• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.139-148
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• 2017

The inhibition of tyrosinase, a key enzyme in mammalian melanin synthesis, plays an important role in preventing skin pigmentation and melanoma. Therefore, tyrosinase inhibitors are very important in the fields of medicine and cosmetics. However, only a few tyrosinase inhibitors are currently available because of their toxic effects on skin or lack of selectivity and stability. Therefore, we synthesized a novel series of (E)-2-(substituted benzylidene)-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]naphthalen-1-one derivatives and evaluated their inhibitory effects on mushroom tyrosinase, with the aim of discovering a novel tyrosinase inhibitor. Among 19 derivatives, MHY3655 ($IC_{50}=0.1456{\mu}M$) showed the strongest inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity compared to kojic acid ($IC_{50}=17.2{\mu}M$), a well-known tyrosinase inhibitor. In addition, MHY3655 showed competitive inhibition on Lineweaver-Burk plots. We confirmed that MHY3655 strongly interacts with mushroom tyrosinase residues through the docking simulation. Substitutions with a hydroxy group at both R2 and R4 in the phenyl ring indicated that these groups play a major role in the high binding affinity to tyrosinase. Further, MHY3655 did not show cytotoxicity at the concentrations tested in B16F10 melanoma cells. In conclusion, the novel compound MHY3655 potentially shows tyrosinase inhibitory activity, and it could be used as an ingredient in whitening cosmetics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.155-163
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• 2017

Mori Folium, the leaf of Morus alba, is a traditional medicinal herb that shows various pharmacological activities such as antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, antimelanogenesis, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiallergic, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the mechanisms of their inhibitory effects on adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis remain poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the inhibition of adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis by ethanol extracts of Mori Folium (EEMF) in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Treatment with EEMF suppressed the terminal differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner, as confirmed by a decrease in the lipid droplet number and lipid content through Oil Red O staining. EEMF significantly reduced the accumulation of cellular triglyceride, which is associated with a significant inhibition of pro-adipogenic transcription factors, including sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\gamma}$ ($PPAR{\gamma}$), and CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins ${\alpha}$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$) and ${\beta}$ ($C/EBP{\beta}$). In addition, EEMF potentially downregulated the expression of adipocyte-specific genes, including adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (aP2) and leptin. Furthermore, EEMF treatment effectively increased the phosphorylation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC); however, treatment with a potent inhibitor of AMPK, compound C, significantly restored the EEMF-induced inhibition of pro-adipogenic transcription factors and adipocyte-specific genes. These results together indicate that EEMF has preeminent effects on the inhibition of adipogenesis through the AMPK signaling pathway, and further studies will be needed to identify the active compounds in Mori Folium.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.180-186
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• 2017

We investigated the antioxidant activities of water and ethanol extracts from Spirodela polyrhiza (SP) through in vitro assays. The total phenolic contents of SP water and ethanol extracts were 52.75-293.4 and 60.12-398.4 mg/g, respectively. The total flavonoid content of SP ethanol extract (38.25-159.4 mg/g) was higher than that of SP water extract (38.25-67.75 mg/g). The water and ethanol extracts from SP scavenged the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2'-azino-di-2-ethyl-benzothia-zoline sulfonate (ABTS) radical in a dose-dependent manner in the concentration range of $100-2,500{\mu}g/ml$. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the SP ethanol extract (2.87%-59.5%) was higher than that of the water extract (4.12%-81.52%). The $IC_{50}s$ of the DPPH radical scavenging activity of water and ethanol extracts were 2,100 and $1,034{\mu}g/ml$ respectively. The ABTS radical scavenging activities of SP water and ethanol extracts were 8.30%-83.16% and 13.11%-8.34% respectively. The $IC_{50}s$ of the ABTS radical scavenging activity of SP water and ethanol extracts were 798.7 and $457.1{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. The reducing power activities of SP water and ethanol extracts were 0.055-1.122 and 0.140-1.428, respectively ($500-4,000{\mu}g/ml$). The soybean lipoxygenase (SLO) radical scavenging activities of SP water and ethanol extracts were 157.7%-168.0% and 148.0%-169.4%, respectively. These results suggest that the water and ethanol extracts of SP may be useful as a potential antioxidant.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.131-138
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• 2017

In this study, for the efficient use of the byproduct of the omija (Schizandra chinensis Baillon: SC) processing industry, the ethanol extracts of the fruit (F), seed (S), and pomace (P) of SC were prepared, and their useful bioactivities were evaluated. For F-SC, S-SC, and P-SC, the extraction yields were 28.3%, 22.1%, and 7.2%, respectively, and the polyphenol contents were 8.81, 37.22, and 9.20 mg/g, respectively. The total flavonoid content in P-SC (4.31 mg/g) was 3.5-fold higher than that in F-SC (0.76 mg/g). In an antioxidation activity assay, P-SC showed stronger radical scavenging activities against DPPH anion, ABTS cation, and nitrite and stronger reducing power activities than the other extracts. The calculated concentration required for 50% radical scavenging activity, $RC_{50}s$, of P-SC for DPPH anion, ABTS cation, and nitrite was 226.2, 192.5, and $92.5{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. In an antimicrobial activity assay, F-SC, S-SC, and P-SC showed similarly strong growth inhibitions against Bacillus subtilis and P. vulgaris at a concentration of 0.5 mg/disc. F-SC and P-SC showed 15-fold extended time in thrombin, prothrombin, and activated partial thromboplastin time assays at a concentration of 5 mg/ml. The anticoagulation activity of P-SC (2.5 mg/ml) was comparable to that of aspirin (1.5 mg/ml). Furthermore, F-SC and S-SC showed very good platelet aggregation inhibitory activities. F-SC, S-SC, and P-SC did not show significant hemolysis against human red blood cell up to a concentration of 0.5 mg/ml. These results suggest that S-SC and P-SC, both of which are byproducts of the omija processing industry, show strong potential as novel antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antithrombosis agents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.796-804
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• 2017

This study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant effect of methanolic extract of Houttuynia cordata (HCME) and to identify a compound having antioxidant effect. The ethyl acetate fraction of HCME showed the highest antioxidant effect in organic solvent fractions. The fraction was then separated into 12 fractions by open column chromatography. Among these fractions, the fraction 10 (Fr. 10) with the highest antioxidant activity was isolated, and its antioxidant effect was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, TBARS, cell viability, DNA oxidation and DCF fluorescence. The Fr. 10 at a $64{\mu}g/ml$ showed 60% of inhibitory effect similar to that of vitamin C at $10{\mu}g/ml$, compared with blank group. The Fr. 10 at $64{\mu}g/ml$ showed 264% of reducing power, compared with blank group. TBARS assay showed that the Fr. 10 at $64{\mu}g/ml$ had 35.5% of inhibitory effect similar to that of vitamin E at $1,000{\mu}g/ml$, compared with blank group. The Fr. 10 above $32{\mu}g/ml$ displayed cytotoxicity. However, it was observed that the Fr. 10, above $1{\mu}g/ml$ reduced DNA damage. DCF fluorescence assay showed that the Fr. 10 inhibited oxidative stress by $H_2O_2$ in a dose dependent manner. The compound of Fr. 10 was identified to be rutin whose molecular weight is 610 by the IR and LC-MS analyses. Therefore, these results suggest that the rutin of Fr. 10 could use as a natural antioxidant for development of cosmetics and functional foods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1111-1120
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• 2017

This study was conducted to select pepper lines that were tolerant to excessive water injury among the pepper germplasm and investigate the genetic characteristics of those lines to contribute to the breeding of pepper cultivars with stable productivity in abnormal weather. Each of the tolerant and susceptible lines went through immersion treatment, and differentially expressed genes between them were analyzed. The tolerant line showed increased expression of the CA02g26670 gene, which is involved in the CONSTANS protein pathway and regulation of flowering by day length, but it exhibited decreased expressions of CA01g21450, CA01g22480, CA01g34470, CA02g00370 and CA02g00380. The susceptible line showed increased gene expressions of CA02g09720, CA02g21290, CA03g16520, CA07g 02110, and CA12g17910, which are involved in the inhibition of proteolytic enzyme activity, DNA binding, inhibition of cell wall-degrading enzyme, and inhibition of nodulin, respectively. Meanwhile the expressions of CA02g02820, CA03g21390, CA06g17700 and CA07g18230 decreased in the susceptible line, in relation to calcium-ion binding, high temperature, synthesis of phosphocholine and cold stress, respectively. The expressions of genes related to apoptosis and peroxidase increased, while that of CA02g16990, which functions as a nucleoside transporter, decreased in both the tolerant and susceptible lines. Based on the different gene expressions between the tolerant and susceptible lines, further studies are needed on breeding abiotic stress-tolerant lines.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1168-1175
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• 2017

Probiotics are usually defined as intestinal bacteria that provide healthy benefit to the host and may offer new therapeutic materials for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus are known as typical probiotics. But, these bacteria have mostly a weak viability and thus decreased probiotics-mediated effects in the intestinal tract. Asthma is an inflammatory airway disease, which is characterized by the releases of inflammatory mediators including cytokine and IgE. They are mainly associated with the recruitment, activation and disregulation of specific inflammatory cells, especially mast cells, monocytes, T cells, eosinophils and neutrophils in asthma. We performed these studies as in vitro and in vivo test the human inflammatory cell lines and ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma mouse model. And then the inhibitory effects of Enterococcus faecalis whole extract on inflammatory responses were examined. For our examinations, the E. faecalis whole extract (Ef extract) was acquired from whole bacteria of E. faecalis using freeze/thawing after ultrasonication method. As results, OVA-mediated THP-1 cell viability was decreased by the treatment of Ef extract. In the asthmatic mouse model, Ef extract inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the inflammatory sites and blood. This whole extract may have anti-asthmatic effects associated with the regulation of IL-5 and IgE expression. It may also be a promising candidate in anti-allergic medicine for the treatment of asthma.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1369-1375
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cellular characterization of phospholipase C-${\delta}1$ in olive flounders (Paralichthys olivaceus). In general, phospholipase C signaling pathways are distributed in nuclei at plasma membranes and in cytoplasms, although the pathways' nuclear localization mechanisms are unclear. P. olivaceus duplicates type-A PoPLC-${\delta}1$ (PoPLC-${\delta}1A$), which has a high similarity to the human isoform PLC-${\delta}$; type-B PoPLC-${\delta}1$ (PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ [Sf]), which has a low similarity to the human isoform PLC-${\delta}$ and the alternative splice variant PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ (Lf), which has a nuclear localization signal (NLS) and a nuclear export signal (NES) for nuclear imports and exports, respectively. This study confirmed the effects of the cellular localization and translocation of GFP-tagged PoPLC-${\delta}1A$, PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ (Sf) and PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ (Lf). It administered treatments of $Ca^{2+}$ ionophore ionomycin and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-$Ca^{2+}$ pump inhibitor thapsigargin to hirame natural-embryo (HINAE) cells. A laser-scanning confocal microscope was used. GFP-tagged PoPLC-${\delta}1A$ was distributed to the cellular organelles, rather than to the cytoplasms and cytomembranes, when PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ (Lf) and PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ (Sf) were localized at the plasma membranes. The treatments of ionomycin and thapsigargin showed the accumulation of PoPLC-${\delta}1A$ in the nuclei when PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ (Lf) nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and PoPLC-${\delta}1B$ (Sf) nucleocytoplasmic shuttling were not observed. The results were the first evidence that PoPLC-${\delta}1A$, which contains functional, intact NES sequences, has a main role in nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and translocation in fish.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.619-637
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to develop a new program for elementary math-gifted students by using 'Girih Tililng' and apply it to the elementary students to improve their math-ability. Girih Tililng is well known for 'the secrets of mathematics hidden in Mosque decoration' with lots of recent attention from the world. The process of this study is as follows; (1) Reference research has been done for various tiling theories and the theories have been utilized for making this study applicable. (2) The characteristic features of Mosque tiles and their basic structures have been analyzed. After logical examination of the patterns, their mathematic attributes have been found out. (3) After development of Girih tiling program, the program has been applied to math-gifted students and the program has been modified and complemented. This program which has been developed for math-gifted students is called 'Exploring the Secrets of Girih Hidden in Mosque Patterns'. The program was based on the Renzulli's three-part in-depth learning. The first part of the in-depth learning activity, as a research stage, is designed to examine Islamic patterns in various ways and get the gifted students to understand and have them motivated to learn the concept of the tiling, understanding the characteristics of Islamic patterns, investigating Islamic design, and experiencing the Girih tiles. The second part of the in-depth learning activity, as a discovery stage, is focused on investigating the mathematical features of the Girih tile, comparing Girih tiled patterns with non-Girih tiled ones, investigating the mathematical characteristics of the five Girih tiles, and filling out the blank of Islamic patterns. The third part of the in-depth learning activity, as an inquiry or a creative stage, is planned to show the students' mathematical creativity by thinking over different types of Girih tiling, making the students' own tile patterns, presenting artifacts and reflecting over production process. This program was applied to 6 students who were enrolled in an unified(math and science) gifted class of D elementary school in Daejeon. After analyzing the results produced by its application, the program was modified and complemented repeatedly. It is expected that this program and its materials used in this study will guide a direction of how to develop methodical materials for math-gifted education in elementary schools. This program is originally developed for gifted education in elementary schools, but for further study, it is hoped that this study and the program will be also utilized in the field of math-gifted or unified gifted education in secondary schools in connection with 'Penrose Tiling' or material of 'quasi-crystal'.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.29-62
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• 2006

The early development of an infant is crucial due to the enormous impact it has throughout an infant's life. Therefore, it is important to understand the development process of an infant and provide a high-quality educational environment so that an infant can progress at an innate pace to learn how to exercise, understand, speak, socialize, and empathize as well as having a balanced growth. When educating an infant, joy is a substantial factor in the formation of trust and development of relationship that makes education efficient. Music can be an effective means to offer a fun atmosphere vto the infant in which it stimulates active participation of the infant and development of a variety of dimensions to the infant's development. Also, the purpose of music therapy education is utilizes to plan for the different age groups' level of understanding of music and allow the infant to have a positive experience and develop properly. The purposes of this study are as following: to examine characteristics according to an infant' developmental steps thoroughly, to suggest interventions using music therapy education to stimulate development of an infant, to prove that infants age 3 to 6 obtain the necessary ability and skill through the effective educational therapy through music, and finally to create a music program for educating infants or music therapy. This study has examined theories of the music approach targeting infants age 3 to 6 and made character observations of infant' Motor, Cognition, Communication, Socialization, and Emotions. With the basis of the above theory, the different levels of development has been divided, specific goals has been set up according to the levels, and various music therapy education for infants have been created. The music therapy education activity has been approved by five professionals who are renown in their specific field. They made comments that the development levels were properly divided in the paper. They also commented that the music program is adequate for achieving the goal of each developmental level and it stimulates the different levels of an infant's development. In conclusion, the study reflects that the approach of music therapy education stimulates the different levels of infant development. Music therapists can utilize this music program to help handicapped children identify characteristics of progress and develop at their own ability.