• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.223-228
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• 2016

In this study, we described a simple and facile method to generate uniform microwells poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) microstamps through micro-molding for efficient, rapid and reliable cell patterning of adipocyte differentiation. In contrast to the conventional methods, the microstamp technologies are low expensive, non-toxic, and using a small amount of solution. Recently, Orlistat known as tetrahydrolipstatin is a prescription drug designed to treat obesity which is used to aid in weight loss and help to reduce overweight obesity. Here, 3T3-L1 cells were treated under various concentration manners of Orlistat $0.2{\mu}M{\sim}5.0{\mu}M$. and it was confirmed maximum 26.5% inhibition activity compared to control. Thus, we elucidated this platform can be used for the real-time analyzing of cell proliferation, adipocyte differentiation for evaluation of anti-obesity agents on cell chip. Furthermore, we except that this platform technology designed here might be readily be expanded to discover a wider variety of anti-obesity agents.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.31 no.2 s.83
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• pp.120-126
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• 2005

To assess exposure of allergy patients to a biological environment, measurements were made of levels of airborne bacteria and fungi, house dust endotoxin and mite allergens in homes of 7 allergy patients and 12 healthy families. Concentrations of airborne total bacteria and the ratio of indoor and outdoor concentrations(I/O) in allergy patient's homes were high compared to non-allergy houses. But no significant differences could be shown for the concentration of spores of viable fungi and staphylococcus in indoor air between the homes of allergic patients and healthy families. The results of investigation on house dust mites, Dermatophagoids farinae were detected in all mattress samples and the levels in the allergy patient's homes were generally high, with individual measurements exceeding $2{\mu}g/g$ dust found in $30\%$ samples. In contrast with, Dermatophagoids pteronyssinus were detected in only $60\%$ samples and the concentrations were very low. The levels of endotoxin in dust samples collected from the allergy patient's home mattresses were higher than those of control houses. There was a positive correlation between the endotoxin levels and the house dust mite allergens.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.344-359
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• 2019

Effects of various types of zeolite on the catalytic performance of hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of bio-oil obtained from waste larch wood pyrolysis were investigated herein. Bifunctional catalysts were prepared via wet impregnation. The catalysts were characterized through XRD, BET, and SEM. Experimental results demonstrated that HDO enhanced the fuel properties of waste wood bio-oil, such as higher heating values (HHV) (20.4-28.3 MJ/kg) than bio-oil (13.7 MJ/kg). Water content (from 19.3 in bio-oil to 3.1-16.6 wt% in heavy oils), the total acid number (from 150 in bio-oil to 28-77 mg KOH/g oil in heavy oils), and viscosity (from 103 in bio-oil to $40-69mm^2/s$ in heavy oils) also improved post HDO. In our experiments, depending on the zeolite support, NiFe/HBeta exhibited a high Si/Al ratio of 38 with a high specific surface area ($545.1m^2/g$), and, based on the yield of heavy oil (18.3-18.9 wt%) and HHV (22.4-25.2 MJ/kg), its performance was not significantly affected by temperature and solvent concentration variations. In contrast, NiFe/zeolite Y, which had a low Si/Al ratio of 5.2, exhibited the highest improved quality for heavy oil at high temperature, with an HHV of 28.3 MJ/kg at $350^{\circ}C$ with 25 wt% of solvent.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.282-289
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• 2021

A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), caused a worldwide pandemic. Our aim in this study is to produce new fusion inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2, which can be the basis for developing new antiviral drugs. The fusion core comprising the heptad repeat domains (HR1 and HR2) of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) were used to design the peptides. A total of twelve peptides were generated, comprising a short or truncated 24-mer (peptide #1), a long 36-mer peptide (peptide #2), and ten peptide #2 analogs. In contrast to SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 S-mediated cell-cell fusion cannot be inhibited with a minimal length, 24-mer peptide. Peptide #2 demonstrated potent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 S-mediated cell-cell fusion at 1 µM concentration. Three peptide #2 analogs showed IC50 values in the low micromolar range (4.7-9.8 µM). Peptide #2 inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus assay at IC50=1.49 µM. Given their potent inhibition of viral activity and safety and lack of cytotoxicity, these peptides provide an attractive avenue for the development of new prophylactic and therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2.

• Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.2256-2268
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• 2018

Hydrophilic and hydrophobic polyethersulfone (PES)-zinc oxide (ZnO) sublayers were prepared by loading of ZnO nanoparticles into PES matrix. Both porosity and hydrophilicity of the hydrophilic sublayer were increased upon addition of hydrophilic ZnO, while these were decreased for the hydrophobic sublayer. In addition, the results demonstrated that the hydrophilic membrane exhibited smaller structural parameter (S value or S parameter or S), which is beneficial for improving pure water permeability and decreasing mass transfer resistance. In contrast, a higher S parameter was obtained for the hydrophobic membrane. With a 2 M NaCl as DS and DI water as FS, the pure water flux of hydrophilic TFN0.5 membrane was increased from $21.02L/m^2h$ to $30.06L/m^2h$ and decreased for hydrophobic TFN0.5 membrane to $14.98L/m^2h$, while the salt flux of hydrophilic membrane increased from $10.12g/m^2h$ to $17.31g/m^2h$ and decreased for hydrophobic TFN0.5 membrane to $3.12g/m^2h$. The increment in pure water permeability can be ascribed to reduction in S parameter, which resulted in reduced internal concentration polarization (ICP). The current study provides a feasible and low cost procedure to decrease the ICP in FO processes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 2021

In MBR, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) is known as an important factor of fouling; soluble EPS (sEPS) affects internal contamination of membrane, and bound EPS (bEPS) affects the formation of the cake layer. The production of EPS changes according to the composition of influent, which affects fouling characteristics. Therefore, in this study, the effects of the F/M ratio on the sEPS concentration, bEPS content, and fouling were evaluated. The effects of F/M ratio on the amount and composition of EPS were confirmed by setting conditions that were very low or higher than the general F/M ratio of MBR, and the fouling occurrence characteristics were evaluated by filtration resistance distribution. As a result, it was found that the sEPS increased significantly with the increase of the F/M ratio. When the substrate was depleted, bEPS content decreased because bEPS was hydrolyzed into BAP and seemed to be used as a substrate. In contrast, when the substrate is sufficient, UAP (utilization-associated products) was rapidly generated in proportion with the consumption of the substrate. UAP has a relatively higher Protein/Carbohydrate ratio (P/C ratio) than BAP, and this means, it has a higher adhesive force to the membrane surface. As a result, UAP seems like causing fouling rather than BAP (biomass-associated products). Therefore, R_f (Resistance of internal contamination) increased rapidly with the increase of UAP, and R_c (Resistance of cake layer) increased with the accumulation of bEPS in proportion, and as a result, the fouling interval was shortened. According to this study, a high F/M ratio leads to an increment in UAP generation and accumulation of bEPS, and by these UAP and bEPS, membrane fouling is promoted.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2021

This work describe an efficient method for the shoot induction and plant regeneration of seedling-derived apical bud explants of Tilia mandshurica Rupr. & Maxim. The highest rate of shoot induction (82.2%) was obtained when apical bud explants from juvenile seedlings (5 months old) were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1.0 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). However, apical bud explants obtained from mature trees (12 years old) did not produce any shoots, even with BAP supplementation. Among the three cytokinins tested for shoot multiplication (BAP, zeatin, and kinetin), BAP was the most effective; the highest number of shoots per explant (2.1) was observed on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L BAP. In contrast, the longest average shoot length (3.0 cm) was observed after growth on MS medium with 2.0 mg/L zeatin. No multiplication occurred when apical bud explants were cultured with kinetin-supplemented media. During rooting of in vitro-elongated shoots, the highest rooting rate (100%) was observed in half-strength MS medium supplemented with 0.5 ~ 1.0 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or 3.0 mg/L 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). During the acclimatization process, plantlets that were rooted on the IBA (0.5 mg/L)-supplemented medium had the highest survival rate (100%) and maximum root length (18.5 cm). These findings suggest that a low concentration (0.5 mg/L) of IBA is appropriate for the rooting and acclimatization of T. mandshurica. Plants were successfully transferred to the greenhouse with a 100% survival rate. This protocol will be useful for the large-scale propagation of Tilia species.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.578-592
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• 2023

This study identified and evaluated by deriving and categorizing concepts related to the user experience of metaverse fashion shows using grounded theory, which is a qualitative research method. Based on experiential marketing theory, in-depth interviews were conducted for 14 days with 14 males and females in their 20s and 30s. The research results and contents are as follows: The causal condition was the purpose of using metaverse fashion shows, and the action/interaction strategy caused by such a case was found to be establishing a system for metaverse fashion shows and promoting a positive brand image. The results included content evaluation of satisfaction, normal, or dissatisfaction. The contextual condition was a change in the form of consumption that emphasized experience, while the interventional condition was psychological distance. Based on this, the core category was defined as "consumption patterns that emphasized the purpose of use and experience affects the metaverse fashion shows and psychological distance appeared as a user experience evaluation through the establishment of a system of metaverse fashion shows and the promotion of a positive brand image". User types were classified as active or passive. Active users have the autonomy to select content according to their individual preferences, and accordingly, their experience preference tends to change. In contrast, passive users' preference for the technical quality of content is relatively low, but they have a high concentration of content diversity and audio-visual interest elements.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3195-3201
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• 2015

Objectives: To investigate the effects of betaine on HeLa cell growth and apoptosis and molecular mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, 20.0, 100.0 mg/ml of betaine were used to evaluate the anticancer efficacy for HeLa cells respectively, and MCF-10A was also detected as a normal diploid cell control. Results: We found that proliferation of HeLa cells was inhibited significantly upon exposure to increasing betaine levels with the MTT test (p<0.05). The percentage of S phase cells in the low dose groups (<5mg/ml) were distinctly higher than in high dose groups, and the rates of Sub-G1 phase were the opposite (p<0.01); A high concentration of betaine (>5.0mg/ml) significantly promoted the apoptosis of HeLa cells (p<0.01). SOD activities of the low dose groups were slightly higher than the control group (p<0.05) and there were obvious synchronicity and correlation among the expression of promoting apoptosis genes Bax, P53, Caspase 3 and apoptosis suppression gene Bcl-2. In response to an apoptosis-inducing stimulus, p53 and cyclin D1 could be activated with blockage of the cell cycle at G1/S or S/G2 checkpoints. Conclusions: Our data showed that betaine could promote HeLa cells proliferation in vitro at low concentrations. In contrast, high concentrations could significantly inhibit cell growth and migration, and induce apoptosis of HeLa cells through caspase 3 signaling and further promoted necrosis. This might imply that betaine exhibits tumoricidal effects and acts as a biological response modifier in cancer treatment by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in a dose and time-dependent manner.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2014

In coastal region, estuaries have complex environments where dissolved and particulate matters are mixed with marine water and substances. Suspended sediment (SS) dynamics in coastal water, in particular, plays a major role in erosion/deposition processes, biomass primary production and the transport of nutrients, micropollutants, heavy metals, etc. Temporal variation in suspended sediment concentration (SSC) can be used to explain erosion/sedimentation patterns within coastal zones. Remotely sensed data can be an efficient tool for mapping SS in coastal waters. In this study, we analyzed the variation in SSC in coastal water using the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) and Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) in Gyeonggi-bay. Daily variations in GOCI-derived SSC showed low values during ebb time. Current velocity and water level at 9 and 10 am is 37.6, 28.65 $cm{\cdot}s^{-1}$ and -1.23, -0.61 m respectively. Water level has increased to 1.18 m at flood time. In other words, strong current velocity and increased water level affected high SSC value before flood time but SSC decreased after flood time. Also, we compared seasonal SSC with the river discharge from the Han River and the Imjin River. In summer season, river discharge showed high amount, when SSC had high value near the inland. At this time SSC in open sea had low value. In contrast, river discharge amount from inland showed low value in winter season and, consequently, SSC in the open sea had high value because of northwest monsoon.