• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.307-316
• /
• 2022

The misuse of pesticides has resulted in environmental pollution, which directly or indirectly affects all life on earth. Chlorpyrifos is a chlorinated organophosphorus pesticide that is commonly used in agriculture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chlorpyrifos on the fertilization function of boar spermatozoa. Sperm samples from boars were subjected to varying concentrations of chlorpyrifos from 10 to 200 µM for two incubation periods, 30 min or 2 hrs. The boar spermatozoa were then evaluated for motility, motion kinematics, viability, acrosome integrity, chromatin stability, and generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). There was a significant percentage reduction in sperm motility and motion kinematic parameters after both incubation periods (p < 0.05). The proportion of viable spermatozoa decreased after incubation for 30 min and 2 hrs in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). A significantly lower percentage of normal acrosomes was observed in spermatozoa exposed to 200 µM chlorpyrifos over both incubation periods, compared to the controls. The damage to sperm DNA was significantly higher when the exposure time to chlorpyrifos was longer. There was a significant increase in the ROS levels in spermatozoa incubated with chlorpyrifos for 2 hrs (p < 0.05). From the results of the present study, it is concluded that direct exposure of boar spermatozoa to chlorpyrifos altered boar sperm characteristics, suggesting potential toxicity that may affect the male reproductive function.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.85-93
• /
• 2023

Objective: This study examined differences in joint kinematics and movement variability of lower extremity between adolescent athletes with and without lateral ankle sprain (LAS) history during drop vertical jump. Method: Fourteen adolescent athletes with LAS history and 14 controls participated in this study. The independent variable was group while dependent variables were 3D joint kinematics and movement variability of hip, knee, and ankle joint. Ensemble curve analyses were conducted to identify differences in movement strategies between two groups. Results: The LAS group showed that greater eversion during jump phase compared with the control group. Additionally, less movement variability was found in the LAS group during the pre-landing and jump phases in ankle and hip joints compared with the control group. Conclusion: The LAS group may adapt the environmental constraints by reducing the movement variability in ankle and hip joints. However, training programs focusing on recovery of ankle function should be emphasized after LAS because excessive pronation for prevention of LAS during the jump phase may result in reduced performance.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.50 no.5
• /
• pp.269-293
• /
• 2022

Oomycete pathogens that belong to the genus Phytophthora cause devastating diseases in solanaceous crops such as pepper, potato, and tobacco, resulting in crop production losses worldwide. Although the application of fungicides efficiently controls these diseases, it has been shown to trigger negative side effects such as environmental pollution, phytotoxicity, and fungicide resistance in plant pathogens. Therefore, biological control of Phytophthora-induced diseases was proposed as an environmentally sound alternative to conventional chemical control. In this review, progress on biological control of the soilborne oomycete plant pathogens, Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora infestans, and Phytophthora nicotianae, infecting pepper, potato, and tobacco is described. Bacterial (e.g., Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Chryseobacterium, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, and Streptomyces) and fungal (e.g., Trichoderma and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) agents, and yeasts (e.g., Aureobasidium, Curvibasidium, and Metschnikowia) have been reported as successful biocontrol agents of Phytophthora pathogens. These microorganisms antagonize Phytophthora spp. via antimicrobial compounds with inhibitory activities against mycelial growth, sporulation, and zoospore germination. They also trigger plant immunity-inducing systemic resistance via several pathways, resulting in enhanced defense responses in their hosts. Along with plant protection, some of the microorganisms promote plant growth, thereby enhancing their beneficial relations with host plants. Although the beneficial effects of the biocontrol microorganisms are acceptable, single applications of antagonistic microorganisms tend to lack consistent efficacy compared with chemical analogues. Therefore, strategies to improve the biocontrol performance of these prominent antagonists are also discussed in this review.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
• /
• 2021.05a
• /
• pp.265-266
• /
• 2021

In this paper, we show the case of establishing a outdoor production system using the Internet of things and define the environmental variables in the outdoor production system. By measuring soil temperature, water content, electrical conductivity and acidity through sensors, LoRa communication module transmits the information to the outdoor production system. The outdoor production system controls the amount of fertilizer and the volume of water based on this sensor data. We have developed a system that manages a wide range of crops using LoRa technology, which is a suitable communication method for cultivating crops, and manages production volume and sales performance.

• Smart Media Journal
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.72-79
• /
• 2024

Vertical farming is one of the important solutions to overcome future food and population problems. However, underdeveloped countries can't afford due to high initial investment costs and technical huddles. To solve this problem, it is necessary to formalize the vertical farming area using ontology. In this paper, we present an ontology that includes various cultivation methods of vertical farming, connects sensors and actuates according to the methods, and recognizes and controls the cultivation environment context of the selected vertical fanning, we expect to be able to autonomously make control decisions about the context by analyzing the environmental context that is important for perceived vertical cultivation using the logical reasoning function of ontology.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.65-72
• /
• 2024

The national diabetes and prediabetes prevalence rate has risen among Korean adolescents and adults. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is commonly interrelated with genetic, metabolic, and environmental risk factors in clinical practice. In this study, we analyzed the association between genetic polymorphisms of the ABO gene with T2DM in the Korean population, we conducted an analysis of gene-phenotype correlation, based on an additive genetic model. A total of 8,840 subjects from the Korea Association REsource (KARE) were selected for this study. Using the genetic and epidemiologic data of 754 T2DM cases and 5721 normal controls from the KARE, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ABO gene were analyzed for their genetic correlation. As a result, 8 SNPs out of the ABO gene demonstrated statistically significant association with T2DM. Among them, rs657152 in the ABO gene statistically showed the most significant correlation with T2DM (P-value=0.0084, OR=1.15, CI=1.04~1.28). The minor allele of A polymorphism within the intron genetic region of ABO directed increased risk of T2DM. This work reveals a significant association between genetic polymorphism in the ABO gene and T2DM. This finding suggested that ABO SNPs markers might be a genetic correlation to the etiology of T2DM.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.130-134
• /
• 2006

Objectives : Oxidative DNA damage is a known risk factor of lung cancer. The glutathione peroxidase (GPX) antioxidant enzyme that reduces hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxides plays a significant role in protecting cells from the oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species. The aim of this case-control study was to investigate effects of oxidative stress and genetic polymorphisms of the GPX1 genes and the interaction between them in the carcinogenesis of lung cancer. Methods : Two hundreds patients with lung cancer and 200 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled in this study. Every subject was asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their smoking habits and their environmental exposure to PAHs. The genotypes of the GPX1 and 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) genes were examined and the concentrations of urinary hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 2-naphthol and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) were measured. Results : Cigarette smoking was a significant risk factor for lung cancer. The levels of urinary 8-OH-dG were higher in the patients (p<0.001), whereas the urinary 1-OHP and 2-naphthol levels were higher in the controls. The GPX1 codon 198 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Individuals carrying the Pro/Leu or Leu/Leu genotype of GPX1 were at a higher risk for lung cancer (adjusted OR=2.29). In addition, these individuals were shown to have high urinary 8-OH-dG concentrations compared to the individuals with the GPX1 Pro/Pro genotype. On the other hand, the polymorphism of the hOGG1 gene did not affect the lung cancer risk and the oxidative DNA damage. Conclusions : These results lead to a conclusion that individuals with the GPX1 Pro/Leu or Leu/Leu genotype would be more susceptible to the lung cancer induced by oxidative stress than those individuals with the Pro/Pro genotype.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.31-40
• /
• 2014

In present study, we geochemically investigated the fresh coal ashes and the saline ash pond of an electric power plant in Korea, which burns imported bituminous coals. The goals are to see the chemical changes of the ash pond by reaction with coal ashes and to investigate the relative leachability of elements from the ashes by reaction with saline waters. For this study, one fresh fly ash, one fresh bottom ash, and 7 water samples were collected. All the ash samples and 2 water samples were analyzed for 55 elements. The results indicated that the fly ashes are enriched with chalcophilic elements such as Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Se, Cd, Sb, Au, Pb, and B relative to other elements. On the other hand, concentrations of As, Ba, Co, Ga, Li, Mn, Mo, Sb, U, V, W, and Zr are much higher in the ash pond than those dissolved in the seawater. Ag, Bi, Li, Mo, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, and W show high ratios of elemental concentrations in pond water to those in the fly ash. Our results imply that the leaching of trace elements is regulated by geochemical controls such as solubility and adsorption even though the trace elements are relatively enriched on the ash surfaces after the coal combustion due to their volatilities.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.38-51
• /
• 2020

A bottleneck and congestion occur when a freeway is closed due to maintenance and construction activities on the freeway. Although various traffic managements have been developed to improve the traffic efficiency at freeway work zones, such as merge control, there is a limit to those controls with human drivers. On the other hand, the wireless communication of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) enables the operation of advanced traffic management. This study developed a traffic control strategy that integrates Dynamic Merge Control (DMC) and Lane Change Control (LCC) in a CAV environment. DMC operates as an either early or late merge based on the occupancy rate of upstream of the work zone. The LCC algorithm determines the number of vehicles that need to change their lane to balance the traffic volume on open lanes. The simulation results showed that integrated control improves the cumulative vehicle count, average speed upstream, and average network travel time.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.369-379
• /
• 2015

Objectives: The lack of reliable information on environmental pollution and health impacts related to asbestos contamination from abandoned mines has drawn attention to the need for a community health study. This study was performed to evaluate asbestos-related health symptoms among residents near abandoned asbestos mines located in the Chungcheong Provinces. In addition, exposure assessment for asbestos is needed although the exposure to asbestos was in the past. Methods: Past exposure to asbestos among inhabitants near abandoned asbestos mines was estimated by using surface sampling of deposited dust in indoor and outdoor residences. A total of 54 participants were divided into two groups with (34 cases) and without (20 controls) diseases related to asbestos. Surface sampling of deposited dust was carried out in indoor and outdoor residences by collecting 105 samples. Deposited dust for sampling was analyzed by polarization microscope (PLM) and scanning electron microscope?energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX) to detect asbestos. Subsequently, the elements of the deposited dust with asbestos were analyzed by SEM-EDX to assess the contribution of sources such as abandoned mines, slate and soil. Results: Among the 105 samples, asbestos was detected by PLM in 29 (27.6%) sampling points, and detected by SEM in 56 (48.6%) sampling points. Asbestos in indoor residences was detected by PLM in four sampling points, and by SEM in 12 sampling points. Asbestos detection in indoor residences may be due to ventilation between indoors and outdoors, and indicates long-term exposure. The asbestos detection rate for outdoor residences in the case group was higher than that in the control group. This can be explained as the case group having had higher exposure to asbestos, and there has been continuous exposure to asbestos in the control group as well as the case group. Conclusion: Past residential asbestos exposure may be associated with asbestosis among local residents near abandoned asbestos mines. Odds ratios were calculated for asbestos detection in outdoor residence by logistic regression analysis. Odds ratio between asbestos detection and asbestosis pulmonum was 3.36 (95% CI 0.90-12.53) (p=0.072), adjusting for age, sex, smoking status and work history with multi-variable logistic regression by PLM analysis method.