• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.8
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• pp.2576-2581
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• 2021

The thermal stability and crystallization behaviors of La₂O₃ containing B₂O₃-CaO-Al₂O₃ glass waste forms were investigated to evaluate the stability of waste form during emergencies in deep geological disposal. For glasses containing 15% La₂O₃, LaBO₃ phases were observed as major crystals from 780 ℃ and exhibited needlelike structures. Al, Ca, and O were homogeneously distributed throughout the entire specimen, while some portions of B and La were concentrated in some parts. By differential thermal analysis at various heating rates, the activation energy for grain growth and the crystallization rate of LaBO₃ were calculated to be 12.6 kJ/mol and 199.5 kJ/mol, respectively. These values are comparable to other waste forms being developed for the same purpose.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.136-144
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• 1999

Crystal structures of tungsten-bronze type microwave dielectric ceramics, $BaOLa_2O_34TiO_2$ (BLT) and $BaO(Nd_{0.77}Y_{0.23})_4TiO_2$ (B(NY)T), were analysed using the Rietveld method. The most relibale refinement was obtained by refining the cation and anion positions from the x-ray and neutron diffraction data, respectively. The ambiguites inherent in the refined crystal structure by Mateeva et al. were resolved. The $BaORe_2O_34TiO_2$ structure consiste of $3\times2$ perovskite blocks and 4 pentagon-channels. The Ti-O6 octahedrons are distroted and tilted, which, consequently, induces the displacements of Ba and Re ions producing the superlattics (c$\approx$ 7.6 $\AA$). The B(NY)T showed more severely tilted Ti-O6 octahedrons. The relative dielectric constant $\varepsilon_{\gamma}$ and temperature coefficient $\tau_\varepsilon$ are 109.5 and-$180 ppm/^{\circ}C$ in BLT, 76 and $+40 ppm/^{\circ}C$ in B(NY)T, respectively. The small Re ions produced a positive $\tau_\varepsilon$. The relation between $\tau_\varepsilon$ and the octahedron tilting in complex perovskite is discussed for the tungsten bronze type structure.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5709-5714
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• 2014

Background: An association between alcohol/tobacco use and risk of metastasis in breast cancer has been clearly shown. Materials and Methods: The present study explored, in 48 samples of tissue from mammary ductal carcinoma (taken from Mexican women with an average age of $58.2{\pm}10.9$ years), the association of risk of metastasis with the status of hormonal receptors and the c-erbB2 protein (by immunohistochemistry) as well as clinical, histopathological and sociodemographic factors. Results: Of 48 patients, 41.6% (20/48) presented with metastasis, 43.8% were positive for the estrogen receptor (RE+), 31.3% for the progesterone receptor (RP+) and 47.7% for c-erbB2 (c-erbB2+). The following combinations were found: RE+/RP+/c-erbB2+ 8.3%, RE+/RP+ 22.9%, RE+/RP- 20.8%, RE-/RP+ 8.3%, RE-/RP-/c-erbB2- 22.9% and RE-/RP- 47.8%. There were 12 patients who used alcohol/tobacco, of which 91.6% did not present metastasis and 81.9% were RE-/RP-. Compared to the RE-/RP-/c-erbB2+, the RE+/RP+/c-erbB2+ group had a 15-fold greater risk for metastasis (95%CI, 0.9-228.8, p=0.05). The carriers of the double negative hormonal receptors had a 4.7 fold greater probability of being (or having been) smokers or drinkers (95%CI, 1.0-20.4, p = 0.03). Conclusions: There was a clear protective effect of using alcohol and/or tobacco, in the cases included in the present study of mammary ductal carcinoma, associated with double negative hormonal receptors. However, this association could be due to a protective factor not measured (Neyman bias) or to a bias inherent in the rate of hospitalization (Berkson fallacy). This question should be explored in a broad prospective longitudinal study.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2020

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71) in infants and children under six years of age. HFMD is characterized by fever, mouth ulcers, and vesicular rashes on the palms and feet. EV71 also causes severe neurological manifestations, such as brainstem encephalitis and aseptic meningitis. Recently, frequent outbreaks of EV71 have occurred in the Asia-Pacific region, but currently, no effective antiviral drugs have been developed to treat the disease. In this study, we investigated the antiviral effect of salvianolic acid B (SalB) on EV71. SalB is a major component of the Salvia miltiorrhiza root and has been shown to be an effective treatment for subarachnoid hemorrhages and myocardial infarctions. HeLa cells were cultured in 12-well plates and treated with SalB (100 or 10 ㎍/ml) and 10⁶ PFU/ml of EV71. SalB treatment (100 ㎍/ml) significantly decreased the cleavage of the eukaryotic eIF4G1 protein and reduced the expression of the EV71 capsid protein VP1. In addition, SalB treatment showed a dramatic decrease in viral infection, measured by immunofluorescence staining. The Akt signaling pathway, a key component of cell survival and proliferation, was significantly increased in EV71-infected HeLa cells treated with 100 ㎍/ml SalB. RT-PCR results showed that the mRNA for anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and the cell cycle regulator Cyclin-D1 were significantly increased by SalB treatment. These results indicate that SalB activates Akt/PKB signaling and inhibits apoptosis in infected HeLa cells. Taken together, these results suggest that SalB could be used to develop a new therapeutic drug for EV71-induced HFMD.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.337-346
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• 2023

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of local anesthesia (LA) on postoperative pain and hemostasis after dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia (DRGA) in pediatric patients. Methods: A total of 43 patients, aged 3-7 years and rated ASA I or II, who had a definitely negative rating on Frankel's behavior rating scale, were included in this two-arm, parallel-design, single-blinded, randomized, controlled study. The patients were allocated equally into two main groups receiving both restorative treatments and tooth extractions. Two pain scales and one bleeding scale were used. In Group A, the treatment was done with LA, and in Group B, the treatment was done without LA. Results: The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in the pain scores between the groups. It also revealed significant differences in the bleeding scores between the groups but no significant differences in the duration of bleeding. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, the use of LA in pediatric dental patients undergoing DRGA had no effects on postoperative pain reduction or bleeding duration after teeth extraction. We also observed that the use of LA had an impact on the reduction in the bleeding scores in pediatric dental patients undergoing DRGA.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.650-657
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• 2021

Metformin is an anti-diabetic drug and has anticancer effects on various cancers. Several studies have suggested that metformin reduces cell proliferation and stimulates cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, the definitive molecular mechanism of metformin in the pathophysiological signaling in endometrial tumorigenesis and metastasis is not clearly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of metformin on the cell viability and apoptosis of human cervical HeLa and endometrial HEC-1-A and KLE cancer cells. Metformin suppressed cell growth in a dose-dependent manner and dramatically evoked apoptosis in HeLa cervical cancer cells, while apoptotic cell death and growth inhibition were not observed in endometrial (HEC-1-A, KLE) cell lines. Accordingly, the p27 and p21 promoter activities were enhanced while Bcl-2 and IL-6 activities were significantly reduced by metformin treatment. Metformin diminished the phosphorylation of mTOR, p70S6K and 4E-BP1 by accelerating adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) in HeLa cancer cells, but it did not affect other cell lines. To determine why the anti-proliferative effects are observed only in HeLa cells, we examined the expression level of liver kinase B1 (LKB1) since metformin and LKB1 share the same signalling system, and we found that the LKB1 gene is not expressed only in HeLa cancer cells. Consistently, the overexpression of LKB1 in HeLa cancer cells prevented metformin-triggered apoptosis while LKB1 knockdown significantly increased apoptosis in HEC-1-A and KLE cancer cells. Taken together, these findings indicate an underlying biological/physiological molecular function specifically for metformin-triggered apoptosis dependent on the presence of the LKB1 gene in tumorigenesis.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.6
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• pp.785-796
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• 2019

Power transmission substations are susceptible to potential damage under seismic excitations. Two of the major seismic failure modes in substation supplies are: the breakage of brittle insulator, and conductor end fittings. This paper presents efficient isolation strategies for seismically strengthening of a two-item set of equipment including capacitive voltage transformer (CVT) adjacent to a Lightning Arrester (LA). Two different strategies are proposed, Case A: implementation of base isolation at the base of the CVT, while the LA is kept fixed-base, and Case B: implementation of base isolation at the base of the LA, while the CVT is kept fixed-base. Both CVT and LA are connected to each other using a cable during the dynamic excitation. The probabilistic seismic behavior is measured by Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA), and a series of appropriate damage states are proposed. Finally, the fragility curves are derived for both the systems. It is found that Friction Pendulum System (FPS) isolator has the potential of decreasing flexural stresses caused by intense ground motions. The research has shown that when the FPS is placed under LA, i.e. Case B (as oppose to Case A), the efficiency of the system is improved in terms of reducing the forces and stresses at the bottom of the porcelain. Several parametric studies are also performed to determine the optimum physical properties of the FPS.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1998

We have studied the reduction of NO by propane over perovskite-type oxides prepared by malic acid method. The catalysts were modified to enhance the activity by substitution by substitution of metal into A or B site of perovskite oxides. In addition, the reaction conditions, such as temperature, $O_2$ concentration, space velocity have been studed. In the $LaCoO_3$ type catalyst, the partial substitution of Ba, Sr into A site enhanced the catalytic activity in the reduction of NO. In the $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3(x=0 \sim 1.9)$ catalyst, the partial substitution of Fe into B site enhanced the conversion of NO, but excess amount of Fe decreased the conversion of NO. The surface area and catalytic activity of perovskite catalysts prepared by malic acid method showed higher values than those of solid reaction method. In the $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3$ catalyst, the conversion of NO increased with increasing $O_2$ concentration and contact time. The introduction of water into reactant feed decreased the catalytic activity.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.298-305
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• 2016

In this work, recent progress on graphene/metal oxide composites as advanced materials for $HgCl_2$ and $CO_2$ capture was investigated. Density Functional Theory calculations were used to understand the effects of temperature on the adsorption ability of $HgCl_2$ and water vapor on $CO_2$ adsorption on CaO (001) with reinforced carbon-based nanostructures using B3LYP functional. Understanding the mechanism by which mercury and $CO_2$ adsorb on graphene/CaO (g-CaO) is crucial to the design and fabrication of effective capture technologies. The results obtained from the optimized geometries and frequencies of the proposed cluster site structures predicted that with respect to molecular binding the system possesses unusually large $HgCl_2$ ($0.1-0.4HgCl_2g/g$ sorbent) and $CO_2$ ($0.2-0.6CO_2g/g$ sorbent) uptake capacities. The $HgCl_2$ and $CO_2$ were found to be stable on the surface as a result of the topology and a strong interaction with the g-CaO system; these results strongly suggest the potential of CaO-doped carbon materials for $HgCl_2$ and $CO_2$ capture applications, the functional gives reliable answers compared to available experimental data.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.407-414
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• 1999

We have studied the reduction of NO by CO over perovskite-type oxides prepared by malic and method. The catalysts were modified to enhance the activity by substitution of metal into A or B site of perovskite oxides. In the $LaCoO_3$ type catalyst, the partial substitution of Sr into A site enhanced the catalytic activity on the conversion of NO at less than $350^{\circ}C$. In the $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3$ catalyst, the partial substitution of Fe or Mn into B site enhanced the conversion of NO, but excess amount of Fe decreased the conversion of NO. In addition, $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{0.8}Fe_{0.2}O_3$ mixed with $SnO_2$ or $MnO_2$ showed the synergy effect on the reduction of NO. The introduction of water into reactants feed decreased the catalytic activity but the deactivation was shown to be reversible. The introduction of $SO_2$ into reactants feed also decreased the catalytic activity.