• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.241-248
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• 1995

For the treatment of poorly biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) in dye-processing wastewater, immobilized microbial beads were prepared by uslng agar-acrylamide method. PVA removal efficiency for the synthetic wastewater was 85% at the PVA volume loading rate of $3.1g/\ell$.day. In case of real desizing wastewater, PVA removal efficiency was 81.3% at the PVA volume loading rate of $3.25g/\ell$.day. In observation of cross section of immobilized bead passed 5 months with diameter of 2.4mm, the growth of cell was limited by the resistance of substrate and oxygen transfer for the inners region of more than 48% of bead radius from the surface. It was estimated that 70% of total removed PVA was degraded by the immobilized cells in the continuous immobilized reactor. Substrate utilization rate in the suspended reactor was decreased with increasing dilution rates above 0.083 hr-1, but that in the immobilized reactor was increased with increasing dilution rates up to 0.125hr-1. The substrate removal efficiency of immobilized reactor was much superior to that of suspended reactor with increasing dilution rates. Saturation constant of substrate utilization rate equation, Ks was $6.6 g PVA/\ell$, and maximum specific substrate utilization. k was 0.175g PVA/g cell.hr

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.556-563
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• 2007

We carried out a laboratory scale experiment about the characteristics of chemically active species produced in hybrid gas-liquid discharges. The electrode configuration which had high voltage electrode in the gas phase and ground electrode in the liquid was utilized while high voltage electrode has been typically positioned in the liquid in other studies. Our electrode was configured in such a way as to increase the energy efficiency of chemical reactions by creating a higher electrical field strength and a narrower pulse width than the typical electrode configuration. The highest ozone concentration was obtained at 45 kV which was the medium value in operating voltages. The decrease of solution conductivity increased the resistance of liquid phase and the electric field strength through the gas phase, so ozone gene-ration rate was enhanced. The increase of voltage promoted the production rate of hydrogen peroxide by increasing the electric field strength. In a lower voltage, the increase of solution conductivity increased the degradation rate of $H_2O_2$, so the $H_2O_2$ generation rate decreased. On the other hand, the effects of UV radiation, shock waves etc. increased the $H_2O_2$ generation rate as the solution conductivity increased. A higher rate of $H_2O_2$ generation can be achieved by mixing argon to oxygen which generates a stronger and more stable discharges.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.10 no.10
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• pp.671-676
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• 2000

$BaTiO_3$-based ceramics with partially oxidized Ti powders were prepared by sintering at $1350^{\circ}C$ for 1 h in v vacuum, and then heated in air. In this study, the effect of partially oxidized Ti powders on electrical properties and microstructures of $BaTiO_3$-based ceramics was investigated. It was found out that the semiconductive $BaTiO_3$-based ceramics beζame to show excellent PTCR (more than $10^5$) characteristic by adding 5~7 vol% of partially oxidized Ti powder. Also, it was found out that the sintered compact had extremely porous and fine-grained microstructure. The relative density and grain size of sintered compact with 5 vol% of partially oxidized Ti powders were 54% and $1.3\;{\mu\textrm{m}}$, respectively. The mechanism for the development of PTCR characteristic in $BaTiO_3$-based ceramics with partially oxidized Ti powders due to the adsorption of oxygen at grain boundaries, and could be explained, based on Heywang model.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

In this study, the resistance to ozone and characteristics of ozone-induced damage were investigated on the perennial ground cover plant species. Sedum kamtschaticum and Hosta longipes were exposed to $200{\mu}g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ ozone for 8 hours per day (from 08:00 to 16:00) in the naturally irradiated phytotron. The extent of ozone-induced damage was measured through the analysis of physiological parameters, such as water use efficiency (WUE), chlorophyll content (Chl. a, Chl. b, Chl. a + b, and Chl. a/b ratio), carotenoid contents, and the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ozone exposure significantly reduced the daytime WUE in both species. The contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid were also decreased and ROS, such as hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) and superoxide radical ($O_2{^-}$) were accumulated after ozone exposure. The above results of this study suggested that S. kamtschaticum is more resistant to atmospheric ozone than Hosta longipes. Considering its fast responses to ozone, it was also assumed that Hosta longipes can be used as an indicator plant of an increase in atmospheric ozone concentration.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.327-333
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• 2016

Reinforced concrete structures have found wide usage in land and maritime applications. However, the corrosion of reinforced concrete has been recognized as a serious problem from economic and safety standpoints. In previous studies, the corrosion behavior of the inner steel bar embedded in mortar (W/C: 0.4, 0.5) was investigated using electrochemical methods. In this study, multiple mortar test specimens (W/C: 0.6) with six different cover thicknesses were prepared and immersed in flowing seawater for five years. Subsequently, equations related to the cover thickness, period of immersion, and corrosion characteristics of the embedded steel bar were evaluated using electrochemical methods. Prior to immersion, the corrosion potentials indicated an increase with increasing cover thickness, and after five years, all corrosion potentials demonstrated a trend in the positive direction irrespective of the cover thickness. However, the relationships between the corrosion potential and cover thickness were not in complete agreement. Furthermore, after five years, all of the corrosion potentials indicated values that were nobler compared to those obtained prior to immersion, and their corrosion current densities also decreased compared to their values obtained prior to immersion. It was considered that the embedded steel bar was easily corroded because of the aggression of water, dissolved oxygen, and chloride ions; a higher W/C ratio also assisted the corrosion process. The corrosive products deposited on the surface of the steel bar for five years cast a resistance polarizing effect shifting the corrosion potential in the nobler direction. Consequently, it was considered that the W/C ratio of 0.6 showed nearly same results as those of W/C of 0.4 and 0.5. Therefore, the corrosion potential as well as various parameters such as the cover thickness, period of immersion, and W/C ratio must be considered at once for a more accurate evaluation of the corrosion property of reinforced steel exposed to marine environment for a long period.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.400-409
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• 2021

Sanguinarine, a natural benzophenanthridine alkaloid, has been considered a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer because it can induce apoptosis in human cancer cells; however, the underlying mechanisms of action still remain unclear. Tumor suppressor p53 deletion or mutation is an important reason for the resistance of colorectal cancer cells to anticancer agents. Therefore, in the present study, the role of p53 during apoptosis induced by sanguinarine was investigated in p53wild type (WT, p53+/+) and p53null (p53+/+) HCT116 colon carcinoma cells. Sanguinarine significantly caused greater reductions in cell viability in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells than in HCT116 (p53-/-) cells. Consistently, sanguinarine promoted more DNA damage and apoptosis in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells than in HCT116 (p53-/-) cells while increasing the expression of p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21^WAF1/CIP1. Sanguinarine increased the activity of caspase-8 and caspase-9, which are involved in the initiation of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways, respectively, and it activated caspase-3, a typical effect caspase, in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells. Sanguinarine also increased the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, while destroying the integrity of mitochondria in HCT116 (p53+/+) cells, but not in HCT116 (p53-/-) cells. Overall, the results indicate that sanguinarine induced p53-dependent apoptosis through ROS-mediated activation of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1469-1476
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• 2018

Occurrence of the Warburg effect in solid tumors causes resistance to cancer chemotherapy, and targeting energy metabolisms such as aerobic glycolysis is a potential strategy for alternative treatment. Dichloroacetate (DCA), an inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), shifts glucose metabolism from aerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) in many cancers. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effect of DCA on a human anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cell line, 8505C. We found that DCA selectively inhibits cell proliferation of the 8505C line but not of a normal thyroid line. In 8505C, the cell cycle was arrested at the G1/S phase with DCA treatment as a result of decreased antiapoptotic proteins such as $HIF1{\alpha}$, PDK1, and Bcl-2 and increased proapoptotic proteins such as Bax and p21. DCA treatment enhanced the production of reactive oxygen species which consequently induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Interestingly, DCA treatment not only reduced lactate production but also increased the expression of sodium-iodine symporter, indicating that it restores the OxPhos of glucose metabolism and the iodine metabolism of the ATC. Taken together, our findings suggest that PDK inhibitors such as DCA could be useful anticancer drugs for the treatment of ATC and may also be helpful in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.294-308
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• 2021

BACKGROUD/OBJECTIVES: Allomyrina dichotoma larva (ADL), one of the many edible insects recognized as future food resources, has a range of pharmacological activities. In a previous study, an ADL extract (ADLE) reduced the hepatic insulin resistance of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced diabetic mice. On the other hand, the associated molecular mechanisms underlying pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction remain unclear. This study examined the effects of ADLE on palmitate-induced lipotoxicity in a beta cell line of a rat origin, INS-1 cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: ADLE was administered to high-fat diet treated mice. The expression of apoptosis-related molecules was measured by Western blotting, and reactive oxidative stress generation and nitric oxide production were measured by DCH-DA fluorescence and a Griess assay, respectively. RESULTS: The administration of ADLE to HFD-induced diabetic mice reduced the hyperplasia, 4-hydroxynonenal levels, and the number of apoptotic cells while improving the insulin levels compared to the HFD group. Treatment of INS-1 cells with palmitate reduced insulin secretion, which was attenuated by the ADLE treatment. Furthermore, the ADLE treatment prevented palmitate-induced cell death in INS-1 cells and isolated islets by reducing the apoptotic signaling molecules, including cleaved caspase-3 and PARP, and the Bax/Bcl2 ratio. ADLE also reduced the levels of reactive oxygen species generation, lipid accumulation, and nitrite production in palmitate-treated INS-1 cells while increasing the ATP levels. This effect corresponded to the decreased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein. CONCLUSIONS: ADLE helps prevent lipotoxic beta-cell death in INS-1 cells and HFD-diabetic mice, suggesting that ADLE can be used to prevent or treat beta-cell damage in glucose intolerance during the development of diabetes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.969-979
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• 2021

Type 2 diabetes is a serious chronic metabolic disease, and the goal of diabetes treatment is to keep blood glucose at a normal level and prevent complications from diabetes. Hyperglycemia is a key pathologic feature of type 2 diabetes that mainly results from insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. Chronic exposure of β-cells to elevated glucose concentrations induces glucotoxicity. In this study, we examined whether an 80% ethanol extract of Oxya chinensis sinuosa Mishchenko (OEE) protected INS-1 pancreatic β-cells against glucotoxicity-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress. Pretreatment with a high concentration of glucose (high glucose = 30 mM) induced glucotoxicity and apoptosis of INS-1 pancreatic β cells. Treatment with OEE significantly increased cell viability. Treatment with 0.01-0.20 mg/ml OEE dose dependently decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and nitric oxide levels and increased insulin secretion in high glucose-pretreated INS-1 β cells. OEE also significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes in response to high-glucose-induced oxidative stress. Moreover, OEE treatment significantly reduced the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins, including Bax, cytochrome C, caspase-3, and caspase-9, and increased anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression. Apoptotic cells were identified using Annexin-V/propidium iodide staining, which revealed that treatment with OEE significantly reduced high-glucose-induced apoptosis. These findings implicate OEE as a valuable functional food in protecting pancreatic β-cells against glucotoxicity-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.249-254
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• 2023

La_0.7-xCe_xSr_0.3MnO₃ specimens were fabricated by a solid state reaction method and structural and electrical properties with variation of Ce⁴⁺ contents were measured. All specimens exhibited a polycrystalline rhombohedral crystal structure, and the (110) peaks were shifted to low angle side with increasing the amount of Ce⁴⁺ contents. As Ce⁴⁺ ions with different ion radii and charges are substituted with La³⁺ ions, electrical properties are thought to be affected by changes in the double exchange interaction between Mn³⁺-Mn⁴⁺ ions due to distortion of the unit lattice, a decrease in oxygen vacancy concentration, and an increase in lattice defects. Resistivity gradually decrease as the amount of Ce⁴⁺ added increased, and negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) properties were shown in all specimens. In the La_0.5Ce_0.2Sr_0.3MnO₃ specimens, electrical resistivity, TCR and B-value were 31.8 Ω-cm, 0.55%/℃ and 605 K, respectively.