• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1424-1436
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of banana flower powder (BAFLOP) supplementation on gas production kinetics and rumen fermentation efficiency in in vitro incubation with different ratios of roughage to concentrate in swamp buffalo and cattle rumen fluid. Two male, rumen fistulated dairy steers and swamp buffaloes were used as rumen fluid donors. The treatments were arranged according to a $2{\times}2{\times}3$ factorial arrangement in a Completely randomized design by using two ratios of roughage to concentrate (R:C; 75:25 and 25:75) and 3 levels of BAFLOP supplementation (0, 2 and 4% of dietary substrate) into two different kinds of rumen fluid (beef cattle and swamp buffalo). Under this investigation, the results revealed that the rumen ecology was affected by R:C ratio. The pH declined as a result of using high concentrate ratio; however, supplementation of BAFLOP could buffer the pH which led to an improvement of ruminal efficiency. BAFLOP supplementation affected acetic acid (C2) when the proportion of concentrate was increased. However, there were no effect on total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) and butyric acid (C4) by BAFLOP supplementation. The microbial community was affected by BAFLOP supplementation, especially the bacterial population. As revealed by real-time PCR, the populations of F. succinogenes and R. albus were reduced by the high concentrate treatments while that of R. flavafaciens were increased. The populations of three dominant cellulolytic bacteria were enhanced by BAFLOP supplementation, especially on high concentrate diet. BAFLOP supplementation did not influence the ammonia nitrogen ($NH_3$-N) concentration, while R:C did. In addition, the in vitro digestibility was improved by either R:C or BAFLOP supplementation. The BAFLOP supplementation showed an effect on gas production kinetics, except for the gas production rate constant for the insoluble fraction (c), while treatments with high concentrate ratio resulted in the highest values. In addition, BAFLOP tended to increase gas production. Based on this study, it could be concluded that R:C had an effect on rumen ecology both in buffalo and cattle rumen fluid and hence, BAFLOP could be used as a rumen buffering agent for enhancing rumen ecology fed on high concentrate diet. It is recommended that level of BAFLOP supplementation should be at 2 to 4% of total dry matter of substrate. However, in vivo trials should be subsequently conducted to investigate the effect of BAFLOP in high concentrate diets on rumen ecology as well as ruminant production.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2003

Various extracts of higher plants have been used in traditional medicine systems for centuries. While tropical and sub-tropical plants have received considerable attention from the researchers for evaluation of their bioactivity, temeperate plants have always been neglected somewhat. Similarly, seeds of the plants have not been considered seriously compared to other plant parts, e.g. leaves, stems, roots, flowers, etc. as a potential source for biologically active compounds. As part of our on-going evaluation of the extracts of the seeds of temperate plants, especially from Scotland, for biological activity, Achillea millefolium, Angelica sylvestris and Phleum pratense have been chosen for the present study. Both A. millefolium and A. sylvestris are well known for their traditional medicinal uses in Europe and also in the orient, but there is no report on any medicinal properties of P. pratense available to date. Extracts of the seeds of these plants have been assessed for their antioxidant and antibacterial potential and also for general toxicity. Both DCM and MeOH extracts of A. millefolium showed the most significant broad spectrum antibacterial activity among the three plants and inhibited the growth of almost all test strains of bacteria. The DCM extracts of all three species were active against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Citrobacter freundii $(MIC=6.25{\times}10^{-1}\;mg/mL)$. While the MeOH extracts of A. millefolium and P. pratense were active against C. freundii, that of P. pratense was also active against MRSA. The MeOH extract of A. sylvestris did not show any antibacterial activity against any of the eight bacterial strains at test concentrations. The MeOH extract of P. pratense showed the most prominent antioxidant activity $(IC_{50}=145\;{\mu}g/ml)$ and there was no antioxidant activity observed with the DCM extract of A. millefolium. The DCM extract of P. pratense was the most toxic $(LC_{50}=20\;{\mu}g/ml)$ among the extracts.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.45-63
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• 2019

In view of the growing industrial use of Bacterial cellulose (BC), and taking into account that it might become airborne and be inhaled after industrial processing, assessing its potential pulmonary toxic effects assumes high relevance. In this work, the murine model was used to assess the effects of exposure to respirable BC nanofibrils (nBC), obtained by disintegration of BC produced by Komagataeibacter hansenii. Murine bone marrow-derived macrophages ($BMM{\Phi}$) were treated with different doses of nBC (0.02 and 0.2 mg/mL, respectively 1 and $10{\mu}g$ of fibrils) in absence or presence of 0.2% Carboxymethyl Cellulose (nBCMC). Furthermore, mice were instilled intratracheally with nBC or nBCMC at different concentrations and at different time-points and analyzed up to 6 months after treatments. Microcrystaline $Avicel-plus^{(R)}$ CM 2159, a plant-derived cellulose, was used for comparison. Markers of cellular damage (lactate dehydrogenase release and total protein) and oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxidase, reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation and glutathione peroxidase activity) as well presence of inflammatory cells were evaluated in brochoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids. Histological analysis of lungs, heart and liver tissues was also performed. BAL analysis showed that exposure to nBCMC or CMC did not induce major alterations in the assessed markers of cell damage, oxidative stress or inflammatory cell numbers in BAL fluid over time, even following cumulative treatments. $Avicel-plus^{(R)}$ CM 2159 significantly increased LDH release, detected 3 months after 4 weekly administrations. However, histological results revealed a chronic inflammatory response and tissue alterations, being hypertrophy of pulmonary arteries (observed 3 months after nBCMC treatment) of particular concern. These histological alterations remained after 6 months in animals treated with nBC, possibly due to foreign body reaction and the organism's inability to remove the fibers. Overall, despite being a safe and biocompatible biomaterial, BC-derived nanofibrils inhalation may lead to lung pathology and pose significant health risks.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.250-257
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• 2023

Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter distributed in the central nervous system of mammals. However, high concentrations of glutamate are known to cause neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke by causing nerve cell death. In this study, the antioxidant activity and neuroprotective effect of subtropical natural products were analyzed. Among 11 subtropical plant extracts mainly tested, Sallacca wallichiana extract (SE) showed the greatest free radical scavenging activity. Then, we confirmed through WST-1 assay that SE protected HT22 cells against glutamate-induced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. The protective effects of SE against glutamate-induced apoptosis in HT22 cells were also confirmed by flow cytometry analysis using Annexin V/PI double staining. We also confirmed using H₂DCF-DA single staining that SE inhibits glutamate-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species. And we were confirmed through that SE inhibited glutamate-induced phosphorylation of Mitogen-activated Protein kinases. Consequently, our results propose that SE may contribute to the development of therapeutics to prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2012

Korean lawn grass, which belongs to Zoysia genus in Gramineae family, is one of the major turfgrass which is widely adapted to its native niches in the temperate region of the north east Asia through tropical regions including Philippine, Thailand and Australia. The Turfgrass Information Center' database provides 5,340 descriptive records including 638 referred papers and 1,370 technical reports concerning 'Zoysia'. The database focused on researches on golf courses and lawn care industries. The researches provide informations on seed technology and use of plant protectant for pest management in turf management industries. The purpose of this study is to analyze and classify the research contents of zoysiagrasses which have been published in Korean journals. The total number of research papers published in Korean journals were 274 including 102, 38, and 134 in the 'Botanical', 'Environmental' and 'Cultural' researches, respectively. Publication in foreign journals by Korean investigators were not counted in this research. Research fields concerning golf course maintenance and plant protectant are believed to be necessary when compared to international trends. Moreover, advanced research efforts for the development of new cultivars with various environmental and disease resistance should be accomplished.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 1985

Water hyacinth, unused and tropical plant was examined in order to know the feasibility of application for purification of municipal drainage and industrial wastewater. This plant was effective to remove the COD from wastewater, although its removal ability was dependent on the organic sources. The effects of pH, NaCl concentration, water temperature and shading condition on the growth of water hyacinth were investigated. The optimum ranges of pH were weak acid- neutral, of water temperature were 17-$21^{\circ}C$, and unshading condition was better. The rapid propagation of this plant was also observed during hot summer season.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.241-241
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• 2017

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) LAMK.,) have been cultivated in Central and South America for about 2000 years and are now grown mainly in Asia and South America. Sweet potatoes are annual in the temperate region, but are classified as perennial in the tropical region. In 2000, the cultivation area of sweet potatoes decreased to about 16,000 ha in 2000, but the cultivation area increased slightly in recent 20,000 ha in Korea. Sweet potatoes do not show higher maximum dry matter production of 120 ~ 150g per plant, and the leaf area index (LAI), which maximizes dry matter production, is known as 3.0 ~ 4.0. As the leaf area increase, the penetration of light into the canopy becomes poor, and sufficient photosynthesis cannot be achieved in the lower leaves, on the other hand the respiration increase, which results in poor dry matter production. This study was conducted to know the responses of sweet potatoes to intensive shading treatment of 80% shading. This experiment was conducted for about 42 days from September 6, 2016 to October 18, 2016 at Gyeongsang National University Experimental Farm, Jinju, Korea. The plant canopy was shaded with black nylon 80% shade cloth suspended 1.2 m above the ground. The photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence, SPAD and NDVI were measured in 3 replicates every 7 days after shading initiation. After the fresh weight was measured, the samples were dried at $80^{\circ}C$ in a dry oven and measured. By the 80% shading treatment, chlorophyll fluorescence of the treated plants was slightly higher than that of the control, the SPAD value was higher by 3.4 and NDVI value was higher by 0.01. However, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were lower than those of the control. The stomatal conductance of the control were two times higher than those of the control and the photosynthetic rate of the control was four times higher than that of the control. In control, plant showed a tendency to steadily increase in fresh weight and dry weight. However, in the case of shading treatment, the tendency to increase in the fresh and dry weight of tuberous roots was not clear. The fresh weight of shoot showed a tendency to increase steadily while the difference between treatment and control was not large, but tended to decrease after frost.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.63-63
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• 2003

Opuntia ficus-indicavar. saboten Makino (Cactaceae) is a tropical or subtropical plant that has been widely used as folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes, asthma, burn, edema and gastritis. The purposes of the present study were to identify antioxidant constituents from fruits and stems of the plant cultivated in Cheju island, Korea, and examine their in vitro neuroprotective activities. Using a chromatographic fractionation method, ten chemical constituents were isolated from ethyl acetate extracts. By means of chemical and spectroscopic methods, those were identified as eight flavonoids such as kaempherol (a), quercetin (b), kaempferol 3-methyl ether (c), quercetin 3-methyl ether (d), narcissin (e), dihydrokaernpferol (f), dihydroquercetin (g) and erioclictyol (h), and two terpenoids such as 3-oxo-${\alpha}$-ionol-${\beta}$-d-glucopyranoside (i) and roseoside (j). Among the isolated compounds, comrounds c~e and h~j were those reported for the first titre from the plant. Compounds b, d and g showed DPPH free radical scavenging activities with IC$\sub$50/ values of 28, 19 and 31, ${\mu}$M respectively. Compounds d and g also inhibited iron-dependent lipid peroxidation with IC$\sub$50/ values of 2.4 and 3.5 ${\mu}$M. In a primary rat cortical neuronal cell culture system, compounds b, d and g inhibited xanthine/xanthine oxidase-induced (IC$\sub$50/ values of 18.2, 2.1 and 54.6 ${\mu}$M) and H$_2$O$_2$-induced (IC$\sub$50/ values of 13.6, 1.9 and 25.7 ${\mu}$M) cytotoxicities. In addition, compounds d and g inhibited NMDA-induced excitotoxicity by 21 and 33%, and only compound d inhibited growth factor withdrawal-induced apoptosis by 31% at a tested concentration of 3 ${\mu}$M. The results suggest that the antioxidant constituents with in vitroneuroprotective activities may serve as lead chemicals for the development of neuroprotective agent.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2017

This study was conducted to analyze the urban heat island(UHI) intensity of South Korea by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) satellite imagery. For this purpose, the metropolitan area was spatially divided according to land cover classification into urban and non-urban land. From the analysis of land surface temperature(LST) in South Korea in the summer of 2009 which was calculated from MODIS satellite imagery it was determined that the highest temperature recorded nationwide was $36.0^{\circ}C$, lowest $16.2^{\circ}C$, and that the mean was $24.3^{\circ}C$, with a standard deviation of $2.4^{\circ}C$. In order to analyze UHI by cities and counties, UHI intensity was defined as the difference in average temperature between urban and non-urban land, and was calculated through RST1 and RST2. The RST1 calculation showed scattered distribution in areas of high UHI intensity, whereas the RST2 calculation showed that areas of high UHI intensity were concentrated around major cities. In order to find an effective method for analyzing UHI by cities and counties, analysis was conducted of the correlation between the urbanization ratio, number of tropical heat nights, and number of heat-wave days. Although UHI intensity derived through RST1 showed barely any correlation, that derived through RST2 showed significant correlation. The RST2 method is deemed as a more suitable analytical method for measuring the UHI of urban land in cities and counties across the country. In cities and counties with an urbanization ratio of < 20%, the rate of increase for UHI intensity in proportion to increases in urbanization ratio, was very high; whereas this rate gradually declined when the urbanization ratio was > 20%. With an increase of $1^{\circ}C$ in RST2 UHI intensity, the number of tropical heat nights and heat wave days was predicted to increase by approximately five and 0.5, respectively. These results can be used for reference when predicting the effects of increased urbanization on UHI intensity.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.53-56
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• 2012

Treatment of hydatid disease is mainly surgical, with medical treatment being reserved as a coadjuvant treatment. Use of effective scolicidal agents during surgery of cystic echinococcosis is essential to reduce the recurrence rate. The goal of this study was to evaluate the in vitro scolicidal effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of $Satureja$ $khuzestanica$ leaves and aqueous extracts of $Olea$ $europaea$ leaves on hydatid cyst protoscolices. $Echinococcus$ $granulosus$ protoscolices were collected from the liver of sheep infected with the hydatid cyst. Various concentrations of plant extracts were used in different exposure times for viability assay of protoscolices. Among the olive leaf extracts tested, 0.1% and 0.01% concentrations had strong scolicidal effects in 120 min. $S.$ $khuzestanica$ 0.1% had very strong scolicidal effects in 30, 60, and 120 min of exposure times and the mortality rate decreased with the lower concentration. The finding have shown that the scolicidal activity of $S.$ $khuzestanica$ against cystic echinococosis protoscolices were more effective, while the $O.$ $europaea$ extract showed less effects.