• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.329-336
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• 2012

This study evaluated ecological health, using various biomarkers and bioindicators, of pale chub (Zacco platypus) as a sentinel species, in Daejeon Stream, South Korea, during AprilMay 2011. The biomarkers and bioindicators were compared among three sites of control: Reference ($C_z$), transition ($T_z$), and the urban zones ($U_z$); and the 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, DNA damage, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and vitellogenin (VTG) concentrations were more significantly increased in the $U_z$ than in the $C_z$. Also, physiological markers such as condition factor, liver somatic index, visceral somatic index, and gonad somatic index were significantly increased in the $U_z$ than in the $C_z$. For the health assessments, three categorized parameters of blood chemistry, molecular biomarkers, and physiological bioindicators were standardized and calculated as a star-plot, representing values of Integrated Health Response (IHR). Values of IHR had more significant (P<0.05) increases in the $U_z$ than any other zones, indicating an impairment of ecological health by organic matter, nutrients (N, P), and toxic chemicals. This study is based on low levels of biological organization approach of molecular and physiological biomarkers and bioindicators, so further study of high-levels of biological organization approach such as community and population is required for overall range of health assessments. The approach of IHR values, however, may be useful in providing early warning of future impacts on ecological health.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.338-351
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• 2003

UV radiation is the most dangerous stress factor among permanent environmental impacts on human skin. Consequences of UV exposure are aberrant tissue architecture, alterations in skin cells including functional changes. Nowadays new kinds of outdoor leisure-time activities and changing environmental conditions make the question of sun protection more important than ever. It is necessary to recognize that self-confident consumers do not consider to change their way of life, they demand modern solutions on the basis of new scientific developments. In the past one fundamental principle of cosmetics was the use of physical and organic filter systems against damaging UV-rays. Today new research results demonstrate that natural protecting cell mechanisms can be activated. Suitable biological actives strongly support the protection function not from the surface but from the inside of the cell. A soy seed preparation (SSP) was proven to stimulate natural skin protective functions. The major functions are an increased energy level and the prevention of DNA damage. These functions can I be defined as biological UV protection. The tumor suppressor protein p53 plays a key role in the regulation of DNA repair. p53 must be transferred into the phosphorylated form to work as transcription factor for genes which are regulating the cell cycle or organizing DNA repair. A pretreatment with SSP increases the phosphorylation rate of p53 of chronically UV-irradiated human keratinocytes significantly. According to the same test procedure SSP induces a dramatic increase in the expression of the tumor suppressor protein p14$^{ARF}$ that is supporting the p53 activity by blocking the antagonist of p53, the oncoprotein Mdm2. Mdm2, a ubiquitin E3-ligase, downregulates p53 and at the same time it prevents phosphorylation of p53. The positive influence of the tumor suppressor proteins explains the stimulation of DNA repair and prevention of sunburn cell formation by SSP, which was proven in cell culture experiments. In vivo the increased skin tolerance against UV irradiation by SSP could be confirmed too. We have assumed, that an increased repair potential provides full cell functionality.y.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.245-250
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• 2004

Farmers typically apply the dressed soil (coarse saprolite) for various reasons in the sloped upland with high altitude in Kangwon province. However, little researches on the impacts of application of dressed soil in uplands were conducted. Therefore, it is necessary to assess soil quality in this area and to study adverse effects on soil and water due to application of dressed soil. Coarse saprolite itself showed signiScantly poor chemical properties, Particularly P and organic matter contents were not enough for crops to grow. With respect to biological qualities such as enzyme activity and microbial population, coarse saprolite itself showed poor qualities. For example, bacterial population in coarse saprolite contains six times or ten times smaller populations. Based on survey at Jawoon-ri in Hongchon-gun, this region is susceptible for soil erosion due to massive amounts of coarse saprolite application, undesirably long slope length, etc. When weestimated soil loss, more than 40% of farming field in this region exceeded $11.2MT\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$. According to experiment by installing sediment basins. the sediment basin with up-down tillage and application with dressed soil had the highest soil loss and runofT, while the sediment basin with contour tillage and without soil dressing showed the lowest soil erosion and runoff.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.267-277
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• 2004

Effects of elevated $CO_2$ on soil microorganisms are known to be mediated by various interactions with plants, for which such effects are relatively poorly documented. In this review, we summarize and syn­thesize results from studies assessing impacts of elevated $CO_2$ on soil ecosystems, focusing primarily on plants and a variety the of microbial processes. The processes considered include changes in microbial biomass of C and N, microbial number, respiration rates, organic matter decomposition, soil enzyme activities, microbial community composition, and functional groups of bacteria mediating trace gas emission such as methane and nitrous oxide. Elevated $CO_2$ in atmosphere may enhance certain micro­bial processes such as $CH_4$ emission from wetlands due to enhanced carbon supply from plants. How­ever, responses of extracellular enzyme activities and microbial community structure are still controversy, because interferences with other factors such as the types of plants, nutrient availabilitial in soil, soil types, analysis methods, and types of $CO_2$ fumigation systems are not fully understood.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

PET allows non-invasive, quantitative and repetitive imaging of biological function in living animals. Small animal PET imaging with $[^{18}F]$FDG has been successfully applied to investigation of metabolism, receptor-ligand interactions, gene expression, adoptive cell therapy and somatic gene therapy. Experimental condition of animal handling impacts on the biodistribution of $[^{18}F]$FDG in small animal study. The small animal PET and CT images were registered using the hardware fiducial markers and small animal contour point. Tumor imaging in small animal with small animal $[^{18}F]$FDG PET should be considered fasting, warming, and isoflurane anesthesia level. Registered imaging with small animal PET and CT image could be useful for the detection of tumor. Small animal experimental condition of animal handling and registration method will be of most importance for small lesion detection of metastases tumor model.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.356-364
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• 2010

The chemical and biological reaction of the aquatic organism is closely related with temperature variation and water temperature is one of the most important factors that should be considered in establishing sustainable reservoir operation scheme to minimize adverse environmental impacts related with dam construction. This paper investigates temperature variation in the downstream of Yongdam Reservoir using sampled data collected from total 8 temperature monitoring stations placed along the main river and the major tributaries. Using KoRiv1, 1-dimensional dynamic water quality simulation model, temperature variation in the downstream of Yongdam Reservoir has been simulated. The simulated results were compared with sampled data collected from May 15 to August 1 2008 by applying two different temperature modeling schemes, equilibrium temperature and full heat budget method. From the result of statistical analysis, seasonal temperature variation has been simulated by applying the equilibrium temperature scheme for comparison of the difference between the reservoir operation and the natural conditions.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2014

Climate change has been social and environmental issues, it typically indicates the trend changes of not only temperature but also rainfall. There is a need to consider climate changes in a long-term soil erosion estimation since soil loss in a watershed can be varied by the changes of rainfall intensity and frequency of torrential rainfall. The impacts of rainfall trend changes on soil loss, one of climate changes, were estimated using Sediment Assessment Tool for Effective Erosion Control (SATEEC) employing L module with current climate scenario and future climate scenario collected from the Korea Meteorological Administration. A 62 $km^2$ watershed was selected to explore the climate changes on soil loss. SATEEC provided an increasing trend of soil loss with the climate change scenarios, which were 182 ton/ha/year in 2010s, 169 ton/ha/year in 2020s, 192 ton/ha/year in 2030s,182 ton/ha/year in 2040s, and 218 ton/ha/year in 2050s. Moreover, it was found that approximately 90% of agricultural area in the watershed displayed the soil loss of 50 ton/ha/year which is exceeding the allow able soil loss regulation by the Ministry of Environment.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2013

Natural zooplankton communities are composed of many different species at different trophic levels in the aquatic food web. Several researchers have reported that in mesocosm/enclosure experiments, larger cladocerans tend to be more sensitive to carbamate insecticides than smaller ones (Daphnia > Moina, Diaphanosoma > Bosmina). In contrast, results from individual-level laboratory tests have suggested that large cladoceran species are more tolerant than small species. To clarify this inconsistency, we conducted a microcosm experiment using model zooplankton communities with different species compositions, where animals were exposed to lethal (near to the 24 h LC50, concentration estimated to kill 50% of individuals within 24-h for the small cladoceran Bosmina) and lower, sublethal concentrations of carbaryl. In the experiment, population densities of the small cladocerans (Bosmina and Bosminopsis) decreased subsequent to the applications of chemical, but no impacts were observed on the large cladoceran Daphnia. Our results supported the reports of previous individual level toxicity tests, and indicated that the sensitivity of zooplankton to the insecticide was unchanged by biological interactions but the response of population can be modified by compensation of population through hatching from resting eggs and/or the persistence of insecticide in the systems.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.212-218
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• 2019

Background: Allelopathy has been suggested as one potential mechanism facilitating the successful colonisation and expansion of invasive plants. The impacts of the ongoing elevation in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) on the production of allelochemicals by invasive species are of great importance because they play a potential role in promoting biological invasion at the global scale. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia var. elatior), one of the most notorious invasive exotic plant species, was used to assess changes in foliar mono- and sesquiterpene production in response to CO₂ elevation (389.12 ± 2.55 vs. 802.08 ± 2.69 ppm). Results: The plant growth of common ragweed significantly increased in elevated CO₂. The major monoterpenes in the essential oil extracted from common ragweed leaves were β-myrcene, DL-limonene and 1,3,6-octatriene, and the major sesquiterpenes were β-caryophyllene and germacrene-D. The concentrations of 1,3,6-octatriene (258%) and β-caryophyllene (421%) significantly increased with CO₂ elevation. Conclusions: These findings improve our understanding of how allelochemicals in common ragweed respond to CO₂ elevation.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 1995

Incidents of seafood and massive fish kills have been rapidly increasing in both frequency and geographical distribution and the socioeconomic impacts brought by those incidents. However, the biological origins of those marine toxins have not been well clarified. Most of the marine organisms investigated are filter-feeder, which accumulate toxins from their food and/or their symbiotic microalgae. We have examined the action on rabbit platelets of marine toxins isolated from cultured dinoflagellates and sponge collected at Okinawa. Maitotoxin (MTX) is a water-soluble toxin isolated from the cultured dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus which causes a seafood poisoning in tropical regions. Zooxanthellatoxin A (ZT-A) was isolated from exteracts of cultured symbiotic dinoflagellate Symbiodinium sp. (socalled zooxanthella) from flatworms of the genus Amphiscolops collected at Okinawan marine sponge Theonella sp. MTX caused a disaggregation and a dissolution of large aggregates. ZT-A caused a dissolution of small aggregates followed by a increment of light tranmission. TZ-A caused an initial and transient shape change followed by a sustained aggregation and a increment of large aggregates. In conclusion, marine toxins exert unique patterns on the light trasmission and the size of aggregates in rabbit platelets by their concentrations and kinds