• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.95-110
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• 2013

We report various synchrotron radiation laboratory based techniques used to characterize cement based materials in nanometer scale. High resolution X-ray transmission imaging combined with a rotational axis allows for rendering of samples in three dimensions revealing volumetric details. Scanning transmission X-ray microscope combines high spatial resolution imaging with high spectral resolution of the incident beam to reveal X-ray absorption near edge structure variations in the material nanostructure. Microdiffraction scans the surface of a sample to map its high order reflection or crystallographic variations with a micron-sized incident beam. High pressure X-ray diffraction measures compressibility of pure phase materials. Unique results of studies using the above tools are discussed-a study of pores, connectivity, and morphology of a 2,000 year old concrete using nanotomography; detection of localized and varying silicate chain depolymerization in Al-substituted tobermorite, and quantification of monosulfate distribution in tricalcium aluminate hydration using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy; detection and mapping of hydration products in high volume fly ash paste using microdiffraction; and determination of mechanical properties of various AFm phases using high pressure X-ray diffraction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.993-1001
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• 2016

Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients are at increased risk of many forms of malignancies, especially of the pancreas, colon and hepatocellular cancer. Unfortunately, little is known of the possible interaction between antidiabetic drugs and anticancer agents. The present study investigates the influence of metformin (MET) and sitagliptin (SITA) on the in vitro anticancer activity of the microtubule depolymerization inhibitor agent epothilone A (EpoA). Hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) viability and apoptosis were determined by the MTT test and by double staining with PO-PRO-1 and 7-aminoactinomycin D, respectively, after treatment with EpoA, metformin or sitagliptin. The levels of nuclear factor NF-${\kappa}B$ and p53 were evaluated in the presence and absence of inhibitors. While EpoA and MET inhibited HepG2 cell proliferation, SITA did not. EpoA and SITA induced higher p53 levels than MET. All tested drugs increased the level of NF-${\kappa}B$. Only MET enhanced the proapoptotic effect of EpoA. The EpoA+MET combination evoked the highest cytotoxic effect on HepG2 cells and led to apoptosis independent of p53, decreasing the level of NF-${\kappa}B$. These findings support the link between NF-${\kappa}B$ and p53 in the modulation of apoptotic effects in HepG2 cells treated by EpoA. Our studies indicate that the combination of EpoA and MET applied in subtoxic doses has a stronger cytotoxic effect on liver cancer cells than each of the compounds alone. The therapeutic advantages of the combination of EpoA with MET may be valuable in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) and liver cancer.

• Plant Biotechnology Reports
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.45-51
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• 2011

A low acid phosphatase 3 (lap3) mutant was identified and characterized from an Arabidopsis activation-tagged (Weigel) population. The roots of the lap3 plants showed lower acid phosphatase (APase) activity compared to wild-type ones under low-Pi conditions ($10{\mu}M\;Pi$). Plasmid rescue experiments revealed that the activation-tagging vector was inserted into the intergenic region between At4g31540 and At4g31550 in the Arabidopsis genome. The genotypic segregation of the lap3 mutation was tightly linked with the phenotypic segregation of root APase activity in the prgeny of lap3. The transcript level of the At4g31520 (SDA1: SEVERE DEPOLYMERIZATION OF ACTIN 1), located 7.4 kb from the CaMV 35S enhancers in the lap3 mutant, was significantly reduced compared to that in the wild type. It was speculated that cellular actin polymerization may be involved in Pi acquisition in higher plants.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.27-32
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• 1995

To understand whether ligninolytic enzyme catalyze polymerization or depolymerization of the high molecular weight (HMW) lignin, the action of laccase and Mn-peroxidase (MnP) towards commercial ligninsulfonates (LS) was examined in various conditions of pH and cosubstrates. Polymerization occurred when LS was incubated with laccase at pH 6.0. In contrast, the high molecular weight portions were significant1y reduced at pH 4.5, especially when glucose was added. When LS was treated with MnP at pH 4.5, compounds of low molecular weight were produced. In particular, when cellobiose was added to Mn-P reaction mixture, the breakdown of LS was observed. In conclusion, degradation of LS by laccase and MnP occurred primarily at pH 4.5 where-as polymerization of LS was dominant at pH 6.0. Color index, however, was not greatly changed in the degradation mixtures of LS.

• BMB Reports
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.25-30
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• 1998

Kinetic studies of L-Alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis-catalyzed reactions in the presence of $Zn^{2+}$ were carried out. The substrate (L-alanine) saturation curve is hyperbolic in the absence of the metal ion but it becomes sigmoidal when $Zn^{2+}$ is added to the reaction mixture indicating the positive cooperative binding of the substrate in the presence of zinc ion. The cooperativity of substrate binding depends on the xinc ion concentration: the Hill coefficients ($n_H$) varied from 1.0 to 1.95 when the zinc ion concentration varied from 0 to $60\;{\mu}m$. The inhibition of AlaDH by $Zn^{2+}$ is reversible and noncompetitive with respect to $NAD^+$ ($K_i\;=\;5.28{\times}10^{-5}\;M$). $Zn^{2+}$ itself binds to AlaDH with positive cooperativity and the cooperativity is independent of substrate concentration. The Hill coefficients of substrate biding in the presence of $Zn^{2+}$ are not affected by the enzyme concentration indicating that $Zn^{2+}$ binding does not change the polymerization-depolymerization equilibria of the enzyme. Among other metal ions, $Zn^{2+}$ appears to be a specific reversible inhibitor inducing conformational change through the intersubunit interaction. These results indicate that $Zn^{2+}$ is an allosteric competitive inhibitor and substrate being a non-cooperative per se, excludes the $Zn^{2+}$ from its binding site and thus exhibits positive cooperativity. The allosteric mechanism of AlaDh from Bacillus subtilis is consistent with both MWC and Koshland's allosteric model.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.46-51
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• 2008

The traditional view of the fate of lignin under anaerobic conditions is that it is recalcitrant because molecular oxygen is required for depolymerization. The presence of lignin is apparently the most important factor affecting the biodegradability of ligneous materials. The initial step in the degradation of ligneous material to smaller intermediates is catalyzed by enzymes secreted by microorganisms and is generally regarded as the rate limiting step in the microbial mineralization of organic matter. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) test, typically used to assess anaerobic biodegradability of liquid wastes with added nutrients and bacteria, have been adapted to assess initial biodegradation of ligneous material under anaerobic conditions. A method based on selective inhibition of microorganism activity, by 3% toluene, has been used to measure using the initial degradation rate of ligneous material and the accumulation of lignin-derived compounds.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• 제8권6호
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• pp.886-892
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• 1997

There are many methods to synthesize polystyrene latex. Emulsion polymerization technique is commonly used commercially, but it requires a new technology to replace a traditional polymerization method because of the disadvantage of chemical initiator for environmental pollution. Since free radicals can be produced by ultrasound energy effect, polystyrene latex was synthesized using ultrasound energy instead of chemical initiator. As the ultrasonic irradiation time was increased, average molecular weight was increased and polydispersity was decreased. The degree of polymerization was increased with the concentration of SDS and maximum degree of polymerization was shown at 2wt.% SDS concentration and the reaction temperature of $40^{\circ}C$. During the course of polymerization, molecular weight was repeatedly fluctuated because of occurrence of depolymerization. Narrow molecular weight distribution polystyrene latex having controlled molecular weight was synthesized by controlling ultrasonic irradiation time and the concentration of SDS.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.57-64
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• 2005

월동기간 동안 zoysiagrass[Zoysia matrella(L.) Merr]와 creeping bentgrass(Agrostis palustris Hunds)의 저온 스트레스에 대한 탄수화물 대사 반응을 구명하기 위해 11월부터 이듬해 4월까지의 식물체내의 탄수화물 대사산물의 변화를 비교 분석하였다. Creeping bentgrass의 녹색도와 뿌리 성장은 온도변화와 거의 평행하게 변화하였으나 zoysiagrass는 뿌리 성장에 거의 변화가 없이 3월 말까지 담황색을 나타냈다. 11월부터 이듬해 1월까지 zoysiagrass에서 glucose와 sucrose 함량은 크게 높았고, 1월에서 4월까지 starch를 제외한 모든 탄수화물 화합물들의 감소의 정도가 현저하게 낮았다. Reeping bentgrass에서 fructan의 depolymerization이 2월 이후 단당류와 이당류의 감소와 일치했으나 zoysiagrass에서는 starch 가수분해가 11월부터 일찍이 시작되었다. 이상의 결과들은 creeping bentgrass와 비교 했을때 zoysisagrass 뿌리의 높은 비구조적 탄수화물의 농도가 저온 내성과 밀접한 관계가 있음을 잘 나타내어 주고 있다.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• 제18권5호
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• pp.1305-1309
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• 2009

This study evaluated the effects of $\gamma$-irradiation on immunomodulating properties and structural changes of ${\beta}$-glucan. ${\beta}$-Glucan solutions (10 mg/mL) were ${\gamma}$-irradiated at 10, 30, and 50 kGy. Splenocyte proliferation and cytokine (interferon-${\gamma}$ and interlukin-2) productions by ${\gamma}$-irradiated ${\beta}$-glucan were evaluated in in vivo and in vitro, and structural changes of ${\beta}$-glucan were also determined after ${\gamma}$-irradiation. ${\gamma}$-Irradiation on ${\beta}$-glucan at 50 kGy enhanced splenocyte proliferation and cytokine productions, (p<0.05) and cleft glycosidic bonds of ${\beta}$-glucan resulting in lower the molecular weight. These results indicate that the use of ${\gamma}$-irradiation on ${\beta}$-glucan may be useful for improving its immunological activity by lowering the molecular weight of ${\beta}$-glucan.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.259-264
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• 2001

To investigate the physiological responses to naturally occurring winter freezing stress in creeping bentgrass, changes in carbohydrates were monitored during winter period. Turf quality and leaf growth was nearly parallel with temperature fluctuation. The concentration of glucose, fructose and sucrose in both shoot and root gradually increased from November to January, and then sharply decreased until April. Sucrose was the largest pool of soluble sugars. Fructan also slightly accumulated in both shoot and roots from November to February. Fructan hydrolysis in both organs was found to be much active between February to April. Shoot contained largely higher carbohydrate content in all compounds examined than roots did. Fructan was found to be a main carbohydrate storage form, showing the highest concentration (176.7 and 126.7 mg g-' DW for shoot and root in February). The depolymerization of fructan from February coincided with the high declines in mono- and disaccharide. These results suggest that the accumulation of non-structural carbohydrate until January could be associated with freezing tolerance, and the active decrease from February with shoot regrowth.