• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.409-413
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• 2004

We have studied quality changes of fully ripe fruit of Korean native pumpkin 'Yangsan' regarding the following parameters: pH, sugar content, weight, water content, contents of crude protein and amino acids during 60 days storage at room temperature. As the results, there was no changes in sugar contents according to the storage period, but pH was changing to a little acidic direction with slight decrease in weight and water content. Contents of total crude proteins and comprising amino acids were increased during the storage period. The main contents of amino acids of the Korean native pumpkin, Yangsan, were glutamic acid (15.5%), aspartic acid (10.1%), lysine (8.7%), valine (7.5%), leucine (7.1%) and alanine (6.6%), which were not highly influenced during storage period. Additionally we have investigated the content of free amino acids and color changes during processing of Yangsan under high temperature at $121^{\circ}C$ and high pressure at $1\;kg/cm^2$. In fully ripe fruits, a total of 29 kinds of free amino acids were detected including 8 kinds of essential amino acids (histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, methionine, threonine and valine). More than 35% of total free amino acids were aspartic acid (20.3%) and asparagine (15.4%); ornithine, citrullin, and arginine, which are related to Ornithine cycle, were also detected in fully ripe fruits. But when treated with high temperature and high pressure, glutamic acid and arginine were decreased rapidly whereas ammnonium chloride was relatively increased. Moreover "b" value as yellow color indicator was decreased from 17.45 to 9.14 while treated for 60 minutes with high temperature and pressure, caused by the degradation of ${\beta}-carotene$ and other yellowish pigments in Yangsan.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.335-339
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• 2008

Biodiesel is an alternative and renewable energy source, which is hoped to reduce global dependence on petroleum and environmental problem. Biodiesel produced from a variety of oil sources such as vegetable oil, animal fat and waste oils, and has properties similar to those associated with petro-diesel, including cetane number, volumetric heating value, flash point, viscosity and so on. In this study, we investigate the effect of quality of raw materials on alkali-catalyzed transesterification for producing of biodiesel. The increase of content of free fatty acid and water in oil were caused the sharp decrease of conversion yield. Also, the low purity of methanol in reactant was inhibited the reaction rate. In the case of addition of sodium sulfate as absorbent to prepare catalyst solution, the content of fatty acid methyl ester in product was increased more about 1.6% than that of control. However, the addition of zeolite, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate as absorbent in reactant to remove water generated from reaction did not show any enhancement in the reaction yield. This result may provide useful information with regard to the choice and preparation of raw materials for more economic and efficient biodiesel production.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.178-188
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro potential of water extract from torrefied oak wood as a natural antioxidant. The antioxidant potential of the extracts was assessed by employing different in vitro assays, including reducing power, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)], and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant potential) assays. The DPPH activity of the extract was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Measurement of total flavonoid content of water extract from torrefied oak wood was achieved using an aluminum chloride colorimetric assay; the extract contained 192.12 mg/g flavonoid, which was significantly high when compared with standard quercetin. The results obtained in this study indicate that water extract from torrefied oak wood has significant potential for use as a natural antioxidant agent.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.461-471
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• 1996

This study was performed to investigate the effect of dietary protein and cysteine levels on cadmium toxicity in rats. Seventy-two male rats of Sprague-Dawley strain weighting 171$\pm$3g were blocked into 12 groups according to body weight, and were raised for 30 days. cadmium chloride was given at levels of 0 or 400ppm, protein at levels of 7, 15 and 40%, and cysteine was added(total dietary cysteine contents : 0.45%) to diet or not. The results are summarized as follow. Food intake, weight gain, food were lower than those of cadmium free group. But, these were increased with increasing dietary protein level and cysteine addition. Fecal cadmium excretion was remarkably increased in high protein (40%) groups. Thus, cadmium retention rates were decreased in high protein groups. Metallothionein concentrations in liver and kidney were increased in cysteine addition, and cadmium administration. Especially, these were remarkably increased in cadmium and cysteine added groups. Urinary calcium excretion was increased with cadmium administration, but urinary protein excretion and creatinine clearance were not changed in these animal. In conclusion, food intake, weight gain and organ weights were decreased with administration. Cadmium toxicity was alleviated by increasing fecal cadmium excretion, while cysteine addition increased metallothionein concentrations in liver and kidney. From these results, it was shown that cadmium toxicity was alliviated by synergistic effect of high protein level and cysteine addition.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.217-222
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• 2011

Itraconazole is a triazole antifungal agent to inhibit most fungal pathogens. To improve the oral absorption and dissolution of poorly water-soluble itraconazole, microsponge system composed of $Eudragit^{(R)}$ E100 and polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) formulated by quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method, and its physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetic parameters of itraconazole were studied. The microsponge of itraconazole were discrete free flowing micro sized particles with perforated orange peel like morphology as visualized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results showed that the drug loading efficiency, production yield, and particle size of itraconazole microsponge were affected by drug to polymer ratio, the volume of internal phase containing methylene chloride, stirring rate and the concentration of PVA used. Also, the results showed that the dissolution rate of itraconazole from the microsponges was affected by drug to polymer ratio. In other words, the release rate of itraconazole from microsponges was increased from at least 27.43% to 64.72% after 2 h. The kinetics of dissolution mechanism showed that the dissolution data followed Korsmeyer-Peppas model. Therefore, these results suggest that microsponge system can be useful for the oral delivery of itraconazole by manipulating the release profile.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.112-117
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• 2013

We studied the modulation of pacemaker activities by Samchulkunbi-tang (SCKB) in cultured interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) from murine small intestine with the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Externally applied SCKB produced membrane depolarization in the current-clamp mode. The pretreatment with $Ca^{2+}$-free solution and thapsigargin, a $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase inhibitor in endoplasmic reticulum, abolished the generation of pacemaker potentials and suppressed the SCKB-induced action. The application of flufenamic acid (a nonselective cation channel blocker) abolished the generation of pacemaker potentials by SCKB. However, the application of niflumic acid (a chloride channel blocker) did not inhibit the generation of pacemaker potentials by SCKB. In addition, the membrane depolarizations were inhibited by not only GDP-${\beta}$-S, which permanently binds G-binding proteins, but also U-73122, an active phospholipase C inhibitor. These results suggest that SCKB modulates the pacemaker activities by nonselective cation channels and external $Ca^{2+}$ influx and internal $Ca^{2+}$ release via G-protein and phospholipase C-dependent mechanism. Therefore, the ICC are targets for SCKB and their interaction can affect intestinal motility.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.17 no.5 s.89
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• pp.857-868
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• 2005

This paper deals with the accumulated damage in concrete structures due to the cyclic freeze-thaw as an environmental load. The cyclic ice body nucleation and growth processes in porous systems are affected by the thermo-physical and mass transport properties, and gradients of temperature and chemical potentials. Furthermore, the diffusivity of deicing chemicals shows significantly higher value under cyclic freeze-thaw conditions. Consequently, the disintegration of concrete structures is aggravated at marine environments, higher altitudes, and northern areas. However, the properties of cyclic freeze-thaw with crack growth and diffusion of chloride ion effects are hard to be identified in tests, and there has been no analytic model for the combined degradations. The main objective is to determine the driving force and evaluate the reduced strength and stiffness by freeze-thaw. For the development of computational model of those coupled deterioration, micro-pore structure characterization, pore pressure based on the thermodynamic equilibrium, time and temperature dependent super-cooling with or without deicing salts, nonlinear-fracture constitutive relation for the evaluation of internal damage, and the effect of entrained air pores (EA) has been modeled numerically. As a result, the amount of ice volume with temperature dependent surface tensions, freezing pressure and resulting deformations, and cycle and temperature dependent pore volume has been calculated and compared with available test results. The developed computational program can be combined with DuCOM, which can calculate the early aged strength, heat of hydration, micro-pore volume, shrinkage, transportation of free water in concrete. Therefore, the developed model can be applied to evaluate those various practical degradation cases as well.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.809-817
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of vasodilation of Lespedezea cuneata(LC) in rabbit common carotid artery and cavernosal smooth muscle. LC relaxed arterial strips precontracted with norepinephrine and cavernosal strips precontracted with phenylephrine. The arterial relaxation effects of LC was endothelium-dependent. $N{\omega}$-nitro-L-arginine(L-NNA), NOS inhibitor, methylene blue(MB), cGMP inhibitor, indomethacin(IM), cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor and tetraethylammonium chloride(TEA), KCa-channel blocker attenuate the relaxation responses of LC in arterial strips. In $Ca^{2+}$-free krebs-ringer solution, pretreatment of LC extract significantly reduced the contraction induced by addition $Ca^{2+}$. L-NNA reduced LC extract-induced relaxation in cavernosal strips, but IM, TEA and MB didn't affect LC extract-induced relaxation. When LC extract was applicated on human umbilical vein endothelial cell, the nitric oxide concentration was increased. We conclude that in rabbit common carotid artery, LC may suppress influx of extra-cellular $Ca^{2+}$ through the release of endothelium derived relaxing factor including nitric oxide, prostacyclin, endothelium derived hyperpolarizing factor. And LC exerts a relaxing effect on corpus cavernosum through activating the NO.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.322-327
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• 2004

Ultrafine titanium carbide particles were synthesized by the reaction of liquid-magnesium and vaporized TiCl$_{4}$+C$_{x}$Cl$_{4}$(x = 1 and 2) solution. Fine titanium carbide particles with about 50 nm were successfully produced by combining Ti and C atoms released by chloride reduction of magnesium, and vacuum was then used to remove the residual phases of MgCl$_{2}$ and excess Mg. Small amounts of impurities such as O, Fe, Mg and Cl were detected in the product, but such problem can be solved by more precise process control. The lattice parameter of the product was 0.43267 nm, near the standard value. With respect to the reaction kinetics, the activation energy for the reactions of TiCl$_{4}$+C$_{2}$Cl$_{4}$and Mg was found to 69 kJ/mole, which was about half value against the use of TiCl$_{4}$+CCl$_{4}$, and such higher reactivity of the former contributed to increase the stoichiometry until the level of TiC$_{0.96}$ and decrease the free carbon content below 0.3 wt.%.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.770-780
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• 1997

This study was performed to investigate the effect of chitosan and NOCC from different sources and of different molecular weights on lipid metabolism. Sprague-Dawley rats were blocked into 26 groups according to body weight, and were raised for 4 weeks. Cadmium chloride was given at the level of 0 or 400 ppm in diet. Various chitosan and NOCC sources were given at the level of 0%(w/w) of diet. Total serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride concentrations were little affected by chitosan and NOCC supplements. However, HDL-cholesterol concentration and HDL : total cholesterol ratio were increased , and liver lipid, cholesterol , and triglyceride concentration were decreased by chitosan and NOCC supplements. The cholesterol and lipid lowering activity depends on fiber sources(crab and shrimp); type (chitosan and NOCC); and molecular weight(low , medium , and high). Among cadmium-free groups, chitosan-fed groups showed greater activity than NOCC -fed groups in lowering cholesterol and lipid levels, and greater fecal excretion of lipids and bile acids. Crab chitosans were more effective in cholesterol and lipid lowering activity than shrimp chitosans. The group fed high molecular weight crab chitosan showed the highest fecal excretion of lipids and bile acids. This indicated that high molecular weight crab chitosan was most effective in interfering with cholesterol and lipid absorption.