• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.195-202
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• 2005

Free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by UV exposure or other environmental factors are critical players in cellular damage and aging. In order to develop a new antiphotoaging agent, this work focused on the antioxidant effects of the extract of tinged autumnal leaves of Acer palmatum. One compound was isolated from an ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the A. palmatum extract using silica gel column chromatography. The chemical structure was identified as apigenin-8-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside, more commonly known as vitexin, by spectral analysis including LC-MS, FT-IR, UV, $^{1}H-$, and $^{13}C-NMR$. The biological activities of vitexin were investigated for the potential application of its anti-aging effects in the cosmetic field. Vitexin inhibited superoxide radicals by about $70\%$ at a concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/mL$ and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals by about $60\%$ at a concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/mL$. Intracellular ROS scavenging activity was indicated by increases in dichlorofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence upon exposure to UVB $20\;mJ/cm^2$ in cultured human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) after the treatment of vitexin. The results show that oxidation of 5-(6-)chloromethyl-2',7'-dichlo-rodihydrofluorescein diacetate ($CM-H_{2}DCFDA$) is inhibited by vitexin effectively and that vitexin has a potent free radical scavenging activity in UVB-irradiated HDFs. In ROS imaging using a confocal microscope we visualized DCF fluorescence in HDFs directly. In conclusion, our findings suggest that vitexin can be effectively used for the prevention of UV-induced adverse skin reactions such as free radical production and skin cell damage.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.181-190
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• 2014

Melt grafting of itaconic acid (IA) onto an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) with various organic peroxide initiators was performed. Finding the optimum mixing conditions and concentration of ingredients is critical for effective grafting and optimum properties of grafted materials. This study focused on the effects of mixing conditions (temperature and time), initiator type/concentration and monomer concentration on the grafting degree and efficiency, melt flow index, and gel content of EPDM-g-IA. The initiator, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butyl peroxy)-hexane (T-101), appeared to meet for the best grafting degree (1.91%). The grafting degree increased markedly by increasing the amounts of monomer IA and initiator T-101. The grafting degree also increased by increasing mixing temperature and time. The optimum monomer and initiator concentrations and reaction temperature and time were found to be about 5wt%/0.05wt% and $160^{\circ}C$/15min, respectively. It was found that the physical properties of EPDM-g-IA were higher than those of the pristine EPDM.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.237-242
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• 2003

$Ti_{1-x}$$^{57}$ F $e_{x}$ $O_2$(0.0$\leq$x$\leq$0.07) compounds were fabricated using the sol-gel method, and the crystal structure and magnetic properties were investigated as a function of doped $^{57}$ Fe concentration. X-ray diffraction patterns showed a pure anatase single phase, without any segregation of Fe into particulate. With varying $^{57}$ Fe concentration, we could observe unusual magnetic phenomena in these materials. Doping $^{57}$ Fe into the Ti $O_2$ nonmagnetic semiconductor formed magnetic properties, but the gradual increase of $^{57}$ Fe concentration decreased rapidly the ferromagnetic properties rather than enhanced the ferromagnetic properties. Obvious ferromagnetic behavior was shown for the samples with x$\leq$0.01, while paramagnetic behavior was shown for the sample with x$\geq$0.03. These phenomena could be verified using Mossbauer measurement. Separation of the ferromagnetic phase (sextet) and the paramagnetic phase (doublet) of the samples with different $^{57}$ Fe concentration was characterized. Samples with x$\leq$0.01 have sextet and doublet simultaneously, but samples with x$\geq$0.03 have only doublet at room temperature. This indicates that the sample x$\leq$0.01 have the ferromagnetic phase at room temperature. This result corresponded with the M-H loops referenced above and reveals an interesting feature that there is a critical limit of $^{57}$ Fe concentration (0.01$\leq$0.01 samples was fundamentally attributable to the paramagnetic phase as well as the ferromagnetic phase.e.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.573-580
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• 2004

To prepare chitosan-based polymeric amphiphiles that can form nanosized core-shell structures (nanopar­ticles) in aqueous milieu, chitosan oligosaccharides (COSs) were modified chemically with hydrophobic cholesterol groups. The physicochemical properties of the hydrophobized COSs (COSCs) were investigated by using dynamic light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy. The feasibility of applying the COSCs to biomedical applications was investigated by introducing them into a gene delivery system. The COSCs formed nanosized self-aggregates in aqueous environments. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of the COSC nanoparticles were closely related to the molecular weights of the COSs and the number of hydrophobic groups per COS chain. The critical aggregation concentration values decreased upon increasing the hydrophobicity of the COSCs. The COSCs effi­ciently condensed plasmid DNA into nanosized ion-complexes, in contrast to the effect of the unmodified COSs. An investigation of gene condensation, performed using a gel retardation assay, revealed that $COS6(M_n=6,040 Da)$ containing $5\%$ of cholesteryl chloroformate (COS6C5) formed a stable DNA complex at a COS6C5/DNA weight ratio of 2. In contrast, COS6, the unmodified COS, failed to form a stable COS/DNA complex even at an elevated weight ratio of 8. Furthermore, the COS6C5/DNA complex enhanced the in vitro transfection efficiency on Human embryonic kidney 293 cells by over 100 and 3 times those of COS6 and poly(L-lysine), respectively. Therefore, hydrophobized chitosan oligosaccharide can be considered as an efficient gene carrier for gene delivery systems.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.332-341
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• 2013

H-shaped amphiphilic pentablock copolymers $(PSt)_2-b-PCL-b-PEO-b-PCL-b-(PSt)_2$ was synthesized via chemoenzymatic method by combining enzyme-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization (eROP) of ${\varepsilon}$-caprolactone (${\varepsilon}$-CL) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene. By this process, we obtained copolymers with controlled molecular weight and low polydispersity. The structure and composition of the obtained copolymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and infrared spectroscopy analysis (IR). The crystallization behavior of the copolymers was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystallization behavior of the H-shaped block copolymers demonstrated a PCL dominate crystallization. The self-assembly behavior of the copolymers was investigated in aqueous media. The hydrodynamic diameters of the copolymer micelles in aqueous solution were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The morphology of the copolymer micelles was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hydrodynamic diameters of spherical micelles declined gradually with the increase of the hydrophobic chain lengths of the copolymers. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) values were determined from fluorescence emission, and it was found that the CMCs decreased with an increase of PSt hydrophobic block lengths.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2006

High $J_c\;YBa_2Cu_3O_x$ superconducting films were fabricated by MOD method using fluorine-free dichloroacetic acid(DCA) as chelating solvent for preparing precursor solution. Coating solutions were prepared by dissolving Y-, Ba- and Cu-acetates in DCA solvent followed by drying in rota vapor to obtain the blue gel that is diluted in methanol and 2-methoxyethanol for adjusting the cation concentration. DCA-MOD precursor solution was coated on a single crystal(001) $LaAlO_3(LAO)$ substrate by a dip coating method with a speed of 25 mm/min. Coated films were calcined at lower temperature up to $500^{\circ}C$ in flowing oxygen atmosphere with a 7.2% humidity. Conversion heat treatment was performed at various temperatures of $780{\sim}810^{\circ}C$ for 2 h in flowing Ar gas containing 1000 ppm oxygen with a humidity of 9.45%. SEM observations showed that films have very dense microstructures for the films prepared at the temperature higher than $800^{\circ}C$ regardless of diluting solvent; methanol or 2-methoxyethanol. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that YBCO grains grew with a (001) preferred orientation. A High critical current density($J_c$) of 1.28 $MA/cm^2$(@77 K and self-field) was obtained id. the YBCO film prepared using 2-methoxyethanol as a solvent.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.437-444
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• 2006

Reactive hydroxypropyl methylcellulose phthalate (reactive HPMCP) was synthesized by using a stepwise urethane reaction with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and 2-hydroxyethyl moth acrylate (HEMA). Molecular weight, acid number, and critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the synthesized reactive HPMCP and pristine HPMCP were measured and used as a polymeric surfactant in the emulsion polymerizations of styrene. In the preparation of HPMCP-hybrid poly styrene nanoparticles, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 wt% of HPMCPs were introduced, and the maximum rate of polymerization ($R_{p,max}$), the average number of radicals per particle (n), particle size distribution were investigated. In addition, core - shell morphology of the nanoparticles were observed by using TEM and their thermal stabilities were measured by using TGA. Reactive HPMCP showed higher $R_{p,max}$, smaller particle size, larger values of n and gel contents as compared with pristine HPMCP, due to the vinyl groups from HEMA, which can be reacted with styrene oligomers, in the reactive HPMCP.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2013

Melt grafting of citraconic acid (CCA) onto an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) with various peroxide initiators was performed using a Haake Rheocorder. Finding the optimum running condition and concentration is critical for effective grafting and performance of grafted material. Therefore, this study focused on the effects of mixing (reaction) condition and monomer/initiator dosages on the grafting degree, grafting efficiency and crosslinking degree (gel content), melt flow index and mechanical properties of CCA-g-EPDM. As the grafting degree/crosslinking degrees increased, the tensile strength increased significantly, but elongation at break and melt flow index decreased. The initiator 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butyl peroxy)-hexane (T-101) appeared to meet for the best grafting(2.31%). The grafting degree increased markedly with increasing monomer CCA/initiator T-101 contents. The grafting degree also increased with increasing mixing temperature/time, and then leveled off or decreased/increased a little. The optimum monomer/initiator dosages and reaction temperature/time were found to be about 5/0.05 wt% and $180^{\circ}C$/15min, respectively.