• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.165-169
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• 2000

Regarding to maturity evaluation of pig manure compost mixed with saw dust, change of constituents of organic matter influenced by microbial activities were investigated. Throughout the two stages of active composting period, we obtained a lot of data related to compost stabilization. However, we found out that only a couple of parameters could be used for adequate evaluation of compost. We, therefore, decided that total sugar and reducing sugar could be used for the reasonable standard criteria of maturity during composting process, even though some enzyme activities by phosphates and cellulase reactions were obtained and compared. Because the other parameters such as contents of lignin, cellulose, and organic acids were difficult to be used for maturity evaluation of pig manure compost.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.739-752
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• 2017

This study was intended to evaluate the improved strength of the ground by applying the bio grouting method to a loose sandy ground. The injection material was prepared in the form of cement-like powder, with the bio injection material produced by microbial reactions. The grouting test was conducted under the conditions similar to the field where the bio injection material can be applied. In addition, the injection materials (cement and sodium silicate No. 3) used for Labile Waterglass (LW) method and the conventional grouting methodwere prepared through a two-solution one-step process. The injection into the specimens was done at a pressure of 150 kPa and then, with a bender element, their moduliof elasticity were measured on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th curingdays to analyze their strengths according to the duration of curing. It was confirmed that in all injection materials the moduli of elasticity increased over time. In particular, when 30% of the bio injection material was added to 100% cement, the modulus of elasticity tended to increase by about 15%. This confirmed that the applicability became higher when the bio injection material was used in place of the conventional sodium silicate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.101-111
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• 1999

Sedimentary organic matter, exposed to continental surficial environment, reacts with oxygen supplied from the atmosphee and forms carbon-containing oxidation products. Knowledge of the rate and mechanisms of sedimentary organic matter weathering is important because it is one of the major controls on atmospheric oxygen level through geologic time. Under the abiological conditions, the oxidation rate of coal organic matter by molecular oxygen is enhanced by the increase of oxygen concentration and temperature. At ambient temperature and pressure, aqueous coal oxidation results in the formation of dissolved $CO_2$ dissolved organic carbon and solid oxidation products which are all quantitatively significant reaction products. The effects of pH, ultraviolet light, and microbial activity on the weathering of sedimentary organic matter are poorly contrained. Based on the results of geochmical and environmental studies, it is believed that the photochemical reaction should play an important role in the decomposition and oxidation of sedimentary organic matter removed from the weathering profile. At higher pH conditions, the production rate of DOC can be accelerated due to base catalysis. These high molecular weight oranic matter can react with man-made pollutants such as heavy metal ions via adsorption/desorption or ion exchange reactions. The effect of microbial activity on the oxidative weathering of sedimentary organic matter is poorly understood and remains to be studied.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2015

In this study, the objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of calcium carbonate powder, produced by the microbial reactions, on the strength of soft ground (sand). To analyze the cementation effects of calcium carbonate powder produced by microbial reactions on the strength of the sand, six different types of specimens (untreated, calcium carbonate, cement, carbonate+cement (1:9, 3:7, 5:5)) were made. The specimen were tested after curing (7 and 28 days). Uniaxial compressive strengths were measured on $D5cm{\times}H10cm$ specimens. Based on the test results, as both the weight ratio and the curing period increase, calcium carbonate, cement, and calcium carbonate+cement specimens showed an increase in the strength. In addition, compared with the strength of the specimen with cement, the strengths of the specimens with mixing ratios of 1:9, 3:7, and 5:5 (carbonate : cement) were found to be 93.5~95.8%, 825.%, 65.2~70.6%.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.270-279
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• 2014

Microbial community shifts, associated with performance data, were investigated in an anaerobic batch digester treating high-solid food waste under mesophilic conditions using, a combination of molecular techniques and chemical analysis methods. The batch process was successfully operated with an organic removal efficiency of 44.5% associated with a biogas yield of 0.82 L/g $VS_{removal}$. Microbial community structures were examined by denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis. Clostridium and Symbiobacterium organisms were suggested to be mainly responsible for the organic matter catabolism in hydrolysis and acidogenesis reactions. The dynamics of archaeal and methanogenic populations were monitored using real-time PCR targeting 16S rRNA genes. Methanosarcina was the predominant methanogen, suggesting that the methanogenesis took place mainly via an aceticlastic pathway. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens were also supported in high-solid anaerobic digestion of food waste through syntrophism with syntrophic bacterium. Microbial community shifts showed good agreement with the performance parameters in anaerobic digestion, implying the possibility of diagnosing a high-solid anaerobic digestion process by monitoring microbial community shifts. On the other hand, the batch results could be relevant to the start-up period of a continuous system and could also provide useful information to set up a continuous operation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1630-1636
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• 2010

During the fermentation process of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, yeast cells must rapidly respond to a wide variety of external stresses in order to survive the constantly changing environment, including ethanol stress. The accumulation of ethanol can severely inhibit cell growth activity and productivity. Thus, the response to changing ethanol concentrations is one of the most important stress reactions in S. cerevisiae and worthy of thorough investigation. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between ethanol tolerance in S. cerevisiae and a unique protein called alcohol sensitive RING/PHD finger 1 protein (Asr1p). A real-time PCR showed that upon exposure to 8% ethanol, the expression of Asr1 was continuously enhanced, reaching a peak 2 h after stimulation. This result was confirmed by monitoring the fluorescence levels using a strain with a green fluorescent protein tagged to the C-terminal of Asr1p. The fluorescent microscopy also revealed a change in the subcellular localization before and after stimulation. Furthermore, the disruption of the Asr1 gene resulted in hypersensitivity on the medium containing ethanol, when compared with the wild-type strain. Thus, when taken together, the present results suggest that Asr1 is involved in the response to ethanol stress in the yeast S. cerevisiae.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.59-65
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• 1999

RecA protein can promote strand assimilation, homologous pairing, and strand exchange. All these reactions require DNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis by recA protein, and the activities of recA protein are affected by the ionic environment. In this experiment, DNA-dependent ATPase activity showed different sensitivity to anionic species. ATP hydrolysis and strand exchange were relatively sensitive to salt in the reactions with NaCl, strongly inhibited at 100 mM NaCl. However, the inhibition by sodium acetate or sodium glutamate was not observed at 50∼100 mM concentration. Addition of sodium glutamate to the standard reaction condition increased the apparent efficiency of ATP hydrolysis during strand exchange. The condition including 50∼100 mM sodium-glutamate might be similar to the physiological condition.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.316-319
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• 2011

Biopiles which offer the potential for cost-effective treatment of contaminated soils are above-ground, engineered systems that use oxygen to stimulate the growth and reproduction of aerobic bacteria for degradation of the petroleum constituents adsorbed to soil in excavated soils. This technology involves heaping contaminated soils into piles and stimulating aerobic microbial activity within the soils through the aeration and/or addition of minerals, nutrients, and moisture. Inside the biopile, microbially mediated reactions by blowing or extracting air through the pipes can enhance degradation of the organic contaminants. The influence of a aeration system on the biopile performance was investigated. Air pressure made to compare the efficiency of suction in the pipes showed that there were slightly significant difference between the two piles in the total amount of TPH biodegradation. The normalised degradation rate was, however, considerably higher in the aeration system than in the normal system without aeration, suggesting that the vertical venting method may have improved the efficiency of the biological reactions in the pile.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.664-671
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• 2006

Modeling the growth kinetics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), one of the most valuable microbial groups in the food industry, has been actively pursued in order to understand, control, and optimize the relevant fermentation processes. Most modeling approaches have focused on the development of single population models. Primary single population models provide fundamental kinetic information on the proliferation of a primary LAB species, the effects of biological factors on cell inhibition, and the metabolic reactions associated with cell growth. Secondary single population models can evaluate the dependence of primary model parameters, such as the maximum specific growth rate of LAB, on the initial external environmental conditions. This review elucidates some of the most important single population models that are conveniently applicable to the LAB fermentation analyses. Also, a well-defined mixed population model is presented as a valuable tool for assessing potential microbial interactions during fermentation with multiple LAB species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.332-339
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• 2010

The lipase from Mucor racemosus NRRL 3631 was partially purified by fractional precipitation using 60% ammonium sulfate, which resulted in a 8.33-fold purification. The partially purified lipase was then immobilized using different immobilization techniques: physical adsorption, ionic binding, and entrapment. Entrapment in a 4% agar proved to be the most suitable technique (82% yield), as the immobilized lipase was more stable at acidic and alkaline pHs than the free enzyme, plus 100% of the original activity was retained owing to the thermal stability of the immobilized enzyme after heat treatment for 60 min at $45^{\circ}C$. The calculated half-lives (472.5, 433.12, and 268.5 min at 50, 55, and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively) and the activation energy (9.85 kcal/mol) for the immobilized enzyme were higher than those for the free enzyme. Under the selected conditions, the immobilized enzyme had a higher $K_m$ (11.11 mM) and lower $V_{max}$ (105.26 U/mg protein) when compared with the free enzyme (8.33 mM and 125.0 U/mg protein, respectively). The operational stability of the biocatalyst was tested for both the hydrolysis of triglycerides and esterification of fatty acids with glycerol. After 4 cycles, the immobilized lipase retained approximately 50% and 80% of its original activity in the hydrolysis and esterification reactions, respectively.