• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.449-454
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• 2019

This study was designed to present the direction of Korean K-beauty by examining awareness, selection attributes, and satisfaction of the Chinese on Korean brand mask packs, which currently rank among the top 10 mask packs in China's beauty market. As a result, the perception of Korean Wave, especially entertainment / music preference, has a positive (+) effect on Korean mask pack choice attributes. Also, it was found that the influence of the Korean Wave greatly affected both satisfaction and repurchase intention. The increase of Chinese women's consumption and the appearance of the society due to the advancement of the society also affects the appearance. However, the safety and efficacy of the product has yet to be established. If the improvement of these technologies and the countermeasures of domestic cosmetics companies are provided, Korea's K-Beauty industry will be more active in the domestic and overseas markets.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.695-703
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• 2018

Previously, we have reported a plant extract isolated from Lysimachia foenum gracum Herba as a new environment friendly biopesticide that has the mycelial growth inhibition effect on Magnaporthe oryzae, the pathogenic fungus of the rice blast disease. For the finding of additional biopesticide candidate, we tested the mycelial growth inhibitory effects about 700 species of plant extracts on PDA media. Among them, the extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides showed prominent inhibitory effect of which $IC_{50}$ was $139.7{\mu}g/ml$. Mycelial radii of M. oryzae were measured on PDA medium containing the four organic solvent fractions isolated from total extract from A. asphodeloides. Ethyl acetate fraction showed the impressive inhibitory effect of $IC_{50}$, $54.12{\mu}g/ml$. In the subsequent rice field test for the total extract of A. asphodeloides, we obtained encouraging 62.0% control rate of rice blast disease without any phytotoxicity. It is almost equivalent to that of chemical pesticides implying the applicability of the extract as a new biopesticide. In further study, the analysis of active ingredients of the extract would be necessary for the development of a new biopesticide and for the verification of cellular mechanism by which the mycelial growth of M. oryzae inhibited.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.354-360
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• 2019

Ginsenosides, the major active ingredients of ginseng and other plants of the genus Panax, have been used as natural medicines in the East for a long time; in addition, their popularity in the West has increased owing to their various beneficial pharmacological effects. There is therefore a wealth of literature regarding the pharmacological effects of ginsenosides. In contrast, there are few comprehensive studies that investigate their pharmacokinetic behaviors. This is because ginseng contains the complicated mixture of herbal materials as well as thousands of constituents with complex chemical properties, and ginsenosides undergo multiple biotransformation processes after administration. This is a significant issue as pharmacokinetic studies provide crucial data regarding the efficacy and safety of compounds. Moreover, there have been many difficulties in the development of the optimal dosage regimens of ginsenosides and the evaluation of their interactions with other drugs. Therefore, this review details the pharmacokinetic properties and profiles of ginsenosides determined in various animal models administered through different routes of administration. Such information is valuable for designing specialized delivery systems and determining optimal dosing strategies for ginsenosides.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.239-246
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• 2019

In this study, an evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect of ferulic acid isolated from Tetragonia tetragonioides in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) simulated RAW 264.7 cells was made. The chemical structure of the active compound was elucidated by $^1H$-NMR, $^{13}C$-NMR, and FAB-MS, and was confirmed to be ferulic acid. Ferulic acid was purified via open column chromatography with Sephadex LH-20 and MCI gel CHP-20. To test the anti-inflammatory effect of ferulic acid, LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were treated in subsequent experiments with different concentrations of ferulic acid (5, 10, and $25{\mu}g/mL$) and the levels of inflammatory cytokines and enzymes were also measured by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell viability was above 95% at acid concentrations ranging from $5-25{\mu}g/mL$. The results showed that 30% of the production of nitric oxide and 66% of prostaglandin $E_2$ were inhibited by $25{\mu}g/mL$ of ferulic acid, it also inhibited the protein expression of both inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 by 70%. Additionally, it inhibited the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-6, and interleukin-$1{\beta}$ by 40, 75, and 77%, respectively. According to these results, the anti-inflammatory activity of ferulic acid was demonstrated via his implication in the inhibition of the expression and secretion of inflammatory substances in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Therefore, we concluded that ferulic acid can be used as a functional additive having anti-inflammatory activity.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.125-129
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• 2019

The ultimate goal of the quality control program for special periodic health examination agencies is to diagnose the health condition of a worker correctly, based on accurate examination and analysis skills, leading to protect the worker's health. The quality control program on three areas, chemical analysis for biological monitoring since 1995, and pneumoconiosis, audiometric testing since 1996, has contributed to improve the reliability of occupational health screenings by improving the issues including standardization of testing methods, tools, diagnostic opinions, and reliability of analysis for biological monitoring. It has contributed to improving the reliability of occupational health monitoring by rectifying the following issues associated with previous monitoring: absence of standardized testing methods, testing tools that are not upgraded, mismatching diagnostic opinions, and unreliable results of biological specimen analysis. Nevertheless, there are issues in need of further improvement such as lack of expertise or the use of inappropriate method for health examination, and passive and unwilling participation in the quality control. We suggested solutions to these problems for each area of quality control program. Above all, it is essential to provide active support for health examiners to develop their expertise, while encouraging all the health screening agencies, employers, and workers to develop the desire to improve the system and to maintain the relevance.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.293-303
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• 2021

Separation membranes used in water filtration, protein purification or biomedical filtration device frequently undergo membrane fouling for several reasons. The formation of biofilm on the membrane surface by bacteria causes a severe problem for durability of the membrane. For the protein separation, the membrane pores get blocked due to surface hydrophobicity of the membrane. There are several approaches controlling the membrane fouling and one of them is the incorporation of silver nanoparticles. Antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles are well known and thus widely used in several applications. In this review, we have focused on the membranes where silver nanoparticles or its derivatives are either incorporated in the active layer of thin film composite membranes or uniformly distributed throughout the whole membranes.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.132-138
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• 2021

This review investigated the types of physiologically active substances isolated and extracted from Pinus densiflora and koraiensis native to Republic of Korea, and the current status of research on their effectiveness and industrial use. They contain various bioactive substances including essential oils, polyphenols, resins, and stilbene derivatives. In recent, physiological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, cataract prevention, and neuroprotection from extracts of Pinus densiflora and koraiensis have been identified by domestic researchers. The extracts have been used in different industrial fields like food, health functional foods, cosmetics, and household goods, but the high proportion of them is industrially made from exotic species. Therefore, various studies on industrial applicability are needed due to the lack of cases in which the activity is applied to actual products, with respect to the effects that have been scientifically recognized.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.690-696
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• 2019

Geopolymer is an alumina silicate-based ceramic material that has good heat-resistance and fire-resistance; it can be cured at room temperature, and thus its manufacturing process is simple. Geopolymer can be used as a reinforcement or floor finish for high-speed curing applications. In this manuscript, we investigate a high-speed curing geopolymer achieved by adding calcium to augment the curing rate. Metakaolin is used as the main raw material, and aqueous solutions of KOH and $K_2SiO_3$ are used as the activators. As a result of optimizing the high bending strength as a target factor for geopolymers with $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ ratio of 4.1 ~ 4.8, the optimum ranges of the active agent are found to be $0.1{\leq}K_2O/SiO_2{\leq}0.4$ and $10{\leq}H_2O/K_2O{\leq}32.5$, and the optimum range of the curing accelerator is found to be $$0.82{\leq_-}Ca(OH)_2/Al_2O_3{\leq_-}2.87$$. The maximum flexural strength is found to be 1.35 MPa at $Ca(OH)_2/Al_2O_3=2.82$, $K_2O/SiO_2=0.3$, and $H_2O/K_2O=11.3$. The physical and thermal properties are analyzed to validate the applicability of these materials as industrial insulating parts or repairing finishing materials in construction.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.621-635
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• 2020

Water quality models are scientific tools that simulate and interpret the relationship between physical, chemical and biological reactions to external pollutant loads in water systems. They are actively used as a key technology in environmental water management. With recent advances in computational power, water quality modeling technology has evolved into a coupled three-dimensional modeling of hydrodynamics, water quality, and ecological inputs. However, there is uncertainty in the simulated results due to the increasing model complexity, knowledge gaps in simulating complex aquatic ecosystem, and the distrust of stakeholders due to nontransparent modeling processes. These issues have become difficult obstacles for the practical use of water quality models in the water management decision process. The objectives of this paper were to review the theoretical background, needs, and development status of water quality modeling technology. Additionally, we present the potential future directions of water quality modeling technology as a scientific tool for national environmental water management. The main development directions can be summarized as follows: quantification of parameter sensitivities and model uncertainty, acquisition and use of high frequency and high resolution data based on IoT sensor technology, conjunctive use of mechanistic models and data-driven models, and securing transparency in the water quality modeling process. These advances in the field of water quality modeling warrant joint research with modeling experts, statisticians, and ecologists, combined with active communication between policy makers and stakeholders.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.154-162
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• 2021

L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) is one of the biological active forms of folate, which is widely used as a nutraceutical. However, low yield and serious pollution associated with the chemical synthesis of 5-MTHF hampers its sustainable supply. In this study, 5-MTHF production was improved by engineering the 5-MTHF biosynthesis pathway and NADPH supply in Lactococcus lactis for developing a green and sustainable biosynthesis approach. Specifically, overexpressing the key rate-limiting enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase led to intracellular 5-MTHF accumulation, reaching 18 ㎍/l. Next, 5-MTHF synthesis was further enhanced by combinatorial overexpression of 5-MTHF synthesis pathway enzymes with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, resulting in 1.7-fold enhancement. The folate supply pathway was strengthened by expressing folE encoding GTP cyclohydrolase I, which increased 5-MTHF production 2.4-fold to 72 ㎍/l. Furthermore, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was overexpressed to improve the redox cofactor NADPH supply for 5-MTHF biosynthesis, which led to a 60% increase in intracellular NADPH and a 35% increase in 5-MTHF production (97 ㎍/l). To reduce formation of the by-product 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, overexpression of 5-formyltetrahydrofolate cyclo-ligase converted 5-formyltetrahydrofolate to 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate, which enhanced the 5-MTHF titer to 132 ㎍/l. Finally, combinatorial addition of folate precursors to the fermentation medium boosted 5-MTHF production, reaching 300 ㎍/l. To the best of our knowledge, this titer is the highest achieved by L. lactis. This study lays the foundation for further engineering of L. lactis for efficient 5-MTHF biosynthesis.