• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1868-1873
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• 2006

A novel microorganism that could degrade high molecular weight gellan was screened and isolated from soil. On gellan plate, the microorganism grew well and completely liquefied the plate. The gellan-degrading microorganism was isolated by pure culture on glucose and nutrient agar medium afterwards. The 16S rDNA sequence analysis and biochemical tests using an API 50CHB/20E kit revealed that the strain belonged to Bacillus sp. The isolate, named as Bacillus sp. YJ-1, showed optimum gellan-degrading activity in 0.5% gellan medium at pH 7.5 and 37$^{\circ}C$. The activity was measured and evaluated by the thiobarbituric acid and thin-layer chromatography method. Mass spectrometry revealed that the major gellan.. depolymerized product was an unsaturated tetrasaccharide consisting of $\Delta$4,5-glucuronic acid-(1$\rightarrow$4 )-$\beta$-D-glucose-(1$\rightarrow$4)- $\alpha$-L-rhamnose-(1$\rightarrow$3)-$\beta$-D-glucose, which is a dehydrated repeating unit of gellan, thus the enzyme was identified as gellan lyase. When the gellan was present in the medium, the gellan-degrading activity was much higher than that in glucose-grown cells. These results indicate that in the presence of gellan, Bacillus sp. YJ-1 is able to metabolize the gellan by inducing gellan-degrading enzymes that can degrade gellan into small molecular weight oligosaccharides, and then the gellan. depolymerized products are taken up by the cells and utilized by intracellular enzymes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1001-1005
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• 2010

The chitinase-producing strain TKU008 was isolated from soil in Taiwan, and it was identified as a new species of Pseudomonas. The culture condition suitable for production of chitinase was found to be shaking at $30^{\circ}C$ for 4 days in 100 ml of medium containing 1% shrimp and crab shell powder, 0.1% $K_2HPO_4$, and 0.05% $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$ (pH 7). The TKU008 chitinase was suppressed by the simultaneously existing protease, which also showed the maximum activity at the fourth day of incubation. The molecular mass of the chitinase was estimated to be 40 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH, optimum temperature, pH stability, and thermal stability of the chitinase were pH 7, $50^{\circ}C$, pH 6-7, and <$50^{\circ}C$, respectively. The chitinase was completely inhibited by $Mn^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$. The results of peptide mass mapping showed that 11 tryptic peptides of the chitinase were identical to the chitinase CW from Bacillus cereus (GenBank Accession No. gi 45827175) with a 32% sequence coverage.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.578-584
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• 1990

A microorganism capable of producing high level of extracelluar cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase(EC 2.4.1.19; CGTase) was isolated ’rom soil. The isolated strain No. 239 was identified as Bacillusstearothermophilus. The maximal CGTase production (about 7.0 unitslml) was observed in medium containing2% soluble starch, 0.5% defatted soybean meal, 0.1% NaH_2PO_4.2H_2O$ and 0.015% $ CaC_l2 $ with initial pH 7.0. The strain was cultured at $55^{\circ}C$ for 48 hr with reciprocal shaking. At 0.83% substrated concentration potato starch was the optimum substrate with 50.1% conversion to cyciodextrin (CD)after the reaction at $65^{\circ}C$ for 24 hr (CGTase 10 unitlg starch). Using soluble starch as substrate (5% substrate concentration, CGTase 10 unitlg starch), the maximum conversion of 40% was obtained at11 hr reaction, and the ratio of $\alpha-, \beta-$ and $\gamma$-CD production at this time were 1.0:1.3:0.4, respectively., respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.383-388
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• 2009

A strain YB914 was isolated from soil as a producer of the extracellular xylanase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of oat spelt xylan. The strain YB914 was identified as Streptomyces sp. on the basis of its morphological, cultural and biochemical properties. The xylanase of culture filtrate was the most active at $55^{\circ}C$ and pH 5.5, and retained 80% of its maximum activity at the range of pH 4.5~7.0. In order to optimize the culture medium for xylanase production, ingredients of G.S.S medium were replaced by several carbohydrates. The carbohydrates such as oat spelt xylan, corn cob xylan, wheat bran and lactose increased the xylanase productivity of Streptomyces sp. YB914. However, xylanase production was greatly repressed by galactose or arabinose. The maximum xylanase productivity was reached to 48 U/mL in the modified medium containing 1% oat spelt xylan and 1.5% lactose.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.208-212
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• 1998

In order to develop an effective antifungal antibiotics, over 700 isolates of bacteria, mold and actinomytes were screened from soil, and LAM 97-44 were selected as a strain producing the strong antifungal antibiotics against Candida albicans. Morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics of LAM 97-44 were investigated for the indentification. The cell size of LAM 97-44 was $2{\sim}3{\times}1{\sim}1.5\;{\mu}m$, and the shape of spore was of ellipsoidal. As a carbon source, LAM 97-44 utilized fructose, glucose, glycerol, maltose and raffinose but did not utilize arabinose, cellulose and xylose. The fatty acids of the cells included various iso-type and anteiso-type. Conclusively, the strain LAM 97-44 was proved to be Bacillus subtilis.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.1359-1369
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• 2012

In the case of using pile foundation to support bridge abutments on soft ground, the soft ground often causes serious troubles such as lateral movement of bridge abutments by lateral surcharges. In this paper, we investigated and measured the amount of strain of a bridge abutment in the south-western part of Korea. To check the stability and possibility of lateral movement of the bridge abutment, we used the four analysis methods and compared those results; lateral movement index, index for decision of lateral movement and infinite element analysis method. We performed soil and ground tests to fine the causes of the strain and lateral movement. After reviwing several types of repair methods, we suggested the anker reinforcement method along with surcharge process method as a proper repair and rehabilitation of the bridge abutment. Our investigation by through the infinite element analysis method confirmed the effectiveness of the anker reinforcement method allong with the surcharge process method.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1085-1101
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• 2015

Changes in substructure conditions, such as ballast fouling and subgrade settlement may cause the railway quality deterioration, including the differential geometry of the rails. The objective of this study is to develop and apply a hybrid cone penetrometer (HCP) to characterize the railway substructure. The HCP consists of an outer rod and an inner mini cone, which can dynamically and statically penetrate the ballast and the subgrade, respectively. An accelerometer and four strain gauges are installed at the head of the outer rod and four strain gauges are attached at the tip of the inner mini cone. In the ballast, the outer rod provides a dynamic cone penetration index (DCPI) and the corrected DCPI (CDCPI) with the energy transferred into the rod head. Then, the inner mini cone is pushed to estimate the strength of the subgrade from the cone tip resistance. Laboratory application tests are performed on the specimen, which is prepared with gravel and sandy soil. In addition, the HCP is applied in the field and compared with the standard dynamic cone penetration test. The results from the laboratory and the field tests show that the cone tip resistance is inversely proportional to the CDCPI. Furthermore, in the subgrade, the HCP produces a high-resolution profile of the cone tip resistance and a profile of the CDCPI in the ballast. This study suggests that the dynamic and static penetration tests using the HCP may be useful for characterizing the railway substructure.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.151-156
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• 2003

A strain YB-10 was isolated from soil as a producer of the extracellular $\beta$-D-galactosidase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of lactose. The strain YB-10 was identified as Streptomyces sp. on the basis of its cultural, morphological and physiological properties. After treating culture supernatant of the isolate with ammonium sulfate, the precipitated protein was used as a crude $\beta$-galactosidase for analyzing its reaction properties with para-nitrophenyl-$\beta$-D-galactosidase(pNP-$\beta$Gal) as a substrate. The $\beta$-galactosidase showed its maximal activity at pH 6.0 and 6$0^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was also active on lactose. The hydrolyzing activity of $\beta$-galactosldase for pNP-$\beta$Gal and lactose was decreased by galactose. Its hydrolyzing activity far lactose was also decreased by glucose, but the activity for pNP-$\beta$Gal was increased to 1.8-folds by glucose.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.303-309
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• 2012

Keratinases are of particular interest because of their action on insoluble keratins and generally on a broad range of protein substrates. Alkalophilic and neutrophilic actinomycete strains isolated from different soil samples, rich in keratinaceous substances were screened for keratinolytic activity. An alkalophilic isolate, TBG-S13A5, was found to possess good keratinolytic activity and was able to utilize feather as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. TBG-S13A5 exhibited an off-white aerial mass color with a rectus-flexibilis type of spore chain. The morphological, microscopical and biochemical characters were comparable with that of Streptomyces albidoflavus. Fatty acid methyl ester profiling (FAME) and 16S rDNA sequence analysis confirmed its identity as a strain of S. albidoflavus. Under submerged fermentation conditions, maximum protease production was recorded on the $5^{th}$ day of incubation at $30^{\circ}C$, using basal broth of pH 9.0 with 0.25% (w/v) white chicken feather. This strain could affect feather degradation when the initial pH was 8 and above and maximum protease production was recorded when the initial pH was around 10.5. The effectiveness of the crude enzyme in destaining and leather dehairing were also demonstrated.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2004

We isolated and identified culturable Arctic bacteria that had inhabited soils around the Korean Arctic Research Station Dasan located at Ny-Alsund, Svalbard, Norway $(79^{\circ}N,\;12^{\circ}E)$. The collected soils were diluted in distilled water; the diluted soil-water was spread on 3M petri-films at Dasan Station. The petri-films were transported to the laboratory at KORDI, and cultured at $4^{\circ}C$. Colonies grown on the petri-films were subsequently cultured on nutrient agar plates at $4^{\circ}C$ every 7 days. The pure colonies were inoculated into nutrient liquid media, genomic DNA was extracted, and phylogenetic analysis was performed on the basis of 165 rDNA sequences. A total of 227 strains of bacteria were isolated. Among them, 16S rDNA sequences of 185 strains were identical with those of known strains isolated in this study, and 42 strains were finally identified. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA indicated that the 30 strains belonged to Pseudomonas, 7 strains to Arthrobacter, two strains to Flavobacterium, and the remaining to Achromobacter, Pedobacter, and Psychrobacter. Among the 42 strains, 14 bacteria produced protease: they were 6 strains of Pseudomonax, 4 strains of Arthrobater, an Achromobacter strain, 2 strains of Flavobacterium, and a Pedohacter strain. We expect these Arctic bacteria can be used for screening to develop new industrial enzymes that are active at low temperatures.