• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2012

Previously, we reported that Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis and gastric cancer are closely associated with increased levels of hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) and that Korean red ginseng significantly reduced the severity of H. pylori-associated gastric diseases by attenuating $H_2S$ generation. Because the incubation of endothelial cells with $H_2S$ has been known to enhance their angiogenic activities, we hypothesized that the amelioration of $H_2S$-induced gastric inflammation or angiogenesis in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) might explain the preventive effect of Korean red ginseng on H. pylori-associated carcinogenesis. The expression of inflammatory mediators, angiogenic growth factors, and angiogenic activities in the absence or presence of Korean red ginseng extracts (KRGE) were evaluated in HUVECs stimulated with the $H_2S$ generator sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS). KRGE efficiently decreased the expression of cystathionine ${\beta}$-synthase and cystathionine ${\gamma}$-lyase, enzymes that are essential for $H_2S$ synthesis. Concomitantly, a significant decrease in the expression of inflammatory mediators, including cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and several angiogenic factors, including interleukin (IL)-8, hypoxia inducible factor-1a, vascular endothelial growth factor, IL-6, and matrix metalloproteinases, was observed; all of these factors are normally induced after NaHS. An in vitro angiogenesis assay demonstrated that NaHS significantly increased tube formation in endothelial cells, whereas KRGE pretreatment significantly attenuated tube formation. NaHS activated p38 and Akt, increasing the expression of angiogenic factors and the proliferation of HUVECs, whereas KRGE effectively abrogated this $H_2S$-activated angiogenesis and the increase in inflammatory mediators in vascular endothelial cells. In conclusion, KRGE was able to mitigate $H_2S$-induced angiogenesis, implying that antagonistic action against $H_2S$-induced angiogenesis may be the mechanism underlying the gastric cancer preventive effects of KRGE in H. pylori infection.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.675-685
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• 2016

A research area on liquid rocket engine has been suggested. Downsizing through combustion pressure rise and low price are major issues to gas generator cycle engines. A very high pressure turbopump and material against oxidizer rich environment may be necessary technologies for staged combustion cycle engines. Integrated analysis saving computing time is the trend of rocket engine systems analysis area. Other important research topics are the methane engine for reusable booster to reduce the cost, 3D printing and materials for high temperature or oxidizer rich environment.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.357-363
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• 2004

A prototype long pulse ion source was developed, and the beam extraction experiments of the ion source were carried out at the Neutral Beam Test Stand (NBTS) of the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR). The ion source consists of a magnetic bucket plasma generator, with multi-pole cusp fields, and a set of tetrode accelerators with circular apertures. Design requirements for the ion source were a 120kV/65A deuterium beam and a 300 s pulse length. Arc discharges of the plasma generator were controlled by using the emission-limited mode, in turn controlled by the applied heating voltage of the cathode filaments. Stable and efficient arc plasmas with a maximum arc power of 100 kW were produced using the constant power mode operation of an arc power supply. A maximum ion density of $8.3{\times}10^{11}\;cm^{-3}$ was obtained by using electrostatic probes, and an optimum arc efficiency of 0.46 A/kW was estimated. The accelerating and decelerating voltages were applied repeatedly, using the re-triggering mode operation of the high voltage switches during a beam pulse, when beam disruptions occurred. The decelerating voltage was always applied prior to the accelerating voltage, to suppress effectively the back-streaming electrons produced at the time of an initial beam formation, by the pre-programmed fast-switch control system. A maximum beam power of 0.9 MW (i.e. $70\;kV{\times}12.5\;A$) with hydrogen was measured for a pulse duration of 0.8 s. Optimum beam perveance, deduced from the ratio of the gradient grid current to the total beam current, was $0.7\;{\mu}perv$. Stable beams for a long pulse duration of $5{\sim}10\;s$ were tested at low accelerating voltages.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.455-459
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• 2013

The fuel processor for the portable fuel cell includes multi-step processes consisting of hydrogen generator, heat generator and several CO clean-up stages. One of requirements of the fuel processor for portable fuel cell system is a rapid start-up time. Especially, the warm-up time for WGS reactor is crucial factors for total start-up time. In this paper, active heating protocol, which is the heating protocol of WGS reactor supplied by the oxidation of CO rich reformate in the initial stage, is used for a rapid start-up. The air stream fed to the inlet of WGS reactor rapidly oxidize the CO rich reformate in the WGS reactor. Therefore, CO concentration in reformate quickly stabilized at the desired concentration without CO surges.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2003

The primary contributors to the total occupational radiation exposure in operating nuclear power plants are operation and maintenance activities doting refueling outages. The Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) includes a number of design improvements and plans to utilize advanced maintenance methods and robotics to minimize the annual collective dose. The major radiation exposure reduction features implemented in APR1400 are a permanent refueling pool seal, quick opening transfer tube blind flange, improved hydrogen peroxide injection at shutdown, improved permanent steam generator work platforms, and more effective temporary shielding. The estimated average annual occupational radiation exposure for APR1400 based on the reference plant experience and an engineering judgment is determined to be in the order of 0.4 man-Sv, which is well within the design goal of 1 man-Sv. The basis of this average annual occupational radiation exposure estimation is an eighteen (18) month fuel cycle with maintenance performed to steam generators and reactor coolant pumps during refueling outage. The outage duration is assumed to be 28 days. The outage work is to be performed on a 24 hour per day basis, seven (7) days a week with overlapping twelve (12) hour work shifts. The occupational radiation exposure for APR1400 is also determined by an alternate method which consists of estimating radiation exposures expected for the major activities during the refueling outage. The major outage activities that cause the majority of the total radiation exposure during refueling outage such as fuel handling, reactor coolant pump maintenance, steam generator inspection and maintenance, reactor vessel head area maintenance, decontamination, and ICI & instrumentation maintenance activities are evaluated at a task level. The calculated value using this method is in close agreement with the value of 0.4 man-Sv, that has been determined based on the experience aid engineering judgement. Therefore, with the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) advanced design features incorporated in the design, APR1400 design is to meet its design goal with sufficient margin, that is, more than a factor of two (2), if operated on art eighteen (18) month fuel cycle.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.56-62
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• 2008

A synthetic gas reformed from hydrocarbon-based fuels consists of $H_2$, CO and $N_2$. Hydrogen contained in the synthetic gas is a very useful species in chemical processes, due to its wide flammability range and fast burning speed. The ESGI (Exhaust Synthetic Gas Injection) technology is developed to shorten the light-off time of three way catalysts through combustion of the synthetic gas in the exhaust manifold during the cold start period of SI engines. Before the ESGI technology is applied to the test engine, the authors set a test rig that consists of gas temperature and composition controllers, an exhaust pulse generator and an exhaust manifold with a visualization window, in order to optimize the point and conditions of injection of the synthetic gas. Through measuring burned gas temperatures and taking photographs of synthetic gas combustion at the outlet of the exhaust manifold, the authors tried to find the optimal injection point and conditions. Analysis of burned gas composition has been performed for various $O_2$ concentrations. As a result, when the synthetic gas is injected at the port outlet of the cylinder No. 4 and $O_2$ concentration exceeds 4%, combustion of the synthetic gas is strong and effective in the exhaust manifold.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2014

This study was focused on the evaluation of radical scavenging effect and the protective activity against oxidative stress of the extract and fractions from Petasites japonicus. P. japonicus was extracted with methanol and then fractionated into 4 fractions [n-butanol, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), methylene chloride, and n-hexane]. The extract and fractions showed strong 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity. Among all the fractions, particularly, the EtOAc fraction showed the strongest effect with the $IC_{50}$ value of $0.02{\mu}g/ml$. In addition, the fractions also showed strong hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and nitric oxide scavenging activity as well. Furthermore, cell viability generated by the P. japonicus extract and 4 fractions were examined under C6 glial cellular model. The C6 glial cells showed high generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decrease in cell viability by the treatment generator of hydrogen peroxide. However, the production of ROS formation was decreased by the treatment of the fractions of P. japonicus and also founded that the EtOAc fraction led to significant increase in the cell viability at concentration $100{\mu}g/ml$. Results from this work indicated that P. japonicus showed protective effects against oxidative stress and its EtOAc fraction may be served as a useful natural antioxidant.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.552-558
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• 2011

A 50 kW class rotating body type wave energy converter consisted of two floating bodies and a PTO (Power Takeoff) unit is studied. As an wave energy extractor, the body is designed to have a VLCO (Variable Liquid-Column Oscillator) having a liquid filled U-tube with air chambers. Owing to the oscillation of the liquid in the U-tube caused by the air spring effect of the air chambers, the amplitude of response of the VLCO becomes significantly amplified for a target wave period. The PTO converts the rotational moment introduced from the relative motion of the hinged bodies to an hydraulic power by means of a cylinder. A high pressure accumulator, hydraulic motor and a generator are equipped in the PTO to convert the hydraulic power to electric power. A control law for adjusting the oscillation period of the VLCO is proposed for the efficient operation of the VLCO with various wave conditions. It is found that the effect of the air spring has an important role to play in making the oscillation of the VLCO match with the ocean wave. In this way, the wave energy converter equipped with the VLCO provides the most effective mode for extracting energy from the ocean wave.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.814-821
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• 1997

Kimchi is composed of many ingredients such as Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginger, and red pepper and fermented fish extract. Some of them were known to have antioxidative activities due to their scavenging effect against reactive oxygen species(ROS). To study the health effects of kimchi on human skin cells, keratinocyte(A431, epidermoid carcinoma, human) and fibroblast(CCD-986SK, normal control, human) were cultured in oxidative stress condition provoked by paraquat, a superoxide anion generator, and hydrogen peroxide in the absence and presence of kimchi extract. The survival rate of keratinocyte was greatly reduced when exposed over 1mM concentration of hydrogen peroxide($H_{2}O_{2}$), but cytotoxicity of $H_{2}O_{2}$ was significantly reduced by kimchi extracts on cells. Especially 2 week-fermented kimchi decreased remarkably the cytotoxicity by $H_{2}O_{2}$ to keratinocyte cells. Over 1mM of paraquat concentration showed strong cell toxicity on keratinocyte, but the extracts from kimchi fermented for 1, 2 and 3 weeks showed protective effects in order. Fibroblast cells were significantly affected by $H_{2}O_{2}$ as were keratinocyte cells. Although almost all extacts of kimchi of different fermentation periods showed protective effect against cell killing at 0.5mM concentration of $H_{2}O_{2}$ week-fermented kimchi extract showed the strongest protective effect on fibroblast cells treated with 1mM $H_{2}O_{2}$ for either 1 day or 4 days. However most of kimchi extracts showed weak preventive effect or no effect on oxidative stress produced by paraquat. In conclusion, 2 week-fermented kimchi extract seems to have the best potential in preventing skin cells against oxidative damage which might be related to their scavenging effects of kimchi components produced during their fermentation process.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.118-127
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• 2011

An IGCC was evaluated as one of the next generation technologies that would be able to substitute for coal-fired power plants. According to "The 4th Basic Plan of Long-term Electricity Supply & Demand" which is developed by the Electricity Business Acts, the first IGCC will be operated at 2015. Like other new and renewable energy such as solar PV, Fuel cell, The IGCC is considered as non-competitive generation technology because it is not maturity technology. Before the commercial operation of an IGCC in our electricity market, its economic feasibility under the Korean electricity market, which is cost-based trading system, is studied to find out institutional support system. The results of feasibility summarized that under the current electricity trading system, if the IGCC is considered like a conventional plant such as nuclear or coal-fired power plants, it will not be expected that its investment will be recouped within life-time. The reason is that the availability of an IGCC will plummet since 2016 when several nuclear and coal-fired power plants will be constructed additionally. To ensure the reasonable return on investment (NPV>0 IRR>Discount rate), the availability of IGCC should be higher than 77%. To do so, the current electricity trading system is amended that the IGCC generator must be considered as renewable generators to set up Price Setting Schedule and it should be considered as pick load generators, not Genco's coal fired-generators, in the Settlement Payment.