiration (n=59) and aspiration (n=47) groups. Partial correlation analysis among MEP, PAS, and FDS was performed after adjusting for age. Binary logistic regression using PAS was conducted to investigate the risk factors predisposing patients to inclusion in the aspiration group. Multiple linear regression using FDS was conducted to investigate the risk factors according to dysphagia severity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to investigate factors which could be useful for detecting aspiration. Results: Student's t-test revealed a significant difference in MEP between the non-aspiration and aspiration groups. MEP showed a positive correlation with PAS and FDS. MEP was also determined to be a risk factor for inclusion into the aspiration group, and a risk factor according to the severity of dysphagia. In the ROC curve analysis, MEP showed good diagnostic properties to help classify patients with aspiration. Conclusion: Our results indicate that swallowing assessment can predict and help prevent aspiration pneumonia in patients with ischemic stroke. In the present study, MEP showed significant association with aspiration and the severity of dysphagia. Thus, determining the MEP during swallowing assessment in patients with ischemic stroke is potentially a useful parameter to predict dysphagia.
Revista de la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Serie A. Matemáticas, 2020
For some subclasses of close-to-star functions the sharp upper and lower bounds of the second and... more For some subclasses of close-to-star functions the sharp upper and lower bounds of the second and third-order Hermitian Toeplitz determinants are computed.
Background Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is a conserved, multifunctional protei... more Background Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is a conserved, multifunctional protein involved in numerous cellular processes in eukaryotes. Although the functions of TCTP have been investigated sporadically in animals, invertebrates, and plants, few lineage-specific activities of this molecule, have been reported. An exception is in Arabidopsis thaliana, in which TCTP (AtTCTP1) functions in stomatal closuer by regulating microtubule stability. Further, although the development of next-generation sequencing technologies has facilitated the analysis of many eukaryotic genomes in public databases, inter-kingdom comparative analyses using available genome information are comparatively scarce. Methodology To carry out inter-kingdom comparative analysis of TCTP, TCTP genes were identified from 377 species. Then phylogenetic analysis, prediction of protein structure, molecular docking simulation and molecular dynamics analysis were performed to investigate the evolution of TCTP genes and their binding proteins. Results A total of 533 TCTP genes were identified from 377 eukaryotic species, including protozoa, fungi, invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. Phylogenetic and secondary structure analyses reveal lineage-specific evolution of TCTP, and inter-kingdom comparisons highlight the
Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2018
Background and Objectives For safe sinus surgery, it is essential to understand the anatomical st... more Background and Objectives For safe sinus surgery, it is essential to understand the anatomical structure and developmental state of the paranasal sinuses. Structural abnormalies such as aplastic and marked hypoplastic sinuses may not be amenable to sinus surgery or balloon sinuplasty. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of pneumatization of the frontal and sphenoid sinuses in Korean adults. Subjects and Method This retrospective study utilized CT images of 1190 sides from 595 Korean adults. The frontal sinus was classified into normal, hypoplasia, aplasia and unilateral hidden aplasia. The sphenoid sinus was evaluated the incidence regarding the aplasia and unilateral hidden hypoplasia. Results Bilateral frontal sinus hypoplasia was observed in 8.5% of women and 4.2% of men (p＜0.05), while unilateral frontal sinus hypoplasia was found in 3.5% of women and in 4.8% of men (p＞0.05). Bilateral frontal sinus aplasia was observed in 7.1% of women and 2.9% of men (p＜0.05), while unilateral frontal sinus aplasia were found in 7.1% of women and in 5.4% of men (p＞0.05). Unilateral hidden frontal sinus aplasia was observed in 1.7% of women and 1.5% of men (p＞0.05). There was no bilateral sphenoid sinus aplasia and only one woman had unilateral sphenoid sinus aplasia. Unilateral hidden sphenoid sinus hypoplasia was observed in 1.4% of women and 2.9% of men (p＞0.05). Conclusion Bilateral frontal sinus hypoplasia and aplasia are more common in women than in men. Although the incidences of unilateral hidden frontal sinus aplasia and hidden sphenoid sinus hypoplasia are low, sinus surgeons should carefully review CT for sinus surgery or balloon sinuplasty.
Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly potent nosocomial pathogen that is associated with increased ... more Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly potent nosocomial pathogen that is associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Here, we investigated the changes in molecular characteristics of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) isolated from the blood samples of patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in South Korea from January 2009 to July 2015. Whole genome sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) were performed for 98 CRAB clinical isolates. In silico analyses for the prediction of antimicrobial resistance and virulence factor genes were performed. Plasmid sequences, including complete forms, were reconstructed from the sequence reads. Epidemiologic data were collected from the hospital database. MLST using the Oxford scheme revealed 10 sequence types of CRAB, of which ST191 was the dominant type (n = 59). Although bla OXA-23 was shared by most analysed strains, the compositions of antimicrobial resistance determinants differed among sequence types. ST447 and ST451/ST1809 with a few resistance genes were isolated during the later years of the study period. The number of virulence genes increased, while that of ST191 did not change significantly over the investigation period. Intriguingly MLST types, compositions of antimicrobial resistance genes, and virulence genes had no association with clinical outcomes of CRAB bacteraemia. In conclusion, active changes in or accumulations of antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence genes in CRAB were not observed during the research period. Molecular characteristics of CRAB had no association with clinical outcomes of CRAB bacteraemia.
Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), belonging to the Solanaceae family, are one of the most economicall... more Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), belonging to the Solanaceae family, are one of the most economically important crops globally. Like other crops, peppers are threatened by diverse environmental conditions due to different pathogens and abiotic stresses. High-quality reference genomes with massive datasets of transcriptomes from various conditions can provide clues to preferred agronomic traits for breeding. However, few global gene expression profiling datasets have been published to examine the environmental stress-resistant mechanisms in peppers. In this study, we report the RNA-seq analyses of peppers treated with heat, cold, salinity, and osmotic stress at six different time points. RNA-seq libraries from 78 RNA samples containing three biological replicates per time point for each of the abiotic stresses and a mock control were constructed. A total of 204.68 Gb of transcriptome data were verified by differentially expressed genes and gene ontology enrichment analysis. Analyses of ...
Let Σ be the class of meromorphic functions f of the form f ( ζ ) = ζ + ∑ n = 0 ∞ a n ζ − n which... more Let Σ be the class of meromorphic functions f of the form f ( ζ ) = ζ + ∑ n = 0 ∞ a n ζ − n which are analytic in Δ : = { ζ ∈ C : | ζ | > 1 } . For n ∈ N 0 : = N ∪ { 0 } , the nth Faber polynomial Φ n ( w ) of f ∈ Σ is a monic polynomial of degree n that is generated by a function ζ f ′ ( ζ ) / ( f ( ζ ) − w ) . For given f ∈ Σ , by F n , i ( f ) , we denote the ith coefficient of Φ n ( w ) . For given 0 ≤ α < 1 and 0 < β ≤ 1 , let us consider domains H α and S β ⊂ C defined by H α = { w ∈ C : Re ( w ) > α } and S β = { w ∈ C : | arg ( w ) | < β } , which are symmetric with respect to the real axis. A function f ∈ Σ is called meromorphic starlike of order α if ζ f ′ ( ζ ) / f ( ζ ) ∈ H α for all ζ ∈ Δ . Another function f ∈ Σ is called meromorphic strongly starlike of order β if ζ f ′ ( ζ ) / f ( ζ ) ∈ S β for all ζ ∈ Δ . In this paper we investigate the sharp bounds of F n , n − i ( f ) , n ∈ N 0 , i ∈ { 2 , 3 , 4 } , for meromorphic starlike functions of order α and...
Oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa) is one of the most important cultivated cucurbits, a... more Oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa) is one of the most important cultivated cucurbits, and is grown widely in Northeast Asian countries. With increasing interest in its biological properties and economic importance, oriental melon has become an attractive model crop for studying various horticultural traits. A previous genome sequence of the melon was constructed from a homozygous double-haploid line. Thus, individual reference genomes are required to perform functional studies and further breeding applications. Here, we report draft genome sequences of two oriental melons, Chang Bougi and SW3. The assembled 344 Mb genome of Chang Bougi was obtained with scaffold N50 1.0 Mb, and 36,235 genes were annotated. The 354 Mb genome of SW3 was assembled with scaffold N50 1.6 Mb, and has 38,173 genes. These newly constructed genomes will enable studies of fruit development, disease resistance, and breeding applications in the oriental melon.
Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, for genetic engineer... more Functional analyses of genes are crucial for unveiling biological responses, for genetic engineering, and for developing new medicines. However, functional analyses have largely been restricted to model organisms, representing a major hurdle for functional studies and industrial applications. To resolve this, comparative genome analyses can be used to provide clues to gene functions as well as their evolutionary history. To this end, we present Prometheus (http://prometheus.kobic.re.kr),web-based omics portal that contains more than 17,215 sequences from prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. This portal supports interkingdom comparative analyses via a domain architecture-based gene identification system, Gene Search, and users can easily and rapidly identify single or entire gene sets in specific pathways. Bioinformatics tools for further analyses are provided in Prometheus or through BioExpress, a cloud-based bioinformatics analysis platform. Prometheus suggests a new paradigm for co...
Objective To investigate association between lesion location on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ... more Objective To investigate association between lesion location on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed after an infarction and the duration of dysphagia in middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction. Methods A videofluoroscopic swallowing study was performed for 59 patients with dysphagia who were diagnosed as cerebral infarction of the MCA territory confirmed by brain MRI. Lesions were divided into 11 regions of interest: primary somatosensory cortex, primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, parieto-occipital cortex, insular cortex, posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), thalamus, basal ganglia (caudate nucleus), and basal ganglia (putamen). Recovery time was defined as the period from the first day of L-tube feeding to the day that rice porridge with thickening agent was prescribed. Recovery time and brain lesion patterns were compared and analyzed. Results The mean recovery time of all patients was 26.71±16.39 days. The mean recovery time was 36.65±15.83 days in patients with PLIC lesions and 32.6±17.27 days in patients with caudate nucleus lesions. Only these two groups showed longer recovery time than the average recovery time for all patients. One-way analysis of variance for recovery time showed significant differences between patients with and without lesions in PLIC and caudate (p<0.001). Conclusion Injury to both PLIC and caudate nucleus is associated with longer recovery time from dysphagia.
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