• Macromolecular Research
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.334-340
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• 2003

In order to fabricate new sustained delivery device of nerve growth factor (NGF), we developed NGF-loaded biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA, the mole ratio of lactide to glycolide 75:25, molecular weight: 83,000 and 43,000 g/mole, respectively) film by novel and simple sandwich solvent casting method for the possibility of the application of neural tissue engineering. PLGA was copolymerized by direct condensation reaction and the molecular weight was controlled by reaction time. Released behavior of NGF from NGF-loaded films was characterized by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and degradation characteristics were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The bioactivity of released NGF was identified using a rat pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cell based bioassay. The release of NGF from the NGF-loaded PLGA films was prolonged over 35 days with zero-order rate of 0.5-0.8 ng NGF/day without initial burst and could be controlled by the variations of molecular weight and NGF loading amount. After 7 days NGF released in phosphate buffered saline and PC-12 cell cultured on the NGF-loaded PLGA film for 3 days. The released NGF stimulated neurite sprouting in cultured PC-12 cells, that is to say, the remained NGF in the NGF/PLGA film at 37 $^{\circ}C$ for 7 days was still bioactive. This study suggested that NGF-loaded PLGA sandwich film is released the desired period in delivery system and useful neuronal growth culture as nerve contact guidance tube for the application of neural tissue engineering.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2008

PLGA micro/nano particles encapsulating ranitidine as a hydrophilic model drug were prepared by the double-emulsion solvent evaporation method. Surface morphology investigation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the emulsification by sonication could produce nanoparticles, whereas microparticles were prepared using high speed homogenizer. Moreover, while nanohalf-shell structure instead of spherical nanoparticle could be produced by adding poloxamer into oil phase (MC) with PLGA 504H, the addition of poloxamer didn't change particle shape in case of PLGA 502H. On the other hand, microparticle with poloxamer had more surface pores than those without poloxamer. The size and polydispersity (PDI) of particles were determined by particle size analyzer. Effective diameters of particles were in the range of $400{\sim}800\;nm$ and $1200{\sim}3300\;nm$ in case of nanoparticles and microparticles, respectively. Encapsulation efficiencies were in the range of $1.2{\sim}2.9%$. The addition of poloxamer produced the particles with higher encapsulation efficiency. In vitro release study in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at $37^{\circ}C$ showed common large initial burst release. However, the relative slower release profile could be observed in case of microparticles. Poloxamer addition increased the release rate, which was thought to be related to the increased surface area of particles.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.328-334
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• 2004

A series of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG)-poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) diblock copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide and glycolide with carbitol (134 g/mole) or different molecular weights of MPEG (550, 2000, and 5000 g/mole) as an initiator in presence of Sn(Oct)$_2$. The properties of diblock copolymers were characterized by using $^1$H-NMR, GPC, and XRD. After uniform mixing of block copolymers and 1% albumin bovine-fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC-BSA) with a freeze miller, the wafers loaded FITC-BSA were fabricated by using a mold with a dimensions of 3 mm${\times}$1mm diameter. The release profiles of FITC-BSA and the pH changes of wafer were examined using pH 7.4 PBS for 30 days at 37$^{\circ}C$. The release profiles of albumin showed fast initial burst as the molecular weights of MPEG increased. As a result of this study, the release behavior of BSA was controlled with introducing MPEG in the block copolymers.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2006

Peroxidase activity was measured in brown leaf spot pathogen (Myrothecium roridum) inoculated potted mulberry (Morus alba) during pre-symptomatic to various symptom development stages and compared with corresponding healthy leaf tissues. The enzyme showed a pH optimum of 7.0 and the activity was linearly increased up to 15 min of incubation. The peroxidase had a broad substrate specificity and the rates of oxidation were in the rank of pyrogallol> guaiacol> ascorbate at pH 7.0. Catechol at 10 mM inhibited 89% of guaiacol-peroxidase and 76% pyrogallol-peroxidase activities, indicated higher non-specific peroxidation in pyrogallol dependent assay system in mulberry than guaiacol. The optimum requirement for the guaiacol dependent assay was 0.2 ml (${\approx}40-60{\mu}g$ equivalent of protein) of crude enzyme source. Excepting the 8th leaf from the apex, the peroxidase activity did not vary appreciably in different leaf positions. In pre-symptomatic phases, an initial (1 to 5 min) rise of peroxidase activity was noticed in inoculated leaves, and then maintained a plateau up to 300 min. In contrary, non-infected tissue showed a slightly increased trend of enzyme level up to 420 min. In infected tissue, a sharp transient increase (3.1 fold) of peroxidase activity appeared between 300 - 420 min post infections. Afterwards, significantly different but steady maintenance of enzyme levels were observed in two treatments. On the other hand, during symptom development, a sharp increase in peroxidase activity was noticed up to 4th grade of lesion appearance (25.1 % to 50% of leaf area infection), and then declined slightly. However, in non-infected but same age healthy leaves, such huge fluctuations of enzyme level did not apparent. A high positive correlation $(R^2=0.92)$ between peroxidase activity and leaf spot development grades was also marked. The result implies that pre-symptomatic burst (between 1 - 5 and 300 - 420 min) and subsequent increased trend of guaiacol peroxidase activity may require for the symptomatic manifestation of Myrothecium leaf spot in mulberry.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.467-475
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• 2001

A triblock copolymer based on $poly(\varepsilon-caprolactone)$ (PCL) as the hydrophobic part and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as the hydrophilic portion was synthesized by a ring-opening mechanism of ${\varepsilon}-caprolactone$ with PEG containing a hydroxyl group at bot h ends as an initiator. The synthesized block copolymers of PCL/PEG/PCL (CEC) were confirmed and characterized using various analysis equipment such as 1H NMR, DSC, FT-IR, and WAXD. Core-shell type nanoparticles of CEC triblock copolymers were prepared using a dialysis technique to estimate their potential as a colloidal drug carrier using a hydrophobic drug. From the results of particle size analysis and transmission electron microscopy, the particle size of CEC core-shell type nanoparticles was determined to be about 20-60 nm with a spherical shape. Since CEC block copolymer nanoparticles have a core-shell type micellar structure and small particle size similar to polymeric micelles, CEC block copolymer can self-associate at certain concentrations and the critical association concentration (CAC) was able to be determined by fluorescence probe techniques. The CAC values of the CEC block copolymers were dependent on the PCL block length. In addition, drug loading contents were dependent on the PCL block length: the larger the PCL block length, the higher the drug loading content. Drug release from CEC core-shell type nanoparticles showed an initial burst release for the first 12 hrs followed by pseudo-zero order release kinetics for 2 or 3 days. CEC-2 block copolymer core-shell type nanoparticles were degraded very slowly, suggesting that the drug release kinetics were governed by a diffusion mechanism rather than a degradation mechanism irrelevant to the CEC block copolymer composition.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.67
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• pp.365-372
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• 2018

Wounds that heal with excessive scar formation result in poor functional and aesthetic outcomes. To address this, in our study, visible light cured glycol chitosan (GCH) hydrogels containing endothelial growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were prepared (GCH-EGF, GCH-FGF and GCH-EGF/FGF) and evaluated their efficacies on the improvement of wound healing in vivo. In vitro release test showed that the growth factors were released in a sustained manner along with initial burst for 24 h. In vitro cell proliferation assay of L-929 mouse fibroblast cell line resulted in the superior ability of GCH-EGF/FGF on the rate. In vivo results demonstrated that the growth factor loaded GCHs further enhanced wound healing compared with GCH. In particular, GCH-EGF/EFG showed the most remarkable wound healing effect among the samples.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.519-529
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• 2021

In coal mining activities, the abutment stress of the coal has to undergo cyclic loading and unloading, affecting the strength and seepage characteristics of coal; additionally, it can cause dynamic disasters, posing a major challenge for the safety of coal mine production. To improve the understanding of the dynamic disaster mechanism of gas outburst and rock burst coupling, triaxial devices are applied to axial pressure cyclic loading-unloading tests under different axial stress peaks and different pore pressures. The existing empirical formula is use to perform a non-linear regression fitting on the relationship between stress and permeability, and the damage rate of permeability is introduced to analyze the change in permeability. The results show that the permeability curve obtained had "memory", and the peak stress was lower than the conventional loading path. The permeability curve and the volume strain curve show a clear symmetrical relationship, being the former in the form of a negative power function. Owing to the influence of irreversible deformation, the permeability difference and the damage of permeability mainly occur in the initial stage of loading-unloading, and both decrease as the number of cycles of loading-unloading increase. At the end of the first cycle and the second cycle, the permeability decreased in the range of 5.777 - 8.421 % and 4.311-8.713 %, respectively. The permeability decreases with an increase in the axial stress peak, and the damage rate shows the opposite trend. Under the same conditions, the permeability of methane is always lower than that of helium, and it shows a V-shape change trend with increasing methane pressures, and the permeability of the specimen was 3 MPa > 1 MPa > 2 MPa.

• Composites Research
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.7-13
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• 2010

Type3 cylinder is a composite pressure vessel fully over-wrapped with carbon/epoxy composite layers over an aluminum liner, which is the most ideal and safe high pressure gas container for CNG vehicles due to the lightweight and the leakage-before-burst characteristics. During service in CNG vehicle, if a fiber cut damage occurs in outer composite layers, it can degrade structural performance, reducing cycling life from the original design life. In this study, finite element modeling and analysis technique for the composite cylinder with fiber-cut crack damage is presented. Because FE analysis of type3 cylinder is path dependant due to plastic deformation of aluminum liner in autofrettage process, method to introduce a crack into FE model affect analysis result. A crack should be introduced after autofrettage in analysis step considering real circumstances where crack occurs during usage in service. For realistic simulation of this situation, FE modeling and analysis technique introducing a crack in the middle of analysis step is presented and the results are compared with usual FE analysis which has initial crack in the model from the beginning of analysis. Proposed analysis technique can be used effectively in the evaluation of influence of damage on composite layers of type3 cylinder and establish inspection criteria of composite cylinder in service.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.8
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• pp.784-788
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• 2003

Purpose : Perinatal asphyxia occurring in newborn is one of the major causes of acute mortality and chronic neurological disability in survivors. We have studied the relationship between early electroencephalography(EEG) findings and clinical course and neurologic outcome in severe asphyxiated neonates. Methods : Between the period of July 1999 and June 2002, 25 neonates who were diagnosed with severe perinatal asphyxia(1-minute Apgar score of ${\leq}3$ and initial pH is less than 7.2) at NICU in Dongsan Medical Center were enrolled. An EEG was recorded and analyzed within three days of life and divided into two groups - group 1(normal or focal change on EEG) and group 2(generalized abnormal EEG). Between the two groups, clinical courses and neurologic outcomes were compared. Results : Fifteen infants(60%) were group 1 and ten infants(40%) were group 2(polyspikes, burst-suppression, generalized low voltage). Associated maternal disease, days of hospitalization, need for ventilator support, delay of oral feeding and convulsion duration are significantly higher and longer in group 2. Also, poor neurologic outcome(expire, developmental delay) was significantly higher in group 2(60%) than group 1(13.3%). Conclusion : Thus, the early neonatal EEG in asphyxiated newborn can be a predictable diagnostic tool in assessment of neurologic outcome.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2019

The present study aimed to investigate the influence of starvation on growth, survival and swimming ability of Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus larvae. Notochord length, musculature height, body depth, gut height and volume of yolk of reared larvae were measured to determine the growth parameters. A significant difference was observed in all morphometric characteristics before 15 DAH (days after hatching). Body depth and volume of yolk of unfed larvae were significantly smaller than those of fed larvae from 9 DAH (P<0.05). Almost all yolk in fed group was consumed at 11 DAH. Survival and growth of larvae were observed to determine the effect of delayed initial feeding (2 DAH, 3 DAH, 4 DAH, unfed). All larvae in the unfed group died by 15 DAH and the larvae in other experimental groups survived until the end of the experiment to 21 DAH. Survival rate was not significantly different between the 2 DAH group ($17.5{\pm}4.27%$) and the 3 DAH group ($20.5{\pm}1.5%$) at 21 DAH (P>0.05). However, there was a significant difference in survival rate between the 3 DAH group and the 4 DAH group ($11.7{\pm}1.52%$) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in notochord length among the groups fed from 2 DAH, 3 DAH and 4 DAH at 21 DAH (P>0.05). The swimming ability in fed group gradually increased in both cruising and burst swimming speeds, while those abilities in unfed group gradually decreased after reaching the peak at 6 DAH in both cruise ($18.7{\pm}6.56mm/s$) and burst swimming speed ($43.5{\pm}12.65mm/s$).