• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.587-601
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• 2013

During the last few decades, it has become evident that the compatibility of the yeast biochemical environment with the ability to process and translate the RNA transcript, along with its capacity to modify a translated protein, are relevant requirements for selecting this host cell for protein expression in several pharmaceutical and clinical applications. In particular, Pichia pastoris is used as an industrial host for recombinant protein and metabolite production, showing a powerful capacity to meet required biomolecular target production levels in high-throughput assays for functional genomics and drug screening. In addition, there is a great advantage to using P. pastoris for protein secretion, even at high molecular weights, since the recovery and purification steps are simplified owing to relatively low levels of endogenous proteins in the extracellular medium. Clearly, no single microexpression system can provide all of the desired properties for human protein production. Moreover, chemical and physical bioprocess parameters, including culture medium formulation, temperature, pH, agitation, aeration rates, induction, and feeding strategies, can highly influence product yield and quality. In order to benefit from the currently available wide range of biosynthesis strategies using P. pastoris, this mini review focuses on the developments and technological fermentation achievements, providing both a comparative and an overall integration analysis. The main aim is to highlight the relevance and versatility of the P. pastoris biosystem to the design of more cost-effective microfactories to meet the increasing demands for recombinant membrane proteins and clinical antibodies for several therapeutic applications.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 1999

We have constructed a synthetic spectrum of the 2.5 micron $C_2H$ bands and compared them with diminutive structures in the near-infrared spectra of Comets P/Halley and West (1976 VI). We found that the Q branches of the $C_2H$ bands coincide with two small emission peaks in the spectra of the comets. We undertook Monte Carlo simulations using observed emission intensities of $C_2$ and possibly $C_2H$ in Comet P/Halley in order to derive a lifetime range of $C_2H$ and a production rate at the time of observations of P/Halley. We obtained a $C_2H$ production rate of $1\times10^{27}\;sec^{-1}$ for P/Halley on December 20, 1985, assuming the 2.5 micron features are due to $C_2H$. We derived a very short lifetime (<100 seconds) of $C_2H$ at 1AU heliocentric distance, assuming that the only parent molecule for $C_2H$ and $C_2$ is $C_2H$. Using this short lifetime we were unable to fit our $C_2$ distribution model to $C_2$ distribution curves observed by O'Dell et al.(1988), because our curve shows a steep slope compared with the observed one. We conclude that there must be significant additional source(s) for $C_2H$ and $C_2$ other than $C_2H_2$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.589-601
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• 2010

Recently it has been frequently reported arsenic contamination of geologic origin in groundwater. The iron-impregnated ranular activated carbon (Fe-GAC) was developed for effective removal of arsenic from groundwater n the study. Fe-GACs were prepared by impregnating iron compounds into a supporting medium (GAC) with 0.05 M iron nitrate solution. The materials were used in arsenic adsorption isotherm tests to know the effect of iron impregnation time, batch kinetic tests to understand the influence of pH, and column tests to evaluate for the preliminary operation of water treatment system. The results showed that the minimum twelve hours of impregnation time were required for making the Fe-GAC with sufficient iron content for arsenic removal, confirmed by a high arsenic adsorption capacity evaluated in the isotherm tests. Most of the impregnated iron compounds were iron hydroxynitrate $Fe_4(OH)_{11}NO_3{\cdot}2H_2O$ but a mall quantity of hematite was also identified in X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis. The batch isotherms of Fe-GAC for arsenic adsorption were well explained by Langmuir than Freundlich model and the iron contents of Fe-GAC have positive linear correlations on logarithmic plots with Freundlich distribution coefficients ($K_F$ and Langmuir maximum adsorption capacities ($Q_m$. The results of kinetic experiments suggested hat Fe-GAC had he excellent arsenic adsorption capacities regardless of all pH conditions except for pH 11 and could be used a promising adsorbents for groundwater arsenic removal considering the general groundwater pH range of 6-8. The pseudo-second order model, based on the assumption that the ate-limiting step might be chemisorption, provided the best correlation of the kinetic experimental data and explained the arsenic adsorption system f Fe-GAC. The column test was conducted to valuate the feasibility of Fe-GAC use and the operation parameters in arsenic groundwater treatment system. The parameters obtained from the column test were the retardation actor of 482.4 and the distribution coefficient of 581.1 L/mg which were similar values of 511.5-592.5 L/mg acquired from Freundlich batch isotherm model. The results of this study suggested that Fe-GAC could be used as promising adsorbent of arsenic removal in a small groundwater supply system with water treatment facility.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-37
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• 2009

The antibacterial effect of phytoncide on Porphyromonas gingivalis, which is the main causative agent of periodontal disease and halitosis, has been reported. However, little is known about its effect on normal oral microflora. The present study was performed to observe the effect of phytoncide on oral normal microflora and the inhibitory effect of surviving resident oral bacteria on P. gingivalis. In this study, saliva from each of 20 healthy subjects was treated with 1% phytoncide from Japanese Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. et Zucc.). Surviving salivary bacteria were isolated on blood agar plates and identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. In order to select inhibitory isolates against P. gingivalis, the isolates from the phytoncide-treated saliva were cultured with P. gingivalis. The results were as follows: 1. In general, the number of bacteria in saliva from periodontally healthy subjects was decreased when the saliva was treated with 1% phytoncide. 2. The majority of the salivary bacteria surviving the treatment of phytoncide were S. thermophilus (53%). 3. Most of the surviving salivary bacteria (72.5%) inhibit the growth of P. gingivalis A7A1-28 and P. gingivalis W83 on blood agar plates. 4. Among the surviving S. thermophilus, 85.8% of them were observed to inhibit P. gingivalis strains and 75.8% of the surviving S. sanguinis were inhibitory. Taken together, oral resident bacteria surviving phytoncide, which has been shown to inhibit P. gingivalis, may exert an additional inhibitory activity against the periodontopathic bacterium. Therefore, phytoncide can be used for preventing and ceasing the progress of periodontal disease and halitosis, and thus is expect to promote oral health.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.563-567
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• 2011

The most widely used piezoelectric ceramics are lead oxide based ferroelectrics (PZT). However, the toxicity of lead oxide and its high vapor pressure during processing have led to a demand for alternative lead-free piezoelectric materials. We synthesized Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics of $0.96(K_{0.5}Na_{0.5})NbO_3-0.04SrZrO_3+x$ mol% $ZrO_2$ [KNN-SZ+$xZrO_2$; x= 0~0.10] doped with 0.1 wt% $MnO_2$ by a conventional solid state method. We investigated the piezoelectric properties and microstructures of these disk samples sintered in reduced atmosphere in order to evaluate the possibility of the multilayered piezoelectric ceramics having the base metal such as Ni as a internal electrode. All of these KNN-SZ samples sintered in 3%$H_2-97%N_2$ atmosphere at $1,140^{\circ}C$ exhibit pure perovskite structure irrespective of the content of $ZrO_2$. Meanwhile, the sintering denisty and piezoelectric properties such as $K_p$, $Q_m$ and $d_{33}$ of KNN-SZ samples as a function of $ZrO_2$ content show the maxima ($k_p$=28.07%, $Q_m$= 101.34, $d_{33}$= 156 pC/N) at x= 0.04 and it is likely that there is some morphotropic phase boundary(MPB) in this KNN-SZ+$xZrO_2$ composition system. These results indicate that the ceramic composition is a promising candidate material for applications in lead free multilayer piezoelectric ceramics.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.11
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• pp.991-998
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• 2010

The effect of increasing the elevation of an IHX (intermediate heat exchanger) on the transient performance of the KALIMER-600 reactor pool during the early phase of a loss of normal heat sink accident was investigated. Three reactors equipped with IHXs that were elevated to different heights were designed, and the thermal-hydraulic analyses were carried out for the steady and transient state by using the COMMIX-1AR/P code. In order to analyze the effects of the elevation of an IHX between reactors, various thermal-hydraulic properties such as mass flow rate, core peak temperature, RmfQ (ratio of mass flow over Q) and initiation time of decay heat removal via DHX (decay heat exchanger) were evaluated. It was found that with an increase in the IHX elevation, the circulation flow rate increases and a steep rise in the core peak temperature under the same coastdown flow condition is prevented without a delay in the initiation of the second stage of cooling. The available coastdown flow range in the reactor could be increased by increasing the elevation of the IHX.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.303-309
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• 2017

This study investigated the potential use of steel slag (SS) (0.5~2.0 g/200 mL) for the removal of phosphate from wastewater compared with activated carbon (AC) (3.0~6.0 g/200 mL). The adsorption equilibrium data were best represented by Langmuir isotherm and its calculated maximum adsorption capacity was 91 mg/g for SS, 27 mg/g for AC. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow the pseudo-second order kinetics model and its rate constant was $0.0232{\sim}0.1357g/mg{\cdot}min$ for SS, $0.0247{\sim}0.1221g/mg{\cdot}min$ for AC. The overall uptake for the SS and AC was maximum at pH 2. Therefore, it can be concluded that steel slag could play an effective role in reducing phosphate concentration compared with activated carbon.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

The limestone area covers the narrow range of the Korean Peninsula, and it consists of a peculiar ecosystem and topography. Therefore, this study on limestone area was carried out classification of vegetation type, physicochemical properties of forest soils and correlation between environment factors and vegetation types in order to furnish fundamental data for the forest management of limestone area. Forest vegetation was classified into two community groups such as Quercus variabilis community group and Quercus mongolica community group, and it was classified into eight vegetation units. Soil texture of survey sites showed largely silt loam and soil pH indicated the value of mean 7.55 in the A layer of soil profile. Content of exchangeable cation such as calcium ion ($Ca^{2+}$) and magnesium ion ($Mg^{2+}$) showed $26.04cmol_{c}/kg$ and $2.93cmol_{c}/kg$, respectively, which was about ten times higher than average of other regions of Korea. According to corelation between environmental factors and vegetation units, Q. variabilis community group was positively correlated to soil pH, slope degree and the rate of bare rock, and content of calcium ion ($Ca^{2+}$), and then Q. mongolica community group was positively correlated to altitude, respectively.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.868-880
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• 2018

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most aggressive cancers presenting with high rates of invasion and metastasis, and unfavorable prognoses. The current study aims to investigate whether EZH2/miR-139-5p axis affects epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in PC, and the mechanism how EZH2 regulates miR-139-5p. Human PC and adjacent normal tissues were collected to determine expression of EZH2 and miR-139-5p, and their relationship with clinicopathological features of PC. Human PC cell line was selected, and treated with miR-139-5p mimics/inhibitors, EZH2 vector or shEZH2 in order to validate the regulation of EZH2-mediated miR-139-5p in PC cells. Dual-luciferase report gene assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay were employed to identify the relationship between miR-139-5p and EZH2. RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the expression of miR-139-5p, EZH2 and EMT-related markers and ZEB1/2. Tumor formation ability and in vitro cell activity were also analyzed. Highly-expressed EZH2 and poorly-expressed miR-139-5p were detected in PC tissues, and miR-139-5p and EZH2 expressions were associated with patients at Stage III/IV, with LNM and highly-differentiated tumors. EZH2 suppressed the expression of miR-139-5p through up-regulating Histone 3 Lysine 27 Trimethylation (H3K27me3). EMT, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were impeded, and tumor formation and LNM were reduced in PC cells transfected with miR-139-5p mimics and shEZH2. MiR-139-5p transcription is inhibited by EZH2 through up-regulating H3K27me3, thereby down-regulation of EZH2 and up-regulation of miR-139-5p impede EMT and LNM in PC. In addition, the EZH2/miR-139-5p axis presents as a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PC.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.37-49
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• 2014

In order to elucidate the usefulness of Lycopene, a cherry tomato variety, as a food material, the compositions of free amino acids, amino acid metabolites and polyphenol compounds were analyzed using HPLC and LC-MS/MS method. Lycopene contained eighteen free amino acids except for L-Cys and L-Try. L-Glu was the most abundant free amino acid, followed by L-Gln and L-Asp. The percentages of L-Glu, L-Gln and L-Asp of total free amino acid were 55.5%, 15.9% and 9.9% respectively. Lycopene contained essential amino acids with the exception of tryptophan. The following amino acid metabolites were found : ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid(GABA), carnitine(L-Car), o-phosphoethanolamine(o-Pea), hydroxylysine(Hyl) phosphoserine (p-Ser), N-methyl-histidine(Me-His), ethanolamine($EtNH_2$). Especially, GABA known as a neurotransmitter was present at a high level(305.99 mg/100 g dry weight). We identified the following polyphenol compounds in the cherry tomatoes : caffeic acid-hexose isomer I (CH I), caffeic acid-hexose isomer II (CH II), 3-caffeoylquinic acid(3-CQA), 5-caffeoylquinic acid(5-CQA), caffeoylquinic acid isomer(CQAI), quercetin-hexose-deoxyhexose-pentose(QTS), quercetin-3-rutinoside(Q-3-R), di-caffeoylquinic acid(di-CQA), tri-caffeoylquinic acid(tri-CQA), naringenin chalcone(NGC). Large quantities of Q-3-R and NGC known as bioactive compounds were found. These results revealed that Lycopene variety contained various nutritional and bioactive compounds and would be a potent functional food material.