• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Cadmium is a toxic metal that is an occupational and environmental concern especially because of its human carcinogenicity; it induces serious adverse effects in various organs and tissues. Even low levels of exposure to cadmium could be harmful owing to its extremely long half-life in the body. Cadmium intoxication may be prevented by the consumption of dietary components that potentially reduce its accumulation in the body. Dietary chitosan is a polysaccharide derived from animal sources; it has been known for its ability to bind to divalent cations including cadmium, in addition to other beneficial effects including hypocholesterolemic and anticancer effects. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of dietary chitosan in reducing cadmium accumulation using an in vivo system. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cadmium was administered orally at 2 mg (three times per week) to three groups of Sprague-Dawley rats: control, low-dose, and high-dose (0, 3, and 5%, respectively) chitosan diet groups for eight weeks. Cadmium accumulation, as well as tissue functional and histological changes, was determined. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, rats fed the chitosan diet showed significantly lower levels of cadmium in blood and tissues including the kidneys, liver, and femur. Biochemical analysis of liver function including the determination of aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels showed that dietary chitosan reduced hepatic tissue damage caused by cadmium intoxication and prevented the associated bone disorder. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that dietary chitosan has the potential to reduce cadmium accumulation in the body as well as protect liver function and bone health against cadmium intoxication.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.283-288
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• 2004

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation, Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-cellulose column chromatographies. A 22 fold purification and an overall yield of 44% were achieved. The purified enzyme was a homodimer with Mr 37.1 kDa and subunit Mr 18.2 kDa as judged by SDS-PAGE. SOD showed $K_{m}$ values of 25 ${\times}$ 10$^{-6}$ M and 1.7 ${\times}$ 10$^{-6}$ M for nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and riboflavin as substrates, respectively. The enzyme was thermostable upto 5$0^{\circ}C$ and exhibited pH optima of 7.8. The effect of metal ions and some other compounds on enzyme activity was studied. $Co^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$ were found to enhance relative enzyme activities by 27 % and 73 %, respectively, while M $n^{2+}$ inhibited the SOD activity by 64%. However, $Ca^{2+}$ and C $u^{2+}$ had no effect on enzyme activity. Other compounds like $H_2O$$_2$ and Na $N_3$ inhibited enzymatic activities by 60% and 32%, respectively, while sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), chloroform plus ethanol and $\beta$-mercaptoethanol had no effect on the activity of SOD. of SOD.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.623-633
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• 2017

Food waste has been recognized as a organic sources for composting and many research was conducted to efficiently utilize or treat. This study was to evaluate a feasibility for producing food waste compost under co-composting with mixture of food and animal waste. The mixing ratio of food and animal waste was 35% as main material, which additionally mixed 30% of sawdust for co-composting. Total days of composting experiment were 84 days and each sub samples were collected at every 7 days from starting of composting. Results showed that inner temperature in composting was rapidly increased to $70{\pm}4^{\circ}C$ within 3~5 days depending on mixing animal waste of cattle, pig, and chicken base compared to sole food waste base. Expecially, the CN ratio in the mixture of food and pig water was the highest (16.2) among compost. After finishing composting experiment, maturity was evaluated with solvita and germination test. Maturity index (MI) of the mixture of food and animal waste was ranged between 6~7, but was 3 in sole food waste. Calculated germination index (GI) was at the range of about 100 irrespectively of mixing of food and animal waste. However, NaCl content and heavy metal as Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn contents was increased in the mixture of food and animal waste. which was the highest in compost mixed the food and pig waste. Both MI and GI showed that manufactured fertilizer was suitable for fertilizer criteria while sole food waste was not adequate for composting due to composting periods. Overall, mixing the food and animal waste can be utilized for improving compost maturity, but more research should be conducted to make high quality of food waste compost with animal waste in agricultural fields.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2019

Layered $LiNi_{0.83}Co_{0.11}Mn_{0.06}O_2$ cathode materials single- and dual-doped by the rare-earth elements Ce and Nd are successfully fabricated by using a coprecipitation-assisted solid-phase method. For comparison purposes, non-doping pristine $LiNi_{0.83}Co_{0.11}Mn_{0.06}O_2$ cathode material is also prepared using the same method. The crystal structure, morphology, and electrochemical performances are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) mapping, and electrochemical techniques. The XRD data demonstrates that all prepared samples maintain a typical ${\alpha}-NaFeO_2$-layered structure with the R-3m space group, and that the doped samples with Ce and/or Nd have lower cation mixing than that of pristine samples without doping. The results of SEM and EDS show that doped elements are uniformly distributed in all samples. The electrochemical performances of all doped samples are better than those of pristine samples without doping. In addition, the Ce/Nd dual-doped cathode material shows the best cycling performance and the least capacity loss. At a 10 C-rate, the electrodes of Ce/Nd dual-doped cathode material exhibit good capacity retention of 72.7, 58.5, and 45.2% after 100, 200, and 300 cycles, respectively, compared to those of pristine samples without doping (24.4, 11.1, and 8.0%).

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2019

Prussian blue analogues(PBAs) are comprised of cyano-bridged transition metal ions. The wide and unique open-framework structures of the PBAs enable reversible intercalation and deintercalation of various ions such as $Na^+$, $K^+$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, etc. In addition, since PBAs are synthesized through coprecipitation reaction in aqueous solution at room temperature, they are produced economically and environmentally friendly. However, the formation of crystals proceeds rapidly, and defects such as vacancy and crystal water tend to be present in the crystals, thereby affecting key battery performance. Therefore, significant efforts to inhibit defects in PBAs have been made. In the case of vacancy, the reaction rate was controlled at the synthesis stage to reduce the formation of vacancy, and the crystal water was removed by heat treatment under vacuum. In addition, by adding transition metals that do not react within the structure of PBA, the structural instability during the electrochemical reaction was largely alleviated.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.132-138
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• 2019

In this study, we demonstrate the effects of the acidic properties of montmorillonite (MMT), which is commonly used as a catalyst, on the conversion and selectivity of the dimer acid methyl ester (DAME) synthesis. We synthesize DAME by the dimerization of conjugated linoleic acid methyl ester (CLAME) and oleic acid methyl ester using MMT KSF. Incidentally, trimer acid methyl ester was formed as a by-product during the DAME synthesis. There is a necessity to adequately adjust the strength and quantity of the acid site to control the selectivity of DAME. Therefore, we vary the pH of the MMT acid by using various metal hydroxides. The purpose of this study is to increase the yield of monocyclic dimer acid methyl ester, which is a substance with adequate physical properties for industrial applications (e.g., lubricant and adhesive, etc.), using a heterogeneous catalyst. We report the dimerization of fatty acid methyl ester by using base treated-KSF, and apply it to conjugated soybean oil methyl ester. Then, we transmute the acid site properties of KSF, such as pH of 5 wt.% slurry KSF and various alkali metals (Li, Na, K, Ca). Characterization of base treated-KSF using a pH meter, x-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface analysis, and temperature-programmed desorption. We conduct an analysis of CLAME and DAME using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography, and gel permeation chromatography. Through these experiments, we demonstrate the effects of the acidic properties of KSF on the conversion and selectivity of the DAME synthesis, and evaluate its industrial potential by application to waste vegetable oil.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.139-151
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was performed to investigate the effect of exposure parameters on image quality obtained using a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanner and the relationship between physical factors and clinical image quality depending on the diagnostic task. Materials and Methods: CBCT images of a SedentexCT IQ phantom and a real skull phantom were obtained under different combinations of tube voltage and tube current (Alphard 3030 CBCT scanner, 78-90 kVp and 2-8 mA). The images obtained using a SedentexCT IQ phantom were analyzed technically, and the physical factors of image noise, contrast resolution, spatial resolution, and metal artifacts were measured. The images obtained using a real skull phantom were evaluated for each diagnostic task by 6 oral and maxillofacial radiologists, and each setting was classified as acceptable or unacceptable based on those evaluations. A statistical analysis of the relationships of exposure parameters and physical factors with observer scores was conducted. Results: For periapical diagnosis and implant planning, the tube current of the acceptable images was significantly higher than that of the unacceptable images. Image noise, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the line pair chart on the Z axis, and modulation transfer function (MTF) values showed statistically significant differences between the acceptable and unacceptable image groups. The cut-off values obtained using receiver operating characteristic curves for CNR and MTF 10 were useful for determining acceptability. Conclusion: Tube current had a major influence on clinical image quality. CNR and MTF 10 were useful physical factors that showed significantly associations with clinical image quality.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.526-531
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• 2011

The present study attempted to impregnate alkali metals to amino acid in order to improve $CO_2$ absorption capacity. A used amino acid was glycine, of which pH increased up to about 11 with the addition of alkalies. $CO_2$ absorption capacity of amino acid salts was evaluated in a batch and a continuous process. The absorption capacity appeared in turns as; Sodium Glycinate ${\geq}$ Lithium Glycinate > Potassium Glycinate. Amino acid salts showed lower absolute capacity of $CO_2$ absorption than primary amine (Monoethanolamine) at $20^{\circ}C$. In a continuous absorption with 10% $CO_2$ flow, the increasing the reaction temperature, the increasing rate of absorption for amino and was higher that of than amino absorbent.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.424-430
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• 2022

In the study, Ni²⁺ (nickel) removal from synthetically prepared wastewater by electrocoagulation method, which is one of the electrochemical treatment processes, was investigated and parameters such as current density, pH, mixing speed, initial Ni²⁺ concentration, supporting electrolyte type and concentration were determined to determine Ni²⁺ removal efficiencies effects were studied. Experiment conditions during 30 minutes of electrolysis; the current density was determined as 0.95 mA/cm², the initial pH of the wastewater was 6, the mixing speed was 150 rpm, and the initial nickel concentration was 250 mg/L. The Ni²⁺ removal efficiency was obtained as 75.99% under the determined experimental conditions, while the energy consumption was calculated as 3.15 kW-h/m³. In the experiments, it was observed that the type and concentration of the supporting electrolyte did not have a significant effect on the Ni²⁺ removal efficiency. In the trials where the effect of the support electrolyte concentration was examined, the Ni²⁺ removal efficiency was 75.99% in the wastewater environment without the supporting electrolyte, while the Ni²⁺ removal efficiency was 81.55% when 7.5 mmol/L NaCl was used after the 30-minute reaction, and the energy consumption was 2.15 kW-h/m³ obtained as. As a result of the studies, it was concluded that the electrocoagulation process can be applied in the treatment of wastewater containing Ni²⁺.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.438-448
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• 2023

The concentrations of trace metals and organic matters in marine sediments collected from southeast Korean coastal areas were investigated. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the contamination status, spatial distribution and potential ecological risks associated with the physiochemical composition in the studied areas. We found that the concentrations of trace metals in marine sediments were as follows: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cr > Pb > Cu > As > Cd > Hg. According to the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) of Korea, concentrations of Zn, Cr, Cu and Cd at all sampling sites were below threshold effect levels (TEL). However, concentrations of As, Hg, and Pb (i.e., at the 94-98% of sampling sites), were below the TEL. In addition, concentration factors (CF) in the surveyed area were found to be associated with low ecological risks, whereas As, Hg, and Cu showed moderate to high risk levels in some inner parts of the studied bays. Finally, the pollution load index (PLI) and ecological risk index (ERI) of the elucidated metals were linked to moderate ecological risk, pointing to the possibility of being deleterious to some benthic organisms.