• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1050-1056
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• 2023

Weizmannia coagulans (formerly Bacillus coagulans) is Gram-positive, and spore-forming bacteria causing food spoilage, especially in acidic canned food products. To control W. coagulans, we isolated a bacteriophage Youna2 from a sewage sludge sample. Morphological analysis revealed that phage Youna2 belongs to the Siphoviridae family with a non-contractile and flexible tail. Youna2 has 52,903 bp double-stranded DNA containing 61 open reading frames. There are no lysogeny-related genes, suggesting that Youna2 is a virulent phage. plyYouna2, a putative endolysin gene was identified in the genome of Youna2 and predicted to be composed of a N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase domain (PF01520) at the N-terminus and unknown function DUF5776 domain (PF19087) at the C-terminus. While phage Youna2 has a narrow host range, infecting only certain strains of W. coagulans, PlyYouna2 exhibited a broad antimicrobial spectrum beyond the Bacillus genus. Interestingly, PlyYouna2 can lyse Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Pseudomonas putida and Cronobacter sakazakii without other additives to destabilize bacterial outer membrane. To the best of our knowledge, Youna2 is the first W. coagulans-infecting phage and we speculate its endolysin PlyYouna2 can provide the basis for the development of a novel biocontrol agent against various foodborne pathogens.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.387-393
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• 2017

The dynamic interactions between benzoic acid derivative ($pH{\approx}7.0$)(guest) and ${\beta}$-cyclodextrin (${\beta}$-CD)(host) were investigated in an aqueous solutions in terms of ultrasonic absorption in the frequency range 0.2 MHz ~ 50 MHz with emphasis on the low-frequency range below 1 MHz at $25^{\circ}C$. We show that the interaction of ${\beta}$-CD and benzoic acid derivative complies with a typical spectrum of a single relaxation process around a few MHz. The ultrasonic relaxation observed in these solutions was due to a perturbation of a chemical equilibrium related to a reaction of an inclusion complex formed by the host and guest. The rate constant ($k_b=7.48{\times}10^6M^{-1}s^{-1}$) and equilibrium constant ($K=68.6M^{-1}$) were determined from the concentration dependences of benzoic acid on the relaxation frequency. The standard volume change (${\Delta}V=10.6{\times}10^{-6}m^3mol^{-1}$) of the reaction was also computed from the maximum absorption per wavelength. It was found that the hydrophobicity of guest molecules played an important role in the formation of the inclusion complex.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.68-71
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• 2009

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) was not infected in figleaf gourd by sap inoculation. However CGMMV was detected by RT-PCR from the figleaf gourd collected from a field growing cucumber grafted onto figleaf gourd in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam Province in 2008. Which field showed 100% infection rate of the virus disease. In the experiment grafted with cucumber onto figleaf gourd, transportation of CGMMV through cucumber to figleaf gourd was confirmed by RT-PCR when the virus was mechanically inoculated on the leaves of the cucumber. The amplified DNA concentration of the virus on electrophoresis gel was much higher in the cucumber than in the figleaf gourd. However, the virus particles from the figleaf gourds were not observed under electron microscopy, also sap of the figleaf gourds was not transmittable to Nicotiana benthamiana. To identify the existence of CGMMV particle, the virus was purified from figleaf gourd and cucumber growing together in the graft system. CGMMV solution extracted from the cucumber represented a typical absorption spectrum of the virus but that from the figleaf gourd did not. Only a few CGMMV particles were observed in the purified preparation from the figleaf gourd. These results confirmed that CGMMV only passed through figleaf gourd in the grafting system. This study indicated that figleaf gourd is not a host of CGMMY.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.594-600
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• 2018

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important pathogenic bacterium. To control STEC, the characteristics of the ECP33 and NOECP91 coliphages, which belong to the Myoviridae family, were analyzed. The host inhibition range for a total of 44 STEC strains was 45.5% for ECP33 and 65.9% for NOECP91. ECP33 and NOECP91 were relatively stable at $65^{\circ}C$, 50 ppm of sodium hyperchlorite, and a pH value of 4-10. However, the two phages were susceptible to a temperature of $70^{\circ}C$. NOECP91 was killed within 1 h after exposure to 30% ethanol, but ECP33 showed high tolerance even after exposure to 70% ethanol for 1 h. Interestingly, the inhibition of STEC growth according to the multiplicity of infection of 0.1 was confirmed until no growth was observed after 10 hours of culture with the phages. Therefore, the ECP33 and NOECP91 phages may be applied as a biological control agent for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.618-622
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• 2004

Excitation spectra of the 1.6 rm emission originating from $Ho^{3＋}$：$^{5}$ I$_{5}$ \longrightarrow$^{5}$ I$_{7}$ transition in fluoride, sulfide, and selenide glasses were measured at wavelengths around 900nm where the fluorescing $^{5}$ I$_{5}$ level is located. In specific energy range where the frequency upconversion populating $^{5}$ F$_{1}$ state happens, the excitation efficiency of the 1.6 fm emission was deteriorated in fluoride and sulfide hosts. In selenide however spectral line shapes of the excitation spectrum and the '$^{5}$ I$_{8}$ \longrightarrow$^{5}$ I$_{5}$ absorption spectrum looked seemingly identical to each other. Differences in optical nonlinearity as well as electronic band gap energy of the host glasses used are responsible for the experimental observations. On the other hand, codoping of rare earths such as Tb$^{3+}$, Dy$^{3+}$, Eu$^{3+}$, and Nd$^{3+}$ was effective in decreasint the terminating $^{5}$ I$_{7}$ level lifetime. However, at the same time, some of the codopants increased unnecessary absorption at the 1.6 $\mu$m wavelengths via their ground state absorption. Though the lifetime quenching effect of Eu$^{3+}$ was moderate, it exhibited no additional extrinsic absorption at the 1.6 $\mu$m band.EX>m band.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.645-652
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• 2019

Phosphor with phosphorus doped with rare earth ions was investigated by searching Sr and Eu phosphors suitable for substitution of Eu ions with similar ionic radius to polyphosphate host. The $NaSr(PO_3)_3$ phosphor was synthesized by the solid state method and the $NaSr(PO_3)_3:Eu^{2+}$ phosphor was prepared by the carbon thermal reduction method. Both of the phosphors were identified by X - ray diffraction. The excitation and emission spectra of $NaSr(PO_3)_3:Eu^{3+}$ increased fluorescence intensity and intensity quenching with increasing $Eu^{3+}$ concentration. The higher the $Eu^{3+}$ concentration in the emission spectrum, the higher the local symmetry of $Eu^{3+}$ environment. The mechanism of concentration quenching, in which fluorescence decreases due to the energy transfer between $Eu^{2+}$ ions with the closest critical distance between $Eu^{2+}$ ions with increasing $Eu^{2+}$ ion concentration, was confirmed in the emission spectrum of $NaSr(PO_3)_3:Eu^{2+}$ concentration. It is possible to change the fluorescent region through the post-processing of single rare earth ion added phosphors, and it is possible to change the fluorescence by applying the energy transfer and concentration quenching mechanism according to the local symmetry of $Eu^{3+}$ will be used for high phosphor development.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.469-473
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• 2014

$SrSnO_3$ phosphor powders were synthesized with two different contents of activator ions $Eu^{3+}$ and $Tb^{3+}$ using the solid-state reaction method. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the phosphors were investigated using X-ray diffractometry, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and fluorescence spectrophotometry, respectively. All the phosphors showed a cubic structure, irrespective of the type and the content ratio of activator ions. For $Eu^{3+}$-doped $SrSnO_3$ phosphors, the intensity of the 620 nm red emission spectrum resulting from the $^5D_0{\rightarrow}^7F_2$ transition of $Eu^{3+}$ was stronger than that of the 595 nm orange emission signal due to the $^5D_0{\rightarrow}^7F_1$ transition in the range 0.01-0.05 mol of $Eu^{3+}$, but the ratio of the intensity was reversed in the range 0.10-0.20 mol of $Eu^{3+}$. The variation in the emission intensity indicates that the site symmetry of the $Eu^{3+}$ ions around the host crystal was changed from non-inversion symmetry to inversion. For the $Tb^{3+}$-doped $SrSnO_3$ phosphors under excitation at 281 nm, one strong green emission band at 550 nm and several weak bands were observed. These results suggest that the optimum red and green emission signals can be realized when the activator ion content for $Eu^{3+}$- or $Tb^{3+}$-doped $SrSnO_3$ phosphors is 0.20 mol and 0.15 mol, respectively.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.74 no.2
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• pp.63-69
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• 2013

Background: Aiming to improve outcome of lung transplantation (LTx) patients, we reviewed risk factors and treatment practices for the LTx recipients who experienced respiratory infection in the late post-LTx period (>1 month after LTx). Methods: We analyzed the clinical data of 48 recipients and donors from 61 LTx, who experienced late respiratory infections. Late respiratory infections were classified according to the etiology, time of occurrence, and frequency of donor-to-host transmission or colonization of the recipient prior to transplantation. Results: During the period of observation, 42 episodes of respiratory infections occurred. The organisms most frequently involved were gram (-) bacteria: Acinetobacter baumannii (n=13, 31.0%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=7, 16.7%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=4, 10.0%). Among the 42 episodes recorded, 14 occurred in the late post-LTx period. These were bacterial (n=6, 42.9%), fungal (n=2, 14.3%), viral (n=4, 28.5%), and mycobacterial (n=2, 14.3%) infections. Of 6 bacterial infections, 2 were from multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii and one from each of MDR P. aeruginosa, extended spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase (+) K. pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infection-related death occurred in 6 of the 14 episodes (43%). Conclusion: Although the frequency of respiratory infection decreased sharply in the late post-LTx period, respiratory infection was still a major cause of mortality. Gram (-) MDR bacteria were the agents most commonly identified in these infections.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics D
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• v.35D no.11
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• pp.55-61
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• 1998

Organic light emitting devices from a single layer thin film with a hole transport polymer, poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) doped with 2-(4-bi phenyl)-5-(4-t-butyl-phenyl) -1,3,4-oxadiazole (Bu-PBD) as electron transporting molecules and Coumurine 6(C6), 1,1,4,4-tetraphenyl-1,3-butadiene (TPB), Rhodamine B as a emitter dye were fabricated. The sing1e layer structure and the use of soluble materials simplify the fabrication of devices by spin coating technique. The active layer consists of one polymer layer that is simply sandwiched between two electrodes, indium-tin oxide (ITO), and aluminum. In this structure, electron and hole inject from the electrodes to the PVK : Bu-PBD active layer. Respectively, Blue, green and orange colored emission spectrum by the use of TPB, C6, Rhodamine B dye emitted at 481nm, 500nm and 585nm were achieved during applied voltages. PVK materials can be useful as the host polymer to be molecularly doped with other organic dyes of the different luminescence colors. And EL color can be tuned to the full visible wavelength.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2003

Clubroot disease of curcifer crops caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae had been first reported in 1928 in Korea, and maintained mild occurrence until 1980s. Since 1990s the disease has become severe in alpine areas of Kyonggi and Kangwon, gradually spread to plain fields throughout the country, and remains as the great-est limiting factor for its production. Researches on the disease has begun in late 1990s after experiencing severe epidemics. Survey of occurrence and etiological studies have been carried out, particularly, on the pathogen physiology, race identification, quantification of soil pathogen population, and host spectrum of the pathogen. Ecology of gall formation and its decay, yield loss assessment associated with time of infection, and relationships between crop rotation and the disease incidence was also studied during late 1990s. In studies of its control, more than 200 crucifer cultivars were evaluated for their resistance to the disease. Lime applica-tion to field soil was also attempted to reduce the disease incidence. Resistant radish and welsh onion were recommended as rotation crops with crucifers after 3-year field experiments. However, so for, most studies on clubroot disease in Korea have been focused on chemical control. Two fungicides, fluazinam and flusulfamide, were selected and extensively studied on their application technologies and combination effects with lime application or other soil treatment. To develop environmentally-friendly control methods, solar-disinfection of soil, phosphoric acid as a nontoxic compound, and root-parasiting endophytes as biocontrol agents were examined for their effects on the disease in fields. In the future, more researches are needed to be done on development of resistant varieties effective to several races of the pathogen, establishment of economically-sound crop rotation system, and improvement of soil-disinfection technique applicable to Korean field condi-tion, and development of methodology of pretreatment of fungicides onto seeds and seedbeds.