• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.221-228
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• 2001

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of germination condition and drying temperature on growth and physicochemical properties of brown rice. Three brown rice seeds of Ilpumbyeo, Dasanbyeo and Heugjinjubyeo were stored at room temperature for six weeks to test the time-sequence germination viability. Relatively stable germination ratio was maintained until 2 weeks after storage. However, 3 weeks after storage, germination ratio of brown rice seeds started to decrease rapidly and their germination ratio was lower than 80%. For this reason, brown rice was recommended for seeding within 2 weeks after hulling. During the initial 5 days, germination ratio of 24 hours pre-soaking brown rice was higher about 2-3% than that of non-soaking brown rice. The $25^{\circ}C$ was considered as the most favorable temperature for brown rice germination, because of the high germination ratio and desirable coleoptile growth of the brown rice, and little seed rotting symptoms. The scanning electron micrographs showed the structural differences between hot-air dried and freeze dried germinated-brown rice kernel. In the freeze dried germinated-brown rice, seed coat (pericarp, tegmen and aleurone layer) was mechanically disrupted from the endosperm, and many cleavages were observed among starch storing cells and starch granules. The endosperm of freeze-dried brown rice kernels formed the sponge-like structures and showed the fragile traits. For this reason, hot-air drying is considered as more suitable method than freeze drying for germinated-brown rice. The crude protein and amylose contents were slightly changed, but there were no significant differences during the germination period. Crude fiber content was decreased, but crude Int and total amino acid contents were increased as seeding days increased. A rapid increase in $\alpha$-amylase activities of germinating brown rice was observed at S days after seeding, and $\alpha$-amylase activities were decreased from 8 days after seeding. Total free sugar contents were decreased during the germination period. There was continuous decline in the contents of sucrose and glucose until 8 days after seeding, but fructose and maltose content were gradually increased from the 5 days after seeding.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.259-263
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• 2014

For application of sodium hypochlorite as a seed disinfectant to the control of bakanae disease caused by Gibberella fujikuroi in rice, we investigated the effects of sodium hypochlorite for antifungal activity, eliminating fungus from seeds and reducing disease occurrence in vitro and greenhouse. The viability of the pathogen was significantly reduced at $80{\mu}l/l$ concentration of sodium hypochlorite, and the pathogens did not grow at over $100{\mu}l/l$ concentration of sodium hypochlorite. The effect of eliminating fungus was 90% at treatment of 0.3% sodium hypochlorite solution to infected rice seeds for eight hours. When the rice seeds were soaked into 0.5% and 0.3% sodium hypochlorite solutions for twelve hours, the disease incidences of rice seedling were remarkably reduced to 4.3% and 4.7%, respectively, compared to 97.3% of non-treatment control. The rates of seedling stand were 29.1% and 26.9% higher with the sodium hypochlorite treatment than that of non-treatment control. When prochloraz and sodium hypochlorite was treated to naturally severely infested rice seeds with bakanae disease, the disinfection effect was higher than that of prochloraz alone treatment. When the seeds were soaked in sodium hypochlorite before or after prochloraz, the rate of seed contamination was low as 4.0% or 6.3%, respectively, compared to prochloraz alone as 13.7%. The disease incidence was low as 3.7% or 8.3%, respectively, compared to prochloraz alone as 14.3%. The disinfection effect of treatment with prochloraz after sodium hypochlorite was higher than that of treatment with prochloraz before sodium hypochlorite.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1080-1085
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• 2019

Nelumbo nucifera, also known as sacred lotus, has mainly been used as a food throughout the Asian countries. In the present study, we prepared the ethanol extracts from leaf (NL), seed (NS), and seedpod (NSP) of Nelumbo nucifera and investigated their anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities in human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells. NL, NS, and NSP decreased cell viabilities in a dose-dependent manner. All extracts increased the expression of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-activated gene (NAG-1) as well as NAG-1 protein. And also, NL induced the expression of pro-apoptotic NAG-1 protein and PARP cleavage in a time-dependent manner. The PARP cleavage induced by NL treatment, was recovered in part by the transfection of NAG-1 siRNA. We also evaluated the effects of neferine, one of bioactive components of Nelumbo nucifera, on the proliferation and apoptosis in HCT116 cells. It also decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and induced the expression of pro-apoptotic NAG-1 protein and PARP cleavage in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, PARP cleavage was recovered in part by the transfection of NAG-1 siRNA, indicating that NAG-1 may be one of the genes responsible for apoptosis induced by neferine. Overall, our findings may contribute to understand the molecular mechanisms of anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects mediated by Nelumbo nucifera and neferine.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2024

This study was conducted to determine the conditions for breaking dormancy in the seeds of the North Korean plant resource, Trollius macropetalus, and to investigate its germination characteristics. The morphological characteristics and viability of T. macropetalus seeds were examined. Germination characteristics were investigated based on temperature conditions (15/6℃ & 25/15℃), cold stratification treatment, and GA₃ treatment. The results showed that cold stratification treatment had no effect on breaking the dormancy of T. macropetalus. GA₃ treatment significantly increased the germination rate of T. macropetalus and also improved the mean germination days and germination speed. However, compared to the 15/6℃ condition, the effectiveness of GA₃ treatment for T. macropetalus decreased under the 25/15℃ condition. It was determined that T. macropetalus have a nondeep-type morpho-physiological dormancy. The most effective conditions for breaking dormancy were found to be the 15/6℃ temperature condition and GA₃ treatment at 500 mg·L^-1. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable information for the mass propagation of T. macropetalus, which has potential applications in landscaping and pharmaceutical materials.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.327-337
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• 2022

Ecological restoration is considered a good means to prevent biodiversity loss in terms of the ecosystem's health and sustainability. However, there are difficulties in putting it into practice as there is no comprehensive and objective standard for the selection of plant species, such as environmental, ecological factors, and restoration goal setting. Therefore, this study developed an evaluation index necessary for selecting plant species for restoration using the Delphi method that synthesizes the opinions of the expert group. A survey with 38 questionnaires was conducted twice for experts in ecological restoration, etc., and the importance and priority of evaluation indicators were analyzed by dividing the restoration targets into inland and island regions. The result of the importance analysis showed that "native plants" had the highest average of 4.9 among the evaluation indices in both inland and island regions, followed by "seed security", "propagation", and "root growth rate". In the inland region, the index priority was analyzed in the order of "native plants", "appearance frequency", "root growth rate", "distribution range", and "seed security" in the island region, it was analyzed in the order of "native plants", "root growth rate", "appearance frequency", "distribution range", and "tolerance", showing slight differences between the two indicators. As a result of the importance and priority indicator analysis, we set the mean importance and priority of 4.1 and 2.9, respectively, in the inland region and 4.2 and 2.9, respectively, in the island region. As for the criteria of selecting plant species for ecological restoration, the "native plants" had the highest importance and priority. "Seed securing", 'viability", "topography", "proliferation", "tolerance", "soil conditions", "growth characteristics", "early succession", "distribution range", "appearance frequency", and "germination rate" were classified into subgroups of low importance and priority. The lowest indicators were "final stage of succession", "transition period", 'transition stage", "root", "reproduction", "soil", "appearance", "technology", "landscape", "climate", and "germination rate". We expected that the findings through objective verification in this study would be used as evaluation indicators for selecting native plant species for ecological restoration.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.653-659
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• 2014

Surgery remains the preferred treatment for hydatid cyst (cystic echinococcosis, CE). Various scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of protoscolices during surgery, but most of them are associated with adverse side effects. The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro scolicidal effect of Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae) essential oil and also its active principle, thymoquinone, against protoscolices of hydatid cysts. Protoscolices were aseptically aspirated from sheep livers having hydatid cysts. Various concentrations of the essential oil (0.01-10 mg/ml) and thymoquinone (0.125-1.0 mg/ml) were used for 5 to 60 min. Viability of protoscolices was confirmed by 0.1% eosin staining. Furthermore, the components of the N. sativa essential oil were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Our study revealed that the essential oil of N. sativa at the concentration of 10 mg/ml and its main component, thymoquinone, at the concentration of 1 mg/ml had potent scolicidal activities against protoscolices of Echinococcus granulosus after 10 min exposure. Moreover, thymoquinone (42.4%), p-cymene (14.1%), carvacrol (10.3%), and longifolene (6.1%) were found to be the major components of N. sativa essential oil by GC/MS analysis. The results of this study indicated the potential of N. sativa as a natural source for production of a new scolicidal agent for use in hydatid cyst surgery. However, further studies will be needed to confirm these results by checking the essential oil and its active component in in vivo models.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1 s.37
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• pp.151-160
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• 1999

Nitric oxide(NO) is synthesized via the oxidation of L-arginine by a family of nitric oxide synthases(NOS), which are either constitutive(cNOS) or inducible(iNOS). The induction of iNOS in tissues can lead to the sustained production of high concentrations of NO which may exert pro-inflammatory effects including vasodilation. edema, cyototoxicity, and its activity can be mediated by various pro-inflammatory cytokine, including interferon ${\gamma}(INF-{\gamma})$. tumor necrosis factor, IL- 1 and IL-6. The enzyme, iNOS, became a new target for pharmacologcal research with the aim to find new substances for the treatment of chronic inflammatory disorders. Murine macrophages produce large amounts of NO when activated with $TFN-{\gamma}$ plus LPS. The murine macrophage-like cell line, RAW 264.7, is a suitable cell model on which to perform vitro studies regarding the iNOS system. Semen jugrandis is a fatty walnut seed found in Korea. The walnut have been used in foik medicine to improve virility, to relieved asthma, and to relieve constipation. Sesquiterpenelactones were isolated from this plant. In the course of screening for NO inhibitory activity from medicnial plants, the aqueous extract of this plant was found to have a significant activity. The result are summarized as followings. 1. The viability of cells incubated in the presence of semen jugrandis increased mare than non incubated cells. 2. Semen jugrandis suppressed the production of NO in tissues dependent on density. 3. Semen jugrandis suppressed the induction of iNOS in tissues dependent on density can lead to reduced production of NO. 4. Semen jugrandis suppressed the production of superoxide in tissue depend on density. According to the above mentioned results, semen jugrandis could be applied production of NO and superoxide can lead to reduction of chronic inflammatary. And as a depence matter come into a virus of microbe and tumor cells.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.141-144
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• 2011

Short-preservation of basidiomycetes is generally being conducted in slant tubes containing solid medium based on agar. In this study, we investigated the vitality of 28 species and 76 strains preserved on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at $4^{\circ}C$ for 2~7 years. The survival rates of the fungi were 82%, 86%, 94%, 96%, 94%, and 94% for seven, six, five, four, three, and two years old preservation, respectively. The volume of medium in Lentinula edodes showed decrease after 2 years preserved. The pH of preserved medium was 5.42 in 2007 (two years old), but it became nearly neutral as increasing preservation term.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2016

The present study was performed to compare the morpho-physiological characteristics of the tetraploid and diploid varieties of Platycodon grandiflorum and to obtain basic data for cultivating a tetraploid variety with high yield and content of functional substances. The plant height of the tetraploid variety (54.0 cm) was slightly higher than that of the diploid variety. The leaf length and width of the tetraploid variety were 10.2 cm and 7.3 cm, respectively. The results obtained from the present study revealed that the form of the leaf changed from lanceolate to ovate, and the chlorophyll content in the tetraploid variety (16.7) was slightly higher than that in the diploid variety. The photosynthetic rate significantly increased (24%) to $13.4{\mu}mol\;CO_2{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ in the tetraploid variety from that of the diploid variety. The pollen viability of the tetraploid variety was decreased by approximately 33% with respect to that of the diploid variety, but this did not have a significant adverse effect on seed production. The fresh weight of tetraploid P. grandiflorum was 49.4 g, which was approximately 44% higher than that of the diploid variety.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1045-1059
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• 2021

Various abiotic stressors like drought, salinity, temperature, and heavy metals are major environmental stresses that affect agricultural productivity and crop yields all over the world. Continuous changes in climatic conditions put selective pressure on the microbial ecosystem to produce exopolysaccharides. Apart from soil aggregation, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production also helps in increasing water permeability, nutrient uptake by roots, soil stability, soil fertility, plant biomass, chlorophyll content, root and shoot length, and surface area of leaves while also helping maintain metabolic and physiological activities during drought stress. EPS-producing microbes can impart salt tolerance to plants by binding to sodium ions in the soil and preventing these ions from reaching the stem, thereby decreasing sodium absorption from the soil and increasing nutrient uptake by the roots. Biofilm formation in high-salinity soils increases cell viability, enhances soil fertility, and promotes plant growth and development. The third environmental stressor is presence of heavy metals in the soil due to improper industrial waste disposal practices that are toxic for plants. EPS production by soil bacteria can result in the biomineralization of metal ions, thereby imparting metal stress tolerance to plants. Finally, high temperatures can also affect agricultural productivity by decreasing plant metabolism, seedling growth, and seed germination. The present review discusses the role of exopolysaccharide-producing plant growth-promoting bacteria in modulating plant growth and development in plants and alleviating extreme abiotic stress condition. The review suggests exploring the potential of EPS-producing bacteria for multiple abiotic stress management strategies.