• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.509-515
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• 2014

At the fuel processing system (FPS) of fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen recirculation blower (HRB) is used for the recirculation of remained hydrogen after reaction. In this paper, noise and vibration improvement of HRB is studied by changing design and control. It is checked the campbell diagram and critical speed for stability of rotor, and housing stiffness is improved using simulation of frequency response function (FRF). A method is suggested that can decrease the unbalance amount of the rotor and impeller which main source of noise and vibration. In order to reduce the noise during deceleration of blower, electrical braking is applied and tested the risk impact of durability. Founded the optimum switching frequency of the motor control, and reduced the idle rpm by increasing of aerodynamic performance. The superiority of paper is proved by measurement of the improved product's noise and vibration.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.94-102
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• 2018

Purpose: In this study, a maintenance free super-capacitor battery charging system based on the photovoltaic module, to be used in agricultural electric carriers, was developed and its charging characteristics were studied in detail. Methods: At first, the electric carrier system configuration is introduced and the electric control components are presented. The super-capacitor batteries and photovoltaic module used in the experiment are specified. Next, the developed charging system consisting of a constant current / constant voltage Buck converter as the charging device and a super-capacitor cell as a balancing device are initiated. The proposed circuit design, a developed PCB layout of each device and a proportional control to check the current and voltage during the charging process are outlined. An experiment was carried out using a developed prototype to clarify the effectiveness of the proposed system. A power analyzer was used to measure the current and voltage during charging to evaluate the efficiency of the energy storage device. Finally, the conclusions of this research are presented. Results: The experimental results show that the proposed system successfully controls the charging current and balances the battery voltage. The maximum voltage of the super-capacitor battery obtained by using the proposed battery charger is 16.2 V, and the maximum charging current is 20 A. It was found that the charging time was less than an hour through the duty ratio of 95% or more. Conclusions: The developed battery charging system was successfully implemented on the agricultural electric carriers.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.147-150
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• 2005

Macrophage scavenger receptors (MSRs) induce microglial interaction with ${\beta}$-amyloid fibrils (fA${\beta}$) that are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although microglia are know n to have a dual effect on formation of plaque and clearance of fA${\beta}$ in the AD brain, receptor-mediated phagocytosis is a very important tool for preventing amyloid plaque via activated microglia in the early stage of AD. In the study, we examined whether ginsonoside Rg3 enhances the microglial Phagocytosis of A${\beta}$1-42 through Phagocytosis assay, gene expression (RT-PCR) and protein assay (western blots) for the cell responsiveness presented between Rg3-treated and non-treated groups. Fluro-labeled Ac-LDL and E.coli particles were used as control proteins for phagocytosis. In previous studies, this was a particularly interesting property of Rg3 in the stimulation and phagocytosis of macrophages in the periphery. We report here that ginsenoside Rg3 increased the expression of type-A MSR (MSR-A) in microglia and thus accelerated the phagocytosis with an effective degradation of engulfed fA${\beta}$. This result suggests that Rg3 may play an important role in removing fA${\beta}$ by enhancing the receptor-mediated phagocytosis. In addition, Rg3 could be a potential candidate for balancing the rate of production of fA${\beta}$ in AD brain.

• Journal of Ship and Ocean Technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2006

The finite volume based multi-block RANS code, WAVIS developed at MOERI is applied to the numerical self-propulsion test. WAVIS uses the cell-centered finite volume method for discretization of the governing equations. The realizable $k-{\epsilon}$ turbulence model with a wall function is employed for the turbulence closure. The free surface is captured with the two-phase level set method and body forces are used to model the effects of a propeller without resolving the detail blade flow. The propeller forces are obtained using an unsteady lifting surface method based on potential flow theory. The numerical procedure followed the self-propulsion model experiment based on the 1978 ITTC performance prediction method. The self-propulsion point is obtained iteratively through balancing the propeller thrust, the ship hull resistance and towing force that is correction for Reynolds number difference between the model and full scale. The unsteady lifting surface code is also iterated until the propeller induced velocity is converged in order to obtain the propeller force. The self-propulsion characteristics such as thrust deduction, wake fraction, propeller efficiency, and hull efficiency are compared with the experimental data of the practical container ship. The present paper shows that hybrid RANS and potential flow based numerical method is promising to predict the self-propulsion parameters of practical ships as a useful tool for the hull form and propeller design.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 2021

This study proposes a DAB two-stage series structure with insulated bidirectional DC-DC converter for two-way power transfer between the renewable energy of high voltages (1 kV and above). The proposed circuit transforms the existing DAB converter into a two-stage series structure to reduce the pressure in the switch. The problem of power imbalance occurring in the design of the DAB converter second-stage series is improved by applying the cell balancing method circuit and the common mode coupled inductor using an external flying capacitor instead of reflecting the existing improvement measures, voltage balance control, and inductor current control. In addition, a no-load supercharging sequence is proposed in high voltages and high-speed switching by using the fixed duty output method. This study presents the analysis results through the structure of the proposed circuit, the principle of improving the power imbalance problem, and simulations. Prototypes were manufactured to meet the specifications of input/output voltage of 1700 V, maximum load of 65 kW, and switching frequency of 51kHz, and the validity of the topology was verified using the experimental results and efficiency data.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.483-491
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• 2021

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Matrix metalloproteinases-8 (MMP-8), neutrophil collagenase, is a functional player in the progressive pathology of various inflammatory disorders. In this study, we administered an MMP-8 inhibitor (MMP-8i) in Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) G2019S transgenic mice, to determine the effects of MMP-8i on PD pathology. We observed a significant increase of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1)-positive activated microglia in the striatum of LRRK2 G2019S mice compared to normal control mice, indicating enhanced neuro-inflammatory responses. The increased number of Iba1-positive activated microglia in LRRK2 G2019S PD mice was down-regulated by systemic administration of MMP-8i. Interestingly, this LRRK2 G2019S PD mice showed significantly reduced size of cell body area of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neurons in SN region and MMP-8i significantly recovered cellular atrophy shown in PD model indicating distinct neuro-protective effects of MMP-8i. Furthermore, MMP-8i administration markedly improved behavioral abnormalities of motor balancing coordination in rota-rod test in LRRK2 G2019S mice. These data suggest that MMP-8i attenuates the pathological symptoms of PD through anti-inflammatory processes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.311-323
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• 2023

Ion homeostasis, which is regulated by ion channels, is crucial for intracellular signaling. These channels are involved in diverse signaling pathways, including cell proliferation, migration, and intracellular calcium dynamics. Consequently, ion channel dysfunction can lead to various diseases. In addition, these channels are present in the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles. However, our understanding of the function of intracellular organellar ion channels is limited. Recent advancements in electrophysiological techniques have enabled us to record ion channels within intracellular organelles and thus learn more about their functions. Autophagy is a vital process of intracellular protein degradation that facilitates the breakdown of aged, unnecessary, and harmful proteins into their amino acid residues. Lysosomes, which were previously considered protein-degrading garbage boxes, are now recognized as crucial intracellular sensors that play significant roles in normal signaling and disease pathogenesis. Lysosomes participate in various processes, including digestion, recycling, exocytosis, calcium signaling, nutrient sensing, and wound repair, highlighting the importance of ion channels in these signaling pathways. This review focuses on different lysosomal ion channels, including those associated with diseases, and provides insights into their cellular functions. By summarizing the existing knowledge and literature, this review emphasizes the need for further research in this field. Ultimately, this study aims to provide novel perspectives on the regulation of lysosomal ion channels and the significance of ion-associated signaling in intracellular functions to develop innovative therapeutic targets for rare and lysosomal storage diseases.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.309-314
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• 2023

Shark populations are constantly decreasing owing to environmental destruction and overfishing; thus, sharks are now at risk of extinction, with 30.5% of species classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. Sharks are apex predators and keystone species in balancing the marine food chain; their extinction would create an imbalance in the entire marine ecosystem. Assisted reproductive technology is a last resort for protecting animals facing extinction. Here, as a proactive effort toward building a hormone-induced artificial insemination protocol for endangered wild sharks, we identified the possibility of germ cell maturation by administration of GnRH, a commercially produced synthetic salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and calculated its optimum dosage and injection timing. The experiment was conducted on one shark species, Chiloscyllium plagiosum. Injections were administered in 24 h intervals to C. plagiosum females, and 0.2 mL/kg+0.2 mL/kg were the optimal doses. These doses effectively induced maturation and, and ovulation, and oocyte release. Our results confirm that GnRH is a suitable tool for shark hormone-induced artificial insemination and indicate that this method may facilitate the conservation of endangered shark species.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.107-116
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• 2009

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is one of the most promising next generation nanoelectronic devices which will inherit the throne of CMOS which is the domineering implementation technology for large scale low power digital systems. In late 1990s, the basic operations of the QCA cell were already demonstrated on a hardware implementation. Also, design tools and simulators were developed. Nevertheless, its design technology is not quite ready for ultra large scale designs. This paper proposes a new approach which enables the QCA designs to inherit the verification methodologies and tools of CMOS designs, as well. First, a set of disciplinary rules strictly restrict the cell arrangement not to deviate from the predefined structures but to guarantee the deterministic digital behaviors is proposed. After the gate and interconnect structures of. the QCA design are identified, the signal integrity requirements including the input path balancing of majority gates, and the prevention of the noise amplification are checked. And then the digital logic is extracted and stored in the OpenAccess common engineering database which provides a connection to a large pool of CMOS design verification tools. Towards validating the proposed approach, we designed a 2-bit adder, a bit-serial adder, and an ALU bit-slice. For each design, the digital logic is extracted, translated into the Verilog net list, and then simulated using a commercial software.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2005

In Oriental medicine the primordial Qi and the defensive Qi are considered as important for immunity. Therefore it is anticipated that the improvement of the primordial Qi and the defensive Qi can enhance the ability of immune cells. This experiment was conducted to investigate how Ginseng Radix, Astragali Radix, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba, Glycyrrhizae Radix, representative of Qi tonifying herbs, affect the immune system in terms of controlling and balancing immune cells. Using the MTS assay, increased proliferations were observed from herbal treated cells, among which Gins-eng showed the highest proliferation. When splenocytes were activated with anti-CD3 plus herbal extracts, levels of IFN-g and IL-4 were increased but those of IL-2 showed little change compared with the control cells. Levels of IL-2, IFN-g and IL-4 were increased in purified CD4 T cells when activated with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 but at $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ of Astragali and Atractylodis, levels of IL-2 were decreased by 11% and 42%, respectively and those of IFN-g were decreased by 55% and 12%, respectively. Under Th1/Th2 polarizing conditions, levels of IFN-g in Th1 cells treated with herbal extracts were all decreased but when it comes to IL-4, its levels were increased in Ginseng and Glycyrrhizae treated cells but decreased in Astragali and Atractylodis treated cells. Taken together, the data show that compared with other qi tonifying herbs, Ginseng and Glycyrrhizae have a tendency to favor Th2 cell differentiation in vitro.