• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.183-188
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• 2019

Flexible dye-sensitized solar cells using binder free $TiO_2$ paste for low temperature sintering are developed. In this paste a small amount of titanium gel is added to a paste of $TiO_2$ nanoparticle. Analysis of titanium gel paste prepared at $150^{\circ}C$ shows that it has a pure anatase phase in XRD and mesoporous structure in SEM. The formation of the titanium gel 1-2 nm coated layer is confirmed by comparing the TEM image analysis of the titanium gel paste and the pristine paste. This coating layer improves the excited electron transfer and electrical contact between particles. The J-V curves of the organic binder DSSCs fabricated at $150^{\circ}C$ shows a current density of $0.12mA/cm^2$ and an open-circuit voltage of 0.47 V, while the titanium gel DSSCs improves electrical characteristics to $5.04mA/cm^2$ and 0.74 V. As a result, the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the organic binder DSSC prepared at low temperature is as low as 0.02 %, but the titanium gel paste DSSCs has a measured effciency of 2.76 %.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.86-113
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• 2018

Objectives: We examined the effects of a mixed formula consisting of dried pomegranate concentrate powder (PCP) and the aqueous extracts of Eucommiae cortex (EC) and Achyranthis radix (AR) in rats with surgically induced osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Two weeks after OA-inducing surgery, a PCP:EC:AR 5:4:1 (g/g) combination or single formula was orally administered. Changes in body weight, knee thickness, maximum knee extension angle, bone mineral density of the knee joints, femoral and tibial articular surfaces, and compressive strength of the femoral and tibial articular cartilage (AC) were assessed, along with the prostaglandin E2 level, 5-lipoxygenase, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 activity, and chondrogenic gene mRNA expression in the femoral and tibial AC with the synovial membrane (SM). In addition, the number of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, cyclooxygenase and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$-immunoreactive cells in the femoral and tibial AC with SM were monitored, and the rate of cell proliferation was determined with a 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine uptake assay. Results : The signs of surgically induced OA in rats were significantly inhibited by both PCP, EC and AR combined and single formulas. In particular, the combination formula-treated OA model rats showed dose-dependent, significantly increased inhibitory activity against all tested criteria compared with single formula-treated rats. Conclusions: Taken together, our results suggest that the combination formula synergistically increased the anti-OA effects of its components through anti-inflammatory and chondrogenic activity in rats with surgically induced OA. In addition, 200, 100 and 50 mg/kg combination formula treatments showed dose-dependent inhibitory activity against all of the tested criteria.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.164-172
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• 2019

In this work, we demonstrate a facile process to prepare an electrolyte membrane for the supercapacitor based on a graft copolymer consisting of starch and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN). The graft copolymer (starch-g-PAN) was synthesized via free radical polymerization initiated by ceric ions. The starch-g-PAN was dissolved in ionic liquid, i.e. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide (EMIM DCA) without any organic solvents at room temperature. The gelation of polymer electrolyte membranes occurred by applying high temperature, i.e. $100^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The resultant electrolyte membrane was flexible and thus applied to flexible solid supercapacitors. The performance of the supercapacitor based on starch-g-PAN graft copolymer electrolyte reached 21 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g. The cell also showed high cyclic stability with 86% of retention rate within 10,000 cycles. The preparation of starch-g-PAN based polymer electrolyte membrane provides opportunities for facile fabrication of flexible solid supercapacitors with good performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.1630-1639
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• 2019

Objective: Sixty Pengbo semi-wool sheep ewes (approximately 1.5-years-old; $31.33{\pm}0.43kg$) were randomly assigned to two groups, either grazing (G) or dry lot feeding (D), to examine the effects of traditional daily grazing and dry lot feeding on performance and blood metabolites during the cold season in Tibetan Plateau. Methods: The ewes in the G group were grazed continuously each day and housed in one shed each evening, while the ewes in the D group were housed in another shed all day. All animals were fed 400 g/d of commercial concentrate, and grass hay was available freely throughout the experimental period. Results: Compared with the G group, the ewes in the D group had higher (p<0.05) live weight and weight gain. The D group ewes had greater (p<0.05) numbers of white blood cells and platelets, while they had lower (p<0.05) platelet-large cell ratios, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and glutathione peroxidase, as compared with the G group ewes. Additionally, three serum metabolites, abscisic acid, xanthoxin and 3,4-dihydroxy-5-polypren, were upregulated (p<0.05) in the G group in comparison with the D group. Conclusion: In conclusion, a dry lot feeding regime during the winter and spring period will increase the productivity of sheep and improve blood physiological and biochemical profiles.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.231-240
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• 2019

Background: We sought to determine the value of combining diffusion-weighted (DW) and perfusion-weighted (PW) sequences with a conventional magnetic resonance (MR) sequence to assess solid components of borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) and stage I carcinomas. Methods: Conventional, DW, and PW sequences in the tumor imaging studies of 70 patients (BOTs, n=38; stage I carcinomas, n=32) who underwent surgery with pathologic correlation were assessed. Two independent radiologists calculated the parameters apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), $K^{trans}$ (vessel permeability), and $V_e$ (cell density) for the solid components. The distribution on conventional MR sequence and mean, standard deviation, and 95% confidence interval of each DW and PW parameter were calculated. The inter-observer agreement among the two radiologists was assessed. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and multivariate logistic regression were performed to compare the effectiveness of DW and PW sequences for average values and to characterize the diagnostic performance of combined DW and PW sequences. Results: There were excellent agreements for DW and PW parameters between radiologists. The distributions of ADC, $K^{trans}$, and $V_e$ values were significantly different between BOTs and stage I carcinomas, yielding AUCs of 0.58 and 0.68, 0.78 and 0.82, and 0.70 and 0.72, respectively, with ADC yielding the lowest diagnostic performance. The AUCs of the DW, PW, and combined PW and DW sequences were $0.71{\pm}0.05$, $0.80{\pm}0.05$, and $0.85{\pm}0.05$, respectively. Conclusion: Combining PW and DW sequences to a conventional sequence potentially improves the diagnostic accuracy in the differentiation of BOTs and stage I carcinomas.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.408-412
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• 2019

In this study, nitrogen doped carbon felt was prepared by pyrolysis of urea at high temperature and applied as an electrode for vanadium redox flow cell. Urea is easier to handle than ammonia and forms $NH_2$ radicals at higher temperatures, creating a nitrogen functional group on the carbon surface and acting as an active site in the vanadium redox reaction. Therefore, the discharge capacity of activated carbon felt electrodes using urea was 14.9 Ah/L at a current density of $150mA/cm^2$, which is 23% and 187% higher than OGF and GF, respectively. These results show the possibility that activated carbon felt electrode using urea can be used as electrode material for redox flow battery.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the water quality and phytoplankton community in Bukhan River which account for 44.4 % of the total inflow into Lake Paldang, using multivariate statistical techniques (i.e., correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA)/factor analysis (FA)). Water samples were collected from March to November 2015 and the following parameters measured; water temperature, pH, DO, EC, SS, BOD, Chl-a, COD, TN, $NO_3-N$, $NH_3-N$, TP, DTP, $PO_4-P$, and phytoplankton community. The water quality of the main stream and the tributaries were not significantly different apart from the relatively high concentration of BOD, COD and nutrients recorded in MH. The highest cell density of Stephanodiscus hantzschii and Merismopedia glauca dominated phytoplankton was observed in PD. Based on the correlation analysis, total phytoplankton and cyanophyceae were highly correlated with BOD, COD and nutrients. PCA/FA resulted in four main factors accounting for 82.240 % of the total variance in the water quality dataset. The group of component 1 (TN, DTN, DO, $NO_3-N$, water temperature) and component 2 ($PO_4-P$, T-P, DTP, SS) were classified as nutrient element factor whereas component 3 (Chl-a, COD, BOD, $NH_3-N$, pH) was related to organic substances. Hence, the identification of the main potential environmental pollution factors in Bukhan River will help policy makers make better and more informed decisions on how to improve the water quality.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.285-292
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• 2019

This study was done to evaluate the effects of a mixture of essential oils and organic acid supplementation on growth performance, blood profiles, leg bone length and intestinal morphology in Ross broilers. A total of 40 Ross 308 broilers ($1140{\pm}80g$) were randomly allocated to 2 groups, a basal diet (CON) and a basal diet + 0.05% $Avi-protect^{(R)}$ (AVI, Mixture of 25% citric, 16.7 sorbic, 1.7% thymol, and 1.0% vanillin), with 20 replicates for every group and 1 chicken per replicate per cage. The broilers were raised in a temperature-controlled room maintained at $24{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ and $50{\pm}5%$ humidity. The body weight (p < 0.05) and weight gain (p < 0.05) of the broilers were increased in the AVI group compared with the CON group. The triglyceride (p < 0.05) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) (p < 0.05) contents were significantly decreased in the AVI group compared with the CON group. There was no significant difference in the leg bone length between the AVI and CON groups (p > 0.05). The villi height (p < 0.05) and goblet cell count (p < 0.05) were significantly increased in the AVI group compared with the CON group. In conclusion, $Avi-protect^{(R)}$ as a feed additive improved the growth performance and lipid metabolism and promoted the development of the intestinal morphology of broilers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.1430-1437
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• 2021

Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium found in powdered infant formula and is fatal to neonates. Antibiotic resistance has emerged owing to overuse of antibiotics. Therefore, demand for high-yield bacteriophages as an alternative to antibiotics has increased. Accordingly, we developed a modified mass-production method for bacteriophages by introducing a two-stage self-cycling (TSSC) process, which yielded high-concentration bacteriophage solutions by replenishing the nutritional medium at the beginning of each process, without additional challenge. pH of the culture medium was monitored in real-time during C. sakazakii growth and bacteriophage CS01 propagation, and the changes in various parameters were assessed. The pH of the culture medium dropped to 5.8 when the host bacteria reached the early log phase (OD₅₄₀ = 0.3). After challenge, it decreased to 4.65 and then recovered to 4.94; therefore, we set the optimum pH to challenge the phage at 5.8 and that to harvest the phage at 4.94. We then compared phage production during the TSSC process in jar-type bioreactors and the batch culture process in shaker flasks. In the same volume of LB medium, the concentration of the phage titer solution obtained with the TSSC process was 24 times higher than that obtained with the batch culture process. Moreover, we stably obtained high concentrations of bacteriophage solutions for three cycles with the TSSC process. Overall, this modified TSSC process could simplify large-scale production of bacteriophage CS01 and reduce the unit cost of phage titer solution. These results could contribute to curing infants infected with antibiotic-resistant C. sakazakii.

• New Physics: Sae Mulli
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• v.68 no.11
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• pp.1173-1182
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• 2018

Mesoporous silica allows proper hydration of an ion exchange membrane under low relative humidity due to its strong hydrophilicity and structural characteristic. A mesoporous silica and Nafion composite membrane shows good proton conductivity under low relative humidity. An understanding of ion-channel formation and proton transfer through an ion-channel network in mesoporous silica and Nafion composite membranes is essential for the development and the optimization of ion exchange membranes. In this study, a mesoporous cellular foam $SiO_2/Nafion$ composite membrane is fabricated, and its proton conductivity and performance are measured. Also, the ion-channel distribution is analyzed by using electrostatic force microscopy to measure the surface charge density of the mesoporous cellular foam $SiO_2/Nafion$ composite membrane. The research reveals a few remarkable results. First, the composite membrane shows excellent proton conductivity and performance under low relative humidity. Second, the composite membrane is observed to form ion-channel-rich and ion-channel-poor region locally.