• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.97-103
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• 2007

In this study, physicochemical properties and the antioxidative activity of whey protein isolate(WPI) for com germ oil were measured. The pH of WPI was 6.26, and the titrable acidity was 0.18%. The WPI’s moisture content was 5.2% and each of the other element content such as lactose, crude protein, crude ash and crude fat was found to be 0.8%, 90.7%, 2.7% and 0.6%, respectively. The amounts of active SH group in WPI 9 ${\mu}$ M-g and total colony counts of bacteria was 5.9 ${\times}$ 10$^3$ CFU-g. ${\alpha}$-Lactalbumin, ${\beta}$-lactoglobulin and bovine serum albumin(BSA) were shown in WPI as major protein by electrophoresis. The antioxidative effect of WPI and other antioxidants on com germ oil used as substrate was determined by peroxide value(POV) and conjuqated dienoic acid value(CDV). By these results, the order of antioxidative effects could be defined as BHT 0.02%>ascorbic acid 0.1%>WPI 0.1%>WPI 0.02%>ascorbic acid 0.02%>control>tocopherol 0.02%>tocopherol 0.1%, respectively. Also the induction period of com germ oil added with WPI was longer by 1.6 times than that of control(none added any antioxidant). Therefore the fact suggested that WPI could be utilized as a good antioxidative agents.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.619-628
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• 2023

In the modern era, chronic kidney failure due to diabetes has spread across the globe. Prunetin (PRU), a component of herbal medicines, has a broad variety of pharmacological activities; these may help to slow the onset of diabetic kidney disease. The anti-nephropathic effects of PRU have not yet been reported. The present study explored the potential nephroprotective actions of PRU in diabetic rats. For 28 days, nephropathic rats were given oral doses of PRU (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg). Body weight, blood urea, creatinine, total protein, lipid profile, liver marker enzymes, carbohydrate metabolic enzymes, C-reactive protein, antioxidants, lipid peroxidative indicators, and the expression of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT-2) mRNA genes were all examined. Histological examinations of the kidneys, liver, and pancreas were also performed. The oral treatment of PRU drastically lowered the blood glucose, HbA1c, blood urea, creatinine, serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid profile, and hexokinase. Meanwhile, the levels of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase were all elevated, but glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase dropped significantly. Inflammatory marker antioxidants and lipid peroxidative markers were also less persistent due to this administration. PRU upregulated the IRS-1 and GLUT-2 gene expression in the nephropathic group. The possible renoprotective properties of PRU were validated by histopathology of the liver, kidney, and pancreatic tissues. It is therefore proposed that PRU (80 mg/kg) has considerable renoprotective benefits in diabetic nephropathy in rats.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.397-404
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• 2009

Effects of ceramic filler types and dose on the low temperature sintering and dielectric properties of ceramic/$CaO-Al_2O_3-SiO_2$ (CAS) glass composites were investigated. All of the specimens were sintered at $850{\sim}900^{\circ}C$ for 2 h, which conditions are required by the low-temperature co-firing ceramic (LTCC) technology. Ceramic fillers of $CaCO_3$, $Al_2O_3$, $CaCO_3-Al_2O_3$ mixture, and $CaCO_3-Al_2O_3$ compound ($CaAl_2O_4$), respectively, were used. The addition of $Al_2O_3$ yielded the crystalline phase of alumina, which was associated with the inhibition of sintering, while, $CaCO_3$ resulted in no apparent crystalline phase but the swelling was significant. The additions of $CaCO_3-Al_2O_3$ mixture and $CaAl_2O_4$, respectively, yielded the crystalline phases of alumina and anorthite, and the sintering properties of both composites increased with the increase of filler addition and the sintering temperature. In addition, the $CaAl_2O_4$/CAS glass composite, sintered at $900^{\circ}C$, demonstrated good microwave dielectric properties. In overall, all the investigated fillers of 10 wt% addition, except $CaCO_3$, yielded reasonable sintering (relative density, over 93 %) and low dielectric constant (less than 5.5), demonstrating the feasibility of the investigated composites for the application of the LTCC substrate materials.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2024

In this study, ITO thin films were fabricated on a glass substrate at different thicknesses without introducing oxygen using RF sputtering system. The structural, electrical, and optical properties were evaluated at various thicknesses ranging from 50 to 300 mm. As the thickness of deposited ITO thin film become thicker from 50 to 100 mm, carrier concentration, mobility, and band gap energy also increased while the resistivity and transmittance decreased in the visible light region. When the film thickness increased from 100 to 300 mm, the carrier concentration, mobility, and band gap energy decreased while the resistivity and transmittance increased. The optimum electrical properties were obtained for the ITO film 100 nm. After optimizing the thickness, the ITO thin films were post-annealed at different temperatures ranging from 100 to 300℃. As the annealing temperature increased, the ITO crystal phase became clearer and the grain size also increased. In particular, the ITO thin film annealed at 300℃ indicated high carrier concentration (4.32 × 10²¹ cm^-3), mobility (9.01 cm²/V·s) and low resistivity (6.22 × 10^-4 Ω·cm). This means that the optimal post-annealing temperature is 300℃ and this ITO thin film is suitable for use in solar cells and display application.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.40-51
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• 2024

Background: Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 shows promising tumor-suppressive effects in ovarian cancer via inhibiting NF-kB signaling. This study aimed to explore the downstream tumor suppressive mechanisms of ginsenoside Rg3 via this signaling pathway. Materials and methods: A systematical screening was applied to examine the expression profile of 41 kinesin family member genes in ovarian cancer. The regulatory effect of ginsenoside Rg3 on KIF20A expression was studied. In addition, we explored interacting proteins of KIF20A and their molecular regulations in ovarian cancer. RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used for bioinformatic analysis. Epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and A2780 were used as in vitro and in vivo cell models. Commercial human ovarian cancer tissue arrays were used for immunohistochemistry staining. Results: KIF20A is a biomarker of poor prognosis among the kinesin genes. It promotes ovarian cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Ginsenoside Rg3 can suppress the transcription of KIF20A. GST pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation (IP) assays confirmed that KIF20A physically interacts with BTRC (β-TrCP1), a substrate recognition subunit for SCF^β-TrCP E3 ubiquitin ligase. In vitro ubiquitination and cycloheximide (CHX) chase assays showed that via interacting with BTRC, KIF20A reduces BTRC-mediated CDC25A poly-ubiquitination and enhances its stability. Ginsenoside Rg3 treatment partly abrogates KIF20A overexpression-induced CDC25A upregulation. Conclusion: This study revealed a novel anti-tumor mechanism of ginsenoside Rg3. It can inhibit KIF20A transcription and promote CDC25A proteasomal degradation in epithelial ovarian cancer.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2024

Recently, enhanced in situ bioremediation using slow substrate release techniques has been actively researched for managing TCE-contaminated groundwater. This study conducted a lab-scale batch reactor experiment to evaluate the feasibility of natural attenuation for TCE dechlorination using microsized corn-oil droplet (MOD) as an activator considering the following three factors: 1) TCE dechlorination in the presence or absence of MOD; 2) TCE dechlorination in the presence or absence of inactivator of native microbial activity; and 3) MOD concentration effects on TCE dechlorination. Batch reactors were constructed using site groundwater and soil in which Dehalococcoides bacteria were present. Without MOD, TCE was decomposed into dichloroethylene (DCE). However, other by-products of TCE dechlorination were not detected. With MOD, DCE, vinyl chloride (VC), and ethylene (ETH) were sequentially observed. This result confirmed that MOD effectively supplied electrons to complete dechlorination of TCE to ETH. However, when an excess of MOD was provided, it formed unfavorable conditions for anaerobic digestion because dechlorination reaction did not proceed while propionic acid was accumulated after DCE was generated. Therefore, if an appropriate amount of MOD is supplied, MOD can be effectively used as a natural reduction activator to promote biodegradation in an aquifer contaminated by TCE.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2024

The effects of annealing temperature on the optical and electrical properties of BZO thin films, grown on glass substrate, have been investigated. Analysis of the XRD shows that regardless of the annealing temperature, all BZO thin films indicate the c-axis orientation. The full width of half maximum (FWHM) decreases from 1.65 to 1.07° as the annealing temperature increases from 400 to 600℃. The average transmittance in the visible light region showed a high value of 85% without significantly affecting the annealing temperature. The results of Hall effect measurements indicate that the carrier concentration and mobility increased and the resistivity decreased as the annealing temperature increased. The resistivity and the carrier concentration of the BZO thin films annealed 600℃ were 9.75×10^-2 Ω·cm and 4.21×10¹⁹ cm^-3 respectively, showing the best value. The optimization of deposition and annealing conditions will certainly make the BZO thin films promising materials for the application to the next generation of optoelectronic devices.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.277-290
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• 2023

In order to study the mechanical properties of basalt fiber reinforced ultra-fine fly ash concrete (BFUFARC), the effects of ultra-fine fly ash (UFA) content, basalt fiber content, basalt fiber length and water reducing agent content on the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural strength of the composite material were studied through experimental and theoretical analysis. Also, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to analyze the mesoscopic structure in the fracture surface of composite material specimens at magnifications of 500 and 3500. Besides, the energy release rate (G_c) and surface free energy (γ_s) of crack tip cracking on BFUFARC in different basalt fiber content were studied from the perspective of fracture mechanics. Further, the cracking resistance, reinforcement, and toughening mechanisms of basalt fibers on concrete substrate were revealed by surface free energy of BFUFARC. The experimental results indicated that basalt fiber content is the main influence factor on the splitting tensile strength of BFUFARC. In case that fiber content increased from 0 to 0.3%, the concrete surface free energy at the tip of single-sided crack showed a trend of increased at first and then decreased. The surface free energy reached at maximum, about 3.59 × 10^-5 MN/m. During the process of increasing fiber content from 0 to 0.1%, G_C-2_γS showed a gradually decreasing trend. As a result, an appropriate amount of basalt fiber can play a preventing cracking role by increasing the concrete surface free energy, further effectively improve the concrete splitting tensile performance.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.341-348
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• 2024

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a crucial role in liver diseases, affecting various types of hepatic cells. While studies have focused on the link between ER stress and hepatocytes as well as hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the precise involvement of hepatic macrophages in ER stress-induced liver injury remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the effects of ER stress on hepatic macrophages and their role in liver injury. Acute ER stress led to the accumulation and activation of hepatic macrophages, which preceded hepatocyte apoptosis. Notably, macrophage depletion mitigated liver injury induced by ER stress, underscoring their detrimental role. Mechanistic studies revealed that ER stress stimulates macrophages predominantly via the PERK signaling pathway, regardless of its canonical substrate ATF4. hnRNPA1 has been identified as a crucial mediator of PERK-driven macrophage activation, as the overexpression of hnRNPA1 effectively reduced ER stress and suppressed pro-inflammatory activation. We observed that hnRNPA1 interacts with mRNAs that encode UPR-related proteins, indicating its role in the regulation of ER stress response in macrophages. These findings illuminate the cell type-specific responses to ER stress and the significance of hepatic macrophages in ER stress-induced liver injury. Collectively, the PERK-hnRNPA1 axis has been discovered as a molecular mechanism for macrophage activation, presenting prospective therapeutic targets for inflammatory hepatic diseases such as acute liver injury.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.467-475
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• 2024

ρ-Hydroxyacetophenone is an important and versatile compound that has been widely used in medicine, cosmetics, new materials, and other fields. At present, there are two ways to obtain ρ-hydroxyacetophenone. One is to extract it from plants, such as Artemisia capillaris Thunb and Cynanchum otophyllum Schneid, and the other is to synthesize it by using chemical methods. Of these two methods, the second is the main one, although it has problems, such as flammable and explosive reagents, difficult separation of by-products, and harsh reaction conditions. To solve these issues, we adopted genetic engineering in this study to construct engineered Escherichia coli containing Hped gene or EbA309 gene. Whole-cell biotransformation was conducted under the same conditions to select the engineered E. coli with the higher activity. Orthogonal tests were conducted to determine the optimal biotransformation condition of the engineered E. coli. The results showed that the optimal condition was as follows: substrate concentration of 40 mmol/l, IPTG concentration of 0.1 mmol/l, an induction temperature of 25℃, and a transformation temperature of 35℃. Under this condition, the effects of transformation time on the ρ-hydroxyacetophenone concentration and cell growth were further studied. We found that as the transformation time extended, the ρ-hydroxyacetophenone concentration showed a gradually increasing trend. However, when the ρ-hydroxyacetophenone concentration increased to 1583.19 ± 44.34 mg/l in 24 h, cell growth was inhibited and then entered a plateau. In this research, we realized the synthesis of ρ-hydroxyacetophenone by biotransformation, and our findings lay a preliminary foundation for further improving and developing this method.