• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.911-917
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• 2022

As valuable antibiotics, microbial natural products have been in use for decades in various fields. Among them are polyene compounds including nystatin, amphotericin, and nystatin-like Pseudonocardia polyenes (NPPs). Polyene macrolides are known to possess various biological effects, such as antifungal and antiviral activities. NPP A1, which is produced by Pseudonocardia autotrophica, contains a unique disaccharide moiety in the tetraene macrolide backbone. NPP B1, with a heptane structure and improved antifungal activity, was then developed via genetic manipulation of the NPP A1 biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC). Here, we generated a Streptomyces artificial chromosomal DNA library to isolate a large-sized NPP B1 BGC. The NPP B1 BGC was successfully isolated from P. autotrophica chromosome through the construction and screening of a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library, even though the isolated 140-kb BAC clone (named pNPPB1s) lacked approximately 8 kb of the right-end portion of the NPP B1 BGC. The additional introduction of the pNPPB1s as well as co-expression of the 32-kb portion including the missing 8 kb led to a 7.3-fold increase in the production level of NPP B1 in P. autotrophica. The qRT-PCR confirmed that the transcription level of NPP B1 BGC was significantly increased in the P. autotrophica strain containing two copies of the NPP B1 BGCs. Interestingly, the NPP B1 exhibited a previously unidentified SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibition activity in vitro. These results suggest that the Streptomyces BAC cloning of a large-sized, natural product BGC is a valuable approach for titer improvement and biological activity screening of natural products in actinomycetes.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.35-39
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• 2023

ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) has become a major guideline for many companies to improve corporate value and enable sustainable management. Among them, the environment requires a technological approach. This is because technological solutions are needed to reduce or prevent environmental pollution and save energy. Semiconductor package technology has been developed to better satisfy the essential roles of semiconductor packaging: chip protection, electrical/mechanical connection, and heat dissipation. Accordingly, technologies have been developed to improve heat dissipation effect, improve electrical/mechanical properties, improve chip protection reliability, stacking and miniaturization, and reduce costs. Among them, heat dissipation technology increases thermal efficiency and reduces energy consumption for cooling. Also, technology to improve electrical characteristics has had an impact on the environment by reducing energy consumption. Technologies that recycling or reducing material consumption reduce environmental pollution. And technologies that replace environmentally harmful substances contribute to environmental improvement, in particular. In this paper, I summarize trends in semiconductor package technologies to prevent pollution and improve environment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3672-3679
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• 2012

Vehicle Ad hoc Network (VANET) is next-generation network technology to provide various services using V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle) and V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure). In VANET, many researchers proposed various studies for the safety of drivers. In particular, using the emergency message to increase the efficiency of traffic safety have been actively studied. In order to efficiently transmit to moving vehicle, to send a quick message to as many nodes is very important via broadcasting belong to communication range of vehicle nodes. However, existing studies have suggested a message for transmission to the communication node through indiscriminate broadcasting and broadcast storm problems, thereby decreasing the overall performance has caused the problem. In addition, theses problems has decreasing performance of overall network in various form of road and high density of vehicle node as urban area. Therefore, this paper proposed Clustering based Routing Algorithm (CBRA) to efficiently transmit emergency message in high density of vehicle as urban area. The CBRA managed moving vehicle via clustering when vehicle transmit emergency messages. In addition, we resolve linkage problem between vehicles according to various form of road. The CBRA resolve link brokage problem according to various form of road as urban using clustering. In addition, we resolve broadcasting storm problem and improving efficacy using selection flooding method. simulation results using ns-2 revealed that the proposed CBRA performs much better than the existing routing protocols.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.199-211
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• 1997

As a part of study on geological disposal of radioactive waste, hydrogeochemical characteristics of deep granitic groundwater in Korea were investigated through the construction of a large geochemical dataset of natural water, the examination on the behaviour of dissolved constituents, and the consideration of phase stability based on thermodynamic approach. In granitic region, the contents of total dissolved solids increase progressively from surface waters to deep groundwaters, which indicates the presence of more concentrated waters at depth due to water-rock interaction. The chemical composition of groundwater evolves from initial $Ca^{2＋}$－(C $l^{－}$＋S $O_4$$^{2-}$) or $Ca^{2＋}$-HC $O_3$$^{－}$ type to final N $a^{＋}$-HC $O_3$$^{－}$ or N $a^{＋}$－(C $l^{－}$＋S $O_4$$^{2-}$) type, via $Ca^{2＋}$-HC $O_3$$^{－}$ type. Three main mechanisms seem to control the chemical composition of groundwater in the granitic region; 1) congruent dissolution of calcite at shallower depth, 2) calcite precipitation and incongruent dissolution of plagioclase at deeper depth, and 3) kaolinite-smectite or/and kaolinite-illite reaction at equilibrium at deeper depth. The behaviour of dissolved major cations (C $a^{2＋}$, $K^{＋}$, $Mg^{2＋}$, M $a^{＋}$) and silica is likely to be controlled by these reactions.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.355-359
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• 2017

Zeolite X with Si/Al molar ratio = 1.08~1.20 was produced using a hydrothermal synthesis method. Ion-exchanged zeolite X samples were then prepared by using metal nitrate solutions containing $Mg^{2+}$ or $Cu^{2+}$. For all zeolite X samples, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) were used to identify the change in crystal structure. The analysis of ammonia adsorption capability of zeolite X samples was conducted through the ammonia temperature-programmed desorption ($NH_3$-TPD) method. From XRD results, the prepared zeolite X samples maintained the Faujasite (FAU) structure regardless of cation contents in zeolite X, but the crystallinity of zeolite X containing $Mg^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ cations decreased. The distribution of cation contents in zeolite X was identified via EDS analysis. $NH_3$-TPD analysis showed that the $NH_3$ adsorption capacity of $Mg^{2+}$- and $Cu^{2+}$-zeolite X were 1.76 mmol/g and 2.35 mmol/g, respectively while the $Na^+$-zeolite X was 3.52 mmol/g ($NH_3/catalyst$). $Na^+$-zeolite X can thus be utilized as an adsorbent for the removal of ammonia in future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.781-790
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• 2014

Contaminants such as organic matters, nutrients and toxic chemicals in rivers and lakes with a weak flow rate are first removed from the water and accumulated in the sediments. Subsequently, they are released into the water column again, posing direct/indirect adverse effects on the water quality and aquatic ecosystems. In particular, phosphorus is known to accelerate the eutrophication phenomenon when it is released into the water column via physical disturbance and biological/chemical actions as one of important materials that determine the primary production of aquatic ecosystems and an element that is stored mainly in the sediments in the process of material circulation in the body of water. In this study, the effect on reducing phosphorus release in sediments was analyzed by applying different capping materials to lake water, where the effect of aquatic microorganisms is taken into account, and to distilled water, where the effect of microorganisms is excluded. The experimental results showed that capping with chemical materials such as Fe-gypsum and $SiO_2$-gypsum further reduced the phosphorus release by at least 40% compared to the control case. Composite materials like granule gypsum+Sand showed over 50% phosphorus release reduction effect. Therefore, it is determined that capping with chemical materials such as granule-gypsum and eco-friendly materials such as sand is effective in reducing phosphorus release. The changes in phosphorus properties in the sediments before and after capping treatment showed that gypsum input helped to change the phosphorus that is present in lake sediments into apatite-P, a stable form that makes phosphorus release difficult. Based on the above results, it is expected that the application of capping technology will contribute to improving the efficiency of reducing phosphorus release that occurs in river and lake sediments.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.174-180
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• 2016

Dicumarol is a coumarin derivative isolated from sweet clover (Melilotus alba), and has anti-coagulant activity with the inhibitory activity of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase1 (NQO1). NQO1 catalyzes the two-electron reduction of quinones to hydroquinones. Dicumarol competes with NAD(P)H for binding to NQO1, resulting in the inhibition of NQO1 enzymatic activity. The expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has been implicated in the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. The expression of MMPs is regulated by cytokines and signal transduction pathways, including those activated by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). However, the effects of dicumarol on metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression and activity are not investigated here. This study investigated whether dicumarol inhibits MMP-9 expression and activity in PMA-treated human renal carcinoma Caki cells. Dicumarol markedly inhibited the PMA-induced MMP-9 mRNA expression and MMP-9 activity. NF-κB and AP1 promoter activity, which is important in MMP-9 expression, also decreased in dicumarol-treated cells. Furthermore, dicumarol markedly suppressed the ability of PMA-mediated migration in Caki cells. When the relevance of NQO1 in the dicumarol-mediated inhibitory effect on PMA-induced MMP9 activity was elucidated, knock-down of NQO1 with siRNA was found to have no effect on PMA-induced MMP9 activity, suggesting that the stimulating effect of dicumarol on PMA-induced MMP9 activity is independent of NQO1 activity. Taken together, the present studies suggested that dicumarol may inhibit PMA-induced migration via down-regulation of MMP-9 expression and activity.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.32-36
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• 2019

Calla lilies (Zantedeschia spp.) are monocotyledonous ornamental plants which belongs to the Araceae family. After the release of elite calla cultivar, an efficient propagation system is needed for commercial use. Despite the use of conventional propagation methods such as splitting of tubers and rhizomes of calla, rapid and efficient propagation system should be developed. In order to achieve this goal, stem segments contained apical meristems derived from calla lily cultivar (cv. Gag-si) were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with various concentrations of cytokinin and auxin. This was aimed at inducing embryogenic calluses, shoots and multiple shoots. As a result, about 25% of induction rates of yellow embryogenic calluses were observed with MS medium containing both $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}\;NAA$ and $1.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}\;BA$ as growth regulators. In the experiments involving the regeneration from embryogenic calluses through shoot formation, MS medium supplemented with $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}\;IAA$ and $2.0mg{\cdot}L^{-1}\;BA$ showed the highest rates at approximately 85 ~ 90% with regard to the formation of shoots in calla. Moreover, multiple shoots needed for rapid propagation were generated when explants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}\;IAA$ and $2.0mg{\cdot}L^{-1}\;BA$ with 40% of formation rate. In this study, the combination of auxin and cytokinin showed positive effects on both the induction of embryogenic calluses, the formation of shoots as well as multiple shoots in calla. The regeneration system described here can contribute to the development of breeding programs of calla in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.226-233
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• 2008

The nucleation and evolution process of Ge nano-islands on Si(001) surfaces grown by chemical vapor deposition have been explored using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The Ge nano-islands are grown by exposing the substrates to a mixture of gasses GeH4 and H2 at pressure of 0.1-0.5Torr and temperatures of $600-650^{\circ}C$. The effect of growth conditions such as temperature, Ge thickness, annealing time on the shape, size, number density, and surface distribution was investigated. For Ge deposition greater than ${\sim}5$ monolayer (ML) with a growth rate of ${\sim}0.1ML/sec$ at $600^{\circ}C$, we observed island nucleation on the surface indicating the transition from strained layer to island structure. Further deposition of Ge led to shape transition from initial pyramid and hut to dome and superdome structure. The lateral average size of the islands increased from ${\sim}20nm$ to ${\sim}310nm$ while the number density decreased from $4{\times}10^{18}$ to $5{\times}10^8cm^{-2}$ during the shape transition process. In contrast, for the samples grown at a relatively higher temperature of $650^{\circ}C$ the morphology of the islands showed that the dome shape is dominant over the pyramid shape. The further deposition of Ge led to transition from the dome to the superdome shape. The evolution of shape, size, and surface distribution is related to energy minimization of the islands and surface diffusion of Ge adatoms. In particular, we found that the initially nucleated islands did not grow through long-range interaction between whole islands on the surface but via local interaction between the neighbor islands by investigation of the inter-islands distance.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.648-655
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• 2020

The firing pin of modern automatic rifles detonates the primer of loaded ammunition via a hammer. During this process, the firing pin receives an impact load and repetitive force throughout the life of the rifle. An endurance test of a rifle showed that the firing pin breaks prematurely at 96.26% of life. Accordingly, a case study was conducted through cause analysis and a reconstruction test. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the broken surface of the firing pin showed that a crack began in the circumferential direction of the surface, resulting in a fatigue crack to the core after repeated impact. Crack growth and fatigue destruction occurred at the end due to the repetitive impact and was estimated using a notch. For verification, a sample that produced a 0.03mm circumferential notch was broken at 64.25% of life in the reconstruction test. A test of breakage according to the notch types showed that a 0.3mm and a 0.5mm one-side notch were broken at 66.53% and 50.76%, respectively, and a 0.03mm six-point notch was broken at 85.65%. The endurance life of a sample firing pin with a rough surface and tool mark was examined, but an approximately 381 ㎛ internal crack formed. Through this study, failure for each notch type was considered. These results show that quality control of the notch and surface roughness is essential for ensuring the reliability of a component subjected to repeated impact.