• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.182-191
• /
• 2024

Li(Ni_xCo_yMn_1-x-y)O₂ (NCM) is the intensively developed cathode material for expanding the electric vehicle market and developing lithium-ion batteries that meet higher capacity, longer life, and lower cost. High-nickel NCM increases the nickel content to 80% or more, securing price competitiveness by improving performance with high energy density and reducing the cost of cobalt. However, the high-nickel NCM materials have a residual lithium problem, leading to issues in battery performance degradation and stability. While various methods exist for removing residual lithium, such as washing, doping, and coating, this paper focuses on recent research trends in coatings aimed at enhancing NCM performance and stability by removing residual lithium.

• The Korean Journal of Rheology
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.217-226
• /
• 1998

The anisotropy caused by the fiber orientation, which is inevitably generated by the flow during injection molding of short fiber reinforced polymers, greatly influences dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, and other quality of the final product. Since the filling stage of the injection molding process plays a vital role in determining fiber orientation, an accurate analysis of flow field for the filling stage is needed. Unbalanced filling occurs when a complex or a multi-cavity mold is used leading to development of regions where the fiber suspension is under compression. It is impossible to make an accurate calculation of the flow field during filling with the analysis assuming incompressible fluid. A mold with four cavities with different filling times was produced to compare the numerical analysis results with the experimental data. There was a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results when the compressibility of the polymer melt was considered for the numerical simulation. The fiber orientation states for compressible and incompressible fluids were also compared qualitatively as well as quantitatively in this study.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.57-64
• /
• 2020

The leading technologies of the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist System) are ACC (Advanced Cruise Control), LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System), and AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking). LKAS is a system that uses cameras and infrared sensors to control steering and return to its running lane in the event of unintentional deviations. The actual test is performed for a safety evaluation and verification of the system. On the other hand, research on the system evaluation method is insufficient when an additional steering angle is applied. In this study, a model using Prescan was developed and simulated for the scenarios proposed in the preceding study. Comparative analyses of the simulation and the actual test were performed. As a result, the modeling validity was verified. A difference between the front wheels and the lane occurred due to the return velocity. The results revealed a maximum error of 0.56 m. The error occurred because the lateral velocity of the car was relatively small. On the other hand, the distance from wheels to the lanes displayed a tendency of approximately 0.5 m. This can be verified reliably.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
• /
• v.25 no.1 s.94
• /
• pp.109-119
• /
• 2007

Increasingly, the emphasis in regional Passenger rail Planning is finding ways to more efficiently use existing facilities, with particular attention being Paid to Policies designed to spread Peak-Period travel demand more evenly throughout the week with consideration of train classification. In this context the individual's choice of time to travel is of crucial significance. This paper investigates the use of multinomial logit analysis to model ridership by rail classification using data collected for travel from Seoul to Busan during the one week in October 2004. The Particular model form that was successfully calibrated was the multinomial logit (MNL) model : it describes the choice mechanism that will Permit rail systems and operations to be planned on a more reliable basis. The assumption of independently and identically distributed(IID) error terms in the MNL model leads to its infamous independence from irrelevant alternatives (IIA) property. Relaxation of the IID assumption has been undertaken along a number or isolated dimensions leading to the development of the MNL model. For business and related rail travel patterns, the most important variables of choice were time and frequency to the chosen destination. The calibrated model showed high agreement between observed and Predicted market shares. The model is expected to be of use to railroad authorities in Planning and determining business strategies in the Increasingly competitive environment or regional rail transport.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.595-602
• /
• 1997

Treatment of newborn female rats with gonadal steroids induces permanent sterility in adulthood. We investigated the alteration in expression patterns of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in neonatally estrogenized sterile rats (ESR). Newborn female rats received daily injections of 17${\beta}$-estradiol (E, 10 ${\mu}$g) from the day of birth (day 1) to postnatal day 5. Controls were subjected to vehicles over the same period. All animals were sacrificed on week 7 after birth. Hypothalamic GnRH mANA levels were markedly higher in all ESR than in controls, while hypothalamic GnRH contents in ESR increased in proportion to the frequency of daily administration of E. However, both pituitary LH6 mRNA and serum LH levels were inversely decreased by the same treatment. The data indicate that neonatal exposure of E equally elevates the expression of GnRH gene, but reduces the secretion of GnRH, accordingly leading to attenuation of LH6 gene expression and circulating LH levels. The temporal effect of E and/or progesterone (P) on GnRH and LH6 mRNA levels was also examined in ESR. Newborn female rats were daily injected with E (10 ${\mu}$g) or vehicle for five successive days from day 1 and ovariectomized at week 5. They were implanted with E (235 ${\mu}$g/ml) two days prior to week 7, injected with P (1 mg) 42 h later, and sacrificed 7 h after P administration. In ovariectomized controls, hypothalamic GnRH mRNA levels were dropped to half by treatment of E and restored by subsequent treatment of P. The negative feedback action of E on GnRH mRNA levels observed in ovariectomized rats was completely blocked by neonatal exposure of E. The change in pituitary LH mRNA levels was similar to that in hypothalamic GnRH mRNA levels. Taken together, the results suggest that neonatal treatment of E alters the synthesis and release of GnRH in adulthood and furthermore blocks the negative feedback regulation of E which occurs normally after ovariectomy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.72-78
• /
• 2009

Exposure to HDI(hexamethylene di-isocyanate) commonly used in vehicle crash repair workshops remains a leading cause of occupational asthma. Although skin and eye contamination are considered as absorption routes, there are no occupational exposure standards for skin and ocular exposure. This is the reason why there are more empirical data should be provided. Therefore this study was to determine contamination levels of HDI on the skin, eyes, work surfaces, respirators and eye protectors. There was evidence of contamination on a variety of work surfaces, for example, door handles, bench top and spray gun, etc. A high proportion(47~80%) of skin wipe samples from neck, forehead, back hand, palm and wrist was positive for HDI contamination, even though spray time was relatively brief. The contamination levels from spraying inside spray booth were generally higher than outside booth due to poor work practices and inappropriate personal protective use like safety gloves. Apprentices had higher exposure levels than the qualified painters, likely due to lack of the recognition of safety and hygiene. The extent of contamination inside the PPE might provide an indication of the potential for respiratory & skin exposure and ocular exposure. Eye fluid samples from 4 out of 14 workers had the positive detection of HDI contamination, due to poor work practices like no or inappropriate eye protection. Considering the potential for dermal & ocular exposure to contribute to possible health symptoms including respiratory sensitization, the empirical data point to a need for improving work practices and appropriate PPE selection, use and maintenance.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.673-685
• /
• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is associated with the impaired regulation of T cells characterized by increased numbers of Th1 and Th17 cells and the dysregulation of vitamin D metabolism. Both obesity and vitamin D have been reported to affect autophagy; however, a limited number of studies have investigated the effects of vitamin D on T cell autophagy in obese mice. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether in vitro treatment with vitamin D affects the proliferation, function, and autophagy of T cells from obese and control mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed control or high-fat diets (10% or 45% kcal fat: CON or HFDs, respectively) for 12 weeks. Purified T cells were stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies and cultured with either 10 nM 1,25(OH)₂D₃ or 0.1% ethanol (vehicle control). The proliferative response; expression of CD25, Foxp3, RORγt, and autophagy-related proteins (LC3A/B, SQSTM1/P62, BECLIN-1, ATG12); and the production of interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-17A, and IL-10 by T cells were measured. RESULTS: Compared with the CON group, T cell proliferation tended to be lower, and the production of IFN-γ was higher in the HFD group. IL-17A production was reduced by 1,25(OH)2D₃ treatment in both groups. The LC3 II/I ratio was higher in the HFD group than the CON group, but P62 did not differ. We observed no effect of vitamin D treatment on T cell autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that diet-induced obesity may impair the function and inhibit autophagy of T cells, possibly leading to the dysregulation of T cell homeostasis, which may be behind the aggravation of inflammation commonly observed in obesity.

• Laboraroty Animal Research
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.239-247
• /
• 2018

Bacopa monnieri is a medicinal plant with a long history of use in Ayurveda, especially in the treatment of poor memory and cognitive deficits. In the present study, we hypothesized that Bacopa monnieri extract (BME) can improve memory via increased cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus. BME was administered to 7-week-old mice once a day for 4 weeks and a novel object recognition memory test was performed. Thereafter, the mice were euthanized followed by immunohistochemistry analysis for Ki67, doublecortin (DCX), and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and western blot analysis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BME-treated mice showed moderate increases in the exploration of new objects when compared with that of familiar objects, leading to a significant higher discrimination index compared with vehicle-treated mice. Ki67 and DCX immunohistochemistry showed a facilitation of cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation following the administration of BME in the dentate gyrus. In addition, administration of BME significantly elevated the BDNF protein expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and increased CREB phosphorylation in the dentate gyrus. These data suggest that BME improves novel object recognition by increasing the cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus, and this may be closely related to elevated levels of BDNF and CREB phosphorylation in the dentate gyrus.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.196-208
• /
• 2019

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the chronic inflammatory liver diseases and a leading cause of advanced liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The main purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of GBCK25 fermented by Saccharomyces servazzii GB-07 and pectinase, on NASH severity in mice. Methods: Six-wk-old male mice were fed either a normal diet (ND) or a Western diet (WD) for 12 wks to induce NASH. Each group was orally administered with vehicle or GBCK25 once daily at a dose of 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, or 400 mg/kg during that time. The effects of GBCK25 on cellular damage and inflammation were determined by in vitro experiments. Results: Histopathologic analysis and hepatic/serum biochemical levels revealed that WD-fed mice showed severe steatosis and liver injury compared to ND-fed mice. Such lesions were significantly decreased in the livers of WD-fed mice with GBCK25 administration. Consistently, mRNA expression levels of NASH-related inflammatory-, fibrogenic-, and lipid metabolism-related genes were decreased in the livers of WD-fed mice administered with GBCK25 compared to WD-fed mice. Western blot analysis revealed decreased protein levels of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) with concomitantly reduced activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in the livers of WD-fed mice administered with GBCK25. Also, decreased cellular damage and inflammation were observed in alpha mouse liver 12 (AML12) cells and RAW264.7 cells, respectively. Conclusion: Administration of GBCK25 ameliorates NASH severity through the modulation of CYP2E1 and its associated JNK-mediated cellular damage. GBCK25 could be a potentially effective prophylactic strategy to prevent metabolic diseases including NASH.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.359-370
• /
• 2021

Duct slabs, which are used to build ventilation facilities in underground spaces with transverse ventilation system, need to secure fire resistance according to longitudinal and heavy vehicle traffic of tunnels. This study measured the temperature change at the construction joint of the precast fireproof duct slab which integrates fire resistance material and duct slab under the RWS fire scenario. As a result, it was confirmed that if there is no reinforcement of the construction joint, damage will occur in concrete inside the construction joint, leading to damage to the fireproofing layer. On the other hand, when one side of the construction joint was reinforced with fireproofing materials, it showed more than three times the fire resistance performance compared to when there was no reinforcement. At this time, cross-sectional losses of concrete and fireproofing layer were shown in blocks without reinforcement, but no damage was seen in the reinforced blocks.