• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2020

Objectives: Artemisinin and its derivatives extracted from Artemisia annua, a Chinese herbal medicine, have variable biological effects due to structural differences. Up to date, the anti-obesity effect of dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a derivative of artemisinin, is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-adipogenic and lipolytic effects of DHA on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Methods: Oil Red O staining and AdipoRed assay were used to measure lipid accumulation and triglyceride (TG) content in 3T3-L1 cells, respectively. Cell count analysis was used to determine the cytotoxicity of 3T3-L1 cells. Western blot and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses were used to analyze the expression of protein and mRNA in 3T3-L1 cells, respectively. Results: DHA at 5 μM markedly inhibited lipid accumulation and reduced TG content in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells with no cytotoxicity. Furthermore, DHA at 5 μM inhibited the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBP-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and perilipin A as well as the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, while DHA at 5 μM had no effect on the mRNA expression of adiponectin, it strongly suppressed that of leptin in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. However, DHA at 5 μM had no lipolytic effect on differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, as assessed by no enhancement of glycerol release. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that DHA at 5 μM has a strong anti-adipogenic effect on differentiating 3T3-L1 cells through the reduced expression and phosphorylation of C/EBP-α, PPAR-γ, FAS, perilipin A, and STAT-3.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.226-231
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• 2008

The dense sintered bodies with >95% theoretical densities were successfully obtained from the $BaZrO_3,\;BaCeO_3,\;Ba(Zr_{0.7}Ce_{0.3})O_3$ solid solution, and core-shell structured $0.7BaZrO_3-0.3BaCeO_3$ composite powders prepared by sol-gel methods. The activation energy of $Ba(Zr_{0.7}Ce_{0.3})O_3$ solid solution calculated from the Arrhenius plot of the proton conductivities was similar to that of $BaZrO_3$. The activation energy of core-shell structured $0.7BaZrO_3-0.3BaCeO_3$ composite, however, was much lower than that of $BaZrO_3$ or $Ba(Zr_{0.7}Ce_{0.3})O_3$ solid solution, and was very similar to that $BaCeO_3$. These results could be assigned to the Ce-rich grain boundary which was clearly observed by EDX in core-shell structured $0.7BaZrO_3-0.3BaCeO_3$ composite.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.18B no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2011

A 3D face shape derived from 2D images may be useful in many applications, such as face recognition, face synthesis and human computer interaction. To do this, we develop a fast 3D Active Appearance Model (3D-AAM) method using depth estimation. The training images include specific 3D face poses which are extremely different from one another. The landmark's depth information of landmarks is estimated from the training image sequence by using the approximated Jacobian matrix. It is added at the test phase to deal with the 3D pose variations of the input face. Our experimental results show that the proposed method can efficiently fit the face shape, including the variations of facial expressions and 3D pose variations, better than the typical AAM, and can estimate accurate 3D face shape from images.

• Journal of KIISE:Databases
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.110-118
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• 2002

This paper presents a 3-D graphic database system based on XML that supports content-based retrievals of 3-D images, Most of graphics application systems are currently centered around the processing of 2-D images and research works on 3-D graphics are mainly concerned about the visualization aspects of 3-D image. They do not support the semantic modeling of 3-D objects and their spatial relations. In our data model, 3-D images are represented as compositions of 3-D graphic objects with associated spatial relations. Complex 3-D objects are mode]ed using a set of primitive 3-D objects rather than the lines and polygons that are found in traditional graphic systems. This model supports content-based retrievals of scenes containing a particular object or those satisfying certain spatial relations among the objects contained in them. 3-D images are stored in the database as XML documents using 3DGML DTD that are developed for modeling 3-D graphic data. Finally, this paper describes some examples of query executed in our Web-based prototype database system.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.644-649
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• 2011

[ $A_{3-2x/3}Al_{1-z}In_{z}O_4F:Eu_x^{3+}$ ](A = Ca, Sr, Ba, x = -0.15, z = 0, 0.1) oxyfluoride phosphors were simply prepared by the solid-state method at $1050^{\circ}C$ in air. The phosphors had the bright red photoluminescence (PL) spectra of an $A_{3-2x/3}Al_{1-z}In_{z}O_4F$ for $Eu^{3+}$ activator. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the obtained red phosphors were exhibited for indexing peak positions and calculating unit-cell parameters. Dynamic excitation and emission spectra of $Eu^{3+}$ activated red oxyfluoride phosphors were clearly monitored. Red and blue shifts gradually occurred in the emission spectra of $Eu^{3+}$ activated $A_3AlO_4F$ oxyfluoride phosphors when $Sr^{2+}$ by $Ca^{2+}$ and $Ba^{2+}$ ions were substituted, respectively. The concentration quenching as a function of $Eu^{3+}$ contents in $A_{3-2x/3}AlO_4F:Eu^{3+}$ (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) was measured. The interesting behaviors of defect-induced $A_{3-2x/3}Al_{1-z}In_{z}O_{4-{\alpha}}F_{1-{\delta}}$ phosphors with $Eu^{3+}$ activator are discussed based on PL spectra and CIE coordinates. Substituting $In^{3+}$ into the $Al^{3+}$ position in the $A_{3-2x/3}AlO_4F:Eu^{3+}$ oxyfluorides resulted in the relative intensity of the red emitted phosphors noticeably increasing by seven times.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.450-457
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• 2021

Upconversion (UC) properties of Y₂O₃:Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺ spherical particles synthesized by spray pyrolysis were investigated by changing the dopant concentration and calcination temperature. Citric acid (CA), ethylene glycol (EG) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) were used to control the microstructure of Y₂O₃:Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺ particles. In terms of achieving the highest UC green emission intensity, the optimal concentrations of Ho³⁺ and Yb³⁺ were found to be 0.3% and 3.0%, respectively. In addition, the UC intensity of Y₂O₃:Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺ showed a linear relationship with the crystallite size. The use of organic additives allows Y₂O₃:Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺ particles to have a spherical and dense structure, resulting in significantly reducing the surface area while maintaining high crystallinity. As a result, the UC emission intensity of Y₂O₃:Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺ particles having a dense structure showed the UC emission intensity about 3.8 times higher than that of hollow particles prepared without organic additives. From those results, when Y₂O₃:Ho³⁺/Yb³⁺ particles are prepared by the spray pyrolysis process, the use of the CA/EG/DMF mixtures as organic additives has been suggested as an effective way to substantially increase the UC emission intensity.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.109-121
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• 2020

Objectives: Tanshinone I is a bioactive constituent in Salvia miltiorrhiza. At present, the anti-obesity effect and mechanism of tanshinone I are not fully understood. Here we investigated the effect of tanshinone I on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and zebrafish. Methods: Lipid accumulation and triglyceride (TG) content in 3T3-L1 cells were determined by Oil Red O staining and AdipoRed assay, respectively. The expression and phosphorylation levels of adipogenic/lipogenic proteins in 3T3-L1 cells were evaluated by Western blotting. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of adipogenic/lipogenic markers and leptin in 3T3-L1 cells were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Lipid accumulation in zebrafish was assessed by LipidGreen2 staining. Results: Tanshinone I at 5 μM largely blocked lipid accumulation and reduced TG content in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, tanshinone I decreased the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBP-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), and perilipin A but also the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, tanshinone I increased the phosphorylation of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) while decreased the intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content with no change in the phosphorylation and expression of liver kinase-B1 in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Importantly, tanshinone I also reduced the extent of lipid deposit formation in developing zebrafish. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that tanshinone I has strong anti-adipogenic effects on 3T3-L1 cells and reduces adiposity in zebrafish, and these anti-adipogenic effect in 3T3-L1 cells are mediated through control of C/EBP-α, PPAR-γ, STAT-3, FAS, ACC, perilipin A, and AMPK.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.112-118
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• 2021

Dy³⁺- and Eu³⁺-codoped BaWO₄ phosphors for white light-emitting diode were synthesized with different activator ions via a solid-state reaction process. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the BaWO₄:Dy³⁺,Eu³⁺ phosphors were investigated as a function of Eu³⁺ concentration at a fixed concentration of Dy³⁺ ions. XRD patterns exhibited that all the synthesized phosphors had a tetragonal system, irrespective of the concentrations of Dy³⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions. The excitation spectra of the synthesized phosphors were composed of three intense bands centered at 251, 355, and 393 nm and several weak peaks. For the BaWO₄:Dy³⁺,Eu³⁺ phosphors synthesized with 1 mol% of Eu³⁺, the emission spectra under ultraviolet excitation at 393 nm showed two strong blue and yellow bands at 485 and 577 nm corresponding to the ⁴F_9/2⁶H_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2⁶H_13/2 transitions of Dy³⁺ ions, respectively and several weak bands in the range of 600-700 nm resulting from the 4f transitions of Eu³⁺ ions. As the concentration of Eu³⁺ ions increased, intensities of the blue and yellow emission bands gradually decreased while those of the red emissions increased rapidly and the energy transfer efficiency from Dy³⁺ to Eu³⁺ ions was 95.3% at 20 mol% of Eu³⁺. The optimum white light emission with x=0.363, y=0.357 CIE 1931 chromaticity coordinates was obtained for the sample doped with 5 mol% Dy³⁺ and 1 mol% of Eu³⁺.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.762-770
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• 2022

Hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes can be alleviated by promoting cellular glucose uptake. Betulinic acid (3β,-3-hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid) is a pentacyclic lupane-type triterpenoid compound. Although there have been studies on the antidiabetic activity of betulinic acid, studies on cellular glucose uptake are lacking. We investigated the effects of betulinic acid on glucose uptake and its mechanism of action in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Betulinic acid significantly stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by increasing the phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate 1-tyrosine (IRS-1tyr) in the insulin signaling pathway, which in turn stimulated the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt). The activation of PI3K and Akt by betulinic acid translocated glucose transporter 4 to the plasma membrane (PM-GLUT4), thereby increasing the expression of PM-GLUT4 and thus stimulating cellular glucose uptake. Betulinic acid also significantly increased the phosphorylation/activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The activation of PI3K and AMPK by betulinic acid was confirmed using the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin and the AMPK inhibitor compound C. The increase in glucose uptake induced by betulinic acid was significantly decreased by wortmannin and compound C in the 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These results suggest that betulinic acid stimulates glucose uptake by activating PI3K and AMPK in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.244-250
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• 2007

A series of new 6-allylthio-3-aminopyridazine derivatives was synthesized through allylthiolation, amination and expected for anti-tumor activity. The pyridazine nucleus was obtained by condensing hydrazine monohydrate with maleic anhydride. 3,6-Dichloropyridazine was synthesized from 3,6-dihydroxypyridazine by treating with POCl3. 6-Allylthio-3-chloropyridazine was prepared from the reaction of 3,6-dichloropyridazine with allylmercaptan and sodium hydroxide. The heterocycles with nitrogen nucleophile such as morpholine, piperazine, pyrazole, imidazole, pyrrolidine, piperidine, perhydroazepine, and perhydroazocine were introduced into 3-position of pyridazine ring. The substitution reaction of 6-allylthio-3-chloropyridazine with heteroamines was performed by refluxing for 24~48 h in n-buthanol with NH4Cl.