• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.956-966
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• 2021

To prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases that inflict huge economic and social losses, domestic livestock farms and related facilities have introduced automatic and semiautomatic disinfectant solution-spraying systems for vehicles. However, the facility standards and specifications vary by manufacturer, and no scientific performance evaluation has been conducted. The puropose of this study is to develop physical and biological evaluation methods. Physical and biological appraisals were conducted using two types of disinfection facilities (tunnel- and U-type) and two types of vehicles (passenger car, truck). Water-sensitive paper was used to evaluate the physical performance values for the disinfection facilities. In addition, to assess their biological performance, carriers containing low-pathogenic avian influenza virus were attached to vehicles, and the viral reduction was measured after the vehicles moved through the facility. The tunnel-type had rates of coverage in the range of 70-90% for the passenger car and 60-90% for the truck. At least 4-log virus reduction after spraying for 1-5 min was shown for both vehicles. For the U-type facility evaluation, the coverage rates were in the range of 60-90% for the passenger car and at least 90% for the truck. More than 4-log viral reduction was estimated within a spraying time of 5 min. To reduce viruses on the surface of vehicles by at least 4 log within a short period, the disinfectant solution should cover at least 71% of the pathogens. In conclusion, we were able to assess the physical and biological performance criteria for disinfection facilities aboard transportation vehicles.

• Clean Technology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 2013

In this study, we investigated the activity of Pd and Cu co-incorporated on mesoporous silica support such as MCM-41 and SBA-15 for catalytic nitrate reduction in water. In pure hydrogen flow, nitrate concentration was gradually decreased with the reaction time, but nitrogen selectivity was too low due to very high pH of reaction medium after the reaction. In order to acquire high nitrogen selectivity, we utilized carbon dioxide as a pH buffer, which resulted in higher nitrogen selectivity (about 40%). For the above reaction conditions, Pd-Cu/MCM-41 showed better performance than Pd-Cu/SBA-15. The physicochemical properties of both catalysts were investigated to figure out the relationship between the characteristics of the catalysts and the catalytic activity on the catalytic nitrate reduction by $N_2$ adsoprtion-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), $H_2$-temperature programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.239-246
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• 2005

The effect of Pt addition over $V_2O_5-WO_3/TiO_2$ catalyst supported on PRO-66 was investigated for NO reduction in order to develop the catalytic filter working at low temperature. Catalytic filters, $Pt-V_2O_5-WO_3/TiO_2/PRD$, were prepared by co-impregnation of Pt, V, and W precursors on $TiO_2$-coated ceramic filter named PRD (PRD-66). Titania was coated onto the pore surface of the ceramic filter using a vacuum aided-dip coating method. The Pt-loaded catalytic filter shifted the optimum working temperature from $260-320^{\circ}C$(for the catalytic filter without Pt addition) to $190-240^{\circ}C$, reducing 700 ppm NO to achieve the $N_x$ slip concentration($N_x\;=\;NO+N_2O+NO_2+NH_3$) less than 20 ppm at the face velocity of 2 cm/s. $Pt-V_2O_5-WO_3/TiO_2$ supported on PRD showed the similar catalytic activity for NO reduction with that supported on SiC filter as reported in a previous study, which implies the ceramic filter itself has no considerable interaction for the catalytic activity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.476-479
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• 2008

Understanding the dynamics of proteins is essential to gain insight into biological functions of proteins. The protein dynamics is delineated by conformational fluctuation (i.e. thermal vibration), and thus, thermal vibration of proteins has to be understood. In this paper, a simple mechanical model was considered for understanding protein's dynamics. Specifically, a mechanical vibration model was developed for understanding the large protein dynamics related to biological functions. The mechanical model for large proteins was constructed based on simple elastic model (i.e. Tirion's elastic model) and model reduction methods (dynamic model condensation). The large protein structure was described by minimal degrees of freedom on the basis of model reduction method that allows one to transform the refined structure into the coarse-grained structure. In this model, it is shown that a simple reduced model is able to reproduce the thermal fluctuation behavior of proteins qualitatively comparable to original molecular model. Moreover, the protein's dynamic behavior such as collective dynamics is well depicted by a simple reduced mechanical model. This sheds light on that the model reduction may provide the information about large protein dynamics, and consequently, the biological functions of large proteins.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.768-775
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• 2022

In this study we aimed to derive the response surface models for Escherichia coli reduction in wheat flour using atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) with three types of gas. The jet-type atmospheric cold plasma wand system was used with a 30 W power supply, and three gases (argon, air, and nitrogen) were applied as the treatment gas. The operating parameters for process optimization considered were wheat flour mass (g), treatment time (min), and gas flow rate (L/min). The wheat flour samples were artificially contaminated with E. coli at a concentration of 9.25 ± 0.74 log CFU/g. ACP treatments with argon, air, and nitrogen resulted in 2.66, 4.21, and 5.55 log CFU/g reduction of E. coli, respectively, in wheat flour under optimized conditions. The optimized conditions to reduce E. coli were 0.5 g of the flour mass, 15 min of treatment time, and 0.20 L/min of nitrogen gas flow rate, and the predicted highest reduction level from modeling was 5.63 log CFU/g.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.29-34
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• 2009

In this study, a chloride ion probe as a direct measurement for perchlorate reduction was used to determine whether biological perchlorate reduction was inhibited by other electron acceptors ($O_2$ and ${NO_3}^-$) and to investigate competition of electron acceptors for using electron donors. Profiles of chloride production (= perchlorate reduction) in flasks containing perchlorate reducing populations were monitored by a chloride ion probe. Biological reduction of 2 mM perchlorate was inhibited by 2 mM nitrate that chloride production rate was decreased by 30% compared to perchlorate used as the only electron acceptor and chloride production rate was decreased by 70% when acetate was limited. Reduction of 2mM perchlorate was completely inhibited by oxygen at 7~8 mg/L, regardless of acetate excess / limitation.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.68
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• pp.372-379
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• 2018

The improvement of $NO_x$ reduction by $Ag/{\gamma}-Al_2O_3$ with a hydrocarbon ($n-C_7H_6$) in the early state was investigated in a packed-bed dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor. The results revealed that the combination of plasma with the catalyst enhanced $NO_x$ reduction efficiency at low operating temperatures, depending on the temperature and specific input energy. To sum up, the poor performance of the catalytic $NO_x$ reduction at low temperatures in the early stage before reaching thermochemical steady state can be greatly compensated for by using the atmospheric-pressure plasma generated in the catalyst bed.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.764-768
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• 2011

The process of $CO_2$ capture using aqueous Monoethanolamine(MEA) has been considered as one of the leading technologies for intermediate-term strategy to reduce the $CO_2$ emission. This MEA process, however, consumes relatively a large amount of energy in the stripper for absorbent regeneration. For this reason, various process alternatives are recently established to reduce the regeneration energy. This paper suggests a flue gas split configuration as one of MEA process alternatives and then simulates this process using commercial simulator. This flue gas splitting has an effect on reducing the temperature of the lower section of absorber as well as decreasing the absorbent flow rate. Compared to the base model, this optimized flue gas split process provides 6.4% reduction of solvent flow rate and 5.8% reduction of absorbent regeneration energy.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.20-28
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• 2015

This work investigated the size and shape effect of ${\gamma}$-alumina-supported metal oxides on the hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides. Several metal oxides including Ag, Cu and Ru were used as the catalysts, and n-heptane as the reducing agent. For the Ag/${\gamma}$-alumina catalyst, the $NO_x$ reduction efficiency in the range of $250{\sim}400^{\circ}C$ increased as the size of Ag decreased (20 nm>50 nm>80 nm). The shape effect of metal oxides on the $NO_x$ reduction was examined with spherical- and wire-shape nanoparticles. Under identical condition, higher catalytic activity for $NO_x$ reduction was observed with Ag and Cu wires than with the spheres, while spherical- and wire-shape Ru exhibited similar $NO_x$ reduction efficiency to each other. Among the metal oxides examined, the best catalytic activity for $NO_x$ reduction was obtained with Ag wire, showing almost complete $NO_x$ removal at a temperature of $300^{\circ}C$. For Cu and Ru catalysts, considerable amount of NO was oxidized to $NO_2$, rather than reduced to $N_2$, leading to lower $NO_x$ reduction efficiency.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.366-369
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• 2005

NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) transfers electrons from NADPH to cytochrome P450 and also catalyzes the one-electron reduction of many drugs and foreign compounds. Various spectrophotometric assays have been performed to examine electron-accepting properties of CPR and its ability to reduce cytochrome $b_5$, cytochrome c, and ferricyanide. In this report, reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) by CPR has been assessed as a method for monitoring CPR activity. The principle advantage of this substance is that the reduction of MTT can be assayed directly in the reaction medium by a continuous spectrophotometric method. The electrons released from NADPH by CPR were transferred to MTT. MTT reduction activity was then assessed spectrophotometrically by measuring the increase of $A_{610}$. MTT reduction followed classical Michaelis-Menten kinetics ($K_m\;=\;20\;{\mu}M$, $k_{cat}\;=\;1,910\;min^{-1}$). This method offers the advantages of a commercially available substrate and short analysis time by a simple measurement of enzymatic activity of CPR.