• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.525-537
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• 2024

Pilins are protein subunits of pili. The pilins of type IV pili (T4P) in pathogenic bacteria are well characterized, but anything is known about the T4P proteins in acidophilic chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms such as the genus Acidithiobacillus. The interest in T4P of A. thiooxidans is because of their possible role in cell recruitment and bacterial aggregation on the surface of minerals during biooxidation of sulfide minerals. In this study we present a successful ad hoc methodology for the heterologous expression and purification of extracellular proteins such as the minor pilin PilV of the T4P of A. thiooxidans, a pilin exposed to extreme conditions of acidity and high oxidation-reduction potentials, and that interact with metal sulfides in an environment rich in dissolved minerals. Once obtained, the model structure of A. thiooxidans PilV revealed the core basic architecture of T4P pilins. Because of the acidophilic condition, we carried out in silico characterization of the protonation status of acidic and basic residues of PilV in order to calculate the ionization state at specific pH values and evaluated their pH stability. Further biophysical characterization was done using UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and the results showed that PilV remains soluble and stable even after exposure to significant changes of pH. PilV has a unique amino acid composition that exhibits acid stability, with significant biotechnology implications such as biooxidation of sulfide minerals. The biophysics profiles of PilV open new paradigms about resilient proteins and stimulate the study of other pilins from extremophiles.

• 전기의세계
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• v.66 no.10
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• pp.17-22
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• 2017

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.558-568
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• 2023

Vibrio vulnificus is an aquatic bacterium causing septicemia and wound infection in humans. To understand this pathogen at the genomic level, it was performed whole genome sequencing of a cefoxitin-resistant strain, V. vulnificus 1908-10 possessing virulence-related genes (vvhA, viuB, and vcgC) isolated from Gadeok island coastal seawater in South Korea. The genome of V. vulnificus 1908-10 consisted of two circular contigs and no plasmid. The total genome size was estimated to be 5,018,425 bp with a guanine-cytosine (GC) content of 46.9%. We found 119 tRNA and 34 rRNA genes respectively in the genome, along with 4,352 predicted protein sequences. Virulence factor (VF) analysis further revealed that V. vulnificus 1908-10 possess various virulence genes in classes of adherence, antiphagocytosis, chemotaxis and motility, iron uptake, quorum sensing, secretion system, and toxin. In the comparison of the presence/absence of virulence genes, V. vulnificus 1908-10 had fur, hlyU, luxS, ompU, pilA, pilF, rtxA, rtxC, and vvhA. Of the 30 V. vulnificus comparative strains, 80% of the C-genotype strains have all of these genes, whereas 40% of the E-genotype strains have all of them. In particular, pilA were identified in 80% of the C-type strains and 40% of the E-type strains, showing more difference than other genes. Therefore, V. vulnificus 1908-10 had similar VF characteristics to those of type C strains. Multifunctional-autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (MARTX) toxin of V. vulnificus 1908-10 contained 8 A-type repeats (GXXGXXXXXG), 25 B.1-type repeats (TXVGXGXX), 18 B2-type repeats (GGXGXDXXX), and 7 C-type repeats (GGXGXDXXX). The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) showed that the RtxA protein of V. vulnificus 1908-10 had the effector domain in the order of cross-liking domain (ACD)-C58_PaToxP-like domain- α/β hydrolase-C58_PaToxP-like domain.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2005.02a
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• pp.123-123
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• 2005

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.257-263
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• 2006

New charge pump circuits with low area and high power efficiency are proposed and verified in this paper. These pump circuits do not suffer the voltage stress higher than $V_{DD}$ across their pumping capacitors. Thus they can use the thin-oxide MOSFETs as the pumping capacitors. Using the thin-oxide capacitors can reduce the area of charge pumps greatly while keeping their driving capability. Comparing the new pump (NCP-2) with the conventional pump circuit using the thick-oxide capacitors shows that the power efficiency of NCP-2 is the same with the conventional one but the area efficiency of NCP-2 is improved as much as 71.8% over the conventional one, when the $V_{PP}/V_{DD}$ ratio is 3.5 and $V_{DD}$=1.8V.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.187-187
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• 2011

지르코니아 ($ZrO_2$) 표면에 금속 (Au)으로 표면 코팅한 후 Ti-6Al-4V와 진공 브레이징 접합을 행하였다. 표면에 코팅한 Au 층의 영향을 비교 분석하기 위하여 Au를 코팅하지 않은 지르코니아도 모재로 사용하였다. 접합소재로는 Ag-Cu-Ti계 active filler를 사용하였다. $ZrO_2$/Ti-6Al-4V 브레이징 결과, active filler는 양측 모재 표면에 wetting 되었으며, Ti-6Al-4V 내부로 filler 확산으로 인하여 두 모재의 direct joint가 관찰되었다. 접합 계면 사이에 접합부 결함은 관찰되지 않았다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.101-102
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• 2006

금속을 도핑 함으로써 전기전도도가 향상될 것으로 생각되는 산화바나듐 나노선에 대하여 열처리 전후의 전기적 특성을 비교하였다. sol-gel 방법으로 만들어진 산화바나듐 xerogel($V_{1.66}Mo_{0.33}O_5{\cdot}nH_2O$)을 $Si_3N_4$ 절연막이 성장된 Si기판위에 분산시키고 Ti/Au으로 전극을 증착한 후 열처리 한 것과 하지 않은 두 시료의 전류-전압특성을 비교 분석하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.571-573
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• 2009

• Proceedings of the KSEE Conference
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.189-201
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• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2005.08a
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• pp.85-85
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• 2005