• Title/Summary/Keyword: Excess-electron water

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Copper Oxide Spike Grids for Enhanced Solution Transfer in Cryogenic Electron Microscopy

  • Dukwon Lee;Hansol, Lee;Jinwook Lee;Soung-Hun Roh;Nam-Chul Ha
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.46 no.9
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    • pp.538-544
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    • 2023
  • The formation of uniform vitreous ice is a crucial step in the preparation of samples for cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Despite the rapid technological progress in EM, controlling the thickness of vitreous ice on sample grids with reproducibility remains a major obstacle to obtaining high-quality data in cryo-EM imaging. The commonly employed classical blotting process faces the problem of excess water that cannot be absorbed by the filter paper, resulting in the formation of thick and heterogeneous ice. In this study, we propose a novel approach that combines the recently developed nanowire self-wicking technique with the classical blotting method to effectively control the thickness and homogeneity of vitrified ice. With simple procedures, we generated a copper oxide spike (COS) grid by inducing COSs on commercially available copper grids, which can effectively remove excess water during the blotting procedure without damaging the holey carbon membrane. The ice thickness could be controlled with good reproducibility compared to non-oxidized grids. Incorporated into other EM techniques, our new modification method is an effective option for obtaining high-quality data during cryo-EM imaging.

Fabrication of Cross-linked Nano-Fibrous Chitosan Membranes and Their Biocompatibility Evaluation

  • Nguyen, Thi-Hiep;Lee, Seong-Jin;Min, Young-Ki;Lee, Byong-Taek
    • Korean Journal of Materials Research
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    • v.21 no.2
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    • pp.125-132
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    • 2011
  • Fibrous chitosan membranes were fabricated as a substrate for skin applications using an electro-spinning process with different solvents and varying concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed that the formation of the chitosan fibrous membrane in trifluoroacetic acid was better than that in acetic acid. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the chitosan fibers were cross-linked with glutaraldehyde, and that the cytotoxicity of the aldehyde groups was reduced by glycine and washing by NaOH and DI water. Chitosan cross-linked fibrous membranes were insoluble in water and could be washed thoroughly to wash away glycine and excess NaOH and prevent the infiltration of other water soluble bio-toxic agents using DI water. MTT assay method was employed to test the cytotoxicity of chitosan membranes during fabricating, treating and washing processes. After the dehydration of cell cultured chitosan membranes, cell attachment behavior on the material was evaluated using SEM method. Effect of the treatment processes on the biocompatibility of the chitosan membranes was shown by comparing of filopodium and lamellipodium of fibroblast cells on grown washed and unwashed chitosan fibrous membrane. The MTT assay and SEM morphology confirmed that the washed chitosan fibrous membrane increased cell attachment and cell growth, and decreased toxicity compared to results for the unwashed chitosan fibrous membrane.

Pathological evaluation of renal changes induced by multiple nephropathogenic factors in SPF chickens I. Histopathological and electron microscopical observation (신부전 요인에 의해 유발된 닭 신장변화의 병리학적 관찰 I. 병리조직학적 및 전자현미경적 관찰)

  • Kang, Kyung-il;Mo, In-pil;Kwon, Yong-kuk;Kang, Min-su;Hahn, Tae-wook;Han, Jeong-hee
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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    • v.39 no.6
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    • pp.1126-1140
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    • 1999
  • Renal failure is one of the main causes of economic impacts in the poultry industry and complex syndrome with different severity of clinical signs caused by multiple nephropathogenic factors such as infectious bronchitis viral infection and excess salt and calcium in diet. To evaluate the correlation between severity of renal failure and the causative nephropathogenic factors, one-day-old specific pathogen free chicks were treated with either single causative factor or multiple causative factors described as above. Each group was designed as control for non-treated control, IB for infectious bronchitis virus (IB virus) infection, IBHNa for IB virus infection with high diet salt, IBHCa for IB virus infection with high diet calcium, IBHNC for IB virus infection with high diet salt and calcium, HNa for high diet salt, HCa for high diet calcium and HNC for high diet salt and calcium. Chickens were inoculated with IB virus at 1-day-old and remained on their respective diets until 21 day of age. The high dietary salt feeding groups such as IBHNa, IBHNC, HNa, HNC increased water intake, watery diarrhea, general subcutaneous edema and the high dietary calcium feeding groups such as IBHCa and IBHNC showed severe visceral gout. Two more than treated groups caused high mortality in comparison with the single treated groups. IB virus exposure significantly increased urate deposition and lymphocytic interstitial nephritis. Especially urate deposition dramatically increased when excess diet calcium was combined together. In excess diet salt treated groups enlarged edematous kidneys were observed and hypertrophy of glomeruli were showed. These results suggest that IB virus enhanced the incidence and severity on chicken renal failure clearly related to the quantity of salt and calcium.

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A Study on the Calcination Characteristics of Jeongseon District's Limestone (정선 지역 석희석의 소성특성 연구)

  • Lee, Jae-Jang;Choi, Jae-Suk;Roh, Beum-Sik;Moon, Young-Bae
    • Journal of Industrial Technology
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    • v.20 no.A
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    • pp.279-283
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    • 2000
  • Lime is one of the world's most useful chemicals and manufactured in various types of kilns, using various fuels. Quicklimes vary in reactivity with water due to variations in the time and temperature calcining process and type of kiln used. Careful attention and control of time and temperature in the calcining process is necessary to insure a highly reactive lime. Excess time and temperature will cause the lime to be over burned. The highest reactivity of quicklime is obtained by calcination of limestone in the particle size of 0.1cm~2cm, calcination temperature of $1000^{\circ}C$, calcination time 90min. It was found by the scanning electron microscopes that pores of quick lime is reducted if the soft burned quick lime is heated continually.

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The Influence of the Annealing of Corn Starch on the formation and Characteristics of Enzyme-resistant Starch

  • Yoon, Ji-Young;Lee, Young-Eun
    • Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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    • v.4 no.4
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    • pp.215-220
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    • 1999
  • The Physical properties of corn starch were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and differential scanning calorimetry during the formation of enzyme-resistant starch(RS). Samples were studied in their native states and after annealing at 50, 55, 60 and 65℃ in excess water(starch : water=1:3) for 48hr. Starch granules became smaller and more rounded after annealing than in their native state. Annealing did not change the X-ray profile of native corn starch. After autoclaving-cooling cycles, native starch lost most of its crystallinity but annealed ones showed some of their crystallinity left as diffuse or poor B-type, which didn't relate to increasing Rs yields. During formation of RS, however, both native and annealed starches changed their X-ray profile from A-type to poor B-type of retrograded amylose. Annealing caused an increase in gelatinization temperature and enthalpy, but a narrowing of gelatinization temperature range. Only starch annealed at 65℃, however, showed a decrease in enthalpy even though its gelatinization temperature increased, which appeared to be due to the partial gelatinization in the amorphous region during annealing. Peak height index(PHI), the ratio of ΔH to Ti-To, increased by annealing. PHI values, therefore, showed the possibility as an indicator to predict RS yield which cannot be differentiated by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction data.

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Distinctive Features of Advancing Breast Cancer Cells and Interactions with Surrounding Stroma Observed Under the Scanning Electron Microscope

  • Jaafar, Hasnan;Sharif, Sharifah Emilia Tuan;Murtey, Mogana Das
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.13 no.4
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    • pp.1305-1310
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    • 2012
  • Breast cancer cells undergo transformation when they spread into surrounding tissues. Studies have shown that cancer cells undergo surface alterations and interact with the surrounding microenvironment during the invasion process. The aim of the present study was to analyse these cancer cell surface alterations and interactions of cancer cells and stroma. Twenty 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea-induced breast cancer samples taken from five rats were fixed in McDowell-Trump fixative and then washed in 0.1 M phosphate buffer. The samples were then treated with osmium tetroxide before being washed in distilled water and subsequently dehydrated through graded ethanols. The dehydrated samples were immersed in hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), then following removal of excess HMDS, the samples were air dried at room temperature in a dessicator. The dried samples were mounted onto specimen stubs and coated with gold coater before being viewed under a scanning electron microscope. We detected the presence of membrane ruffles on the surface of cancer cells and the formation of unique surface membrane protrusions to enhance movement and adhesion to the surrounding stroma during the process of invasion. Advancing cancer cells demonstrated formation of lamellipodia and invadopodia. The stroma at the advancing edge was desmoplastic with many collagen fibres laid down near the cancer cells. Our data suggest that all of these abnormalities could act as hallmarks of invasiveness for breast cancer.

Enzyme-Conjugated CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dot Biosensors for Glucose Detection

  • Kim, Gang-Il;Sung, Yun-Mo
    • Korean Journal of Materials Research
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.44-49
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    • 2009
  • Conjugated nanocrystals using CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanocrystal quantum dots modified by organic linkers and glucose oxidase (GOx) were prepared for use as biosensors. The trioctylphophine oxide (TOPO)-capped QDs were first modified to give them water-solubility by terminal carboxyl groups that were bonded to the amino groups of GOx through an EDC/NHS coupling reaction. As the glucose concentration increased, the photoluminescence intensity was enhanced linearly due to the electron transfer during the enzymatic reaction. The UV-visible spectra of the as-prepared QDs are identical to that of QDs-MAA. This shows that these QDs do not become agglomerated during ligand exchanges. A photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic study showed that the PL intensity of the QDs-GOx bioconjugates was increased in the presence of glucose. These glucose sensors showed linearity up to approximately 15 mM and became gradually saturated above 15 mM because the excess glucose did not affect the enzymatic oxidation reaction past that amount. These biosensors show highly sensitive variation in terms of their photoluminescence depending on the glucose concentration.

Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation Using ZnO Nanorods Coupled with Cobalt-Based Catalysts

  • Jeon, Tae-Hwa;Choi, Sung-Kyu;Jeong, Hye-Won;Kim, Seung-Do;Park, Hyun-Woong
    • Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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    • v.2 no.4
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    • pp.187-192
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    • 2011
  • Photoelectrochemical performances of ZnO electrodes are enhanced by coupling with cobalt-based catalyst (CoPi) in phosphate electrolyte (pH 7). For this study, hexagonal pillar-shaped ZnO nanorods are grown on ZnO electrodes through a chemical bath deposition, onto which CoPi is deposited with different photodeposition times (10-30 min). A scanning electron microscopic study indicates that CoPi deposition does not induce any change of ZnO morphology and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis shows that inorganic phosphate ions (Pi) exist on ZnO surface. Bare ZnO electrodes generate the current of ca. $0.36mA/cm^2$ at a bias potential of 0.5 V vs. SCE, whereas ZnO/CoPi (deposited for 10 min) has ca. 50%-enhanced current ($0.54mW/cm^2$) under irradiation of AM 1.5G-light ($400mW/cm^2$). The excess loading of CoPi on ZnO results in decrease of photocurrents as compared to bare ZnO likely due to limited electrolyte access to ZnO and/or CoPi-mediated recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. The primary role of CoPi is speculated to trap the photogenerated holes and thereby oxidize water into molecular oxygen via an intervalency cycle among Co(II), Co(III), and Co(IV).