• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.688-696
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• 2009

In this study, a new class of polyurethane (PU) nanofibers containing silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) was synthesized by electrospinning. A simple method that did not depending on additional foreign chemicals was used to self synthesize the silver NPs in/on PU nanofibers. The synthesis of silver NPs was carried out by exploiting the reduction ability of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), which is used mainly to decompose silver nitrate to silver NPs. Typically, a sol-gel consisting of $AgNO_3$/PU was electrospun and aged for one week. Silver NPs were created in/on PU nanofibers. SEM confirmed the well oriented nanofibers and good dispersion of pure silver NPs. TEM indicated that the Ag NPs were 5 to 20 nm in diameter. XRD demonstrated the good crystalline features of silver metal. The mechanical properties of the nanofiber mats showed improvement with increasing silver NPs content. The fixedness of the silver NPs obtained on PU nanofibers was examined by harsh successive washing of the as-prepared mats using a large amount of water. The results confirmed the good stability of the synthesized nanofiber mats. Two model organisms, E. coli and S. typhimurium, were used to check the antimicrobial influence of these nanofiber mats. Subsequently, antimicrobial tests indicated that the prepared nanofibers have a high bactericidal effect. Accordingly, these results highlight the potential use of these nanofiber mats as antimicrobial agents.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.1055-1060
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• 2003

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a well-known mitogen in various cell types. However, we found that LPA inhibits melanocyte proliferation. Thus, we further investigated the possible signaling pathways involved in melanocyte growth inhibition. We first examined the regulation of the three major subfamilies of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and of the Akt pathway by LPA. The activations of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were observed in concert with the inhibition of melanocyte proliferation by LPA, whereas p38 MAP kinase and Akt were not influenced by LPA. However, the specific inhibition of the ERK or JNK pathways by PD98059 or D-JNKI1, respectively, did not restore the antiproliferative effect. We next examined changes in the expression of cell cycle related proteins. LPA decreased cyclin $D_1 and cyclin D_2$ levels but increased $p21^{WAF1/CIP1}$ (p21) and $p27^{KIP1}$ (p27) levels, which are known inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase. Flow cytometric analysis showed the inhibition of DNA synthesis by a reduction in the S phase and an increase in the $G_0/G_1$ phase of the cell cycle. Our results suggest that LPA induces cell cycle arrest by regulating the expressions of cell cycle related proteins.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.3052-3058
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• 2014

In this article, we have designed and synthesized a novel donor-${\pi}$-acceptor (D-${\pi}$-A) type porphyrin-based sensitizer (denoted UI-5), in which a carboxyl anchoring group and a 9,9-dimethyl fluorene were introduced at the meso-positions of porphyrin ring via phenylethynyl and ethynyl bridging units, respectively. Long alkoxy chains in ortho-positions of the phenyls were supposed to reduce the degree of dye aggregation, which tends to affect electron injection yield in a photovoltaic cell. The cyclic voltammetry was employed to determine the band gap of UI-5 to be 1.41 eV based on the HOMO and LUMO energy levels, which were estimated by the onset oxidation and reduction potentials. The incident monochromatic photon-to-current conversion efficiency of the UI-5 DSSC assembled with double-layer (20 nm-sized $TiO_2$/400 nm-sized $TiO_2$) film electrodes appeared lower upon overall ranges of the excitation wavelengths, but exhibited a higher value over the NIR ranges (${\lambda}$ = 650-700 nm) compared to the common reference sensitizer N719. The UI-5-sensitized cell yielded a relatively poor device performance with an overall conversion efficiency of 0.74% with a short circuit photocurrent density of $3.05mA/cm^2$, an open circuit voltage of 0.54 mV and a fill factor of 0.44 under the standard global air mass (AM 1.5) solar conditions. However, our report about the synthesis and the photovoltaic characteristics of a porphyrin-based sensitizer in a D-${\pi}$-A structure demonstrated a significant complex relationship between the sensitizer structure and the cell performance.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.3387-3390
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• 2013

Catalytic gasification of mandarin waste residue was carried out using direct and indirect catalyst-contact methods for the first time. In the indirect method, non-catalytic reaction in a reactor was followed by catalytic upgrading of vapor product in another reactor. Two different catalysts, $Ni/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ and $Ni/CeO_2-ZrO_2$, were employed. $CeO_2-ZrO_2$ support was prepared using hydrothermal synthesis in supercritical water. The catalysts were characterized by $H_2$-temperature programmed reduction and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses. Under the condition of equivalent ratio (ER) = 0, the indirect catalyst-contact method led to a higher gas yield than the direct method. Under ER = 0.2, the yield of biogas obtained over $Ni/CeO_2-ZrO_2$ was higher than that obtained over $Ni/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$. Also, the coke formation of $Ni/CeO_2-ZrO_2$ was lower than that of $Ni/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$. Such results were attributed to the higher reducibility and better lattice oxygen mobility of $Ni/CeO_2-ZrO_2$, which were advantageous for partial oxidation reaction.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.47-56
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• 1995

Tridentate Schiff base molybdenum(V) complexes such as [Mo(Ⅴ)2O(SOHB)4], [Mo(Ⅴ)2O3(SOIP)2(NCS)2] and [Mo(Ⅴ)2O3(SOTB)2(H20)2](SOHB: Salicylidene-o-imino hydroxybenzene, SOIP; Salicylidene-o-imino pyridine, SOTB; Salicylidene-o-imino thiolbenzene) were synthesized and identified by elemental analysis, spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that the mole ratio of Schiff base ligand to the metal in these complexes is 1 : 1 or 1 : 2. The redox processes of the complexes were investigated by cyclic voltammetric and differential pulse polarographic techniques in nonaquous solvent containing 0.1 M tetraethylammonium perchlorate (TEAP) as supporting electrolyte at glassy carbon electrode. It was found that diffusion controlled reduction processes with one electron were Mo(Ⅴ)Mo(Ⅴ)e-→ Mo(Ⅴ)Mo(Ⅳ)e-→Mo(Ⅳ)Mo(Ⅳ)e-→Mo(Ⅳ)Mo(Ⅲ).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.427-431
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• 2009

ZnO wire-like thin films were synthesized through thermal oxidation of sputtered Zn metal films in dry air. Their nanostructure was confirmed by SEM, revealing a wire-like structure with a width of less than 100 nm and a length of several microns. The gas sensors using ZnO wire-like films were found to exhibit excellent $H_2$ gas sensing properties. In particular, the observed high sensitivity and fast response to $H_2$ gas at a comparatively low temperature of $200^{\circ}C$ would lead to a reduction in the optimal operating temperature of ZnO-based $H_2$ gas sensors. These features, together with the simple synthesis process, demonstrate that ZnO wire-like films are promising for fabrication of low-cost and high-performance $H_2$ gas sensors operable at low temperatures. The relationship between the sensor sensitivity and $H_2$ gas concentration suggests that the adsorbed oxygen species at the surface is $O^-$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 2013

Porous $Al_2O_3$ dispersed with nano-sized Cu was fabricated by freeze-drying process and solution chemistry method using Cu-nitrate. To prepare porous $Al_2O_3$, camphene was used as the sublimable vehicle. Camphene slurries with $Al_2O_3$ content of 10 vol% were prepared by milling at $50^{\circ}C$ with a small amount of oligomeric polyester dispersant. Freezing of the slurry was done in a Teflon cylinder attached to a copper bottom plate cooled to $-25^{\circ}C$ while unidirectionally controlling the growth direction of the camphene. Pores were subsequently generated by sublimation of the camphene during drying in air for 48 h. The green body was sintered in a furnace at $1400^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. Cu particles were dispersed in porous $Al_2O_3$ by calcination and hydrogen reduction of Cu-nitrate. The sintered samples showed large pores with sizes of about $150{\mu}m$; these pores were aligned parallel to the camphene growth direction. Also, the internal walls of the large pores had relatively small pores due to the traces of camphene left between the concentrated $Al_2O_3$ particles on the internal wall. EDS analysis revealed that the Cu particles were mainly dispersed on the surfaces of the large pores. These results strongly suggest that porous $Al_2O_3$ with Cu dispersion can be successfully fabricated by freeze-drying and solution chemistry routes.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2013

Superhydrophobic $SiO_2$ layers with a micro-nano hierarchical surface structure were prepared. $SiO_2$ layers deposited via an electrospray method combined with a sol-gel chemical route were rough on the microscale. Au particles were decorated on the surface of the microscale-rough $SiO_2$ layers by use of the photo-reduction process with different intensities ($0.11-1.9mW/cm^2$) and illumination times (60-240 sec) of ultraviolet light. With the aid of nanoscale Au nanoparticles, this consequently resulted in a micro-nano hierarchical surface structure. Subsequent fluorination treatment with a solution containing trichloro(1H,2H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane fluorinated the hierarchical $SiO_2$ layers. The change in surface roughness factor was in good agreement with that observed for the water contact angle, where the surface roughness factor developed as a measure needed to evaluate the degree of surface roughness. The resulting $SiO_2$ layers revealed excellent repellency toward various liquid droplets with different surface tensions ranging from 46 to 72.3 mN/m. Especially, the micro-nano hierarchical surface created at an illumination intensity of $0.11mW/cm^2$ and illumination time of 60 sec showed the largest water contact angle of $170^{\circ}$. Based on the Cassie-Baxter and Young-Dupre equations, the surface fraction and work of adhesion for the micronano hierarchical $SiO_2$ layers were evaluated. The work of adhesion was estimated to be less than $3{\times}10^{-3}N/m$ for all the liquid droplets. This exceptionally small work of adhesion is likely to be responsible for the strong repellency of the liquids to the micro-nano hierarchical $SiO_2$ layers.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.04a
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• pp.8-8
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• 2018

Muscle atrophy, known as a sarcopenia, is defined as a loss of muscle mass resulting from a reduction in muscle fiber area or density due to a decrease in muscle protein synthesis and an increase in protein breakdown. Many conditions are associated with muscle atrophy, such as aging, denervation, disuse, starvation, severe injury and inflammation, prolonged bed rest, glucocorticoid treatment, sepsis, cancer, and other cachectic diseases. On the other hand, osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of joint disease and is wide spread in the elderly population and is characterized by erosion of articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, and subchondral bone sclerosis. The cytokine network plays an important role in the development and progression of OA with the inflammatory cytokine. Schisandrae Fructus (SF) derived from the ripe fruit of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. (Magnoliaceae) has been extensively used in traditional herbal medicines in Asia. It was originally used as a tonic and has been traditionally used for the treatment of many uncomfortable symptoms, such as cough, dyspnea, dysentery, insomnia, and amnesia for a long time. Previous reports have shown that SF and its related compounds possess various biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-microbial, antiseptic, anti-aging, hepatoprotective and immunostimulating effects. However, the therapeutic effects of SF on muscle atrophy and OA has not yet been evaluated. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether extracts of SF, the dried fruit of S. chinensis, mitigates the development of muscle atrophy and OA.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2006

A novel series of 1-(1-benzofuran-2-yl-ethylidene)-4-substituted thiosemicarbazides (2a-d) along with some derived ring systems: substituted-2,3-dihydro-thiazoles(3a-c, 4a-f) and thiazolidin-4-ones(5a-d and 6a-d), were synthesized. In addition, cyanoacetic acid-(1-benzofuran-2-yl-ethylidene) hydrazide(7) was used to prepare another new series of compounds consisting of substituted pyridin-2(1H)-ones(8a-c); 2-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-thiazoles(9a-d) and 2-thioxo-2,3-dihydro-6H-thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-7-ones (10a-c, 11a-c). The absolute configuration of compound 5c was determined by X-ray crystallography. The compounds prepared were evaluated for their in vitro anti-HIV, anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Among the tested compounds, compounds 5c and 9a produced a significant reduction ㅐ ㄹ the viral cytopathic effect (93.19% and 59.55%) at concentrations $>2.0{\times}10^{-4}\;M\;and\;2.5{\times}10^{-5}\;M$respectively. Compound 9a was confirmed to have moderate anti-HIV activity. Compounds 2a, 2d, and 5c showed mild antifungal activity. However, none of the tested compounds showed any significant anticancer activity.