• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.771-781
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• 2015

To examine if the molecular chaperone DnaK operon proteins of Streptococcus suis type 2 (SS2) are involved in adhesion to host cells, the abundance values of these proteins from the surface of two SS2 strains of different adhesion capability were compared. Their roles in growth and adhesion to human laryngeal epithelial cell line HEp-2 cells were investigated on SS2 strain HA9801 and its mutants with DnaK operon genes partially knocked-out (PKO mutant) under heat stress. The major difference was that DnaJ was more abundant in strain HA9801 than in strain JX0811. Pretreatment of the bacteria with hyperimmune sera to DnaJ, but not with those to other proteins, could significantly reduce SS2 adhesion to HEp-2 cells. PKO of dnaJ g ene resulted in decreased SS2 growth at 37℃ and 42℃, and reduced its adhesion to HEp-2 cells. The wild-type strain stressed at 42℃ had increased expression of DnaJ on its surface and elevated adhesion to HEp-2 cells, which was also inhibitable by DnaJ specific antiserum. These results indicate that the DnaJ of S. suis type 2 is important not only for thermotolerance but also for adhesion to host cells. Because DnaJ expression is increased upon temperature upshift with increased exposure on the bacterial surface, the febrile conditions of the cases with systemic infections might help facilitate bacterial adhesion to host cells. DnaJ could be one of the potential candidates as a subunit vaccine because of its good immunogenicity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.418-425
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• 2015

Anaerobic Filters (AF) packed with porous ceramic floating media were operated at different operational conditions to identify the feasibility of the renewable bioenergy, methane production from swine wastewater and to verify the suitability of effluent from anaerobic filters for the subsequent biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Stepwise increase in organic loading rates (OLRs) or decrease in hydraulic retention times (HRTs) with influent TCOD concentration of 14,000 mg/L were utilized at mesophilic temperature. The maximum methane productivity of 1.74 volume of $CH_4$ per volume of reactor per day (v/v-d) was achieved at an hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.5 day (OLR 28 g TVS/L-d). Based on the biogas production, the highest total volatile solids (TVS) removal efficiency of 63% was obtained at an HRT of 3 days (OLR 4.67 g TVS/L-d), however based on the result from the effluent total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) analysis, the highest TCOD removal efficiency of 75% was achieved. The effluent alkalinity concentration over the range of 2,050~2,980 mg/L as $CaCO_3$ at all operational conditions, could compensate the alkalinity destruction caused by nitrification. The effluent from the anaerobic filter operated under the HRT of 2 days showed the COD/TKN ratio of 15~35 and COD/TP ratio of 38~56. Therefore effluent C/N/P ratio is able to satisfy the optimum COD/TKN ratio of greater than 8.0 and COD/TP ratio of 33 for the subsequent biological nutrient removal.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.177-183
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• 2008

The layers of keratinocytes form an acid mantle on the surface of the skin. Herein, we investigated the effects of acidic pH on the membrane current and $[Ca^{2+}]_c$ of human primary keratinocytes from foreskins and human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). Acidic extracellular pH ($pH_e{\leq}5.5$) activated outwardly rectifying $Cl^-$ current ($I_{Cl,pH}$) with slow kinetics of voltage-dependent activation. $I_{Cl,pH}$ was potently inhibited by an anion channel blocker 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS, 73.5% inhibition at 1${\mu}$M). $I_{Cl,pH}$ became more sensitive to $pH_e$ by raising temperature from $24^{circ}C$ to $37^{circ}C$. HaCaT cells also expressed $Ca^{2+}$-activated $Cl^-$ current ($I_{Cl,Ca}$), and the amplitude of $I_{Cl,Ca}$ was increased by relatively weak acidic $pH_e$ (7.0 and 6.8). Interestingly, the acidic $pH_e$ (5.0) also induced a sharp increase in the intracellular [$Ca^{2+}$] (${\triangle}[Ca^{2+}]_{acid}$) of HaCaT cells. The ${\triangle}[Ca^{2+}]_{acid}$ was independent of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$, and was abolished by the pretreatment with PLC inhibitor, U73122. In primary human keratinocytes, 5 out of 28 tested cells showed ${\triangle}[Ca^{2+}]_{acid}$. In summary, we found $I_{Cl,pH}$ and ${\triangle}[Ca^{2+}]_{acid}$ in human keratinocytes, and these ionic signals might have implication in pathophysiological responses and differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2003

We have investigated the effect of extracellular $Mg^{2+}$ ($[Mg^2+]_o$) on action potential duration (APD) in guinea pig papillary muscles by using microelectrodes. Increasing $[Mg^2+]_o$ resulted in progressive negative inotropic effect, progressive ascending depolarization of membrane potential, and increase in intracellular $Mg^{2+}$ concentration. In addition, increase in $[Mg^2+]_o$ from 1.1 to 3, 6, 10, and 20 mM produced a reversible dose-dependent shortening of both APD at 30% ($APD_{30}$) and 90% repolarization ($APD_{90}$), especially showing a tendency towards more remarkable prominent shortening in $APD_{30}$ than $APD_{90}$. Cooling from 37 to 33 and $27^{\circ}C$ diminished the $[Mg^2+]_o$-induced APD shortening. Increase in extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration from 1.8 to 3.6 and 5.4 mM caused a significant depressed effect on the increasing $[Mg^2+]_o$-induced APD shortening. Furthermore, increase in $[Mg^2+]_o$ from 1.1 to 10 and 20 mM produced a significant depressed effect on the APD shortening induced by extracellular $Ca^{2+}$. Pretreatment of verapamil and imipramine significantly attenuated the increasing $[Mg^2+]_o$-induced APD shortening in both $APD_{30}$ and $APD_{90}$, whereas the $[Mg^2+]_o$-induced APD shortening was not affected by strophanthidin, glibenclamide and tetrabutylammonium. These findings suggest that the effects of $[Mg^2+]_o$ on APD are probably due to a decrease in ionic transport across plasma membrane. In conclusion, the present study indicates that $[Mg^2+]_o$ exerts antiarrhythmic activities by antagonistic actions on intracellular $Ca^{2+}$.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.115-124
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• 2014

In order to leach Au and Ag from gold-silver bearing sulfide concentrate, the sulfide concentrate was ground in a ball mill for a dry pre-treatment and a wet pre-treatment process. Mineralogical studies and thiourea leaching experiments were carried out with the pre-treated sulfide concentrate. The results of the pre-treatment with the concentrate samples showed the mean particle size and iso-electrical potential was smaller in the dry pre-treatment sample than in the concentrate sample, and the contents was lower in the wet pre-treatment sample than in the dry pre-treatment sample. In XRD analysis, amorphous properties were only shown in the wet pretreatment sample. The results of the concentrate sample leaching experiments showed that the best Au, Ag leaching parameters were when the addition of thiourea was at a 1.0 g concentration, ferric sulfate was 1.0 M, sulfuric acid was 2.0 M and the leaching temperature was at $60^{\circ}C$. The Au, Ag leaching rate was always much greater and faster with the wet pre-treatment samples than with the dry pre-treatment samples. Accordingly, it is expected that more Au, Ag can be leached in an eco-friendly methodology using wet pre-treatment. The pre-treatment could be improved with an optimized grinding additive reagent and through researching grinding time in future non-cyanide processes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.246-253
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• 2012

In this study, we determined the optimum blanching conditions for pretreatment of Aster scaber prior to freezing to ensure its long, safe preservation as a fine cooking ingredient. Frozen-thawed A. scaber did not significantly differ between blanching groups, but the blanched group showed significantly higher Hunter L, a, and b values than the un-blanched group (p<0.05). Higher temperatures and longer treatment times increased softness; hardness did not significantly differ between the blanched and un-blanched groups of frozen-thawed A. scaber (p<0.05). Total bacterial counts and the presence of coliforms seemed to decline with blanching treatments, but treatment temperature and time did not influence this reduction. Over 95% of peroxidase activity was inactivated by blanching treatment but increased slightly after thawing. The sensory evaluation of the frozen-thawed A. scaber by test group showed the A. scaber blanched at $90^{\circ}C$ for 3 min to be the most highly preferred (p<0.05).

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.568-575
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• 1999

Two different digestion procedures for the simultaneous determination of major and platinum-group element(PGE) in spent automobile catalysts containing PGE and silicates by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry(ICP-AES) are compared. Combinations of mixed aids using HF, $HNO_3$, HCl, $HClO_4$, $H_2O_2$, and $H_3BO_3$ are utilized for the hot plate dissolution method and the closed-vessel microwave digestion method, The latter method has been shown to be relatively superior in terms of recovery, analysis time, and amount of aqua regia (3 parts HCl + part $HNO_3$ required to dissolve PGE in comparison with conventional open vessel hot-plate dissolution. The best results were drawn from the following conditions: In closed Teflon PFA vessels under microwave heating with temperature/pressure regulation, a 0.25 g portion of sample was digested in 2 mL of HF, 2 mL of $HNO_3$ and 6mL of HCl under the pressure of 200 psi(13.79 bar) at $180^{\circ}C$ for 1hr, followed by a second digestion stage with 16 mL of 5%(w/v) boric acid under the pressure of 20 psi(1.38 bar) at $100^{\circ}C$ for 10 min. After the microwave heating, the sample was post-treated with 10 mL of aqua regia twice by hot-plate heating. This condition gives the PGE recovery within 85~110% and the relative standard deviations within 2%. The method developed can therefore be regarded as an alternative method for routine analysis of spent automobile catalysts.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.211-219
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• 1997

Liquid or gas phase alkylation of isobutane with 1-butene for i-octane production was carried out over Cs- or $NH_4$-exchanged $H_3PW_{12}O_{40}$. Pretreatment temperature of the catalyst played an important role on the catalytic activity of heteropoly acids in the liquid phase alkylation. Cation-exchanged $H_3PW_{12}O_{40}$ showed a better total yield and i-octane selectivity than the mother acid in the liquid phase alkylation, and $(NH_4)_{2.5}H_{0.5}PW_{12}O_{40}$ was more efficient than $Cs_{2.5}H_{0.5}PW_{12}O_{40}$ in terms of i-octane selectivity. It was found that the acidic property (deactivation of acid sites) of the catalyst was closely related to the catalytic activity of Cs- or $NH_4$-exchanged $H_3PW_{12}O_{40}$ in the gas phase alkylation. $C_5-C_7$ were mainly formed in the early stage of gas phase alkylation due to the strong acidic property of the catalyst, whereas $C_8$ and $+C_9$ were mainly produced as the reaction proceeded due to the deactivation of acid sites. $Cs_{2.5}H_{0.5}PW_{12}O_{40}$ showed the highest total yield in the gas phase alkylation among the catalysts examined.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.404-410
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• 2017

An analytical method for determination of propylene glycol alginate (PGA) in food products was developed by HPLC-size-exclusion chromatography. The GF-7M HQ column and LT-ELSD detector were determined by considering the instrumental analysis conditions for PGA analysis. The pretreatment method for the analysis of PGA was suitable for 3 hr extraction at $20^{\circ}C$ and 150 rpm according to the extraction temperature. Linearity ($R^2$) for the analysis of PGA was 0.9873 at calibration curve range of 300, 500, 700, 1,000, and 1,500 mg/kg (5 points). The limit of detection and limit of quantification of PGA on HPLC system was 171.43 and 519.50 mg/kg, respectively. The accuracy and coefficient of variation obtained by size-exclusion chromatography were 86.1~110.4% and 4.1~13.5%, respectively. By applying the HPLC-size-exclusion chromatography system, it was possible to analyze the contents of PGA in 134 different types of food products.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.426-431
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• 2011

In this study, we set an optimum blanching condition as a pretreatment condition to freeze welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) for the purpose of preserving the cooking material for long-term usage. With higher blanching temperature and longer processing time, the Hunter color values and the hardness of welsh onion tended to decrease, which confirmed softening of the tissue. Compared to before blanching, total bacterial counts decreased to near 2 log scale, whereas coliforms were not detected or decreased to a 1-2 log scale. Blanching by heating at 100$^{\circ}C$ for 5 min decreased peroxidase inactivity to more than 94%, whereas only 47% of the inactivity was achieved at 80$^{\circ}C$ for 1 min. The sensory evaluation for the blanched and defrosted welsh onion showed that the group blanched at 80$^{\circ}C$ for 1 min was preferred significantly (p<0.05).