• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.11
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• pp.2223-2228
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• 2009

Dye sensitized solar cells(DSCs) have been very economical and easy method to convert solar energy to electricity. DSC can reach low costs in future outdoor power applications. However, to commercialize the DSC, there are still many shortages to overcome such a low efficiency in a large size DSC. In this study, DSCs were fabricated by an electrospray coating method for the $TiO_2$ thin film. They were compared with DSCs prepared by conventional coating methods. We conducted an experiment to obtain the optimized parameters of voltage, flow rate, incident angle and distance in the electrospray method. After we fabricated $TiO_2$ film using that way, we investigated the characteristics of DSC through I-V Curve, SEM and EIS. This novel method shows stable performance with an energy conversion efficiency of 3.44 % under 1 sun illumination (AM 1, $P_{in}$ of $100\;mW/cm^2$).

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.294-299
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• 1999

Precolumn orthophthaldehyde (OPA) labeling method of sphingoid bases, sphingosine and sphinganine, was investigated to obtain high fluorescent detectability. In order to improve the fluorescent yield, we investigated the optimal solubility of sphingoid bases for five pre-incubation solvents by incorporating the heating procedure before OPA derivatization. The pre-incubation in ethanol prominently increased the fluorescent peak height of OPA derivative for each sphingoid bases in high performance liquid chromatography. About tenfold increase of detectability was archived by pre-incubating lipid extracts pellets in ethanol at $60^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. Optimal derivatization was performed in 30 min at ambient temperature and the fluorescent intensity of OPA derivative was stable for two weeks at $4^{\circ}C$. The detection limit of sphingosine was 0.1 pmol as injected amount. This method was applied to the determination of cellular sphingosine and sphinganine in various human lung cancer cells. This OPA procedure was prospective to be useful for quantitating the amount of sphingoid bases in other cancer cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1692-1700
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• 2021

Glycosylation of resveratrol was carried out by using the amylosucrase of Deinococcus geothermalis, and the glycosylated products were tested for their solubility, chemical stability, and biological activities. We synthesized and identified these two major glycosylated products as resveratrol-4'-O-α-glucoside and resveratrol-3-O-α-glucoside by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis with a ratio of 5:1. The water solubilities of the two resveratrol-α-glucoside isomers (α-piceid isomers) were approximately 3.6 and 13.5 times higher than that of β-piceid and resveratrol, respectively, and they were also highly stable in buffered solutions. The antioxidant activity of the α-piceid isomers, examined by radical scavenging capability, showed it to be initially lower than that of resveratrol, but as time passed, the α-piceid isomers' activity reached a level similar to that of resveratrol. The α-piceid isomers also showed better inhibitory activity against tyrosinase and melanin synthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells than β-piceid. The cellular uptake of the α-piceid isomers, which was assessed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis of the cell-free extracts of B16F10 melanoma cells, demonstrated that the glycosylated form of resveratrol was gradually converted to resveratrol inside the cells. These results indicate that the enzymatic glycosylation of resveratrol could be a useful method for enhancing the bioavailability of resveratrol.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.390-396
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• 2021

Lithium-ion batteries have been designed and used as battery packs with series and parallel combinations that are suitable for use. However, due to its internal electrochemical properties, producing the battery's condition at the same value is impossible for individual cells. In addition, the management of characteristic deviations between individual cells is essential for the safe and efficient use of batteries as aging progresses with the use of batteries. In this work, we propose a method to manage deviation properties and detect abnormal behavior in the configuration of a combined battery pack of these multiple battery cells. The proposed method can separate and detect probabilistic low-frequency information according to statistical information based on Z-score. The verification of the proposed algorithm was validated using experimental results from 10S3P battery packs, and the implemented algorithm based on Z-score was validated as a way to effectively manage multiple individual cell information.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2023

RNAs are versatile molecules that are primarily involved in gene regulation and can thus be widely used to advance the fields of therapeutics and diagnostics. In particular, circular RNAs which are highly stable, have emerged as strong candidates for use on next-generation therapeutic platforms. Endogenous circular RNAs control gene regulatory networks by interacting with other biomolecules or through translation into polypeptides. Circular RNAs exhibit cell-type specific expression patterns, which can be altered in tissues and body fluids depending on pathophysiological conditions. Circular RNAs that are aberrantly expressed in diseases can function as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Moreover, exogenous circular RNAs synthesized in vitro can be introduced into cells as therapeutic molecules to modulate gene expression networks in vivo. Depending on the purpose, synthetic circular RNA sequences can either be identical to endogenous circular RNA sequences or artificially designed. In this review, we introduce the life cycle and known functions of intracellular circular RNAs. The current stage of endogenous circular RNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets is also described. Finally, approaches and considerations that are important for applying the available knowledge on endogenous circular RNAs to design exogenous circular RNAs for therapeutic purposes are presented.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.627-632
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• 2022

Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is a secreted protein that acts as an antagonist of the canonical WNT/β-catenin pathway, which regulates osteoblast differentiation. However, the role of DKK1 on osteoblast differentiation has not yet been fully clarified. Here, we investigate the functional role of DKK1 on osteoblast differentiation. Primary osteoprogenitor cells were isolated from human spinal bone tissues. To examine the role of DKK1 in osteoblast differentiation, we manipulated the expression of DKK1, and the cells were differentiated into mature osteoblasts. DKK1 overexpression in osteoprogenitor cells promoted matrix mineralization of osteoblast differentiation but did not promote matrix maturation. DKK1 increased Ca⁺ influx and activation of the Ca⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II Alpha (CAMK2A)-cAMP response element-binding protein 1 (CREB1) and increased translocation of p-CREB1 into the nucleus. In contrast, stable DKK1 knockdown in human osteosarcoma cell line SaOS2 exhibited reduced nuclear translocation of p-CREB1 and matrix mineralization. Overall, we suggest that manipulating DKK1 regulates the matrix mineralization of osteoblasts by Ca⁺-CAMK2A-CREB1, and DKK1 is a crucial gene for bone mineralization of osteoblasts.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.239-245
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• 2005

Factor for inversion stimulation (FIS), the Escherichia coli protein, is a positive regulator of the transcription of genes that encode stable RNA species, such as rRNA and tRNA. Transcription of the rnpB gene encoding M1 RNA, the catalytic subunit of E. coli RNase P, rapidly declines under stringent conditions, as does that of other stable RNAs. There are multiple putative FIS binding sites upstream of the rnpB promoter. We tested whether FIS binds to these sites, and if so, how it affects rnpB transcription. In vitro binding assays revealed specific binding of FIS to multiple sites in the rnpB promoter region. Interestingly, FIS bound not only to the upstream region of the promoter, but also to the region from +4 to +18. FIS activated rnpB transcription in vitro, but the level of activation was much lower than that of the rrnB promoter for rRNA. We also examined the effects of FIS on rnpB transcription in vivo using isogenic $fis^+$ and $fis^-$ strains. rnpB transcription was higher in the $fis^-$ than the $fis^+$ cells during the transitions from lag to exponential phase, and from exponential to stationary phase.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.892-897
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• 2003

Anticancer drugs have serious side effects arising from their poor malignant cells selectivity, Since insulin receptors highly express on the cytomembrane of some kind of tumor cells, using insulin as the vector was expected to reduce serious side effects of the drugs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the tumor targeting effect of the newly synthesized mitoxantrone-insulin conjugate (MIT-INS) with the drug loading of 11.68%. In vitro stability trials showed MIT-INS were stable in buffers with different pH (2-8) at $37^{\circ}C$ within 120 h (less than 3% of free MIT released), and were also stable in mouse plasma within 48 h (less than 1 % of free MIT released). In vivo study on tumor-bearing mice showed that, compared with MIT [75.92 $\mu g \cdot$ h/g of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and 86.85 h of mean residence time (MRT)], the conjugates had better tumor-targeting efficiency with enhanced tumor AUC of 126.53 1l9 h/g and MTR of 151.95 h. The conjugate had much lower toxicity to most other tissues with targeting indexes ($TI^c$) no larger than 0.3 besides good tumor targeting efficiency with $TI^c$ of 1.67. The results suggest the feasibility to promote the curative effect in ca.ncer chemotherapy by using insulin as the vector of anti-cancer drugs.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.170-179
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• 1978

By the successive enrichment culture, more than 250 methanol-utilizing bacteria were isolated from various samples such as soil, waste water and sewage. Two strains of which were selected and tentatively identified as Acinetobacter sp. and Pseudomonas sp. experiments were carried out to determine the growth conditions for the higher biomass yield and to demonstrate the difference to protein composition dependent upon carbon sources of these two species. the results were as follows ; 1. the optimum pH was determined as 8 in the both species. The optimum temperature in Acinetobacter sp. was $25^{\circ}C{\sim}30^{\circ}C$ and pseudomonas sp. was $30^{\circ}C-35^{\circ}C$. The optimum initial concentration of mthanol was determined as 1-2% in Acinetobacter sp. and 2-3% in pseudomonas sp. 2. The optimum concnetrations of nitrogen source, micro-elements, and vitamins such as biotin and thiamine-HCl in Acnetobactar sp. were 1g $(NH_4)_3SO4,\;1{\sim}3mg\;Mn^{++},\;4mg\;Fe^{++},\;10{\mu}g\;biotin,\;and\;100{\mu}g$ thiamine-HCl per liter medium. In the Pseudomonas sp., 2g $(NH_4)_3SO4,\;1mg\;Mn^{++},\;trace\;amounts\;of\;Fe^{++},\;5{\mu}g\;biotin,\;and\;100{\mu}g$ thiamine HCl per liter were effective. Maximum biomass yield was 2.5g/l in Acinetobacter sp. and 4.8g/l in Pseudomonas sp. 3. Protein composition of the two strains exhibited that alkai-labile protein was higher than alkali-stable protein. In Pseudomonas sp., the contents of acid soluble fraction and alkali-stable protein of the cells grown in the methanol medium were higher than in sucrose medium. On the other hand, in Acinetobacter sp., alkalilabile protein of the cells grown in sucrose medium was higher than in methanol medium.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1266-1271
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• 2001

The cytotoxic effects of lipid extracts from soybean products were studied using K562 human leukemia cell, Yac1 mouse leukemia cell and S 180 mouse sarcoma cell. Total lipids from soybean powder, soybean curd residue and doenjang were extracted with chloroform/methanol (2 : 1) and water saturated butanol, consecutively, and fractionated into acetone supernatants (AS fraction) and acetone precipitates (AP fraction) by adding excess acetone. AS fraction of doenjang lipids showed the strongest cytotoxic effects on K562, Yac1 and S180 cancer cells, whereas each lipid fraction of soybean curd residue also showed relatively weak cytotoxic effects on cancer cells but soybean powder did not. AS and AP fractions of doenjang contained more free fatty acids than those of soybean curd residue and soybean. And when lipid fractions were digested with 0.4 N KOH/methanol, doenjang lipid fractions showed to contain some alkali-stable substances which showed positive reaction with ninhydrin solution on silica TLC separation.