• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 1995

The I.A.P.(Index of Atmospheric Purity) by the distribution of Bryophtes on the bark of various latifoliate tree trunks was investigated at four sites(Daeheung, Songkwang, Jeungsim, and Heunggook Temple) from April, 1991 to April, 1993. The IAP was in inverse proportion to the degree of air pollution. The I.A.P at four sites were estimated 78.2 at Daeheung temple, 61.0 at Songkwang temple, 28.3 at Jeungsim temple, and 10.3 at Heunggook temple, respectively. The distribution degree of Bryophytes in Heunggook temple progressed during the last ten years. It represents the bettrment of air quality. Bioassay by means of lichens seems to have great potential for better and less expensive ways of measuring pollution levels instead of the high cost of buying and maintaining air pollution monitoring equipment.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.135-147
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• 1986

The simplification and the searching trends of complex data which assumed relationship between predictor variables and object variables are one of primary objective of ecological research. This study was aimed to apply cononical analysis consisting of canonical correlation analysis and canonical variate analysis related to lichen vegetation and several environmental variables which are elevation, height on grond, exposure side and cover values. Data collected from the Duckyoo National Park in August 1985. Lichen species was ranked by eqivocation information theory with cover values. Canonical correlation analysis was applied to one data set both set both environmental variables and lichem family. In order to make two sets of data matrix the scale of position vector ordination was calculated from the vector scalar product for lichen species. Canonical variate analysis was applied to rearranged data which was made by interval class code for environmental variables. The sharpness values was calculated in frequency of cotingency tables and the dispersion profiles of each species in classes of environmental variables was designed to extract component values based on the decomposition of expected frequencies in contingency table. The results of canonical correlation analysis revealed canonical first correlation value 0.815(89%), and second correlation value 0.083(11%). Significance test showed that the hypothesis of joint mutuallity of canonical correlation is accepted (P>0.05). The relation between canonical score of vegetation variables and that of environmental variable indicated linear tendency.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.spc2
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• pp.54-59
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• 2023

To obtain unrecorded bacterial species from Korean islands, various samples were collected from the islands in 2022. After plating the samples on marine agar or Reasoner's 2A, and incubating aerobically, approximately 1,200 bacterial strains were isolated and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequences. A total of 10 strains showed ≥98.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the bacterial species that were validly published but not reported in Korea. The unrecorded bacterial strains belong to three phyla, five classes, 10 orders, 10 families, and 10 genera, which are assigned to Sphingomonas, Falsirhodobacter and Asticcacaulis of the class Alphaproteobacteria; Colwellia and Halomonas of the class Gammaproteobacteria; Chitinophaga of the class Chitinophagia; Chryseobacterium of the class Flavobacteriia; Microlunatus, Zhihengliuella, and Streptomyces of the class Actinomycetia. The details of the unreported species including Gram reaction, colony and cell morphology, biochemical characteristics, and phylogenetic position are also provided in the description of the strains.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.578-582
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• 2007

The primary objective of this study was to assess the in vitro melanogenesis inhibitory effects of methanolic extracts of the edible and medicinal lichens, Umbilicaria (Gyrophora) esculenta and Usnea longissima. The quantities of the total phenolic compounds of methanolic extract of the two lichen extracts were determined to be 1.46% and 2.62%, respectively. In order to evaluate the antioxidative effects of the extracts, we also measured electron donating abilities (EDA) and lipid peroxidation rates. The EDA values measured by the reduction of 1.1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) were 72.8% and 80.7% for the extracts, with $SC_{50}$ (median scavenging concentration) values of $1.29{\pm}0.05\;mg/ml$ and $1.03{\pm}0.06\;mg/ml$, respectively. The rates of inhibition of lipid peroxidation using linoleic acid were 92.1% and 97.3% for the extracts, with $IC_{50}$ (median inhibitory concentration) values of $0.57{\pm}0.05\;mg/ml$ and $0.53{\pm}0.06\;mg/ml$, respectively. The inhibitory rates of the extracts against tyrosinase were 67.4% and 84.8%, respectively. The extracts were shown to reduce melanin formation in human melanoma cells. Melanin contents in the samples treated with 0.01% and 0.1% U. esculenta were 47.1% and 31.2%, respectively, and those treated with 0.01% and 0.1% Usnea longissima were 51.1% and 34.9%, respectively, whereas a value of 54.0% was registered when ascorbic acid was utilized as a positive control. In addition to direct tyrosinase inhibition, it was determined that the lichen extracts affected the activity of tyrosinase via the inhibition of tyrosinase glycosylation. As a result, the methanolic extracts of U. esculenta and Usnea longissima evidenced melanogenesis inhibitory effects, which occurred via multiple routes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.38-46
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• 2009

Lichen-forming fungi (LEF) were isolated from 67 Hungarian lichen species from ascospores or thallus fragments. LFF were successfully isolated from 26 species with isolation rate of 38.8%. Of the total number of isolation from ascospores (27 species) and thallus fragments (40 species), 48% and 32.5% of the species were successfully isolated, respectively. Comparison of rDNA sequences of ITS regions between the isolated LFF and the original thallus confirmed that all the isolates originated from the thallus fragments were LEF. The following 14 species of LEF were newly isolated in this study; Acarospora cervina, Bacidia rubella, Cladonia pyxidata, Lasallia pustulata, Lecania hyaline, Lecanora argentata, Parmelina tiliacea, Parmotrema chinense, Physconia distorta, Protoparmeliopsis muralis, Ramalina pollinaria, Sarcogyne regularis, Umbilicaria hirsuta, Xanthoparmelia conspersa and X. stenophylla. Antifungal activity of the Hungarian LFF was evaluated against plant pathogenic fungi of Colletotrichum acutatum, C. coccodes and C. gloeosporioides, causal agent of anthracnose on hot pepper. Among the 26 isolates, 11 LFF showed more than 50% of inhibition rates of mycelial growth of at least one target pathogen. Especially, LFF of Evernia prunastri, Lecania hyalina and Lecanora argentata were remarkably effective in inhibition of mycelial growth of all the tested pathogens with antibiotic mode of action. On the other hands, five isolates of Cladonia furcata, Hypogymnia physodes, Lasallia pustulata, Ramalina fastigiata and Ramalina pollinaria exhibited fungal lytic activity against all the three pathogens. Among the tested fungal pathogens, C. coccodes seemed to be most sensitive to the LFF. The Hungarian LFF firstly isolated in this study can be served as novel bioresources to develop new biofungicides alternative to current fungicides to control hot pepper anthracnose pathogenic fungi.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.279-293
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• 2019

The stone lantern of the Damyang Gaeseonsaji temple site is a cultural heritage built during the Unified Silla period (AD 868). The reason for its value as a cultural property is due to wittern the background and the period created on inscription of the lamp stone engraved by letters. The stone lantern consists of two types of lithic tuffs for the 23 original properties, the replaced stones in 1991, and the biotite granite for its ground stones replaced in 2005. The lithic tuffs selected as the replacement parts in 1991 and 2017 have been examined and got to properties of hardly exposure moisture as well as very similar geochemical characteristics. There were various types of physical deterioration of the stone properties and structural cracks; in particular, on the northern side of the stylobates. Chemical and biological deterioration can be identified as black, white, and brown discolorations as well as by the presence of lichens, bryophytes, and herbaceous plants. In the evaluation of the physical properties of the stone lantern, the mean and maximum ultrasonic velocities were found to be similar in each direction. However, the lowest velocity on the east and south sides were found to be lower than those of other stone properties. It was found that physical damage to the stylobates resulted from water expansion in a freeze-to-thaw phenomena related to water content. Therefore, dismantling repair was carried out in the protection facility to restrict further water supply to the stone as much as possible.

• Mycobiology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.28-30
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• 2009

This study was aimed at evaluating the growth promoting effect of symbiotic algal polyol (ribitol) and plant hormones on the lichen-forming fungi (LFF), Ramalina farinacea (CH050010 and 40403) and Ramalina fastigiata. The addition of ribitol to basal (malt-yeast extract) medium enhanced the relative growth rates of all three LFF. R. farinacea (CH050010), R. farinacea (40403) and R. fastigiata (H06127) showed 35.3%, 29.0% and 29.3% higher growth rates, respectively, compared to the control. IBA (indole-3-butyric acid) and TIBA (2,3,5-tridobenzoic acid) also increased growth rates of the LFF by 34 to 64% and 7 to 28%, respectively, compared to the control. The combination of ribitol with IBA or TIBA synergistically increased the growth of all LFF. For example, ribitol and IBA treatments increased growth rates of R. farinacea (CH050010), R. farinacea (40403) and R. fastigiata (H06127) by 79.4%, 40.3% and 72.8% in, respectively, compared to those grown on the basal medium. The stimulating effect of ribitol and IBA on the LFF growth induced vertical development of the fungal mass in culture. We suggest that lichen-forming fungal growth of Ramalina lichens can be stimulated aposymbiotically by supplementing polyols and plant hormones to the basal medium in the mass production of lichen secondary metabolites under large scale culture conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.809-824
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• 2012

Stone cultural heritages quantitatively as well as qualitatively occupy a large proportion in the designated heritages in Korea. The Stone Buddha statue in the Gulbulsa temple site, designated as the No. 121 treasure in 1935, is located in the southwestern slope of Mt. Sogeumgang, Dongcheon-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk Province and Buddhist images are sculptured on four sides of a 3.5m-tall gigantic rock. The damage states result from the weathering degree and indicate high correlation with the water contents. The water contents in the Stone Buddha of Gulbulsa temple site are highest at the east side and then decrease in order of north, south and west sides. These are proportional to the durations of sunshine. Moreover, the Stone Buddha of Gulbulsa temple site with dense joints, repaired areas and vegetated areas by lichens shows high water contents and damage states.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2016

Lichens have been known to possess multiple biological activities, including anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities. Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) may play a role in the development of atherosclerosis. Hence, VCAM-1 is a possible therapeutic target in the treatment of the inflammatory disease. However, the effect of lobaric acid on VCAM-1 has not yet been investigated and characterized. For this study, we examined the effect of lobaric acid on the inhibition of VCAM-1 in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$)-stimulated mouse vascular smooth muscle cells. Western blot and ELISA showed that the increased expression of VCAM-1 by TNF-${\alpha}$ was significantly suppressed by the pre-treatment of lobaric acid ($0.1-10{\mu}g/ml$) for 2 h. Lobaric acid abrogated TNF-${\alpha}$-induced NF-${\kappa}B$ activity through preventing the degradation of $I{\kappa}B$ and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), and p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase. Lobaric acid also inhibited the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ receptor 1 (TNF-R1). Overall, our results suggest that lobaric acid inhibited VCAM-1 expression through the inhibition of p38, ERK, JNK and NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathways, and downregulation of TNF-R1 expression. Therefore, it is implicated that lobaric acid may suppress inflammation by altering the physiology of the atherosclerotic lesion.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.81-91
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• 2012

Objectives : By investigating antimicrobial activity of natural extracts, identifying its usefulness as antibiotic material to oral bacteria. Methods : Antimicrobial activity tests of 25 natural extracts were implemented on 6 type strains alleged to cause dental caries and 10 clinical strains isolated and identified from dental caries. Results : Among medicinal plants, Coptis japonica, Scutellaria baicalensis, Dictamnus dasycarpus showed antimicrobial activity. Among lichens, 3 methanol extracts and 6 acetone extracts showed antimicrobial activity. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration(MIC) test of Usnea aurantiacoatra KoLRI 004184, an acetone extract of lichen with the highest antimicrobial activity, on 6 type strains involved in dental caries and 10 strains isolated from dental caries resulted as follows; Actinomyces oris 1041 $12{\mu}g/ml$, for Corynebacterium durum 3151 $13{\mu}g/ml$, for Rothia dentocariosa KCTC $3204^T$ $14{\mu}g/ml$, for R. dentocariosa 911 $15{\mu}g/ml$, for R. dentocariosa 1822 $12{\mu}g/ml$, for Lacto-bacillus casei KACC $12413^T$ $12{\mu}g/ml$, for L. acidophilus KACC $12419^T$ $16{\mu}g/ml$, for L. rhamnosus 2421 $15{\mu}g/ml$, for Streptococcus mutans KCTC $3065^T$ $15{\mu}g/ml$, for S. mutans 121 $13{\mu}g/ml$, for Streptococcus oralis 2221 $18{\mu}g/ml$, for S. salivarius KCTC 5512 $14{\mu}g/ml$, for S. salivarius 122 $12{\mu}g/ml$, for S. sanguinis KCTC $3284^T$ $14{\mu}g/ml$, for S. sanguinis 912 $14{\mu}g/ml$, for Neisseria sp. KEM232 $12{\mu}g/ml$. Conclusions : Even a small amount of extract from lichen Usnea aurantiacoatra KoLRI 004184 showed very high level of antimicrobial activation against all 16 bacterial strains involved in dental caries.