• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.217-234
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• 2017

Indoor air pollutants can cause severe health problems, specifically in terms of toxicological impacts on human. Every day, a complex mixture of many air pollutants is emitted from various sources and subject to atmospheric processes that can create varied classes of pollutants such as carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, peroxyacetyl nitrate, and hydrocarbons. To adhere to indoor air quality standards, a number of techniques such as photocatalytic oxidation of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been employed. Among these techniques, titania ($TiO_2$) based photocatalytic reactions have proven to be the best benchmark standard approach in the field of environmental applications. Over the last 45 years, $TiO_2$-based photocatalytic reactions have been explored for the degradation of various pollutants. This review discusses the indoor air quality profile, types of indoor pollutants, available indoor air cleaning approaches, and performance of $TiO_2$-based catalysts. Finally, we have presented the perspectives on the progress of $TiO_2$ induced photocatalysis for the purification of indoor air.

• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.719-726
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• 1996

DLTS measurements were performed to study the annealing induced changes of the trap centers in MOV and to shed more light on the stability mechanism of the MOV. Two electron traps, Ec-0.26[eV] and Ec-(O.2-0.3)[eV], were observed in the unannealed samples in large quantities(7-9 X 1014[CM 3]), whereas the three electron traps Ec-0.17 [eV], Ec-0.26[eV] and Ec-(O.2-0.3)[eV] were observed far less in the annealed samples. The minima in the Ec-0.26[eV] trap density, coupled with the presented results that unannealed devices are unstable whereas 600.deg. C annealed devices are most stable, suggests that the instability of the MOV under long term electrical stressing is related to the Ec-0.26[eV] trap. This results support that the ion migration model for the device instability where the Ec-0.26[eV] defects may be the interstitial zinc or the migrating ions. The interstitial zinc originated as a result of the nonstoichiometric nature of ZnO might cause the degradation of the I-V characteristics of the MOV with long term electrical stressing.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.754-759
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• 2011

Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) is produced endogenously during heme metabolism and treated in cells as a heme oxygenase inhibitor. In the present study, the effects of ZnPP on the color response of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, a commonly-used method for analyzing cell viability, were investigated. ZnPP induced rapid decolorizaion of MTT formazan under light; the degradation rates were 10- and 20- folds faster in the presence of 5 and $10{\mu}M$ ZnPP, respectively. Methylene blue (MB), another type of photosensitizer, also accelerated degradation of formazan under light. Butylated hyroxytoluene did not inhibit ZnPP- or MB-induced formazan degradation. The color degradation of formazan dye was signficantly delayed in the presence of N-acetylcysteine or ${\beta}$-carotene. The present results suggest that certain photosensitizing compounds may affect the color and stability of MTT formazan, which should be carefully considered when conducting the MTT assay.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.209-217
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• 2002

We studied the mechanism of orientation of polyimide molecules which were irradiated by polarized UU (PUV) using polarized Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, According to the measured UV spectra, we found PI films mainly absorb UV light less than 350 nm wavelength, therefore, UV light less than 360 nm induces photochemical reaction of PI. PUV irradiation of PI films caused decrease of all peak intensities in the FT-IR spectra. except the newly formed broad peak at $3244 cm^{-1}$, due to degradation of the PI molecules. The remaining PI molecules after photo-degradation showed predominantly perpendicular molecular orientation to the irradiated PUV polarization direction, due to the preferential degradation of PI molecules parallel to irradiated PUV polarization direction. However the rubbing of PI films induced reorientation of the PI molecules parallel to the rubbing direction. We also investigated the alignment of the liquid crystal by rubbing or PUV irradiation. Liquid crystals align perpendicular to the PUV polarization direction and parallel to the rubbing direction.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2022

To improve light absorption ability in the visible light region and the efficiency of the charge transfer reaction, Pd nanoparticles decorated with reduced TiO₂ nanotube photocatalyst were synthesized. The reduced TiO₂ nanotube photocatalyst was fabricated by anodic oxidation of Ti plate, followed by an electrochemical reduction process using applied cathodic potential. For TiO₂ photocatalyst electrochemically reduced using an applied voltage of -1.3 V for 10 min, 38% of Ti⁴⁺ ions on TiO₂ surface were converted to Ti³⁺ ion. The formation of Ti³⁺ species leads to the decrease in the band gap energy, resulting in an increase in the light absorption ability in the visible range. To obtain better photocatalytic efficiency, Pd nanoparticles were decorated through photoreduction process on the surface of reduced TiO₂ nanotube photocatalyst (r10-TNT). The Pd nanoparticles decorated with reduced TiO₂ nanotube photocatalyst exhibited enhanced photocurrent response, and high efficiency and rate constant for aniline blue degradation; these were ascribed to the synergistic effect of the new electronic state of the TiO₂ band gap energy induced by formation of Ti³⁺ species on TiO₂, and by improvement of the charge transfer reaction.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.95-102
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• 2014

Light trapping techniques can change the propagation direction of incident light and keep the light longer in the absorption layers of solar cells to enhance the power conversion efficiency. In thin film silicon (Si) solar cells, the thickness of absorption layer is generally not enough to absorb entire available photons because of short carrier life time, and light induced degradation effect, which can be compensated by the light trapping techniques. These techniques have been adopted as textured transparent conduction oxide (TCO) layers randomly or periodically textured, intermediate reflection layers of tandem and triple junction, and glass substrates etched by various patterning methods. We reviewed the light trapping techniques for thin film Si solar cells and mainly focused on the commercially available techniques applicable to textured TCO on patterned glass substrates. We described the characterization methods representing the light trapping effects, texturing of TCO and showed the results of multi-scale textured TCO on etched glass substrates. These methods can be used tandem and triple thin film Si solar cells to enhance photo-current and power conversion efficiency of long term stability.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.19-26
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• 2010

We found that saturated water vapor pressure is the most dominant stress factor for the degradation phenomenon in the package for high-power phosphor-converted white light emitting diode (high power LED). Also, we proved that saturated water vapor pressure is effective acceleration stress of LED package degradation from an acceleration life test. Test conditions were $121^{\circ}C$, 100% R.H., and max. 168 h storage with and without 350 mA. The accelerating tests in both conditions cause optical power loss, reduction of spectrum intensity, device leakage current, and thermal resistance in the package. Also, dark brown color and pore induced by hygro-mechanical stress partially contribute to the degradation of LED package. From these results, we have known that the saturated water vapor pressure stress is adequate as the acceleration stress for shortening life test time of LED packages.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.83-95
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• 1997

The degradation mode of lignocellulose by anaerobic ruminal cellulolytic bacterium Ruminococcus albus F-40 was investigated. Birchwood holocellulose and filter paper were incubated as the sole carbohydrate sources with using the Hungate techniques. After 2 or 4 days of incubation, samples were employed for chemical and electron microscopic evaluations. The degradation rate of cellulosic substrates and the adhesion rate of bacteria to the substrates increased proportionally with the decrease of relative crystallinity of cellulose, indicating the preferential breakdown of amorphous cellulose, by this bacterium. X-ray diffraction analyses and polarized light microscopy showed, however, that crystalline cellulose was also degraded by R. albus. FT-IR spectra indicated that not only cellulose but hemicellulose was also degraded by this bacterium. Electron microscopic investigations showed the protuberant structures on the surface of R. albus. These structures were much more significant when bacterial cells were grown in the media containing insoluble substrates, such as cellulose, indicating clearly that bacterial protuberant structures were induced by the substrates. Protuberant structures extended from the bacterial cells adhered tightly to the substrates and numerous vesicles covered the surface of cellulosic substrates affected. Cellulosome-like structures were distributed on the cellulose matrix. Electron microscopic works showed that diverse surface organells of R. albus were involved in the degradation of cellulosic materials. SEM examinations showed the breakdown of cellulose by R. albus was proceeded by severeal routes : short fiber formation, defibrillation and destrafication of cellulose microfibril.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 2008

VBNC (Viable but nonculturable) state is an adaptive response of cells in adverse environments, which lead cell not grow on routine nutrient agar. In this study, we induced VBNC in Escherichia coli using copper and verify the characterization of it. After treatment of copper, we didn't detect any cells via plate cultivation, namely, colony forming unit (CFU) was zero. However, we identified the existence of VBNC by staining live cells with Live/Dead BacLight bacterial viability kit and counting them through flow cytometry. Then we isolated genomic DNA and RNA from VBNC-induced cells and analyzed the stability of them. Degradation of RNA is more severe than that of DNA and RNA is degraded as specific fragments. In addition, we showed the morphology of VBNC cell by Bio-Transmission Electron Microscope (Bio-TEM). VBNC cell showed impaired periplasmic space and inner and outer membrane were separated and the amount of cytosol were significantly decreased.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.727-733
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• 2015

Although Sophorae Flos (SF) has been reported to exert an anti-cancer activity, molecular targets and mechanisms associated with anti-cancer activity of SF have been unclear. Because cyclin D1 has been regarded as an important regulator in the cell proliferation, we focused cyclin D1 and investigated the effect of SF on the cyclin D1 regulation in light of elucidating the molecular mechanism for SF’s anti-cancer activity. The treatment of SF decreased cellular accumulation of cyclin D1 protein. However, SF did not change the level of cyclin D1 mRNA. Inhibition of proteasomal degradation by MG132 attenuated SF-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation and the half-life of cyclin D1 was decreased in the cells treated with SF. In addition, a point mutation of threonine-286 to alanine attenuated SF-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation. Inhibition of ERK1/2 by a selective inhibitor, PD98059 suppressed cyclin D1 downregulation by SF. From these results, we suggest that SF-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation may result from proteasomal degradation through its threonine-286 phosphorylation via ERK1/2. SF-induced proteasomal degradation of cyclin D1 might inhibit proliferation in human colorectal cancer cells. The current study provides information on molecular events for an anti-cancer activity of SF