• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.225-233
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated the changes in the physiological and histological traits of a sea squirt (Halocynthia roretzi) with the emergence of the soft tunic syndrome induced by the water temperature control (6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24 and $27^{\circ}C$). It was observed that the induction rate of the soft tunic syndrome was highest at $15^{\circ}C$, but lowest at $24^{\circ}C$. Based on the tunic color condition and contraction strength, the whole process were classified into 4 stages as S0, S1, S2 and S3. Interestingly, there were significant differences in oxygen consumption and filtration rate were observed during S0-S3. The most distinctive aspects were change of blood cell composition at stage S3, whereas multi-vacuole cell ratio was decreased by 1/2 and morula cell ratio expanded about 10 times during S0-S3. Further, change of organ structure started following the syndrome such as degeneration of epithelial cells, microfilaments, increment in hemocytes and damage in muscle fiber have been detected in tunic, siphon, branchial sac, body wall musculature and pyloric gland. Briefly, our study results indicated that the normal physiological functions of the sea squirt can be affected due to the soft tunic syndrome induced by water temperature.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2001

Conducting polymer sensors show high sensitivity when exposed to volatile organic compounds gases at room temperature. The 8 sensor array using by polypyrrole and polyaniline has been fabricated by chemical polymerization for measuring sensing characteristics of VOCs gases. Conducting polymer was polymerized by using distilled pyrrole, aniline as a monomer and ammonium persulfate (APS) as an oxidant and dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) as a dopant. Dedoped film was synthesized by reverse voltage and redoped film was synthesized by using 1-octanesulfonic acid sodium salt as another dopant in electrochemical cell. The sensitivity and reversibility were influenced by doping, dedoping, redoping and thickness for the polypyrrole and polyaniline. We investigated the relation between the structure of conducting polymer and sensitivity of these sensors through the analysis of scanning electron microscope (SEM), scanning probe microscope (SPM) and $\alpha$-step.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.3 s.70
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• pp.323-331
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• 2005

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of $\beta-lapachone$, a quinone obtained from the bark of the lapacho tree (Tabebuia avellanedae) in South America, on the cell growth of human hepatoma (HepG2) and bladder (T24) carcinoma cells. Exposure of cancer cells to $\beta-lapachone$ resulted in growth inhibition, morphological changes and apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner, which could be proved by MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analyses revealed that $\beta-lapachone$ did not affect the levels of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21 (WAFl/CIPl) expression. However, the transcriptional factor Sp-l and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein levels were significantly down-regulated by $\beta-lapachone$ in both cell lines. Moreover, $\beta-lapachone$ treatment caused a dose-dependent inhibition of the expression of telomere regulatory gene products such as human telomere reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and telomerase-associated protein-l (TEP-l). Taken together, these findings suggest that $\beta-lapachone$-induced inhibition of human hepatoma and bladder carcinoma cell proliferation is associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death via modulation of several major growth regulatory gene products, and provide important new insights into the additional mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of $\beta-lapachone$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.23-30
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• 2009

Crash cushions are protective devices that prevent errant vehicles from impacting on fixed objects. This function is accomplished by gradually decelerating a vehicle to a safe stop in a relatively short distance. Commonly used crash cushions generally employ one of two concepts to accomplish this function. The first concept involves the absorption of the kinetic energy of a moving vehicle by crushable or plastically deformable materials and the other one involves the transfer of the momentum of a moving vehicle to an expendable mass of material located in the vehicle's path. Crash cushions using the first concept are generally referred to as compression crash cushions and crash cushions using the other concept are generally referred to as inertial crash cushion. The objective of this research is the development of a compression-type crash cushion by employing the two concepts simultaneously. To minimize the number of full-scale crash tests for the development of the crash cushion, preliminary design guide considering inertial and frictional energy absorption was constructed and computer simulation was performed. LS-DYNA program, which is most widely used to analyze roadside safety features, was used for the computer simulation. The developed crash cushion satisfied the safety evaluation criteria for various impact conditions of CC2 performance level in the Korean design guide.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.217-226
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• 2019

Optimum engineering methods for bank protection were classified based on steepness of bank slope and an existence of waterfront facility in the floodplain, and a new concept of eco-hybrid rolling mat method which could be applicable for the unfitted cases with previously developed countermeasures was suggested in this study. The eco-hybrid rolling mat method can be constructed while maintaining the river environment and ecosystem that does not interfere with the ground and slopes, when bank erosion occurs, it is an economical and efficient construction method that can protect the revetment and the bank slope immediately. The developed eco-hybrid rolling mat method was verified for the designed structure, system, function and effect based on large-scale river experiments including field exposure and decomposition test. As a result, the normal operation and effect of the rolling mat ted under low and high velocity conditions were confirmed with respect to bank protection. The effect of bank erosion prevention was quantitatively validated by sediment concentration monitoring and analysis, and the product specification of the eco-hybrid rolling mat was presented based on the standardized mat applied in real-scale tests.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.331-341
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• 1999

Examination of the morphology of red blood cells in the urine has been shown to be a promising adjunct in determining whether hematuria represents glomerular or nonglomerular bleeding. This is due to distortion of RBCs as they Pass across the basement membrane of the glomerular capillaries. It is concluded that is method can greatly help the clinician in distinguishing between glomerular and nonglomerular bleeding in patients with hematuria and channeling such patients toward the most appropriate investigations. We have experimented dysmorphic red blood cells that 5 patients of the hematuria are distorted with irregular outlines and often have small blobs extruding from the red cell membrane. Tried urinary sediments were seen with phase contrast microscope and confirmed scanning electron microscope. There are seen acanthocytes, anulocytes, ghost cells and sphero-echinocytes in dysmorphic erythrocytes. Clinical diagnosis was referred from the result of the biopsy-proven. Scanning electron microscopic findings of the hematuria are good diagnostic tool that disclose in distorted red blood cells from patients with glomerular disorders.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.453-466
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• 2020

As the demand for eco-friendly energy increases to overcome the energy shortage and environmental pollution crisis, hydrogen economy has been proposed as a potential solution. Accordingly, an economical and efficient hydrogen production is considered to be an essential industrial process. Research on applying hydrogen separation membranes for H₂/CO₂ separation to the production of highly concentrated hydrogen by purifying H₂ and capturing CO₂ simultaneously from synthetic gas produced by gasification is in progress nowadays. In high temperature environments, the membrane separation process using glassy polymeric membrane with H₂ selectivity has the potential for CO₂ capture performance, and is an energy and cost effective system since polybenzimicazole (PBI)-based separators show excellent chemical and mechanical stability under high-temperature operation conditions. Thus, the development of high-performance PBI hydrogen separators has been rapidly progressing in recent years. This overview focuses on the recent developments of PBI-based membranes including structure modified, cross-linked, blended and carbonized membranes for applications to the industrial hydrogen separation process.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.140-145
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• 2016

Genes in multicellular organisms are transcribed in development, differentiation, or tissue-specific manners. The transcription of genes is activated by enhancers, which are transcription regulatory elements located at long distances from the genes. Recent studies have reported that noncoding RNAs are transcribed from active enhancers by RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II); these are called enhancer RNAs (eRNAs). eRNAs are transcribed bi-directionally from the enhancer core, and are capped on the 5’ end but not spliced or polyadenylated on the 3’ end. The transcription of eRNAs requires the binding of transcription activators on the enhancer and associates positively with the transcription of the target gene. The transcriptional inhibition of eRNAs or the removal of eRNA transcripts results in the transcriptional repression of the coding gene. The transcriptional procedure of eRNAs causes enhancer- specific histone modifications, such as histone H3K4me1/2. eRNA transcripts directly interact with Mediator and Rad21, a cohesin subunit, generating a chromatin loop structure between the enhancer and the promoter of the target gene. The recruitment of RNA Pol II into the promoter and its elongation through the coding region are facilitated by eRNAs. Here, we will review the features of eRNAs, and discuss the mechanism of eRNA transcription and the roles of eRNAs in the transcriptional activation of target genes.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.422-428
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• 1999

A transformat Alcaligence eutrophus GA5 harboring phbC gene from A. latus was cultivated for production of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-4-hydroxybutyrate)[P(3HB-4HB)] containing high molar fraction of 4-hydroxybutyrate(4HB)] containing high molar fraction of 4-hydroxybutyrate(4HB). Transformation did not influenced significantly on total cell growth, on total cell growth, concentration, and content of P(3HB-4HB), however, significantly influenced on 4HB molar fraction in P(3HB-4HB) increasing from 12.3 to 23.5 mol% after 48 h cultivation in two-stage using 1.0%(W/V) of ${\gamma}$-butyrolactone as a precursor compare to parent strain. Above increment may be due to the accelerated polymerization between 3HB and 4HB converted from precusor compound by amplified phbC gene. Citrate increased remarkbly total cell mass and P(3HB-4HB) concentration, but did not influenced on the molar fraction of 4HB, meanwhile, magnesium ion influenced on P(3HB-4HB) concentration and 4HB molar fraction significantly. The two-stage cultivation method was modified, in such a way minimizing P(3HB) accumulated inside of cell grown at first-stage, consquently, 26.3% of P(3HB-4HB) containing 61.0 mol% of 4HB fraction was obtained after 72hr. Furthermore, semi-homopolymeric P(4HB) containing 92.0 mol% of 4Hb was obtained, and its structure was confirmed by $^1$H-NMR.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.77-83
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• 2012

Recently, excavations using propped walls were popularized in downtown due to reduced settlement of nearby structures. These excavations is induced strain to propped walls or settlement in near ground. In this study, the ground reinforcing effect was proven using NDS, which is an inorganic injection material. Injection tests were performed to compute optimum injection pressure and volume. Next, calibration chamber tests were performed by using computed injection pressure and volume, and wall behaviour was examined for overburden pressures of 50kPa and 150kPa. Ground reinforcing effect was shown when the material behind the propped wall was grouted. From test results, optimum injection pressure was 350kPa and the optimum volume was 10L considering economics. Calibration chamber test results show that after the material was grouted, the maximum settlement was reduced to 19% of the non-grouted condition. For overburden pressures of 50kPa and 150kPa behind the wall, the settlement of the wall increased by 58% and 57% when compared to the case of no overburden pressure.