• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.979-983
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• 2001

Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus is a strictly anaerobic and thermophilic bacterium whose optimum temperature ranges over $65-68^{\circ}C.$ T. ethanolicus was known to contain a bipolar very long chain fatty acyl component such as $\alpha$, $\omega-1316-dimethyloctacosanedioate$, as one of the major membrane components. However, exact physiological role of this unusual component in the membrane remains unknown. Such a very long chain fatty acyl component, $\alpha$, ${\omega}-1316-dimethyloctacosanedioate$, dimethyl ester (DME C30), was isolated, and purified from the membrane of T. ethanolicus. As a function of added concentrations of the $\alpha$, $\omega-1316-dimethyloctacosanedioate$, dimethyl ester (DME C30) or cholesterol into the standard liposomes, the acyl chain ordering effect was investigated by the steady-state anisotropy with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as a fluorescent probe. Acyl chain order parameter (S) of vesicles containing DME C30 is higher comparing with phosphatidylcholine (PC) only vesicles. This result was discussed thermodynamically with the aid of the simulated annealing molecular dynamics simulations. Through the investigation of all the possible conformational changes of DME C30 or cholesterol, we showed that DME C30 is very flexible and its conformation is variable depending on the temperature comparing with cholesterol, which is rigid and restricted at overall temperature. We propose that the conformational change of DME C30, not the configurational change, may be involved in the regulation of the membrane fluidity against the changes of external temperature.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.498-505
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• 2020

This study analyzes the velocity and pressure incurred by protruding shapes installed within the inlet part of a pressurized membrane module during operation to determine the fluid flow distribution. In this paper, to find the flow distribution within a module, it investigates the velocity and pressure values at cross-sectional and outlet planes, and 9 sections classified on outlet plane using computational fluid dynamics. From the Reynolds number (Re), the fluid flow was estimated to be turbulent when the Re exceeded 4,000. In the vertical cross-sectional plane, shape 4 and 6 (round-type protrusion) showed the relatively high velocity of 0.535 m/s and 0.558 m/s, respectively, indicating a uniform flow distribution. From the velocity and pressure at the outlet, shape 4 also displayed a relatively uniform fluid velocity and pressure, indicating that fluid from the inlet rapidly and uniformly reached the outlet, however, from detailed data of velocity, pressure and flowrate obtained from 9 sections at the outlet, shape 6 revealed the low standard deviations for each section. Therefore, shape 6 was deemed to induce the ideal flow, since it maintained a uniform pressure, velocity and flowrate distribution.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.15-15
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• 1998

Pores can form and grow in biomembranes because of factors such as thermal fluctuation, transmembrane electrical potential, and cellular environment. We propose a new statistical physics model of the pore growth treated as a non-Markovian stochastic process, with a free energy barrier and memory friction from the membrane matrix treated as a quasi-two-dimensional viscoelastic and dielectric fluid continuum.(omitted)

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 1999

Symmetric asymmetric and composite perfluoropolymer membranes made with HYFLON AD have been prepared and evaluated. Porous and non porous symmetric membranes have been prepared by solvent evaporation with various processing conditions. Non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to investigate the membrane morphology in air. Analysis of the images gave quantitative imformation on the surface pore strcture in particular on the pore size distributin. Possible useful uses of porous membranes are envisaged in the field of gas-liquid separations such as membrane contactors (MSc) Molecular Dynamics(MD) simulations structure of HYFLON AD 60X copolymer supporting these results are also reported. Amorphous perfluoropolymer membranes appears to be ideal other than in MCs when separation processes have to be performed in hostile environments i.e. high temperatures and aggressive non-aqueous media such as chemicals and solvents. In these cases HYFLON AD mem-branes can exploit the outstanding resistance of perfluoropolymers.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2021

In recent years, polymer membranes, which are actively used in various industrial fields, have the advantage of being able to impart unique properties through the control of chemical structures and physical properties in the film-fabrication process, as well as through fabricating blend membranes mixed with various materials. In this study, the solubility parameter, which can be used as an index of miscibility with other materials, was calculated using molecular dynamics using a silkworm (Bombyx mori) silk polymer which has a wide potential to be used as an eco-friendly natural material. When the solubility parameter of polyvinylalcohol (PVA), which is also environmentally friendly and biocompatible, was calculated by molecular dynamics and compared with each other, it was confirmed that the two polymer materials had similar solubility parameter values. In conclusion, it was theoretically proved that the two polymers could blend well with each other, which was confirmed through experiments.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.238-243
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• 2011

In this study, we attempted a structural analysis in order to design a balloon type extracorporeal membrane oxygenator that can induce blood flow without using blood pumps for the purpose of complementing the weakness in the existing extracorporeal membrane oxygenator. To analyze the flow characteristic of the blood flow within the virtual model of extracorporeal membrane oxygenator, computational fluid dynamics(CFD) modeling method was used. The operating principle of this system is to make the surface of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenator keep contracting and dilating regularly by applying pressure load using a balloon, and the 'ime Function Value'that changes according to the time was applied by calculating a half cycle of sine waveform and a cycle of sine.waveform Under the assumption that the uni-directional blood flow could be induced if the balloon type extracorporeal membrane oxygenator was designed as per the method described above, we conducted a structural analysis accordingly. We measured and analyzed the velocity and pressure of blood flow at both inlet and outlet of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenator through CFD simulation. As a result of the modeling, it was confirmed that there was a flow in accord with the direction of the blood by the contraction/dilation. With CFD simulation, the characteristics of blood flow can be predicted in advance, so it is judged that this will be able to provide the most optimized design in producing an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.285-297
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• 2016

Fundamental understanding of vanadium ion transport and the detrimental effects of cross-contamination on vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) performance is critical for developing low-cost, robust, and highly selective proton-conducting membranes for VRFBs. The objective of this work is to examine the effect of conductivity and diffusivity, two key membrane parameters, on long-cycle performance of a VRFB at different operating conditions using a transient 2D multi-component model. This single-channel model combines the transport of vanadium ions, chemical reactions between permeated ions, and electrochemical reactions. It has been discovered that membrane selecting criterion for long cycles depends critically on current density and operating voltage range of the cell. The conducted simulation work is also designed to study the synergistic effects of the membrane properties on dynamics of VRFBs as well as to provide general guidelines for future membrane material development.

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.35-44
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• 2011

Membrane filtration has become firmly established as a primary process for ensuring the purity, safety and efficiency of treatment of water or effluents. Several researches have been performed to develop and design membrane systems in order to increase the accuracy and performance of the processes. In this study, a lattice Boltzmann method for the cake layer has been developed using particle dynamics based on an immersed boundary method and the cake layer formation process on membrane has been numerically simulated. Case studies including various particle sizes were also performed for a microfiltration process. The growth rate of the cake layer thickness and the permeation flow rate along the membranes were predicted. The results of this study agreed well with that of previous experiments. Effects of various particle diameters on the membrane performance were studied. The cake layer of a large particle tended to be growing fast and the permeation flow going down rapidly at the beginning. The layer thickness of a small particle increased constantly and the flow rate was smaller than that of the large particle at the end of simulation time.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2018

In the molecular dynamics study of polymeric membranes, it is very important to select the proper length of the polymer main chain because it requires a large number of constituent atoms and a long time to simulate the permeation behavior. In this study, we tried to investigate how the correlation between polymer main chain length and permeation behavior appears in actual molecular dynamics simulation results. Molecular dynamics were performed using the widely known commercial polymer Kapton(R) polyimide structure and the gas permeation behavior was simulated. The movement of the polymer main chain was not related to its length and the short main chain length did not act more actively. In addition, unlike the prediction that the end group of the polymer main chain is relatively easy to move, there are many cases where the atoms located at the middle of the polymer main chains have a higher movement than the atoms located at the end groups. Finally, permeabilities of the gas molecules was not affected by the length of the main chain and the end groups of the polymer, which indicates that the end effect should be carefully mentioned and followed by the verification process.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.12
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• pp.893-905
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• 2019

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that constantly undergo fission and fusion processes that closely related to their function. Disruption of mitochondrial dynamics has been demonstrated in acute kidney injury (AKI), which could eventually result in cell injury and death. Previously, we reported that augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) alleviates renal tubular epithelial cell injury. Here, we gained further insights into whether the renoprotective roles of ALR are associated with mitochondrial dynamics. Changes in mitochondrial dynamics were examined in experimental models of renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR). In a model of hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR) injury in vitro, dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) and mitochondrial fission process protein 1 (MTFP1), two key proteins of mitochondrial fission, were downregulated in the Lv-ALR + HR group. ALR overexpression additionally had an impact on phosphorylation of Drp1 Ser637 during AKI. The inner membrane fusion protein, Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1), was significantly increased whereas levels of outer membrane fusion proteins Mitofusin-1 and -2 (Mfn1, Mfn2) were not affected in the Lv-ALR + HR group, compared with the control group. Furthermore, the mTOR/4E-BP1 signaling pathway was highly activated in the Lv-ALR + HR group. ALR overexpression led to suppression of HR-induced apoptosis. Our collective findings indicate that ALR gene transfection alleviates mitochondrial injury, possibly through inhibiting fission and promoting fusion of the mitochondrial inner membrane, both of which contribute to reduction of HK-2 cell apoptosis. Additionally, fission processes are potentially mediated by promoting tubular cell survival through activating the mTOR/4E-BP1 signaling pathway.