• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.393-397
• /
• 2012

We report a new route to synthesize high quality zinc blende CdS and ZnS nanocrystals in noncoordinating solvent 1-octadecene, using dodecanethiol (DDT) molecules as both the sulfur source and surface capping ligands. Different reaction temperatures and Cd(Zn)/DDT molar ratios were tested to optimize the synthesis conditions. Absorption photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize assynthesized nanocrystals. The narrow half width at the half-maximum on the long wavelength side of the firstexcitonic absorption peak and TEM images demonstrated nearly monodisperse size distributions of asprepared CdS, ZnS, and CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals. Only trap emissions of the nanocrystals were detected when the amount of DDT was excessive, this came from the strong quenching effect of thiol groups on the nanocrystal surfaces. After overcoating with ZnS shells, band-gap emissions of CdS nanocrystals were partially recovered.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.42 no.8
• /
• pp.579-588
• /
• 2019

Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) is a popular tool to identify underlying biological processes in clinical samples using their gene expression phenotypes. GSEA measures the enrichment of annotated gene sets that represent biological processes for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in clinical samples. GSEA may be suboptimal for functional gene sets; however, because DEGs from the expression dataset may not be functional genes per se but dysregulated genes perturbed by bona fide functional genes. To overcome this shortcoming, we developed network-based GSEA (NGSEA), which measures the enrichment score of functional gene sets using the expression difference of not only individual genes but also their neighbors in the functional network. We found that NGSEA outperformed GSEA in identifying pathway gene sets for matched gene expression phenotypes. We also observed that NGSEA substantially improved the ability to retrieve known anti-cancer drugs from patient-derived gene expression data using drug-target gene sets compared with another method, Connectivity Map. We also repurposed FDA-approved drugs using NGSEA and experimentally validated budesonide as a chemical with anti-cancer effects for colorectal cancer. We, therefore, expect that NGSEA will facilitate both pathway interpretation of gene expression phenotypes and anti-cancer drug repositioning. NGSEA is freely available at www.inetbio.org/ngsea.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.50-60
• /
• 2008

The majority of the described experimental results deal with relatively pure aluminium. Variations were made in the pretreatment of the aluminum substrates and an investigation was performed on the resulting changes in oxide layer composition and chemistry. Subsequently, the bonding behavior of the surfaces was investigated by using model adhesion molecules. These molecules were chosen to represent the bonding functionality of an organic polymer. They were applied onto the pretreated surfaces as a monolayer and the bonding behavior was studied using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. A direct and clear relation was found between the hydroxyl fraction on the oxide surfaces and the amount of molecules that subsequently bonded to the surface. Moreover, it was found that most bonds between the oxide surface and organic functional groups are not stable in the presence of water. The best performance was obtained using molecules, which are capable of chemisorption with the oxide surface. Finally, it was found that freshly prepared relatively pure aluminum substrates, which are left in air, rapidly lose their bonding capacity towards organic functional groups. This can be attributed to the adsorption of contamination and water to the oxide surface. In addition the adhesion of a typical epoxy-coated aluminum system was investigated during exposure to water at different temperatures. The coating was found to quite rapidly lose its adhesion upon exposure to water. This rapid loss of adhesion corresponds well with the data where it was demonstrated that the studied epoxy coating only bonds through physisorptive hydrogen bonding, these bonds not being stable in the presence of water. After the initial loss the adhesion of the coating was however found to recover again and even exceeded the adhesion prior to exposure. The improvement could be ascribed to the growth of a thin oxyhydroxide layer on the aluminum substrate, which forms a new, water-stable and stronger bond with the epoxy coating. Two routes for improvement of adhesion are finally decribed including an interphasial polymeric thin layer and a treatment in boiling water of the substrate before coating takes place. The adhesion properties were finely also studied as a function of the Mg content of the alloys. It was shown that an enrichment of Mg in the oxide could take place when Mg containing alloys are heat-treated. It is expected that for these alloys the (hydr)oxide fraction also depends on the pre-treatment and on the distribution of magnesium as compared to the aluminium hydroxides, with a direct impact on adhesive properties.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.06a
• /
• pp.57.1-57.1
• /
• 2010

Development of low cost hybrid functional nano-structured materials has great interest to enhance sensitivity of dye-sensitized solar cells and reduction of the production cost. In this talk we will discuss about using different processes to modify functional characteristics of photoelectrode and investigate effects of chemical modification without significant structural variation on to enhance performance of DSSCs. Efficient electron transportation between dye molecules and photoelectrode has been obtained by appropriate chemical modification and efficiency of DSSC has been significantly improved. A comparative analysis on effects of surface functional and electron states of photoelectrode on VOC and JSC has been also carried out to discuss effects of composite materials on physical structure and electronic properties to correlate enhanced performance of these devices.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.73-77
• /
• 2006

Ground pork was irradiated with an electron beam (e-beam) at a dose of 0, 1.5, 3, 5 and 10 kGy and the changes in various functional and other associated properties of salt-soluble proteins extracted from the pork were evaluated. Irradiation did not affect turbidity and the disulfide content of pork salt-soluble protein, but the content of sulfhydryls and the hydrophobocity of salt-soluble protein increased. This indicates that protein degradation occurred when the pork was e-beam irradiated and that the sulfhydryls and hydrophobic moieties buried inside the proteins were exposed to the outside environment. However, these degraded protein molecules did not form large protein aggregates through disulfide bridges. The emulsifying capacity of the pork increased with irradiation, which could be the result from increased hydrophobicity of pork salt-soluble protein. Water holding capacity of pork was not affected bye-beam irradiation.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.179-185
• /
• 2016

Posttranscriptional regulation of RNA metabolism, including RNA processing, intron splicing, editing, RNA export, and decay, is increasingly regarded as an essential step for fine-tuning the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are central regulatory factors controlling posttranscriptional RNA metabolism during plant growth, development, and stress responses. Although functional roles of diverse RBPs in living organisms have been determined during the last decades, our understanding of the functional roles of RBPs in plants is lagging far behind our understanding of those in other organisms, including animals, bacteria, and viruses. However, recent functional analysis of multiple RBP family members involved in plant RNA metabolism and elucidation of the mechanistic roles of RBPs shed light on the cellular roles of diverse RBPs in growth, development, and stress responses of plants. In this review, we will discuss recent studies demonstrating the emerging roles of multiple RBP family members that play essential roles in RNA metabolism during plant growth, development, and stress responses.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.08a
• /
• pp.137-137
• /
• 2013

The most stable adsorption structures and their corresponding energies of 4-pyridone, 4-hydroxypyridine, 2-pyridone and 2-hydroxypyridine have been investigated by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation method and high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy (HRPES). We confirmed that between the two reaction centers of 4- and 2-pyridone, only O atom of carbonyl functional group can act as a Lewis base and thus, O dative bonding structure is the most stable. On the other hand, we clarified that both the two reaction centers (the cyclic N atom and the O atom of hydroxyl functional group) of 4- and 2-hydroxypyridine (tautomers of 4- and 2-pyridone) can successfully function as a Lewis base. Through the interpretation of the N 1s and O 1s core level spectra obtained using HRPES, we could confirm the electronic structures and bonding configurations of these molecules with a coverage dependence on the Ge(100) surface.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.405-409
• /
• 2007

A putative type-I chalcone isomerase (CHI) cDNA clone EuNOD-CHI was previously isolated from the root nodule of Elaeagnus umbellata [Kim et al. (2003)]. To see if it encodes a functional CHI, we ectopically overexpressed it in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transparent testa 5 (tt5) mutant, which is defective in naringenin production and has yellow seeds due to proanthocyanidin deficiency. Ectopic overexpression of EuNOD-CHI resulted in recovery of normal seed coat color. Naringenin produced by CHI from naringenin chalcone was detected in the transgenic lines like in the wild-type, whereas it was absent from the tt5 mutant. We conclude that EuNOD-CHI encodes a functional type-I CHI. In situ hybridization revealed that EuNOD-CHI expression is localized to the infected cells of the fixation zone in root nodules.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.39.1-39.8
• /
• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys affected individuals' memory and reasoning faculties, and consequently, their ability to perform the simplest tasks. This study investigated the hub genes of AD. Proteins interact with other proteins and non-protein molecules, and these interactions play an important role in understanding protein function. Computational methods are useful for understanding biological problems, in particular, network analyses of protein-protein interactions. Through a protein network analysis, we identified the following top 10 hub genes associated with AD: PTGER3, C3AR1, NPY, ADCY2, CXCL12, CCR5, MTNR1A, CNR2, GRM2, and CXCL8. Through gene enrichment, it was identified that most gene functions could be classified as integral to the plasma membrane, G-protein coupled receptor activity, and cell communication under gene ontology, as well as involvement in signal transduction pathways. Based on the convergent functional genomics ranking, the prioritized genes were NPY, CXCL12, CCR5, and CNR2.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.21-32
• /
• 2023

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play cardinal roles in regulating biological pathways and processes, resulting in significant physiological effects. To understand the complex regulatory network of miRNAs, previous studies have utilized massivescale datasets of miRNA targeting and attempted to computationally predict the functional targets of miRNAs. Many miRNA target prediction tools have been developed and are widely used by scientists from various fields of biology and medicine. Most of these tools consider seed pairing between miRNAs and their mRNA targets and additionally consider other determinants to improve prediction accuracy. However, these tools exhibit limited prediction accuracy and high false positive rates. The utilization of additional determinants, such as RNA modifications and RNA-binding protein binding sites, may further improve miRNA target prediction. In this review, we discuss the determinants of functional miRNA targeting that are currently used in miRNA target prediction and the potentially predictive but unappreciated determinants that may improve prediction accuracy.