• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.120-126
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• 2018

As a basic study for environment-friendly production of bacterial cellulose (BC) dressing with antimicrobial activity, we isolated and identified acetic acid bacteria which are resistant to silver ions and can biosynthesize silver nanoparticles. Furthermore, conditions of BC production by selected strain were also investigated. Strain G7 isolated from decayed grape skin was able to grow in the presence of 0.1 mM $AgNO_3$ which was identified as Acetobacter intermedius based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. BC production was the highest in a medium containing 2% glucose as a carbon source, 2% yeast extract as a nitrogen source, and 0.115% acetic acid as a cosubstrate. Structural properties of BC produced in optimal medium were studied using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometer, and it was found that BC produced was cellulose type I that was the same as a typical native cellulose. When strain G7 was cultured in an optimal medium containing 0.1 mM $AgNO_3$, the color of the culture broth turned into reddish brown, indicating that silver nanoparticles were formed. As a result of UV-Vis spectral analysis of the culture, it was found that a unique absorption spectrum of silver nanoparticles at 425 nm was also observed. Scanning electron microscopic observations showed that silver nanoparticles were formed on the surface and pores of BC membrane.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.114-120
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• 2002

A 1,989-bp genomic region encoding nickel resistance genes was isolated from Legionella pneumophila, a pathogen for legionellosis. From a sequencing and computer analysis, the region was found to harbor two structural genes, a nreB-like protein gene (1,149 bp) and a nreA-like protein gene (270 bp), in a row. Both genes exhibited a significant degree of similarity to the corresponding genes from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 ($54\%$ amino acid sequence identity) and Achromobacter xylosoxidans 31A ($76\%$). The gene was successfully expressed in E. coli MG1655 and conferred a nickel resistance of up to 5 mM in an LB medium and 3 mM in a TMS medium including gluconate as the sole carbon source. E. coli harboring the nickel resistance gene also exhibited a substantial resistance to cobalt, yet no resistance to cadmium or zinc. Since the extracellular concentration of nickel remained constant during the whole period of cultivation, it was confirmed that the nickel resistance was provided by an efflux system like the $Ni^2＋$permease (nrsD) of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. Since polyphosphate (poly-P) is known as a global regulator for gene expression as well as a potential virulence factor in E. coli, the nickel resistance of a ppk mutant of E. coli MG 1655 harboring the nickel resistance gene from L. pneumophila was compared with that of its parental strain. The nickel resistance was significantly attenuated by ppk inactivation, which was more pronounced in an LB medium than in a TMS medium.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.269-274
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• 2008

In this study we successfully altered the structural characteristics of the mica surface and were able to control oil-absorption by using the microwave enhanced etching (MEE) technique, which has originally been used in semiconductor industry. When microwave energy is applied to the mica, the surface of the mica is etched in a few minutes. As the result of etching, oil-absorption of the mica was enhanced and surface whiteness was improved by modifying the silicon dioxide layer. Additionally, the high whiteness was maintained even though the etched mica absorbed the sebum or sweat. The surface modification of mica was performed by microwave irradiation after the treatment of hydrofluoric acid. The degree of etching was regulated by acid concentration, irradiation time, the amount of energy and slurry concentration. The surface morphology of the etched mica appears to be the shape of the 'Moon'. The characteristics of surface area and roughness were examined by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), spectrophotometer and goniophotometer.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.631-635
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• 2017

We report facile solution processing of mesoporous hematite (${\alpha}-Fe_2O_3$) thin films for high efficiency solar-driven water splitting. $Fe_2O_3$ thin films were prepared on fluorine doped tin oxide(FTO) conducting substrates by spin coating of a precursor solution followed by annealing at $550^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. in air ambient. Specifically, the precursor solution was prepared by dissolving non-toxic $FeCl_3$ as an Fe source in highly versatile dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) as a solvent. The as-deposited and annealed thin films were characterized for their morphological, structural and optical properties using field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The photoelectrochemical performance of the precursor (${\alpha}-FeOOH$) and annealed (${\alpha}-Fe_2O_3$) films were characterized and it was found that the ${\alpha}-Fe_2O_3$ film exhibited an increased photocurrent density of ${\sim}0.78mA/cm^2$ at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which is about 3.4 times higher than that of the ${\alpha}-FeOOH$ films ($0.23mA/cm^2$ at 1.23 V vs. RHE). The improved performance can be attributed to the improved crystallinity and porosity of ${\alpha}-Fe_2O_3$ thin films after annealing treatment at higher temperatures. Detailed electrical characterization was further carried out to elucidate the enhanced PEC performance of ${\alpha}-Fe_2O_3$ thin films.

• Kyungpook Mathematical Journal
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.95-101
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• 2014

An n-tuple ($a_1,a_2,{\ldots},a_n$) is symmetric, if $a_k$ = $a_{n-k+1}$, $1{\leq}k{\leq}n$. Let $H_n$ = {$(a_1,a_2,{\ldots},a_n)$ ; $a_k$ ${\in}$ {+,-}, $a_k$ = $a_{n-k+1}$, $1{\leq}k{\leq}n$} be the set of all symmetric n-tuples. A symmetric n-sigraph (symmetric n-marked graph) is an ordered pair $S_n$ = (G,${\sigma}$) ($S_n$ = (G,${\mu}$)), where G = (V,E) is a graph called the underlying graph of $S_n$ and ${\sigma}$:E ${\rightarrow}H_n({\mu}:V{\rightarrow}H_n)$ is a function. The restricted super line graph of index r of a graph G, denoted by $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r$(G). The vertices of $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r$(G) are the r-subsets of E(G) and two vertices P = ${p_1,p_2,{\ldots},p_r}$ and Q = ${q_1,q_2,{\ldots},q_r}$ are adjacent if there exists exactly one pair of edges, say $p_i$ and $q_j$, where $1{\leq}i$, $j{\leq}r$, that are adjacent edges in G. Analogously, one can define the restricted super line symmetric n-sigraph of index r of a symmetric n-sigraph $S_n$ = (G,${\sigma}$) as a symmetric n-sigraph $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r$($S_n$) = ($\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(G)$, ${\sigma}$'), where $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(G)$ is the underlying graph of $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$, where for any edge PQ in $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$, ${\sigma}^{\prime}(PQ)$=${\sigma}(P){\sigma}(Q)$. It is shown that for any symmetric n-sigraph $S_n$, its $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$ is i-balanced and we offer a structural characterization of super line symmetric n-sigraphs of index r. Further, we characterize symmetric n-sigraphs $S_n$ for which $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$~$\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$ and $$\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(S_n){\sim_=}\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$$, where ~ and $$\sim_=$$ denotes switching equivalence and isomorphism and $\mathcal{R}\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$ and $\mathcal{L}_r(S_n)$ are denotes the restricted super line symmetric n-sigraph of index r and super line symmetric n-sigraph of index r of $S_n$ respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.116-120
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• 2015

$La_2NiO_{4+{\delta}}$ based oxides, a mixed electronic-ionic conductors (MIECs) with $K_2NiF_4$ type structure, have been considerably investigated in recent decades as electrode materials for advanced solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to their high electrical conductivity, and oxidation reduction reaction (ORR). In this study, structure properties of $La(Ca)_2Ni(Cu)O_{4+{\delta}}$ were studied as a potential cathode for intermediate temperature SOFCs (IT-SOFCs).

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2013

Acetylated Cellulose Ether (ACE), cellulose-based amphiphilic polymer with hydrophilic and hydrophobic, was synthesized and investigated in terms of its solubility and wettability for organic solvents and water. Acetyl group was substituted to the cellulose ether in a hydrophilic polymer by esterification. As a result of FT-IR, the peak corresponding to the hydroxyl group decreased and carboxyl acid peak increased with increasing reaction time and temperature, which signified the increase in the degree of acetylation of the ACE. There were similar thermal decomposition behaviors before and after esterification reaction until $800^{\circ}C$ so that the reaction occurred without significant structural changes of cellulose backbones. The solubility parameter of the ACE had a range of 18.5~26.4, and its viscosity and turbidity were controlled according to the solubility parameter of organic solvents. The ACE showed the hydrophilicity because the contact angle of the ACE was higher than the cellulose ether. These results confirmed that the ACE had the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity due to the ether which was glucosidic bonding between the glucose units and un-reacted hydroxyl functional groups in the ACE.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 1973

The muscle of abalone, Notohaliotis discus (REEVE), and top-shell, Turbo cornutus Solander, were examined for protein composition. Then paramyosins which are known as one of the important structural protein of the muscle fibrils were isolated from the both muscle and their physico-chemical properties such as solubility, salting-out behaviour, intrinsic viscosity, ATPase activity, etc. involving amino acid composition and N-terminal amino acid residues were investigated to elucidate phylogenie characteristics more intensively from the viewpoint of comparative biochemistry. The analysis of protein composition resulted in the following estimations: abalone muscle; water-soluble protein of 22 %, salt-soluble protein, 34%, alkali-soluble protein, 20%, and stroma protein, 24%, and top-shell muscle; water-soluble protein of 16%, salt-soluble protein, 30%, alkali-soluble protein, 29%, and stroma protein, 25%, respectively. It is demonstrated in sedimentation analysis that paramyosin and myosin-actomyosin account for approximately 65% and 35% of the salt-soluble protein of abalone, and that the composition of both sediments in top-shell was approximately 70% and 30%, respectively. The ultracentrifugally homogenous paramyosins isolated essentially according to Bailey's ethanol-dried method from both of the muscle showed a $S^{\circ}_{20,w}$ of 3. 14s for abalone and a $S^{\circ}_{20,w}$ of 3.50s for top-shell. The both paramyosins were commonly rich in arginine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid, while scarcely contained proline and tryptophan, in rough accord with the other paramyosins thus far reported. It is clear that these gastropod paramyosins showed of having the characteristic N-terminal amino acid residues such as N-aspartic acid, N-valine, N-serine, and N-threonine in common. The abalone paramyosin completely salted in with KCl beyond $0.35{\mu}$ and the top-shell paramyosin beyond $0.30{\mu}$. The abalone paramyosin was salted-out between 18% and 30% saturation of ammonium sulphate and the top-shell paramyosin between 22% and 29% saturation. The intrinsic viscosities at abalone and top-shell paramyosins at $25^{\circ}C$ were estimated respectively to be 3.1 dl/g and 2.6 dl/g showing somewhat higher than the values for some other paramyosins from lamellibranchs. In regard with the ATPase activity, the para myosin specimens did not exhibit any significant activity over through the pH conditions of 5 to 9.5. irrespective of the presence of $Ca^{++}$ or $Mg^{++}$. So was the case with the abalone paramyosin prepared by a slightly modified Bailey's wet-extraction method.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.431-437
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• 1996

The nar promoter of Escherichta coli, which is maximally induced under anaerobic conditions in the presence of nitrate, was characterized to see whether the nar promoter cloned onto pBR322 can be used as an expression promoter. The modified nar promoter, in which several bases in the -10 region was mutated to the consensus sequence by site-directed mutagenesis, was characterized in E. coli, on which chromosome the fnr gene affecting expression of the nar promoter according to dissolved oxygen level was mutated. The E. coli lacZ gene was used as a reporter gene. The following effects were investigated to find optimal conditions to induce the modified nar promoter: induction methods, optimal nitrate concentrations, the amount of ${\beta}$-galactosidase expressed at the different growth conditions, and induction characteristics. The following results were obtained from the experiments : expression of ${\beta}$-galactosidase from the modified nar promoter was not affected much by nitrate concentrations. The maximal specific ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity was obtained when E. coli was grown under aerobic conditions, and then the modified nar promoter was induced at OD600=2.2 under microaerobic conditions (DO=1∼2%), under which conditions the maximal specific ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity was 13,000 Miller units. However, the specific ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity was approximately 6,000 Miller units even before the modified nar promoter was induced. Therefore, the modified nar promoter seemed to be useful when the cloned gene wants to be expressed in E. coli constitutively.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.759-768
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• 2016

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) treatment urgently requires a novel drug. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are a family of Ser/Thr protein kinases, but still have to be characterized in Echinococcus granulosus. We identified a 1,107 bp cDNA encoding a 368 amino acid MAPK protein (Egp38) in E. granulosus. Egp38 exhibits 2 distinguishing features of p38-like kinases: a highly conserved T-X-Y motif and an activation loop segment. Structural homology modeling indicated a conserved structure among Egp38, EmMPK2, and H. sapiens $p38{\alpha}$, implying a common binding mechanism for the ligand domain and downstream signal transduction processing similar to that described for $p38{\alpha}$. Egp38 and its phosphorylated form are expressed in the E. granulosus larval stages vesicle and protoscolices during intermediate host infection of an intermediate host. Treatment of in vitro cultivated protoscolices with the p38-MAPK inhibitor ML3403 effectively suppressed Egp38 activity and led to significant protoscolices death within 5 days. Treatment of in vitro-cultivated protoscolices with $TGF-{\beta}1$ effectively induced Egp38 phosphorylation. In summary, the MAPK, Egp38, was identified in E. granulosus, as an anti-CE drug target and participates in the interplay between the host and E. granulosus via human $TGF-{\beta}1$.