• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권8호
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• pp.2600-2609
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• 2021

Low cycle fatigue behaviors of SA508-3 low-alloy steel were investigated in room-temperature air, high-temperature air and in light water reactor (LWR) water environments. The fatigue mean curve and design curve for the low-alloy steel are developed based on the fatigue data in room-temperature and high-temperature air. The environmental fatigue model for low-alloy steel is developed by the environmental fatigue correction factor (F_en) methodology based on the fatigue data in LWR water environments with the consideration of effects of strain rate, temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration on the fatigue life.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.11.1-11.14
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• 2023

Background: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are commonly used to assess in vitro immune responses. However, PBMC isolation is a time-consuming procedure, introduces technical variability, and requires a relatively large volume of blood. By contrast, whole blood assay (WBA) is faster, cheaper, maintains more physiological conditions, and requires less sample volume, laboratory training, and equipment. Objectives: Herein, this study aimed to develop a porcine WBA for in vitro evaluation of immune responses. Methods: Heparinized whole blood (WB) was diluted (non-diluted, 1/2, 1/8, and 1/16) in RPMI-1640 media, followed by phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin. After 24 h, cells were stained for interferon (IFN)-γ secreting T-cells followed by flow cytometry, and the supernatant was analyzed for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. In addition, diluted WB was stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), reference strain KCTC3557 (RS), field isolate (FI), of heat-killed (HK) Streptococcus suis, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Results: The frequency of IFN-γ⁺CD3⁺ T-cells and concentration of TNF-α in the supernatant of WB increased with increasing dilution factor and were optimal at 1/8. WB TNF-α and interleukin (IL)-10 cytokine levels increased significantly following stimulation with LPS or poly I:C. Further, FI and RS induced IL-10 production in WB. Additionally, PRRSV strains increased the frequency of IFN-γ⁺ CD4^-CD8⁺ cells, and IFN-γ was non-significantly induced in the supernatant of re-stimulated samples. Conclusions: We propose that the WBA is a rapid, reliable, and simple method to evaluate immune responses and WB should be diluted to trigger immune cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권12호
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• pp.2119-2128
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• 2017

Citrinin (CIT) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by fungi belonging to the Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Monascus spp. This toxin has been detected in many agricultural products. In this study, a strain Y3 with the ability to eliminate CIT was screened and identified as Cryptococcus podzolicus, based on the sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region. Neither uptake of CIT by cells nor adsorption by cell wall was involved in CIT elimination by Cryptococcus podzolicus Y3. The extracellular metabolites of Cryptococcus podzolicus Y3 stimulated by CIT or not showed no degradation for CIT. It indicated that CIT elimination was attributed to the degradation of intracellular enzyme(s). The degradation of CIT by C. podzolicus Y3 was dependent on the type of media, yeast concentration, temperature, pH, and initial concentration of CIT. Most of the CIT was degraded by C. podzolicus Y3 in NYDB medium at 42 h but not in PDB medium. The degradation rate of CIT was the highest (94%) when the concentration of C. podzolicus Y3 was $1{\times}10^8cells/ml$. The quantity of CIT degradation was highest at $28^{\circ}C$, and there was no degradation observed at 3$5^{\circ}C$. The study also showed that acidic condition (pH 4.0) was the most favorable for CIT degradation by C. podzolicus Y3. The degradation rate of CIT increased to 98% as the concentration of CIT was increased to $20{\mu}g/ml$. The toxicity of CIT degradation product(s) toward HEK293 was much lower than that of CIT.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제49권2호
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• pp.255-263
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• 2021

γ-Aminobutyric acid 생성에 관여하는 glutamate decarboxylase 유전자 gadA/B를 보유한 메주 유래 Enterococcus faecium 88균주를 대상으로 기능적 특성 및 안전성 평가를 진행하여 메주 유래 E. faecium의 발효식품용 종균으로써의 활용 가능성을 검토하였다. 6% NaCl 농도(w/v)에서 모든 균주의 생장 및 산 생성이 확인되었다. 7% NaCl 농도에서는 21균주(24%)가 낮은 생장을 나타냈으며, 72균주(82%)가 약한 산 생성 활성을 나타냈고, 16균주(18%)는 산생성을 나타내지 않았다. 4% NaCl 농도에서는 모든 균주가 단백질 분해 활성을 나타냈지만, 5% NaCl 농도에서 86균주(98%)가 약한 활성을 나타냈고, 1균주(1%)는 활성을 나타내지 않았다. 지방 분해 활성은 모든 균주에서 나타나지 않았다. 모든 균주가 7종의 항생제(ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, penicillin G, tetracycline, vancomycin)에 대해 획득형 항생제 내성을 나타내지 않았다. Enterococcus 심내막염 항원 유전자 efaA 및 tyramine 생성에 관여하는 tyrosine decarboxylase 유전자 tdc가 메주 유래 88균주에서 발견되었지만, 사람 기원 E. faecium 균주가 특이적으로 보유하고 있는 Enterococcus surface protein 유전자 esp는 발견되지 않았다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제18권6호
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• pp.789-795
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• 2008

어류 질병 치료를 위한 probiont의 개발에 목적을 두고 어병균 Vibrio anguillarum NCMB1의 생육에 저해물질을 생산하는 Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H41균주를 분리하고 이 물질의 특성을 규명하기 위하여 정제를 시행하였다. 분리 균을 배양한 배양 상등액을 70% 염석, 투석하여 조 효소액으로 제작하고 조 효소액을 DEAE-sephadex, A-50 ion exchange chromatography, sephadex G-200 gel filtration column chromatography을 통하여 정제하고 SDS-PAGE 를 통하여 단일밴드를 확인하고 최종 회수율 2.9%을 얻을 수 있었으며 40.8배의 정제된 V. anguillarum NCMB1 생육저해물질을 얻을 수 있었다. 정제된 저해물질은 저해정도에 따라 단위를 설정하여 활성을 측정하였으며, 분자량은 48 kDa 로 확인되었으며 정제물질의 활성을 위한 최적 반응 pH와 온도는 pH 7.5와 $30^{\circ}C$로 확인되었다. 금속이온의 효과에 있어서는 $CoCl_2$, $HgCl_2$, $ZnSO_4$, $AgNo_3$에서는 완전히 저해되는 양상을 나타내었고 $MgSO_4$, $MnSO_4$에서 미미한 효소활성의 증가를 나타내었다. 그리고 염에 관한 안정성은 일반 해수의 농도인 3%의 농도에서도 활성을 나타내는 것으로 확인되었다. 정제된 저해물질을 현재 상업적으로 사용하고 있는 화학처리제나 항생제와 함께 효율성을 비교 해 보았을 때 저해물질은 약 78%의 저해 활성을 나타내는 것을 알 수 있었고 항생제보다는 효율성이 낮았으나 독성검사를 위해 정제물질을 살아있는 어류에 투여하였으나 어떤 해수어도 폐사하지 않는 것으로 보아 어류 자체엔 독성을 나타내지 않는 물질로 나타났다. 따라서 B. amyloliquefaciens H41 균주가 생산하는 정제 물질이 V. anguillarum 생육에 저해물질로 작용하는 것으로 밝혀졌으며 친환경적인 특성을 가진 물질로 밝혀졌다.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.137-144
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• 2007

Yam, Prunella was stepwise extracted with hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water. Anti-microbial activity of each extract was investigated. Hexane extract was tested for anti-microbial effect on Streptocaccus mutans, one of causative factor of dental caries. Methanol extracts of 7 plants were investigated to anti-microbial effects on S. mutans KCTC 5316, P. gingivalis KCTC 5352, S. aureus KCTC 1927 by means of agar diffusion method. Methanol extract of Yam and Prunella revealed anti-microbial activity against S. mutans, P. gingivalis, and S. aureus. Also, hexane fraction of Yam revealed anti-microbial activity against S. mutans. In sequence of hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol fraction by Prunelia acted as potent anti-microbial agent on P. gingivalis. The measured MIC of hexane fraction of Yam and Prunella on S. mutans KCTC 5316 strain was 0.25 mg/ml and 0.5 mg/ml and the MIC of hexane fraction of Prunella on S. aureus was 0.5 mg/ml. The hexane fraction of Yam and Prunella suppressed viable ceil counts(VCC) of S. mutans, especially after 24 hrs. The Prunella hexane fraction suppressed VCC of S. aureus, after 12 and 24 hrs. Tested concentrations were 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml. the results were compared with control (0 mg/ml). The pH of S. mutans media and GTase activity were determined to evaluate the anticariogenic activity of Yam, Prunella hexane fraction. The pH were increased from 5.6 to 7.0-7.2 in concentration of 2.0 mg/ml. Yam hexane extraction revealed 35% inhibition to GTase activity and Punella inhibited 25% of GTase. These results suggest that the hexane extracts of Yam and prunella have Antibacterial activities against S. mutans, P. gingivalis, S. aureus and have preventive effect on dental caries.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.19-25
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• 2017

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common gram-positive bacterium that causes serious infections in humans and animals. With the continuous emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, antibiotics have limited efficacy in treating MRSA infections. Accordingly, novel agents that act on new targets are desperately needed to combat these infections. S. aureus alpha-hemolysin plays an indispensable role in its pathogenicity. In this study, we demonstrate that sclareol, a fragrant chemical compound found in clary sage, can prominently decrease alpha-hemolysin secretion in S. aureus strain USA300 at sub-inhibitory concentrations. Hemolysis assays, western-blotting, and RT-PCR were used to detect the production of alpha-hemolysin in the culture supernatant. When USA300 was co-cultured with A549 epithelial cells, sclareol could protect the A549 cells at a final concentration of $8{\mu}g/ml$. The protective capability of sclareol against the USA300-mediated injury of A549 cells was further shown by cytotoxicity assays and live/dead analysis. In conclusion, sclareol was shown to inhibit the production of S. aureus alpha-hemolysin. Sclareol has potential for development as a new agent to treat S. aureus infections.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.271-280
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• 2010

Vibrio alginolyticus, a Gram-negative marine bacterium, is one of the causative agents of fish vibriosis. Its virulence factors and pathogenesis mechanism are barely known, except for some extracellular products (ECPs) that are known to be regulated by quorum sensing system. Therefore, the present study used a microarray to analyze the transcription profiles of the wild-type V. alginolyticus and a deletion mutant of luxO, the pivotal regulator in Vibrio quorum sensing systems, which resulted in the identification of a putative virulence factor, MviN. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR confirmed that the transcription of mviN was upregulated in the luxO mutant when compared with wild-type, and down regulated in a luxO-con complemented strain. Furthermore, Western blotting indicated that MviN was greatly induced during the late-exponential and stationary phases of growth, indicating that the expression of MviN was cell-density dependent and quorum sensing regulated in V. alginolyticus. Meanwhile, the mviN null mutant displayed a much slower growth rate than the wild type, signifying the essential role of MviN in V. alginolyticus. Western blotting also revealed that MviN was present as an extracellular protein in V. alginolyticus. When epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells were treated with the ECPs of the mviN mutant, no cytotoxicity was observed, whereas EPC cells treated with the wild type exhibited pathological changes, which increased with the ECPs concentration and treatment time. Therefore, the results demonstrated that MviN is a LuxO-regulated ECPs component and involved in the pathogenicity of V. alginolyticus.

• 한국소음진동공학회논문집
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.247-252
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• 2014

This paper presents a novel impact sensor which can be fabricated with smart paint made of grapheme. This smart nano paint can be easily installed on structures using a spray-on technique and that can make the sensor low cost and practical. The graphene effectively improves the piezoresistivity of the smart paint and that is available to achieve sensitive impact sensor with high gauge factor. The nano smart-paint can detect sufficient impact to cover the damaged energy range of the composite around 1~3J. The voltage outputs from the sprayed paints show fairly linear responses after signal processing. The impact makes deformation of the structure and it brings change of piezoresistivity of the paint and those converts into voltage output consequently by means of a simple signal processing system. The nano smart paint is lightweight and easily applied to the structural surface, and there is no stress concentration. The nano smart paint is expected to be a cost effective and sensitive multi-functional sensor for composites and other damage monitoring applications in the field of structural health monitoring.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.129-138
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• 2006

Using a strain-controlled rheometer, the steady shear flow properties of aqueous xanthan gum solutions of different concentrations were measured over a wide range of shear rates. In this article, both the shear rate and concentration dependencies of steady shear flow behavior are reported from the experimentally obtained data. The viscous behavior is quantitatively discussed using a well-known power law type flow equation with a special emphasis on its importance in industrial processing and actual usage. In addition, several inelastic-viscoplastic flow models including a yield stress parameter are employed to make a quantitative evaluation of the steady shear flow behavior, and then the applicability of these models is also examined in detail. Finally, the elastic nature is explained with a brief comment on its practical significance. Main results obtained from this study can be summarized as follows: (1) Concentrated xanthan gum solutions exhibit a finite magnitude of yield stress. This may come from the fact that a large number of hydrogen bonds in the helix structure result in a stable configuration that can show a resistance to flow. (2) Concentrated xanthan gum solutions show a marked non-Newtonian shear-thinning behavior which is well described by a power law flow equation and may be interpreted in terms of the conformational status of the polymer molecules under the influence of shear flow. This rheological feature enhances sensory qualities in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products and guarantees a high degree of mix ability, pumpability, and pourability during their processing and/or actual use. (3) The Herschel-Bulkley, Mizrahi-Berk, and Heinz-Casson models are all applicable and have equivalent ability to describe the steady shear flow behavior of concentrated xanthan gum solutions, whereas both the Bingham and Casson models do not give a good applicability. (4) Concentrated xanthan gum solutions exhibit a quite important elastic flow behavior which acts as a significant factor for many industrial applications such as food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic manufacturing processes.