• Metals and materials international
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.1403-1411
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• 2018

Graphene (multilayer graphene) was chosen as an additive to improve the hydrogen uptake and release properties of magnesium (Mg). Five weight percent of graphene was added to pre-milled Mg by milling in hydrogen (reaction-involving milling). The hydrogen uptake and release properties of the graphene-added Mg were investigated. The activation of Mg-5graphene, which was prepared by adding 5 wt% graphene to Mg pre-milled for 24 h, was completed after the second cycle (cycle number, CN=2). Mg-5graphene had a high effective hydrogen-storage capacity (the quantity of hydrogen absorbed for 60 min) of 6.21 wt% at CN=3 at 593 K in 12 bar $H_2$. At CN=1, Mg-5graphene released 0.46 wt% hydrogen for 10 min and 4.99 wt% hydrogen for 60 min. Milling in hydrogen is believed to create defects (leading to facilitation of nucleation), produce cracks and clean surfaces (leading to increase in reactivity), and decrease particle size (leading to diminution of diffusion distances or increasing the flux of diffusing hydrogen atoms). The added graphene is believed to have helped the sample have higher hydrogen uptake and release rates, weakly but partly, by dispersing heat rapidly.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.85-99
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• 2009

Objectives : This study aimed to understand the influence of acupuncture on the human body by comparing changes within human bodies before and after people in normal health are treated with acupuncture at the acupoints HT7 and PC9, which are related to mental functions. Methods : The study was performed from January 3, 2008 to March 5, 2008 on 60 healthy males and females in their 20s. HRV, EEG, skin conductance response, respiration and peripheral skin temperature were measured for 5 minutes before acupuncture simulation was applied to the acupoints HT7 and PC9. During 20 minutes of acupuncture treatment, the same items were continuously measured to determine whether there had been any changes, and they were then measured for 5 minutes after the removal of the acupuncture needles in order to implement a comparative analysis. Results : 1. The HRV measurement showed that in the course of before, during and after acupuncture stimulation, heart rate, HF and HF norm decreased significantly (P<0.05) at HT7. LF, LF norm, and LF/HF ratio increased significantly (P>0.05), while heart rate, HF and HF norm decreased significantly (P<0.05) at PC9. 2. Skin conductance response increased significantly (P<0.05) at PC9 during and after the acupuncture simulation periods, compared with the pre acupuncture period. 3. the peripheral skin temperature increased significantly (P<0.05) both at HT7 and PC9 in the course of before, during and after acupuncture stimulation. 4. Compared with the pre-acupuncture period, respiration rate increased both at HT7 and at PC9 during and after the acupuncture simulation periods, but not in a statistically significance. 5. In the EEG measurement, when compared with the pre-acupuncture period at HT7, mid ${\beta}$ wave decreased significantly (P<0.05) during acupuncture treatment. Compared with the measurements during acupuncture treatment at PC9, low ${\beta}$ wave increased significantly (P<0.05) after the acupuncture needles were removed. Conclusions : When acupuncture treatment is applied at the acupoints HT7 and PC9, the activation of parasympathetic nerves decreases and the activation of sympathetic nerves increases in the HRV measurement. It was determined that PC9 makes the sympathetic nerves become highly activated in a skin conduction response. The effect of stability in the brain wave seemed to bo shown at HT7 than PC9.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.383-391
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• 2015

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dynamic squats with slope-whole body vibration (WBV) on the trunk and lower limb in muscle activities. Method : 9 healthy women (age: $21.1{\pm}0.6years$, height: $160.5{\pm}1.4cm$, body weight: $50.5{\pm}2.4kg$) were recruited for this study. Muscle activities in the trunk and lower limb muscles, including biceps femoris (BF), rectus femoris (RF), rectus abdominum (RA), gastrocnemius (GCM), iliocostalis lumborum (IL) and tibialis anterior (TA), were recorded using an EMG measurement system. The test was performed by conducting dynamic squats with slope-WBV using frequency (10Hz, 50Hz), amplitude (0.5mm), and degree ($0^{\circ}$, $5^{\circ}$). Experimental method consisted of 2-pre-sessions and 1-test-session for 20 seconds. Results : The results showed that the muscle activities of the trunk and low limb muscles increased significantly with the $5^{\circ}$ slope and lower frequency (10Hz) except for in the TA. From this result, we confirmed that the slope and WBV could efficiently affect stimulation, enhancing muscle activities by facilitating neural control trail and muscle chain tightness. Conclusion : Utilizing the slope-WBV device while squatting could give positive effects on muscle activation in the trunk and lower limb muscles and provide neural stimulation, enhancing muscle chain of control subsystem through TVR (tonic vibration reflex).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.857-864
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• 2017

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation on protein acetylation and glycolysis in postmortem muscle to better understand the mechanism by which AMPK regulates postmortem glycolysis and meat quality. Methods: A total of 32 mice were randomly assigned to four groups and intraperitoneally injected with 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide1-${\beta}$-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR, a specific activator of AMPK), AICAR and histone acetyltransferase inhibitor II, or AICAR, Trichostatin A (TSA, an inhibitor of histone deacetylase I and II) and Nicotinamide (NAM, an inhibitor of the Sirt family deacetylases). After mice were euthanized, the Longissimus dorsi muscle was collected at 0 h, 45 min, and 24 h postmortem. AMPK activity, protein acetylation and glycolysis in postmortem muscle were measured. Results: Activation of AMPK by AICAR significantly increased glycolysis in postmortem muscle. At the same time, it increased the total acetylated proteins in muscle 45 min postmortem. Inhibition of protein acetylation by histone acetyltransferase inhibitors reduced AMPK activation induced increase in the total acetylated proteins and glycolytic rate in muscle early postmortem, while histone deacetylase inhibitors further promoted protein acetylation and glycolysis. Several bands of proteins were detected to be differentially acetylated in muscle with different glycolytic rates. Conclusion: Protein acetylation plays an important regulatory role in postmortem glycolysis. As AMPK mediates the effects of pre-slaughter stress on postmortem glycolysis, protein acetylation is likely a mechanism by which antemortem stress influenced postmortem metabolism and meat quality though the exact mechanism is to be elucidated.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In this study, the apoptogenic activity and mechanisms of cell death induced by hexane extract of aged black garlic (HEABG) were investigated in human leukemic U937 cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazoliumbromide) assay. Apoptosis was detected using 4,6-diamidino-2-phenyllindile (DAPI) staining, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis. Caspase activity was measured using a colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Exposure to HEABG was found to result in a concentration- and time-dependent growth inhibition by induction of apoptosis, which was associated with an up-regulation of death receptor 4 and Fas legend, and an increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 protein expression. Apoptosis-inducing concentrations of HEABG induced the activation of caspase-9, an initiator caspase of the mitochodrial mediated intrinsic pathway, and caspase-3, accompanied by proteolytic degradation of poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase. HEABG also induced apoptosis via a death receptor mediated extrinsic pathway by caspase-8 activation, resulting in the truncation of Bid, and suggesting the existence of cross-talk between the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. However, pre-treatment of U937 cells with the caspase-3 inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, significantly blocked the HEABG-induced apoptosis of these cells, and increased the survival rate of HEABG-treated cells, confirming that HEABG-induced apoptosis is mediated through activation of caspase cascade. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the overall results, we suggest that HEABG reduces leukemic cell growth by inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, implying its potential therapeutic value in the treatment of leukemia.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.30-37
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• 2008

Anticipatory postural adjustments are pre-planned by the central nervous system (CNS) before the activation of agonist muscles in the limbs, and minimize postural sway. Most previous studies on this topic have focused on upper-limb movement, and little research has been conducted on lower-limb movement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the recruitment order of left and right trunk muscles during limb movement. Fifteen healthy subjects (10 male, 5 female) were enrolled. Electro-myographic signals were recorded on the muscles of: (1) deltoid, lumbar erector spinae, latissimus dorsi and internal oblique during shoulder flexion, (2) rectus femoris, rectus abdominis, external oblique and internal oblique during hip flexion. During right upper limb flexion, the onset of left erector spinae muscle and left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right deltoid by 8.09 ms and 19.83 ms, respectively. But these differences were not significant (p>.05). A similar sequence of activation occurred with lower limb flexion. The onset of left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right rectus femoris muscle by 28.29 ms (p<.05). The onset of right internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of left rectus femoris muscles by 23.24 ms (p<.05). The internal oblique muscle was the first activated during limb movement. Our study established the recruitment order of trunk muscles during limb movement, and explained the postural control strategy of the trunk muscles in healthy people. We expect that this study will be used to evaluate patients with an asymmetric recruitment order of muscle activation due to impaired CNS.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.277-283
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• 2012

Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble nutrient which primarily exerts its effect on host defense mechanisms and immune homeostasis, but the mechanism related to immune-potentiation is poorly understood. Since dendritic cells (DCs) are known as a potent antigen presenting cell (APC) that could enhance the antigen specific immune responses, we investigate the effects of vitamin C on activation of DCs and its related mechanism by using dendritic cell lines, DC-1. First, we found that there was no damage on DC-1 by 2.5 mM of vitamin C. In the presence of vitamin C, the expression of CD80, CD86, and MHC molecules was increased, but it was decreased by the pre-treatment of SB203580, p38 MAPK-specific inhibitor. We confirmed the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was increased by the treatment of vitamin C. Taken together, these results suggest that vitamin C could enhance the activity of dendritic cells via the up-regulation of the expression of CD80, CD86, and MHC molecules and the activation of p38 MAPK is related to this process.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.675-681
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• 2012

The char oxidation characteristics of ashless coal with a relatively low ash content and high heating value were experimentally investigated at several temperatures (from $900^{\circ}C$ to $1300^{\circ}C$), in various oxygen concentrations (from 10% to 30%) under atmospheric pressure in a drop tube furnace. The char reaction rate was calculated from the exhaust gas concentrations (CO, $CO_2$) measured by FT-IR, and the particle temperature was measured by the two-color method. In addition, the activation energy and pre-exponential factor of ashless coal char were also calculated based on the Arrhenius equation. The results show that higher temperature and oxygen concentration result in a higher reaction rate of ashless coal, and the activation energy of ashless coal char is similar to that of bituminous coal.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.311-347
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• 2012

Infections are caused due to the infiltration of tissue or organ space by infectious bacterial agents, among which Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are clinically most relevant. While current treatment modalities are in general quite effective, several bacterial strains exhibit high resistance to them, leading to complications and additional surgeries, thereby increasing the patient morbidity rates. Titanium dioxide is a celebrated photoactive material and has been utilized extensively in antibacterial functions, making it a leading infection mitigating agent. In view of the property amelioration in materials via nanofication, free-standing titania nanofibers (pure and nominally doped) and nanocoatings (on Ti and Ti6Al4V implants) were fabricated and evaluated to assess their efficacy to mitigate the viability and growth of S. aureus upon brief (30 s) activation by a portable hand-held infrared laser. In order to gauge the effect of exposure and its correlation with the antibacterial activities, both isolated (only titania substrate) and simultaneous (substrate submerged in the bacterial suspension) activations were performed. The bactericidal efficacy of the IR-activated $TiO_2$ nanocoatings was also tested against E. coli biofilms. Toxicity study was conducted to assess any potential harm to the tissue cells in the presence of photoactivated materials. These investigations showed that the photoactivated titania nanofibers caused greater than 97% bacterial necrosis of S. aureus. In the case of titania-coated Ti-implant surrogates, the bactericidal efficacy exceeded 90% in the case of pre-activation and was 100% in the case of simultaneous-activation. In addition to their high bactericidal efficacy against S. aureus, the benignity of titania nanofibers and nanocoatings towards tissue cells during in-vivo exposure was also demonstrated, making them safe for use in implant devices.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2002

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by synovial hyperplasia and joint destruction. The synovial fibroblasts express cell adhesion molecules and have a role in adhesive interation with inflammatory cells in synovial tissue. It has been suggested that hypoxic conditioins are thought to exist in arthritic joints, and several studies indicate that reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in hypoxic condition can initiate events that lead to pro-adhesive changes via increased expression of adhesion molecules. So, this study wsa designed to examine whether antioxidant can inhibit hypoxia-induced expression of ICAM-1 in cultured human synovial fibroblasts. Methods: Synovial fibroblasts were isolated from synovial tissue in patients with RA and cultured at hypoxic condition. Antioxidant, PDTC (pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate) were pre-treated for an hour before the hypoxic culture and synovial fibroblasts were harvested at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48 hours time points. Cell surface ICAM-1 expression in synovial fibroblasts was examined by the flow cytometric analysis. To analyse the expression of ICAM-1 mRNA, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed. The levels of cytokines in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA, and activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ was analysed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The adhesive reaction between synovial fibroblasts and lymphocytes was assayed by measurement of fluorescent intensity of BCECF-AM in lymphocytes. Results: Hypoxic stimuli up-regulated the ICAM-1 expression as well as the adhesive interaction of human synvial fibroblasts to lymphocytes in a time-dependent manner, and PDTC inhibited hpyoxia-induced ICAM-1 expression and cell-cell interaction. PDTC also inhibited the hypoxia-induced activation of intracellular transcription factor, NF-${\kappa}B$. PDTC decreased the amount of hypoxia-induced production of IL-$1{\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$. Conclusion: These studies demonstrate that PDTC inhibit the hypoxia-induced expression of the adhesion molecule, ICAM-1 and activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ in cultured human synovial fibroblasts.