• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.103-106
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• 2006

In this biocontrol research, we evaluated disease suppressive effects of antagonistic bacterial strains ISE13 and KJ1R5 against Korean ginseng root rot caused by P. eaetorum. We also examined the effects of nutrient solution in the hydroponic culture system for Korean ginseng on biological activity of the bacterial strains. As results of dual culture tests of the bacterial strains on $V_{8}$ juice agar, the strain ISE13 showed antifungal activity against P. eaetorum and other plant pathogenic fungi, but the strain KJ1R5 did not. When their inhibitory effects against infection of P. eaetorum on the roots grown in either nutrient solution or water were tested, the strains ISE13 and KJ1R5 inhibited the disease severity of Korean ginseng roots only grown with water, compared to buffer-treated, inoculated controls. However, the nutrient solution used for hydroponic cultures of ginseng in pots caused higher levels of disease severity by the strains ISE13 and KJ1R5 from 418.8\%$ to 40.0\%$ and from 24.3\%$ to 45.0\%$, respectively. In this study, the bacterial strains ISE13 and KJ1R5 could be potentially biocontrol agents to suppress Korean ginseng root rot caused by P. eaetorum. However, more attention using nutrient solution in hydroponic cultures for Korean ginseng production should be applied in biocontrol of plant diseases using the antagonistic microorganisms.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

The effectiveness of the government regulation on tail-pipe emission for diesel vehicles issued in 2003 in Tokyo was evaluated in this study. Variations in annual average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs associated with airborne particulate matter were investigated in connection with the variation in airborne elemental carbon (EC) concentration in downtown Tokyo, Japan in 2006-2007 and in 1997-1998. The annual average concentrations of EC, seven different PAHs, and 1-nitropyrene were found to have decreased significantly from 1997-1998 to 2006-2007. The most prominent decrease in atmospheric concentration was observed for 1-nitropyrene, which is a representative nitro-PAH originating from diesel vehicles. This indicated that the government control has worked to considerably reduce both atmospheric mutagens and airborne particulate matter. In contrast, the concentrations of two nitro-PAHs, 2-nitrofluoranthene and 2-nitropyrene, remained the same. These nitro-PAHs are known to be formed by atmospheric nitration of their parent PAHs, and this result suggested factors other than the concentration of parent PAHs and $NO_2$ affects the degree of atmospheric formation of nitro-PAHs.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1385-1390
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• 2010

Repeated additions of untreated slurry to soil affected ecology and caused high levels of heavy metal in soil and ground water. The objective of this study was to evaluate heavy metal from hanwoo slurry with ferrous sulfate ($FeSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$), aluminum sulfate [$Al_2(SO_4)_3{\cdot}14H_2O$, alum] and aluminum chloride ($AlCl_3{\cdot}6H_2O$) as a way to improve environmental management in hanwoo industry. The treatment rates, which were incorporated totally within the hanwoo slurry, were 1.0 g and 1.5 g of ferrous sulfate, alum and aluminum chloride/25 g of hanwoo slurry. The various rates of chemical additives significantly increased dry matter (9.98~13.94%) and decreased pH (3.48~6.52) compared with the controls. The use of chemical additives decreased Fe (11~29%), Al (7~12%), Zn (13~36%), and Cu (4~32%) contents, except for Fe in hanwoo slurry with ferrous sulfate and Al in hanwoo slurry with alum and aluminum chloride. In addition, the reduction in heavy metal should be associated with reduction in pH. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that alum and aluminum chloride additives at rate of 1.5 g were cost-effective management practice that significantly reduces heavy metal from hanwoo slurry, while it may be improved environmental management.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2011

The incidence of asbestos-related diseases (ARD) has increased in the last four decades. In view of the historical use of asbestos in Singapore since the country started banning it in phases in 1989 and the long latency of the disease, the incidence of ARD can be expected to increase further. As occupational exposure to asbestos still occurs, preventive measures to eliminate ARD continue to be required to protect the health of both workers and the public from asbestos exposure. The majority of occupational exposures to asbestos at present occur during the removal of old buildings. Preventive measures have been utilized by different government ministries and agencies in eliminating ARD in Singapore over the past 40 years. These measures have included the enforcement of legislation, substitution with safer materials, and engineering controls during asbestos removal as well as improvements in personal hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment. The existing Workman's Compensation System for ARD should be further refined, given that is currently stipulates that claims for asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma be made within 36 and 12 months after ceasing employment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2811-2819
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• 2016

Multiple genetic and environmental factors have been reported to play key role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we investigated interactions of XRCC1 Arg399Gln and XRCC2 Arg188His polymorphisms and environmental factors in modulating susceptibility to NPC in Northeast India. One-hundred NPC patients, 90 first-degree relatives of patients and 120 controls were enrolled in the study. XRCC1 Arg399Gln and XRCC2 Arg188His polymorphisms were determined using PCR-RFLP, and the results were confirmed by DNA sequencing. Logistic regression (LR) and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) approaches were applied for statistical analysis. The XRCC1 Gln/Gln genotype showed increased risk (OR=2.76; P<0.024) of NPC. However, individuals with both XRCC1 and XRCC2 polymorphic variants had 3.2 fold elevated risk (P<0.041). An enhanced risk of NPC was also observed in smoked meat (OR=4.07; P=0.004) and fermented fish consumers (OR=4.34, P=0.001), and tobacco-betel quid chewers (OR=7.00; P=0.0001) carrying XRCC1 polymorphic variants. However, smokers carrying defective XRCC1 gene showed the highest risk (OR = 7.47; P<0.0001). On MDR analysis, the best model for NPC risk was the five-factor model combination of XRCC1 variant genotype, fermented fish, smoked meat, smoking and chewing (CVC=10/10; TBA=0.636; P<0.0001); whereas in interaction entropy graphs, smoked meat and tobacco chewing showed synergistic interactions with XRCC1. These findings suggest that interaction of genetic and environmental factors might increase susceptibility to NPC in Northeast Indian populations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1996.11a
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• pp.39-49
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• 1996

Hundreds of contaminated sites have been generated due to the past mismagement of toxic substances, the lack of adequate environmental controls and ignorance of the potential environmental impacts of general activities in Canada. The general public, industry and governments have been addressing the contaminated sites with a number of cleanup responses. Environmental protection and remediation have become top priorities for the public and private sectors alike in Canada. Between the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and Canada's Green Plan were followed by provincial and territorial laws and policies to regulate contaminated sites. The National Contaminated Site Remediation Program(NCSRP) was initiated in 1989. It has been administered through bilateral agreements between the federal and participating provincial/territorial governments. They have committed a total of $250 million toward orphan site cleanup and technology development/demonstration over a five year period. The federal government has committed an additional $25 million to assess contaminated sites on federal crown land. Over 40 orphan high-risk contaminated sites, over 230 federal sites and over 35 technology development/demonstration projects have been addressed. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has developed a series of guidance documents to ensure a consistent and successful implementation of the Program. The management/regulation scheme of contaminated sites generally consists of： 1) identifying and investigating sites, 2) determining site contamination, 3) recognizing responsibility and liability, 4) assessing priority for remediation, 5) activation, evaluation and implementing remediation options, and 6) documenting remediation completion. The NCSRP supported the successful development/demonstration of a wide range of innovative remedial technologies. They are related to stabilization/solidification, thermal washing/flushing, advanced oxidation, sonics, and groundwater contaminated with hydrocarbons, PAHS, PCBs, heavy metals, and other hazardous pollutants in a variety of site environments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.256-269
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• 2020

Objectives: Everyone has been affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic, while some workers face threats to their health due to their jobs as well as worries about spreading the virus to intimate family members. With these concerns in mind, this study aims to identify occupations more vulnerable to COVID-19 and suggests the necessity of providing proper control measures against the risks in a timely manner in Korea. Methods: Daily briefing reports by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) were compiled (n=120) between January 20 and May 31, 2020. A total of 11,486 confirmed cases were included, which were sorted by occasion, area, and occupation. Among them, 2,411 cases were classified with specific occasions and/or areas of infection, while only 544 cases were determined with identifiable occupations. Guidelines for biological hazard management and COVID-19 guidelines for workplaces from domestic and international bodies were enlisted and compared. Results: It is unsurprising to find that healthcare professionals are experiencing the most immediate threat from COVID-19. In addition, service workers with face-to-face practices or indirect contact are also facing high risks. Religion facilities and eating places (dining, drinking bar, café, etc.,) follow. Guidelines and manuals for biological hazards are still lacking in Korea compared to the US and EU. Workplace manuals for managing COVID-19 are neither as comprehensive as the approaches of NIOSH's hierarchy of controls nor inclusive enough for minimizing secondary or tertiary suffering. Conclusions: The COVID-19 crisis is still ongoing and there is no doubt there will be more such events in the future. This analysis suggests that occupational health professionals, amid a pandemic including COVID-19, are urged to anticipate emerging risks related to all sorts of occupations, identify vulnerable workers and working environments, and plan and take actions to protect workers' health.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.416-420
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• 2018

Background: Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) has been widely used as a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in occupationally exposed workers. The objective of this study is to investigate the concentration of urinary 1-OHP among charcoal workers as subjects and non-charcoal workers as controls. Methods: Early morning urine samples were collected from 68 persons (25 charcoal workers in Igbo-Ora, 20 charcoal workers in Alabata, and 23 non-charcoal workers) who volunteered to participate in this study. 1-OHP determination in urine samples was carried out using high performance liquid chromatography after hydrolysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis at p < 0.05. Results: The mean urinary 1-OHP concentration (${\mu}mol/mol$ creatinine) among charcoal workers at Igbo-Ora and Alabata and non-charcoal workers were $2.22{\pm}1.27$, $1.32{\pm}0.65$, and $0.32{\pm}0.26$ (p < 0.01). There existed a relationship between respondent type and 1-OHP concentration. Charcoal workers were 3.14 times more at risk of having 1-OHP concentrations that exceed the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists guideline of $0.49{\mu}mol/mol$ creatinine than non-charcoal workers (relative risk = 3.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.7-5.8, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Charcoal workers are exposed to PAHs during charcoal production and are at risk of experiencing deleterious effects of PAH exposure. Routine air quality assessment should be carried out in communities where charcoal production takes place. Assessment of urinary 1-OHP concentration and use of personal protective equipment should also be encouraged among charcoal workers.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.110-121
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• 2022

Leaf functional traits widely have been used to understand the environmental controls of resource utilization strategy of plants along the environmental gradients. By using key leaf functional traits, we quantified the relationships between leaf traits and local climate throughout the distributional range of Rhododendron caucasicum Pall. in eastern and western Georgian mountains (the South Caucasus). Our results revealed, that all traits showed high levels of intraspecific variability across study locations and confirmed a strong phenotypic differentiation of leaf functional variation along the east-west longitudinal gradient in response to the local climate; out of the explored climatic variables, the moisture factors related to precipitation and number of precipitation and dry days for winter and growth seasons were more strongly related to leaf trait variation than the elevation and air temperature. Among studied leaf traits, the leaf specific area (SLA) showed the highest level of variability indicating the different resource utilization strategies of eastern and western-central Rh. caucasicum individuals. High SLA leaves for western-central Caucasian individuals work in relatively resource-rich environments (more humid in terms of precipitation amount and the number of precipitation days in winter) and could be explained by preferential allocation to photosynthesis and growth, while eastern Caucasian samples work in resource-poor environments (less humid in terms of precipitation amount and the number of precipitation days in winter) and the retention of captured resources is a higher priority appearing in a low SLA leaves. However, more evidence from a broader study of the species throughout its distribution range by including additional environmental factors and molecular markers are needed for firmer conclusions of intraspecific variability of Rh. caucasicum.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.361-370
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• 2013

A lysine histidine transporter (LHT) cDNA was isolated and characterized from the roots of Panax ginseng, designated PgLHT. The cDNA is 1,865 bp with an open reading frame that codes for a protein with 449 amino acids and a calculated molecular mass of 50.6 kDa with a predicted isoelectric point of 8.87. Hydropathy analysis shows that PgLHT is an integral membrane protein with 9 putative membrane-spanning domains. Multiple sequence alignments show that PgLHT shares a high homology with other plant LHTs. The expression profile of the gene was investigated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction during various chemical treatments. PgLHT was up-regulated in the presence of abscisic acid, salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, NaCl, and amino acids. To further explore the function of PgLHT gene, full-length cDNA of PgLHT was introduced into P. ginseng by Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4. The overexpression of PgLHT in the hairy roots led to an obviously increase of biomass compared to the controls, and after addition of the amino acids, the overexpressed-PgLHT hairy roots grew more rapidly than untreated controls during early stage of the culture cycle. The results suggested that the PgLHT isolated from ginseng might have role in the environmental stresses and growth response.