• Title/Summary/Keyword: Threat Agents

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Genetic Variation of Monilinia fructicola Population in Korea

  • Su In Lee;Hwa-Jung Lee;Youn-Sig Kwak
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.205-217
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    • 2024
  • Brown rot disease, caused by Monilinia spp., poses a significant threat to pome and stone fruit crops globally, resulting in substantial economic losses during pre- and post-harvest stages. Monilinia fructigena, M. laxa, and M. fructicola are identified as the key agents responsible for brown rot disease. In this study, we employed the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method to assess the genetic diversity of 86 strains of Monilinia spp. isolated from major stone fruit cultivation regions in South Korea. Specifically, strains were collected from Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, and Jeolla provinces (-do). A comparative analysis of strain characteristics, such as isolation locations, host plants, and responses to chemical fungicides, was conducted. AFLP phylogenetic classification using 20 primer pairs revealed the presence of three distinct groups, with strains from Jeolla province consistently forming a separate group at a high frequency. Furthermore, M. fructicola was divided into three groups by the AFLP pattern. Principal coordinate analysis and PERMANOVA were applied to compare strain information, such as origin, host, and fungicide sensitivity, revealing significant partition patterns for AFLP according to geographic origin and host plants. This study represents the utilization of AFLP methodology to investigate the genetic variability among M. fructicola isolates, highlighting the importance of continuous monitoring and management of variations in the brown rot pathogen.

A Study on the Protective Countermeasures through the Assassination Accident Analysis of Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin (라빈수상 위해사건 분석을 통한 경호적 대응방안)

  • Lee, Doo-Suck
    • Korean Security Journal
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    • no.15
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    • pp.221-242
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    • 2008
  • Protection is to maximize the protectee's physical security by minimizing the threats and minimizing the damages caused by the threats. From this point of view, the assassination case of Israel's former Premier Yitzhak Rabin who devoted himself to proceed peace process in Middle East, on November 4, 1995, gives us a lot of lessons on protection. At that time, Israeli society was chaotic with anti-Rabin and anti-government demonstrations which is against Rabin's peace process, and they openly threatened to assassinate Premier Rabin. However, Shin Bet, Israeli Protective Agency, didn't reacted against the assassination threats effectively. Also they have to try to secure friendly public to widen the width of selection in case of crisis and to secure the credibility of the organization. They have to prevent harmful activities in advance by securing wide intelligence networks to collect and analyze various protective intelligences and preparing proper protective countermeasures. Intelligence is a basic element in protection and any protective measures not supported by intelligence activities are not useful and effective. Potential attackers study their target thoroughly and make an elaborate plan before their attack. Advance team is required to conduct security measures on a basis of analysis of vulnerability and threat factors, and close protection team should be prepared for the changing situations with crisis-consciousness. Is security, 100% perfection is not possible. However, Shin Bet failed to analyze and approach to the existing threats. They forgot the fact that security environment reflects social situations. Protection agents should be conscious of the fact that today is different from yesterday. So we have to expect what is not expected when not expected.

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Control of Soilborne Fungal Diseases on Muskmelon by Soil Disinfestation in Consecutively Cultivated Fields (토양살균에 의한 멜론 연작재배지 뿌리썩음병 방제)

  • Lee, Jung-Sup;Choi, Jang-Jeon;Choi, Jin-Ho;Huh, Yun-Chan
    • Research in Plant Disease
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    • v.15 no.1
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    • pp.30-35
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    • 2009
  • This study was carried out to determine the causal agents of soil-borne fungal diseases that pose a threat to the muskmelon production in Cheong Yang, Korea and to investigate the potential effects of hot water drenching and three fumigant (metam sodium, dazomet and methyl bromide) on these diseases. As the agents of the diseases, Monosporascus cannonballus, Didymella sp., Fusarium sp., Phytophthora sp., were detected. Hot water and the fumigants were treated on two successive cropping seasons of melon. Soil temperature was measured at 0, 10, 20 and 30 cm soil depth. In 2005, soil sterilization by hot-water was more effective significantly to control of the diseases than by fumigant. yield was the highest in hot-water sterilized plot as $39\;ton{\cdot}ha^{-1}$. Dazomet ($50\;g/m^2$) treated plot was followed as $23\;ton{\cdot}ha^{-1}$. In 2006, hot water sterilized plot showed higher yields than non-treated plots ($14.8\;ton{\cdot}ha^{-1}$). But the other three fumigant contained Dazomet ($50\;g/m^2$) were no difference (P<0.05) in yield.

Impact of antimicrobial resistance in the $21^{st}$ century

  • Song, Jae-Hoon
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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    • 2000.04a
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    • pp.3-6
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    • 2000
  • Antimicrobial resistance has been a well-recognized problem ever since the introduction of penicillin into clinical use. History of antimicrobial development can be categorized based on the major antibiotics that had been developed against emerging resistant $pathogens^1$. In the first period from 1940 to 1960, penicillin was a dominating antibiotic called as a "magic bullet", although S.aureus armed with penicillinase led antimicrobial era to the second period in 1960s and 1970s. The second stage was characterized by broad-spectrum penicillins and early generation cephalosporins. During this period, nosocomial infections due to gram-negative bacilli became more prevalent, while those caused by S.aureus declined. A variety of new antimicrobial agents with distinct mechanism of action including new generation cephalosporins, monobactams, carbapenems, ${\beta}$-lactamase inhibitors, and quinolones characterized the third period from 1980s to 1990s. However, extensive use of wide variety of antibiotics in the community and hospitals has fueled the crisis in emerging antimicrobial resistance. Newly appeared drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (DRSP), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase-producing Klebsiella, and VRSA have posed a serious threat in many parts of the world. Given the recent epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance and its clinical impact, there is no greater challenge related to emerging infections than the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Problems of antimicrobial resistance can be amplified by the fact that resistant clones or genes can spread within or between the species as well as to geographically distant areas which leads to a global concern$^2$. Antimicrobial resistance is primarily generated and promoted by increased use of antimicrobial agents. Unfortunately, as many as 50 % of prescriptions for antibiotics are reported to be inappropriate$^3$. Injudicious use of antibiotics even for viral upper respiratory infections is a universal phenomenon in every part of the world. The use of large quantities of antibiotics in the animal health industry and farming is another major factor contributing to selection of antibiotic resistance. In addition to these background factors, the tremendous increase in the immunocompromised hosts, popular use of invasive medical interventions, and increase in travel and mixing of human populations are contributing to the resurgence and spread of antimicrobial resistance$^4$. Antimicrobial resistance has critical impact on modem medicine both in clinical and economic aspect. Patients with previously treatable infections may have fatal outcome due to therapeutic failure that is unusual event no more. The potential economic impact of antimicrobial resistance is actually uncountable. With the increase in the problems of resistant organisms in the 21st century, however, additional health care costs for this problem must be enormously increasing.

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A Study on the Development Site Security for Embedded Software (임베디드 소프트웨어 개발현장보안에 관한 연구)

  • Yeo, Sang-Soo;Kim, Tai-Hoon;Cho, Sung-Eon;Kouich, Sakurai
    • Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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    • v.11 no.3
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    • pp.259-265
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    • 2007
  • Systematic components for implementing ubiquitous computing, for example, electronic devices, electric home appliances, and controllers, etc, are consist of not only circuits but also softwares expected to do some special system-controlling functions, and these softwares used to be called like as embedded software. Because embedded software is a core component controlling systems, the codes or control flows should be protected from being opened to the public or modified. Embedded software security can be divided into 2 parts: first is the unauthorized access to development site and embedded software, second is the unauthorized disclosure or modification. And this research is related to the first aspect of them.This paper proposes some security check requirements related to embedded software development site by analyzing the ALC_DVS.1 of the ISO/IEC 15408 and Base Practices (BPs) of the ISO/IEC 21827. By applying this research, we expect to protect unauthorized modification of embedded software indirectly.

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Treatment of Isoniazid-Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis

  • Jhun, Byung Woo;Koh, Won-Jung
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.83 no.1
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    • pp.20-30
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    • 2020
  • Tuberculosis (TB) remains a threat to public health and is the leading cause of death globally. Isoniazid (INH) is an important first-line agent for the treatment of TB considering its early bactericidal activity. Resistance to INH is now the most common type of resistance. Resistance to INH reduces the probability of treatment success and increases the risk of acquiring resistance to other first-line drugs such as rifampicin (RIF), thereby increasing the risk of multidrug-resistant-TB. Studies in the 1970s and 1980s showed high success rates for INH-resistant TB cases receiving regimens comprised of first-line drugs. However, recent data have indicated that INH-resistant TB patients treated with only firs-tline drugs have poor outcomes. Fortunately, based on recent systematic meta-analyses, the World Health Organization published consolidated guidelines on drug-resistant TB in 2019. Their key recommendations are treatment with RIF-ethambutol (EMB)-pyrazinamide (PZA)-levofloxacin (LFX) for 6 months and no addition of injectable agents to the treatment regimen. The guidelines also emphasize the importance of excluding resistance to RIF before starting RIF-EMB-PZA-LFX regimen. Additionally, when the diagnosis of INH-resistant TB is confirmed long after starting the first-line TB treatment, the clinician must decide whether to start a 6-month course of RIF-EMB-PZA-LFX based on the patient's condition. However, these recommendations are based on observational studies, not randomized controlled trials, and are thus conditional and based on low certainty of the effect estimates. Therefore, further work is needed to optimize the treatment of INH-resistant TB.

A Study on Several Minerals Contaminated with Asbestiform Fibers in Korea (우리나라 일부 광물중 석면섬유의 함유에 대한 조사)

  • Choi, Jung Keun;Paek, Do Myung;Paik, Nam Won;Hisanaga, Naomi;Sakai, Kiyoshi
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.8 no.2
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    • pp.254-263
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    • 1998
  • A worker employed in a serpentine mine was found developed mesothelioma as the first case of Korea in 1997. Asbestos was known as a causative agent for mesothelioma. Thus, asbestos contamination in mines could be a big health threat to those workers who were unknowingly exposed. However, there was no report that any minerals found in Korea contained asbestos. This study was carried out to find the presence of any asbestiform fibers in minerals which could be obtained in Korean mines. We examined fifteen minerals from 44 mines which were suspected contaminated with asbestiform fibers. Asbestiform analysis was done with high resolution transmission electron microscope(TEM), with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope(EDX) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) analyses. Among asbestiform fibers, chrysotile was found in chrysotile, serpentine, talc and pyrophylite specimens from 11 mines. Tremolite was found in tremolite and talc specimens from three mines. Mordenite was found in zeolite specimens from two mines. Wallastonite and sepiolite were found in wallastonite and sepiolite specimens respectively. Crocidolite, antigorite and actinolite were found from talc specimens. But no asbestiform fiber contaminants were found in doromite, vermiculite, limestone, marble, gypsum, kaolin, and clary specimens. Thus, these asbestiform fibers such as such as chrysotile, tremolite, mordenite, crocidolite, antigorite and actinolite could be the responsible agents for the health hazards such as mesothelioma and other cancers.

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Potential Roles of Essential Oils on Controlling Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Xanthomonas Species: A Review

  • Bajpai, Vivek K.;Kang, So-Ra;Xu, Houjuan;Lee, Soon-Gu;Baek, Kwang-Hyun;Kang, Sun-Chul
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.27 no.3
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    • pp.207-224
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    • 2011
  • Diseases caused by plant pathogenic bacteria constitute an emerging threat to global food security. Xanthomonas is a large genus of Gram-negative bacteria that cause disease in several host plants leading to considerable losses in productivity and quality of harvests. Despite the ranges of controlling techniques available, the microbiological safety of economically important crops and crop plants including fruits and vegetables continues to be a major concern to the agriculture industry. On the other hand, many of the currently available antimicrobial agents for agriculture are highly toxic, non-biodegradable and cause extended environmental pollution. Besides, the use of antibiotics has provoked an increased resistance among the bacterial pathogens and their pathovars. Thus, novel efficient and safe remedies for controlling plant bacterial diseases are necessary. There has been an increasing interest worldwide on therapeutic values of natural products such as essential oils, hence the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the published data on the antibacterial efficacy of essential oils that could be considered suitable for application in agriculture as biocontrol measures against plant pathogenic bacteria of Xanthomonas species. The current knowledge on the use of essential oils to control Xanthomonas bacteria in vitro and in vivo models has been discussed. A brief description on the legal aspects on the use of essential oils against bacterial pathogens has also been presented. Through this review, a mode of antibacterial action of essential oils along with their chemical nature and the area for future research have been thoroughly discussed.

Isolation, Molecular Characterization and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Aquatic Products in the Southern Fujian Coast, China

  • Hu, Yuanqing;Li, Fengxia;Zheng, Yixian;Jiao, Xinan;Guo, Liqing
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.30 no.6
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    • pp.856-867
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    • 2020
  • Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major gastroenteritis-causing pathogen in many Asian countries. Antimicrobial resistance in V. parahaemolyticus has been recognized as a critical threat to food safety. In this study, we determined the prevalence and incidence of antimicrobial resistance in V. parahaemolyticus in the southern Fujian coast, China. A total of 62 isolates were confirmed in retail aquatic products from June to October of 2018. The serotype O3:K6 strains, the virulence genes tdh and trh, antibiotic susceptibility and molecular typing were investigated. Then plasmid profiling analysis and curing experiment were performed for multidrug-resistant strains. The results showed that the total occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus was 31% out of 200 samples. Five strains (8.1%) out of 62 isolates were identified as the V. parahaemolyticus O3:K6 pandemic clone. A large majority of isolates exhibited higher resistance to penicillin (77.4%), oxacillin (71%), ampicillin (66.1%) and vancomycin (59.7%). Seventy-one percent (44/62) of the isolates exhibited multiple antimicrobial resistance. All 62 isolates were grouped into 7 clusters by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA, and most of the isolates (80.6%) were distributed within cluster A. Plasmids were detected in approximately 75% of the isolates, and seven different profiles were observed. Seventy-six percent (25/33) of the isolates carrying the plasmids were eliminated by 0.006% SDS incubated at 42℃, a sublethal condition. The occurrence of multidrug-resistant strains could be an indication of the excessive use of antibiotics in aquaculture farming. The rational use of antimicrobial agents and the surveillance of antibiotic administration may reduce the acquisition of resistance by microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems.

Pharmacology of enantiomers of higenamine and related tetrahydroisoquinolines

  • Park, Min-Kyu;Huh, Ja-Myung;Lee, Young-Soo;Kang, Young-Jin;Seo, Han-Geuk;Lee, Jae-Heun;Park, Hye-Sook-Yun-;Lee, Duck-Hyung;Chang, Ki-Churl
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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    • 2004.04a
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    • pp.3-10
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    • 2004
  • Oxidative stress is a constant threat to all living organisms and an immense repertoire of cellular defense systems is being employed by most pro- and eukaryotic systems to eliminate or to attenuate oxidative stress. Ischemia and reperfusion is characterized by both a significant oxidative stress and characteristic changes in the antioxidant defense. Heme oxigenase-l (HO-l) is up-regulated by various stimuli including oxidative stress so that it is thought to participate in general cellular defense mechanisms against ischemic injury in mammalian cells. Higenamine, an active ingredient of Aconite tuber, has been shown to have antioxidant activity along with inhibitory action of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in various cells. In the present study, we investigated whether higenamine and related analogs protect cells from oxidative cellular injuries by modulating antioxidant enzymes, such as HO-l, MnSOD etc. R-form of YS-51 was the most potent inducer of HO-l in bovine endothelial cells, which inhibited apoptotic cell death by H$_2$O$_2$. HO-1 induction by YS 51 was mediated by PI3 kinase activation in which PKA- as well as PKG pathway is considered as important regulators. YS-51 also induced Mn-SOD mRNA expression by activating c-jun N-terminal kinase in endothelial cells and Hela cells. In ROS 17/2.1 cells, higenamine and enetiomers of related compounds inhibited iNOS expression by cytokine mixtures. Taken together, higenamine and related compounds can be developed as possible protective agents from oxidative cell injury or death.

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