• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.69-73
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• 2010

We propose a method to enhance the response time of a twisted nematic liquid crystal (TN-LC) cell using an anisotropic polymer. Polymer networks are formed by the phase separation between a LC and a UV-curable polymer. A TN-LC cell is exposed to UV light after the mixture of LC and anisotropic polymer is injected into the TN-LC cell. As a result, turn-off time of a TN-LC cell can be decreased remarkably without any loss of the transmittance. The turn-off time of a TN-LC cell with pure LC was 16 ms, but those of polymer networked TN-LC cells were 12, 11, and 9 ms when the concentration of the polymer was 3, 5, and 10 wt%, respectively. Moreover, by virtue of the polymer network, the backflow effect and the delay time generated during the turn-off process disappeared.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.279-285
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• 2012

The co-precipitation technique has been applied to synthesize Biphasic Calcium Phosphate (BCP), Mg-BCP and Si-BCP. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure of synthesized BCP, Mg-BCP and Si-BCP powders. The results have shown that BCP and substitution of magnesium and silicon in the calcium deficient apatites revealed the formation of biphasic mixtures of Hydroxyapatite (HAp)/${\beta}$-Tricalcium phosphate (${\beta}$-TCP) ratios after heating at $1000^{\circ}C$. Ionic substituted BCP is able to develop a new apatite phase on the surface in contact with physiological fluids faster than BCP does. An MTT assay indicated that BCP, Mg-BCP, and Si-BCP powders had no cytotoxic effects on MG-63 cells, and that they have good biocompatibility.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.212-217
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• 2015

Ships and marine structures have a lot of problems in their high maintenance and operating cost by biofouling. A biofouling occurrs by the adhesion of marine microorganism, algae and bacteria. In this study, the aim is to prevent or to reduce the biofouling phenomena through silver nano-particle coating on artificial light-weight aggregates and geopolymer. The antibacterial activity on them is tested according to ASTM E2149-2013a. The test results showed, it is estimated that silver nano-particles removed 99.99 % of bacteria. Specimens were set up in the sea side of field test area in Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) and have been observed for five months. The anti-biofouling effect and difference in weight change rate have been detected two months later after the installation. Because silver nanoparticles inhibit bacterial growth and kill the cells by destroying bacterial membranes, silver nano-particle coating on artificial lightweight aggregates is a well-suited and eco-friendly method for preventing biofouling in the sea up to 5 months.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.155-159
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• 2019

Surface plasmon resonance is the resonant oscillation of conduction electrons at the interface between negative and positive permittivity material stimulated by incident light. In particular, when light transmits through the metallic microhole structures, it shows an increased intensity of light. Thus, it is used to increase the efficiency of devices such as LEDs, solar cells, and sensors. There are various methods to make micro-hole structures. In this experiment, micro holes are formed using a wet chemical etching method, which is inexpensive and can be mass processed. The shape of the holes depends on crystal facets, temperature, the concentration of the etchant solution, and etching time. We select a GaAs(100) single crystal wafer in this experiment and satisfactory results are obtained under the ratio of etchant solution with $H_2SO_4:H_2O_2:H_2O=1:5:5$. The morphology of micro holes according to the temperature and time is observed using field emission - scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The etching mechanism at the corners and sidewalls is explained through the configuration of atoms.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.6-11
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• 2019

Methylammonium lead halide ($MAPbX_3$, X = I, Br) thin films, used as the light absorber of perovskite solar cells, were prepared using the dual feed ultrasonic spray method. Going through a deposition at a substrate temperature of below $60^{\circ}C$ and then a final heat treatment at $75^{\circ}C$ for 5 minutes using dual feed ultrasonic spray method, $MAPbI_3$ single phase could be formed. Whereas undergoing a deposition at temperatures above $80^{\circ}C$, the spheroidal grains could be changed into rod-shaped fractal structures due to the decomposition of the perovskite phase. Furthermore, using the same method at a higher heat treatment temperature of $100^{\circ}C$, $MAPbI_{3-x}Br_x$ thin films could also be formed from $MAPbI_3$ and $MAPbIBr_2$ solution.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.160-166
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• 2019

Cerium oxide ($CeO_2$, often called as Ceria) is one of the valuable rare earth oxide materials, which has been widely used for high temperature applications such as solid oxide fuel cells, automotive three-way catalysts and oxygen storage capacity. Considering those application, it is important to improve high redox and thermal stability with high surface morphology because the high surface area of $CeO_2$ could improve the catalytic reactivity at high temperature conditions. Herein we successfully fabricated hierarchical flower-like $CeO_2$ deposited via controlling pathway of precipitation reaction to supply carbonate ion lead to the flower-like morphology. The hexagonal lattice system of precipitated precursor shows better thermal stability then orthorhombic one during thermal cycling condition.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.56-66
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• 2019

Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein (HINT) is a member of the histidine triad (HIT) superfamily, which has hydrolase activity owing to a histidine triad motif. The HIT superfamily can be divided to five classes with functions in galactose metabolism, DNA repair, and tumor suppression. HINTs are highly conserved from archaea to humans and function as tumor suppressors, translation regulators, and neuropathy inhibitors. Although the structures of HINT proteins from various species have been reported, limited structural information is available for fungal species. Here, to elucidate the structural features and functional diversity of HINTs, we determined the crystal structure of HINT from the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans (CaHINT) in complex with zinc ions at a resolution of $2.5{\AA}$. Based on structural comparisons, the monomer of CaHINT overlaid best with HINT protein from the protozoal species Leishmania major. Additionally, structural comparisons with human HINT revealed an additional helix at the C-terminus of CaHINT. Interestingly, the extended C-terminal helix interacted with the N-terminal loop (${\alpha}1-{\beta}1$) and with the ${\alpha}3$ helix, which appeared to stabilize the dimerization of CaHINT. In the C-terminal region, structural and sequence comparisons showed strong relationships among 19 diverse species from archea to humans, suggesting early separation in the course of evolution. Further studies are required to address the functional significance of variations in the C-terminal region. This structural analysis of CaHINT provided important insights into the molecular aspects of evolution within the HIT superfamily.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2004

Background : Nitric Oxide (NO) is a multi-faceted molecule with dichotomous regulatory roles in many areas of biology. NO can promote apoptosis in some cells, whereas it inhibits apoptosis in other cell types. This study was performed to characterize NO-induced cell death in lung epithelial cells and to investigate the roles of cell death regulators including iron, bcl-2 and p53. Methods : A549 cells were used for lung epithelial cells. SNP (sodium nitroprusside) and SNAP (S-nitroso-N-acetyl- penicillamine) were used for NO donor. Cytoxicity assay was done by MTT assay and crystal violet assay. Apoptotic assay was done by fluorescent microscopy after double staining with propidium iodide and hoecst 33342. Iron inhibition study was done with RBCs and FeSO4. For bcl-2 study, bcl-2 overexpressing cells (A549-bcl-2) were used and for p53 study, Western blot analysis and p53 functionally knock-out cells (A549-E6) were used. Results : SNP and SNAP induced dose-dependent cell death in A549 cells and fluorescent microscopy revealed that SNAP induced apoptosis in low doses but necrosis in high doses while SNP induced exclusively necrotic cell death. Iron inhibition study using RBCs and FeSO4 significantly blocked SNAP-induced cell death. And also SNAP-induced cell death was blocked by bcl-2 overexpression. Finally, we found that SNAP activate p53 by Western blot analysis and that SNAP-induced cell death was decreased in the abscence of p53. Conclusion : In lung epithelial cells, NO can induce cell death, more precisely apoptosis in low doses and necrosis in high doses. And iron, bcl-2, and p53 play important roles in NO-induced cell death.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2017

The transcriptional activator AphB has been implicated in acid resistance and pathogenesis in the food borne pathogens Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio cholerae. To date, the full-length AphB crystal structure of V. cholerae has been determined and characterized by a tetrameric assembly of AphB consisting of a DNA binding domain and a regulatory domain (RD). Although acidic pH and low oxygen tension might be involved in the activation of AphB, it remains unknown which ligand or stimulus activates AphB at the molecular level. In this study, we determine the crystal structure of the AphB RD from V. vulnificus under aerobic conditions without modification at the conserved cysteine residue of the RD, even in the presence of the oxidizing agent cumene hydroperoxide. A cysteine to serine amino acid residue mutant RD protein further confirmed that the cysteine residue is not involved in sensing oxidative stress in vitro. Interestingly, an unidentified small molecule was observed in the inter-subdomain cavity in the RD when the crystal was incubated with cumene hydroperoxide molecules, suggesting a new ligand-binding site. In addition, we confirmed the role of AphB in acid tolerance by observing an aphB-dependent increase in cadC transcript level when V. vulnificus was exposed to acidic pH. Our study contributes to the understanding of the AphB molecular mechanism in the process of recognizing the host environment.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 1998

The cryIB, truncated cryIB$[cryIB({\alpha})]$, cryIA(b), and cytA genes, encoding 135-, 89-, 131-, and 27-kDa proteins, respectively, from Bacillus thuringiensis were cloned into a shuttle vector pBES and expressed in E. coli and Bacillus species. The morphology and solubility in alkaline buffer of the insecticidal crystal proteins were investigated. Transformation of intact cells of E. coli and Bacillus species was achieved by electroporation. High field strength of 11.0 kV/cm and resistance of 129 ohms were required for efficient transformation of E. coli strains and 4.5 kV/cm and 48 ohms for Bacillus species. Strains of recombinant E. coli and Bacillus species produced the insecticidal crystal proteins and accumulated as the same bipyramidal and irregular structures as those of CryIB and IA(b) and CytA of B. thuringiensls, respectively. The insecticidal crystal proteins accumulated in recombinant E. coli wire smaller in size than those in recombinant Bacillus species. The solubility in alkaline buffer of the insecticidal crystal proteins of recombinant E. coli increased gradually as the pH increased, whereas in the case of Bacillus species the solubility increased gradually as the pH increased up to 9 and then the solubility increased greatly up to two times higher than that of E. coli proteins.