• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.1510-1515
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• 2004

Aggregability of red blood cells (RBCs) was determined by a laser backscattering light analysis in a microfluidic channel. Available techniques for RBC aggregation often adopt a rotational Couette-flow using bob-and-cup system for disaggregating RBCs, which causes the system to be complex and expensive. A disposable microfluidic channel and vibration generating mechanism were used in the proposed new detection system for RBC aggregation. Prior to measurement, RBC aggregates in a blood sample were completely disaggregated by applying vibration-induced shear. With the present apparatus, the aggregation indexes of RBCs can be easily measured with small quantities of blood sample. The measurements with the present aggregometer were compared with those of LORCA and showed a strong correlation between them. The aggregability of the defibrinogenated blood RBCs is markedly lower than that of the normal RBCs. The noble feature of this design is the vibration-induced disaggregation mechanism, which enables to incorporate disposable element that holds the blood sample.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.622-630
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• 1998

Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) was tested for the removal of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) by using simulated aquaculture system. RBC performance was evaluated by controlling revolution rate of disk and hydraulic residence tile (HRT). The optimum revolution rate of disk was 4 rpm, As HRT of RBC was increased, TAN removal efficiency of RBC and TAN concentration of rearing water were increased. HRT for maintaining lowest TAN concentration of rearing water was 9.5 minutes and at that condition TAN concentration of rearing tank was $1.03 g/m^3$

• Annals of Laboratory Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.599-603
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• 2018

Frequencies of red blood cell (RBC) blood group antigens differ by ethnicity. Since the number of immigrants is increasing in Korea, RBC antigens should be assessed in children/youths with parents of different ethnicities to ensure safe transfusions. We investigated the frequency of RBC antigens, except for ABO and RhD, in 382 children and youths with parents having Korean and non-Korean ethnicities. Subjects were divided into those with ethnically Korean parents (Korean group; N=252) and those with at least one parent of non-Korean ethnicity (non-Korean group; N=130). The 37 RBC antigens were genotyped using the ID CORE XT system (Progenika Biopharma-Grifols, Bizkaia, Spain). The frequencies of the Rh (E, C, e, $hr^S$, and $hr^B$), Duffy ($Fy^a$), MNS ($Mi^a$), and Cartwright ($Yt^b$) antigens differed significantly between the two groups. Eight and 11 subjects in the Korean and non-Korean groups, respectively, exhibited negative expression of high-frequency antigens, whereas 14 subjects in the non-Korean group showed positive expression of low-frequency antigens. The frequency of RBC antigens has altered alongside demographic changes in Korea and might lead to changes in distribution of RBC antibodies that cause acute or delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.61-66
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• 2007

The aggregation characteristics of red blood cells (RBCs) are known as important factors in the microvascular flow system, and increased RBC aggregation has been observed in various pathological diseases, such as thrombosis and myocardial infarction. This paper describes a simple microfluidic device for measuring the RBC aggregation by integrating a microfluidic slit rheometry and laser-backscattering technique. While a decreasing-pressure mechanism was applied to the microfluidic rheometry, a syllectogram (the light intensity versus time) showed an initial increase and a peak caused by the high shear stress-induced disaggregation, immediately followed by a decrease in the light intensity due to RBC aggregation. The critical shear stress (CST) corresponding to the peak intensity was examined as a new index of the RBC aggregation characteristics. The CST of RBCs increased with increasing aggregation-dominating protein (fibrinogen) in the blood plasma. The essential feature of this design was the combination of the rheometric-optic characterization of RBC aggregation with a microfluidic chip, which may potentially allow cell aggregation measurements to be easily carried out in a clinical setting.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 1999

Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) was tested for the treatment of artificial rearing water in n simulated aquaculture system. Performance of RBC on the removal of TAN and COD was evaluated by controlling hydraulic residence time (HRT). As HRT of RBC was increased, TAN removal rate ana removal efficiency of RBC and TAN concentration of rearing water were increased, but COD removal rate was decreased. Total alkalinity consumption rate was increased by increasing HRT of RBC. Ratio between total alkalinity consumption rate and TAN removal rate was 7.73. HRT for maintaining lowest TAN and COD concentration of artificial rearing water was 14,6 minutes and at that condition TAN and COD concentration of the water was 1.28 and $5.59 g/m^3$, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.195-202
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• 2010

The evaluation of organic matters and nutrients removal was investigated for the synthetic wastewater and the high strength of dairy wastewater. Two different systems were performed for this research. System A composing of a single RBC with tapered aeration was fed with the synthetic wastewater for 74 days with 173L/day of influent, 200% of internal return and 100% of sludge return for the period 1 and 2. The feed conditions were maintained 346L/day of influent, 50% of internal return and sludge return for the period 3. The dairy wastewater was introduced to evaluate treatment efficiency for system B composing of dual RBCs and tapered aeration tanks for 50 days of experimental run time, in which hydraulic rates were maintained at the constant ratios of 346L/day, 50% of internal return and 50% of sludge return. The spiral string media made of nylon fibre was attached by Bacillus sp. in RBC for both systems. The specific area of string media was $1.4m^2$/m and biomass was maintained at the concentrations of 23g/m. The synthetic wastewater was supplied by 1,800mg/L of glucose, 500mg/L of $NH_4Cl$, and 500mg/L of $KH_2PO_4$ to system A. The dairy wastewater was supplied to system B from dairy production plant. The average influent concentrations were 1,334mg/L of BOD, 2,014mg/L of CODcr, 160mg/L of T-N, and 12mg/L of T-P in system A. The average influent concentrations of parameters were 1,006 mg/L for BOD, 1,875mg/L for $COD_{cr}$, 51.6mg/L for T-N and 8.9mg/L for T-P in system B. Results indicated that removal efficiencies of BOD and $COD_{cr}$ were more than 90% however, the removal efficiency of T-N was 87%, and that of T-P was 82% for system A. Removal efficiencies were 98.5% of BOD, 91.3% of nitrogen and 89% of phosphorus for system B. The removal efficiencies of organic matters, T-N and T-P were higher in system B than in system A. The effluent quality issued by the stringent national legislations for the discharge of the high strength of dairy products wastewater can be improved using sequential RBCsand tapered aeration reactors rather than a single RBC and tapered aeration reactors with Bacillus sp.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.887-893
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• 2005

The aggregability of red blood cells (RBCs) was determined by laser backscattering light analysis in a microfluidic channel. Available techniques for RBC aggregation often adopt a rotational Couette-flow using a bob-and-cup system for disaggregating RBCs, which causes the system to be complex and expensive. A disposable microfluidic channel and vibration generating mechanism were used in the proposed new detection system for RBC aggregation. Prior to measurement, RBC aggregates in a blood sample were completely disaggregated by the application of vibration-induced shear. With the present apparatus, the aggregation indexes of RBCs can be measured easily with small quantities of a blood sample. The measurements with the present aggregometer were compared with those of LORCA and the results showed a strong correlation between them. The aggregability of the defibrinogenated blood RBCs is markedly lower than that of the normal RBCs. The noble feature of this design is the vibration-induced disaggregation mechanism, which can incorporate the disposable element that holds the blood sample.

• 순환기질환의공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.3-18
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• 2002

Hemorheology plays an important role in atherosclerosis. Hemorheologic properties of blood include whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, hemaocrit, RBC deformability and aggregation, and fibrinogen concentration in plasma. Blood flow is determine by three parameters (pressure, lumen diameter, and whole blood viscosity), whole blood viscosity is one of the key physiological variables. However, the significance of whole blood viscosity has not yet not been fully appreciated. Whole blood viscosity has a unique property, non-Newtonian shear-thinning characteristics, which is primarily due to the presence of RBCs. Hence, RBC deformability and aggregation directly affect the magnitude of blood viscosity, and any factors or diseases affecting RBC characteristics influence blood viscosity. Therefore, on can see that whole blood viscosity is the causal mechanism by which traditional risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, exercise, obesity, age, and gender are related to atherogenesis. In this regard, we included whole blood viscosity in the three key determinants of injurious pulsatile flow that results in mechanical injury and protective adaptation in the arterial system. Because whole blood viscosity is a potential predictor of cardiovascular diseases, it should be measured in routine cardiovascular profiles. Incorporating whole blood viscosity measurements into a standard clinical protocol could improve our ability to identify patients at risk for cardiovascular disease and its complications.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.311-321
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• 1993

Ammonia accumulation is regarded as the limiting factor of the first priority in water qualities of aquatic culture systems. Nitrification efficiency and characteristics in seawater were evaluated using Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) process as a part of the recycling water treatment facilities for marine fish culture system. Ammonia removal efficiency regarded 99.7 to $83.7\%$ at the ammonia surface loading rates of 48 to $393 mg/m^2$ -day. RBC process was able to withstand to the fluctuation of influent ammonia concentrations and loading and produced the stable effluent. The mathematical model on the fixed-film biological reactor developed by Kornegay seemed to be suitable to RBC process kinetic evaluation for the recycling water treatment of the marine fish culture system. Area capacity constant (P) and half-velocity constant (Ks) in the model were 0.188g/m^2$-day and 1.25mg/l, respectively.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2004

The aggregation characteristics of red blood cells (RBCs) were measured using a newly developed light-transmission slit rheometer. Conventional methods of RBC disaggregation such as the rotational Couette system were replaced with a pressure-driven slit flow system with a vibrational mechanism. Using a vibration generator, one can disaggregate the RBC aggregates stored in the slit. While shear stress decreases exponentially, instantaneous pressure and the transmitted light intensity were measured over time. Applying an abrupt shearing flow after disaggregation caused a rapid elongation of the RBCs followed by loss of elongation with the decreasing shear stress. While the shear stress is further decreasing, the RBCs start to re-aggregate and the corresponding transmitted intensity increases with time, from which the aggregation indices can be obtained using a curve-fitting program.