• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.81-91
• /
• 2021

Objectives : This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a complex mixture of natural substances of ginseng and baeknyeoncho on the arthritic rats. Methods : In vitro experiments were conducted to ensure the stability of the complex. After setting toxicity and concentration by MTT assay, the antioxidant effect was measured through DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity. To confirm the anti-inflammatory effects of the complex, levels of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α) were measured in LPS-treated macrophage cell lines (RAW264.7). We injected monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) 50 μl (60 mg/ml) into knee joints of rats to induce osteoarthritis. The rats were divided into three groups (normal (n=5), control (n=5), and OR (n=5) group). The control group consumed 2 mg/kg of physiological saline once a day for 4 weeks, and the OR group was mixed at a concentration of 416.5 mg/kg of Baengnyeoncho (O) and 208.25 mg/kg of red ginseng (R) and ingested 1 mL each 5 days a week. Results : This complex increased the DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging rate. The complex decreased NO production and pro-inflammatory cytokine production of macrophages. In the OR group, the secretion of cytokine in serum was decreased. In histopathological examination, the joint tissue of the composite showed less damage to the synovial membrane, cartilage, and fibrous tissue than the control group. Conclusions : As a result of this study, natural complexes have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cartilage protection effects. Therefore, we expect the complex to be effective in treating osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.531-540
• /
• 2022

Due to the high incidence of malignant melanoma, the establishment of in vitro models that recapitulate the tumor microenvironment is of great biological and clinical importance for tumor treatment and drug research. In this study, 3D printing technology was used to prepare GelMA/PEGDA composite scaffolds that mimic the microenvironment of human malignant melanoma cell (A375) growth and construct in vitro melanoma micro-models. The GelMA/PEGDA hybrid scaffold was tested by the mechanical property, cell live/dead assay, cell proliferation assay, cytoskeleton staining and drug loading assay. The growth of tumor cells in two- and three-dimensional culture systems and the anti-cancer effect of luteolin were evaluated using the live/dead staining method and the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) method. The results showed a high aggregation of tumor cells on the 3D scaffold, which was suitable for long-term culture. Cytoskeleton staining and immunofluorescent protein staining were used to evaluate the degree of differentiation of tumor cells under 2D and 3D culture systems. The results indicated that 3D bioprinted scaffolds were more suitable for tumor cell expansion and differentiation, and the tumor cells were more aggressive. In addition, luteolin was time- and dose-dependent on tumor cells, and tumor cells in the 3D culture system were more resistant to the drug.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.333-341
• /
• 2022

Magnetoelectric (ME) composites are comprised of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phases. Lots of theoretical and experimental works have been done on ME composites in the last couple of decades. The output performance of ME composites has been enhanced by optimizing the constituent phases, interface layer, dimensions of the ME composites, different operating modes, etc. However, the detailed information about the characterization of ME coupling in ME composites is not provided yet. Therefore, in this tutorial paper, we are giving an insight into the details of measurements of ME voltage coefficient of ME composites both at off-resonance and resonance conditions. A symmetric type Gelfenol/PMN-PZT/Gelfenol ME composites were fabricated by sandwiching (011) 32-mode PMN-PZT single crystal between two Galfenol plates by epoxy bonding are used for the example of ME coupling measurement. The details about the experimental setup used for the measurement of ME voltage coefficient are provided. Furthermore, a step-by-step measurement of ME voltage coefficient using computerized program is demonstrated. We believe the present experimental measurement details can help readers to understand the concept of ME coupling and its analysis.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.38 no.5_3
• /
• pp.967-977
• /
• 2022

The occurrence and intensity of wildfires are increasing with climate change. Emissions from forest fire smoke are recognized as one of the major causes affecting air quality and the greenhouse effect. The use of satellite product and machine learning is essential for detection of forest fire smoke. Until now, research on forest fire smoke detection has had difficulties due to difficulties in cloud identification and vague standards of boundaries. The purpose of this study is to detect forest fire smoke using Level 1 and Level 2 data of Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS), a Korean environmental satellite sensor, and machine learning. In March 2022, the forest fire in Gangwon-do was selected as a case. Smoke pixel classification modeling was performed by producing wildfire smoke label images and inputting GEMS Level 1 and Level 2 data to the random forest model. In the trained model, the importance of input variables is Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), 380 nm and 340 nm radiance difference, Ultra-Violet Aerosol Index (UVAI), Visible Aerosol Index (VisAI), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA), formaldehyde (HCHO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), 380 nm radiance, and 340 nm radiance were shown in that order. In addition, in the estimation of the forest fire smoke probability (0 ≤ p ≤ 1) for 2,704 pixels, Mean Bias Error (MBE) is -0.002, Mean Absolute Error (MAE) is 0.026, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is 0.087, and Correlation Coefficient (CC) showed an accuracy of 0.981.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.553-564
• /
• 2022

Concrete is a representative composite material that shows excellent performance in the construction field. However, it is a brittle and nonhomogeneous material and exhibits weak behavior against bending and tensile forces. To compensate for such weakens, fiber reinforcement has been utilized, and steel fiber has been recognized as one of the best material for such purpose. However, steel fiber can seriously affect the durability of concrete exposed to the marine environment due to the corrosion caused by chlorine ions. This study intended to evaluate the mechanical performance of steel fiber reinforce concrete during and after repeated wet/dry cycles in salt solution. According to the experimental results, there was no reduction in the relative dynamic modulus of concrete during the repeated wet/dry cycles in salt solution for 37 weeks. Flexural strength was not decreased after completion of repeated wet/dry cycles in salt solution. There was no sign of corrosion in steel fibers after visual observation of fractured surface. However, the flexural toughness was decreased, and this is because about half of the concrete specimen showed failure before reaching the maximum displacement of 3 mm. Although repeated wet/dry cycles in salt solution did not cause cracks in concrete through corrosion of steel fibers, specific attention is required because it can reduce flexural toughness of steel fiber reinforced concrete.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.371-377
• /
• 2022

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) devices have generated a lot of interest in recent decades. TENG technology, which is one of the technologies for harvesting mechanical energy among the energy wasted in the environment, is obtained by the dual effect of electrostatic induction and triboelectric charging. Recently, a multilayer thin film stacking method (or layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique) is being considered as a method to improve the performance of TENG and apply it to new fields. This LbL assembly technology can not only improve the performance of TENG and successfully overcome the thickness problem in applications, but also present an inexpensive, environmentally friendly process and be used for large-scale and mass production. In this review, recent studies in the accomplishment of LbL-based materials for TENG devices are reviewed, and the potential for energy harvesting devices reviewed so far is checked. The advantages of the TENG device fabricated by applying the LbL technology are discussed, and finally, the direction and perspective of this fabrication technology for the implementation of various ultra-thin TENGs are briefly presented.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.60 no.3
• /
• pp.327-333
• /
• 2022

In this study, silicon/carbon nanotube/carbon (Si/CNT/C) composites for anode were prepared to improve the volume expansion of silicon used as a high-capacity anode material. Si/CNT were prepared by electrostatic attraction of the positively charged Si and negatively charged CNT and then hydrothermal synthesis was performed to obtain the spherical Si/CNT/C composites. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) were used as binders for electrode preparation, and coin cell was assembled using 1.0 M LiPF₆ (EC:DMC:EMC = 1:1:1 vol%) electrolyte and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) additive. The physical properties of Si/CNT/C anode materials were analyzed using SEM, EDS, XRD and TGA, and the electrochemical performances of lithium-ion batteries were investigated by charge-discharge cycle, rate performance, dQ/dV and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. Also, it was confirmed that both capacity and rate performance were significantly improved using the PAA/SBR binder and 10 wt% FEC-added electrolyte. It is found that Si/CNT/C have the reversible capacity of 914 mAh/g, the capacity retention ratio of 83% during 50 cycles and the rate performance of 70% in 2 C/0.1 C.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.51-57
• /
• 2023

Because of the global pollution caused by plastic disposal, demand for eco-friendly transformation in the packaging industry is increased. As part of that, the utilization of polylactic acid (PLA) as a food packaging material is increased. However, it is necessary to improve the crystallinity of PLA by adding nucleating agents or to improve the modulus by adding fillers because of the excessive brittleness of the PLA matrix. Thus, the cellulose nanofiber (CNF) was fabricated and dried to obtain a powder form and applied to the CNF/PLA nanocomposite. The effect of CNF on the morphological, thermal, rheological, and dynamic mechanical properties of the composite was analyzed. We can confirm the impregnated CNF particle in the PLA matrix through the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed that the crystallinity of not annealed CNF/PLA nanocomposite was increased approximately 2 and 4 times in the 1st and 2nd cycle, respectively, with the shift to lower temperature of cold crystallization temperature (T_cc) in the 2nd cycle. Moreover, the crystallinity of annealed CNF/PLA nanocomposite increased by 13.4%, and shifted T_cc was confirmed.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.23-30
• /
• 2008

Stab threats using sharp edged or pointed Instruments could be easily encountered by police officers or soldiers. In this study, the shear thickening fluids (STF) was impregnated into Kevlar fabrics to improve the stab protection and the resistance of STF impregnated Kevlar fabrics was experimentally investigated. The puncture and cut resistance were tested using a drop test machine withspike and knife indenters fabricated based on the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standard. The STF was filled with spherical $SiO_2$ particles having an average diameter of 100nm, 300nm, and 500nm. The effect of particle size on puncture and cut resistance of STF impregnated Kevlar fabrics was also investigated. The measured impact load histories showed that STF impregnation into fabric leads to withstand higher peak loads than that of neat fabrics under spike test. The test results showed that Kevlar impregnated with STF exhibit remarkable improvements in puncture resistance while it is slightly influential on the cut resistance. Specifically, particle size is the one of the dominant factors controlling fabric resistance to puncture under spike impact test.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.55-62
• /
• 2007

Interfacial evaluation and durability of Jute and Hemp fibers/polypropylene (PP) composites were investigated. Moisture content of various treated conditions were measured by thermogravimetic analyzer (TGA). After boiling water test, mechanical properties and IFSS between Jute, Hemp fibers and PP matrix decreased. On the other hand, work of adhesion increased due to swelled fibril by water. Surface energies of Jute and Hemp fibers before and after boiling water test were obtained using dynamic contact angle measurement. IFSS was not always consistent with thermodynamic work of adhesion. In boiling water case, since Jute and Hemp fibers could be swelled by water, surface area and moisture infiltration space increased. Environmental effect on microfailure modes of Jute or Hemp fibers and Jute or Hemp fibers/PP composites were obtained by observing via optical microscope and by monitoring acoustic emission (AE) events and their AE parameters. After boiling water test, unlike Hemp fiber, microfailure process of Jute fiber could occur due to low tensile strength by swelled fibril. In addition, AE events occurred more and AE amplitude and energy became lower than those of before boiling water test.