• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.9-18
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• 2014

London Convention on the prevention of marine pollution by dumping of wastes and other matter prohibits the deliberate disposal of paper mill sludges at sea. In order to explore the alternative plan on the prohibition of sludge disposal at sea, the biodegradable seedling pot was developed by mixing the sludge with old newspaper (ONP) in appropriate mixing ratios. The C/N ratio of the mixed sludge was below 20, leading to rapid deterioration of the organic matters composing the seedling pot. The increased ONP contents in the seedling pot resulted in the increase of pot thickness and thereafter in the decrease of pot density. Cellulose fibers in ONP promoted water absorption of the pot but AKD addition helped the seedling pot to repel water during raising seedling. Breaking length and burst strength of the seedling pot were improved by addition of wet strength additives but air permeability was a little diminished. Biodegradable rate of the seedling pot in a soil was accelerated by the attack of soil microbes at the beginning, and finally the pot was completely degraded in 150 days in a soil.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.6 no.8
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• pp.786-795
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• 1996

The fiber reinforced thermoplastics(FRTP) were prepared with polypropylene fiber(PP) as matrix and polyvinyl alchol(VF), aramid(KF) or polyamide fiber(PAF) as the reinforcing materials using the integrated fiber mixing apparatus. The reinforced thermoplastic sheets were prepared by com¬pression molding and their morphology, rheological and mechanical properties were characterized. In the morphological properties of composites, the wettability of the reinforced thermoplastics were decreased in proportion to the content of fibers. At low angular frequency, the viscosity of PAF /PP and VF/PP composite was increased with the content of reinforced fiber. However at high frequency the viscosity of composite reinforced with 5~20wt% fiber, was shown the reduced values which approaches that of the neat matrix. The mechanical properties of the composite were changed with the content of reinforecd fiber, and VF/PP and KF/PP composite had better properties than PAF/PP system.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.311-320
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• 2019

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a morbific agent in periodontitis and halitosis. Egg yolk antibody (IgY) was obtained from egg yolks from chickens stimulated with F. nucleatum. This study was to assess the effectiveness of IgY on periodontitis and halitosis caused by F. nucleatum in vitro and in vivo. The growth of F. nucleatum was inhibited (p <0.05) by different concentrations of IgY in vitro and the results of a Halimeter show volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) were reduced to $904{\pm}57ppb$ at a concentration 40 mg/ml of IgY. The changes of fatty acids of F. nucleatum were determined using GC-MS. The scores for odor index of rat saliva were decreased. The major constituent of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including short-chain acids decreased 46.2% in 10 mg/ml IgY, ammonia decreased 70% in 40 mg/ml IgY, while aldehydes and olefine ketones were almost unchanged. The ELISA assay revealed that IL-6 and TNF-${\alpha}$ were decreased after 4 weeks' IgY treatment. Morphometric (X-ray) and histological analyses (HE) showed that IgY reduced alveolar bone loss and collagen fibers became orderly in rat models. As a result, IgY may have the potential to treat periodontitis and halitosis.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.285-292
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• 2020

Ancient cultural heritage made up of wood and organic fibers have been easily disintegrated or decomposed by various microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) system to sterilize the microorganisms in tangible cultural heritage. We collected several specimens from the surface of ancient documents and wooden artifacts. Finally, two bacteria and two fungi were prepared and sterilized using the APPJ treatment. The APPJ system is beneficial to its simple apparatus, quick operation time, and cost-effectiveness. Bacteria were almost sterilized within only 1 min treatment using 15 % O2 and applied bias voltage of 100 V. In case of the fungi, sterilization rate reached over 83 % but difficult to reach over 90 % even 10 min treatment. According to the plasma diagnostics using optical emission spectroscopy, it was found that the reactive oxygen species such as OH groups are critical for sterilization of microorganisms. Although further efforts should be performed, we believe that efficient sterilization could be realized by the simple, quick, and portable APPJ treatment system.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2021

Commercialized carbon fiber obtained from polyacrylonitrile(PAN) precursor is subjected to oxidation stabilization at 180 to 300℃ in air atmosphere and carbonization process at 1600℃ or lower in inert gas atmosphere. Both of these processes use a lot of time and high energy, but are essential and important for producing high-performance carbon fibers. Therefore, in recent years, an alternative stabilization technology by being assisted with various other energy sources such as plasma, electron beam and microwave which can shorten the process time and lower energy consumption has been studied. In this study, the PAN precursor was stabilized by using plasma treatment and heat treatment continuously. The morphology, structural changes, thermal and physical properties were analyzed using Field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) and Favimat.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2021

As a part of research to elucidate the pathogenesis of so called Soft Tunic Syndrome(STS), that caused mass mortalities in the cultured sea squirts, Halocynthia roretzi, the epidemiological and pathological analysis were done to both clinically normal and diseased groups of the farms of Tongyoung and Geoje coastal areas in southeast sea from February to July, 2008. In the histological finding of the tunic, most of individuals showed tunic softness syndromes that included the disarrangement and destruction of tunic fiber with the simultaneous presence of flagellates-like cells, recently suspected as main agents of tunic softness syndromes. Simultaneously, the intensive degenerative changes of the skeletal muscle of diseased sea squirts were recognized. The changes were characterized with the hyalinization and condensation of muscle fibril and hemocytic infiltration in the muscle fibers. Those were thought to be a kind of typical Zenker's necrosis as in the skeletal muscle of higher vertebrates. Besides of the diseased sea squirts, Zenker's necrosis of skeletal muscles were seen in the normal ones. Epidemiological inquiry for diseased groups revealed that the higher incidences of tunic softness syndrome were recorded in the fast growing groups and in the sites presuming the organic pollution. And Higher malondialadehyde(MDA) and glutathione peroxidase(GPx) activity were detected in the groups showing STS. Those results suggested that Zenker's necrosis of body muscles was a kind of"nutritional myopathy" by oxidative stress. Conclusively, it was considered that Zenker's necrosis of body muscles gives an important clue for elucidating pathogenesis of STS of cultured squirts. And it seems that the necrosis were caused by the oxidative stress to body muscle during abnormal rapid growth of sea squirts.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.99-109
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• 2022

This study is the first report on production and characterization of the enzyme from an Ornithinibacillus species. A 4.2-fold increase in the extracellular protease (called L9^T) production from Ornithinibacillus caprae L9^T was achieved through the one-factor-at-a-time approach and response surface methodological optimization. L9^T protease exhibited a unique protein band with a mass of 25.9 kDa upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This novel protease was active over a range of pH (4-13), temperatures (30-80℃) and salt concentrations (0-220 g/l), with the maximal activity observed at pH 7, 70℃ and 20 g/l NaCl. Proteolytic activity was upgraded in the presence of Ag⁺, Ca²⁺ and Sr²⁺, but was totally suppressed by 5 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, which suggests that this enzyme belongs to the serine protease family. L9^T protease was resistant to certain common organic solvents and surfactants; particularly, 5 mM Tween 20 and Tween 80 improved the activity by 63 and 15%, respectively. More importantly, L9^T protease was found to be effective in dehairing of goatskins, cowhides and rabbit-skins without damaging the collagen fibers. These properties confirm the feasibility of L9^T protease in industrial applications, especially in leather processing.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2_spc
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• pp.370-384
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• 2024

Rumen microbiota play a central role in the digestive process of ruminants. Their remarkable ability to break down complex plant fibers and proteins, converting them into essential organic compounds that provide animals with energy and nutrition. Research on rumen microbiota not only contributes to improving animal production performance and enhancing feed utilization efficiency but also holds the potential to reduce methane emissions and environmental impact. Nevertheless, studies on rumen microbiota face numerous challenges, including complexity, difficulties in cultivation, and obstacles in functional analysis. This review provides an overview of microbial species involved in the degradation of macromolecules, the fermentation processes, and methane production in the rumen, all based on cultivation methods. Additionally, the review introduces the applications, advantages, and limitations of emerging omics technologies such as metagenomics, meta-transcriptomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics, in investigating the functionality of rumen microbiota. Finally, the article offers a forward-looking perspective on the new horizons and technologies in the field of rumen microbiota functional research. These emerging technologies, with continuous refinement and mutual complementation, have deepened our understanding of rumen microbiota functionality, thereby enabling effective manipulation of the rumen microbial community.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.353-373
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• 2023

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with salted fermented vegetables and contains various nutrients and functional substances with potential health benefits. The fermentation process used to make kimchi creates chemical changes in the food, developing nutrients and functional substances that are more easily absorbed and enhanced by the body. Recent studies have shown that several lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from kimchi exhibit probiotic properties and have several health benefiting properties such as such as anticancer, anti-obesity, and anti-constipation; they also promote colon health and cholesterol reduction in in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as in epidemiological cohort studies. Kimchi contains prebiotics, non-digestible fibers that nourish beneficial gut bacteria; therefore, its intake effectively provides both probiotics and prebiotics for improved gut health and a fortified gut-derived immune system. Furthermore, fermentation of kimchi produces a variety of metabolites that enhance its functionality. These metabolites include organic acids, enzymes, vitamins, bioactive compounds, bacteriocins, exopolysaccharides, and γ-aminobutyric acid. These diverse health-promoting metabolites are not readily obtainable from single food sources, positioning kimchi as a valuable dietary option for acquiring these essential components. In this review, the health functionalities of kimchi ingredients, lactic acid bacteria strains, and health-promoting metabolites from kimchi are discussed for their properties and roles in kimchi fermentation. In conclusion, consuming kimchi can be beneficial for health. We highlight the benefits of kimchi consumption and establish a rationale for including kimchi in a balanced, healthy diet.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.3 s.55
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• pp.110-118
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• 2009

The tunnel structure is widely used for transportation in the mountain area. To reduce the duration of construction and thus the expense, a tunnel excavation is often performed simultaneously with a tunnel lining in in-situ. However, cracking of the tunnel lining may occur arising from the vibrating impact in the excavation process. The present study concerns the role of steel fiber and nylon fibers in tunnel lining concrete to reduce the vibrating impact. As a result it was found that both the nylon fiber and steel fiber improved the durability and physical properties of concrete.