• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.2 s.75
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• pp.231-239
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• 2006

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in bone marrow (BM) can be induced to differentiate into a variety of mesenchymal tissues, including adipocytes, osteoblasts and chondroblasts, under the influence of certain growth or environmental factors. In this study, we analyzed the differentiation process and the associated gene expression profiles inherent to the process by which hMSCs differentiate into osteoblasts. We conducted a comparison of gene expression profiles of the normal human BM MSCs, using human 8K cDNA microarray, incubated in media containing either a combination of $\beta$-glycerol phosphate, L-ascorbic acid, and dexamethasone, or in medium lacking these osteogenic supplements. During the osteoblastic differentiation process, 36 genes were determined to be up-regulated, and 59 genes were shown to be down-regulated. Osteoprotegerin, LRP5, and metallothionein 2A, all of which are associated with the osteogenetic process, were up-regulated, and genes associated with the differentiation of MSCs into other lineages, including muscle, adipose tissue and vascular structure were down-regulated. The set of differentially expressed genes reported in this work should contribute to our current understanding of the processes inherent to the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.66-77
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• 2006

This review inquired the recently applied molecular biological and biochemical methods analyzing the microbial community structure of groundwater and, as a result, summarized the functional or taxonomic groups of active microorganisms with major contaminants in groundwater. The development of gene amplification through PCR has been possible to figure out microbial population and identification. Active microbial community structures have been analyzed using a variety of fingerprinting techniques such as DGGE, SSCP, RISA, and microarray and fatty acid analyses such as PLFA and FAME, and the activity of a specific strain has been examined using FISH. Also, this review included the dominant microflora in groundwater contaminated with fuel components such as n-alkanes, BTEX, MTBE, and ethanol and chlorinated compounds such as TCE, PCE, PCB, CE, carbon tetrachloride, and chlorobenzene.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.2A
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• pp.223-231
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• 2008

This research presents a new maintenance planning method for deteriorating bridges considering simultaneously the minimization of the maintenance cost and maximization of the bridge performance. Optimal maintenance planning is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem that treats the maintenance cost as well as the bridge performance such as the condition grade of the bridge deck, girder and pier. To effectively address the multi-objective optimization problem and decision making process for the obtained solution set, we apply a genetic algorithm as a numerical searching technique and adopt a preference-based optimization method. A numerical example for a typical 5-span prestressed concrete girder bridge shows that the maintenance cost and the performance of the bridge can be balanced reasonably without severe trade-offs between each objectives.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 2015

Toxicity results of metals, nanoparticles (NPs), and soils contaminated with metals were introduced on this review. Following methods were used: seed germination, bioluminescence, enzyme activity, and mutation. In general, different sensitivities were observed, depending on types of bioassays and pollutants. Among tested seeds, sensitivities of Lactucus and Raphanus were greater than others. Of single metal exposure, effect by As(III) was greater than others, and high revertant mutation ratio (5.1) was observed at 1 mg/L arsenite, indicating high mutagenicity. No general pattern was observed on the effect of metal mixture, but synergistic effect was observed with seeds. In case of soils, no correlation was observed between total metal contents and toxicity. Toxicity of NPs was observed as follows: CuO > ZnO > NiO > $TiO_2$, $Fe_2O_3$, $Co_3O_4$. Especially, no considerable effects were observed by $TiO_2$, $Fe_2O_3$, and $Co_3O_4$ under tested concentration (max. 1,000 mg/L). The evaluation results of interactive toxic effects using various bioassays may comprise a useful tool for the bioassessment of various environmental pollutants.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2008

This paper describes the application of bioluminescence stimulating agents on a genetically engineered microorganism, Pseudomonas putida mt-2 KG1206, to monitor toluene analogs using in groundwater samples from petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites. The maximum bioluminescent response with pure chemicals followed in the order: m-methyl benzyl alchohol > m-toluate > toluene > m-xylene > benzoate > p-xylene > o-xylene. Generally, the bioluminescence production of strain mixed with groundwater samples was dependent on the contaminated total inducer concentrations. However, few samples showed opposite results, where these phenomena may be caused by the complexicity of environmental samples. Two chemicals, SL(sodium lactate) and KNO$_3$, were tested to determine a better bioluminescence stimulant. Both chemicals stimulate the bioluminescence activity of strain KG1206, however, a slightly high bioluminescence was observed with nitrogen chemical. This selected stimulant was then tested on samples collected from contaminated groundwater samples. The bioluminescence activity of all samples mixed with the strain was stimulated with KNO$_3$ amendment. This suggests that the low bioluminescence activity exhibited by the environmental groundwater samples can be stimulated by amending the culture with a proper agent, such as nitrogen compound. These findings would be useful, especially, when strain was used to monitor the groundwater samples contaminated with low inducer contaminants. Overall, the results of this study found the ability of bioluminescence producing bacteria to biosensor a specific group of environmental contaminants, and suggest the potential for more efficient preliminary application of this engineered strain in a field-ready bioassay.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2007

In a homothallic ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans, sexual development is inhibited by various environmental stresses such as acetate medium, visible light and high osmolarity conditions. In order to study the genes involved in this stress-related regulatory network, we first attempted to isolate mutants that could develop cleistothecia even in the presence of any of those stresses including intensive visible light. More than 10,000 mutants were screened and 167 mutants were analyzed. Among them, 152 mutants underwent sexual development under the single stress condition of either high osmotic, high acetate or light condition but no sexual development in more than two stresses. Six mutants can produce cleistothecia under light or acetate stress but not in salt stress. Moreover, 6 mutants showed the ability to develop cleistothecia under the light but not under the acetate or osmo-stress. The mutants were revealed to have independent single gene mutation and grouped into different complementation groups (silA-F). The mutant alleles were all recessive to that of wild type. The light responsiveness of development implies the existence of delicate regulation process including reception and translocation of light signaling and determination of development.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.349-355
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• 2007

Phylogeny of the species mainly from the genus Amynthas in family Megascolecidae was inferred at the molecular level using ITS regions in rDNA. With 26 species of earthworms from 10 genera in 2 families, a stretch comprising the 3'-end of the 18S rRNA, ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2, and 5' end of 28S rRNA was amplified by applying the primers ITS-1, ITS-2. Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences with a help of MP, NJ, and QP yielded 5 groups similarly. Genus Amynthas was separated largely into two groups, Korean and Philippine origins. Species grouped into the 1st were Amynthas jirensis, A. agrestis, A. gucheonensis, A. sopaikensis, A. bubonis, A. multimaculatus, A. koreanus, A. dageletensis, A. heteropodus, A. odaesanensis, Pontoscolex sp., Pheretima sp. 1, and Dendropheretima banahawensis. Amynthas halconensis, A. isarogensis, A. mindrooensis, Pithemera sp. 2, Pithmera sp. 1, and Pleionogaster sp. clustered into one clade forming the 2nd group. Polypheretima sp. 1 and polypheretima. sp. 2 stayed closely together representing a separate monophyletic status, forming the 3rd group, apart from species in other genera. Archipheretima sp. falls into the 4th group. Distinct morphological characteristics from Archipheretima also coinsides with its branching away from others in the previously reported molecular analyses. Similar to Perionyx excavatus that has been selected as an outgroup, Aporrectodea tuberculata also showed a long branch in the phylogram, but it differed from other 24 species included in the analyses. Unlike others, for example, its habitat is very closely related to that of man.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2007

Environmental stress is the major limiting factor in plant productivity. As an effort to solve the global food and environmental problems using the plant biotechnology, we have developed transgenic tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plants via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer method. To develop transgenic tall fescue plants with enhanced tolerance to the environmental stresses, both CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) genes were incorporated in a pIG121 binary vector and the both of the genes were controlled separately by an oxidative stress-inducible sweet potato peroxidase 2 (SWPA2) premoter expressed in chloroplasts. Leaf discs of transgenic plants showed 10-30% less damage compared to the wild-type when they exposed to a wide range of environmental stresses including methyl viologen (MV), $H_2O_2$ and heavy metals. In addition, when $200{\mu}M$ MV was sprayed onto the whole plants, transgenic plants showed a significant reduction of visible damage compared to wild-type plants that were almost damaged. These results suggest that over expression of CuZnSOD and APX genes in transgenic plants might be a useful strategy to protect the crops against a wide range of environmental stresses.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.33-45
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• 2020

This paper aims to look at the perspective that the latest cutting-edge technologies are predicting individual diseases in the actual medical environment in a situation where various types of wearable devices are rapidly increasing and used in the healthcare domain. Through the process of collecting, processing, and transmitting data by merging clinical data, genetic data, and life log data through a user-participating wearable device, it presents the process of connecting the learning model and the feedback model in the environment of the Deep Neural Network. In the case of the actual field that has undergone clinical trial procedures of medical IT occurring in such a high-tech medical field, the effect of a specific gene caused by metabolic syndrome on the disease is measured, and clinical information and life log data are merged to process different heterogeneous data. That is, it proves the objective suitability and certainty of the deep neural network of heterogeneous data, and through this, the performance evaluation according to the noise in the actual deep learning environment is performed. In the case of the automatic encoder, we proved that the accuracy and predicted value varying per 1,000 EPOCH are linearly changed several times with the increasing value of the variable.

• Journal of the Korean Society of International Agriculture
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.560-569
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• 2011

In Japan, plant genomics research is mainly leaded by the national research institutes. The various structural studies such as rice genome has allowed researchers to analyze useful traits, and to focus their commercialization. With aims to facilitate structural and functional study in plant genome, NIAS (National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences) constructed Poaceae genome DB and RIKEN (Rikagaku Kenkyusho) built DB for Arabidopsis genome and plant full-length cDNA. NIG (National Institute of Genetics) constructed a national biological resources DB (National Bio Resource Project). This compiling DB provides a variety of genome-related research materials for researchers in the field. Recently, as an effort to resolve global issues of food supply and environmental problems, New Agri-genome Project has been performed aiming to develop an innovative agricultural technologies for the quantity, disease resistance and identifying useful genes related to environmental problems. In addition, in order to improve agricultural productivity in developing countries, JIRCAS assisted technical supports for the plant genome research and developed NERICA rice, which is suitable for African area. Such these approaches are expected to contribute to solving the global issues about food, energy and environment in the world.