• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2020

Notable progress has been made in the therapeutic and research applications of cyclic peptides since our previous review. New drugs based on cyclic peptides are entering the market, such as plecanatide, a cyclic peptide approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2017 for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation. In this review, we discuss recent developments in stapled peptides, prepared with the use of chemical linkers, and bicyclic/tricyclic peptides with more than two rings. These have widespread applications for clinical and research purposes: imaging, diagnostics, improvement of oral absorption, enzyme inhibition, development of receptor agonist/antagonist, and the modulation of protein-protein interaction or protein-RNA interaction. Many cyclic peptides are expected to emerge as therapeutics and biochemical tools.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.194-197
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• 2020

Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder joint, also known as chemical furuncle of the shoulder, causes intense shoulder pain and usually occurs within 1-2 cm from the insertion of the rotator cuff. We experienced a rare case of calcific tendinitis in the posterosuperior labrum of the shoulder joint in a 39-year-old male patient who presented with severe pain and weakness in the right shoulder. Radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings showed calcific tendinitis in the posterosuperior labrum of the shoulder joint. A 1-week attempt at conservative treatment failed, so the calcified deposit in the posterosuperior labrum was arthroscopically removed. The patient's symptoms were completely relieved, and satisfactory clinical outcomes were achieved. Postoperative follow-up X-ray and MRI showed no recurrence of calcific tendinitis.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.877-882
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• 2022

Taste sensation is the process of converting chemical identities in food into a neural code of the brain. Taste information is initially formed in the taste buds on the tongue, travels through the afferent gustatory nerves to the sensory ganglion neurons, and finally reaches the multiple taste centers of the brain. In the taste field, optical tools to observe cellularlevel functions play a pivotal role in understanding how taste information is processed along a pathway. In this review, we introduce recent advances in the optical tools used to study the taste transduction pathways.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.119-128
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• 2022

2-Dimensional inorganic nanoparticles with high surface area and ion-exchangeable properties have been continuously growing based on nanotechnology in the field of nanomedicine. Among one of the 2-D nanoparticles, layered double hydroxide (LDH) has been intensively explored as drug delivery due to its low toxicity, enhanced cellular permeability, and high drug loading capacity. Moreover, controllable chemical composition makes possible varying isomorphic layered materials for therapy and imaging of diseases. In this review, specific structural characteristics of LDH were introduced, and its potential for application as a biocompatible therapeutic agent and diagnostic one was addressed in nuclear medicine, one of promising fields in nanomedicine.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.130-135
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• 2012

We present a method of graphene synthesis with high thickness uniformity using the thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD) technique; we demonstrate its application to a grid supporting membrane using transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation, particularly for nanomaterials that have smaller dimensions than the pitch of commercial grid mesh. Graphene was synthesized on electron-beam-evaporated Ni catalytic thin films. Methane and hydrogen gases were used as carbon feedstock and dilution gas, respectively. The effects of synthesis temperature and flow rate of feedstock on graphene structures have been investigated. The most effective condition for large area growth synthesis and high thickness uniformity was found to be $1000^{\circ}C$ and 5 sccm of methane. Among the various applications of the synthesized graphenes, their use as a supporting membrane of a TEM grid has been demonstrated; such a grid is useful for high resolution TEM imaging of nanoscale materials because it preserves the same focal plane over the whole grid mesh. After the graphene synthesis, we were able successfully to transfer the graphenes from the Ni substrates to the TEM grid without a polymeric mediator, so that we were able to preserve the clean surface of the as-synthesized graphene. Then, a drop of carbon nanotube (CNT) suspension was deposited onto the graphene-covered TEM grid. Finally, we performed high resolution TEM observation and obtained clear image of the carbon nanotubes, which were deposited on the graphene supporting membrane.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.165-177
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• 2018

Particulate matter (PM) measurements are important in air quality, public health, epidemiological studies and decision making for short and long-term policies implementation. However, only few cities in the word have advance air quality-monitoring networks able to provide reliable information of PM leaves in the ambient air, trends and extent of the pollution. In Colombia, only major cities measure PM concentrations. Available measurements from Bogota, Medellin and Bucaramanga show that PM concentration are well above World Health Organization guidelines, but up to now levels and trends of PM in other cities and regions of the country are not well known. Satellite measurements serve as an alternative approach to study air quality in regions were surface measurements are not available. The aim of this study is to perform a spatial and temporal assessment of PM in the ambient air of Colombia. We used Aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite of NASA and surface measurements from the air quality networks of Bogota, Medellin and Bucaramanga. In a first step, we estimated the correlation between MODIS-AOD and monthly average surface measurements (2000 to 2015) from these three cities, obtaining correlation coefficient R values over 0.4 for the cities under study. After, we used AOD and $PM_{10}$ measurements to study the temporal evolution of PM in different cities and regions. Finally, we used AOD measurements to identify cities and regions with the highest AOD levels in Colombia. All the methods presented in this paper may serve as an example for other countries or regions to identify and prioritize locations that require the implementation of more accurate air quality measurements.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.49.2-49.2
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• 2017

Star forming dwarf galaxies in various environments are attractive objects for investigating the environmental effects on chemical evolution of dwarf galaxies. Using SDSS DR7 spectroscopic data and GALEX ultraviolet (UV) imaging data, we study the chemical properties of star forming dwarf galaxies in various environments of the Virgo cluster, Ursa Major group, and field. We derived gas-phase abundance, galaxy mass, and UV specific star formation rate (sSFR) of subsample, early-type (ETD) and late-type star forming dwarf (LTD) galaxies, which are divided by visually classified galaxy morphology. We found no O/H enhancement of LTDs in cluster and group environments compared to the field, implying no environmental dependence of the mass-metallicity relation for LTDs. LTDs in the Virgo cluster and Ursa Major group have similar sSFR at a given galaxy mass, but they exhibit systematically lower sSFR than those in isolated field environment. We suggest that LTDs in the Virgo cluster are an infalling population that was recently accreted from the outside of the cluster. We found that ETDs in the Virgo cluster and Ursa Major group exhibit enhanced O/H compared to those in the field. However, no distinct difference of N/O of galaxies between different environments. The chemically evolved ETDs in the Virgo cluster and Ursa Major group also show similar mass-sSFR relation, but systematically lower sSFR at a fixed galaxy mass compared to the field counterparts. We suggest that ETDs in the Virgo cluster and Ursa Major group have evolved under the similar local environments. We also discuss the evolutionary path of ETDs and LTDs with respect to the environmental effects of ram pressure stripping and galaxy interaction/merging.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.204-208
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• 2002

A linear rod-like molecule, bis[4-(1,3-octadynyl)phenyl] terephthalate (2), consisting of two diacetylenic groups, was prepared. The unsymmetric diacetylene was prepared by the Cadiot-Chodkiewicz coupling reaction of 1-bromohexyne with 4-ethynylphenol and linked to a benzene core by an esterification reaction with terephthaloyl chloride in tetrahydrofuran. The thin film (200 nm thickness) of compound 2 was fabricated by the physical vapor deposition on a glass plate with a thermal evaporator. In the X-ray diffraction (XRD) study, the vapor deposited film on the glass plate showed peaks with d spacings of 19.4, 5.7, and 4.5 $\AA$. This XRD pattern was quite different from that observed for compound 2 isolated by recrystallization from methylene chloride/hexane. The vapor deposited film was polymerized by UV irradiation. Photopolymerization was carried out through a photomask, resulting in a patterned image, where the irradiated part became isotropic.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.285-285
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• 2013

Recently, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which is III-V compound of boron and nitride by strong covalent sp2 bonds has gained great interests as a 2 dimensional insulating material since it has honeycomb structure with like graphene with very small lattice mismatch (1.7%). Unlike graphene that is semi-metallic, h-BN has large band gap up to 6 eV while providing outstanding properties such as high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and good chemical stability. Because of these excellent properties, hBN can potentially be used for variety of applications such as dielectric layer, deep UV optoelectronic device, and protective transparent substrate. Low pressure and atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD and APCVD) methods have been investigated to synthesize h-BN by using ammonia borane as a precursor. Ammonia borane decomposes to polyiminoborane (BHNH), hydrogen, and borazine. The produced borazine gas is a key material that is a used for the synthesis of h-BN, therefore controlling the condition of decomposed products from ammonia borane is very important. In this paper, we optimize the decomposition of ammonia borane by investigating temperature, amount of precursor, and other parameters to fabricate high quality monolayer h-BN. Synthesized h-BN is characterized by Raman spectroscopy and its absorbance is measured with UV spectrophotometer. Topological variations of the samples are analyzed by atomic force microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy and Scanning transmission Electron microscopy are used for imaging and analysis of structures and surface morphologies.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.366-372
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• 2021

Cadherin-Catenin complex is thought to play an essential role in the transmission of force at adherens junction. Due to the lack of proper tools to visualize and detect mechanical force signals, the underlying mechanism by which the cadherin-catenin complex regulates force transmission at intercellular junctions remains elusive. In this study, we visualize cadherin-mediated force transmission using an engineered α-Catenin sensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Our results reveal that α-catenin is a key force transducer in cadherin-mediated mechanotransduction at cell-cell junctions. Thus, our finding will provide important insights for studying the effects of chemical and physical signals on cell-cell communication and the relationship between physiological and pathological phenomena.