• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2010

Titania nanomaterials are widely used as cosmetics and dyes, however the impacts on human health are uncertain, We investigated the biodistribution of inhaled titania nanoparticles in rats, Methods Eight weeks-old SD rats were intubated and inhaled with 3 mg titania nanoparticles, twice a week, for 2 weeks, After inhalation, the rats were sacrificed and tissues or heart, lung. intestine, brain, and liver were obtained, We investigated the tissues with optical microscope (OM), transmission electron microscope (EM), scanning EM, And to analyze titania concentration of each tissue, we lysed the tissues with radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RlPA) lysis buffer or acid. Results Granulation tissues in lung were confirmed on the optical microscope, however the other organs had no abnormalities in OM images, In EM images, the rats which inhaled titania nanoparticles showed calcium deposition at heart, brain, and intestine, Titania concentration in lung was increased on the inhaled rat sacrificed I month after last exposure. Conclusion Inhaled titania nanoparticles is thought to be deposited and make inflammatory reaction in lung, and the deposition was not efficiently cleared over a month. However inhaled titania nanoparticles may rarely pass through the alveolus-blood barrier and distribute to other organs of the bod.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2022

We describe the importance of zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP) concentration in the enhancement of electrical properties in a lead sulfide quantum dot (PbS QD)-based shortwave infrared (SWIR) photodetector. ZnO NPs were synthesized using the sol-gel method. The concentration of the ZnO NPs was controlled as 20, 30 and 40 mg/mL in this study. Note that the ZnO NPs layer is commonly used as an electron transport layer in PbS QDs SWIR photodetectors. The photo-to-dark ratio, which is an important parameter of a photodetector, was intensively examined to evaluate the electrical performance. The 20 mg/mL condition of ZnO NPs exhibited the highest photo-to-dark ratio value of 5 at -1 V, compared with 1.8 and 0.4 for 30 mg/mL and 40 mg/mL, respectively. This resulted because the electron mobility decreased when the concentration of ZnO NPs was higher than the optimized value. Based on our results, the concentration of ZnO NPs was observed to play an important role in the electrical performance of the PbS QDs SWIR photodetector.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.426-431
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• 2017

Some phototoxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles ($TiO_2$ NPs) has been reported in recent years in studies with fish embryos or larvae. However, it is necessary to focus on the potential effects of embryonic exposure due to irreversible abnormalities and mortalities observed in sac-fry, and to expand various fish embryos to generate multiple test species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of $TiO_2$ NPs under different irradiation conditions in exposed Oryzias latipes (O. latipes) at the embryonic and sac-fry stages. The effects of different irradiation conditions were observed using ultra-violet (UV) and visible light, and the corresponding effects were monitored by determining cumulative mortality and abnormality. O. latipes were exposed for 8 d to 0, 1, 5, 10, or 50 mg/L $TiO_2$ NPs under UV ($4,818.86mW/m^2$ at the bottom of clear vials) or visible light, after which the embryos were transferred to NP-free embryo-rearing solution until 16 days post fertilization (dpf). Abnormalities of embryos and sac-fry increased at high $TiO_2$ NP concentrations under UV irradiation, compared to control samples treated with visible light or UV irradiation alone. This work provides information regarding the phototoxicity of $TiO_2$ NPs using O. latipes at the embryonic and sac-fry stages.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.2408-2412
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• 2013

We demonstrate herein the synthesis and modification of magnetic nanoparticles and its use in the immobilization of the lipase. Magnetic $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by simple co-precipitation method in aqueous medium and then subsequently modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyl triethylenesilane (APTES). Silanization magnetic nanoparticles (SMNP) and amino magnetic nanomicrosphere (AMNP) were synthesized successfully. The morphology, structure, magnetic property and chemical composition of the synthetic MNP and its derivatives were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, X-ray diffraction, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). All of these three nanoparticles exhibited good crystallization performance, apparent superparamagnetism, and the saturation magnetization of MNP, SMNP, AMNP were 47.9 emu/g, 33.0 emu/g and 19.5 emu/g, respectively. The amino content was 5.66%. The AMNP was used to immobilize lipase, and the maximum adsorption capacity of the protein was 26.3 mg/g. The maximum maintained activity (88 percent) was achieved while the amount of immobilized lipase was 23.7 mg $g^{-1}$. Immobilization of enzyme on the magnetic nanoparticles can facilitate the isolation of reaction products from reaction mixture and thus lowers the cost of enzyme application.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 2015

Toxicity results of metals, nanoparticles (NPs), and soils contaminated with metals were introduced on this review. Following methods were used: seed germination, bioluminescence, enzyme activity, and mutation. In general, different sensitivities were observed, depending on types of bioassays and pollutants. Among tested seeds, sensitivities of Lactucus and Raphanus were greater than others. Of single metal exposure, effect by As(III) was greater than others, and high revertant mutation ratio (5.1) was observed at 1 mg/L arsenite, indicating high mutagenicity. No general pattern was observed on the effect of metal mixture, but synergistic effect was observed with seeds. In case of soils, no correlation was observed between total metal contents and toxicity. Toxicity of NPs was observed as follows: CuO > ZnO > NiO > $TiO_2$, $Fe_2O_3$, $Co_3O_4$. Especially, no considerable effects were observed by $TiO_2$, $Fe_2O_3$, and $Co_3O_4$ under tested concentration (max. 1,000 mg/L). The evaluation results of interactive toxic effects using various bioassays may comprise a useful tool for the bioassessment of various environmental pollutants.

• Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.2207-2219
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• 2018

Activated carbon (AC) was synthesized from Phoenix dactylifera stones and then modified by $CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic nanocomposite for use as a Cr(VI) adsorbent. Both $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ composite and AC were fully characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD, TEM, TGA, and VSM techniques. Based on the surface analyses, the addition of $CoFe_2O_4$ nanoparticles had a significant effect on the thermal stability and crystalline structure of AC. Factors affecting chromium removal efficiency like pH, dosage, contact time, temperature, and initial Cr(VI) concentration were investigated. The best pH was found 2 and 3 for Cr adsorption by AC and $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ composite, respectively. The presence of ion sulfate had a greater effect on the chromium sorption efficiency than nitrate and chlorine ions. The results illustrated that both adsorbents can be used up to seven times to adsorb chromium. The adsorption process was examined by three isothermal models, and Freundlich was chosen as the best one. The experimental data were well fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The half-life ($t_{1/2}$) of hexavalent chromium using AC and $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic composite was obtained as 5.18 min and 1.52 min, respectively. Cr(VI) adsorption by AC and $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic composite was spontaneous and exothermic. In general, our study showed that the composition of $CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic nanoparticles with AC can increase the adsorption capacity of AC from 36 mg/L to 70 mg/L.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.3723-3729
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• 2010

We investigated the high-excitation voltage cathodoluminescence (CL) performance of blue light-emitting (ZnS:Ag,Al,Cl) and green light-emitting (ZnS:Cu,Al) phosphors coated with metal oxides ($SiO_2$, $Al_2O_3$, and MgO). Hydrolysis of the metal oxide precursors tetraethoxysilane, aluminum isopropoxide, and magnesium nitrate, with subsequent heat annealing at $400^{\circ}C$, produced $SiO_2$ nanoparticles, an $Al_2O_3$ thin film, and MgO scale-type film, respectively, on the surface of the phosphors. Effects of the phosphor surface coatings on CL intensities and aging behavior of the phosphors were assessed using an accelerating voltage of 12 kV. The MgO thick film coverage exhibited less reduction in initial CL intensity and was most effective in improving aging degradation. Phosphors treated with a low concentration of magnesium nitrate maintained their initial CL intensities without aging degradation for 2000 s. In contrast, the $SiO_2$ and the $Al_2O_3$ coverages were ineffective in improving aging degradation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.639-647
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• 2014

Laccases have a broad range of industrial applications. In this study, we immobilized laccase on $SiO_2$ nanoparticles to overcome problems associated with stability and reusability of the free enzyme. Among different reagents used to functionally activate the nanoparticles, glutaraldehyde was found to be the most effective for immobilization. Optimization of the immobilization pH, temperature, enzyme loading, and incubation period led to a maximum immobilization yield of 75.8% and an immobilization efficiency of 92.9%. The optimum pH and temperature for immobilized laccase were 3.5 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively, which differed from the values of pH 3.0 and $40^{\circ}C$ obtained for the free enzyme. Immobilized laccase retained high residual activities over a broad range of pH and temperature. The kinetic parameter $V_{max}$ was slightly reduced from 1,890 to 1,630 ${\mu}mol/min/mg$ protein, and $K_m$ was increased from 29.3 to 45.6. The thermal stability of immobilized laccase was significantly higher than that of the free enzyme, with a half-life 11- and 18-fold higher at temperatures of $50^{\circ}C$ and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. In addition, residual activity was 82.6% after 10 cycles of use. Thus, laccase immobilized on $SiO_2$ nanoparticles functionally activated with glutaraldehyde has broad pH and temperature ranges, thermostability, and high reusability compared with the free enzyme. It constitutes a notably efficient system for biotechnological applications.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.178-185
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• 2020

The aim of this study is to investigate the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) from its aqueous solutions via different advanced oxidation processes (AOP). The effects of persulfate (PS) concentration, pH, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) dose, initial CIP concentration, and reaction time on the degradation of CIP were studied. It was found that the sonochemical (US) degradation is a less efficient process (with removal efficiency of 36%) compared to the sono-nano-chemical (US/ZnO) process which resulted in removal efficiency of 70%. Maximum removal of 99% was obtained using the sono-nano-chemical/PS (US/ZnO/PS) process at a frequency of 60 kHz, time of 10 min, pH of 7, initial CIP concentration of 25 mg/L, and PS concentration of 476.06 mg/L. The addition of PS and ZnO-NPs to the process enhanced the rate of US degradation of CIP. In addition, the kinetic parameters for the US/ZnO/PS process were obtained by fitting the kinetic data into the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The kinetic data was found to fit into the pseudo-first-order kinetic model than the pseudo-second-order model. The results showed that the AOP using US/ZnO/PS is a promising technique for the treatment of ciprofloxacin containing solutions.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.222-227
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• 2017

Red ginseng prepared from fresh 6-year-old ginseng treated with colloidal gold nanoparticles was extracted using hot water to evaluate its total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity, and neuroprotective effects. Water extract of red ginseng treated with gold nanoparticles (WERGGN) had total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of 212.2 mg gallic acid equivalents/$^{\circ}Bx$ and 3.5 mg catechin equivalents/$^{\circ}Bx$, respectively. The antioxidant capacities of WERGGN measured using ABTS, DPPH, and ORAC assays were 272.3, 141.2, and 868.4 mg vitamin C equivalents/$^{\circ}Bx$, respectively. The WERGGN showed protective effects on the viability of neuron-like PC-12 cells against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide in a dose-dependent manner, partly because of a reduction in intracellular oxidative stress. Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, which degrade the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to terminate neurotransmission, were inhibited by treatment with WERGGN. These results suggest that WERGGN is useful as a functional material to decrease oxidative stress and neuronal damage.