• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1345-1351
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• 2011

Vancomycin therapy failure due to the emergence of tolerance in pneumococci is increasing. The molecular mechanism of tolerance is not clear, but lytA and $pep^{27}$ are known to be involved. Our aim was to evaluate the expression of both genes in vancomycin-tolerant Streptococcus pneumoniae (VTSP) strains. Eleven VTSP strains from a total of 309 clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae from 1997 to 2006 were classified according to the criteria of Liu and Tomasz. All VTSP strains were evaluated for susceptibility according to CLSI criteria, serotype by the Quellung test, and clonality by PFGE. The expressions of lytA and $pep^{27}$ were analyzed in different growth phases by RT-PCR with and without vancomycin. Eighty-two percent of VTSP strains showed resistance to penicillin, and 100% were sensitive to vancomycin and cefotaxime. The most frequent serotypes of VTSP strains were 23F (4/11) and 6B (3/11). Clonal relationship was observed in only two strains. No significant changes were observed in $pep^{27}$ expression in the three phases of growth in VTSP strains with and without vancomycin. Interestingly, $pep^{27}$ expression in the stationary phase in the non-tolerant reference strain R6 was significantly higher. However, no significant differences in lytA expression were observed between VTSP and R6 strains during the phases of growth analyzed. The absence of changes in $pep^{27}$ expression in VTSP strains in the stationary phase may be related to their ability to tolerate high antibiotic concentrations, and thus, they survive and remain in the host under the antibiotic selective pressure reflected in therapeutic failure.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.199-209
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• 2018

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are increasingly been recognized as the chemical mediators of mold interactions, shaping their community dynamics, growth, and metabolism. Herein, we selectively examined the time-correlated (0 D-11 D, where D = incubation days) effects of intraspecies VOC-mediated interactions (VMI) on Aspergillus oryzae KCCM 60345 (S1), following co-cultivation with partner strain A. oryzae KACC 44967 (S2), in a specially designed twin plate assembly. The comparative evaluation of $S1_{VMI}$ (S1 subjected to VMI with S2) and its control ($S1_{Con}$) showed a notable disparity in their radial growth ($S1_{VMI}$ < $S1_{Con}$) at 5 D, protease activity ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 3-5 D, amylase activity ($S1_{VMI}$ < $S1_{Con}$) at 3-5 D, and antioxidant levels ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 3 D. Furthermore, we observed a distinct clustering pattern for gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry datasets from 5 D extracts of $S1_{VMI}$ and $S1_{Con}$ in principle component analysis (PC1: 30.85%; PC2: 10.31%) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) (PLS1: 30.77; PLS2: 10.15%). Overall, 43 significantly discriminant metabolites were determined for engendering the metabolic variance based on the PLS-DA model (VIP > 0.7, p < 0.05). In general, a marked disparity in the relative abundance of amino acids ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 5 D, organic acids ($S1_{VMI}$ > $S1_{Con}$) at 5 D, and kojic acid ($S1_{VMI}$ < $S1_{Con}$) at 5-7 D were observed. Examining the headspace VOCs shared between S1 and S2 in the twin plate for 5 D incubated samples, we observed the relatively higher abundance of C-8 VOCs (1-octen-3-ol, (5Z)-octa-1,5-dien-3-ol, 3-octanone, 1-octen-3-ol acetate) having known semiochemical functions. The present study potentially illuminates the effects of VMI on commercially important A. oryzae's growth and biochemical phenotypes with subtle details of altered metabolomes.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.234-243
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• 2018

The Antarctic Ocean contains numerous microorganisms that produce novel biocatalysts that can have applications in various industries. We screened various psychrophilic bacterial strains isolated from the Ross Sea and found that a Croceibacter atlanticus strain (Stock No. 40-F12) showed high lipolytic activity on a tributyrin plate. We isolated the corresponding lipase gene (lipCA) by shotgun cloning and expressed the LipCA enzyme in Escherichia coli cells. Homology modeling of LipCA was carried out using the Spain Arreo lake metagenome alpha/beta hydrolase as a template. According to the model, LipCA has an ${\alpha}/{\beta}$ hydrolase fold, Gly-X-Ser-X-Glymotif, and lid sequence, indicating that LipCA is a typical lipase enzyme. Active LipCA enzyme was purified fromthe cell-free extract by ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel filtration chromatography. We determined its enzymatic properties including optimum temperature and pH, stability, substrate specificity, and organic solvent stability. LipCA was immobilized by the cross-linked enzyme aggregate (CLEA) method and its enzymatic properties were compared to those of free LipCA. After cross-linking, temperature, pH, and organic solvent stability increased considerably, whereas substrate specificities did not changed. The LipCA CLEA was recovered by centrifugation and showed approximately 40% activity after 4th recovery. This is the first report of the expression, characterization, and immobilization of a C. atlanticus lipase, and this lipase could have potential industrial application.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 1972

As a study on the konjak mannan-hydrolyzing enzymes from Aspergillus awamori, the culture conditions for enzyme formation, purification and properties of the enzymes and the effect of gamma-irradiation on the enzymatic hydrolysis were investigated. The results are summarized as follows: 1) A strain of A. awamori was selected as having the highest productivity of mannanase among 81 species of molds. 2) The optimum conditions for solid culture on wheat bran were 3 days of culture period, pH 4 of spraying water and 100% addition of tap water. 3) The optimum conditions for shaking culture were 6 days of culture period, addition of 0.1% xylose plus 0.5% konjak mannan and of 0.04% peptone. 4) Konjak mannan-hydrolyzing enzymes were separated into fraction I and fraction II by ammonium sulfate fractionation and DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography. 5) Fractions I and II showed pH optima of 4, pH stability of $3.5{\sim}5$ and $3{\sim}6$ and the extent of hydrolyzing konjak mannan 9% and 50%, respectively. 6) Hydrolysis of konjak mannan by a crude enzyme preparation was partially accerelated by gamma-irradiation of substrate above 0.5 Mrad and the effect was more remarkable by irradiating in wet state than in dry state. 7) Gamma-irradiation of konjak mannan brought about the increase in reducing power and decrease in viscosity and the effect was more remarkable in wet state than in dry state.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2018

In order to utilize health food chick bean as a raw material for cosmetics, the skin improvement effect of a mask pack made of chickpea Natto fermented with Bacillus subtilis Natto strain was studied. Powder obtained by lyophilization of chickpea Natto was applied to a facial mask pack as a paste formulation. This Natto pack was applied to subjects in their 50s and 60s to investigate their effect on skin improvement. As the number of treatments of Natto pack increased, the skin was improved and the improvement effect was remarkable after 4 treatments. After four times treatments, moisture content and sebaceous secretion increased by $8.4{\pm}3.6%p$ and $4.0{\pm}2.3%p$, respectively. Skin pores and wrinkles were also decreased by $1.8{\pm}0.3%p$ and $1.8{\pm}0.9%p$, respectively. Skin pigmentation decreased by $1.3{\pm}0.2%p$ and skin tone also increased from 55.2% to 55.9%. These results indicate that Natto product obtained by fermenting chickpea has the effect of improving skin such as moisturizing, pore, wrinkle, pigmentation, sebum secretion and skin tone, and can be used as a raw material for various functional cosmetics.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.146-152
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• 2018

In this study, to improve the performance of asphalt mixtures for plastic deformation occurring mainly in Korea, complex modifiers were prepared by mixing powders and liquid type modifiers. The main constituents were powdery diatomaceous earth, mica and carbon black, and liquid type solid 70% SBR latex. The tensile strength ratios for the two asphalt mixtures used in the test were above 0.80 for the Ministry of Land Transportation (2017) asphalt mixture production and construction guidelines. The effects of increasing the tensile strength in the dry state was more than 14% when the composite modifier was added. The deformation rate per minute by the wheel tracking test load was an average of 0.07 to 0.147 for each mixture. The strain rate per minute was improved by the modifier, and the dynamic stability was improved by almost 100% from 295 to 590. In addition, the final settling was reduced from 11.38 mm to 9.57 mm. A plastic deformation test using the triaxial compression test showed that the amount of deformation entering the plastic deformation failure zone at the end of the second stage section and in the third stage plastic deformation section was 1.76 mm for the conventional mixture and 1.50 mm for the complex modifier mixture. The average slope of the complex modifier asphalt mixture mixed with the multi-functional modifier was 0.005 mm/sec. The plastic deformation rate is relatively small in the section where the road pavement exhibits stable common performance, i.e. the traffic load.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.661-671
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• 2018

Domestic studies on steel plate concrete structures have focused on nuclear structures with high strength. In this study, the SC structure was applied to the general structure, and the SC structure that is advantageous in terms of safety and construction was limited to a special structure. As a basic study for applying SC, this paper proposes basic design information of a SC structure applying cement concrete to plan the structure, which is suitable for eco - friendliness by replacing concrete cement, an important factor in a SC structure, with blast furnace slag. This study examined the compression characteristics and the effective length factor under central compression load. To calculate the effective length factor, the Euler column theory was applied without applying plate theory. The effective length factor was calculated from the yield strength of the steel plate, buckling of the steel plate, and the point at which the concrete was broken. In addition, this study examined whether the maximum compressive strength meets the national and international reference equations with the slenderness ratio (B/t) as a parameter. By analyzing the buckling of the specimen by applying the column theory and selecting the strain of the measured steel plate, the effective length factor was analyzed and compared with the value presented in the reference equation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.184-189
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• 2018

Recently, research on lightweight automobiles is increasing continuously to respond to the high safety standards and environmental regulations. The application of high strength steel is one of the effective methods for developing lightweight car bodies. A TWB (Tailor Welded Blank) is major method that allows partial high strength with light weighting using a multi-thickness and multi-material welded blank. On the other hand, additional welding process is required to prepare the blank and quality control for the welding process also required. To secure this point, the TRB (Tailor Rolled Blank) method was suggested. In the TRB method, the thickness of sheet is controlled by the rolling presses and the production efficiency is much higher than welding in TWB methods. In this study, the formability of high strength TRB steel plate was analyzed to examine the rolling effect of the blank. The formability of the specimen was tested using 0.8 and 1 mm thick steel sheets for the TRB plate. The strain was analyzed by the digital image sensing of grid markings on the specimen and the forming limit diagram was calculated. An Erichsen test for the 0.8 and 1 mm thick TRB specimens was carried out and the formability was investigated by comparing with FE analysis.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.77-89
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• 2020

Submerged floating tunnel (SFT) is a type of tunnel that allows tunnel segments to float underwater by buoyancy, and is being actively studied in recent years. When the submerged floating tunnel is connected to the ground, the tunnel and the bored tunnel inside the ground must be connected. There is risk that the stress will be concentrated at the connection between the two tunnels due to the different constraints and behavior of the two tunnels. Therefore, special design and construction methods should be applied to ensure the stability around the connection. However, previous studies on the stability at the connection site have not been sufficiently carried out, so study on the basic stage of the stability at connection site are necessary. In this study, numerical analysis simulating the connection between submerged floating tunnel and the bored tunnel confirmed that the shear strain concentration occurred in the ground around the connection, and it was analyzed that the structural factors can be handled during construction to have effects on the stability of the ground around the connection. Numerical results show that the risks from disproportionate displacements in the two tunnels can be mitigated through the construction of grouting material and joint design. Although the results from this study are qualitative results, it is expected that it will contribute to the determination of structural factors and risk areas that should be considered in the design of connections between the submerged floating tunnel and bored tunnel in the future studies.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2012

The effects of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes (EFE; a mixture of two preparations from Trichoderma spp., with predominant xylanase and ${\beta}$-glucanase activities, respectively) on colonization and digestion of ground barley straw and alfalfa hay by Fibrobacter succinogenes S85 and Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD1 were studied in vitro. The two levels (28 and 280 ${\mu}g$/ml) of EFE tested and both bacteria were effective at digesting NDF of hay and straw. With both substrates, more NDF hydrolysis (p<0.01) was achieved with EFE alone at 280 than at 28 ${\mu}g$/ml. A synergistic effect (p<0.01) of F. succinogenes S85 and EFE on straw digestion was observed at 28 but not 280 ${\mu}g$/ml of EFE. Strain R. flavefaciens FD1 digested more (p<0.01) hay and straw with higher EFE than with lower or no EFE, but the effect was additive rather than synergistic. Included in the incubation medium, EFE showed potential to improve fibre digestion by cellulolytic ruminal bacteria. In a second batch culture experiment using mixed rumen microbes, DM disappearance (DMD), gas production and incorporation of $^{15}N$ into particle-associated microbial N ($^{15}N$-PAMN) were higher (p<0.001) with ammoniated (5% w/w; AS) than with native (S) ground barley straw. Application of EFE to the straws increased (p<0.001) DMD and gas production at 4 and 12 h, but not at 48 h of the incubation. EFE applied onto S increased (p<0.01) $^{15}N$-PAMN at 4 h only, but EFE on AS increased (p<0.001) $^{15}N$-PAMN at all time points. Prehydrolysis increased (p<0.01) DMD from both S and AS at 4 and 12 h, but reduced (p<0.01) $^{15}N$-PAMN in the early stage (4 h) of the incubation, as compared to non-prehydrolyzed samples. Application of EFE to barley straw increased rumen bacterial colonization of the substrate, but excessive hydrolytic action of EFE prior to incubation decreased it.