• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.654-658
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• 2012

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common rheumatic pathology. One of the major objectives of OA research is the development of early diagnostic strategies such as those using proteomic technology. Synovial fluid (SF) in OA patients is a potential source of biomarkers for OA. The efficient and reliable preparation of SF proteomes is a critical step towards biomarker discovery. In this study, we have optimized a pretreatment method for twodimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) separation of the SF proteome, by enriching low-abundance proteins and simultaneously removing hyaluronic acid, albumin, and IgG. SF samples pretreated using this optimized method were then evaluated by 1DE and 2DE separation followed by immunodetection of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), a known OA biomarker, and by the identification of 3 proteins (apolipoprotein, haptoglobin precursor, and fibrinogen D fragment) that are related to joint diseases.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.3681-3685
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• 2012

We developed a simple and effective method for the SERS-based detection of protein-small molecule complexes and label-free proteins using avidin-induced silver aggregation. Upon excitation with light of the appropriate wavelength (633 and 532 nm), the aggregated silver nanoparticles generate a strong electric field that couples with the resonance of the molecules (atto610 and cytochrome c), increasing the characteristic signals of these molecules and resulting in sensitive detection. The detection limit of biotin with the proposed method is as low as 48 ng/mL. The most important aspect of this method is the induction of silver aggregation by a protein (avidin), which makes the silver more biocompatible. This technique is very useful for the detection of protein-small molecule complexes.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.11-18
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• 1996

Liquid droplets of water and argon surrounded by their vapor have been simulated by the milecular dynamics method. To explore the surface phenomena of clusters, each molecule is classified into 'liquid', 'surface', or 'vapor' with respect to the number of neighbor molecules. The contribution of a 'surface' molecule of the water cluster to the far infrared spectrum is almist the same as that of the 'liquid' molecule. Hence, the liquid-vapor interface is viewed as geometrically and temporally varying boundary of 'liquid' molecules with only a single layer of 'surface' molecules that might have different characteristics from the 'liquid' molecules. The time scale of the 'phase change' of each molecule is estimated for the argon cluster by observing the instantancous kinetic and potential energies of each molecule. To compare the feature of clusters with macroscopic droplets, the temperature dependence of the surface tension of the argon cluster is estimated.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.320-328
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• 2008

We established a thermodynamic framework of group contribution method based on modified double lattice (MDL) model. The proposed model included the long-range interaction contribution caused by the Coulomb electrostatic forces, the middle-range interaction contribution from the indirect effects of the charge interactions and the short-range interaction from modified double lattice model. The group contribution method explained the combinatorial energy contribution responsible for the revised Flory-Huggins entropy of mixing, the van der Waals energy contribution from dispersion, the polar force, and the specific energy contribution from hydrogen bonding. We showed the solvent activities of various polymer solution systems in comparison with theoretical predictions based on experimental data. The proposed model gave a very good agreement with the experimental data.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.255-260
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• 2007

A new method for the simultaneous determination of low molecular weight amines and quaternary ammonium ions based on the separation by IC with a suppressor and the detection by MS with ESI has been developed. The method has been applied to the analysis of a mixture containing tetramethylammonium ion, tetraethylammonium ion, tetrapropylammonium ion, triethanolamine, trimethylamine and triethylamine. The constituents were separated by isocratic elution using an IonPac CS17 column, a cation-exchange column, and detected by conductivity and mass spectrometry. The newly developed method for the six components demonstrated that the repeatability in terms of relative standard deviation for three measurements was in the range of 0.1-0.5 %. The detection limits were between 0.2 and $0.9{\mu}g/mL$ by the IC/ESI-MS.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.394-398
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• 2004

A derivatization method in mass spectrometry for small molecular analysis was developed to solve the problems of volatility of many analytes, difficult ionization of analytes, and undiscriminating isobaric analytes. This derivatization method, oximation of $\alpha$-ketoacid, in the transaminase reaction leads to change of mass difference between amine reactants and ketoacid products. In addition, regardless of the kinds of ketoacid, the linear relationship between the peak intensity and its concentration (from 1 mM to 10 mM) shows that quantitative analysis of the conversion of the reaction can be executed by the analysis of peak intensity of the corresponding oximated ketoacids. Furthermore, this method can be used for identifying transaminase as well as determining its substrate specificity

• Carbon letters
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2014

Spinnable pitch for melt-electrospinning was obtained from pyrolized fuel oil by electron beam (E-beam) radiation treatment. The modified pitch was characterized by measuring its elemental composition, softening point, viscosity, molecular weight, and spinnability. The softening point and viscosity properties of the modified pitch were influenced by reforming types (heat or E-beam radiation treatment) and the use of a catalyst. The softening point and molecular weight were increased in proportion to absorbed doses of E-beam radiation and added $AlCl_3$ due to the formation of pitch by free radical polymerization. The range of the molecular weight distribution of the modified pitch becomes narrow with better spinning owing to the generated aromatic compounds with similar molecular weight. The diameter of melt-electrospun pitch fibers under applied power of 20 kV decreased 53% ($4.7{\pm}0.9{\mu}m$) compared to that of melt-spun pitch fibers ($10.2{\pm}2.8{\mu}m$). It is found that E-beam treatment for reforming could be a promising method in terms of time-savings and cost-effectiveness, and the melt-electrospinning method is suitable for the preparation of thinner fibers than those obtained with the conventional melt-spinning method.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.860-869
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• 2000

Numerical and experimental investigations are performed for the molecular transition and slip flows in pumping channels of a disk-type drag pump. The flow occurring in the pumping channel develops from the molecular transition to the slip flow traveling downstream. Two different numerical methods are used in this analysis: the first one is a continuum approach in solving the Navier-Stokes equations with slip boundary conditions, and the second one is a stochastic approach through the use of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method. In the experimental study, the inlet pressures are measured for various outlet pressures in the range of 0.1{\sim}4Torr. From the present study, the numerical results of predicting the performance, obtained by both methods, agree well with the experimental data for the range of Knudsen number $Kn{\leq}0.1$ (i.e., the slip flow regime). But the results from the second method only agree with the experimental data for Kn>0.1(i.e., the molecular transition regime)

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.681-691
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• 2011

The size distributions of smoke particles from fire are prerequisite for the studies on fire detection and adverse health effects. Above the flame of the fire, coagulation dominates and the smoke particles grow from 1 to 50 nm up to 100 to 3,000 nm, sizes ranging from the free-molecular regime to the continuum regime. The characteristics of the agglomeration of the smoke particles are well known, independently for each of the free-molecular and continuum regimes. However, there are not many systematic studies in the entire regime by the complexity of the mechanisms. The purpose of this work is to find the characteristics of the development of the size distribution of smoke particles by agglomeration in the entire size range covering the free-molecular regime, via transition regime, to the near-continuum and continuum regime for each variation of parameters such as fractal dimension, primary particle size and dimensionless coagulation time. In this work, the dynamic equation for the discrete-size spectrum of the particles was solved using a nodal method based on the modification of a sectional method. In the calculation, the collision frequency function for the entire regime, which is derived by using the concept of collision volume and general enhancement function, was applied. The self-preserving size distribution for the entire regime is compared with the ones for the free-molecular or continuum regimes for each variation of the parameters.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.365-377
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• 2009

In this feature article, we briefly review the new methods we have utilized recently in the investigation of morphology and phase behavior of block copolymers. We first describe the chromatographic fractionation method to purify block copolymers from their side products of mainly homopolymers or block copolymer precursors inadvertently terminated upon addition of the next monomer in the sequential anionic polymerization. The chromatographic method is extended to the fractionation of the individual block of diblock copolymers which can yield the diblock copolymer fractions of different composition and molecular weight, which also have narrower distributions in both molecular weight and composition. A more detailed phase diagram could be constructed from the set of block copolymer fractions without the need of acquiring many block copolymers each prepared by anionic polymerization. The fractions with narrow distribution in both molecular weight and composition exhibit better long-range ordering and sharper phase transition. Next, epitaxial relationships between two ordered structures in block copolymer thin film is discussed. We employed the direct visualization method, transmission electron microtomography(TEMT) to scrutinize the grain boundary structure.