• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.426-435
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• 2010

The present study attempts to compare the soil chemical characteristics and biological activities (i.e. microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities), and litter decomposition rate of Arundinella hirta and Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens) collected from serpentine and non-serpentine sites by litter bag techniques at serpentine and non-serpentine field experiment sites over a 9-month period. The serpentine soil showed higher pH and soil alkaliphosphatase activity, and lower soil dehydrogenase and urease activities than the non-serpentine soil. Microbial biomass-N at the serpentine soil was larger than the non-serpentine soil, although the microbial biomass-C and microbial biomass-N represented no significant difference between serpentine and non-serpentine soil. These results suggest that the larger microbial biomass-N caused the lower C/N in serpentine soil. At the end of the experiment, the litter samples of A. hirta and M. sinensis collected from serpentine soil revealed a 39.8% and 38.5% mass loss, and the litter sample from non-serpentine soil also showed a 41.1% and 41.7% mass loss at the serpentine site. On the other hand, at the non-serpentine site, 42.2%, 37.4%, and 46.8%, 44.8% were respectively shown. These results demonstrate that the litter decomposition rate is more intensely affected by the heavy metal content of leaf litter than soil contamination. Moreover, the litter collected from the serpentine soil had a lower C/N, whereas the litter decomposition rate was slower than the litter from the non-serpentine soil, because the heavy metal inhibition activities on the litter decomposition process were more conspicuous than the effect of litter qualities such as C/N ratio or lignin/N. The nutrient element content in the decomposing litter was gradually leached out, but heavy metals and Mg were accumulated in the decaying litter. This phenomenon was conspicuous at the serpentine site during the process of decomposition.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 1995

This study researched microbial change of quality according to the various phases of product flow of cooked pea and rice, cold cucumber and seaweed soup, soybean sprouts japchae feeding urban type of a commissary school and a satellite school in Daejeon area, also it suggested the possibility that the central commissary foodservice system can be established and utilized more developmental to identify its food of variation of temperature and state of safety unitl 3 hours after cooking for the case of delay of distribution and holding because of the satellite school of geographical location and traffic problem. The critical Control Points identified for each category of menu items were: Boiled pea and rice: inadequate distribution, holding and storing before assembly; Cold cucumber and seaweed soup: pre-preparation and post-preparation after cooking; Soybean sprouts japchae: Pre-preparation, post-preparation and storing. As the result of observation of the variation of temperature and microbial safety according to the delay of distribution and holding for each food, all of them were relatively safe until 3 hours after cooking, but cold cucumber and seaweed soup being stored for 3 hours, the value of E. coli is $10^3$ CFU/g. The variation of temperature was more extreme in soybean sprouts japchae than cooked pea and rice and cold cucumber and seaweed soup. It was proved that the stainless container was excellent and that adequate holding container should be used.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2008

Strain Kan-23 was extracted from nematophagous fungi, which were isolated from the soil sample of oriental melon field. The strain exhibited the slow-growing characteristic forming conidia after prolonged incubation for 30 days. Morphological features of strain Kan-23 were observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). It possesses erect conidiophores which contain $2{\sim}3$ side branches, with each branch producing $5{\sim}10$ conidia. The size of conidiophores were between $160{\sim}450\;{\mu}m$. Conidia were ellipsoidal with three septa[septum] in each conidium. Strain Kan-23 captured nematodes by means of giant constricting rings, which were observed in the glucose peptone agar medium. ITS region of rDNA sequence was analyzed. On the basis of the high sequence similarity of ITS region (99%), the Kan-23 strain was closely related to Drechslerella brochopaga (U51950). This is the first report on Drechslerella brochopaga as a nematophagous fungus in Korea.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2007

Twenty-two strains of nematophagous fungi were isolated from 100 soil samples. Nematophagous fungi were classified into three categories; 3-dimensional adhesive nets (A group), 2-dimensional adhesive nets (B group) and constricting ring (C group). Nine strains were selected and identified on the basis of morphological characteristics (hypha, conidiophore, form and size of conidia, number of conidia, node of conidophore, number and location of septa, size and color of chlamydospore) and ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region of rDNA sequences. As the results, the isolated were identified as belonging to the species of Monacrosporium thaumasium (Kan-2, Kan-4, Kan-11), Arthrobotrys oligospora (Kan-9, Kan-13, Kan-20, Kan-21), A. musiformis (Kan-12), and A. dactyloides (Kan-22).

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2_spc
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• pp.337-345
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• 2024

Ruminants possess a specialized four-compartment forestomach, consisting of the reticulum, rumen, omasum, and abomasum. The rumen, the primary fermentative chamber, harbours a dynamic ecosystem comprising bacteria, protozoa, fungi, archaea, and bacteriophages. These microorganisms engage in diverse ecological interactions within the rumen microbiome, primarily benefiting the host animal by deriving energy from plant material breakdown. These interactions encompass symbiosis, such as mutualism and commensalism, as well as parasitism, predation, and competition. These ecological interactions are dependent on many factors, including the production of diverse molecules, such as those involved in quorum sensing (QS). QS is a density-dependent signalling mechanism involving the release of autoinducer (AIs) compounds, when cell density increases AIs bind to receptors causing the altered expression of certain genes. These AIs are classified as mainly being N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL; commonly used by Gram-negative bacteria) or autoinducer-2 based systems (AI-2; used by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria); although other less common AI systems exist. Most of our understanding of QS at a gene-level comes from pure culture in vitro studies using bacterial pathogens, with much being unknown on a commensal bacterial and ecosystem level, especially in the context of the rumen microbiome. A small number of studies have explored QS in the rumen using 'omic' technologies, revealing a prevalence of AI-2 QS systems among rumen bacteria. Nevertheless, the implications of these signalling systems on gene regulation, rumen ecology, and ruminant characteristics are largely uncharted territory. Metatranscriptome data tracking the colonization of perennial ryegrass by rumen microbes suggest that these chemicals may influence transitions in bacterial diversity during colonization. The likelihood of undiscovered chemicals within the rumen microbial arsenal is high, with the identified chemicals representing only the tip of the iceberg. A comprehensive grasp of rumen microbial chemical signalling is crucial for addressing the challenges of food security and climate targets.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.61-73
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• 2024

This report was prepared to introduce the developed Internet of Things (IoT)-based Smart Food Safety Management System (iMEAL) for children's foodservices registered in the Center for Children's Foodservice Management and report the results of hygiene monitoring through microbial analysis of two foods simulated and distributed based on this system. The program consisted of three menu screens: a foodservice management and meal inspection function, a refrigerator/freezer monitoring function, and a sanitary/safety inspection log function. Data such as cooking temperature, refrigerator and freezer temperature, salinity, and chlorine concentration were collected using IoT sensors or terminals, and hygiene safety inspection diary results (recorded by cooks) were transmitted to the Internet and stored. The APCs (3.78±0.07 log CFU/g) and E. coli (not detected) in stir-fried pork teriyaki sauce and the heating process met cooking standards. Similarly, the APCs (4.05±0.05 log CFU/g) and E. coli (not detected) in cucumber/chomuchim, which was not heated, also met cooking standards. APCs increased over time when cooked food was left for 1 hour, 1.5 hours, or 2 hours but remained acceptedable. Based on hygiene monitoring results of these two foods, using the i-MEAL system resulted in the safe production and distribution of children's food.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.381-385
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• 2011

Effects of temperatures, relative humidity, pH, and dry periods on conidial germination of Alternaria dauci were evaluated under in vitro conditions. Conidial germination was accelerated at over 95% relative humidity in $15^{\circ}C$ to $25^{\circ}C$ condition. Conidial germination was rapidly reduced at 5 regardless of relative humidity conditions. More than 50% of the conidial germination were initiated within 2 h at $25^{\circ}C$ through pH 5 to 7. The highest conidial germination of A. dauci was on 0.2% of carrot leaf extract. Conidia could survive longer than 12 h, even though its germination decreased. After a 12 h dry period, around 10% of conidia revived and germinated when conidia were hydrated again. These results could be used as the useful information on conidial germination of A. dauci and ecology of Alternaria leaf blight.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.271-280
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• 2017

Background: Soil microorganisms play key roles in nutrient cycling and are distributed throughout the soil profile. Currently, there is little information about the characteristics of the microbial communities along the soil depth because most studies focus on microorganisms inhabiting the soil surface. To better understand the functions and composition of microbial communities and the biogeochemical factors that shape them at different soil depths, we analyzed microbial activities and bacterial and fungal community composition in soils up to a 120 cm depth at a fallow field located in central Korea. To examine the vertical difference of microbial activities and community composition, ${\beta}$-1,4-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, ${\beta}$-1,4-xylosidase, ${\beta}$-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and acid phosphatase activities were analyzed and barcoded pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes (bacteria) and internal transcribed spacer region (fungi) was conducted. Results: The activity of all the soil enzymes analyzed, along with soil C concentration, declined with soil depth. For example, acid phosphatase activity was $125.9({\pm}5.7({\pm}1SE))$, $30.9({\pm}0.9)$, $15.7({\pm}0.6)$, $6.7({\pm}0.9)$, and $3.3({\pm}0.3)nmol\;g^{-1}\;h^{-1}$ at 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-90, and 90-120 cm soil depths, respectively. Among the bacterial groups, the abundance of Proteobacteria (38.5, 23.2, 23.3, 26.1, and 17.5% at 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-90, and 90-120 cm soil depths, respectively) and Firmicutes (12.8, 11.3, 8.6, 4.3, and 0.4% at 0-15, 15-30, 30-60, 60-90, and 90-120 cm soil depths, respectively) decreased with soil depth. On the other hand, the abundance of Ascomycota (51.2, 48.6, 65.7, 46.1, and 45.7% at 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 cm depths, respectively), a dominant fungal group at this site, showed no clear trend along the soil profile. Conclusions: Our results show that soil C availability can determine soil enzyme activity at different soil depths and that bacterial communities have a clear trend along the soil depth at this study site. These metagenomics studies, along with other studies on microbial functions, are expected to enhance our understanding on the complexity of soil microbial communities and their relationship with biogeochemical factors.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.614-622
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• 2013

Daqu, a traditional fermentation starter, has been used to produce attractively flavored foods such as vinegar and Chinese liquor for thousands of years. Although Bacillus spp. are one of the dominant microorganisms in Daqu, more precise information is needed to reveal why and how Bacillus became dominant in Daqu, and next, to assess the impact of Bacillus sp. on Daqu and its derived products. We combined culture-dependent and culture-independent methods to study the ecology of Bacillus during Daqu incubation. Throughout the incubation, 67 presumptive Bacillus spp. isolates were obtained, 52 of which were confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing. The identified organisms belonged to 8 Bacillus species: B. licheniformis, B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. cereus, B. circulans, B. megaterium, B. pumilus, and B. anthracis. A primer set specific for Bacillus and related genera was used in a selective PCR study, followed by a nested DGGE PCR targeting the V9 region of the 16S rDNA. Species identified from the PCR-DGGE fingerprints were related to B. licheniformis, B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. pumilus, B. benzoevorans, and B. foraminis. The predominant species was found to be B. licheniformis. Certain B. licheniformis strains exhibited potent antimicrobial activities. The greatest species diversity occurred at the Liangmei stage of Daqu incubation. To date, we lack sufficient knowledge of Bacillus distribution in Daqu. Elucidating the ecology of Bacillus during Daqu incubation would enable the impact of Bacillus on Daqu to be accessed, and the quality and stabilization of Daqu-derived products to be optimized.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.14-26
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• 2023

Background: An important consideration for the risk assessment of transgenic plants is their overwintering potential in a natural ecosystem, which allows the survival of the seed bank and may lead to seed reproduction. Here, we investigated the overwintering of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seeds in the laboratory (temperatures: -5, -1, 5, and 10℃) and in the field (burial depth: 0, 5, 15, and 30 cm) as a case study to examine the invasiveness of transgenic crops. Results: Sunflower seeds germinated when incubated at 5℃ and 10℃ for 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks but not when incubated at -5℃ or -1℃. However, the seeds incubated at -5℃ or -1℃ germinated when they were transferred to the optimal germination temperature (25℃). Up to 16.5% and 15.0% of seeds were dormant when cultured at sub-zero temperatures in a Petri dish containing filter paper and soil, respectively. In the field trial, soil temperature, moisture, and microbial communities differed significantly between soil depths. Germination-related microorganisms were more distributed on the soil surface. Seeds buried on the surface decayed rapidly from 4 weeks after burial, whereas those buried at depths of 15 cm and 30 cm germinated even 16 weeks after burial. No dormancy was detected for seeds buried at any depth. Conclusions: Although sunflower seeds did not overwinter in situ in this study, we cannot exclude the possibility that these seeds lie dormant at sub-zero temperatures and then germinate at optimal temperatures in nature.