• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.1438-1445
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• 2021

A bifunctional glycoside hydrolase GH78 from the ascomycete Xylaria polymorpha (XpoGH78) possesses catalytic versatility towards both glycosides and esters, which may be advantageous for the efficient degradation of the plant cell-wall complex that contains both diverse sugar residues and esterified structures. The contribution of XpoGH78 to the conversion of lignocellulosic materials without any chemical pretreatment to release the water-soluble aromatic fragments, carbohydrates, and methanol was studied. The disintegrating effect of enzymatic lignocellulose treatment can be significantly improved by using different kinds of hydrolases and phenoloxidases. The considerable changes in low (3 kDa), medium (30 kDa), and high (> 200 kDa) aromatic fragments were observed after the treatment with XpoGH78 alone or with this potent cocktail. Synergistic conversion of rape straw also resulted in a release of 17.3 mg of total carbohydrates (e.g., arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose, xylose) per gram of substrate after incubating for 72 h. Moreover, the treatment of rape straw with XpoGH78 led to a marginal methanol release of approximately 17 ㎍/g and improved to 270 ㎍/g by cooperation with the above accessory enzymes. In the case of beech wood conversion, the combined catalysis by XpoGH78 and laccase caused an effect comparable with that of fungal strain X. polymorpha in woody cultures concerning the liberation of aromatic lignocellulose fragments.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.63-77
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• 2019

In order to investigate the behavior and seasonal variability of Mn as one of the bio-essential metals in the Amundsen sea, which is known as the most biologically productive coastal area around the Antartica, seawaters were collected using a clean sampling system for 10 stations (96 ea) in 2014 (ANA04B) and for 12 stations (139 ea) in 2016 (ANA06B) surveys of RV ARAON. Dissolved and particulate Mn concentration varied in the range of 0.15-4.43 nmol/kg and <0.01 to 2.42 nM in 2014 and in the range of 0.25-4.15 nmol/kg and 0.01-2.64 nM in 2016, respectively. From the sectional distribution of dissolved and particulate Mn, it might be suggested that dissolved/particulate Mn was provided from iceberg melting and diffusion/resuspension from sediments, respectively. Although this sea is highly productive, there was little evidence regarding the biological origin of dissolved Mn, but particulate Mn only in sea ice and offshore areas could be explained as originating from organic matters, e.g. phytoplanktons. And it could be suggested that the subsurface maximum of dissolved Mn was formed by isopycnal transport of melting materials from ice wall to offshore. Compared to early (2014) summer, temperature, salinity, biomass, dissolved and particulate Mn in late (2016) summer indicated that temporal variations might be resulted from the reduction of ice melting and mCDW flow, which induced a reduction in resuspension. In addition, in the late summer, particles including biomass were reduced, which brought about a reduction in the removal rate of dissolved Mn.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine which factors contribute to the surgical treatment outcomes of acetabular fractures. Simultaneously, we aim to report on the treatment results after our hospital was designated as the focused training center for trauma. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who experienced acetabular fractures from January 1, 2014 to May 1, 2017 and visited our hospital. Patients who had associated pelvic ring fractures or were lost to the one-year follow-up were excluded; a total of 37 fractures were evaluated. We evaluated the clinical results using the scoring system of Merle $d^{\prime}Aubign\acute{e}$ (MDA) and grade of Brooker for heterotopic ossification. Results: Thirty-seven patients (31 men and 6 women) were identified. The mean injury severity score (ISS) was 8.7, with 32.4% of patients having a score >15. The average blood transfusion in the first 24 hours was 0.54 pints. Falling was the most common injury mechanism (32.4%). Chest injury was the most common associated injury (16.2%), followed by head injury (13.5%). The posterior wall and both column fracture were the most common (37.8%) fracture patterns. Excellent and good clinical grades of MDA included 28 patients (75.6%) and fair and poor grades included nine (24.3%), respectively. Four patients were diagnosed with a post-operative infection (10.8%); one out of four patients who had co-morbidity died (2.7%), and another patient underwent a replacement surgery (2.7%). Multivariate analysis showed that age and operation time were associated with MDA. In addition, operation time and ISS were significant co-factors of the Brooker grade. Conclusions: Korea University Guro Hospital showed similar treatment results of acetabular fractures compared to other publications. The age and operation time were co-factors of the clinical outcome of this fracture. Additionally, increased operation time and injury severity score were suggested to increase the Brooker grade.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.675-687
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• 2018

In the previous studies on the porous rock strength the effect of pore number and its diameter is not explicitly defined. In this paper crack initiation, propagation and coalescence in Brazilian model disc containing a single cylindrical hole and or multiple holes have been studied numerically using PFC3D. In model with internal hole, the ratio of hole diameter to model diameter was varied between 0.03, 0.17, 0.25, 0.33, and 0.42. In model with multiple hole number of holes was different in various model, i.e., one hole, two holes, three holes, four holes, five holes, six holes, seven holes, eight holes and nine holes. Diameter of these holes was 5 mm, 10 mm and 12 mm. The pre-holed Brazilian discs are numerically tested under Brazilian test. The breakage load in the ring type disc specimens containing an internal hole with varying diameters is measured. The mechanism of cracks propagation in the wall of the ring type specimens is also studied. In the case of multi-hole Brazilian disc, the cracks propagation and b cracks coalescence are also investigated. The results shows that breaking of the pre-holed disc specimens is due to the propagation of radially induced tensile cracks initiated from the surface of the central hole and propagating toward the direction of diametrical loading. In the case of disc specimens with multiple holes, the cracks propagation and cracks coalescence may occur simultaneously in the breaking process of model under diametrical compressive loading. Finally the results shows that the failure stress and crack initiation stress decreases by increasing the hole diameter. Also, the failure stress decreases by increasing the number of hole which mobilized in failure. The results of these simulations were comprised with other experimental and numerical test results. It has been shown that the numerical and experimental results are in good agreement with each other.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.299-302
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• 2019

A clonorchiasis case in a captive leopard cat, Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus, was confirmed by ultrasonographic findings and egg morphologies found in the bile juice sample in the Korea. The leopard cat was introduced from the wild habitat of Gyeongsangnam-do, to Cheongju Zoo in Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea in August 2014. Physical examinations were basically performed for quarantine and check-up health. The cat was comparatively good in health except anorexia. The cyst-like bile duct dilation and the increased echogenicity of gall bladder wall and hepatic parenchyma were observed by ultrasonography. Ultrasound-guided needle biopsy was conducted for collecting bile juice and the specimens were observed under light microscope. The numerous small trematode eggs were detected in the bile juice sample of the light microscopy. The eggs were $25-33(28{\pm}3){\mu}m$ by $18-22(20{\pm}1){\mu}m$ in size and showed typical characteristics of Clonorchis sinensis egg, i.e., a dominantly developed operculum, shoulder rim and dust-like wrinkles in surface. To treat the liver fluke infection, 20 mg/kg of praziquantel was orally administered only once to the case. Follow-up studies including fecal examinations were conducted during 2 years after treatment. But no more eggs were detected from the case. In the present study, we described the first clonorchiasis case of leopard cat, which was confirmed by ultrasonographic findings and egg morphologies from the bile juice sample in Korea.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.290-300
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• 2019

Purpose: The optimal method for intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy remains unclear because a purse-string suture for fixing the anvil into the esophagus is difficult to perform with a laparoscopic approach. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate our novel technique to fix the anvil into the esophagus. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 202 patients who were treated at our institution with an intracorporeal circular esophagojejunostomy in a laparoscopy-assisted total gastrectomy with a Roux-en-Y reconstruction (166 cases) or a laparoscopy-assisted proximal gastrectomy with jejunal interposition (36 cases). After incising 3/4 of the esophageal wall, a hand-sewn purse-string suture was placed on the esophagus. Next, the anvil head of a circular stapler was introduced into the esophagus. Finally, the circular esophagojejunostomy was performed laparoscopically. The clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes were evaluated and compared with those of other methods. Results: The average operation time was 200.3 minutes. The average hand-sewn purse-string suturing time was 6.4 minutes. The overall incidence of postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo classification grade ${\geq}II$) was 26%. The number of patients with an anastomotic leakage and stenosis at the esophagojejunostomy site were 4 (2.0%) and 12 (6.0%), respectively. All patients with stenosis were successfully treated by endoscopic balloon dilatation. There was no mortality. Regarding the materials and devices for anvil fixation, only 1 absorbable thread was needed. Conclusions: Our procedure for hand-sewn purse-string suturing with the double ligation method is simple and safe.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.189-203
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• 2019

Brine leakage is a common phenomenon during construction facilitated by artificial freezing technique, threatening the stability of frozen wall due to the continual thawing of already frozen domain. This paper takes the frequently encountered soft clay in Wujiang District as the study object, and remolded specimens were prepared by mixing calcium chloride solutions at five levels of concentration. Both the deformation and pore water pressure of frozen specimens during thawing were investigated by two-stage loading tests. Three sections were noted from the changes in the strain rate of specimens during thawing at the first-stage load, i.e., instantaneous, attenuated, and quasi-stable sections. During the second-stage loading, the deformation of post-thawed soils is closely correlated with the dissipation of pore water pressure. Two characteristic indexes were obtained including thaw-settlement coefficient and critical water content. The critical water content increases positively with salt content. The higher water content of soil leads to a larger thaw-settlement coefficient, especially at higher salt contents, based on which an empirical equation was proposed and verified. The normalized pore water pressure during thawing was found to dissipate slower at higher salt contents, with a longer duration to stabilize. Three physical indexes were experimentally determined such as freezing point, heat conductivity and water permeability. The freezing point decreases at higher salt contents, especially as more water is involved, like the changes in heat conductivity. The water permeability maintains within the same order at the considered range of salt contents, like the development of the coefficient of consolidation. The variation of the pore volume distribution also accounts for this.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.459-473
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• 2019

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) has low resistance to low pH and bile salt in the gastrointestinal juice. In this study, the gel made from whey protein concentrate (WPC) and pullulan (PUL) was used as the wall material to prepare the microencapsulation for LGG protection. The gelation process was optimized and the properties of gel were also determined. The results showed the optimal gel was made from 10% WPC and 8.0% PUL at pH 7.5, which could get the best protective effect; the viable counts of LGG were 6.61 Log CFU/g after exposure to simulated gastric juice (SGJ) and 9.40 Log CFU/g to simulated intestinal juice (SIJ) for 4 h. Sodium dodecyl sulphite polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) confirmed that the WPC-PUL gel had low solubility in SGJ, but dissolved well in SIJ, which suggested that the gel can protect LGG under SGJ condition and release probiotics in the SIJ. Moreover, when the gel has highest hardness and water-holding capacity, the viable counts of LGG were not the best, suggesting the relationship between the protection and the properties of the gel was non-linear.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2019

In order to investigate the decay process of wood treated with preservative, waterproofing agent and their compound systems, a full-cell process was applied to impregnate the sapwood of poplar (Populus cathay) at paraffin wax emulsion concentrations of 0.5% and 2.0%, Copper Azole (CA) concentrations of 0.3% and 0.5%, and their four compound systems, respectively. Leaching tests and laboratory decay resistance against the white-rot fungus Corious versicolor (L.) Murrill for treated wood were carried out according to the America Standard E11-06 and China Standard GB/T 13942.1-2009. At certain time intervals during the decay test, samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) to investigate the time-dependent changes of chemical components and crystalline structure, thus clarifying the decay mechanisms. The results suggested that white-rot fungi degrade hemicellulose and lignin in the wood cell wall first, followed by a simultaneous degradation of polysaccharides and lignin. Besides, CA could not only slower the decomposition of both hemicellulose and lignin, but also reduce the degradation amount of hemicellulose. However, paraffin wax emulsion at high concentration had a negative effect on the impregnation of CA for the compound system treated wood.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.38-49
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• 2021

Slug flow is the most common multi-phase flow encountered in oil and gas industry. In this study, the hydrodynamic features of flow in pipes investigated numerically using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations for the effect of slug flow on the vertical and bent pipeline. The compressible Reynold averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation was used as the governing equation, with the volume of fluid (VOF) method to capture the outline of the bubble in a pipeline. The simulations were tested for the grid and time step convergence, and validated with the experimental and theoretical results for the main hydrodynamic characteristics of the Taylor bubble, i.e., bubble shape, terminal velocity of bubble, and the liquid film velocity. The slug flow was simulated with various air and water injection velocities in the pipeline. The simulations revealed the effect of slug flow as the pressure occurring in the wall of the pipeline. The peak pressure and pressure oscillations were observed, and those magnitudes and trends were compared with the change in air and water injection velocities. The mechanism of the peak pressures was studied in relation with the change in bubble length, and the maximum peak pressures were investigated for the different positions and velocities of the air and water in the pipeline. The pressure oscillations were investigated in comparison with the bubble length in the pipe and the oscillation was provided with the application of damping. The pressures were compared with the case of a bent pipe, and a 1.5 times higher pressures was observed due to the compression of the bubbles at the corner of the bent. These findings can be used as a basic data for further studies and designs on pipeline systems with multi-phase flow.