• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.193-198
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• 2006

Many gastrointestinal muscles show electrical oscillation, so-called 'slow wave', originated from interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs). Thus, a technique to freshly isolate the cells is indispensable to explore the electrophysiological properties of the ICCs. To apply an enzyme solution on the serosal surface for cell isolation, the intestine was inverted and 0.02% trypsin solution and 0.04% collagenase solution were applied to serosal cavity. After the enzyme treatment, mucosal layer was removed and longitudinal muscle layer was gently separated from the rest of tissue. The thin layer was stretched in the recording chamber and mounted on an inverted microscope. Using ${\beta}-escine$, perforated whole cell patch clamp technique was used. Under a microscope, the tissue showed smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells around the myenteric plexus. Under voltage clamp condition, three types of membrane potential were recorded. One group of interstitial cells, which were positive to methylene blue and CD34, showed spontaneous outward current. These cells had bipolar shape and were considered as fibroblast-like cells because of their peculiar shape and arrangement. Another group, positive to c-kit and methylene blue, showed spontaneous inward current. These cells had more rounded shape and processes and were considered as ICCs. The third, positive to c-kit and had granules containing methylene blue, showed quiet membrane potentials under the voltage-clamp mode. These cells appeared to be resident macrophages. Therefore, in the freshly isolated thin tissue preparation, methylene blue could easily identify three types of cells rather than morphological properties. Using this method, we were able to study electrical properties of fibroblast and residential macrophage as well as myenteric ICCs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.395-402
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• 2002

Caveolae are small, flask-shaped, non-clathrin coated invaginations of the plasma membrane of many mammalian cells. Caveolae have a coat that includes caveolin. They have been implicated in numerous cellular processes, including potocytosis. Since the human folate receptor (hFR) and other glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-tailed proteins have been co-localized to caveolae, we studied the caveolin role in the hFR function by transfecting hFR and/or caveolin cDNA into Fischer rat thyroid epithelial (FRT) cells that normally do not express detectable levels of either protein. We isolated and characterized stable clones as follows: they express (1) high levels of caveolin alone, (2) hFR and caveolin, or (3) hFR alone. We discovered that hFR is correctly processed, sorted, and anchored by a GPI tail to the plasma membrane in FRT cells. No difference in the total folic acid binding or cell surface folic acid binding activity were found between the FRT cells that were transfected with hFR, or cells that were transfected with hFR and caveolin. The hFR that was expressed on the cell surface of clones that were transfected with hFR was also sensitive to phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) release, and incorporated radiolabeled ethanolamine that supports the attachment of a GPI-tail on hFR. We conclude that the processing, sorting, and function of hFR is independent on the caveolin expression in FRT cells.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2003

Initiation and activation of sperm motility are prerequisite processes for the contact and fusion of male and female gametes at fertilization. The phenomena are under the regulation of CAMP and $Ca^{2+}$ in vertebrates and invertebrates. Mammalian sperm requires $Ca^{2+}$and cyclic AMP for the activation of sperm motility. Cell signaling for the initiation and activation of sperm motility has been well studied in the ascidians, Ciona intestinalis and C. savignyi and salmonid fishes. In Ciona, whose cell signaling for activation of sperm motility has been established, the sperm-activating and -attracting factor released from unfertilized egg requires extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ for activating sperm motility and eliciting chemotactic behavior of the activated sperm toward the egg. On the other hand, the cyclic AMP-dependent phosphorylation of protein is essential for the initiation of sperm motility in salmonid fishes. A decrease in the environmental Ti concentration surrounding the spawned sperm causes a li efflux and $Ca^{2+}$ influx through the specific $K^{+}$ channel and dihydropyridine-sensitive L-/T- type $Ca^{2+}$ channel, respectively, thereby leading to the membrane hyperpolarization and $Ca^{2+}$ influx. The membrane hyperpolarization synthesizes cyclic AMP, which triggers the luther Process of cell signaling, i.e., cyclic AMP-dependent protein phosphorylation, to initiate sperm motility in salmond fishes.almond fishes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.791-802
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• 2014

Energy shortage is being exacerbated due to the increase of energy consumption and depletion of fossil fuels. In order to release the energy crisis, new types of energy resources such as small hydropower, solar power, wind power and biomass have been already developed or actively researched. Recently, osmotic power, which harvests energy from salinity gradient between seawater and fresh water, is considered as a feasible candidate. Among the osmotic power processes, pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is widely gaining attention because of no emission of carbon dioxide and less sensitivity to the external environmental conditions. However, PRO process is facing difficulties such as the lack of specialized PRO membrane and optimization technologies. Therefore, PRO was reviewed in this paper in terms of theoretical background, membrane development, process development and fouling mechanism to provide insights and suggest the future direction of PRO research.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.199-206
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• 2001

In 1980s, the fragmentation or subdivision of protein deposits at the periphery of protein storage vacuole was suggested as the only route of PB development in pea cotyledon cells. Since then, other independant processes such as terminal dilation , transformation and de novo development have been discussed as alternative routes for PB development, and today, these multiple mechanisms of PB development are accepted as a result of active investigations. For analysis of the protein accumulations in the ER cisternae during seed development, immunocytochemical gold labellings were applyed on the single cells separated by enzymatic digestion from cotyledon tissue. Anti-legumin labellings at the early stage, and anti-vicilin labellings at the intermediate stage were observed on the protein-filled ER. The $\alpha-Tip$, which is the ER retention protein, was labelled somewhat at late stage, and PPase, a sort of tonoplast membrane protein, was labelled at early stage.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.131-144
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• 1997

The present study was carried out to investigate the processes of the ultrastructural differentiation and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities of the developing rat retina. The results are as follows. The retina of fetal rat on the 13th day of gestation showed the early stage of differentiation. Briefly, there appeared dividing chromosomes, the plentiful free ribosomes, and the high ratio of nucleus to cytoplasm. The reaction products by AChE were localized at the membrane of endoplasmic reticulum and on the outer membrane of nucleus. Ultrastructures and AChE activities in the retina of the fetal rats on the 18th day of gestation were similar to those of the prior stages, except the appearence of rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. According to the ultrastructural observations, the rat retina was still in immature state at birth, but the pigment epithelial cells were fully differentiated, e. g. the increase of melanin granules, the development of mitochondria and Golgi apparatus. The AChE activity was weekly detected. The differentiated retinal layers and the outer segment of photoreceptor cells were observed on the 7th postnatal day. And the pigment epithelium appeared to be fully differentiated. On the 14th postnatal day, rat retina were completely differentiated. In other words, the rat retina was characterized by the prominent outer segments, phagocytosed residues in the pigment epithelium, and the localization of reaction products by AChE in the synapses. In conclusion, the differentiation of rat retina is charaterized by the changes of cell shape, the increase of retinal layers, and the alterations of AChE activities. It seems that rat retina is to be functional from 2 weeks of birth onward, coinciding with the eye opening of the juvenile rats.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.449-457
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• 2016

In this study, the effectiveness of electrodialysis in removing inorganic arsenic from groundwater was investigated. To evaluate the feasibility of the electrodialysis, operating parameters such as treatment time, feed concentration, applied voltage and superficial velocity were experimentally investigated on arsenic removal. The higher conductivity removal and arsenic removal efficiency were obtained by increasing applied voltages and operation time. An increase of salinity concentrations in arsenic polluted groundwater exerted no effects on the arsenic separation ratios. Arsenic polluted waters were successfully treated with stack voltages of 1.8 ~ 2.4 V/cell-pair to approximately 93.4% of arsenic removal. Increase flow rate in diluate cell gave positive effect to removal rate. However, increase of superficial velocity in the concentrated cell exerted no effects on either the conductivity reduction or on the separation efficiency. Hopefully, this paper will provide direction in selecting appropriate operating conditions of electrodialysis for arsenic removal.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.219-226
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• 1996

Rotary disc ultrafiltration module(RDM) was developed for the separation of oil emulsions. This module was devised to reduce the gel polarization phenomenon by alecoupling the operation pressure and the surface velocity of solution in ultrafiltration(UF) processes. Two-shaft engaged disc type RDM having 20 rotary disc membcanes(UOP, USA) was operated under 85kPa vacuum at $25^{\circ}$C. The pressure drop due to slip flow in the two-shaft RDM was found to be proportional to $(2.5{\omega}r)^{2}$. The pure water flux of two-shaft RDM decreased by 9.95% at the angular velocity of 41.89rad/s compared to the decrease of 3.01% for one-shaft RDM at the same velocity. When the angular velocity was changed from 31.42rad/s to 2.62rad/s, the flux decline for 1% cutting oil in two-shaft RDM was 30.16% that is similar to that of one-shaft RDM. Disc gap of 3mm and 7mm did not show any significant differences in the flux for 1% cutting oil solution. A modified model for two-shaft RDM showed good agreement with the experimental results for the cutting oil solution.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2011

It is, in general, believed that during the activation process, the proton conductivity increases due to wetting effect and the electrochemical resistance reduction, resulting in an increase in the fuel cell performance with time. However, until now, very scant information is available on the understanding of activation processes. In this study, dominant variables that effect on the performance increase of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) during the activation process were investigated. Wetting, pore restructuring and active metal utilization were analyzed systematically. Unexpectedly, the changes for both ohmic and reaction resistance characterized by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) after initial wetting process were much smaller when considering the degree of cell performance increases. However, the EIS spectra represents that the pore opening of electrode turns into gas transportable structure more easily. The increase in the performance with activation cycles was also investigated in a view of active metals. Though the particle size was grown, the number of effective active sites might be exposed more. The impurity removal and catalytic activity enhancement measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) could be a strong evident. The results and analysis revealed that, not merely wetting of membrane but also restructuring of electrodeand catalytic activity increase are important factors for the fast and efficient activation of the polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.670-676
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• 2016

Hydrogen town in Republic of Korea was established in 2013. Hydrogen as a byproduct produced by various processes of factories is used in hydrogen town facilities. As cell performance is affected by contaminations in fuel gas, various standards about impurities of fuel have been determined by many countries. This study shows performance degradation of single cell with impurities concentrations. Traces of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$)can cause considerable cell performance losses. For comparing the performances by poisoning of CO, acceleration test, I-V curve, constant current are performed. Both the CO and $H_2S$ poisoning rate are a function of their concentration. With the higher concentrations the higher poisoning rates are observed. And, it was confirmed that, oxidation behavior and side reaction generation are not affected. Under the lower $H_2S$ concentration condition, the poisoning rate is much higher than that of CO because of its different adsorption intensity. It can be possible that the result of this study can be used for enacting regulation as a baseline data.