• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.44-55
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• 1998

This study was carried out to investigate the feasibility of OTEC(Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) operation, in the East Sea of Korea. Accumulated cruise data of NFRDI (National Fisheries Research and Development Institute) over the period 1966~1995 were used to locate appropriate spot by season as well as by latitude which would show the difference at least $15^{\circ}C$ or more between the surface layer and each depth of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400 and 500m. Our results showed that the coastal areas of Pohang city met the requirement of more than $20^{\circ}C$ difference for OTEC plant from August to October. In contrast, in case that $15^{\circ}C$ would be possible thermal difference to operate OTEC plant, most coastal areas in the East Sea including Pohang from June to December are potential candidates for this future energy source. Therefore, we present in this paper the first option to locate the best place for OTEC plant operation using Geographical Information System (GIS), which is currently used for multi-dimensional space analysis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.497-503
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• 2004

The effect of adding carbohydrate-rich feedstuffs to sweet potato leaves (SPL) on silage quality was studied using a total of 180 laboratory silos. Silage quality was assessed by changes of pH, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and ammonia nitrogen ($NH_{3}$-N). Pre-wilted SPL was mixed with cassava root meal (CRM), sweet potato root meal (SPM) or sugar cane molasses (Mo) at levels of 0, 30, 60 and 90 g $kg^{-1}$ (air-dry weight of additives to pre-wilted weight of SPL). Samples for assessing silage quality were collected after mixing the SPL with the additive and thereafter at 7, 14, 28 and 56 days of ensiling. There was a marked decrease in pH after 7 days and the pH remained low and stable until day 56. Addition of 60 and 90 g $kg^{-1}$ resulted in a lower pH (p<0.05) than the other treatments. The DM content of the silage increased (p<0.05) with increasing levels of additive, while there were no differences in DM with time of ensiling. The CP content of the silage decreased (p<0.05) with increasing levels of additive. The CP content did not change up to 28 days, but was lower (p<0.05) after 56 days in all treatments. The $NH_{3}$-N levels were increasing (p<0.05) with time of ensiling, and were lower (p<0.05) with additive levels of 60 g $kg^{-1}$ or higher. Also, the additive source affected the $NH_{3}$-N values, with the lowest values found for Mo. Castrated male pigs (Large White$\times$Mongcai) were used in 4$\times$4 Latin square design to study the total tract digestibility and nitrogen (N) utilisation of diets with inclusion of ensiled SPL. The diets were based on cassava root meal with inclusion of protein from either fish meal (C) or SPL ensiled with CRM (D1), SPL ensiled with SPM (D2) and SPL ensiled with Mo (D3). The digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM) and CP were higher (p<0.05), and the digestibility of crude fibre (CF) was lower (p<0.05), in diet C than in diets D1, D2 and D3. However, there were no differences (p>0.05) in digestibility of dietary components between diets D1, D2 and D3. Also, the excretion of N in faeces was higher (p<0.05) and the N retention was lower (p<0.05) in diets D1, D2 and D3 than in diet C. It can be concluded from the present experiments, that a good quality silage can be produced from pre-wilted SPL by addition of 60 g $kg^{-1}$ of either CRM, SPM or Mo. Diets with inclusion of 450 g ensiled SPL $kg^{-1}$ DM showed a high digestibility of dietary components and thus ensiled SPL should be considered as a potential feed resource for growing pigs.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.265-272
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• 2006

Acne is a chronic inflammatory follicular disorder of the skin, occurring in specialized pilosebaceous units on the face, and Propionibacterium acnes, a strict anaerobic pathogen, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acne. To develop a reliable and effective anti-acne agent, we have evaluated antibacterial activity of 500 plant extracts, prepared from 335 plants, against P. acnes. Based on the results of disc-paper method, 25 plant extracts, including the extracts of Chloranthus japonicus (aerial part), Sophora flavescens (radix), Evodia officinalis (fructus), Ginko biloba (semem), Morus alba (root bark), Aralia continentalis (whole) and Reynoutria elliptica (radix), were selected as possible sources of anti-acne agent. Among them, the extract of S. flavescens (radix) was finally selected and kuraridin and kurarinone were identified as major active compounds of S. flavescens. These results suggested that medicinal and wild plants could be the potential source of anti-acne agent.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.350-357
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• 2013

Lichens are symbiotic organisms composed of fungi, algae, or cyanobacteria which are able to survive in extreme environmental conditions ranging from deserts to polar areas. Some lichen symbionts produce a wide range of secondary metabolites that have many biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory etc. Among the symbionts of lichens, of the bacterial communities of lichen symbionts little is known. In this study, we isolated 4 microbial species from the Arctic lichen Stereocaulon spp. and evaluated their antioxidant properties using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl assay as well as 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) assay. Total phenolic contents and total flavonoid contents were also measured. A potent radical scavenging activity was detected in a number of the lichen extracts. Among the 4 species tested in this study, the ethyl acetate extract of Bosea vestrisii 36546(T) exhibited the strongest free radical scavenging activity, with an inhibition rate of 86.8% in DPPH and 75.2% in ABTS assays. Overall, these results suggest that lichen-bacteria could be a potential source of natural antioxidants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.785-792
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• 2020

ʟ-Theanine, found in green tea leaves has been shown to positively affect immunity and relaxation in humans. There have been many attempts to produce ʟ-theanine through enzymatic synthesis to overcome the limitations of traditional methods. Among the many genes coding for enzymes in the ʟ-theanine biosynthesis, glutamylmethylamide synthetase (GMAS) exhibits the greatest possibility of producing large amounts of production. Thus, GMAS from Methylovorus mays No. 9 was overexpressed in several strains including vectors with different copy numbers. BW25113(DE3) cells containing the pET24ma::gmas was selected for strains. The optimal temperature, pH, and metal ion concentration were 50℃, 7, and 5 mM MnCl₂, respectively. Additionally, ATP was found to be an important factor for producing high concentration of ʟ-theanine so several strains were tested during the reaction for ATP regeneration. Baker's yeast was found to decrease the demand for ATP most effectively. Addition of potassium phosphate source was demonstrated by producing 4-fold higher ʟ-theanine. To enhance the conversion yield, GMAS was additionally overexpressed in the system. A maximum of 198 mM ʟ-theanine was produced with 16.5 mmol/l/h productivity. The whole-cell reaction involving GMAS has greatest potential for scale-up production of ʟ-theanine.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2012

The main challenges for the development of agricultural bio-degradable mulching film concern the degradation during the lifetime of cultivated crops. A set of rice by-product (rice-hull and rice-bran) based bio-degradable mulching films was developed and tested, following the measurement of standard bio-degradability rate and adaptability in a large scale field experiment. The standard bio-degradability of bio-film passed the KS (Korea standard) regulation. The result of mechanical analysis of bio-degradable mulching film presented a higher mechanical strength and elongation rate compared with polyethylene film. In addition, bio-film could be degraded into fragments within 4 months under the field condition of several upland crops. Bio-degradable mulching film indicated great potential as a new source of agricultural bio-degradable material.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.375-384
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• 2014

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) was recognized as a potential source of forage. But the domestic cultivation techniques are not set standards yet. So we tested the basic culture techniques during 2012~2013 for getting a high yield and good grade forage production system. The best seeding method for mechanized planting (corn planter used) was hill seeding with $20{\times}20cm$ seeding distance. When we treated hill seeding with $20{\times}20cm$, the yield what we could get was 13,641 kg/10a and it was 32% more than that of conventional practice hill seeding with $20{\times}30cm$ seeding distance. The proper seeding date for getting high yield was May 1. In May 1, the yield per 10a was reached 13,423 kg, and it was 30% more than that of seeding at May 30. More over the crude protein content which was important factor for determinating forage nutritive value was 12.7% and it was higher 1.8% (relatively 16.5% high) than that of May 30 seeding. The most effective herbicide for kenaf was Fluazipof-p-butyl. It's herbicidal rate was 97% and phyto-toxicity was less than 5%. Regional adaptability for Jeollabuk-Do including Imsil Gun, Kochang Gun and Sunchang Gun were identified that the stable cultivation were possible in these area with average yield 12,400 kg/10a and it was about 1.7 times as compared to corn harvest.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.227-237
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• 2009

Recently, adipose mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSC) that are similar to bone marrow MSC and blood derived MSC are thought to be another source for stem cell therapy. However, the diseases that can be applied for stem cells therapy are age-dependent degenerative diseases. Accordingly, the present study investigated the growth and differentiation potential to neural cells of human AdMSC (hAdMSC) obtained from aged thirty, forty and fifty. The growth of cells and cell viability were measured by passage and neural differentiation of hAdMSC was induced in neural differentiation condition for 10 days. Our results demonstrated that cell number, viability and morphology were not different from hAdMSC by age and passage. Immunofluorescence analysis of neural cell marker (TuJ1, NSE, Sox2, GFAP or MAP2) demonstrated no significant differences in neural cell differentiation by age and passage. As the number of passage was increased, the mRNA level of MAP2 and Sox2 was decreased in hAdMSC from age of 50 compared to hAdMSC from age of 30. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that ability of neural cell differentiation of hAdMSC was maintained with ages, suggesting that autologous stem cells from aged people can be applied for stem cell therapy with age-dependent neural disease with the same stem cell quality and ability as stem cell derived from young age.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.357-363
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• 2014

Isoprene is a one of the biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and it is known as a source of the tropospheric ozone and formaldehyde. In addition, isoprene is a trace component of the exhaled breath and it is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of diseases such as lung cancer. In these regards, isoprene gas standards are required for the accurate measurement of isoprene in air samples. To establish a standard for isoprene gas, gravimetric preparation and characterization of primary gas standards were studied. The primary gas standards were produced independently in 4 aluminum cylinders and concentrations were examined by GC-FID. As a result, the uncertainty of the gravimetric preparations including purity of the raw material was 0.01% and reproducibility of the preparation of independent 4 cylinders was 0.08%. The primary gas standards for isoprene showed 14 months of long-term stability. The relative expended uncertainty of 2.8% (95% of confidence level, k=1.96) was assigned to the certified value of 10 ${\mu}mol$/mol level of isoprene based on the quantitative evaluation of the purity, weighing, reproducibility, adsorption and long-term stability.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.445-449
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• 2009

For human organ transplantations, histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution (HTKS) and University of Wisconsin solution (UWS) have been shown to engender similar outcomes as gold standard cold preservation solutions ($4^{\circ}C$). To select the effective preservation solution for cold storage of kidney xenografts in miniature pig, which could be a potential source animal of bio-organs, this study compared early histopathological outcomes of cold preservation injury using HTKS and UWS. Twelve miniature pigs weighing 25.6 to 34.7 kg were divided into two groups (n = 6 per group), UWS group and HTKS group. The kidneys in each group were harvested, cold flushed, and preserved for 0, 24, 48, and 72 hrs at $4^{\circ}C$ with UWS or HTKS, respectively. Histolopathological examinations were assessed on kidney biopsy specimens, taken after each cold storage. The degree of renal injury was scored using 5 different criteria (pyknotic nuclei, disruption of cytoplasm, detachment of epithelium, loss of microvilli, tubular necrosis and loss of glomerular tufts) of the cellular components of the tissue. The degree of kidney damage was increased with prolonged cold ischemia time. UWS and HTKS have at least similar efficacy in kidney preservation within 24 hrs cold preservation time. However, in HTKS group cold-induced injury started to be observed more than in UWS group after 48 hrs of cold storage. In conclusion, UWS and HTKS were equally effective for cold preservation of miniature pig kidney in early preservation times; however, UWS may be more effective at longer preservation times as compared to HTKS.