• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.267-276
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• 2008

Acute and chronic toxicities of sediment elutriate and surface water samples collected at Lake Shihwa were evaluated using standard toxicity testing organisms including Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna and Moina macrocopa. Acute exposure resulted in toxic effects in all surface water or sediment elutriate samples, except for those collected from the reed swamp and Okgu stream. The rainy season influenced the toxicity of the water samples, presumably either by dilution of point discharge or through introduction of non-point source contaminants through runoff. In the sediment, elutriate and surface water samples, copper was detected above potentially lethal concentration, which may in part explain the observed toxicity. Considering acute toxicities of the surface water streams that direct to the Lake Shihwa, efforts should be warranted to control and reduce discharge of point and non-point sources along Lake Shihwa.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 1990

This study was carried out to investigate the factors affecting fertilization in vitro of follicular oocytes with frozen-thawed spermatozoa in Korean Native Cattle. The bovine ovaries were obtained at a slaughter house and the follicular oocytes were recovered by aspirating the follicular fluid from the visible follicles of 3~6mm. The bovine oocytes were matured in vitro for 20~24 hours in TCM-199 containing FCS and hormones. The matured oocytes were fertilized in vitro using Percoll-separated frozen-thawed spermatozoa in BO solution. The effects of dilution and fertilization media, capacitating method, concentration of inseminated sperm and time after insemination of fertilization, were observed. The results obtained are summarized as follows : 1. The fertilization rate of frozen-thawed sperm inseminated in BO solution with caffeine and heparin together(56.4%) was higher than that of sperm inseminated in BO solution with either caffeine(10.5%) or heparin(8.9%) and without both caffeine and heparin(0%)(P<0.05). 2. The fertilization rate(56.3%) of frozen-thawed sperm inseminated in BO solution with both caffeine and heparin without preincubation was higher than that of sperm preincubated(2.9%)(P<0.05). 3. The fertilization with high concentration of frozen-thawed sperm(1.4~1.8$\times$107cells/ml) in BO solution containing caffeine and heparin resulted in higher fertilization rate, 76.7%, than the low concentration of sperm(0.8~1.0$\times$107cells/ml), 32.7%(P<0.01). 4. When the oocytes were inseminated with frozen-thawed sperm in BO solution containing caffeine and heparin without preincubation, fertilization rate increased by time and the rates were 5.9, 46.0 and 59.4% at 8, 16 and 24 hours, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.149-156
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• 1999

In the United States (U.S.), the monitored natural attenuation (MNA) approach has been used as an alternative remedial option for organic and inorganic compounds retained in soil and dissolved in groundwater. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines the MNA as“in-situ naturally-occurring processes include biodegradation, diffusion, dilution, sorption, volatilization, and/or chemical and biochemical stabilization of contaminants and reduce contaminant toxicity, mobility or volume to the levels that are protective of human health and the environment”. The Department of Soil Environment. National Institute Environmental Research (NIER) is in the process for demonstrating the MNA approach as a potential remedial option for the BTEX contaminated site in Uiwang City. The project is charactering the research site in terms of the nature and extend of contamination, biological degradation rate, and geochemical and hydrological properties. The microbial-degradation rate and effectiveness of nutrient and redox supplements will be determined through laboratory batch and column tests. The geochemical process will be monitored for determining the concentration changes of chemical species involved in the electron transfer processes that include methanogenesis, sulfate and iron reduction, denitrification, and aerobic respiration. Through field works, critical soil and hydrogeologic parameters will be acquired to simulate the effects of dispersion, advection, sorption, and biodegradation on the fate and transport of the dissolved-phase BTEX plume using Bioplume III model. The objectives of this multi-years research project are (1) to evaluate the MNA approach using the BTEX contaminated site in Uiwang City, (2) to establish a standard protocol for future application of the approach, (3) to investigate applicability of the passive approach as a secondary treatment remedy after active treatments. In this presentation, the overall picture and philosophy behind the MNA approach will be reviewed. Detailed discussions of the site characterization/monitoring plans and risk-based decision-making processes for the demonstration site will be included.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.84-89
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• 2013

The demand of LNG tank and the constituting material, i.e., the Al5083 thick plate, increased due to the rapid growth LNG market. To weld the Al5083 thick plate, the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of high current is necessary to increase manufacturing productivity incurred by the multi pass welding. However, the arc welding vaporizes the volatile element such as magnesium (Mg). This phenomenon changes the Mg composition of the weld metal and the mechanical properties. The study investigated the weldability of Al5083 alloys after conducting high current GMAW. The Al5083 alloy was welded by using different size of welding wires and high current (800-950A). As the arc current increased from 800A to 950A, the mechanical strength decreased and the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) increased. Even though the arc current increased SDAS, the mechanical strength decreased due to the Mg loss in the weldment. The large diameter of welding wire decreased the dilution of the weld, therefore increasing the Mg content and the strength of the weld. For the reason, the content of Mg in welds was a major parameter to determine the mechanical property for the high current GMAW. For the arc current between 800A and 950A, the yield strength of the weldments showed a relationship with the weight percent of Mg content ($X_{Mg}$): Y.S = 27.9($X_{Mg}$)-11.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2006

This study was initiated to investigate the effect of chitosan on creeping bentgrass growth. Chitosan was applied several times in dilution of 300, 500 and 800 times at ten-day intervals after transplanting. Such growth characteristics as leaf length, root length, numbers of leaves, fresh weight and dry weight and chlorophyll content were observed. Treatment of 500 times diluted chitosan resulted in the longest root length, being 31.5cm while the control the shortest root of 25.1cm. Leaf numbers were 27.9 and 45.5, respectively for the control and the 300 times treatment. The highest chlorophyll content was associated with treatment of 300 times diluted chitosan and the lowest one with the control, resulting in 11.9 and $18.4mg/100cm^2$, respectively. We found that leaf number, chlorophyll content, fresh and dry weight were higher in the treatment of 500 times than the other treatments.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.51-62
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• 2012

Effects of climate change on groundwater system requires understanding the groundwater system in temporal and spatial scales through the long-term monitoring. In this study, the spatio-temporal variations of groundwater were analyzed through the continuous observation of water level, electrical conductivity (EC) and water temperature with automatic data-loggers and sampling in a Gwangneung catchment, Korea, for the four years from 2008 to 2011. Groundwater monitoring were performed at the nest-type wells, MW1 and MW2, located in upsteam and downstream of the catchment, respectively. During the survey period, both the total amount of annual precipitation and the frequency of concentrated rainfall have increased resulting in the elevation of runoff. Water level of MW1 showed no significant fluctuations even during the rainy season, indicating the confined groundwater system. In contrast, that of MW2 showed clear seasonal changes, indicating the unconfined system. The lag-time of temperature at both wells ranged from one to three months depending on the screened depths. Results of chemical analyses indicated that major water compositions were maintained constantly, except for the EC decreases due to the dilution effect. Values of the stable-isotope ratios for oxygen and deuterium were higher at MW2 than MW1, implying the confined system at the upstream area could be locally developed.

• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2019

Fungi produce various secondary metabolites that have beneficial and harmful effects on other organisms. Those bioactive metabolites have been explored as potential medicinal and antimicrobial resources. However, the activities of the culture filtrate (CF) and metabolites of whiterot fungus (Schizophyllum commune) have been underexplored. In this study, we assayed the antimicrobial activities of CF obtained from white-rot fungus against various plant pathogens and evaluated its efficacy for controlling anthracnose and gray mold in pepper plants. The CF inhibited the mycelial growth of various fungal plant pathogens, but not of bacterial pathogens. Diluted concentrations of CF significantly suppressed the severity of anthracnose and gray mold in pepper fruits. Furthermore, the incidence of anthracnose in field conditions was reduced by treatment with a 12.5% dilution of CF. The active compound responsible for the antifungal and disease control activity was identified and verified as schizostatin. Our results indicate that the CF of white-rot fungus can be used as an eco-friendly natural product against fungal plant pathogens. Moreover, the compound, schizostatin could be used as a biochemical resource or precursor for development as a pesticide. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the control of plant diseases using CF and active compound from white-rot fungus. We discussed the controversial antagonistic activity of schizostatin and believe that the CF of white-rot fungus or its active compound, schizostatin, could be used as a biochemical pesticide against fungal diseases such as anthracnose and gray mold in many vegetables.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.519-526
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• 2021

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect of cold plasma treatment on the improvement of seed germination and surface sterilization of ginseng seeds. Methods: Dehisced ginseng (Panax ginseng) seeds were exposed to dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma operated in argon (Ar) or an argon/oxygen mixture (Ar/O₂), and the resulting germination and surface sterilization were compared with those of an untreated control group. Bacterial and fungal detection assays were performed for plasma-treated ginseng seeds after serial dilution of surface-washed suspensions. The microbial colonies (fungi and bacteria) were classified according to their phenotypical morphologies and identified by molecular analysis. Furthermore, the effect of cold plasma treatment on the in vitro antifungal activity and suppression of Cylindrocarpon destructans in 4-year-old ginseng root discs was investigated. Results: Seeds treated with plasma in Ar or Ar/O₂ exhibited a higher germination rate (%) compared with the untreated controls. Furthermore, the plasma treatment exhibited bactericidal and fungicidal effects on the seed surface, and the latter effect was stronger than the former. In addition, plasma treatment exhibited in vitro antifungal activity against C. destructans and reduced the disease severity (%) of root rot in 4-year-old ginseng root discs. The results demonstrate the stimulatory effect of plasma treatment on seed germination, surface sterilization, and root rot disease suppression in ginseng. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the cold plasma treatment can suppress the microbial community on the seed surface root rot in ginseng.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.263-267
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to determine whether the antibacterial activity of chitosan-modified Fe₃O₄ (CS@Fe₃O₄) nanomaterials against Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is mediated through changes in biofilm formation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. For this purpose, the broth dilution method was used to examine the effect of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on bacterial growth. The effects of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on biofilm formation were measured using a semi-quantitative crystal violet staining assay. In addition, a bacterial ROS detection kit was used to detect the production of ROS in bacteria. The results showed that CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles had a significant inhibitory effect on the colony growth and biofilm formation of drug-resistant A. baumannii (p < 0.05). The ROS stress assay revealed significantly higher ROS levels in A. baumannii subjected to CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle treatment than the control group (p < 0.05). Thus, we demonstrated for the first time that CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles had an inhibitory effect on A. baumannii in vitro, and that the antibacterial effect of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles on drug-resistant A. baumannii was more significant than on drug-sensitive bacteria. Our findings suggest that the antibacterial mechanism of CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles is mediated through inhibition of biofilm formation in drug-resistant bacteria, as well as stimulation of A. baumannii to produce ROS. In summary, our data indicate that CS@Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles could be used to treat infections caused by drug-resistant A. baumannii.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.47-54
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• 2020

Objective : Infectious diseases are a growing problem worldwide by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Daehwangmokdan-tang is one of the oriental medicine prescriptions contained in Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine. This study investigated the antibacterial activity of EtOH 70% extracts of Daehwangmokdan-tang (DMT) which prescription is composed of oriental medicine against MRSA. Methods : The antimicrobial activity and active concentration of MRSA were verified by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of DMT. In addition, the effects of the disease were checked by treating the existing antibiotics and large ethanol extract in parallel, and the extent of growth suppression was checked over time. In addition, cell membrane permeability experiment confirmed the effect of large DMT on the immunity mechanism of MRSA. Results : TThe minimum inhibitory concentration of DMT against MRSA is 500 ~ 2000 ㎍/㎖ by broth dilution method. In the checkerboard method, the combinations of DMT with antibiotics has partial synergistic effect or synergy effect and DMT markedly reduced the MICs of the antibiotics oxacillin (OX), gentamicin (GEN) against MRSA. In the inhibition of resistance mechanism of DMT against MRSA, the expression of resistance gene and protein about β-lactam antibiotic was reduced. Also, we observed the effect of DMT about cell membrane permeability against MRSA, and confirmed that DMT suppressed growth of strains by increasing cell membrane permeability and energy metabolism. Conclusion : Basis on the result, we speculate that DMT may be useful for the treatment of MRSA infections when used in combination with β-lactam antibiotic.