• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.699-706
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• 2018

The permeation properties of plasma polymer membranes were studied for permanent gases such as He, $H_2$, $O_2$, $N_2$, $CH_4$ and condensable vapors such as $CO_2$, $C_2H_4$, $C_3H_8$. The plasma polymers were prepared by the discharge of microwave or radiofrequency(RF) wave. Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) vapor was used as a monomer for plasma polymerization. In HMDS plasma-polymerized membranes prepared under microwave discharge, the permeability coefficient was dependent of the kinetic molecular diameter of the permeate gases. Additionally the membranes showed higher $O_2/N_2$ permselectivity compared to the plasma polymers from radiofrequency discharge. On the contrary, in the HMDS plasma-polymerized membranes prepared under radiofrequency discharge, the permeability coefficient was dependent of the critical temperature of the permeant gases. The membranes showed high selectivities of $C_2H_4$ and $C_3H_8$ over $N_2$. The permeability coefficient of plasma polymerized membranes prepared under microwave discharge was dependent of the molecular diameter of permeant gases because of high crosslinking density of the membrane. However, the crosslinking density of the plasma polymerized membranes prepared under RF discharge was lower because the energy density of RF wave is weaker than that of microwave. Hence, the permeability of RF plasma polymerized membranes became dependent of the critical temperature rather than molecular diameter of the gases.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.326-331
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• 2000

Acidic chitinases from the gizzards of a broiler were purified to homogeneity, using precipitation with $(NH_{4})_{2}SO_{4}$, ion exchanger chromatography, gel filtration, chromatofocusing and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The enzymes, GAC1 and GAC2, were purified 180- and 194- folds with a recovery of 4.9% and 2.7%, respectively. The molecular mass of GAC1 and GAC2 were 48.2 kDa and 57.8 kDa, respectively. Chromatofocusing resulted in a pI of 3.1 for both enzymes. The purified enzymes were endochitinases that were devoid of ${\beta}-N-acetylglucosaminidase$ and lysozyme activity. Kinetic studies using $[^3H]chitin$ indicate that GAC1 has a $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ of 1.97 mg/ml and 185 mg/mg protein/h, respectively. The GAC2 has a $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ of 0.42 mg/ml and 92.3 mg/mg protein/h, respectively at optimal pH and temperature (pH 5.0 and $60^{\circ}C$). When the pentamer and hexamer of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) were used as a substrate, the major product by GAC1 was the dimer of GlcNAc with a differential accumulation of the monomer and trimer, depending upon the substrate. However, the GAC2 produced the dimer and trimer in an equal quantity, regardless of the substrate used. The first 9 $NH_2-terminal$ amino acid residues of the purified gizzard chitinase GAC1 and GAC2 shared a 100% homology. The first 25 $NH_2-terminal$ amino acid residues of GAC1 also shared 55-60% homology with animal chitinases and some animal proteins, such as whey protein and oviduct-specific proteins. However, little homology was found with either microbial and plant chitinases, or egg white lysozyme.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.481-488
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• 2013

Nitric oxide ($NO_x$) formation characteristics in non-premixed diffusion flames of methane fuels have been investigated experimentally and numerically by adding 10% ammonia to the fuel stream, according to the variation of the oxygen ratio in the oxidizer with oxygen/carbon dioxide and oxygen/nitrogen mixtures. In an experiment of coflow jet flames, in the case of an oxidizer with oxygen/carbon dioxide, the $NO_x$ emission increased slightly as the oxygen ratio increased. On the other hand, in case of an oxygen/nitrogen oxidizer, the $NO_x$ emission was the maximum at an oxygen ratio of 0.7, and it exhibited non-monotonic behavior according to the oxygen ratio. Consequently, the $NO_x$ emission in the condition of oxyfuel combustion was overestimated as compared to that in the condition of conventional air combustion. To elucidate the characteristics of $NO_x$ formation for various oxidizer compositions, 1D and 2D numerical simulations have been conducted by adopting one kinetic mechanism. The result of 2D simulation for an oxidizer with oxygen/nitrogen well predicted the trend of experimentally measured $NO_x$ emissions.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2005

The effects of soil-chemical contact time (aging) on sorption and desorption of atrazine were studied in soil slurries because aging is an important determinant affecting on the sorption and desorption characteristics of organic contaminants in the environment. Sorption isotherm and desorption kinetic experiments were performed, and soilwater distribution coefficients and desorption rate parameters were evaluated using linear and non-linear sorption equations and a three-site desorption model, respectively. Aging time for sorption of atrazine in sterilized soil slurries ranged from 2 days to 8 months. Atrazine sorption isotherms were nearly linear $(r^2\;>\;0.97)$ and sorption coefficients were strongly correlated to soil organic carbon content. Sorption distribution coefficients $(K_d)$ increased with increasing aging in all soils studied. Sorption non-linearity did not increase with increased aging except for the Houghton muck soil. Desorption profiles were well described by the three-site desorption model. The equilibrium site fraction $(f_{eq})$ decreased and the non-desorbable site fraction $(f_{nd})$ increased as a function of aging time in all soils. In all soils studied, it was found that when normalized to soil organic matter content the concentration of atrazine in desorbable sites was comparatively constant, whereas that in non-desorbable site increased as aging increased.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.440-447
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• 2004

Characteristics of human ${\beta}-carotene$ 15,15'-dioxygenase isolated by recombinant DNA technology was elucidated. Optimal pH and temperature were 9.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. Enzyme activity was temperature-sensitive. Enzyme was stable at pH 6.0-9.0 for 24 hr and under $5^{\circ}C$. Half-life of enzyme at $35^{\circ}C$ was 40 min. Crude preparations of enzyme were inhibited by ferrous ion-chelating agent and sulfhydryl-binding agent. GSH offsets inhibitory effect of PCMB. With increasing substrate concentrations, enzyme activity gave typical Michaelis-Menten curve, Based on Hanes-Woolf plot of data, $K_{m}\;and\;V_{max$ were $3.39{\times}10^{6}\;M\;and\;1.2\;pmol/mg$ protein/min, respectively.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.581-592
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• 2000

Turbulence structure and suspended sediment transport capacity in vegetated open-channel flows are investigated numerically in the present paper. The $\textsc{k}-\;\varepsilon$ model is employed for the turbulence closure. Mean velocity and turbulence characteristics including turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress, and production and dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy are evaluated and compared with measurement data available in the literature. The numerical results show that mean velocity is diminished due to the drag provided by vegetation, which results in the reduction of turbulence intensity and Reynolds stress. For submerged vegetation, the shear at the top of vegetation dominates turbulence production, and the turbulence production within vegetation is characterized by wakes. For emergent condition, it is observed that the turbulence generation is dominated by wakes within vegetation. In general, simulated profiles compares favorably to measured data. Computed values of eddy viscosity are used to solve the conservation equation for suspended sediment, yielding sediment concentration more uniform over the depth compared with the one in the plain channel. The simulation reveals that the suspended load decreases as the vegetation density increases and the suspended load increases as the particle diameter decreases for the same vegetation density.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.575-583
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• 2017

Various types of flow patterns around the stepped weir and spillway, such as the skimming flow over such structures and the wave-type flow with a standing undular hydraulic jump and roller downstream of the structures, are developed in open channels. Unsteady three-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out using a hybrid RANS-LES turbulence modeling approach and the volume of fluid method for resolving free surface fluctuations to represent the turbulent flow including the skimming flow and wave-type flow over a stepped weir installed in a rectangular channel. The comparison of numerical results with an existing experimental measurement reveals that the present numerical simulations reasonably well reproduce the turbulent flow passing the stepped weir, in terms of time-averaged velocity profiles at selected locations downstream of the weir, flow topology characterized by the wave-type and skimming flows, the maximum height and length of the standing wave and the length of reattachment of recirculating zone. The numerical result further elucidates the distinct flow behaviors of the wave-type and skimming flow by presenting instantaneous intense variations of free surface and velocity vectors, the distributions of Reynolds shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy and three-dimensional complex features of coherent structures and total pressure distribution.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1085-1091
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• 2009

A phytase with high activity at low temperatures has great potential for feed applications, especially in aquaculture. Therefore, this study used a degenerate PCR and TAIL PCR to clone a phytase gene from Erwinia carotovora var. carotovota, the cause of soft rot of vegetables in the ground or during cold storage. The full-length 2.5-kb fragment included an open reading frame of 1,302 bp and encoded a putative phytase of 45.3 kDa with a 50% amino acid identity to the Klebsiella pneumoniae phytase. The phytase contained the active site RHGXRXP and HD sequence motifs that are typical of histidine acid phosphatases. The enzyme was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and displayed the following characteristics: a high catalytic activity at low temperatures (retaining over 24% activity at $5^{\circ}C$) and remarkably thermal lability (losing >96% activity after incubation at $60^{\circ}C$ for 2 min). The optimal phytase activity occurred at pH 5.5 and ${\sim}49^{\circ}C$, and the enzyme activity rapidly decreased above $40^{\circ}C$. When compared with mesophilic counterparts, the phytase not only exhibited a high activity at a low temperature, but also had a low $K_m$ and high $k_{cat}$. These temperature characteristics and kinetic parameters are consistent with low-temperature-active enzymes. To our knowledge, this would appear to be the first report of a low-temperature-active phytase and its heterogeneous expression.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.630-638
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• 2019

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 310 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. In this study, an N₂O-reducing consortium was obtained by enrichment culture using advanced treatment sludge as the inoculum. The dominant bacteria in the consortium were Sulfurovum (17.95%), Geobacter (14.63%), Rectinema (11.45%), and Chlorobium (8.24%). The consortium displayed optimal N₂O reducing activity when acetate was supplied as the carbon source at a carbon/nitrogen ratio (mol·mol^-1) of 6.3. The N₂O reduction rate increased with increasing N₂O concentration at less than 3,000 ppm. Kinetic analysis revealed that the maximum N₂O reduction rate of the consortium was 163.9 ㎍-N·g-VSS^-1·h^-1. Genes present in the consortium included nosZ (reduction of nitrous oxide to N₂), narG (reduction of nitrate to nitrite), nirK (reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide), and norB (reduction of nitric oxide to nitrous oxide). These results indicate that the N₂O-reducing consortium is a promising bioresource that can be used in denitrification and N₂O mitigation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.937-945
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• 2020

N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated quorum sensing (QS) plays a major role in development of biofilms, which contribute to rise in infections and biofouling in water-related industries. Interference in QS, called quorum quenching (QQ), has recieved a lot of attention in recent years. Rhodococcus spp. are known to have prominent quorum quenching activity and in previous reports it was suggested that this genus possesses multiple QQ enzymes, but only one gene, qsdA, which encodes an AHL-lactonase belonging to phosphotriesterase family, has been identified. Therefore, we conducted a whole genome sequencing and analysis of Rhodococcus sp. BH4 isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. The sequencing revealed another gene encoding a QQ enzyme (named jydB) that exhibited a high AHL degrading activity. This QQ enzyme had a 46% amino acid sequence similarity with the AHL-lactonase (AidH) of Ochrobactrum sp. T63. HPLC analysis and AHL restoration experiments by acidification revealed that the jydB gene encodes an AHL-lactonase which shares the known characteristics of the α/β hydrolase family. Purified recombinant JydB demonstrated a high hydrolytic activity against various AHLs. Kinetic analysis of JydB revealed a high catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_M) against C4-HSL and 3-oxo-C6 HSL, ranging from 1.88 x 10⁶ to 1.45 x 10⁶ M^-1 s^-1, with distinctly low K_M values (0.16-0.24 mM). This study affirms that the AHL degrading activity and biofilm inhibition ability of Rhodococcus sp. BH4 may be due to the presence of multiple quorum quenching enzymes, including two types of AHL-lactonases, in addition to AHL-acylase and oxidoreductase, for which the genes have yet to be described.