• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.538-546
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• 2017

The occurrence of various pathogenic microorganisms on farms is a concern if they are able to contaminate fresh produce, which provides entry into the food supply. This study was undertaken to assess the microbiological quality and prevalence of pathogens in Chinese cabbage cultivated soil in Korea. A total of 57 Chinese cabbage cultivated soils were collected in 4 locations in Korea from February to August 2017. The soils were analyzed for the presence of total aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli, coliforms, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. The total aerobic plate counts in soils were in the range of 5.7 to $8.7log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$. The coliforms and E. coli were detected in 39 and 8 out of 57 soil samples, respectively, in the range of 1.1 to $6.3log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$ and 0.7 to $4.0log\;CFU\;g^{-1}$. Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and S. aureus were not detected from any samples. Results from these studies may help control the spread of bacterial species such as E. coli and Salmonella spp. through the farm environment.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.294-304
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• 2021

Given that the Korean genus Elymus L. (Poaceae) is often confused with Agropyron Gaertn., the categories and characteristics of Elymus s.l. have been reviewed morphologically. Two unrecorded taxa of Elymus, E. humidus (Ohwi & Sakam.) T. Osada and E. shandongensis B. Salomon, not previously recorded in Korean flora to date, we report here as an unrecorded species based on samples collected from Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Jeollanam-do, and Jeollabuk-do. E. humidus is distinguished from other taxa in terms of its habitat around riversides, erect inflorescences, spikelets appressed to rachides of inflorescence, and new individuals asexually propagated at the lower nodes of aerial stems. E. shandongensis is similar to E. tsukushiensis var. transiens (Hack.) H. Osada but is distinguished by the flowering time, slightly curved inflorescences, number of veins of the glumes, and spikelets appressed to the rachides. Descriptions of the two unrecorded Korean taxa, photographs, and keys to neighboring taxa are presented.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.105-105
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• 2019

Much of bacteria inhabit intestine and affect health. To elucidate the composition of intestinal bacteria and biological activities of plant materials on the bacteria, bacterial strains are need to be isolated and identified. In previous study, we isolated 41 fecal bacteria of BALB/c mice and the strains were identified as 11 species including Lactobacillus murinus and not classified bacterium. To expand the bacterial resources, we tried to isolate more bacteria from C57BL/6 mice. Fresh feces was suspended and serially diluted in distilled water. The aliquots were inoculated on GAM agar plate and incubated anaerobically at $37^{\circ}C$ for 48 h. Each of colony formed was picked up and incubated again on GAM agar plate for stock and sampling. The bacteria gained were analyzed and identified by 16S rRNA gene. The bacterial strain were listed up. Major strain was Lactobacillus murinus which was observed as an abundant strain of BALB/c mice. The resources could be used for experiments of biological activities of plant materials and microbial composition of intestinal contents of experimental animals.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.73-87
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• 2011

An abnormal mono-specific bloom of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa had developed at a specific location (transitional zone, monitoring station of Hoenam) in Daecheong Reservoir from middle of July to early August, 2001. The maximum cell counts during the peak bloom reached 1,477,500 cells/mL, which was more than 6~10 times greater than those at other monitoring sites. The hypothesis of this study is that the timing and location of the algal bloom was highly correlated with the local environmental niche that was controled by physical processes such as hydrodynamic mixing and pollutant transport in the reservoir. A three-dimensional, coupled hydrodynamic and ecological model, ELCOM-CAEDYM, was applied to the period of development and subsequent decline of the bloom. The model was calibrated against observed water temperature profiles and water quality variables for different locations, and applied to reproduce the algal bloom event and justify the limiting factor that controled the Microcystis bloom at R3. The simulation results supported the hypothesis that the phosphorus loading induced from a contaminated tributary during several runoff events are closely related to the rapid growth of Microcystis during the period of bloom. Also the physical environments of the reservoir such as a strong thermal stratification and weak wind velocity conditions provided competitive advantage to Microcystis given its light adaptation capability. The results show how the ELCOM-CAEDYM captures the complex interactions between the hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes, and the local environmental niche that is preferable for cyanobacterial species growth.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.445-460
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to construct and assess the applicability of the EFDC model for Saemangeum Reservoir as a 3D hydrodynamic and water quality modeling tool that is necessary for the effective management of water quality and establishment of conservation measures. The model grids for both reservoir system only and reservoir-ocean system were created using the most recent survey data to compare the effects of different downstream boundary conditions. The model was applied for the simulations of temperature, salinity, water quality variables including chemical oxygen demand (COD), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), phosphorus and nitrogen species and algal biomass, and validated using the field data obtained in 2008. Although the model reasonably represented the temporal and spatial variations of the state variables in the reservoir with limited boundary forcing data, the salinity level was underestimated in the middle and upstream of the reservoir when the flow data were used at downstream boundaries; Sinsi and Garyuk Gates. In turn, the error caused to increase the bias of water quality simulations, and inaccurate simulation of density flow regime of river inflow during flood events. It is likely because of the loss of momentum of sea water intrusion at downstream boundaries. In contrast to flow boundary conditions, the mixing between sea water and freshwater was well reproduced when open water boundary condition was applied. Thus, it is required to improve the downstream boundary conditions that can accommodate the real operations of the sluice gates.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.115-132
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• 2021

Seven species and two varieties belonging to the genus Boehmeria Jacq. (Urticaceae) are known to be distributed in Korea. Among them, B. spicata, B. tricuspis, and B. tricuspis var. unicuspis were subjected to an external morphological study. Among the individuals believed to exhibit variations in the leaf shape, B. gracilis and B. silvestrii were newly recognized. Unlike related taxa, B. gracilis has middle leaves with an elliptic, broadly elliptic, ovate, or broadly depressed ovate shape, a regular and serrulate-dentate margin, and an unlobed and short caudate or cuspidate apex. Boehmeria silvestrii has middle leaves with 5-angled ovate, orbicular ovate or broadly ovate shapes, and 3- or 5-lobed and caudate apices. Therefore, we assigned the corresponding names 'Top-geo-buk-kko-ri' and 'Cham-geo-buk-kko-ri'. Meanwhile, the B. spicata complex (B. gracilis, B. silvestrii, B. spicata, and B. tricuspis var. unicuspis) is very closely related in terms of the morphological characters, whereas B. tricuspis exhibits no relationship. Furthermore, because the scientific name and type specimen of B. tricuspis var. unicuspis (Pul-geo-buk-kko-ri) are problematic, the correct name B. paraspicata Nakai and corresponding holotype are presented. Additionally, lectotypes of B. gracilis and B. silvestrii are newly designated here. A taxonomic treatment, descriptions, a key, photographs, type specimens, and leaf variation images of the B. spicata complex are provided in this study.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.399-410
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• 2022

To enhance the bioavailability and bioactivities of mixed herbal medicines (RW), they were fermented with lactic-acid bacteria isolated from kimchi into postbiotics (FRW). Then, from the results of the 16s rRNA sequencing analysis, lactic acid bacteria isolated from kimchi were identified to be of two species, namely Lactobacillus sakei and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The FRW prepared from the RW were extracted using hot water (HW) and 70% EtOH (EtOH) for comparison of their macrophage-stimulating activities. Based on a comparison of the activities of the FRW extracts, nitric oxide (NO) production of HW was significantly higher than that in EtOH. An analysis of the chemical properties of the extracts showed that HW had higher contents of neutral sugar and uronic acid than EtOH as well as contained a large amount of glucose. In addition, crude polysaccharide (CP) was prepared to enhance the macrophage-stimulating activity. The FRW-CP not only secreted immunostimulatory mediators but also increased the expression of immunostimulatory genes (iNOS, TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-6). The fractionated FRW-CP contained about 90% neutral sugars, and these sugars were mainly composed of glucose, galacturonic acid, and arabinose. Thus, FRW prepared by fermentation of RW with kimchi lactic acid bacteria were found to be immunostimulatory modulators.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.7-13
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• 2012

Objectives : Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been associated with pathogenic processes including carcinogenesis through direct effect on DNA directly and by acting as a tumor promoter. Therefore, it has been regarded that ROS may be a major target for cancer prevention. The root of Paeonia lactiflora pall (PL), a traditional Chinese herb, has been a component of effective prescriptions for treatment of liver disease. Also, there are some reports about the antioxidant activities of the extracts from PL. However, little has been known about the effects of PL against oxidative damage. This work aimed to elucidate the anti-oxidant effects of Paeonia lactiflora pall (PL) in the non-cellular system and cellular system. Methods : Antioxidant activities of PL were evaluated by hydroxyl radical scavenging assay and $Fe^{2+}$ chelating assay. Anti-oxidative effect of PL was evaluated by ${\varphi}X$-174 RF I plasmid DNA cleavage assay in non-cellular system. In addition, DNA migration assay, expression level of phospho-H2AX, MTT assay and lipid peroxidation assay were performed for evaluate the anti-oxidative effect of PL in cellular system. Results : PL had a dose-dependent hydroxyl radical scavenging and $Fe^{2+}$ chelating capacity. In addition, PL inhibited oxidative DNA and cell damage induced by hydroxyl radical in non-cellular system and cellular system. Conclusion : Taken together, P. lactiflora pall may be possible for the application to a potential drug for treating the oxidative diseases such as cancer.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1-6
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• 2012

Objectives : ROS are involved in a wide spectrum of diseases including chronic inflammation and cancer. S.chinensis Baill, a perennial herb commonly called Chinese lizard's tail or Sam-baek-cho in Korea, is used for the treatment of edema and inflammatory diseases in the Oriental folk medicine. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant activities and anti-inflammatory effects of the two extracts, water(WE) and ethyl acetate(EAE) from S.chinensis Baill. Methods : Anti-oxidant activity was evaluated using Fe2+ chelating and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay. DNA cleavage assay, and western blot and immunostaining for phospho-p65 were performed to evaluate anti-oxidative effect. Anti-inflammatory effect was performed using NO generation assay and western blot in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cell. Results : In Fe2+ chelating activity and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, WE showed more strong scavenging activity for hydroxyl radical than EAE. WE scavenged hydroxyl radical by 12% at 3.2 ${\mu}g/ml$, 21% at 16 ${\mu}g/ml$, 32% at 80 ${\mu}g/ml$, 66% at 400 ${\mu}g/ml$ and 82% at 2000 ${\mu}g/ml$, respectively. In addition, WE showed more strong chelating activity than EAE. WE chelated Fe2+ ion by 1.1% at 3.2 ${\mu}g/ml$, 8.2% at 16 ${\mu}g/ml$, 26.3% at 80 ${\mu}g/ml$, 72% at 400 ${\mu}g/ml$ and 89% at 2000 ${\mu}g/ml$, respectively. Also, WE inhibited oxidative damage via its anti-oxidant activity. In anti-inflammatory effect, EAE inhibited NO production and iNOS expression. In addition EAE suppressed the NF-${\kappa}B$ and MAPK signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Conclusions : Together, these data indicate that S. chinensis Baill, shows anti-oxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effect.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.389-396
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety of Houttuynia cordata Thunb extract (HCE) in Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice, to determine the effects of the extract on the growth performance and colony count, and to establish the optimal concentration of HCE. In total, 60 five-week-old male ICR mice with an average initial body weight (BW) of 27.24 ± 0.44 g were used in a four-week experiment. Mice were randomly allotted to four treatment groups (five replications per group, three mice per cage): 1) a control (CON) group fed with normal distilled water; 2) treatment group 1 (T1) fed with normal distilled water containing 0.05% HCE; 3) treatment group 3 (T3) fed with normal distilled water containing 0.1% HCE; and 4) treatment group 3 (T3) fed with normal distilled water containing 0.2% HCE. BW, feed intake (FI), and water intake were measured on the first, fourteenth, and eighteenth days. T2 showed a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in the feed conversion ratio (FCR) over the experimental period. However, water intake levels did not show significant differences among the groups. In the large intestine and feces, E. coli and Lactobacillus levels were significantly improved (p < 0.05) in the HCE treated group compared to the CON group. Supplying HCE via the drinking water improved the growth performance and colony count in ICR mice. Based on results of this study, utilizing HCE in livestock species is expected to be safe and feasible.