• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2002

Improvement of density profile and sound absorption capability of particleboard was attempted. Three types of hot pressing methods examined ; flat-platen pressing method (A-type pressing), hot pressing in forming box (B-type pressing), and hot pressing set up jagged caul in forming box (C-type pressing). The raw materials were larch(Larix leptolepis (S, et. Z.) Gorden) shavings, phenol formaldehyde resin, and the particleboard perforated with stair type. The physical and mechanical properties such as specific gravity, bending strength (MOR), internal bonding strength (IB) and sound absorption coefficients were examined. The results are summarized as follows : 1) The MOR and internal bonding strength of the board pressed in forming box were higher than those of flat-platen pressed board. 2) The minimum density to average density ratio in thickness direction which pressed in forming box showed about 923%, in the case of 35 mm commercial particleboard and 50 mm flat-platen pressed board, its values showed about 66.4% and 865% respectively. 3) Sound absorption coefficients of the particleboard perforated with stair type were higher than those of flat-plated pressed board and commercial particleboard.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.330-343
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Zanthoxylum schinifolium is traditionally used as a spice for cooking in East Asian countries. This study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-proliferative potential of ethanol extracts of Z. schinifolium leaves (EEZS) against human bladder cancer T24 cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: Subsequent to measuring the cytotoxicity of EEZS, the anti-cancer activity was measured by assessing apoptosis induction, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). In addition, we determined the underlying mechanism of EEZS-induced apoptosis through various assays, including Western blot analysis. RESULTS: EEZS treatment concentration-dependently inhibited T24 cell survival, which is associated with apoptosis induction. Exposure to EEZS induced the expression of Fas and Fas-ligand, activated caspases, and subsequently resulted to cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. EEZS also enhanced the expression of cytochrome c in the cytoplasm by suppressing MMP, following increase in the ratio of Bax:Bcl-2 expression and truncation of Bid. However, EEZS-mediated growth inhibition and apoptosis were significantly diminished by a pan-caspase inhibitor. Moreover, EEZS inhibited activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, and the apoptosis-inducing potential of EEZS was promoted in the presence of PI3K/Akt inhibitor. In addition, EEZS enhanced the production of ROS, whereas N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, markedly suppressed growth inhibition and inactivation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway induced by EEZS. Furthermore, NAC significantly attenuated the EEZS-induced apoptosis and reduction of cell viability. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results indicate that exposure to EEZS exhibits anti-cancer activity in T24 bladder cancer cells through ROS-dependent induction of apoptosis and inactivation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.719-736
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• 2022

Environmental risk assessment of living modified (LM) crops is essential for their cultivation. In this study, we cultivated β-carotene enhanced transgenic soybean (LM soybean) and non-LM soybean (Gwangan) in living modified organism (LMO) isolated fields, and investigated changes in the insect fauna using three types of collection methods for three years. In total, 331,483 individual insects and arachnids, representing 82 families in 14 orders, were captured during the study. Totals of 166,518 and 164,965 individual insects and arachnids were collected from LM soybean and Gwangan, respectively. Throughout the study, although there were differences between the investigation year, region, and methods, there were no significant differences between the population densities of insect pests, natural enemies, and other insects on LM soybean and non-LM soybean. Also, there were no statistically significant differences between varieties in the results of the species diversity analysis. The data on insect species population densities were subjected to multidimensional scaling (MDS), which did not distinguish between the two varieties, LM soybean and the non-LM soybean, in all cultivated fields. However, the results of the MDS analysis were completely divided into six groups based on the yearly survey areas. These results provided the insect diversity for an environmental risk assessment of LM soybean and suggested that the guideline could be useful to detect LM crops.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.703-712
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• 2023

Angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, is a multistep process regulated by modulators of angiogenesis. It is essential for various physiological processes, such as embryonic development, chronic inflammation, and wound repair. Dysregulation of angiogenesis causes many diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and delayed wound healing. However, the number of effective anti-angiogenic drugs is limited. Recent research has focused on identifying potential drug candidates from natural sources. For example, marine natural products have been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and wound-healing effects. Thus, this study aimed to describe the angiogenesis inhibitory effect of Hizikia fusiforms (brown algae) extract. The hexane extract of H. fusiformis has shown inhibitory effects on in vitro angiogenesis assays, such as cell migration, invasion, and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The hexane extract of H. fusiformis (HFH) inhibited in vivo angiogenesis in a mouse Matrigel gel plug assay. In addition, the protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal kinase, and AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 decreased following treatment with H. fusiformis extracts. Our results demonstrated that the hexane extract of H. fusiformis (HFH) inhibits angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.520-524
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• 2023

Regalecus russellii, which spends most of its life in the deep sea, occasionally appears in coastal waters. However, the reasons for its appearance remain unclear. In Korea, R. russellii mainly appears along the eastern coastal waters, and most of them are caught in fishing gear, such as gill nets, or are stranded on the shore; nevertheless, the frequency of appearance is extremely low. Even if found, this species is often identified to be morphologically similar to Trachipterus ishikawae, and comprehensive analysis to identify the species through sample collection is limited. Consequently, information on the biological characteristics of R. russellii appearing in the coastal waters of Korea is scarce. Herein, the anatomical characteristics of R. russellii caught in a gill net off the Gangwon-do coast on March 14, 2023, were analyzed, and coastal water temperature was measured using an ocean buoy. Our results showed that the individual was male, its total length was 320 cm, body weight was 27.52 kg, body length was 26.62 cm, gonad weight was 619.45 g, and liver weight was 218.71 g. The stomach was full of euphausiids. The water temperature changed drastically at 15-30 m roughly a week before the R. russellii individual was caught, and the subsurface water temperature was lower than 10 ℃. Our findings provide baseline data to understand the ecological characteristics of R. russellii appearing along the eastern coast of the Korea.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Targeting Microcystin (MC), which is most abundantly detected in the North-Han River water area, we analyzed the relationship between the MC biosynthesis gene (mcyA gene), cyanobacteria cell density, and MC concentration, derived an RNA-MC conversion formula, and derived the cyanobacteria. The concentration of MC present in cells was predicted. In the North-Han River waters, the mcyA gene was found mainly at downstream sites of the North-Han River after Muk-Hyeon Stream junction, and higher copy numbers were found on average than other sites. In the Uiam Lake waters upstream of the North-Han River, the mcyA gene copy number increased at the Kong-Ji Stream point, and after September, the mcyA gene copy number decreased throughout the North-Han River waters. The expression of the mcyA gene was concentrated in the short period of summer due to the spatio-temporal difference between upstream and downstream water bodies. The mcyA gene expression level was not only highly correlated with MC concentration, but also correlated with the cell density of Microcystis aeruginosa and Dolichospermum circinale, which are known to biosynthesize MC. Six conversion formulas derived based on the RNA-MC relationship showed statistical significance (p<0.05) and exhibited high correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9 or higher. The expression level of MC biosynthesis gene present in eRNA determines the synthesis of cyanotoxin substances in water, quickly quantifies gene activity, and can be fully utilized for early warning of MC development.

• 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.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.358-368
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• 2023

Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Sieb., also known as the arrow tree in Korea, is a plant in East Asia used in traditional medicine and food. In particular, the wings of E. alatus are rich in phenolic compounds. This study evaluated the antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibition, and anti-cancer activities of E. alatus wing extracts. The radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging acitvities and reducing the power of 1,000 ㎍/mL E. alatus wing extracts, were similar to those of the positive control (0.1% BHT, 0.1% α-tocopherol). In addition, ethanol and methanol extract at 250 ㎍/mL showed 95.70 and 94.99% of α-glucosidase inhibition activity, respectively. The ethanol extract of E. alatus wings had the highest total polyphenol and flavonoid contents (867.8 mg% and 521.7 mg%, respectively). The E. alatus wing extracts significantly decreased the cell viability of LNCaP human prostate cancer cells (p<0.001), MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells (p<0.001), and HT-29 human colon cancer cells (p<0.001) in a dose-dependent manner. However, there was no significant effect on B16 mouse melanoma cells. Notably, the ethanol extracts showed higher cancer cell growth inhibitory activity in LNCaP and HT-29 cells than the other extracts. These results suggest that E. alatus wing extracts could have significant clinical applications, and our results can be used as basic data for future functional food material development.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2024

To achieve carbon neutrality and restore the national environment, there is growing interest in policies to transform national land areas into green space, such as expanding nature-based solutions, increasing biodiversity, and improving ecosystem service functions. In addition to complying with international agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, it is necessary to expand green spaces to achieve the 2050 Carbon Neutrality goal, which can be achieved by restoring the damaged land in an ecological way. However, it is challenging to implement green restoration in a systematic and active way due to conflicts of interest among landowners and lack of institutional support and advanced technology. Therefore, this study aims to develop a strategy to expand green restoration and implement it smoothly and systematically. This study examined the current status of green restoration in South Korea by investigating green restoration laws and systems and overseas trends, and by surveying the perceptions of 1,000 people selected from a pool of the public. The results of this study show that it is difficult to implement the green restoration efficiently because the laws related to restoration are scattered. According to the relevant legal plans, the perception and direction of restoration is to pursue a sustainable national land environment, allow people to benefit from nature, improve the quality of life, and nurture related industries and human resources. In the international community, it is mentioned that green restoration contributes to achieving the 2050 Carbon Neutrality goal, revitalizing green industries, developing and applying advanced technologies, maintaining consistency in restoration-related policies, expanding citizens' access to green spaces, and adopting nature-based solutions. Both experts and the public are aware of the seriousness of the damage to the natural environment and prefer restoration with human use rather than focusing on natural recovery. It is expected that this study will contribute to the future direction of green restoration and the implementation of tasks for the sustainable restoration of the national land environment and the zero-carbon era.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.399-407
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• 2024

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels form from existing blood vessels. This phenomenon occurs during growth, healing, and menstrual cycle changes. Angiogenesis is a complex and multifaceted process that is important for the continued growth of primary tumors, metastasis promotion, the support of metastatic tumors, and cancer progression. Impaired angiogenesis can lead to cancer, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and delayed wound healing. Currently, there are only a handful of effective antiangiogenic drugs. Recent studies have shown that natural marine products exhibit antiangiogenic effects. In a previous study, we reported that the hexane extract of H. fusiformis (HFH) could inhibit the development of new blood vessels both in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to describe the inhibitory effect of chloroform extracts of H. fusiformis on angiogenesis. To investigate how chloroform extract prevents blood vessel growth, we examined its effects on HUVEC, including cell migration, invasion, and tube formation. In a mouse Matrigel plug assay, H. fusiformis chloroform extract (HFC) also inhibited angiogenesis in vivo. Certain proteins associated with blood vessel growth were reduced after HFC treatment. These proteins include vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal transduction kinase, and serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT). These studies have shown that the chloroform extract of H. fusiformis can inhibit blood vessel growth both in vitro and in vivo.