• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.7
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• pp.2444-2451
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• 2024

This work demonstrates a new sol-gel approach for synthesizing PbO₂-doped zirconia using zircon mineral precursors. The streamlined methodology enables straightforward fabrication of the doped zirconia composites. Comprehensive materials characterization was performed using XRD, SEM, and TEM techniques to analyze the crystal structure, microstructure, and morphology. Quantitative analysis of the XRD data provided insights into the nanoscale crystallite sizes achieved, along with their relationship to lattice imperfections. Furthermore, the gamma-ray shielding capacity for the PbO₂-doped zirconia samples was estimated by the Monte Carlo simulation, which proves an increase in the gamma ray shielding properties by raising the Pb concentration. The linear attenuation coefficient increased between 0.467 and 0.499 cm^-1 (at 0.662 MeV) by increasing the Pb content between 11 and 21 wt%. By increasing the Pb content to 21 wt%, the synthesized composites' lead equivalent thickness reaches 2.49 cm. The radiation shielding properties for the synthesized composites revealed a remarkable performance against low and intermediate γ-ray photons, with radiation shielding capacity of 37.3 % and 21.4 % at 0.662 MeV and 2.506 MeV, respectively. As a result, the developed composites can be employed as an alternative shielding material in hospitals and radioactive zones.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2022

The potassium cream soap with fatty acid called cleaning foam has a crystal gel structure, and unlike an emulsion system, it is weak to shear stress and shows characteristics that are easily separated under high temperature storage conditions. The crystal gel structure of cleansing foams is significantly influenced by the nature and proportion of fatty acids, degree of neutralization, and the nature and proportion of polyols. In order to investigate the effect of these parameters on the crystal gel structure, a ternary system consisting of water/KOH/fatty acid was investigated in this study. The investigation of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) revealed that the eutectic point was found at the ratio of myristic acid (MA) : stearic acid (SA) = 3 : 1 and ternary systems were the most stable at the eutectic point. However, the increase in fatty acid content had little effect on stability. On the basis of viscosity and polarized optical microscopy (POM) measurements, the optimum degree of neutralization was found to be about 75%. The system was stable when the melting point (T_m) of the ternary system was higher than the storage temperature and the crystal phase was transferred to lamellar gel phase, but the increase in fatty acid content had little effect on stability. The addition of polyols to the ternary system played an important role in changing the T_m and causing phase transition. The structure of the cleansing foams were confirmed through cryogenic scanning electron microscope (Cryo-SEM), small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) analysis. Since butylene glycol (BG), propylene glycol (PG), and dipropylene glycol (DPG) lowered the T_m and hindered the lamellar gel formation, they were unsuitable for the formation of stable cleansing foam. In contrast, glycerin, PEG-400, and sorbitol increased the T_m, and facilitated the formation of lamellar gel phase, which led to a stable ternary system. Glycerin was found to be the most optimal agent to prepare a cleansing foam with enhanced stability.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.108-117
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• 1994

This study was performed to investigate the Alkali-Silica Reaction(ASR) of crushed stones using chemical analysis, polarization microscope, XRD, chemical method(KS F 2545, ASTM C 289), mortar-bar method( KS F 2546, ASTM C 227) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM ) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis(EDXA) of reaction products by ASK in the mortar bars and to investigate the influence on alkali content and kind of added alkali to the ASR. Test results show that one kind of domestic crushed stone is estimated as deleterious by ASTM chemical method and mortar bar method, and reaction product is proved as alkali silicate gel by EDXA.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.474-478
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• 2007

Polymer substrate materials with low dielectric loss were obtained by fabricating the composite using dicyclopentadienyl bisphenol cyanate ester oligomer and polyphenylene ether (PPE). From the analysis of the curing reaction of oligomer and catalyst, it was observed that the optimum amount of catalyst was 0.02 phr of Zn content. It was applied to the fabrication of polymer composite. By changing oligomer/PPE weight ratio, the peel strength and the gel content of the fabricated composites were measured, and then, the dielectric constant and the dissipation factor were measured in the GHz frequency range. The amount of PPE affected the peel strength and the dielectric properties of composites. However, the amount of catalyst did not affect them at all. Resulting from all experiments, we obtained polymer composite laminates haying the peel strength of above 1 kN/m and the low dissipation factor of 0.004 at 1 GHz.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.136-146
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• 2011

This study provides first-hand proteomic data on the survival strategy of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 when subjected to long-term iron-starvation conditions. 2D-gel electrophoresis followed by MALDI-TOF/MS analysis of iron-deficient Anabaena revealed significant and reproducible alterations in ten proteins, of which six are associated with photosynthesis and respiration, three with the antioxidative defense system, and the last, hypothetical protein all1861, conceivably connected with iron homeostasis. Iron-starved Anabaena registered a reduction in growth, photosynthetic pigments, PSI, PSII, whole-chain electron transport, carbon and nitrogen fixation, and ATP and NADPH content. The kinetics of hypothetical protein all1861 expression, with no change in expression until day 3, maximum expression on the $7^{th}$ day, and a decline in expression from the $15^{th}$ day onward, coupled with in silico analysis, suggested its role in iron sequestration and homeostasis. Interestingly, the up-regulated FBP-aldolase, Mn/Fe-SOD, and all1861 all appear to assist the survival of Anabeana subjected to iron-starvation conditions. Furthermore, the $N_2$-fixation capabilities of the iron-starved Anabaena encourage us to recommend its application as a biofertilizer, particularly in iron-limited paddy soils.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.312-317
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• 2019

In order to obtain basic data on the shelf life of Epimedii Herba (EH), a physicochemical characteristics including weight loss rate, loss on drying, ash, acid-insoluble ash, and quantitative determination were evaluated to compare the data by packaging methods including general (G), general + silica gel (GS), alumium (AL), and alumium + silica gel (ALS) packaging and storage periods (0-66 months). All physicochemical analyzes were conducted using the method of "The Korean Pharmacopoeia (KP) 9^th edition". As a result, weight loss rate (%), loss on drying (%), ash (%), acid-insoluble ash (%) of EH according to the packaging methods and storage periods were -0.27-4.73%, 3.06-9.35%, 5.48-7.37%, and 0.45-0.99, respectively. In the quantitative analysis of icariin, the marker compound of EH using high-performance liquid chromatography, the initial content was 0.44% at 0 month in all packaging methods. After that, the result of analyzing the content of icariin every 6 months was detected 0.44-1.18%. All of the above results satisfied the acceptance criteria for loss on drying, ash, acid-insoluble ash, and quantification contained in the KP. This study can be used as a basic data for establishing the packaging method and shelf life of EH.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.307-316
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• 1996

A persistent major haemolyruph protein (MHP) was confirmed, and its ontogeny and physicochemical charadedstics were investigated in Helicoverpa assulta. The MHP existed continually during larval-pupal-adult development, and its ontogeny was similar to that of total haemolymph protein concentration during development. Its content increased with larval growth, and kept to high level during pupal-adult development except for temporary decrease at the early pupal and adult stages. The MHP was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. The purified MHP was determined to be hexamer glycolipoprotein (pI 5.9, M.W. 414kDa) consisted of single type subunit (69kDa). Amino acid analysis suggested that the MHP contained a relatively high content of aromatic amino acids (18.27 mole % of tryptophan, 7.47 mole % of tyrosine and 6.51 mole % of phenylalanine) compared to storage proteins from other insects. Immunodiffusion test and electrophoretic analysis of the organ proteins (gut, fat body, and Malphigian tubule) suggested that the major haemolymph protein was present in the fat body.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.181-186
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• 2022

A germacrane-type sesquiterpenoid was isolated and purified from a methanol extract of the roots of Valeriana fauriei (RVF) through open column chromatography using silica gel. This compound was verified to be heishuixiecaoline A by spectroscopic analysis. This compound was isolated for the first time from RVF. Quantitative analysis of heishuixiecaoline A from RVF cultivated from three different regions (Eumseong, Jinbu, and Jinan regions) was performed by combining high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector. The extract of RVF cultivated in the Jinbu region showed the highest content (9.23 mg/g). In addition, a significant amount of the compound was detected in all RVF samples, which could be expected since it is a characteristic compound of RVF. The sesquiterpenoid group heishuixiecaoline A was isolated from RVF, a resource for various pharmacological substances, and quantitative analysis of RVF cultivated from three different regions was performed. As a result of these experiments, basic data on RVF that can be used in the development and application of pharmaceuticals and health functional foods in the future were obtained.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.704-710
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• 2008

Injectable hydrogels are quite promising materials due to their potential to minimize invasive implantation and this provides versatile fitness irrespective of the damaged regions and facilitates the incorporation of bioactive agents or cells. In situ gel formation through stereocomplex formation is a promising candidate for injectable hydrogels. In this paper, a new series of enantiomeric, four-arm, PEG-PLA block copolymers and their stereocomplexed hydrogels were prepared by bulk ring-opening polymerization of D-lactide and L-lactide, respectively, with stannous octoate as a catalyst. The prepared polymers were characterized by $^1H$ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FT IR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and thermal gravitational analysis (TGA), confirming the tailored structure and chain lengths. The swelling and degradation behavior of the hydrogels formed from a selected copolymer series were observed in different concentrations. The degradation rate decreased with increasing polymer content in the solution. The rheological behavior indicated that the prepared hydrogel underwent in situ gelation and had favorable mechanical strength. In addition, its feasibility as an injectable scaffold was evaluated using a media dependence test for cell culture. A Tris solution was more favorable for in situ gel formation than PBS and DMEM solutions were. These results demonstrated the in situ formation of hydrogel through the construction of a stereocomplex with enantiomeric, 4-arm, PEG-PLA copolymers. Overall, enantiomeric, 4-arm, PEG-PLA copolymers are a new species of stereocomplexed hydrogels that are suitable for further research into injectable hydrogels.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.363-368
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• 2021

The fruits of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) were extracted with 70% aqueous methanol (MeOH) and the concentrates were partitioned into ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and water (H₂O) fractions. The repeated silica gel (SiO₂) and octadecyl silica gel column chromatographies for the EtOAc fraction, whose activity was confirmed, led to isolation of one flavone compound. Nuclear magnetic resornance, infrarad spectroscopy, and mass spectroscopy (MS) revealed the chemical structure of the isolated compound, 5,7,3'-trihydroxy-6,4',5'-trimethoxyflavone (1). LC-MS/MS analysis determined the content level of compounds 1 in the MeOH extract to be 4.02±0.12 ㎍/mg and in the TME-10 fraction to be 0.96±0.03 ㎍/mg. Through this study, the antioxidantive capacity was confirmed by demonstrating that the L. esculentum extract and their fractions showing an increase in glutathione mean and a decrease in glutathione heterogeneity uniformly raises the intracellular glutathione level.