• Membrane Journal
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.126-134
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• 2016

To produce renewable biomethane from biogas, the properties of physical absorbents such as water, methanol, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), poly(ethylene glycol) dimethylether (PEGDME), and propylene carbonate (PC) were studied, and PC was applied to membrane contactor systems. Among physical absorbents, PC exhibited a high contact angle of $58.3^{\circ}$ on polypropylene surface, and a PC/water mixture (5 wt%) increased the contact angle to $90^{\circ}$. Furthermore, the PC/water mixture presented higher $CO_2$ absorption capacities (0.148-0.157 mmol/g) than that of water (0.121 mmol/g), demonstrating a good property as an absorbent for membrane contactors. Actual operations in membrane contactors using the PC/water mixture resulted in $CO_2$ removal of 98.0-97.8% with biomethane purities of 98.5-98.3%, presenting a strong potential for biogas treatment. However, the PC/water mixture yielded moderate improved in $CO_2$ removal and methane recovery, as compared with water in the membrane contactor operation. This is originated from insufficient desorption processes to reuse absorbent and low $CO_2$ flux of the PC/water absorbent. Thus, it is requiring optimizations of membrane contactor technology including development of absorbent and improvement of operation process.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2004

In the present study, phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolyzing enzyme had been isolated from membrane of flounder liver. PC hydrolyzing enzyme solubilized in 1% Triton X -100 from membrane was partially purified by sequential chromatography on Heparin Sepharose CL-6B and Heparin-5PW columns. The products by membrane-bound hydrolyzing enzyme were identified as phosphatidic acid and choline, but in the presence of primary alcohol, phosphatidylethanol was produced at the expense of phosphatidic acid. These data suggest that membrane-bound enzyme may be a PC-phosphoipase D (PLD) type. The enzyme had pH optimum at below 6.0 and temperature optimum at $37^\circ{C}$. The activity of PC-PLD was dose-dependently increased by $Ca^{2+}$ but not $Mg^{2+}$. The activity of PC-PLD was stimulate by PC, PIP2 and PE.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2003

1-Methylated $\beta$-carbolines (harmaline and harmalol) and antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine and ascorbate) reduced the loss of cell viability in differentiated PC 12 cells treated with 5 mM glutamate. $\beta$-Carbolines prevented the glutamate-induced decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation in PC 12 cells. $\beta$-Carbolines reduced the formation of reactive oxygen species and depletion of glutathione due to glutamate in PC12 cells. $\beta$-Carbolines revealed a scavenging action on hydrogen peroxide and reduced the iron and EDTA-mediated degradation of 2-deoxy-D-ribose. The results suggest that I-methylated $\beta$-carbolines attenuate the cytotoxic effect of glutamate on PC12 cells by reducing the alteration of mitochondrial membrane permeability that seems to be mediated by oxidative stress.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2004

Opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore has been recognized to be involved in cell death. The present study investigated the effect of ${\beta}$-carbolines (harmaline and harmalol) and deprenyl on the dopamine-induced change in the mitochondrial membrane permeability and cell death in differentiated PC12 cells. Cell death due to 250 4{\mu}$M dopamine was inhibited by caspase inhibitors (z-IETD.fmk, z-LEHD.fmk and z-DQMD.fmk) and antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine, ascorbate, superoxide dismutase, catalase and carboxy-PTIO). ${\beta}$-Carbolines prevented the dopamine-induced cell death in PCl2 cells, while deprenyl did not inhibit cell death. ${\beta}$-Carbolines decreased the condensation and fragmentation of nuclei caused by dopamine in PC12 cells. ${\beta}$-Carbolines inhibited the decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential, cytochrome c release, formation of reactive oxygen species and depletion of GSH caused by dopamine in PC12 cells, whereas deprenyl did not decrease dopamine-induced mitochondrial damage. ${\beta}$-Carbolines, deprenyl and antioxidants depressed the formation of nitric oxide and melanin in dopamine-treated PC12 cells. The results suggest that cell death due to dopamine PC12 cells is mediated by caspase-8, -9 and -3. Unlike deprenyl, ${\beta}$-carbolines may attenuate the dopamineinduced cell death in PC12 cells by suppressing change in the mitochondrial membrane permeability through inhibition of the toxic action of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2001

Polycarbonate(PC) membranes for oxygen enrichment from air were prepared by the wet phase inversion method. In order to improve oxygen separation performances of the PC membrane, the effect of the added ethanol(nonsolvent) and $CuCl_2$(metal salt) concentration in the casting solution on morphology, oxygen permeability ami $O_2/N_2$ separation factor of the membrane was studied. In addition, tensile strength and elongation at break of the membrane were investigated. An asymmetric membrane with a dense top layer and a porous sublayer was obtained. The thickness of the dense top layer decreased with increasing amount of nonsolvent additive. Compared with pure PC membrane without additive(metal salt), the oxygen permeability and $O_2/N_2$ separation factor of the $PC/CuCl_2$ membrane are significantly improved. The oxygen permeability and $O_2/N_2$ separation factor is $5.25{\times}10^{-9}cm^3(STP){\cdot}cm/cm^2{\cdot}sec{\cdot}cmHg$ and 4.5, respectively. This improvement might be due to good interaction between metal salt and oxygen.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2009

This paper presents the numerical study on the strength safety of the prestressed concrete outer tank for a LNG storage tank, which is manufactured by sets of membrane panels with special corrugations. This study for a finite element analysis assumes that the membrane panel of the inner tank was fractured and the liquefied natural gas stored in the inner membrane tank was leaked to the prestressed concrete outer tank. The stress and displacement of the outer tank have been analyzed for five different loadings, which are originated by a hydrostatic pressure and a weight of a LNG, a temperature difference, a weight of the prestressed concrete and a boil-off gas pressure. The computed FEM results indicate that the PC outer tank with a storage capacity of 200,000$m^3$ has a good strength safety for a leaked LNG from the membrane inner tank, but the increased cryogenic loadings in which are originated by a leaked LNG decreases the strength safety of the PC structure. This may lead to the collapse of the outer storage tank.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.256-262
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• 2011

This study describes the performance of PSF and PC membranes for separation and recovery of $SF_6$ from gas mixtures (10% $SF_6$/70% $N_2$/19% $O_2$/1% $CF_4$) containing low concentration of $SF_6$. The $SF_6$ concentration in retentate, recovery efficiency and selectivity of mixed gases were measured as a function of retentate flow rate and temperature. The concentration of $SF_6$ in the gas recovered from PSF and PC membrane respectively decreased with increase of retentate flow rate and increased with increase of temperature. The values of $SF_6$ concentration in retentate of PSF membrane were higher than those of PC membrane at constant experimental conditions. The maximum value of recovery efficiency of PSF and PC membranes are 95.9% and 67.8%, respectively, under 298.15 K and 150 cc/min of retentate flow rate. With the exception of $CF_4/SF_6$, the real selectivities of $N_2/SF_6$ and $O_2/SF_6$ at PSF membrane were higher than those of PC membrane.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.468-474
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• 1998

Membrane depolarization in PC12 cells induces calcium influx via an L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channel (L-VSCC) and increases intracellular free calcium, which leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and the associated adaptor protein, She. This activated EGF receptor complex then can activate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, as in nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor activation. In the present study, we investigated the role of EGF receptor in the signaling pathway initiated by membrane depolarization of PC12 cells. Prolonged membrane depolarization induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) within 1 min in undifferentiated PC12 cells. Pretreatment of PC12 cells with the calcium chelator EGTA abolished depolarization-stimulated ERK phosphorylation, but NGF-induced phosphorylation of ERK was not affected. The chronic treatment of phorbol ester, which down-regulated the activity of protein kinase C (PKC), did not affect the phosphorylation of ERK upon depolarization. In the presence of an inhibitor of EGF receptor, neither depolarization nor calcium ionophore increased the level of ERK phosphorylation. These data imply that the EGF receptor is functionally necessary to activate ERK and neurite outgrowth in response to the prolonged depolarization in PC12 cells, and also that PKC is apparently not involved in this signaling pathway.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2006

The promoting effect of hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) against the cytotoxicity of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ($MPP^+$) in differentiated PC12 cells was assessed by measuring the effect on the mitochondrial membrane permeability. Treatment of PC12 cells with $MPP^+$ resulted in the nuclear damage, decrease in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, cytosolic accumulation of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-3, increase in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and depletion of GSH. Addition of $H_2O_2$ enhanced the $MPP^+-induced$ nuclear damage and cell death. Catalase, Carboxy-PTIO, Mn-TBAP, N-acetylcysteine, cyclosporin A and trifluoperazine inhibited the cytotoxic effect of $MPP^+$ in the presence of $H_2O_2$. Addition of $H_2O_2$ promoted the change in the mitochondrial membrane permeability, ROS formation and decrease in GSH contents due to $MPP^+$ in PC12 cells. The results show that the $H_2O_2$ treatment promotes the cytotoxicity of $MPP^+$ against PC12 cells. $H_2O_2$ may enhance the $MPP^+$-induced viability loss in PC12 cells by promoting the mitochondrial membrane permeability change, release of cytochrome c and subsequent activation of caspase-3, which is associated with the increased formation of ROS and depletion of GSH. The findings suggest that $H_2O_2$ as a promoting agent for the formation of mitochondrial permeability transition may enhance the neuronal cell injury caused by neurotoxins.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.373-377
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• 2007

No phosphatidylcholine (PC) was detected in the membrane of Rhodobacter sphaeroides pmtA mutant (PmtAl) lacking phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) N-methyltransferase, whereas PE in the mutant was increased up to the mole % comparable to the combined level of PE and PC of wild type. Neither the fatty acid composition nor the fluidity of membrane was altered by pmtA mutation. Consistently, aerobic and photoheterotrophic growth of PmtAl were not different from wild type. However, PmtAl showed an extended lag phase (15 h) after the growth transition from aerobic to photoheterotrophic conditions, indicating the PC requirement for the efficient formation of intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM). Interestingly, the B800-850 complex of PmtAl was decreased more than twofold in comparison with wild type, whereas the level of the B875 complex comprising the fixed photosynthetic unit was not changed. Since puc expression is not affected by pmtA mutation, PC appears to be required for the proper formation of the B800-850 complex in the ICM of R. sphaeroides.