• Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.325-333
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of IMP and OXA genes in clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) that are carriers of the ampC gene. Methods: In this study, 105 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa were collected. Antibiotic resistance patterns were determined using the disk diffusion method. The strains carrying AmpC enzymes were characterized by a combination disk method. Multiplex-PCR was used to identify resistance and virulence genes, chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between variables. Results: Among 105 isolates of P. aeruginosa, the highest antibiotic resistance was to cefotaxime and aztreonam, and the least resistance was to colictin and ceftazidime. There were 49 isolates (46.66%) that showed an AmpC phenotype. In addition, the frequencies of the resistance genes were; OXA48 gene 85.2%, OXA199, 139 3.8%, OXA23 3.8%, OXA2 66.6%, OXA10 3.8%, OXA51 85.2% and OXA58 3.8%. The IMP27 gene was detected in 9 isolates (8.57%) and the IMP3.34 was detected in 11 isolates (10.47%). Other genes detected included; lasR (17.1%), lasB (18%) and lasA (26.6%). There was a significant relationship between virulence factors and the OX and IMP genes ($p{\leq}0.05$). Conclusion: The relationship between antibiotic resistance and virulence factors observed in this study could play an important role in outbreaks associated with P. aeruginosa infections.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.115-126
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• 2021

This study develops a simulation model that performs flood analysis considering both urban and river flood. For the analysis of river flood, this study considers river overflow by levee breach, and reflects the concept of the dual drainage systems for the analysis of urban flood. In relation to the surface flood analysis, FEM technique is applied to the flood diffusion analysis in order to conduct the flow analysis of urban and river flood simultaneously. For the verification of the model, it is first applied to the conceptual model, and then applied to the actual watershed. It is expected that this study will be able to reduce flood damage and to prepare effective countermeasures to reduce flood damage.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.557-565
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• 2021

Interest in research on various medicinal plants has increased globally over the last few decades, possibly due to their possible antibacterial and antioxidant activities. The present study was conducted to verify the antioxidant effects, antibacterial activity, and collagen synthesis and cell viability outcomes of adipocytes upon exposure to Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai (AdN). Antibacterial activity was measured through the Disc diffusion method to compare the growth ability of pathogenic microorganisms (E.coli, Salmonella). The absorbance was measured at 560 nm to calculate the active oxygen scavenging ability. Fibroblasts were dispensed in a 96-well plate at a density of 1 × 10⁵ cells·well^-1. The amount of procollagen was measured in each case using a procollagen type 1 C-peptide EIA KIT. The cytotoxicity of the Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai extract against animal adipocytes (Hanwoo backfat cells) was determined using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay, a method that measures the conversion of MTS to Formazan by means of mitochondrial dehydrogenases. The concentrations of the samples were made to be 0.0125, 0025, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5% and all were -completely absorbed into the disc in an incubator at 37℃ for 24 to 36 hours. For the 0.125 mg·disc^-1, effects of Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai on the antioxidant effect, antibacterial activity, and cell viability of adipocytes were found. However, Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai had no effect on collagen synthesis, thus suggesting that AdN extracts may be useful for the prevention and/or treatment of obesity.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.103-111
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• 2022

Purpose : In recent years, essential oils have been produced using natural extracts for various uses. Their functionality is currently being tested not only for cosmetics and perfumes but also for other categories of products. Therefore, this study verified their antibacterial effects on S. mutans, P. gingivalis, and L. gasseri which are the representative strains that cause oral diseases. Methods : Eighteen types of natural essential oils were made at a concentration of 50 % (v/v) using Tween 20, and their antibacterial effects were verified by applying S. mutans, P. gingivalis, and L. gasseri. The antibacterial effects were measured with the disc diffusion method. All the experiments were repeated three times, and the mean value of three measurement values for each variable was used for data analysis. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted using these mean values. Results : Of the eighteen types of essential oils tested, sixteen types showed antibacterial effects on S. mutans, and sixteen and fifteen types exhibited antibacterial effects on P. gingivalis and L. gasseri respectively. The types of essential oils with high-level antibacterial activities were geranium, may chang, and bergamot for S. mutans, lemongrass, bergamot, and eucalyptus for P. gingivalis, and lemongrass, machan, and geranium for L. gasseri in order of antibacterial effect. This result was statistically significant (p<.001). In addition, in the case of mandarin oil, it was found that there was no antibacterial activity in all three strains. Conclusion : This study proved the antibacterial activities of essential oils, which are used for various purposes in daily life, against dental caries and periodontal diseases. The study results will likely be applied to different prevention programs for oral health and broadly used to develop products such as oral care items and dentifrices.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.35-42
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• 2023

This paper described the strength variation characteristics to evaluate the applicability of a reactive material that can absorb organic pollutants as an underground barrier. The Strength was evaluated by unconfined compression test. The test results showed that the strength of the reactive material according to the absorption of each pollutant was in the order of water > TCE > TPH. However, the strength of the reactive material absorbing TPH was greater than that of the case absorbing TCE, when the composition ratio of polynorbornene was 12% or less. The strength of the reaction material in contact with water continued to decrease as the polynorbornene composition ratio decreased. The strength of the reaction material in contact with TCE and TPH increased as the polynorbornene composition ratio decreased from 30% to 21%, and then decreased. In other words, the optimal composition ratio of the reactive material should be applied considering the strength due to contact with pollutants according to the stress conditions occurring in the ground.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.531-549
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship of hydrochemistry, geology, fault with occurrence of uranium and radon-222 from the groundwater in the Yeongdong area. In this study, 49 groundwater and 4 surface water samples collected in the study area were collected on two separate occasions. The surface radioactivities were measured at 40 points to know the relationship between the occurrence of uranium in groundwater and surface geology. The chemical composition of groundwater showed three types : $Ca-HCO_3$, $Na-HCO_3$ and $Ca-HCO_3(SO_4,\;NO_3)$. Two groundwater of 49 samples exceeded the maximum contaminant levels of uranium, $30{\mu}g/L$, proposed by the Ministry of Environment of Korea and 11 groundwater of 40 samples for Rn-222 concentrations exceeded the 148 Bq/L maximum contaminant level of US EPA. Most of unsuitable groundwater are located in the geological boundary related with the biotite gneiss and the surface radioactivities of rock samples showed no relationship with groundwater geochemical constituents. The strike-slip fault, Youngdong fault, is $N45^{\circ}E$ direction and the high concentrations of uranium in upper part of fault, consisted of granite and granitic gneiss are detected but in lower part, consisted of metamorphic sedimentary rock are not detected. It suggests that the natural radioactive concentrations are related with the geologic characteristics and the migration and diffusion of natural radioactive materials are affected by the fault.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.261-276
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• 2016

The occurrence of natural radioactive materials such as uranium and radon-222 in groundwater was examined with hydrogeochemistry and geology at ○○ village in the Yongin area. Two rounds of 19 groundwater and 5 surface water sampling were collected for analysis. The range of pH value in groundwaters was 5.81 to 7.79 and the geochemical types of the groundwater were mostly Ca(Na)-HCO₃ and Ca(Na)-NO₃(Cl)-HCO₃. Uranium and radon-222 concentrations in the groundwater ranged from 0.06 to 411 μg/L and from 5.56 to 903 Bq/L, respectively. Two deep groundwaters used as common potable well-water sources exceeded the maximum contaminant levels of the uranium and radon-222 proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Three groundwater samples from residential areas contained unsuitable levels of uranium, and 12 groundwater samples were unsuitable due to radon-222 concentrations. Radioactive materials in the unsuitable groundwater are naturally occurring in a Jurassic amphibole- and biotite-bearing granitic gneiss. High uranium and radon-222 groundwater concentrations were only observed in two common wells; the others showed no relationship between bedrock geology and groundwater geochemical constituents. With such high concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials in groundwater, the affected areas may extend tens of meters for uranium and even farther for radon-222. Therefore, we suggest the radon-222 and the uranium did not originate from the same source. Based on the distribution of radon-222 in the study area, zones of higher radon-222 concentrations may be the result of diffusion through cracks, joint, or faults. Surface radioactivity and uranium concentrations in the groundwater show a positive relationship, and the impact areas may extend for ~200m beyond the well in the case of wells containing high concentrations of uranium. The highest uranium and thorium concentrations in rock samples were detected in thorite and monazite.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.53 no.8
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• pp.627-636
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• 2020

Debris flow disasters primarily occur in mountainous terrains far from cities. As such, they have been underestimated to cause relatively less damage compared with other natural disasters. However, owing to urbanization, several residential areas and major facilities have been built in mountainous regions, and the frequency of debris flow disasters is steadily increasing owing to the increase in rainfall with environmental and climate changes. Thus, the risk of debris flow is on the rise. However, only a few studies have explored the characteristics of flooding and reduction measures for debris flow in areas designated as steep slopes. In this regard, it is necessary to conduct research on securing independent disaster prevention technology, suitable for the environment in South Korea and reflective of the topographical characteristics thereof, and update and improve disaster prevention information. Accordingly, this study aimed to calculate the amount of debris flow, depending on disaster prevention performance targets for regions designated as steep slopes in South Korea, and develop an independent model to not only evaluate the impact of debris flow but also identify debris barriers that are optimal for mitigating damage. To validate the reliability of the two-dimensional debris flow model developed for the evaluation of debris barriers, the model's performance was compared with that of the hydraulic model. Furthermore, a 2-D debris model was constructed in consideration of the regional characteristics around the steep slopes to analyze the flow characteristics of the debris that directly reaches the damaged area. The flow characteristics of the debris delivered downstream were further analyzed, depending on the specifications (height) and installation locations of the debris barriers employed to reduce the damage. The experimental results showed that the reliability of the developed model is satisfactory; further, this study confirmed significant performance degradation of debris barriers in areas where the barriers were installed at a slope of 20° or more, which is the slope at which debris flows occur.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.1353-1360
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• 2011

This study was performed to investigate the antimicrobial effects against food-borne pathogens and antioxidant activity of Rhododendron brachycarpum ethanol-extract. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was determined using a paper disc-diffusion method, and the diameter of the clear zone was measured. The diameter of the clear zone in the presence of 10 mg of extract was maximal against Bacillus cereus among the three tested Gram-positive bacteria and against Escherichia coli O157:H7 among the five tested Gram-negative bacteria. Analysis of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) showed that the extract exhibited a similar efficacy as that of sorbic acid, a well-known chemical preservative. The growth inhibitory effects of the extract at concentrations of 250, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/L on food-borne pathogens were determined against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Growth of the microorganisms was not affected by the extract at concentrations up to 250 mg/L, but it was significantly (p<0.05) inhibited by the extract at concentrations higher than 1,000 mg/L. The antioxidant effects of the extract were examined via measurement of DPPH radical scavenging activity, inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation using fluorescent dichlorofluorescien (DCF) assay, and prevention of peroxyl radical- and hydroxyl radical-induced supercoiled DNA breakage. The $IC_{50}$ of the extract for DPPH radical scavenging activity was about half that of ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, which was used as a positive control. DCF fluorescence intensity decreased as the concentration of the extract increased, demonstrating that ROS generation was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. The ROS inhibitory effect of the extract was higher than that of ascorbic acid. The extract prevented supercoiled DNA strand breakage induced by peroxyl radical and hydroxyl radical. Thus, the results of the present study demonstrate that the extract exhibits antimicrobial effects against food-borne pathogens as well as potent antioxidant capacity, suggesting that R. brachycarpum could be used as a natural antibacterial agent and effective antioxidant in food.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.369-375
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• 2018

Mycoplasma genitalium has 367 conserved genes and the smallest genome among mono-culturable prokaryotes. Conservative metabolic pathways were examined among M. genitalium and 14 prokaryotes, one hyperthermophilic exosymbiotic archaeon Nanoarchaeum equitans and 13 intracellular eubacteria of plants or insects, with fewer conserved genes than M. genitalium. They have 11 to 71 metabolic pathways, however complete metabolic pathways ranged from 1 to 24. Totally, metabolic pathway hole is very high due to the lack of 45.8% of the enzymes required for the whole metabolic pathways and it could be suggested that the shared metabolic pathway with the host's enzyme would work or the essential substances are host dependent. The number of genes necessary for mass transfer through the cell membrane is also very low, and it may be considered that the simple diffusion or the protein of the host will function in the cell membrane of these prokaryotes. Although the tRNA charging pathway was distributed in all 15 prokaryotes, each has 5-20 tRNA charging genes. This study would give clues to the understanding of the metabolic pathways of intracellular parasitic bacteria of plant and endosymbiotic bacteria of insects, and could provide basic data for prevention of crop damage, development of insect pests and human medicines.