• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.15 no.1 s.45
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• pp.52-59
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• 2006

This paper examined the conversion of methane to hydrogen and other higher hydrocarbons using dielectric barrier discharge with AC pulse power. Two metal electrodes of a coaxial-type plasma reactor were separated by gas gap and an alumina tube. The inner electrode was located inside the alumina tube. The alumina tube was located inside the stainless steel tube, which was used as the outer electrode. Effect of feed gas composition (methane, oxygen, argon, water and helium), flow rate, applied frequency, input volt-age on methane conversion and product distribution were studied. The major products of plasma chemical reactions were ethylene, ethane, propane, buthane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The increment of applied voltage and the usage of inert gas as the background (helium and argon) enhanced the selectivity of hydrocarbons and methane conversion. The addition of water in the feed stream enhanced the conversion of methane and yield of hydrogen. Higher voltage leads to higher yield of $C_2H_6,\;C_3H_8,\;C_4H_{10}$ and yield or $C_2H_2\;and\;C_2H_4$ appeared highly in lower voltage.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.985-994
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• 2000

Objective : There are some advantages of trigeminal evoked potential(TEP) recording compared to other somatosensory evoked potential(SSEP) recordings. The trigeminal sensory pathway has a pure sensory nerve branch, a broader receptive field in cerebral cortex, and a shorter pathway. Despite these advantages, there is little agreement as to what constitutes a normal response and what wave forms truly characterize the intraoperative TEP. This study presents the normative data of TEP recorded on the epidural surface of the rat with a platinum ball electrode. Materials & Methods : Under general anesthesia with urethane, the adult Sprague-Dawley male rats(300-350g) were given electrical stimulation with two stainless steel electrodes which were inserted into the subcutaneous layer of the area around whiskers. A reference electrode was positioned in the temporalis muscle ipsilateral to the recording site. Results : TEPs were recorded in the Par I area of somatosensory cortex and recorded most apparently on the point of 2mm posterior from the bregma and 6mm lateral from the midline. The typical wave form consisted of 5 peaks (N1-P1-N2-P2-N3 according to emerging order, upward negativity). Each latency to corresponding peaks was not influenced by the different intensities of stimulation, especially from 1 to 5mA. Average latencies of 5 peaks were in the following order ; 7.7, 11.1, 15, 22.3, 29.4ms. There was also no significant difference between latencies before and after administration of muscle relaxant(pancuronium). For the electrophysiological localization of recorded waves, the action potential of a single unit was recorded with glass microelectrode(filled with 2M NaCl, $3-5M{\Omega}$) in the thalamus of rat. A sharp wave was recorded in the VPM nucleus, in which the latency was shorter than that of N1. This suggests that all 5 peaks were generated by neural activities in the suprathalamic pathway. Conclusion : In terms of recording near-field potentials, our data also suggests that TEP in the rat may be superior to other SSEPs. In overall, these results may afford normative data for the studies of supratentorial lesions such as hydrocephalus or cerebral ischemia which can have an influence on near-field potentials.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.169-184
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• 2016

Objectives: To investigate the neurophysiological effect of acupuncture treatment on insomnia patients using quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) and standardized Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography method (sLORETA).Background: Insomnia is one of the commonly encountered symptoms in primary medical care. Recent studies of acupuncture for insomnia reported that the acupuncture groups showed significant improvements compared with the control groups. However, the neurophysiological mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of insomnia has not been revealed and a few studies have measured the effect of acupuncture treatment using QEEG.Methods: Participants who had some problems in initiating or maintaining sleep, or had non-restorative sleep for more than 3 days a week and ISI scores above 8 and below 21 were treated by acupuncture for 2 weeks (3 times a week, total 6 times). We assessed the effectiveness of acupuncture for insomnia by the PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) at baseline and at 2 weeks after the end of treatment (4th week). Also, we performed EEG and analysed the EEG data at baseline and at the end of treatment (2nd week) on the linked ears montage using the Neuroguide software program and sLORETA.Results: Thirty-two participants were enrolled and 2 participants dropped out because of personal reasons. Among the 30 participants, EEGs of 12 participants were included in the analysis of QEEG and sLORETA. Total score on the ISI and PSQI was significantly decreased after acupuncture treatment. The number of electrodes exceeding the range of 90% (±1.65) or 95% (±1.96) in the z scored absolute power of beta was significantly decreased after acupuncture treatment. There was no significant change in brain activation between pre- and post-acupuncture using sLORETA.Conclusions: The deviation of absolute power compared to the normative database was significantly decreased after acupuncture treatment in the alpha and beta ranges. Therefore, we suggest that acupuncture treatment for insomnia might be effective through the central nervous system especially in the brain. There are many limitations to drawing any conclusion. Further studies are needed in the future to overcome these limitations.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 2013

For the optimal design of the vehicle electric system, it is important to have a reliable modeling tool to predict the dynamic behavior of the automotive battery. In this work, a one-dimensional modeling was carried-out to predict the dynamic behaviors of a 12-V automotive lead-acid battery. The model accounted for electrochemical kinetics and ionic mass transfer in a battery cell. In order to validate the modeling, modeling results were compared with the experiment data of the dynamic behaviors of the lead-acid batteries of two different capacities that were mounted on the automobiles manufactured by Hyundai Motor Company. The discharge behaviors were measured with various discharge rates of C/3, C/5, C/10, C/20 and combination. And dynamic behaviors of charge and discharge were measured. The voltage curves from the experiment and simulation were in good agreement. Based on the modeling, the distributions of the electrical potentials of the solid and solution phases, and the current density within the electrodes could be predicted as a function of charge and discharge time.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.453-468
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• 2012

This study investigated the effects of Lavandula angustifolia (L. angustifolia) aroma on the brain electrical activity evaluated by an electroencephalogram (EEG) in the male adults since many researches were performed with females and few with males. Sleep quality of 35 male adults were analyzed by Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and they were divided into two groups of good sleep quality and poor sleep quality. EEG electrodes were attached at the frontal (F3, F4), temporal (T3, T4), occipital (O1, O2), and parietal (P3, P4) regions according to the International 10-20 system. EEG was measured for 3 min per each period of before, during, and after L. angustifolia aromatherapy. Subjects with good sleep quality showed increases in the delta power at the parietal region of both cerebral hemispheres and in the theta power at the temporal region of right hemisphere (p<0.05), and a decrease in the alpha at the parietal region of both cerebral hemispheres (p<0.05). And subjects with poor sleep quality showed increases in the delta power at the frontal region of left cerebral hemisphere and in the theta power at the frontal region of both hemispheres (p<0.05). It is concluded that L. angustifolia aroma has effects on decreasing an awakening status related-brain wave and increasing the sleep status related-brain waves in the male adults with good sleep quality, and has also effects on increasing the sleep status related-brain waves in the male adults with poor sleep quality.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.138-145
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• 2009

The combination of focused ion beam (FIB) and 4 point probe nanomanipulator could make various nano manufacturing and electrical measurements possible. In this study, we manufactured individual ZnO nanowire devices and measured those electrical properties. In addition, tensile experiments of metallic Au and Pd nanowires was performed by the same directional alignment of two nanomanipulators and a nanowire. It was confirmed from I-V curves that Ohmic contact is formed between electrodes and nanomanipulators, which is able to directly measure the electrical properties of a nanowire itself. In the mechanical tensile test, Au and Pd nanowires showed a totally different fracture behavior except the realignment from <110> to <002>. The deformation until the fracture was governed by twin for Au and by slip for Pd nanowires, respectively. The crystallographic relationship and fracture mechanism was discussed by TEM observations.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2018

This paper proposes a method for fabricating heatable glass using the conduction characteristics of metal thin films deposited on the surface of Low-e(Low emissivity) glass. The heating value of Low-e glass depends on the Joule heat caused by Low-e glass sheet resistance. Hence, its prediction and design are possible by measuring the sheet resistance of the material. In this study, silver electrodes were placed at 50 mm intervals on a soft Low-e glass sample with a low emissivity layer of 11 nm. This study measured the sheet resistance using a 4-point probe, predicted the power consumption and heating value of the Low-e glass, and confirmed the heating performance through fabrication and experience. There are two conventional methods for manufacturing heatable glass. One is a method of inserting nichrome heating wire into normal glass, and the other is a method of depositing a conductive transparent thin film on normal glass. The method of inserting nichrome heating wire is excellent in terms of the heating performance, but it damages the transparency of the glass. The method for depositing a conductive transparent thin film is good in terms of transparency, but its practicality is low because of its complicated process. This paper proposes a method for manufacturing heatable glass with the desired heating performance using Low-e glass, which is used mainly to improve the insulation performance of a building. That is by emitting a laser beam to the conductive metal film coated on the entire surface of the Low-e glass. The proposed method is superior in terms of transparency to the conventional method of inserting nichrome heating wire, and the manufacturing process is simpler than the method of depositing a conductive transparent thin film. In addition, the heat characteristics were compared according to the patterning of the surface thin film of the Low-e glass by an emitting laser and the laser output conditions suitable for Low-e glass.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.1229-1237
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• 2012

This study aimed to investigate the effect of hand grip force on the activity of shoulder muscles in 2 arm postures. The muscle activity of the upper trapezius, lower trapezius, infraspinatus, anterior deltoid, and posterior deltoid muscles in 22 healthy subjects (11 men and 11 women) were measured using surface electrodes during 4 hand gripping tasks (0%, 30%, 50%, and 70% of maximum voluntary contraction) in 2 shoulder positions (neutral position and $90^{\circ}$ elevation position). Among changing grip force significantly differenced infraspinatus, anterior deltoid, and posterior deltoid muscles' activity in the shoulder neutral position(p<0.05). In the shoulder $90^{\circ}$ elevation position, anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid muscles' activity was significantly differenced(p<0.05). Hand gripping was found to alter muscle activation. The hand grip task activated the infraspinatus muscle in the neutral position and inhibited the deltoid muscle in the $90^{\circ}$ elevation position. This finding may prove useful for the development preventative measures and rehabilitation strategies for shoulder injuries.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.273-280
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• 1988

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of the medial amygdaloid nucleus on the pancreatic exocrine secretion and plasma secretin concentration in 44 male albino rats. Twenty-three rats in which the medial amygdaloid nucleus was damaged bilaterally by radio frequency a.c. through stereotaxically inserted electrodes (medical amygdaloid group, MA) and twenty-one rats which received the same operation without damage (operated control, OC), were prepared. Under urethan anesthesia, 0.01 N hydrochloric acid (HCl) or physiological saline (0.9% NaCl) was infused at a rate of 0.18 ml/min into the duodenum for 20 minutes. Pancreatic jucie was collected for the 20 min infusion period. After collection of pancreatic juice, blood was sampled from the abdominal aorta for the radioimmunoassay of plasma secretin concentration. In the MA group, the exocrine pancreatic secretory response to 0.01 N HCI as well as saline infusion was significantly inhibited compared with that in the OC group. The pancreatic protein output of the MA group significantly decreased after the saline infusion and tended to decrease after the 0.01 N HCI infusion, compared with that of the OC group. However, there was no significant difference in plasma secretin concentration between the two groups. Therefore it is strongly suggested that the rat medial amygdaloid nucleus has a facilitatory influence on both basal and acid-stimulated pancreatic exocrine secretion, but the releasing mechanism of secretin appears not to be involved in the influence.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.8.1-8.1
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• 2011

Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) materials have been widely used as an electron collector in DSSC. This is required to have an extremely high porosity and surface area such that the dye can be sufficiently adsorbed and be electronically interconnected, resulting in the generation of a high photocurrent within cells. In particular, their geometrical structures and crystalline phase have been extensively investigated as important issues in improving its photovoltaic efficiency. In this study, we present a new strategy to fabricate a photoelectrode having a periodic structured $TiO_2$ film templated from 1D or 3D polystyrene (PS) microspheres array. Monodisperse PS spheres of various radiuses were used for colloidal array on FTO glasses and two types of photoelectrode structures with different $TiO_2$ materials were investigated respectively. One is the igloo-shaped electrode prepared by $TiO_2$ deposition by RF-sputtering onto 2D microsphere-templated substrates. At the interface between the film and substrate, there are voids formed by the decomposition of PS microspheres during the calcination step. These holes might be expected to play the predominant roles as scattering spherical voids to promote a light harvesting effect, a spacious structure for electrolytes with higher viscosity and effective paths for electron transfer. Additionally the nanocrystalline $TiO_2$ phase prepared by the RF-sputtering method was previously reported to improve the electron drift mobility within $TiO_2$ electrodes. This yields solar cells with a cell efficiency of 2.45% or more at AM 1.5 illumination, which is a very remarkable result, considering its $TiO_2$ electrode thickness (<2 ${\mu}m$). This study can be expanded to obtain higher cell efficiency by higher dye loading through the increase of surface area or multi-layered stacking. The other is the inverse opal photonic crystal electrode prepared by titania particles infusion within 3D colloidal arrays. To obtain the enlargement of ordered area and high quality of crystallinity, the synthesis of titania particles coated with a organic thin layer were applied instead of sol-gel process using the $TiO_2$ precursors. They were dispersed so well in most solvents without aggregates and infused successfully within colloidal array structures. This ordered mesoporous structure provides the large surface area leading to the enough adsorption of dye molecules and have an light harvesting effect due to the photonic band gap properties (back-and-forth reflection effects within structures). A major advantage of this colloidal array template method is that the pore size and its distribution within $TiO_2$ photoelectrodes are determined by those of latex beads, which can be controlled easily. These materials may have promising potentials for future applications of membrane, sensor and so on as well as solar cells.