• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.739-746
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• 2005

When we design a binary phase holographic optical low-pass filter (HOLF), the phase difference is generally set to be $\pi$ to optimize the diffraction efficiency. However, the phase difference of real HOLF mostly deviate from $\pi$ by the error in the fabrication process. The deviation causes the (0,0)-th order diffracted beam to increase, which results In raising the diffraction efficiency. To study the effects of the phase error on the performance of HOLF, we calculated the MTF of HOLF for various phase differences. The results show that the phase error of 10 $\%$ makes little change in the filtering characteristics of HOLF. Considering the filtering by lens and CCD, the effects of the phase error becomes much smaller. To confirm it experimentally, we fabricated HOLFs for various phase differences. After installing it in a digital camera, we take picture of test targets and observe the Moire fringes and the resolution. The results agree with our prediction.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.87-91
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• 1997

서로 다른 씨클로펜타디엔 유도체가 ${\pi}$-결합된 최초의 비스무스 화합물인 ${\eta}^5-C_5(CH_3)_5Bi({\eta}^5-C_5H_5)_2$이 디펜타메틸씨클로펜타디에닐 비스무스디메틸아미드 $Cp{\ast}_2BiNMe_2[Cp{\ast}=C_5(CH_3)_5]$와 씨클로펜타디에닐 모노머와의 반응으로 합성되었다. 반응조건은 에테르 용매하에 -78$^{\circ}C$ 반응온도 조건하에서 얻어졌다. 합성된 반응물을 노르말 헥산 용매에서 재결정시킨 결과, 검은색 결정이 60% 수율로 얻어졌다. 그리고 재결정시킨 반응물을 190K에서 X-선 단결정 구조 분석 방법에 의해 그 구조를 밝혔다. 그 결과 결정계의 격자계는 I2/a, a=1756.00 picometer, b=906.00 picometer, c=2211.00 picometer, ${\beta}$=104.04, Z=8로 확인되었다. 여기서 a, b, c는 결정�Ю� 상수이고, ${\beta}$는 결정격자 상수인 b와 c간의 각도이며, Z는 단위 결정 격자당 분자의 갯수이다.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.370-379
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• 2008

Akt, a serine/threonine protein kinase as a viral oncogene, is a critical regulator of PI3K-mediated cell proliferation and survival. On translocation, Akt is phosphorylated and activated, ultimately resulting in stimulation of cell growth and survival. As a part of our program toward the novel Akt1 inhibitors with potent activity over PI3K signaling pathway, we found primary hit compound 2 with an $IC_{50}$ value of $620\mu}M$ from protein kinase focused library. Based on the structural features of 2, new 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives were designed by the introduction of aromatic and heteroaromatic moieties onto thiadiazole nucleus. In this work, a series of 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives 1a-1 were synthesized and evaluated for Akt1 inhibitory activity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1202-1206
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• 2000

Transmission of substituent effects through 5-membered heteroaromatic rings is investigated theoretically at the RHF/6-31+G and B3LYP/6-31+G levels using the equilibria for the $OH^- addition to five-membered heteroaromatic aldehydes (5MHA). The transmission efficiency (S) in 5MHA(A) increases in the order NH>O>S>PH but the order exactly reverses in 5MHA($T^-$). This is originated by the delocalizability of the ${\pi}$ lonepair on Y, $$n_\pi$(Y)$. A better correlation is obtained with ${\sigma}_p^-$ in the Hammett plots with positive slope, $p_z$ > 0, indicating that the substituent (Z) effects are not transmitted by a direct conjugation. The magnitude of $p_z$ for Y=NH is the largest among the heteroaromatic systems, which is consistent with the largest transmission efficiency change $({\Delta}S)$. The equilibria for the addition processes are favorable in the gas phase $({\Delta}G^o<0)$, which reverses to unfavorable in aqueous solution $({\Delta}G^o>0)$ due to the relatively large salvation energy of $OH^-$ in the initial state in aqueous solution. The orders of ${\Delta}G^o$ and $p_z$ in the gas phase are almost maintained in solution.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2021

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is likely to metastasize to other organs, and is often resistant to conventional chemotherapies. Thymoquinone (TQ), a phytochemical derived from the seeds of Nigella sativa, has been shown to inhibit migration and metastasis in various cancers. In this study, we assessed the effect of TQ on the migratory activity of human RCC Caki-1 cells. We found that treatment with TQ reduced the proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in Caki-1 cells. TQ significantly repressed prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, its EP2 receptor expression as well as the activation of Akt and p38, the wellknown upstream signal proteins of MMP-9. In addition, treatment with butaprost, a PGE2 agonist, also induced MMP-9 activity and migration/invasion in Caki-1 cells. Moreover, pharmacological inhibitors of PI3K/Akt and p38 remarkably attenuated butaprost-induced Caki-1 cell migration and invasion, implying that activation of PI3K/Akt and p38 is a bridge between the PGE2-EP2 axis and MMP-9-dependent migration and invasion. Taken together, these data suggest that TQ is a promising anti-metastatic drug to treat advanced and metastatic RCC.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.107-127
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• 2018

Objectives : The present study investigated the anti-obese and blood flow improvement activities of aqueous extracts of ginseng berry (GBe) on the mild diabetic obese mice as compared with metformin. Methods : After end of 56 days of continuous oral administrations of GBe 150, 100 and 50 mg/kg, or metformin 250 mg/kg, anti-obese and blood flow improvement effects - the changes of body weights, body and abdominal fat density by in live dual-energy x-ray absorptionmetry (DEXA), tail bleeding time, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, aorta and serum cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET)-1 levels, aorta phosphorylated PI3K (pPI3K), phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) and phosphorylated p38 MAPK (pp38 MAPK) levels were systemically analyzed. In addition, aorta vascular dilation and constriction related gene mRNA expressions - PI3K, Akt, eNOS, p38 MAPK and ET-1 were also analyzed by realtime RT-PCR. Results : The obesity and related blood flow impairment, induced by 84 days of continuous HFD supply, were significantly inhibited by 56 days of continuous oral treatment of GBe 150, 100 and 50mg/kg, dose-dependently, and they also dramatically normalized the changes of the aorta vascular dilation and constriction related gene mRNA expressions, also dose-dependently. Especially, GBe 150 mg/kg constantly showed favorable inhibitory activities against type II diabetes related obesity and vascular disorders through PI3K/Akt pathway and p38 MAPK mediated cGMP, NO and ET-1 expression modulatory activities, as comparable to those of metformin 250 mg/kg in HFD mice. Conclusion : By assessing the key parameters for anti-obese and blood flow improvement activities on the HFD-induced mild diabetic obese mice, the present work demonstrated that GBe 150, 100 and 50 mg/kg showed favorable anti-obese and blood flow improvement effects in HFD-induced type II diabetic mice, through PI3K/Akt pathway and p38 MAPK mediated cGMP, NO and ET-1 expression modulatory activities.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2010

The serine/threonine kinase Akt has been shown to play a role of multiple cellular signaling pathways and act as a transducer of many functions initiated by growth factor receptors that activate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). It has been reported that phosphorylated Akt activates eNDS resulting in the production of NO and that NO stimulates soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), which results in accumulation of cGMP and subsequent activation of the protein kinase G (PKG). It has been also reported that PKG activates PI3K/Akt signaling. Therefore, it is possible that PI3K, Akt, eNOS, sGC, and PKG form a loop to exert enhanced and sustained activation of Akt. However, the existence of this loop in eNOS-expressing cells, such as endothelial cells or astrocytes, has not been reported. Thus, we examined a possibility that Akt phosphorylation might be enhanced via eNOS/sGC/PKG/PI3K pathway in astrocytes in vivo and in vitro. Phosphorylation of Akt was detected in astrocytes after KA treatment and was maintained up to 72 h in mouse hippocampus. 2 weeks after KA treatment, astrocytic Akt phosphorylation was normalized to control. The inhibition of eNOS, sGC, and PKG significantly decreased Akt and eNDS phosphorylation induced by KA in astrocytes. In contrast, the decreased phosphorylation of Akt and eNDS by eNDS inhibition was significantly reversed with PKG activation. The above findings in mouse hippocampus were also observed in primary astrocytes. These data suggest that Akt/eNOS/sGC/PKG/PI3K pathway may constitute a loop, resulting in enhanced and sustained Akt activation in astrocytes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.20
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• pp.8651-8656
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• 2014

Purpose: To study the expression of angiogenin-2 (Ang-2) and its receptor Tie-2 in colorectal cancer and discuss the possible mechanisms behind this process. Materials and Methods: Using the streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical method, paraffin sections from 100 colorectal cancer samples and 10 samples from tumor-adjacent normal tissue (> 2 cm from the edge of the gross tumor) were tested for protein expression of Ang-2, Tie-2, PI3K, and AKT. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blots were further used to measure expression of the 4 genes and proteins in 20 freshly-resected colorectal cancer samples and tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Results: In colorectal cancer tissues, the expression of the Ang-2, Tie-2, PI3K, and AKT genes and their proteins was significantly higher than in tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Protein expression in poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma was higher than that in well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. According to Duke's classification, the protein expression in Stages C and D was significantly higher than that in Stages A and B. In the group with lymphatic metastasis, the protein expression was higher than that without lymphatic metastasis. Conclusions: In colorectal cancer, the expression of the Ang-2, Tie-2, PI3K, and AKT genes and their proteins is markedly higher than those in tumor-adjacent normal tissues. No correlation was observed between protein expression and gender, location, or histologic type. Correlations did exist between protein expression and differentiation level, stage of Duke's classification, and lymphatic metastasis; in colorectal cancer tissues with lower differentiation levels, higher stages of Duke's classification, and lymphatic metastasis, the expression of all 4 proteins was higher. The study of their expression patterns and relationships with aggression and metastasis will provide a valuable experimental foundation for assessing prognosis and targeted therapy of colorectal cancer.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.354-360
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• 2020

The hair cycle (anagen, catagen, and telogen) is regulated by the interaction between mesenchymal cells and epithelial cells in the hair follicles. The proliferation of dermal papilla cells (DPCs), mesenchymal-derived fibroblasts, has emerged as a target for the regulation of the hair cycle. Here, we show that vanillic acid, a phenolic acid from wheat bran, promotes the proliferation of DPCs via a PI3K/Akt/Wnt/β-catenin dependent mechanism. Vanillic acid promoted the proliferation of DPCs, accompanied by increased levels of cell-cycle proteins cyclin D1, CDK6, and Cdc2 p34. Vanillic acid also increased the levels of phospho(ser473)-Akt, phospho(ser780)-pRB, and phospho(thr37/46)-4EBP1 in a time-dependent manner. Wortmannin, an inhibitor of the PI3K/Akt pathway, attenuated the vanillic acid-mediated proliferation of DPCs. Vanillic acid-induced progression of the cell-cycle was also suppressed by wortmannin. Moreover, vanillic acid increased the levels of Wnt/β-catenin proteins, such as phospho(ser9)-glycogen synthase kinase-3β, phospho(ser552)-β-catenin, and phospho(ser675)-β-catenin. We found that vanillic acid increased the levels of cyclin D1 and Cox-2, which are target genes of β-catenin, and these changes were inhibited by wortmannin. To investigate whether vanillic acid affects the downregulation of β-catenin by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), implicated in the development of androgenetic alopecia, DPCs were stimulated with DHT in the presence and absence of vanillic acid for 24 h. Western blotting and confocal microscopy analyses showed that the decreased level of β-catenin after the incubation with DHT was reversed by vanillic acid. These results suggest that vanillic acid could stimulate anagen and alleviate hair loss by activating the PI3K/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in DPCs.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 1986

Fifty-one strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from various clinical specimens. Among them, 26 (51%) strains were gentamicin-resistant (Gm') and 25 (49%) were susceptible to gentamicin (Gm'). The frequencies of resistant strains to piperacillin (Pi), cefotaxime, moxalactam, cefoperazone (Cz), and amikacin (Ak) ranged from 21.6 to 31.4%, and $MIC_{50}$ of these drugs were lower than the critical concentrations of susceptibility and resistance. Thirty (58.8%) strains were multiply resistant to 12 or more drugs. All Gm' strains were multiply resistant to 12 or more drugs and one was resistant to all 18 drugs tested, while only four Gm' strains were multiply resistant to 12 drugs and the multiplicity of resistance of the other Gm' strains were less than 10 drugs. Resistance to Gm appeared to have a significant correlation with the resistance to tobramycin (Tb), Ak, Pi, and Cz. All Gm' strains were resistant to Tb and about 38.4 to 46.1% of them were resistant to Ak, Pi, and Cz. The incorporation of $Ca^{++}$ and $Mg^{++}$ ions in Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA) did not influence the MICs of Gm, Tb, carbenicillin (Cb), Pi, and Cz as compared with the results obtained in MHA without these ions. Gm strains were studied on the combined effect of beta-lactam antibiotics and aminoglycosides by the methods of checkerboard and modified paper strip diffusion. Most Gm' strains showed significant synergistic effects by the FIC index between Ak and three beta-lactam antibiotics; Cb, Pi, and Cz, but these results did not in agreement the results obtained through the method of modified paper strip diffusion test. In order to know the nature of the drug resistance of P. aernginosa, the plasmid profile analysis was studied. Agarose gel electrophoresis of lysates processed by the method of Kado and Liu showed one or more plasmids in 22 (43.1%) strains. A group of 19 strains showed at least one band of plasmid and three strains two bands. The range of the molecular weight of plasmids was 3.8 to 243 Mdal. All strains carrying large plasmids larger than 200 Mdal were isolated from wound specimens. Three Gm' strains also harboured the plasm ids of 13 to 203 Mdal.