• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1718-1723
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• 2012

Ten endophytic fungi with different colony morphologies were isolated from the roots of Suaeda japonica Makino growing naturally in Suncheon Bay. Plant growth promotion was verified by treating waito-c rice seedlings with culture filtrates from the endophytic fungi. The bioassays showed that the Sj/7/4 fungal strain induced effective growth promotion in the seedlings. The gibberellins (GA) produced by fungal strain Sj/7/4 were analyzed by gas chromatography /mass spectroscopy with selected ion monitoring (GC/MS SIM). The culture filtrate of Sj/7/4 fungal strain was confirmed to contain $GA_4$ through quantitative analysis. The Sj/7/4 fungal strain was identified to determine the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions with universal primers ITS-1 and ITS-4 by using polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Molecular analysis of the Sj/7/4 fungal strain showed high similarity to Fusarium solani. The Sj/7/4 fungal strain isolated from the root of S. japonica was therefore designated as F. solani Sj/7/4.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.95-101
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• 2013

In this study, plant samples of five species were collected from the Dokdo islands in South Korea. Plant samples such as Asparagus schoberioides, Corydalis platycarpa, Festuca rubra, Sedum oryzifolium, and Setaria viridis were collected from the Dongdo and Seodo. Endophytic fungal strains were isolated from the roots of five plants from the Dokdo islands. Thirty-three fungal strains were isolated from these native plants. All the endophytic fungi were analyzed by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing (ITS containing ITS1, 5.8s, and the ITS2 region). Waito-c rice seedlings were treated with fungal culture filtrates to test their plant growth-promoting activity. A bioassay of the D-So-1-1 fungal strain isolated from S. oryzifolium confirmed that it has the highest plant growth-promoting activity. All the endophytic fungi belong to four orders: Eurotiales (86%), Capnodiales (3%), Hypocreales (4%), and Incertae sedis (7%). The endophytic fungi were classified as Ascomycota, which contained Aspergillus (12%), Cladosporium (3%), Eurotium (3%), Fusarium (18%), Microsphaeropsis (6%), and Penicillium (58%) at the genus level.

• Mycobiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.373-383
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• 2015

Five halophytic plant species, Suaeda maritima, Limonium tetragonum, Suaeda australis, Phragmites australis, and Suaeda glauca Bunge, which are native to the Muan salt marsh of South Korea, were examined for fungal endophytes by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region containing ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, and ITS2. In total, 160 endophytic fungal strains were isolated and identified from the roots of the 5 plant species. Taxonomically, all 160 strains belonged to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota. The most dominant genus was Fusarium, followed by the genera Penicillium and Alternaria. Subsequently, using 5 statistical methods, the diversity indices of the endophytes were determined at genus level. Among these halophytic plants, P. australis was found to host the greatest diversity of endophytic fungi. Culture filtrates of endophytic fungi were treated to Waito-C rice seedlings for plant growth-promoting effects. The fungal strain Su-3-4-3 isolated from S. glauca Bunge provide the maximum plant length (20.1 cm) in comparison with wild-type Gibberella fujikuroi (19.6 cm). Consequently, chromatographic analysis of the culture filtrate of Su-3-4-3 showed the presence of physiologically active gibberellins, $GA_1$ (0.465 ng/mL), $GA_3$ (1.808 ng/mL) along with other physiologically inactive $GA_9$ (0.054 ng/mL) and $GA_{24}$ (0.044 ng/mL). The fungal isolate Su-3-4-3 was identified as Talaromyces pinophilus.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.407-418
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• 2012

Many displaced North Koreans (NK) are living in South Korea (SK); however nutrition research with the displaced NK is limited. This study examined food and nutrient consumption status of displaced NK children (6-18 year-old) currently living in SK. A total of 154 children were recruited, and a pre-tested dietary behavior questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire, 24-hr recall method were used. Sex- and age-matched SK children (n = 462) randomly selected from 2009-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used as the comparison group. This study found that more NK children skipped breakfast (37%) and dinner (11%), and ate breakfast (38.8%) and dinner (18.2%) without family members than SK children. Many NK children reported that they rarely ate bread, rice cake, hamburger, pizza, fried food, candy. NK children consumed significantly less energy and nutrients (except calcium) and obtained more energy from fat and protein than SK children. Overall index of nutrient quality in NK children, however, was generally good. Length of stay in SK and breakfast skipping rates were significantly associated with lower diet quality. Therefore, nutrition education with displaced NK children should target those who recently came to SK. How to incorporate "new" foods, generally high in energy, sugar, or fat, in healthy ways and importance of breakfast should be emphasized. The growth patterns of the displaced NK children who were born and raised in food-deprived environments and will grow in food-affluent environments of SK should be monitored for health promotion of the NK children and for nutrition policy of the future united Korea.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2016

To minimize cultivation costs, prevent insect-pest infestation, and improve the production efficiency of thermophilic mushrooms, plant substrates obtained from local areas in Cambodia were used for production of both spawn and mushrooms. In this experiment, different sawdusts different organic wastes and grain ingredients and analyzed for improvement of spawn-production efficiency. Four thermophilic mushroom species, Pleurotus sajor-caju (oyster mushroom, Sambok), Ganoderma lucidum (deer horn shaped), Auricularia auricula (ear mushroom), and Lentinula edodes (shiitake), were used to identify efficient new substrates for spawn and mushroom production. Although the mycelia in the rubber tree sawdust medium showed a slightly slower growth rate (10.9 cm/15 days) than mycelia grown in grains (11.2 cm/15 days in rice seeds), rubber tree sawdust appeared to be an adequate replacement for grain spawn substrates. Th findings indicate that rubber tree sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, and acacia tree sawdust supplemented with rice bran and calcium carbonate could be new alternative the substrates for. Although sugarcane bagasse and rubber tree sawdust showed similarly high biological efficiencies (BE) of 60% and 60.8%, respectively, acacia tree sawdust exhibited relatively a low biological efficiency of 22.4%. However, it is expected that acacia sawdust has potential for the mushroom cultivation when supplemented with currently used sawdust substrates in Cambodia, because of its relatively low price. The price of the sawdust (20 kg sawdust= 6500 Riel or 1.6 USD) currently used was 6.5 times higher than the price of acacia sawdust (201000 Riel or 0.25 USD). Therefore, utilization for acacia sawdust for mushroom cultivation could become feasible as it would reduce by producing costs of mushrooms in rural areas of Cambodia.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.532-539
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• 2018

Hair graying is processed by loss of melanin production caused by the decrease of activity and number of melanocyte and the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) in the hair follicle with increase of age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect the Black oryzasativa ethanolic extract (BLEE) on the melanin production. In this study BLEE at $8{\mu}g/ml$ or more showed a significant 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity and reduction power. BLEE at $16{\mu}g/ml$ or more showed promoted tyrosinase activity and melanin production. In addition BLEE scavenged intracellular $H_2O_2$ in 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence assay in B16F1 cells. However, Western blot analyses displayed that BLEE decreased the expression level of catalase, but no effect on the expression level of tyrosinase, tyrosinase associated protein-1 (TRP-1), tyrosinase associated protein-2 (TRP-2) and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) transcription factor involved in melanogenesis. Thus, the promotive effect of BLEE on melanin production is attributed to the increase of tyrosinase activity and the reduction of intracellular $H_2O_2$ level. In conclusion, BLEE played a key role in in promoting melanin production, which suggests that the BLEE could be applied as a potential functional material in the development of hair care cosmetics related to the promotion of melanin production for the growth of black hair.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2015

Developed countries have set seed industry as a new growth engine, which demands strong support from the government. Multinational seed companies such as Monsanto and DuPont have made huge financial investment to secure their major roles in the global market. To spur domestic seed industry performance, Korean government laid out the foundation for developing seed industry through policy promotion in the late 2000s. In this paper, I look at the current state of the domestic and international seed market to provide information for improving the efficiency of the propulsion of the Golden Seed Project (GSP) along with its vision. The increasing size of global giant companies has been regarded to monopolize the world seed industry wherein ten renowned companies occupy 73% of the overall global market. In effect, this causes a price hike due to limited seed choices. Domestic seed market has been stuck in a range due to a sustained low agricultural production resulting in decreased seed demand and market size. Though breeding technologies for rice and vegetables are world-class, the technologies for top global crops such as cabbage, paprika, and forage are insufficient therefore professionals in this field are not easily employed. Moreover, there is a lack in appropriate infrastructure set up in the universities which adds to ineffective training of professionals. Being a key-supporting industry for agriculture, seed industry should be granted with strong and sustainable investment support from the government. In view thereof, GSP, which started in 2012, ambitions to spur researches outlined by excellent professionals in universities and seed companies aimed to drive seed export volume and quality and attain domestic seed self-sufficiency through adoption of export- and import-substitution seed types (10 varieties each) development strategies. To develop Korea's seed industry excellent achievement of GSP's goals should be drawn successfully and to do this beside development of high quality seeds, support programs for promotion of seed exports are also needed.