• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.2011-2015
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• 2015

Ginsenoside Rb2 (Gin-Rb2) was purified from the fruit extract of Panax ginseng. Its chemical structure was measured by spectroscopic analysis, including HR-FAB-MS, ¹H-NMR, and IR spectroscopy. Gin-Rb2 decreased potent melanogenesis in melan-a cells, with 23.4% at 80 μM without cytotoxicity. Gin-Rb2 also decreased tyrosinase and MITF protein expression in melan-a cells. Furthermore, Gin-Rb2 presented inhibition of the body pigmentation in the zebrafish in vivo system and reduced melanin contents and tyrosinase activity. These results show that Gin-Rb2 isolated from P. ginseng may be an effective skin-whitening agent via the in vitro and in vivo systems.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.238-242
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• 2010

In the present work, the influence of oxide on the Cr-Si-N coatings was investigated for the Cr-Si-O-N coatings on AISI 304 and Si wafer deposited by hybrid system, which combines the DC magnetron sputtering technique and arc ion plating (AIP) using Cr and Si target in an $Ar/N_2/O_2$ gaseous mixture. As the O content in the Cr-Si-N coatings increased, the diffraction patterns of the Cr-Si-O-N coatings showed CrN and $Cr_2O_3$ phases. However, as the O content increased to 28.8 at.%, diffraction peak of $Cr_2O_3$ was disappeared in the Cr-Si-O-N coating. The $d_{200}$ value was decreased with increasing of O content. The average grain size increased from about 40 nm to 65 nm as the O content increased. The maximum micro-hardness of the Cr-Si-O-N coating was obtained 4507 Hk at the O content of 24.8 at.%. The average friction coefficient of the Cr-Si-O-N coatings was gradually decreased by increasing the O content and the average friction coefficient decreased from 0.37 to 0.25 by increasing the O content. These results indicated that amorphous phase was increased in the Cr-Si-O-N coatings by increasing of O content.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.289-298
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• 2009

Effects of Nattokinase fibrinol (NKF), defined as a fibrinolytic product, on fibrinolytic and atherogenetic markers were studied for healthy adults (20-31 years old), who is smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day. Subjects were divided into 29 for NKF group and 10 for placebo group in a short term study. They were given 2 tablets of NKF (4,000 unit) or placebo tablet and thereafter blood samples were collected at 0, 2, 4 hr prerid. For a 4-week long term study, 15 subjects for NFK group and 10 subjects for placebo group were supplemented one tablet of each NKF (2,000 unit) and placebo per day, respectively. Blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 4 weeks later. The short-term experimental trial showed that NKF remarkably increased fibrinolytic activity at 2hr after consumption, which was maintained up to 4 hr, relative to that of placebo, while NKF reduced the euglobulin clot lysis time (ECLT) and retarded the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), as compared to placebo group. NKF supplementation for 4 weeks elevated fibrinolytic activity, shortened ECLT and retarded aPTT. Furthermore, NKF supplementation increased anti-atherogenic index by decreasing triglyceride (TG) and elevating high-density lipiprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. These results indicate that NKF supplementation for short term or long term might have beneficial effects on preventing and treating cardiovascular disease by increasing fibrinolytic activity and improving atherogenic markers such as hyperlipidemia.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.54-61
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• 2000

The structural and magnetic properties of sputtered CoNbZr alloy films were investigated. In the as-deposited $Co_{87.0}$N $b_{8.5}$Z $r_{4.5}$ film deposited at 2 mTorr and 130 W, we observed the minimum coercivity of 1.75 Oe, the maximum resistivity of 3000 $\mu$Ω.cm and permeability of 1095 at 100 MHz. As the Ar pressure or the RF input power increased, the permeability of films at 100 MHz decreased and the coercivity increased because of the development of columnar structure and the formation of unstable amorphous phase. Permeability lower than 100 and coercivity of 60 Oe were observed in film deposited at 1 mTorr or 190 W due to the formation of crystalline phase. Magnetic anisotropy field of as-deposited films could be reduced by rotating field annealing for 120 minutes at 30$0^{\circ}C$. After the annealing, the anisotropy field (Hk) decreased from 1.43 Oe to 0.3 Oe and the permeability increased from 1095 to 1345 because defects in as-deposited films were eliminated by the annealing.aling.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.220-228
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• 2024

Background: Panax ginseng, one of the valuable perennial medicinal plants, stores numerous pharmacological substrates in its storage roots. Given its perennial growth habit, organ regeneration occurs each year, and cambium stem cell activity is necessary for secondary growth and storage root formation. Cytokinin (CK) is a phytohormone involved in the maintenance of meristematic cells for the development of storage organs; however, its physiological role in storage-root secondary growth remains unknown. Methods: Exogenous CK was repeatedly applied to P. ginseng, and morphological and histological changes were observed. RNA-seq analysis was used to elucidate the transcriptional network of CK that regulates P. ginseng growth and development. The HISTIDINE KINASE 3 (PgHK3) and RESPONSE REGULATOR 2 (PgRR2) genes were cloned in P. ginseng and functionally analyzed in Arabidopsis as a two-component system involved in CK signaling. Results: Phenotypic and histological analyses showed that CK increased cambium activity and dormant axillary bud formation in P. ginseng, thus promoting storage-root secondary growth and bud formation. The evolutionarily conserved two-component signaling pathways in P. ginseng were sufficient to restore CK signaling in the Arabidopsis ahk2/3 double mutant and rescue its growth defects. Finally, RNA-seq analysis of CK-treated P. ginseng roots revealed that plant-type cell wall biogenesis-related genes are tightly connected with mitotic cell division, cytokinesis, and auxin signaling to regulate CK-mediated P. ginseng development. Conclusion: Overall, we identified the CK signaling-related two-component systems and their physiological role in P. ginseng. This scientific information has the potential to significantly improve the field-cultivation and biotechnology-based breeding of ginseng.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 1999

To determine the pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba spp. isolated in Korea and to develop a isoenzymatic maker, the mortality rate of infected mice, in vitro cytotoxicity against target cells and isoenzyme band pattern were observed. Five isolates of Acanthamoeba spp. (YM-2, YM-3, YM-4, YM-5 and YM-7) were used in this study as well as three reference Acanthamoeba spp. (A. culbertsoni, A. hatchetti, and A. royreba). According to the mortality rate of infected mice, Korean isolated could be categorized into three groups: high virulent (YM-4), low virulent (YM-2, YM-5, YM-7) and the nonpathogenic group (YM-4), In addition, the virulence of Acanthamoeba spp. was enhanced by brain passage in mice. In the cytotoxicity assay against chinese hamster ovary cells, especially, the cytotoxicity of brain-passaged amoebae was relatively higher than the long-term cultivated ones. The zymodeme patterns of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), hexokinase (HK), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and malic enzyme (ME)of Acanthamoeba spp. were different among each isolate, and also between long-term cultrued amoebae and brain passaged ones. In spites of the polymorphic zymodemes, a slow band of G6PD and K, and an intermediate band of MDH were only observed in pathogenic Acanthamoeba spp., which should be used as isoenzymatic makers.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.82-87
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• 2018

Objective: Concerns about the safety of assisted reproductive technology (ART) have been raised, as some studies have shown elevated incidence rates of childhood cancer, asthma, allergies, and other diseases in ART-conceived babies. Findings regarding the health of ART-conceived babies are controversial. The present study was conducted to evaluate the prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB) in in vitro fertilization (IVF)-conceived mice in comparison to naturally conceived offspring. Methods: Mice (6-8 weeks) were divided into two groups (IVF-conceived and naturally conceived) matched by sex, age, weight, and litter size. A 1-mL blood sample was taken and the sera were separated. The oxidant-antioxidant balance was evaluated using a fast and reliable PAB assay. The results were expressed as $mean{\pm}standard$ deviation. Results: The mean PAB values (HK units) in the IVF-conceived and naturally conceived groups were $59.70{\pm}22.30$ and $54.70{\pm}18.22$, respectively (p= 0.82). Conclusion: Since free radicals contribute to several pathological conditions and antioxidants play an important protective role against oxidative stress, evaluating the oxidant-antioxidant balance is very important. Although the results of this study showed that the quality of the defense mechanism against free radicals was not significantly different between the IVF-conceived and naturally conceived mice, other parameters of metabolic dysfunction need to be measured.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.455-464
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• 1993

Some nodules occur in the Milyang pyrophyllite deposit which are hydrothermal alteration products by Late Cretaceous andesitic tuff. These nodules are divided into two types on the basis of mineral assemblages; diaspore and pyrophyllite nodules. The diaspore nodules consist mainly of diaspore, kaolinite, pyrophyllite and pyrite with a small amounts of wavellite and tourmaline. They are light purplish grey in color, ellipsoid in shape and range 1 cm to 15 cm in size. A small or large diffuse band exists in some nodules. The platy coarse-grained diaspore is intergrown with the fine-aggregated kaolinite in the central part of the nodule. It appears that the grain size become fine from center to margin. The pyrophyllite nodules, which have the same shape with diaspore nodules, consist dominantly of pyrophyllite accompanied by small amounts of quartz, kaolinite, svanbergite, wavellite, tourmaline and apatite. Chemical compositions of alteration zones and nodules show that the wall rock alteration involved mainly the removal of large quantities of silica and alkalies and small quantities of Ca, Mg and Fe. The sharp increase in the Al content of the nodules is the result of residual concentration of alumina by the leaching of the mobile components. The pyrophyllite nodules were formed in the fluid saturated with quartz as ${\mu}_{HK_{-1}}$ and ${\mu}_{H_{2}O}$ increase. Under this condition, the pyrophyllite-kaolinite-quartz assemblage was stable. Diaspores formed from pyrophyllites in the fluid undersaturated with quartz as ${\mu}_{H_{2}O}$ increases (decreasing temperature). Under this condition, diaspore-pyrophyllite-kaolinite assemblage become stable. The formation temperature of the nodules on the basis of mineral assemblage is estimated as $275{\sim}340^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.17-35
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to offer the raw data for management and conservation of national park by systematic and objective surveying and analysing the flora distributed in the Hwarang district, Gyeongju national park. The results are as follows. The vascular plants in this site were summarized as 396 taxa: 95 families, 272 genera, 351 species, 2 subspecies, 38 varieties and 5 forma. The rare plants designated by Korea Forest Service were 5 taxa: Exochorda serratifolia S.Moore, Potentilla discolor Bunge, Prunus yedoensis Matsum, Lysimachia coreana Nakai and Inula salicina var. asiatica Kitam.. The korean endemic plants were 6 taxa: Populus tomentiglandulosa T.B.Lee, Clematis trichotoma Nakai, Lespedeza maritima Nakai, Lysimachia coreana Nakai, Forsythia koreana (Rehder) Nakai and Weigela subsessilis (Nakai) L.H.Bailey. The specific plants by floristic region were 30 taxa: Asplenium sarelii Hk., Salix chaenomeloides Kimura, Lysimachia barystachys Bunge, Achillea alpina L., Celtis aurantiaca Nakai, Vitex negundo var. incisa (Lam.) C.B.Clarke and so forth. The plants with approval for delivering oversea were 6 taxa: Clematis trichotoma Nakai, Exochorda serratifolia S.Moore, Glycine soja Siebold & Zucc., Lespedeza maritima Nakai, Lysimachia coreana Nakai and Weigela subsessilis (Nakai) L.H.Bailey. The naturalized plants were 49 taxa: Bilderdykia dumetora (L.) Holub, Descurainia pinnata Britton, Oxalis corymbosa DC., Bidens frondosa L., Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx. and so forth. The invasive alien plants were 2 taxa: Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and Aster pilosus Willd. In future, if we will survey the flora of whole Gyeongju national park, we will offer the help to establishing the conservation plan of ecosystem in Gyeongju national park.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.255-259
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• 2015

Recent narrow-band Ca photometry discovered two distinct red giant branch (RGB) populations in some massive globular clusters (GCs) including M22, NGC 1851, and NGC 288. In order to investigate the differences in light/heavy elements abundances between the two subpopulations, we have performed low-resolution spectroscopy for stars on the two RGBs in these GCs. We find a significant difference (more than $4{\sigma}$) in calcium abundance from the spectroscopic HK' index for both M22 and NGC 1851. We also find a more than $8{\sigma}$ difference in CN band strength between the Ca-strong and Ca-weak subpopulations. For NGC 288, however, we detect the presence of a large difference only in the CN strength. The calcium abundances of the two subpopulations in this GC are identical within errors. We also find interesting differences in CN-CH relations among these GCs. While CN and CH indices are correlated in M22, they show an anti-correlation in NGC 288. However, NGC 1851 shows no difference in CH between two groups of stars having different CN strengths. The CN bimodality in these GCs could be explained by pollution from intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch stars and/or fast-rotating massive stars. For the presence or absence of calcium bimodality and the differences in CN-CH relations, we suggest these would be best explained by how strongly type II supernovae enrichment has contributed to the chemical evolutions of these GCs.