• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.61-69
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• 2018

Rare earth elements together with Y and Sc (REEs) are essential in the development of technology for clean and efficient use of energy. In recent years coal deposits have much attention and attracted as a promising alternative raw sources for rare earth elements, not only because the REEs concentrations in many coals or coal ashes are equal to or higher than those found in conventional types of REEs ores but also because of the world wide demand for REEs in recent years has been greater than supply. In the coal ashes, REEs are mainly associated with carbonates, silicates and aluminosilicates in ashes at 800 and $1100^{\circ}C$. These elements are known to be powerful environmental tracers in natural biogeochemical compartments. In this study, to reviewed the REEs originating and distribution patterns in coal ash samples from the bedrock and/or soil weathering that were entrapped by lichens and mosses was investigated. The REEs patterns of different organisms species allowed minor influence of the species to be highlighted compared to the regional lithology.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.2375-2380
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• 2014

In the present investigation, a series of some novel 1,3-diaryl/heteroarylprop-2-en-1-one derivatives (3a-j) have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against three cancer cell lines, two hepatocarcinoma cell lines HUH-7, Hep-3b and one leukemia cancer cell line MOLT-4. Based on these results, structure-activity relationship (SAR) was studied on modification of $R^1$ and $R^2$ to identify the compound with maximum potency. Amongst the compounds, 3b and 3d strongly inhibited the growth of Hep-3b and MOLT-4 cells with $IC_{50}$ value of 3.39 and $3.63{\mu}M$ respectively. The results obtained from the inhibitory study had further been supported by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurement using flow cytometry in MOLT-4 cells. These observations collectively reveal that compounds comprising 1,3-diarylprop-2-en-1-one framework with pyrazole ring at position-3 and heteroaryl/aryl substituents at position-1 can be used as promising anticancer agents.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.265-271
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• 2009

Concentrations of industrial, agricultural and natural chemicals have been increasing in secondary effluents without their combined sub-lethal effects having been elucidated. In this study, two assays (the comet and acetylcholinesterase assays) were combined to evaluate the genotoxic and neurotoxic effects of effluent from the Noksan wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) on two local marine fish species (flounder and sea eel). The fish were exposed to WWTP secondary effluent that had been diluted with filtered seawater to final concentrations of 1%, 10% and 50%. Analysis of fish samples collected 3 and 5 days after exposure showed that DNA damage occurred in flounder exposed to 50% effluent and in sea eels exposed to 10% or 50% effluent. Furthermore, it was found that acetylcholinesterase (EC:3.1.1.7, AChE) activity decreased in both species when exposed to 10% effluent, indicating the presence of large amounts of genotoxic and neurotoxic chemicals in the effluent. Our results indicate that the comet and AChE assays are promising tools for biomonitoring of secondary effluents.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.187-195
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• 2008

Reparative dentine formation requires newly differentiated odontoblast-like cells. Therefore, identification of the molecule that stimulates the odontogenic differentiation of precursor cells in the tooth pulp will be helpful for the development of strategies to repair damaged pulp. In this study, we examined the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the odontogenic differentiation of MDPC-23 cells, a mouse odontoblast-like cell line derived from dental papilla, and primary cultured rat dental papilla cells (RDPCs). NAC (1-30 mM) suppressed production of reactive oxygen species in MDPC-23 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Although 5 to 20 mM NAC did not alter MDPC-23 cell proliferation, 1 or 30 mM NAC significantly inhibited it. NAC enhanced mineralized nodule formation and the expression of several odontoblast differentiation-associated genes in both RDPCs and MDPC-23. This NAC stimulatory effect was significant, even at concentrations lower than 1 mM. However, NAC did not stimulate expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2, -4, or -7, which are known to enhance odontogenic differentiation. Since reactive oxygen species are also involved in the pulp toxicity of resin-based restorative materials, these results suggest that NAC may be a promising candidate for supplementation of dental restorative materials in order to enhance reparative dentine formation.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.81.1-81.1
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• 2011

High temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) has been regarded as a promising clean energy sources. In this study, a quasi-three-dimensional dynamic model of HT-PEMFC has been developed and the local dynamic characteristics are investigated. The model has the geometrical simplification of 2+1D reduction (quasi-3D). The one-dimensional model consists of nine control volumes in cross-sectional direction to solve the energy conservation and the species conservation equations. Then, the one-dimensional model is discretized into 25 local sections along the gas flow direction to account for gas and thermal transport in channels. With this discretization, the local characteristics of HT-PEMFC such as species conservation, temperature, and current density can be captured. In order to study the basic characteristics of HT-PEMFC, it is important to investigate the local dynamic characteristics. Thus, the model is simulated at various operating conditions and the local dynamic characteristics related to them are observed. The model is useful to investigate the distribution of HT-PEMFC characteristics and the physical phenomena in HT-PEMFC.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.370-381
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• 2018

Bioactive natural compounds, isolated from fungal endophytes, play a promising role in the search for novel drugs. They are an inspiring source for researchers due to their enormous structural diversity and complexity. During the present study fungal endophytes were isolated from a well-known medicinal shrub, Berberis aristata DC. and were explored for their antagonistic and antioxidant potential. B. aristata, an important medicinal shrub with remarkable pharmacological properties, is native to Northern Himalayan region. A total of 131 endophytic fungal isolates belonging to eighteen species and nine genera were obtained from three hundred and thirty surface sterilized segments of different tissues of B. aristata. The isolated fungi were classified on the basis of morphological and molecular analysis. Diversity and species richness was found to be higher in leaf tissues as compared to root and stem. Antibacterial activity demonstrated that the crude ethyl acetate extract of 80% isolates exhibited significant results against one or more bacterial pathogens. Ethyl acetate extract of Alternaria macrospora was found to have potential antibacterial activity. Significant antioxidant activity was also found in crude ethyl acetate extracts of Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus flavus. Similarly, antagonistic activity of the fungal endophytes revealed that all antagonists possessed inhibition potential against more than one fungal pathogen. This study is an important step towards tapping endophytic fungal diversity for bioactive metabolites which could be a step forward towards development of novel therapeutic agents.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.604-611
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• 2018

This study was conducted to explore the immune activity, anticancer activity and nitrile scavenging activities of methanol extracts from the various organs of four Korean resource plants. The immune responses from both human T and B cell line was significantly enhanced in the cell growth compared to control while the cell growth was influenced at a certain period of culture. The results revealed that the cell growth of both human T and B cell was altered in a time dependent manner. Among tested several resource plants, the flower extract of E. japonicum demonstrated a pronounced cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cell with an IC50 value $132.08{\mu}g\;ml-1$. The flower extract from Corylopsis coreana had a promising scavenging activity against pH 1.2 compared to other species. Taken together, the studied resource plants have influenced significantly in response to immunity and also have the potential cytotoxicity and nitric scavenging activities. However, the species E. japonicum exhibited the pronounced activities from several resource plants. The result from this investigation suggests that the extracts of studied resource plant could be an addition to basic medicine for some diseases.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 2019

The anticancer activity of guava (Psidium guajava L.) leaf extract (GLE) occurs via the induction of apoptosis in cancer cells. However, the mechanism behind GLE-induced apoptosis in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the apoptotic effects and mechanism of action of GLE in cultured HepG2 cells. The results showed that GLE induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis and disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential (${\Delta}{\Psi}m$). Moreover, GLE increased the expression of apoptotic pathway proteins, such as the cleaved forms of caspase-3, -8, and -9; the translocation of Bax and cytochrome c (cyt-c) from the mitochondria to the cytosol; and the downregulation of Bcl-2. In addition, p53 protein expression was increased upon GLE treatment. These observations indicate that the GLE-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells is mediated by mitochondrial ROS generation, followed by caspase activation and cyt-c release, suggesting that GLE may be a promising candidate for the development of novel drugs for the treatment of liver cancers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.70-78
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• 2021

Identifying the extracellular metabolites of microorganisms in fresh vegetables is industrially useful for assessing the quality of processed foods. Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (PCC) is a plant pathogenic bacterium that causes soft rot disease in cabbages. This microbial species in plant tissues can emit specific volatile molecules with odors that are characteristic of the host cell tissues and PCC species. In this study, we used headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) to identify volatile compounds (VCs) in PCC-inoculated cabbage at different storage temperatures. HS-SPME-GC-MS allowed for recognition of extracellular metabolites in PCC-infected cabbages by identifying specific volatile metabolic markers. We identified 4-ethyl-5-methylthiazole and 3-butenyl isothiocyanate as markers of fresh cabbages, whereas 2,3-butanediol and ethyl acetate were identified as markers of soft rot in PCC-infected cabbages. These analytical results demonstrate a suitable approach for establishing non-destructive plant pathogen-diagnosis techniques as alternatives to standard methods, within the framework of developing rapid and efficient analytical techniques for monitoring plant-borne bacterial pathogens. Moreover, our techniques could have promising applications in managing the freshness and quality control of cabbages.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.296-303
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• 2022

The cucurbit powdery mildew (CPM) caused by different fungal species is a major concern for cucurbit crops around the world. In Argentina CPM constitutes the most common and damaging disease for cucurbits, especially for squash crops (Cucurbita moschata). The present study displays initial insights into the knowledge of the disease in western Argentina, including the determination of the prevalent species causing CPM, as well as the evaluation of the resistance of squash cultivars and breeding lines. Fungal colonies were isolated from samples collected in Mendoza province, Argentina. A field trial was also performed to assess the resistance of five squash accessions, including commercial cultivars and breeding lines. The severity of CPM was analyzed and epidemiological models were built based on empirical data. The morphological determinations and analysis with specific molecular markers confirmed Podosphaera xanthi as the prevalent causal agent of CPM in Mendoza. The results od the field trial showed differences in the resistance trait among the squash accessions. The advanced breeding line BL717/1 showed promising results as source of CPM resistance for the future development of open pollinated resistant cultivars, a crucial tool for an integrative control of the disease.