• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.410.2-410.2
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• 2016

Tandem structure is promising in organic solar cells because of its double open-circuit voltage (VOC) and efficient photon energy conversion. In a typical tandem device, the two single sub-cells are stacked and connected by an interconnecting layer. The fabrication of two sub-cells are usually carried out in a glovebox filled with nitrogen or argon gas, which makes it expensive and laborious. We report a glovebox-free fabricated inverted tandem organic solar cells wherein the tandem structure comprises sandwiched interconnecting layer based on p-doped hole-transporting, metal, and electron-transporting materials. Complete fabrication process of the tandem device was performed outside the glove box. The tandem solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and (6,6)-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) can realize a high VOC, which sums up of the two sub-cells. The tandem device structure was ITO/ZnO/P3HT:PCBM/PEDOT:PSS/MoO3/Au/Al/ZnO-d/P3HT:PCBM/PEDOT:PSS/Ag. The separate sub-cells were morphologically and thermally stable up to 160 oC. The high stability of the active layer benefits in the fabrication processes of tandem device. The performance of tandem organic solar cells comes from the sub-cells with an 50 nm thick active layer of P3HT:PCBM, achieving an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.9% (n=12) with short-circuit current density (JSC) = 4.26 mA/cm2, VOC = 1.10 V, and fill factor (FF) = 0.62. Based on these findings, we propose a new method to improve the performance and stability of tandem organic solar cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.192-192
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• 2009

We have successfully demonstrated the inkjet printing process to fabricate $Al_2O_3$ thick films without a high temperature sintering process. A single solvent system had a coffee ring pattern after printing of $Al_2O_3$ dot, line and area. In order to fabricate the smooth surface of $Al_2O_3$ thick film, we have introduced a co-solvent system which has nano-sized $Al_2O_3$ powders in the mixture of Ethylene glycol monomethyl ester and Di propylene glycol methyl ether. This co-solvent system approached a uniform and dense deposition of $Al_2O_3$ powders on the substrate. The packing density of inkjet-printed $Al_2O_3$ films is more than 70% which is very high compared to the value obtained from the films synthesized by other conventional methods such as casting processes. The characterization of the inkjet-printed $Al_2O_3$ films has been implemented to investigate its thickness and roughness. Also the dielectric loss of the films has been measured to understand the feasibility of its application to 3D integration package substrate.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.6
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• pp.809-816
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• 1997

The present study was designed to investigate whether endogenous nitric oxide(EDNO) is involved in submandibular vasodilation and salivation induced by parasympathetic nerve stimulation. Effects of $N^w$-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) which blocks the synthesis of EDNO from L-arginine on the submandibular vasodilation and salivation induced by chords stimulation or administration of various vasodilators were examined in anesthetized cats. Effect of L-NAME on $K^+$ efflux induced by carbachol was also examined using the excised submandibular slice in vitro. In the submandibular slices, acetylcholine$(10^{-5}\;mol/L)$ or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide$(VIP,\;10^{-5}\;mol/L)$ increased $NO_2$ contents, which was Prevented by pretreatment with L-NAME. Salivary secretion in response to the chords stimulation$(3\;V,\;1\;msec,\;10{\sim}20\;Hz)$ was completely blocked by treatment with atropine(1 mg/kg). Increased blood flow response to the low frequency(1, 2, 5 Hz) stimulation was significantly reduced, whereas the blood flow induced by the higher frequency(10,20 Hz) stimulation was not affected. Lingual-arterial infusion of L-NAME(100 mg/kg) significantly diminished the vasodilatory and salivary responses to the chorda stimulation at all stimuli frequencies used. Intra-arterial infusion of L-NAME(100 mg/kg markedly diminished the vasodilatory responses to acetylcholine$(5\;{\mu}g/kg)$, VIP$(5\;{\mu}g/kg)$ or bradykinin$(5\;{\mu}g/kg)$. In the excised submandibular slice, $K^+$ efflux in response to carbachol$(10^{-5}\;mol/L)$ was significantly decrease by pretreatment with L-NAME$(10^{-5}\;mol/L)$. In the isolated submandibular artery precontracted with phenylephrine$(10^{-5}\;mol/L)$, the vasorelaxation induced by ACh$(10^{-7}\;mol/L)$ was reversed into a contraction by methylene blue$(10^{-4}\;mol/L)$. These results suggest that EDNO may play an important role in vasodilation and secretion of the submandibular gland.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.6
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• pp.673-679
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• 1997

It has been generally accepted that glutamate mediates the ischemic brain damage, excitotoxicity, and induces release of neurotransmitters, including norepinephrine(NE), in ischemic milieu. In the present study, the role of nitric oxide(NO) in the ischemia-induced $[^3H]norepinephrine([^3H]NE)$ release from cortex slices of the rat was examined. Ischemia, deprivation of oxygen and glucose from $Mg^{2+}-free$ artificial cerebrospinal fluid, induced significant release of $[^3H]NE$ from cortex slices. This ischemia-induced $[^3H]NE$ release was significantly attenuated by glutamatergic neurotransmission modifiers. $N^G-nitro-L-arginine$ methyl ester(L-NAME), $N^G-monomethyl-L-arginine$ (L-NMMA) or 7-nitroindazole, nitric oxide synthase inhibitors attenuated the ischemia-evoked $[^3H]NE$ release. Hemoglobin, a NO chelator, and 5, 5- dimethyl-L-pyrroline-N-oxide(DMPO), an electron spin trap, inhibited $[^3H]NE$ release dose-dependently. Ischemia-evoked $[^3H]NE$ release was inhibited by methylene blue, a soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor, and potentiated by 8-bromo-cGMP, a cell permeable cGMP analog, zaprinast, a cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor, and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), a nitric oxide generator. These results suggest that the ischemia-evoked $[^3H]NE$ release is mediated by NMDA receptors, and activation of NO system is involved.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.233-239
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• 1998

Stimulated alveolar macrophages and neutrophils produce nitric oxide, a free radical by an inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), which reacts with superoxide anion to form peroxynitrite, a more highly reactive toxic species. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate acute inflammatory lung injury and to determine iNOS mRNA induction and nitric oxide production by rat broncho-alveolar lavage cells following intratracheal treatment of silica. After 4 h exposure to silica, differential counts of broncho-alveolar lavage cells and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) activity as well as total protein in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid were determined. Broncho-alveolar lavage cells were also assayed for iNOS mRNA and the productions of nitrite and nitrate measured in the cells cultured. Differential analysis of broncho-alveolar lavage cells showed that the number of alveolar macrophages slightly decreased following silica treatment; however, red blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils significantly were increased by 9-, 14-, and 119-fold following silica treatment, respectively, compared with the saline control. It was also found significant increases in the LDH activity and total protein in the lavage fluid obtained from silica-treated rats, indicating silica-induced acute lung injury. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the steady state levels of iNOS mRNA in broncho-alveolar lavage cells were increased following silica treatment. The productions of nitrite and nitrate in the cultured cells were significantly increased by 2-fold following silica treatment, respectively, which were attenuated by the NOS inhibitor $N{\omega}-nitro-L-arginine-methyl$ ester(L-NAME) and partially reversed by L-arginine. These findings suggest that nitric oxide production in alveolar macrophages and recruited neutrophils is increased in response to silica. Nitric oxide may contribute in part to acute inflammatory lung injury.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.197-202
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• 1994

The present study was aimed to determine if endogenous L-arginine-nitric oxide (NO) pathway has central, rather than peripheral, mechanisms in blood pressure regulation. Arterial blood pressure and heart rate responses to acute inhibition of the t-arginine-NO pathway were examined in rats anesthetized with thiopental (50 mg/kg, IP). An intracerebroventricular (ICV) cannula was placed in the left lateral ventricle. The right femoral artery was cannulated to measure arterial blood pressure and the vein to serve as an infusion route. $N^G-nitro-L-arginine$ methyl ester (L-NAME) was infused either intracerebroventricularly or intravenously. ICV infusion $(1.25\;{\mu}L/min)$ of L-NAME $(20\;or\;100\;{\mu}g/kg)$ per minute for 60 min) increased the mean arterial pressure and heart rate. Plasma renin concentrations(PRC) were significantly lower in L-NAME-infused group than in the control. L-Arginine $(60\;{\mu}g/min,\;ICV)$ prevented the pressor response to ICV L-NAME. The pressor response was not affected by simultaneous intravenous infusion of saralasin, but was abolished by hexamethonium treatment. Intravenous infusion $(40\;{\mu}L/min,\;10{\sim}100\;{\mu}g/kg\;per\;minute\;for\;60\;min)$ also increased blood pressure, while it decreased heart rate. These results indicate that endogenous L-arginine-NO pathway has separate central and peripheral mechanisms in regulating the cardiovascular function. The central effect may not be mediated via activation of renin-angiotensin system, but via, at least in part, activation of the sympathetic outflow.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 1995

esters of the acid analytes were synthesized using $H_2SO_4$ as the catalyst. Efficiency of derivatization and instrumental molecular-response were compared with herbicides methylated with $BF_3-methanol$(14% W/V), $H_2SO_4-methanol$(33% V/V), and diazomethane. The molecular integrity of TFE-2,4-D, TFE-dicamba, and TFE-mecoprop, in the mixture, was confirmed by the GC/MSD method. The TFE-Esterification efficiency was maximized by adjusting the volume of $H_2SO_4$ the reaction time, and temperature. Optimal efficiency for the herbicide mixture was obtained by adding 1 ml of $H_2SO_4$ and 1 ml of TFE to the dried sample and allowing the reaction to proceed at $22^{\circ}C$ for 8 hr or using 0.5 ml $H_2SO_4$ and 1 ml of TFE at $60^{\circ}C$. For 120 min increasing the temperature and decreasing the reaction time were required for maximum esterification efficiency. The sensitivity of the GC/ECD to the TFE esters was about $2{\sim}20$ times greater than that to the methyl ester derivatives. The herbicides were extracted and esterified to TFE derivatives simultaneously from soil leachates previously spiked with the analytes. Herbicide recovery, peak resolution, and detector sensitivity were excellent without using column cleanup procedures.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.190-197
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• 2005

Advanced glycation end products (AGE) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications including nephropathy. However, the role of AGE in the activation of mesangial cells cultured under high glucose has not been elucidated. The effects of aminoguanidine, which prevents formation of AGE and protein cross-linking, on the synthesis of $TGF-{\beta}1$ and fibronectin by rat mesangial cells cultured under high glucose for 2 weeks were examined and compared with the effects of $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (NAME), a selective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, because aminoguanidine also inhibits the inducible nitric oxide synthase. Culture of mesangial cells in 30 mM (high) glucose for 2 weeks induced 1.5-fold (ELISA) and 1.9-fold (Western blot analysis) increase in AGE in the culture media compared to 5.6 mM (control) glucose. Northern blot analysis revealed 1.5-fold increase in $TGF-{\beta}1$ and 1.7-fold increase in fibronectin mRNA expression in cells cultured under high glucose compared to control glucose. Increases in mRNA expression were followed by increased protein synthesis. Mink lung epithelial cell growth inhibition assay revealed 1.4-fold increase in $TGF-{\beta}1$ protein in high glucose media compared to control. Fibronectin protein also increased 2.1-fold that of control glucose by Western blot analysis. Administration of aminoguanidine suppressed AGE formation in a dose dependent manner and at the same time suppressed $TGF-{\beta}1$ and fibronectin synthesis by mesangial cells cultured in both control and high glucose. In contrast, NAME did not affect high glucose-induced changes. These findings support a role for AGE in high glucose-induced upregulation of $TGF-{\beta}1$ and fibronectin synthesis by mesangial cells.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2009

In this study, we characterized the bacterial strain KJ2C12 in relation with its biocontrol activity against Phytophthora capsici on pepper, and identified this strain using morphological, physiological, biochemical, fatty acid methyl ester, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. Strain KJ2C12 significantly (P=0.05) reduced both final disease severity and areas under the disease progress curves of 5-week-old pepper plants inoculated with P. capsici compared to buffer-treated controls. As for the production of antibiotics, biofilms, biosurfactant, extracellular enzyme, HCN, and swarming activity, strain KJ2C12 produced an extracellular enzyme with protease activity, but no other productions or swarming activity. However, Escherichia coli produced weak biofilm only. Strain KJ2C12 could colonize pepper roots more effectively in a gnotobiotic system using sterile quartz sand compared to E. coli over 4 weeks after treatments. However, no bacterial populations were detected in 10 mM $MgSO_4$ buffer-treated controls. Strain KJ2C12 produced significantly higher microbial activity than the $MgSO_4$-treated control or E. coli over 4 weeks after treatments. Bacterial strain KJ2C12 was identified as Bacillus luciferensis based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics as well as FAME and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. In addition, these results suggested that B. luciferensis strain KJ2C12 could reduce Phytophthora blight of pepper by protecting infection courts through enhanced effective root colonization with protease production and an increase of soil microbial activity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.202-210
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• 1997

Protective effect of DA-9601, an extract of Artemisia Herb, against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury was evaluated in rats. In the prophylactic study, DA-9601 exhibited total protection (99.4%) against absolute ethanol-induced gastropathy, And the protective effect of DA-9601 lasted up to 2 hours, which was longer than those of other contemporary mucoprotectants. In the treatment study, DA-9601 significantly facilitated the healing of 70% ethanol-induced mucosal damage, which was superior to cetraxate, a commonly used anti-ulcer drug. The mechanisms of mucoprotection of DA-9601 were also assessed. DA-9601 increased the release of prostaglandin E$_2$ from murine neutrophils in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. The cytoprotective effect of DA-9601 against ethanol-induced mucosal damage was significantly diminished by the concommitant injection of N$\omega$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 5 mg/kg, i.v.), a non-specific nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, while it was not affected by preinjection of indomethacin (5 mg/kg, s.c.), a prostaglandins-depletor. And it was found that DA-9601 significantly enhanced adaptive cytoprotective action of 10% ethanol against absolute ethanol (56.9$\pm$6.5 vs 23.0$\pm$3.3 mm$^2$, p<0.05, mean$\pm$SEM), though its exact underlying mechanism remains to be clarified. The present fin[lings demonstrate that DA-9601 exerts gastroprotecticv actions for the stomach against ethanol through several different underlying mechanisms, in which prostanglandins and NO are involved. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest that DA-9601 can be useful both in prevention and treatment of ethanol-induced gastric damage.