• Current Photovoltaic Research
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.23-30
• /
• 2021

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are currently attracting attention as a promising source of photovoltaic power generation for their rapid increase in efficiency within a short research period. However, the 2-step deposition method, which has been considered as a proper film fabrication route in commercialization point of view of PSC, requires a complicated control of environment to achieve high efficiency because each step of the process are affected by humidity in different manner. It is clearly a large hurdle for this technic to be transferred to industrialization. In this study, we developed a simple surface treatment by which high quality perovskite films can be fabricated through 2-step deposition method in a relatively wide humidity range without complicated humidity control at each step.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.363-375
• /
• 2023

Stem cells are the foundational cells for every organ and tissue in our body. Cell-based therapeutics using stem cells in regenerative medicine have received attracting attention as a possible treatment for various diseases caused by congenital defects. Stem cells such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as well as embryonic stem cells (ESCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and neuroprogenitors stem cells (NSCs) have recently been studied in various ways as a cell-based therapeutic agent. When various stem cells are transplanted into a living body, they can differentiate and perform complex functions. For stem cell transplantation, it is essential to determine the suitability of the stem cell-based treatment by evaluating the origin of stem, the route of administration, in vivo bio-distribution, transplanted cell survival, function, and mobility. Currently, these various stem cells are being imaged in vivo through various molecular imaging methods. Various imaging modalities such as optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound (US), positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have been introduced for the application of various stem cell imaging. In this review, we discuss the principles and recent advances of in vivo molecular imaging for application of stem cell research.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.665-670
• /
• 2016

The objectives of this study were conducted to characterize pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) extracted from bones (PSC-B), skins (PSC-S), and tendons (PSC-T) of duck feet and to determine their thermal and structural properties, for better practical application of each part of duck feet as a novel source for collagen. PSC was extracted from each part of duck feet by using 0.5 M acetic acid containing 5% (w/w) pepsin. Electrophoretic patterns showed that the ratio between α₁ and α₂ chains, which are subunit polypeptides forming collagen triple helix, was approximately 1:1 in all PSCs of duck feet. PSC-B had slightly higher molecular weights for α₁ and α₂ chains than PSC-S and PSC-T. From the results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), higher onset (beginning point of melting) and peak temperatures (maximum point of curve) were found at PSC-B compared to PSC-S and PSC-T (p<0.05). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) presented that PSC-S and PSC-T had similar intermolecular structures and chemical bonds, whereas PSC-B exhibited slight difference in amide A region. Irregular dense sheet-like films linked by random-coiled filaments were observed similarly. Our findings indicate that PSCs of duck feet might be characterized similarly as a mixture of collagen type I and II and suggest that duck feet could be used for collagen extraction without deboning and/or separation processes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.869-878
• /
• 2014

In this study, we performed two-dimensional electrophoresis with protein extracts from lizard tails, and analyzed the protein expression profiles during the tissue regeneration to identify the dedifferentiation factor. As a result, we identified 18 protein spots among total of 292 spots, of which proteins were specifically expressed during blastema formation. We selected lactoferrin as a candidate because it is the mammalian homolog of leech-derived tryptase inhibitor, which showed the highest frequency among the 18 proteins. Lactoferrin was specifically expressed in various stem cell lines, and enhanced the efficiency of iPSC generation upto approximately 7-fold relative to the control. Furthermore, lactoferrin increased the efficiency by 2-fold without enforced expression of Klf4. These results suggest that lactoferrin may induce dedifferentiation, at least partly by increasing the expression of Klf4.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.569-574
• /
• 2014

Inverted bulk hetero-junction polymer solar cells (iPSC) composed of P3HT/PC61BM blends on the ZnO modified with benzoic acid derivatives-based self-assembled monolayers (SAM) are fabricated. Compared with the device using the pristine ZnO, the devices with ZnO surface modified SAMs derived from benzoic acid such as 4-(diphenylamino)benzoic acid (DPA-BA) and 4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)benzoic acid (Cz-BA) as an electron transporting layer show improved the performances. It is mainly attributed to the favorable interface dipole at the interface between ZnO and the active layer, the eective passivation of the ZnO surface traps, decrease of the work function and facilitating transport of electron from PCBM to ITO electrode. The power conversion eciency (PCE) of iPSCs based on DPA-BA and Cz-BA treated ZnO reaches 2.78 and 2.88%, respectively, while the PCE of the device based on untreated ZnO is 2.49%. The open circuit voltage values ($V_{oc}$) of the devices with bare ZnO and SAM treated ZnO are not much different. Whereas, higher the fill factor (FF) and lower the series resistance ($R_s$) are obtained in the devices with SAMs modification.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.215-233
• /
• 2023

Background and Objectives: MYC, also known as an oncogenic reprogramming factor, is a multifunctional transcription factor that maintains induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Although MYC is frequently upregulated in various cancers and is correlated with a poor prognosis, MYC is downregulated and correlated with a good prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma. MYC and two other MYC family genes, MYCN and MYCL, have similar structures and could contribute to tumorigenic conversion both in vitro and in vivo. Methods and Results: We systematically investigated whether MYC family genes act as prognostic factors in various human cancers. We first evaluated alterations in the expression of MYC family genes in various cancers using the Oncomine and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and their mutation and copy number alterations using the TCGA database with cBioPortal. Then, we investigated the association between the expression of MYC family genes and the prognosis of cancer patients using various prognosis databases. Multivariate analysis also confirmed that co-expression of MYC/MYCL/MYCN was significantly associated with the prognosis of lung, gastric, liver, and breast cancers. Conclusions: Taken together, our results demonstrate that the MYC family can function not only as an oncogene but also as a tumor suppressor gene in various cancers, which could be used to develop a novel approach to cancer treatment.