Effects of different types of salts on the growth of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts during kimchi fermentation

Food Science and Biotechnology - Kimchi was prepared with different types of salts: purified salt (PS), solar salt aged for 1 year (SS1), aged for 3 years (SS3), and bamboo salt...     

Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of samnamul (shoot of Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus Hara) in mice fed a high-fat/high-sucrose diet

Food Science and Biotechnology - The hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of samnamul were investigated. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of samnamul in vivo was determined in normal...     

Eu2+-doped Sr5(PO4)3Br blue-emitting phosphor with high color purity for near-UV-pumped white light-emitting diodes

Eu²⁺-doped bromophosphateapatite Sr₅(PO₄)₃Br phosphors were synthesized by the conventional high-temperature solid-state reaction. The crystal structure and luminescence properties of the phosphors, as well as their thermal stability and CIE chromaticity coordinates were systematically investigated. Photoluminescence spectra of Sr₅(PO₄)₃Br:Eu²⁺ exhibit a single blue emission at 450 nm under the excitation of 345 nm, which is ascribed to the 4f–5d transition of Eu²⁺. The phosphor shows very good thermal stability. The CIE color coordinates are very close to those of BaMgAl₁₀O₁₇:Eu²⁺ (BAM). All the properties indicate that the blue-emitting Sr₅(PO₄)₃Br:Eu²⁺ phosphor has potential application in white LEDs.     

Use of Industrial Waste (Al-Dross,Red Mud,Mill Scale) as Fluxing Agents in the Sulfurization of Fe-Ni-Cu-Co Alloy by Carbothermic Reduction of Calcium Sulfate

The use of industrial waste [mill scale (MS), red mud (RM), Al-dross (AD)] as fluxing agents in the sulfurization of Fe-Ni-Cu-Co alloy to matte (Fe-Ni-Cu-Co-S) by carbothermic reduction of CaSO₄ was investigated at 1673 K (1400 °C). The sulfurization efficiency (SE) was 76 (± 2) pct at RM or AD single fluxing. However, SE drastically increased to approximately 89 pct at a ‘5AD + 5MS’ combination, which was equivalent to reagent-grade chemical ‘5Al₂O₃ + 5Fe₂O₃’ fluxing (SE = 88 pct). The present results can be used to improve the cost-effective recovery of rare metals (Ni and Co) from deep sea manganese nodules.     

Event‐specific analytical methods for biotech maize MIR 604 and DAS‐59122‐7

BACKGROUND: It is very important to develop analytical methods for genetically modified organism (GMO) labelling systems and living modified organism (LMO) management. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most efficient DNA‐based analytical method for identifying and quantifying biotech crops. Qualitative PCR methods have been developed to detect the presence of biotech crops, while quantitative PCR methods have been developed to analyse the content of biotech crops. Analytical methods are now required for new biotech maize events, MIR 604 and DAS‐59122‐7. RESULTS: The event‐specific primers and probes were developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of biotech maize MIR 604 and DAS‐59122‐7 based on the 3′ flanking regions. As a reference molecule, single standard plasmid was developed. The specificity of the qualitative primers was confirmed by the single PCR product, with limits of detection (sensitivity) of 0.01 and 0.05% respectively. In‐house validation of the quantitative methods was performed using six levels of mixing samples (0.1–10% w/w). As a result, the biases from the true value and the relative standard deviations were within the range of ± 30%. The limits of quantitation of the quantitative methods were all 0.1% for real time PCRs of MIR 604 and DAS‐59122‐7. CONCLUSION: In this study, event‐specific analytical methods were developed and applied to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of biotech maize MIR 604 and DAS‐59122‐7. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Performance analysis and simulation of OCDMA system based on FBGs encoder/decoder

The encoding/decoding scheme based on Fiber Bragg Grating （FBG） for Optical Code Division Multiple Access （OCDMA） system is analyzed and the whole process from transmitting end to receiving end is researched in detail. The mathematical mode including signal transmission, summing, receiving and recovering are established respectively. One of the main sources of Bit Error Rate （BER） of OCDMA system based on FBGs is the unevenness of signal power spectrum, which leads to the chip powers unequal with each other. The Signal to Interfere Ratio （SIR） and BER performance of the system are studied and simulated at the case with uneven distribution of chips＇ powers.     

Establishment of Three-Dimensional Bioprinted Bladder Cancer-on-a-Chip with a Microfluidic System Using Bacillus Calmette–Guérin

Immunotherapy of bladder cancer is known to have favorable effects, although it is difficult to determine which patients will show a good response because of the different tumor microenvironments (TME). Here, we developed a bladder cancer-on-a-chip (BCOC) to mimic the TME using three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting and microfluidic technology. We fabricated a T24 and a 5637-cell line-based BCOC that also incorporated MRC-5, HUVEC, and THP-1 cells. We evaluated the effects of TME and assessed the immunologic reactions in response to different concentrations of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) via live/dead assay and THP-1 monocytic migration, and concentrations of growth factors and cytokines. The results show that cell viability was maintained at 15% filling density in circle-shaped cell constructs at 20 μL/min microfluidic flow rate. A 3D co-culture increased the proliferation of BCOCs. We found that the appropriate time to evaluate the viability of BCOC, concentration of cytokines, and migration of monocytes was 6 h, 24 h, and three days after BGC treatment. Lastly, the immunotherapeutic effects of BCOC increased according to BCG dosage. To predict effects of immunotherapeutic agent in bladder cancer, we constructed a 3D bioprinted BCOC model. The BCOC was validated with BCG, which has been proven to be effective in the immunotherapy of bladder cancer.     

Application of hot press forming process to manufacture an automotive part and its finite element analysis considering phase transformation plasticity

An automotive flex plate that is installed in the automotive engine and delivers a torque to a transmission is manufactured by hot press forming technique. By this technique, significant increase of strength through quenching of heated high carbon SK5 steel sheet and higher dimensional stability after forming through the press operation at high temperature can be attainable. The indirect method with a pre-forming step and direct oil quenching to attain uniform and fast cooling rate are employed considering cooling characteristics of the SK5 steel and large thickness of the flex plate. A new tool design is proposed for the hot press forming process, and an optimized heat treatment condition is determined by studying two frequently utilized heat treatments: austempering and quenching with tempering heat treatments. By introducing designed tools and selected heat treatment condition, the target product can be successfully manufactured, which satisfies two main manufacturer's specifications: high hardness and good dimensional accuracy. Moreover, finite element analysis, which considers transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) during phase transformations, is performed to understand the thermo-mechanical behavior of hot press formed sheet. The analysis verifies that phase transformations play significant roles in strengthening by transforming hard martensitic phase and in reducing dimensional change by additional plastic deformation during phase transformations.     

Prevalence and characteristics of Escherichia coli O26 and O111 from cattle in Korea

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is an important cause of diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome worldwide. E. coli O26 and O111 are the serotypes most frequently isolated from human EHEC infections in Korea. Cattle are considered to be the major sources of E. coli O26 and O111. This study investigated the prevalence of E. coli O26 and O111 in fecal samples from cattle in Korea from April 2002 to March 2004. Out of 809 samples, 54 (6.67%), 37 (4.57%), and 16 (1.98%) tested positive for O26, O111, and both O26 and O111, respectively. Most of the E. coli O26 and O111 strains were isolated from May to October of each year. PCR analysis of the EHEC virulence markers revealed that most of the E. coli O26 and O111 isolates were positive for ehxA, eaeA and stx1 and/or stx2. These results suggest that the majority of Korean E. coli O26 and O111 isolates from cattle can cause serious diseases in humans.