• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2006

An area of current research is investigating the app1ication of human mesenchymal stem cells or hMSCs as a cell-based regenerative therapy. In order to achieve effective bone regeneration, appropriate matrices functioning as cell-carriers must be identified and optimized in terms of function, efficacy and biocompatibility. Two methods of approaching optimization of matrices are to facilitate adhesion of the donor hMSCs and furthermore to facilitate recruitment of host progenitor cells to osteoblastic differentiation. Pleiotrophin is an extracellular matrix protein that was first identified in developing rat brains and believed to be associated with developing neuronal pathways. A recent publication by Imai and colleagues demonstrated that transgenic mice with upregulated pleiotrophin expression developed a greater volume of cortical as well as cancellous bone. The proposed mechanism of action of pleiotrophin is demonstrated here. Through either environmental stresses and/or intracellular regulation, there is an increase in pleiotrophin production. The pleiotrophin is released extracellularly into areas requiring bone deposition. A receptor-mediated process recruits host osteoprogenitor cells into these areas. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the osteoconductive properties of pleiotrophin. We wanted to determine if pleiotrophin coating facilitates cellular adhesion and furthermore if this has any effect on hMSCs derived bone formation in an animal model. The results showed a dose dependent response of cellular adhesion in fibronectin samples, and cellular adhesion was facilitated with increasing pleiotrophin concentrations. Histologic findings taken after 5 weeks implantation in SCID mouse showed no presence of bone formation with only a dense fibrous connective tissue. Possible explanations for the results of the osteogenesis assay include inappropriate cell loading.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.65-75
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• 2021

Coin cell is a basic testing platform for battery research, discovering new materials and concepts, and contributing to fundamental research on next-generation batteries. Li metal batteries (LMBs) are promising since a high energy density (~500 Wh kg^-1) is deliverable far beyond Li-ion. However, Li dendrite-triggered volume fluctuation and high surface cause severe deterioration of performance. Given that such drawbacks are strongly dependent on the cell parameters and structure, such as the amount of electrolyte, Li thickness, and internal pressure, reliable Li metal coin cell testing is challenging. For the LMB-specialized coin cell testing platform, this study suggests the optimal coin cell structure that secures performance and reproducibility of LMBs under stringent conditions, such as lean electrolyte, high mass loading of NMC cathode, and thinner Li use. By controlling the cathode/anode (C/A) area ratio closer to 1.0, the inactive space was minimized, mitigating the cell degradation. The quantification and imaging of inner cell pressure elucidated that the uniformity of the pressure is a crucial matter to improving performance reliability. The LMB coin cells exhibit better cycling retention and reproducibility under higher (0.6 MPa → 2.13 MPa) and uniform (standard deviation: 0.43 → 0.16) stack pressure through the changes in internal parts and introducing a flexible polymer (PDMS) film.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.17 no.3 s.76
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• pp.337-346
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• 2005

A composite bridge deck system assembled from a modular profile with double-rectangular cell has been developed for highway bridges. This study is focused on the experimental characterization of flexure performance of pultruded GFRP deck under static loading. Several tests were conducted on single modules and adhesively bonded 2 and 5-modules. The specimen details such as dimensions, material properties and fiber architecture, and experimental set-up and testing procedure have been addressed. It is found that the presented GFRP composite modular deck is very efficient for use in bridges.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.423-428
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• 2010

To reduce polarization of electrochemical capacitor based on carbon nanotube, titanium oxide nanoparticles were deposited by ultrasound. The pore distribution of $TiO_2$/CNT nanoparticle exhibited surface area of $341\;m^2g^{-1}$ when $TiO_2$ content was 4 wt %, which was better than that of pristine CNT with surface area of $188\;m^2g^{-1}$. The analyses indicated that titanium oxide (particle diameter < 20 nm) was deposited on the CNT surface. The electrochemical performance was evaluated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV), impedance measurement, and constant-current charge/discharge cycling techniques. The $TiO_2$/CNT composite electrode showed relatively better electrochemical behaviors than CNT electrode by increasing the specific capacitance from $22\;Fg^{-1}$ to $37\;Fg^{-1}$ in 1 M $H_2SO_4$ solution. A symmetric cell assembled with the composite electrodes showed the specific capacitance value of $11\;Fg^{-1}$ at a current loading of $0.5\;mAcm^{-2}$ during initial cycling.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2017

PURPOSE. This study investigated the effects of silver nanoparticle (SN) loading into hydraulic calcium silicate-based Portland cement on its mechanical, antibacterial behavior and biocompatibility as a novel dental bone substitute. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Chemically reduced colloidal SN were combined with Portland cement (PC) by the concentrations of 0 (control), 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 wt%. The physico-mechanical properties of silver-Portland cement nanocomposites (SPNC) were investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), setting time, compressive strength, solubility, and silver ion elution. Antimicrobial properties of SPNC were tested by agar diffusion against Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. Cytotoxic evaluation for human gingival fibroblast (HGF) was performed by MTS assay. RESULTS. XRD certified that SN was successfully impregnated in PC. SPNC at above 3.0 wt% significantly reduced both initial and final setting times compared to control PC. No statistical differences of the compressive strength values were detected after SN loadings, and solubility rates of SPNC were below 3.0%, which are acceptable by ADA guidelines. Ag ion elutions from SPNC were confirmed with dose-dependence on the concentrations of SN added. SPNC of 5.0 wt% inhibited the growth of Streptococci, whereas no antimicrobial activity was shown in control PC. SPNC revealed no cytotoxic effects to HGF following ISO 10993 (cell viability > 70%). CONCLUSION. Addition of SN promoted the antibacterial activity and favored the bio-mechanical properties of PC; thus, SPNC could be a candidate for the futuristic dental biomaterial. For clinical warrant, further studies including the inhibitory mechanism, in vivo and long-term researches are still required.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.12
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• pp.651-652
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• 2016

EphA2 has been implicated in amplifying ErbB2 tumorigenic signaling. One protein that interacts with EphA2 is the Anks1a PTB adaptor. However, the precise role of Anks1a in EphA2-mediated tumorigenesis is unclear. We demonstrated that Anks1a localizes to the ER upon phosphorylation and that the Ankyrin repeats and PTB of Anks1a bind to EphA2 and Sec23, respectively. Thus, Anks1a facilitates the selective packaging of EphA2 into COPII vesicles. Additionally, Anks1a knockout mice, a phenocopy of EphA2 knockout mice, exhibited markedly reduced ErbB2-induced breast tumorigenesis. Strikingly, ErbB2 did not localize to the cell surface following Anks1a knockdown in primary mammary tumor cells over-expressing ErbB2. Importantly, EphA2 was critical for stabilizing ErbB2 through complex formation, but its interaction with Anks1a also facilitated ErbB2 loading into COPII carriers. These findings suggest a novel role for Anks1a in the molecular pathogenesis of breast tumors and possibly other human diseases.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.85-96
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• 2003

The Geocell system is the advanced system of Geo-grids, and is one of geosynthetics used for earth reinforcement of weak soil. It is the way to increase earth strength and bearing capacity by using three dimension type of geo-composite. This paper analyzed the bearing capacity mechanism of Geocell system for earth reinforcement. Plate loading tests under the model laboratory condition were performed, and the increase of bearing capacity and the decrease of settlement with shallow foundation were evaluated.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 1997

We collected airborne complex mixtures in a industrial area of Yeochun, and examined whether these complex mixtures could affect gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in a cultured WBF-344 rat liver epithelial cells (LEC). Since the reduction of GJIC plays an important role in chemical carcinogenesis, measurement of changes of GJIC is a meaningful method to screen carcinogenicity of these mixtures. High and low volume samples were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and tested. Blank filter extractions were also examined for exclud-ing possible toxicity of filter itself, and TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) and DMSO were used as positive and negative control, respectively. When the cells were exposed to samples at concentration below that required to maintain rather than 85% cell viability based on the result of neutral red uptake assay, maximal inhibition of GJIC was observed at 1hr after treatment with both high and low volume samples by scrape-loading dye transfer assay. In fluorescence recovery after photobleaching assay, recovery rates via gap junctions were 33%/min in high volume sample and 62%/min in low volume sample. In together, airborne samples collected in Yeochun inhibited GJIC in a cultured WBF-344 rat LEC. These results suggest airborne samples tested in this experiment may attribute to cause a certain type and degree of cancers in in vivo when exposured for some periods.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.447-456
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• 2005

Laser driven accelerators promise to provide an alternative to conventional accelerator technology. They rely on the excitation of large amplitude density waves in a plasma by the photon pressure of an intense laser. The density oscillations in which electrons and ions are separated, result in extremely large longitudinal electric fields that can be several orders of magnitude larger than those that are used in today's radio-frequency accelerators. Whereas this principle had been demonstrated experimentally for nearly two decades, it was not until 2004 that the production of high quality electron beams around 100 MeV was demonstrated. Analysis, aided by particle-in-cell simulations, as well as experiments with various plasma lengths and densities, indicate that tailoring the length of the accelerator, together with loading of the accelerating structure with beam, are the keys to production of mono-energetic electron beams. Increasing the energy towards a GeV and beyond will require reducing the plasma density and design criteria are discussed for an optimized accelerator module. The current progress and future directions are summarized through comparison with conventional accelerators, highlighting the unique short and long term prospects for intense radiation sources and high energy accelerators based on laser-drivenplasma accelerators.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.24-31
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• 2006

In this paper, mechanical behavior of unidirectional composites with flexible matrix was predicted by geometrical non-linear finite element analysis. Two typical idealized unit cells of square and hexagonal fiber arrays were modeled and these were subjected to different loadings. The stress-strain behavior of composites was predicted from which the effective properties were calculated. The hyperelasticity of polyurethane matrix was considered using Mooney-Rivlin model. In result, the stress-strain behavior of flexible composites shows non-linearity, especially it is remarkable under transverse normal and shear loading conditions. In this cases, there are great difference between square and hexagonal fiber array models.