• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1709-1716
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• 2007

The health benefits of garlic (Allium sativum L.) are derived from a wide variety of components and from the different ways it is administered. The known health benefits of garlic include cardiovascular protective effects, stimulation of immune function, reduction of blood glucose level, protection against microbial, viral and fungal infections, as well as anticancer effects. In the present study, it was examined the effects of water extract of A. sativum (WEAS) on the growth of cultured human tumor cells in order to investigate its anti-proliferative mechanism. Treatment of WEAS to tumor cells resulted in the growth inhibition, especially in leukemia cells, which was associated with induction of G2/M arrest of the cell cycle and apoptosis. In order to further explore the critical events leading to apoptosis in WEAS-treated U937 human leukemia cells, the following effects of WEAS on components of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway were examined: generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), alteration of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and the expression changes of Bcl-2 and IAP family proteins. The cytotoxic effect of WEAS was mediated by its induction of apoptosis as characterized by the occurrence of DNA ladders, apoptotic bodies and chromosome condensation in U937 cells. The WEAS-induced apoptosis in U937 cells was correlated with the generation of intracellular ROS, collapse of MMP, activation of caspase-3 and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins. The quenching of ROS generation with antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine conferred significant protection against WEAS-elicited ROS generation, caspase-3 activation, G2/M arrest and apoptosis. In conclusion, the present study reveals that the cellular ROS generation plays a pivotal role in the initiation of WEAS-triggered apoptotic death in U937 cells.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.364-371
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• 2021

Public awareness of alien species can vary by generation, period, or specific events associated with these species. An understanding of public awareness is important for the management of alien species because differences in public awareness can affect the establishment and implementation of management plans. We analyzed digital texts on social media platforms, news articles, and internet search volumes used in conservation culturomics to understand public interest and sentiment regarding alien freshwater species. The number of tweets, number of news articles, and relative search volume to 11 freshwater alien species were extracted to determine public interest. Additionally, the trend over time, seasonal variability, and repetition period of these data were confirmed. We also calculated the sentiment score and analyzed public sentiment in the collected data using sentiment analysis based on text mining techniques. The American bullfrog, nutria, bluegill, and largemouth bass drew relatively more public interest than other species. Some species showed repeated patterns in the number of Twitter posts, media coverage, and internet searches found according to the specified periods. The text mining analysis results showed negative sentiments from most people regarding alien freshwater species. Particularly, negative sentiments increased over the years after alien species were designated as ecologically disturbing species.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2020

The Asan Bay, which has semi-diurnal tide with macro-tidal range, is affected by both freshwater discharge from the sluice gates in the sea dikes and tidal seawater inputs from the Yellow sea. Understanding water quality change in response to tides is important since tides can impact the short-term variations in physical and chemical water properties as well as the response of biological properties. The diel variations in water quality were seasonally investigated at 2 hour intervals from a fixed station in the Asan Bay. In the results, water temperature and salinity consistently fluctuated in phase or out of phase with tidal height. Especially salinity was positively correlated with tidal height. The concentrations of total suspended solids were higher in the bottom water than in the surface and fluctuated greatly over the tidal cycle recording higher values at low tide than at high tide. Nitrite+nitrate levels also fluctuated out of phase with tidal height and correlated negatively with tidal height. Other nutrients also showed a similar pattern. The pattern was distinct in July when freshwater was discharged before the field sampling. The concentrations of organic materials, total nitrogen and total phosphorus greatly fluctuated over the tidal cycle and were generally out of phase with tidal height. Most materials except particulate organic forms were correlated with salinity indicating that freshwater inputs were sources for the materials similarly to the dissolved inorganic nutrients. The results suggest that water quality (except dissolved oxygen and pH) and nutrients including organic materials was largely affected by tides in the Asan Bay.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.477-484
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• 2019

Several types of scavenger receptors, including the Collectin-Placenta 1 (CL-P1) receptorthat is present in mammals, are molecules that are expressed on the surfaces of endothelial cells, macrophages and smooth muscle cells. These molecules are cell surface glycoproteins that can be conjugated to oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Among these molecules, the effect of quercetin on CL-P1 activation has been confirmed. Quercetin is known as an antioxidant that stops oxidation because it acts to remove free radicals that are responsible for the oxidation reaction. In this study, fragments from the transcription start site of the mouse CL-P1 gene promoter to the -500th base were cloned using DNA polymerase. These fragments were then introduced into macrophage like RAW264.7 cells and fibroblast-like NIH3T3 cells to study the effect of quercetin on the CL-P1 gene expression. As a result, we found that bases ranging from -250 to -350 in the anterior part where gene expression starts are important for producing CL-P1 protein. Among them, the DNA mutation experiments we performed confirmed that the E2F binding sites are critical for producing the CL-P1 protein? In addition, when quercetin was added to the RAW264.7 culture medium, which was a culture of adherent cells, observedthe phenomenon of the cells falling off from the surface of the culture container.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1268-1276
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• 2018

The cytidine analog decitabine (DEC) acts as a nucleic acid synthesis inhibitor, whereas ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) is an inhibitor of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible synergistic inhibitory effect of these two inhibitors on proliferation of human gastric cancer AGS cells. The inhibitory effect of PDTC on AGS cell proliferation was significantly increased by DEC in a concentration-dependent manner, and this inhibition was associated with cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and the induction of apoptosis. This induction of apoptosis by the co-treatment with PDTC and DEC was related to the induction of DNA damage, as assessed by H2AX phosphorylation. Further studies demonstrated that co-treatment with PDTC and DEC induced the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, increased the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax, and down-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, ultimately resulting in the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm. Co-treatment with PDTC and DEC also activated caspase-8 and caspase-9, which are representative caspases of the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways. Co-treatment also activated caspase-3, which was accompanied by proteolytic degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Taken together, these data clearly indicated that co-treatment with PDTC and DEC suppressed the proliferation of AGS cells by increasing DNA damage and activating the ROS-mediated extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.185-192
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• 2019

The introduction of smart technology provides accuracy, safety, and efficiency to both physicians and patients. Although interest in a clear aligner is increasing among users worldwide, the current clear aligner requires a visit to the hospital every one or two weeks for replacement, which is a very cumbersome process. There is also confusion among dentists and patients because about 40 to 80 devices are made, and calibration is done based on the order and duration of the clear aligner. Therefore, this study designed and developed a clear aligner management system so that communication between the patient and dentist can be smoothly performed by inserting the QR code into the transparent correction device. As a result, the size of the QR code was recognized as $6{\ast}6mm^2$ which can be used in the oral and the recognition distance was 100% within 12 cm. Since the dentist can remotely manage the patient with the proposed system and improve the correction effect, it is possible to manage patients abroad, as well as domestically.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.83-100
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• 2020

The importance of data publishing in the open-science era is increasing as it can contribute to other scientific discoveries by accelerating the sharing of research data, improving accessibility and citability, and providing standardized technical documentation for research data. In addition, the need for data papers is emerging as a way for data papers to maintain a status equivalent to research papers, and the publication of data journals is on the rise as a new type of scholarly publishing. In particular, the field of Ecology is a field where large-scale research data are produced and managed, thus the data journal publishing in this field is active worldwide. On the other hand, the research on data journal is in its early stages in Korea, and there is no data journal in the field of Ecology. Thus, this study explores and presents strategies for publishing data journals in the ecological field. First, we investigate the publishing status of domestic and international data journals and the publication status of domestic journals. Then, we conducted a focused group interview with experts of scholarly publishing, open access policy and journal publishing in the field of Ecology. Finally, based on the survey and the expert FGI's results, strategies are suggested in terms of publishing data journals in the field of ecology, organizing and publishing journals, organizing journal editors, and receiving manuscripts.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.301-307
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• 2011

Optimal culture conditions of Spirulina platensis NIES 39 have been established using different types of light sources. Several types of photobioreactors were designed and the increase of biomass, the amount of $CO_2$, fixation and the production of chlorophyll content were studied. The result revealed that the input conditions of a 10 min period per 4 h at the condition of 5% $CO_2$ and 0.1 vvm, were excellent in the growth. The growth showing the maximum biomass accumulation is limited to 1.411 g/L when using the fluorescent bulb and the low powered surface mount device (SMD) type LEDs which were equipped-inside in the photobioreactor. However, the biomass exceeded up to 1.758 g/L level when a high powered red LED (color temperature : 12000 K) photobioreactor system was used. The $CO_2$ fixation speed and rate were increased. Although the total production of chlorophyll content undergoes a proportional increase in the biomass, the net content per dry cell weight (DCW) showed the higher production with a blue LED (color temperature : 7500 K) light than that of any other wavelengths. The carbon dioxide loss was marked as 0.15% of the inlet gas (5% $CO_2/Air$, v/v) at the maximum biomass culture condition.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.389-399
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• 2021

This study determined the effects of Centella asiatica leaf on H₂O₂ induced cell cycle arrest, mitochondrial activity, and proinflammatory cytokine production in human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. We used an 80% methanol extract of C. asiatica, its ethyl acetate fraction, and asiaticoside, the major constituent of C. asiatica. The C. asiatica extract, its ethyl acetate fraction, and asiaticoside attenuated G1 cell cycle-arrest and the apoptotic effect caused by H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress. The cells treated with C. asiatica extract, its ethyl acetate fraction, and asiaticoside secreted lower levels of TNF-α and IL-6. The antioxidant effect of asiaticoside was higher than that of C. asiatica extract and its ethyl acetate fraction. Treatment with C. asiatica extract, its ethyl acetate fraction, and asiaticoside also increased the mitochondrial membrane potential and restored normal mitochondrial morphology. Following H₂O₂ stress induction, cells treated with C. asiatica extract, its ethyl acetate fraction, and asiaticoside showed increased mitochondrial oxygen consumption rates and decreases in the TLR4-MyD88-TRAF6-p65 pathway activity. These findings suggest that C. asiatica extract, its ethyl acetate fraction, and asiaticoside have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as the ability to control the mitochondrial activities of HDF cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.102-113
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• 2023

This review discusses the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the endometrial estrogen and progesterone receptors regulate local estrogen production, expression of the specific estrogen receptors, progesterone resistance, inflammatory responses and the differentiation and survival of endometriotic cells in endometrial inflammation. The epigenetic aberrations of endometrial stromal cells play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of endometriosis. In particular, differential methylation of the estrogen receptor genes changes in the stromal cells the dominancy of estrogen receptor from ERα into ERβ, and results in the abnormal estrogen responses including inflammation, progesterone resistance and the disturbance of retinoid synthesis. These stromal cells also stimulate local estrogen production in response to PGE2 and the SF-1 mediated induction of steroidogenic enzyme expression, and the increased estradiol then feeds back into the ERβ to repeat the vicious inflammatory cycle through the activation of COX-2. In addition, high levels of ERβ expression may also change the chromatin structure of endometrial mesenchymal stem cells, and together with the repeated menstrual cycles can induce formation of the endometriotic tissue. The cascade of these serial events then leads to cell adhesion, angiogenesis and survival of the differentiation-disregulated stromal cells through the action of inflammatory factors such as ERβ-mediated estrogen, TNF-α and TGF-β1. Therefore, understanding of the dynamic hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle and the corresponding signal transduction mechanisms of the related nuclear receptors in endometrium would provide new insights for treating inflammatory diseases such as the endometriosis.