• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.380-381
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• 2012

Bioinspired sea urchin-like structures were fabricated on silicon by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching using lens-like shape hexagonally patterned photoresist (PR) patterns and subsequent metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) [1]. The lens-like shape PR patterns with a diameter of 2 ${\mu}m$ were formed by conventional lithography method followed by thermal reflow process of PR patterns on a hotplate at $170^{\circ}C$ for 40 s. ICP etching process was carried out in an SF6 plasma ambient using an optimum etching conditions such as radio-frequency power of 50 W, ICP power of 25 W, SF6 flow rate of 30 sccm, process pressure of 10 mTorr, and etching time of 150 s in order to produce micron structure with tapered etch profile. 15 nm thick Ag film was evaporated on the samples using e-beam evaporator with a deposition rate of 0.05 nm/s. To form Ag nanoparticles (NPs), the samples were thermally treated (thermally dewetted) in a rapid thermal annealing system at $500^{\circ}C$ for 1 min in a nitrogen environment. The Ag thickness and thermal dewetting conditions were carefully chosen to obtain isolated Ag NPs. To fabricate needle-like nanostructures on both the micron structure (i.e., sea urchin-like structures) and flat surface of silicon, MaCE process, which is based on the strong catalytic activity of metal, was performed in a chemical etchant (HNO3: HF: H2O = 4: 1: 20) using Ag NPs at room temperature for 1 min. Finally, the residual Ag NPs were removed by immersion in a HNO3 solution. The fabricated structures after each process steps are shown in figure 1. It is well-known that the hierarchical micro- and nanostructures have efficient light harvesting properties [2-3]. Therefore, this fabrication technique for production of sea urchin-like structures is applicable to improve the performance of light harvesting devices.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.658-663
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• 2017

Urchin-structured zinc oxide(ZnO) nanorod(NR) gas sensors were successfully demonstrated on a polyimide(PI) substrate, using single wall carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs) as the electrode. The ZnO NRs were grown with ZnO shells arranged at regular intervals to form a network structure with maximized surface area. The high surface area and numerous junctions of the NR network structure was the key to excellent gas sensing performance. Moreover, the SWCNTs formed a junction barrier with the ZnO which further improved sensor characteristics. The fabricated urchin-structured ZnO NR gas sensors exhibited superior performance upon $NO_2$ exposure with a stable response of 110, fast rise and decay times of 38 and 24 sec, respectively. Comparative analyses revealed that the high performance of the sensors was due to a combination of high surface area, numerous active junction points, and the use of the SWCNTs electrode. Furthermore, the urchin-structured ZnO NR gas sensors showed sustainable mechanical stability. Although degradation of the devices progressed during repeated flexibility tests, the sensors were still operational even after 10000 cycles of a bending test with a radius of curvature of 5 mm.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.33.1-33.1
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• 2009

To date, nanostructured tungsten oxides with a variety of stoichiometries, such as WO3, WO2.9, W18O49, and WO2, have been prepared, because they are promising candidates for applications such as gas sensors, photocatalysts, electrochromic devices, and field emission devices. Among them, W18O49 and WO2 have been widely studied due to their outstanding chemical sensing, catalytic, and electron emissive properties. Here we report, for the first time, a one-pot solution-phase route to synthesizing a novel composite hierarchical hollow structure without adding catalysts, surfactants, or templates. The products, consisting of a WO2 hollow core sphere surrounded by a W18O49 nanorod shell (yielding a sea urchin-like structure), were generated as discrete structures via Ostwald ripening. To our knowledge, this type of composite hierarchical core/shell structure has not been reported previously. The morphological evolution and the detailed growth mechanism were carefully studied. We also demonstrate that the size of the hollow urchins is readily tunable by controlling the reactant concentrations.Interestingly, although bulk tungsten oxides are weakly paramagnetic or diamagnetic, the as-prepared products show unusual ferromagnetic behavior atroom temperature. The urchin structures also show a very high Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area, suggesting that they may potentially be applied to chemical sensor or effective catalyst technologies.

• ALGAE
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.203-215
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• 2014

As global warming continues over the coming century, marine organisms will experience a warmer, more acidic ocean. Although these stressors may behave antagonistically or synergistically and will impact organisms both directly (i.e., physiologically) and indirectly (i.e., through altered species interactions), few studies have examined the complexities of these effects in combination. To address these uncertainties, we examined the independent and combined effects of elevated temperature and $pCO_2$ on the physiology of the adult sporophyte stage of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, and the grazing of the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. While elevating $pCO_2$ alone had no effect on M. pyrifera growth or photosynthetic carbon uptake, elevating temperature alone resulted in a significant reduction in both. However, when M. pyrifera was grown under elevated temperature and $pCO_2$ together, growth and photosynthetic carbon uptake significantly increased relative to ambient conditions, suggesting an interaction of these factors on photosynthetic physiology. S. purpuratus held under future conditions generally exhibited reduced growth, and smaller gonads than urchins held under present-day conditions. However, urchins fed kelp grown under future conditions showed higher growth rates, partially ameliorating this effect. Feeding rates were variable over the course of the experiment, with only the first feeding rate experiment showing significantly lower rates for urchins held under future conditions. Together, these data suggest that M. pyrifera may benefit physiologically from a warmer, more acidic (i.e., higher $pCO_2$) ocean while S. purpuratus will likely be impacted negatively. Given that kelp-urchin interactions can be important to kelp forest structure, changes to either of these populations may have serious consequences for many coastal environments.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.262-270
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• 2012

Seaweeds provide habitats in which marine animals can spawn and develop, and serve as a food supply for algaegrazing species such as sea urchins and abalone. Recently, seaweed species have disappeared from coastal ecosystems, leaving barren ground, defined as habitats that have lost their algae forests and where coralline algae containing calcium carbonate components have become encrusted on rocks. The biological causes of barren ground include grazing by herbivores and excessive seaweed harvest. The environmental harm caused by the spread of barren ground includes accelerated eutrophication following the reduction in seaweed, which plays an important role in oceanic purification. In the present study, we identified the relationships between various seaweed species and the occurrence of barren ground. Subtidal benthic macroalgal flora and community structure were observed seasonally on barren ground along vertical transects of rocky shores of Bihwa, Samchuck, and the east coast of Korea from February to November 2006. Fifty-eight seaweed species were identified, including 7 green, 15 brown, and 36 red algae species. There were between 6 and 28 species among seasons. Over the whole study period, average seaweed biomass (g wet wt $m^{-2}$) was 241.90 g, with a seasonal range of 25.26 to 760.34 g. Seaweed biomass declined with increasing seawater depth and ranged between 91.26 and 422.08 g. The vertical distribution of algae was characterized by Undaria pinnatifida and Sargassum honeri at 5 m, S. honeri and U. pinnatifida at 10 m, and U. pinnatifida and Agarum clathratum at 15 m depth. Seasonal patterns in community indices were not found. Community indices showed different patterns along vertical shoreline gradients; the dominance index increased but the richness, evenness, and diversity indices decreased with seawater depth. Sea urchin density was 8 to 24 individ. $m^{-2}$ in Bihwa. These urchin populations had significantly aggregated spatial patterns and recurrent destructive grazing appeared to be occurring.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.2683-2688
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• 2011

Silica-manganese oxides with a core-shell structure were synthesized via precipitation of manganese oxides on the $SiO_2$ core while varying the concentration of a precipitation agent. Elemental analysis, crystalline property investigation, and morphology observations using low- and high-resolution electron microscopes were applied to the synthesized silica-manganese oxides with the core-shell structure. As the concentration of the precipitating agent increased, the manganese oxide shells around the $SiO_2$ core sequentially appeared as $Mn_3O_4$ particles, $Mn_2O_3+Mn_3O_4$ thin layers, and ${\alpha}-MnO_2$ urchin-like phases. The prepared samples were assembled as electrodes in a supercapacitor with 0.1 M $Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte, and their electrochemical properties were examined using cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge cycling. The maximum specific capacitance obtained was 197 F $g^{-1}$ for the $SiO_2-MnO_2$ electrode due to the higher electronic conductivity of the $MnO_2$ shell compared to those of the $Mn_2O_3$ and $Mn_3O_4$ phases.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.169-173
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• 2007

Hyperpolarization-activated nonselective cation channels (HCNs) play a pivotal role in producing rhythmic electrical activity in the heart and the nerve cells. In our previous experiments, voltage-dependent $Cd^{2+}$ access to one of the substituted cysteines in S6, T464C, supports the existence of an intracellular voltage-dependent activation gate. Direct binding of intracellular cAMP to HCN channels also modulates gating. Here we attempted to locate the cAMP-modulated structure that can modify the gating of HCN channels. SpHCN channels, a sea urchin homologue of the HCN family, became inactivated rapidly and intracellular cAMP removed this inactivation, resulting in about eight-fold increase of steady-state current level. T464C was probed with $Cd^{2+}$ applied to the intracellular side of the channel. We found that access of $Cd^{2+}$ to T464C was strongly gated by cAMP as well as voltage. Release of bound $Cd^{2+}$ by DMPS was also gated in a cAMP-dependent manner. Our results suggest the existence of an intracellular cAMP-modulated gate in the lower S6 region of spHCN channels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.338-346
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• 2017

Natural seaweed beds and habitat environments were investigated using quantitative and qualitative methods from May to December 2015 at 3 sites in Gangneung, Uljin, and Busan along the eastern coast of Korea. In total, 9 green, 23 brown, and 64 red algal taxa were identified. The biomass of the seaweed at Gangneung was 173.2 to $613.8wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Dictyota divaricata, 360.8 to $520.4wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Symphyocladia linearis, and 25.9 to $470.8wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Undaria pinnatifida. At Uljin, these numbers were 5.5 to $256.2wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Plocamium telfarirae and 46.8 to $241.5wet\;wt.g/m^2$ of Agarum clathratum. The biomass of Sargassum coreanum and Ecklonia cava were 388.1 to $6,972.4wet\;wt.g/m^2$ and 194.9 to $958.5wet\;wt.g/m^2$, respectively, at Busan. S. coreanum and E. cava showed higher biomass compared to other seaweed at Busan. The biomass rate represented an average of 19.2 percent of the total population, ranging from 0.0 to 55.5 percent in Gangneung. In Uljin, the average was calculated as 63.8 percent, and this figure was 48.5 percent in Busan. The percentage of barren ground averaged 46.7 percent in Gangneung and 91.1 percent in Uljin. Uljin showed the highest percentage of barren ground compared to other regions. Sea urchin density appeared to be $6.0ind./m^2$ in Gangneung, $7.0ind./m^2$ in Uljin, and $2.0ind./m^2$ in Busan, with the lowest sea urchin density being that of Busan. In conclusion, the composition of species, appearance ratio, and abundance of vegetation found were similar to previous studies, but it is thought that continuous monitoring is needed due to concerns about physical and chemical pollution caused by global warming, climate change, and coastal development.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.401-419
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• 1998

The structure of benthic algal flora and feeding behavior of sea urchins (Anthocidaris crassispina and Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus), were investigated from the eight different locations along the coast of Cheju Island, Korea. Biomass distribution and dominance of the algal communities were studied in relation to the gut contents and population parameters of the sea urchins. As a result, although the largest algal biomass and biological characteristics of sea urchins, such as test diameter, test hight, body weight, gonad weight, etc. This inhdicated that sea urchins would not be dependednt sorely on the abundance of algal foods, and they might feed on other food items. In order to know such a trend with regard to food selectivity, the diets consumed by sea urchins were analyzed, and it was found that they were composed of benthic and drifted algae, various animal components (sponges, bryozoans, crustaceans, and various unidentified capsulated eggs, etc.) and biets turned out to be smaller than might be expected, and it is postulated that sea urchins were not likely to be the major grazing animals for the formation of algal bed and also canopy deterioration, so-called "white incrustation."

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.876-887
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• 2015

Dicer, an ribonuclease type III type endonuclease, is the key enzyme involved in biogenesis of microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and thus plays a critical role in RNA interference through post transcriptional regulation of gene expression. This enzyme has not been well studied in the Indian water buffalo, an important species known for disease resistance and high milk production. In this study, the primary coding sequence (5,778 bp) of bubaline dicer (GenBank: AB969677.1) was determined and the bubaline Dicer1 biocomputationally characterized to determine the phylogenetic signature among higher eukaryotes. The evolutionary tree revealed that all the transcript variants of Dicer1 belonging to a specific species were within the same node and the sequences belonging to primates, rodents and lagomorphs, avians and reptiles formed independent clusters. The bubaline dicer1 is closely related to that of cattle and other ruminants and significantly divergent from dicer of lower species such as tapeworm, sea urchin and fruit fly. Evolutionary divergence analysis conducted using MEGA6 software indicated that dicer has undergone purifying selection over the time. Seventeen divergent sequences, representing each of the families/taxa were selected to study the specific regions of positive vis-$\grave{a}$-vis negative selection using different models like single likelihood ancestor counting, fixed effects likelihood, and random effects likelihood of Datamonkey server. Comparative analysis of the domain structure revealed that Dicer1 is conserved across mammalian species while variation both in terms of length of Dicer enzyme and presence or absence of domain is evident in the lower organisms.