• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.292-301
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• 2010

To restore visual sensation of blind patients, we have proposed a fully implantable retinal prosthesis comprising an three dimensionally (3D) stacked retinal chip for transforming optical signal to electrical signal, a flexible cable with stimulus electrode array for stimulating retina cells, and coupling coils for power transmission. The 3D stacked retinal chip is consisted of several LSI chips such as photodetector, signal processing circuit, and stimulus current generator. They are vertically stacked and electrically connected using 3D integration technology. Our retinal prosthesis has a small size and lightweight with high resolution, therefore it could increase the patients` quality of life (QOL). For realizing the fully implantable retinal prosthesis, we developed a retinal prosthesis module comprising a retinal prosthesis chip and a flexible cable with stimulus electrode array for generating optimal stimulus current. In this study, we used a 2D retinal chip as a prototype retinal prosthesis chip. We fabricated the polymide-based flexible cable of $20{\mu}m$ thickness where 16 channels Pt stimulus electrode array was formed in the cable. Pt electrode has an impedance of $9.9k{\Omega}$ at 400Hz frequency. The retinal prosthesis chip was mounted on the flexible cable by an epoxy and electrically connected by Au wire. The retinal prosthesis chip was cappted by a silicone to pretect from corrosive environments in an eyeball. Then, the fabricated retinal prosthesis module was implanted into an eyeball of a rabbit. We successfully recorded electrically evoked potential (EEP) elicited from the rabbit brain by the current stimulation supplied from the implanted retinal prosthesis module. EEP amplitude was increased linearly with illumination intensity and irradiation time of incident light. The retinal prosthesis chip was well functioned after implanting into the eyeball of the rabbit.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2004

Feasibility of electrokinetic process combined with Fenton-like reaction was investigated for the removal of phenanthrene from contaminated soil. Transport of hydrogen peroxide by electroosmosis and decomposition of phenanthrene by Fenton-like reaction were observed in a model system. Electrical potential gradient and electroosmotic flow (EOF) at 10 mA were higher than those at 5 mA. High accumulated EOF resulted in high removal efficiency of phenanthrene because the large amount of hydrogen peroxide was transfered through the soil. Removal efficiency of phenanthrene by water washing was 8.5% for 7 days. The highest removal efficiency including phenanthrene decomposition was 95.6% for 14 days. After the operation, soil samples with removal efficiency of 95.6% showed low concentrations of phenanthrene and its intermediates. From this result, it was presumed that phenanthrene was decomposed to small molecules or mineralized to water and carbon dioxide due to continuous supply of hydrogen peroxide by electroosmotic flow.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.91-97
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• 2015

Skyscrapers, large business buildings, and IT consumers use many appliances, and the electrical power stems can cause fires by overheating. This can result in damaged capacitors, lost data, rising ground potential, and communication obstacles from linear or nonlinear high frequency. To make sure of that we investigated 7 spots of a building, among which 6-spots were fair but the other one needed high frequency control. Spots 3, 6, and 7 needed diagnostic workup, and spots 2, 3, and 5 considered 5 high frequency currents. A phase is all of good but the high frequency current is greater than the standard level except for spot 1. As a result, a zigzag transformer or active filter needs to be installed, and the efficiency needs to be upgraded by investigating load unbalance factors and power factors.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.67-78
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study were to examine the anti-hyperalgesic effects of combination of electroacupuncture and microcurrent on anti-hyperalgesia in local hyperalgesia zone. Methods: It used 24 rats for experiment, divided them into control group, electroacupuncture group (EA group), microcurrent group (MC group), combination of electroacupuncture with microcurrent (EA+MC group), caused hyperalgesia by injecting ${\lambda}-carrageenan$ into hindpaw. Thickness of hindpaw, mechanical pain threshold (MPT), thermal pain threshold (TPT), noxious flexion withdrawal reflex (NFR) and somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) were measured immediately after induction, at 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours after induction. The electrical stimulation was given once a day for three days, 20min per session. Results: Change of thickness, MPT, and TPT showed significant difference in all groups compared to control group. In particular, there were remarkable difference in EA+ME group. In particular there were remarkable differences in EA group and EA+MC group. Change of NFR(% threshold, % reaction time, % RMS) and SEP showed mainly significant differences in EA group and EA+ME group compared to control group. In particular, there were remarkable difference in EA+ME group. Conclusion: The above results suggest that appropriate combination of microcurrent with electroacupuncture for pain control will be very desirable.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.432-437
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• 2007

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are toxic agents that may be involved in various neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies indicate that ROS are also involved in persistent pain through a spinal mechanism. In the present study, whole cell patch clamp recordings were carried out on substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons in spinal cord slice of neonatal rats to investigate the effects of ROS on neuronal excitability and excitatory synaptic transmission. In current clamp condition, tert-buthyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH), an ROS donor, induced a electrical hyperexcitability during t-BuOOH wash-out followed by a brief inhibition of excitability in SG neurons. Application of t-BuOOH depolarized membrane potential of SG neurons and increased the neuronal firing frequencies evoked by depolarizing current pulses. Phenyl-N-tert-buthylnitrone (PBN), an ROS scavenger, antagonized t-BuOOH induced hyperexcitability. IN voltage clamp conditions, t-BuOOH increased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs). In order to determine the site of action of t-BuOOH, miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) were recorded. t-BuOOH increased the frequency and amplitude of mEPSCs, indicating that it may modulate the excitability of the SG neurons via pre- and postsynaptic actions. These data suggest that ROS generated by peripheral nerve injury can induce central sensitization in spinal cord.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.126-146
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• 1999

In clinical neurology various different electrophysiological tests are widely used to demonstrate the unsuspected malfunctioning in the nervous system and to monitor over time the clinical status of patients. In addition clinical neurologists and neurosurgeons take advantage of the intraoperative monitorings to increase the quality of neurosurgical operations in the posterior fossa, in the spinal cord, or in visual pathways. In the field of movement disorders, elecrophysiolgical tests provide neurologists with making accurate differential diagnoses with useful therapeutic stratergies as well as with investigating the pathophysiological machanisms. By using the electromyographic tests it could be possible for us to evaluate the types of blephalospasm, the extent of hemifacial spasm, the level of myoclonus, and the prime muscles of torticollis etc. Sometimes the myographic guidance may be critical for choosing the exact injecting site of botulinum toxin. These several decades various electroencephalographic and evoked potential tests has been utilized in the electrophysiological laboratories to understand the basic pathophysiology of myoclonus, spasticity and other central motor dysfunctions. It could be one of the breakthroughs in the area of behavorial neurology that the brain function can be mapped by the spontaneous or evoked electrical activities of nervous system since the movement related potentials (MRPs) had been studies for several decades. Various reflex tests such as masseter reflex, blink reflex, click evoked vestibulocollic reflex, facial reflex, stretch reflex, flexor reflex, H-reflex, H-reflex recovery curve, vestibular inhibition of H-reflex, reciprocal inhibition, recurrent or Renshaw reflex, Ib inhibition, cutaneous reflex have been also used to understand normal or abnormal physiology in movement disorders. Polysomnography, posturography and gait studies are also applied in clinical neurology in association with with movement disorders which are useful in deciding the treatment regimen.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.562-562
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• 2012

Recently, graphene and graphene-based materials such as graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxide (R-GO) draws a great attention for electronic devices due to their structures of one atomic layer of carbon hexagon that have excellent mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical properties and very high specific surface area that can be high potential for chemical functionalization. R-GO is a promising candidate because it can be prepared with low-cost from solution process by chemical oxidation and exfoliation using strong acids and oxidants to produce graphene oxide (GO) and its subsequent reduction. R-GO has been used as semiconductor or conductor materials as well as sensing layer for bio-molecules or ions. In this work, reduced graphene oxide field-effect transistor (R-GO FET) has been fabricated with ITO extended gate structure that has sensing area on ITO extended gate part. R-GO FET device was encapsulated by tetratetracontane (TTC) layer using thermal evaporation. A thermal annealing process was carried out at $140^{\circ}C$ for 4 hours in the same thermal vacuum chamber to remove defects in R-GO film before deposition of TTC at $50^{\circ}C$ with thickness of 200 nm. As a result of this process, R-GO FET device has a very high stability and durability for months to serve as a transducer for sensing applications.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.66-66
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• 2011

Anodic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes are very attractive materials for gas sensors due to its large surface to volume ratios. The most widely known method for fabrication of TiO2 nanotubes is anodic oxidation of metallic Ti foil. Since the remaining Ti substrate is a metallic conductor, TiO2 nanotube arrays on Ti are not appropriate for gas sensor applications. Detachment of the TiO2 nanotube arrays from the Ti Substrate or the formation of electrodes onto the TiO2 nanotube arrays have been used to demonstrate gas sensors based on TiO2 nanotubes. But the sensitivity was much lower than those of TiO2 gas sensors based on conventional TiO2 nanoparticle films. In this study, Ti thin films were deposited onto a SiO2/Si substrate by electron beam evaporation. Samples were anodized in ethylene glycol solution and ammonium fluoride (NH4F) with 0.1wt%, 0.2wt%, 0.3wt% and potentials ranging from 30 to 60V respectively. After anodization, the samples were annealed at $600^{\circ}C$ in air for 1 hours, leading to porous TiO2 films with TiO2 nanotubes. With changing temperature and CO concentration, gas sensor performance of the TiO2 nanotube gas sensors were measured, demonstrating the potential advantages of the porous TiO2 films for gas sensor applications. The details on the fabrication and gas sensing performance of TiO2 nanotube sensors will be presented.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.208-209
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• 2011

In this work, we developed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols on gold that can release amine groups, when an electrical potential was applied to the gold. The strategy was based on the introduction of the electroactive carbamate group, which underwent the two-electron oxidation with simultaneous release of the amine molecules, to alkanethiols. The synthesis of the designed thiol compounds was achieved by coupling isocyanate-containing compound with hydroquinone. The electroactive thiols were mixed with hydroxyl-containing alkanethiol [$HS(CH_2)_{11}OH$] to form mixed monolayers, and cyclic votammetry was used for the characterization of the release. The mixed SAMs showed a first oxidation peak at +540 mV (versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode), demonstrating irreversible conversion from carbamate to hydroqinone with simultaneous release of the amine groups. The second and third cycles showed typical reversible redox reaction of hydroquinone and quione: the oxidation and reduction occurred at +290 mV and -110 mV, respectively. The measurement of ToF-SIMS further indicates that electrochemical-assisted chemical reaction successfully released amine groups. This new SAM-based electrochemistry would be applicable for direct release of biologically active molecules that contain amine groups.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.120-125
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• 2018

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are receiving great attention because of their unusual material properties, such as high thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, and electrical resistance. However, high-throughput and high-efficiency synthesis of BNNTs has been hindered due to the high boiling point of boron (${\sim}4000^{\circ}C$) and weak interaction between boron and nitrogen. Although, hydrogen-catalyzed plasma synthesis has shown potential for scalable synthesis of BNNTs, the direct use of $H_2$ gas as a precursor material is not strongly recommended, as it is extremely flammable. In the present study, BNNTs have been synthesized using radio-frequency inductively coupled thermal plasma (RF-ITP) catalyzed by solid-state ammonium chloride ($NH_4Cl$), a safe catalyst materials for BNNT synthesis. Similar to BNNTs synthesized from h-BN (hexagonal boron nitride) + $H_2$, successful fabrication of BNNTs synthesized from $h-BN+NH_4Cl$ is confirmed by their sheet-like properties, FE-SEM images, and XRD analysis. In addition, improved dispersion properties in aqueous solution are found in BNNTs synthesized from $h-BN+NH_4Cl$.