• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.240-246
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Folic acid supplementation before pregnancy is known to significantly reduce the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects (NTDs). Therefore, it is important for women to be aware of the effects of folic acid supplementation before pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness and preconceptional use of folic acid and to assess the current knowledge about folic acid among low-income pregnant women in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2012. Five hundred pregnant women were selected from the waiting list for the Nutriplus program implemented in public health centers using a multistage clustered probability sampling design. Data from 439 women were analyzed after excluding ones with incomplete answers. RESULTS: Among women who responded to the questionnaire, 65.6% had heard of folic acid before pregnancy, and 26.4% reported on the preconceptional use of folic acid. Women with a university degree or higher education were more likely to be aware of folic acid and to take folic acid in the preconception period. In a multivariate logistic regression, when age, education level, household income, employment status, gravidity, parity, and folic acid awareness were included in the model, folic acid awareness was a strong predictor of preconceptional folic acid use. As of interview, 85.4% and 77.7% of women were aware of the NTD-preventive role of folic acid and the appropriate time to take folic acid, respectively. The main sources of information on folic acid were healthcare professionals (41.2%), friends and family members (31.2%), and the media (26.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that public health strategies are needed to increase the preconceptional use of folic acid among Korean women.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.354-357
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• 2009

Three compounds, vanillic acid, p-hydroxylcinnamic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde have been isolated from the ethylacetate extract of Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham roots using silica gel open column chromatography, preparative thin-layer chromatography (pTLC) and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were established on the basis of IR, extensive 1D NMR, and MS analyses. The ethylacetate (EtOAc) extract, vanillic acid, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde showed $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibition activity of 72.71%, 20.13%, and 30.42%, at the concentration of 10 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The EtOAc extract exhibited strong antioxidant activity with an $IC_50$ value of 24.37 ${\mu}g/mL$ against DPPH radical scavenging activity, the vanillic acid, p-hydroxylcinnamic acid, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde with an $IC_50$ value of 2.10 ${\mu}M$, 1.59 ${\mu}M$, and 2.72 ${\mu}M$ against DPPH, respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 1992

Flocculation-spectrophotometry and streaming current detector( SCD ) method were investigated and compared in order to determine the optimum dosages of synthetic cationic polymers of different charge density and molecular mass for the removal of humic acid. The optimum dosage for each of the polymers was determined with the dosage at which the lowest absorbance of humic acid was shown for the formal. and was determined with the dosage required during charge neutralization of humic acid for the latter It was in good agreement between both methods and there is a strong inverse correlation between the optimum dosage and charge density of the polymers, with highly charged polymer giving the lowest optimum dosage, pointing out the importance the charge neutralization. By flocculation-spectrophotometry, it was found that the absorbance of humid acid with the amount of each of the polymers dosed, changes sharply for polymers of high charge density, but changes rather broadly for polymers of low and middle charge density, Both methods showed that a stoichiometric correlation exists between the optimum dosage of each of the cationic polymers and the negatively charged humic acid.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.383-388
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• 2004

The conversion of a cellulose-producing cell ($Cel^+$) from Gluconacetobacter hansenii PJK (KCTC 10505 BP) to a non-cellulose-producing cell ($Cel^-$) was investigated by measuring the colony forming unit (CFU). This was achieved in a shaking flask with three slanted baffles, which exerted a strong shear stress. The addition of organic acid, such as glutamic acid and acetic acid, induced the conversion of microbial cells from a wild type to $Cel^-$ mutants in a flask culture. The supplementation of $1\%$ ethanol to the medium containing an organic acid depressed the con-version of the microbial cells to $Cel^-$ mutants in a conventional flask without slanted baffles. The addition of ethanol to the medium containing an organic acid; however, accelerated the conversion of microbial cells in the flask with slanted baffles. The $Cel^+$ cells from the agitated culture were not easily converted into $Cel^-$ mutants on the additions of organic acid and ethanol to a flask without Slanted baffles, but some portion of the $Cel^+$ cells were converted to $Cel^-$ mutants in a flask with slanted baffles. The conversion ratio of $Cel^+$ cells to $Cel^-$ mutants was strongly re-lated to the production of bacterial cellulose independently from the cell growth.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.753-761
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• 2016

Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) can be used for the recovery of acetic acid from black liquor prior to bioethanol fermentation. Recovery of value-added chemicals such as acetic-, formic- and lactic acid using LLE from Kraft black liquor was studied. Acetic acid and formic acid have been reported to be strong inhibitors in fermentation. The study elucidates the effect of three reaction parameters: pH (0.5~3.5), temperature ($25{\sim}65^{\circ}C$), and reaction time (24~48 min). Extraction performance using tri-n-octylphosphine oxide as the extractant was evaluated. The maximum acetic acid concentration achieved from hydrolyzates was 69.87% at $25^{\circ}C$, pH= 0.5, and 36 min. Factorial design was used to study the effects of pH, temperature, and reaction time on the maximum inhibitor extraction yield after LLE. The maximum potential extraction yield of acetic acid was 70.4% at $25.8^{\circ}C$, pH=0.6 and 37.2 min residence time.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.423-427
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• 2013

A new convenient derivatization method of ${\alpha}$-amino acid esters as nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD) derivatives for chiral resolution was introduced and the enantiomer separation of ${\alpha}$-amino acid esters as NBD derivatives was performed by normal HPLC using chiral columns based on polysaccharide derivatives. The NBD derivatives were readily prepared by stirring NBD-Cl and ${\alpha}$-amino acid methyl ester HCl with $NaHCO_3$ in ethanol. The performance of Chiralpak IA was superior to the other chiral stationary phases for enantiomer resolution of NBD derivatives of several ${\alpha}$-amino acid methyl esters. Owing to fluorescence detection as well as strong UV absorption, it is expected that the convenient analytical method developed in this study will be very useful for enantiomer separation of ${\alpha}$-amino acid esters as NBD derivatives on polysaccharide-derived chiral columns.

• Environmental Sciences Bulletin of The Korean Environmental Sciences Society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 1997

Flocculation-spectrophotometry and streaming current detector(SCD) method were investigated and compared in order to determine the optimum dosages of synthetic cationic polymers of different charge density and molecular mass for the removal of humic acid. The optimum dosage for each of the polymers was determined with the dosage at which the lowest absorbance of humic acid was shown for the former and was determined with the dosage required during charge neutralization of humic acid for the latter. It was in good agreement between both methods and there is a strong inverse correlation between the optimum dosage and charge density of the polymers, with highly charged polymer giving the lowest optimum dosage, pointing out the importance the charge neutralization. By flocculation-spectrophotometry, it was found that the absorbance of humic acid with the amount of each of the polymers dosed, changes sharply for polymers of high charge density, but changes rather broadly for polymers of low and middle charge density. Both methods showed that a stoichiometric correlation exists between the optimum dosage of each of the cationic polymers and the negatively charged humic acid.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.209-216
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• 1993

For the production of biodegradable polymers from microorganisms a bacterial strain producing a biopolymer was isolated from soil. The bacteriological characteristics of this strain and physicochemical Properties of the biopolymer produced were investigated. The bacterial strain was identified as an alkalophilic Alcaligenes sp. The Purified biopolymer treated with cetylpridinium chloride and acetone was identified as an acidic biopolymer having carboxyl groups and showed strong UV absorbance (at 210nm). The biopolymer was composed of 100% glutamic acid and glutamic acid existed as $\gamma$-polyglutamic acid($\gamma$-PGA) in the form of the $\gamma$-peptide bond. The equivalent weight of this $\gamma$-PGA was estimated about 350, indicating that one acidic fraction per 2.7 residue of $\gamma$-polyglutamic acid existed. The molecular weight was $6.5{\times}10^5$ Daltons.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2012

The objectives of this study were to investigate the antioxidant activity of Schizandra chinensis seed oil and its active ingredients. Schizandra chinensis seed oil content extracted with hexane was 36.06%. Schizandra chinensis seed oil extracted with hexane was purified during 20 min at $85^{\circ}C$ with phosphoric acid 0.15% for degumming and 20 min at $80^{\circ}C$ with 3 M NaOH 1% for deaciding. The purified oil consisted of unsaturated fatty acid (88.7%), fatty acid (9.97%), and so on. The major unsaturated fatty acids of purified oil were linoleic acid (71.1%) followed by oleic acid (15.7%), while the main saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid (6.56%). The purified oil was found that contents of phenolic compounds, vitamin A, and E were 1.45 g/100 g, 1494.86 RE/100 g, and 0.58 mg ${\alpha}$-TE/100 g, respectively. Schizandra chinensis seed oil exhibited strong antioxidant activity (91.7%) as compared to grape seed oil and canola seed oil with 87.4% and 85.1% in the DPPH assays. Present results suggest that Schizandra chinensis seed oil could be potentially used as bioactive source for health and preventing numerous diseases.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.213-218
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• 1999

The antioxidant activity of Eriobotrya japonica was determined by measuring the radical scavenging effect on DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical and lipid peroxidation produced when mouse liver homogenate was exposed to the air at $37^{\circ}C$, using 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA). The methanol extract and its factions of Eriobotrya japonica leaves showed strong antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of EtOAc and n-BuOH soluble fractions were stronger than the others, and were further purified by repeated silica gel, MCl gel CHP-20P, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Antioxidant chlorogenic acid, quercetin-3-sambubioside from n-BuOH fraction and methyl chlorogenate, kaempferol- and quercetin-3-rhamnosides, together with the inactive ursolic acid and$ 2{\alpha}$-hydroxyursolic acid from EtOAc fraction were isolated. Antioxidant flavonoids and chlorogenic acid also showed prominent inhibitory activity against free radical generation in dichlorofluorescein (DCF) method.