• Title/Summary/Keyword: Desiccation

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Molecular Cloning of Maltooligosyltrehalose Trehalohydrolase Gene from Nostoc flagelliforme and Trehalose-Related Response to Stresses

  • Wu, Shuangxiu;He, Liang;Shen, Rongrong;Zhang, Xiu;Wang, Quanxi
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.21 no.8
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    • pp.830-837
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    • 2011
  • A genomic DNA fragment encoding a putative maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (NfMTH) for trehalose biosynthesis was cloned by the degenerate primer- PCR from cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme. The ORF of NfMTH is 1,848 bp in length and encodes 615 amino acid residues, constituting a 70 kDa protein. The deduced amino acid sequence of NfMTH contains 4 regions highly conserved for MTHs. By expression of NfMTH in E. coli, the function of this protein was demonstrated, where the recombinant protein catalyzed the hydrolysis of maltooligosyl trehalose to trehalose. The expressions of MTH and maltooligosyltrehalose synthase in the filaments of N. flagelliforme were upregulated significantly under dehydration stress, NaCl stress, and high temperature-drought stress. The accumulations of both trehalose and sucrose in the filaments of N. flagelliforme were also improved significantly under the above stresses. Furthermore, trehalose accumulated in smaller quantities than sucrose did when under NaCl stress, but accumulated in higher quantities than sucrose did when under temperature-drought stress, indicating that both trehalose and sucrose were involved in N. flagelliforme adapted to stresses and different strategies conducted in response to various stress conditions.

A Study on the Estimation Method of Loss Ratio in Dredged Fills (준설매립토의 유실율 평가방법 정립에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Seog-Yeol;Choi, Hyo-Pum;Park, Jae-Eock;Kim, Seung-Wook
    • Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.67-77
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    • 2002
  • Volume change of the dredged soils is composed of the volume loss of soil particle flowing over an outflow weir with water and settlement due to both the self-weight consolidation in reclaimed layer and the desiccation at the surface of reclaimed layer. In order to estimate the amount of soil particles flowing over an outflow weir with water, the evaluation procedure of loss ratio of the dredged soils is proposed in the present study based on the Marsal's modified breakage theory and the results of hydrometer analyses. To verify a validity of the proposed procedure, evaluated loss ratio is compared with results from the other existing methods. The model test results and those of field test were compared and analyzed. Also, the variation of soil loss ratio was examined through the model test in the lab.

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Efficient Liquid Media for Encystation of Pathogenic Free-Living Amoebae

  • Sohn, Hae-Jin;Kang, Heekyoung;Seo, Ga-Eun;Kim, Jong-Hyun;Jung, Suk-Yul;Shin, Ho-Joon
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.55 no.3
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    • pp.233-238
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    • 2017
  • Pathogenic Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba castellanii, and Acanthamoeba polyphaga, are distributed worldwide. They are causative agents of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis or acanthamoebic keratitis in humans, respectively. Trophozoites encyst in unfavorable environments, such as exhausted food supply and desiccation. Until recently, the method of N. fowleri encystation used solid non-nutrient agar medium supplemented with heat-inactivated Escherichia coli; however, for the amoebic encystment of Acanthamoeba spp., a defined, slightly modified liquid media is used. In this study, in order to generate pure N. fowleri cysts, a liquid encystment medium (buffer 1) modified from Page's amoeba saline was applied for encystation of N. fowleri. N. fowleri cysts were well induced after 24 hr with the above defined liquid encystment medium (buffer 1). This was confirmed by observation of a high expression of differential mRNA of nfa1 and actin genes in trophozoites. Thus, this liquid medium can replace the earlier non-nutrient agar medium for obtaining pure N. fowleri cysts. In addition, for cyst formation of Acanthamoeba spp., buffer 2 (adjusted to pH 9.0) was the more efficient medium. To summarize, these liquid encystment media may be useful for further studies which require axenic and pure amoebic cysts.

Trehalose Metabolism: Gate to Stress Signaling and Seed Development in Plant\ulcorner

  • Chung, H-J;Kim, Y-S;Lee, E-J;Kim, J-S;Shin, Y-M;Cho, I-S;Jin, H-O;Cho, J-W;Chung, C-H
    • Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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    • v.27 no.5
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    • pp.415-421
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    • 2000
  • The disaccharide trehalose ($\alpha$-D-glucopyranosyl-$\alpha$-D-glucopyranoside) is found in variety of organ-isms that are able to withstand almost complete desiccation. In order to identify the function of trehalose in plants, we isolated Arabidopsis trehalase (AtTRE) gene that encodes the enzyme able to hydrolyze trehalose to glucose, and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase isolog, TPS3 gene by RT-PCR. The AtTRE had the substrate specificity to hydrolyze only trehalose, and a broad pH range of enzyme activity. The AtTRE promoter/GUS reporter gene was expressed in cotyledons, mature leaf tissues including guard cells, and developing siliques. The GUS expression driven by AtTPS3 promoter was significant in root tissues, and the level of GUS activity was much higher than that of the pBll 21 control seedlings. The knockout of AtTPS3 gene in Arabidopsis resulted in the retarded root development, whereas the overexpression of AtTPS3 increased the root elongation in the presence of sucrose in MS medium. Possible functions of AtTRE and AtTPS3 in plant will be discussed. In addition, ectopic expression of yeast TPS1 driven by the inducible promoters in tobacco and potato conferred the plants on the drought and freezing tolerances.

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Effects of Indoor Relative Humidity Conditions on the Growth of Arachniodes aristata and Pyrrosia lingua in Native Ferns (실내 습도조건이 가는쇠고사리, 석위의 생육에 미치는 영향)

  • Bang, Kwang-Ja;Ju, Jin-Hee
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.34-38
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    • 2002
  • This studies were performed to determine the effects of indoor relative humidity conditions on the growth of Arachniodes aristata and Pyrrosia lingua in native fern and investigate an applicable possibility of indoor plants. The response of Arachniodes aristata and Pyrrosia lingua was evaluated in growth chamber (KG-8407-87) to 3 relative humidity and 3 soils. Relative humidity was applied to 25%, 50%, 90%; soils were prepared based on soil mixture(SM), top field soil(TF), masa soil(MS). Results of experiments are as follows ; 1. Under a low humidity condition, such as 25%, Water contents, chlorophyll content, ornamental value of Arachniodes aristata and Pyrrosia lingua decreased much more a 50-90%. 2. The growth of Arachniodes aristata were best in pots under a soil mixture(SM) but Pyrrosia lingua were field top soil(FT) under 25%. It seemed that Pyrrosia lingua due to tolerance of desiccation more than Arachniodes aristata. Though these studies, coefficient of relative humidity and soil was plays an important role in Arachniodes aristata and Pyrrosia lingua growth in indoor environments.

Evaporation Theory for Reclaimed Clay (준설 점토 지반에서의 증발 이론 개발)

  • 이형주;이인모;이영남;성상규
    • Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.55-64
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    • 2003
  • Desiccation of a soil is basically the removal of water by evaporation, which is controlled by evaporativity and evaporability. Surface evaporation improves the trafficability which is essential for the access of construction equipment in the area reclaimed with soft clay. The existing traditional methods for evaluating evaporation can not account for the deformation of reclaimed soft soils during evaporation. Therefore, a theoretical model for predicting the rate of evaporation from the surface of a deformable material is proposed. The model is based on a system of equations for coupled heat and mass transfer in unsaturated soils. The modified pressure plate extractor test and glass desiccator test were carried out to obtain the soil-water characteristic curve for a deformable soil. The column drying test was conducted to investigate one dimensional water flow, heat flow and evaporation in the surface. A finite difference program was developed to solve the coupled nonlinear partial differential equations, which permit the study of water, vapor and heat flows in the deformable soil. Comparison between measured and simulated values shows a reasonably good matching between the two.

Experimental study on water exchange between crack and clay matrix

  • Song, Lei;Li, Jinhui;Garg, Ankit;Mei, Guoxiong
    • Geomechanics and Engineering
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.283-291
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    • 2018
  • Cracks in soil provide significant preferential pathways for contaminant transport and rainfall infiltration. Water exchange between the soil matrix and crack is crucial to characterize the preferential flow, which is often quantitatively described by a water exchange ratio. The water exchange ratio is defined as the amount of water flowing from the crack into the clay matrix per unit time. Most of the previous studies on the water exchange ratio mainly focused on cracked sandy soils. The water exchange between cracks and clay matrix were rarely studied mainly due to two reasons: (1) Cracks open upon drying and close upon wetting. The deformable cracks lead to a dynamic change in the water exchange ratio. (2) The aperture of desiccation crack in clay is narrow (generally 0.5 mm to 5 mm) which is difficult to model in experiments. This study will investigate the water exchange between a deformable crack and the clay matrix using a newly developed experimental apparatus. An artificial crack with small aperture was first fabricated in clay without disturbing the clay matrix. Water content sensors and suction sensors were instrumented at different places of the cracked clay to monitor the water content and suction changes. Results showed that the water exchange ratio was relatively large at the initial stage and decreased with the increasing water content in clay matrix. The water exchange ratio increased with increasing crack apertures and approached the largest value when the clay was compacted at the water content to the optimal water content. The effective hydraulic conductivity of the crack-clay matrix interface was about one order of magnitude larger than that of saturated soil matrix.

Patterns of Interactions among Neighbor species in a High Intertidal Algal Community

  • Kim, Jeong-Ha
    • ALGAE
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    • v.17 no.1
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    • pp.41-51
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    • 2002
  • Three dominant rocky intertidal macroalgae, the fucoids Fucus gardneri and Pelvetiopsis limitata (Phaeophyta) and the red alga Mazzaella cornucopiae (= Iridaea cornucopiae) on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada were used in a series of field experiments to examine interspecific interactions. These experiments showed complex patterns which included an interchange of negative (inhibition) and positive (facilitation) interactions depending on neighbor distance. Less fucoid recruitment occurred in the plots with greater percent cover of a turfforming red alga, M. cornucopiae. However, experimentally removing Mazzaella turf (the turf was considered to be "blocking" fucoid recruits or "shading" growing recruits) did not increase recruitment. This result indicated that there may be another factor(s) involved in the survivorship of juvenile fucoids in the turf-removed plots. Morphological differences in adult plants between Mazzaella and the two fucoids resulted in another type of interaction; these began when fucoids successfully settled and grew nearby or within the red algal turf. By monitoring microhabitat at the individual plant level for two years, I found that survivorship of fucoid recruits showed different species-specific patterns. The patterns also varied as the microhabitat changed from Mazzaella turf edge to open space. For F. gardneri, longevity of P.limitata at all distances tested was similar. A reason for greater longevity of F. gardneri individuals at edge microhabitats may be that these sites have one side open to light and nutrients and another site that buffers them from desiccation and wave impact. In the Mazzaella-Fucus interaction, neighbor distance was a key factor in determining whether the outcome of the interaction would be competition or facilitation (or protection). This study provides experimental evidence that detectable biological interactions occur in this upper intertidal algal community where physical conditions are usually severe, and also indicates the importance of small scale examination in understanding macroalgal interactions in intertidal habitats.

The Study of Morphological Standard in PLATYCODI RADIX (길경(桔梗)의 내외부형태 연구)

  • Lee, Hwa-Jung;Choi, Mun-Il;Yun, Ju-Bong;Kim, Ja-Young;Kang, Kyoung-Sik;Shin, Chol-Gyun;Ju, Young-Sung
    • Herbal Formula Science
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    • v.14 no.1
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    • pp.74-81
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    • 2006
  • Objectives: The aim of this work is the making of morphological standard in platycodi radix. Methods: The external-internal morphological standards were determined by using stereoscope and butanol series. Conclusions: The external and internal characteristics according to the shape of original plant or herbal states. entirely correspond to all the literature on this subject. According to the place of production. the difference appears. (1) In the external shapes. as the Korean products. the distinction among the first. medium. poor class products was caused by the state of processing of desiccation. But as the foreign products, it was caused by the difference of size, color and especially color of circle. (2) In the internal shapes. the Mt. Baekdu region products is not skinned and has the deep state of suberization of cork phellogen. so it makes certain distinctional point. And the Korean products has the much latex tube group relatively and the bigger crevice than the foreign one.

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Comparison of Recruitment and Growth Patterns of Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) between a Natural Rocky Shore and Farming Substrate Within an Oil Spill Contaminated Area of Korea (원유 유출 지역에서 자연암반과 양식 기질에 서식하는 참굴(Crassostrea gigas)의 초기 가입 특성 및 성장 비교)

  • Lee, Hye-Mi;Yoon, Kon-Tak
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.36 no.2
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    • pp.145-156
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    • 2014
  • Macrobenthic biodiversity in the rocky intertidal areas of the Tae-an region, Republic of Korea, has decreased since the Hebei Spirit oil spill in December 2007. We aimed to investigate ecological roles of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) because recruitment and growth of oysters are critical to the recovery of damaged rocky shore ecosystem. We surveyed two sites monthly: natural rocky substrate and farming substrate, from July 2012 to January 2013 to identify and compare the changes in macrobenthic fauna. The abundance of young oysters was higher at the natural site. On the other hand, the mean height of oyster on the farming substrate was more than twice as great. The abundance of oyster at the natural site increased until October and then continuously decreased until end of study period. However, the abundance of oyster at the farming site constantly decreased from the beginning of study period. These different growth patterns might be attributable to spatial competition between oyster and a barnacle species (Balanus albicostatus) and environmental factors. At the natural site, physical stress factors including dramatic temperature changes and desiccation a few of the major factors limiting growth during aerial exposure. In addition, motile macrobenthos could be detrimental to oysters because they interrupt filter-feeding activities and hence hamper the growth of oysters. We show the higher recruitment of oysters at the natural site and healthy growth in the farming substrate are due to complicated differences in physical and biological stress factors.