• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.428-436
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• 2021

Stem rot is a serious disease in Jerusalem artichoke (JA). To reduce the impact of this disease on yield and quality farmers often use fungicides, but this control method can be expensive and leave chemical residues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two biological control agents, Trichoderma harzianum T9 and Bacillus firmus BSR032 for control of Sclerotium rolfsii under field conditions. Four accessions of JA (HEL246, HEL65, JA47, and JA12) were treated or notreated with T. harzianum T9 and B. firmus BSR032 in a 4 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment in two fields (environments), one unfertilized and one fertilized. Plants were inoculated with S. rolfsii and disease was evaluated at 3-day intervals for 46 days. T. harzianum T9 and B. firmus BSR032 reduced disease incidence by 48% and 49%, respectively, whereas T. harzianum T9 + B. firmus BSR032 reduced disease incidence by 37%. The efficacy of T. harzianum T9 and B. firmus BSR032 for control of S. rolfsii was dependent on environments and genotypes. The expression of host plant resistance also depended on the environment. However, HEL246 showed consistently low disease incidence and severity index in both environments (fertilized and unfertilized). Individually, T. harzianum T9, B. firmus BSR032, or host plant resistance control stem rot caused by S. rolfsii in JA. However, no combination of these treatments provided more effective control than each alone.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 2008

A total of 41 microsatellite markers were used with 29 genotypes to examine the relationship between SSR polymorphisms and N-use efficiency related traits with a goal to identify the putative QTLs related to these traits. These primers yielded a total of 183 alleles (average 4.46 alleles per primer), and polymorphism information content (PIC) values of the SSRs ranged from 0.119 to 0.805 with mean value of 0.425. Correlation coefficients were obtained among the four N-use efficiency traits in the 34 accessions and significant positive correlations of relative ratios between grain yield and harvest index (r=0.3404) and total dry matter (r=0.7976), while N uptake showed a moderate level of correlation with the ratios of the grain yield and total dry matter, respectively. 36.5% (15/41) SSR markers were monomorphic among the 25 japonica accessions out of the 29 accessions. Association between SSR genotypes and phenotypic performances from the total (29) or japonica (25) accessions was tested based on a single point analysis. Three putative QTL regions were detected for the ratio of grain yield. These include the chromosomal region containing the RM283 locus on chromosome 1 and RM25 on chromosome 8 (all and japonica accessions) and the region with the SSR marker, RM206 on chromosome 11 (the japonica accessions). For the total dry matter ratio, two chromosomal regions were identified as the putative QTL region. One is the region with the SSR marker, RM162 on chromosome 6 (all and japonica accessions) and the other was the one with the SSR marker RM25 on chromosome 8 (the japonica accessions). Among these markers, RM25 showed associations with both traits.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.124-129
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• 2021

In this paper, an optimal controller design that guarantees absolute stability is proposed. The order of application of the thesis determines whether the delay time is included, and if the delay time is included, the delay time is approximated through the Pade approximation method. Then, the open loop transfer function for the process model and the controller transfer function is obtained, and the absolute stability interval is calculated by the Routh-Hurwitz discrimination method. In the last step, the optimal Proportional and Integral and Derivative(PID) control parameter value is calculated using a genetic algorithm using the interval obtained in the previous step. As a result, it was confirmed that the proposed method guarantees stability and is superior to the existing method in performance index by designing an optimal controller. If we study the compensation method for the delay time in the future, it is judged that better performance indicators will be obtained.

• Journal of Interdisciplinary Genomics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2022

Purpose: Mastectomy is performed as a surgical treatment for patients with breast cancer who have the BRCA 1/2 mutation. In this study, we have reported the trends in Korea for both immediate breast reconstruction and prophylactic mastectomy. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted from 2019 to 2021. Both skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate implant-based breast reconstruction with prepectoral and/or subpectoral techniques were performed in five patients with BRCA 1/2 mutations. Data on age; body mass index; cancer stage; BRCA 1/2 mutation; estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression; diagnosis; and complications were collected. Results: The average (±standard deviation [SD]) age was 44.0±6.48 years old; BMI 24.5±2.25 kg/m²; and breast volumes were 365.8±70.34 and 382.4±96.33 cc for right and left ones, respectively. The BRCA 1 and 2 were diagnosed in four and one patients, respectively. The estrogen and progesterone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 were detected in one (20%), one (20%), and three (60%) patients, respectively. The applied implant-based breast reconstruction techniques for ten breasts were subpectoral technique (n=7, 70%) and prepectoral technique (n=3, 30%). For the cancer stage, those with I, II, and III stages were one (20%), two (40%), and one (20%), respectively. There were no major complications such as Infection, seroma. Conclusion: When mastectomy is performed as surgical treatment in BRCA 1/2 mutation positive breast cancer patients, it is possible to obtain a better outcome with both implant-based breast reconstruction and different circumstances between breast cancer and contralateral breast.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.11.1-11.20
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• 2022

Vibrio harveyi belongs to the Vibrio genus that causes vibriosis in marine and aquatic fish species through double-stranded DNA virus replication. In humans, around 12 Vibrio species can cause gastroenteritis (gastrointestinal illness). A large amount of virus particles can be found in the cytoplasm of infected cells, which may cause death. Despite these devastating complications, there is still no cure or vaccine for the virus. As a result, we used an immunoinformatics approach to develop a multi-epitope vaccine against most pathogenic hemolysin gene of V. harveyi. The immunodominant T- and B-cell epitopes were identified using the hemolysin protein. We developed a vaccine employing three possible epitopes: cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, helper T-lymphocytes, and linear B-lymphocyte epitopes, after thorough testing. The vaccine was developed to be antigenic, immunogenic, and non-allergenic, as well as having a better solubility. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed significant structural stiffness and binding stability. In addition, the immunological simulation generated by computer revealed that the vaccination might elicit immune reactions in the actual life after injection. Finally, using Escherichia coli K12 as a model, codon optimization yielded ideal GC content and a higher codon adaptation index value, which was then included in the cloning vector pET2+ (a). Altogether, our experiment implies that the proposed peptide vaccine might be a good option for vibriosis prophylaxis.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2022

In the present study, we investigated the effects of recombinant eel gonadotropins (rec-GTHs) on maturation induction in immature ovarian culture in vitro and sex steroid hormones in vivo in the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica. To study the in vitro effects of rec-GTHs on estradiol-17β (E2) production in immature ovarian tissues, ovarian tissues were incubated with different doses of rec-follicle-stimulating hormone (rec-FSH) or rec-luteinizing hormone (rec-LH). The results revealed that the E2 levels in the rec-FSH (0.1, 0.5, or 1 ㎍/mL)- and rec-LH (0.1 or 0.5 ㎍/mL)-treated groups were significantly higher than those in the female eels from the control group. Furthermore, to investigate the in vivo effects of rec-GTHs on the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and plasma sex steroid hormone levels, the eels were injected intraperitoneally with eel's ringer (control), salmon pituitary extract (SPE; for female eels), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; for male eels), rec-FSH, rec-LH, and rec-FSH + rec-LH once a week. The results revealed that except for the SPE and the hCG groups, none of the groups exhibited a significant difference in GSI values. However, in vivo plasma E2 levels increased at the end of 4 weeks after rec-FSH treatment in female eels. Based on these results, it is suggested that rec-GTHs may have a positive effect on sexual maturation in female eels; however, further studies on complementary rec-protein production systems and additional glycosylation of rec-hormones are needed to elucidate hormone bioactivity in vivo and in vitro.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2023

There have been many studies from the genetic system to physical activity and emotional expression such that there are gender differences. The purpose of this study was to determine how the structural characteristics of cortical thickness differ between males and females. This study used data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). To analyze age-specific sexual dimorphisms of cortical thickness, selected 8-80 year old subjects were divided into five detailed age range groups according to each criterion. A total of 1,700 individual brain MRI T1 data were registered in stereotaxic space for analysis and classified into white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). For surface-based analysis, the WM/GM surface was reconstructed from a spherical polygon model with 40962 vertices per hemisphere, and each vertex was extended to the GM/CSF boundary. Cortical thickness was then measured between each vertex using the t-link method. In the statistical analysis, intracranial volume was used as a covariate to exclude the effect of the difference in brain size of each individual, and the result of using age as a covariate was added to confirm the age effect within each group. Gender differences in cortical thickness had significant results by group. This may be an index to explain diseases with sexual dimorphism in prevalence or become a basis for explaining the characteristics of each sex that appear in behavior, personality, and aging. Therefore, the results of our study could be a criterion for age classification in future studies and for understanding 'normal' sexual dimorphism.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2022

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) therapy is beneficial for improving semen parameters and clinical hypogonadism symptoms in hypogonadic oligozoospermic or severe oligozoospermic men with low or borderline testosterone levels. Methods: A weekly dose of 250 ㎍ (equivalent to approximately 6,500 IU) of hCG was administered subcutaneously for 3-6 months to 56 hypogonadic oligozoospermic or severe oligozoospermic men. Semen, biochemical, and genetic analyses were performed before the start of treatment followed by analyzing semen parameters every 3 months after the start of therapy. We grouped participants into responders and non-responders depending on positive changes in semen parameters. Results: Out of 56 men, 47 (83.93%) responded, while 9 (16.07%) did not. Upon statistical analysis, it was found that age did not affect the overall outcomes (p=0.292); however, men with higher body mass index (BMI; 28.09±3.48 kg/m²) showed better outcomes than those with low BMI (25.33±3.06 kg/m²) (p=0.042). The duration of therapy (in months) was higher in non-responders than in responders (p=0.020). We found significant improvements in sperm concentration (p=0.006) and count (p=0.005) after 3 months of therapy. Sperm motility and progressive motility were also found to be higher in responders, but did not show statistically significant changes. Conclusion: We conclude that hCG therapy can be beneficial in men with hypogonadic oligozoospermia or severe oligozoospermia.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1435-1446
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• 2022

Zinc-solubilizing bacteria can convert the insoluble form of zinc into soluble forms available to plants. This study was conducted to isolate and screen zinc-solubilizing actinobacteria from rhizosphere soils and to assess their effect on vegetable soybean growth. In total, 200 actinobacteria strains belonging to 10 genera were isolated from rhizosphere soil samples. Among these isolates, four showed zinc solubilization with solubilizing index values ranging from 3.11 to 3.78 on Bunt and Rovira agar supplemented with 0.1% zinc oxide. For the quantitative assay, in broth culture, strains CME34 and EX51 solubilized maximum available zinc contents of 529.71 and 243.58 ㎍/ml. Furthermore, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and ammonia were produced by these two strains, the strain CME34 produced the highest amount of IAA 4.62 ㎍/ml and the strain EX51 produced the highest amount of ammonia 361.04 ㎍/ml. In addition, the phosphate-solubilizing abilities in Pikovskaya's medium of CME34 and EX51 were 64.67 and 115.67 ㎍/ml. Based on morphological and biochemical characterization and 16S rDNA sequencing, the strains CME34 and EX51 were closely related to the genus Streptomyces. In a greenhouse experiment, single-strain inoculation of Streptomyces sp. CME34 or EX51 significantly increased the shoot length, root length, plant dry weight, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per plant of vegetable soybean plants compared to the uninoculated control. These findings facilitated the conclusion that the two Streptomyces strains have potential as zinc solubilizers and can be suggested as bioinoculants to promote the growth and yield of soybean.