• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.225-230
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• 2012

We investigated the effects of ${\beta}$-glucan purified from Paenibacillus polymyxa JB115 on the viability and proliferation of splenocytes. Splenocytes play a critical role in host immunity. MTT assays and trypan blue exclusion tests revealed that ${\beta}$-glucan significantly promoted the viability and proliferation of splenocytes over a range of concentrations. However, there was no specific subset change. ${\beta}$-glucan protected splenocytes from cytokine withdrawal-induced spontaneous cell death. For further mechanistic studies, ELISA assay revealed that ${\beta}$-glucan enhanced the expression of anti-apoptotic molecules and interleukin 7 (IL-7), a cytokine critical for lymphocyte survival. We also investigated the IL-2 dependency of ${\beta}$-glucan-treated splenocytes to determine if treated cells could still undergo clonal expansion. In flow cytometric analysis, ${\beta}$-glucan induced increased levels of the activation marker CD25 on the surface of splenocytes and ${\beta}$-glucan-treated splenocytes showed higher proliferation rates in response to IL-2 treatment. This study demonstrates that ${\beta}$-glucan can enhance the survival of splenocytes and provides valuable information to broaden the use of ${\beta}$-glucan in research fields.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.179-186
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• 2014

Indium-nitrogen co-doped zinc oxide thin films (INZO) were prepared on glass substrates in the atmosphere by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. The aqueous solution of zinc acetate, ammonium acetate and different indium sources: indium (III) chloride and indium (III) nitrate were used as the precursors. After film deposition, different anneal temperature treatment as 350, 450, $550^{\circ}C$ were applied. Electrical properties as concentration and mobility were characterized by Hall measurement. The surface morphology and crystalline quality were characterized by SEM and XRD. With the activation energy analysis for both films, the concentration variation of the films at different heat treatment temperature was realized. Donors correspond to zinc related states dominate the conduction mechanism for these INZO films after $550^{\circ}C$ high temperature heat treatment process.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.2016-2023
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• 2015

Xylanase plays important roles in a broad range of industrial production as a biocatalyst, and its applications commonly require immobilization on supports to enhance its stability. Aluminum hydroxide, a carrier material with high surface area, has the advantages of simple and low-cost preparation and resistance to biodegradation, and can be potentially used as a proper support for xylanase immobilization. In this work, xylanase from Thermomyces lanuginosus was immobilized on two types of aluminum hydroxide particles (gibbsite and amorphous Al(OH)₃) through adsorption, and the properties of the adsorbed enzymes were studied. Both particles had considerable adsorptive capacity and affinity for xylanase. Xylanase retained 75% and 64% of the original catalytic activities after adsorption to gibbsite and amorphous Al(OH)₃. Both the adsorptions improved pH and thermal stability, lowered activation energy, and extended lifespan of the immobilized enzyme, as compared with the free enzyme. Xylanase adsorbed on gibbsite and amorphous Al(OH)₃ retained 71% and 64% of its initial activity, respectively, after being recycled five times. These results indicated that aluminum hydroxides served as good supports for xylanase immobilization. Therefore, the adsorption of xylanase on aluminum hydroxide particles has promising potential for practical production.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2015

Mercury is a toxic pollutants present in different types of industrial effluents and is responsible for environmental pollution. Removal of Hg(II) ions from synthetic wastewater was studied using the activated biocarbon produced from the leaves of Tridax procumbens (Asteraceae). The particle size of the biocarbon (BC) is in the range of $100-120{\mu}m$. The effects of initial metal ion concentration, pH, contact time, and amount of biocarbon on the biosorption process were studied at temperature of $28{\pm}2^{\circ}C$. Batch experimental studies showed that an equilibrium time of 160 min was required for the maximum removal of Hg(II) at the optimized biocarbon dose of 2.5 g per 100 mL of synthetic wastewater. The optimum pH required for maximum removal (96.5%) of Hg(II) ions was found to be 5.5. The biosorption of metal ions onto activated biocarbon surface is probably via an ion exchange mechanism. The biocarbon can be regenerated with minimum loss. Further, it can be reused without any chemical activation. The findings of the research suggested that, the biocarbon produced from cost effective renewable resources can be utilized for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.349-353
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• 2012

Activated T cells express inhibitory receptors such as CTLA-4 that can downregulate immune responses. Blockade of or genetic deficiency in CTLA-4 can result in autoimmunity. Therefore, strategies to increase the inhibitory function of CTLA-4 may be attractive in settings of undesirable T cell responses such as autoimmunity or transplant rejection. We have tested the hypothesis that transgenic constitutive expression of CTLA-4 can further attenuate immune responses when compared with normal inducible expression. Our results indicate that transgenic expression of CTLA-4 in mouse T cells (CTLA-4-Tg T cells) results in reduced cell cycle progression and increased apoptosis of TCR-stimulated T cells. CTLA-4-Tg T cells display reduced T cell proliferation in an in vivo model of graft versus host disease (GVHD). These results further our understanding of how CTLA-4 can be manipulated to inhibit immune responses and may help development of new therapeutic strategies for clinical settings of autoimmunity and transplantation.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.106-115
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• 2005

Bio-diesel as fatty acid methyl ester was derived from such oils as soybean, peanut and canola oil by lipase catalyzed continuous trans-esterification. So the activation of lipase(Novozym - 435) was kept to be up to 4:1, the limiting molar ratio of methanol to oil under one-step addition of methanol due to the miscibility of oil and methanol through the static mixer for 4hrs and the elimination of glycerol on the surface of lipase by 7wt% silica gel. Therefore the overall yield of fatty acid methyl ester from soybean oil appeared to be 98% at 50$^{\cdot}C$ of reaction temperature under two-steps addition of methanol with 2${\times}$2:1 of methanol to oil molar ratio at an interval of 5.5hrs, 7wt% of lipase, 24 number of mixer elements, 0.2ml/min of flow rate and 7wt% of silica gel.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2010

In this study, carbon conversion was measured using an electronic mass balance. In a lab scale furnace, each coal sample was pyrolyzed in a nitrogen environment and became coal char, which was then gasified with steam under isothermal conditions. The reactivity of coal char was investigated at various temperatures and steam concentrations. The VRM(volume reaction model), SCM(shrinking core model), and RPM(random pore model) were used to interpret experimental data. For each model the activation energy(Ea), pre-exponential factor (A), and reaction order(n) of the coal char-steam reaction were determined by applying the Arrhenius equation into the data obtained with thermo-gravimetric analysis(TGA). According to this study, it was found that experimental data agreed better with the VRM and SCM for 1,000 and $1,100^{\circ}C$, and the RPM for 1,200 and $1,300^{\circ}C$. The reactivity of chars increased with the increase of gasification temperature. The structure parameter(${\psi}$) of the surface area for the RPM was obtained.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.146-154
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• 2006

Organic and inorganic hybrid nanocomposites based on poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN) and silica nanoparticles were prepared by a melt blending process. In particular, polymer nanocomposites consisting mostly of cheap conventional polyesters with very small quantities of inorganic nanoparticles are of great interest from an industrial perspective. The crystallization behavior of PEN/silica hybrid nanocomposites depended significantly on silica content and crystallization temperature. The activation energy of crystallization for PEN/silica hybrid nanocomposites was decreased by incorporating a small quantity of silica nanoparticles. Double melting behavior was observed in PEN/silica hybrid nanocomposites, and the equilibrium melting temperature decreased with increasing silica content. The fold surface free energy of PEN/silica hybrid nanocomposites decreased with increasing silica content. The work of chain folding (q) for PEN was estimated as $7.28{\times}10^{-20}J$ per molecular chain fold, while the q values for the PEN/silica 0.9 hybrid nanocomposite was $3.71{\times}10^{-20}J$, implying that the incorporation of silica nanoparticles lowers the work required to fold the polymer chains.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.104-112
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• 2012

Silica is one of the most abundant compounds found in nature. Immoderate exposure to crystalline silica has been linked to pulmonary disease and crystalline silica has been classified as a Group I carcinogen. Ultrafine (diameter <100 nm) silica particles may have different toxicological properties compared to larger particles. We evaluated the effect of ultrafine silica nanoparticles on mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC) and murine dendritic cell line, DC2.4. The exposure of dendritic cells (DCs) to ultrafine silica nanoparticles showed a decrease in cell viability and an induction of cell death in size- and concentration-dependent manners. In addition, in order to examine the phenotypic changes of DCs following co-culture with silica nanoparticles, we added each sized-silica nanoparticle along with GM-CSF and IL-4 during and after DC differentiation. Expression of CD11c, a typical DC marker, and multiple surface molecules such as CD54, CD80, CD86, MHC class II, was changed by silica nanoparticles in a size-dependent manner. We also found that silica nanoparticles affect inflammatory response in DCs in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we found that p38 and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation may be critical for the inflammatory response by silica nanoparticles. Our data demonstrate that ultrafine silica nanoparticles have cytotoxic effects on dendritic cells and immune modulation effects in vitro and in vivo.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1-7
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of lumbar stabilization on both trunk and lower limb muscle activity and center of pressure (COP) in single leg standing. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to collect muscle activity data, the mean velocity of COP was measured using a force plate, and a pressure biofeedback unit was used for lumbar stabilization training. The findings of this study are summarized as follows: 1) The EMG activity of the erector spinae decreased significantly and the activity of the rectus abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique, gluteus maximus, and gluteus medius increased significantly with lumbar stabilization single leg standing. 2) No differences in activity in the tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, and medial hamstrings were found with single leg standing. 3) The mean velocity of COP in the antero-posterior and medio-lateral directions in the lumbar stabilization single leg standing decreased significantly compared with the preferred single leg standing. The findings of this study therefore indicate that lumbar stabilization can facilitate the co-activation of deep stabilization and global muscles that improve postural control capability during single leg standing.