• Prospectives of Industrial Chemistry
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.40-50
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• 2020

소프트 로봇의 수요와 관심이 증가함에 따라 생체 모방형 액추에이터 연구가 큰 관심을 받고 있다. 액추에이터란 외부 에너지를 기계적인 동작으로 변환하는 장치이며, 재료 자체가 유연하여 부드러운 움직임을 재현할 수 있는 소프트 액추에이터의 연구가 활발히 진행되고 있다. 고분자 연성 재료 중에 하나인 하이드로겔은 90% 이상이 물로 구성되어 있기 때문에 생체 친화적이면서 동시에 환경 친화적인 재료이며 이를 기반으로 한 액추에이터 연구가 새로이 각광받고 있다. 최근에는 하이드로겔 액추에이터의 성능 향상을 위해 나노재료를 하이드로겔에 첨가하는 연구가 진행되고 있으며, 나노재료가 갖는 고유의 특성을 활용함으로써 하이드로겔 액추에이터의 자극 감응성 향상, 변형 방향의 제어, 높은 변형 효율 그리고 기계적 물성 증가가 보고되고 있다. 이는 헬스케어를 위한 웨어러블 장치, 재활을 목적으로 한 인공 근육 등에 적용이 가능하다. 본 기고문에서는 자극 감응성 고분자와 나노재료를 이용한 하이드로겔 액추에이터 연구에 대해 자극(전기장, 빛, 열, 자기장)의 종류에 따라 분류하여 소개하고, 합성 전략 및 구동 원리에 대해 간략하게 설명하고자 한다.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.698-706
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• 2019

Over the last few decades, there have been a lot of efforts to develop soft actuators, which can be external stimuli-responsive and applied to the human body. In order to fabricate medical soft actuators with a dynamic precision control, the 3D crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels were synthesized in this study by using a radiation technique without noxious chemical additives or initiators. After irradiation, all hydrogels showed high gel fraction over 75% and the ATR-FTIR spectra indicated that PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels were successfully synthesized. In addition, the gel fraction, equilibrium water content, and compressive strength were measured to determine the change in physical properties of PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels according to the irradiation dose and content ratio of constituents. As the irradiation dose and amount of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) increased, the PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels showed a high crosslinking density and mechanical strength. It was also confirmed that PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels responded to electrical stimulation even at a low voltage of 3 V. The bending behavior of hydrogels under an electric field can be controlled by changing the crosslinking density, ionic group content, applied voltage, and ionic strength of swelling solution.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.111-120
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was to investigate changes in the thickness of cornea, curvature of cornea, and aberration depending on the water contents, materials, and refractive power of contact lens. Methods: The differences in the corneal thickness between pre- and post-wearing the lenses were compared using 5 kinds of lenses. The changes in the corneal thickness, the curvatures of the anterior and posterior cornea, and high order aberration (HOA) before and after wearing the lenses were investigated at the center of the cornea, and the different distance and the direction away from the center of the cornea. For the equipments of measurement, ORB ScanII (Bausch & Lomb Inc, ver 3.14) was used to measure the corneal topography and thickness, and Zywave (Bausch & Lomb Inc, ver 5.20) was used to analyze the high order aberration. Results: Five (S1, S2, S3, T1, T2) of the lens was used for this study, excluding the lens T2 lens has four lenses and the thickness of the corneal shape, but the impact is minimal. In the case of the hydrogel soft contact lenses (T2 lens) with low oxygen permeability, the corneal thickness showed distinct increasing patterns. The high order aberration and coma aberration were most changed in the silicon hydrogel toric lens, while the depth of anterior was most changed in the hydrogel toric lens. Conclusion: Among the 5 kinds of contact lenses with different water contents, materials, and refractive power used for this study, the corneal shape change was small for the lenses with an oxygen permeability (Dk) of more than 28, and the largest for the lenses with a very low oxygen permeability.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.437-443
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• 2015

Purpose: This study evaluated the optical and physical and characteristics of soft contact lens polymerized with addition of 3-chloropyridine-4-carboxylic acid and 3-fluoropyridine-4-carboxylic acid in the basic hydrogel contact lens material. In particular, the utility of 3-chloropyridine-4-carboxylic acid and 3-fluoropyridine- 4-carboxylic acid as a hydrogel contact lens material was investigated. Methods: In this study, 3-chloropyridine-4-carboxylic acid and 3-fluoropyridine-4-carboxylic acid were used as additives. Also, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate and a cross-linker EGDMA were co-polymerized in the presence of AIBN as an initiator. Results: The physical properties of the produced polymers were measured as followings. The water content of 34.54~37.15%, refractive index of 1.4320~1.4342, tensile strength of 0.2872~0.3608 kgf and contact angle of $57.82{\sim}79.57^{\circ}$, UV-B transmittance of 76.8~82.4% and UV-A transmittance of 84.6~86.6% were obtained respectively. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, contact lens material containing 3-chloropyridine-4-carboxylic acid and 3-fluoropyridine-4-carboxylic acid is expected to be able to used as a material for high wettability and UV-block hydrogel contact lens.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.271-277
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose was to study the corneal refractive power changes associated with the wearing of everted silicone hydrogel soft lenses. Methods: The corneal refractive power and corneal astigmatism were measured using corneal topographer (CT-1000, Shin-nippon Co., Japan) for checking change of corneal refractive power and objective refractive error was measured by auto-refractometer (Natural vision-K 5001, Shin-nippon Co., Japan). We measured at baseline and 1 week after lens wearing. Results: The correcting of corneal refractive power could be effective in low myopia. It's more effective to the higher power of greatest meridian of cornea and the more corneal astigmatism. 73% of subjects' refractive error was decrease less than 1 D and 17% of the subjects had an reverse effect (increase) occurs. The reduction of objective refractive error was more effective when cornea refractive power was great or corneal astigmatism was much. Conclusions: Pressure which the everted silicone hydrogel lens to the cornea could be caused. It occurred as the degrees of corneal power, corneal astigmatism and objective refractive error differences. Selection of an appropriate subject is important considering difficulty of changing the parameters of the lens.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.453-464
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• 2019

Soft marine soil has high fine-grained soil content and in-situ water content. Thus, it has low shear strength and bearing capacity and is susceptible to a large settlement, which leads to difficulties with coastal infrastructure construction. Therefore, strength improvement and settlement control are essential considerations for construction on soft marine soil deposits. Biopolymers show their potential for improving soil stability, which can reduce the environmental drawbacks of conventional soil treatment. This study used two biopolymers, an anionic xanthan gum biopolymer and a cationic ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer, as representatives to enhance the geotechnical engineering properties of soft marine soil. Effects of the biopolymers on marine soil were analyzed through a series of experiments considering the Atterberg limits, shear strength at a constant water content, compressive strength in a dry condition, laboratory consolidation, and sedimentation. Xanthan gum treatment affects the Atterberg limits, shear strength, and compressive strength by interparticle bonding and the formation of a viscous hydrogel. However, xanthan gum delays the consolidation procedure and increases the compressibility of soils. While ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ treatment does not affect compressive strength, it shows potential for coagulating soil particles in a suspension state. ${\varepsilon}-Polylysine$ forms bridges between soil particles, showing an increase in settling velocity and final sediment density. The results of this study show various potential applications of biopolymers. Xanthan gum biopolymer was identified as a soil strengthening material, while ${\varepsilon}-polylysine$ biopolymer can be applied as a soil-coagulating material.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.383-390
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• 2011

Purpose: The present study was conducted to investigate whether refractive powers of soft contact lenses were induced by the deposition of tear proteins when wearing soft contact lenses. Methods: The soft contact lenses (material: etafilcon A, hilafilcon A and comfilcon A) with refractive powers of -1.00 D, -3.00 D, -5.00 D and -7.00 D were incubated in artificial tear for 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days and 14 days, respectively. After incubation, their refractive powers were measured by wet cell method with an auto-lens meter and their protein deposited on the lenses was determined by the method of Lowry. Results: Among three types of soft contact lenses, the most protein deposition was detected in ionic etafilcon A lens material and significant change of its refractive power was manifested. In other words, refractive powers of etafilcon A lenses firstly decreased after 1 day incubation in artificial tear and then gradually increased with increasing incubation period again. The observed change in refractive powers of all diopters of etafilcon A material was beyond the scope of standard error and bigger in the lens with lower optical power. On the other hand, non-ionic hilafilcon A showed less protein deposition as much as about 20% in etafilacon A and statistically significant increase of refractive powers with increasing incubation period in artificial tear. The change in refractive power of hilafilcon A was also beyond the scope of the standard of error when incubating in artificial tear and greater in the lens with lower diopter. The least protein deposit was shown in silicone hydrogel lens material, comfilcon A as approximately 10% of it in etafilcon A, indicating less change in refractive power within the standard range of error. Conclusions: The large change of refractive powers that was beyond the scope of standard error by the deposition of tear proteins on soft contact lenses was differently detected depending on lens materials in the current study. Thus, the deposition of tear proteins induced by longer period of lens wearing may be one of the causes that induces blurred vision, suggesting that soft contact lens wearers with the amount of tear proteins may need to choose proper lens material.

• Proceedings of the Korean Fiber Society Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.33-35
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• 2003

Over the last 30 years, water-swellable and water-insoluble hydrogels have been extensively investigated and developed, leading to a large family of materials which have found use in a wide range of biomedical applications such as carriers of soft tissues, wound healing, ophthalmological applications, membranes for artificial kidney, and materials for blood compatible and other medical devices[1-3]. (omitted)

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.34-41
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• 2022

In vivo oocytes grow and mature in ovarian follicles whereas oocytes are matured in vitro in plastic culture dishes with a hard surface. In vivo oocytes show a superior developmental ability to in vitro counterparts, indicating suboptimal environments of in vitro culture. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of an agarose matrix as a culture substrate during in vitro maturation (IVM) on the development of pig oocytes derived from small antral follicles (SAFs). Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) retrieved from SAFs were grown in a plastic culture dish without an agarose matrix and then cultured for maturation in a plastic dish coated without (control) or with a 1% or 2% (w/v) agarose hydrogel. Then, the effect of the soft agarose matrix on oocyte maturation and embryonic development was assessed by analyzing intra-oocyte contents of glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), expression of VEGFA, HIF1A, and PFKP genes, and blastocyst formation after parthenogenesis. IVM of pig COCs on a 1% (w/v) agarose matrix showed a significantly higher blastocyst formation, intra-oocyte GSH contents, and transcript abundance of VEGFA. Moreover, a significantly lower intra-oocyte ROS content was detected in oocytes matured on the 1% and 2% (w/v) agarose matrices than in control. Our results demonstrated that IVM of SAFs-derived pig oocytes on a soft agarose matrix enhanced developmental ability by improving the cytoplasmic maturation of oocytes through redox balancing and regulation of gene expression.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 1996

The microbial contamination in contact lens care systems and conjunctivas of 40 asymptomatic cosmetic soft contact lens wearers was investigated. Patient ages ranged from 19 to 27(mean:22), most of them have used hydrogel contact lenses for less than 1 year, and the ages of lens cases were 1 weeks ~ 3 months (43 %) or 4~6 months (52%). Twenty-seven patients (67%) chemically disinfected their lenses and 8(20 %) used hydrogen peroxide, and 5 used heat to disinfect. Fourteen patients used commercial non-preserved saline, and 26(65%) were using commercial preserved saline. Sixty-two percent of the patients had bacterial contamination of lens case, and 17% had conjunctival contamination. The bacterial contamination rate was highest in lens cases, followed by unpreserved salines, disinfecting chemicals(non-hydrogen peroxide), and conjunctivas. The fungal contamination rate of cases and conjunctivas was 67% and 15%, respectively, and lens case, unpreserved saline, and conjunctiva seemed more susceptible to contamination. The use of hydrogen peroxide for disinfection rather than chemical disinfection was associated remarkabley with decreased contamination of solution itself, and there was no significant difference in contamination rates between hydrogen peroxide care system and other disinfecting systems. Five of lens cases(13%) and 2 conjunctivas(5%) were contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans were isolated from 11cases (27%) and 5 conjunctivas (12%). Of the organisms that were contaminated lens cases and conjunctivas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus fumigatus were isolated from lens cases, whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus fumigatus were recorvered from conjunctivas. Fortunately all of the these tested samples showed 0% of Acanthamoeba in this investigation.