• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.260-268
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• 2005

A heat-resisting diatomite protection tube, using diatomite as a main component, was manufactured through an extrusion molding of ceramic slurry in different component ratios. And its mechanical strength, carbon analysis and microstructural non-homogeneity were investigated. After fixing $60wt\%$ of porous diatomite whose particle size was $50\~100\;{\mu}m$, the optimum mixture ratio with composition variables by changing $1\;wt\%$ of each component that was silica sol$(4.3\~7.3\;wt\%)$ as an inorganic binder, CMC (Sodium CarboxyMethyl Cellulose $(6\~9\;wt\%)$) as an organic binder and paper powder$(4.7\~7.7\;wt\%)$ was obtained. As a result of the investigation on a composition containing $60\;wt\%$ diatomite, $5.3\;wt\%$ silica sol, and $7\;wt\%$ CMC, a heat-resisting protection tube that could be used as a molten steel probe for measuring the temperature and components of molten steel was developed. The bending strength, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of the protection tube developed, that contained $\le2.3\;wt\%$ carbon, were 7.1 MPa, 7.5 MPa, and 1090 MPa, respectively.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.44-57
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• 2008

In this study, a 2D finite-element analysis, using the SEEP/W program, was carried out to estimate the amount of groundwater flawing into a tunnel, as well as the groundwater tables around wetland areas during and after a tunnel excavation through rock mass. Four sites along the Wonhyo-tunnel in Cheonseong Mountain (Gyeongnam, Korea) were analysed, where the model damain of the tunnel included both wetland and fault zone. The anisotropy of the hydraulic conductivities of the rock mass was calculated using the DFN model, and then used as an input parameter for the cantinuum model. Parametric study on the influencing factors was perofrmed to minimize uncertainties in the hydraulic properties. Moreover, the volumetric water content and hydraulic conductivity functions were applied ta the model to reflect the ability of a medium ta store and transport water under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. The conductivity of fault zone was assumed ta be $10^{-5}m/sec\;or\;10^{-6}m/sec$ and the conductivity of grouting zone was assumed as 1/10, 1/50 or 1/100 of the conductivity of rock mass. Totally $6{\sim}8$ cases of transient flow simulation were peformed at each site. The hydraulic conductivities of fault zone showed a significant influence on groundwater inflow when the fault zone crossed the tunnel. Also, groundwater table around wetland maintained in case that the hydraulic conductivity of grouting zone was reduced ta be less than 1/50 of the hydraulic conductivity of rock mass.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.287-293
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• 2009

This study investigated the influence of ionic strength on the adhesion and release of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus) in quartz and iron-coated sands using column experiments. Results show that the mass recovery remained constant (E. coli = 13.7${\pm}$0.5%, B. subtilis = 9.8${\pm}$1.3%, S. aureus = 13.0${\pm}$2.1%) in iron-coated sand while it decreased from 80.7 to 45.3% (S. aureus) in quartz sand with increasing ionic concentrations from 1 to 100 mM. As the ionic concentrations of leaching solution was lowered from 100 to 0.1 mM, average 39.1% of bacterial detachment was quantified from quartz sand, but no bacterial release was observed in iron-coated sand. The phenomenon observed in iron-coated sand can be attributed to the inner-sphere complexes between bacteria and coated sand, which have minimal effect from ionic strength. This study improves our knowledge regarding the bacterial interaction with surface-modified porous media.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.323-331
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• 2000

Two chelating resins, XAD-16-TAC and XAD-16-TAO were synthesized by Amberlite XAD-16 macroreticular resin with 2-(2-thiazolylazo)-p-cresol (TAC) and 4-(2-thiazolylazo)-orcinol (TAO) as functional groups. The sorption behaviour of Zr(IV), Th(IV) and U(VI) with two chelating resins were examined with respect to the effect of pH and masking agent by batch methods. It was obtained that the optimum pH was in the range of 5-6, and two chelating resins showed good separation efficiency of Zr(IV) or Th(IV) by using $NH_4F$ as a masking agent. Characteristics of desorption were investigated with 0.1-2 M $HNO_3$ as desorption agent. It was found that 2 M $HNO_3$ showed high desorption efficiency to most of metal ions except Zr(IV). XAD-16-TAC resin is applied to separation and preconcentration of trace Zr(IV) from mixed metal ions. Also, Th(IV) ion can be successfully separated from U(VI) and Zr(IV) ion by using XAD-16- TAO resin.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.326-331
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• 2012

In this study, expanded poly(tetrafluoro ethylene) (ePTFE) graft was modified to be used as a hemodialysis vascular access. Biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide-$co$-glycolide) (PLGA) was coated onto the inner surface of ePTFE graft with paclitaxel, which is often used as an anti-cancer agent and for reducing neointimal hyperplasia. Surface characterization before and after PLGA coating was carried out by SEM and ATR-FTIR. Porous sturcture of ePTFE was maintained after coating of PLGA solution. The amounts of coated PLGA and paclitaxel determined by ATR-FTIR and HPLC were 1.96 and 0.263 mg/$cm^2$, respectively. Young's modulus was decreased and tensile strength was increased by PLGA coating. Released paclitaxel as a function of incubation time was monitored by HPLC. Approximately 35% of coated paclitaxel was released steadily for 4 weeks with the biodegradation of PLGA. From these results, it is expected that the effect of paclitaxel on reducing neointimal hyperplasia and stenosis is maintained for a long time.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.474-479
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• 2010

We developed laminated cylindrical scaffolds composed of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) and keratin, and investigated their potential for tissue engineering and disk regeneration. The scaffold was designed to have two parts, i.e. inner cylinder and outer disk, to mimic a natural disk. The outer disk was composed of PLGA and the inner cylinder was prepared using PLGA film or PLGA/keratin hybrid film. In this study, we investigated the effects of keratin on the growth and proliferation of annulus fibrous(AF) cells in the cylindrical scaffolds. Scaffolds containing PLGA/keratin films showed a significantly higher cell proliferation and expression of collagen I and II than the counterpart with PLGA films. Keratin containing scaffolds also exhibited an excellent mechanical strength, demonstrating that keratin influences the proliferation of annulus fibrous cells. The results provide valuable information on PLGA/keratin films for tissue engineered disk regeneration.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2016

Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) using the electrolytes containing various vanadium ions in sulfuric acid as supporting solution are one of the energy storage devices in alternatively charging and discharging operation modes. The positive electrolyte contains $V^{5+}/V^{4+}$ and the negative electrolyte $V^{2+}/V^{3+}$ depending on the operation mode. To prevent the mixing of two solutions, proton exchange membranes are mainly used in VRFBs. Nafion 117 could be the most promising candidate due to the strong oxidative property of $V^{5+}$ ion, but causes high crossover of electroactive species to result in a decrease in coulombic efficiency. In this study, the composite membranes using Nafion ionomer and porous polyethylene substrate were prepared to keep good chemical stability and to decrease the cost of membranes, and were compared to the properties and performance of the commercially available electrolyte membrane, Nafion 117. As a result, the water uptake and ionic conductivity of the composite membranes increased as the thickness of the composite membranes increased, but those of Nafion 117 slightly decreased. The permeability of vanadium ions for the composite membranes significantly decreased compared to that for Nafion 117. In a single cell test for the composite membranes, the voltage efficiency decreased and the coulombic efficiency increased, finally resulting in the similar energy efficiency. In conclusion, the less cost of the composite membranes by decreasing 6.4 wt.% of the amount of perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer due to the introduction of porous substrate and lower vanadium ion permeability to decrease self-discharge were achieved than Nafion 117.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2011

Ni-YSZ (Yttria Stabilized Zirconia) composite powders were fabricated by glycine nitrate process. The prepared powders were sintered at $1300{\sim}1400^{\circ}C$ for 4 h in air and reduced at $1000^{\circ}C$ for 2 h in a nitrogen and hydrogen atmosphere. The microstructure, electrical conductivity, thermal expansion and mechanical properties of the Ni-YSZ cermets have been investigated with respect to the volume contents of Ni. A porous microstructure consisting of homogeneously distributed Ni and YSZ phases together with well-connected grains was observed. It was found that the open porosity, electrical conductivity, thermal expansion and bending strength of the cermets are sensitive to the volume content of Ni. The Ni-YSZ cermet containing 40 vol% Ni was ascertained to be the optimum composition. This composition offers sufficient open porosity of more than 30 %, superior electrical conductivities of 917.4 S/cm at $1000^{\circ}C$ and a moderate average thermal expansion coefficient of $12.6{\times}10^{-6}^{\circ}C^{-1}$ between room temperature and $1000^{\circ}C$.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.299-305
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• 2011

This study deals with the preparation of polymeric electrolyte membranes having high durability for the application of fuel cells. The membranes under investigation were prepared the impregnation to porous polyethylene membranes with poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA), poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid), and (PSSA-MA)3-(trihydroxysilyl)-1-propanesulfonic acid (THS-PSA). To characterize the resulting membranes, the water contents, the contact angles, FT-IR, the proton conductivity and the the modulus were measured. The proton conductivity of 30% content of THS-PSA at $55^{\circ}C$ gave excellent $1.27{\times}10^{-1}S/cm$ and the mechanical strength was improved 7 times higher up to the THS-PSA content 15%, as a result, the durability was elevated extensively.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1841-1846
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• 2009

Menopause is often associated with the incidence of several chronic diseases including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an effective regimen that has been found to prevent these diseases in postmenopausal women. However, HRT is accompanied by an increased risk of unfavorable outcomes. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Ecklonia cava, a kind of seaweed, extract on bone turnover markers in symptomatic menopausal women. For this study, the following four groups of 9-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were evaluated over 6 weeks: normal rats (SHAM), ovariectomized rats (OVX-CON) and ovariectomized rats that were treated with Ecklonia cava extracts. The optimum extraction temperature and solvent of Ecklonia cava were found to be $80^{\circ}C$ and 80% ethanol. We measured the osteocalcin and CTx content, enzyme ALP activity in serum and collagen content in the cartilage, bone, skin and lungs. We found that the levels of indicators of bone metabolism such as ALP, osteocalcin and CTx were lower in rats in the Ecklonia cava extract group than the OVX-CON group. In addition, the collagen contents in the bone, cartilage, skin and lungs decreased in response to ovariectomy, but the levels of collagen were greater in the bone of rats that were treated with Ecklonia cava extract than in the bone of rats in the OVX-CON group. According to these results, we were able to know the effects of Ecklonia cava extract on bone aging in ovariectomized rats. Consequently, we expect Ecklonia cava extract to have an effect on bone aging in postmenopausal women.