• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.801-813
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• 2014

A study was conducted to improve the biological activity of two medicinal plants, Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, by fermentation. The biological activity was assessed by determining antibacterial, antioxidant and antimethanogenic properties. Fermentation was achieved by adding the plant materials in MRS broth at 10% (w/v) and different starter cultures at 1% (v/v). Condition for fermentation were incubation temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ and agitation at 150 rpm for 48 h. Six starter cultures, Weissella confusa NJ28 (Genbank accession number KJ914897), Weissella cibaria NJ33 (Genbank accession number KJ914898), Lactobacillus curvatus NJ40 (Genbank accession number KJ914899), Lactobacillus brevis NJ42 (Genbank accession number KJ914900), Lactobacillus plantarum NJ45 (Genbank accession number KJ914901) and Lactobacillus sakei NJ48 (Genbank accession number KJ914902) were used. Antibacterial activity was observed in L. curvatus NJ40 and L. plantarum NJ45 only as opposed to other treatments, including the non-fermented groups, which showed no antibacterial activity. Both plants showed antioxidant activity, although E. ulmoides Oliv. had lower activity than G. uralensis. However, fermentation by all strains significantly improved (p<0.05), antioxidant activity in both plants compared to non-fermented treatment. Six treatments were based on antibacterial activity results, selected for in vitro rumen fermentation; 1) non-fermented E. ulmoides, 2) fermented E. ulmoides NJ40, 3) fermented E. ulmoides NJ45, 4) non-fermented G. uralensis, 5) fermented G. uralensis NJ40, 6) fermented G. uralensis NJ45. A negative control was also added, making a total of 7 treatments for the in vitro experiment. Medicinal plant-based treatments significantly improved (p<0.05) total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration. Significant methane reduction per mol of VFA were observed in G. uralensis (p<0.05). Based on the present study, fermentation improves the biological activity of E. ulmoides Oliv. and G. uralensis. Fermented G. uralensis could also be applied as an enteric methane mitigating agent in ruminant animals.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.554-560
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• 2012

Recently, it has been increasing trend to use conductive materials as electronics and communication technology in electronics industry are developing. The noble metal such as Ag, Pt, Pd etc. are mostly used as conductive materials, To reduce production cost, alternative materials with similar characteristics of noble metals are needed. Copper has advantages, i.e its electronic properties are similar to noble metals and low cost than noble metal, but its use has been restricted because of oxidation in air. In this study, the tin film was coated on copper by electroless plating to protect copper from oxidation and to confirm the effects of temperature, pH, amount of $SnCl_2$, and feeding speed in plating conditions. Additionally, we apply $Cu_{core}Sn_{shell}$ powder as conductive filler with low-temperature densification and analysis by SEM, XRD, FIB and 4-Point Probe techniques. As result of the study, tin film was coated well on copper and was protected from oxidation. After low-temperature densification treatment, the meted tin made chemical interconnections with copper. Accordingly, conductivity was increased than before condition. We hope $Cu_{core}Sn_{shell}$ powder to replace noble metals and use in the electronic field.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.43-60
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• 2019

Background: Tropical montane forests played an important role in the provision of ecosystem services. The intense degradation and deforestation for the need of agricultural land expansion result in a significant decline of forest cover. However, the expansion of agricultural land did not completely destruct natural forests. There remain forests inaccessible for agricultural and grazing purpose. Studies on these forests remained scant, motivating to investigate biomass and soil carbon stocks. Data of biomass and soils were collected in 80 quadrats ($400m^2$) systematically in 5 forests. Biomass and disturbance gradients were determined using allometric equation and disturbance index, respectively. The regression modeling is employed to explore the spatial distribution of carbon stock along disturbance and environmental gradients. Correlation analysis is also employed to identify the relation between site factors and carbon stocks. Results: The result revealed that a total of 1655 individuals with a diameter of ${\geq}5cm$, representing 38 species, were measured in 5 forests. The mean aboveground biomass carbon stocks (AGB CS) and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at 5 forests were $191.6{\pm}19.7$ and $149.32{\pm}6.8Mg\;C\;ha^{-1}$, respectively. The AGB CS exhibited significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation with SOC and total nitrogen (TN) stocks, reflecting that biomass seems to be a general predictor of SOCs. AGB CS between highly and least-disturbed forests was significantly different (P < 0.05). This disturbance level equates to a decrease in AGB CS of 36.8% in the highly disturbed compared with the least-disturbed forest. In all forests, dominant species sequestrated more than 58% of carbon. The AGB CS in response to elevation and disturbance index and SOC stocks in response to soil pH attained unimodal pattern. The stand structures, such as canopy cover and basal area, had significant positive relation with AGB CS. Conclusions: Study results confirmed that carbon stocks of studied forests were comparable to carbon stocks of protected forests. The biotic, edaphic, topographic, and disturbance factors played a significant variation in carbon stocks of forests. Further study should be conducted to quantify carbon stocks of herbaceous, litter, and soil microbes to account the role of the whole forest ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.124-132
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: Silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis) No. 1 was developed for production of bio-ethanol, and for the purpose the silver grass growing sector was established in Geumgang basin, Iksan, Jeonbuk, in 2011. However, the other application potentials except for using as the bio-energy resources should be considered because of the drop in international oil prices. Therefore, there is the necessity of a scientific basis to use the silver grass instead of rice straw as the organic matter source that is used for improvement of soil quality in the plastic film house. METHODS AND RESULTS: The silver grass was applied at 5, 10, 15 and 20 Mg/ha and tilled before the watermelon was planted in the plastic film-house. The control plot was treated with 10 Mg/ha with rice straw, and watermelons have been cultivated for 3 years(2017~2019). Soil aggregation, soil chemistry, and the growth characteristics were investigated, when the watermelon was harvested every year. Soil aggregation levels at the 2nd and 3rd year of watermelon harvest were similar from the plot applied with the silver grass at 5 Mg/ha and the control plot, and increased in the silver grass treated plots with more than 10 Mg/ha. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the plots. The nitrogen mineralization of silver grass in the control plot tended to be similar to the 5 Mg/ha plot, but the silver grass treated plots with over 10 Mg/ha showed low nitrogen mineralization. Soil EC on harvest stage was proportional to the applied mass of the silver grass, but pH was in inverse with the applied mass. Soil organic matter content, available phosphate, and exchangeable cations increased with the continued use of silver grass. Watermelon weight found to be the best on more than 15 Mg/ha of silver grass, and the sugar content was highest when 10 Mg/ha was treated. CONCLUSION: The use of the silver grass at 10 Mg/ha annually as the organic source was effective in replacing rice straw while growing fruits and vegetables on the plastic film house.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.993-1005
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• 2021

Objective: Zearalenone (ZEA) has estrogen-like effects. Our previous study has shown that ZEA (0.5 to 1.5 mg/kg) could induce abnormal uterine proliferation through transforming growth factor signaling pathway. To further study the other regulatory networks of uterine hypertrophy caused by ZEA, the potential mechanism of ZEA on porcine endometrial epithelial cells (PECs) was explored by the Illumina Hiseq 2000 sequencing system. Methods: The PECs were treated with ZEA at 0 (ZEA0), 5 (ZEA5), 20 (ZEA20), and 80 (ZEA80) µmol/L for 24 h. The collected cells were subjected to cell cycle, RNA-seq, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, and western blot analysis. Results: The proportion of cells in the S and G2 phases decreased (p<0.05), but the proportion of cells in the G1 phase increased (p<0.05) in the ZEA80 treatment. Data analysis revealed that the expression of Wnt pathway-related genes, estrogen-related genes, and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway-related genes increased (p<0.05), but the expression of genetic stability genes decreased (p<0.05) with increasing ZEA concentrations. The relative mRNA and protein expression of WNT1, β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) were increased (p<0.05) with ZEA increasing, while the relative mRNA and protein expression of cyclin D1 (CCND1) was decreased (p<0.05). Moreover, our immunofluorescence results indicate that β-catenin accumulated around the nucleus from the cell membrane and cytoplasm with increasing ZEA concentrations. Conclusion: In summary, ZEA can activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by up-regulating WNT1 and β-catenin expression, to promote the proliferation and development of PECs. At the same time, the up-regulation of GSK-3β and down-regulation of CCND1, as well as the mRNA expression of other pathway related genes indicated that other potential effects of ZEA on the uterine development need further study.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2021

Edwardsiella piscicida is a significant cause of hemorrhagic septicemia in fish and gastrointestinal infections in humans. Survival bacteria require specialized mechanisms to adapt to environmental fluctuations. Hence, to understand the mechanism through which E. piscicida senses and responds to environmental osmolarity changes, we determined the protein expression profile and physiological properties under various salinity conditions in this study. The OmpR protein is a part of the Env-ZOmpR two-component system that has been implicated in sensing salt stress in bacteria. However, the physiological role played by this protein in E. piscicida remains to be elucidated. Therefore, in this work, the function of the OmpR protein in response to salt stress was investigated. Phenotypic analysis revealed that, in the mutant, three of the biochemical phenotypes were different from the wild type, including, citrate utilization, hydrogen sulfide, and indole production. Introduction of the plasmid containing the entire ompR gene to the mutant strain returned it to its parental phenotype. The retarded growth rate also partially recovered. Furthermore, in our studies, OmpR was not found to be related to cell motility. Taken together, our results from the mutational analysis, the growth assay, MALDI-TOF MS, qRT-PCR, and the phenotype studies suggest that the OmpR of E. piscicida is implicated in osmoregulation, growth, expression of porins (ETAE_1826), virulence-related genes (EseC, EseD and EvpC), and certain genes of unknown function (ETAE_1540 and ETAE_2706).

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.603-612
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• 2021

Objective: We have tested our hypothesis that inclusion of purified glycerol as a replacer of portions of dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) would affect growth performance, rumen fermentation and blood parameters, carcass and sensory traits, reducing sugar and glycogen contents, and volatile compound profiles in longissimus thoracis (LT) in Korean cattle steers. Methods: A total of 20 Korean cattle steers (27.0±0.2 months old; 647±10.5 kg body weight [BW]) were assigned to a conventional control group or a glycerol group (3.17% purified glycerol addition as a replacement for DDGS and molasses). The steers were individually allowed to receive the experimental concentrate at the daily amount of 1.5% of their individual BW and a total 1.0 of kg/d of rice straw twice daily. The feeding trial was conducted for a period of 20 weeks. Results: Glycerol supplementation (GS) increased (p = 0.001) concentrate intake. However, GS did not affect (p>0.05) average daily gain, feed efficiency, and ruminal volatile fatty acid concentrations. GS tended to increase (p≤0.10) serum glucose concentrations at the 16th and 20th weeks. GS decreased (p = 0.001) LT pH. GS did not affect (p>0.05) carcass traits and the chemical or physicochemical compositions, reducing sugar or glycogen contents, sensory traits, and most of volatile compounds in the LT. Conclusion: The inclusion of purified glycerol as a replacement for DDGS in the finishing diet did not affect growth performance, rumen fermentation parameters, and carcass quality in Korean cattle. The purified glycerol could be used as a substitute for other energy sources such as DDGS in beef cattle, depending on the price.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.115-125
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• 2022

Objective: Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a critical economic indicator of pork quality. Studies on IMF among different pig breeds have been performed via high-throughput sequencing, but comparisons within the same pig breed remain unreported. Methods: This study was performed to explore the gene profile and identify candidate long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) and mRNAs associated with IMF deposition among Laiwu pigs with different IMF contents. Based on the longissimus dorsi muscle IMF content, eight pigs from the same breed and management were selected and divided into two groups: a high IMF (>12%, H) and low IMF group (<5%, L). Whole-transcriptome sequencing was performed to explore the differentially expressed (DE) genes between these two groups. Results: The IMF content varied greatly among Laiwu pig individuals (2.17% to 13.93%). Seventeen DE lncRNAs (11 upregulated and 6 downregulated) and 180 mRNAs (112 upregulated and 68 downregulated) were found. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that the following biological processes played an important role in IMF deposition: fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic processes; the extracellular signal-regulated kinase cascade; and white fat cell differentiation. In addition, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-protein kinase B, and mammalian target of rapamycin pathways were enriched in the pathway analysis. Intersection analysis of the target genes of DE lncRNAs and mRNAs revealed seven candidate genes associated with IMF accumulation. Five DE lncRNAs and 20 DE mRNAs based on the pig quantitative trait locus database were identified and shown to be related to fat deposition. The expression of five DE lncRNAs and mRNAs was verified by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results of qRT-PCR and RNA-sequencing were consistent. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the different IMF contents among pig individuals may be due to the DE lncRNAs and mRNAs associated with lipid droplets and fat deposition.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.642-653
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• 2021

Background: Effective strategies are dramatically needed to prevent and improve the recovery from myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. Direct interactions between the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during heart diseases have been recently investigated. This study was designed to explore the cardioprotective effects of gypenoside XVII (GP-17) against I/R injury. The roles of ER stress, mitochondrial injury, and their crosstalk within I/R injury and in GP-17einduced cardioprotection are also explored. Methods: Cardiac contractility function was recorded in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts. The effects of GP-17 on mitochondrial function including mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening, reactive oxygen species production, and respiratory function were determined using fluorescence detection kits on mitochondria isolated from the rat hearts. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were used to explore the effects of GP-17 on hypoxia/reoxygenation. Results: We found that GP-17 inhibits myocardial apoptosis, reduces cardiac dysfunction, and improves contractile recovery in rat hearts. Our results also demonstrate that apoptosis induced by I/R is predominantly mediated by ER stress and associated with mitochondrial injury. Moreover, the cardioprotective effects of GP-17 are controlled by the PI3K/AKT and P38 signaling pathways. Conclusion: GP-17 inhibits I/R-induced mitochondrial injury by delaying the onset of ER stress through the PI3K/AKT and P38 signaling pathways.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 1983

This experiment was conducted to study about influenced inorganic element contents of flag leaf and chaff with different nitrogen and silicate application in Jinan (sea level 303m). The recommended rate of fertilizer application above N 15kg/10a was poor for dry production increment in cold in July elevation and was demanded increment of silicate. In the elevation of cold in July high rates of nitrogen application produced more incomplete grain and a reduced cold tolerance. These effects were due to over-content of soluble nitrogen within flag leaf and disturbance of uptaking potassium and silicate. On the other hand, the application of silicate could increase yield by promoting resistance to cold- damage. The application of increasing level of nitrogen resulted in increasing the contents of total nitrogen and phosphate in both sterile and fertile glumes. The contents of potassium and calcium were the highest at the level of nitrogen 10 - 15kg/10a, but magnessium was rather high at low nitrogen levels. It is interesting that at any level of nitrogen, over 6% higher silicate contents were noted in the fertile chaff than in the sterile chaff. Application of increasing level of silicate fertilizer decreased total nitrogen contents, but increased the contents of phosphate, potassium. and silicate in the chaff. Increasing rate of silicate content by increasing silicate addition was remarkably higher in the fertile chaff than in the sterile chaff.