• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권15호
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• pp.6145-6150
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• 2014

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are expressed in immune and tumor cells and recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Cervical cancer (CC) is directly linked to a persistent infection with high risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs) and could be associated with alteration of TLRs expression. TLR9 plays a key role in the recognition of DNA viruses and better understanding of this signaling pathway in CC could lead to the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. The present study was undertaken to determine the level of TLR9 expression in cervical neoplasias from Tunisian women with 53 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded specimens, including 22 samples of invasive cervical carcinoma (ICC), 18 of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), 7 of condyloma and 6 normal cervical tissues as control cases. Quantification of TLR9 expression was based on scoring four degrees of extent and intensity of immunostaining in squamous epithelial cells. TLR9 expression gradually increased from CIN1 (80% weak intensity) to CIN2 (83.3% moderate), CIN3 (57.1% strong) and ICC (100% very strong). It was absent in normal cervical tissue and weak in 71.4% of condyloma. The mean scores of TLR9 expression were compared using the Kruskall-Wallis test and there was a statistical significance between normal tissue and condyloma as well as between condyloma, CINs and ICC. These results suggest that TLR9 may play a role in progression of cervical neoplasia in Tunisian patients and could represent a useful biomarker for malignant transformation of cervical squamous cells.

• 대한화학회지
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.731-738
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• 2012

이 연구의 목적은 과학고등학교 학생들을 대상으로 설문지 조사와 면담을 통해 화학 전지에 대한 개념 이해를 분자적 수준의 미시적 관점에서 화학 평형과 연계하여 분석하는 것이다. 과학고등학교 학생들은 전극을 전해질에 담그자마자 전극의 금속이 산화되는 반응과 금속 이온이 환원되는 반응이 동시에 일어난다는 것과 화학 전지의 화학 평형 상태를 고르는 것에 대한 이해는 높았다. 그러나 전극과 전해질 사이에서 일어나는 상호작용을 미시적 관점으로 이해하는 데는 어려움을 겪고 있어, 화학 전지에서의 전위차 발생, 전자의 흐름, 반쪽 전지의 전위 측정, 산화전극과 환원전극 사이의 전지 전위값 계산하기 등에서는 어려움을 겪었다.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권6호
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• pp.1980-1984
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• 2011

A temperature- and coverage-dependant quasi-reversible change in two-photon photoemission (2PPE) of chemisorbed 1-phenyl-1-propyne (PP) on Cu(111) is reported. For PP on Cu(111) at 300 K probed at a photon energy of 4.13 eV, two broad peaks of comparable intensity show final state energies of 7.25 and 7.75 eV above the Fermi level. The former peak could be assigned to the first image potential state (IS, n = 1) and/or unoccupied molecular orbital (UMO), located at 3.1 eV above the Fermi level. The latter is plausibly attributed to a mix of unoccupied higher-order IS (and/or UMO) and occupied surface state (SS) of Cu(111). With decreasing the temperature, the former 2PPE peak shows a shift in position by about 0.2 eV, and the latter exhibits a dramatic increase in intensity. In the system, intermolecular interactions (and/or order-disorder transition) of PP and substrate lattice temperature may play a significant role in change in photoexcitation lifetime (or excitation cross-section), and the unoccupied molecular orbital (UMO)-metal (IS) charge transfer coupling. Our unique 2PPE results provide a deeper insight for understanding photoexcitation charge transfer with temperature in an organic molecule/metal system.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.17-37
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• 2011

The microcantilever (MCL) sensor is one of the most promising platforms for next-generation label-free biosensing applications. It outperforms conventional label-free detection methods in terms of portability and parallelization. In this paper, an overview of recent advances in our understanding of the coupling between biomolecular interactions and MCL responses is given. A dual compact optical MCL sensing platform was built to enable biosensing experiments both in gas-phase environments and in solutions. The thermal bimorph effect was found to be an effective nanomanipulator for the MCL platform calibration. The study of the alkanethiol self-assembly monolayer (SAM) chain length effect revealed that 1-octanethiol ($C_8H_{17}SH$) induced a larger deflection than that from 1-dodecanethiol ($C_{12}H_{25}SH$) in solutions. Using the clinically relevant biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP), we revealed that the analytical sensitivity of the MCL reached a diagnostic level of $1{\sim}500{\mu}g/ml$ within a 7% coefficient of variation. Using grazing incident x-ray diffractometer (GIXRD) analysis, we found that the gold surface was dominated by the (111) crystalline plane. Moreover, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, we confirmed that the Au-S covalent bonds occurred in SAM adsorption whereas CRP molecular bindings occurred in protein analysis. First principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations were also used to examine biomolecular adsorption mechanisms. Multiscale modeling was then developed to connect the interactions at the molecular level with the MCL mechanical response. The alkanethiol SAM chain length effect in air was successfully predicted using the multiscale scheme.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제38권8호
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• pp.863-867
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 화학 기계 연마(CMP) 공정 중 발생하는 다양한 영역대의 신호를 분석하기 위하여 음향 방출 센서(AE)를 이용하였다. 특히 음향 방출 센서는 공정 중 발생하는 기계적 소음을 전기적 신호로 변환하기 용이하며, 특히 고주파 영역대의 신호를 감지하기에 용이하다. 그래서 본 연구에서는 CMP 장비에 음향 방출 센서를 부착하여 CMP 공정 중 발생하는 신호를 동시에 획득하였다. 본 음향 방출 모니터링 시스템은 CMP 공정 조건 변화 및 패드, 슬러리, 웨이퍼와 같은 소모재의 변화에 따른 신호분석을 하기 위해 제작 되었다. 본 연구에서는 산화막 웨이퍼와 구리막 웨이퍼에 본 시스템을 적용하였다. 음향 방출 센서로 획득한 신호로 Raw 신호 분석, 주파수 분석, 진폭 분석을 통해서 CMP 공정중 발생하는 현상을 분석하였다. 최종적으로 다양한 대역폭의 신호를 음향 방출 센서로 획득하여 CMP 공정 모니터링이 가능함을 확인하고자 하였다.

• 접착 및 계면
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.155-161
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• 2019

공액분자 나노구조체 계면에서의 전하이동 이방성을 이해하는 것은 유기전계효과트랜지스터(OFET)에서 구조-물성 상관관계를 규명하는데 중요하다. 본 연구에서는 대표적인 코페이셜 적층구조를 가진 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) 유기반도체 단결정과 산화물 계면에서 전하이동도 이방성을 연구하였다. 용매치환공정을 이용해 유기단결정을 산화실리콘 절연체 표면에 성장시키고 유기단결정/산화물 계면에서 전하이동을 유도할 수 있도록 OFET 소자를 완성하였다. TIPS-pentacene OFET에서 최고/최저 전하이동도 이방성은 5.2로 관찰되었다. TIPS-pentacene의 전하이동을 담당하는 공액부의 최인접부와의 상호작용을 분석한 결과, HOMO 준위 커플링과 전하의 호핑 궤도가 전하이동도 이방성에 기여하는 것으로 밝혀졌다. HOMO 준위 커플링에 기반한 전하이동도 이방성의 정량적 예측은 실험결과와 유사하게 나타났다.

• 한국진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국진공학회 2015년도 제49회 하계 정기학술대회 초록집
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• pp.109.1-109.1
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• 2015

Understanding the reaction mechanisms and structures underlying the adsorption of biomolecules on semiconductors is important for functionalizing semiconductor surfaces for various bioapplications. Herein, we describe the characteristic behavior of a primary nucleobase adsorbed on the semiconductor Ge(100). The adsorption configuration of guanine, a primary nucleobase found in DNA and RNA, on the semiconductor Ge(100) at an atomic level was investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. When adsorbed on Ge(100) at room temperature, guanine appears dark in STM images, indicating that the adsorption of guanine on Ge(100) occurs through N-H dissociation. In addition, DFT calculations revealed that "N(1)-H dissociation through an O dative bonded structure" is the most favorable adsorption configuration of all the possible ones. We anticipate that the characterization of guanine adsorbed on Ge(100) will contribute to the development of semiconductor-based biodevices.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권6호
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• pp.281-282
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• 2017

Advances in the understanding of the Hippo signaling as a key regulatory pathway of proliferation and apoptosis have provided mechanical insights for controlling organ size and tumorigenicity. Recently, much attention has been directed to the regulation of LATS1/2 (large tumor suppressor) kinases that phosphorylate YAP/TAZ, a transcriptional co-activator in the Hippo pathway, and control the level and nuclear localization of YAP/TAZ. In our recent work, we showed that deubiquitinase YOD1 stabilizes ITCH, and facilitates ITCH-mediated LATS1/2 ubiquitination and degradation, resulting in increased YAP/TAZ level. Furthermore, we found that the YOD1-ITCH-LATS1/2-YAP/TAZ signaling axis is controlled by the differential expression of miR-21 in a cell-density-dependent manner. Using a transgenic mouse model, we showed that the inducible expression of YOD1 enhances the proliferation of hepatocytes and leads to hepatomegaly in a YAP/TAZ-activity-dependent manner. Moreover, a strong correlation was observed between YOD1 and YAP expression in liver cancer patients. Overall, our data suggest that YOD1 is a novel regulator of the Hippo pathway, and thereby a potential therapeutic target for liver cancer.

• 한국과학교육학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.213-222
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• 1995

Analyzing textbook is the first step for enhancing the level of biology education especially in Korea. Prior studies of textbook analysis have mostly dealt with such topics as terminology analysis, content analysis, relationship analysis of chapters, and comparative studies. However, not much attention was paid to concept system to be learned and to relevance of concepts chosen. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to clarify the concept system and to elucidate the relationship among concepts for effective learning. Novak's concept map was utilized as a theoretical framework for the analysis of chapter I of high school biology textbook. Concept map has several distinctive merits in many aspects such as teaching, learning, and evaluation. It not only makes the understanding of key concepts and proposition a lot easier, but also helps to link prior knowledge and new concepts more effectively. This study will be a basic material for improving textbook for effective biology learning. The conclusions of the study are as follows: 1. Concepts in subchapters were arranged unsystematically or they were overlapping. For more effective understanding, those items should be rearranged. 2. Key concepts are not arrayed properly according to their hierarchy. Therefore, it was hard for students to set up concept structure. 3. The concepts emphasized by bold letters were not selected properly in accordance with their importance. Appropriate concepts should be chosen. 4. Key concepts should be explained by using examples in everyday life for easy understanding. 5. Many concepts in molecular biology is too abstract to grasp their meaning. Therefore, many audio-visual materials should be used to aid concept building.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권8호
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• pp.1261-1271
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• 2020

Cytochrome c_L (Cytc_L) is an essential protein in the process of methanol oxidation in methylotrophs. It receives an electron from the pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) cofactor of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) to produce formaldehyde. The direct electron transfer mechanism between Cytc_L and MDH remains unknown due to the lack of structural information. To help gain a better understanding of the mechanism, we determined the first crystal structure of heme c containing Cytc_L from the aquatic methylotrophic bacterium Methylophaga aminisulfidivorans MP^T at 2.13 Å resolution. The crystal structure of Ma-Cytc_L revealed its unique features compared to those of the terrestrial homologues. Apart from Fe in heme, three additional metal ion binding sites for Na⁺, Ca⁺, and Fe²⁺ were found, wherein the ions mostly formed coordination bonds with the amino acid residues on the loop (G93-Y111) that interacts with heme. Therefore, these ions seemed to enhance the stability of heme insertion by increasing the loop's steadiness. The basic N-terminal end, together with helix α4 and loop (G126 to Y136), contributed positive charge to the region. In contrast, the acidic C-terminal end provided a negatively charged surface, yielding several electrostatic contact points with partner proteins for electron transfer. These exceptional features of Ma-Cytc_L, along with the structural information of MDH, led us to hypothesize the need for an adapter protein bridging MDH to Cytc_L within appropriate proximity for electron transfer. With this knowledge in mind, the methanol oxidation complex reconstitution in vitro could be utilized to produce metabolic intermediates at the industry level.