• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2019

Optical stimulation provides a promising alternative to electrical stimulation to selectively modulate tissue. However, developing noninvasive techniques to directly stimulate excitable tissue without introducing genetic modifications and minimizing cellular stress remains an ongoing challenge. Infrared (IR) light has been used to achieve optical pacing for electrophysiological studies in embryonic quail and mammalian hearts. Here, we demonstrate optical stimulation and pacing of the embryonic chicken heart using a pulsed infrared thulium laser with a wavelength of 1927 nm. By recording stereomicroscope outputs and quantifying heart rates and movements through video processing, we found that heart rate increases instantly following irradiation with a large spot size and high radiant exposure. Targeting the atrium using a smaller spot size and lower radiant exposure achieved pacing, as the heart rate synchronized with the laser to 2 Hz. This study demonstrates the viability of using the 1927 nm thulium laser for cardiac stimulation and optical pacing, expanding the optical parameters and IR lasers that can be used to modulate cardiac dynamics.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.34-39
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• 2015

Recently, most of the energy consumed in vehicle is derived from fossil fuels. For this reason, the demand for clean, renewable and affordable alternative energy is forcing the automotive industry to look beyond the conventional fossil fuels. Natural gas represents today a promising alternative to conventional fuels for vehicles propulsion, because it is characterized by a relatively low cost, better geopolitical distribution than oil, lower environmental impact, higher octane number and a higher self ignition temperature. Above all, CNG is an environmentally clean alternative to the existing spark ignition engines with the advantages of minimum change. In this study was installed bi-fuel system that a conventional 2 liters gasoline engine was modified to run on natural gas by a gas injection system. Experiments were mainly carried on the optimization of an ECU control strategy affecting the emission characteristics of CNG/Gasoline bi-fule vehicle. The test results shown that CO2 emission in bi-fuel mode was reduced 16% compared to gasoline fuel in the NEDC mode. Also the amount of CO and HC emissions in bi-fuel and gasoline modes were found to equality. But Compared to gasoline, the bi-fuel mode resulted in higher NOx emissions.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30
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• pp.7.1-7.7
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• 2015

Objectives The widely promising applications of graphene nanomaterials raise considerable concerns regarding their environmental and human health risk assessment. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the toxicity profiling of graphene family nanano-materials (GFNs) in alternative in vitro and in vivo toxicity testing models. Methods The GFNs used in this study are graphene nanoplatelets ([GNPs]-pristine, carboxylate [COOH] and amide [$NH_2$]) and graphene oxides (single layer [SLGO] and few layers [FLGO]). The human bronchial epithelial cells (Beas2B cells) as in vitro system and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as in vivo system were used to profile the toxicity response of GFNs. Cytotoxicity assays, colony formation assay for cellular toxicity and reproduction potentiality in C. elegans were used as end points to evaluate the GFNs' toxicity. Results In general, GNPs exhibited higher toxicity than GOs in Beas2B cells, and among the GNPs the order of toxicity was pristine > $NH_2$ > COOH. Although the order of toxicity of the GNPs was maintained in C. elegans reproductive toxicity, but GOs were found to be more toxic in the worms than GNPs. In both systems, SLGO exhibited profoundly greater dose dependency than FLGO. The possible reason of their differential toxicity lay in their distinctive physicochemical characteristics and agglomeration behavior in the exposure media. Conclusions The present study revealed that the toxicity of GFNs is dependent on the graphene nanomaterial's physical forms, surface functionalizations, number of layers, dose, time of exposure and obviously, on the alternative model systems used for toxicity assessment.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.75-83
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• 2020

In large-scale hospitals, the department of biomedical engineering should always provide quick repair service for damaged medical devices to guarantee continuous patient treatment. However, in actual circumstances, there are so many time-consuming issues that delays device repair for weeks or even months; therefore, it is required to prepare alternative ways for quick repair service. In this study, we first mentioned about the regulation issues in Korea about the 3D printing-based medical device repair, and then introduced the results of our preliminary study that evaluated the feasibility of 3D printing-based medical device repair before real-field application. Results of the study demonstrated that, in all of the 23 cases, parts for repair that were manufactured by 3D-printing were successfully fixed and connected to the main body of the original device, and showed sufficient rigidity for protecting internal parts of the device. Considering the experimental results, medical device repair by applying 3D printing technology can be a promising alternative in cases when regular repair process is not available or takes too much time.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.176-182
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• 2011

Industrial network, often referred to as fieldbus, becomes an indispensable component for intelligent manufacturing systems. Thus, in order to satisfy the real-time requirements of field devices such as sensors, actuators, and controllers, numerous fieldbus protocols have been developed. But, the application of fieldbus has been limited due to the high cost of hardware and the difficulty in interfacing with multi-vendor products. As an alternative to fieldbus, the Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) technology is being adapted to the industrial environment. However, the crucial technical obstacle of Ethernet is its non-deterministic behavior that cannot satisfy the real-time requirements. Recently, the EtherCAT protocol becomes a very promising alternative for real-time industrial application due to the elimination of uncertainties in Ethernet. This paper focuses on the implementation of the IEC 61800 based real-time EtherCAT network for multi-axis smart driver. To demonstrate the feasibility of the implemented EtherCAT slave module, its synchronization performance is evaluated on the experimental EtherCAT testbed with a single axis smart driver.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1213-1221
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• 2020

Chromium-nickel alloy 42XNM (XHM-1, Bochvalloy) is considered as a promising material for future generations of nuclear reactors, primarily as a material for the fuel elements shells in the development of accident tolerant fuel. However, as with most nickel-based alloys, 42ХNМ is characterized by a sharp decrease in plastic properties in the temperature range of (500-900)℃. This effect is enhanced by neutron irradiation. Preliminary tests of ring samples of 42XNM alloy (after irradiation as a part of the VVER-1000 control system) in the temperature range of ductility failure showed that the standard technique for processing tensile diagrams does not allow to evaluate the plastic properties correctly at low strains. Therefore, in this work, the alternative method for testing ring samples from materials with low plastic characteristics was developed. It was shown that the minimum value of the permanent strain of the irradiated 42XNM alloy in the temperature range of (500-1100)℃, determined by the alternative method, was ~1.6% at 750 ℃.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.299-310
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• 2009

Fuel cells are expected to be promising future power sources in both aspects of thermal efficiency and environmental friendliness. Accordingly, worldwide research and development efforts have been enormously increasing recently in various applications such as power plants, transportation and portable power sources. Among others, high temperature fuel cells, such as solid oxide fuel cells and molten carbonate fuel cells, are suitable for electric power plants. Moreover, their high operating temperature is quite appropriate to construct further advanced integrated systems. This paper reviews recent literatures on research and development of integrated power generation systems based on high temperature fuel cells. Research and development efforts are summarized in the area of fuel cell/ gas turbine hybrid systems, application of carbon capture technology to fuel cell systems, integration of coal gasification with fuel cells, and the use of alternative fuels.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.79-86
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• 2023

As we strive to mitigate the environmental impact caused by the use of fossil fuels, the exploration of alternative energy sources has gained significant attention. Solar energy, in particular, has emerged as a promising solution due to its eco-friendly nature and virtually limitless availability. Among the various types of solar cells that harness this abundant energy source, organic solar cells have garnered considerable interest. Organic solar cells feature a photo-active layer composed of organic semiconductors, offering a range of appealing advantages such as cost-effectiveness, flexibility, translucency, and the ability to produce customizable colors. However, the commercialization of organic solar cells has been impeded by certain challenges, notably their relatively low efficiency and stability. To overcome these obstacles and pave the way for wider adoption, researchers have been exploring innovative approaches, including the implementation of ternary blend organic solar cells. This strategy involves introducing a third component into the photo-active layer alongside the organic semiconductors, with the aim of enhancing the overall performance of the solar cell. In this paper, we delve into the issues associated with organic solar cells and focus on one potential solution: ternary blend organic solar cells. Specifically, we examine the application of this approach to PM6:Y6, which stands as one of the most popular combinations of organic semiconductors. By investigating the potential of ternary blends, particularly utilizing PM6:Y6, we aim to accelerate the commercialization of organic solar cells.

• Journal of Semiconductor Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2020

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology is now facing a power scaling limit to increase integration density. Since 1970s, multi-valued logic (MVL) has been considered as promising alternative to resolve power scaling challenge for increasing information density up to peta-scale level by reducing the system complexity. Over the past several decades, however, a power-scalable and mass-producible MVL technology has been absent so that MVL circuit and system implementation have been delayed. Recently, compact MVL device researches incorporating multiple-switching characteristics in a single device such as 2D heterojunction-based negative-differential resistance (NDR)/transconductance (NDT) devices and quantum-dot/superlattices-based constant intermediate current have been actively performed. Meanwhile, wafer-scale, energy-efficient and variation-tolerant ternary-CMOS (T-CMOS) technology has been demonstrated through commercial foundry. In this review paper, an overview for MVL development history including recent studies will be presented. Then, the status and its future research direction of MVL technology will be discussed focusing on the T-CMOS technology for peta-scale information processing in semiconductor chip.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.84-92
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• 1999

The rumen microbial ecosystem is coming to be recognized as a rich alternative source of genes for industrially useful enzymes. Recent advances in biotechnology are enabling development of novel strategies for effective delivery and enhancement of these gene products. One particularly promising avenue for industrial application of rumen enzymes is as feed supplements for nonruminant and ruminant animal diets. Increasing competition in the livestock industry has forced producers to cut costs by adopting new technologies aimed at increasing production efficiency. Cellulases, xylanases, ${\beta}$-glucanases, pectinases, and phytases have been shown to increase the efficiency of feedstuff utilization (e.g., degradation of cellulose, xylan and ${\beta}$-glucan) and to decrease pollutants (e.g., phytic acid). These enzymes enhance the availability of feed components to the animal and eliminate some of their naturally occurring antinutritional effects. In the past, the cost and inconvenience of enzyme production and delivery has hampered widespread application of this promising technology. Over the last decade, however, advances in recombinant DNA technology have significantly improved microbial production systems. Novel strategies for delivery and enhancement of genes and gene products from the rumen include expression of seed proteins, oleosin proteins in canola and transgenic animals secreting digestive enzymes from the pancreas. Thus, the biotechnological framework is in place to achieve substantial improvements in animal production through enzyme supplementation. On the other hand, the rumen ecosystem provides ongoing enrichment and natural selection of microbes adapted to specific conditions, and represents a virtually untapped resource of novel products such as enzymes, detoxificants and antibiotics.