• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.457-466
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• 2024

Cellobiose dehydrogenases (CDHs) are a group of enzymes belonging to the hemoflavoenzyme group, which are mostly found in fungi. They play an important role in the production of acid sugar. In this research, CDH annotated from the actinobacterium Cellulomonas palmilytica EW123 (CpCDH) was cloned and characterized. The CpCDH exhibited a domain architecture resembling class-I CDH found in Basidiomycota. The cytochrome c and flavin-containing dehydrogenase domains in CpCDH showed an extra-long evolutionary distance compared to fungal CDH. The amino acid sequence of CpCDH revealed conservative catalytic amino acids and a distinct flavin adenine dinucleotide region specific to CDH, setting it apart from closely related sequences. The physicochemical properties of CpCDH displayed optimal pH conditions similar to those of CDHs but differed in terms of optimal temperature. The CpCDH displayed excellent enzymatic activity at low temperatures (below 30℃), unlike other CDHs. Moreover, CpCDH showed the highest substrate specificity for disaccharides such as cellobiose and lactose, which contain a glucose molecule at the non-reducing end. The catalytic efficiency of CpCDH for cellobiose and lactose were 2.05 × 10⁵ and 9.06 × 10⁴ (M^-1 s^-1), respectively. The result from the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra confirmed the presence of cellobionic and lactobionic acids as the oxidative products of CpCDH. This study establishes CpCDH as a novel and attractive bacterial CDH, representing the first report of its kind in the Cellulomonas genus.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.706-711
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• 2023

At Pyropia farms, organic acid treatments have enhanced productivity and quality by removing pest algae (such as Ulva spp. and diatoms) and reducing the occurrence of diseases. Ulva spp. attaches to the Pyropia nets competing for inorganic nutrients & space and diminishing productivity. Additionally, the presence of attached contaminants (such as diatoms and middy particles) on the Pyropia nets negatively affects the quality of Pyropia. This study investigated the effects of removing Ulva linza and washing the Pyropia yezoensis nets using an activating treatment agent (organic acid and highly saline solution) with an air bubble device. The results of measuring the dead cell ratios after treatment under different conditions showed that the dead cell ratio of U. linza did not significantly increase when the air bubble device combined the activating treatment agent with the activating treatment agent alone. When washing the P. yezoensis nets, the air bubble device was about 19-37% more effective than the activating treatment agent alone. The findings of this study suggest that the air bubble device enhances the efficacy of the activating treatment agent, resulting in the effective cleaning of the Pyropia nets.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.303-320
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• 2024

This study presents the development and performance evaluation of a custom GPT-based chatbot tailored to provide solutions following Polya's problem-solving stages. A beta version of the chatbot was initially deployed to assess its mathematical capabilities, followed by iterative error identification and correction, leading to the final version. The completed chatbot demonstrated an accuracy rate of approximately 89.0%, correctly solving an average of 57.8 out of 65 image-based problems from a 6th-grade elementary mathematics textbook, reflecting a 4 percentage point improvement over the beta version. For a subset of 50 problems, where images were not critical for problem resolution, the chatbot achieved an accuracy rate of approximately 91.0%, solving an average of 45.5 problems correctly. Predominant errors included problem recognition issues, particularly with complex or poorly recognizable images, along with concept confusion and comprehension errors. The custom chatbot exhibited superior mathematical performance compared to the general-purpose ChatGPT. Additionally, its solution process can be adapted to various grade levels, facilitating personalized student instruction. The ease of chatbot creation and customization underscores its potential for diverse applications in mathematics education, such as individualized teacher support and personalized student guidance.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.117-133
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a MAKEathon programme designed to address climate change and dietary concerns, and to enhance competencies related to entrepreneurship and sustainable development. The programme was developed as a voluntary-based extracurriculum for the middle and high school students in South Korea. In order to verify the effectiveness, surveys were conducted before and after the program, focusing on the measures of the three competencies i.e. sustainable development competencies, creativity, and entrepreneurship, as well as the programme satisfaction and demographic background. Paired t-tests of pre-/post-tests were conducted on the responses of 29 participants and the results indicate significant improvement in the three competencies and high programme satisfaction. These findings underscore the value of incorporating extracurricular programmes related to sustainability in home economics education, suggesting potential for broader application in topics like clothing, food, and housing. Such programmes are poised to enhance educational effectiveness in teaching problem-solving for sustainable development.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.634-643
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and safety of low-contrast-dose, dual-source dual-energy CT before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with compromised renal function. Materials and Methods: A total of 54 consecutive patients (female:male, 26:38; 81.9 ± 7.3 years) with reduced renal function underwent pre-TAVR dual-energy CT with a 30-mL contrast agent between June 2022 and March 2023. Monochromatic (40- and 50-keV) and conventional (120-kVp) images were reconstructed and analyzed. The subjective quality score, vascular attenuation, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were compared among the imaging techniques using the Friedman test and post-hoc analysis. Interobserver reliability for aortic annular measurement was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. The procedural outcomes and incidence of post-contrast acute kidney injury (AKI) were assessed. Results: Monochromatic images achieved diagnostic quality in all patients. The 50-keV images achieved superior vascular attenuation and CNR (P < 0.001 in all) while maintaining a similar SNR compared to conventional CT. For aortic annular measurement, the 50-keV images showed higher interobserver reliability compared to conventional CT: ICC, 0.98 vs. 0.90 for area and 0.97 vs. 0.95 for perimeter; 95% limits of agreement width, 0.63 cm² vs. 0.92 cm² for area and 5.78 mm vs. 8.50 mm for perimeter. The size of the implanted device matched CT-measured values in all patients, achieving a procedural success rate of 92.6%. No patient experienced a serum creatinine increase of ≥ 1.5 times baseline in the 48-72 hours following CT. However, one patient had a procedural delay due to gradual renal function deterioration. Conclusion: Low-contrast-dose imaging with 50-keV reconstruction enables precise pre-TAVR evaluation with improved image quality and minimal risk of post-contrast AKI. This approach may be an effective and safe option for pre-TAVR evaluation in patients with compromised renal function.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.281-289
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• 2015

This study was conducted to examine the effects of a supplemented Chungkukjang diet on oxidative stress and antioxidant nutrients in Streptozotocin (STZ, 45 mg/kg of BW, IP injection)-induced diabetic rats. Diets that contained soybean Chungkukjang powder (SC), Yakkong Chungkukjang powder (YC), and Yakkong Chungkukjang powder with black food added (YCB) were administered to the STZ-induced diabetic rats for seven weeks. The increased lipid peroxide contents of their serum and liver were slightly controlled by providing them three types of Chungkukjang. The retinol level in the serum was 7.5 times higher in the STZ-induced diabetic group after the provision of YC. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level in the serum was higher in the STZ-induced diabetic group after the provision of YCB. Also, the retinol and tocopherol levels in the liver of the STZ-induced diabetic rats increased after they were provided YCB, and the decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) /oxidized glutathione (GSSG) level in their liver improved after they were fed a diet that contained YC. Moreover, the decreased anthocyanin level in the liver of the STZ-induced diabetic group improved after the provision of three types of Chungkukjang powder. These findings suggest that the Chungkukjang diet is a valuable food for the management of the health of diabetic patients and for the prevention of diabetic complications.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.540-548
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• 2015

This study examined the cultural characteristics and biological activities of fermented rice and amaranth with Bacillus subtilis KMKW4. These samples were made with various amounts of rice and amaranth [100:0 (R100), 90:10 (R90), 80:20 (R80), and 70:30 (R70)]. B. subtilis KMKW4 was used as starter for the fermentation, and its cultures at the lated logarithmic growth were inoculated for final concentration of 2% (v/v). Number of viable cells of fermented R80 (7.67 log CFU/mL) was greater than those of R100, R90, and R70 (7.48 log CFU/mL, 7.38 log CFU/mL, and 7.09 CFU/mL, respectively) during the fermentation period (120 h). Amylase activities of fermented R80 and R100 were 57.77 U/mL and 19.91 U/mL, respectively. Furthermore, amylase activities of fermented freeze-dried powders of R100 and R80 were 24.31 U/g and 9.12 U/g, respectively. Free sugar contents of R100 and R80 increased after fermentation, and that of R80 (5,454.15 mg/100 g) significantly increased compared to that of R100 (4,274.85 mg/100 g). The free amino acid content of R80 was higher than that of R100. DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging activities of 5 mg/mL of fermented freeze-dried powder (R80) were 44.21% and 89.76%, respectively. ACE inhibition rates and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activities were significantly higher in R80 than R100. This study suggested that fermentation of R80 might be a new potential source of antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive agents applicable to grain enzyme-containing foods.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.75-102
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• 2006

Three experiments were conducted using a verification task to examine good and poor readers' generation of causal inferences(with because sentences) and contrastive inferences(with although sentences). The unfamiliar, critical verification statement was either explicitly mentioned or was implied. In Experiment 1, both good and poor readers responded accurately to the critical statement, suggesting that both groups had the linguistic knowledge necessary to the required inferences. Differences were found, however, in the groups' verification latencies. Poor, but not good, readers responded faster to explicit than to implicit verification statements for both because and although sentences. In Experiment 2, poor readers were induced to generate causal inferences for the because experimental sentences by including fillers that were apparently counterfactual unless a causal inference was made. In Experiment 3, poor readers were induced to generate contrastive inferences for the although sentences by including fillers that could only be resolved by making a contrastive inference. Verification latencies for the critical statements showed that poor readers made causal inferences in Experiment 2 and contrastive inferences in Experiment 3 doting comprehension. These results were discussed in terms of context effect: Specific encoding operations performed on anomaly backgrounded in another passage would form part of the context that guides the ongoing activity in processing potentially relevant subsequent text.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.259-264
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• 2001

Typhoon and neap tide on Cochlodinium polykrikoides bloom and water temperature on disappearance of C. polykrikoides bloom were investigated to elucidate the outbreak mechanism of C. polykrikoides blooms at Naro and Namhae coastal area in South Sea of Korea. The first observation of C. polykrikoides blooms were observed when thermocline was disappeared by typhoon, tide, etc. The first blooms of C. polykrikoides were observed on neap tide or before one day from neap tide in 1996-1998 and 2000. However, thermocline was disappeared by typhoon in 1994 and 1999, the first blooms were observed early 12-30 day than 1996-1998 and 2000. The main reason of disappearance of C. polykrikoides blooms after typhoon on 1997-2000 seems to be other environmental change by typhoon rather than low water temperature. In the future, the first C. polykrikoides bloom will be appear around the first neap tide of latter part of August with breaking down of thermocline, but if the thermocline be collapsed by typhoon in July, the C. polykrikoides bloom will be appear at beginning of August. The outbreak of C. polykrikoides blooms will be explain as follows: The vegetative cells, which was germinated by environmental change or already exist in surface water at low level, input to the surface water, and then nutrients and trace metals which were suppled from out side of C. polykrikoides bloom area inflow to surface. The vegetative cells are growth by the nutrients and trace metals at suitable environmental conditions e.g. water temperature, salinity, and sufficient light.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.237-243
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• 1993

The primary and secondary structure of the 5S rRNA isolated from Xanthomonas celebensis were determined by enzymatic and chemical degradation methods. It consists of 119 nucleotides and contains no modified nucleosides. As with the 5S rRNAs of X. maltophilia and X. citri, it contains an additional uridine residue on the 5'-terminus. Its secondary structure was almost identical to the models previously proposed by us for the 5S rRNA of two Xanthomonas species. Its secondary structure consists of five helices, five loops and two bulges. The tertiary interactions in the 5S rRNA molecule were analyzed by Fe(II)-EDTA treatment and hybridization method using deoxyhexamer. From the fact that some adenine residues in loop M, region $I_1-C$, loop $H_1$, and loop $H_2$ become susceptible to diethylpyrocarbonate when the 5S rRNA was hybridized with deoxyhexamer complementary to the sequence $U_{35}CCCAU_{40}$ and that some nucleotide residues in loop M, loop $H_1$ and region $D-I_2$ become resistant Fe(II)-EDTA cleavage in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$, it is presumed that loops $H_1$ and $H_2$ interact with loop M in some way. In the tertiary interaction, the regions $I_1-C$ and $D-I_2$ seem to act as hinges in folding the stems $B-I_1-C$ and $D-I_2-E.$ It was found that loop $H_1$ changes into a smaller loop of three bases by forming noncanonical A : C base-pairs ih acidic environment.