• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1203-1208
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• 2007

Feathers are produced in huge quantities as a waste product at commercial poultry processing plants. Since feathers are almost pure keratin protein, feather wastes represent an alternative to more expensive dietary ingredients for animal feedstuffs. Generally they become feather meal used as animal feed after undergoing physical and chemical treatments. These processes require significant energy and also cause environmental pollutions. Therefore, biodegradation of feather by microorganisms represents an alternative method to prevent environment contamination. The aim of this study was to investigate cultural conditions affecting keratinolytic protease production by Bacillus pumilus RS7. We also assessed the nutritive value of microbial and alkaline feather hydrolysates, The composition of optimal medium for the keratinolytic protease was fructose 0.05%, yeast extract 0.3%, NaCl 0.05%, K2HPO4 0.03%, KH2PO4 0.04% and MgCl2 6H2O 0.01%, respectively. The optimal temperature and initial pH was $30^{\circ}C$ and 9.0, respectively. The keratinolytic protease production under optimal condition reached a maximum after 18 h of cultivation. Total amino acid content of feather hydrolysates treated by NaOH and B. pumilius RS7 was $113.8\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $504.9\;{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. Essential amino acid content of feather hydrolysates treated by NaOH and B. pumilius RS7 was $47.2\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $334.0\;{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. Thus, feather hydrolysates have the potential for utilization as an ingredient in animal feed.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.79-82
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• 2012

Acinetobacter infections are of great concern in clinical settings because of multi-drug resistance (MDR) and high mortality of the infected patients. The MDR Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a significant infectious agent in hospitals worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine for molecular characterization of MDR A. baumannii clinical isolates obtained from the Wonju Christian Hospital in Gangwon province of Korea. A total of seventy nonduplicate A. baumannii isolates were collected from the Wonju Christian Hospital in Korea from March to April in 2011. All of the MDR A. baumannii isolates were encoded by $bla_{OXA-23-like}$ gene and all isolates with the $bla_{OXA-23-like}$ gene had the upstream element ISAba1 to promote increased gene expression and subsequent resistance to carbapenem. 16S rRNA methylase gene (armA) was detected in 44 clinical isolates which were resistant to amikacin, and phosphotransferase genes encoding aac(3)-Ia and aac(6')-Ib were the most prevalent. A combination of 16S rRNA methylase and aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes (armA, aac(3)-Ia, aac(6')-Ib, and aph(3')-Ia) were found in 31 isolates. The sequencing results for the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA and parC revealed the presence of Ser (TCA) 83 Leu (TTA) and Ser (TCG) 80 Leu (TTG) substitutions in the respective enzymes for all MDR. Molecular typing for MDR A. baumannii could be helpful in confirming the identification of a common source or cross-contamination. This is an important step in enabling epidemiological tracing of these strains.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.593-599
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• 2014

This study was conducted to determine the antioxidant potentials of some available plants to source alternate antioxidants and antibiotics. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by determining the antioxidant activity reducing powers and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities of extracts from some local edible native plants. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the extracts was found to have been 0.41-94.84%. The Elsholtziasplendens NAKAI extract ($85^{\circ}C$, ethanol, accelerated solvent extraction) showed the highest level of antioxidant activity. Eight samples of plant extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against three microflora (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans) using disc diffusion assay. Two samples (Geranium krameri FR. Et SAV. and Cleyera japonica Thunb.) had much more intensive antimicrobial activities than the control. However, their DPPH free radical scavenging activity levels were only 14.50 and 13.85, respectively. It is suggested that they could be used as natural preservatives against bacterial contamination in cosmetics and foods, in place of the common synthetic preservatives currently used.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.128-141
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• 2018

Industrial complex releasing huge amounts of dusts, fumes and wastewater containing heavy metal(loid)s could be a source of heavy metal(loid)s pollution in arable soil. Heavy metal(loid)s pollution in arable soil adversely affect crops safety, subsequently human being. Hence, it is important to accurately assess the heavy metal(loid)s pollution in soil using pollution indices. The objectives of this study are 1) to compare assessment methods of heavy metal(loid)s pollution in arable soils located near industrial complex in Gyeongsang provinces and 2) to determine the relationship between concentration of plant available heavy metal(loid)s and chemical properties of soil. Soil samples were collected from 85 sites of arable lands nearby 10 industrial complex in Gyeongsang provinces. The average total concentration of all heavy metal(loid)s of the studied soils was higher than that of Korean arable soils but did not exceed the warning criteria established by the Soil Environmental Conservation Act of Korea. Only six sites of arable soils for the total concentration of As, Cu and Ni exceeded the warning criteria (As: $25mg\;kg^{-1}$, Cu: $150mg\;kg^{-1}$, Ni: $100mg\;kg^{-1}$). The contamination factor (CF) and geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$) of the heavy metal(loid)s in arable soils varied among the sampling sites, and the average values of As and Cd were relatively higher than that of other metals. Results of integrated indices of As and Cd in arable soils located near industrial complex indicated that some arable soils were moderately or heavily polluted. The plant available concentration of heavy metal(loid)s was negatively related to the soil pH and negative charge of soil. Available Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations had relatively high correlation coefficient with pH and negative charge of soil when compared with other heavy metal(loid)s. Based on the above results, it might be a good soil management to control pH with soil amendments such as lime and compost to reduce phytoavailability of heavy metal(loid)s in arable soil located near industrial complex.

• Water for future
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.49-60
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• 1991

As a second part of the study entitled "Field Measurement and Analysis of Fluvial Sediment in the Cheongmi-Strea", this study concerns mineralogical and contaminative characteristics of sediment particles collected at Wonbu-Gyo and Hanpyeong-Gyo in the Cheongmi-Stream. The mineralogical analysis of the bed sediment collected reveals that, in general , quarz is the most abundant mineral found in sands with feldspars and rock fragments in the next, which confirms what is known in the literature. The shape factor of sand particles is about 0.7, which also agrees to what is known in the foreign literature. The analysis also reveals that the clay particles collected are composed mainly of illite, kaolinate, and chlorite. The analysis of contamination reveals that there is no substantial difference between the contents of organic material and heavy metals in the surface water and those in the pore water beneath the river bed. It is because the sampling for this analysis was conducted right after the September flood during which the fresh top soil from the upstream watershed replaced the old bed sediment and pore water that would probably be more contaminated. The contents of geavy metals in the bed sediment of sand particles do not exceed those in the soils adjacent to the river. For fine sediment such as clays, however, the contents of heavy metals, especially of mercury and zinc, far exceed those in the soils adjacent to the river. These fine sediments are transported downstream in the form of wash load and deposited in part on flood plains, which could be a new source of contaminants.taminants.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.471-484
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• 2002

Alluviums in the Keum River watershed cover an areal extent of $3,029{\;}\textrm{km}^2$ and contain about 8.1 billion tons of groundwater. However, the waters are severely polluted by nitrate, possibly due to the application of nitrogen fertilizer (>250 N kg/ha) on agricultural land. This paper aims to elucidate the pollution status and behaviors of nitrate in alluvial groundwaters in the Keum River watershed area, based on regional hydrogeochemical study. Most of the collected samples (n = 186) are polluted by nitrate (average = 42.2 mg/L, maximum = 295 mg/L). About 29% of the samples have the nitrate concentrations exceeding Korean Drinking Water Standard (44 mg/L $NO_3$). The distribution of nitrate concentrations in the study area is largely dependant on geochemical environments of alluvial aquifers. In particular, the decrease of redox potential of alluvial groundwaters showed a good correlation with the decreases of nitrate, iron, and manganese concentrations. Thus, the change of redox state in alluvial aquifers, likely reflecting their sedimentary environments, controls both the behavior and fate of nitrogen compounds and their natural attenuation (denitrification) in aquifers. A carbon-rich, silty layer within alluvium strata forms a reducing condition and possesses a buffering capacity on nitrate pollution.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.17-25
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• 2016

In this study, the air quality of underground and overground railway stations was evaluated focusing on the degree of influence of the outside air quality. The measured components were particulate matter ($PM_{10}$), carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$), formaldehyde (HCHO), ozone ($O_3$), total airborne bacteria (TAB), total volatile organic carbon (TVOC), and Radon (Rn), which are included in the maintenance standards and recommended standards of the Indoor Air Quality Management Act. Also, the indoor/outdoor concentration ratios of $PM_{10}$, $NO_2$, and $O_3$ were calculated to estimate the influence of the outdoor air quality. The concentrations of $PM_{10}$ HCHO, TVOC, $NO_2$, and Rn in the underground stations were found to be higher than those in the overground stations. These results indicate that the (present) generation of contaminants are caused by the indoor source of the underground station. The ozone concentration of the overground stations was higher than that of the underground stations, which indicates that the outdoor ozone concentration influenced that of the overground stations directly. Thus, methods of improving the IAQ should take into consideration the types of contamination.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.513-521
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• 2015

In the processing of ocean color remote sensing data, spatio-temporal binning is crucial for securing effective observation area. The validity determination for given source data refers to the information in Level-2 flag. For minimizing the stray light contamination, NASA OBPG's standard algorithm suggests the use of large filtering window but it results in the loss of effective observation area. This study is aimed for quality improvement of ocean color remote sensing data by recovering/extending the portion of effective observation area. We analyzed the difference between MODIS/Aqua standard and modified product in terms of chlorophyll-a concentration, spatial and temporal coverage. The recovery fractions in Level-2 swath product, Level-3 daily composite product, 8-day composite product, and monthly composite product were $13.2({\pm}5.2)%$, $30.8({\pm}16.3)%$, $15.8({\pm}9.2)%$, and $6.0({\pm}5.6)%$, respectively. The mean difference between chlorophyll-a concentrations of two products was only 0.012%, which is smaller than the nominal precision of the geophysical parameter estimation. Increase in areal coverage also results in the increase in temporal density of multi-temporal dataset, and this processing gain was most effective in 8-day composite data. The proposed method can contribute for the quality enhancement of ocean color remote sensing data by improving not only the data productivity but also statistical stability from increased number of samples.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.201-206
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• 2011

Purpose : Bacteremia is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in children with cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features of bacteremia in pediatric cancer patients. Methods : We retrospectively analyzed bacteremia episodes occurred in pediatric cancer patients at Samsung Medical Center from January 2008 to December 2010. We excluded bacteremia episodes after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Results : A total of 141 blood cultures were positive in 121 patients. Thirteen cultures due to contamination were excluded. For analysis, 128 bacteremia episodes in 108 children were included. Gram-positive organisms accounted for 46.9% (60/ 128) and gram-negative organisms for 53.1% (68/128). The source of bacteremia was identified in 21.1% of episodes. Bacteremia due to catheter related infection was observed in 9.4% of episodes (12/128 episodes) and gram-positive organisms were isolated in 75% of episodes (9/12). There were 10 cases (7.8%) of bacteremia associated with septic shock and gramnegative organisms were isolated in 80% of episodes (8/10). Relapses were documented within 30 days in 2 patients who cleared bacteremia which was confirmed after negative blood cultures. Mortality associated with bacteremia was not observed. Conclusion : Continuous monitoring is needed to maintain the tailored strategies to manage pediatric cancer patients with neutropenic fever who are at high risk of developing bacteremia in each institution.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.695-701
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• 2009

This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of biological critical control points using the genetic profile of Escherichia coli isolates from pork cutting plants. Samples were collected from carcasses, equipment (knife, table, glove, transport belt, boning and skinning machine), the environment (wall and floor), and meat cuts during the cutting process from two plants. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to characterize the E. coli isolates. An identical genotype was detected from the carcasses, equipment, environment, and final meat cuts, and showed that the incoming carcasses, which were contaminated during transportation from slaughterhouses, were a major source of E. coli that was spread throughout processing. Also, consistent cross-contamination due to improper cleaning and disinfection procedures was another possibility. As a result, incoming carcasses and cleaning procedures should be considered critical control points in pork cutting plants, since a heating step is not used to inactivate microorganisms. Furthermore, the high rate (59.6%) of E. coli isolation indicates E. coli can be a good indicator in livestock processing plants even though it has genetic diversity.