• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.238-245
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• 2022

Previous reports have demonstrated that genetic mechanisms greatly mediate responses to drugs of abuse, including methamphetamine (METH). The circadian gene Period 2 (Per2) has been previously associated with differential responses towards METH in mice. While the behavioral consequences of eliminating Per2 have been illustrated previously, Per2 overexpression has not yet been comprehensively described; although, Per2-overexpressing (Per2 OE) mice previously showed reduced sensitivity towards METH-induced addiction-like behaviors. To further elucidate this distinct behavior of Per2 OE mice to METH, we identified possible candidate biomarkers by determining striatal differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in both drug-naïve and METH-treated Per2 OE mice relative to wild-type (WT), through RNA sequencing. Of the several DEGs in drug naïve Per2 OE mice, we identified six genes that were altered after repeated METH treatment in WT mice, but not in Per2 OE mice. These results, validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, could suggest that the identified DEGs might underlie the previously reported weaker METH-induced responses of Per2 OE mice compared to WT. Gene network analysis also revealed that Asic3, Hba-a1, and Rnf17 are possibly associated with Per2 through physical interactions and predicted correlations, and might potentially participate in addiction. Inhibiting the functional protein of Asic3 prior to METH administration resulted in the partial reduction of METH-induced conditioned place preference in WT mice, supporting a possible involvement of Asic3 in METH-induced reward. Although encouraging further investigations, our findings suggest that these DEGs, including Asic3, may play significant roles in the lower sensitivity of Per2 OE mice to METH.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.285-289
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• 2021

An eight-year-old, 3.4 kg, spayed female poodle dog was referred to Gyeongsang National University Animal Medical Center with obstinate bilateral retroperitoneal subcutaneous abscess. The medical history revealed ovariohysterectomy (OHE), lipoma, and mammary gland tumor excision performed two years ago. The dog presented with left retroperitoneal subcutaneous abscess discharge five months back and was treated by abscess drainage and antibiotics in a local veterinary hospital, but a relapse was reported on discontinuing antibiotics. On physical examination, the dog was febrile (40℃) and both retroperitoneal masses showed typical inflammatory reaction and purulent discharge. On serum chemistry analysis, hyperproteinemia, hyperglobulinemia, and elevated levels of C-reactive protein were observed. Cytologic examination showed degenerative neutrophils and phagocytic macrophages. Radiological examination revealed encapsulated hypoechoic subcutaneous masses in bilateral abdominal flank and the left flank mass was connected with the caudal pole of left kidney through fistula. Based on the diagnostic examination, exploratory celiotomy was recommended and left nephrectomy, and resection of bilateral masses were performed. During procedure, fistula between caudal pole of left kidney and left subcutaneous abscess was detected and suture material was identified. Resected tissue was histologically examined and diagnosed as suppurative abscess caused by the suture material. This case report describes chronic suppurative foreign body reaction including caudal pole of left kidney and bilateral retroperitoneal subcutaneous masses induced by the suture material used in OHE two years ago and the necessity of computed tomography examination to identify character of mass and extent of surgical resection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a plastic material commonly applied to beverage packaging used in everyday life. Owing to PET's versatility and ease of use, its consumption has continuously increased, resulting in considerable waste generation. Several physical and chemical recycling processes have been developed to address this problem. Recently, biological upcycling is being actively studied and has come to be regarded as a powerful technology for overcoming the economic issues associated with conventional recycling methods. For upcycling, PET should be degraded into small molecules, such as terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, which are utilized as substrates for bioconversion, through various degradation processes, including gasification, pyrolysis, and chemical/biological depolymerization. Furthermore, biological upcycling methods have been applied to biosynthesize value-added chemicals, such as adipic acid, muconic acid, catechol, vanillin, and glycolic acid. In this review, we introduce and discuss various degradation methods that yield substrates for bioconversion and biological upcycling processes to produce value-added biochemicals. These technologies encourage a circular economy, which reduces the amount of waste released into the environment.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2023

Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃(LATP) is considered a promising material for all-solid-state lithium batteries owing to its high moisture stability, wide potential window (~6 V), and relatively high ion conductivity (10^-3-10^-4 S/cm). Solid electrolytes based on LATP are manufactured via sintering, using LATP powder as the starting material. The properties of the starting materials depend on the synthesis conditions, which affect the microstructure and ionic conductivity of the solid electrolytes. In this study, we synthesize the LATP powder using sol-gel and co-precipitation methods and characterize the physical properties of powder, such as size, shape, and crystallinity. In addition, we have prepared a disc-shaped LATP solid electrolyte using LATP powder as the starting material. In addition, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic measurements are conducted to analyze the grain size, microstructures, and ion conduction properties. These results indicate that the synthesis conditions of the powder are a crucial factor in creating microstructures and affecting the conduction properties of lithium ions in solid electrolytes.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.208-218
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• 2023

Photocatalysts are advanced materials which accelerate the photoreaction by providing ordinary reactions with other pathways. The catalysts have various advantages, such as low-cost, low operating temperature and pressure, and long-term use. They are applied to environmental and energy field, including the air and water purification, water splitting for hydrogen production, sterilization and self-cleaning surfaces. However, commercial photocatalysts only absorb ultraviolet light between 100 and 400 nm of wavelength which comprises only 5% in sunlight due to the wide band gap. In addition, rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs reduces the photocatalytic performance. Recently, studies on blackening photocatalysts by laser, thermal, and plasma treatments have been conducted to enhance the absorption of visible light and photocatalytic activity. The disordered structures could yield mid-gap states and vacancies could cause charge carrier trapping. Herein, liquid phase plasma (LPP) is adopted to synthesize Ag-doped black ZnO for the utilization of visible-light. The physical and chemical characteristics of the synthesized photocatalysts are analyzed by SEM/EDS, XRD, XPS and the optical properties of them are investigated using UV/Vis DRS and PL analyses. Lastly, the photocatalytic activity was evaluated using methylene blue as a pollutant.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.57.2-57.2
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• 2021

Variability in Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) can be caused by time-dependent accretion rates, geometric changes in the circumstellar disks, the stochastic hydromagnetic interactions between stellar surfaces and inner disk edges, reconnections within the stellar magnetosphere, and hot/cold spots on stellar surfaces. We uncover ~1400 variables from a sample of ~5300 YSOs in nearby low-mass star-forming regions using mid-IR light curves obtained from the 5.5-years NEOWISE All Sky Survey. The mid-IR variability traces a wide range of dynamical, physical, and geometrical phenomenon. We classify six types of YSO variability based on their light curves: secular variability (Linear, Curved, Periodic) and stochastic variability (Burst, Drop, Irregular). YSOs in earlier evolutionary stages have higher fractions of variables at all types and higher amplitudes for the variability. Along with brightness variability, we also find a diverse range of secular color variations, which can be attributed to a competitive interplay between the variable accretion luminosity of the central source and the variable extinction by material associated with the accretion process. We compare the variability of known FUors/EXors and VeLLOs/LLSs, which represent two extreme ends (burst versus quiescent) of the episodic accretion process; FUors/EXors have a higher fraction of variables (65%) than VeLLOs/LLSs (41%). Short-term (few day) and long-term (decades) variability, as well as possible AGB contamination in the YSO catalogues, are also discussed.molecules become more complex by surface chemistry induced directly by high energy photons or by the thermal energy diffused over heated grain surface. Therefore, the ice composition is an

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.7 no.10
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• pp.865-878
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• 2017

To realize the healthy life of human, mental, physical, and environmental factors must be managed continuously and stably. In order to manage human health, the 21st century healthcare field is essential ongoing interactions and convergence with ICT technologies. Such demands have created a convergence of technologies (fusion technology) in combination with the heterogeneous technologies. And, with the convergence of medical technology and ICT technologies, the development of personalized therapy environments is created. Advances in ICT-converged healthcare services are progressing due to the development of diverse wearable devices. Such ICT fusion system is exponentially increasing the complexity of the ICT convergence healthcare system and is resulting in various technical, institutional, environmental, and cultural issues. This study explores the status of developments in ICT healthcare technologies from the past to date, identifies major technology and policy issues to address these challenges. Finally it will recommend healthcare policies and a future road-map.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.37.3-38
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• 2021

One of the key questions on star formation is how the organic molecules are synthesized and delivered to the planets and comets since they are the building blocks of prebiotic molecules such as amino acid, which is thought to contribute to bringing life on Earth. Recent astrochemical models and experiments have explained that complex organic molecules (COMs; molecules composed of six or more atoms) are produced on the dust grain mantles in cold and dense gas in prestellar cores. However, the chemical networks and the roles of physical conditions on chemistry are not still understood well. To address this question, hot (> 100 K) cores in high mass young stellar objects (M > 8 Msun) are great laboratories due to their strong emissions and larger samples than those of low-mass counterparts. In addition, CH₃OH masers, which have been mostly found in high mass star forming regions, can provide constraints due to their very unique emerging mechanisms. We investigate twelve high mass star forming regions in ALMA band 6 observation. They are associated with 44/95 GHz Class I and 6.7 GHz Class II CH3OH masers, implying that the active accretion processes are ongoing. For these previously unresolved regions, 66 continuum peaks are detected. Among them, we found 28 cores emitting COMs and specified 10 cores associated with 6.7 GHz Class II CH3OH masers. The chemical diversity of COMs is found in cores in terms of richness and complexity; we identified up to 19 COMs including oxygen- and nitrogen-bearing molecules and their isotopologues in a core. Oxygen-bearing molecules appear to be abundant and more complex than nitrogen-bearing species. On the other hand, the COMs detection rate steeply grows with the gas column density, which can be attributed to the effective COMs formation in dense cores.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.159-168
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• 2023

Polyolefin elastomer (POE) is widely used in a variety of applications, particularly in the manufacture of composites, due to its excellent mechanical properties, chemical resistance, and flexibility. However, POE has a high processing temperature, which causes damage to the fiber during the manufacturing process when impregnating the fiber. Therefore, ethylene vinylacetate (EVA), which has a low melting point and excellent adhesion properties, is blended with POE to reduce the processing temperature, and POE-g-MAH (Polyolefin elastomer-grafted-maleic anhydride) is used as a compatibilizer to further improve the POE/EVA blend properties. The compatibility of POE/EVA blends is observed by SEM, and the interaction between each polymer is confirmed by DSC and FT-IR. In addition, the effect of adding the compatibilizer is analyzed through mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation. The optimal content of compatibilizer for POE/EVA blends considering physical properties and moldability is sought, and 20 phr is determined to be the most appropriate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.2049-2069
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• 2024

Fungi play a significant role in the deterioration of various types of monuments. Therefore, the protection of ancient monuments from fungal attacks is an important goal that must attract the attention of researchers worldwide. A total of 69 fungal isolates were recovered from 22 deteriorated objects compromising paper, textiles, wood, and stone in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) storeroom, Cairo, Egypt. The isolates were identified as 12 different species categorized into three different genera, namely, Aspergillus (9 species), Penicillium (2 species) and Trichoderma (1 species). Among them, Aspergillus fumigatus was the most prevalent species. Three essential oils were assessed for antifungal activity and compared with the antifungal effects of five synthetic microcides to identify a natural inhibitory treatment. Thyme oil and sodium azide were found to be the most active growth inhibitors, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 625 and 100 ppm, with inhibition zone diameters of 19.0 ± 0.70 - 23.76 ± 1.15 and 13.30 ± 0.35 -- 19.66 ± 0.54 mm, respectively. An in vitro simulation of the biodeterioration process was conducted using spores of the A. fumigatus strain NMEC-PSTW.1 on model cubes made of paper, textile, wood, and stone materials. The changes in the characteristics of the artificially deteriorated materials were analyzed using environmental scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results revealed changes in the morphology, physical properties, and chemical composition induced by A. fumigatus NMEC-PSTW.1. Overall, thyme oil is recommended as a natural inhibitor to protect carbonate and cellulosic monuments in NMEC against fungal attack.