• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.249-254
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• 2019

One specimen of Albula argentea (296.3 mm in standard length), belonging to the family Albulidae, was collected in a set net in the coastal waters of Jejudo Island, Korea. As the adult A. argentea has not been caught from Korean waters, we described its morphological characters based on the collected specimen and compared them with those of the previous reports on A. argentea and A. koreaus. As a result, the present specimen was characterized by having 68~73 pored lateral line scales (vs. 77~78 for A. koreana), 72~73 vertebrae pored lateral line scales (vs. 77~80) and none streak on the check (vs. yellowish streak). Molecular analysis using the mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequences was also conducted to confirm the correctness of species identification and taxonomic status of the sample.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.195-202
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• 2021

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the lubrication characteristics of condensed water molecules on a solid surface by conducting molecular dynamics simulations. We examine two models consisting of a simple hexahedral substrate with and without water molecules to reveal the lubrication mechanism of mono-layered water molecules. We perform a sliding simulation by contacting and translating a single asperity on the substrate under various normal loads. During the simulation, we measure the friction coefficient and atomic stress. When water molecules were interleaved between solid surfaces, atomic stress exerted on individual atom and friction coefficient were smaller than those of model without water molecule. Particularly, at a low load, the efficacy of water molecules in the reduction of atomic stress and friction is remarkable. Conversely, at high loads, water molecules rarely lubricate solid surfaces and fail to effectively distribute the contact stress. We found a critical condition in which the lubrication regime changes and beyond the condition, significant plastic deformation was created. Consequently, we deduce that water molecules can distribute and reduce contact stress within a certain condition. The reduced contact stress prevents plastic deformation of the substrate and thus diminishes the mechanical interlocking between the asperity and the substrate.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2022

Conserved domains are defined as recurring units in molecular evolution and are commonly used to interpret the molecular function and biochemical structure of proteins. Herein, the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) amino acid sequences of three species of the Ipomoea genus [Ipomoea trifida, I. triloba, and I. batatas (L.) Lam. (sweetpotato)] were identified to investigate their physicochemical and biochemical characteristics. The molecular weight, isoelectric point, instability index, and grand average of hyropathy markedly differed among the three species. The aliphatic index values of sweetpotato AGPase proteins were higher in the small subunit than in the large subunit. The AGPase proteins from sweetpotato were found to contain an LbH_G1P_AT_C domain in the C-terminal region and various domains (NTP_transferase, ADP_Glucose_PP, or Glyco_tranf_GTA) in the N-terminal region. Conversely, most of its two relatives (I. trifida and I. triloba) were found to only contain the NTP_transferase domain in the N-terminal region. These findings suggested that these conserved domains were species-specific and related to the subunit types of AGPase proteins. The study may enable research on the AGPase-related specific characteristics of sweetpotatoes that do not exist in the other two species, such as starch metabolism and tuberization mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.708-715
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• 2023

Hybridization is a major production method used to combine beneficial traits from two different species to obtain a potentially dominant trait. In China, Takifugu obscurus and T. rubripes were artificially crossed, and the resulting hybrids had an average body weight 38.06-8.93% higher than that of the parental species, which enabled the hybrids to be grown in freshwater. This study aimed to provide the basic data necessary for the classification of T. obscurus♀×T. rubripes♂ hybrids in terms of economic value and market potential. Morphological comparing the morphology of hybrids and parental species, we discovered that the hybrids had intermediate traits of the parental species. In morphometrics, the hybrid index (HI) value of head length against standard length was close to the trait of T. rubripes, and the HI values of preanal length and predorsal length were close to those of T. obscurus; however, the HI values of nasal length, snout length, length of anal fin, length of pectoral fin, caudal peduncle depth and caudal peduncle length were found to be unique characteristics of the hybrids. Regarding molecular analysis, a 99.8% nucleotide sequence similarity was found between the hybrid and T. obscurus.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.273-277
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• 2023

This paper presents a molecular dynamics simulation-based numerical investigation of the influence of surface energy on water lubrication. Models composed of a crystalline substrate, half cylindrical tip, and cluster of water molecules are prepared for a tribological-characteristic evaluation. To determine the effect of surface energy on lubrication, the surface energy between the substrate and water molecules as well as that between the tip and water molecules are controlled by changing the interatomic potential parameters. Simulations are conducted to investigate the indentation and sliding processes. Three different normal forces are applied to the system by controlling the indentation depth to examine the influence of normal force on the lubrication of the system. The simulation results reveal that the solid surface's surface energy and normal force significantly affect the behavior of the water molecules and lubrication characteristics. The lubrication characteristics of the water molecules deteriorate with the increasing magnitude of the normal force. At a low surface energy, the water molecules are readily squeezed out of the interface under a load, thus increasing the frictional force. Contrarily, a moderate surface energy prevents expulsion of the water molecules due to squeezing, resulting in a low frictional force. At a high surface energy, although squeezing of the water molecules is restricted, similar to the case of moderate surface energy, dragging occurs at the soil surface-water molecule interface, and the frictional force increases.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.1970-1978
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• 2024

Objective: This research aimed to analyze the prevalence, molecular characteristics, toxinotyping, alpha toxin production potential, and antibiotic resistance pattern of Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) isolates in meat samples collected from various sources. Methods: Sixty meat samples were screened for alpha toxin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, revealing a positivity rate of 13.3%, predominantly in raw poultry meat. Subsequent culturing on Perfringens agar identified nine samples harboring characteristic C. perfringens colonies, primarily isolated from raw poultry meat. Molecular confirmation through 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing authenticated twelve isolates as C. perfringens, with nine strains exhibiting genetic resemblance to locally isolated strains. Toxinotyping assays targeting alpha toxin-specific genes confirmed all nine isolates as type A C. perfringens, with no detection of beta or epsilon toxin genes. Hemolytic assays demonstrated varying alpha toxin production potentials among isolates, with accession number OQ721004.1 displaying the highest production capacity. Moreover, antibiotic resistance profiling revealed multi-drug resistance patterns among the isolates. Results: The study identified distinct clusters within C. perfringens strains, indicating variations. Phylogenetic analysis delineated genetic relatedness among strains, elucidating potential evolutionary paths and divergences. Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for robust surveillance and control measures to mitigate the risk of C. perfringens contamination in meat products, particularly in raw poultry meat. Enhanced monitoring and prudent antimicrobial stewardship practices are warranted in both veterinary and clinical settings to address the observed antibiotic resistance profiles and prevent foodborne outbreaks.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.490-496
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• 1998

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to survey genetic variability among 34 Botrytis cinerea isolates from nine different host plants in Korea. For RAPD analysis, 115 arbitrary decamer primers were initially screened for polymorphic major DNA bands with 11 representative B. cinerea isolates. Eleven primers that initially detected polymorphisms were tested a second time with additional 23 isolates of B. cinerea as well as one isolate of Botrytis squamosa as an outgroup. The RAPD analyses revealed that all isolates except one showed different molecular phenotypes. Dendrograms obtained from dissimilarity matrices using the unweighted paired group method of arithmetic means (UPGMA) showed the 36.4% to 90.0% similarity among all B. cinerea isolates. The B. squamosa isolate showed the least similarity to all B. cinerea isolates. The cluster analyses indicated no correlation among all the characteristics examined including molecular phenotypes, host and geographic origins, year of isolation, or pathogenicity. The RAPD data suggest that a high level of genetic variation exists among Korean populations of B. cinerea and it seems to be caused by heterokaryosis among preexisting molecular phenotypes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.222-228
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• 1997

Protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) is one of the four major serine/threonine phosphatases which is dependent on $Mg^{2+}$ for its activity. PP2C was purified from rat liver cytosol and its characteristics were investigated. The substrate employed for routine assay was $[^{32}P]casein$ phosphorylated by PKA. The purification process involved DEAE chromatography, ammonium sulfate fractionation, phenyl sepharose chromatography, sephacryl 5-200 gel filtration, and histone agarose chromatography. The SDS-PAGE of PP2C showed one major single protein band at a position corresponding to a molecular mass of 43 kd and the purification fold was 637. The enzyme showed a pH optimum of 8 and $K_M$ value was $1.9\;{\mu}M$. However, when the substrate was changed to $[^{32}P]histone$, the pH optimum was shifted to 7 and $K_M$ value was $2.3\;{\mu}M.\;Mg^{2+}$ was essential to the enzyme activity and okadaic acid did not exert any inhibitory effect on the enzyme. To examine residue in the active site of PP2C effects of some protein-modifying reagents were tested.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.52-56
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• 2007

We have installed an ultra high vacuum (UHV) molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system and investigated into the characteristics of MBE-grown ZnSe/GaAs [001] using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), we confirmed that layer's surface was dense and uniform of molecular layer. We used x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and confirmed two peaks correspond to GaAs [001] substrate and ZnSe epilayer, respectively. We observed photoluminescence (PL) peak approximately at 437 nm and measured PL mapping of 2 inch ZnSe epilayer.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.303-316
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• 2009

Genetic variation among the base isolates and monosporidial strains derived from these isolates of Tilletia indica- the causal agent of Karnal bunt (KB) in wheat, was analyzed by morphological, growth behaviors and RAPD-ISSR based molecular polymorphism. Genetic make up of fungal cultures vary among each other. The magnitude of variation in KBPN group is less (narrow genetic base) when compared to the other groups KB3, KB9 and JK (broad genetic base) reflecting that variability is a genetically governed process. The generation of new variation with different growth characteristics is not a generalized feature and is totally dependant on the original genetic make-up of the base isolate generating new monosporidial strains. Thus, it can be concluded that monosporidial strains derived from mono-teliosporic isolate, consists of genetically heterogeneous population. The morphological and genetic variability further suggests that the variation in T. indica strains is predominantly derived through the genetic rearrangements through para sexual means.