• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권10호
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• pp.1634-1640
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• 2008

This study was focused on the screening of valuable genetic resources, such as promoters from metagenome, and describes a promoter trapping system with a bidirectional probe concept, which can select promoters or operons from various biological resources including metagenomic DNA. A pair of reporters, GFP and DsRed, facing the opposite direction without promoters, is an effective system that can function regardless of the direction of inserted promoters. The feasibility of this system was tested for the isolation of constitutively expressed promoters in E. coli from a soil metagenome, resulting in a potential pool of various promoters for practical application. The analyses of structural organization of the trapped genes demonstrated that constitutively expressible promoters in E. coli were broadly distributed within the metagenome, and suggested that some promoters were useful for the construction of expression vectors. Based on these observations, three constitutive promoters were employed in the expression vector system and their potentials for practical application were evaluated in terms of expression level, protein solubility, and effects on host growth.

• 한국지능시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국퍼지및지능시스템학회 2003년도 ISIS 2003
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• pp.11-15
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• 2003

Amount of biological data information has been increasing exponentially. In order to cope with this bio-information explosion, it is necessary to construct a biological data information integration system. The integration system could provide useful services for bio-application developers by answering general complex queries that require accessing information from heterogeneous bio data sources, and easily accommodate a new database into the integrated systems. In this paper, we analyze architectures and mechanisms of existing integration systems with their advantages and disadvantages. Based on this analysis and user requirement studies, we propose an integration system framework that embraces advantages of the existing systems. More specifically, we propose an integration system architecture composed of a mediator and wrappers, which can offer a service interface layer for various other applications as well as independent biologists, thus playing the role of database management system for biology applications. In other words, the system can help abstract the heterogeneous information structures and formats from the application layer. In the system, the wrappers send database-specific queries and report the result to the mediator using XML. The proposed system could facilitate in silico knowledge discovery by allowing combination of numerous discrete biological information databases.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.283-291
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• 2010

Vaccine is one of the best known and most successful applications of immunological theory to human health and it protects human life through inducing the immune response in systemic compartment. However, when we consider the fact that mucosal epithelium is exposed to diverse foreign materials including viruses, bacteria, and food antigens and protects body from entry of unwanted materials using layer of tightly joined epithelial cells, establishing the immunological barrier on the lining of mucosal surfaces is believed to be an effective strategy to protect body from unwanted antigens. Unfortunately, however, oral mucosal site, which is considered as the best target to induce mucosal immune response due to application convenience, is prone to induce immune tolerance rather than immune stimulation. Since intestinal epithelium is tightly organized, a prerequisite for successful mucosal vaccination is delivery of antigen to mucosal immune induction site including a complex system of highly specialized cells such as M cells. Consequently, development of efficient mucosal adjuvant capable of introducing antigens to mucosal immune induction site and overcome oral tolerance is an important subject in oral vaccine development. In this review, various approaches on the development of oral mucosal adjuvants being suggested for effective oral mucosal immune induction.

• 한국농업기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국농업기계학회 1996년도 International Conference on Agricultural Machinery Engineering Proceedings
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• pp.802-811
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• 1996

Farmers need alternatives for weed control due to the desire to reduce chemicals used in farming. However, conventional mechanical cultivation cannot selectively remove weeds located in the seedline between crop plants and there are no selective heribicides for some crop/weed situations. Since hand labor is costly , an automated weed control system could be feasible. A robotic weed control system can also reduce or eliminate the need for chemicals. Currently no such system exists for removing weeds located in the seedline between crop plants. The goal of this project is to build a real-time , machine vision weed control system that can detect crop and weed locations. remove weeds and thin crop plants. In order to accomplish this objective , a real-time robotic system was developed to identify and locate outdoor plants using machine vision technology, pattern recognition techniques, knowledge-based decision theory, and robotics. The prototype weed control system is composed f a real-time computer vision system, a uniform illumination device, and a precision chemical application system. The prototype system is mounted on the UC Davis Robotic Cultivator , which finds the center of the seedline of crop plants. Field tests showed that the robotic spraying system correctly targeted simulated weeds (metal coins of 2.54 cm diameter) with an average error of 0.78 cm and the standard deviation of 0.62cm.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제38권5호
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• pp.490-502
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• 2022

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes bacterial leaf blight (BLB) disease in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and it is among the most destructive pathogen responsible for severe yield losses. Potential bacterial biocontrol agents (BCAs) with plant growth promotion (PGP) abilities can be applied to better manage the BLB disease and increase crop yield, compared to current conventional practices. Thus, this study aimed to isolate, screen, and identify potential BCAs with PGP abilities. Isolation of the BCAs was performed from internal plant tissues and rhizosphere soil of healthy and Xoo-infected rice. A total of 18 bacterial strains were successfully screened for in vitro antagonistic ability against Xoo, siderophore production and PGP potentials. Among the bacterial strains, 3 endophytes, Bacillus sp. strain USML8, Bacillus sp. strain USML9, and Bacillus sp. strain USMR1 which were isolated from diseased plants harbored the BCA traits and significantly reduced leaf blight severity of rice. Simultaneously, the endophytic BCAs also possessed plant growth promoting traits and were able to enhance rice growth. Application of the selected endophytes (BCAs-PGP) at the early growth stage of rice exhibited potential in suppressing BLB disease and promoting rice growth.

• 한국의학물리학회지:의학물리
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.10-15
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the diverse characteristics of a novel commercial bolus, CLEANBOLUS-WHITE (CBW), to ascertain its suitability for clinical application. Methods: The evaluation of CBW encompassed both physical and biological assessments. Physical parameters such as mass density and shore hardness were measured alongside analyses of element composition. Biological evaluations included assessments for skin irritation and cytotoxicity. Dosimetric properties were examined by calculating surface dose and beam quality using a treatment planning system (TPS). Additionally, doses were measured at maximum and reference depths, and the results were compared with those obtained using a solid water phantom. The effect of air gap on dose measurement was also investigated by comparing measured doses on the RANDO phantom, under the bolus, with doses calculated from the TPS. Results: Biological evaluation confirmed that CBW is non-cytotoxic, nonirritant, and non-sensitizing. The bolus exhibited a mass density of 1.02 g/cm³ and 14 shore 00. Dosimetric evaluations revealed that using the 0.5 cm CBW resulted in less than a 1% difference compared to using the solid water phantom. Furthermore, beam quality calculations in the TPS indicated increased surface dose with the bolus. The air gap effect on dose measurement was deemed negligible, with a difference of approximately 1% between calculated and measured doses, aligning with measurement uncertainty. Conclusions: CBW demonstrates outstanding properties for clinical utilization. The dosimetric evaluation underscores a strong agreement between calculated and measured doses, validating its reliability in both planning and clinical settings.

• 분석과학
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.201-210
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• 2024

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has emerged as a powerful technique for detecting and analyzing chemical and biological molecules at ultra-low concentrations. The effectiveness of SERS largely depends on structures with sub-10 nm gaps, prompting the proposal of various nanostructures as efficient SERS-active platforms. Among these, single-crystalline gold nanowires (AuNWs) are particularly promising due to their large dielectric constants, well-defined geometries, atomically smooth surfaces, and surface plasmon resonance across the visible spectrum, which produce strong SERS enhancements. This review comprehensively explores the synthesis, functionalization, and application of Au NWs in SERS. We discuss various methods for synthesizing AuNWs, including the vapor transport method, which influences their morphological and optical properties. We also review practical applications in chemical and biosensing, showcasing the adaptability of Au NWs-based SERS platforms in detecting a range of analytes, from environmental pollutants to biological markers. The review concludes with a discussion on future perspectives that aim to enhance sensor performance and broaden application domains, highlighting the potential of these sensors to revolutionize diagnostics and environmental monitoring. This review underscores the transformative impact of AuNW-based SERS sensors in analytical chemistry, environmental science, and biomedical diagnostics, paving the way for next-generation sensing technologies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.776-784
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• 2019

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), the most well-known polyhydroxyalkanoate, is a bio-based, biodegradable polymer that has the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics. Lignocellulose hydrolysate, a non-edible resource, is a promising substrate for the sustainable, fermentative production of PHB. However, its application is limited by the generation of inhibitors during the pretreatment processes. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of PHB production in E. coli in the presence of inhibitors found in lignocellulose hydrolysates. Our results show that the introduction of PHB synthetic genes (bktB, phaB, and phaC from Ralstonia eutropha H16) improved cell growth in the presence of the inhibitors such as furfural, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and vanillin, suggesting that PHB synthetic genes confer resistance to these inhibitors. In addition, increased PHB production was observed in the presence of furfural as opposed to the absence of furfural, suggesting that this compound could be used to stimulate PHB production. Our findings indicate that PHB production using lignocellulose hydrolysates in recombinant E. coli could be an innovative strategy for cost-effective PHB production, and PHB could be a good target product from lignocellulose hydrolysates, especially glucose.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물공학회 2005년도 생물공학의 동향(XVI)
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• pp.247-251
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• 2005

This research was performed for developing of biological treatment process of odor gas such as MEK, $H_{2}S$, and toluene, which is generated from the food waste recycling process. To establish the operational conditions of odor gas removal by small-scale biofiltration equipment, it was continuously operated by using toluene as a treating odor object. When the odor treating microorganisms were adhered to fibril form biofilter, high removal efficiency over 93% was obtained by biofilm formation. At 400 ppm of inlet odor gas concentration and 10 sec of retention time, the removal efficiency was 76% and 93% in 1st stage reactor and 2nd stage reactor, respectively. However, the removal efficiency remained over 97% at the operational conditions above 15 sec of retention time.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 2005년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.641-644
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• 2005

The study on the interaction forces of some biological materials is important to understanding biological phenomena and their application to practical purpose. This paper introduces a measuring technique for biological adhesive forces using the AFM(Atomic Force Microscope). Since no standardized thesis on adhesive forces exist, the adhesive forces is defined as adhesive forces against a hardened surface of biological materials. To grant the results are meaningful, which is based on the understanding the surface characteristics of biological materials using the AFM, a nominal value of average adhesive force per unit area should be measured. Therefore the modified AFM probe with small micro glass bead was proposed so that it can guarantee the required contact area for measuring the average adhesive forces. A pyrex glass substrate with circular patterns, which was fabricated by micromachining technique, is introduced in order to controll the contact area. The two types of mussel adhesive proteins, Celltak and recombinant-MGFP5, were tested by the proposed measuring method. The test results show that the adhesive force of the mussel adhesive proteins can be reliably measured by use of this method.