• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.212-220
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• 2010

Effects of sediment and toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa on feeding behaviors of an omnivorous fish, gold fish (Carassius auratus) were examined in laboratory and in situ mesocosm. Laboratory feeding experiments were performed in small aquaria (7 L) with cyanobacterial blooms (mainly M. aeruginosa) under the condition of sediments and no-sediments, and toxic (NIES-298) and non-toxic M. aeruginosa (NIES-101). In situ feeding experiments were conducted at the shore of eutrophic lake (Lake Ilgam, Seoul) in the mid-July, 2005. Results showed that fish introduction decreased the concentration of Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) at higher rate in no sediment-containing aquaria. In contrast, there was a drastic increase of Chl-a in the sedimentcontaining aquaria. Fish effectively removed the M. aeruginosa cells without algal toxin (microcystin). Fish also selectively removed the large size Chl-a (>$50{\mu}m$), although all kinds of nutrients were increased after fish introduction, especially ammonia. Our results indicate that the strategic introduction of domestic omnivores Carassius auratus, to control cyanobacterial bloom in eutrophic lake will negatively play in the water quality improvement via a sediment disturbance and a density-dependent digestion.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.162-169
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• 2009

Pure titanium and its alloys are drastically used in implant materials due to their excellent mechanical properties, high corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility. However, the widely used Ti-6Al-4V is found to release toxic ions (Al and V) into the body, leading to undesirable long-term effects. Ti-6Al-4V has much higher elastic modulus than cortical bone. Therefore, titanium alloys with low elastic modulus have been developed as biomaterials to minimize stress shielding. For this reason, Ti-30Ta-xZr alloy systems have been studied in this study. The Ti-30Ta containing Zr(5, 10 and 15 wt%) were 10 times melted to improve chemical homogeneity by using a vacuum furnace and then homogenized for 24 hrs at $1000^{\circ}C$. The specimens were cut and polished for corrosion test and Ti coating and then coated with TiN, respectively, by using DC magnetron sputtering method. The analyses of coated surface were carried out by field emission scanning electron microscope(FE-SEM). The electrochemical characteristics were examined using potentiodynamic (- 1500 mV~+ 2000 mV) and AC impedance spectroscopy(100 kHz~10 mHz) in 0.9% NaCl solution at $36.5{\pm}1^{\circ}C$. The equiaxed structure was changed to needle-like structure with increasing Zr content. The surface defects and structures were covered with TiN/Ti coated layer. From the polarization behavior in 0.9% NaCl solution, The corrosion current density of Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys decreased as Zr content increased, whereas, the corrosion potential of Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys increased as Zr content increased. The corrosion resistance of TiN/Ti-coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys were higher than that of the TiN-coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys. From the AC impedance in 0.9% NaCl solution, polarization resistance($R_p$) value of TiN/Ti coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys showed higher than that of TiN-coated Ti-30Ta-xZr alloys.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.215-220
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• 2007

The control of the surface energy by electrohydrodynamic force provides electrospraying with various potential advantages such as simple particle size control, mono-dispersity, high recovery, and mild processing conditions. The advantages are quite helpful to improve the stability of protein drug and control its release. Herein, the nano-encapsulation of protein drugs using electrospraying was investigated. Albumin as a model protein was processed using uniaxial and co-axial electrospraying, and chitosan, polycaporlactone (PCL), and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) were used as encapsulation materials. The major processing parameters such as the conductivity of spraying liquids, flow rate, the distance of electrical potential gradient, etc were measured to obtain the maximum efficiency. In the chitosan systems, mean particles size decreases as flow rate and the distance between nozzle and the collecting part decreases. In the uniaxial technique of the PCL systems, mean particles size decreases as flow rate decreases. In the coaxial technique of the PCL systems, it was found that the particles size gets larger under the application of the higher ratio of inner-to-outer liquid flow rates. The primary particles formed out of an electrospraying nozzle showed narrow particle size distribution, but once they arrived to the collecting part, aggregation behavior was observed obviously. Efficient nano-encapsulation of albumin with PCL, PEG, and chitosan was conveniently achieved using electrospraying at above 12 kV.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.17-27
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• 2010

Objectives: Cocaine has been well known as a representative drug of abuse for its strong reinforcing effect linked to the mesolimbic reward system including dopamine, and such reinforcement leads to the addiction. Acupuncture has been used widely in eastern Asia for the treatment of various diseases including mental disorders and psychiatric problems, and is gathering more interest as one of the complementary and alternative medicines in western countries. In a previous study, we demonstrated that acupuncture at HT7 could affect dopamine release in the mesolimbic system of rats sensitized to alcohol and morphine. This study was designed to investigate whether acupuncture at HT7 could attenuate cocaine intake or not. Material & Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 270-300 g at the start of experiment were trained to self-administer food pellets under a fixed ratio 1 schedule. After the success of acquisition of 100 pellets within 3 h for 3 consecutive days, animals were subjected to surgery whereby Silastic tubing was implanted into right jugular vein and secured with mesh under the anesthetization using pentobarbital injection (50 mg/kg, i.p.). Following recovery, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine (0.25 mg/kg) in daily 2 h sessions under fixed ratio 1 schedule over 10 days. Each treatment was performed on the next day of each establishment of baseline. Results: Results show that acupuncture at HT7, but not at control points, reduced cocaine intake significantly. Acupuncture at HT7 decreased selectively active lever response from $63.15{\pm}3.35$ to $51.46{\pm}3.99$ corresponding $82.12{\pm}5.31%$ compared to basal level. Also, it was demonstrated that the effect of acupuncture was mainly occurred at the half period. Nevertheless, acupuncture at HT7 did not influence the food taking behavior. Conclusions: From the results of this study, it may be suggested that acupuncture at HT7, at least in part, could contribute to the treatment of cocaine abuse.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.333-337
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• 2014

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) intravenous fluid bags and tubes that contain DEHP (diethylhexyl phthalate) as a plasticizer have several associated disadvantages for intravenous injections. We investigated the drug absorption behaviors on the inner surface of an infusion tube that consisted of commercialized PVC/PU (polyurethane). We developed a non-PVC (polyolefin) tube in order to improve the efficacy of this drug administration method. We prepared four types of non-PVC (polyolefin) infusion tubes using a polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene (PB), and styrene-ethylene (SE) copolymer elastomers were prepared using a single screw extruder. The four types of manufactured non-PVC (polyolefin) infusion tubes had good mechanical properties that were equivalent to PVC tube properties. The four types of prepared non-PVC (polyolefin) infusion tubes also prohibited drug absorption when compared to the commercialized PVC and PU tubes. Therefore, based on the results of this study, prepared non-PVC (polyolefin) tubes are good candidates for infusion because they prevent drug absorption and the release of DEHP.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.1115-1123
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• 2008

When constructing projects such as road embankments, bridge approaches, dikes or buildings on soft, compressible soils, significant settlements may occur due to the consolidation of these soils under the superimposed loads. The compressibility of the soil skeleton of a soft clay is influenced by such factors as structure and fabric, stress path, temperature and loading rate. Although it is possible to determine appropriate relations and the corresponding material parameters in the laboratory, it is well known that sample disturbance due to stress release, temperature change and moisture content change can have a profound effect on the compressibility of a clay. The early research of Tezaghi and Casagrande has had a lasting influence on our interpretation of consolidation data. The 24 hour, incremental load, oedometer test has become, more or less, the standard procedure for determining the one-dimensional, stress-strain behavior of clays. An important notion relates to the interpretation of the data is the ore-consolidation pressure ${\sigma}_p$, which is located approximately at the break in the slope on the curve. From a practical point of view, this pressure is usually viewed as corresponding to the maximum past effective stress supported by the soil. Researchers have shown, however, that the value of ${\sigma}_p$ depends on the test procedure. furthermore, owing to sampling disturbance, the results of the laboratory consolidation test must be corrected to better capture the in-situ compressibility characteristics. The corrections apply, strictly speaking, to soils where the relation between strain and effective stress is time independent. An important assumption in Terzaghi's one-dimensional theory of consolidation is that the soil skeleton behaves elastically. On the other hand, Buisman recognized that creep deformations in settlement analysis can be important. this has led to extensions to Terzaghi's theory by various investigators, including the applicant and coworkers. The main object of this study is to suggestion the modified compression index value to predict settlements by back calculating the $C_c$ from different numerical models, which are giving best prediction settlements for multi layers including very thick soft clay.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2005

The ecological characteristics of the specialist insect predator, Oligota kashmirica benefica, were investigated for developing artificial rearing method with special interest on the oviposition behavior, the pattern of adult emergence and temperature in storage, and its effect on the density of the citrus red mite, Panonychus citri. Female beetle oviposited eggs mainly, $95\%$ of the eggs, on the bottom of leaves of the yuzu tree, and $91.3\%$ of them were covered with ecdysis skin of the red mites or the feces of themselves. The rate of adult emergence of the beetle rose up to $86.7\%$ when the horticultural media was provided for pupation from $60\%$ when it pupated in upland soil. Most larvae, $88\%$ of them, were found from the surface to the depth of 2 cm in the horticultural media. The optimum temperature for the storage of the adult beetle was found to be $12^{\circ}C$, at this temperature the 96.7, 73.3 and $70.0\%$ of the beetle survived for 10, 20, and 30 days, respectively. The control effect of the citrus red mite was appeared highest by releasing the beetle at the rate of one beetle against 150 mites.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.55-64
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• 2017

A geological repository has been considered one of the most adequate options for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. A geological repository will be constructed in a host rock at a depth of 500~1,000 meters below the ground surface. The geological repository system consists of a disposal canister with packed spent fuel, buffer material, backfill material, and intact rock. The buffer is very important to assure the disposal safety of high-level radioactive waste. It can restrain the release of radionuclide and protect the canister from the inflow of groundwater. High temperature in a disposal canister is released into the surrounding buffer material, and thus the thermal transfer behavior of the buffer material is very important to analyze the entire disposal safety. Therefore, this paper presents a thermal conductivity prediction model for the Kyungju compacted bentonite buffer material which is the only bentonite produced in Korea. Thermal conductivity of Kyungju bentonite was measured using a hot wire method according to various water contents and dry densities. With 39 data obtained by the hot wire method, a regression model to predict the thermal conductivity of Kyungju bentonite was suggested.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1782-1789
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• 2012

We have developed a novel type of polymer nanogel loaded with anticancer drug based on bio-derived poly(${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) (${\gamma}$-PGA). ${\gamma}$-PGA is a highly anionic polymer that is synthesized naturally by microbial species, most prominently in various bacilli, and has been shown to have excellent biocompatibility. Thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA was synthesized by covalent coupling between the carboxyl groups of ${\gamma}$-PGA and the primary amine group of cysteamine. Doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels were fabricated using the following steps: (1) an ionic nanocomplex was formed between thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA as the negative charge component, and Dox as the positive charge component; (2) addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) induced hydrogen-bond interactions between thiol groups of thiolated ${\gamma}$-PGA and hydroxyl groups of PEG, resulting in the nanocomplex; and (3) disulfide crosslinked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels were fabricated by ultrasonication. The average size and surface charge of Dox-loaded disulfide cross-linked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels in aqueous solution were $136.3{\pm}37.6$ nm and $-32.5{\pm}5.3$ mV, respectively. The loading amount of Dox was approximately 38.7 ${\mu}g$ per mg of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogel. The Dox-loaded disulfide cross-linked ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels showed controlled drug release behavior in the presence of reducing agents, glutathione (GSH) (1-10 mM). Through fluorescence microscopy and FACS, the cellular uptake of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels into breast cancer cells (MCF-7) was analyzed. The cytotoxic effect was evaluated using the MTT assay and was determined to be dependent on both the concentration and treatment time of ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels. The bio-derived ${\gamma}$-PGA nanogels are expected to be a well-designed delivery carrier for controlled drug delivery applications.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2009

PLGA microspheres have been known as an injectable system for tissue engineering. The purpose of this study was to investigate the condition of emulsion formation and cell adhesion on the microsphere surface. BSA-loaded PLGA microsphere was fabricated by oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) solvent evaporation method. Sodium alginate was dissolved in water phase to control initial burst release and to improve lag time by PLGA bulk degradation. In addition, the morphology of cells attached on the micro spheres was studied using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cellular proliferation behavior of human disc cells cultivated on PLGA micro spheres was analyzed using a MTT assay. MTT assay revealed that the cells can attach and proliferate on PLGA microspheres. According to these results, we concluded that BSA -loaded alginate/PLGA microspheres can be used as an injectable system for tissue engineering application.