• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.529-534
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• 2010

Occurrence of wilted symptom in watermelon plant ($Citrullus$ $lanatus$ L.) is known to be caused by physiological disorder. The symptom results in the loss of fruit production and thus the economical loss of watermelon growers. The incidence of symptom is often found from the middle of March to the end of May in the major watermelon crop production areas of Korea (i.e. Uiryeong, Gyeongnam (lat $37^{\circ}$56'64"N, long $126^{\circ}$99'97"E)). Despite of extensive information about the physiological disorder, little study has been conducted to understand a relationship between the wilted symptom and accompanying environment factors (e.g. temperature). This study aimed to investigate effects of environmental conditions amended by a forced-ventilation system on physiological characteristics of watermelon and incidence of the wilted symptom. Watermelon plants were grown from January to May, 2009 with either the forced-or natural-ventilation treatment in a greenhouse located in the Uiryeong. In the result, the forced-ventilation treatment decreased the air, leaf and root-zone temperature approximately $4.5^{\circ}C$, $5^{\circ}C$ and $3^{\circ}C$, respectively, compared to the natural-ventilation. The fruit growth rate was maximized twice during the entire growing period. The higher rate of fruit growth was observed under the natural-ventilation than the forced one. Maximization of the fruit growth rate (approximately 430 g per day) was first observed by 12 days after fruiting under the natural-ventilation treatment, while the second one (approximately 350 g per day) was observed by 24 days after fruiting. The wilted symptom started occurring by 22 days after fruiting under the natural-ventilation, whereas no incidence of the symptom was found under the forced-ventilation treatment. Interestingly, the forced-ventilation lowered the fruit growth rate (approximately 320 g per day) compared to the natural one. Maximization of the fruit growth rate under the forced-ventilation was found at 4 days later than that under the natural one. This result coincided with a slower plant growth under the forced-ventilation treatment. These results suggest that the forced-ventilation slows down extension growth of fruit and plant, which may be associated with lowering leaf temperature and saturation deficit. We suggest the hypothesis that the forced-ventilation may alleviate stress of the wilted symptom by avoiding extreme water evaporation from leaves due to high temperature and thus by reducing competition between leaves and fruits for water. More direct and detailed investigations are needed to confirm the effect of the forced ventilation.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.131-137
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• 2000

The release of hazardous waste materials into the environment poses serious risks in humans and ecosystems. The risk assessment of environmental pollutants including hazardous chemicals requires a comprehensive measurement of hazard and exposure of the chemicals that can be achieved by toxicity evaluation using a biological system such as biomarkers. In this report we have tried to develop a biomarker used to elucidate a molecular basis of, and to monitor abnormal behaviors caused by diazinon in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) as a model organism. First, an attempt was made to clone tyrosine hydroxylase gene from Japanese medaka that would be a candidate for a biomarker for neuronal modulations and behaviors. For monitoring experiments at behavioral and molecular biological levels, the fish were treated under different sublethal conditions of diazinon and their behavioral responses were observed . In this study we have successfully cloned a partial TH gene from the medaka fish through PCR screening of an ovary cDNA library. DNA sequencing analysis revealed that the amplified fragment was 327 bp encoding 109 amino acids. Comparing the DNA sequence of medaka TH with other species, TH gene revealed the DNA sequence was completely identical to that of rat TH. In the RT-PCR, 330 Up of mRNA was consistently amplified in all the treated samples including control There were no significant differences in the TH expression level regardless of treating concentrations (1∼5,000 ppb) and time (0∼48 hr) The reason appeared to be that RT-PCR was not performed using through a quantitative analysis normalized against an actin gene expression. Organ or tissue - specific detection of TH activity and mRNA as biomarkers will be a useful monitoring tool for neurobehavioral changes in fish influenced by toxic chemicals. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of locomotive patterns and its correlation with the neurochemical and molecular data would be highly useful in measuring toxicity and hazard ofvarious environmental pollutants.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2017

A gamma-ray peak of $^{226}Ra$ (186.2 keV) overlaps with one of $^{235}U$ (185.7 keV) in a gamma-ray spectrometry system. Though reference peaks of $^{235}U$ can be used to correct the peak interference of $^{235}U$ in the analysis of $^{226}Ra$, this requires a complicated calculation process and a high limit of quantitation. On the other hand, evaluating $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant in the overlapped peak can make a rapid measurement of $^{226}Ra$ without the complicated calculation process as well as overcome the disadvantage in the indirect measurement of $^{214}Bi$, which means the confinement of $^{222}Rn$ gas in a sample container and a time period to recover the secular equilibrium. About 93 samples with 6 species for raw-materials and by-products were prepared to evaluate the activity of $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant. The results were compared with the activity of $^{214}Bi$, which means the indirect measurement of $^{226}Ra$, to validate the method of the direct measurement of $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant. The difference between the direct and indirect measurement of $^{226}Ra$ was generally below about ${\pm}20%$. However, in the case of the phospho gypsum, a large error of about 50% was found in the comparison results, which indicates the disequilibrium between $^{238}U$ and $^{226}Ra$ in the materials. Application results of the contribution ratio of $^{226}Ra$ were below about ${\pm}10%$. The direct measurement of $^{226}Ra$ using the correction constant can be an effective method for its rapid measurement of raw materials and by-products because the activity of $^{226}Ra$ can be produced with a simple calculation without the consideration of the integrity of a sample container and the time period to recover the secular equilibrium.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.54-66
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• 2002

In order to study systematic survey of Kumho river pollution, water analysis for 24 items was conducted at 16 sites surrounding the Kumho river system for 3 times from May 2000 to February 2001. Analytical items for the study of water quality are as follows; water temperature, pH, BOD, COD, DO, SS, electrical conductivity, oil & grease, ABS, phenol, T-P, ${PO_4}^{3-}-P$, T-N, $NH_3-N$, ${NO_2}^--N$, ${NO_3}^--N$, Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, Mn, Fe, Pb and As. The mean values obtained for water temperature, pH, BOD, COD, DO, SS, electrical conductivity, oil & grease, ABS, phenol T-P, T-N, Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn showed $17.84^{\circ}C$, 8.04, $2.54{\mu}g/mL$, $5.64{\mu}g/mL$, $7.07{\mu}g/mL$, $8.75{\mu}g/mL$, $600.4{\mu}S/cm$, $0.19{\mu}g/mL$, $0.015{\mu}g/mL$, $0.29{\mu}g/mL$, $0.21{\mu}g/mL$, $5.22{\mu}g/mL$, $0.005{\mu}g/mL$, $0.007{\mu}g/mL$, $0.044{\mu}g/mL$ and $0.001{\mu}g/mL$ respectively. As, Cd, Cr and Pb are not detected. The mean concentration of phenol, $NH_3-N$ and $NO_2-N$ were found to be increased compared to the prior study for 3 years from January 1997 to December 1999, that of BOD, COD, SS, oil & grease and ABS were found to be decreased and the others are nearly constant. The effect of Kumho river to the Nakdong river pollution are as follows. The mean concentration of BOD changed from $1.07{\mu}g/mL$ to $1.42{\mu}g/mL$ before and after of introducing of Kumho river water respectively. The mean concentration of COD, electrical conductivity, oil & grease, ABS, phenol, T-N and T-P changed from $1.99{\mu}g/mL$, $221{\mu}S/cm$, $0.15{\mu}g/mL$, $0.006{\mu}g/mL$, $0.06{\mu}g/mL$, $2.21{\mu}g/mL$ and $0.08{\mu}g/mL$ to $2.44{\mu}g/mL$, $392{\mu}S/cm$, $0.16{\mu}g/mL$, $0.015{\mu}g/mL$, $0.07{\mu}g/mL$, $2.81{\mu}g/mL$ and $0.19{\mu}g/mL$ respectively.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2017

This study was conducted to develop an agent-based computing platform enabling simulation of on-farm produce contamination by enteric foodborne pathogens, which is herein called PPMCS (Preharvest Produce Microbial Contamination Simulator). Also, fecal contamination of preharvest produce was simulated using PPMCS. Although Agent-based Modeling and Simulation, the tool applied in this study, is rather popular in where socio-economical human behaviors or ecological fate of animals in their niche are to be predicted, the incidence of on-farm produce contamination which are thought to be sporadic has never been simulated using this tool. The agents in PPMCS including crop, animal as a source of fecal contamination, and fly as a vector spreading the fecal contamination are given their intrinsic behaviors that are set to be executed at certain probability. Once all these agents are on-set following the intrinsic behavioral rules, consequences as the sum of all the behaviors in the system can be monitored real-time. When fecal contamination of preharvest produce was simulated in PPMCS as numbers of animals, flies, and initially contaminated plants change, the number of animals intruding cropping area affected most on the number of contaminated plants at harvest. For further application, the behaviors and variables of the agents are adjustable depending on user's own scenario of interest. This feature allows PPMCS to be utilized in where different simulating conditions are tested.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.523-530
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• 2011

This study was carried out to understand the characteristic relations fruit changes caused by adjusting the amount of the fruit load in 'Niitaka' and 'Whangkeumbae'. The average fruit weight of 'Niitaka' was 672.0 g and the amount of fruit in the range of 601-750 g was the highest, accounting for 33.8% of the production and as for 'Whangkeumbae', the average fruit weight was 477.5 g and fruit in the range of 401-600 g accounted for 72.5% of total production. The weight of the 'Niitaka' was evenly distributed in each range from below 300 g to over 1 kg and the percent of the regular shaped fruit in 'Whangkeumbae' was high as the distribution range of the fruit weight was narrow. The brix degree and the soluble solid content (SSC)/acidity ratio of 'Niitaka' had a significantly positive correlation with the fruit weight, the length, and the diameter of the fruit. The brix degree also had a positive correlation with weight and diameter of the fruit for 'Whangkeumbae'. As for the difference in fruit quality according to fruit weight for each variety, the brix degree was low in 'Niitaka' that were below 451 g and the fruit firmness was low in fruits weighing under 400 g. There was no difference according to fruit weight in 'Whangkeumbae'. The fruit size was impacted by the fleshy part and the ratio of fleshy part was higher as the fruit size became larger. The weight of the fruit, brix degree, and the SSC/acidity ratio were low while the firmness was high in light thinning treatment for 'Niitaka' and in the case of 'Whangkeumbae', the fruit weight and brix degree were both low in light thinning treatment. The brix degree was higher in bigger sized fruit in all thinning intensity for 'Niitaka', the case in light thinning treatment especially where the quality was poor due to low brix degree in fruits that weighed less than 450 g, on the other hand, there was no difference in the quality due to the fruit weight among the thinning intensity for 'Whangkeumbae'. Therefore, it is possible to produce smaller sized fruits in 'Niitaka' by controlling the thinning intensity, as it is inevitable to result in lower quality fruits, however, it is projected that we can produce small to mid-sized fruits in 'Whangkeumbae' by controlling the thinning intensity without causing the decline in fruit quality.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.633-640
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• 2011

Brassica rapa is an A genome model species for Brassica crop genetics, genomics, and breeding. With the completion of sequencing the B. rapa genome, functional analysis of the genome is forthcoming issue. The expressed sequence tags are fundamental resources supporting annotation and functional analysis of the genome including identification of tissue-specific genes and promoters. As of July 2011, 147,217 ESTs from 39 cDNA libraries of B. rapa are reported in the public database. However, little information can be retrieved from the sequences due to lack of organized databases. To leverage the sequence information and to maximize the use of publicly-available EST collections, the Brassica rapa tissue-specific EST database (BrTED) is developed. BrTED includes sequence information of 23,962 unigenes assembled by StackPack program. The unigene set is used as a query unit for various analyses such as BLAST against TAIR gene model, functional annotation using MIPS and UniProt, gene ontology analysis, and prediction of tissue-specific unigene sets based on statistics test. The database is composed of two main units, EST sequence processing and information retrieving unit and tissue-specific expression profile analysis unit. Information and data in both units are tightly inter-connected to each other using a web based browsing system. RT-PCR evaluation of 29 selected unigene sets successfully amplified amplicons from the target tissues of B. rapa. BrTED provided here allows the user to identify and analyze the expression of genes of interest and aid efforts to interpret the B. rapa genome through functional genomics. In addition, it can be used as a public resource in providing reference information to study the genus Brassica and other closely related crop crucifer plants.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.561-567
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• 2011

Cold tolerance of the native Rhododendron species which are on the verge of extinction in Korean nature were compared with the introduced species and its mechanism were studied physiologically with the investigation of the leaf angle, leaf curling, and photosynthetic activity. The degree of cold tolerance measured with the leaf burning after winter season was higher in the native species, Rhododendron brachycarpum and Rhododendron brachycarpum var. roseum than all the introduced species. 'Nova Zembla', an introduced species, showed high sensitivity to the low temperature. Changes in leaf angle by the low temperature were bigger in 2 native species and 'Parker's Pink' than the other introduced species and small comparatively in 'Nova Zembla' and 'Cunningham's White' cultivar. Leaf curling also occurred strongly in 2 native species by the low temperature. While, it was comparatively little and mild in the other introduced species. Therefore these results suggested that the leaf movement such as leaf angle change and curling adapted to the low temperature is positively related to the cold tolerance of 2 native species. By the way, such relationship is not explainable in the cold-sensitive 'Parker's Pink' cultivar showing comparatively stronger leaf movement. Photosynthetic activity measured before the winter season was high in the cold-tolerant R. brachycarpum and its recovery after winter season was faster in the 2 native species and the introduced 'Cynosure' cultivar than the other introduced species. They were the lowest in the most cold-sensitive 'Nova Zembla'. This phenomena occurred similarly even in the stomatal conductivity, suggesting that the movement of water from the roots to the leaves is better and then the leaf burning after winter season become small in the cold-tolerant species. The recovery of photosynthetic activity and stomatal conductivity was comparatively slower in the cold-sensitive 'Parker's Pink'. From the above results, leaf behavior adapted to the low temperature during the winter season and water movement to the leaves are related collectively to the cold tolerance represented as the leaf burning in the Rhododendron species is suggested.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.178-183
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• 2014

This study aimed to evaluate the fruit quality characteristics and incidence of flesh browning in response to air storage at $0{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ a fter controlled atmosphere s torage (CA condition: $O_2$ $2.5{\pm}0.5$%, $CO_2$ $1.5{\pm}0.5$%) at $0{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ in 'Fuji' apples (Malus domestica Borkh.). The storage system was performed as followed: air storage for one month, CA storage 4 months + air storage 3 months ( CA 4M + A ir 3M), CA storage 5 m onths + air storage 2 months ( CA 5M + Air 2M) a nd C A storage 6 m onths + air storage 1months (CA 6M + Air 1M), while the control fruits were stored at CA storage for 8 months right after harvest. The incidence of flesh browning ranged from 17.1% to 30.2% during CA storage but not detected under the treatments of CA 4M + Air 3M and CA 5M + Air 2M. The respiration rate was not affected by storage treatments for 6M while the respiration rate was lower in the treatments of CA 4M + Air 3M and CA 5M + Air 2M than the other storage treatments after 7 months. Ethylene production and internal ethylene concentration were lowest in rapid CA storage and increased with a decreasing CA storage duration. Therefore, the results indicate that CA 5M + Air 2M storage treatment should be recommended to maintain the fruit quality and reduce the risk development of flesh browning rather than typical CA storage in 'Fuji' apples.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.189-197
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• 2012

Geochemical composition of fracture filling minerals and groundwater was investigated to characterize geochemical characteristics of groundwater system at the KURT site. Minerals such as calcite, illite, laumontite, chlorite, epidote, montmorillonite, and kaolinite, as well as I/S mixed layer minerals were detected in the minerals extracted from the fracture surfaces of the core samples. The groundwater from the DB-1, YS-1 and YS-4 boreholes showed alkaline conditions with pH of higher than 8. The electrical conductivity (EC) values of the groundwater samples were around $200{\mu}S/cm$, except for the YS-1 borehole. Dissolved oxygen was almost zero in the DB-1 borehole indicating highly reduced conditions. The Cl- concentration was estimated around 5 mg/L and showed homogeneous distribution along depths at the KURT site. It might indicate the mixing between shallow groundwater and deep groundwater. The shallow groundwater from boreholes showed $Ca-HCO_3$ type, whereas deep groundwater below 300 m from the surface indicated $Na-HCO_3$ type. The isotopic values observed in the groundwater ranged from -10.4 to -8.2‰ for ${\delta}^{18}O$ and from -71.3 to -55.0‰for ${\delta}D$. In addition, the isotope-depleted water contained higher fluoride concentration. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic values of deep groundwater were more depleted compared to the shallow groundwater. The results from age dating analysis using $^{14}C$ indicated relatively younger (2000~6000yr old) groundwater compared to other european granitic groundwaters such as Stripa (Sweden).