• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.45.2-45.2
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• 2011

Metal organic frameworks (MOF) have generated considerable interests as a potential candidate for hydrogen storage owing to their extremely high surface-to-volume ratio and low density. In this study, Pt nanoparticles of about 3 nm in size were introduced outside MOF-5 [$Zn_4O$(1,4-benzenedicarbocylate)3], which was then encapsulated with hydrophobic microporous carbon black (denoted CB@Pt/MOF-5) in order to enhance hydrogen uptake capacity without decreasing the specific surface area and hydrostability. To study the chemical composition, morphology, crystal information, and properties of the synthesized material, a variety of techniques is employed, including WXRD, XPS, ICP-AES, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, and N2 adsorption-desorption, confirming the formation of novel hybrid composite designated CB@Pt/MOF-5 with highly crystalline structure, large specific surface area and pore volume. In addition, $H_2$ storage capacity for resulting material was measured using magnetic suspension microbalance at 77 and 298 K under high-pressure condition, and the hydrostability was also tested by exposing the sample to 33% relative humidity at $23^{\circ}C$ and measuring XRD as a function of time.

• Mycobiology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.152-157
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• 2014

The iron uptake and utilization pathways play a critical role in allowing human pathogens, including Cryptococcus neoformans, the causative agent of fatal meningoencephalitis, to survive within the mammalian body by competing with the host for iron. Here we show that the iron regulon is also required for diverse environmental stress responses and that in C. neoformans, it is regulated by the high-osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) pathway. Between CFO1 and CFO2, two ferroxidase genes in the iron regulon, CFO1 but not CFO2 was induced during oxidative and osmotic stress. Interestingly, we found that the HOG pathway repressed basal expression of both CFO1 and CFO2. Furthermore, when the HOG pathway was blocked, CFO2 also responded to oxidative and osmotic stress and the response of CFO1 was increased. We also established that CFO1 plays a major role in responding and adapting to diverse environmental stresses, including oxidative and genotoxic damage, osmotic fluctuations, heavy metal stress, and stress induced by cell membrane destabilizers. Therefore, our findings indicate that in C. neoformans, the iron uptake and utilization pathways are not only required for iron acquisition and survival, but also play a significant role in the environmental stress response through crosstalk with the HOG pathway.

• Carbon letters
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.8-16
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• 2008

Oxidized activated carbons were prepared by reacting steam-activated carbon developed from pecan shells with nitric acid of varying strength (15, 30, 45 and 60%). The textural properties and the chemistry of the surface of the non-oxidized and of the oxidized carbons were determined from nitrogen adsorption and base neutralization capacities. The uptake of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution by these carbons was determined by kinetic and equilibrium experiments as well as by the column method. Treatment with nitric acid brought about drastic decrease in surface area and remarkable increase in the pore size of the carbon with these changes depending on the strength of nitric acid. Nitric acid increased the surface acidity by developing new surface oxygen functional groups of acidic nature. $HNO_3$-oxidized carbons exhibited high adsorption capacities for Pb(II) and Cd(II). The adsorption of these ions increased with the decrease of the surface pH of the carbon and with the increase of the solution pH from 2.5 to 6 and 7. The amount adsorbed from lead and cadmium was also related to the amount of surface acidity, the pH of the point of zero charge and on some metal ion parameters. Cadmium and lead uptake by the investigated carbons followed pseudo-second order model and the equilibrium sorption data fitted Langmuir adsorption model.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.797-810
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• 2023

Elaeagnus umbellata leaves have been reported to suppress inflammation, allergic responses, lung cancer proliferation and oral bacterial growth. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that has been found to cause many toxicities, including liver toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of 70% ethanol extract of E. umbellata leaves (EUL) to protect human hepatocytes from Cd toxicity. After exposure of HepG2 cells to Cd at 10 𝜇M for 24 h, cell viability, expression levels of apoptosis- and antioxidant-related proteins, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and Cd uptake were assessed. EUL protected HepG2 cells from Cd-induced apoptosis as determined by MTT assay. A decrease in caspase-3 and p-p53 protein levels was observed in cells pretreated with EUL prior to Cd exposure. Furthermore, the Cd-induced increase in intracellular DCF fluorescence was attenuated by EUL, indicating that the Cd-induced apoptosis preventing effect was associated with the suppression of ROS accumulation. Moreover, EUL's effects on the inhibition of p38, JNK, and AKT phosphorylation also appear to be associated with protection against Cd toxicity. Moreover, EUL upregulated Cd-depressed expression of Nrf2, HO-1, catalase, and MT-1,2 proteins, suggesting that Cd uptake-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells may be inhibited by EUL's antioxidative potential.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.503-510
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• 2016

The accumulation (internal and superficial distribution) of magnesium ions (Mg²⁺) by the green freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) was investigated under autotrophic culture in a stirred photobioreactor. The concentrations of the three forms of Mg²⁺ (dissolved, extracellular, and intracellular) were determined with atomic absorption spectroscopy during the course of C. vulgaris growth. The proportions of adsorbed (extracellular) and absorbed (intracellular) Mg²⁺ were quantified. The concentration of the most important pigment in algal cells, chlorophyll a, increased over time in proportion to the increase in the biomass concentration, indicating a constant chlorophyll/biomass ratio during the linear growth phase. The mean-average rate of Mg²⁺ uptake by C. vulgaris grown in a culture medium starting with 16 mg/l of Mg²⁺ concentration was measured. A clear relationship between the biomass concentration and the proportion of the Mg²⁺ removal from the medium was observed. Of the total Mg²⁺ present in the culture medium, 18% was adsorbed on the cell wall and 51% was absorbed by the biomass by the end of the experiment (765 h). Overall, 69% of the initial Mg²⁺ were found to be removed from the medium. This study supported the kinetic model based on a reversible first-order reaction for Mg²⁺ bioaccumulation in C. vulgaris, which was consistent with the experimental data.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.65-69
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• 2009

We studied to compare the fractionation patterns of Ni, Cu, Zn in Jeju volcanic ash soils and to elucidate the uptakes of them by Pakchoi(Brassica campestris var. chinensis). Fractionation patterns of soils by sequential extraction method were different and make to distinguish from various soil types. In Pakchoi, the transfer rates of Ni, Cu, Zn from root to shoot were also different by metal types. There are low corelation between fractional contents in soil and contents in plants of trace elements except for exchangeable Zn. It is needed to develop novel methods for the assessment soil Ni in relation to plant uptake because of poor corelation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.248-254
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• 2022

Background: Zinc homeostasis is essential for human health and is regulated by several zinc transporters including ZIP and ZnT. ZIP4 is expressed in the small intestine and is important for zinc absorption from the diet. We investigated in the present study the effects of Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) extract on modulating Zip4 expression and cellular zinc levels in mouse Hepa cells. Methods: Hepa cells were transfected with a luciferase reporter plasmid that contains metal-responsive elements, incubated with P. ginseng extract, and luciferase activity was measured. Using ⁶⁵ZnCl₂, zinc uptake in P. ginseng-treated cells was measured. The expression of Zip4 mRNA and protein in Hepa cells was also investigated. Finally, using a luciferase reporter assay system, the effects of several ginsenosides were monitored. Results: The luciferase activity in cells incubated with P. ginseng extract was significantly higher than that of control cells cultured in normal medium. Hepa cells treated with P. ginseng extract exhibited higher zinc uptake. P. ginseng extract induced Zip4 mRNA expression, which resulted in an enhancement of Zip4 protein expression. Furthermore, some ginsenosides, such as ginsenoside Rc and Re, enhanced luciferase activity driven by intracellular zinc levels. Conclusion: P. ginseng extract induced Zip4 expression at the mRNA and protein level and resulted in higher zinc uptake in Hepa cells. Some ginsenosides facilitated zinc influx. On the basis of these results, we suggest a novel effect of P. ginseng on Zip4-mediated zinc influx, which may provide a new strategy for preventing zinc deficiency.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.175-189
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• 2020

Municipal solid waste disposal is considered as one of the most important risks for environmental contamination which necessitates the development of strategies to reduce destructive consequences on the ecosystem as related especially to heavy metal accumulation. This study investigates heavy metal (i.e., As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) accumulation in the Tonekabon region, NW of Iran that is related to city waste disposal and evaluates the environmental impact in the Caspian Sea coastal region. For this purpose, after performing field studies and collecting 50 soil specimens from 5 sites of the study area, geochemical tests (i.e., inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence) were conducted on the soil specimens collected from the 5 sites (named as Sites A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5) and the results were used to estimate the pollution indices (i.e., geo-accumulation index, normalized enrichment factor, contamination factor, and pollution load index). The obtained indices were utilized to assess the eco-toxicological risk level in the landfill site which indicated that the city has been severely contaminated by Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. These levels have been developed along the stream towards the nearshore areas indicating uptake of soil degradation. The heavy metal contamination was classified to range from unpolluted to highly polluted, which indicated serious heavy metal pollution in the study area as related to municipal solid waste disposal in Tonekabon.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.693-698
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• 1992

The resistant effect of several heavy metal ions to Serratia marcescens strain P was studied by the method of minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC), and testing for their metal biosorption. S. marcescens strain P showed a good survival in the presence of high concentrations of some metal ions, namely cadmium, lead, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Copper had the most inhibitory effect among tested. The MIC value was ranged from 0.79 to 1.58 mM. Cells of S. marcescens strain P exhibit an abnormally long lag phase when incubated in high concentrations of zinc and cadmium. Pigment production was reduced by zinc and cadmium, but enhanced by lead and iron. S. marcescens strain P was resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, cefamandole and chloramphenicol with minimal inhibitory concentration of 128 $\mu$g/ml, 32 $\mu$g/ml, 256 $\mu$g/ml, and 8 $\mu$g/ml, respectively. The kinetics study of biosorptive uptake by S. marcescens strain P revealed that 16.59% of cadmium and 35.38% of lead were eliminated from the media.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2002

The low actuation voltage and quick bending response of IPMC(ion-exchange polymer metal composite) are considered attractive for the construction of various types of actuators. In this study, in order to develop a new type actuators by using the IPMC platinum electrode of IPMC are fabricated by using electroless impregnation-reduction method plating. As the platinum-plating times are increased, IPMC performance was improved in terms of bending displacement and force due to the enhanced surface conductivity. In addition, we investigated the basic actuation characteristics of resonance frequency and actuator length as well as the effect of water uptake and ion mobility. Using the classical laminate theory(CLT), a modeling methodology was developed to predict the deformation, bending moment, and residual stress distribution of anisotropic IPMC thin plates. In this modeling methodology, the internal stress evolved by the unsymmetric distribution of water inside IPMC was quantitatively calculated and subsequently the bending moment and the curvature were estimated for various geometry of IPMC actuator.