• Clean Technology
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• v.13 no.1 s.36
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• pp.28-33
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• 2007

We measured cloud points of Poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) in various solvents using the high-pressure variable volume view cell apparatus. The solvents used for dissolving PMMA were chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), dimethylether (DME), 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HFC-143a), 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), and the effect of $CO_2$ concentration on the phase behavior of $PMMA+HCFC-22+CO_2$ system and $PMMA+DME+CO_2$ system was observed. PMMA was dissolved well in HCFC-22 from about 340 K, 5MPa and in DME from about 300 K, 28MPa. However, PMMA was not dissolved at all up to 423.15 K, 160MPa in the other fluorine compound such as HFC-l43a, HFC-152a and HFC-134a. PMMA+HCFC-22, $PMMA+HCFC-22+CO_2$ and PMMA+DME systems exhibit the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior, however, $PMMA+DME+CO_2$ system exhibits the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior. In the $CO_2$ mixture, the cloud point pressure of PMMA was increased dramatically proportional to the amount of $CO_2$ added, and from this result, it was known that $CO_2$ could be used as an antisolvent for fabricating PMMA nano-particles. And the cloud point of PMMA could be controlled by changing the concentration of $CO_2$.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1629-1636
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• 2009

Pine trees (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zacc.) have been used as a traditional health-promoting medicinal food in Korea. This research was performed to determine the antioxidative and antibacterial activities, tyrosinase, nitric oxide synthesis, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), and xanthine oxidase inhibition effects of the pine bud ethanol extract (PBE). Antioxidative activities of PBE were measured by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and superoxide dismutase-like activity (SODA). DPPH radical scavenging and SOD-like activities of PBE were remarkably increased in a dose-dependent manner, and were about 88.9% and 47.9% at 1 mg/ml and 10 mg/ml, respectively. The xanthine oxidase and angiotensin converting enzyme activities were inhibited about 71.9% and 60.8% at 1 mg/ml and $100{\mu}g/ml$ of PBE, respectively. The tyrosinase inhibitory activities of PBE were slightly increased in a dose-dependent manner. The PBE showed strong antimicrobial activities on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Vibrio paraheamolyticus. Stimulation of the macrophages RAW264.7 cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in increased production of nitric oxide (NO) in the medium. However, NO synthesis was reduced up to 54% by addition of PBE at $200{\mu}g/ml$. These results revealed that pine buds have a strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity, and exhibit angiotensin converting enzyme and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities. This suggests that pine buds have the greatest property as a source for natural health products.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.415-425
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• 2013

This study compared the characteristics of five Bacillus strains capable of aerobic and anaerobic growth, CBW3, CBW4, CBW9, CBW14 and EBW10. They were isolated and selected from a polychaete, Perinereis aibuhitensis, which is known as a good degrader of organic compounds in marine wetland. Based on a 16S rRNA sequence, CBW3 and CBW14 were found to share more than 99.8% similarity with B. nanhaiensis, B. arsenicus and B. barbaricus. CBW4, CBW9 and EBW10 shared 92.7%, 99.8%, and 99.8% similarity with B. anthracis, B. algicoa and B. thuringiensis, respectively. The temperature, salinity, and pH ranges of the cell growth of the Bacillus strains were $4-45^{\circ}C$, 0-17%, and pH 5-pH 9, respectively. All Bacillus strains were found to exhibit enzyme activities for the degradation of casein and starch. Notably, strain EBW10 exhibited the enzyme activities for all the tested macromolecules, DNA, casein, starch, cellulose, and four kinds of Tweens, which suggests the possibility that it had protease, amylase, cellulose, and lipase. All five Bacillus strains had alkaline phosphatase activities, and the strains CBW3, CBW4, and EBW10 also had acid phospatase. Strains CBW3 and EBW10 exhibited the enzyme activities both for esterase (C4) and esterase lipase (C8). The analysis of fatty acids revealed that in all strains, major fatty acids were anteiso $C_{15:0}$ and iso $C_{15:0}$.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.947-955
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• 2020

The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), a member of the Aphthovirus genus in the Picornaviridae family, affects wild and domesticated ruminants and pigs. During replication of the FMDV RNA (ribonucleic acid) genome, FMDV-encoding RNA polymerase 3D acts in a highly location-specific manner. This suggests that specific RNA structures recognized by 3D polymerase within non-coding regions of the FMDV genome assist with binding during replication. One such region is the cis-acting replication element (CRE), which functions as a template for RNA replication. The FMDV CRE adopts a stem-loop conformation with an extended duplex stem, supporting a novel 15-17 nucleotide loop that derives stability from base-stacking interactions, with the exact RNA nucleotide sequence of the CRE producing different RNA secondary structures. Here, we show that CRE sequences of FMDVs isolated in Korea from 2010 to 2017 exhibit A and O genotypes. Interestingly, variations in the RNA secondary structure of the Korean FMDVs are consistent with the phylogenetic relationships between these viruses and reveal the specificity of FMDV infections for particular host species. Therefore, we conclude that each genetic clade of Korean FMDV is characterized by a unique functional CRE and that the evolutionary success of new genetic lineages may be associated with the invention of a novel CRE motif. Therefore, we propose that the specific RNA structure of a CRE is an additional criterion for FMDV classification dependent on the host species. These findings will help correctly analyze CRE sequences and indicate the specificity of host species for future FMDV epidemics.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.64-73
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• 2008

The cDNA of CCF (coelomic cytolytic factor)-like gene (EC 3.2.1.16), a kind of glycosyl hydorlase, was isolated and cloned from the midgut of the earthworm Eisenia anderi. The size of nucleotide sequence appeared to be 1,152 bp and its predicted coding region was composed of 384 amino acid residues including the initiation methionine. The 17 residues at N-terminal end in the deduced amino acid sequence were regarded to be a signal peptide. Based on the amino acid sequence analysis, it appeared that this CCF-like protein could belong to glycosyl hydrolase family 16 (GHF16) and showed a high sequence homology of about 79~99% with CCF and CCF-like proteins from other earthworm species. The CCFs and CCF-like proteins from various earthworm species exhibited a 100% homology in the polysacchride-binding motif and glucanase motif. It has been reported that the CCFs isolated from E. fedita appeared to show a broader pattern recognition specificity than those from other earthworm species because this species resides in decaying organic matter showing very high microbial activity, implying that CCF-like protein isolated in this study from E. andrei might exhibit a broad substrate specificity that is a useful characteristic for industrial application. A phylogenetic analysis using the deduced amino acid sequences of CCF-related proteins through the BLASTX revealed that GHF16 families could be divided into three groups of metazoa, viriplantae and eubacteria subfamily. Subsequently the CCF-related proteins of metazoa subfamily could clearly be subgroup into lophotrochozoan and edysozoan type including a deuterostome origin. Further understanding of the biological properties of E. andrei CCF-like protein should be addressed to regulate the ${\beta}$-D-glucan hydrolysis and production for the industrial uses.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.99-112
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• 2000

The Iksan Jurassic Granite shows relatively less fractures and homogeneous rock fabrics, and is one of the most popular stone materials for architectures and sculptures. Almost mutually perpendicular rift, grain, and halfway in the Iksan Jurassic Granite are well known to quarrymen based on its splitting directions, and therefore it should exhibit orthorhombic symmetry. Theoretically, there are 9 independent elastic stiffness coefficients $(C_{1111},\;C_{2222},\;C_{3333},\;C_{2323},\;C_{1313},\;C_{1212},\;C_{1122},\;C_{2233},\;and\;C_{1133})$ for orthorhombic anisotropy. In order to characterize the static and dynamic elastic properties of the Iksan Jurassic Granite, triaxial strains under uniaxial compressive stresses and ultrasonic velocities of elastic waves in three different polarizations are measured. Both experiments are carried out with six directional core samples from massive rock body. Using the results of experiments and the densities measured independently, the static and dynamic elastic coefficients are computed by simple mathematical manipulation derived from the governing equations for general anisotropic media. The static elastic coefficients increase ar uniaxial compressive stress rises. Among those, the static elastic coefficients at uniaxial compressive stress of a 24.5 MPa appear to be similar to the dynamic elastic coefficients under ambient condition. Although some deviations are observed, the preferred orientations of microcracks appear to be parallel or subparallel to the rift, the grain, and the hardway from microscopic observation of thin sections. This indicates that the preferred orientations of microcracks cause the elastic anisotropy of the Iksan Jurassic Granite. The results are to be applied to the effective use of the Iksan Jurassic Granite as stone materials, and can be used for the non-destructive safety test.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.327-338
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• 2001

In this study, the short-term variability of methane concentrations were investigated over 24-hr scale. The data obtained form the Moo-Ahn (MAN) station located in the western coastal area of Korea were analyzed from various respects to describe its distribution characteristics over short term scale. The MAN data were compared with those obtained from the two major background observatory sites: Point Barrow (Alaska) and Mauna Loa (Hawaii). The mean concentration of methane for the whole study period, when computed using the daily mean values, was found to be 1898${\pm}$85.3ppb (N=812). The mean values for the two comparable sites were observed to be 1832${\pm}$29.6ppb (N=823) for Point Barrow and 1745${\pm}$14.8ppb (N=818) for Mauna Loa. According to the analysis of frequency distribution. the mode value for the MAN area is found to be 1900ppb, but the mean concentration for Point Barrow and Mauna Loa are shown to have relatively low values of 1850 and 1750ppb, respectively. When examined over diurnal scale, the CH$_4$data for the MAN area exhibit a rather consistent trend; CH$_4$level is low during the daytime (after 6:00 A.M) and rises during the nighttime. The findings of the generally enhanced methane concentration in the MAN station may be explained form various respects. One of the most important reasons is that the MAN area is under the influence of various source processes relative to all the other stations under consideration. The short-term distribution patterns for the MAN station are hence characterized not only by the high methane concentration but also by the high oscillation in its CH$_4$concentration level.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1998

For the purpose of finding new cathode materials for medium-temperature $(700\~800^{\circ}C)$ solid oxide fuel cells, $Gd_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3,\;(x=0.0\~0.5)$ are prepared, and their thermal stability and conductivity characteristics are investigated. Also, the cathodic activities are measured after the cathode layer being attached on CGO (cerium-gadolinium oxide) electrolyte disk. The X-ray analyses indicate that the materials prepared by calcining the citrate-gels at $800^{\circ}C$ have the orthorhombic perovskite structure without discernible impurities. The thermal stability of the undoped Co perovskite is so poor that it is decomposed to the individual binary oxide even at $1300^{\circ}C$. But the partially Fe-doped cobaltates exhibit a better thermal stability to retain their structural integrity up to $1400^{\circ}C$. The observation whereby both the undoped and Fe-doped cobaltates melt at ca. $1300^{\circ}C$ leads us to perform the electrode adhesion at <$1300^{\circ}C$. The cathodic activity of $Gd_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3,\;(x=0.0\~0.5)$, electrodes is superior to $La_{0.9}Sr_{0.1}MnO_3$, among the samples of $x=0.0\~0.5$, the x=0.2 cathode shows the best activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. It is likely that the Fe-doping provides a better thermal stability to the materials but in turn imparts an inferior cathodic activity, such that the optimum trade-off is made at x=0.2 between the two factors. The total electrical conductivity and ion conductivity of $Gd_{0.8}Ca_{0.2}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3$, are measured to be 51 S/cm and $6.0\times10^{-4}S/cm\;at\;800^{\circ}C$, respectively. The conductivity values illustrate that the materials are a mixed conductor and the reaction sites can be expanded to the overall electrode surface, thereby providing a better cathodic activity than $La_{0.9}Sr_{0.1}MnO_3$.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.327-335
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• 2006

Generally, Tension-Type Headache(TTH) patients exhibit muscle pain, but can also have TMJ pain, which includes mouth opening limitation or joint sounds. The purpose of our study is to observe the clinical pain characteristics between TTH patients with muscle pain and TMJ pain. One hundred sixty-seven patients were diagnosed with TTH according to the questionnaires based on the International Headache Society's proposal on the diagnostic criteria of TTH. The patients were classified into three group; arthralgia group (18 patients), myalgia group (50 patients) and arthromyalgia group (99 patients). TTH patients with pericranial muscle pain were classified in the myalgia group. TTH patients with temporal region pain were classified in the arthralgia group. TTH patients with both types of pain were classified in the arthromyalgia group. The parameters in the diagnostic criteria such as quality, intensity, laterality of pain, and aggravation due to physical activities were compared among the three groups. 1. There were no significant differences in the quality of pain among the three groups. 2. There were no significant differences in the intensity of pain among the three groups. 3. There were no significant differences in the laterality of pain among the three groups. 4. A higher percentage of patients in the arthromyalgia group experienced headaches that were aggravated due to physical activity (p=0.03) compared to the other groups. The results of this study show that TTH patients with both arthralgia (TMJ pain) and myalgia (pericranial muscle pain) are more aggravated by physical activity than TTH patients with either one.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.347-354
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• 2006

Most patients suffering from TMD appear to have unsatisfactory masticatory function and compromised values of bite force. The purposes of this study were to investigate and compare bite force between affected and unaffected sides of patients with unilateral TMD and to evaluate its relation with duration of TMD. 42 patients with unilateral TMD, from Department of Oral Medicine, Dankook University Dental Hospital, were selected for this study. The ratio of men to women was 9:33 and their mean age of $27.2{\pm}10.4$ years. The bite forces were measured over both canines (for anterior bite force) and $1^{st}$ molars (for posterior bite force) using a bite force recorder while all the subjects were asked to clench successively for 3 seconds not until pain was felt. They were compared with those measured from bilateral TMD patients(N=6, M:F=1:5, mean age: $23.0{\pm}27.3$ years). The unilateral TMD patients were divided into time groups according to duration of TMD on the basis of 1 and 6 months, respectively. Paired and unpaired t-tests were used for statistical analysis. Unilateral TMD patients in this study showed that the affected sides had significantly lower bite force than the unaffected sides(force difference of about 7-8 kgf, p<0.05) while there was no significant sides difference in the bilateral patients. Nor did bite force on the affected sides reveal significant difference between unilateral and bilateral TMD patients. With regards to TMD duration, there was significant difference between the patients with TMD < 6 months and $\geq$ 6 months (p<0.05) while no significant difference existed between < 1 month and $\geq$ 1 month. The results of this study indicated that unilateral TMD patients can exhibit more reduced bite force on the affected sides compared with that on the unaffected sides and that bite force on the unaffected sides might be deteriorated more as longer did TMD last.