• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 1998

A result of national malaria surveillance in Korean civilians was described. Since a case of indigenous vivax malaria was detected in 1993, a total of 2,198 cases was confirmed by blood smear up to 1997. Of them, 1,548 cases were soldiers serving in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), while 650 cases were civilians. Number of civilian cases was 3 in 1994, 19 in 1995, 71 in 1996, and 557 in 1997. Of them, 239 were ex-soldiers who discharged after military service in the prevalent areas such as Paju, Yonchon, Kimpo, Kangwha, Tongduchon in Kyonggi-do and Chorwon in Kangwon-do while 308 patients were civilian residents in the prevalent areas. Seventy-two patients, living nationwide, had a history of visiting the prevalent areas during transmission season. Only 32 civilian patients denied any relation with the prevalent areas. As a whole, a half of the civilian cases was diagnosed when living in non-prevalent areas. Male patients in their twenties was the highest in number. Annual parasite index is steadily elevated in residents living in the prevalent areas. Monthly incidence showed an unimodal distribution, forming a peak in August. Ex-soldiers exhibited a delayed incubation ranging from 153 to 452 days ($279{\pm}41$ days). The time required for diagnosis was shortened from 23.6 days in 1995 to 13.7 days in 1997. Although the current epidemic of vivax malaria started as a border malaria, it seems highly probable that vivax malaria is established in the local areas and responsible for at least a part of transmission.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1643-1650
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• 2017

Objective: The control of psychrotrophic bacteria causing milk spoilage and illness due to toxic compounds is an important issue in the dairy industry. In South Korea, Gangwon-do province is one of the coldest terrains in which eighty percent of the area is mountainous regions, and mainly plays an important role in the agriculture and dairy industries. The purposes of this study were to analyze the indigenous microbiota of raw milk in Gangwon-do and accurately investigate a putative microbial group causing deterioration in milk quality. Methods: We collected raw milk from the bulk tank of 18 dairy farms in the Hoengseong and Pyeongchang regions of Gangwon-do. Milk components were analyzed and the number of viable bacteria was confirmed. The V3 and V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced on an Illumina Miseq platform. Sequences were then assigned to operational taxonomic units, followed by the selection of representative sequences using the QIIME software package. Results: The milk samples from Pyeongchang were higher in fat, protein, lactose, total solid, and solid non-fat, and bacterial cell counts were observed only for the Hoengseong samples. The phylum Proteobacteria was detected most frequently in both the Hoengseong and Pyeongchang samples, followed by the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. Notably, Corynebacterium, Pediococcus, Macrococcus, and Acinetobacter were significantly different from two regions. Conclusion: Although the predominant phylum in raw milk is same, the abundances of major genera in milk samples were different between Hoengseong and Pyeongchang. We assumed that these differences are caused by regional dissimilar farming environments such as soil, forage, and dairy farming equipment so that the quality of milk raw milk from Pyeongchang is higher than that of Hoengseong. These results could provide the crucial information for identifying the microbiota in raw milk of South Korea.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 1986

This study was to improve the quality of Kochuzang and utilize red pepper seed. Kochuzang were prepared with the addition of red pepper seed and garlic (2％), compared the changes in the various chemical components and enzyme activity during the aging period of Kochuzang, and also organoleptic values of the products. Enzyme activities of liquefying and saccharogenic amylase, protease and lipase were increased by addition of garlic pulp and the suvival activities of enzyme except liquefying amylase were lasted high the late period of aging. Also the addition of red pepper seed was effective in maintaining the enzyme activities Change of titration acidity and pH of kochuzang were little when red pepper seed was added, but in case of a garlic additive it showed no difference at the late period of aging. Total nitrogen and amino nitrogen were increased by the addition of red pepper seed or garlic until the late period of aging, and ammonia nitrogen also increased during the middle period of againg, but showed no difference at the late period. Alcohol content was decreased by the addition of garlic or red pepper seed. but crude lipid was increased by the audition of red pepper seed. but crude lipid was increased by the addition of red pepper seed. Generally, taste, flavor and color of garlic added group were superior to the non-garlic added group for the products which aged for 10 weeks. Therefore, The quality of Barley Kochuazng may be improved by adding 2％ garlic to the whole red pepper.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.38-50
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• 2015

Appearance patterns of freshwater fish were investigated in the western Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) adjacent areas near Imjin River in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, of 2014. A total of 61 species belonging to 14 families were found in the river during the survey. The dominant and subdominant species were Zacco platypus (Relative abundance, 20.3%) and Zacco koreanus (12.6%), respectively. Other abundant species include Rhinogobius brunneus (9.2%), Pungtungia herzi (4.4%), Acheilognathus yamatsutae (4.4%), and Pseudogobio esocinus (4.0%). Among the residing species, 24 species (39.3%) were endemic to Korea; and 1 species, Carassius cuvieri, was non-indigenous species. Hemibarbus mylodon is a natural monument, and Lethenteron reissneri, Acheilognathus signifer, Pseudopungtungia tenuicorpa, Gobiobotia brevibarba, G. macrocephala, and G. naktongensis are endangered species in Korea. In addition, Anguilla japonica and Plecoglossus altivelis are catadromous and amphidromous species, respectively. Among the investigated sites, the lower part of Sami Stream (St. 5, 6) and Gunnarm-dam region (St. 11, 14) are particularly valuable for the conservation of species diversity, because many fish species (33~42 species) including a natural monument and several endangered species inhabit in these regions.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.92-97
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• 2014

Perchlorate ($ClO_4^-$) is an emerging contaminant of soil/groundwater and surface water. $ClO_4^-$ has been shown to inhibit iodide uptake into the thyroid gland and cause a reduction in thyroid hormone production. $ClO_4^-$ is highly soluble and very stable in water. Biodegradation by $ClO_4^-$-reducing bacteria (PRB) is considered the most important factor in natural attenuation of $ClO_4^-$. Rivers in an industrial complex have potential to be contaminated with $ClO_4^-$ discharged from point or non-point sources. In this study, water samples were taken from the rivers running through the Gumi industrial complexes and used for batch test to analyze $ClO_4^-$-degradation potential of river microorganisms. The results of 83-h batch culture showed that $ClO_4^-$-removal efficiency of all samples was 0.77% or less without addition of an external electron ($e^-$) donor. However $ClO_4^-$-removal efficiency was higher when an $e^-$ donor (acetate, thiosulfate, $S^0$, or $F^0$) was added into the batch culture, showing up to 100% removal efficiency. The removal efficiency was various depending on type of $e^-$ donor and site of sampling. When acetate was used as an $e^-$ donor, the highest $ClO_4^-$-removal efficiency was observed among the $e^-$ donors used in this study, suggesting that activity of heterotrophic PRB was dominant. The results of this study provide basic information on natural attenuation of $ClO_4^-$ by river microorganisms. The information can be useful to prepare a strategy to enhance efficiency of $ClO_4^-$ biodegradation for in situ bioremediation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2014

Due to the rapid energy consumption and fossil fuel abundance reduction, the world is progressively in need of alternative and renewable energy sources such as biodiesel. Biodiesel from microalgae offers high hopes to the scientific world for its potential as well as its non-competition with arable lands. Taking consideration to reduce the cost of production as well as to attain twin environmental goals of treatment and use of animal waste material the microalgal cultivation using piggery manure has been tested in this study. Unialgal strains such as Chlorella sp. JK2, Scenedesmus sp. JK10, and an indigenous mixed microalgal culture CSS were cultured for 20 days in diluted piggery manure using Small Scale Raceway Pond (SSRP). Biomass production and lipid productivity of CSS were $1.19{\pm}0.09gL^{-1}$, $12.44{\pm}0.38mgL^{-1}day^{-1}$, respectively and almost twice that of unialgal strains. Also, total nitrogen and total phosphorus removal efficiencies of CSS was 93.6% and 98.5% respectively and 30% higher removal efficiency compared to the use of unialgal strains. These results indicate that the piggery manure can provide microalgae necessary nitrogen and phosphorus for growth thereby effectively treating the manure. In addition, overall cost of microalgal cultivation and subsequently biodiesel production would be significantly reduced.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.223-231
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• 2014

In order to prevent the spread of non-indigenous aquatic species through the ballast water in commercial ships, International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted in 2004 the International Convention for Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediments. The Convention mandates treatment of ballast water for most transoceanic voyages and its confirmation of treatment is made with plankton live/dead assay. Fluorescein diacetate assay (FDA), which produces bright green light for live phytoplankton, has been a de facto standard method to determine the survival of marine plankton, but its staining efficacy has been in dispute. In the present study, we examined the limitation of FDA, and compared its efficacy with Neutral red (NR) staining, another promising assay and widely used especially for zooplankton mortality. For all phytoplankton species studied in the present study, except Ditylum brightwellii, the staining efficiency was <50% with FDA. The green FDA fluorescence interfered with phytoplankton autofluorescence in most samples. In contrast, NR assay stained over 90% of both phytoplankton and zooplankton species tested in this study. FDA assay also showed that green FDA fluorescence rapidly faded when phytoplankton cells were exposed to microscope light. Both FDA and NR assay were negative on formalin-killed individuals of both phytoplankton and zooplankton species. Our results suggest that NR assay is more effective for determining the survival of marine plankton and can be applied to test the efficacy of ballast water treatment.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.609-617
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• 2020

Plasmodium vivax reemerged in 1993. It has been sustained for more than 25 years and become one of the important indigenous parasitic diseases in northern and western parts of the Republic of Korea near the demilitarized zone. In particular, relapse is a significant concern for the control of malaria, as short- and long-term incubation periods vary among those infected in Korea. In this study, the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers was examined among residents of high endemic areas of vivax malaria during nonseasonal transmission of mosquitoes. Blood samples from 3 endemic regions in northwestern Korea were evaluated by microscopic examination, rapid diagnostic testing, and nested PCR to identify asymptomatic patients carrying malaria parasites in the community. However, no positive malaria case among residents of endemic areas was detected. Additionally, serological analysis was carried out to measure antibodies against 3 antigenic recombinant proteins of P. vivax, merozoite surface protein 1-19, circumsporozoite surface protein-VK210, and liver-stage antigen (PvLSA-N), by the protein array method. Interestingly, seropositivity of sera between previous exposure and samples without exposure to malaria was significantly higher using the PvLSA-N antigen than the other antigens, suggesting that PvLSA-N can be used as a serological marker to analyze the degree of exposure for malaria transmission in endemic areas. This indicates a very low asymptomatic carrier prevalence during the nonmalaria season in the endemic areas of Korea.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1105-1115
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• 2021

Objective: To conserve and utilize the genetic resources of a traditional Chinese indigenous pig breed, Liangshan pig, we assessed the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and genetic distance in this study. Methods: We used 50K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip for SNP detection of 139 individuals in the Liangshan Pig Conservation Farm. Results: The genetically closed conserved population consisted of five overlapping generations, and the total effective content of the population (Ne) was 15. The whole population was divided into five boar families and one non-boar family. Among them, the effective size of each generation subpopulation continuously decreased. However, the proportion of polymorphic markers (P_N) first decreased and then increased. The average genetic distance of these 139 Liangshan pigs was 0.2823±0.0259, and the average genetic distance of the 14 boars was 0.2723±0.0384. Thus, it can be deduced that the genetic distance changed from generation to generation. In the conserved population, 983 runs of homozygosity (ROH) were detected, and the majority of ROH (80%) were within 100 Mb. The inbreeding coefficient calculated based on ROH showed an average value of 0.026 for the whole population. In addition, the inbreeding coefficient of each generation subpopulation initially increased and then decreased. In the pedigree of the whole conserved population, the error rate of paternal information was more than 11.35% while the maternal information was more than 2.13%. Conclusion: This molecular study of the population genetic structure of Liangshan pig showed loss of genetic diversity during the closed cross-generation reproduction process. It is necessary to improve the mating plan or introduce new outside blood to ensure long-term preservation of Liangshan pig.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2022

With the increase in world trade through ships, the destruction of the marine ecosystem and socioeconomic damage due to invasive alien species (IAS) are continuously increasing. In particular, marine organisms attached on the hull surface and niche area increase the friction resistance of ships as well as the invasion of non-indigenous species, and causes a decrease in operational efficiency and an increase in GHG (Green House Gas) emissions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has recently begun revising guidelines for the control and management of ship's biofouling, and New Zealand and California in the United States are already regulating biofouling management under their own laws. This study investigated the management status of the submerged surface of ships and marine organisms attachments on five international ships entering South Korea, and analyzed species group and coverage (%) of biofouling communities to evaluate the LoF (Level of Fouling) rank. Macroflouling was observed on all ships surveyed, and specially, the adhesion of macro organisms in niche areas such as bow thruster, bilge keels and sea-chest gratings appeared to be at a serious level. This study proposed the management direction our country should take with regard to ship's biofouling and the improvement measures for evaluation of LoF rank and inspection methods of hull and niche ares.