• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.3 s.83
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• pp.435-443
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• 2007

Antimicrobial susceptibility test of the 116 strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae isolates were performed by a broth micro-dilution method against to moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, sparfloxacin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin minocycline, erythromycin, josamycin, and tetracycline. The initial-minimum inhibitory concentration (I-MIC) was evaluated as the lowest concentration of antimicrobial agents that prevented a color change in the medium at that time when the drug-free growth control, about 7 days after incubation, and the final-minimum inhibitory concentration (F-MIC) was defined a color change about 14 days after incubation. The evaluation to the drug-resistant M. pneumoniae isolates were determined the $MIC{\pm}1.0$ ${\mu}g/ml$ of each antimicrobial agent. According to the I-MIC, single drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, clarithromycin and erythromycin were 79.3, 53.5, 10.3, and 7.8%, respectively. Two kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, or ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin were 42.2 and 9.5%. Three kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to erythromycin, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, or ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin were 6.9 and 6.0% . According to the F-MIC, single drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, minocycline,erythromycin, josamycin, clarithromycin and sparfloxacin were 91.4, 91.4, 91.4, 89.7, 68.1, 52.6, 28.5, and 11.2%, respectively. The incidence of two kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 20.7% to 91.4%, three kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 28.5% to 89.7%, four kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were 2.6%, five kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae were from 2.6% to 21.6%, six kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 0.9% to 24.1%, seven kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were from 0.9% to 2.6%, and eight kinds of drug-resistant M. pneumoniae strains were 1.7%. These results suggest that sparfloxacin, moxifloxacin and levofloxacin might be promising antimicrobial agents for the treatment of M. pneumoniae infection in Korea. However, most strains of M. pneumoniae isolates were single or multi-resistance pattern to the other tested antimicrobial agents. Therefore, tetracycline, minocycline, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and second-generation quinolones are more carefully used to patients with M. pneumoniae infection in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.305-314
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of ginseng and Schizandra chinensis on the quality characteristics of kimchi stored for 40 days at $4^{\circ}C$ after kimchi was fermented for 1 day at $25^{\circ}C$. pH and reducing sugar of GS(Kimchi added with extract powder of fine ginseng root and Schizandra chinensis juice) were the highest in the early part of storage but pH and reducing sugar of G(Kimchi added with extract powder of fine ginseng root) were the highest from 11th storage day. Acidity and $CO_2$ content of GS were the highest during storage period. The $CO_2$ content of GS was the highest significantly and the $CO_2$ content of C(Control) was the lowest significantly. When the hardness was measured, G was the hardest and there were no significant difference between C and GS. Total cells and lactic acid bacteria were increased rapidly at initial fermentation and GS was the highest of 3 samples from 6th storage day. The result of sensory evaluation showed that G was lower in sourness and higher in hardness than C and GS. Ginseng flavor had no significant differences between G and GS. And G was higher than GS in bitter taste. Consumer Acceptance test showed that consumer prefered C and GS to G. Considering all results, it can be concluded that addition of Schizandra chinensis juice to kimchi decreases the bitter taste of ginseng and increasing consumer preference.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.445-452
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• 2010

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare apical sealing ability and physical properties of MTA, MTA - AH-plus mixture (AMTA) and experimental Portland cement - Epoxy resin mixture (EPPC) for a development of a novel retro-filling material. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine extracted roots were instrumented and filled with gutta-percha. Apical root was resected at 3 mm and the retro-filling cavity was prepared for 3 mm depth. Roots were randomly divided into 3 groups of 15 roots each. The retro-filling was done using MTA, AMTA, and EPPC as the groups divided. Four roots were used as control groups. After setting in humid condition for 24 hours, the roots were immersed in 1% methylene blue dye solution for 72 hours to test the apical leakage. After immersion, the roots were vertically sectioned and photos were taken to evaluate microleakage. Setting times were measured with Vicat apparatus and digital radiographs were taken to evaluate aluminum equivalent thickness using aluminum step wedge. The results of microleakage and setting time were compared between groups using one-way ANOVA and Scheffe's post-hoc comparison at the significance level of 95%. Results: AMTA and EPPC showed less microleakage than MTA group (p < 0.05). AMTA showed the highest radio-opacity than other groups and the novel EPPC showed 5 mm aluminum thickness radio-opacity. EPPC showed the shortest initial and final setting times than other groups while the MTA showed the longest (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Under the condition of this study, the novel composite using Portland cement-Epoxy resin mixture may useful for retro-filling with the properties of favorable leakage resistance, radio-opacity and short setting time.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.325-335
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• 1985

Biogas production from agricultural wastes were summarized as follows: 1. Biogas Generation Characteristics of Various Manures and Residues a. Gas yield from crop residues like rice straw, rice hull, corn stalk and coconut husk can be improved by addition of animal manures. b. Gas yield from coconut husk can be improved through aerobic fermentation for at least one week before loading in the digester. c. Gas yield from fresh rice straw is better than from pre-fermented one, whether alone or in combination with animal manures. d. Initial study has shown that fresh azolla can be substituted for animal manures in manurerice straw combinations and gas yield derived based on unit volatile solids loaded is actually better than for manure-residue combinations. e. Gas production is highly sensitive to substrate pH and becomes almost nil at a pH of below 6. 2. Effect of ambient conditions and other factors on biogas production in a house hold-size digester. a. Results showed that compaction of rice straw in straw-manure combination can reduce gas yield compared with loosely mixed straw. b. The effective gas production period extended to 70 days using freshly threshed rice straw and fresh cattle manure as feed material. c. Underground and above ground digesters with shade have relatively more stable substrate temperature than aboveground exposed digesters. This relative temperature instability may likely be the reason for lower gas yield for the exposed aboveground digester loaded with loose straw-cattle manure substrate, compared with the underground digester with the same substrate. 3. Economic Analysis a. Based on prevailing costs of fuel, materials, and labor in the Philippines, biogas produced from the household size system is cheaper than either LPG or kerosene. b. If other benefits like organic fertilizer, pollution control and convenience are considered, biogas will surely be the best alternative fuel source.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.99-106
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• 2018

Mucolipidosis type III (pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy) is a mucolipids degrading disorder caused by a mutation in the GNPTAB gene and is inherited by autosomal recessive. It is diagnosed by examining highly concentrated mucolipids in blood and the diagnosis can be confirmed by genetic testing. Mucolipidosis type III is a rare and progressive metabolic disorder. Its initial signs and symptoms usually occur around 3 years of age. Clinical manifestations of the disease include slow growth, joint stiffness, arthralgia, skeletal abnormalities, heart valve abnormalities, recurrent respiratory infection, distinctive facial features, and mild intellectual disability. Here, we are presenting two siblings of mucolipidosis type III, a 4-year-old female and a 2 years and 7 months old male with features of delayed growth and coarse face. The diagnosis was confirmed by [c.2715+1G>A(p.Glu906Leufs*4), c.2544del(p.Glu849Lysfs*22)] mutation in targeted gene panel sequencing. In this case, c.2544del is a heterozygote newly identified mutation in mucolipidosis type III and was not found in the control group including the genome aggregation database. And it is interpreted as a pathogenic variant considering the association with phenotype. Here, we report a Korean mucolipidosis type III patients with novel mutations in GNPTAB gene who have been treated since early childhood. Owing to recent development of molecular genetic techniques, it was possible to make early diagnosis and treatment with pamidronate was initiated appropriately in case 1. In addition to these supportive therapies, efforts must be made to develop fundamental treatment for patients with early diagnosis of mucolipidosis.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.188-202
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• 2022

In the insect industry, as the scope of application of insects is expanded from pet insects and natural enemies to feed, edible and medicinal insects, the demand for quality control of insect raw materials is increasing, and interest in securing the safety of insect products is increasing. In the process of expanding the industrial scale, controlling the temperature and humidity and air quality in the insect breeding room and preventing the spread of pathogens and other pollutants are important success factors. It requires a controlled environment under the operating system. European commercial insect breeding facilities have attracted considerable investor interest, and insect companies are building large-scale production facilities, which became possible after the EU approved the use of insect protein as feedstock for fish farming in July 2017. Other fields, such as food and medicine, have also accelerated the application of cutting-edge technology. In the future, the global insect industry will purchase eggs or small larvae from suppliers and a system that focuses on the larval fattening, i.e., production raw material, until the insects mature, and a system that handles the entire production process from egg laying, harvesting, and initial pre-treatment of larvae., increasingly subdivided into large-scale production systems that cover all stages of insect larvae production and further processing steps such as milling, fat removal and protein or fat fractionation. In Korea, research and development of insect smart factory farms using artificial intelligence and ICT is accelerating, so insects can be used as carbon-free materials in secondary industries such as natural plastics or natural molding materials as well as existing feed and food. A Korean-style customized breeding system for shortening the breeding period or enhancing functionality is expected to be developed soon.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.209-217
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to confirm the dissolution of arsenic from the stabilized soil around abandoned coal mines by cultivation activities. Experimental soils were collected from the agricultural field around Okdong and Buguk coal mines, and the concentration of arsenic in the soil and the geochemical mobility were confirmed. The average arsenic concentration was 20 mg/kg. The soil with relatively high geochemical mobility of arsenic in the soil was used in the batch and column experiment. The limestone was mixed with soil for soil stabilization, and the mixing ratio was 3% of limestone, based on the soil weight. The phosphoric acid fertilizer (NH₄H₂PO₄) was added to the soil to simulate a cultivation condition according to the Rural Development Administration's rules. Comparative soil without mixing limestone was prepared and used as a control group. The arsenic extraction from soil was increased following the fertilizer mixing amount and it shows a positive relationship. The concentration of phosphate in the supernatant was relatively low under the condition of mixing limestone, which is determined to be result of binding precipitation of phosphate ions and calcium ions dissolved in limestone. Columns were set to mix phosphoric acid fertilizers and limestone corresponding to cultivation and stabilization conditions, and then the column test was conducted. The variations of arsenic extraction from the soil indicated that the stabilization was effectible until 10 P.V.; however, the stabilization effect of limestone decreased with time. Moreover, the geochemical mobility of arsenic has transformed by increasing the mobile fractions in soil compared to initial soil. Therefore, based on the arsenic extraction results, the cultivation activities using phosphoric fertilizer could induce a decrease in the stabilization effect.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.582-591
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• 2022

This study was conducted to eliminate Myocastor coypusMolina, 1782 (Nutria) from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea. Habitat identification and eradication were carried out from September to November 2013, and a survey was carried out until June 2022 to check whether the eradication was successful. The habitat was identified with unmanned cameras, interviews, and literature surveys, and the capture was performed using the trapping method with food to attract nutria to the habitat area. The study area for the follow-up survey, which was set relatively wide considering nutria's home range, included wetlands and rivers within 4.0 km² of the habitat area (eradication area). As a result, nutria's habitat was confirmed only at Songdang Ranch, Songdang-ri, of Jeju Island, with traces of habitat (footprints, excrement, and burrows) confirmed in waterways and ponds within the pasture. Eight individuals were captured, including four females, three males, and one individual in too advanced a state of decay to identify the sex. The follow-up survey thoroughly investigated the habitat and its surroundings, focusing on three areas with permanent water, Seongeup Reservoir, Cheonmi Creek, and Molsuni Pond, but no signs of habitat were identified. Therefore, it is determined that nutria inhabiting Jeju Island has been completely eradicated. It is believed that the successful eradication of nutria in the Jeju Special Autonomous Region was possible due to a synergy between 1) the eradication of nutria at the beginning of the settlement phase through rapid capture after confirming the nutria habitat and 2) the delayed expansion period because of rare presence of wetlands, where water is constantly stagnant, on Jeju Island. These results imply that quickly identifying the ecological characteristics of the species and preventing disturbances before they or at the beginning of the ecological disturbance through control and eradication at the initial stage of settlement before the expansion stage is an effective measure to cope with the influx of alien species.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the effects of gender, age, underlying disease, duration after onset of symptoms, preoperative invasive procedures, bacterial culture of joint fluid, and stage of infection by the Gachter classification on the prognosis of patients with infectious knee arthritis who underwent arthroscopic surgery. Materials and Methods: From June 2014 to December 2016, 51 patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery for infective knee arthritis were enrolled in this study. The average follow-up period was 14.2±2.1 months (range, 12-20 months). The subjects were 27 men (52.9%) and 24 women (47.1%), with an average age of 55.1±17.6 years (range, 13-84 years). A preoperative evaluation of the joint aspiration with a count of more than 50,000 leukocytes and a polymorphonuclear leukocyte count of 95% or more was performed. All patients underwent arthroscopic surgery and postoperative continuous joint irrigation. Results: The initial mean value of the C-reactive protein decreased from 9.55±6.76 mg/dl (range, 1.51-31.06 mg/dl) to a final mean of 0.74±1.26 mg/dl (range, 0.08-6.77 mg/dl); the mean duration of C-reactive protein normalization was 27.6±18.9 days (range, 8-93 days). Among the 51 patients who received arthroscopic surgery and antibiotics, 44 patients (86.3%) with infectious knee arthritis completed treatment with improved clinical symptoms, such as fever, pain, and edema, and the C-reactive protein decreased to less than 0.5 mg/dl. Finally, 5 cases were treated with two or more arthroscopic operations, and 2 cases were converted to arthroplasty after prosthesis of antibiotic-loaded acrylic cement. Conclusion: The duration of surgery after the onset of symptoms and the stage according to the Gächter classification are important prognostic factors for predicting the successful treatment of infectious knee arthritis. On the other hand, the other factors were not statistically significant. Nevertheless, patients with bacteria cultured from the joint fluids appear to reflect the treatment period because the period of normalization of the C-reactive protein is shorter than that of the control group.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2010

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the biologically adverse effect of increased carbon dioxide in seawater on marine bacteria, Vibrio fischeri. We measured the bioluminescence and cell density at every 6 hours for 24 hours of the whole incubation period after exposing test microbes to a range of $CO_2$ concentration such as 380(Control), 1,000, 3,000, 10,000 and 30,000 ppm, respectively. Significant effect on relative luminescence(RLU) of V. fischeri was observed in treatments with $CO_2$ concentration higher than 3,000 ppm at t=12 h. However, the difference of RLU among treatments significantly decreased with the incubation time until t=24 h. Similar trend was observed for the variation of cell density, which was measured as optical density using spectrophotometer. The results showed that a significant relationship between $CO_2$ concentration and bioluminescence of test microbes was observed for the mean time. However, the inhibition of relative bioluminescence and also cell density could be recovered at the concentration levels higher than 3,000 ppm. The dissolved $CO_2$ can be absorbed directly by cell and it can decrease the intracellular pH. Our results implied that microbes might be adversely affected at the initial growing phase by increased $CO_2$. However, they could adapt by increasing ion transport including bicarbonate and then could make their pH back to normal level. Results of this study could be supported to understand the possible influence on marine bacteria by atmospheric increase of $CO_2$ in near future and also by released $CO_2$ during the marine $CO_2$ sequestration activity.