• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.86-92
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• 2019

Polymers with various compositions of azobenzene and hexamethylene groups in the main chain were synthesized by a Schotten-Baumann reaction and their properties were investigated. The chemical structures and physical properties of the synthesized polymers were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, polarized optical microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The polymers showed an inherent viscosity of 1.28-1.36 dl/g and were relatively insoluble in most organic solvents. The melt transition temperature increased rapidly with increasing number of azobenzene groups in the polymer. When the azobenzene monomer content was more than 50 mol%, no melting transition occurred below the decomposition temperature. Among the polymers with a melt transition temperature, the MP-A3C7 and MP-A5C5 polymers were liquid crystalline materials and exhibited a nematic phase with weak liquid crystallinity over a wide liquid crystal temperature range. This difference in the properties of the synthesized polymers is likely due to the changes in intermolecular forces resulting from the linearity and polarity of the trans-form of azobenzene.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.140-146
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• 2019

Flammable substances, such as organic solvents, are commonly used in laboratories and industrial processes. The flash point of flammable liquid mixtures is a very important parameter for characterizing the ignition and explosion hazards, and the flash points of mixtures of $C_2{\sim}C_3$ alcohols and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane were measured in the present study. The 2,2,4-trimethylpentane is an important component of gasoline and is frequently used in the petroleum industry as a solvent. Lower flash point data were measured for the binary systems {ethanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane}, {1-propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane}, and {2-propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane}. The flash point measurements were carried out according to the standard test method (ASTM D3278) using a Stanhope-Seta closed cup flash point tester. The measured flash points were compared with the predicted values calculated using Raoult's law and also following $G^E$ models: Wilson, Non-Random Two Liquid (NRTL) and UNIversal QUAsiChemical (UNIQUAC). These models were able to predict the experimental flash points for different compositions of {$C_2{\sim}C_3$ alcohols + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane} mixtures with minimal deviations. The average absolute deviation between the predicted and measured lower flash point was less than 1.28 K. A minimum flash point behaviour was observed in all of the systems as in the many observed cases for the hydrocarbon and alcohol mixtures.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.118-123
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• 2019

In this study, the electrochemical characteristics of Graphite/Silicon/Pitch anode composites were analyzed to improve the low theoretical capacity of graphite as a lithium ion battery. The Graphite/Silica composites were synthesized by bonding silica onto polyvinylpyrrolidone coated graphite. The surface of used silica was treated with (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane(APTES). Graphite/Silicon/Pitch composites were prepared by carbonization of petroleum pitch, the fabrication processes including the magnesiothermic reduction of nano silica to obtain silicon and varying the mass ratio of silica. The Graphite/Silicon/Pitch composites were analysed by XRD, SEM and XRD. Also the electrochemical performances of Graphite/Silicon/Pitch composite as the anode of lithium ion battery were investigated by constant current charge/discharge, rate performance, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance tests in the electrolyte of $LiPF_6$ dissolved in organic solvents (EC:DMC:EMC=1:1:1 vol%). The Graphite/Silicon/Pitch anode composite (silica 28.5 in weight) has better capacity (537 mAh/g). The cycle performance has an excellent capacity retention to 30th cycle of 95% and the retention rate capability of 98% in 0.1 C/0.2 C.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.475-482
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• 2020

In this study, we synthesized rosin-based epoxy resin and manufactured two components adhesives and epoxy putty using this epoxy resin. This study manufactured main element of adhesives for enabling it to form epoxide group by letting epichlorohydrin react to maleic anhydride modified rosin, and used room temperature curing type triethylenetetramine for hardener. The ratio between main element and hardener of of manufactured adhesives was 100 : 20, and main element and hardener of filling material were manufactured as clay type by mixing them with filler. Manufactured undiluted adhesives and filling material showed very stable result in the adhesive strength (3.06 MPa) and ultraviolet irradiation, showing outstanding result comparing to existing restoration adhesives. And it is considered a material having reversibility as it was dissolved in organic solvents such as acetone and toluene after being hardened, which showed a result that solved part of possible problems caused by restoration. As a result of use and application of manufactured adhesives and filling material for actual wood crafts, they showed excellent results in workability, stability, removability etc., and this study confirmed that the material can be used for and applied to various fields.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.61-65
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• 2021

Root-knot disease caused by Meloidogyne incognita is major soil pathogen and cause severe economic damages to vegetable crops. In this study, we selected rhizobacteria for biocontrol of the root-knot nematode, M. incognita, and identified; performed bioassay of the bacterial extracts in cucumber seedlings. The crude extracts of strains CT16 and JC05 out of 180 strains inhibited egg hatching and increased juvenile mortality in vitro assay; based on 16S rRNA sequences analysis, the two strains were identified as Bacillus sp. CT16, and Neobacillus sp. JC05. After extracting the bacterial supernatants by using various organic solvents, n-butanol and n-hexane extracts of strain CT16 and n-butanol extract of strain JC05 showed inhibitory activity of egg hatching depending on concentrations. Subsequently, n-butanol extracts of two strains significantly suppressed formation of egg masses in cucumber seedling. Therefore, these results indicated that strains CT16 and JC05 could be used as potential biocontrol agents against M. incognita.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2022

This study investigated whether or not the major bioactive compounds of Noni (Morinda citrifolia) are involved in anti-inflammatory activity through the JAK/STAT upper signaling pathway in RAW 264.7 cells. The experimental results show that the M. citrifolia ethyl acetate fraction (Mc-EtOAc) obtained by sequential fractionation with organic solvents from the plant's dried fruits exhibits the highest antioxidant activity. In addition, the cytoprotective effects of Mc-EtOAc against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress in the RAW 264.7 cells suppressed cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. The group pretreated with Mc-EtOAc at a concentration of 240 ㎍/ml showed higher cell viability of 84.5%, compared to 71.6% in the LPS-treated group, and LPS-induced NO production decreased to half the amount in the positive control group. Mc-EtOAc treatment also led to a significant dose-dependent reduction in iNOS expression. Although COX-2 expression was increased by 300% following LPS induction, it was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner by pretreatment with Mc-EtOAc at concentrations of 120 and 240 ㎍/ml. An inhibition of the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α was observed. The investigation also revealed that the phosphorylation levels of pJAK1 and pSTAT3 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells were significantly reduced by Mc-EtOAc treatment.

• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.81-90
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• 2009

In this study various cleaning evaluation methods were tested and comparatively evaluated to help cleaning industry. In order to select alternative cleaning agents objectively and systematically, various cleaning evaluation methods such as gravimetric, optically simulated electron emission (OSEE), contact angle, and analytical instrument methods were employed for cleaning contaminants such as flux, solder and grease. The analytical instruments used in this work were Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The gravimetric method was able to measure cleaning efficiencies easily and simply, but it was not easy to analyze them precisely because of its limitation in the gravimetric measurement. However, the OSEE technique was able to measure quickly and precisely the clean ability of cleaning agents in comparison with the gravimetric method. The contact angle method was found to be necessary for taking special precaution in its application to the cleaning evaluation due to possible formation of tiny organic film on the substrate surface which might be generated from contaminants and cleaning agents. In case of precision analysis that cannot be done by gravimetric method, fine analytical instruments such as UV-VIS, FTIR and HPLC could be used in analyzing trace amount of flux, solder and grease quantitatively, which were extracted from the surface by special solvents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.538-548
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• 2023

The research has been conducted on the isolation of antimicrobial compounds from plant natural extracts and their potential application in oral health care products. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial mechanism by analyzing the changes in gene expression of Streptococcus mutans, a major oral pathogen, in response to complex compounds extracted from Aralia continentalis and Arctii Semen using organic solvents. Transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) revealed that both natural extracts commonly upregulated or downregulated the expression of various genes associated with different metabolic and physiological activities. Three genes (SMU_1584c, SMU_2133c, SMU_921), particularly SMU_921 (rcrR), known as a transcription activator of two sugar phosphotransferase systems (PTS) involved in sugar transport and biofilm formation, exhibited consistent high expression levels. Additionally, component analysis of the A. continentalis extract was performed to compare its effects on gene expression changes with the A. Semen extract, and two active compounds were identified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the active fraction. The n-hexane fraction (ACEH) from the A. continentalis extract exhibited antibacterial specificity against S. mutans, leading to a significant reduction in the viable cell counts of Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus gordonii among the tested multi-species bacterial communities. These findings suggest the broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of the A. continentalis extract and provide essential foundational data for the development of customized antimicrobial materials by elucidating the antibacterial mechanism of the identified active compounds.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2024

Objectives: Direct reading instruments (DRIs) are widely used by industrial hygienists and other experts for preliminary survey and identifying source locations in many industrial fields. Photoionization detectors (PIDs), which are a form of hand-held portable DRIs, have been used for a variety of airborne vaporized chemicals, especially evaporated hydrocarbon solvents. The benefits of PIDs are high sensitivity between each chemical, competitive price, and portability. With the goal of increasing the accuracy of logged PID concentrations, previous studies have performed tests for the assessment of single chemical compounds, not mixtures. The purpose of this preliminary study was to measure mixtures with a PID and charcoal tube at the same time and compare the accuracy between them. Methods: A chamber test was implemented with different mixtures of hydrocarbon chemicals (acetone, isopropyl alcohol, toluene, m-xylene) and levels in the range of 14 to 864 ppm. Three PIDs and charcoal tubes were connected to the chamber and measured the chemical mixtures simultaneously. A comparison of accuracy and the PID group of concentrations with manufacture correction factor (M_CF) and field correction factor (F_CF) applied was performed. Results: The accuracy of the PID concentrations data-logged from the PID did not meet the accuracy criteria except for the mixture level B and C logged from PID No. 2, which was 18% of all tests for meeting accuracy criteria. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of concentration (ppm) of the charcoal tube followed by each mixtures' level were 10.37±0.26, 155.33±5.28, 300.80±11.65, and 774.93±22.65, respectively. When applying F_CF into the PID concentrations, the accuracy increased by nearly 82%. However, in the case of M_CF, none met the accuracy criterion. Between the PID there were differences of logged concentrations. Conclusions: In this preliminary study, the concentration of a logged PID with F_CF applied was a better way to increase accuracy compared to applying M_CF. We suggest that additional research is necessary to consider environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.118-124
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• 2009

Esterase EM2L8 gene isolated from deep sea sediment was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and the esterase activity of the cell-free extract was assayed using p-nitrophenyl butyrate-spectrophotometric method. Its optimum temperature was $40-45^{\circ}C$ and 45% activity of the maximum activity was retained at $15^{\circ}C$. The activation energy at $15-45^{\circ}C$ was calculated to be 4.9 kcal/mol showing that esterase EM2L8 was a typical cold-adapted enzyme. Enzyme activity was maintained for 6 h and 4 weeks at $30^{\circ}C$ and $4^{\circ}C$, respectively. When each ethanol, methanol, and acetone was added to the reaction mixture to 15% concentration, enzyme activity was maintained. In the case of DMSO, enzyme activity was kept up to 40% concentration. (S)-4-Chloro-3-hydroxy butyric acid is a chiral intermediate for the synthesis of Atorvastatin, a hyperlipemia drug. When esterase EM2L8 (40 U) was added to buffer solution (1.2 mL, pH 9.0) containing ethyl-(R,S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate (38 mM), it was hydrolyzed into 4-chloro-3-hydroxy butyric acid with a rate of $6.8\;{\mu}mole/h$. The enzyme hydrolyzed (S)-substrate more rapidly than (R)-substrate. When conversion yield was 80%, e.e.s value was 40%. When DMSO was added, hydrolysis rate increased to $10.4\;{\mu}mole/h$. The plots of conversion yield vs e.e.s in the presence or absence of DMSO were almost same, implying that the reaction enantioselectivity was not changed by the addition of DMSO. Taken together, esterase EM2L8 had high activity and stability at low temperatures as well as in various organic solvents/aqueous solutions. These properties suggested that it could be used as a biocatalyst in the synthesis of useful pharmaceuticals.