• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.544-555
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• 2011

The acute toxicity in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was analyzed and predicted using quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). The aquatic toxicity, 96h $LC_{50}$ (median lethal concentration) of 275 organic pesticides, was obtained from EU-funded project DEMETRA. Prediction models were derived from 558 2D molecular descriptors, calculated in PreADMET. The linear (multiple linear regression) and nonlinear (support vector machine and artificial neural network) learning methods were optimized by taking into account the statistical parameters between the experimental and predicted p$LC_{50}$. After preprocessing, population based forward selection were used to select the best subsets of descriptors in the learning methods including 5-fold cross-validation procedure. The support vector machine model was used as the best model ($R^2_{CV}$=0.677, RMSECV=0.887, MSECV=0.674) and also correctly classified 87% for the training set according to EU regulation criteria. The MLR model could describe the structural characteristics of toxic chemicals and interaction with lipid membrane of fish. All the developed models were validated by 5 fold cross-validation and Y-scrambling test.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 1992

The inhibitory effects of radish juice on the mutagenicities of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC), methanol extract of charred part of fried or broiled saury pike (MECS) and 2-aminofluorene (2-AF) were examined by the use of Ames assay toward Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 strain. Radish juice exhibited inhibition percentage of about 100, 100 and 87 on the mutagenicities of CSC, two kinds of MECS and 2-AF, respectively. Except for juices of cabbage and leek, radish juice has inhibited more effectively the mutagenicity of CSC than other fruit or vegetable juices studied. Inhibitory effect of radish juice might be originated from the components with molecular weight above 50,000 and decreased sharply in 5 min by heat treatment at $100^{\circ}C$, but hardly changed at low and moderate storage temperatures such as $4^{\circ}C,\;10^{\circ}C,\;25^{\circ}C\;and\;35^{\circ}C$ for about 2 weeks. Precipitate obtained from ammonium sulfate saturation from 30 to 80% had inhibitory effect on the mutagenicity of CSC. Extracts from 3 bands of non-denaturing gel of $30{\sim}80%$ amnonium sulfate precipitate have exhibited the inhibitory effects on the mutagenicity of CSC.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.405-409
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• 2011

Azolla Lam. is a small aquatic fern with deeply bilobed leaves, which are consisted of a thick greenish, with chlorophyll, upper (dorsal) lobe and a thinner, translucent lower (ventral) lobe, without chlorophyll, submerged in the water. Azolla blight was observed at a lotus pond. Mycological characteristics of the fungus associated with Azolla blight was immediately determined as Rhizoctonia sp. by the thickness and branching of hypha at right angles at the point toward the distal end of septa, with branching hypha is constricted. The fungus produced brown mycelia and dark brown sclerotia on PDA. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth and sclerotia formation were $25^{\circ}C$ and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. The optimum temperature for fungal infection was $30^{\circ}C$, when spray inoculated. Phylogenetic analysis of rDNA-ITS revealed that the fungus was identified as Rhizoctonia solani (AG-1 IA) closest to one causing rice sheath blight disease. This is the first report on the blight disease of Azolla caused by R. solani in Korea.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.220-225
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• 2019

During the year 2018, the symptoms of bunch rot on Shine Muscat (Vitis vinifera L.) were observed in Kimcheon-si, Gyeongbuk province in Korea. The disease appears on the Shine Muscat as a black rot due to prolific fungal sporulation after it has invaded into the Shine Muscat which look completely empty and dryness. Colonies of these fungi are present on the Shine Muscat skin from fruit setting and increase in amount from early season to harvest, while become peak at ripening stage. To isolate the causal agent, small fragments (2 to 3 mm) of decayed tissue from the lesion margin were placed onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates. Fungal colonies on PDA produced dense white aerial mycelium and then covered with dark black conidial heads. These heads were large and radiate, and vesicles were globose (2.12-32.0×2.0-3.1 ㎛). Based on morphological and cultural characteristics, this fungus was identified as Aspergillus tubingensis. To confirm its identity, the internal transcribed spacer, β-tubulin, and RNA polymerase II was sequenced for molecular identification. BLAST search indicated 99% identity with A. tubingensis. The pathogenicity test on healthy grape of Shine Muscat produced bunch rot, as the original symptoms. To select effective fungicides for the control of brunch rot, an in vitro antifungal activity of seven fungicides were evaluated against the growth of A. tubingensis. Five fungicides (dipenoconazole, tebuconazole, metconazole, iminoctadine, and captan) exhibited significantly strong suppression of the mycelial growth of A. tubingensis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.289-298
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• 1992

Acanthamoeba sap., free-living amoebae inhabited in moist soil, pond, freshwater, sewage, atmosphere and swimming pool, may be causative protozoa of the fatal primary amoebic meningoence-phalitis in experimental animals and humans. In this study, Acar,thamoeba spry. , including Acan. thamoeba sp. YM-4 (isolated strain from Korea) had been compared by the two-dimensional electrophoresis and hybridoma technique as well as the difference of morphological characteristics. Trophozoite of Acenthamoeba sp. YM-4 is usually uninucleate and show the hyaline filamentous projections (acanthopoda) . No aagellate stage observed. Cysts have two walls, the outer wall is nearly circular, but inner wall is oval or some irregular. As results of SDS-PAGE for Iysate of Acanthamoeba sp. VM-4, 16 major protein fractions are similiar to those of A. cuzbertsoni, but different to A. royreba and A. polyphaga. Findings of two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns of Acanthamceba sp. YM-4 are almost same to those of A. culberssoni, The isotope of monoclonal antibodies produced from McAY 6, McAY 7, McAY 8, McAY 13 and McAY 16 clones were IgGl, and McAY 10 and McAY 11 clones were IsM. As results of the cross-reactivity among various amoebae using ELISA with monoclonal antibodies, McAY 7 monoclonal antibody (molecular weight 43 kDa by EITB) was only reacted with Acanthamoeba sp. YM-4, but McAY 6 and McAY 10 monoclonal antibodies were reacted to A. cuzbertsoni as well as Acanthamoeba sp. YM-4.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.689-694
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• 2013

Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis are parasites known to be carcinogenic and causative agents of cholangiocarcinoma in Asia. The standard method for diagnosis for those parasite infections is stool examination to detect parasite eggs. However, the method has low sensitivity, and eggs of O. viverrini and C. sinensis are difficult to distinguish from each other and from those of some other trematodes. Here, we report a multiplex real-time PCR coupled with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis for the differentiation of O. viverrini and C. sinensis eggs in fecal samples. Using 2 pairs of species-specific primers, DNA sequences from a portion of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (nad 2) gene, were amplified to generate 209 and 165 bp products for O. viverrini and C. sinensis, respectively. The distinct characteristics of HRM patterns were analyzed, and the melting temperatures peaked at $82.4{\pm}0.09^{\circ}C$ and $85.9{\pm}0.08^{\circ}C$ for O. viverrini and C. sinensis, respectively. This technique was able to detect as few as 1 egg of O. viverrini and 2 eggs of C. sinensis in a 150 mg fecal sample, which is equivalent to 7 and 14 eggs per gram of feces, respectively. The method is species-specific, rapid, simple, and does not require fluorescent probes or post-PCR processing for discrimination of eggs of the 2 species. It offers a new tool for differentiation and detection of Asian liver fluke infections in stool specimens.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.409-418
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• 2018

Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living protozoa that are opportunistic pathogens for humans. Cysteine proteases of Acanthamoeba have been partially characterized, but their biochemical and functional properties are not clearly understood yet. In this study, we isolated a gene encoding cysteine protease of A. castellanii (AcCP) and its biochemical and functional properties were analyzed. Sequence analysis of AcCP suggests that this enzyme is a typical cathepsin L family cysteine protease, which shares similar structural characteristics with other cathepsin L-like enzymes. The recombinant AcCP showed enzymatic activity in acidic conditions with an optimum at pH 4.0. The recombinant enzyme effectively hydrolyzed human proteins including hemoglobin, albumin, immunoglobuins A and G, and fibronectin at acidic pH. AcCP mainly localized in lysosomal compartment and its expression was observed in both trophozoites and cysts. AcCP was also identified in cultured medium of A. castellanii. Considering to lysosomal localization, secretion or release by trophozoites and continuous expression in trophozoites and cysts, the enzyme could be a multifunctional enzyme that plays important biological functions for nutrition, development and pathogenicity of A. castellanii. These results also imply that AcCP can be a promising target for development of chemotherapeutic drug for Acanthamoeba infections.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.20-27
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• 2004

Kinetic characteristics dependent on several factors such as iron mineral and organic solvents were investigated. When F $e^{0}$ , FeS and Fe $S_2$ were used as mediators, minerals affecting reaction rate were in the following order : $Fe_{0}$ 0/ ＞ FeS ＞ $FeS_2$ when in contact $C_2$C $l_{6}$ . The more chloride substituted, the higher reaction rate were observed. The reaction rates were dependent on pH, shaking rate, temperature and specific surface area. 1, 10-phenanthroline and EDTA degradation rates were fast, indicating that they adsorbed on the surface of the iron which makes the electron transfer reaction easy. Nitrate which has $\pi$＊ orbital of molecular can increase electron transfer rate because it is delocalized in its entity. The reaction rates were not affected by hydroquinone. Degradation rates were much enhanced with naturally occurring kaolinite because of the surface corrosion of Fe mineral. However, The reaction rate was not affected by F $e^{2+}$ or S $O_4$$^{2-}$ presented in solution.n.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 1994

The complete nucleotide sequence of the cloned pga gene encoding the penicillin G acylase of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14945 and its 5'- and 3'-flanking regions was determined. The sequence revealed only one large open reading frame (2,406 hp) of the penicillin G acylase (pga) gene. Upstream from ATG of the pga gene, there was a putative ribosome binding site, Shine-Dalgarno sequence. The promoter-like structure, - 10 and - 35 sequences, was also found. Following the stop codon, TAG, a structure reminiscent of the E. coli rho-independent transcription terminator was present. The amino acid sequence was deduced from the nucleotide sequence. The molecular mass of the polypeptide was 91,983 Da. There was a potential signal sequence in its amino-terminal region. A comparison of its deduced amino acid sequence with other characterized penicillin G acylases and the result of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme showed that a precursor polypeptide of 92 kDa was processed into two dissimilar ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$-subunits of 25 and 61 kDa.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.10
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• pp.43-61
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• 2009

The Buyeo National Museum was requested conservation treatment for wooden objects excavated from three Baekje archeological sites: Neungsan-ri, Ssangbuk-ri, and Gungnamji Pond. Prior to conservation treatment, analysis was conducted to identify the species used. The results of the analysis revealed wood from diverse species of trees including Hard pine, Cryptomeria japonica D. Don, Zelkova serrata Makino, Quercus spp., Platycarya strobilaceae S. et Z., Castanea spp., Torreya nucifera S. et Z., Taxus cuspidata S. et Z., and Salix spp. A high percentage of the objects were made of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don., a species native to Japan, which indicates that exchange with Japan was active at that time. Among the wooden objects, we analyzed lacquer fragments from six pieces of lacquerware, and the characteristics of the lacquer fragments were peculiar to specific artifacts. Most of the fragments were thicker than 100 ㎛. Pure lacquer and mixed black pigment were used. Infrared spectroscopy of the lacquered wooden fragments revealed that they had a very similar absorption band as refined lacquer, confirming that they were painted with lacquer. For their conservation, we immersed the objects in a high molecular weight aqueous solution of PEG#3,350 (10% → 50%) to strengthen them before vacuum freeze-drying.