• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.158-166
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• 2014

This experiment has investigated suitable methods to improve precision water content monitoring of coconut coir substrates to control irrigation by frequency domain reflectometry(FDR) sensors. Specifically, water content changes and variations were observed at different sensing distances and positions from the irrigation dripper location, and different spaces between the FDR sensors with or without noise filters. Commercial coconut coir substrates containing different ratios of dust and chips(10:0, 7:3, 5:5, 3:7) were used. On the upper side and the side of the substrates, a FDR sensor was used at 5, 10, 20, 30cm distances respectively from the irrigation dripper point, and water content was measured by time after the irrigation. In the glass beads, sensors were installed with or without noise filtering. Closer sensing distance had a higher water content increasing rate, regardless of different coir substrate ratios. There were no differencies of water content increasing rates in 10:0 and 3:7 substrates between the upper side and the side. Whereas, 7:3 and 5:5 substrates showed higher increasing rates on the upper side measurements. Substrates with higher ratios of chip(3:7) had lower increasing rates than others. And, with noise filters, the exatitude of measurement was improved because the variation and deviation were reduced. Therefore, in coconut coir with FDR sensors, an efficient water content measurment to control irrigations can be achieved by installing sensors closer to an irrigation point and upper side of substrates with noise filters.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.249-254
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• 2016

This study was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of white shading agent for reduction of greenhouse air temperature and to develop cost-effective cooling strategies for strawberry seedling production during hot seasons. Experiment results showed that solar radiation ($W/m^2$) was reduced by 14~17% and 33~37% for 15% and 35% white wash shading treatments, respectively, in black shading net treatment solar radiation was reduced by 39~44% compared to non-shaded treatment. Measured greenhouse air temperatures in 15% and 35% white wash shading treatments were $38.4^{\circ}C$ and $36.5^{\circ}C$, respectively, whereas in black shading net covered greenhouses air temperature was $35.1^{\circ}C$, thereby 35% and 15% shading treatments showed 3.3 and $1.9^{\circ}C$ higher air temperatures than black net shading treatment. Crown diameter of strawberry plants in black net shading treatment was 7.5mm, and in 15% and 35% white wash shading treatments were 8.6mm and 8.3mm, respectively. Strawberry transplants grown in 35% white wash shading treatment produced the highest above ground fresh weight(7.8g), followed by 15% white wash shading(6.7g) and black net shading treatments(5.8g). Also, both 15% and 35% white wash shading treatments produced higher root fresh weight(4.1g and 4.3g) compare to black net shading treatments(2.7g).

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.361-367
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• 2017

Production cost as well as environmental contamination can be reduced by reuse of drained nutrient solution in hydroponic. This research was conducted to obtain the information in changes in inorganic elements concentration of supplied and drained nutrient solution as well as of plant leaves. To achieve the objective, the samples of supplied and drained solution and cherry tomato leaf tissues were periodically collected and analyzed during the hydroponic cultivation. The electrical conductivity (EC) of supplied and drained nutrient solution in early growth stage of cherry tomato were measured as around $2.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$, but those values move up with the passage of time reaching to $2.0dS{\cdot}m^{-1}$ at flowering stage of 9th fruiting node. The pHs of drained solution in early growth stage were 6.4 to 6.7, however those showed a tendency to get lowered to 5.9 to 6.1 as time passed during the crop cultivation. The concentration differences of $NO_3-N$, P, K, Ca, and Mg between supplied and drained solution were not distinctive until flowering stages of 4th fruiting nodes, while those in drained solution moved up after the stage. The tissue N contents of leaves decrease gradually and those of K and Ca increased as crops grew. However, Tissue P and Mg contents were maintained similarly from transplant to end-crop. The above results would be used in correction of drained nutrient solution when element compositions are varied compared to supplied solution in hydroponic cultivation of tomatoes.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.257-264
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• 2015

To determine whether metabolite fingerprinting for whole cell extracts based on Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy can be used to discriminate and compare metabolic equivalence, standard medicinal parts from four medicinal plants (Cynanchum wilfordii Hemsley, Atractylodes japonica Koidz, Polygonum multiflorum Thunberg and Astragalus membranaceus Bunge) and their in vitro-produced adventitious roots were analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) from the FT-IR spectral data showed that the whole metabolic pattern from Cynanchum wilfordii was highly similar to Astragalus membranaceus. However, Atractylodes japonica and Polygonum multiflorum showed significantly different metabolic patterns. Furthermore, adventitious roots from Cynanchum wilfordii and Astragalus membranaceus also showed similar metabolic patterns compared to their standard medicinal parts. These results clearly show that mass proliferation of adventitious roots may be applied to aquire novel supply of standard medicinal parts from medicinal plants. However, the whole metabolic pattern from adventitious roots of Atractylodes japonica and Polygonum multiflorum were not similar to their standard medicinal parts. Furthermore, FT-IR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analyses established in this study may be applied as an alternative tool to discriminate the whole metabolic equivalence from several standard medicinal parts. Thus, we suggest that these metabolic discrimination systems may be applied for metabolic standardization of herbal medicinal resources.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.293-300
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• 2011

This study is conducted to develop an efficient transformation system via particle bombardment with PLBs (Protocorm-like bodies) in Cymbidium. For this, pCAMBIA3301 vector which carries a herbicide-resistant bar gene and gus gene as a reporter gene was used for transformation with Cymbidium cultivars 'Youngflower ${\times}$ masako' line. To select transformants, proper concentration of herbicide, PPT (phosphinotricin), should be determined. As a result, 5 mg/l of PPT was selected as a proper concentration. Further, proper conditions for particle bombardment were determined to obtain a high frequency of transformation. Results showed that 1.0 ${\mu}g$ of DNA concentration, 1,100 and 1,350 psi for helium gas pressure, 1.0 ${\mu}m$ of gold particle and 6 cm of target distance showed the best result for the particle bombardment experiment. Also, pre-treatment with combination 0.2 M sorbitol and 0.2 M mannitol for 4 hrs prior to genetic transformation increased the transformation efficiency up to 2.5 times. Using transformation system developed in this study, 3.2 ~ 4.0 transgenic cymbidium plants can be produced from 100 bombarded PLBs on average. Putative transgenic plants produced in this system confirmed the presence of the bar gene by PCR analysis. Also, leaves from randomely selected five transgenic lines were applied for Basta solution (0.5% v/v) to check the resistance to the PPT herbicide. As a result, three of them showed resistance and one of them showed the strongest resistance with the maintenance of green color as non-transformed plants showed. Using this established transformation system, more genes of interests can be introduced into Cymbidium plants by genetic transformation in the future.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.435-443
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• 2018

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) functions as a metabolic master through regulating and restoring cellular energy balance. In skeletal muscle, AMPK increases myofibril protein degradation through the expression of muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases. Mori Folium, the leaf of Morus alba, is a traditional medicinal herb with various pharmacological functions; however, the effects associated with muscle atrophy have not been fully identified. In this study, we confirmed the effects of AMPK activation by examining the effects of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR), an activator of AMPK, on the induction of atrophy and expression of atrophy-related genes in C2C12 myotubes. We also investigated the effects of the ethanol extract of Mori Folium (EEMF) on the recovery of AICAR-induced muscle atrophy in C2C12 myotubes. It was found that exposure to AICAR resulted in the stimulation of Forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a); an up-regulation of muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases such as Muscle Atrophy F-box (MAFbx)/atrogin-1 and muscle RING finger-1 (MuRF1), and a down-regulation of muscle-specific transcription factors, such as MyoD and myogenin; with the activation of AMPK. In addition, AICAR without cytotoxicity indicated a decrease in diameter of C2C12 myotubes. However, treatment with EEMF significantly suppressed AICAR-induced muscle atrophy of C2C12 myotubes in a dose-dependent manner as confirmed by a decrease in myotube diameter, which is associated with a reversed stimulation of FOXO3a by the inhibition of AMPK activation. These results indicate that the activation of AMPK by AICAR induces muscle atrophy, and EEMF has preeminent effects on the inhibition of AICAR-induced muscle atrophy through the AMPK signaling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.598-603
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to elucidate the influence of vigor of a bearing shoot in ‘Bluecrop’ Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) on growth characteristics of shoots and fruits. Bearing shoots were classified with BS (bearing shoot) and BMB (bearing mother branch). The vigor of bearing shoots were divided into four arbitrary categories; A was thin (< 6.0 ㎜) BMB and short (< 10 ㎝) BS, B was thin BMB and long (≥ 10 ㎝) BS, C was thick (≥ 6 ㎜) BMB and short BS and D was thick BMB and long BS. Shoots from D were longer (6.5 ㎝) and thicker (1.70 ㎜) than those from the others. Shoots of D had more leaves (5.8 ea) than those of the others. Leaf area of D was larger (13.5 ㎠) than those of the others. The first harvest of D was one week faster than the others. Ratio of big berry (>14 ㎜) from the long BSs was higher (B : 41.7, D : 46.8%) than that from the short BSs. Soluble solid content of small berrys did not show any different according to vigor of bearing shoots, but soluble solid content of big berrys of the long BSs was higher (B : 16.2, D : 15.6°Bx) than those of the short BSs. The thickness of BMB did not affect ratio of fruit size and soluble soild content. The long BSs would be proper than the short BSs for bearing bigger fruits.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.270-278
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• 2009

To understand the seed characteristics among cultivated types of Perilla crop and their weedy types in Korea and Japan, we studied the variation of 69 accessions by examining weight of 100 seeds, hardness of seed, germination percent and germination energy. The survey of the weight of 100 seeds and hardness of seed, clarified as follows; cultivated type of var. frutescens showed a range of 0.177 to 0.402 g with weight of 100 seeds, and most accessions of cultivated type of var. frutescens have soft seeds, except for several accessions, which have hard seeds, whereas weedy type of var. frutescens showed a range of 0.045 to 0.172 g with weight of 100 seeds, and has only hard seeds. While cultivated type of var. crispa showed a range of 0.054 to 0.101 g with weight of 100 seeds, and has only hard seeds. The weedy type of var. crispa showed a range of 0.059 to 0.135 g with weight of 100 seeds, and has only hard seeds. According to the result of germination tests, although the most accessions of cultivated and weedy types of var. frutescens and cultivated and weedy types of var. crispa showed below 50% germination rate at the first germination test, but some accessions of cultivated type of var. frutescens showed above 50% germination. While, in the second or third germination tests, most accessions of cultivated types of Perilla crop and their weedy types showed above 50% germination rates, except for several accessions. As a result, in this study, the average of germination percent and germination energy among accessions of cultivated types of Perilla crop and their weedy types showed respectively the highest value at the third germination test, but showed the lowest value at the first germination test. In addition, the germination percent and germination energy showed much higher in the room temperature condition than in $28^{\circ}C$ constant-temperature condition. Although our results may be required much clearly survey in the further study, this current results will be help for our understanding the variation of seed characteristics among cultivated types of Perilla crop and their weedy types in Korea and Japan.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 1999

Applications of chitosan are related to molecular weight and degree of deacetylation(DOD) of chitosan completely. The molecular weight and DOD were greatly affected by the concentration of solution time and temperature. The degree of demineralization was not significantly different at $50^{\circ}C\;and\;70^{\circ}C$ after 30 minutes. Deproteinization decreased as process time increased. The nitrogen content was reached to 6.92% after 90 minute at $80^{\circ}C$, which is similar to theoretical nitrogen content of chitin. The DOD was 82.84% after 2 hours reaction and increased as the reaction time increased in the process. Viscosity and molecular weight are increased as recycling number of concentrated NaOH solution increased. Chemical, biological and physical properties of chitosan depend on the DOD and molecular size of the molecule. Tensile strength of the films from acetic acid solutions was between $28.9{\sim}33.6$ MPa and was generally higher than that of the films from lactic acid. Elongation of the films from lactic acid was between $97.0{\sim}109.7%$ and was generally higher than that of the films from the acetic acid. Water vapor permeability of the films prepared from lcetic acid solutions was between $1.9{\sim}2.3ng{\cdot}m/m^2{\cdot}s{\cdot}Pa$ and was generally higher than that of the films from the acetic acid.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.146-158
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• 2014

Camelina sativa that belongs to Brassicaceae family is an emerging oilseed crop. Camelina seeds contain approximately 40% storage oils per seed dry weight, which are useful for human and animal diets and industrial applications. Microsomal delta-12 fatty acid desaturase2 (FAD2) catalyzes the conversion of oleic acid to linoleic acid. The polymorphisms of FAD2 genes are correlated with the levels of oleic acids in seed oils. Microsomal delta-12 fatty acid desaturase2 (FAD2) catalyzes the conversion of oleic acid to linoleic acid. The polymorphisms of FAD2 genes are correlated with the levels of oleic acids in seed oils. In this study, three CsFAD2 genes (CsFAD2-1, CsFAD2-2 and CsFAD2-3.1) were isolated from developing seeds of Camelina sativa (L.) cv. CAME. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of three CsFAD2 genes were compared with those from dicotyledon and monocotyledon plants including Camelina cultivars Sunesone and SRS933. Three histidine motifs (HECGH, HRRHH, and HVAHH) required for FAD activity and a hydrophobic valine or isoleucine residue, which is a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) marker related with enzyme activity are well conserved in three CsFAD2s. The expressions of CsFAD2-1 and CsFAD2-3.1 were ubiquitously detected in various Camelina organs, whereas the CsFAD2-2 transcripts were predominantly detected in flowers and developing seeds. The contents of oleic acids decreased, whereas the amounts of linoleic acid increased in dry seeds of transgenic fad2-2 lines expressing each CsFAD2 gene compared with fad2-2 mutant, indicating that three CsFAD2 genes are functionally active. The isolated CsFAD2 genes might be applicable in metabolic engineering of storage oils with high oleic acids in oilseed crops.