• Annals of Clinical Microbiology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.37-43
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• 2015

Background: Tuberculosis is globally the most important cause of death from single pathogen. Rapid and accurate identification of mycobacteria is essential for the control of tuberculosis. We evaluated a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method using peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes for the differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in direct smears of sputum specimens. Methods: The cross-reactivity of MTB- and NTM-specific PNA probes was examined with reference strains of M. tuberculosis ATCC 13950, Mycobacterium kansasii ATCC 12479, Mycobacterium fortuitum ATCC 6841, several clinical isolates of mycobacteria (Mycobacterium abscessus, Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium intracellulare, Mycobacterium gordonae and Mycobacterium chelonae), and 11 frequently isolated respiratory bacterial species other than mycobacteria. A series of 128 sputa (89 MTB culture positive, 29 NTM culture positive, and 10 under treatment culture negative) with grades of trace to 4+ were used to evaluate the performance of the method. Results: The MTB- and NTM-specific PNA probes showed specific reactions with the reference strains of MTB and M. kansasii and clinical isolates of mycobacteria except M. fortuitum ATCC 6841, and no cross-reactivity with other tested bacteria. The PNA probe-based FISH assay for detection of MTB had a sensitivity and specificity of 100%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the NTM-specific PNA probe was 100%. The smear grades of the PNA FISH test were same as with those of the fluorescence AFB stain in 2+ or higher grade. Conclusion: Detection and differentiation based on PNA FISH is sensitive and accurate for detecting mycobacteria and for differentiating MTB from NTM in clinical sputum smears.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.107-116
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• 2018

The aim of this study is to investigate the antioxidant and intracellular anti-inflammatory efficacy of blueberry leaf extracted with hot water (BLW), 70% ethanol (BLE), and 70% acetone (BLA) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. In order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of blueberry leaf extracts, RAW 264.7 macrophages were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce the production of inflammation-related factors, which were measure by Western blotting and real-time PCR methods. i-NOS, COX-2 protein, and mRNA expression showed concentration-dependent decrease. The decreases in the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) were concentration-dependent. Further, the antioxidant effects of blueberry leaf on total polyphenol contents, electron donating ability and $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activity were evaluated. The total polyphenol contents of BLW, BLE, and BLA were $217.04{\pm}2.98$, $156.72{\pm}3.90$, and $182.88{\pm}3.02mg\;TAE/g$, respectively, while the electron donating abilities at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ of BLW, BLE, and BLA were 81.7, 79.6, and 79.3%, respectively. The $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activity was fond to be concentration dependent. The nitric oxide (NO) production inhibition activities at $50{\mu}g/mL$ of BLW, BLE, and BLA were 35.1, 42.4 and 42.7%, respectively. In conclusion, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory test results indicate that blueberry leaf extracts (BLW, BLE, and BLA) can be used as potential anti-inflammatory agents.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.457-464
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• 2011

Livestock manure compost (LC) generally contains high content of phosphorus, therefore can be a substitute for phosphorus fertilizers. In this experiment of the cultivation of lettuce in green house, the possibility of LC as a subsitute for phosphorus fertilizer was investigated and the fertilizer efficiency of nitrogen and potassium in LC as compared with chemical N fertilizer (urea) and K fertilizer (potassium chloride) was examined. In proportion to the increase in the application rate of nitrogen fertilizer, soil pH declined, whereas EC and $NO_3$-N content became higher. The application of LC appeared to increase the soil content of organic matter, available phosphate, exchangeable calcium, magnesium and sodium more than that of chemical fertilizer. Supplementation of the K fertilizer by the lack amount from the application of LC resulted in the same exchangeable potassium content in soil with NPK plot in which N, P and K fertilizers were applied by the amount of soil test recommendation. The relationship between soil $NO_3$-N content and nitrogen application rate from fertilizer and compost showed as y=0.57717a+0.19760b+74.65 ($R^2$=0.6347) in which y is the soil $NO_3$-N content (mg $kg^{-1}$), a is nitrogen application rate from fertilizer and b is nitrogen application rate from compost (kg $ha^{-1}$), respectively. From this equation, the supply ability of $NO_3$-N into soil of LC exhibited about 34% (pig manure compost 37.0, chicken manure compost 34.7, cattle manure compost 23.3) of nitrogen fertilizer (urea).

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2015

The American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana L. was the most important worldwide pest species. It has been an public health problems. We were determinated life cycle and extraction of crude extracts by chemical reagents from cockraches (P. americana L.). The extracted crude solution has been antibacterial activity to gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, $6.44{\pm}1.03mm$), gram positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, $1.88{\pm}0.40mm$), and fungus (Candida albicans, $5.61{\pm}0.57mm$) using radial diffusion assay. We were analysed of up-regulation of Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) stimulation, indicating that antioxidantial protein from various classes are simultaneously expressed in a single insect upon infection or injury. The gene from Periplaneta americana L. were cloned, analysed sequence, and measured protein expression by Real Time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction).

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.41-47
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• 2021

Purpose There are many cyclotrons compared to the land area of the Republic of Korea. Because GMP certification is required and the nuclear medicine test does not apply for insurance, the number of examinations for nuclear medicine is decreasing. Therefore, there is a high probability of early decommissioning of the cyclotron. However, we do not unusually perform the radioactivation evaluation on concrete that can be classified as radioactive waste during the decommissioning of the cyclotron. In this study, we aim to confirm the radioactivation in the concrete surface using Handheld Radionuclide Identification Devices (RIDs). Materials and Methods Because there is no cyclotron being decommissioning in the Republic of Korea, it was impossible to perform the coring of concrete for radioactivation analysis. In this study, we used the KIRAMS-13 and analyzed the concrete surface in the target direction in the cyclotron room. After setting the target direction as the center, radionuclides were measured for about five months at thirty points with vertical and horizontal intervals of 30 cm. We used the RIIDEye(Detector: NaI(Tl) detector, manufacturer: Thermo) in this study and set the measurement time per point to one day (24 hours). Results Co-60 and Cs-137 were detected in some measurement points, and we confirmed the radioactivity of Co-60 detected at the most points. As a result, we found that the radioactivity of Co-60 was high in the diagonal direction (from the lower-left direction to the upper right direction) based on the center of the target. However, we think it is impossible to apply the corresponding results to all cyclotrons because we performed the study using only one cyclotron. Conclusion In thirty measurement points, we could confirm the radioactive nuclides and the relative radioactivity using the results of portable nuclides analyzer. Therefore, we expect that we can use the portable nuclides analyzer to select the coring position of concrete during the decommissioning of the cyclotron. Also, if we secure the radioactivation data for several years, we expect to make a more accurate estimate of radioactive waste during the preparation period of decommissioning of the cyclotron.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.376-383
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• 2022

The current study, which consisted of two independent studies (laboratory and greenhouse), was carried out to project the hypothesis fungi-spray scheduling for leaf mold and gray leaf spot in tomato, as well as to evaluate the effect of temperature and leaf wet duration on the effectiveness of different fungicides against these diseases. In the first experiment, tomato leaves were infected with 1 × 10⁴ conidia·mL^-1 and put in a dew chamber for 0 to 18 hours at 10 to 25℃ (Fulvia fulva) and 10 to 30℃ (Stemphylium lycopersici). In farm study, tomato plants were treated for 240 hours with diluted (1,000 times) 30% trimidazole, 50% polyoxin B, and 40% iminoctadine tris (Belkut) for protection of leaf mold, and 10% etridiazole + 55% thiophanate-methyl (Gajiran), and 15% tribasic copper sulfate (Sebinna) for protection of gray leaf spot. In laboratory test, leaf condensation on the leaves of tomato plants were emerged after 9 hrs. of incubation. In conclusion, the incidence degree of leaf mold and gray leaf spot disease on tomato plants shows that it is very closely related to formation of leaf condensation, therefore the incidence of leaf mold was greater at 20 and 15℃, while 25 and 20℃ enhanced the incidence of gray leaf spot. The incidence of leaf mold and gray leaf spot developed 20 days after inoculation, and the latency period was estimated to be 14-15 days. Trihumin fungicide had the maximum effectiveness up to 168 hours of fungicides at 12 hours of wet duration in leaf mold, whereas Gajiran fungicide had the highest control (93%) against gray leaf spot up to 144 hours. All the chemicals showed an around 30-50% decrease in effectiveness after 240 hours of treatment. The model predictions in present study could be help in timely, effective and ecofriendly management of leaf mold disease in tomato.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.68 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2023

Fiber content in the storage roots of sweetpotato varies between different varieties. For examples, the high fiber content of certain types has a poor texture when steamed or roasted. This study was conducted to evaluate the optimal sieve mesh size for separating fibers, the chemical composition of fibers and differences in fiber content among different varieties. We found that the separated fiber content (dry weight) of mashed and steamed sweetpotato was higher after washing three times (143.3 mg/100 g) compared with that washed five times (128.4 mg/100 g). The Hogammi variety remained 85.9% of total fiber content at 10 mesh (2,000 ㎛) and 9.6% of total fiber content at 30 mesh (600 ㎛), and Jinyulmi remained 74.9 and 16.7% of total fiber content , respectively. Therefore, a 30 mesh sieve was considered the most suitable for fiber separation. Among the 10 studied cultivars, Jinhongmi showed the lowest amount of fiber (24.8 mg/100 g) and Hogammi had the highest amount (111.4 mg/100 g), which was 4.5 times larger than that of Jinhongmi. Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin content of separated fibers showed no difference between the viscous-type Hogammi and powdery-type Jinyulmi varieties, with averages of 32.5, 22.3 and 29.6%, respectively. Correlation results using the Image J program showed a significant correlation between the distribution of the stained area and the fiber content (R = 0.74, p < 0.05). Staining distribution differed among varieties, suggesting that a simple fiber content test could be performed using the staining method on raw sweetpotato. These results provide useful information to help inform farmers on the fiber content of different sweetpotato varieties.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.264-274
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• 1993

This study was carried out to assess the agronomic characters and physicochemical properties of floury and chalky-endosperm mutant lines induced by chemical mutagen treatment to rice varieties, Hwacheongbyeo and IR24. Linkage analysis of a floury-endosperm gene was carried out using linkage testers. The grain size of brown rice of the mutants was smaller than that of the original varieties. The l, 000-grain and 1$\ell$ weight were lighter in the mutants compared with those in the original varieties. The compound starch granules in the endosperm cell of the mutants showed a loosely-packed crystalline structure. Amylose contents in mutants ranged from 16.9 to 28.5%. Crude protein contents of the mutants were not significantly different from the original rice variety, Hwacheongbyeo, but white core mutant(line 47106) derived from IR24 showed higher protein(l1.32%) compared with IR24(8.30%). The mutants showed slightly harder gel characteristics, and much lower viscosity in Amylograph than original varieties. Steamed rice-cakes from mutant lines showed greater volume than those from original varieties. During the process of alcohol fermentation, Brix in the mutants(especially floury mutants) decreased faster and the alcohol production after 10-day fermentation was much greater in the mutants than in the original varieties. Three different gene loci for floury endosperm characteristics were identified from the allelism test among mutant lines, and the genes were tentatively symbolized as flo-a, flo-b and flo-c, respectively. A floury gene, flo-a, was linked with lg(liguleless) gene in the linkage group N, with R.V. 5.76$\pm$1.72%.

• Laboratory Medicine Online
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.100-104
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• 2011

Background: Malaria is a problematic disease in Korea, and microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smear has been used as the gold standard for its diagnosis. However, this technique is time-consuming and has low sensitivity in samples with low numbers of malarial parasites (<20 parasites/μL). Here, we evaluated the performance characteristics of the LG Advansure^TM Malaria P.f./P.v. real-time QPCR (LG life sciences, Korea). Methods: Blood samples from 173 persons who visited Korea University Ansan Hospital were evaluated. QPCR was performed in 73 malaria patients and 100 healthy subjects by using the LG Advansure Malaria P.f./P.v. real-time QPCR^R kit, and the results were compared with those of microscopy. The detection limit of this kit was determined by serial dilution of Plasmodium-infected blood with normal blood (blood not infected with Plasmodium). Results: Among the 73 patients that were microscopically confirmed to have malaria (Plasmodium vivax infection, N=70, P. falciparum infection, N=3), 69 patients were diagnosed with P. vivax infection and 3 were diagnosed with P. falciparum infection by LG Advansure^TM Malaria P.f./P.v. realtime QPCR. Both the tests indicated absence of infection in the 100 healthy subjects. The detection limit of LG Advansure^TM Malaria P.f./P.v. real-time QPCR was 0.1 parasite/μL. Conclusions: LG Advansure^TM Malaria P.f./P.v. real-time QPCRis a very sensitive and specific technique and can be used as a confirmatory test for malaria.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.147-154
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• 2023

This study aims to determine the necessity, role, utilization, and operation and management plan in relation to the underwater space platform where humans can newly reside. It provides a comprehensive opinion on the need for creating undersea space and operation plans based on opinions of industry-university-affiliated organizations involved in the R&D project of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries for the utilization of undersea space and external experts participating in marine technology development. In this study, a survey was conducted on researchers participating in the construction of a Korean submarine space platform. FGI was conducted on marine technology development experts. Results were then derived. As a result of the analysis, the need for subsea space construction was found to be high. As for the role of subsea space, the most common opinion was to develop technology for utilizing subsea space and to secure marine science research functions. It was found that the creation of subsea space would have a positive impact on the domestic industry, especially the deep-sea development industry and the shipbuilding/offshore structure industry. In terms of utilization, after the end of the seabed space test bed, the response to utilization as a marine observation base and marine ecosystem research had the highest proportion. As for expected inconvenience, discomfort in the psychological environment was the highest. Experts suggest that securing a continuous budget is most important for stable operation in the future and that securing a manpower budget is essential for itemized budgets. In addition, it was judged that it would be appropriate to establish a prior agreement from the time of the prior agreement and prepare a countermeasure before proceeding with the project in order to ensure ownership issues, consignment management issues, and cost issues when using the project after the end of the project.