• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.687-691
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• 2003

Whole-cell immobilization of the hydrocarbon rich microalgae, Botryococcus braunii and B. protuberans, in alginate beads under air-lift batch cultures resulted in a significant increase in chlorophyll, carotenoid, dry weight, and 1ipid contents at stationary and resting growth phases, as compared to free cells. Photosynthetic activity in both the species, of Botryococcus was enhanced, relative to free cells, at any growth phase of cultures. Immobilization exerted a protective influence on ageing of the cultures as reflected by higher chlorophyll and dry weight contents. Entrapment also stabilized the chlorophyll and carotenoid contents even at stationary and resting phases as compared to free cells in both the species.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.309-312
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• 2003

The transformation capacity (T$\_$c/) of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b in the degradation of ethylene chlorides was determined by measuring the decrease of soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) activity of resting cells in batch experiments. All measurements of sMMO activity were taken in the presence of 20 mM formate to avoid the deficiency of reducing power, and within 2 hrs to avoid the effect of natural inactivation from instability of the resting cells. The constant T$\_$c/ values of 0.58 ${\pm}$ 0.132 and 0.80 ${\pm}$ 0.17 ${\mu}$mol/mg cell were obtained for trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1,2-dichloroethylene (cis and trans-1,2-DCE), respectively, regardless of their concentrations. The transformation capacity measured by this method can be used to predict the amount of cells that should be stimulated in in-situ bioremediation.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.315-320
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• 1992

The amino acid threonine was produced from glycine and ethanol in a reaction mixture using resting cells of a newly isolated gram-negative methylotrophic bacterium, capable of growth on methanol. The isolate could utilize $C_1$ compounds and a variety of multicarbon substrates as sole carbon and energy source. To obtain cells of isolate with high threonine producing activity, we investigated optimum cultural conditions. Optimal growth was at the initial concentration of 0.5%(v/v) methanol, at $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0. The growth was not affected by antibiotics inhibiting cell wall synthesis, but was completely suppressed by those inhibiting protein synthesis. The optimum reaction conditions from threonine production by resting cells of this strain were found.

• International Journal of Vascular Biomedical Engineering
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.7-12
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• 2006

The present study investigated the effects of the osmotic environment on the rheological properties of erythrocytes and their suspensions. In an iso-osmotic medium, erythrocytes forming a biconcave discocyte under resting conditions, exhibited high deformability. In a low-osmotic medium, the deformability of erythrocytes, which swelled and exhibited a spherical shape, significantly decreased at a high shear stress and the high-shear viscosity of the cell suspension was slightly higher than that of normal blood. Hyper-osmotic stress, however, which caused to form echinocytes, decreased cell deformability but exhibited smaller viscosity in low shear rates than iso-osmotic blood viscosity. These results showed a close relation with the aggregability measurements, in that hypertonic blood showed lower aggregability than the hypotonic and isotonic RBC suspensions. These findings indicate that the physicochemical environment has a strong influence on the rheological properties of the erythrocyte and its suspensions.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.140-146
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• 1993

A colostral protein that augments natural killer (NK) cell activity was isolated from bovine colostrum. This protein, designated matemal immunity enhancing factor (MIEF), increased NK cell-mediated cytotxicity against human tumor targets wheb added to cultures of resting peripheral blood lymphocytes. The NK cell stimulatory activity of the MIEF was demonstrated at the concentrations as low as 0.1-0.01 $\mu$g/ml. Purified MIEF showed an apparent molecular weight of 22,000 in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The unusual biochemical characteristics of the MIEF distinguish it from other cytokines. The MIEF was soluble at a cold tgemperature, and precipitated by raising the temperature. This themal precipitability was reversible, and dependent on the concentration, pH and ionic strength. Maximal precipitation was observed at neutral pH, and higher ionic strength.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.1348-1353
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes and readjustment capacity in the hematological characteristics of the horse during and after a prolonged training program. One pony and two hot-blooded horses were used in this study. Resting or basal blood parameters were assessed by collecting blood samples of the animals for 1 to 2 months prior to start of the training program. Each animal was subjected to arbitrary exercise for 30 min by an automatic hot trotter and was bled at 0, 15, 30, 45 (15 min of recovery), 60 (30 min of recovery), and 75 min (45 min of recovery) after onset of exercise. All animals were exercised 3 times a week over a fivemonth period. Hematological parameters including average white blood cell counts (WBC, ${\times}$$10^3$/$\mu$l), erythrocyte concentrations (RBC, ${\times}$$10^6$/$\mu$l), hematocrit (HCT, %), mean corpuscular volume (MCV, fl), number of platelets (PLT, ${\times}$$10^4$/$\mu$l), hemoglobin concentration (Hb, g/dl), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH, pg), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC, g/dl) were analyzed using an automatic cell counter. All animals showed that RBC, WBC, and HCT were significantly (p<0.05) increasing from 7.09, 8.55, and 43.5 to 8.11, 9.67, and 49.5, respectively, during the 30 min of exercise and were back to or lower than the initial basis (resting and 0 min) 30 min after exercise. However, no significant differences were detected in MCV (50.3-51.3 fl), MCH (17.2-17.4 pg), and MCHC (33.7-34.4 g/dl) values (p>0.05) regardless of the training periods. Similar trends were observed after 1, 3, 4, and 5 months of training when compared to the resting state. When these parameters were analyzed by the effect of training periods (month), mean WBC concentrations significantly reduced in the fourth and fifth month after onset of training compared to that in resting condition or the first month of training program (p<0.05). The RBC values elevated at the second month (9.40) and reaching a significantly low level (p<0.001) at the fifth month (8.62) after training compared to the first month of training (7.89). In conclusion, a mild training program enhances blood parameters gradually in both the horse and the pony. Therefore, an optimized training program is beneficial in promoting the endurance performance of the horse.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.240-246
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• 2012

Natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in early surveillance against virus infection and cellular transformation, and are also implicated in the control of inflammatory response through their effector functions of direct lysis of target cells and cytokine secretion. NK cell activation toward target cell is determined by the net balance of signals transmitted from diverse activating and inhibitory receptors. A distinct feature of NK cell activation is that stimulation of resting NK cells with single activating receptor on its own cannot mount natural cytotoxicity. Instead, specific pairs of co-activation receptors are required to unleash NK cell activation via synergy- dependent mechanism. Because each co-activation receptor uses distinct signaling modules, NK cell synergy relies on the integration of such disparate signals. This explains why the study of the mechanism underlying NK cell synergy is important and necessary. Recent studies revealed that NK cell synergy depends on the integration of complementary signals converged at a critical checkpoint element but not on simple amplification of the individual signaling to overcome intrinsic activation threshold. This review focuses on the signaling events during NK cells activation and recent advances in the study of NK cell synergy.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 2008

The object of this study is to investigate the effects of intermittent cyclic stretching on the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) seeded onto aligned multi-layered fibrous scaffold. To make multi-layered fibrous scaffold, polyurethane (PU) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were electrospun alternatively, then were immersed into distilled water to extract PEO. Various types of scaffolds were fabricated depending on fiber directions, i.e., aligned or randomly oriented. The direction of stretching was either parallel or vertical to the fiber direction for the aligned scaffolds. The stretching was also applied to the randomly aligned scaffolds. The duration of stretching was 2 min with 15 min resting period. During the stretching, the maximum and minimum strain was adjusted to be 10 and 7%, respectively with the frequency of 1 Hz. The bioactivities of cells on the scaffolds were assessed by quantifying DNA, collagen, and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels. And the cell morphology was observed by staining F-actin. SMCs under parallel stretching to the fiber direction responded more positively than those in other conditions. From the results, we could explain the morphological effect of a substrate on cellular activities. In addition the synergistic effects of substrate and mechanical stimuli effects were confirmed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.23-23
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• 2003

It has been suggested that the impairment of smooth muscle cell (SMC) function by alterations in the $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^{+}$ ( $K_{Ca}$ ) channels accounts for the reduction in coronary reserve during left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). However, this hypothesis has not been fully investigated. The main goal of this study was to assess whether the properties of $K_{Ca}$ channels in coronary SMCs were altered during LVH. New Zealand white rabbits (0.8-1.0 kg) and Sprague-Dawley rats (300-400 g) were randomly selected to receive either an injection of isoproterenol (300 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg body weight) or an equal volume of 0.9％ saline (1 mL/kg body weight). The animals developed LVH 10 days after injection. In patch-clamp experiments, the unitary current amplitude and open probability for the $K_{Ca}$ channels were significantly reduced in LVH patches compared with control patches. The concentration-response curve of the $K_{Ca}$ channel to [C $a^{2+}$]$_{i}$ was shifted to the right. Inhibition of the $K_{Ca}$ channels with TEA was more pronounced in LVH cells than in the control cells. The whole-cell currents of $K_{Ca}$ channels were reduced during LVH. Western blot analysis indicated no differences in $K_{Ca}$ channel expression between the control and LVH coronary SM membranes. In contraction experiments, the effect of a high $K^{+}$concentration on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was greater than on that of the control. The effect of TEA on the resting tension of the LVH coronary artery was reduced as compared with the effect on the control. Our findings imply a novel mechanism for reduced coronary reserve during LVH.ing LVH.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.104-114
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• 2019

Energy is an essential driving force for modern society. In particular, electricity has become the standard source of power for almost every aspect of life. Electric power runs lights, televisions, cell phones, laptops, etc. However, it has become apparent that the current methods of producing this most valuable commodity combustion of fossil fuels are of limited supply and has become detrimental for the Earth's environment. It is also self-evident, given the fact that these resources are non-renewable, that these sources of energy will eventually run out. One of the most promising alternatives to the burning of fossil fuel in the production of electric power is the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The PEM fuel cell is environmentally friendly and achieves much higher efficiencies than a combustion engine. Water management is an important issue of PEM fuel cell operation. Water is the product of the electrochemical reactions inside fuel cell. If liquid water accumulation becomes excessive in a fuel cell, water columns will clog the gas flow channel. This condition is referred to as flooding. A number of researchers have examined the water removal methods in order to improve the performance. In this paper, a new water removal method that investigates the use of vibro-acoustic methods is presented. Piezo-actuators are devices to generate the flexural wave and are attached at end of a cathode bipolar plate. The "flexural wave" is used to impart energy to resting droplets and thus cause movement of the droplets in the direction of the traveling wave.