• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2005

Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is considered as a candidate for portable power sources, that could overcome the disadvantages of lithium battery. But in order to attain commercial viability the long term stability of the DMFC should be achieved. Understanding the long-term behavior of membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) is a prerequisite to this purpose and the optimization of the MEA is also needed. In this study we have investigated the changes in performance and electrochemical properties of the MEA during extended operation and the effects of heat treatment of MEA on the long-term performance. The MEAs have been treated in an autoclave with saturated water vapor at 120$^{\circ}C$, vacuum oven at 140$^{\circ}C$ and boiling in organic solvents. The autoclaved MEA was found to be have the best long term performance. The on-off operation mode also increased the performance probably due to effective removal of products from the electrodes. Physical and electrochemical analyses using a scanning electron microscope, impedance analyser and half-cell technique have been done to characterize the MEAs.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.283-291
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• 2011

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) use the bipolar plate of various materials between electrolyte and contact electrode for the stable hydrogen ion exchange activation. The bipolar plate of various materials has representatively graphite and stainless steel. Specially, stainless steels have advantage for low cost and high product rate. In this study, SUS 316 was effectively coated with 600 nm thick F-doped tin oxide (SnOx:F) by electron cyclotron resonance-metal organic chemical vapor deposition and investigated in simulated fuel cell bipolar plates. The results showed that an F-doped tin oxide (SnOx:F) coating enhanced the corrosion resistance of the alloys in fuel cell bipolar plates, though the substrate steel has a significant influence on the behavior of the coating. Coating SUS 316 for fuel cell bipolar plates steel further improved the already excellent corrosion resistance of this material. After coating, the increased ICR values of the coated steels compared to those of the fresh steels. The SnOx:F coating seems to add an additional resistance to the native air-formed film on these stainless steels.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 2014

A strip sensor based on $PbO_2$/carbon paste electrode was prepared by a screen-printing method, and employed to electrochemically determine the concentration of fruit sweeteners(i.e. glucose, sucrose, and fructose). The $PbO_2$/carbon paste electrode could monitor electrocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds such as carbohydrates, and measure the levels of natural sweeteners without enzyme. Severe interference from ascorbic acid was effectively reduced by modifying the electrode surface with a Nafion membrane. The response level of the Nafion/$PbO_2$/carbon paste electrode increased in the order of fructose, sucrose, and glucose, which corresponds to the order of sweetness perceived by humans.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.351-362
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• 1998

Microbial growth efficiency in the rumen was studied in sheep given hourly, 31.25 g oaten chaff with either 0.31 and 0.88 g urea or 1.88 and 5.63 g casein (exp. 1) and 33.33 g oaten chaff with 1.04 casein or 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 g urea or the mixture of the casein and urea (exp. 2). Concentrations of ruminal fluid ammonia increased with increasing nitrogenous supplements. Organic matter digestibility in sacco in the rumen was not different irrespective of N sources. Isoacids and valeric acid increased with increasing ingested casein but decreased with increasing urea intake. Peptide and amino acid pools in ruminal fluid increased with increasing ammonia concentrations (exp. 2) suggesting that proteolytic activity and transportation of peptides and amino acids across microbial membrane of rumen microbes may be regulated by the metabolite mechanism (intracellular amino acids and $NH_4{^+}$, respectively). Densities of total viable and cellulolytic bacteria in ruminal fluid increased with increasing ammonia levels but that of small Entodinia decreased. The density of fungal sporangia growth on oat leaf blades decreased with increasing ammonia concentrations but appeared to remain constant in the presence of casein. Efficiency of net microbial cell synthesis was 15-28% higher when ammonia concentrations increased from 100 to above 200 mg N/l regardless of N sources. In conclusion, supplementation of preformed protein had no effect on rumen digestion and microbial growth efficiency. This could not be accounted for its effect on ruminal fluid ammonia. Increased microbial growth efficiency with increasing ammonia levels may be due to a reduction in the turnover of microbial cells within the rumen.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1629-1637
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• 2015

To develop various usable water from coal seam gas (CSG) water that needs to be pumped out from coal seams for methane gas production, a feasibility study was carried out, evaluating and analysing a recent report (Coal Seam Gas Water Management Policy 2012) from Queensland State Government in Australia to suggest potential CSG water treatment options for fit-for-purpose usable water production. As CSG water contains intrinsically high salinity-driven total dissolved solid (TDS), bicarbonate, aliphatic carbon, $Ca^{+2}$, $Mg^{+2}$ and so on, it was found that appropriate treatment technologies are required to reduce the hardness below 60 mg/L as $CaCO_3$ by setting the reduction rates of $Ca^{+2}$, $Mg^{+2}$ and Na+ concentrations, as well as TDS reduction. Also, Along with fiber filtration and membrane separation, an oxidation degradation process was found to be required. Along with salinity reduction, as CSG water contains organic compounds (TOC: 248 mg/L, $C_6-C_9$: <20 mg/L and $C_{10}-C_{36}$: <60 mg/L), compounds with relatively high molecular weights ($C_{10}-C_{36}$) need to be treated first. Therefore, this study suggests a combined system design with filtration (Reverse osmosis) and oxidation reduction (electrolysis) technologies, offering proper operating conditions to produce fit-for-purpose usable water from CSG water.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.291-295
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• 2015

The limited productivity of natural shell matrix proteins has hampered the investigation of their biochemical properties and practical applications, although biominerals in nature obtained by organic-inorganic assemblies have attractive mechanical and biological properties. Here, we prepared a vector for the expression of a fusion protein of a shell matrix protein from Pinctada fucata (named as GRP_BA) with the GRGDSP residue. The fusion protein of BA-RGD was simply produced in E. coli and purified through sequential steps including the treatment with $CaCl_2$ and EDTA solution for cell membrane washing, mechanical cell disruption and the application of non-ionic surfactant of Triton X-100 for BA-RGD inclusion body washing. The production yield was approximately 60 mg/L, any other protein band was not observed in SDS-PAGE and it was estimated that above 97% endotoxin was removed compared to the endotoxin level of whole cell. This study showed this simple and easy purification approach could be applied to the purification of BA-RGD fusion protein. It is expected that the protein could be utilized for the preparation of biominerals in practical aspects.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.1064-1079
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• 2018

In this study, the antimicrobial activity of a bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis KT11, isolated from traditional Kargı Tulum cheese, was determined, and bacteriocin KT11 was partially characterized. The results showed that bacteriocin KT11 was antagonistically effective against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative test bacteria, including vancomycin- and/or methicillin-resistant bacteria. The activity of bacteriocin KT11 was completely abolished after treatment with proteolytic enzymes (proteinase K, ${\alpha}$-chymotrypsin, protease and trypsin), which demonstrates the proteinaceous nature of this bacteriocin. Additionally, bacteriocin KT11 remained stable at pH values ranging from 2 to 11 and after autoclaving at $121^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. In addition, the activity of bacteriocin KT11 was stable after treatment with several surfactants (EDTA, SDS, Triton X-100, Tween 80 and urea) and organic solvents (chloroform, propanol, methanol, ethyl alcohol, acetone, hexane and ethyl ether). Cell-free supernatant of E. faecalis KT11 was subjected to ammonium sulfate precipitation and then desalted by using a 3.5-kDa cut-off dialysis membrane. The bacteriocin activity was determined to be 711 AU/mL in the dialysate. After tricine-SDS-PAGE analysis, one peptide band, which had a molecular weight of ~3.5 kDa, exhibited antimicrobial activity. Because the bacteriocin KT11, isolated from E. faecalis KT11, exhibits a broad antimicrobial spectrum, heat stability and stability over a wide pH range, this bacteriocin can be used as a potential bio-preservative in foods. Additionally, bacteriocin KT11 alone or in combination with conventional antibiotics may provide a therapeutic option for the treatment of multidrug-resistant clinical pathogens after further in vivo studies.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.179-185
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• 2003

Melatonin (MT) is an indole amide pineal hormone. It has not only very short half-life but also pH-sensitive property. The sustained release dosage form which delivers MT in a circadian fashion over 8 h is clinical value. The purpose of this study is to prepare sugar beads using multiple coating methods and enteric-coated in a sustained release to evaluate in vitro release characteristics in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. The $Eudragit^{\circledR}$ as a polymer, sustained release membrane, and triethylcitrate (TEC) as a plasticzer were used. Multi-coated melatonin delivery system was composed of sugar, various excipients, $Eudragit^{\circledR}$ and enteric materials (e.g. hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose phthalate, HPMCP), and prepared by fluid bed coater. The dissolution test was carried out using the basket method at a stirring speed of 100 rpm at $37^{\circ}C$ in simulated gastric (pH 1.2) and intestinal fluid (pH 7.4). The released amount of MT was determined by High performance liquid chromatography method. The morhologies of surface and cross section of multi-coated beads were observed by scanning electron microscope. Size of multi-coated sugar beads was ranged over $1000{\sim}1300\;{\mu}m$. The release rate of MT from coated beads was limited in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2), but it was sustained in intestinal fluid (pH 7.4) during $3{\sim}8$ hours. The MT beads may provide small-intestine-targeted device for oral delivery. Studies on animal and relative experiment are in process.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.645-654
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• 1994

Photocatalytic oxidation conditions of reactant recirculation flow rate 275 mL/min, aeration rate 2 LPM and $UV+TiO_2+H_2O_2$(500 mg/L) proved to be appropriate for water including organic materials treatment. With increasing turbidity and suspended solids concentration, at turbidity 10 NTU-suspended solids concentration 29 mg/L the phenol degradation efficiency increased, which in turn decreased at turbidity 50 NTU-suspended solids concentration 170 mg/L, however no significant differences were observed, demonstrating similar results with those obtained at zero turbidity and suspended solids concentration. The degradation efficiency of phenol decreased with increasing influent phenol concentrations. The $UV+TiO_2+H_2O_2$ photocatalytic advanced oxidation process conducted is considered to be possibly applied to the drinking water treatment, and the post-treatment process of biological wastewater treatment.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.271-275
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• 2008

Choline is important an organic compound for normal membrane function, acetylcholine synthesis, lipid transport, and methyl metabolism. In biological tissues and foods, there are multiple choline compounds that contribute to choline content. There are so many analytical methods for choline determination, such as radioisotopic, high-performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. However, these existing methods are expensive, unmanageable, and time-consuming. In this study, we modified enzymatic method, which is applicable for the determination of choline in milk and infant formulas, and applied to bovine serum and muscle. The calibration curves were linear with higher correlation coefficients than 0.994. Recoveries obtained by calibration curves from the spiked bovine serum and muscle samples varied between 70.6 and 85.2%. The method may be suitable for use as a routine method in the determination of choline for biological tissue and food samples.