• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.48-57
• /
• 2017

Background: Rounded shoulder posture (RSP), a postural abnormality, might cause shoulder pain and pathologic conditions. Although most previous research has investigated RSP focusing on the proximal structures of the shoulder, such as the scapula and pectoralis muscles, the relationship between RSP and anterior distal structures of the upper extremity, such as the biceps brachii muscle and elbow joint, is not clearly understood. Objects: This study aimed to investigate the correlations between RSP and the biceps brachii length, elbow joint angle (EJA), pectoralis minor length, general pectoralis major length, humeral head anterior translation (HHAT), glenohumeral internal rotation (IR), external rotation (ER), and horizontal adduction (HAD). Methods: Twelve subjects with RSP (6 male, 6 female) were recruited. All subjects fulfilled the RSP criteria indicated by a distance ${\geq}2.5cm$ from the posterior aspect of the acromion to the table in the supine position. The examiner measured each of the following parameters twice: RSP, biceps brachii length, EJA, pectoralis minor length, pectoralis major length, HHAT, glenohumeral IR, ER, and HAD. Pearson's correlation coefficient(r) was used to assess the correlation between RSP and all the variables. Results: There was a significant moderate positive correlation between RSP and biceps brachii length (r=.55, p=.032), moderate negative correlation between RSP and pectoralis minor length (r=-.62, p=.015), and moderate positive correlation between RSP and HHAT (r=.53, p=.038). Conclusion: The biceps brachii length, pectoralis minor length, and HHAT could be used to evaluate patients with RSP. Better understanding of the correlation between these factors and RSP could help in the development of effective methods to treat patients with this condition in clinical management.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.194-203
• /
• 2012

1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate known as efficient biomass pretreatment reagent was used for the extraction of lignin from rigida pine wood (pitch pine), which was called to ionic liquid lignin (ILL), and chemical structural features of ILL were compared with the corresponding milled wood lignin (MWL). The amounts of phenolic hydroxyl groups (Phe-OH) was determined to 10.0% for ILL and 7.2% for MWL, respectively, where those of methoxyl groups (OMe) were 4.9% for ILL and 11.0% for MWL, respectively. The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of ILL (3,995) were determined to ca. 1/2 of that of MWL (8,438) and polydispersity index (PDI: Mw/Mn) suggested that the lignin fragments were more uniform in the ILL (PDI 1.36) than in the MWL (PDI 2.64). The temperature (Tm) corresponding to maximum decomposition rate (Vm) of ILL ($306.6^{\circ}C$) was ca. $35^{\circ}C$ lower than that of MWL ($341.9^{\circ}C$), suggesting that ILL was thermally unstable than MWL, as evidence from the lower Tm for ILL. Moreover, the structural characteristics of ILL and MWL were confirmed by spectroscopic analyses (FT-IR and $^{13}C$-NMR), and these results indicated ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate) was chemically or physically bound to ILL.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.470-478
• /
• 2016

A bacterium producing a large amount of chitinolytic enzyme was isolated from the intestinal tract of earthworm. The isolate was identified as Bacillus licheniformis by 16S ribosomal RNA analysis and designated as B. licheniformis GA9. The enzyme was purified by 40-60% ammonium sulfate precipitation, diethyl-aminoethyl groups exchange chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography. The molecular weight was estimated to be 52.1 kDa and the N-terminal amino acid sequence was D-S-G-K-N-G-K-I-I-R-Y-YP-I-R. The optimum activity of the purified chitinolytic enzyme was shown at pH 5.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, and the enzyme was stable in the ranges of $20-50^{\circ}C$ and pH 5.0-6.0. Enzyme activity was increased by $Co^{2+}$, while it was inhibited by $Cu^{2+}$ and $Fe^{2+}$. But it was recovered by chelating metals with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of the purified enzyme were 4.02 mg/ml and 0.52 mg/min, respectively. The chitinolytic enzyme characterized in this study has potential applications in areas such as biotechnology, biomedicine, agriculture, and nutrition.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.395-400
• /
• 2010

Papain hydrolysate of fibroin was found to be mainly composed of several even-numbered peptides that can be produced at a large scale and can be used as a precursor for biological fine-chemicals such as peptide detergents. Thus, the hydrolysate was further modified to synthesize a peptide mixture of glyceryl esters using the identical enzyme for the production of such chemicals. Formation of glyceryl ester of each peptide was confirmed by identifying peaks of the nominal mass shift of +74 Da in mass spectrometry. Analysis of the mass spectra indicated that glyceryl esters of di- and tetra-peptides were the major constituents of the mixture and that alanylglycine was most preferentially esterified. It also suggests that papain prefers dipeptide to tetrapeptide and alanine to serine or tyrosine at $P_2$ position as substrate for glyceryl esterification. The glyceryl esters were recovered using ion exchange resin and the yield of glyceryl esterification recorded was 17.8% by weight.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.681-688
• /
• 2013

This work is aimed to increase knowledge of the functional exopolysaccharide (EPS) from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in makgeolli, a Korean fermented rice wine. Among LAB strains isolated from makgeolli, strain M76 was selected as a functional strain producing a bioactive EPS, based on its antioxidative activity on the DPPH radical. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed a high sequence similarity (99.0%) with P. acidilactici, but had different biochemical properties with the already known P. acidilactici type strains in the aspect of carbohydrates utilization. The obtained P. acidilactici M76 produced a soluble EPS above 2 g/l. One-step chromatography using gel filtration after ethanol precipitation from the supernatant of P. acidilactici M76 was enough to obtain purified EPS with a single peak, showing a molecular mass of approximately 67 kDa. Componential and structural analyses of EPS by TLC, HPLC, and FT-IR indicated that the EPS is a glucan, consisting of glucose units. The purified EPS had antioxidant activity on the DPPH radical of 45.8% at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. The purified EPS also showed proliferative effect on the pancreatic RIN-m5F cell line and remarkable protection activity on alloxan-induced cytotoxicity. This potent antioxidant and antidiabetic EPS by LAB in makgeolli may contribute to understanding the functionality of makgeolli.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.9
• /
• pp.951-959
• /
• 2009

Most, if not all, Basidiomycetes mushrooms have biologically active polysaccharides showing potent antitumor activity with immunomodulating properties. These polysaccharides have various chemical compositions and belong primarily to the $\beta$-glucan group. In this study, the crude water-soluble polysaccharide HEF-P, which was obtained from the fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus by hot water extraction and ethanol precipitation, was fractionated by DEAE-cellulose and Sepharose CL-6B column chromatographies. This process resulted in four polysaccharide fractions, named HEF-NP Fr I, HEF-NP Fr II, HEF-AP Fr I, and HEF-AP Fr II. Of these fractions, HEF-AP Fr II was able to upregulate the functional events mediated by activated macrophages, such as production of nitric oxide and expression ofcytokines (IL-1${\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$). The molecular mass of HEF-AP Fr II was estimated by gel filtration to be 13 kDa. Its structural characteristics were investigated by a combination of chemical and instrumental analyses, including methylation, reductive cleavage, acetylation, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results indicate that HEF-AP Fr II is a low-molecular-mass polysaccharide with a laminarin-like triple helix conformation of a ${\beta}$-1,3-branched-${\beta}$-1,6-glucan.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.21 no.10
• /
• pp.1036-1042
• /
• 2011

The exopolysaccharide botryosphaeran ($EPS_{GLC}$; a ($1{\rightarrow}3$)($1{\rightarrow}6$)-${\beta}$-D-glucan from Botryosphaeria rhodina MAMB-05) was sulfonated to produce a water-soluble fraction ($EPS_{GLC}$-S) using pyridine and chlorosulfonic acid in formamid. This procedure was then repeated twice to produce another fraction ($EPS_{GLC}$-RS) with a higher degree of substitution (DS, 1.64). The purity of each botryosphaeran sample (unsulfonated and sulfonated) was assessed by gel filtration chromatography (Sepharose CL-4B), where each polysaccharide was eluted as a single symmetrical peak. The structures of the sulfonated and re-sulfonated botryosphaerans were investigated using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and $^{13}C$ nuclear magnetic resonance ($^{13}C$ NMR) spectroscopies. $EPS_{GLC}$ and $EPS_{GLC}$-RS were also assayed for anticoagulation activity, and $EPS_{GLC}$-RS was identified as an anticoagulant.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.722-729
• /
• 2005

With the aim to improve the specificity and to reduce the cytotoxicity of polyethylenimine (PEI), we have synthesized the conjugates of the branched PEI (25 kDa) with transferrin. The trans-ferrin-PEI (TP) conjugates with five compositions were synthesized using periodate oxidation method and confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The free amine contents of TP conjugates, which were able to condense and deliver DNA, increased as the amount of PEI increased. TP/DNA polyplexes were characterized by measuring gel elec-trophoresis, ethidium bromide fluorescence quenching, particle size and zeta potential of complexes. Complete complexation of the polyplexes was observed above the N/P ratio of 5 in TP/DNA, and above 3 in PEI/DNA, respectively. The zeta potential of the complexes decreased as the amount of transferrin in TP conjugates increased. Transfection efficiency of TP conjugates was evaluated in HeLa cell and Jurkat cell systems. Among the five compositions of TP conjugates, TP-2 system mediated a higher $\beta$-galactosidase gene expression than PEI system in Jurkat cell which was known to express elevated numbers of transferrin receptors. From the results of the cell viability based on MTT assay, TP conjugates showed lower cytotoxicity com-pared with the PEI system. We expect that the TP conjugate can be used efficiently as a non-viral gene delivery vector.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.35 no.7
• /
• pp.2057-2064
• /
• 2014

Thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) was conducted in autoclave on the system of crude oil and $MgSO_4$ at different temperatures. Gas chromatography pulsed flame photometric detector (GC-PFPD) was used to detected the composition of organic sulfur compounds in oil phase products. The results of the analysis indicate that with increased temperature, the contents of organic sulfur compounds with high molecular weight and thermal stability, such as benzothiophenes and dibenzothiophenes, gradually became dominated. In order to gain greater insight into the formation and distribution of organic sulphur compounds from TSR, positive ion electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was used in detecting the detailed elemental composition and distribution of them. The mass spectra showed that the mass range of sulfur compounds was 200-550 Da. Four sulfur class species, $S_1$, $N_1S_1$, $O_1S_1$ and $O_2S_1$, were assigned in the positive-ion spectrum. Among the identified sulfur compounds, the $S_1$ class species was dominant. The most abundant $S_1$ class species increase associated with the DBE value and carbon number increasing which also indicates the evolution of organic sulfur compounds in TSR is from the labile series to the stable one. In pure blank pyrolysis experiments with crude oil cracking without TSR, different composition and distribution of organic sulfur compounds in oil phase products were seen from mass spectra in order to evaluate their pyrolysis behaviors without $MgSO_4$. FT-IR and XRD were used in analyzing the products of solid phases. Two distinct crystallographic phases MgO and $MgSO_4$ are found to coexist in the products which demonstrated the transformation of inorganic sulfur compounds into organosulfur compounds exist in TSR.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.27-35
• /
• 2020

The Korean semiconductor industry is the top export item, and its technological prowess is also higher than that of its competitors. However, the technology gap with rivals will narrow. And the semiconductor industry is facing difficulties due to trade friction. Therefore, semiconductor firms should be more efficient in their production. we study analyzes the efficiency semiconductor firms using DEA model. We evaluate the CCR, BBC efficiency and RTS(return to scale) of 30 Korean semiconductor firms. There are a total of 13 efficient DMUs with a BCC of 1. There are a total of 6 efficient DMUs with a CCR of 1. A total of 10 DMUs were IRS in Scale Efficiency and a total of 9 DMUs were CRS in Scale Efficiency and a total of 11 DMUs were DRS in Scale Efficiency. We also suggest the semiconductor firms which can be benchmarked based on analyzed information.