• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.56-57
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• 2006

The ultra pH-sensitive polymeric mixed micelles based on poly(L-histidine) chemistry and constructed from block copolymers containing polyHis, present four functionalities as decreasing pH: ligand exposure at pH 7.0, micelle destabilization below pH 6.8, enhanced DOX release and endosomal membrane disruption. The first functionality is expected to endow tumor pH specificity to nonspecific ligands and the rest ones may help to treat solid tumors that are hard-to-treat by conventional chemotherapy (resistant tumors). The concept was proven in vitro studies and in vivo model.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.639-652
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• 2022

The prolyl 3-hydroxylase family member 4 (P3H4), is associated with post-translational modification of fibrillar collagens and aberrantly activated in cancer leading to tumor progression. However, its role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is still unknown. Here we reported that P3H4 was highly expressed in renal cancer tissues and significantly positive correlated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of P3H4 inhibited the proliferation, migration and metastasis of renal cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, and also, overexpression of it enhanced the oncogenic process. Mechanistically, P3H4 depletion decreased the levels of GDF15-MMP9 axis and repressed its downstream signaling. Further functional studies revealed that inhibition of GDF15 suppressed renal cancer cell growth and GDF15 recombinant human protein (rhGDF15) supplementation effectively rescued the inhibitory effect induced by P3H4 knockdown. Moreover, decreased levels of MMP9 caused by inhibition of P3H4-GDF15 signaling constrained the expression of PD-L1 and suppression of P3H4 accordingly promoted anti-tumor immunity via stimulating the infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in syngeneic mice model. Taken together, our findings firstly demonstrated that P3H4 promotes ccRCC progression by activating GDF15-MMP9-PD-L1 axis and targeting P3H4-GDF15-MMP9 signaling pathway can be a novel strategy of controlling ccRCC malignancy.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2009

Purpose : A method to estimate a real k-space trajectory based on a circuit model of the gradient system is proposed for spiral imaging. The estimated k-space trajectory instead of the ideal trajectory is used in the reconstruction to improve the image quality in the spiral imaging. Materials and Methods : Since the gradient system has self resistance, capacitance, and inductance, as well as the mutual inductance between the magnet and the gradient coils, the generated gradient fields have delays and transient responses compared to the input waveform to the gradient system. The real gradient fields and their trajectory in k-space play an important role in the reconstruction. In this paper, the gradient system is modeled with R-L-C circuits, and real gradient fields are estimated from the input to the model. An experimental method to determine the model parameters (R, L, C values) is also suggested from the quality of the reconstructed image. Results : The gradient fields are estimated from the circuit model of the gradient system at 1.5 Tesla MRI system. The spiral trajectory obtained by the integration of the estimated gradient fields is used for the reconstruction. From experiments, the reconstructed images using the estimated trajectory show improved uniformity, reduced overshoots near the edges, and enhanced resolutions compared to those using the ideal trajectory without model. Conclusion : The gradient system was successfully modeled by the R-L-C circuits. Much improved reconstruction was achieved in the spiral imaging using the trajectory estimated by the proposed model.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.947-961
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• 2017

An innovative spiral variable-section capillary model is established for piping critical hydraulic gradient of cohesion-less soils causing water/mud inrush in tunnels. The relationship between the actual winding seepage channel and grain-size distribution, porosity, and permeability is established in the model. Soils are classified into coarse particles and fine particles according to the grain-size distribution. The piping critical hydraulic gradient is obtained by analyzing starting modes of fine particles and solving corresponding moment equilibrium equations. Gravities, drag forces, uplift forces and frictions are analyzed in moment equilibrium equations. The influence of drag force and uplift force on incipient motion is generally expounded based on the mechanical analysis. Two cases are studied with the innovative capillary model. The critical hydraulic gradient of each kind of sandy gravels with a bimodal grain-size-distribution is obtained in case one, and results have a good agreement with previous experimental observations. The relationships between the content of fine particles and the critical hydraulic gradient of seepage failure are analyzed in case two, and the changing tendency of the critical hydraulic gradient is accordant with results of experiments.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.271-279
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• 2022

Background: Inflammation is known to underlie the pathogenesis in neuropathic pain. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective mechanisms involved in antinociceptive effects of co-administration of acetaminophen and L-carnosine in chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced peripheral neuropathy in male Wistar rats. Methods: Fifty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into seven experimental groups (n = 8) treated with normal saline/acetaminophen/acetaminophen + L-carnosine. CCI was used to induce neuropathic pain in rats. Hyperalgesia and allodynia were assessed using hotplate and von Frey tests, respectively. Investigation of spinal proinflammatory cytokines and antioxidant system were carried out after twenty-one days of treatment. Results: The results showed that the co-administration of acetaminophen and L-carnosine significantly (P < 0.001) increased the paw withdrawal threshold to thermal and mechanical stimuli in ligated rats compared to the ligated naïve group. There was a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in the levels of nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer B cell inhibitor, calcium ion, interleukin-1-beta, and tumour necrotic factor-alpha in the spinal cord of the group coadministered with acetaminophen and L-carnosine compared to the ligated control group. Co-administration with acetaminophen and L-carnosine increased the antioxidant enzymatic activities and reduced the lipid peroxidation in the spinal cord. Conclusions: Co-administration of acetaminophen and L-carnosine has anti-inflammatory effects as a mechanism that mediate its antinociceptive effects in CCI-induced peripheral neuropathy in Wistar rat.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 2006

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of four water temperatures (10, 15, 20, and $25^{\circ}C$) in combination with three photoperiods (24L:0D, 12L: 12D, and OL:24D) on the oxygen consumption rate of juvenile dark-banded rockfish, Sebastes inermis (mean body weight $20.5{\pm}0.7g$). The oxygen consumption rates of S. inermis were measured in triplicate for 24 hours using a continuous flow-through respirometer. Different combinations of water temperatures and photoperiods resulted in significant differences in the mean oxygen consumption rate of S. inermis (P<0.001). The oxygen consumption increased with increasing water temperatures for all photoperiod treatments (P<0.01). Mean oxygen consumption rates at 10, 15,20 and $25^{\circ}C$ ranged $178.3\sim283.5,\;386.7\sim530.7,\;529.2\sim754.3$ and $590.0\sim785.5mg\;O_2kg^{-1}h^{-1}$, respectively. $Q_{10}$ values ranged $3.17\sim5.51$ between 10 and $15^{\circ}C,\;1.87\sim2.10$ between 15 and $20^{\circ}C$ and $1.08\siml.24$ between 20 and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. Fish held in continuous darkness (OL:24D) used consistently less okygen than fish exposed to continuous light (P<0.05). The mean oxygen consumption offish in a 12L:12D photoperiod was higher than that offish in 24L:0D and 0L:24D photoperiods under all temperature treatments except $10^{\circ}C$. The oxygen consumption of fish exposed to the 12L:12D photoperiod was significantly higher during the light phase than during the dark phase under all temperature treatments except $10^{\circ}C\;(P<0.05)$. This study provides empirical data for estimating oxygen consumption of S. inermis under given condition. This result has application for culture management and bioenergetic model for growth of this species.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1800-1808
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• 2013

Dual-responsive amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesized by combining enzymatic ring-opening polymerization (eROP) of ${\varepsilon}$-caprolactone (CL) and ATRP of N,N-dimethylamino-2-ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA). The obtained block copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), $^1H$ NMR and FTIR-IR. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of copolymer was determined by fluorescence spectra, it can be found that with hydrophilic block (PDMAEMA) increasing, CMC value of the polymer sample increased accordingly, and the CMC value was 0.012 mg/mL, 0.025 mg/mL and 0.037 mg/mL for $PCL_{50}$-b-$PDMAEMA_{68}$, $PCL_{50}$-b-$PDMAEMA_{89}$, $PCL_{50}$-b-$PDMAEMA_{112}$, $PCL_{50}$-b-$PDMAEMA_{89}$ was chosen as drug carrier to study in vitro release profile of anti-cancer drug (taxol). The temperature and pH dependence of the values of hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) of micelles, and self-assembly of the resulting block copolymers in water were evaluated by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The result showed that with the temperature increasing and pH decreasing, the Dh decreased. Drug-loaded nanoparticles were fabricated using paclitaxel as model. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) had been explored to study the morphology of the hollow micelles and the nanoparticles, revealing well-dispersed spheres with the average diameters both around 80 nm. In vitro release kinetics of paclitaxel from the nanoparticles was also investigated in different conditions (pH and temperature, etc.), revealing that the drug release was triggered by temperature changes upon the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at pH 7.4, and at $37^{\circ}C$ by an increase of pH.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.763-771
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between dietary sodium intake and prevalence of abdominal obesity in Korean adults. We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V-1 and analyzed data on 4,475 Koreans (${\geq}30$ years old). Subjects were divided into three groups according to fasting plasma glucose (FPG): 1) normal (FPG <100 mg/dL), 2) pre-diabetes ($100mg/dL{\leq}FPG{\leq}125mg/dL$), and 3) diabetes (FPG ${\geq}126mg/dL$ or subjects diagnosed with diabetes). The subjects in each category were stratified by dietary sodium intake as well as index of abdominal obesity. We found that dietary sodium intake was positively correlated with waist circumference (WC) (P=0.002) and was particularly high in the pre-diabetes group. In multiple logistic regression analysis, the normal and diabetes groups showed no association between dietary sodium intake and WC, whereas the pre-diabetes group with a high sodium intake exhibited a significant association (odds ratio (OR)=1.479, P=0.029) between dietary sodium intake and WC. Further, the OR for abdominal obesity in the high sodium intake group with pre-diabetes was 1.590 after adjusting for age and sex (P=0.012). In addition, the ORs for the prevalence of abdominal obesity with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance were significantly higher in the pre-diabetes group with high sodium intake compared with low sodium intake. Moreover, these associations were significant even after adjusting for confounding variables (model 2: age and sex; model 3: age, sex, and total energy intake). Our results suggest a strong association between sodium intake and abdominal obesity in pre-diabetes Korean adults.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2001

This aim of the work presented in this paper is to investigate the factors that affcet chlorine decay and to develop functional relationships that can be used to enhance the durability of network models. predictive relationships were established that correlated the rate of chlorine decay to the various water conditions such as DOC, N $H_3$-N, initial chlorine, contact time, temperature and pH values. Free chlorine residual decreased with increasing temperature, DOC, N $H_3$-N, reaction time and chlorine dose. At 2$0^{\circ}C$, pH 7, The initial chlorine demand per mg as DOC/L and mg as N $H_3$-N/L was about 0.43, 2.69 mg/$\ell$ respectively at 180 minutes contact time. The Reaction between chlorine and humic acids was lasted intil 48hr, but the reaction between chlorine and N $H_3$-N was almost completed in 180 min. When the temperature is raised by 1$0^{\circ}C$, chlorine is more consumed about 0.25 mg/$\ell$ in the absence of organic substances and it is more consumed about 3.4 mg/$\ell$ in the presence of humic acid (5 mg/$\ell$) in water at pH 7 for 180 min. Regression Analysis created the resulting prediction equation for the chlorine decay in a SPSS package of the computer system. The model is as follows; $C_{t}$=1.239+0.707(Co)-0.000529(Time)-0.0112(Temp)+0.02227(pH)-0.42(DOC)-2.132(N $H_3$-N).).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.145-153
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• 1984

In the present work, a computer simulation is performed employing Hottel-Whillier-Bliss model for thermal performance of solar collectors. The major collector parameters examined in the computer simulation are: number of transparent glass covers(N), thermal emissivity of the absorbing plate surface (.epsilon.$_{P}$), absorptivity of absorber plate (.alpha.$_{p}$), flow rate per unit area of collector (G), $L_{b}$ / $k_{b}$ of insulation material, tilt angle of collector (S), and solar insolation(I). By varying numerical values of the major collector parameters around their typical values, the corresponding variations in thermal efficiency curves are examined. In addition, an experimental investigation has been carried out with a slightly modified KAIST collector test loop under a real sun condition in order to compare with the simulation results, examine the applicability of the mathematical model of the collector thermal performance, and study the effect of variation of flow rate (G) on thermal efficiency and the range of optimum flow rate.e.