• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.281.2-281.2
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• 2013

Since heavy metal ions included in water or food resources have critical effects on human health, highly sensitive, rapid and selective analysis for heavy metal detection has been extensively explored by means of electrochemical, optical and colorimetric methods. For example, quantum dots (QDs), such as semiconductor QDs, have received enormous attention due to extraordinary optical properties including high fluorescence intensity and its narrow emission peaks, and have been utilized for heavy metal ion detection. However, the semiconductor QDs have a drawback of serious toxicity derived from cadmium, lead and other lethal elements, thereby limiting its application in the environmental screening system. On the other hand, Graphene oxide (GO) has proven its superlative properties of biocompatibility, unique photoluminescence (PL), good quenching efficiency and facile surface modification. Recently, the size of GO was controlled to a few nanometers, enhancing its optical properties to be applied for biological or chemical sensors. Interestingly, the presence of various oxygenous functional groups of GO contributes to opening the band gap of graphene, resulting in a unique PL emission pattern, and the control of the sp2 domain in the sp3 matrix of GO can tune the PL intensity as well as the PL emission wavelength. Herein, we reported a photoluminescent GO array on which heavy metal ion-specific DNA aptamers were immobilized, and sensitive and multiplex heavy metal ion detection was performed utilizing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the photoluminescent monolayered GO and the captured metal ion.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.325-330
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• 2005

Rhodococcus sp. strain YU6 was isolated from soil for the ability to grow on o-xylene as the sole carbon and energy source. Unlike most other o-xylene-degrading bacteria, YU6 is able to grow on p-xylene. Numerous growth substrate range experiments, in addition to the ring-cleavage enzyme assay data, suggest that YU6 initially metabolizes 0- and p-xylene by direct aromatic ring oxidation. This leads to the formation of dimethylcatechols, which was further degraded largely through meta-cleavage path-way. The gene encoding meta-cleavage dioxygenase enzyme was PCR cloned from genomic YU6 DNA using previously known gene sequence data from the o-xylene-degrading Rhodococcus sp. strain DK17. Subsequent sequencing of the 918-bp PCR product revealed a $98\%$ identity to the gene, encoding meth-ylcatechol 2,3-dioxygenase from DK17. PFGE analysis followed by Southern hybridization with the catechol 2,3-dioxygenase gene demonstrated that the gene is located on an approximately 560-kb megaplasmid, designated pJY J1

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.897-906
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• 1998

A new synthesis has been developed for 1-thia-4,7-diazacyclononane and the complexation behavior of a particular derivative has been explored. The pentadentate ligand 4,7-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-l-thia-4,7-diazacyclononane ([9]$N_2SPY_2$) and its iron(Ⅱ) and manganese(Ⅱ) complexes were prepared and characterized. Magnetic moments of 5.17 and 5.90 μB respectively, indicate that the iron(Ⅱ) and manganese(Ⅱ) complexes are high spin. Charge transfer transitions (d-π*) occur for [Fe(Ⅱ)([9]$N_2SPY_2)(X)]^{n+}$at 27027, 25000, and 24390 cm-1 for X=$H_2O$, Cl-, and OH-, respectively. In acetonitrile solution, the cyclic voltammogram of the manganese(Ⅱ) complex exhibits a redox couple at 0.92 V vs. NHE while the redox potentials for [Fe(Il)([9]$N_2SPY_2)(X)]^{n+}$ are 0.70, 0.66, and 0.37 V vs. NHE for X=$H_2O$, Cl-, and OH-, respectively. The d-π* charge transfer energy and Fe(Ⅱ)/Fe(Ⅲ) redox potential for [Fe(Ⅱ)([9]$N_2SPY_2)(X)]^{n+}$ increase in the same order: $H_2O>Cl^- >OH^-$. The crystal structures of the iron(Ⅱ) and manganese(Ⅱ) complexes reveal that the metal ions are sixcoordinate, binding to four nitrogen atoms and a sulfur atom from the pentadentate ligand, as well as a chloride anion, with the chloride and sulfur atoms in cis positions. The two metals have similar coordination geometries, which are closer to trigonal prismatic than octahedral. In both iron and manganese complexes, the M-N($sp_3$) trans to Cl- is 0.07 Å longer than the one cis to Cl- , and M-N($sp^2$) trans to S is 0.05 longer than the one cis to S atom.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.81-88
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• 2010

In this paper, we proposed an automatic music/non-music signal discrimination system from broadcasting audio signal as a preliminary study of building a sound source monitoring system in real broadcasting environment. By reflecting human speech articulation characteristics, we used three simple time-domain features such as energy standard deviation, log energy standard deviation and log energy mean. Based on the experimental threshold values of each feature, we developed a rule-based algorithm to classify music portion of the input audio signal. For the verification of the proposed algorithm, actual FM broadcasting signal was recorded for 24 hours and used as source input audio signal. From the experimental results, the proposed system can effectively recognize music section with the accuracy of 96% and non-music section with that of 87%, where the performance is good enough to be used as a pre-process module for the a sound source monitoring system.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.112-119
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• 2010

This paper defines the probability models for determining the disparity map given stereo images and derives the methods for solving the problem, which is proven to be equivalent to an energy-based stereo matching. Under the assumptions the difference between the pixel on the left image and the corresponding pixel on the right image and the difference between the disparities of the neighboring pixels are exponentially distributed, a recursive approach for estimating the MRF regularizing parameter is proposed. Usually energy-based stereo matching methods are so sensitive to the parameter that it should be carefully determined. The proposed method alternates between estimating the parameter with the intermediate disparity map and estimating the disparity map with the estimated parameter, after computing it with random initial parameter. It is shown that the parameter estimated by the proposed method converges to the optimum and its performance can be improved significantly by adjusting the parameter and modifying the energy term.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.247-257
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to conduct a freshwater snail survey in Mae Lao agricultural basin to assess the diversity with a focus on habitat types and their larval trematode infections. Snails were collected and examined in 14 sites of Mae Lao agricultural basin from August 2016 to October 2017. A total of 1,688 snail individuals were collected and classified into 7 families, 8 genera, and 12 species. Snail diversity and habitat types were higher in rice paddies than irrigation canals and streams. The most abundant species was Bithynia siamensis siamensis, representing 54.6% of the sample. Three species of snails act as first intermediate host were found with cercarial infections. They were Filopaludina sumatrensis polygramma, B. s. siamensis, and Melanoides tuberculata. The cercariae were categorized into 7 types; echinostome, monostome, gymnocephalous, virgulate, parapleurolophocercous, pleurolophocercous and megalurous cercariae. Parapleurolophocercous cercariae constituted the most common type of cercariae recovered, contributing 41.2% of all infections in snails. Echinostome metacercariae infections were found in 6 snail species with 7.6% prevalence. In addition, the metacercaria of avian trematode, Thapariella sp. were found in Filopaludina spp. snails and B. funiculata with a prevalence of 0.5%. This is the first report for Thapariella metacercariae in the snail host, B. funiculata, and also confirmed that viviparid and bithyniid snails act as the second intermediate hosts of this trematode. This work will provide new information on the distribution and intermediate host of trematode in this area.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.130-135
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• 2012

Hydrogen charging was electrochemically conducted at high strength DP steels and TRIP steel with varying charging time. The penetration depths and the mechanical properties with charging conditions were investigated through the distribution of micro-hardness and the microstructural observation of the subsurface zone. The micro-Vickers hardness was measured to evaluate the hydrogen embrittlement of subsurface zone in addition to the microscope investigation. It was shown that the hydrogen amounts decreased in DP steels and TRIP steel with increasing hydrogen charging time. As shown by micro-Vickers hardness test and small punch test results, micro-Vickers hardness and SP energy for DP steels and TRIP steel decreased with increasing hydrogen charging time, for constant value of charging current density. SEM investigation results for the hydrogen contained samples showed that the major fracture behavior was brittle fracture which results in dimples on fractured surface and the size of dimples were decreased with increasing hydrogen charging time. These results indicate that hydrogen embrittlement is the major cause for the fracture of high strength steels and also micro-Vickers hardness test and small punch test is a valuable test method for hydrogen embrittlement of high strength sheet steels.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1532-1539
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• 2012

The ${\alpha}$-galactosidase-coding gene agaAJB13 was cloned from Sphingomonas sp. JB13 showing 16S rDNA (1,343 bp) identities of ${\leq}97.2%$ with other identified Sphingomonas strains. agaAJB13 (2,217 bp; 64.9% GC content) encodes a 738-residue polypeptide (AgaAJB13) with a calculated mass of 82.3 kDa. AgaAJB13 showed the highest identity of 61.4% with the putative glycosyl hydrolase family 36 ${\alpha}$-galactosidase from Granulicella mallensis MP5ACTX8 (EFI56085). AgaAJB13 also showed <37% identities with reported protease-resistant or Sphingomonas ${\alpha}$-galactosidases. A sequence analysis revealed different catalytic motifs between reported Sphingomonas ${\alpha}$-galactosidases (KXD and RXXXD) and AgaAJB13 (KWD and SDXXDXXXR). Recombinant AgaAJB13 (rAgaAJB13) was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The purified rAgaAJB13 was characterized using p-nitrophenyl-${\alpha}$-D-galactopyranoside as the substrate and showed an apparent optimum at pH 5.0 and $60^{\circ}C$ and strong resistance to trypsin and proteinase K digestion. Compared with reported proteaseresistant ${\alpha}$-galactosidases showing thermolability at $50^{\circ}C$ or $60^{\circ}C$ and specific activities of <71 U/mg with or without protease treatments, rAgaAJB13 exhibited a better thermal stability (half-life of >60 min at $60^{\circ}C$) and higher specific activities (225.0-256.5 U/mg). These sequence and enzymatic properties suggest AgaAJB13 is the first identified and characterized Sphingomonas ${\alpha}$-galactosidase, and shows novel protease resistance with a potential value for basic research and industrial applications.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.231-238
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• 2008

This study proposed the method of phosphate recovery from municipal wastewater by using ferrous iron waste, generated from the mechanical process in the steel industry. In the analysis of XRD, ferrous iron waste was composed of $Fe_3O_4$ (magnetite), practically with $Fe^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$. It had inverse spinel structure. In order to identify the adsorption characteristic of phosphate on ferrous iron waste, isotherm adsorption test was designed. Experimental results were well analyzed by Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm theories. Empirical constants of all isotherms applied increased with alkalinity in the samples, ranging from 1.2 to 235 $CaCO_3/L$. In the regeneration test, empirical constants of Langmuir isotherm, i.e., $q_{max}$ (maximum adsorption capacity) and b (energy of adsorption) decreased as the frequency of regeneration was increased. Experiment was further performed to evaluate the performance of the treatment scheme of chemical precipitation by ferrous iron waste followed by biological aerated filter (BAF). The overall removal efficiency in the system increased up to 80% and 90% for total phosphate (TP) and soluble phosphate (SP), respectively, and the corresponding effluent concentrations were detected below 2 mg/L and 1 mg/L for TP and SP, respectively. However, short-circuit problem was still unsolved operational consideration in this system. The practical concept applied in this study will give potential benefits in achieving environmentally sound wastewater treatment as well as environmentally compatible waste disposal in terms of closed substance cycle waste management.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.310-315
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• 1988

Two isoenzymes of chorismate mutase(E.C.5.4.99.5) designated as chorismate mutase I(CM I) and chorismate mutase II(CM II), were detected and partially purified from a sp. of intrasporangium isolated from soil. CM I and CM II had pH optima of pH 6.5 and 8.0, respectively and showed the same temperature optimum of 45$^{\circ}C$. The activation energy of the enzymatic reaction was estimated to be 14.7kcal/ mole with CM I and 10.8kcal/mole with CM II. The affinity of isoenzyme CM I for substrate(Km= 1.35mM) was almost the same level as that of CM II(Km = 1.22mM). Both isoenzymes were stable at pH values ranged from pH 6.5 to 9.0, but rapidly denaturated at temperatures above 45$^{\circ}C$. CM II was activated about 7$^{\circ}C$ of its activity by $Ba^{++}$ or $Mg^{++}$ while CM I was slightly inhibited by the same metal ions. Thiol compounds were found not to be necessary for stability of the two enzymes but Co$^{++}$ and EDTA had a little stabilizing effect on CM II only. p-Chloromercuribenzoate strongly inactivated the activities of both enzymes but the reducing agents such as dithiothreitol and L-cysteine protected them against the pCMB inhibition.