• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.78-84
• /
• 2007

The anti-fibrotic effects of hot water extract of adventitious root culture of Panax ginseng (ARCP) and the possible mechanisms were investigated on $CCl_4-induced$ hepatotoxicity model mice. Fibrosis was induced by a mild treatment of $CCl_4$. Then silymarin as a positive control drug and ARCP or carrier alone as a negative control were treated. Serum GPT, GOT and ALP activity levels were lowered by 25, 21 and 11% for silymarin treated group and by 48, 39 and 14% for ARCP treated group compared to carrier treated alone. Hepatic collagen for ARCP treatment group was reduced by 18% and MDA contents decreased a little more. Pro-fibrotic gene ($TGF-{\beta}1$, TIMP-1 and ${\alpha}-SMA$) expression increased following the $CCl_4$ treatment, but both the silymarin and the ARCP treatments decreased the expressions of these genes by 20% to 50%. The antioxidant effect of ARCP was studied by DPPH free radical scavenging activity. In addition, a generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also reduced in $H_2O_2-treated$ HepG2 cells upon the ARCP treatment. In summary, ARCP has antioxidant property, and can have some protection against oxidative stress; more importantly, ARCP can efficiently protect mice against $CCl_4-induced$ fibrosis.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.23 no.8
• /
• pp.430-434
• /
• 2013

Quantum dots(QDs) with their tunable luminescence properties are uniquely suited for use as lumophores in light emitting device. We investigate the microstructural effect on the electroluminescence(EL). Here we report the use of inorganic semiconductors as robust charge transport layers, and demonstrate devices with light emission. We chose mechanically smooth and compositionally amorphous films to prevent electrical shorts. We grew semiconducting oxide films with low free-carrier concentrations to minimize quenching of the QD EL. The hole transport layer(HTL) and electron transport layer(ETL) were chosen to have carrier concentrations and energy-band offsets similar to the QDs so that electron and hole injection into the QD layer was balanced. For the ETL and the HTL, we selected a 40-nm-thick $ZnSnO_x$ with a resistivity of $10{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$, which show bright and uniform emission at a 10 V applied bias. Light emitting uniformity was improved by reducing the rpm of QD spin coating.At a QD concentration of 15.0 mg/mL, we observed bright and uniform electroluminescence at a 12 V applied bias. The significant decrease in QD luminescence can be attributed to the non-uniform QD layers. This suggests that we should control the interface between QD layers and charge transport layers to improve the electroluminescence.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.230-233
• /
• 2004

The stochiometric mix of evaporating materials for the $CuInS_2$ single crystal thin films was prepared from horizontal furnance. Using extrapolation method of X-ray diffraction patterns for the $CuInS_2$ polycrystal, it was found tetragonal structure whose lattice constant $a_0$ and $c_0$ were $5.524\;{\AA}$ and $11.142\;{\AA}$, respectively. To obtain the single crystal thin films, $CuInS_2$ mixed crystal was deposited on throughly etched semi-insulator GaAs(100) substrate by the hot wall epitaxy (HWE) system. The source and substrate temperature were 640 t and 430 t, respectively and the thickness of the single crystal thin films was $2{\mu}m$. Hall effect on this sample was measured by the method of van dot Pauw and studied on carrier density and temperature dependence of mobility. The carrier density and mobility deduced from Hall data are $9.64{\times}10^{22}/m^3,\;2.95{\times}10^{-2}\;m^2/V{\cdot}s$ at 293 K, respectively The optical energy gaps were found to be 1.53 eV at room temperature. From the photocurrent spectrum by illumination of perpendicular light on the c - axis of the thin film, we have found that the values of spin orbit coupling splitting ${\Delta}So$ and the crystal field splitting ${\Delta}Cr$ were 0.0211 eV and 0.0045 eV at 10 K, respectively. From PL peaks measured at 10K, 807.7nm (1.5350ev) mean Ex peak of the free exciton emission, also 810.3nm (1.5301eV) expresses $I_2$ peak of donor-bound exciton emission and 815.6nm (1.5201eV) emerges $I_1$ peak of acceptor-bound exciton emission. In addition, the peak observed at 862.0nm (1.4383eV) was analyzed to be PL peak due to donor-acceptor pair(DAP).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.372-385
• /
• 2014

Lignin is an abundant natural polymer in the biosphere and second only to cellulose; however, it is under-utilized and considered a waste. In this study, lignin was fabricated into nanofibers via electrospinning. The critical parameters that affected the electrospinnability and morphology of the resulting fibers were examined with the aim to utilize lignin as a resource for a new textile material. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was added as a carrier polymer to facilitate the fiber formation of lignin, and the electrospun fibers were deposited on polyester (PET) nonwoven substrate. Eleven lignin/PVA hybrid solutions with a different lignin to PVA mass ratio were prepared and then electrospun to find an optimum concentration. Lignin nano-fibers were electrospun under a variety of conditions such as various feed rates, needle gauges, electric voltage, and tip-to-collector distances in order to find an optimum spinning condition. We found that the optimum concentration for electrospinning was a 5wt% PVA precursor solution upon the addition of lignin with the mass ratio of PVA:lignin=1:5.6. The viscosity of the lignin/PVA hybrid solution was determined as an important parameter that affected the electrospinning process; in addition, the interrelation between the viscosity of hybrid solution and the electrospinnability was examined. The solution viscosity increased with lignin loading, but exhibited a shear thinning behavior beyond a certain concentration that resulted in needle clogging. A steep increase in viscosity was also noted when the electrospun system started to form fibers. Consequently, the viscosity range to produce bead-free lignin nanofibers was revealed. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed that lignin remained after being transformed into nanofibers. The results indicate the possibility of developing a new fiber material that utilizes biomass with resulting fibers that can be applied to various applications such as filtration to wound dressing.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.273-278
• /
• 1985

A carrier-supported mycelial growth of Penicillium chrysogenum was applied to penicillin fermentation system. Among various materials tested, celite was found to be most effective for both spore adsorption and bioparticle development. Hyphal growth through pore matrices of the material showed strong anchorages and provided highly stable biofilm growths. When 5-10％ celite was employed, both cell growth and penicillin production were observed to increase significantly comparing to the dispersed filamentous growth. Specific productivity of penicillin, however. was found to be kept almost constant at a value of 1,900 unit/g cell/hr. A semicontinuous fermentation in a fluidized-bed reactor. using the tarrier-supported biofilm growth, was conducted successfully although free mycelia appeared in the late phase of the fermentation made the reactor operation difficult. Control of the size of bioparticles was considered as a major operating factor to maintain the reactor productivity at a desired level.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.08a
• /
• pp.244.1-244.1
• /
• 2013

The p-type GaN which act as a hole injection layer in GaN-based LEDs has fundamental problems. The first one arises from the difficulty in growing a highly doped p-GaN (with a carrier concentration exceeding ~1018 $cm^{-3}$). And the second one is the absence of appropriate metals or conducting oxides having a work function that is larger than that of p-type GaN (7.5 eV). Moreover, the LED efficiency is decreases gradually as the injection current increases (the so-called 'efficiency droop' phenomenon). The efficiency droop phenomenon in InGaN quantum wells (QWs) has been a large obstacle that has hindered high-efficiency operation at high current density. In this study, we introduce the new approaches to improve the light-output power of LEDs by using graphene oxide sheets. Graphene oxide has many functional groups such as the oxygen epoxide, the hydroxyl, and the carboxyl groups. Due to nature of such functional groups, graphene oxide possess a lot of hole carriers. If graphene oxide combine with LED top surface, graphene oxide may supply hole carriers to p-type GaN layer which has relatively low free carrier concentration less than electron concentration in n-type GaN layer. To prove the enhancement factor of graphene oxide coated LEDs, we have investigated electrical and optical properties by using ultra-violet photo-excited spectroscopy, confocal scanning electroluminescence microscopy.

• Nano
• /
• v.13 no.11
• /
• pp.1850129.1-1850129.10
• /
• 2018

To improve the high charge carrier recombination rate and low visible light absorption of {001} facets exposed $TiO_2$ [$TiO_2(001)$] nanosheets, few-layered $MoS_2$ nanoparticles were loaded on the surfaces of $TiO_2(001)$ nanosheets by a simple photodeposition method. The photocatalytic activities towards Rhodamine B (RhB) were investigated. The results showed that the $MoS_2-TiO_2(001)$ nanocomposites exhibited much enhanced photocatalytic activities compared with the pure $TiO_2(001)$ nanosheets. At an optimal Mo/Ti molar ratio of 25%, the $MoS_2-TiO_2(001)$ nanocomposites displayed the highest photocatalytic activity, which took only 30 min to degrade 50 mL of RhB (50 mg/L). The active species in the degradation reaction were determined to be $h^+$ and $^{\bullet}OH$ according to the free radical trapping experiments. The reduced charge carrier recombination rate, enhanced visible light utilization and increased surface areas contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic performances of the 25% $MoS_2-TiO_2(001)$ nanocomposites.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.702-713
• /
• 2019

Multilevel Inverters (MLIs) are widely used in medium voltage applications due to their various advantages. In addition, there are numerous types of MLIs for such applications. However, the diode-less 3-level (3L) T-type Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) MLI is the most advantageous due to its low conduction losses and high potential efficiency. The power circuit of a 3L T-type NPC is derived by the conventional two level inverter by a slight modification. In order to explore the MLI performance for various Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) schemes, this paper examines the operation of a 3L (five level line to line) T-type NPC MLI for various types of Multi-Carriers Pulse Width Modulation (MCPWM) schemes. These PWM schemes are compared in terms of their voltage profile, total harmonic distortion (THD) and conduction losses. In addition, a 3L T-type NPC MLI is also compared with the conventional NPC in terms of number of switches, clamping diodes, main diodes and capacitors. Moreover, the capacitor-balancing problem is also investigated using the Neutral Point Fluctuation (NPF) method with all of the MCPWM schemes. A 1kW 3L T-type NPC MLI is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink and implemented experimentally and its performance is tested with a 1HP induction motor. The results indicate that the 3L T-type NPC MLI has better performance than conventional NPC MLIs.

• FOCUS: LIFE SCIENCE
• /
• no.1
• /
• pp.2.1-2.6
• /
• 2024

This article provides detailed instructions for the correct installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of capillary gas chromatography (GC) columns. It emphasizes the importance of proper installation to ensure optimal performance and longevity of the column. The document covers various aspects such as column trimming, installation, conditioning, testing, storage, and ferrule selection. The installation process involves ensuring that the heated zones of the GC are cool before placing the column cage in the column oven. It is essential to avoid sharp bends or stress on the capillary column during installation and to connect the front end of the column into the GC inlet at the recommended insertion distance. The document also provides guidance on trimming the column, including the use of a ceramic wafer or capillary column cutter to achieve a clean, burr-free cut. For previously used columns, it recommends removing any capillary caps, positioning the nut and ferrule, and trimming 1-2 cm from the column. After installation, the column should be purged with carrier gas to remove any oxygen and avoid oxidizing the column. Conditioning the column involves ramping to the upper isothermal temperature limit and maintaining this temperature for a specified duration. It is crucial to maintain carrier gas flow during conditioning and not exceed the upper temperature limit of the column to avoid phase damage. The document also discusses testing column performance using a suitable method and performing a test injection to assess performance. It provides recommendations for column storage, including flame-sealing the capillary ends or using retention gaps for long-term storage. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of routine maintenance and replacement of GC consumables to extend the column's lifetime. Ferrule selection is another important aspect covered in the article, with a variety of ferrule materials available for different applications. The characteristics of common ferrule options are presented in a table, including temperature limits, reusability, and suitability for specific detector types.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.626-635
• /
• 2005

Liposome as a carrier of topotecan (TPT), a promising anticancer drug, has been reported in attempt to improve the stability and antitumor activity of TPT. However, the biodistr ibution pattern of TPT liposome in vivo and PEG-modified liposome containing TPT have not been studied systemically. In this paper, the in vitro stability and in vivo biodistribution behavior of several liposomes containing TPT with different lipid compositions and PEG-modification were studied. Compared with the 'fluid' liposome (S-Lip) composed of soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC), the 'solid' liposome (H-Lip) composed of hydrogenated soybean phosphatidylcholine HSPC decreased the leaking efficiency of TPT from liposome and enhanced the stability of liposome in fetal bovine serum (FBS) or human blood plasma (HBP). The results of biodistribution studies in S$_{180}$ tumor-bearing mice showed that liposomal encapsulation increased the concentrations of total TPT and the ratio of lactone form in plasma. Compared with free TPT, S-Lip and H-Lip resulted in 5- and 19- fold increase in the area under the curve (AUC$_{0\rightarrow\propto}$), respectively. PEG- modified H-Lip (H-PEG) showed 3.7-fold increase in AUC$_{0\rightarrow\propto}$ compared with H-Lip, but there was no significant increase in t$_{1/2}$ and AUC$_{0\rightarrow\propto}$ for PEG-modified S-Lip (S-PEG) compared with S-Lip. Moreover, the liposomal encapsulation changed the biodistribution behavior, and H-Lip and H-PEG dramatically increased the accumulation of TPT in tumor, and the relative tumor uptake ratios were 3.4 and 4.3 compared with free drug, respectively. There was also a marked increase in the distribution of TPT in lung when the drug was encapsulated into H-Lip and H-PEG. Moreover, H-PEG decreased the accumulation of TPT in bore marrow compared with unmodified H-Lip. All these results indicated that the membrane fluidity of liposome has an important effect on in vitro stability and in vivo biodistribution pattern of liposomes containing TPT, and PEG-modified 'solid' liposome may be an efficient carrier of TPT.