• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.479-486
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• 2012

The production of adventitious roots derived from root explant of Echinacea angustifolia and its secondary metabolite content were assessed in different types and levels of auxin. The induction of adventitious roots from root explant cultured in Murashige and Skoog solid medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L indole -3-butyric acid (IBA) attained highest as 20.87 mg fresh weight and 3.07 mg dry weight per culture but root suspension culture at the same concentration of IBA enhanced biomass production as 3.07 g fresh weight and 0.38 g per culture after 4 weeks in culture. 3.0 mg/L ${\alpha}$-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) treatment had similar effect on root biomass production as 3.07 g fresh weight and 0.38 g per culture with liquid suspension culture, whereas adventitious roots exposed to over 3.0-5.0 mg/L IBA or 5.0 mg/L NAA were less responsive by reducing the number of adventitious roots and/or changing root morphology such as short and thick. The content of secondary metabolites such as phenolic, flavonoids and total caffeic acid in adventitious roots cultured on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L IBA were attained highest as 27.20, 9.60. 10.67 mg/g dry weight, respectively. Overall, the best production of root biomass and secondary metabolites were given by 1.0 mg/L IBA.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.319-324
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• 2005

Estuarine sediments are frequently polluted with hydrocarbons from fuel spills and industrial wastes. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are components of these contaminants that tend to accumulate in the sediment due to their low aqueous solubility, low volatility, and high affinity for particulate matter. The toxic, recalcitrant, mutagenic, and carcinogenic nature of these compounds may require aggressive treatment to remediate polluted sites effectively. In petroleum-contaminated sediments near a petrochemical industry in Gwangyang Bay, Korea, in situ PAH concentrations ranged from 10 to 2,900 ${\mu}g/kg$ dry sediment. To enhance the biodegradation rate of PAHs under anaerobic conditions, sediment samples were amended with biostimulating agents alone or in combination: nitrogen and phosphorus in the form of slow-release fertilizer (SRF), lactate, yeast extract (YE), and Tween 80. When added to the sediment individually, all tested agents enhanced the degradation of PAHs, including naphthalene, acenaphthene, anthracene, fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, and benzo [a] pyrene. Moreover, the combination of SRF, Tween 80, and lactate increased the PAH degradation rate 1.2-8.2 times above that of untreated sediment (0.01-10 ${\mu}g$ PAH/ kg dry sediment/day). Our results indicated that in situ contaminant PAHs in anoxic sediment, including high molecular weight PAHs, were degraded biologically and that the addition of stimulators increased the biodegradation potential of the intrinsic microbial populations. Our results will contribute to the development of new strategies for in situ treatment of PAH-contaminated anoxic sediments.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.30 no.5 s.248
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• pp.446-456
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• 2006

The effect of relative position of the stationary turbine blade for the fixed vane has been investigated on blade tip and shroud heat transfer. The local mass transfer coefficients were measured on the tip and shroud fur the blade fixed at six different positions within a pitch. A low speed stationary annular cascade with a single turbine stage was used. The chord length of the tested blade is 150 mm and the mean tip clearance of the blade having flat tip is 2.5% of the blade chord. A naphthalene sublimation technique was used for the detailed mass transfer measurements on the tip and the shroud. The inlet flow Reynolds number based on chord length and incoming flow velocity is fixed to $1.5{\times}10^5$. The results show that the incoming flow condition and heat transfer characteristics significantly change when the relative position of the blade changes. On the tip, the size of high heat/mass transfer region along the pressure side varies in the axial direction and the difference of heat transfer coefficient is up to 40% in the upstream region of the tip because the position of flow reattachment changes. On shroud, the effect of tip leakage vortex on the shroud as well as tip gap entering flow changes as the blade position changes. Thus, significantly different heat transfer patterns are observed with various blade positions and the periodic variation of heat transfer is expected with the blade rotation.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.815-821
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• 2005

Three major commercially available organic chemical admixtures are modified lignosulfonates (LS), sulfonated naphthalene-formaldehyde resins (SNF) and sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde (SMF). In this study, various sulfonated melamine-formaldehyde (SMF) superplasticizers were synthesized via four synthetic steps including hydroxymethylation (Step 1), sulfonation (Step 2), polymerization (Step 3) and neutralization and stabilization (Step 4). In this synthesis, mole ratio of melamine to formaline and the amount of acid catalyst used were varied. The obtained SMF superplasticizers were applied to cement paste and mortar and their physical properties including workability, slump loss, compressive strength were investigated. Also their hydrate shapes were investigated by examining SEM images of the cured paste. It was found that the fluidity properties of cement were significantly influenced by the structure of SMF condensates.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2000

A new synthetic method of 6-(1-oxyalkyl)-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinones was developed, 2-formyl-1,4,5,8-tetramethoxynaphthalene was oxidized to form 6-formyl-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone(DMNQ). This was selectively reduced and benzylated to produce 6-formyl-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-dibenzyloxynaphthalene, to which various alkylmagnesium halide were added, followed by debenzylation and oxidation in sequence, yielding 6-(1-hydroxyalkyl)-DMNQ derivatives. 6-(1-hydroxyalkyl)-5,8-diethoxy-1,4-naphthalene (DENQ) derivatives were synthesized by similar procedure. 1'-OH of the naphthoquinone derivatives was acylated with various alkanoic acids to give 6-(1-acyloxyalkyl)-DMNQ or DENQ derivatives. TOPO-I inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity of DENQs were less potent than that of DMNQs. Among the DMNQ and DENQ analogues, the ones with alkyl group being heptyl were most potent in TOPO-I inhibition $IC_{50}$/; 30.1, 36.4 $\mu$M). DUNQ derivatives with a longer side chain exhibited a weaker cytotoxicity. A correlation between size of the alkyl side chain and cytotoxicity was not observed for DENQ derivatives. Acylation of 1'-hydroxyl group, in general, decreased both TOPO-I inhibitory activity and cytotoxicity T/C (%) values of the DENQ derivatives on S-180 intraperitoneal tumor were larger than those of DMNQ derivatives. Among the compounds synthesized,6-(1-hydroxyheptyl)-DENQ and 6-(1-hex-anoyloxyoctyl)-DMNQ showed the highest T/C values of 183% and 182%, respectively.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.175-184
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• 2018

Emission characteristics of regulated (NOx, PM, CO, NMHC) and unregulated (VOCs, aldehydes, PAHs) air pollutants were investigated for diesel heavy duty buses equipped with different after-treatment systems (DPF+EGR and SCR) under urban driving cycle. The combustion temperature and the working temperature of SCR catalysts were important to make impact on NOx emissions, whereas PM emissions were low. The alkane groups dominated NMVOCs emissions, making 42.6~59.4% of sum of the NMVOCs emissions. Especially, alkane emissions of DPF+EGR-equipped vehicle included DOC had 14.9~15.5% higher than those of SCR-equipped vehicle due to low efficiency of oxidation catalyst. In the case of individual NMVOCs, n-nonane and propylene emissions highly occupied for DPF+EGR and SCR, respectively. Formaldehyde emissions among aldehydes were the highest and PAHs emissions were hardly detected except naphthalene and phenanthrene. The NMHC speciation has been shown to be the highest of the formaldehyde ranged 20.8~21.5%. The results of this study will be contributed to establish Korean HAPs emission inventory for automobile source.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.999-1010
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• 2021

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the environment. They are highly toxigenic and carcinogenic. Probiotic bacteria isolated from fermented foods were tested to check their ability to degrade and/or detoxify PAHs. Five probiotic bacteria with distinct morphologies were isolated from a mixture of 26 fermented foods co-cultured with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) containing Bushnell Haas minimal broth. Among them, B. velezensis (PMC10) significantly reduced the abundance of BaP in the broth. PMC10 completely degraded BaP presented at a lower concentration in broth culture. B. velezensis also showed a clear zone of degradation on a BaP-coated Bushnell Haas agar plate. Gene expression profiling showed significant increases of PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases and 4-hydroxybenzoate 3-monooxygenase genes in B. velezensis in response to BaP treatment. In addtion, both live and heat-killed B. velezensis removed BaP and naphthalene (Nap) from phosphate buffer solution. Live B. velezensis did not show any cytotoxicity to macrophage or human dermal fibroblast cells. Live-cell and cell-free supernatant of B. velezensis showed potential anti-inflammatory effects. Cell-free supernatant and extract of B. velezensis also showed free radical scavenging effects. These results highlight the prospective ability of B. velezensis to biodegrade and remove toxic PAHs from the human body and suggest that the biodegradation of BaP might be regulated by ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase-initiated metabolic pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1885-1895
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• 2020

Rumex japonicus Houtt (RJH) is a valuable plant used in traditional medicine to treat several diseases, such as scabies and jaundice. In this study, Jurkat cell growth inhibitory extracts of R. japonicus roots were subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation, resulting in the isolation of three naphthalene derivatives (3-5) along with one anthraquinone (6) and two phenolic compounds (1 and 2). Among these compounds, 2-methoxystypandrone (5) exhibited potent anti-proliferative effects on Jurkat cells. Analysis by flow cytometry confirmed that 2-methoxystypandrone (5) could significantly reduce mitochondrial membrane potential and promote increased levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), suggesting a strong mitochondrial depolarization effect. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis was also performed, and the results revealed that the accumulation of ROS was caused by reduced mRNA expression levels of heme oxygenase (HO-1), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). In addition, 2-methoxystypandrone (5) triggered strong apoptosis that was mediated by the arrest of the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, 2-methoxystypandrone (5) downregulated p-IκB-α, p-NF-κB p65, Bcl2, and Bcl-xl and upregulated BAX proteins. Taken together, these findings revealed that 2-methoxystypandrone (5) isolated from RJH could potentially serve as an early lead compound for leukemia treatment involving intracellular signaling by increasing mitochondrial ROS and exerting anti-proliferative effects.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.304-308
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• 2021

Iris koreana (Iridaceae) is an endangered plant native to Korea. In order to develop an in vitro propagation method, we investigated the effect of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and a-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) on callus induction in different I. koreana tissues. In addition, we also investigated the effect of 2,4-D and Benzyl aminopurine (BA) treatments on adventitious shoot induction in viable calli and the effect of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on root formation in viable shoots. We found that callus production was highest with 1.0 mg/L NAA (94.4% cultured rhizome explants), and adding low concentrations of 2,4-D to BA containing media significantly increased the frequency of shoot primordial formation. The best rooting results were obtained with 1.0 mg/L IBA, on which 98% of regenerated shoots developed roots and produced an average of 7.4 roots within 45 days. This in vitro propagation protocol will be useful for conservation, as well as for mass propagation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: Methane is a major greenhouse gas attributed to global warming partly contributed by agricultural activities from ruminant fermentation and rice paddy fields. Methanotrophs are microorganisms that utilize methane. Their unique metabolic lifestyle is enabled by enzymes known as methane monooxygenases (MMOs) catalyzing the oxidation of methane to methanol. Rice absorbs, transports, and releases methane directly from soil water to its stems and the micropores and stomata of the plant epidermis. Methylobacterium species associated with rice are dependent on their host for metabolic substrates including methane. METHODS AND RESULTS: Methylobacterium spp. isolated from rice were evaluated for methane oxidation activities and screened for the presence of sMMO mmoC genes. Qualitatively, the soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) activities of the selected strains of Methylobacterium spp. were confirmed by the naphthalene oxidation assay. Quantitatively, the sMMO activity ranged from 41.3 to 159.4 nmol min^-1 mg of protein^-1. PCR-based amplification and sequencing confirmed the presence and identity of 314 bp size fragment of the mmoC gene showing over 97% similarity to the CBMB27 mmoC gene indicating that Methylobacterium strains belong to a similar group. CONCLUSION(S): Selected Methylobacterium spp. contained the sMMO mmoC gene and possessed methane oxidation activity. As the putative methane oxidizing strains were isolated from rice and have PGP properties, they could be used to simultaneously reduce paddy field methane emission and promote rice growth.