• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.920-925
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• 2020

In India, nanotechnology has been used in therapeutic applications for several millennia. One example of a traditional nanomedicine is Rajath Bhasma (also called calcined silver ash), which is used as an antimicrobial and for the treatment of various ailments and conditions such as memory loss, eye diseases, and dehydration. In this study, we aimed to characterize the physical composition and morphology of Rajath Bhasma and its suitability for use as a non-toxic antimicrobial agent. First, Rajath Bhasma was physically characterized via i) Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to analyze the surface functional groups, ii) scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to observe the morphology and elemental composition, and iii) X-ray diffraction to determine the crystalline phases. Thereafter, functional characterization was performed through toxicity screening using zebrafish embryos and through antimicrobial activity assessment against gram-positive (Staphylococcus epidermidis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. Rajath Bhasma was found to harbor alkene, hydroxyl, aldehyde, and amide functional groups originating from biological components on its surface. The main component of Rajath Bhasma is silver, with particle size of 170-210 nm, and existing in the form of spherical aggregates with pure crystalline silver structures. Furthermore, Rajath Bhasma did not exert toxic effects on zebrafish embryos at concentrations below 5 ㎍/ml and exhibited effective antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The present results indicate that Rajath Bhasma is a potentially effective antimicrobial agent without toxicity when used at concentrations below 5 ㎍/ml.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1354-1367
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• 2014

In the present work, we describe a simple, cheap, and unexplored method for "green" synthesis of silver nanoparticles using cell extracts of the cyanobacterium Anabaena doliolum. An attempt was also made to test the antimicrobial and antitumor activities of the synthesized nanoparticles. Analytical techniques, namely UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and TEM-selected area electron diffraction, were used to elucidate the formation and characterization of silver-cyanobacterial nanoparticles (Ag-CNPs). Results showed that the original color of the cell extract changed from reddish blue to dark brown after addition of silver nitrate solution (1 mM) within 1 h, suggesting the synthesis of Ag-CNPs. That the formation Ag-CNPs indeed occurred was also evident from the spectroscopic analysis of the reaction mixture, wherein a prominent peak at 420 nm was noted. TEM images revealed well-dispersed, spherical Ag-CNPs with a particle size in the range of 10-50 nm. The X-ray diffraction spectrum suggested a crystalline nature of the Ag-CNPs. FTIR analysis indicated the utilization of a hydroxyl (-OH) group in the formation of Ag-CNPs. Ag-CNPs exhibited strong antibacterial activity against three multidrug-resistant bacteria. Additionally, Ag-CNPs strongly affected the survival of Dalton's lymphoma and human carcinoma colo205 cells at a very low concentration. The Ag-CNPs-induced loss of survival of both cell types may be due to the induction of reactive oxygen species generation and DNA fragmentation, resulting in apoptosis. Properties exhibited by the Ag-CNP suggest that it may be used as a potential antibacterial and antitumor agent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.965-974
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• 2017

The single-chain variable fragment (scFv) against lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is a promising molecule for its potential use in the diagnosis and immunotherapy of atherosclerosis. Producing this scFv in several milligram amounts could be the starting point for further engineering and application of the scFv. In this study, the abundant expression of the anti-LOX-1 scFv was attempted using Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Brevibacillus choshinensis (B. choshinensis). The scFv had limited soluble yield in E. coli, but it was efficiently secreted by B. choshinensis. The optimized fermentation was determined using the Plackett-Burman screening design and response surface methodology, under which the yield reached up to 1.5 g/l in a 5-L fermentor. Moreover, the properties of the scFvs obtained from the two expression systems were different. The antigen affinity, transition temperature, and particle diameter size were 1.01E-07 M, $55.2{\pm}0.3^{\circ}C$, and 9.388 nm for the scFv expressed by B. choshinensis, and 4.53E-07 M, $52.5{\pm}0.3^{\circ}C$, and 13.54 nm for the scFv expressed by E. coli. This study established an efficient scale-up production methodology for the anti-LOX-1 scFv, which will boost its use in LOX-1-based therapy.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.274-282
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• 2014

Time series of the dynamic response of a slender marine structure was predicted using quadratic Volterra series. The wave-structure interaction system was identified using the NARX(Nonlinear Autoregressive with Exogenous Input) technique, and the network parameters were determined through the supervised training with the prepared datasets. The dataset used for the network training was obtained by carrying out the nonlinear finite element analysis on the freely standing riser under random ocean waves of white noise. The nonlinearities involved in the analysis were both large deformation of the structure under consideration and the quadratic term of relative velocity between the water particle and structure in Morison formula. The linear and quadratic frequency response functions of the given system were extracted using the multi-tone harmonic probing method and the time series of response of the structure was predicted using the quadratic Volterra series. In order to check the applicability of the method, the response of structure under the realistic ocean wave environment with given significant wave height and modal period was predicted and compared with the nonlinear time domain simulation results. It turned out that the predicted time series of the response of structure with quadratic Volterra series successfully captures the slowly varying response with reasonably good accuracy. It is expected that the method can be used in predicting the response of the slender offshore structure exposed to the Morison type load without relying on the computationally expensive time domain analysis, especially for the screening purpose.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.280-287
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• 2009

High-tech microelectronics industry is known as one of the most chemical-intensive industries. In Korea, Microelectronics industry occupied 38% of export and 16% of working employees work in microelectronics industry. But, chemical information and health hazards of high-tech microelectronics manufacturing are poorly understood because of rapid development and its penchant for secrecy. We need to investigate on chemical use and exposure control. We Site-visits to 6 high-tech microelectronics manufacturing company which have cleanroom work using over 1,000kg organic solvents (5 semi-conductor chips and its related parts company, 1 liquid crystal display (LCD)). We reviewed their data on chemical use and ventilation system, and measured TVOCs (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) and carbon dioxide concentration. All cleanroom air passed through hepa filters to acheive low particle levels and only 1 cleanroom uses carbon filters to minimize the organic solvents exposures In TVOC screening test, Cleanroom for semi-conductor chips and its related parts company with laminar down flow system (e.g. class 1~100) showed nondetectable level of TVOCs concentration, but Cleanroom for liquid crystal display (LCD) with conventional flow system (e.g. class 1,000~10,000) showed 327 ppm as TVOCs. Acetone concentration in cleanroom for Jig cleaning, LC Injection, Sealing processes were 18.488ppm (n=14), 49.762 ppm (n=15), 8.656 ppm (n=14) as arithmetric mean. Acetone concentration in cleanroom for LCD inspection process was 40ppm (n=55) as geometric mean, where the range was 7.8~128.7ppm and weakly correlated with ventilation rate efficiency(r=0.44, p<0.05). To control organic solvents in cleanrooms, chemical and carbon filters should be installed with hepa filters. Even though their volatile organic compounds concentration was not exceed to occupational exposure limits, considering of entrance limited cleanroom environment, long-term period exposure effects and adverse health effects of cleanroom worker need further reseach.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.33-37
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• 2018

In order to recycle sewage dredging soil, we analyzed particle size distribution and organic content of dredged sewage sediments. Based on this, it was determined that particles with relatively low organic content of 1.0 mm or more could be recycled as fine aggregate. Although it was inorganic at the size of 5 mm or more, it contained a number of foreign substances other than fine aggregate, which were needed to be removed with a sieve. Since there are volatile suspended solids between 1.0 and 5.0 mm size, they were removed by means of flotation. Fine aggregate was obtained from dredging soil by screening followed with flotation method, and the proportion of fine aggregate obtained in this study was around 38 %.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2005

In this study, a series of highly swelling hydrogels based on sodium alginate (NaAlg) and polymethacryl­amide (PMAM) was prepared through free radical polymerization. The graft copolymerization reaction was performed in a homogeneous medium and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and N,N'-methylenebis­acrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. The crosslinked graft copolymer, alginate-graft-polymethacrylamide (Alg-g­PMAM), was then partially hydrolyzed by NaOH solution to yield a hydrogel, hydrolyzed alginate-graft-poly­methacrylamide (H-Alg-g-PMAM). During alkaline hydrolysis, the carboxamide groups of Alg-g-PMAM were converted into hydrophilic carboxylate anions. Either the Alg-g-PMAM or the H-Alg-g-PMAM was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. The effects of the grafting variables (i.e., concentration of MBA, MAM, and APS) and the alkaline hydrolysis conditions (i.e., NaOH concentration, hydrolysis time, and temperature) were optimized systematically to achieve a hydrogel having the maximum swelling capacity. Measurements of the absorbency in various aqueous salt solutions indicated that the swelling capacity decreased upon increasing the ionic strength of the swelling medium. This behavior could be attributed to a charge screening effect for monovalent cations, as well as ionic cross-linking for multivalent cations. Because of the high swelling capacity in salt solutions, however, the hydrogels might be considered as anti-salt superabsorbents. The swelling behavior of the superabsorbing hydrogels was also measured in solutions having values of pH ranging from 1 to 13. Furthermore, the pH reversibility and on/off switching behavior, measured at pH 2.0 and 8.0, suggested that the synthesized hydrogels were excellent candidates for the controlled delivery of bioactive agents. Finally, we performed preliminary investigations of the swelling kinetics of the synthesized hydrogels at various particle sizes.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 1994

The separation of valuable metals from IC chip scrap generated by domestic electronic company was carried out using the mechanical beneficiation such as shredding, crushing, screening and magnetic separation. The distribution of metals in various sizes of crushed IC chip scrap was investigated and metals present in crushed products was separated with the magnetic separator. The particle size distribution of crushed IC chip scrap was 7.5% for +3mm, 17.0% for 3~1mm and 75.5% for -1mm. The weight loss of crushed IC chip scrap was 18% when roasted at $700^{\circ}C$. The content of metals was 96% for +3~1mm, 13% for 1~0.595mm, 3.7% for 0.95~0.5. Au of 99% was present in -1mm crushed IC chip scrap. Ni, Fe, Cu, Sn and Pb were separated from crushed IC chip scrap by the magnetic separator under 700 and 2, 500 Gauss.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.364-371
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• 2022

Background: Respiratory masks can provide healthcare workers with protection from biological hazards when they have good performance. There is a direct relationship between the visual specifications of a mask and its efficacy; thus, the aim of this study was to develop tools for qualitative assessment of the performance of masks used by healthcare workers. Methods: A mixed-methods design was used to develop a qualitative assessment tool for medical face masks (MFM) and particle filtering half masks (PFHM). The development of domains and items was undertaken using observation and interviews, the opinions of an expert panel, and a review of texts and international standards. The second phase evaluated the psychometric properties of tools. Finally, the validated Mask Qualitative Assessment Tools (MQAT) were used to assess six samples from 10 brands of the two types of masks. Results: MQAT-MFM and MQAT-PHFM shared 42 items across seven domains: "cleanliness," "design," "marking, labeling and packaging," "mask layers," "mask strap," "materials and construction," and "nose clip." MQAT-MFM included one additional item. MQAT-PHFM included another nine items associated with an eighth "Practical Performance" domain, and the valve version had another additional "Exhalation Valve" domain and six items. The evaluation indicated 80% compliance for MFM and 71% compliance for PFHM. "Marking, labeling and packaging" and "Layers" were associated with the least compliance in both types of masks and should be checked carefully for defining mask quality. Conclusion: MQAT can be used for immediate screening and initial assessment of MFM and PHFM through appearance, simple tools, and visual inspection.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2_spc
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• pp.227-235
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• 2020

In this study, we discussed the limitations of gross alpha measurements for the characterization of radioactive wastes produced in nuclear facilities through experimental tests and Monte Carlo N-particle transport simulations. The determination of gross alpha is essential for the disposal of radioactive waste produced in nuclear facilities in Korea. The measurements of gross alpha are easy to perform and yield rapid analytical results, but it cannot be used for quantitative analysis. The error of counting efficiency for gross alpha with various masses of the deposit on planchets using KCl and ²⁴¹Am was determined. The relative deviation of the counting efficiency in samples having the same mass was 20%. Uranium was extracted from the soil through acid leaching and extraction chromatography, and the concentration of U determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was compared with the results for gross alpha. The gross alpha was underestimated by 50% compared to the U concentration by ICP-MS. The counting efficiency depended on the energy from the alpha emitters, which differed by up to three times in determination of the counting efficiency depending on the kinds of alpha radionuclides of interest. Therefore, the gross alpha is not compatible with the sum of radioactivity for each alpha emitter and is suitable as a screening method.