• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.138-144
• /
• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cleansing effect of recently developed alkaline ionized water, e-WASH, on microorganisms of the denture surface. Materials and methods: Removable partial and complete dentures were randomly assigned to the experimental group of 41 dentures, and the control group of 26. The denture was immersed in the e-WASH solution (experimental group), or tap water (control group) for 5 minutes. The plaque was collected from the denture surface before and after immersion, and smeared on the slide glass. Amount and motility of microorganisms were compared according to the morphology and strain of microorganisms, using the phase contrast microscope. Statistical analysis was accomplished with paired t-test and independent t-test at 95% confidence level (P<.05). Results: 1. The amount of cocci, bacilli, filamentous, spiral/comma, and the motility of bacilli, filamentous, and spiral/comma were decreased after denture cleansing with the alkaline ionized water, e-WASH (P<.05). But in the control group, only the amount of cocci showed a significant difference (P<.05), but no difference from the others. There were no differences in other analysis. 2. In the experimental group, the amount of cocci, bacilli, filamentous, spiral/comma, and the motility of bacilli, filamentous, and spiral/comma were smaller and more inactive compared to the control group (P<.05). Conclusion: These results indicated that the alkaline ionized water, e-WASH could effectively reduce the amount and motility of the experimented microorganisms on the denture surface, and that e-WASH could be recommended as an effective denture cleanser.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.737-744
• /
• 2007

Recently, one of the most interesting topic in the field of wastewater treatment is the disposal of excess sludge. The new concept of excess sludge reduction with recirculation of solubilized sludge via effective microorganisms for cell disruption within the wastewater treatment process has been developed in this study. The alkalophiles for degradation of sludge cell wall were isolated as Exiguobacterium sp., which could be more effectively solubilized sludge in the anaerobic condition. The SCOD of solubilized excess sludge by Exiguobacterium sp. was up to about 2,000mg/L and average TN and TP concentration of solubilized component were 117mg/L and 58mg/L, respectively and C/N ratio was more than 17. To investigate the effects of solubilized sludge by alkalophiles on excess sludge reduction and nutrient removal efficiency, the pilot plant of $DF^{(S)}-MBR$ process, combined with membrane bioreactor and sludge solubilization tank, was operated. In the control run(without sludge solubilization), the daily sludge production was about 4.54 kgMLVSS/day. However, in the $DF^{(S)}-MBR$(with sludge solubilization), the daily sludge production was decreased to 1.39kgMLVSS/day. The effluent quality satisfied the effluent regulation in both cases. Furthermore, the $DF^{(S)}-MBR$ showed relatively better TN removal efficiency in spite of high influent loading. So we concluded that the solubilized excess sludge by alkalophiles was effectively degraded in the MBR process as the carbon source and 70% of sludge reduction efficiency can be achieved.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.318-322
• /
• 2006

The intracellular invertase gene of alkalophilic and thermophilic Bacillus sp. TA-11 which was isolated from compost was cloned and expressed in E. coil HB101 using pUC19 as a vector. The invertase of the recombinant E. coli (pYC 17) was maximally produced when it was incubated at 37$^{\circ}C$ for 9 h in a SY medium containing 0.25% sucrose, 0.5% yeast extract, 0.1% each of $K_2HPO_4$ and $KH_2PO_4$, with an initial pH of 8.0. The final enzyme activity under the above condition was 47.7 U per ml of cell-free extract.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.108-114
• /
• 1998

Salmonella Pathgenicity Island 2 plays an important role in Salmonella pathogenicity, especially invasion into host cell. We have investigated the effect of various environmental factors, such as oxygen level, osmolarity, pH, carbon starvation and glycerol addition on the expression of SPI2. For this research, we constructed the reporter plasmids, in which the promoter-less lac operons are fused with the regulatory regions (including promoter) of ssaJ and ssaK, major genes in SPI2. The study using the reporters showed that low oxygen, low osmolarity, or weak alkali conditions increased the expression levels of ssaJ and ssaK and when these three conditions exist simultaneously, the expression levels of ssaJ and ssaK are the highest. However carbon starvation and glycerol addition did not affect the expression of ssaJ and ssaK. These environmental effects on the expression levels of ssaJ and ssaK are the same in three Salmonella typhimurium wild types, LT2, UK1, and SL1344. In addition, we confirmed that the mutation in hilA, a regulatory gene encoding a transcriptional activator of SPI1, had no effect on the expression of ssaJ and ssaK. Thus, these results strongly suggest that the expressions of SPI2 and SPI1 are regulated by different control systems.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.501-510
• /
• 2006

To investigate the effects of MLSS concentration and influent C/N ratio on the nitrogen removal efficiency of alternately intermittently aerated nonwoven fabric filter bioreactors, the MLSS concentrations of the reactors were maintained at approximately 5,500 mg/L, 10,000 mg/L and 15,000 mg/L, and the influent TCOD/TKN ratio was decreased gradually from 5 to 2 by adding $NH_4Cl$. The influent was prepared by diluting a food waste leachate to a TCOD concentration of about 300 mg/L. The results of the experiment showed F/M ratios less than 0.112 g TCOD/g MLSS-day, average TCOD removal efficiencies of above 95%, and an average observed microbial yield coefficient of 0.283 g MLSS/g COD removed. The nitrification efficiencies were computed to be always better than 96% except one case where the nitrification efficiency was 90.5% when the MLSS concentration and the influent TCOD/TKN ratio was 5,500 mg/L and 2, respectively. The denitrification efficiency deteriorated as the influent TCOD/TKN ratio decreased. The average denitrification efficiency at the MLSS concentration of 10,000 mg/L was 10.7% better than that at the MLSS concentration of 5,500 mg/L, and the denitrification rate improved at a rate of 2.66 mg NL as the MLSS concentration increased by 1,000 mg/L. When the MLSS concentration was 15,000 mg/L, however, the average denitrification efficiency was merely 4.6% higher compared to when the MLSS concentration was 5,500 mg/L, and the denitrification rate increased at a rate of 0.75 mg N/L per 1,000 mg/L MLSS increase. Therefore, no strict proportional relationship was found between MLSS concentration and endogenous denitrification rate. The average alkalinity consumption rate was 3.36 mg alkalinity/mg T-N removed, which is similar to the theoretical value of 3.57 mg alkalinity/mg T-N removed, but the rate increased as the influent TCOD/TKN ratio decreased.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.36-44
• /
• 2002

GC-l00X is non-corrosive alkaline ionic water (pH 12). It is composed of hydroxyl radicals and supplemented with xylitol. Its antimicrobial activity was examined against 6 major food-borne pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus FRI 913, Salmonella enterica serova Enteritidis ATCC 13076, S. enterica serova Typhimurium Korean isolate, Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 17803, Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43894 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa KCTC 1637 at three different temperatures (4$^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$ and 36$^{\circ}C$) with or without an organic material (2% yeast extract), respectively. The antimicrobial activities showed over 4 log-reductions (1.0$\times$10$^4$CFU/ml reduction) against all pathogens reacted at 37$^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours in the absence of the organic material. The activities showed same results when GC-l00X was diluted with same volume of distilled water or standard hard water (CaCO$_3$300 ppm). Its antimicrobial activity was more effective and quicker in Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria. Its washing efficacy against E. coli O157:H7 exposed to the surfaces of tomatoes (grapes) was compared with that of the other sanitizers such as other kitchen synthetic detergent and 100-ppm chlorine water. For the toxicological evaluation of the sanitizers, viable counts of E. coli O157:H7 penetrated into the core of tomatoes after washing products were also compared. The result revealed that GC-100X stock solution and its 5% diluted solution had similar washing effects to 100-ppm chlorine water and more effective than the other kitchen synthetic detergent. This result indicated that GC- l00X had antimicrobial activity and no toxicological side effects, therefore, could be useful for a new sanitizer to use in flood safety and kitchen hygiene.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.499-506
• /
• 2005

This study was performed to investigate the effects of influent C/N ratio on the removal of organic and nitrogenous compounds by two nonwoven fabric filter bioreactors. The reactors were alternately aerated at an aeration/nonaeration period ratio of 60 min/60 min, and fed with wastewater only during nonaeration period. The influent C/N ratio (COD/TKN) was gradually reduced from 10 to 2. The influent was prepared by diluting the leachate from a foodwaste treatment facility in I city so that the COD concentration could be about 2,500 mg/L. The C/N ratio of the wastewater was adjusted by adding ammonium chloride. The results of the experiment showed that the COD and BOD concentration of the effluent was $40{\sim}54\;mg/L$ and $1{\sim}4\;mg/L$, respectively at the C/N ratios of $10{\sim}3$, and the effluent SS concentration was always below 2.0 mg/L. The T-N removal efficiencies were 96% or higher at C/N ratios of $10{\sim}5$, but decreased to 83% and 81%, respectively at the C/N ratios of 3 and 2.8. At the C/N ratios of 2.6 and 2, the effluent quality deteriorated due to ammonia toxicity. The fraction of nitrifying microorganism in the reactors increased from 10% to 20% as the C/N ratio decreased from 5 to 2.6. Alkalinity consumed were $3.12{\sim}3.49\;g$ alkalinity/g T-N removed at the C/N ratios of $10{\sim}5$, which are lower than the theoretical value of 3.57. However, the ratio increased to 4.63 and 4.87 g alkalinity/g T-N removed, respectively at the C/N ratios of 3 and 2.8.