• Agribusiness and Information Management
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.40-54
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• 2021

Market integration and prices in pulse crops like black gram play an important role in determining the production decisions of the farmers and diversification towards high value nutritious crops. In this context, the present study explores extent of market integration and price transmission in selected major black gram markets in Andhra Pradesh using Johansen co-integration, Vector Error Correction Model and Granger causality test. The study used monthly prices data of black gram (Rs/quintal) sourced from selected markets of Srikakulam, Krishna and Kurnool spanning January, 1990 to December, 2019. The results of the study strongly buttressed the existence of co-integration and interdependence of selected black gram markets in Andhra Pradesh. However, the speed of adjustment of the prices found to be moderate in Krishna market and quite weaker in Srikakulam market and thereby prices correct a small percentage of the disequilibrium in these markets with the greatest percentage by the external and internal forces. So, it necessitates the need for future research, to investigate the influence of external and internal factors such as market infrastructure, Government policy and self-sufficient production, product characteristics and utilization towards market integration. As there exists only unidirectional causality from Krishna to Kurnool and from Krishna to Srikakulam markets, it calls for strengthening the information technology for flow of market information regularly to help the farmers for increasing their income.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.405-412
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• 2019

SOLAS requires that ECDIS be installed on ships of more than 500 gross tonnage engaged in international navigation until the first inspection arriving after July 1, 2018. Several accidents related to the use of ECDIS have occurred with its installation as a new major navigation instrument. The 12 incident reports issued by MAIB, BSU, BEAmer, DMAIB, and DSB were analyzed, and the cause of accident was determined to be related to the operation of the navigator and the ECDIS system. The text was analyzed using the R-program to quantitatively analyze words related to the cause of the accident. We used text mining techniques such as Wordcloud, Wordnetwork and Wordweight to represent the importance of words according to their frequency of derivation. Wordcloud uses the N-gram model as a way of expressing the frequency of used words in cloud form. As a result of the uni-gram analysis of the N-gram model, ECDIS words were obtained the most, and the bi-gram analysis results showed that the word "Safety Contour" was used most frequently. Based on the bi-gram analysis, the causative words are classified into the officer and the ECDIS system, and the related words are represented by Wordnetwork. Finally, the related words with the of icer and the ECDIS system were composed of word corpus, and Wordweight was applied to analyze the change in corpus frequency by year. As a result of analyzing the tendency of corpus variation with the trend line graph, more recently, the corpus of the officer has decreased, and conversely, the corpus of the ECDIS system is gradually increasing.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.9 no.3 s.21
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• pp.97-104
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was conducted to compare antibacterial activities and free radical scavenging activity between the Bee Venom and Sweet Bee Venom in which the allergy-causing enzyme is removed. Methods : To evaluate antibacterial activities of the test samples, gram negative E. coli and gram positive St. aureus were compared using the paper disc method. For comparison of the antioxidant effects, DPPH(1,1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay and Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances(TBARS) assay were conducted. Results : 1. Antibacterial activity against gram negative E. coli was greater in the Sweet Bee Venom group than the Bee Venom group. 2. Antibacterial activity against gram positive St. aureus was similar between the Bee Venom and Sweet Bee Venom groups. 3. DPPH free radical scavenging activity of the Bee Venom group showed 2.8 times stronger than that of the Sweet Bee Venom group. 4. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation of the Bee Venom group showed 782 times greater than that of the Sweet Bee Venom group. Conclusions : The Bee Venom group showed outstanding antibacterial activity against gram positive St. aureus, and allergen-removed Sweet Bee Venom group showed outstanding antibacterial activity against both gram negative E. coli and gram positive St. aureus. For antioxidant effects, the Bee Venom was superior over the Sweet Bee Venom and the superiority was far more apparent for lipid peroxidation.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 1993

Major pathogenic Gram-negative organisms such as P. aeruginosa, Serratia species, E. coli, Enterobacter species which are isolated from the specimens in large medical centers are greatly resistant to the commonly used antibiotics. Gram-negative bacilli, which had been isolated in Yeungnam University Hospital during the period from December 1992 to April 1993 and turned out to be resistant to the primary antibiotics susceptibility test for chloramphenicol, ampicillin, cephalothin, gentamicin, tetracyclin, amikin and tobramycin, were subjected to the secondary antibiotics susceptibility test for aztreonam, ceftazidime, ciprofioxacine, cefotaxime, cefamandole, piperacillin, ticarcillin and sulfamethoxazole trimethopime. Out of 315 tested organisms, 167 organisms(53%) were resistant to all secondary antibiotics in vitro. Antimicrobial activity of ceftazidime(37.1%), aztreonam(11.%), ciprofioxacine(7.9%) against Gram negative bacilli were slightly more active than other antibiotics tested, while cefamandole was not active to all the Gram-negative bacilli tested. According to the specimens, E. coli was the most frequently resistant organisms to the primary antibiotics from urine, A. baumanii, from respiratory system and wounds, and P. aeruginosa from various specimens. In summary, Gram negative bacilli resistant to the primarily applied antibiotics also were resistant to the secondary antibiotics. Rearrangement of the antibiotics disks for the antibiotic susceptibility test should be considered.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.652-661
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of EngageGram which is a motivator of e-learning participation on learners' online participation according to the types of social comparison motive. Research participation was 144 undergraduate students (male: 106, female: 38) who took the course entitled "Creative Thinking." Social comparison motive of learners were investigated by two methods: social comparison motive scales and learners' opinions on EngageGram. As results, there was no statically corelation between the types of social comparison motive by using scales and online participation, however, there was statically differences on e-learning participation according to the types of social comparison motives by analyzing learners' opinions. Learners mostly have self-enhancement motive in a learning context so they are motivated to participate actively by EngageGram. This study provide useful implication in the research area of learning analytics.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-47
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• 2009

Gaegurin 4(GGN 4), an antimicrobial peptide isolated from a Korean frog, is five times more potent against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria, but has little hemolytic activity. To understand the mechanism of such cell selectivity, we examined GGN4-induced $K^+$ efflux from target cells, and membrane conductances in planar lipid bilayers. The $K^+$ efflux from Gram-positive M. luteus(2.5 ${\mu}g/ml$) was faster and larger than that from Gram-negative E. coli(75 ${\mu}g/ml$), while that from RBC was negligible even at higher concentration(100 ${\mu}g/ml$). GGN4 induced larger conductances in the planar bilayers which were formed with lipids extracted from Gram-positive B. subtilis than in those from E. coli(p<0.01), however, the effects of GGN4 were not selective in the bilayers formed with lipids from E. coli and red blood cells. Addition of an acidic phospholipid, phosphatidylserine to planar bilayers increased the GGN4-induced membrane conductance(p<0.05), but addition of phosphatidylcholine or cholesterol reduced it(p<0.05). Transmission electron microscopy revealed that GGN4 induced pore-like damages in M. luteus and dis-layering damages on the outer wall of E. coli. Taken together, the present results indicate that the selectivity of GGN4 toward Gram-positive over Gram-negative bacteria is due to negative surface charges, and interaction of GGN4 with outer walls. The selectivity toward bacteria over RBC is due to the presence of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, and the trans-bilayer lipid asymmetry in RBC. The results suggest that design of selective antimicrobial peptides should be based on the composition and topology of membrane lipids in the target cells.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.314-318
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• 2007

Purpose: Pressure sore wound develops inevitably in long-term, immobilized and hospitalized patients. Sore wound infection is common problem and makes healing process difficult. We aimed to identify the pathogens of the purulent discharge in sore wound and to obtain information for appropriate antibiotics through a sensitivity test Methods: The bacteriologic study was made on 120 cases of patients who admitted or visited our hospital from 2004 January to 2005 December for sore wound treatment. Culture material was collected in BBL transport media with cotton swab and cultured by MacConkey agar plate. The method of MIC by VITEK and Microscan was used for sensitivity test. Results: Among 120 specimens, organisms were isolated from 77(64.2%) cases. Gram positive organisms were cultured in 73 specimens, Gram negative organisms in 46 specemens, and fungi in 2 specimens. Mixed infection by Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria were observed in 34 specimens. Among them, S. aureus was the most common isolate in 24(31.2%) patients and 10 (13.0%) S. Aureus isolates were MRSA. The most prevalent Gram-negative organism was Escherichia coli in 20 patients(25.9%). Vancomycin and teicoplanin showed highest sensitivity to Gram-positive organisms and imipenem and amikacin to Gram-negative organisms. Conclusion: Pressure sore wound demands consideration of multimodal therapeutic aspects and these findings would be useful informations to physicians, nurses and clinical assistants in understanding the nature of sore wound and selecting appropriate antibiotics.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.502-510
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• 2017

This study investigated bacterial growth-inhibitory effect of 69 therapeutic herbal plants extracts on 9 bacterial strains using a disc diffusion assay. Especially, the antimicrobial activity of Psoraleae semen, which showed different activity on pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, was evaluated by MIC (minimal inhibition concentration) and biofilm formation assay. The effect of Psoraleae semen extract on bacterial cell membranes was examined by measurement of protein leakage (optical density at 280 nm) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). No clear zone was formed on discs containing Gram-negative bacteria, but Gram-positive bacteria exhibited clear zones. The MICs of Psoraleae semen extract were $8{\mu}g/mL$ for Streptococcus mutans, and $16{\mu}g/mL$ for Enterococci and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, biofilm formation was inhibited at concentration $8-16{\mu}g/mL$. Protein leakage values and SEM images revealed that cell membranes of Gram-positive bacteria were impaired following exposure to the extract. Further, the extract inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in sausages. These results indicate that Psoraleae semen extract could be utilized as a natural antimicrobial agent against Gram-positive bacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2021

Inflammatory reactions activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria can lead to severe septic shock. With the recent emergence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria and a lack of efficient ways to treat resulting infections, there is a need to develop novel anti-endotoxin agents. Antimicrobial peptides have been noticed as potential therapeutic molecules for bacterial infection and as candidates for new antibiotic drugs. We previously designed the 9-meric antimicrobial peptide Pro9-3 and it showed high antimicrobial activity against gram-negative bacteria. Here, to further examine its potency as an anti-endotoxin agent, we examined the anti-endotoxin activities of Pro9-3 and elucidated its mechanism of action. We performed a dye-leakage experiment and BODIPY-TR cadaverine and limulus amebocyte lysate assays for Pro9-3 as well as its lysine-substituted analogue and their enantiomers. The results confirmed that Pro9-3 targets the bacterial membrane and the arginine residues play key roles in its antimicrobial activity. Pro9-3 showed excellent LPS-neutralizing activity and LPS-binding properties, which were superior to those of other peptides. Saturation transfer difference-nuclear magnetic resonance experiments to explore the interaction between LPS and Pro9-3 revealed that Trp3 and Tlr7 in Pro9-3 are critical for attracting Pro9-3 to the LPS in the gram-negative bacterial membrane. Moreover, the anti-septic effect of Pro9-3 in vivo was investigated using an LPS-induced endotoxemia mouse model, demonstrating its dual activities: antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria and immunosuppressive effect preventing LPS-induced endotoxemia. Collectively, these results confirmed the therapeutic potential of Pro9-3 against infection of gram-negative bacteria.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.623-629
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• 2006

Purpose : The mortality rate of neonatal sepsis has been decreased, however, the incidence has not significantly decreased because of increased invasive procedures. This study was designed to make guidelines for choosing antibiotics by analyzing the causative microorganisms and their antibiotics sensitivity test according to the onset of neonatal sepsis. Methods : One hundred seven cases of culture proven sepsis in 89 patients admitted to the NICU of Chonnam University Hospital from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2004, were enrolled. By reviewing the medical records, clinical data, laboratory findings, causative organisms and their antibiotics sensitivity, and mortality were analyzed. Results : The incidence of neonatal sepsis was 1.7 percent and more prevalent in premature and low birth weight infants. 85.4 percent of neonatal sepsis was late onset. Almost all microorganisms(92.9 percent) were gram-positive in early onset, however, two thirds were gram-positive and one third were gram-negative and Candida in late onset. Gram-negative organisms and Candida were more prevalent in patients who had central line. Gram-positive organisms were sensitive to vancomycin, teicoplanin, and gram-negative were sensitive to imipenem, and cefotaxime. Conclusion : Neonatal sepsis was more prevalent in premature and low birth weight infants. More than 90 percent were gram-positive in early onset, however, one third was gram-negative and Candida in late onset. The first choice of antibiotics were a combination of third generation cephalosporin and clindamycin in early onset, and third generation cephalosporin and glycopeptide in late onset. If there is no response to antibiotics treatment, the use of antifungal agents should be considered.