• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.247-252
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• 2012

Of late, the development of advanced batteries with high power density and capacity has been indispensible for pushing ahead with much wider applications to electric vehicles and smart IT devices. However, a conventional Li-ion battery contains a limited energy density due to various technological challenges such that other types of Li batteries including Li-S and Li-air have been extensively studied due to their interestingly high energy capacities. Sulfur and oxygen, of which both are cathode materials, showing similar physicochemical characteristics have widely been available which may also contribute to the commercialization of these batteries. In this review, we introduce some perspectives in improving these advanced Li batteries through several approaches such as the provision of porous cathode structures, the optimization of cathode-electrolyte interfaces and the modification of Li anodes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.152-161
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• 2015

CodY is a highly conserved protein in low G+C gram-positive bacteria that regulates genes involved in sporulation and stationary-phase adaptation. Bacillus thuringiensis is a grampositive bacterium that forms spores and parasporal crystals during the stationary phase. To our knowledge, the regulatory mechanism of CodY in B. thuringiensis is unknown. To study the function of CodY protein in B. thuringiensis, BMB171codY^- was constructed in a BMB171 strain. A shuttle vector containing the ORF of cry1Ac10 was transformed into BMB171 and BMB171codY^-, named BMB171cry1Ac and BMB171codY^-cry1Ac, respectively. Some morphological and physiological changes of codY mutant BMB171codY^-cry1Ac were observed. A comparative proteomic analysis was conducted for both BMB171codY^-cry1Ac and BMB171cry1Ac through two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analysis. The results showed that the proteins regulated by CodY are involved in microbial metabolism, including branched-chain amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and energy metabolism. Furthermore, we found CodY to be involved in sporulation, biosynthesis of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, growth, genetic competence, and translation. According to the analysis of differentially expressed proteins, and physiological characterization of the codY mutant, we performed bacterial one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assay experiments and confirmed the direct regulation of genes by CodY, specifically those involved in metabolism of branched-chain amino acids, ribosomal recycling factor FRR, and the late competence protein ComER. Our data establish the foundation for in-depth study of the regulation of CodY in B. thuringiensis, and also offer a potential biocatalyst for functions of CodY in other bacteria.

• Korean Parent-Child Health Journal
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2003

Thus, I studied Health services supplied by local health centers and the requirements of the inhabitants visiting the health care facilities. The purpose of this study was to provide basic material for the establishment of Health care policy and the development of health care businesses. The target places for this study were 4 health centers; Chungrang-Gu, Nowon-Gu, Eunpyung-Gu, Songpa-Gu, with 509 mothers who were visiting the Centers. The question items of this study concerned a total of 124 health-related services provided by the Health Centers. The data was collected for a total of 92 days; July 1st~September 30th, 1999. 800 questionaries were distributed and 559 answered, 509 were analyzed finally. The collected data were processed using the SAS program to get mean, standard deviation, percentage. Open questions were made to reveal the opinions of mothers using the health care center. The results were as follows : 1. Among the participants of the study, 49.7% were 25~29 years of age, 84.3% were house wives by current occupation, 56.2% were from 4~6 person households. 52.1 were educated at a high school level, and 43.6% were educated at a collage level. 2. The highest percentage(53.6%) of the users were spontaneous in their utilization of health care center. The major reason for using the Health care center is that it is free to 65.8% of those covered and of low cost to 19.3% of those covered. 3. The satisfaction level of those using the health care center appeared to be generally high. The general average value showed up as $3.027{\pm}0.519$. 4. The level of recognition of the value of the heath care center services was high, particularly in the basic item of diagnoses of pregnancy, particularly in the basic item of diagnoses of pregnancy. However, the satisfaction level of health care education In pregnancy is low at 20~40%. In the meantime, the level of recognition in breast- feeding benefits is high at 76.8%. 5. The rate of realizing health care center's service campaign was generally low at 10~20%. 41.3 of the people knew the advertizing material of the health care centers. 32.4% of the people knew the advertizing material of the health care centers. 32.4% of the people knew the campaign of health care center for importance of breast-feeding benefits. 30.1% of the people knew the campaign for testing congenital mechanism disease. In the meantime about 50% was recognised the health care centers campaign for the importance and time of infants vaccination. 6. The need for enhancement of health care center services was shown to be high as $3.266{\pm}0.676$ as an average, chicken pox vaccination being the most highly requested at $3.565{\pm}0.587.$. 7. Among the open questions, the additional service to be provided were as follows ; increase of campaign of health care center services, furnishing advertizing books in public locations, providing shuttle bus service to the health care centers, extension of desire for preventative injections, rest and play areas for the children of the families serviced, consultation rooms, etc.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.122-129
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• 1998

It were reported that antifungal mechanism of Enterobacter cloacae is a volatile ammonia that produced by the strain in soil, and the production of ammonia is related to the bacterial urease activity. A powerful bacterium SH14 against soil-borne pathogen Fusarium solani, which cause root rot of many important crops, was selected from a ginseng pathogen suppressive soil. The strain SH14 was identified as Bacillus subtilis by cultural, biochemical, morphological method, and $API^{circledR}$ test. From several in vitro tests, the antifungal substance that is produced from B. subtilis SH14 was revealed as heat-stable and low-molecular weight antibiotic substance. In order to construct the multifunctional biocontrol agent, the urease gene of Bacillus pasteurii which can produce pathogenes-suppressive ammonia transferred into antifungal bacterium. First, a partial BamH I digestion fragment of plasmid pBU11 containing the alkalophilic B. pasteurii l1859 urease gene was inserted into the BamH I site of pEB203 and expressed in Escherichia coli JM109. The recombinant plasmid was designated as pGU366. The plasmid pGU366 containing urease gene was introduced into the B. subtilis SH14 with PEG-induced protoplast transformation (PIP) method. The urease gene was very stably expressed in the transformant of B. subtilis SH14. Also, the optimal conditions for transformation were established and the highest transformation frequency was obtained by treatment of lysozyme for 90 min, and then addition of 1.5 ${mu}g$/ml DNA and 40% PEG4000. From the in vitro antifungal test against F. solani, antifungal activity of B. subtilis SH14(pGu366) containing urease gene was much higher than that of the host strain. Genetical development of B. subtilis SH14 by transfer of urease gene can be responsible for enhanced biocontrol efficacy with its antibiotic action.