• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2006

Diphenyl amine (DPA) was polymerized inside the channels of the mesoporous silica (MCM-41). MCM-41 (C) and MCM-41 (D) were prepared with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB), respectively and used as hosts. Initially, the self assembly of DPA inside the pores of MCM-41 was made in ${\beta}$-naphthalene sulfonic acid (NSA) medium and subsequently poly (diphenylamine), PDPA was formed by oxidative polymerization. $N_2$ adsorption-desorption measurements of PDPA loaded MCM-41 (C) and MCM-41 (D) show variations in pore volume and surface area between them. A tubular form of poly (diphenylamine), PDPA was envisaged to form in the pores of MCM-41 and supported by high resolution transmission microscopy. The presence of PDPA inside the channel of MCM-41 was further confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.39-39
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• 2003

In our previous study, WEHI-231, an immature B cell line, showed intractable increase in [C $a^{2+}$]$_{c}$ after the B-cell receptor (BCR) ligation and treatment with 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate (2-APB), which was never observed in Bal-17, a mature B cell line (Nam et al., 2003, FEBS Lett). In this study, a whole cell voltage clamp study revealed a specific expression of a novel type of $K^{+}$ current, namely voltage-independent background-type $K^{+}$ channels (IK-bg), in WEHI-231 cells. IK-bg was dramatically increase by the application of 2-APB (50 $\square$M), which induced severe hyperpolarization of WEHI-231 from -45 ㎷ to -90 ㎷, When dialyzed with $Mg^{2+}$ and ATP-free pipette solution, a spontaneous development of IK-bg and membrane hyperpolarization were observed. IK-bg was insensitive to classical $K^{+}$ channel blockers (TEA, glibenclamide, $Ba^{2+}$(1 mM)), whereas blocked by quinine and quinidine in a voltage-dependent manner ($IC_{50}$/=6~9 $\square$M at +60㎷). Phorbol myrstate, a PKC activator, decreased the amplitude of IK-bg. Extracellular acidification (pH 6.5) slightly inhibited IK-bg. Arachidonic acid, riluzole, or hyposmotic stress could not affect the IK-bg after the full development by the intracellular dialysis with Mg-ATP-free solution. In a cell-attached mode of single channel recording from WEHI231, we found two types of voltage-independent $K^{+}$ channels with unitary conductance of 300 pS and 120 pS, respectively. Both channels showed very short mean open times and their open probabilities were increase by the application of 2-APB. In Bal-17 cells, no such $K^{+}$ current was observed in 50 cells tested. In summary, WEHI-231 immature B cells express background $K^{+}$ channels. The pharmacological properties and the large unitary conductance suggest that novel types of two-pore domain $K^{+}$ channels (2-P-K channels) might be expressed in WEHI-231, which may provide an intriguing targets of signal transduction in the immature B lymphocytes.e B lymphocytes.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.25-38
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• 1996

To investigate the stability problem of irrigation-drainage channel excavation slope on soft ground, analyzed the behavior of the soft ground with excavation slope by the limit equilibrium method and the finite element method, and compared with field tests. The results of this study were summarized as follows; 1. When rapid drawdown the water level, the crack was occurred by the effect of the excess pore water pressure, and the pore water pressure was decreased slowly. 2. As the width of excavation was larger, the crack width was larger. And, excavated depth was deeper, the progressive failure was appeared. 3. When the soft ground excavation was small-scale, the minimum safety factor was more effected by cohesion(1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0) than excavated slope inclination(1:l, 1:1.5, 1:2). 4. As excavation was progressed, the settlement occurred on the top-slope due to plastic domain, and heaving was occurred at the bottom of excavation. 5. The maximum shear stress was appeared greatly as the base part of slope went down. Because of the increase of the maximum shear stress, tension area occurred and local failure possibility was increased. 6. As the excavation depth was increased, the maximum shear strain was appeared greatly at the base of slope and distribution pattern was concentrated beneath the middle of slope.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2006

The ceramic microfiltration system with periodic $N_2$-back-flushing was operated for treating paper wastewater discharged from a company making toilet papers by recycling milk or juice cartons. Two kinds of alumina membranes with 7 channels used here for recycling paper wastewater. The optimal filtration time interval for HC04 membrane with $0.4{\mu}m$ pore size was lower value of 4 min than 16 min for HC10 with $1.0{\mu}m$ pore size at fixed back-flushing time 40 sec, trans-membrane pressure $1.0kg_f/cm^2$ and back-flushing pressure $5.0kg_f/cm^2$. From the results of TMP effect at fixed filtration time interval and back-flushing time, the lower TMP was better on membrane fouling because high TMP could make easily membrane cake and fouling inside membrane structure. However, we could acquire the highest volume of total permeate at the highest TMP for the reason that TMP was driving force in our filtration system to treat paper wastewater. Then the permeate water of low turbidity was acquired in our microfiltration system using multi channels ceramic membranes, and the treated water could be reused in paper process.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 2019

In geological $CO_2$ sequestration, the behavior of $CO_2$ within a reservoir can be characterized as two-phase flow in a porous media. For two phase flow, these processes include drainage, when a wetting fluid is displaced by a non-wetting fluid and imbibition, when a non-wetting fluid is displaced by a wetting fluid. In $CO_2$ sequestration, an understanding of drainage and imbibition processes and the resulting NW phase residual trapping are of critical importance to evaluate the impacts and efficiencies of these displacement process. This study aimed to observe migration and residual trapping of immiscible fluids in porous media via cyclic injection of drainage-imbibition. For this purpose, cyclic injection experiments by applying n-hexane and deionized water used as proxy fluid of $scCO_2$ and pore water were conducted in the two dimensional micromodel. The images from experiment were used to estimate the saturation and observed distribution of n-hexane and deionized water over the course drainage-imbibition cycles. Experimental results showed that n-hexane and deionized water are trapped by wettability, capillarity, dead end zone, entrapment and bypassing during $1^{st}$ drainage-imbibition cycle. Also, as cyclic injection proceeds, the flow path is simplified around the main flow path in the micromodel, and the saturation of injection fluid converges to remain constant. Experimental observation results can be used to predict the migration and distribution of $CO_2$ and pore water by reservoir environmental conditions and drainage-imbibition cycles.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2014

Programmed cell death or apoptosis is associated with changes in $K^+$ concentration in many cell types. Recent studies have demonstrated that two-pore domain $K^+$ ($K_{2P}$) channels are involved in mouse embryonic development and apoptotic volume decrease of mammalian cells. In cerebellar granule neurons that normally undergo apoptosis during the early developmental stage, TASK-1 and TASK-3, members of $K_{2P}$ channels, were found to be critical for cell death. This study was performed to identify the role of $K^+$ channels in the $H_2O_2$-induced or cryo-induced cell death of mouse and bovine embryos. Mouse and bovine two-cell stage embryos (2-cells) exposed to $H_2O_2$ for 4 h suffered from apoptosis. The 2-cells showed positive TUNEL staining. Treatment with high concentration of KCl (25mM) inhibited $H_2O_2$-induced apoptosis of 2-cells by 19%. Cryo-induced death in bovine blastocysts showed positive TUNEL staining only in the cells near the plasma membrane. Cryoprotectant supplemented with 25 mM KCl reduced apoptosis slightly compared to cryoprotectant supplemented with 5 mM KCl. However, the combination of antioxidants (${\beta}$-mercaptoethanol) with 25 mM KCl significantly decreased the rate of $H_2O_2$-induced and cryo-induced apoptosis compared to treatments with only antioxidants or 25 mM KCl. These results show that blockage of $K^+$ channel efflux for a short-time reduces $H_2O_2$- and cryo-induced apoptosis in mouse and bovine embryos. Our findings suggest that apoptosis in mouse and bovine embryos might be controlled by modulation of $K^+$ channels which are highly expressed in a given cell type.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.11-16
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• 2021

Recently, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems, which are superior to conventional two-dimensional (2D) vascular systems that mimic the in vivo environment, are being actively studied to reproduce drug responses and cell differentiation in organisms. Conventional two-dimensional cell culture methods (scaffold-based and non-scaffold-based) have a limited cell growth rate because the culture cannot supply the culture medium as consistently as microvessels. To solve this problem, we would like to propose a 3D culture system with an environment similar to living cells by continuously supplying the culture medium to the bottom of the 3D cell support. The 3D culture system is a structure in which microvascular structures are combined under a scaffold (agar, collagen, etc.) where cells can settle and grow. First, we have manufactured molds for the formation of four types of microvessel-mimicking chips: width / height ①100 ㎛ / 100 ㎛, ②100 ㎛ / 50 ㎛, ③ 150 ㎛ / 100 ㎛, and ④ 200 ㎛ / 100 ㎛. By injection molding, four types of microfluidic chips were made with GPPS (general purpose polystyrene), and a 100㎛-thick PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) film was attached to the top of each microfluidic chip. As a result of observing the flow of the culture medium in the microchannel, it was confirmed that when the aspect ratio (height/width) of the microchannel is 1.5 or more, the fluid flows from the inlet to the outlet without a backflow phenomenon. In addition, the culture efficiency experiments of colorectal cancer cells (SW490) were performed in a 3D culture system in which PDMS films with different pore diameters (1/25/45 ㎛) were combined on a microfluidic chip. As a result, it was found that the cell growth rate increased up to 1.3 times and the cell death rate decreased by 71% as a result of the 3D culture system having a hole membrane with a diameter of 10 ㎛ or more compared to the conventional commercial. Based on the results of this study, it is possible to expand and build various 3D cell culture systems that can maximize cell culture efficiency by cell type by adjusting the shape of the microchannel, the size of the film hole, and the flow rate of the inlet.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.565-570
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• 2022

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive and devastating disease whose pathogenesis is associated with a phenotypic switch of pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling and potassium two pore domain channel subfamily K member 3 (KCNK3) play crucial roles in PAH pathogenesis. However, the relationship between BMP signaling and KCNK3 expression in the PASMC phenotypic switching process has not been studied. In this study, we explored the effect of BMPs on KCNK3 expression and the role of KCNK3 in the BMP-mediated PASMC phenotypic switch. Expression levels of BMP receptor 2 (BMPR2) and KCNK3 were downregulated in PASMCs of rats with PAH compared to those in normal controls, implying a possible association between BMP/BMPR2 signaling and KCNK3 expression in the pulmonary vasculature. Treatment with BMP2, BMP4, and BMP7 significantly increased KCNK3 expression in primary human PASMCs (HPASMCs). BMPR2 knockdown and treatment with Smad1/5 signaling inhibitor substantially abrogated the BMP-induced increase in KCNK3 expression, suggesting that KCNK3 expression in HPASMCs is regulated by the canonical BMP-BMPR2-Smad1/5 signaling pathway. Furthermore, KCNK3 knockdown and treatment with a KCNK3 channel blocker completely blocked BMP-mediated anti-proliferation and expression of contractile marker genes in HPAMSCs, suggesting that the expression and functional activity of KCNK3 are required for BMP-mediated acquisition of the quiescent PASMC phenotype. Overall, our findings show a crosstalk between BMP signaling and KCNK3 in regulating the PASMC phenotype, wherein BMPs upregulate KCNK3 expression and KCNK3 then mediates BMP-induced phenotypic switching of PASMCs. Our results indicate that the dysfunction and/or downregulation of BMPR2 and KCNK3 observed in PAH work together to induce aberrant changes in the PASMC phenotype, providing insights into the complex molecular pathogenesis of PAH.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.421-431
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• 2016

Novel membrane technologies that harness ordered nanostructures have recently received much attention because they allow for high permeability due to their reduced flow resistance while also maintaining high selectivity due to their isoporous characteristics. In particular, the opaline structure (made from the self-assembly of colloidal particles) and its inverted form (inverse-opal) have shown strong potential for membrane applications on account of several advantages in processing and the resulting membrane properties. These include controllability over the pore size and surface functional moieties, which enable a wide range of applications ranging from size-exclusive separation to catalytically-reactive membranes. Furthermore, when combined with multiscale architecturing strategies, inverse-opal-structured membranes can be designed to have specific pores or channel structures. These materials are anticipated to be utilized for next-generation, high-performance, and high-value-added functional membranes. In this review article, various types of inverse-opal-structured membranes are reviewed and their functionalization through hierarchical structuring will be comprehensively investigated and discussed.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.10
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• pp.677-682
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• 2010

Kv4.2, a pore-forming $\alpha$-subunit of voltage-gated A-type potassium channels, is expressed abundantly in the soma and dendrites of hippocampal neurons, and is responsible for somatodendritic $I_A$ current. Recent studies have suggested that changes in the surface levels of Kv4.2 potassium channels might be relevant to synaptic plasticity. Although the function and expression of Kv4.2 protein have been extensively studied, the dendritic localization of Kv4.2 mRNA is not well described. In this study, Kv4.2 mRNAs were shown to be localized in the dendrites near postsynaptic regions. The dendritic transport of Kv4.2 mRNAs were mediated by microtubule-based movement. The 500 nucleotides of specific regions within the 3'-untranslated region of Kv4.2 mRNA were found to be necessary and sufficient for its dendritic localization. Collectively, these results suggest that the dendritic localization of Kv4.2 mRNAs might regulate the dendritic surface level of Kv4.2 channels and synaptic plasticity.