• 대한금속재료학회지
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• 제56권12호
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• pp.900-909
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• 2018

A $ZnO/TiO_2$ photocatalyst decorated with PbS quantum dots (QDs) was synthesized to achieve high photocatalytic efficiency for the decomposition of dye in aqueous media. A $TiO_2$ porous layer, as a precursor photocatalyst, was fabricated using micro-arc oxidation, and exhibited irregular porous cells with anatase and rutile crystalline structures. Then, a ZnO-deposited $TiO_2$ catalyst was fabricated using a zinc acetate solution, and PbS QDs were uniformly deposited on the surface of the $ZnO/TiO_2$ photocatalyst using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique. For the PbS $QDs/ZnO/TiO_2$ photocatalyst, ZnO and PbS nanoparticles are uniformly precipitated on the $TiO_2$ surface. However, the diameters of the PbS particles were very fine, and their shape and distribution were relatively more homogeneous compared to the ZnO particles on the $TiO_2$ surface. The PbS QDs on the $TiO_2$ surface can induce changes in band gap energy due to the quantum confinement effect. The effective band gap of the PbS QDs was calculated to be 1.43 eV. To evaluate their photocatalytic properties, Aniline blue decomposition tests were performed. The presence of ZnO and PbS nanoparticles on the $TiO_2$ catalysts enhanced photoactivity by improving the absorption of visible light. The PbS $QDs/ZnO/TiO_2$ heterojunction photocatalyst showed a higher Aniline blue decomposition rate and photocatalytic activity, due to the quantum size effect of the PbS nanoparticles, and the more efficient transport of charge carriers.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.110-117
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• 1995

Tc-99m Labeled hexamethylenepropyleneamineoxime ([$^{99m}Tc$]-HMPAO) is a famous amino-oxime compound and is widely used to construct SPECT images of cerebral blood flow. To investigate the relationship between chemical structure and radiolabeling in these kind of diamine-oxime compounds, we synthesized seven compounds by Schiff's base formation and successive reduction with sodium borohydride. They were (RR/SS )-4,8-diaza-3,6,6,9-tetramethylundecane-2,10-dione bisoxime (2), (RR/SS/meso)-4,8-diaza-3,9-dimethy-lundecane-2,10-dione bisoxime (4), (RR/SS/meso)-4,8-diaza-3,10-dimethyldodecane-2,11-dione bisoxime (5), (RR/SS/meso)-4,7-diaza-3,6,6,8-tetramethyldecane-2,9-dione bisoxime (8), (RR/SS/meso)-4,7-diaza-5,6-cyclohexyl-3,8-dimethyldecane-2,9-dione bisoxime (10), (RR/SS/meso)-3,4-bis(1-aza-2-methyl-3-oxime-1-butyl)-benzoic acid (12), and (RR/SS/ meso)-2,3-bis(1-aza-2-methyl-3-oxime-1-butyl) benzophenone (14). Chemical structures of all the synthesized compounds were identified by taking $^1H$ spectrum. Among them, 2 and 4 are propyleneamine oxime (PnAO), 6 is butyleneamine oxime (BnAO) and 8, 10, 12 and 14 are ethyleneamine oxime (EnAO). Each compound (0.5 mg) was incubated with stannous chloride (0.5 g - 8 g), carbonate-bicarbonate buffer (final concentration = 0.1 M, pH 7 - pH 10) and Tc-99m-pertechenate (1 ml). Tc-99m labeling of these compounds were checked by ITLC (acetone), ITLC (normal saline), reverse phase TLC (50 % acetonitrile) and ITLC (ethyl acetate). According to the results, EnAO's were not labeled by Tc-99m in any of above condition. About 11 % of maximum labeling efficiency was obtained with BnAO. However, 4 (PnAO) was labeled with Tc-99m to 85 % which is similar to the labeling efficiency of 2 (HMPAO). Hydrophilic impurity (9 % ) was the most significant problem with the labeling of 4, however, pertechnetate (3 % ) and colloid (3 %) were minor problem. In conclusion, we synthesized seven diamine blsoxlme compounds. Among them, four EnAO compounds were not labeled by Tc-99m. A BnAO was labeled poorly and two PnAO's were labeled well. These labeling can be explained by tertiary structure of their Tc-99m chelate.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제1권4호
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• pp.595-602
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• 1997

Treatment of newborn female rats with gonadal steroids induces permanent sterility in adulthood. We investigated the alteration in expression patterns of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in neonatally estrogenized sterile rats (ESR). Newborn female rats received daily injections of 17${\beta}$-estradiol (E, 10 ${\mu}$g) from the day of birth (day 1) to postnatal day 5. Controls were subjected to vehicles over the same period. All animals were sacrificed on week 7 after birth. Hypothalamic GnRH mANA levels were markedly higher in all ESR than in controls, while hypothalamic GnRH contents in ESR increased in proportion to the frequency of daily administration of E. However, both pituitary LH6 mRNA and serum LH levels were inversely decreased by the same treatment. The data indicate that neonatal exposure of E equally elevates the expression of GnRH gene, but reduces the secretion of GnRH, accordingly leading to attenuation of LH6 gene expression and circulating LH levels. The temporal effect of E and/or progesterone (P) on GnRH and LH6 mRNA levels was also examined in ESR. Newborn female rats were daily injected with E (10 ${\mu}$g) or vehicle for five successive days from day 1 and ovariectomized at week 5. They were implanted with E (235 ${\mu}$g/ml) two days prior to week 7, injected with P (1 mg) 42 h later, and sacrificed 7 h after P administration. In ovariectomized controls, hypothalamic GnRH mRNA levels were dropped to half by treatment of E and restored by subsequent treatment of P. The negative feedback action of E on GnRH mRNA levels observed in ovariectomized rats was completely blocked by neonatal exposure of E. The change in pituitary LH mRNA levels was similar to that in hypothalamic GnRH mRNA levels. Taken together, the results suggest that neonatal treatment of E alters the synthesis and release of GnRH in adulthood and furthermore blocks the negative feedback regulation of E which occurs normally after ovariectomy.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.983-993
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• 2021

Objective: To investigate the image quality of ultralow-dose CT (ULDCT) of the chest reconstructed using a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN)-based deep learning method in the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: Between June 2019 and November 2019, 103 patients (mean age, 40.8 ± 13.6 years; 61 men and 42 women) with pulmonary tuberculosis were prospectively enrolled to undergo standard-dose CT (120 kVp with automated exposure control), followed immediately by ULDCT (80 kVp and 10 mAs). The images of the two successive scans were used to train the CycleGAN framework for image-to-image translation. The denoising efficacy of the CycleGAN algorithm was compared with that of hybrid and model-based iterative reconstruction. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed to compare the objective measurements and the subjective image quality scores, respectively. Results: With the optimized CycleGAN denoising model, using the ULDCT images as input, the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity index improved by 2.0 dB and 0.21, respectively. The CycleGAN-generated denoised ULDCT images typically provided satisfactory image quality for optimal visibility of anatomic structures and pathological findings, with a lower level of image noise (mean ± standard deviation [SD], 19.5 ± 3.0 Hounsfield unit [HU]) than that of the hybrid (66.3 ± 10.5 HU, p < 0.001) and a similar noise level to model-based iterative reconstruction (19.6 ± 2.6 HU, p > 0.908). The CycleGAN-generated images showed the highest contrast-to-noise ratios for the pulmonary lesions, followed by the model-based and hybrid iterative reconstruction. The mean effective radiation dose of ULDCT was 0.12 mSv with a mean 93.9% reduction compared to standard-dose CT. Conclusion: The optimized CycleGAN technique may allow the synthesis of diagnostically acceptable images from ULDCT of the chest for the evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis.

• 식물조직배양학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.1-35
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• 1997

Fertilized egg, by successive cell divisions, differentiates into different tissues and organs with various structures and functions. Different cells and tissues contain different proteins, products of selective gene expression. Not all the genes in any genomes are equally active, temporal and spatial gene expression being the general rule. Present paper attempts to review the tanscriptional mechanisms or the initiations of transcription from several angles. In some of the organisms the genes in the process of transcription or the genes in the inactive state can be seen under the light microscope. Some bands of Drosophila polytene chromosomes may exhibit a swollen or puff appearance under certain conditions. A puff, unfolded or decondensed form of chromomere, represents sets of intense transcriptional activity or RNA synthesis. The heterochromatic X chromosome whose genes remain inactive in the female mammals can be visualized as a dark staining structure called Barr body, Configuration of chromatin differs between transcribed and nontranscribed chromatin. Modification to the chromatin facilitates RNA synthesis. The movement of large polymerase molecule along the DNA would probably be facilitated if some modifications of the chromatin configuration is effected. Methylation of cytosines in CG sequences is associated with inactive genes. Methylation can play a role in determination of mammalian cells during embryogenesis. Demethylation is necessary for the gene to be expressed during development A histone modification that is also known to be correlated with transcriptional capacity of chromatin is acetylation of the lysine residues of the core histones. Chromatin containing a high level of histone acetylation is very sensitive to DNase 1. For the transcription to occur TBP must first bind to the TATA box. Another TF, TF IIB, then binds to the promoter-TBP complex, facilitating the access of RNA polymerase to the transcription initiation site. As recently as eight years ago researchers assumed that histones were irrelevant to the regulation of gene expression. Histones combine with the DNA to form nucleosome of the chromatin. Histones are vital participant in gene regulation. Histone and basal factors compete for access to TATA box. When DNA is exposed to basal factors before histones are introduced, the basal factors assemble on TATA boxes preventing the access of histones, allowing transcription to occur, for transcription to begin, activator protein at the upstream activation sequence or enhancer must interact with the tail of histone H4 at TATA box and cause the histone role particle to dissociate from the TATA box leading to partial breakup of the histone core particle and allowing the basal factors to bind to the TATA box. New concept of genomic flux in contrast to the old concept of static genome has been developed based on the powerful new molecular techniques. Genomic changes such as repetitive DNAs and transposable elements, it is assumed but not yet proved, may affect some of the developmental patterns that characterize particular cells, tissues, organs, and organisms. In the last decade or so remarkable achievement have been made in the researches of the structures and functions of TFs and the specific target sequences located in promoters or enhancers where these TFs bind. TFs have independent domains that bind DNA and that activate transcription. DNA binding domain of TFs serves to bring the protein into the right location. There are many types of DNA binding domains. Common types of motifs can be found that are responsible for binding to DNA. The motifs are usually quite short and comprise only a small part of the protein structure. Steroid receptors have domains for hormone binding, DNA binding, and activating transcription. The zinc finger motif comprises a DNA binding domain. Leucine zipper consist of a stretch of amino acids with a leucine residue in every seventh position Two proteins form a dimer because they interact by means of leucine zippers on similar α-helical domain. This positions their DNA binding basic domains for interaction with the two halves of a DNA sequence with dyad symmetry of TGACTCA, ACTGAGT.