• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.645-653
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• 2021

Biopolymer is a general concept for high molecular compounds produced by living organisms. Among them, the xanthan and β-glucan, which are organic polymer mixture produced by micro-organisms, are mainly used to increase the viscosity of a substance. And diluting in water and mixing with sand or clay can increase compressive strength and shear strength. In this study, mixed soil prepared by mixing soil with xanthan and beta-glucan based biopolymers specially developed for the purpose of increasing soil strength was applied to the river bank revetment, and changes during winter were measured using ground LiDAR. As a result of analyzing winter changes in major sections using three-dimensional point cloud data obtained through ground LiDAR, there were no changes to the extent that it was difficult to confirm with the naked eye in the two sections coated with biopolymer blended soil. However, soil loss due to Rill erosion was confirmed in the natural embankment section where biopolymer blended soil was not used.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.75-82
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• 2022

Nondestructive method to predict buckling load for the propellant tank of launch vehicle should be evaluated. Vibration correlation technique can predict the global buckling load of unstiffened cylindrical structure with geometric initial imperfection using correlation of natural frequency and compressive load from compressive test below the buckling load. In this study, vibration and buckling tests of a thin metal unstiffened propellant tank model subjected to internal pressure and compressive loads were performed and the test results were used for VCT to predict global buckling load. For the vibration test of thin structure, non-contact excitation method using a speaker was used. The response was measured with piezoelectric polymer(PVDF) sensor. Prediction results of VCT were compared with the measured buckling load in the test and the nondestructive global buckling load prediction method was verified.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2022

Lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention as a promising candidate for next-generation power sources due to their high theoretical energy density, low cost, and eco-friendliness. However, the poor electrical conductivity of sulfur and its insoluble discharging products (Li₂S₂/Li₂S), large volume changes, severe self-discharge, and dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates result in rapid capacity fading, low Coulombic efficiency, and safety risks, hindering Li-S battery commercial development. In this study, a three-dimensionally (3D) connected hierarchical porous carbon framework (HPCF) derived from waste sunflower seed shells was synthesized as a sulfur host for Li-S batteries via a chemical activation method. The natural 3D connected structure of the HPCF, originating from the raw material, can effectively enhance the conductivity and accessibility of the electrolyte, accelerating the Li⁺/electron transfer. Additionally, the generated micropores of the HPCF, originated from the chemical activation process, can prevent polysulfide dissolution due to the limited space, thereby improving the electrochemical performance and cycling stability. The HPCF/S cell shows a superior capacity retention of 540 mA h g^-1 after 70 cycles at 0.1 C, and an excellent cycling stability at 2 C for 700 cycles. This study provides a potential biomass-derived material for low-cost long-life Li-S batteries.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.221-225
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• 2023

Celluloses are naturally occurring polymers that can be easily obtained from various natural sources. Nanocellulose, a form of cellulose, can be derived from regular cellulose and has unique properties that make it ideal for multiple industrial applications. Nanocellulose is a renewable, sustainable, and eco-friendly composite material with exceptional mechanical properties and thermal stability, surpassing metal and ceramic composites. As a result, nanocelluloses are being extensively studied for their potential applications, including fillers, packaging, energy, medicine, and coatings. This review aims to summarize the current research on nanocelluloses and their applications.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.44.1-44.15
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• 2021

Tumor peptides associated with MHC class I molecules or their synthetic variants have attracted great attention for their potential use as vaccines to induce tumor-specific CTLs. However, the outcome of clinical trials of peptide-based tumor vaccines has been disappointing. There are various reasons for this lack of success, such as difficulties in delivering the peptides specifically to professional Ag-presenting cells, short peptide half-life in vivo, and limited peptide immunogenicity. We report here a novel peptide vaccination strategy that efficiently induces peptide-specific CTLs. Nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated from a biodegradable polymer, poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid), attached to H-2K^b molecules, and then the natural peptide epitopes associated with the H-2K^b molecules were exchanged with a model tumor peptide, SIINFEKL (OVA_257-268). These NPs were efficiently phagocytosed by immature dendritic cells (DCs), inducing DC maturation and activation. In addition, the DCs that phagocytosed SIINFEKL-pulsed NPs potently activated SIINFEKL-H2K^b complex-specific CD8⁺ T cells via cross-presentation of SIINFEKL. In vivo studies showed that intravenous administration of SIINFEKL-pulsed NPs effectively generated SIINFEKL-specific CD8⁺ T cells in both normal and tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, intravenous administration of SIINFEKL-pulsed NPs into EG7.OVA tumor-bearing mice almost completely inhibited the tumor growth. These results demonstrate that vaccination with polymeric NPs coated with tumor peptide-MHC-I complexes is a novel strategy for efficient induction of tumor-specific CTLs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.375-382
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• 2023

The binary oxide adsorbent using Fe and Mn (Fe-Mn) has been prepared by precipitation method to enhance the removal of phosphate. Different amounts of chitosan, a natural organic polymer, were used during preparation of Fe-Mn as a stabilizer to protect an aggregation of Fe-Mn particles. The optimal amount of chitosan has been determined considering the separation of the Fe-Mn particles by gravity from solution and highest removal efficiency of phosphate (Fe-Mn10). The application of Fe-Mn10 increased removal efficiency at least 15% compared to bare Fe-Mn. According to the Langmuir isotherm model, the maximum uptake (q_m) and affinity coefficient (b) were calculated to be 184 and 240 mg/g, and 4.28 and 7.30 L/mg for Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn10, respectively, indicating 30% and 70% increase. The effect of pH showed that the removal efficiency of phosphate was decrease with increase of pH regardless of type of adsorbent. The enhanced removal efficiency for Fe-Mn10 was maintained in entire range of pH. In the kinetics, both adsorbents obtained 70% removal efficiency within 5 min and 90% removal efficiency was achieved at 1 h. Pseudo second order (PSO) kinetic model showed higher correlation of determination (R²), suggesting chemisorption was the primary phosphate adsorption for both Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn10.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.3 s.151
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• pp.386-395
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• 2006

Chitosan, a natural polymer has been used to nonwoven fabrics based polypropylene for sanitary top sheets. The changes in mechanical properties relating to the surface structure of functionally improved nonwoven fabrics were investigated with respect to the molecular weight and concentration of chitosan that was used. Low molecular weight(LMW) chitosan treated fabric was found to be evenly coated on the fabrics. It was shown that the bending and shearing characteristics of chitosan treated fabrics increased, which helped to make it stronger and harder, while shape stability improved following treatment using high molecular weight(HMW) chitosan. And the surface structure of treated fabrics was smooth and the sensitivity of its bulk improved somewhat. The treated fabrics were not overly stiff because the increase in Koshi value was not considerable compared to that of the bending characteristics. In the change of hand value relating to chitosan treated fabrics, THV generally improved. In the case of a 0.5$\%$ chitosan, HMW chitosan treated fabrics produced better THV than LMW chitosan treated fabrics. However, in the case of a 1.0$\%$ chitosan, THV of LMW chitosan treated fabrics produced outstanding results.

• Clean Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.141-152
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• 2015

As environmental issues are emerging, bio-plastic suppliers in leading countries have been foreseeing the strong needs for environment-friendly materials such as eco-packing materials due to increased attention and regulation on recycle. To catch up with the demand, various types of bio-plastics based on natural feedstocks were developed and released on a market. These bio-plastic products drew the great attention even in domestic industries. At present, international oil price fluctuation and heavy charge on waste raise the unit cost of production and disposal expense of conventional plastic materials. These conditions make bio-plastic an alternative, because it is not restrained by oil prices and problem in the disposal. It is also expected that bio-plastic will be applied to various types of products including containers, industrial supplies, disposables, and medical supplies. However, the bio-plastic is still in its infancy, thus more research and understanding should be followed to put it to application. Bio-plastic is considered as environment-friendly material with high potential which has the advantages of production and disposal.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2001

Recently, there were many studies not only to enhance drug delivery effect but to reduce side effect. Drug delivery system(DDS) is able to improve efficiency with decreasing side effect of drug dosage. Among these application fields, DDS is often used as the method of drug dosage into the epidermic skin. We investigated characters of transdermal therapeutic system(TTS) and the skin permeability of that with applying DDS. We investigated the permeation of xanthan gum containing drug in rat skin using borizontal membrane cell model. Permeation properties of materials were investigated for water-soluble drug with oxiniacic acid and also for lipophilic drug with clofibrate. The permeation rate of lipophilic drug was found to be faster than that of water-soluble drug in vitro. The rate differences of both water-soluble drug and lipophilic drug according to drug content were negligible. We used glycerin, PEG 600 and oleic acid as enhancers. These results showed that skin permeation rate of each drug across the composite was mainly dependent on the property of base and chemical property of drug etc.. Proper selection of the polymeric materials which resemble and enhance properties of the delivering drug was found to be important in controlling the skin permeation rate. This result suggests a possible use of natural polymer base as a transdermal delivery system of antihyperlipoproteinemic agent.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.35-42
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• 2014

The efforts to reduce carbon emission have been made in many aspects and in road, the study to develop the construction method which will replace asphalt and cement is also underway. But given the low cost and high performance offered by cement, among many solidification agents, it's difficult to seek the competent alternative. Polymeric material has been used in various ways for its advantages including lightweight and easy process for complex function and generates less carbon emission, and thus it would possibly be efficient if it replaces soil pavement using cement. This study, using three different types of organic polymeric solidification agents with different solidification principle, is intended to identify the difference in strength depending on curing method, natural dry or oven dry. Applicability of organic polymeric solidification agents to walkway and bike lane was investigated and as a result of unconfined strength test, all of them satisfied the minimum strength requirements of bike lane. Furthermore, strength characteristics of soil pavement depending on variation of water content was evaluated to identify the relationship, thereby appropriate curing method using organic polymeric solidification agent is proposed.