• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.430-448
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• 2023

Recently, strategies for controlling Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol), the causal agent of Fusarium wilt of tomato, focus on using effective biocontrol agents. In this study, an analysis of the biocontrol and plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes of 11 isolates of loamy soil Bacillus spp. has been conducted. Among them, the isolates B.PNR1 and B.PNR2 inhibited the mycelial growth of Fol by inducing abnormal fungal cell wall structures and cell wall collapse. Moreover, broad-spectrum activity against four other plant pathogenic fungi, F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 1 (Foc), Sclerotium rolfsii, Colletotrichum musae, and C. gloeosporioides were noted for these isolates. These two Bacillus isolates produced indole acetic acid, phosphate solubilization enzymes, and amylolytic and cellulolytic enzymes. In the pot experiment, the culture filtrate from B.PNR1 showed greater inhibition of the fungal pathogens and significantly promoted the growth of tomato plants more than those of the other treatments. Isolate B.PNR1, the best biocontrol and PGP, was identified as Bacillus stercoris by its 16S rRNA gene sequence and whole genome sequencing analysis (WGS). The WGS, through genome mining, confirmed that the B.PNR1 genome contained genes/gene cluster of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase/polyketide synthase, such as fengycin, surfactin, bacillaene, subtilosin A, bacilysin, and bacillibactin, which are involved in antagonistic and PGP activities. Therefore, our finding demonstrates the effectiveness of B. stercoris strain B.PNR1 as an antagonist and for plant growth promotion, highlighting the use of this microorganism as a biocontrol agent against the Fusarium wilt pathogen and PGP abilities in tomatoes.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.389-408
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• 2022

Residual capacity is defined as the load carrying capacity of an RC column after undergoing severe damage. Evaluation of residual capacity of RC columns is necessary to avoid damage initiation in RC structures. The central aspect of the current research is to propose an empirical formula to estimate the residual capacity of RC columns after undergoing severe damage. This formula facilitates decision making of whether a replacement or a repair of the damaged column is adequate for further use. Available literature mainly focused on the simulation of explosion loads by using simplified pressure time histories to develop residual capacity of RC columns and rarely simulated the actual explosive. Therefore, there is a gap in the literature concerning general relation between blast damage of columns with different explosive loading conditions for a reliable and quick evaluation of column behavior subjected to blast loading. In this paper, the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) technique is implemented to simulate high fidelity blast pressure propagations. LS-DYNA software is utilized to solve the finite element (FE) model. The FE model is validated against the practical blast tests, and outcomes are in good agreement with test results. Multivariate linear regression (MLR) method is utilized to derive an analytical formula. The analytical formula predicts the residual capacity of RC columns as functions of structural element parameters. Based on intensive numerical simulation data, it is found that column depth, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, concrete strength and column width have significant effects on the residual axial load carrying capacity of reinforced concrete column under blast loads. Increasing column depth and longitudinal reinforcement ratio that provides better confinement to concrete are very effective in the residual capacity of RC column subjected to blast loads. Data obtained with this study can broaden the knowledge of structural response to blast and improve FE models to simulate the blast performance of concrete structures.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.329-338
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• 2023

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a foodborne pathogen that produces attaching and effacing lesions on the large intestine and causes hemorrhagic colitis. It is primarily transmitted through the consumption of contaminated meat or fresh produce. Similar to other bacterial pathogens, antibiotic resistance is of concern for EHEC. Furthermore, since the production of Shiga toxin by this pathogen is enhanced after antibiotic treatment, alternative agents that control EHEC are necessary. This study aimed to discover alternative treatments that target virulence factors and reduce EHEC toxicity. The locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is essential for EHEC attachment to host cells and virulence, and most of the LEE genes are positively regulated by the transcriptional regulator, Ler. GrlA protein, a transcriptional activator of ler, is thus a potential target for virulence inhibitors of EHEC. To identify the GrlA inhibitors, an in vivo high-throughput screening (HTS) system consisting of a GrlA-expressing plasmid and a reporter plasmid was constructed. Since the reporter luminescence gene was fused to the ler promoter, the bioluminescence would decrease if inhibitors affected the GrlA. By screening 8,201 compounds from the Korea Chemical Bank, we identified a novel GrlA inhibitor named Grlactin [3-[(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)methyl]-4-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-one], which suppresses the expression of LEE genes. Grlactin significantly diminished the adhesion of EHEC strain EDL933 to human epithelial cells without inhibiting bacterial growth. These findings suggest that the developed screening system was effective at identifying GrlA inhibitors, and Grlactin has potential for use as a novel anti-adhesion agent for EHEC while reducing the incidence of resistance.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2023

The structural analysis module is an essential part of any integrated structural system. Diverse integrated systems today require, from the analysis module, efficient real-time responses to real-time input such as earthquake signals, extreme weather-related forces, and man-made accidents. An integrated system may also be for the entire life span of a civil structure conceived during the initial conception, developed throughout various design stages, effectively used in construction, and utilized during usage and maintenance. All these integrated systems' essential part is the structural analysis module, which must be automated and computationally efficient so that responses may be almost immediate. The finite element method is often used for structural analysis, and for automation, many effective finite element meshes must be automatically generated for a given analysis. A computationally efficient finite element mesh generation scheme based on the r-h method of mesh refinement using strain deviations from the values at the Gauss points as error estimates from the previous mesh is described. Shape factors are used to sort out overly distorted elements. A standard cantilever beam analyzed by four-node plane stress elements is used as an example to show the effectiveness of the automated algorithm for a time-domain dynamic analysis. Although recent developments in computer hardware and software have made many new applications in integrated structural systems possible, structural analysis still needs to be executed efficiently in real-time. The algorithm applies to diverse integrated systems, including nonlinear analyses and general dynamic problems in earthquake engineering.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.205-213
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• 2023

This paper reports the results of an experimental examination using X-rays to test annealing materials for lapped bearing steel (STB2), to confirm the validity of the weighted averaging analysis method. The distribution behavior for the α_𝜓-sin²𝜓 diagram and the presence or absence of differences in the peak method, half-value breadth method, and centroid method were investigated. When lapping the annealed bearing steel (STB2) material, a residual stress state with a non-directional steep gradient appeared in the surface layer, and it was found that the weighted averaging analysis method was effective. If there is a steep stress gradient, the sin²𝜓 diagram is curved and the diffraction intensity distribution curve becomes asymmetric, resulting in a difference between the peak method, half-value breadth method, and centroid method. This phenomenon was evident when the stress gradient was more than 2~3 kg/mm²/㎛. In this case, if the position of the diffraction line is determined using the centroid method and the weighted averaging analysis method is applied, the stress value on the surface and the stress gradient under the surface can be obtained more accurately. When the stress gradient becomes a problem, since the curvature of the sin²𝜓 diagram appears clearly in the region of sin²𝜓 > 0.5, it is necessary to increase the inclination angle 𝜓 as much as possible. In the case of a lapping layer, a more accurate value can be obtained by considering 𝜎₃ in the weighted averaging analysis method. In an isotropic biaxial residual stress state, the presence or absence of 𝜎₃ can be determined as the presence or absence of strain for sin²𝜓≈0.4.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.255-264
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• 2023

Sweet potato symptomless virus 1 (SPSMV-1) is a single-stranded circular DNA virus, belonging to the genus Mastrevirus (family Geminiviridae) that was first identified on sweet potato plants in South Korea in 2012. Although SPSMV-1 does not induce distinct symptoms in sweet potato plants, its co-infection with different sweet potato viruses is highly prevalent, and thus threatens sweet potato production in South Korea. In this study, the complete genome sequence of a Korean isolate of SPSMV-1 was obtained by Sanger sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons from sweet potato plants collected in the field (Suwon). An infectious clone of SPSMV-1 (1.1-mer) was constructed, cloned into the plant expression vector pCAMBIA1303, and agro-inoculated into Nicotiana benthamiana using three Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains (GV3101, LBA4404, and EHA105). Although no visual differences were observed between the mock and infected groups, SPSMV-1 accumulation was detected in the roots, stems, and newly produced leaves through PCR. The A. tumefaciens strain LBA4404 was the most effective at transferring the SPSMV-1 genome to N. benthamiana. We confirmed the viral replication in N. benthamiana samples through strand-specific amplification using virion-sense- and complementary-sense-specific primer sets.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.2A
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• pp.289-295
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with CFRP strips. A total of 12 rectangular beams were tested. Test variables in this study were the shapes, bonded length and the number of longitudinal layers of CFRP strips. From the experimental study, flexural capacity of the beams strengthened with CFRP strips significantly increased compared to the reinforced concrete beam without a CFRP strip. Maximum increase of ultimate strength was found about 120% more than the control beam. In this test, most of the strengthened beams failed suddenly due to the debonding of CFRP strips. It is also observed that the debonding of the strip was initiated in the flexural zone of the beam and propagated rapidly to the end of the beam. The ultimate tensile strains of CFRP strips in this test were occurred at the level of 36% of rupture tensile strength of the CFRP strip, and an analytical approach to compute the flexural strength of reinforced beams strengthened with CFRP strips based on the effective stresses was conducted.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.3D
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• pp.399-405
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• 2008

Development of the paved track is required as a low-maintenance of conventional line. The paved tracks are one of the types of the ballast reinforced tracks those are manufactured by adopting the prepacked concrete technique. The main elements of this tracks are large sleeper, low elastic pad, fastener, cement mortar, geotextile and recycled ballast. Low elastic pad is the most effective element of such tracks on the basis of stress-displacement characteristics, dynamic response and fatigue characteristics. The stiffness of the pad determine the stiffness of the track. Consequently, it is more important in case of concrete track structure such as paved track because application of low elastic pad seriously effect the durability and stability of the track. The main objective of this study is to confirm the reduction of train load, which transfer to roadbed through various pad effects. To achieve this task static, numerical analysis and real scale repeated loading test was performed while load reduction effect of low elastic pad was analyzed by using displacement, stress and strain ratio characteristics of the paved track.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.200-203
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• 2023

Climate change has occurred frequently, and it lead to a severe decrease in marketability and productivity. Onion has various functional elements related to antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer and immune enhancement, the productivity is closely affected by climate conditions. In this study, to environmentally-friendly produce onions even though drought condition, effect of Bacillus aryabhattai H19-1 on the yield, marketability, and functional component of onions was evaluated in a field. When strain H19-1 was drenched, onion production and marketability significantly increased, and the contents of ascorbic acid and carotenoid of harvested onion bulbs also increased. Therefore, B. aryabhattai H19-1 is expected to be effective in enhancing onion productivity by mitigating drought stress.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.133-145
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• 2022

Steel fiber composite bar (SFCB) is a novel type of reinforcement, which has good ductility and durability performance. Due to the unique pseudo strain hardening tensile behavior of SFCB, different flexural behavior is expected of SFCB reinforced concrete (SFCB-RC) beams from traditional steel bar reinforced concrete (S-RC) beams and FRP bar reinforced concrete (F-RC) beams. To investigate the flexural behavior of SFCB-RC beam, four points bending tests were carried out and different flexural behaviors between S/F/SFCB-RC beams were discussed. An flexural analytical model of SFCB-RC beams is proposed and proved by the current and existing experimental results. Based on the proposed model, the influence of the fiber volume ratio R of the SFCB on the flexural behavior of SFCB-RC beams is discussed. The results show that the proposed model is effective for all S/F/SFCB-RC flexural members. Fiber volume ratio R is a key parameter affecting the flexural behavior of SFCB-RC. By controlling the fiber volume ratio of SFCB reinforcements, the flexural behavior of the SFCB-RC flexural members such as bearing capacity, bending stiffness, ductility and repairability of SFCB-RC structures can be designed.