• Title/Summary/Keyword: Pure sciences

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Degradation of Chlorophenols and Phenol Mixtures by Cooperative Activities of Chlorophenol-degrading Strains

  • Bae, Hee-Sung;Cho, Young-Gyun;Lee, Sung-Taik
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.43-48
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    • 1997
  • Three strains capable of degrading a chlorophenol were isolated by selective enrichment from soils contaminated with industrial wastewater. A Pseudomonas solanacearum TCP114 could use 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) as sole carbon and energy source, while two strains of Pseudomonas testosteroni CPW301 and Arthrobacter ureafaciens CPR706 could use 4-CP. All isolates also grew well on phenol. The degradation of one component by a pure strain was strongly affected by the presence of other compounds in the medium, CPW301 and CPR706 entirely lost the ability to degrade 4-CP and phenol in the presence of TCP. TCP114 also lost the ability to degrade phenol when 4-CP was added to the culture medium. These restrictions on the degradability could be overcome by employing defined mixed cultures (TCP114 and one strain of 4-CP degrading strains). All three components were successfully degraded by defined mixed cultures through their cooperative activities. It was also demonstrated that defined mixed cultures could be immobilized by using calcium alginate for the semi-continuous degradation of the three component mixture. Immobilization could not only accelerate the degradation rate, but also allowed the reuse of the cell mass several times without loss of the cells' degrading capabilities.

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Introduction to a New Sample Preparation Apparatus (H/Device) for Measurement of Hydrogen Isotope Composition of Natural Water (신(新) H/Device를 이용한 자연수의 수소동위원소비 측정)

  • Park, Seong-Sook;Yun, Seong-Taek;So, Chil-Sup
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.31 no.3
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    • pp.265-271
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    • 1998
  • In the hydrologic and hydrochemical studies of natural waters, oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of waters are very important to elucidate the origin and circulation pattern of water in the hydrologic system. The hydrogen isotope analysis of waters usually has been undertaken through the reduction of water to form hydrogen gas using pure metals (in general, zinc and uranium). In 1996, a new apparatus (H/Device) was developed to prepare the water samples (by the reduction with Cr metal) without some intrinsic problems that may yield incorrect and/or inaccurate data, and was installed at 1997 in the Center for Mineral Resources Research (CMR) in Korea University. However, the optimistic conditions of preparation and analysis of samples has not been established. In this paper, we introduce the efficiency of H/Device to obtain accurate hydrogen isotope values of water, and discuss both the optimum conditions including the effective reduction time and the probable mixing (memory) effect between successive samples. We obtained large amounts of a laboratory working standard (KUW; Korea University Water) with the average ${\delta}D_{SMOW}$ value of $-42.1{\pm}1.0$$(1{\sigma})$.

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Two-dimensional Numerical Simulation of a Pulsed Heat Source High Temperature Inert Gas Plasma MHD Electrical Power Generator

  • Matsumoto, Masaharu;Murakami, Tomoyuki;Okuno, Yoshihiro
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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    • 2008.03a
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    • pp.589-596
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    • 2008
  • Performance of a pulsed heat source high temperature inert gas plasma MHD electrical power generator, which can be one of the candidates of space-based laser-to-electrical power converter, is examined by a time dependent two dimensional numerical simulation. In the present MHD generator, the inert gas is assumed to be ideally heated to about $10^4K$ pulsed-likely within short time(${\sim}1{\mu}s$) in a stagnant energy input volume, and the energy of high temperature inert gas is converted to the electricity with the medium of pure inert gas plasma without seeding. The numerical simulation results show that an enthalpy extraction ratio(=electrical output energy/pulsed heat energy) of several tens of % can be achieved, which is the same level as the conventional seeded non-equilibrium plasma MHD generator. Although there still exist many phenomena to be clarified and many problems to be overcome in order to realize the system, the pulsed heat source high temperature inert gas MHD generator is surely worth examining in more detail.

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Plasmonic effects and size relation of gold-platinum alloy nanoparticles

  • Jawad, Muhammad;Ali, Shazia;Waseem, Amir;Rabbani, Faiz;Amin, Bilal Ahmad Zafar;Bilal, Muhammad;Shaikh, Ahson J.
    • Advances in nano research
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    • v.7 no.3
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    • pp.169-180
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    • 2019
  • Plasmonic effects of gold and platinum alloy nanoparticles (Au-Pt NPs) and their comparison to size was studied. Various factors including ratios of gold and platinum salt, temperature, pH and time of addition of reducing agent were studied for their effect on particle size. The size of gold and platinum alloy nanoparticles increases with increasing concentration of Pt NPs. Temperature dependent synthesis of gold and platinum alloy nanoparticles shows decrease in size at higher temperature while at lower temperature agglomeration occurs. For pH dependent synthesis of Au-Pt nanoparticles, size was found to be increased by increase in pH from 4 to 10. Increasing the time of addition of reducing agent for synthesis of pure and gold-platinum alloy nanoparticles shows gradual increase in size as well as increase in heterogeneity of nanoparticles. The size and elemental analysis of Au-Pt nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, XRD, SEM and EDX techniques.

Effects of various prophylactic procedures on titanium surfaces and biofilm formation

  • Di Salle, Anna;Spagnuolo, Gianrico;Conte, Raffaele;Procino, Alfredo;Peluso, Gianfranco;Rengo, Carlo
    • Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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    • v.48 no.6
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    • pp.373-382
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    • 2018
  • Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of various prophylactic treatments of titanium implants on bacterial biofilm formation, correlating surface modifications with the biofilms produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, Staphylococcus aureus, and bacteria isolated from saliva. Methods: Pure titanium disks were treated with various prophylactic procedures, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to determine the degree to which surface roughness was modified. To evaluate antibiofilm activity, we used P. aeruginosa PAO1, S. aureus, and saliva-isolated Streptococcus spp., Bacteroides fragilis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Results: AFM showed that the surface roughness increased after using the air-polishing device and ultrasonic scaler, while a significant reduction was observed after using a curette or polishing with Detartrine ZTM (DZ) abrasive paste. In addition, we only observed a significant (P<0.01) reduction in biofilm formation on the DZ-treated implant surfaces. Conclusion: In this study, both AFM and antibiofilm analyses indicated that using DZ abrasive paste could be considered as the prophylactic procedure of choice for managing peri-implant lesions and for therapy-resistant cases of periodontitis.

A new record of larger benthic foraminifera from Jeju Island (South Korea)

  • Somin Lee;Fabrizio Frontalini;Wonchoel Lee
    • Journal of Species Research
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    • v.13 no.1
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    • pp.89-99
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    • 2024
  • Larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) are a group of marine organisms that inhabit oligotrophic subtropicaltropical photic zones, commonly possess relatively large shells (i.e., tests) with a complex internal structure and host photosynthetic endosymbionts. In this study, we provide a new report of a LBF species belonging to the genus Sorites Ehrenberg, 1839, with a brief description and images of the test. The sediment samples were collected by SCUBA diving from the east coast of Jeju Island (South Korea). The discoidal test shape and annular series of chamberlets with a single row of apertures surrounded by rim indicate that these specimens belong to the genus Sorites, and this is the first record of the genus in Korea. The arrangement of early chamberlets, septular disposition, and the aperture details suggest that the specimens can be assigned to Sorites orbiculus(Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775). Only three LBF species, including the present species, have been reported from Korean waters. The present study provides additional information for the evaluation of foraminiferal diversity including LBF in Korea and suggests the necessity of continuous investigations to understand the diversity of Sorites species in Korea.

Molecular Analysis of Archaea, Bacteria and Eucarya Communities in the Rumen - Review-

  • White, B.A.;Cann, I.K.O.;Kocherginskaya, S.A.;Aminov, R.I.;Thill, L.A.;Mackie, R.I.;Onodera, R.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.129-138
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    • 1999
  • If rumen bacteria can be manipulated to utilize nutrients (i.e., ammonia and plant cell wall carbohydrates) more completely and efficiently, the need for protein supplementation can be reduced or eliminated and the digestion of fiber in forage or agricultural residue-based diets could be enhanced. However, these approaches require a complete and accurate description of the rumen community, as well as methods for the rapid and accurate detection of microbial density, diversity, phylogeny, and gene expression. Molecular ecology techniques based on small subunit (SSU) rRNA sequences, nucleic acid probes and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can potentially provide a complete description of the microbial ecology of the rumen of ruminant animals. The development of these molecular tools will result in greater insights into community structure and activity of gut microbial ecosystems in relation to functional interactions between different bacteria, spatial and temporal relationships between different microorganisms and between microorganisms and reed panicles. Molecular approaches based on SSU rRNA serve to evaluate the presence of specific sequences in the community and provide a link between knowledge obtained from pure cultures and the microbial populations they represent in the rumen. The successful development and application of these methods promises to provide opportunities to link distribution and identity of gastrointestinal microbes in their natural environment with their genetic potential and in situ activities. The use of approaches for assessing pupulation dynamics as well as for assessing community functionality will result in an increased understanding and a complete description of the gastrointestinal communities of production animals fed under different dietary regimes, and lead to new strategies for improving animal growth.

Study on Traveling Characteristics of Straight Automatic Steering Devices for Drivable Agricultural Machinery (승용형 농기계용 직진 자동조향장치 주행특성 연구)

  • Won, Jin-ho;Jeon, Jintack;Hong, Youngki;Yang, Changju;Kim, Kyoung-chul;Kwon, Kyung-do;Kim, Gookhwan
    • Journal of Drive and Control
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.19-28
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    • 2022
  • This paper introduces an automatic steering system for straight traveling capable of being mounted on drivable agricultural machinery which user can handle it such as a tractor, a transplant, etc. The modular automatic steering device proposed in the paper is composed of RTK GNSS, IMU, HMI, hydraulic valve, and wheel sensor. The path generation method of the automatic steering system is obtained from two location information(latitude and longitude on each point) measured by GNSS in advance. From HMI, a straight path(AB line) can be created by connecting latitude and longitude on each point and the device makes the machine able to follow the path. During traveling along the reference path, it acquires the real time position data every sample time(0.1s), compares the reference with them and calculates the lateral deviation. The values of deviation are used to control the steering angle of the machine using hydraulic valve mounted on the axle of front wheel. In this paper, Pure Pursuit algorithm is applied used in autonomous vehicles frequently. For the analysis of traveling characteristics, field tests were executed about these conditions: velocity of 2, 3, 4km/h which is applied to general agricultural work and ground surface of solid(asphalt) and weak condition(soil) such as farmland. In the case of weak ground state, two experiments were executed about no-load(without work) and load(with work such as plowing). The maximum average deviations were presented 2.44cm, 7.32cm, and 11.34cm during traveling on three ground conditions : asphalt, soil without load and with load(plowing).

Cholinesterase inhibitory activities of neuroprotective fraction derived from red alga Gracilaria manilaensis

  • Pang, Jun-Rui;How, Sher-Wei;Wong, Kah-Hui;Lim, Siew-Huah;Phang, Siew-Moi;Yow, Yoon-Yen
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.49-63
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    • 2022
  • Anti-cholinesterase (ChE)s are commonly prescribed as the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. They are applied to prevent the breakdown of neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) that bind to muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in the synaptic cleft. Seaweeds are one of the richest sources of bioactive compounds for both nutraceuticals and pharmacognosy applications. This study aimed to determine the anti-ChEs activity of Gracilaria manilaensis, one of the red seaweeds notables for its economic importance as food and raw materials for agar production. Methanol extracts (GMM) of G. manilaensis were prepared through maceration, and further purified with column chromatography into a semi-pure fraction. Ellman assay was carried out to determine the anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and anti-butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activities of extracts and fractions. Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis was carried out to determine the inhibition kinetic of potent extract and fraction. Major compound(s) from the most potent fraction was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). GMM and fraction G (GMMG) showed significant inhibitory activity AChE with EC50 of 2.6 mg/mL and 2.3 mg/mL respectively. GMM and GMMG exhibit mixed-inhibition and uncompetitive inhibition respectively against AChE. GMMG possesses neuroprotective compounds such as cynerine A, graveolinine, militarinone A, eplerenone and curumenol. These findings showed a promising insight of G. manilaensis to be served as a nutraceutical for neuronal health care in the future.

Safflower seed oil, a rich source of linoleic acid, stimulates hypothalamic neurogenesis in vivo

  • Mehrzad Jafari Barmak;Ebrahim Nouri;Maryam Hashemi Shahraki;Ghasem Ghalamfarsa;Kazem Zibara;Hamdallah Delaviz;Amir Ghanbari
    • Anatomy and Cell Biology
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    • v.56 no.2
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    • pp.219-227
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    • 2023
  • Adult neurogenesis has been reported in the hypothalamus, subventricular zone and subgranular zone in the hippocamp. Recent studies indicated that new cells in the hypothalamus are affected by diet. We previously showed beneficial effects of safflower seed oil (SSO), a rich source of linoleic acid (LA; 74%), on proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in vitro. In this study, the effect of SSO on hypothalamic neurogenesis was investigated in vivo, in comparison to synthetic LA. Adult mice were treated with SSO (400 mg/kg) and pure synthetic LA (300 mg/kg), at similar concentrations of LA, for 8 weeks and then hypothalamic NSCs were cultured and subsequently used for Neurosphere-forming assay. In addition, serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNDF) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Administration of SSO for 8 weeks in adult mice promoted the proliferation of NSCs isolated from SSO-treated mice. Immunofluorescence staining of the hypothalamus showed that the frequency of astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein+ cells) are not affected by LA or SSO. However, the frequency of immature (doublecortin+ cells) and mature (neuronal nuclei+ cells) neurons significantly increased in LA- and SSO-treated mice, compared to vehicle. Furthermore, both LA and SSO caused a significant increase in the serum levels of BDNF. Importantly, SSO acted more potently than LA in all experiments. The presence of other fatty acids in SSO, such as oleic acid and palmitic acid, suggests that they could be responsible for SSO positive effect on hypothalamic proliferation and neurogenesis, compared to synthetic LA at similar concentrations.