• Title/Summary/Keyword: Membrane Fluctuation

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Assessing the Nano-Dynamics of the Cell Surface

  • Bae, Chil-Man;Park, Ik-Keun;Butler, Peter J.
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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    • v.32 no.3
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    • pp.263-268
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    • 2012
  • It is important to know the mechanism of cell membrane fluctuation because it can be readout for the nanomechanical interaction between cytoskeleton and plasma membrane. Traditional techniques, however, have drawbacks such as probe contact with the cell surface, complicate analysis, and limit spatial and temporal resolution. In this study, we developed a new system for non-contact measurement of nano-scale localized-cell surface dynamics using modified-scanning ion-conductance microscopy. With 2 nm resolution, we determined that endothelial cells have local membrane fluctuations of ~20 nm, actin depolymerization causes increase in fluctuation amplitude, and ATP depletion abolishes all membrane fluctuations.

Analysis of Facilitied Transport through Fixed Site Carrier Membranes

  • Kang, Yong-Soo;Hong, Jae-Min;Kim, Un-Young
    • Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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    • 1995.09a
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    • pp.57-71
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    • 1995
  • A simple mathematical model for gacilitated mass transport with a fixed site carrier membrane was derived by assuming an instantaneous, microscopic concentration (activity) fluctuation, The concentration fluctuation, developed due to reversible chemical reaction between carrier and solute, could acuse the higher chemical potential gradient and the facilitated transport. For mathematical formulation, an analogy was employed between the mass transfer for the facilitated transport with fixed site carrier membrane and the electron transfer in a parallel resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit. For the single RC model, it was assumed that a single capacitor represented the total carrier and a solute could not inter-diffuse between matrix and carrier, allowing only two diffusional pathways, This assumption was relaxed by adopting a serial combination of the parallel RC circuit. Here, a solute diffuses in two elements (matrix or carrier) can exchange its pathway, exhibiting four diffusional pathways. The current models were examined against experimental data and the agreement was exceptional.

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Olefin/Paraffin Separation though Facilitated Transport Membranes in Solid State

  • Hong, Seong-Uk;Won, Jong-Ok;Hong, Jae-Min;Park, Hyun-Chae;Kang, Yong-Soo
    • Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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    • 1999.07a
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    • pp.15-18
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    • 1999
  • A simple mathematical model for facilitated mass transport through a fixed site carrier membrane was derived by assuming an instantaneous, microscopic concentration (activity) fluctuation. The current model demonstrates that the facilitation factor depends on the extent of concentration fluctuation, the time scale ratios of diffusion to chemical reaction and the ratio of the carrier concentration to the solute solubility in matrix. The model was examined against the experimental data on oxygen transport in membranes containing metallo-porphyrin carriers, and the agreement was exceptional (within 10% error). The basic concept of this approach was applied to separate olefin from olefin/paraffin mixtures. A proprietaty carrier, developed here, resulted that the selectivity of propylene over propane was more than 120 and the propylene permeance exceed 40 gpu.

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Dynamics of Pore Growth in Membranes and Membrane Stability

  • W. Sung;Park, P. J.
    • Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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    • 1998.06a
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    • pp.15-15
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    • 1998
  • Pores can form and grow in biomembranes because of factors such as thermal fluctuation, transmembrane electrical potential, and cellular environment. We propose a new statistical physics model of the pore growth treated as a non-Markovian stochastic process, with a free energy barrier and memory friction from the membrane matrix treated as a quasi-two-dimensional viscoelastic and dielectric fluid continuum.(omitted)

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Action of Dammarane-Type Triterpenoidal Glycosides and Their Aglycones on Lipid Membranes (지질막에 대한 Dammarane-Type Triterpenoidal Glycosides와 그 Aglycones의 작용)

  • Kim, Yu.A.;Park, Kyeong-Mee;Hyun, Hack-Chul;Song, Yong-Bum;Shin, Han-Jae;Park, Hwa-Jin
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.269-273
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    • 1996
  • We investigated the effects of ginseng glycosides and their aglycones on processes of single ion channel formation and channel properties. The glycosides, Rg, and Rb, , and their aglycones, 20-(S)-protopanaxatriol (PT) and 20-(S)-protopanaxadiol (PD) increased the membrane permeability for ions. PT, PD, Rg1, and Rb1; at concentrations of 0.5, 3.0, 10.0 and 30.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml respectively; Induced single ion channel fluctuations with the life times in the range of 0.1~1005 in open states and conductances from 5 to 30 pS in 1 M KCI. At high concentrations of these substances, rapid fluctuations of transmembrane ion current with amplitude from hundred pS to dozen nS were observed. Against other substances, ginsenoside Rbl began to increase the membrane conductance at concentration of about 60 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml without fluctuation of single ion channel. Membranes treated with PT, PD, Rg1 and Rb1 are more permeable to K+, than to Cl while zero current membrane potentials with 10 gradients of KCI were 12, 16, 8, 25 mV respectively. Key words : Membrane conductance, single ion channel, ginsenosides.

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MBR technology for textile wastewater treatment: First experience in Bangladesh

  • Saha, Pradip;Hossain, Md. Zakir;Mozumder, Md. Salatul I.;Uddin, Md. Tamez;Islam, Md. Akhtarul;Hoinkis, Jan;Deowan, Shamim A.;Drioli, Enrico;Figoli, Alberto
    • Membrane and Water Treatment
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    • v.5 no.3
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    • pp.197-205
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    • 2014
  • For the first time in Bangladesh, a bench scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) unit was tested in treating a textile wastewater in the industry premises of EOS Textile Mills LTD, Dhaka for three months. The performance of the unit was compared with that of the conventional activated sludge treatment plant, which is in operation in the same premises. The COD and BOD removal efficiency of the MBR unit reached to around 90% and 80% respectively in 20 days whereas the removal efficiency of the conventional treatment plant was as low as 40-50% and 38-40% respectively. The outlet COD and the BOD level for the MBR unit remained stable in spite of the fluctuation in the feed value, while the conventional effluent treatment plant (ETP) failed to keep any stabilized level. The performance of the MBR unit was much superior to that of the functional ETP and the water treated by the MBR system can meet disposal standard.

Diffusion-based determination of protein homodimerization on reconstituted membrane surfaces

  • Jepson, Tyler A.;Chung, Jean K.
    • BMB Reports
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    • v.54 no.3
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    • pp.157-163
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    • 2021
  • The transient interactions between cellular components, particularly on membrane surfaces, are critical in the proper function of many biochemical reactions. For example, many signaling pathways involve dimerization, oligomerization, or other types of clustering of signaling proteins as a key step in the signaling cascade. However, it is often experimentally challenging to directly observe and characterize the molecular mechanisms such interactions-the greatest difficulty lies in the fact that living cells have an unknown number of background processes that may or may not participate in the molecular process of interest, and as a consequence, it is usually impossible to definitively correlate an observation to a well-defined cellular mechanism. One of the experimental methods that can quantitatively capture these interactions is through membrane reconstitution, whereby a lipid bilayer is fabricated to mimic the membrane environment, and the biological components of interest are systematically introduced, without unknown background processes. This configuration allows the extensive use of fluorescence techniques, particularly fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. In this review, we describe how the equilibrium diffusion of two proteins, K-Ras4B and the PH domain of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), on fluid lipid membranes can be used to determine the kinetics of homodimerization reactions.

Effects of Noradrenaline on the Membrane Potential of Prostatic Neuroendocrine Cells of Rat

  • Kim, Jun-Hee;Shin, Sun-Young;Uhm, Dae-Yong;Kim, Sung-Joon
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.47-52
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    • 2003
  • The prostate gland contains numerous neuroendocrine cells that are believed to influence the function of the prostate gland. Our recent study demonstrated the expression of both ${\alpha}1$- and ${\alpha}2$-ARs, signaling the release of stored $Ca^{2+}$ and the inhibition of N-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels, respectively, in rat prostate neuroendocrine cells (RPNECs). In this study, the effects of NA on the resting membrane potential (RMP) of RPNECs were investigated using a whole-cell patch clamp method. Fresh RPNECs were dissociated from the ventral lobe of rat prostate and identified from its characteristic shape; round or oval shape with dark cytoplasm. Under zero-current clamp conditions with KCl pipette solution, the resting membrane potential (RMP) of RPNECs was between -35 mV and -85 mV. In those RPNECs with relatively hyperpolarized RMP (<-60 mV), the application of noradrenaline (NA, $1{\mu}M$) depolarized the membrane to around -40 mV. In contrast, the RPNECs with relatively depolarized RMP (>-45 mV) showed a transient hyperpolarization and subsequent fluctuation at around -40 mV on application of NA. Under voltage clamp conditions (holding voltage, -40 mV) with CsCl pipette solution, NA evoked a slight inward current (<-20 pA). NA induced a sharp increase of cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_c$), measured by the fura-2 fluorescence, and the voltage clamp study showed the presence of charybdotoxin-sensitive $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ currents. In summary, adrenergic stimulation induced either depolarization or hyperpolarization of RPNECs, depending on the initial level of RMP. The inward current evoked by NA and the $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ current might partly explain the depolarization and hyperpolarization, respectively.

Operation Scheme to Regulate the Active Power Output and to Improve the Forecasting of Output Range in Wind Turbine and Fuel-Cell Hybrid System (출력변동 저감 및 출력범위 예측 향상을 위한 풍력-연료전지 하이브리드 시스템의 운영방법)

  • Kim, Yun-Seong;Moon, Dae-Seong;Won, Dong-Jun
    • The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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    • v.58 no.3
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    • pp.531-538
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    • 2009
  • The paper deals with an operation scheme to improve the forecasting of output range and to regulate the active power output of the hybrid system consisting of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) and a fuel-cell. The power output of the wind turbine fluctuates as the wind speed varies and the slip power between the rotor circuit and power converter varies as the rotor speed change. The power fluctuation of a DFIG makes its operation difficult when a DFIG is connected to grid. A fuel cell system can be individually operated and adjusted output power, hence the wind turbine and fuel cell hybrid system can overcome power fluctuation by using a fuel-cell power control. In this paper, a fuel-cell is performed to regulate the active power output in comparison with the regulated active power output of a DFIG. And it also improves the forecasting of output range. Based on PSCAD/EMTDC tools, a DFIG and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) is simulated and the dynamics of the output power in hybrid system are investigated.

Application Assessment of Passive Sampling to Monitor Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Water Environment as Alternative Sampling Method for Grab Sampling (수계 중 폴리브롬화 디페닐에테르 모니터링을 위한 Passive Sampling 적용 및 그랩 시료채취법의 대체 활용가능성 평가)

  • Kim, Un-Jung;Seo, Chang Dong;Im, Tae-Hyo;Oh, Jeong-Eun
    • Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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    • v.37 no.1
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    • pp.45-51
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    • 2015
  • PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ehters) are rarely dissolved in water due to their strong hydrophobicity and large molecular mass so not many researches were done in aqueous environment compared to other environmental compartments. However, the mass loading from wastewater treatment plant into aquatic environment, re-suspension from bottom sediment and partitioning from floating particles and colloids may not be negligible. It is, therefore, important but also difficult to investigate PBDEs in water environment. Recent overcoming resolution towards this barrier to monitor hydrophobic organic compounds in aquatic environment is using passive sampling technique like semipermeable membrane device. By using passive sampling, it might be possible to obtain long-term reproducible monitoring result and detect the trace amounts of PBDEs, with controlling fluctuation of surrounding environmental factors during the sampling event. So therefore, this study is purposed to confirm the possibility of using SPMD (semi-permeable membrane device) as water monitoring tool. Grab samples, composite samples and SPMDs were applied in river bank to evaluate the concentration difference and temporal fluctuation by various water sampling method, and to assess the water concentration prediction capability of SPMD for the PBDEs.