• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.423-427
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• 2001

Chitosan/alginate capsules were formed by electrostatic interactions and had appropriated mechanical strength, permeability to albumin, and stability to hepatocytes. Rat hepatocytes were isolated and immobilized in chitosan/alginate capsules. During the encapsulation process with hepatocyte, 10% of viability was decreased mainly due to the low pH of the chitosan solution. Among various capsule fabrication methods, the chitosan-alginate capsule showed the highest mechanical strength. Addition of collagen in the capsule with hepatocytes enhanced hepatic metabolism as well as the cell viability for 2 weeks of culture. The hepatocyte in the capsule without collagen decreased the viability to 10% for 2-week cultures.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.612-620
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• 2001

The optimum design of a heat exchanger with porous media insertion is studied in this paper. It is considered that the aluminum foam metal is inserted in a flat plate channel and air flows through it. The influence of the microstructure of the foam metal on the pressure drop and heat transfer is investigated utilizing previous analytical results and existing correlation equations. Design parameters are identified as the unit-cell size and the ligament thickness of the porous medium, and their effects are examined. The results show that there exists optimum microstructure of the porous media maximizing heat transfer with a constant pressure drop. When the increase in the pressure drop is within a practically acceptable range, the increase in the heat transfer is dominated by the increase in the heat transfer area due to the porous medium insertion. Consequently, among the porous media with a constant pressure drop, the heat transfer is maximized with a microstructure with maximum specific surface area.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.214-219
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• 2006

Cast Nafion-based composite membranes containing different amounts of organic, nanorod-shaped polyrotaxane were prepared and characterized, with the aim of improving the properties of polymer electrolyte membranes for direct methanol fuel cell applications. Polyrotaxane was prepared using the inclusion-complex reaction between ${\alpha}$-cyclodextrin and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of different molecular weights. The addition of polyrotaxane to Nafion changed the morphology and reduced the crystallinity. The conductivity of the composite membranes increased with increasing polyrotaxane content up to 5 wt%, but then decreased at higher polyrotaxane contents. Well-dispersed, organic polyrotaxane inside the membrane can provide a tortuous path for the transport of methanol, as the methanol permeability depends on the aspect ratio of polyrotaxane, which is controlled by the molecular weight of PEG. All of the Nafion-based, polyrotaxane composite membranes showed a higher selectivity parameter than the commercial Nafion films did.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.270-270
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• 2006

We have prepared polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) for DMFC from polymer mixture of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl alcohol-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (AP-2) changing the AP-2 content. The proton conductivity(${\Box}$) and methanol permeability(P) of the PEMs increase with increasing AP-2 content because the water content of the PEMs increases with increasing AP-2 content. The proton permselectivity of the PEMs, which is defined as ${\Box}={\Box}/P$, indicates higher values than that of $Nafion{(R)}$117.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.166-169
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• 2006

Poisonings caused by 'mad honey' are known to occur in response to grayanotoxins, which bind to sodium channels in the cell membrane, increasing membrane sodium permeability and preventing inactivation. Mild symptoms of mad honey intoxication are dizziness, weakness, hypersalivation, nausea, vomiting, and paresthesia. Severe intoxication, however, leads to serious cardiac manifestations such as atrioventricular block, dose-dependent hypotension, bradycardia, and respiratory depression. Atropine and vasoactive drugs improve symptoms of both bradycardia and respiratory rate depression. We report an unusual case of saliva-type hyperamylasemia in a mad honey poisoning patient who developed clinically significant bradycardia. She recovered fully within 3 days following atropine administration and medical treatment.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 1998

Korean medicinal herb extracts(KMHE) were applied to the preservation of greenhouse produce in order to prove their effectiveness. KMHE showed remarkable antimicrobial effects against Bacillus cereus, Peudomonas syringae, and Corynebacterium xerosis causing the postharvest decay of greenhouse produce. Among KMHE the extracts of Rheum palmatum L. and Coptis chinensis Franch most obviously inhibited the growth of microorganims causing the Postharvest decay of greenhouse produce, which destroyed to undetectable levels when treated with more than 500ppm of KMHE. The activities of KMHE were stable in the wide spectrum of pH and temperature. Direct visualization of microbial cells by using both transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope showed microbial cell membrane the function of which was destroyed by treating with the dilute solutions of KMHE. This change of cellular membrane permeability could be identified in the experiment that O-nitrophenyl-$\beta$-D-galactopyranoside(ONPG), the artificial substrate of $\beta$-galactosidase, was hydrolyzed in the presence of KMHE, indicating that the membrane was perturbed by KMHE.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.9
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• pp.519-524
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• 2015

Vascular inflammatory process has been suggested to play a key role in initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, a major complication of diabetes mellitus. Thus, in this study, we attempted to determine whether three structurally related polyphenols found in the Chinese herb Huang Qui, namely baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin, can suppress vascular inflammatory processes induced by high glucose (HG) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and mice. Data showed that HG induced markedly increased vascular permeability, monocyte adhesion, expressions of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB. Remarkably, all of the above mentioned vascular inflammatory effects of HG were attenuated by pretreatment with baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin. Vascular inflammatory responses induced by HG are critical events underlying development of various diabetic complications, therefore, our results suggest that baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin may have significant therapeutic benefits against diabetic complications and atherosclerosis. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(9): 519-524]

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.421-427
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• 2004

The possible mechanisms of decreased monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B activities in cholestatic rat liver were studied. Hepatic and serum MAG activities were determined from the experimental rats with common bile duct ligation (CBDL). The Michaelis-Menten constants in these hepatic enzymes were also measured. The activities of mitochondrial MAO A and B, and mircosomal MAO B as well as their Vmax values were found to be decreased significantly in CBDL plus taurocholic acid (TCA) injected group than in the control group, such as CBDL alone groups. However, their Km values in the experimental groups did not vary. Serum MAO activity increased significantly in the CBDL plus TCA injected group than in the control group. The above results suggest that TCA represses biosynthesis of the MAO in the liver. The elevated activity of the serum MAO is believed to be caused by the increment of membrane permeability ofhepatocytes upon TCA mediated liver cell necrosis.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.36-40
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• 2010

In recent society, the electricity is so essential for the human lives. Lots of modern people take many cultural benefits owing to the development of the power systems, the cell phone, the electrical appliances, and etc. However, the problems related to the electromagnetic field generate as the side effects. Examples are the fault in the electric machinery due to the electromagnetic coupling, the fault in the communication devices due to the electromagnetic field around the power line equipments, and the effect upon the human beings due to the electromagnetic field, and etc. In this paper, we induce the vector equation about the magnetic field based on Biot-Savart law. We calculate the magnetic field at the surface of the high speed train with this induced equation and the current in the high speed railroad catenary wire. Finally, we calculate the magnetic field in the high speed train considering the material property like the permeability, the conductivity, and so on.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2005

Chitosan-alginate capsules were formed by electrostatic interactions and exhibited an appropriate mechanical strength, permeability, and stability for the culture of hepatocytes. Pig hepatocytes were isolated and hepatocyte spheroids formed and immobilized in chitosan-alginate capsules. An encapsulation procedure of 3 min and spheroid formation period of 24 h were the optimum conditions for the best liver functions. Pig hepatocytes with a cell density of $6.0{\tomes}10^6$ cells/ml in the capsules were found to be most suitable for application in a bioartificial liver support system. The encapsulated pig hepatocyte spheroids exhibited stable ammonia removal and urea secretion rates in a bioreactor for 2 weeks. Accordingly, chitosan-alginate encapsulated hepatocyte spheroids in a packed-bed bioreactor would appear to have potential as a bioartificial liver.