• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1201-1207
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• 2020

This study explored whether MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x) could remove radioactive Cs⁺ from model nuclear wastewater. Various adsorption tests were performed and the physical aspects of the interaction were investigated. We varied the MXene dosage, Cs⁺ initial concentration, solution pH, solution temperature and exposure time. MXene adsorption exhibited very fast kinetics, based on the fact that equilibrium was achieved within 1 h. MXene exhibited an outstanding adsorption capacity (148 mg g^-1) at adsorbent and adsorbate concentrations of 5 and 2 mg L^-1, respectively, at neutral pH condition (i.e., pH 7). We explored Cs⁺ adsorption by MXene in the presence of four different ions (NaCl, KCl, CaCl₂ and MgCl₂) and three different organic acids (sodium oleate, oxalic acid, and citric acid). The Cs⁺ removal rate changed in the presence of these components; adsorption of Cs⁺ by MXene thus involved ion exchange, supported by both Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We confirmed that MXene was re-usable for at least four cycles. MXene is cost-effective and practical when used to adsorb radionuclides (e.g., Cs⁺) in nuclear wastewater.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.126-130
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• 1989

In 14 kinds of ginsenosides in ginseng saponin, ginsenoside Rbr is contained the most abundantly. But ginsenoside Rd which is similar to ginsenoside R $b_1$in structure, was known to be superior to ginsenoside R $b_1$pharmaceutically. The convertible enzyme which can transform ginsenoside R $b_1$to Binsenoside Rd specifically among ginseng saponin, was purified homogeneously from Rhizopus japonicus. The optimal pH for the action of the enzyme was pH 4.8 to 5.0, and optimal temperature was 45$^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was stable in the range of pH 4.0 to 9.0, and the half activity of enzyme was remained by the thermal treatment at 6$0^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. The enzyme activity was enhanced by addition of M $n^{++}$ or Fe, though inhibited by EDTA or o-phenanthroline. On the substrate specificity, the enzyme was. able to hydrolyze gentiobiose, cellobiose, amygdalin and prunasin, but not to hydrolyze any other kinds of Binsenosides besides Binsenoside R $b_1$. Km values of the enzyme for ginsenoside R $b_1$, gentiobiose and amygdalin were 5.0mM, 4.8mM and 3.7mM, respectively.3.7mM, respectively.y.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2008

L-Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in vegetables is an essential component of human nutrition. The objective is to transform lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with GalUR gene that is involved in the vitamin C biosynthesis. The cotyledons of Hwoahong (Nongwoo Bio Co.) were used to induce the callus and shoot under the selection media with MS + 30 g/L Sucrose + 0.5 mg/L BAP + 0.1 mg/L NAA + 100 mg/L kanamycin + 200 mg/L lilacillin, pH 5.2. The shoot was developed from the cut side of the explants after 3 weeks on the selection media. We successfully transformed the lettuce with GaIUR gene and analyzed the levels of vitamin C. We found that some of the lettuce transgenic lines contained higher levels of vitamin C compared with the normal one (non-transformed). Especially, some of $T_1$ lettuces inserted by GalUR showed about $3{\sim}4$ times higher content of vitamin C compared to the non-transformed lettuce. This data support the previously work performed with GLOase transgenic $T_1$ lettuces from which several times higher content of vitamin C were identified. The $T_2$ lettuces with high content of vitamin C have been selected for further analysis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.360-367
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• 2006

The endoinulinase gene (inu1) from Pseudomonas mucidolens was expressed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by fusing with Aga2p linked to the membrane anchored protein, Aga1p. The inu1 gene of P. mucidolens was subcloned into the surface display vector, pCTcon (GAL1 promoter). The constructed plasmid, pCTENIU (8.5kb), was then introduced to S. cerevisiae EBY100 cells and the yeast transformants selected on synthetic defined media lacking uracil and inulin-containing media. The inu1 gene under the control of the GAL1 promoter was successfully expressed in the yeast transformants, and the surface display of endoinulinase confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy, along with its enzymatic ability to form inulooligosaccharides (IOSs) from inulin. The total endoinulinase activity reached about 2.31 units/ml when the yeast transform ants were cultivated on a YPDG medium. To efficiently hydrolyze the inulin, various reaction conditions were examined, including the pH, temperature, and inulin source. The optimized conditions were then determined as follows: pH, 7.0; temperature, $50^{\circ}C$; inulin source, Jerusalem artichoke. Under the optimized condition and 46 units of endoinulinase per g of inulin, IOSs started to be produced after 10 min of enzymatic reaction. The highest yield, 71.2% of IOSs, was achieved after 30 h of reaction without any significant loss of the initial enzyme activity. As a result of the reaction with inulin, IOSs consisting of inulobiose (F2), inulotriose (F3), inulotetraose (F4), and inulopentaose (F5) were produced, and F4 was the major product.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.426-426
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• 2012

본 연구에서는 GaAs p-i-n 접합 구조에 InAs 양자점을 삽입한 양자점 태양전지(Quantum Dot Solar Cell; QDSC)의 내부 전기장(internal electric field)을 조사하기 위하여 Photoreflectance (PR) 방법을 이용하였다. QDSC 구조는 GaAs p-i-n 구조의 공핍층 내에 8주기의 InAs 양자점 층을 삽입하였으며 각 양자점 층은 40 nm 두께의 i-GaAs로 분리하였다. InAs/GaAs QDSC는 분자선박막 성장장치(molecular beam epitaxy; MBE)를 이용하여 성장하였다. 이 때 양자점의 형성은 InAs 2.0 ML(monolayer)를 기판온도 $470^{\circ}C$에서 증착하였다. QDSC 구조에서 여기광원의 세기에 따른 전기장의 변화를 조사하였다. 아울러 양자점 층 사이의 i-GaAs 층 내에 6.0 nm의 AlGaAs 퍼텐셜 장벽(potential barrier)을 삽입하여 퍼텐셜 장벽 유무에 따른 전기장 변화를 조사하였다. PR 측정에서 여기광원으로는 633 nm의 He-Ne 레이저를 이용하였으며 여기광의 세기는 $2mW/cm^2$에서 $90mW/cm^2$까지 변화를 주어 여기광세기 의존성실험을 수행하였다. 여기광의 세기가 증가할수록 photovoltaic effect에 의한 내부 전기장의 변화를 관측할 수 있었다. PR 결과로부터 p-i-n 구조의 p-i 영역과 i-n 접합 계면의 junction field를 검출하였다. p-i-n의 i-영역에 양자점을 삽입한 경우 PR 신호에서 Franz-Keldysh oscillation (FKO)의 주파수가 p-i-n 구조와 비교하여 변조됨을 관측하였다. 이러한 FKO 주파수성분은 fast Fourier transform (FFT)을 이용하여 검출하였다. FKO의 주파수 성분들은 고전기장하에서 electron-heavyhole (e-hh)과 electron-lighthole (e-lh) 전이에 의해 나타나는 성분으로 확인되었다.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.685-700
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a systematic weighting procedure based on process capability indices method applying weighted mean squared error minimization (WMSE) approach to dual response surface optimization. Methods: The proposed procedure consists of 5 steps. Step 1 is to prepare the alternative vectors. Step 2 is to rank the vectors based on process capability indices in a pairwise manner. Step 3 is to transform the pairwise rankings into the inequalities between the corresponding WMSE values. Step 4 is to obtain the weight value by calculating the inequalities. Or, step 5 is to obtain the weight value by minimizing the total violation amount, in case there is no weight value in step 4. Results: The typical 4 process capability indices, namely, $C_p$, $C_{pk}$, $C_{pm}$, $C_{pmk}$ are utilized for the proposed procedure. Conclusion: The proposed procedure can provide a weight value in WMSE based on the objective quality performance criteria, not on the decision maker's subjective judgments or experiences.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.97-107
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• 2023

Malaria remains to be one of the most severe global public health concerns. Traditionally, Aspilia Africana and Warburgia ugandensis have been used to treat malaria in several African countries for millennia. In the current study, A. africana calli (AaC), A. africana in vitro roots (AaIR), A. africana wild leaf (AaWL), and W. ugandensis stem bark (WuSB) were dried and pulverized. Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze the powdered samples, while 80% ethanolic extracts of each sample were assayed for antiplasmodial activity (against Plasmodium falciparum strains DD2 (chloroquine-resistant) and 3D7 (chloroquine-sensitive)) and cytotoxicity. WuSB showed the highest antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ = 1.57 ± 0.210 ㎍/ml and 8.92 ± 0.365 ㎍/ml against P. falciparum 3D7 and DD2, respectively) and selectivity indices (43.90 ± 7.914 and 7.543 ± 0.051 for P. falciparum 3D7 and DD2, respectively). The highest total polyphenolic contents (total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 367.9 ± 3.55 mg GAE/g and 203.9 ± 1.43 mg RUE/g, respectively) were recorded for WuSB and the lowest were recorded for AaC. The antiplasmodial activities of the tested plant tissues correlated positively with total polyphenolic content. The high selectivity indices of WuSB justify its traditional applications in treating malaria and present it as a good candidate for discovering new antimalarial compounds. We recommend elicitation treatment for AaIR, which showed moderate antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum DD2, to increase its secondary metabolite production for optimal antimalarial activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.1233-1241
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• 2017

The ginsenoside Rh2 has strong anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic effects. However, the application of ginsenoside Rh2 is restricted because of the small amounts found in Korean white and red ginsengs. To enhance the production of ginsenoside Rh2-MIX (comprising 20(S)-Rh2, 20(R)-Rh2, Rk2, and Rh3 as a 10-g unit) with high specificity, yield, and purity, a new combination of enzymatic conversion using the commercial enzyme Viscozyme L followed by acid treatment was developed. Viscozyme L treatment at pH 5.0 and $50^{\circ}C$ was used initially to transform the major ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, and Rd into ginsenoside F2, followed by acid-heat treatment using citric acid 2% (w/v) at pH 2.0 and $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min. Scale-up production in a 10-L jar fermenter, using 60 g of the protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside mixture from ginseng roots, produced 24 g of ginsenoside Rh2-MIX. Using 2 g of Rh2-MIX, 131 mg of 20(S)-Rh2, 58 mg of 20(R)-Rh2, 47 mg of Rk2, and 26 mg of Rh3 were obtained at over 98% chromatographic purity. Then, the anti-cancer effect of the four purified ginsenosides was investigated on B16F10, MDA-MB-231, and HuH-7 cell lines. As a result, these four rare ginsenosides markedly inhibited the growth of the cancer cell lines. These results suggested that rare ginsenoside Rh2-MIX could be exploited to prepare an anti-cancer supplement in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

The degradation of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous solution by nano-metallic particles (NMPs) was studied to evaluate the possibility of applying NMPs to remove MB from the wastewater. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the synthesized NMPs before and after the reaction. The effects of the NMP dosage, the initial pH, the initial concentration of MB and the amount of $H_2O_2$ on the MB degradation outcomes were studied. The highest removal rate of MB was achieved to be 100% with an initial MB concentration of 5 mg/L, followed by 99.6% with an initial concentration of 10 mg/L under the following treatment conditions: dose of NMP of 0.15 g/L, concentration of $H_2O_2-100mM$ and a temperature of $25^{\circ}C$. The SEM analysis revealed that the nano particles were not spherical in shape. FTIR spectra shows occurrence of metal oxides on the surfaces of the NMPs. The XPS analyses results represent that Fe, Zn, N, Ca, C and O were occurred on the surfaces of the NMPs. The degradation of MB was suitable for the pseudo-first-order kinetics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1650-1655
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• 2009

The $\beta$-glucuronidase (GUS) gene from Lactobacillus brevis RO1 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli GMS407. The GUS gene was composed of 1,812 bp, encoding a 603-amino-acid protein belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 2 with three conserved domains. The amino acid similarity was higher than 70% with the $\beta$-glucuronidases of various microorganisms, yet less than 58% with the $\beta$-glucuronidase of L. gasseri ADH. Overexpression and purification of the GUS was performed in $\beta$-glucuronidase-deficient E. coli GMS407. The purified GUS protein was 71 kDa and showed 1,284 U/mg of specific activity at optimum conditions of pH 5.0 and $37^{\circ}C$. At $37^{\circ}C$, the GUS remained stable for 80 min at pH values ranging from 5.0 to 8.0. The purified enzyme exhibited a half-life of 1 h at $60^{\circ}C$ and more than 2 h at $50^{\circ}C$. When the purified GUS was applied to transform baicalin and wogonoside into their corresponding aglycones, $150\;{\mu}M$ of baicalin and $125\;{\mu}M$ of wogonoside were completely transformed into baicalein and wogonin, respectively, within 3 h.