• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.989-994
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• 2005

The treatment efficiency and the degradation characteristics of humic acid were investigated in three processes-GAC adsorption, Ozone alone and Ozone/GAC hybrid process, in which $UV_{254}$, DOC, molecular size distribution and surface change of GAC were evaluated. DOC removal rate in Ozone/GAC hybrid profess(ca. 80%) was higher than the arithmetic sum of Ozone alone(38%) and GAC adsorption(19%). This result approves that the combined Ozone/GAC hybrid process brings synergistic effects on DOC removal from the HA containing water. $UV_{254}$ decrease rate was also at the highest in Ozone/GAC hybrid process from the three processes. It may be interpreted that the granular activated carbon in Ozone/GAC hybrid process acts as not only an adsorbent but also a catalyst for ozonation, and futhermore offers an additional reaction site between adsorbed organic matter and ozone. In the study of molecular sire distribution, there was no significant change of molecular size distribution in the GAC adsorption process during the reaction time of 120 min. In Ozone alone process, the fraction of molecular size over 30 kDa was decreased a little at the beginning and left constant after 10 min. But in Ozone/GAC hybrid process, the molecules size over 30 kDa of HA was significantly decreased from 36.3% to 3.9%. And also the fraction of smaller molecular size below 0.5 kDa was increased from 4.8%(untreated HA) to 12.3%(in Ozone alone) and 40.1%(in Ozone/GAC) respectively at the reaction time of 120 min.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.621-631
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• 2017

Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) and VRK3 are members of the VRK family of serine/threonine kinases and are principally localized in the nucleus. Despite the crucial roles of VRK1/VRK3 in physiology and disease, the molecular and functional interactions of VRK1/VRK3 are poorly understood. Here, we identified over 200 unreported VRK1/VRK3-interacting candidate proteins by affinity purification and LC-MS/MS. The networks of VRK1 and VRK3 interactomes were found to be associated with important biological processes such as the cell cycle, DNA repair, chromatin assembly, and RNA processing. Interactions of interacting proteins with VRK1/VRK3 were confirmed by biochemical assays. We also found that phosphorylations of XRCC5 were regulated by both VRK1/VRK3, and that of CCNB1 was regulated by VRK3. In liver cancer cells and tissues, VRK1/VRK3 were highly upregulated and its depletion affected cell cycle progression in the different phases. VRK3 seemed to affect S phase progression and G2 or M phase entry and exit, whereas VRK1 affects G1/S transition in the liver cancer, which could be explained by different interacting candidate proteins. Thus, this study not only provides a resource for investigating the unidentified functions of VRK1/VRK3, but also an insight into the regulatory roles of VRK1/VRK3 in biological processes.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.303-307
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• 2003

The aim of this study is to investigate whether alcohol alters learning and memory processes pertaining to emotional and spatial factors using the active avoidance and T-maze task in zebrafish. In the active avoidance task, zebrafish were trained to escape from one compartment to another to avoid electric shocks (unconditioned stimulus) following a conditioned light signal. Acquisition of active avoidance task appeared to be normal in zebrafish that were treated with 1% alcohol for 30 min for 17 days until the end of the behavioral test, and retention ability of learned behavior, tested 2 days later, was the same as control group. In the T-maze task, the time to find a reservoir was compared. While the latency was similar during the 1 st training session between control and alcohol-treated zebrafish, it was significantly longer in alcohol-treated zebrafish during retention test 24 h later. Furthermore, when alcohol was treated 30 min after 2nd session without prior treatment, zebrafish demonstrated similar retention ability compared to control. These results suggest that chronic alcohol treatment alters spatial learning of zebrafish, but not emotional learning.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.224-230
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• 2007

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the change of molecular weight (MW) profiles in natural organic matter (NOM) through various treatment processes (coagulation, granular activated carbon (GAC), and ozonation) using high performance size exclusion chromatography based on ultraviolet absorbance and dissolved organic detection (HPSEC-UVA-DOC). In addition, relationships between MW profiles and disinfection by-production (DBP) formation were evaluated. Each treatment process results in significant different effects on NOM profiles. Coagulation is effective to remove high molecular weight NOM, while GAC is effective to remove low molecular weight NOM. Ozonation removes only a small portion of NOM, while it induces a significant reduction of UV absorbance due to breakdown of the aromatic groups. All treated waters are chlorinated, and chlorination DBPs such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) are measured under formation potential conditions. Both THM and HAA formation potentials were significantly reduced through the coagulation process. GAC was more effective to reduce THM formation compared to HAA formation reduction, while ozonation showed significant HAA reduction compared to THM reduction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2015.08a
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• pp.63.2-63.2
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• 2015

Controlling and sensing spin states of magnetic molecules such as metallo-porphyrins at the single molecule level is essential for spintronic molecular device applications. Axial coordinations of diatomic molecules to metallo-porphyrins also play key roles in dynamic processes of biological functions such as blood pressure control and immune response. However, probing such reactions at the single molecule level to understand their physical mechanisms has been rarely performed. Here we present on our single molecule association and dissociation experiments between diatomic and metallo-porphyrin molecules on Au(111) describing its adsorption structures, spin states, and dissociation mechanisms. We observed bright ring shapes in NO adsorbed metallo-porphyrin compelxes and explained them by considering tilted binding and precession motion of NO. Before NO exposure, Co-porphryin showed a clear zero-bias peak in scanning tunneling spectroscopy, a signature of Kondo effect in STS, whereas after NO exposures it formed a molecular complex, NO-Co-porphyrin, that did not show any zero-bias feature implying that the Kondo effect was switched off by binding of NO. Under tunneling junctions of scanning tunneling microscope, both positive and negative energy pulses. From the observed power law relations between dissociation rate and tunneling current, we argue that the dissociations were inelastically induced with molecular orbital resonances. Our study shows that single molecule association and dissociation can be used to probe spin states and reaction mechanisms in a variety of axial coordination between small molecules and metallo-porphyrins.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2010

Phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate ($PIP_3$) is a lipid second messenger that employs a wide range of downstream effector proteins for the regulation of cellular processes, including cell survival, polarization and proliferation. One of the most well characterized cytoplasmic targets of $PIP_3$, serine/threonine protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, promotes cell survival by directly interacting with nucleophosmin (NPM)/B23, the nuclear target of $PIP_3$. Here, we report that nuclear $PIP_3$ competes with Akt to preferentially bind B23 in the nucleoplasm. Mutation of Arg23 and Arg25 in the PH domain of Akt prevents binding to $PIP_3$, but does not disrupt the Akt/B23 interaction. However, treatment with phosphatases PTEN or SHIP abrogates the association between Akt and B23, indicating that nuclear $PIP_3$ regulates the Akt/B23 interaction by controlling the concentration and subcellular dynamics of these two proteins.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.323-331
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• 2011

Biodiversity and the community composition of micro-eukaryotic organisms were investigated in the Upo wetland in Korea using molecular analysis. Molecular identification was performed using cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA). The genomic DNA was isolated directly from soil samples. The COI and SSU rDNA regions were amplified using universal primers and then sequenced after cloning. In a similarity search of the obtained sequences with BLAST in the Genbank database, the closely related sequences from NCBI were used to identify the amplified sequences. A total of six eukaryotic groups (Annelida, Arthropoda, Rotifera, Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, and Stramenopiles) with COI and six groups (Annelida, Arthropoda, Rotifera, Alveolata, Fungi, and Apicomplexa) with SSU rDNA genes were determined in the Upo wetland. Among 38 taxa in 20 genera, which are closely related to the amplified sequences, 10 genera (50%) were newly reported in Korea and five genera (25%) were shown to be distributed in the Upo wetland. This approach is applicable to the development of an efficient method for monitoring biodiversity without traditional taxonomic processes and is expected to produce more accurate results in depositing molecular barcode data in the near future.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.92.2-92.2
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• 2014

NGC 6822 is a dwarf irregular galaxy in the Local Group. Unlike clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud, molecular clouds in NGC 6822 are not influenced by the Galactic tidal force. Therefore the star forming processes are only dictated by local conditions. Hubble V is the brightest of the several bright H II region complexes in NGC 6822. The core of Hubble V, surrounded by a molecular cloud complex, contains compact clusters of bright blue stars. During the commissioning runs of the new high-resolution near-infrared spectrometer, IGRINS (Immersion GRating near-INfrared Spectrometer), we observed Hubble V and detected many emission lines from the H II regions and from the photodissociation region at the interface between the ionized gas and the molecular cloud. In this presentation, we report preliminary results of the IGRINS observations. We discuss the implications of the observed lines ratios and kinematics for our understanding of the evolution of star forming molecular clouds.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.278-286
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• 2008

Angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels, is essential for preparing a closed circulatory system in the body, and for supplying oxygen and nutrition to tissues. Major diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis include pathological angiogenesis in their malignant processes, suggesting anti-angiogenic therapy to be a new strategy for suppression of diseases. However, until the 1970s, the molecular basis of angiogenesis was largely unknown. In recent decades, extensive studies have revealed a variety of angiogenic factors and their receptors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-VEGFRs, Angiopoietin-Tie, Ephrin-EphRs and Delta-Notch to be the major regulators of angiogenesis in vertebrates. VEGF and its receptors play a central role in physiological as well as pathological angiogenesis, and functional inhibitors of VEGF and VEGFRs such as anti-VEGF neutralizing antibody and small molecules that block the tyrosine kinase activity of VEGFRs have recently been approved for use to treat patients with colorectal, lung, renal and liver cancers. These drugs have opened a novel field of cancer therapy, i.e. anti-angiogenesis therapy. However, as yet they cannot completely cure patients, and cancer cells could become resistant to these drugs. Thus, it is important to understand further the molecular mechanisms underlying not only VEGF-VEGFR signaling but also the VEGF-independent regulation of angiogenesis, and to learn how to improve anti-angiogenesis therapy.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2008

Extracellular proteases play an important role in a wide range of host physiological events, such as food digestion, extracellular matrix degradation, coagulation and immunity. Among the large extracellular protease family, serine proteases that contain a "paper clip"-like domain and are therefore referred to as CLIP-domain serine protease (clip-SP), have been found to be involved in unique biological processes, such as immunity and development. Despite the increasing amount of biochemical information available regarding the structure and function of clip-SPs, their in vivo physiological significance is not well known due to a lack of genetic studies. Recently, Drosophila has been shown to be a powerful genetic model system for the dissection of biological functions of the clip-SPs at the organism level. Here, the current knowledge regarding Drosophila clip-SPs has been summarized and future research directions to evaluate the role that clip-SPs play in Drosophila immunity are discussed.