Aberrant methylation of the 16q23.1 tumor suppressor gene ADAMTS18 promotes tumorigenesis and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Ben Xu,Yi‑ji Peng,Bing‑lei Ma,Si‑da Cheng 한국유전학회 2021 Genes & Genomics Vol.43 No.2

Background The 16q23.1 tumor suppressor gene (TSG) of ADAMTS18 has been identifed to be aberrant methylated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and there still exists an unclear situation between its methylation and the progression of ccRCC. Objective To analyze the biological function and mechanism of ADAMTS18 gene in the tumorigenesis and progression of ccRCC. Methods We examined ADAMTS18 gene methylation using methylation- specifc polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in 92 ccRCC primary tumors from September 2017 to May 2018. Using reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) assay, the relative expression level of ADAMTS18 was measured in the representative tumor samples with their adjacent normal tissues. Meanwhile, colony formation, cell viability, wound healing, transwell chamber, fow cytometry, and PI staining were performed to confrm the tumor-suppressive function and mechanism of ADAMTS18 gene. Results Aberrant methylation was further detected in 47 of the 92 (51.1%) primary tumors and in 8 of the 92 (8.7%) adjacent normal tissues (p<0.05). Due to the phenomenon of aberrant methylation, ectopic low-level expression of ADAMTS18 gene could result in the promotion of tumorigenesis and progression in ccRCC. Conclusion The aberrantly methylated ADAMTS18 gene may be involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of ccRCC.

Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric obesity: recommendations from the Committee on Pediatric Obesity of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition

Yi, Dae Yong,Kim, Soon Chul,Lee, Ji Hyuk,Lee, Eun Hye,Kim, Jae Young,Kim, Yong Joo,Kang, Ki Soo,Hong, Jeana,Shim, Jung Ok,Lee, Yoon,Kang, Ben,Lee, Yeoun Joo,Kim, Mi Jin,Moon, Jin Soo,Koh, Hong,You, Je The Korean Pediatric Society 2019 Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics (CEP) Vol.62 No.1

The Committee on Pediatric Obesity of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition newly developed the first Korean Guideline on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Obesity in Children and Adolescents to deliver an evidence-based systematic approach to childhood obesity in South Korea. The following areas were systematically reviewed, especially on the basis of all available references published in South Korea and worldwide, and new guidelines were established in each area with the strength of recommendations based on the levels of evidence: (1) definition and diagnosis of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents; (2) principles of treatment of pediatric obesity; (3) behavioral interventions for children and adolescents with obesity, including diet, exercise, lifestyle, and mental health; (4) pharmacotherapy; and (5) bariatric surgery.

Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Obesity: Recommendations from the Committee on Pediatric Obesity of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition

Yi, Dae Yong,Kim, Soon Chul,Lee, Ji Hyuk,Lee, Eun Hye,Kim, Jae Young,Kim, Yong Joo,Kang, Ki Soo,Hong, Jeana,Shim, Jung Ok,Lee, Yoon,Kang, Ben,Lee, Yeoun Joo,Kim, Mi Jin,Moon, Jin Soo,Koh, Hong,You, Je The Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology 2019 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.22 No.1

The Committee on Pediatric Obesity of the Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition newly developed the first Korean Guideline on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Obesity in Children and Adolescents to deliver an evidence-based systematic approach to childhood obesity in South Korea. The following areas were systematically reviewed, especially on the basis of all available references published in South Korea and worldwide, and new guidelines were established in each area with the strength of recommendations based on the levels of evidence: 1) definition and diagnosis of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents; 2) principles of treatment of pediatric obesity; 3) behavioral interventions for children and adolescents with obesity, including diet, exercise, lifestyle, and mental health; 4) pharmacotherapy; and 5) bariatric surgery.

Behavior of hybrid CFST with FRP-confined UHPC core under axial compression

Yi Tao,Jin-Ben Gu,Jian-Fei Chen,Peng Feng 국제구조공학회 2021 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.40 No.1

A fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-confined concrete core that provides high strength and ductility under axial compression can act as strength enhancement in a hybrid column. In the present study, ordinary concrete was replaced with ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) to form an FRP-confined UHPC core (FCUC). The FCUC was embedded in square concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns to form a high-performance hybrid column (SCF-UHPC column for short). The axial compressive behavior of the SCF-UHPC was experimentally investigated using 12 SCF-UHPC columns and two ordinary CFST columns for comparison. The advantages of the SCF-UHPC include excellent axial load-bearing capacity, good ductility, and stable residual load-bearing capacity. The results show that failure of an SCF-UHPC column was caused by FRP rupture of FCUC, which occurred after steel tube buckling that results in the degraded stiffness. It was also shown that the load-displacement behavior of the SCF-UHPC composite column was determined by the UHPC core diameter and the corresponding confinement provided by the outer steel tube and inner FRP jacket. A hardening effect could be achieved when the confinement demand of the UHPC core was satisfied, whereas a plateau effect appeared if the confinement was insufficient. Furthermore, the load-bearing capacity and ductility of the SCF-UHPC columns improved with increased thickness of the steel tube and the FRP.

The compression-shear properties of small-size seismic isolation rubber bearings for bridges

Wu, Yi-feng,Wang, Hao,Sha, Ben,Zhang, Rui-jun,Li, Ai-qun Techno-Press 2018 Structural monitoring and maintenance Vol.5 No.1

Taking three types of bridge bearings with diameter being 100 mm as examples, the theoretical analysis, the experimental research as well as the numerical simulation of these bearings is conducted. Since the normal compression and shear machines cannot be applied to the small-size bearings, an improved equipment to test the properties of these bearings is proposed and fabricated. Besides, the simulation of the bearings is conducted based on the explicit finite element software ANSYS/LS-DYNA, and some parameters of the bearings are modified in the finite element model to reduce the computation cost effectively. Results show that all the research methods are capable of revealing the fundamental properties of the small-size bearings, and a combined use of these methods can better catch both the integral properties and the inner detailed mechanical behaviors of the bearings.

Weight Estimation and Secure Control for Discrete Stochastic Distribution Control Systems Under Sparse Sensor Attacks

Xiaoyun Yi,Yuwei Ren,Li Qi,Ben Niu,Yixian Fang 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2023 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.21 No.4

In this paper, we investigate the problem of weight estimation and secure control for discrete stochastic distribution control (SDC) systems under sparse sensor attacks. Firstly, a Luenberger observer is designed for the linear SDC systems to perform the weight estimation under sparse sensor attacks. Then, a generalized proportionalintegral (PI) tracking control strategy is proposed for the linear B-spline model. Furthermore, the tracking problem for output probability density functions (PDFs) is implemented, and the designed controller ensures that the closedloop system is stable. Finally, the simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

FLOW TO ASIAN MARKET: EXPLORING THE SITE SELECTION DECISION OF INCENTIVE TRAVEL FROM INDIA

Serena Yi Cheng,Kuo-Ching Wang,Ben Wu 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2018 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2018 No.07

Introduction Business event are much important to economies of many destinations all over the world (Jago, Mair, Deery, & Bergin-Seers, 2008). As the term, “business events” is referred to be the MICE industry, encompassing with Meeting, Incentive, Conference/Convention, and Exhibition. The MICE industry underpins tourist visitation for many destinations. Such destinations have transferred into making substantial investments to provide the meeting/exhibition facilities and hotel needed for business events. Announced in the 5th of MICE and Luxury Travel Conference, India will generate 6.5 million outbound incentive tourists by 2030. Especially in these years, the number of MICE outbound tourists has been more than 1.5 million and the number of Luxury travel tourists has been up to 3.6 million (India Infoline Housing Finance Limited [IIFL], 2017). Research for one of the business events that remains in minority is incentives. Incentive travel, also known as IT, is defined as one of worldwide management tools which uses special travel experiences or recognizes participants who exceed the expectation on performance (Society of Incentive Travel Executives [SITE], 2013). According to the Incentive Federation, the number of U.S. business using non-cash rewards has raised dramatically from just 26% in 1996 to 84% of all U.S. businesses in 2016 (Incentive Federation, 2017). Incentive travel is becoming a field in which not only attractions and venues matter, but also the organization of parallel training activities and conferences around an incentive activity is possible (Celuch, 2014). The United States remains a primary destination for 82% of U.S. planners choosing U.S. in 2017 (Incentive Federation, 2017). Another popular incentive destination, Australia is also viewed as one of ideal destinations for incentive travel. Tourism Australia in 2008 indicated that 34% of incentive travelers is from China, 12% is from New Zealand, and 10% is from Japan. Taiwan has received over 10 million travelers from abroad in 2016. However, tourists from India traveling to Taiwan are only 33,000 passengers. According to report in 2016, International Congress & Conference Association [ICCA] announced that Taipei City has held 83 international conference and become top 10 destinations in Asia for The Best Stop to Meet Asia. However, is Taiwan a good incentive travel destination for India? Despite a limited amount of information on expenditure and the number of incentive programs, numerous gaps remain in our understanding of this sector of business events and cross-culture marketing, including how incentive travel organizers in India select their travel destination? And how this process may differ in source markets? This exploratory study aims to examine these site selection factors in the incentive travel context and identify any similarities and differences in how incentive travel is conceptualized, planned, and organized in India. Literature review Incentive Travel The incentive market has seldom been studied in great depth as an individual segmentation. Lewis (1983) carried out a concept that incentive travel represents a sizable market segment for hotel companies in many destination areas. Sheldon (1995) highlighted that travel was regarded as a motivating reward or incentive among America’s Fortune 100 companies, and that travel incentives were mostly used by companies in the service sector. Shinew and Backman (1995) identified the “trophy value” of travel incentives, and proposed that incentive travel allows long-lasting positive engagement in staffs’ job performance. Xiang and Formica (2007) used cognitive mapping to understand how incentive travel managers view the business environment, concluding with fast-pacing of incentive travel market, and global structural changes presenting challenges to incentive planners. Budget and cost, uniqueness of the destination, and availability of suitable facilities were thought to be factors influencing the choice of destination for incentive travel (Mair, 2005); however, this has not yet been demonstrated in empirical research. Convention Site Selection According to Crouch and Ritchie (1997) “the choice of destination can make or break the convention”. The first research by Fortin and Ritchie (1977) was considered the process undertaken by meeting planners when deciding on which location to choose for annual meeting or convention. The nine factors identified by Crouch and Ritchie (1997) are accessibility, local support, extra-conference opportunities, accommodation, meeting facilities, information, site environment and other criteria. Despite knowledge of the convention site selection process, very little research has considered how different types of meetings choose their destinations. In one of the few studies to consider the site selection process of incentive planners, Del Chiappa (2012) suggests a certain degree of “destination inaccessibility” could make incentive location being more extraordinary and exclusive. Mair, Jin, and Yoo (2016) indicated that incentive travel planners across three market- China, Australia, and America, shares similar perceptions on what characterizes incentive trips but differ slightly in the planning and operational phase pertinent to varying company characteristics and requirements. However, little is known about the cultural differences in incentive programs from one nation to the next. Methodology This research is an exploratory qualitative research, using in-depth interviews with incentive travel organizers, public relations professionals, company and staff who has participated in incentive travel to Taiwan and other Asian countries. Eight in-depth interviews (between 30 and 60 minutes) were carried out in India. The data collecting method is snowball sampling and 11 interviewees were invited by incentive organizers’ recommendations, while a list of qualified tour operators/specialists authorized by national tourism bureaus and organization (e.g., Ministry of Tourism Government of India or Travel Agents Association of India Active Member) are consulted as a sample frame, shown as table 1. Further, all interviewees were senior managers in their companies. For in-depth interviews, researcher has traveled to Mumbai, New Delhi and Jamshedpur in India between 12th and 26th Jan, 2018. Interviewees were asked to give some background on their incentive business. They were also asked to give information on how their incentive programs were structured and how they cooperate both with their incentive clients and with local suppliers of their incentive trips. Finally, they were asked in open-ended questions about their views on site selection, with eight site selection factors identified by Crouch and Ritchie (1997) and the outline designed by Mair, et al (2016). Findings This study explored site selection of incentive travel from the perspective of incentive planners, company, and participants. The finding suggests that the most popular incentive travel destination for Indian is Thailand with low expense and luxury hospitality. Most important part for choosing a destination is considering about food and beverage since there are a lot of vegetarian and chef should be familiar with Indian cuisine, for instance, foods in Singapore is more likely to be accepted by Indian. Both the operators and staffs from the company indicate that Indian travelers would like to have Indian cuisine and Bollywood show during the incentive trips, instead of local and cultural performance from the destination. Conference and accommodation facilities in China is well-prepared for MICE but expense is too high. Accessibility to Taiwan or to any countries won’t be a problem for incentive travel planners; nevertheless, there is still few direct flight from India to Taiwan which will influence the budget on overseas transportation. In addition, unfamiliarity with destination image of Taiwan reduces intention of visiting. However, since a new destination will be a motivator for encouraging employees to work hard, novelty destination for incentive trip is still important. One incentive travel planners suggest that enhancing the destination image by story-telling would help attracting Indian’s interests. Perceived risk will be reduces depending on local support (DMC). Incentive planners in India illustrate although decision maker is the representatives from companies, however, planners would give several packages of different countries, depending on budgets, basing on destination information from public relations professionals. It is obvious that public relations professionals and travel agencies are critical characters for site selection in India. F&B and budget are major considerations differing from other markets- China, Australia, and America. Conclusions This article interviewed incentive operators, public relations professionals, and company purchase incentive travel, and examined how incentive travel is conceptualized, planned, and organized in India. The study suggests government and bureau relating to MICE should get well prepared for cross-cultural incentive traveler, according to Indian culture. In addition, destination imagine promotion would be another effort for planners to select a site for incentive program. Since incentive planners in India are not familiar with Taiwan, local support/ DMC could look for public relations professionals from India as a connection, and put more focus on India as a potential market. Further study should explore the site selection in different countries, and marketing strategies. A limitation of this research that should be acknowledged is the small sample size. However, the initial conclusions from this research suggest that, while the site selection factors identified in other markets provide a useful place to start, incentive travel organizers do not rely on same factors. The findings from this project will provide a basis for future research in the area of incentive, and useful information for incentive planners/organizers in Taiwan and worldwide.

Decoding the spectra of SDSS early-type galaxies: new indicators of age and recent star formation

Rogers, Ben,Ferreras, Ignacio,Lahav, Ofer,Bernardi, Mariangela,Kaviraj, Sugata,Yi, Sukyoung K. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007 MONTHLY NOTICES- ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY Vol.382 No.2

<P>ABSTRACT</P><P>We apply principal component analysis (PCA) to a sample of early-type galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in order to infer differences in their star formation histories from their unresolved stellar populations. We select a <I>z</I> < 0.1 volume-limited sample comprising ∼7000 early-type galaxies from SDSS/Data Release 4. Out of the first few principal components (PC), we study four which give information about stellar populations and velocity dispersion. We construct two parameters (η and ζ) as linear combinations of PC1 and PC2. The four components can be presented as ‘optimal filters’ to explore in detail the properties of the underlying stellar populations. By comparing various photospectroscopic observables – including near-ultraviolet (NUV) photometry from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) – we find ζ to be most sensitive to recent episodes of star formation, and η to be strongly dependent on the average age of the stellar populations. Both η and ζ also depend on metallicity. We apply these optimal filters to composite spectra assembled by Bernardi et al. The distribution of the η component of the composites appear to be indistinguishable between high- and low-density regions, whereas the distribution of ζ parameters have a significant skew towards lower values for galaxies in low-density regions. This result suggests that galaxies in lower density environments are less likely to present weak episodes of recent star formation. In contrast, a significant number of galaxies from our high-density subsample – which includes clusters (both outer regions and centres) and groups – underwent small but detectable recent star formation at high metallicity, in agreement with recent estimates targeting elliptical galaxies in Hickson Compact Groups and in the field.</P>

Effects of Black Raspberry Supplementation on Methylation Pathways in Vav-cre Asxl1fl/fl Tet2fl/fl Double Knockout Mice with Early-stage Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Athena Dong,Yi-Wen Huang,Ben Niu,Ruiling Liu,Weijie Wu,Haiyan Gao,Jianhua Yu 대한암예방학회 2023 Journal of cancer prevention Vol.28 No.4

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a subset of myeloid malignancies defined by clonality of immature hematopoietic stem cells that leads to faulty blood cell development. These syndromes can lead to an increased risk of infection and may transform into acute myeloid leukemia, making it critical to determine effective treatments for the condition. While hypomethylating agents such as azacitidine and decitabine, as well as stem cell transplants, have been delineated as favored treatments for MDS, not all patients are physiologically receptive to these treatments. However, black raspberries (BRBs) have been shown to exert hypomethylating effects in various malignancies, with minimal adverse effects and thus a broader range of potential candidacies. This study aimed to investigate the potential of BRBs to exert such effects on MDS using Addition of Sex Combs Like/Tet Methylcytosine Dioxygenase 2 (Asxl1/Tet2) double knockout mice (Vav-cre Asxl1fl/fl Tet2fl/fl), which typically manifest symptoms around 25 weeks of age, mirroring genetic mutations found in humans with MDS. Following a 12-week dietary supplementation of Vav-cre Asxl1fl/fl Tet2fl/fl mice with 5% BRBs, we observed both hyper- and hypomethylation at multiple transcription start sites and intragenic locations linked to critical pathways, including hematopoiesis. This methylation profile may have implications for delaying the onset of MDS, prompting a need for in-depth investigation. Our results emphasize the importance of exploring whether an extended BRB intervention can effectively alter MDS risk and elucidate the relationship between BRB-induced methylation changes, thus further unlocking the potential benefits of BRBs for MDS patients.

『金鰲神話』 朝鮮刊本의 發掘과 板本에 관한 考察 : ganbon and Study of its Block Book

崔溶澈,張本義 고려대학교 민족문화연구소 1999 民族文化硏究 Vol.32 No.-

이번에 발굴된 조선 목판본『전등신화』의 실물을 통해 그 동안 국내에서 간행된 사실이 없었을 것으로 보았던 학설을 바꾸지 않으면 안 되게 되었으며 또한 일본 간행본을 통해 연구할 수밖에 없어서 상처받았던 민족적 자긍심도 다시 지킬 수 있는 중요한 기반을 마련했다고 할 수 있다. 앞으로 이 판본의 정확한 간행과정과 일본에의 전파과정 및 소장자에 대한 연구를 좀더 천착한다면 한국 소설사 및 국문학의 발전에 큰 도움이 될 것으로 기대된다.