• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.678-683
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to evaluate the skin inflammation effects of three herb mixture extracts, Ligularia fischeri, Solidago virga-aurea and Aruncus dioicus, which are from Ullung island in Korea. Regulatory mechanisms of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) are involved in the immunological activity of Raw 264.7 cells. Tested cells were pretreated with 70% acetone extracts of Ligularia fischeri, Solidago virga-aurea and Aruncus dioicus (LSA-A) and further cultured for an appropriated time after lipopolyssacharide (LPS) addition. During the entire experimental period, 1, 10, and 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ of LSA-A had no cytotoxicity. In these concentrations, LSA-A inhibited the production of NO and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), tumor necorsis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-1${\beta}$ (IL-1${\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). LSA-A showed a 60% $PGE_2$ inhibition rate at 100 ${\mu}g/ml$. iNOS and COX-2 inhibition activities were 54%, and 65% at 100 ${\mu}g/ml$, respectively. In addition, LSA-A extract reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-a, IL-1${\beta}$ and IL-6. These results suggest that LSA-A may have significant effects on inflammatory factors, and may be a potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic agent.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.492-506
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• 2013

The historical accounts and materials about the eruption of Mt. Baekdusan as observed by the geological survey is now showing some signs of waking from a long slumber. As a response of the volcanic eruption of Mt. Baekdusan, water release may occur from the stored water in Lake Cheonjii caldera. The volcanic flood is crucial in that it has huge potential energy that can destruct all kinds of man-made structures and that its velocity can reach up to 100 km $hr^{-1}$ to cover hundreds of kilometers of downstream of Lake Cheonji. The ultimate goal of the study is to estimate the level of damage caused by the volcanic flood of Lake Cheon-Ji caldera. As a preliminary study a scenario-based numerical analysis is performed to build hydrographs as a function of time. The analysis is performed for each scenario (breach, magma uplift, combination of uplift and breach, formation of precipitation etc.) and the parameters to require a model structure is chosen on the basis of the historic records of other volcanos. This study only considers the amount of water at the rim site as a function of time for the estimation whereas the downstream routing process is not considered in this study.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2014

A cecropin-A gene was isolated from the immunized larvae of the Japanese oak silkworm, Antheraea yamamai and designed Ay-CecA. The complete Ay-CecA cDNA consists of 419 nucleotides with 195 bp open reading frame encoding a 64 amino acid precursor that contains a putative 22-residue signal peptide, a 4-residue propetide and a 37-residue mature peptide with a theoretical mass of 4046.81. The deduced amino acid sequence of the peptide evidenced a significant degree of identity (62 ~ 78% identity) with other lepidopteran cecropins. Like many insect cecropin, Ay-CecA also harbored a glycine residue for C-terminal amidation at the C-end, which suggests potential amidation. To understand this peptide better, we successfully expressed bioactive recombinant Ay-CecA in Escherichia coli that are highly sensitive to the mature peptide. For this, we fused mature Ay-CecA gene with insoluble protein ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) gene to avoid the cell death during induction. The fusion KSI-CecA protein was expressed as inclusion body. The expressed fusion protein was purified by Ni-NTA immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC), and cleaved by cyanogen bromide (CNBr) to release recombinant Ay-CecA. The purified recombinant Ay-CecA showed considerably antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, E. cori ML 35, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Our results proved that this peptide with a potent antibacterial activity may play a role in the immune response of Japanese oak silkworm.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2000

It has been more than ten years since Dukun mine was abandoned. Tailings of waste deposits and slime dumps in the abandoned Dukum mine have been left to be deserted for fifty years. The results of fifty years of neglecting are nothing short of major environmental problems. Slime dumps have been exposed to air and water in the mine over ten years and then soil profile has been formed well. Soil in the upper layer (A horizon) is the light gray color due to the leaching of cations. Soil in the lower layer (A2 horizon, 0.2∼0.3m)is tinted with reddish brown and yellowish brown color due to the development of iron oxides and iron hydroxides. Soil in the lower part of B horizon of (1.0∼3.0m) with the growth of copper and zinc oxides exposes to the bluish green, light blue, and dark gray. Ranging from 3m to 8m in depth, 85 samples were taken from 22 sampling sites with 50m intervals located on the slime dump area with hand auger and trench (open cut). As tailings was distributed, heavy metal elements extracted by the process of surface water and ground water move and disperse in to the hydrosphere. Waste dumps were distributed in and around the mine and water draining from those dumps be a potential source of contamination. Soils, thus, can be dispersed into downslope and downstream through wind and water by clastic movement. These materials may be deposited in another horizon if the water is withdrawn, or if the materials are precipitated as a result of differences in pH, or other conditions in deeper horizons. These were primarily associated with acid mine drainage. The characteristics and rate of release of acid mine drainage are influenced by various chemical and biological reactions at the source of acid generations. Prolonged extration of heavy metal elements has a detrimental effect on the agricultural land and residental area. Twenty soil samples were collected from the agricultural land in the area (0∼30 cm). Seventeen samples were also taken from the sediment in the stream running alongside the dumps. The dispersion patterns of heavy metal elements are as follows: The content of As ranged 2∼6 ppm in a horizon, 20∼125 ppm in B horizon with large amount of clay mineral is concentrated and the content of Cd ranged 1∼2 ppm in A horizon, 4∼22 ppm in B horizon. Like Cd, the content of As, Cu, Zn, Pb in B horizon is higher than that in A horizon (approximately 5∼100 times). When soil formation proceeds in stages, it is necessary to investicate the B horizon with the concentration of heavy metal and preventive measures will have to established.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.251-257
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• 1995

Three PEA (Pulverised Fuel Ash) samples, which were fresh, 17 and some 40 years weathered, were collected from two major British power plants. Batch leaching tests with these samples using distilled water and simulated industrial leachate showed higher amounts of element liberation from fresh ash, including Ca, Na, K, S (as $SO^{2-}_4$, $Cr_{total}$, Cu, Li Ni, Mo and CI and this seems to indicate their surface association and easier dissolution when contact with water. On the contrary Mg, Al, Ba, Si, V, As and Se do not show such readily leachable concentrations and these elements might be more associated with glass fraction in PFA particle rather than surface. Although element concentrations in the weathered ash are much lower than those in the initial leachate from the fresh ash, elements are still detected as resonable concentrations, with rather constant levels and this seems to demonstrate the element release from unstable glass phase of PFA particle. Fe, Ca, $Cr_{total}$, Cu, Ni, Zn and Hg were removed from the synthetic leachate by PFA and this is also confirmed by gain in solid PFA. The order of element retention is Meaford weathered ash > Drax weathered ash > Drax fresh ash in decreasing order and this conforms with the degree of weathering. Namely, the more wethered, the more wethered, the more effective in metal retention from the synthetic leachate.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.291-298
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• 2005

To characterize cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ fluctuations under metabolic inhibition, rat ventricular myocytes were exposed to $200{\mu}M$ 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and mitochondrial $Ca^{2+}$, mitochondrial membrane potential (${\Delta}{\Psi}m$), and cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ were measured, using Rhod-2 AM, TMRE, and Fluo-4 AM fluorescent dyes, respectively, by Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM). Furthermore, the role of sarcolemmal $Na^+$/$Ca^{2+}$ exchange (NCX) in cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ efflux was studied in KB-R7943 and $Na^+$-free normal Tyrode's solution (143 mM LiCl ). When DNP was applied to cells loaded with Fluo-4 AM, Fluo-4 AM fluorescence intensity initially increased by $70{\pm}10$% within $70{\pm}10$ s, and later by $400{\pm}200$% at $850{\pm}45$ s. Fluorescence intensity of both Rhod-2 AM and TMRE were initially decreased by DNP, coincident with the initial increase of Fluo-4 AM fluorescence intensity. When sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) $Ca^{2+}$ was depleted by $1{\mu}M thapsigargin plus $10{\mu}M ryanodine, the initial increase of Fluo-4 AM fluorescence intensity was unaffected, however, the subsequent progressive increase was abolished. KB-R7943 delayed both the first and the second phases of cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ overload, while $Na^+$-free solution accelerated the second. The above results suggest that: 1) the initial rise in cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ under DNP results from mitochondrial depolarization; 2) the secondary increase is caused by progressive $Ca^{2+}$ release from SR; 3) NCX plays an important role in transient cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ shifts under metabolic inhibition with DNP.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.561-572
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• 2017

The global commercial cultivation of transgenic crops, including glyphosate-tolerant soybean, has increased widely in recent decades with potential impact on the environment. The bulk of previous studies showed different results on the effects of the release of transgenic plants on the soil microbial community, especially rhizosphere bacteria. In this study, comparative analyses of the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere soils and surrounding soils were performed between the glyphosate-tolerant soybean line NZL06-698 (or simply N698), containing a glyphosate-insensitive EPSPS gene, and its control cultivar Mengdou12 (or simply MD12), by a 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rDNA) amplicon sequencing-based Illumina MiSeq platform. No statistically significant difference was found in the overall alpha diversity of the rhizosphere bacterial communities, although the species richness and evenness of the bacteria increased in the rhizosphere of N698 compared with that of MD12. Some influence on phylogenetic diversity of the rhizosphere bacterial communities was found between N698 and MD12 by beta diversity analysis based on weighted UniFrac distance. Furthermore, the relative abundances of part rhizosphere bacterial phyla and genera, which included some nitrogen-fixing bacteria, were significantly different between N698 and MD12. Our present results indicate some impact of the glyphosate-tolerant soybean line N698 on the phylogenetic diversity of rhizosphere bacterial communities together with a significant difference in the relative abundances of part rhizosphere bacteria at different classification levels as compared with its control cultivar MD12, when a comparative analysis of surrounding soils between N698 and MD12 was used as a systematic contrast study.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3285-3294
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• 2012

A field test on mud flat remediation was carried out in order to observe the effects of the treatments such as microbial dose and an oxygen releasing compound like $CaO_2$. The size of each treatment site was $100m^2$ and the dosage was 3.6 kg per site. The 6 week monitoring showed that pH on two sites was below 7 and ORP increased from .178~-188 mV to .121~-142 mV. In Ignition loss and COD there were no significant changes. Meanwhile nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations changed: ammonia concentration decreased both on control and treatment sites. Nitrate nitrogen decreased more on combined treatment site than on single microbial treatment (11.3% vs. 7.3%) probably because the extra oxygen supplied by $CaO_2$ formed more oxic environment so that the facilitated nitrification might produce more nitrate but the nitrate would be much rapidly released into the water layer out of the sediment. That also explains the total nitrogen reduction(6.1%). Similarly, T-P and $PO_4-P$ reduced by 29% and 31.8%, respectively on combined treatment sites, resulting from the phosphorus release effect though the initial concentrations of the two factors were considerably high.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.104-115
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• 2003

A series of experiments was carried out to determine the possibility for the non-ionic surfactant (NIS) as a feed additive for ruminant animals. The effect of the NIS on (1) the enzyme distribution in the rumen fluids of Hereford bulls, (2) the growth of pure culture of rumen bacteria and (3) rumen anaerobic fungi, (4) the ruminal fermentation characteristics of Korean native cattle (Hanwoo), and (5) the performances of Holstein dairy cows were investigated. When NIS was added to rumen fluid at the level of 0.05 and 0.1% (v/v), the total and specific activities of cell-free enzymes were significantly (p<0.01) increased, but those of cell-bound enzymes were slightly decreased, but not statistically significant. The growth rates of ruminal noncellulolytic species (Ruminobacter amylophilus, Megasphaera elsdenii, Prevotella ruminicola and Selenomonas ruminantium) were significantly (p<0.01) increased by the addition of NIS at both concentrations tested. However, the growth rate of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria (Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens and Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens) were slightly increased or not affected by the NIS. In general, NIS appears to effect Gram-negative bacteria more than Gram-positive bacteria; and non-cellulolytic bacteria more than cellulolytic bacteria. The growth rates of ruminal monocentric fungi (Neocallimastix patriciarum and Piromyces communis) and polycentric fungi (Orpinomyces joyonii and Anaeromyces mucronatus) were also significantly (p<0.01) increased by the addition of NIS at all concentrations tested. When NIS was administrated to the rumen of Hanwoo, Total VFA and ammonia-N concentrations, the microbial cell growth rate, CMCase and xylanase activities in the rumen increased with statistical difference (p<0.01), but NIS administration did not affect at the time of 0 and 9 h post-feeding. Addition of NIS to TMR resulted in increased TMR intake and increased milk production by Holstein cows and decreased body condition scores. The NEFA and corticoid concentrations in the blood were lowered by the addition of NIS. These results indicated that the addition of NIS may greatly stimulate the release of some kinds of enzymes from microbial cells, and stimulate the growth rates of a range of anaerobic ruminal microorganisms, and also stimulate the rumen fermentation characteristics and animal performances. Our data indicates potential uses of the NIS as a feed additive for ruminant animals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.358-365
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• 1999

The effects of dry roasting whole lupin seeds (lupinus albus, WLS) at 110, 130 or $150{^{\circ}C}$ for 15, 30 or 45 minutes on the in sacco rumen degradation characteristics, optimal heating conditions of time and temperature and in vitro enzyme digestibility were determined. Ruminant degradation characteristics (RDC) of crude protein (CP) of WLS were determined by in sacco technique in dairy cows. Measure ROC were soluble (S), undegradable (U), potentially degradable (D) fractions, lag time (TO) and rate of degradation (Kd) of insoluble but degradable fraction. Based on measured ROC, percentage bypass CP (%BCP) and bypass CP (BCP in g/kg, DM) were calculated. Degradability of CP was significantly reduced by dry roasting (p<0.001). The interaction of dry roasting temperature and time had significant effects on D (p<0.05), Kd (p<0.01), U (p<0.01), %BCP (p<0.001) and BCP (p<0.001) but not on S (p=0.923>0.05). With increasing time and temperature, S, D, Kd and U varied from 31.8%, 67.4%, 10.3%/h and 0.8% in the raw WLS (RWLS) to 27.1 %, 35.8%, 3.6%/h, 38.4% in $150{^{\circ}C}/45\;min$, respectively. All these effects resulted in increasing %BCP from 25.9 in RWLS to 61.0% in the $150{^{\circ}C}/45\;min$. Therefore BCP increased form 111.2 to 261.2 g/kg DM, respectively. Both %BCP and BCP at $150{^{\circ}C}/45\;min$ increased nearly 2.5 times over the RWLS. The effects of dry roasting on %BCP and BCP seemed to be linear up to the highest value tested. Although ROC had been altered by dry roasting, the In vitro perpsin-cellulase digestibility was generally unchanged. It was concluded that dry roasting was effective in shifting CP degradation from rumen to the lower gastrointestinal tract to potential reduce unnecessary N loss in the rumen. It might be of great value in successfully synchronizing the rhythms of release of nitrogen and energy in the rumen, thus achieving a more efficient fermentation of diets with high proportions of lignocellulosic resources. To determine the optimal dry roasting conditions, the digestibility of each treatment in the cows will be measured in the next trial using mobile bags technique.