• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.1255-1261
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• 2006

An alkaliphilic bacterium, Bacillus sp. strain BK, was found to produce extracellular cellulase-free xylanolytic enzymes with xylan-binding activity. Since the pellet-bound xylanase is eluted with 2% TEA from the pellet of the culture, they contain a xylan-binding region that is stronger than the xylan-binding xylanase of the extracellular enzyme. The xylanases had a different molecular weight and xylan-binding ability. The enzyme activity of xylanase in the extracellular fraction was 6 times higher than in the pellet-bound enzyme. Among the enzymes, xylanase had the highest enzyme activity. When Bacillus sp. strain BK was grown in pH 10.5 alkaline medium containing xylan as the sole carbon source, the bacterium produced xylanase, arabinofuranosidase, acetyl esterase, and $\beta$-xylosidase with specific activities of 1.23, 0.11, 0.06, and 0.04 unit per mg of protein, respectively. However, there was no cellulase activity detected in the crude enzyme preparation. The hydrolysis of agricultural residues and kraft pulps by the xylanolytic enzymes was examined at 50$^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0. The rate of xylan hydrolysis in com hull was higher than those of sugarcane bagasse, rice straw, com cop, rice husk, and rice bran. In contrast, the rate of xylan hydrolysis in sugarcane pulp was 2.01 and 3.52 times higher than those of eucalyptus and pine pulp, respectively. In conclusion, this enzyme can be used to hydrolyze xylan in agricultural residues and kraft pulps to breach and regenerate paper from recycled environmental resources.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.323-329
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• 2014

Population of fruit flies was monitored by using methyl eugenol trap during 2010-2011 in Yezin, Myanmar. Population numbers were analyzed with meteorological factors including rainfall, temperature, relative humidity and duration of sunshine. Samples of mango, guava, and jujube fruits were collected from orchards. The fruits were kept in containers so that the species of flies infesting the fruit could be identified when the adult insects emerged and to assess damage caused by fruit flies. Regression analyses indicated that populations of fruit flies were observed to be positively correlative with rainfall, minimum temperature and relative humidity, and negatively correlative with the duration of sunshine. Eleven species of fruit flies, Bactrocera arecae, B. carambolae, B. correcta, B. dorsalis, B. kandiensis, B. latilineola, B. malaysiensis, B. neocognata, B. raiensis, B. verbascifoliae, and Carpomya vesuvina, were identified. B. correcta and B. dorsalis were the most abundant and accounted for 29.3% and 28.6% of total emerged adults in the different fruit samples. The highest percentage of fruit damage was observed on guava ($59{\pm}15.4$), followed by mango ($35.5{\pm}12.1$) while the lowest was recorded on jujube ($18.5{\pm}7.9$).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.1 s.137
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• pp.49-54
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• 2006

In order to develop tools for an early serodiagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum infection, we evaluated the usefulness of P. falciparum liver stage antigen-3 (LSA-3) as a serodiagnostic antigen. A portion of LSA-3 gene was cloned, and its recombinant protein (rLSA-3) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by column chromatography. The purified rLSA-3 and 120 test blood/serum samples collected from inhabitants in malaria-endemic areas of Mandalay, Myanmar were used for this study. In microscopic examinations of blood samples, P. falciparum positive rate was $39.1\%$ (47/120) in thin smear trials, and $33.3\%$ (40/120) in thick smear trials. Although the positive rate associated with the rLSA-3 $(30.8\%)$ was lower than that of the blood stage antigens $(70.8\%)$, rLSA-3 based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay could detect 12 seropositive cases $(10.0\%),$ in which blood stage antigens were not detected. These results indicate that the LSA-3 is a useful antigen for an early serodiagnosis of P. falciparum infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.303-308
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• 2019

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis in a wide range of warm-blooded animals including humans. In this study, we analyzed seroprevalence of T. gondii among 467 school children living in the rural areas of Pyin Oo Lwin and Naung Cho, Myanmar. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii among school children was 23.5%; 22.5% of children were positive for T. gondii IgG, 0.4% of children were positive for T. gondii IgM, and 0.6% of children were positive for both T. gondii IgG and IgM. Geographical factors did not significantly affect the seroprevalence frequency between Pyin Oo Lwin and Naung Cho, Myanmar. No significant difference was found between males (22.2%) and females (25.0%). The overall seroprevalence among school children differed by ages (10 years old [13.6%], 11-12 years old [19.8%], 13-14 years old [24.6%], and 15-16 years old [28.0%]), however, the result was not significant. Polymerase chain reaction analysis for T. gondii B1 gene for IgG-positive and IgM-positive blood samples were negative, indicating no direct evidence of active infection. These results collectively suggest that T. gondii infection among school children in Myanmar was relatively high. Integrated and improved strategies including reinforced education on toxoplasmosis should be implemented to prevent and control T. gondii infection among school children in Myanmar.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.779-789
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• 2016

A total of 33 accessions of pepper (Capsicum spp.), including previously reported and newly discovered sources of resistance to bacterial spot caused by Xanthomonas euvesicatoria, were evaluated for their resistance to bacterial spot. The selected accessions were then grown and their horticultural characteristics were recorded. In a test for hypersensitive resistance (HR) to four races (P1, P3, P7, P8) of the pathogen found in Korea, KC00939 and Chilbok No.2, which carry the Bs2 gene, exhibited a hypersensitive response to all four races, as expected. Chilbok No.3, which carries the Bs3 gene, showed a hypersensitive reaction to race 1 and 7, as expected. KC00939 exhibited a high ASTA color value and tolerance to multiple infections from a viral complex of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Broad bean wilt virus (BBWV). Thus, this accession represents a promising genetic resource for breeding cultivars with multiple disease resistance and strong red coloration. KC01327, KC01617, KC01015, KC01760, KC01779, KC01137, KC01328, KC01006, KC00127, KC01704, and KC00995 did not exhibit hypersensitivity but showed a high level of general resistance when evaluated by spray inoculation. KC01617, KC01760, KC01779, KC01137, KC01704, and KC01777 are newly identified sources of resistance to bacterial spot. The previously and newly identified sources of resistance to bacterial spot evaluated in this study, including information about their resistance to CMV and BBWV complex in the field, the contents of pungent and sweet taste components, and the color values of dry fruits, will be useful for breeding pepper cultivars with resistance to bacterial spot.