• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.349-352
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• 2014

Anodic alumina oxide (AAO), a self-ordered hexagonal array, has various applications in nanofabrication such as the fabrication of nanotemplates and other nanostructures. In order to obtain highly ordered porous alumina membranes, a two-step anodization or prepatterning of aluminum are mainly conducted with straight electric field. Electric field is the main driving force for pore growth during anodization. However, impurities in aluminum can disturb the direction of the electric field. To confirm this, we anodized two different aluminum foil samples with high purity (99.999%) and relatively low purity (99.8%), and compared the differences in the surface morphologies of the respective aluminum oxide membranes produced in different electric fields. Branched pores observed in porous alumina surface which was anodized in low-purity aluminum and the size; dimensions of the pores were found to be usually smaller than those obtained from high-purity aluminum. Moreover, anodization at high voltage proceeds to a significant level of conversion because of the high speed of the directional electric field. Consequently, anodic alumina membrane of a specific morphology, i.e., meshed pore, was produced.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제63권3호
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• pp.235-241
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• 2020

An essential component of the hemostatic process during vascular damage is platelet activation. However, many cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and myocardial infarction, can develop due to excessive platelet activation. Isoscopoletin, found primarily in plant roots of the genus Artemisia or Scopolia, has been studied to demonstrate potential pharmacological effects on Alzheimer's disease and anticancer, but its mechanisms and role in relation to thrombus formation and platelet aggregation have not yet been discovered. This research investigated the effect of isoscopoletin on collagen-induced human platelet activation. As a result, isoscopoletin strongly increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, isoscopoletin greatly phosphorylated inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor (IP₃R) and vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), known substrates of cAMP-dependent kinase and cGMP dependent kinase. Phosphorylation of IP₃R by isoscopoletin induced Ca²⁺ inhibition from the dense tubular system Ca²⁺ channels, and VASP phosphorylation was involved in fibrinogen binding inhibition by inactivating αIIb/β₃ in the platelet membrane. Isoscopoletin finally reduced thrombin-induced fibrin clot production and finally reduced thrombus formation. Therefore, this research suggests that isoscopoletin has strong antiplatelet effects and is likely to be helpful for thrombotic diseases involving platelets by acting as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.768-778
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• 2011

Calixpyrroles and related macrocycles are non-planer synthetic anion receptors that have attracted considerable attentions in recent years. Although the synthesis of calix[4]pyrrole (known as meso-octamethylporphyrinogen) was reported more than 100 years ago, the anion binding properties were first discovered in 1996. The simple calix[4]pyrroles can be synthesized in single step in high yield by condensation of pyrrole with acetone. The compounds showed preferential binding for halide anions including fluoride, phosphate, carboxylate, and chloride in organic media. Efforts to improve the anion affinity of calix[4]pyrrole and to enhance its selectivity have led to the synthesis of a variety of new calixpyrrole derivatives. Among the various modifications, introduction of straps on one side of the calix[4]pyrroles are the most effective. Incorporation of aromatic rings other than pyrroles also exhibited interesting binding behaviour. Introduction of signalling units as part of the strapping element enable to detect the anions on chromogenic or fluorogenic fashion. Finding of the anion transport properties across the membrane and cytotoxic effects of the calix[4]pyrroles open new window for calixpyrrole-related research. The polymer-incorporated systems have also been employed as anion complexants in solvent-solvent extraction. These old, yet easy-to-make macrocycles have well advanced more recently with the discovery of the ion-pair complexation properties. In this review, the synthetic developments and anion binding properties of calixpyrroles for the last decades will be discussed and will cover the advances in calixpyrrole chemistry.

• 전기화학회지
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.99-110
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• 2013

레독스 플로우 전지(RFB)는 대형에너지 장치로서 신재생 에너지와 같은 전력발생이 일정하지 못한 상황이나 전력수요가 급증감하여 효율적인 에너지의 운용이 요구될 때 효과적으로 사용할 수 있는 전지모델이다. 일부 상용화된 종류도 있지만 다양한 레독스 쌍과 소재가 연구됨에 따라 개선의 여지가 많은 전지이다. 본 총설에서는 전지의 레독스 쌍(redox pair)의 종류들에 대한 설명을 통하여 레독스 플로우 전지의 전반적인 이해를 돕고자 한다. 레독스 쌍의 혼합오염, crossover, 이온 선택성, 용해도 등의 개선을 통해서 새로운 레독스 플로우 전지의 탄생을 기대할 수 있다. 용량의 개선을 위해서 다양한 수계 및 비수계 레독스 쌍의 연구가 되고 있는데 crossover에 의해 다소의 용량손실이 있다고 하더라도 혼합오염이 없는 전지라면 레독스 플로우 전지의 내구성의 장점을 살릴 수 있을 것이라 기대한다. 혼합오염이 없는 레독스 플로우 전지 중에는 멤브레인이 필요 없는 전지도 새로운 연구방향으로 모색되고 있다.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.183-195
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• 2014

The efficiency of two metal ions (cadmium, zinc) removal from aqueous solutions by ultrafiltration (UF) and Polymer Enhanced Ultrafiltration (PEUF) processes were investigated in this work. The UF and PEUF studies were carried out using an ultrafiltration tangential cell system equipped with 5.000 MWCO regenerated cellulose. A water-soluble polymer: the polyacrylic acid (PAA) was used as complexant for PEUF experiments. The effects of transmembrane pressure, pH, metal ions and loading ratio on permeate fluxes and metal ions removals were evaluated. In UF process, permeate fluxes increase linearly with increasing pH for different transmembrane pressure, which may be the consequence of the formation of soluble metal hydroxyl complexes in the aqueous phase. In PEUF process, above pH 5.0, the Cd(II) retention reaches a plateau at 90% and Zn(II) at 80% for L = 5. Also, cadmium retention at different L is greater than zinc retention at pH varying from 5.0 to 9.0. In a mixture solution, cadmium retention is higher than zinc for different loading ratio, this is due to interactions between carboxylic groups of PAA and metal ions and more important with cadmium ions.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제15권8호
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• pp.650-654
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• 1994

Stable polyion-complexed polymeric monolayers were prepared by spreading perfluoroalkyl monomaleate copolymers, $C_2F_8MA-VE_2$ and $C_2F_8MA-VE_3$, on a aqueous poly(allylamine) subphase. The monolayer properties have been studied by the surface pressure-area (${\pi}$-A) isotherms. The $C_2F_8MA-VE_3$ containing longer oligoethyleneglycol pendant showed more expanded monolayer phase than the $C_2F_8MA-VE_2$. The polyion-complexed monolayers were transferable on various substrates, and the resulting Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two-dimensional crosslinking to form a polymer network was achieved by amide formation through heat treatment under vacuum with concurrent removal of perfluoroalkyl tails. SEM observation of this film on a porous membrane filter showed that the four layer film was sufficiently stable to cover the filter pore size of 0.1 ${\mu}$m. The $C_2F_8MA-VE_3$ revealed better covering capability than the $C_2F_8MA-VE_2$. Immersion of this film in water or in benzene did not cause any change in its appearance and in Fl-IR spectra.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권10호
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• pp.1675-1681
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• 2019

Clostridium difficile toxin A is known to cause colonic epithelial cell apoptosis, which is considered the main causative event that triggers inflammatory responses in the colon, reflecting the concept that the essential role of epithelial cells in the colon is to form a physical barrier in the gut. We previously showed that toxin A-induced colonocyte apoptosis and subsequent inflammation were dependent on prostaglandin E2 ($PGE_2$) produced in response to toxin A stimulation. However, the molecular mechanism by which $PGE_2$ mediates cell apoptosis in toxin A-exposed colonocytes has remained unclear. Here, we sought to identify the signaling pathway involved in toxin A-induced, $PGE_2$-mediated colonocyte apoptosis. In non-transformed NCM460 human colonocytes, toxin A exposure strongly upregulated expression of Bak, which is known to form mitochondrial outer membrane pores, resulting in apoptosis. RT-PCR analyses revealed that this increase in Bak expression was attributable to toxin A-induced transcriptional upregulation. We also found that toxin A upregulation of Bak expression was dependent on $PGE_2$ production, and further showed that this effect was recapitulated by an Prostaglandin E2(PGE2) receptor-1 receptor agonist, but not by agonists of other EP receptors. Collectively, these results suggest that toxin A-induced cell apoptosis involves $PGE_2$-upregulation of Bak through the EP1 receptor.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.19-25
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• 2023

The studies on the effect of different plastic properties (e.g., types, shapes, presence of additivies) on the sorption of contaminants in the agricultural environment are limited. In this study, Cu and Pb, the commonly found heavy metals in the environment, were used to investigate the sorption capacities of microplastics (MPs). The Pb sorption capacity increased in the order of polystyrene (PS)<polyethylene (PE)<polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The estimated Cu sorption capacity was greater for the PE films than the PE fragments, while the sorption strength was greater for the PE fragments. This suggests that the shapes of MPs can affect the contaminant sorption capacities. With the PE fragments, the Pb sorption capacity was greater than the Cu sorption capacity by 10-12 times. Also, the Pb and Cu sorption capacities were greater for the PE fragments with additives than the PE fragment without additives. After the sorption of Pb or Cu on MPs, the toxic effects of the Pb or Cu solutions were decreased, suggesting that the toxic effects of contaminants can be affected by the co-presence of MPs in the environment. Overall, the results show that different types and shapes of MPs and the presence of additives can affect the heavy metal sorption capacities of MPs.

• 공업화학전망
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.14-27
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• 2021

수소 에너지는 환경 문제를 최소화하고 고갈되는 화석연료를 대체할 수 있는 에너지원으로 각광을 받고 있다. 수소연료전지는 이러한 수소를 에너지원으로 사용하고 수소를 전기에너지로 전환하여 그 부산물로 물을 만드는 대표적인 친환경 전기화학 장치이다. 고분자 전해질막 연료전지는 수소이온교환 특성을 갖는 고분자막을 전해질로 사용하는 연료전지로 막전극집합체의 전극층은 촉매가 포함된 고분자 전해질막 연료전지의 주요 요소 중의 하나이다. 소재개발 측면에서 고분자 전해질막 연료전지 전극층 핵심 소재의 물성 발현 원리 등을 이해하고 최적화된 소재 설계를 위해서는 원자레벨에서의 소재 설계 접근법이 필요하다. 따라서 실험적인 연구가 어려운 부분과 원자단위에서의 물질 현상에 대한 이해 그리고 연구 개발의 효율성 증진을 위해 전산재료과학(computational materials science) 기술이 광범위하게 활용될 수 있다. 본 기고문에서는 고분자 전해질막 연료전지에서의 전극층 소재에 대한 분자동역학 기반의 전산모사 활용과 연구동향에 대하여 소개하고자 한다.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 한국균학회 2018년도 춘계학술대회 및 임시총회
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• pp.44-44
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• 2018

Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by infection with Fusarium graminearum leads to enormous losses to crop growers, and may contaminate grains with a number of Fusarium mycotoxins that pose serious risks to human and animal health. Antagonistic bacteria that are used to prevent FHB offer attractive alternatives or supplements to synthetic fungicides for controlling FHB without the negative effects of chemical management. Out of 500 bacterial strains isolated from soil, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 showed strong antifungal activity and was considered a potential source for control strategies to reduce FHB. B. amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 produces several cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) including iturin A, fengycin, and surfactin. Iturin A inhibits spore germination of F. graminearum. Fengycin or surfactin alone did not display any inhibitory activity against spore germination at concentrations less than 30 ug/ml, but a mixture of iturin A, fengycin, and surfactin showed a remarkable synergistic inhibitory effect on F. graminearum spore germination. The fermentation broth and formulation of B. amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 strain reduced the disease incidence of FHB in wheat. Furthermore, co-application of B. amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 and chemical fungicides resulted in synergistic in vitro antifungal effects and significant disease control efficacy against FHB under greenhouse and field conditions, suggesting that B. amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 has a strong chemosensitizing effect. The synergistic antifungal effect of B. amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 and chemical fungicides in combination may result from the cell wall damage and altered cell membrane permeability in the phytopathogenic fungi caused by the CLP mixtures and subsequent increased sensitivity of F. graminearum to fungicides. In addition, B. amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 showed the potential to reduce trichothecenes mycotoxin production. The results of this study indicate that B. amyloliquefaciens JCK-12 could be used as an available biocontrol agent or as a chemosensitizer to chemical fungicides for controlling FHB disease and as a strategy for preventing the contamination of harvested crops with mycotoxins.