• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2003

LinA gene involving in the ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride degradation have been cloned from Sphingmonas paucimobilis UT26. This linA gene which catalyzes the first dechlorination step of ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride is known to play a key role in the ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride degradation pathway in UT26. In this study, the linA gene was designed to clean-up the ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride and its derivatives contaminated in soil, water and air using transgenic tobacco plants. The linA transgene was introduced into the chromosome of tobacco using leaf-disk transformation approach as revealed by Southern blot analysis. In addition, mRNA and protein produced by linA gene was expressed at a high level in the leaf tissue as demonstrated by both northern blot analysis and Western bolt analysis with polyclonal antibody against S. paucimobilis UT26. in vitro analysis using GC-MS showed that transgenic tobacco plant produced the linA protein which effectively degraded ${\gamma}$-benzenehexachloride into ${\gamma}$- pentachlorocyclohexene and 1,2,4-trichlobenzene compounds which are less toxic.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.300-309
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• 2014

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate microbial exposure hazards in the metal-working fluids(MWF) handling industry. Methods: Air quality parameters(airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin and oil mist) and bulk MWF in storage tanks were evaluated at 54 points at nine sites in South Korea. Results: The geometric means(GM) of culturable airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin and oil mist concentration were $133CFU/m^3$(n=376, range $7{\sim}6,510CFU/m^3$), $159CFU/m^3$(n=381, range $7{\sim}8,469CFU/m^3$), $8.06EU/m^3$(n=103, range $0.34{\sim}280.4EU/m^3$) and $0.20mg/m^3$(n=104, range $0.01{\sim}2.87mg/m^3$), respectively. The ratio of indoor to outdoor concentration was 2.7 for bacteria, 6.1 for endotoxin, and 4.8 for oil mist. Even though average airborne bacteria concentration did not exceed recommended exposure limits($1,000CFU/m^3$), MWF in the storage tanks was highly contaminated with bacteria(arithmetic mean $2.1{\times}10^6CFU/ml$) and exceeded recommended bacteria limits($10^5CFU/ml$). Conclusions: It is necessary for MWF handling workplaces to conduct periodical biohazard inspection of MWF storage tanks. Additionally, further research may be necessary to establish biological occupational exposure limits.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.386-391
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• 2014

Atmospheric-pressure nonthermal corona discharge plasma was applied to the sterilization of biologically contaminated scoria powder. Escherichia coli (E. coli) culture solution was uniformly sprayed throughout the scoria powder for artificial inoculation, which was well mixed to ensure uniformity of the batch. The effect of the key parameters such as discharge power, treatment time, type of gas and electrode distance on the sterilization efficiency was examined and discussed. The experimental results revealed that the plasma treatment was very effective for the sterilization of scoria powder; 5-min treatment at 15 W could sterilize more than 99.9% of E. coli inoculated into the scoria powder. Increasing the discharge power, treatment time or applied voltage led to an improvement in the sterilization efficiency. The effect of type of gas on the sterilization efficiency was in order of oxygen, synthetic air (20% oxygen) and nitrogen from high to low. The inactivation of E. coli under the influence of corona discharge plasma can be explained by cell membrane erosion or etching resulting from UV and reactive oxidizing species (oxygen radical, OH radical, ozone, etc.), and the destruction of E. coli cell membrane by the physical action of numerous corona streamers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.534-544
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• 2014

The effects of microbial iron reduction and oxidation on the immobilization and mobilization of copper were investigated in a high concentration of sulfate with synthesized Fe(III) minerals and red earth soils rich in amorphous Fe (hydr)oxides. Batch microcosm experiments showed that red earth soil inoculated with subsurface sediments had a faster Fe(III) bioreduction rate than pure amorphous Fe(III) minerals and resulted in quicker immobilization of Cu in the aqueous fraction. Coinciding with the decrease of aqueous Cu, $SO_4{^{2-}}$ in the inoculated red earth soil decreased acutely after incubation. The shift in the microbial community composite in the inoculated soil was analyzed through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Results revealed the potential cooperative effect of microbial Fe(III) reduction and sulfate reduction on copper immobilization. After exposure to air for 144 h, more than 50% of the immobilized Cu was remobilized from the anaerobic matrices; aqueous sulfate increased significantly. Sequential extraction analysis demonstrated that the organic matter/sulfide-bound Cu increased by 52% after anaerobic incubation relative to the abiotic treatment but decreased by 32% after oxidation, indicating the generation and oxidation of Cu-sulfide coprecipitates in the inoculated red earth soil. These findings suggest that the immobilization of copper could be enhanced by mediating microbial Fe(III) reduction with sulfate reduction under anaerobic conditions. The findings have an important implication for bioremediation in Cu-contaminated and Fe-rich soils, especially in acid-mine-drainage-affected sites.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

This study investigated the effectiveness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and 3D modeling on mine reclamation monitoring. The high spatial resolution of 3.8 cm ortho-mosaic image and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) are constructed based on UAV air survey. The ortho-mosaic image effectively shows mine reclamation activities and recognize objects and topological changes in the image. The comparative analysis of 3D models between UAV based DEM and report based DEM reveals that total amount of $268,672m^3$ additional dumping of contaminated soil is equivalent to 710,000 ton. It concludes that a UAV based survey enables high accuracy spatial information extraction for mine reclamation activities with high efficiency. It is expected that UAV survey will be very effectively used for preliminary data acquisition and project monitoring for mine reclamation activities.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.469-473
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• 2000

We studied the removal of toluene vapors in a lab-scale biofiter. Biofiltration was performed in a column fed in a downflow manner with contaminated air at ambient conditions. The column was packed with a mixture of peat and calstone(5:3 vol. Ratio), which was inoculated with microbes of selected stains(Pseudomonas putida type A). The microorganisms were immobilized on the filter media and biofilms were formed. The fiofilter was operated at various inlet toluene concentrations for days, and treated up to a maximum elimination capacity of $20 g/m^3hr$ at an inlet load of $30 g/m^3hr$, which corresponds to removal efficiencies in the range 20∼90% and a gas retention time of 1 to 2 min. The pressure drop was almost negligible over the biofilter columns, amounting to only $1.062 cmH_2O/m$ and appreciably smaller than other studies. The effects of operating conditions such as flow rate, inlet toluene concentration and moisture content on the performance of the biofilter were sequentially investigated.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.628-634
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of moisture on apical sealing properties of root canal. Fifty five single rooted human teeth were selected from maxillary and mandibular teeth. After removing crown portion at the cemento-enamel junction, all teeth were routinely prepared with step-back method. And then, the canals were dried with paper point and the teeth were randomly divided into 3 groups of 15 teeth each, and remaining 10 teeth were used as positive and negative control teeth : Group 1 were irrigated with 1ml of 95% alcohol and dried with air and paper point. Group 2 and 3 were intentionally contaminated with 0.05ml of 3.5% NaOCl or saliva, respectively. All the teeth were obturated with sealapex and gutta percha cone by lateral condensation technique, and covered with two coat of nail varnish after 48 hours of obturation. The teeth were immersed in india ink for 1 week and cleaned with methyl salicylate and then the degree of dye penetration were measured with stereomicroscope. The data were analyzed statistically by one-way ANOVA. The results were as follows : 1. All experimental groups showed varying degrees of dye penetration, and the mean degree of dye penetration was 0.1mm to 0.7mm. 2. Saliva contamination group(group 3) showed the highest amount of dye penetration, followed by NaOCl contamination group, then alcohol dried group, but there was no significant difference among three experimental groups. * This results suggest that there was no significant differences of apical leakage after canal obturation between alcohol dried canal and moisture present canals and the use of alcohol instead of paper point is unnecessary to dry the canals prior to canal filling. But other factors such as bacterial contamination and sealer discoloration by moisture must be considered in application of this results to clinical practice.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2014

A study was conducted to determine the phytotoxic effect of mercury on seed germination and seedling growth of an important arid legume tree Albizia lebbeck. The seeds germination and seedling growth performance of A. lebbeck responded differently to mercuric chloride treatment (1 mM, 3 mM, 5 mM and 7 mM) as compared to control. Seed germination of A. lebbeck was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by mercury treatment at 1 mM. Root growth of A. lebbeck was not significantly affected by mercury treatment at 1 mM, and 3 mM. Shoot and root length of A. lebbeck were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by 5 mM concentration of mercury treatment. Increase in concentration of mercury treatment at 5 mM and 7 mM significantly (p < 0.05) reduced seedling dry weight of A. lebbeck. The treatment of mercury at 1 mM decreased high percentage of seed germination (22%), seedling length (10%), root length (21.85%) and seedling dry weight (9%). Highest decrease in seed germination (51%), seedling (34%), root length (48%) and seedling dry weight (41%) of A. lebbeck occurred at 7 mM mercury treatment. A. lebbeck showed high percentage of tolerance (78.14%) to mercury at 1 mM. However, 7 mM concentration of mercury produced lowest percentage of tolerance (51.65%) in A. lebbeck. The seed germination potential and seedling vigor index (SVI) clearly decreased with the higher level of mercury. Plantation of A. lebbeck in mercury-polluted area will help in reducing the burden of mercury pollution. A. lebbeck can serve better in coordinating in land management programs in metal contaminated areas. The identification of the toxic concentration of metals and tolerance indices of A. lebbeck would also be helpful for the establishment of air quality standard.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.193-204
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• 2019

Purpose: The reaction of cells to a titanium implant depends on the surface characteristics of the implant which are affected by decontamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytocompatibility of titanium disks treated with various decontamination methods, using salivary bacterial contamination with dental pellicle formation as an in vitro model. Methods: Sand-blasted and acid-etched (SA) titanium disks were used. Three control groups (pristine SA disks [SA group]; salivary pellicle-coated SA disks [pellicle group]; and biofilm-coated, untreated SA disks [NT group]) were not subjected to any decontamination treatments. Decontamination of the biofilm-coated disks was performed by 14 methods, including ultrasonic instruments, rotating instruments, an air-powder abrasive system, a laser, and chemical agents. MG63 cells were cultured in the presence of the treated disks. Cell proliferation assays were performed on days 2 and 5 of cell culture, and cell morphology was analyzed by immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) assay was performed on day 5 of culture. Results: The cell proliferation assay revealed that all decontaminated disks, except for the 2 groups treated using a plastic tip, showed significantly less cell proliferation than the SA group. The immunofluorescence and SEM analyses revealed that most groups showed comparable cell density, with the exception of the NT group, in which the cell density was lower and bacterial residue was observed. Furthermore, the cells grown with tetracycline-treated titanium disks showed significantly lower VEGF production than those in the SA group. Conclusions: None of the decontamination methods resulted in cytocompatibility similar to that of pristine SA titanium. However, many methods caused improvement in the biocompatibility of the titanium disks in comparison with the biofilm-coated, untreated titanium disks. This suggests that decontamination is indispensable for the treatment of peri-implantitis, even if the original biocompatibility cannot be restored.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2019

In installation of groundwater wells, grouting materials are injected between the groundwater borehole and the inner casing in order to prevent infiltration of contaminated groundwater from the top soil layers into wells. The injection device of grouting materials is commonly composed of an inlet head device with an expansion packer, a cylinder capable of storing the grouting materials, and an air cylinder. In this work, two types of common grouting materials, silicon and cement materials, were tested for their performances as grouting media. For silicon. silicon was mixed with clay or calcite, and tested for their tensile strength and underwater reactivity. Both silicon-clay and silicon-calcite mixtures had adequate flow and adhesiveness. For cement material, general cement, ultra-rapid harding cement, and natural cement were respectively mixed with three different soil types including coarse-grained granite, fine-grained granite, and gneiss, and direct shearing tests were conducted after hardening. Under grouting depth condition of 30 m, the minimum adhesive strength was greater for weathered gneiss than non-weathered gneiss with its maximum values obtained from the mixtures of ultra rapid-harding cement.