• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2023

Super absorbent polymers (SAPs) are hydrophilic molecules that can absorb large amounts of water. This study was conducted to investigate the enhancement of the physicochemical properties of sand soil blended with three SAPs imbibed with 100, 150, and 200-fold water. Three treatments were applied, namely, 100SAP, 150SAP, and 200SAP. The three SAPs were blended at concentrations of 0% (control), 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10% with sand. The pH, electrical conductivity, and cation exchangeable capacity (CEC) of soil blended with the three SAPs were pH 6.35-6.46, 0.09-0.65 dS/m, and 1.42-1.92 cmol_c/kg, respectively, and their capillary porosity, total porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity were 21.0-29.3%, 39.2-48.7%, and 272-470 mm/hr. CEC, capillary porosity, total porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil were positively correlated with the ratio of the SAPs (p<0.01). These results indicate that blending sand soil with SAPs increased CEC, capillary porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity, thus improving the nutrient-retention capacity, water-retention capacity, and permeability of the soil.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.810-817
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• 2023

Oysters are a highly consumed seafood throughout Korea, but they have a short shelf life because they support rapid microbial growth due to their of high moisture content and fragile muscle tissue. We examined natural food additives including lactic acid bacteria fermentation powder, rosemary extract, and lemon juice for their ability to preserve raw oyster Crassostrea gigas quality. Samples were stored at 4℃, and microbiological and physicochemical analyses were conducted. Among the natural additives tested, lemon juice was the most effective. Lemon juice was thus applied at different concentrations (50-300 ppm) to quantitatively assess its effect on total viable cell count, pH, glycogen, soluble protein, and turbidity. 200 ppm was confirmed to be optimal, and is projected to extend shelf life by 2 days compared to the control group.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.59-66
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• 2023

Dictyopteris divaricata, a type of marine brown algae, has been studied for its various biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and whitening effects. However, its potential antiobesity effects have not been extensively explored. This study aimed to examine the impact of D. divaricata ethanol extract (DDE) on adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis using 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Our results showed that when 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were treated with noncytotoxic concentrations of DDE there was a concentration-dependent decrease in fat accumulation rate and triglycerid production compared with the control. Furthermore, DDE significantly reduced the expression of transcription factors (PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP-1) and fatty acid transport protein (FABP4), which are crucial for 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation. These findings suggest that DDE may exhibit antiobesity effects by suppressing the expression of lipogenic transcription factors and fatty acid transport proteins. Therefore, DDE holds potential as a therapeutic agent for obesity.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.197-204
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• 2019

In this study, smart farm technology was used by farmers cultivating 'CHIKUMASSHU T-011' in order to develop an optimal growth model for the precision cultivation of bottle-grown winter mushroom and the results of the same are mentioned herein. Farmers participating in the experiment used 60 ㎡ of bed area with 4 rows and 13 columns of shelf shape, 20 horsepower refrigerator, 100T of sandwich panel for insulation, 6 ultrasonic humidifiers, 12 kW of heating, and 20,000 bottles of Flammulina velutipes mushroom spores. The temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentrations, which directly affect the growth of the mushroom, were collected and analyzed from the environmental sensors installed at the winter mushroom cultivation area. The initial temperature was found to be 14.5℃, which was maintained at 14℃ to 15℃ until the 10th day. In the restriction phase, the initial temperature was 4℃ and was maintained between 2℃ and 3℃ until the 15th day, while during the growth phase, it was maintained between 7.5℃ to 9.5℃. Analysis of the humidity data revealed initial humidity to be 100%, which varied between 88% to 98% during primordia formation period. The humidity remained between 77% to 96% until the 15th day, in the restriction phase and between 75% to 83% during the growth phase. The initial carbon dioxide concentration was 3,500 ppm and varied between 3,500 ppm to 6,000 ppm during primordia formation period and was maintained at 6,000 ppm until the 15th day. During the growth phase, the carbon dioxide concentration was found to be over 6,000 ppm. Fruiting body characteristics of 'CHIKUMASSHU T-011' cultivated in the farmhouse were as follows: Pileus diameter of 7.5 mm and thickness of 4.1 mm, stipe thickness of 3.3 mm, and length of 154.2 mm. The number of valid fruiting bodies was 1,048 unit per 1,400 mL bottle, and the individual weight was 0.71 g per unit. The yield of fruiting bodies was 402.8 g per 1,400 mL bottle.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 2021

This study was conducted to compare the quality of baby leaves grown under several temperature conditions and the storage properties of MA storage for romaine lettuce. It was grown for 5 weeks under an artificial light source (200 µmol·m^-2·s^-1) in a chamber at 21℃, 28℃, and 35℃. The growth and quality of red romaine lettuce that grown in different temperatures were investigated at the end of cultivation, and the oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ethylene concentrations in the 20,000 cc OTR film and perforated film packed with lettuces were measured for 36 and 12 days, respectively. The red romaine lettuce baby leaf was examined for color, chlorophyll, and visual quality at the end of storage. The maximum quantum yield of baby leaf grown in different temperatures at 7days before the harvest was higher at 21℃ and 28℃ growth temperature treatments. On harvest day, the leaf length measured was longest at 28℃, and the leaf width was wider at 21℃ and 28℃, and the number of leaves was similar to 5-6 at all cultivation temperatures. Leaf weight, root weight, and dry weight were found to be higher at 21℃, and tended to decrease as the cultivation temperature increased. The concentration of ethylene in the film of the MA storage treatments was maintained at 1~2 µL·L^-1 until the end of storage in all treatments regardless of the cultivation temperature. Oxygen concentration in the MA treatment used 20,000 OTR film was maintained at around 19.5%, and carbon dioxide concentration around 1% that was satisfied the CA conditions. Both Hunter a^* and b^* values were generally higher in the MA storage treatment at the end of storage day. The chlorophyll content was decreased as the cultivation temperature increased, and was lower in the MA storage treatment than in the perforated film treatment. Visual quality was 3 points or higher in the MA storage treatment at 21℃ growth treatment, and it was maintained marketability. As the above results, the growth of baby leaves of romaine lettuce was the best at 21℃ treatment, and the lower the cultivation temperature, the longer the shelf life. And it was possible to extend the shelf life by 3 times by showing excellent visual quality at the MA storage treatment that satisfies the carbon dioxide concentration of CA condition until the end of storage day.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.771-777
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• 2017

This study investigated the rheological properties of Calrose rice flour dispersions as well as the effects of different thawing methods (steamer, smart oven, and microwave oven) on quality characteristics of frozen turmeric rice. Apparent viscosity, consistency index, and yield stress significantly increased at higher rice flour concentrations. Magnitudes of storage modulus and loss modulus significantly increased with elevation of rice flour concentration. Frozen turmeric rice thawed using a steamer had the highest moisture content and largest size (length, width, and thickness) among all thawing methods. The L values of turmeric rice after thawing using a steamer was significantly higher than those of other thawing methods. The a value of turmeric rice after thawing using a steamer was significantly lower than those of other thawing methods. Textural properties (hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, brittleness, and chewiness) of frozen turmeric rice after thawing using a steamer were significantly lower than those of other thawing methods. Therefore, it can be concluded that frozen turmeric rice after thawing using a steamer might be desirable for improvement of texture.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.951-957
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• 2017

To understand the cytotoxic activity of Machilus thunbergii, which has been used as a traditional oriental medicine, the mechanism underlying the cytotoxic effect of its extract on human acute Jurkat T cells was investigated. The methanol extract of roots (3 kg) of M. thunbergii was evaporated, dissolved in, and then extracted by water. The water-extracted active substance was designated MTWE. When Jurkat T cells were treated with MTWE at concentrations of 0, 25, 50, and $100{\mu}g/ml$, the apoptotic phenomenon of cells accompanying several subsequent biochemical reactions, such as mitochondrial cytochrome c release, activation of caspase-3, and ICAD degradation, was detected in the Jurkat T cells. Moverover. the expression of Bcl-xL, which is a suppressor for mitochondrial cytochrome c release pathway, was reduced in the Jurkat T cells. As DUSP6, a growth suppressor of cancer cells, ranged from 0, 25, 50, $100{\mu}g/ml$ of MTWE, the expression level was elevated in the Jurkat T cells. The apoptotic morphological change of the nuclei was observed by DAPI staining. Although the potential involvement of the other factors and DUSP6 is currently being investigated in more detail, these findings support the notion that MTWE is able to achieve the apoptosis of Jurkat T cells, and it seems that MTWE is useful as a method of evaluating a chemotherapeutic agent or tonic materials for human acute leukemia.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.299-310
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• 2021

Glycerol is a non-volatile compound with no aromatic properties that contributes significantly to the quality of wine by providing sweetness and richness of taste. In addition, it is also the third most significant byproduct of alcoholic fermentation in terms of quantity after ethanol and carbon dioxide. In this study, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was employed as a fast non-destructive method in conjugation with multivariate regression analysis to build a model for the quantitative analysis of glycerol concentration in wine samples. The samples were prepared by using three varieties of red wine samples (i.e., Shiraz, Merlot, and Barbaresco) that were adulterated with glycerol in concentration ranges from 0.1 to 15% (v·v^-1), and subjected to analysis together with pure wine samples. A net analyte signal (NAS)-based methodology, called hybrid linear analysis in the literature (HLA/GO), was applied for predicting glycerol concentrations in the collected FT-IR spectral data. Calibration and validation sets were designed to evaluate the performance of the multivariate method. The obtained results exhibited a high coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.987 and a low root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.563% for the calibration set, and a R² of 0.984 and a RMSE of 0.626% for the validation set. Further, the model was validated in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and limits of detection and quantification, and the results confirmed that this model can be used in most applications, as well as for quality assurance.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.523-531
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of antioxidant and anti-adipogenic activities in ethanol extracts from herb mixture (Ephedra sinica, Atractylodes lance, Gypsum fibrosum, and Theobroma cacao). DPPH, ABTS⁺ radical and xanthine oxidase scavenging activities were measured for antioxidant activity. Extracts of the herb mixture had 75.0, 100.8, and 79.5% scavenging activities at 1,000 ㎍/ml concentration, respectively. We investigated the inhibition of adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation with an extract of an herb mixture in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. An extract from the herb mixture at concentrations between 0 and 50 ㎍/ml did not affect 3T3-L1 cell viability. Treatment with herb mixture extracts of 25, 50, and 75 ㎍/ml in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes inhibited lipid accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. As a result of a Western blot experiment, it was shown that the herb mixture inhibited the differentiation transcription factors, PPARγ and C/EBPa, by 44.2 and 77.6%, respectively, at a concentration of 75 ㎍/ml in MDI-induced differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. As a result of RT-PCR, the gene expression of C/EBPa, SREBP-1c, and PPARγ was significantly inhibited by 43.4%, 59.6%, and 55.3%, respectively, at the concentration of 75 ㎍/ml of the herb mixture compared with the MDI-treated group. In addition, the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS), a fatty acid synthesis regulator, was suppressed. These results can be applied to develop a functional food for anti-obesity with a herb mixture.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.436-445
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• 2023

Methane (CH₄) emissions from rice paddies are mainly observed using the closed chamber method or the eddy covariance method. In this study, a new observation technique combining a portable gas analyzer (Model LI-7810, LI-COR, Inc., USA) and an automatic opening/closing chamber (Model Smart Chamber, LI-COR, Inc., USA) was introduced based on the strengths and weaknesses of the existing measurement methods. A cylindrical collar was manufactured according to the maximum growth height of rice and used as an auxiliary measurement tool. All types of measured data can be monitored in real time, and CH₄ flux is also calculated simultaneously during the measurement. After the measurement is completed, all the related data can be checked using the software called 'SoilFluxPro'. The biggest advantage of the new observation technique is that time-series changes in greenhouse gas concentrations can be immediately confirmed in the field. It can also be applied to small areas with various treatment conditions, and it is simpler to use and requires less effort for installation and maintenance than the eddy covariance system. However, there are also disadvantages in that the observation system is still expensive, requires specialized knowledge to operate, and requires a lot of manpower to install multiple collars in various observation areas and travel around them to take measurements. It is expected that the new observation technique can make a significant contribution to understanding the CH₄ emission pathways from rice paddies and quantifying the emissions from those pathways.