• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.351-359
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the improvement effect of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus L.) on the hepatic functional enzyme and catalase activity of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats were divided into four groups (n=6), and fed experimental diets containing mung bean meal [basal diet+5% mung bean (BM), basal diet+STZ+5% mung bean (SM)], and control (Basal Diet, BD), BS groups (basal diet+STZ). Serum concentrations of Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were significantly decreased (p<0.05) by 5% mung bean supplementation diet. The activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), akaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), amylase and lipase were decreased in the BD, BM and SM group than BS group. The catalase (CAT) activity was significantly increased (p<0.05) in mung bean supplementation diet (BM, SM group) than diabetic group (BS). In vivo experiments with diabetic rats showed that ingestion of mung bean supplementation diet were effective in BUN concentration, and hepatic functional enzyme activities.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.639-643
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• 2011

Zinc oxide as an optoelectronic device material was studied to utilize its wide band gap of 3.37 eV and high exciton biding energy of 60 meV. Using anti-site nitrogen to generate p-type zinc oxide has shown a deep acceptor level and low solubility. To increase the nitrogen solubility in zinc oxide, group 13 elements (aluminum, gallium, and indium) was co-added to nitrogen. The effect of aluminum on nitrogen solubility in a $3{\times}3{\times}2$ zinc oxide super cell containing 72 atoms was investigated using density functional theory with hybrid functionals of Heyd, Scuseria, and Ernzerhof (HSE). Aluminum and nitrogen were substituted for zinc and oxygen sites in the super cell, respectively. The band gap of the undoped super cell was calculated to be 3.36 eV from the density of states, and was in good agreement with the experimentally obtained value. Formation energies of a nitrogen molecule and nitric oxide in the zinc oxide super cell in zinc-rich conditions were lower than those in oxygen-rich conditions. When the number of nitrogen molecules near the aluminum increased from one to four in the super cell, their formation energies decreased to approach the valence band maximum to some degree. However, the acceptor level of nitrogen in zinc oxide with the co-incorporation of aluminum was still deep.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2013

This study investigated hepatic functional improvement and anti-fibrotic effects of water extracts of black tea. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups (normal, control, and two experimental subgroups: Ba, Bb) and observed for 3 weeks. Liver fibrosis in rats developed from carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) administration, except for the normal group. Except for the normal and control group, the two experimental subgroups were fed water extracts of black tea. The food efficiency ratio significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. The experimental group had a significantly lower liver weight compared to the control group. The ratio of liver weight to body weight was significantly lower in the experimental group than the control group. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in serum significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to the control group. The values of hydroxyproline and malondialdehyde in liver were even lower in the experimental group than the control group. In observations on liver histology, weaker inflammation and fibrosis were observed in the experimental group compared to the control group. In conclusion, water extracts of black tea help hepatic cells keep their functions, restraining and protecting the liver from impairments caused by $CCl_4$ administration, and can be effective as anti-fibrotic agents.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.475-483
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• 2019

The purpose this study was to investigate the influences of 5% turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) supplementation on enzyme activities such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), amylase, lipase and catalase in serum of dyslipidemic rats. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (24 male) were divided into four groups, namely the ND group (normal-nondyslipidemic diet), NT group (normal-nondyslipidemic diet+5% turmeric), DD group (control-dyslipidemic diet), and DT groups (dyslipidemic diet+5% turmeric). Serum concentrations of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and uric acid were significantly decreased (p<0.05) by turmeric supplementation diet. The activities of AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, amylase and lipase in sera of turmeric diet group were significantly decreased (p<0.05). The catalase activity in serum of turmeric supplementation group was significantly increased than dyslipidemic diet (p<0.05). In vivo experiment with dyslipidemic rats showed that ingestion of turmeric were effective in kidney and hepatic functional enzyme activities. Which suggests that turmeric material could be used for further studies as a potential source for nutraceutical foods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.126-132
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• 2001

Effect of Quartz porphyty(QP) on functional and morphological changes of the liver and kidney was studied in male common finch and white java sparrow fed with the basal diet(Control group) or experimental diet containing 3.0% QP(QP group) for 14 days. There was not significantly different morphological change of the liver upon light microscopic examination in common finch and white java sparrow between control group and QP group. Morphological change of renal tissue upon light microscopic examination in common finch and white java sparrow was not also significantly different between control group and QP group. The concentrations of serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and nric acid as renal functional parameters of common finch and white java sparrow were not significantly different in the both groups. The activity of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT) as hepatic functional parameter in common finch was significantly higher in the QP group($\rho$<0.05), whereas the activity of glutamic pyruvic transaminase(GPT) as hepatic functional parameter in common finch was not significantly different in the both groups. The activities of GOP and GPT in white java sparrow were not significantly different in the both groups. The morphologic findings and functional parameters of the liver and kidney observed in common finch and white java sparrow fed with 3.0% QP diet showed evidence of slightly liver damage accompanied with increased release of enzyme and fatty change of the hepatocytes in common finch, suggested that the tissues in some animals can be damaged by feeding a diet supplemented with 3.0% QP.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.408-412
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• 2019

In this study, nitrogen doped carbon felt was prepared by pyrolysis of urea at high temperature and applied as an electrode for vanadium redox flow cell. Urea is easier to handle than ammonia and forms $NH_2$ radicals at higher temperatures, creating a nitrogen functional group on the carbon surface and acting as an active site in the vanadium redox reaction. Therefore, the discharge capacity of activated carbon felt electrodes using urea was 14.9 Ah/L at a current density of $150mA/cm^2$, which is 23% and 187% higher than OGF and GF, respectively. These results show the possibility that activated carbon felt electrode using urea can be used as electrode material for redox flow battery.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.780-787
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• 2012

The maize pathogen Gibberella moniliformis produces fumonisins, a group of mycotoxins associated with several disorders in animals and humans, including cancer. The current focus of our research is to understand the regulatory mechanisms involved in fumonisin biosynthesis. In this study, we employed a proteomics approach to identify novel genes involved in the fumonisin biosynthesis under nitrogen stress. The combination of genome sequence, mutant strains, EST database, microarrays, and proteomics offers an opportunity to advance our understanding of this process. We investigated the response of the G. moniliformis proteome in limited nitrogen (N0, fumonisin-inducing) and excess nitrogen (N+, fumonisin-repressing) conditions by one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis. We selected 11 differentially expressed proteins, six from limited nitrogen conditions and five from excess nitrogen conditions, and determined the sequences by peptide mass fingerprinting and MS/MS spectrophotometry. Subsequently, we identified the EST sequences corresponding to the proteins and studied their expression profiles in different culture conditions. Through the comparative analysis of gene and protein expression data, we identified three candidate genes for functional analysis and our results provided valuable clues regarding the regulatory mechanisms of fumonisin biosynthesis.

• Carbon letters
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.166-172
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• 2005

The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of application for water treatment using the zeocarbon. The zeocarbon was mixture of zeolite and activated carbon. In general, the application of commercial zeocarbon to water treatment is difficult because of weak strength in water and the high pH value of effluents after water treatment. Therefore, we have modified the surface of zeocarbon. For the surface modification, we used the acid treatment to make surface functional group. As a result of modification, was created functional group on zeocarbon surface and was formed mesopore in zeocarbon. The surface modified zeocarbon was applied to removal of nitrogen. In removal experiments of nitrogen, removal efficiency was very high. And, strength of zeocarbon after water treatment and pH of effluents were stabilized. This indicates that the surface modified zeocarbon was easy to recover and reuse. Consequently, our results were shown the possibility of application for water treatment using the surface modified zeocarbon.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.624-629
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• 2022

Formaldehyde is an indoor pollutant that is harmful to humans, such as causing respiratory and skin diseases. Nitrogen plasma treatment was performed to introduce nitrogen groups on the surface of the activated carbon fibers (ACFs), and the adsorption characteristics of formaldehyde for the surface-modified ACFs were considered. As the nitrogen gas flow rate increased, the content of nitrogen functional groups introduced to the surface of the ACFs increased by about 7%, and the ratio of nitrogen functional groups to each type present was similar. Ultramicropores increased on the ACFs surface due to the etching effect of plasma treatment. The adsorption efficiency of formaldehyde on the modified ACFs surface was also enhanced. However, under the nitrogen flow rate of 120 sccm or more, the surface of the ACFs was excessively etched, and the specific surface area and the formaldehyde adsorption capacity decreased. Therefore, the content of the nitrogen groups is the main factor in the adsorption of formaldehyde on the nitrogen plasma-treated ACFs, but it can be found that the adsorption efficiency of formaldehyde is improved when the ACFs have a suitable pore structure.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.27.1-27.15
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• 2023

Background: The relationships between the postpartum subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) occurrence and predicted bacterial functions during the periparturient period are still not clear in Holstein cows. Objectives: The present study was performed to investigate the alterations of rumen fermentation, bacterial community structure, and predicted bacterial functional pathways in Holstein cows. Methods: Holstein cows were divided into the SARA (n = 6) or non-SARA (n = 4) groups, depending on whether they developed SARA during the first 2 weeks after parturition. Reticulo-ruminal pH was measured continuously during the study period. Reticulo-ruminal fluid samples were collected 3 weeks prepartum, and 2 and 6 weeks postpartum, and blood samples were collected 3 weeks before, 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks postpartum. Results: The postpartum decline in 7-day mean reticulo-ruminal pH was more severe and longer-lasting in the SARA group compared with the non-SARA group. Changes in predicted functional pathways were identified in the SARA group. A significant upregulation of pathway "PWY-6383" associated with Mycobacteriaceae species was identified at 3 weeks after parturition in the SARA group. Significantly identified pathways involved in denitrification (DENITRIFICATION-PWY and PWY-7084), detoxification of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (PWY1G-0), and starch degradation (PWY-622) in the SARA group were downregulated. Conclusions: The postpartum SARA occurrence is likely related to the predicted functions of rumen bacterial community rather than the alterations of rumen fermentation or fluid bacterial community structure. Therefore, our result suggests the underlying mechanisms, namely functional adaptation of bacterial community, causing postpartum SARA in Holstein cows during the periparturient period.