• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 2017

Foulbrood disease is infected by Paenibacillus larvae on larval stage of honeybee, and is lethal disease to result in population death. This disease was manifested in 2008 in Korea, is still suffered by the secondary damages. In this study, we are to examine diagnostic PCR approaches to manage the Foulbrood disease. PCR amplification of 16S rRNA is generally using for microbial infection, but the specificity is little poor for the correct diagnosis. Therefore, we are to identify specific genes expressed in Paenibacillus larvae, and perform PCR analysis. We selected five distinct genes from literature references. Those genes are commonly known as toxic genes for host infection, and include Toxin1, Toxin2A & 2B, SplA, CBP49, and SevA&SevB. PCR amplification for these genes is difficult to detect at the first time. So, we performed the second PCR using the first PCR product as a template. This approach using the nested PCR was very useful for detecting large marker genes. When Paenibacillus larvae was cultured in the medium containing plant extracts, PCR amplification of the identified genes is correlated with the microbial growth inhibition. Therefore, these results suggest that the identified genes might be useful to study diagnostic PCR markers for honeybee Foulbrood disease.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2007

This study was performed to investigate the concentrations of PM($PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$, $PM_{1}$) and it's affecting factors in the subway from line 1 to line 8 in Seoul metropolitan area, from Sep. 1 to 30, 2005. PM concentrations were measured at the entrances and centers in subway passenger cabins by a light scattering equipment. And the affecting factors to PM were estimated based on the number of passenger, door open and close and running area etc. The geometric means of $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{1}$ concentration in Seoul subway passenger cabins were $214{\mu}g/m^3$, $86.6{\mu}g/m^3$ and $27.0{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. These mean concentrations in subway carriage were higher when it ran on an underground track than on a ground track. And running time(7AM-9AM, 11AM-13PM, 6PM-8PM) significantly influenced to the concentrations of $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{1}$. Daily profile of $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$, $PM_{1}$ expressed as an 10 minutes average, showed similar variation pattern over day period. In correlation analysis, significant relations among $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{1}$ were detected(p〈0.01). In particular, correlation coefficient between $PM_{10}$and $PM_{1}$ was highly significant(r=0.94). Further study is needed to identity the sources of PM in subway cabins and to compare pollutants concentration among subway lines.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.1522-1522
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• 2001

Beverages based on fruit juices are among the most popular commercially available drinks. There is an ever-increasing demand for these juices in the market. Orange juice is one of the most common as well as most favorite flavor. The fruit processing industries have a tremendous responsibility of quality control. For quality evaluation estimation of various components of the juice is necessary. Sucrose, glucose, fructose, citric acid and malic acid are the prime components of orange juice. Little information is available on analysis of orange juice. However, conventional and general wet chemistry procedures are currently being used which are no longer desired by the industry owing to the time involved, labor input and harmful chemicals required for each analysis. Need to replace these techniques with new, highly specific and automated sophisticated techniques viz. HPLC and spectroscopy has been realized since long time. Potential of Near Infrared Spectroscopy in quantitative analysis of different components of food samples has also been well established. A rapid, non-destructive and accurate technique based on Near Infrared Spectroscopy for determination of sugars and organic acids in orange juice will be highly useful. The current study is an investigation into the potential of Near Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy for rapid quantitative analysis of sucrose, glucose, fructose citric acid and malic acid in orange juice. All the Near Infrared measurements were peformed on a dispersive NIR spectrophotometer (ELICO 153) in diffuse reflectance mode. The spectral region from 1100 to 2500nm has been explored. The calibration has been performed on synthetic samples that are mixtures of sucrose, glucose, fructose, citric acid and malic acid in different concentration ranges typically encountered real orange juice. These synthetic samples are therefore considered to be representatives of natural juices. All the Near Infrared spectra of synthetic samples were subjected to mathematical analysis using Partial Least Square (PLS) algorithm. After the validation, calibration was applied to commercially available real samples and freshly squeezed natural juice samples. The actual concentrations were compared with those predicted from calibration curve. A good correlation is obtained between actual and predicted values as indicated by correlation coefficient ($R^2$) value, which is close to unity, showing the feasibility of the technique.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the fertilizer sources and ground cover mulches on nutrient release, growth, and photosynthesis in small one-year-old apple (Malus ${\times}$ domestica Borkh.) trees in controlled conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Treatments included no fertilizer (NF), commercial organic fertilizer (CF), and poultry litter (PL) for fertilizer treatments, and wood chips (WC), shredded paper (SP), green compost (GC), and grass clippings (GR) for cover mulch treatments. All treatments were applied proportionally based on the volume ratio equivalent to the soil. CF, PL, and GR treatments that had optimum carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) ratios (less than 30:1) for N mineralization through the microbes released the greatest $NH_4^+$ concentrations in the pot media at 90 days after the treatments, but GC mulch with the optimum C:N ratio did not. CF-, PL- and GR-treated plants had the largest leaf area, thickest stem diameter, longest shoot extension, and greater dry matter production. CONCLUSION(s): CF and PL showed an suitable organic nutrient source for improving plant growth in an orchard. Interestingly, GR also could be a nutrient source for tree growth, if vegetation competition is controlled by maintaining vegetation height and recycling enough grass clippings to the soil in an orchard.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.105-113
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• 1995

Seasonality in biomass and egg Production was investigated for Calanus sinicus, one of the major copepods in Asan Bay, Korea. Biomass of this species in this restricted embayment showed only one Peak in spring, but e99 Production showed two Peaks, spring (April and May) and fall (September). Average egg Productions during the spawnlng seasons were 16.3 egg/female/day (spring) and 7.6eggs/female/day (fall) with maximum egg Production of 39.0 eggs/female/day. Food concentrations in this bay measured'1 terms of particulate organic carbon (POC) were relatively high around the year, and correlation between egg Production and POC was not significant. With the food Provided sufficiently animals Produced a lot of fecal Pellets, but egg Production was ceased after several days of experiment. From these results it was believed that egg Production in this bay was influenced by food quality and feeding history rather than food concentrations. Habitat temperatures also seem to have influence on egg Production from the tacts that no egg was Produced at extreme habitat temperatures, although the correlation between the two was not significant. In this bay, two generations with different time periods seem to progress yearly. Distribution was coupled with life cycle only at certain time of the year. During the other periods predation pressure by the higher trophic levels and shift of the centers of the distributions toward deeper outer bay seemed to be responsible for the observed distribution and egg Production of this species in this bay. Comparing with the Previous reports, migration of fairly long distance and continual reproduction seemed possible for this species.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2015

Antimicrobial activities of nano-materials were tested against several plant pathogens. Twelve different nano-materials were used to observe the antagonistic activity against three kinds of mold and sixteen different kinds of watermelon fruit rot pathogens (Acidovorax citrulli). According to the results, no antagonism have been found against the pathogen, Cylindrocarpon destructans. However in the case of Pythium ultimum, combination of Brass/Glucose 1,000 ppm confirmed the mycelial growth reduction by 94%. In addition, little effect was found against Rhizoctonia solani by Ag/Glucose 3,000 ppm. The remaining other nano-materials have different antimicrobial effect depending on the strains of A. citrulli. But in the case of lime (Cu/Salt 1,000 ppm) highest antimicrobial activity was observed with 97%. Moreover growth of five different strains of A. citrulli was checked by 99% with the combination of Ag/Glucose 1,000 ppm. 92% reduction of A. citrulli growth was observed with $Brass/CaCO_3$ 3,000 ppm. Tested nano-materials against different plant pathogens in this study showed the antimicrobial activity at the range of 24-70%.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-55
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• 1993

cis-Dichlorodiammineplatinum (II) (cis-Platin), a metallic compound, has widely been used as an effective anticancer chemotherapeutic agent. The precise mechanism of action of this agent is still unknown, but it is postulated that cis-Platin may act on the cancer cell like bifunctional alkylating agents. Although this agent is very beneficial to the patients with cervical cancer, germinoma of testis, neuroblastoma and others, it may also damage to the normal cell so that many side effects; severe hemorrhagic enterocolitis, bone marrow depression, renal damage and liver damage will develope. This experiment has been undertaken to pursue the cytotoxic effects of the cis-Platin on the ultrastructures of the interalveolar septum in the mouse lung. A total of 55 healthy male mice of ICR strain were used as experimental animals and divided into 5 mice of normal control group and 50 mice of cis-Platin treated group. The mice of cis-Platin treated group were sacrificed by carotid exsanguination at 6, 12, 24 hours, 3 days and 7 days after intraperitoneal injection of 6.0 mg of cis-Platin ($Abiplatin^R$ Abic Co. Ltd.) per kg of mouse body weight. The specimen obtained from the lower lobe of left lung were sliced into $1mm^3$ and prefixed with 2% glutaraldehyde -2.5% paraformaldehyde solution prepared with Millonig's phosphatae buffer solution (pH 7.4) at $4^{\circ}C$ for 3-4 hours. After postfixation with 1% osmium tetroxide solution all specimens were embedded in Epon 812. Ultrathin sections about $600-800{\AA}$ in thickness were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and observed with Hitachi-600 electron microscope. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Local swellings with increase of electron density and number of pinocytic vesicles in the cytoplasms of the type I pneumocyte and endothelial cell of the blood air barrier in interalveolar septum of cis-platin treated mice were observed. 2. Cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum were dilated and sacculated in association with detachment of membrane bound ribosomes of the type II pneumocyte in interalveolar septum of cis-Platin treated mice. 3. Swollon mitochondria with uneven electron density of their matrix were observed in the type II pneumocyte of interalveolar septum in the cis-Platin treated mice. 4. The lamellae of lammelar bodies in type II pneumocyte of interalveolar septum in cis-Platin treated mice were devoided or transformed into homogeneous electron dense material. It is consequently suggested that cis-Platin would induce the cellular edema of type I pneumocyte and endothelial cell, and degenerative changes of cytoplasmic organelles of the type II pneumocyte in the interalveolar septum of the mouse lung.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.1201-1209
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to isolate probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that produce bile salt hydrolase (BSH), and to evaluate its effects on serum cholesterol level. One-hundred-twenty bacterial colonies were initially isolated from human feces, and five strains were selected after screening based on their resistance to acids, tolerance against bile salts, and inhibitory activity on Escherichia coli. The Lactobacillus plantarum strain with the highest level of BSH activity was identified using 16S rRNA sequences, and was named L. plantarum CK 102. L. plantarum CK 102 at a level of 1.36$\times$10$^8$cfu/ml survived in pH 2 buffer for 6 h and exhibited excellent tolerance for bile salt. Coculturing the strain with E. coli in MRS broth resulted in strong inhibition against growth of E. coli at 18 h. Furthermore, the potential effect of CK 102 on serum cholesterol level was evaluated in rats. Thirty-two rats [Sprague-Dawley (SD) male, 129$\pm$l g, 5 weeks old] were divided into four groups of eight each. For six weeks, Group 1 was fed a normal diet (negative control); Group 2 was fed a cholesterol-enriched diet (positive control); Group 3 was fed a cholesterol-enriched diet plus L. plantarum CK 102 at 1.0$\times$10$^7$cfu/ml; and Group 4 was fed a cholesterol-enriched diet plus L. plantarum CK 102 at 5.0$\times$10$^7$cfu/ml. Blood samples were collected, serum lipids were analyzed, and weights of the organs were measured. Total blood cholesterol level, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, and free-cholesterol values were lower in rats that were fed 1. plantarum CK 102 than in those not fed L. plantarum CK 102. This cholesterol lowering effect implies that L. plantarum CK 102 could be utilized as an additive for health-assistance foods. In conclusion, these results suggest that the 1. plantarum CK 102 isolated could be used commercially as a probiotic.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.859-872
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• 2015

Pebble matrix filtration (PMF) is a water treatment technology that can remove suspended solids in highly turbid surface water during heavy storms. PMF typically uses sand and natural pebbles as filter media. Hand-made clay pebbles (balls) can be used as alternatives to natural pebbles in PMF treatment plants, where natural pebbles are not readily available. Since the high turbidity is a seasonal problem that occurs during heavy rains, the use of newly developed composite clay balls instead of pure clay balls have the advantage of removing other pollutants such as natural organic matter (NOM) during other times. Only the strength properties of composite clay balls are described here as the pollutant removal is beyond the scope of this paper. These new composite clay balls must be able to withstand dead and live loads under dry and saturated conditions in a filter assembly. Absence of a standard ball preparation process and expected strength properties of composite clay balls were the main reasons behind the present study. Five different raw materials from industry wastes: Red Mud (RM), Water Treatment Alum Sludge (S), Shredded Paper (SP), Saw Dust (SD), and Sugar Mulch (SM) were added to common clay brick mix (BM) in different proportions. In an effort to minimize costs, in this study clay balls were fired to $1100^{\circ}C$ at a local brick factory together with their bricks. A comprehensive experimental program was performed to evaluate crushing strength of composite hand-made clay balls, using uniaxial compression test to establish the best material combination on the basis of strength properties for designing sustainable filter media for water treatment plants. Performance at both construction and operating stages were considered by analyzing both strength properties under fully dry conditions and strength degradation after saturation in a water bath. The BM-75% as the main component produced optimum combination in terms of workability and strength. With the material combination of BM-75% and additives-25%, the use of Red Mud and water treatment sludge as additives produced the highest and lowest strength of composite clay balls, with a failure load of 5.4 kN and 1.4 kN respectively. However, this lower value of 1.4 kN is much higher than the effective load on each clay ball of 0.04 kN in a typical filter assembly (safety factor of 35), therefore, can still be used as a suitable filter material for enhanced pollutant removal.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.526-532
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• 2020

A bacterial strain, designated B301^T and isolated from raw chicken meat obtained from a local market in Korea, was characterized and identified using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Cells were gram-negative, non-motile, obligate-aerobic coccobacilli that were catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. The optimum growth conditions were 30℃, pH 7.0, and 0% NaCl in tryptic soy broth. Colonies were round, convex, smooth, and cream-colored on tryptic soy agar. Strain B301^T has a genome size of 3,102,684 bp, with 2,840 protein-coding genes and 102 RNA genes. The 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that strain B301^T belongs to the genus Acinetobacter and shares highest sequence similarity (97.12%) with A. celticus ANC 4603^T and A. sichuanensis WCHAc060041^T. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values for closely related species were below the cutoff values for species delineation (95-96% and 70%, respectively). The DNA G+C content of strain B301^T was 37.0%. The major respiratory quinone was Q-9, and the cellular fatty acids were primarily summed feature 3 (C_16:1 ω6c/C_16:1 ω7c), C_16:0, and C_18:1 ω9c. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidyl-glycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidyl-serine. The antimicrobial resistance profile of strain B301^T revealed the absence of antibiotic-resistance genes. Susceptibility to a wide range of antimicrobials, including imipenem, minocycline, ampicillin, and tetracycline, was also observed. The results of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic analyses indicate that strain B301^T represents a novel species of the genus Acinetobacter, for which the name Acinetobacter pullorum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B301^T (=KACC 21653^T = JCM 33942^T).