• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.174-179
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• 2011

We investigated the surface morphology changes of a lithium/sulfur battery using multi-walled canbon nanotube added sulfur electrode during charge-discharge cycling. The Li/S cell showed the first discharge capacity of 1286 mAh/g-S, which utilized is 71% of the theoretical value. It decreased to 328 mAh/g-S at the 100th cycle, which corresponds to about 19% utilization of the total sulfur in the cathode. The spherical lumps of the reaction product were observed on the surface of the sulfur electrode. This material was verified as lithium sulfide by X-ray diffraction measurement. The pores in the separator were filled with reaction product. Thus the diffusion of the $Li^+$ ion decreased, which resulted in the decreased capacity of the Li/S cell.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 2021

The monthly variability in marine algal flora and community structure was examined in the intertidal zones of Doripo, and the biomass of an edible alga, Ulva prolifera, at Gaip-ri of Hampyong Bay on the southwestern coast of Korea was investigated over one year from April 2008 to March 2009. A total of 22 seaweeds were identified including five green, four brown, and 13 red algae. Based on importance value, Ulva australis was dominant over the year and the subdominant species were Ulva linza and Caulacanthus ustulatus at the Doripo coast of Hampyong Bay. The vertical distribution in terms of importance values was in the order of Ulva linza - C. ustulatus - U. australis - Sargassum thunbergii from the upper to the lower intertidal zones. The biomass of U. prolifera ranged between 2.4-98.2 g dry wt. m^-2, with a maximum in June and a minimal in November. In the field, U. prolifera biomass could be positively related to seawater temperature. However, further research on the association between biomass and other environmental factors such as nutrients and light intensity is required.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.228-234
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• 2020

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. SPIONs are used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as contrast agents and targeted delivery in nanomedicine using external magnet sources. SPIONs act as an artificial peroxidase (i.e., nanozyme), and these reactions were highly stable in various pH conditions and temperatures. In this study, we report a nanozyme ability of the clustered SPIONs (CSPIONs) synthesized by the oil-in-water (O/W) method and coated with biocompatible poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). We hypothesize that the CSPIONs can have high sensitivity toward H2O2 derived from the reaction between a fixed amount of glucose and glucose oxidase (GOX). As a result, CSPIONs oxidized a 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) commonly used as a substrate for hydrogen peroxidase in the presence of H2O2, leading to a change in the color of the substrate. We also utilized a colorimetric assay at 417 nm using various glucose concentrations from 5 mM to 1.25 μM to validate β-D-glucose detection. This study demonstrated that the absorbance value increases along with increasing the glucose level. The results were highly repeated at concentrations below 5 mM (all standard deviations < 0.03). Moreover, the sensitivity and limit of detection were 1.50 and 5.44 μM, respectively, in which CSPIONs are more responsive to glucose than SPIONs. In conclusion, this study suggests that CSPIONs have the potential to be used for glucose detection in diabetic patients using a physiological fluid such as ocular, saliva, and urine.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.87-103
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• 2021

Anaerobic digestion (AD) refers to the biological process which can convert organic substrates to biogas in the absence of oxygen. The aim of this study was to determine the capability of feedstock to produce biogas and to quantify the biogas yield from different feedstocks. A co-digestion approach was carried out in a continuous stirred tank reactor operated under mesophilic conditions and at a constant organic loading rate of 0.0756 g COD/ L.day, with a hydraulic retention time of 25 days. For comparison, mono-digestion was also included in the experimental work. 2 L working volumes were used throughout the experimental work. The seed culture was obtained from composting as substrate digestion. When the feedstock was added to seeding, the biogas started to emit after three days of retention time. The highest volume of biogas was observed when the seeding volume used for 1000mL. However, the lowest volume of biogas yield was obtained from both co-digestion reactors, with a value of 340 mL. For methane yield, the highest methane production rate was 0.16 L CH4/mg. The COD with yield was at 8.6% and the lowest was at 0.5%. The highest quantity of methane was obtained from a reactor of Euphorbiaceae peel with added seeding, while the lowest methane yield came from a reactor of Euphorbiaceae stems with added seeding. In this study, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) was used as a buffering solution to correct the pH in the reactor if the reactor condition was found to be in a souring or acidic condition.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2021

Demethoxycurcumin (DMC), which is a curcuminoid found in turmeric, has anti-proliferative effects on cancer cells. However, the effect of DMC on osteosarcoma has not been established. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of DMC on cell growth and apoptosis induction in MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells. This study was investigated using 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromid assay, Live/Dead cell assay, 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining, and immunoblotting in MG-63 cells. DMC induced MG-63 cell death in a dose-dependent manner, with an estimated IC50 value of 54.4 µM. DMC treatment resulted in nuclear condensation in MG-63 cells. DMC-induced apoptosis in MG-63 cells was mediated by the expression of Fas and activation of caspase-8, caspase-3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Immunoblotting results showed that Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were downregulated, while Bax and Bad were upregulated by DMC in MG-63 cells. These results indicated that DMC inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptotic cell death in MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells via the death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway and mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

Pleurotus species are commercially essential mushrooms and widely cultivated throughout the world. The production of Pleurotus mushrooms alone accounts for around 25% of that total cultivated mushrooms globally. In America and Europe, Pleurotus species are considered specialty mushrooms, whereas, in Korea, their cultivation is economically profitable, and it is one of the highly consumed species. Pleurotus species are predominantly found in tropical forests and often grow on fallen branches, dead and decaying tree stumps, and wet logs. Biographical studies have shown that the Pleurotus genus is among the more conspicuous fungi that induce wood decay in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide due to its formidable lignin-modifying enzymes, including laccase and versatile peroxidases. Pleurotus species can be grown easily due to their fast colonization nature on diversified agro-substrates and their biological efficiency 100%. Pleurotus mushrooms are rich in proteins, dietary fiber, essential amino acids, carbohydrates, water-soluble vitamins, and minerals. These mushrooms are abundant in functional bioactive molecules, though to influence health. Pleurotus mushrooms are finding unique applications as flavoring, aroma, and excellent preservation quality. Apart from its unique applications, Pleurotus mushrooms have a unique status delicacy with high nutritional and medicinal values. The present review provides an insight into the cultivation of Pleurotus spp. using different agro-waste as growth substances paying attention to their effects on the growth and chemical composition.

• CELLMED
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.16.1-16.7
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• 2021

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in body which leads to death. These cells are born due to imbalance in cell proliferation mechanism. In 2018, WHO released new statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, and prevalence worldwide i.e., GLOBOCAN 2018 estimates for 28 types of cancer in which more prevalence of cervix and breast cancer. According to survey, in India about 7.8 million cancer deaths and 11.5 million new cases arise in 2018, which will increase to 19.3 million new cases per year by 2025. Though breast cancer as such is not explained anywhere in Ayurvedic compendia, correlations can be done with the Stana Arbuda. Ayurveda, the ancient system of medicine came into existence 1000's of years ago with an objective of maintaining the health of people and treating diseases. Many herbs used in Ayurveda have been screened for activity against cancer and in-vitro and in-vivo studies have given promising leads. The plant, called as "Mother of Medicine", Haritaki has been extensively studied for its various ailments because of its extraordinary healing potency. Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Retz.), Family: Combretaceae have a great therapeutic value and is widely distributed in India. Dried fruit of Terminalia chebula contains high quantities phenolic compounds consist of ellagic acid, gallic acid and chebulic acid. The fruit extract of T. chebula is having different biological properties like anticancer, antioxidant, hepatic and renal protective activities etc. In this study, we focus on the use of CO₂ extract of Terminalia chebula, on the breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. All tests proved that CO₂ extract of Terminalia chebula containing active chemical component, therefore our experiment showed the positive results for CO₂ extract of Terminalia chebula against breast cancer cell line cancer MDA-MB-231. The MTT assay results were used to evaluate the anti-cancer activity of the extract. The percentage of cell growth and cell viability were calculated from tabulated result values of MTT assay. Cell viability MTT assay also showed significant growth inhibition, at the same time statistical analysis of MTT assay also proved significant results.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.323-327
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• 2021

This paper produced SUS MASK, which is used for OLEDs, using an automatic liquid management system. The SUS MASK was tested by setting the hole diameter to 0.4 mm. The additive F300 was found to be excellent as the hole diameter was close to 0.4 mm and the error range was measured to be 0.08 on average. And as a result of measuring the weight reduction amount of CuCl2 and FeCl3 according to the change in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), FeCl3 is relatively sensitive to ORP changes. Experiments were conducted on whether ORP (610 mV) and specific gravity (1.463) were automatically controlled while continuously etching the SUS Mask. Experimental results show that the automatic liquid management system is well controlled because the setting value is not significantly changed. After setting the hole diameter to 0.4 mm as the target, the experiment results were measured from 0.36 to 0.44. Therefore, it is expected that etching processing in the manufacturing process of SUS MASK can be improved with higher precision by applying the manufactured automatic liquid management system.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.580-595
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• 2021

Although late blight is an important disease in ecofriendly potato cultivation in Korea, it is highly dependent on the use of eco-friendly agricultural materials and the development of biological control technology is low. It is a necessary to develop an effective biocontrol agent to inactivate late blight in the field. AFB2-2 strain is a gram-positive with peritrichous flagella. It can utilize 20 types of carbon sources, like L-arabinose, and D-trehalose at 35℃. The optimal growth temperature of the strain is 37℃. It can survive at 20-50℃ in tryptic soy broth. The maximum salt concentration tolerated by AFB2-2 strain is 7.5% NaCl. AFB2-2 strain inhibited the mycelial growth of seven plant pathogens by an average inhibitory zone of 10.2 mm or more. Among the concentrations of AFB2-2, 10⁷ cfu/ml showed the highest control value of 85.7% in the greenhouse. Among the three concentrations of AFB2-2, the disease incidence and severity of potato late blight at 10⁷ cfu/ml was lowest at 0.07 and 6.7, respectively. The nucleotide sequences of AFB2-2 strain were searched in the NCBI GenBank; Bacillus siamensis strain KCTC 13613, Bacillus velezensis strain CR-502, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain DSM7 were found to have a genetic similarity of 99.7%, 99.7%, and 99.5%, respectively. The AFB2-2 strain was found to harbor the biosynthetic genes for bacillomycin D, iturin, and surfactin. Obtained data recommended that the B. velezensis AFB2-2 strain could be considered as a promising biocontrol agent for P. infestans in the field.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.443-451
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• 2021

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is widely cultivated in tropical regions worldwide owing to its high nutritional value. Finger millet is more tolerant against biotic and abiotic stresses such as pests, drought, and salt than other millet crops; therefore, it was proposed as a candidate crop to adapt to climate change in Korea. In 2019, we used expressed sequence tag simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers to evaluate the genetic diversity and structure of 102 finger millet accessions from two geographical regions (Africa and South Asia) to identify appropriate accessions and enhance crop diversity in Korea. In total, 40 primers produced 116 alleles, ranging in size from 135 to 457 bp, with a mean polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.18225. Polymorphism was detected among the 40 primers, and 13 primers were found to have PIC values > 0.3. Principal coordinate and phylogenetic analyses, based on the combined data of both markers, grouped the finger millet accessions according to their respective collection areas.Therefore, the 102 accessions were classified into two groups, one from Asia and the other from Africa. We have conducted an in-depth study on the finger millet landrace pedigree. By sorting out and using the molecular characteristics of each pedigree, it will be useful for the management and accession identification of the plant resource. The novel SSR markers developed in this study will aid in future genetic analyses of E. coracana.