• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1055-1060
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• 2004

Apoptosis is the ability of cells to self-destruct by the activation of an intrinsic cellular suicide program when the cells are no longer needed or when they are seriously damaged. Morphologically, apoptosis is characterized by the appearance of membrane blebbing, cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, DNA cleavage, and the fragmentation of the cell membrane-bound apoptotic bodies. Siegesbeckia glabrescens Makino (Siegesbeckiae Herba, SG) has been widely used as treatments for arthritis, and fever, as well as detoxification properties. The present studies were undertaken to evaluate if SG has an anti-apoptotic property. Cell viability was measured by XTT and tryphan blue stain. Morphological characteristic of human aortic smooth muscle cells(HASMC) were visualized with a phase-contrast microscope. SG significantly reduced HASMC, but not human umbilical vein endothelial cell(HUVEC), viability in a dose-dependent manner. Confluent untreated cells at 24hrs showed normal morphology, flat with a uniform polygonal shape. SG-treated cells (0.5㎎/㎖) at 24hrs showed apoptotic morphology. Cells became irregular with elongated lamellipodia, and exhibited condensed chromatin in nuclei with occasional endoucleation. There was an increase in the number of apoptotic cells rounding-up and being detached from the substrate. TUNEL staining of SG-treated cells showed dark-brown stains in nuclei and cytosol. Caspases are central components of the machinery responsible for apoptosis and are generally divided into two categories; the initiator caspases, which include caspases-2,-8,-9, and -10, and the effector caspases, which include caspases-3,-6, and -7. SG decreased anti-caspase-3 protein expression, which means activation of caspases-3 activity. It has been reported that there is a link between NO formation and apoptosis. NO production was accelerated by SG treatment in HASMC. L-NNA, NOS inhibitor, inhibited SG-induced apoptosis. These results, therefore, indicated that both caspases-3 and NO production are involved in apoptosis in smooth muscle cells. According to these results, SG may have a potential effect in the treatment of hypertensive atherosclerosis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.253-260
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• 1989

Metacercariae of the genus Stictodora encysted in the head tissue of Acanthogobius navimanus (the gobies) caught at Sachun-gun, Kyongnam Province, were identified to be Stictodora Zari Yamaguti, 1939 (Trematoda: Heterophyidae), a new parasite fauna in Korea. The metacercariae were 0.39∼,0.43 mm by 0.32∼0.35 mm in size, long elliptical, and with a thin and transparent cyst wall. Total 200 metacercariae were collected from 50 gobies. In order to obtain adult worms two kittens and a Puppy were infected each with 34∼100 metacercariae, and total 33 adults were recovered between the day 4 and day 8 post-infection. The S. sari adults measured 0.95∼1.18 mm long and 0.26∼0.32 mm wide and the eggs in uteri 0.028∼0.033 mm by 0.017∼0.020 mm. The most characteristic morphological feature of these flukes was the presence of a gonotyl and gonotyl spines arranged in two groups; densely crowded group of 30~40 spines and linearly-arranged one of 30∼40 spines, together of which made a comma(or reversed comma) shape along the lateral margin of the gonotyl. It has been proved by this study that 5. sari is distributed in southern coasts of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 1976

The present paper is a part of a study aimed at gaining information on the origin, mode of deposition, and characteristics of volcanic soils in Jeju. Volcanic activity of Jeju island has extremely influenced on the formation of various soils. Polysequum phenomenon of soils is one of outstanding soil genesis in Jeju. The typical polysequum soils was collected and analyzed by morphological, physico-chemical, mineralogical and micromorphological approaches The results are as follows: 1. The soils consists of polysequa, A and B horizons from volcanic ashes, unconsolidated volcanic sand layer and B(I) horizons from residual basalts. 2. The lithological discontinuity is also very distinct; silt loam from volcanic ashes, sand (II) from volcanic sand and clayey (III) from basalts. 3. Volcanic sand layer seems to be influenced by lava flow. The properties of it are similar to volcanic ashes rather than beneath residuum in micromorphological aspects. In micromorphological, this layer is gradually changed into soils. 4. Dominant clay minerals are allophane in A and B horizons from volcanic ashes and kaoline, vermiculite and illite from residual basalts. 5. The soils are not developed. There is no formation of argillic horizon in subsurface layers.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2004

To investigate the mechanism of germ cell death in postnatal stage of mouse, the involvement of apoptotic executioners, caspase-3 and caspase-activated DNase(CAD), and apoptotic initiators, Bax Fas and Fas ligand, in the germ cell death has been studied. Immune-labels of active caspase-3 and CAD were located in TUNEL-positive, apoptotic, oocytes as well as normal oocytes of primary or secondary follicles. CAD immune-labels were also detected in the nucleus of TUNEL-positive oocytes. Most of oocytes showing positive immune-labeling of active caspase-3 or CAD had vacuoles in their cytoplasm, which is the morphological characteristic of oocyte during folliclar atresia. Bax immune-stains were detected in the atretic oocytes which showed the vacuole in their cytoplasm. Positive immune-labels for Fas ligand was localized in TUNEL-positive or atretic oocytes. Presence of immunoreactivity of active caspase-3 and CAD in TUNEL-positive germ cells implicate that active raspase-3 and CAD might play a role in germ cell apoptosis during early development of mouse ovarian follicle. Immunohistochemical localization of Bax and Fas ligand in TUNEL-positive oocytes suggests that these might be the most plausible modulator of oocyte apoptosis.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.232-238
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• 2020

This study used adult wistar-based rats to observe the sexual cycle as a morphological characteristic of vaginal epithelial cells by vaginal smearing, and investigated the fetal number through mating with male rats of the same strain. The target animal was a 12 to 13-week-old Wistar-based mature unlighted rat (weight 220 g to 240 g), room temperature 23 ± 2℃, 14 hours artificial lighting (05:00 to 19:00 hours), 10 hours Adapted individuals were used for rearing for at least 2 weeks under the conditions of the darkroom (19:00 to 05:00). The feed was managed for free feeding of pellet feed for animals and water. The vaginal smearing method was used for the experiments by observing the sexual cycle every morning and confirming that the normal sexual cycle of 4 or 5 days was repeated at least 2 cycles or more. As a result, the proestrus was found to have few red blood cells, the cells and nuclei were rather large and round, and many nucleated cells were identified. In the case of the estrus, the cells were large and the nuclei were not stained, and most of the keratinocytes were found. In addition, in the metestrus and diestrus, there were many white blood cells, and it was confirmed that nucleated epithelial cells and keratinocytes were significantly reduced. The pregnancy period was 21 ± 1.8 days, and the number of live births per delivery was 11.9 on average. The number of fetuses on the 8th and 10th days of pregnancy were 15.2 ± 0.4 and 15.4 ± 0.3, respectively. On the contrary, the number of fetuses on the 12th day of pregnancy was 12.9 ± 0.6, which was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased compared to the 10th day of pregnancy, and the number of fetuses was similar until delivery. As a result of investigating the change of body weight according to the birth weight and growth stage after delivery, the birth weight of female and male was 9.2 ± 2.0 g and 9.8 ± 2.5 g, respectively. After that, until the 16th day, the female and the male showed similarly moderate weight gain, and then showed a rapid weight gain until the 21st day of lactation. With reference to the results of this study, it is expected to be used as basic data for determining the mating time of rodents and controlling pregnancy and fetal number.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.95-118
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• 2010

This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution of major soil types in Korea, and to assess the ability to predict soil distribution using environmental variables. A classification tree method was used to assess soil predictability. While the great soil groups can give more intuitive understandings on their spatial distributions, its predictability using environmental factors is much lower than that of the great groups. The most important factor to determine the spatial distribution of major soil types is the geomorphological characteristic of Korea that shows distinctive morphological difference between mountains and plains. Spatial distribution of climatic variables and catenary soil sequence along slopes play additional roles in determining the distribution of soil types. The classification tree models resulted in 35-75% of prediction accuracy, depends on the combination of different environmental variables brought in the models. While geomorphological variables are the best predictors for the great groups, climatic variables perform better for the great soil groups.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.69-76
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• 2011

According to the related reports, about 60 percents of ship collisions have resulted from operating mistake caused by human factor. Specially, the report said that negligence of observation caused 66.8 percents of the accidents due to a human factor. Hence automatic detection and tracking of an object from an IR images are crucial for safety navigation because it can relieve officer's burden and remedies imperfections of human visual system. In this paper, we present a method to detect an object such as ship, rock and buoy from a sea IR image. Most edge directions of the sea image are horizontal and most vertical edges come out from the object areas. The presented method uses them as a characteristic for the object detection. Vertical edges are extracted from the input image and isolated edges are eliminated. Then morphological closing operation is performed on the vertical edges. This caused vertical edges that actually compose an object be connected and become an object candidate region. Next, reference object regions are extracted using horizontal edges, which appear on the boundaries between surface of the sea and the objects. Finally, object regions are acquired by sequentially integrating reference region and object candidate regions.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2009

The Chrysanthemum zawadskii complex is demarcated from other species by having the white and pink ligulate flowers. Its morphological characters are greatly diversified, so that various classification systems have been suggested. The character of leaf thickness has been mentioned as the characteristic for recognizing some of infra-specific taxa within this complex. In this study, we used longitudinal leaf sections to investigate the leaf thickness and cell number of leaf blades of 13 populations including those of the members of the C. zawadskii complex, as well as 4 populations of the related species of C. boreale and C. indicum. From the result, it was clear that the leaves were thicker in populations of C. boreale, C. indicum and C. zawadskii complex (diminishing in that order), and that the leaves were composed of about 9 cell layers in all populations. Within the C. zawadskii complex, leaf shape and thickness varied among the populations. It was very interesting that the taxa with restricted distribution, like C. zawadskii var. tenuisectum, C. zawadskii var. alpinum, C. zawadskii var. lucidum, and C. zawadskii subsp. coreanum had a thicker leaves than found among widely occurring taxa. From this, leaf thickness is supposed to be an adaptation to the unique habitat of each population.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.911-917
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• 2016

Lespedeza cuneata G. Don is an edible perennial herb used in traditional Korean medicine. We investigated the anti-proliferative properties and mechanism of L. cuneata extract. The ethanolic extract of L. cuneata dose-and time-dependently inhibited human colorectal cancer cell proliferation. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to test the effect of the extract on proliferation of HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. The extract inhibited HT-29 cell proliferation with an $IC_{50}$ value of $554.26{\pm}8.81{\mu}g/mL$. L. cuneata extract suppressed production of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$. Apoptosis was evaluated by analysis of DNA fragmentation, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, caspase-3 activity, and protein expression of pro-apoptotic (Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2). Our results demonstrated that the extract induced DNA fragmentation and characteristic morphological changes associated with apoptosis in HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. The extract also time- and dose-dependently up-regulated expression of the Bax and down-regulated expression of the Bcl-2. Furthermore, the extract dose- and time-dependently enhanced caspase-3 activity. Our findings provide evidence that L. cuneata extract may mediate its anti-proliferative effect via modulation of apoptosis.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.852-858
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• 1998

We have isolated a bacterial strain that tends to kill P. micans from the mixed culture of p. minns plus seawater filtrate (poresize, 0.8 $\mu$m) collected at Masan bay in July 1996, in which the mixed culture grown in the f/2 medium. According to the experimental results of the isolated bacterium such as fatty acids analysis, morphological and biochemical characteristic tests, the strain was supposed to be a Pseudomonas and then it was named as Pseudomonas sp. LG-2. The killing effect of Pseudomonas sp. LG-2 against P. micans was proportionally increased with the concentrations of culture filtrate (pore size, 0.8 $\mu$m) is well as with the number of bacterium inoculated. In the mixed culture inoculated with $1.3\times10^6$ cells/ml of Pseudomonas sp. LG-2, the number of P. micans (2,000 cells/ml) was gradually decreased and then killed below 100 cells/ml within 7 days. In addition, the culture filtrate with $30\%$ of final concentration revealed a significant killing effect against P. micans around 3 days after culture. In the relationship between killing effects and growth stage of Pseudomonas sp. LG-2, the culture filtrate at lag phase has little effects on P. micans. In constant, the culture filtrate at mid-log phase showed the killing effect by decreasing P. micans to 112 in number within 5 days. In particular, the culture filtrate at stationary phase showed a significant killing effect against P. micans in which the majority of it was killed after 3 day culture. The species specificity of killing effects of Pseudomonas sp. LG-2 against 5 species of dinoflagellate was only found in P. micans and Scrippsiella trochoidea.