• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.165-175
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• 2022

Earthquakes have occurred owing to movements on a fault since several billion years ago. Research on the relationship between earthquakes and groundwater began in the 1960s in the United States, but related works, including hydrogeochemistry research, only began in the 2010s in South Korea. In this study, domestic studies on the relationship between earthquakes and groundwater until 2021 were collected from the Web of Science and characterized by subject area (groundwater level, hydrogeochemistry, combination of the two, and others). The results showed that the number of published articles per year was positively correlated with the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, 2016 Gyeongju earthquake, and 2017 Pohang earthquake, with the maximum numbers observed in 2011, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Most studies on the relationship between earthquakes and groundwater level addressed groundwater level fluctuations in the duration of the subject earthquake, with little consideration of the precursors. Groundwater level monitoring data, as well as hydrogeochemical information and microbial communities, may contribute to a more detailed understanding of groundwater flow and chemical reactions in bedrock caused by earthquakes. Therefore, the establishment of a national groundwater monitoring network for seismic monitoring and prediction is required.

• Clean Technology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2010

The physiological roles of various wavelength of light emitting diode (LED) on ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit experiencing after-ripening were investigated. Various wavelengths from LED light source were irradiated on kiwifruits kept in plastic bags or under open air at $25^{\circ}C$. During two weeks of storage, firmness of Hayward kiwifruits was decreased by $25^{\circ}C$ treatment than by $4^{\circ}C$ treatment. In the $25^{\circ}C$ storage condition, the firmness of kiwifruits was decreased by the treatment of 380 nm UV and 470nm white LED light source. Sweetness of kiwifruits treated with 380 nm UV LED and dark condition at $25^{\circ}C$ increased higher than $15^{\circ}$Brix. The acidity of kiwifruits under open air was decreased 52% by incubating at $25^{\circ}C$ with 660 nm red LED treatment. The acidity of kiwifruits in plastic bags was decreased 52.6, 55.6, 52.8% by the treatment of 440 nm blue, 470 nm white and 660 nm red LED light source, respectively, compared to that of kiwifruits incubated in darkness at $25^{\circ}C$. Decreased acidity irradiated by 660 nm red LED light source can be applied for regulating periods of the kiwifruit after-ripening process. LED light sources emit very narrow wavelength with a power-saving mode, therefore, the usage of these LED light source for regulating the after-ripening process can be classified as a clean biotechnology producing safe and environment-friendly kiwifruits.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.675-695
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• 2023

The tracksite of dinosaurs and pterosaurs in Sanbuk-dong of Gunsan is the largest early Cretaceous dinosaur footprint fossil site in Korea, and all the footprints are important evidence indicating that large ornithopod and theropod dinosaurs inhabited the Korean peninsula during the early Cretaceous. The Sanbuk-dong site was covered with waterproof sheet in an outdoor environment until the installation of a protective enclosure in 2021. As a result, various factors such as shear force, load reduction, temperature and humidity fluctuations, acid rain, salinity and microorganisms have complexly interacted in the substrate of fossils, exacerbating the damage to footprints. For 159 footprints in 12 trackways among the footprints found in the site, the damage types were classified in detail and the level of each damage was assessed. The damages were classified into 6 types through the classification of deterioration degree of individual footprints. As a result of ultrasonic physical property evaluation on the surface of the fossil site, most of these footprints are in the completely weathered (CW) stage. Furthermore, various weathering patterns were observed in the study area, and surface contaminants were analyzed along the stratigraphy. Although the patterns of freshness and contaminants varied at different points within the fossil site, the chemical compositions were similar. Based on the results, an efficient conservation management system for dinosaur footprint fossils was established, and a conservation treatment type for each footprint was proposed.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2001

The naturally occurring chemical indole-3-carbinol (13C), found in vegetables of the Brassica genus, is a promising anticancer agent that was shown previ- ously to induce a Gl cell cycle arrest of human breast cancer cell lines, independent of estrogen receptor signaling. The anticancer activity of 13C and the possible mechanisms of its action were explored in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C suppressed the growth of the cells. The growth sup- pression caused by 13C ($IC_{50}$/: 444$\mu$M) was found to be partially due to its ability to stop the cell cycle in HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis for the Gl phase artiest demonstrated that the expression-levels of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk4, Cdk6) and cyclic D were reduced strongly after treatment of Hep72 cells with 13C (4007M) for 24- 72 hrs. Furthermore, I3C selectively abolished the expression of Cdk6 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and accordingly, inhibited the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma. Interestingly, after the HepG2 cells reached their max- imal growth arrest, the level of the p21, a well-known Cdk inhibitor, increased significantly. Therefore, it could be considered that the Gl arrest of HepG2 cells treated with 13C was due to the indirect inhibition of Cdk4/6 activities by p21 Western blot analysis for G2/M phase arrest of demonstrated the levels of Cdc2 and cyclin Bl werer reduced dramatically after the treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C ($40\mu$M) for 24-72 hrs. flow cytometry of propidium iodide-stained HepG2 cells revealed that 13C induces a Gl (53%,72hr incubation) and G2 (25%,24hr incubation) cell cycle arrest. Thus, our observations have uncovered a previously undefined antiproliferative pathway for r3C that implicates Cdk4/6 and Cdc2 as a target for cell cycle control in human HepG2 cells. However, the 13C-medi- ated cell cycle arrest and repression of Cdk4/6 production did not affect the apoptotic induction of HepG2 cell.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.291-297
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• 2000

This study was conducted to find out the environmental factors affecting the differences in the half-life of the insecticide cyfluthrin in soil between field and laboratory tests carried out in 1998. Degradation and leaching of cyfluthrin in soil were examined under various environmental conditions that were considered to affect the residuality. Cyfluthrin was degraded 1.9 times faster in non-sterilized soil than in sterilized soil and 1.2 times at $25^{\circ}C$ than at $15^{\circ}C$. The half-lives of cyfluthrin were 61.4 days under the dark condition and 4.5 days under sunlight, and those were 11.8 days under the open condition and 23.8 days under the closed condition. The half-lives of the authentic compound and the commercial product of cyfluthrin were 15 and 1 day in the field test and 26 and 3 days in the laboratory test, respectively. Cyfluthrin was rapidly degraded with an increase in soil moisture content and decomposed faster in the alkaline solution of pH 12 than in the acidic solution of pH 3, but the half-life of cyfluthrin did not make any difference between pH 6.4 of the field test soil and pH 5.6 of the laboratory test soil. Cyfluthrin was immobile in soil from the results that $81{\sim}94%$ of the initial amount remained in the $0{\sim}2\;cm$ layer of the soil column regardless of the amount and time of rainfall after the chemical treatments. From viewing the abovementioned results, soil moisture content, sunlight and formulation type affected greatly soil microbes and volatilization affected slightly, and temperature, pH and rainfall did not affect the big difference in the half-life of cyfluthrin in soil between the field and laboratory tests in the year of 1998.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.446-454
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• 2017

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are major causes of cervical cancer. Sixteen high risk HPVs, including HPV 16, HPV 18, HPV31, HPV 33, HPV 35, HPV 39, HPV 45, HPV 51, HPV 52, HPV 53, HPV 56, HPV 58, HPV 59, HPV 66, HPV 68, and HPV 69 are found in cervical cancer. HPVs 16 and 18 are mainly presented in 70% of cervical cancer. Therefore, identifying the presence of these high-risk HPVs is crucial. The objective of this study is to establish the HPV ViroCheck for detecting 16 HR-HPVs and genotypes of HPVs 16 and 18, as well as to analyze the analytical performance of HPV ViroCheck. We performed the analytical sensitivity of HPV E6 / E7 genes of 16 high risk HPVs to confirm the limit of detection. Then, a cross reactivity of HPV ViroCheck with microorganisms and viruses related to the cervix were analyzed for analytical specificity. Analytical sensitivity of high risk HPV genotypes ranged from 1 to 100 copies when using cloned DNAs. The limit of detection was 10 cells for both SiHa and HeLa cells. Cervical-related microorganisms and viruses did not show cross-reactivity to HPV DNA. Moreover, the intra- and inter-assay coefficient variations (CVs) were below 5%. In conclusion, HPV Virocheck will be useful for the detection of 16 HR HPVs, as well as HPV 16 and HPV 18 genotypes rapidly.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2002

Several antagonistic bacteria, SD-1, 4, 10, 11, 14, 15, and 16, which have strong CMCase and amylase activities, were isolated from the fermented mushroom media. Among them, SD-1, 10, 11, and 15 have strong antibacterial activities against the mushroom pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas sp., and SD-1, 10, 11, 14, and 16 have strong antifungal activities against the mushroom pathogenic fungi, Trichoderma sp. SD-14, 15, and 16 did not inhibit the growth of mushroom Pleurotus eryngii ASI-2302, and Pleurotus ostreatus ASI-2042 and ASI-2180. When the culture broth mixture of the seven bacterial strains was applied to the mushroom media, the growths of pathogens, Pseudomonas sp. and Trichoderma sp., were inhibited.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.237-243
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• 2007

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the feeding influence of Prunus memu by-products (PMB) on productivity, blood composition, meat quality and intestinal microflora in semi-broiler chicks. Four hundred one day old chicks(Hanhyup 3) were raised in the floor pen with five treatments(0, 0.5, 1.0 2.0 3.0%) of four replicate for ten weeks. Basal diets contained 3,000, 3,100, 3,100, 3,200 kcal/kg ME and 22, 21, 19, 17% CP, respectively. There were no different performance for the first two weeks, but showed significantly different weight gain, feed intake in PMB 2.0, 3.0% addition treatments compared with control from three to five weeks of age. Weight gain of birds fed 2.0% PMB was significantly higher from nine to 10 weeks of age than control(P<0.05). Total weight gain tended to increase in PMB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0% addition treatments. Feed intake also showed increase in PMB 2.0, 3.0% addition treatments, but there were no different feed conversion. Total protein, albumin, cholesterol, neutral fat, glucose was significantly decreased in PMB 0.5% addition treatments compared with control. There were no different physico-chemical characteristics in breast meat. The number of yeast was significantly improved in PMB 3.0% compared with control(P<0.05), but found no difference in number of E. coli between control and PMB treatments. ND titer of birds fed PMB was not statistically different, but tended to decrease as dietary PMB increased. As the result of this experiment, PMB would be available as a feed additives in semi-broiler chicks.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2017

Microbiological, physicochemical, and organoleptic properties of fresh-cut vegetables (FVs), carrots, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, and paprika after X-ray irradiation were evaluated to verify food quality suitable for the immune-depressed patients. Total concentrations of aerobic bacteria in non-irradiated samples, except for cherry tomatoes, were 1.63-3.34 log CFU/g. Irradiation dose exceed 0.4 kGy was used for carrots and green peppers whereas the sterilization dose of 0.2 kGy was used for both cherry tomatoes and paprika. A dose of 0.4 kGy was tentatively determined as the minimum allowable dose for sterilization of the FVs, based on $D_{10}$-values of X-ray irradiation (0.11-0.32 kGy) for Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium inoculated on the samples. With respect to the physiological properties, only hardness was significantly decreased as the absorbed dose increased; however, there were no significant differences in hardness of the sterilized samples using X-rays at 0.4 kGy compared with those of non-irradiated samples (p<0.05). Moreover, overall acceptance scores of the sterilized FVs were higher than 5.0 points on a 7-point scale, indicating a good organoleptic quality. In a survey on preference of hospitalized patients with cancer (n=50), the average scores for the sterilized FVs, except for carrots, were higher than 4.0 points. In conclusion, it is considered that the FVs, except for carrots, sterilized using X-rays at 0.4 kGy could be served to immune-depressed patients as hygienically safe foods with acceptable organoleptic properties.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.73-81
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• 2014

Salsola collina, also known as Russian thistle, is widely distributed in and around waste facilities, roadsides, and drought and semi-drought areas, and is used as a traditional folk remedy in Chinese medicine for the treatment of hypertension. In this study, we have evaluated the anti-oxidative and anti-cancer activities of the ethanol extract of S. collina Pall. (EESC), and the molecular mechanisms of its anti-cancer effects on human colon carcinoma HT29 cells. EESC exhibited anti-oxidative activity through DPPH radical scavenging capacity and showed cytotoxic activity in a dose-dependent manner in HT29 cells. After EESC treatment, HT29 cells altered their morphology, becoming smaller and irregular in shape. EESC also induced cell accumulation in the G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied by a decrease of cell population in the G1 phase. The G2/M arrest by EESC was associated with the increased expression of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21 and Wee1 kinase, which phosphorylates, or inactivates, Cdc2. EESC treatment induced the phosphorylation of Cdc2 and Cdc25C, and inhibited cyclin A and Cdc25C protein expression. In addition, S arrest was induced by the highest concentration of EESC treatment, associated with a decrease of cyclin A and Cdk2 expression. These findings suggest that EESC may possess remarkable anti-oxidative activity and exert an anti-cancer effect in HT29 cells by cell cycle regulation.