• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1219-1223
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• 2007

The removal of nitrogen compounds from a wastewater is essential and it is often accomplished by bio-logical process. An aerobic nitrate-removing bacterium was isolated from a municipal sewage treatment plant and soil. On the basis of its morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics and 16S rRNA sequencing data, this strain was identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens, and named as P. fluorescens K4. The optimal conditions of the initial pH and temperature of media for its growth were $7.0{\sim}8.0$ and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. P. fluorescens K4 was able to remove 99.9% of nitrate after 24 h in a culture. The strain could grow with a nitrate concentration up to 800 mg/l and was able to remove 99.9% of nitrate after 104 h of incubation. The optimal electron donor was sodium citrate for a nitrate removal. The strain K4 showed a capability of a complete nitrate removal when the initial C/N ratio was 1.0. An effect of the initial seed concentration was observed for a cell of 10% (v/v) for a nitrate removal. Especially P. fluorescens K4 could completely remove 200 mg/l ammonium for 3 days.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.324-331
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• 1981

Sixty five soybean varieties were tested to observe varietal response and to get the basic data for resistant variety breeding to soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines I.). They were classified into five groups, from the most resistant to the most susceptible by decreasing rate of seed weight. A few Korean varieties were included in the most resistant group. In general, early maturing varieties were more susceptible. Total plant weight could be used as an important criterion to select a resistant variety to soybean cyst nematode.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2016

The present study was performed to compare the morpho-physiological characteristics of the tetraploid and diploid varieties of Platycodon grandiflorum and to obtain basic data for cultivating a tetraploid variety with high yield and content of functional substances. The plant height of the tetraploid variety (54.0 cm) was slightly higher than that of the diploid variety. The leaf length and width of the tetraploid variety were 10.2 cm and 7.3 cm, respectively. The results obtained from the present study revealed that the form of the leaf changed from lanceolate to ovate, and the chlorophyll content in the tetraploid variety (16.7) was slightly higher than that in the diploid variety. The photosynthetic rate significantly increased (24%) to $13.4{\mu}mol\;CO_2{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ in the tetraploid variety from that of the diploid variety. The pollen viability of the tetraploid variety was decreased by approximately 33% with respect to that of the diploid variety, but this did not have a significant adverse effect on seed production. The fresh weight of tetraploid P. grandiflorum was 49.4 g, which was approximately 44% higher than that of the diploid variety.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.370-381
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• 2017

Rathayibacter tritici, which is a Gram positive, plant pathogenic, non-motile, and rod-shaped bacterium, causes spike blight in wheat and barley. For successful pathogenesis, R. tritici is associated with Anguina tritici, a nematode, which produces seed galls (ear cockles) in certain plant varieties and facilitates spread of infection. Despite significant efforts, little research is available on the mechanism of disease or bacteria-nematode association of this bacterium due to lack of genomic information. Here, we report the first complete genome sequence of R. tritici NCPPB 1953 with diverse features of this strain. The whole genome consists of one circular chromosome of 3,354,681 bp with a GC content of 69.48%. A total of 2,979 genes were predicted, comprising 2,866 protein coding genes and 49 RNA genes. The comparative genomic analyses between R. tritici NCPPB 1953 and R. toxicus strains identified 1,052 specific genes in R. tritici NCPPB 1953. Using the BlastKOALA database, we revealed that the flexible genome of R. tritici NCPPB 1953 is highly enriched in 'Environmental Information Processing' system and metabolic processes for diverse substrates. Furthermore, many specific genes of R. tritici NCPPB 1953 are distributed in substrate-binding proteins for extracellular signals including saccharides, lipids, phosphates, amino acids and metallic cations. These data provides clues on rapid and stable colonization of R. tritici for disease mechanism and nematode association.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.455-458
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• 2000

Research on pesticide residues as endocrine disruptors in natural medicines was initiated by Korea Food & Drug Administration this year. We determined the presence and levels of certain pesticides in selected natural medicines. The natural medicines collected this year are Glycyrrhiza Root, Cinnamon Bark, Pueraria Root, Polygonatum Rhizome, Jujube, Schizandra Fruit, Lycium Fruit, Liriope Tuber, Eucommia Bark, Peony Root, Korean Angelica, Dioscorea Rhizome, Cnidium Rhizome, Cassia Seed, Platycodon Root, Comus Fruit, Mentha Herb, Epimedium Herb, Bupleurum Root, and Ginger, which have no data for pesticide residues and 192 samples of them were circulated in Korea, 28 samples were circulated in China. In order to analyze many pesticides in large number of samples we used simultaneous multi-residue analysis of pesticides by GC-ECD, which was followed by GC-MSD analysis to confirm the identity of the detected pesticide in each sample.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2021

Seismic designs for Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs) under earthquakes' design basis are noticed due to the recent earthquake events in Korea and Japan. Japan has developed the technologies and experiences of the NPPs through theoretical research and experimental verification with extensively accumulated measurement data. This paper describes the main features of the design-time history complying with the Japanese seismic design standard. Proper seed motions in the earthquake catalog are used to generate one set of design time histories. A magnitude and epicentral distance specify the amplitude envelope function configuring the shape of the earthquake. Cumulative velocity response spectral values of the design time histories are compared and checked to the target response spectra. Spectral accelerations of the time histories and the multiple-damping target response spectra are also checked to exceed. The generated design time histories are input to the reactor building seismic analyses with fixed-base boundary conditions to calculate the seismic responses. Another set of design time histories is generated to comply with Korean seismic design procedures for NPPs and used for seismic input motions to the same reactor containment building seismic analyses. The responses at the dome apex of the building are compared and analyzed. The generated design time histories will be also applied to subsequent seismic analyses of other Korean standard NPP structures.

• Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.449-460
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• 2018

Objective: Prior functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) work has revealed that children/adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) show dysfunctional reward/non-reward processing of non-social reinforcements in the context of instrumental learning tasks. Neural responsiveness to social reinforcements during instrumental learning, despite the importance of this for socialization, has not yet been previously investigated. Methods: Twenty-nine healthy children/adolescents and 19 children/adolescents with DBDs performed the fMRI social/non-social reinforcement learning task. Participants responded to random fractal image stimuli and received social and non-social rewards/non-rewards according to their accuracy. Results: Children/adolescents with DBDs showed significantly reduced responses within the caudate and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to non-social (financial) rewards and social non-rewards (the distress of others). Connectivity analyses revealed that children/adolescents with DBDs have decreased positive functional connectivity between the ventral striatum (VST) and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) seeds and the lateral frontal cortex in response to reward relative to non-reward, irrespective of its sociality. In addition, they showed decreased positive connectivity between the vmPFC seed and the amygdala in response to non-reward relative to reward. Conclusion: These data indicate compromised reinforcement processing of both non-social rewards and social non-rewards in children/adolescents with DBDs within core regions for instrumental learning and reinforcement-based decision-making (caudate and PCC). In addition, children/adolescents with DBDs show dysfunctional interactions between the VST, vmPFC, and lateral frontal cortex in response to rewarded instrumental actions potentially reflecting disruptions in attention to rewarded stimuli.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.306-314
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• 2018

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) has long been cultivated as an important economic medicinal plant. Owing to the seasonal and long-term agricultural cultivation methods of Korean ginseng, they are always vulnerable to various environmental stress conditions. ABSCISIC ACID (ABA) is an essential plant hormone associated with seed development and diverse abiotic stress responses including drought, cold and salinity stress. By modulating ABA responses, plants can regulate their immune responses and growth patterns to increase their ability to tolerate stress. With recent advances in genome sequencing technology, we first reported the functional features of genes related to canonical ABA signaling pathway in P. ginseng genome. Based on the protein sequences and functional genomic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana, the ABA related genes were successfully identified. Our functional genomic characterizations clearly showed that the ABA signaling related genes consisting the ABA receptor proteins (PgPYLs), kinase family (PgSnRKs) and transcription factors (PgABFs, PgABI3s and PgABI5s) were evolutionary conserved in the P. ginseng genome. We confirmed that overexpressing ABA related genes of P. ginseng completely restored the ABA responses and stress tolerance in ABA defective Arabidopsis mutants. Finally, tissue and age specific spatio-temporal expression patterns of the identified ABA-related genes in P. ginseng tissues were also classified using various available RNA sequencing data. This study provides ABA signal transduction related genes and their functional genomic information related to the growth and development of Korean ginseng. Additionally, the results of this study could be useful in the breeding or artificial selection of ginseng which is resistant to various stresses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.178-185
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aims to examine the effects of auriculotherapy on reducing signs of dry eye syndrome. Methods: This study is based on a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design. The participants who scored higher than 13 on the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) were divided randomly into two groups, the experimental group (n=45) and the control group (n=44). Auriculotherapy was performed by researchers for 2 weeks. For the experimental group, seed stickers were applied to the eye, liver, shenmen, and tubercle point of their ears. The pretest and the posttest included the same questionnaires of the OSDI as well as the Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ25) and the eye fatigue. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, $x^2$ test, t-test and paired t-test, using SAS 20.0 program. Results: The difference in the OSDI's scores showed a significant decrease between the pretest and the posttest (t=-4.12, p<.001) in the experimental group. No significant difference was found in the NEI-VFQ25 (t=-0.10, p=.921, t=-0.91 p=.374). However, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in eye fatigue (t=5.78, p<.001), whereas the control group showed no difference (t=1.38, p=.18). Conclusion: Auriculotherapy can be used effectively on relieving the symptoms of dry eye syndrome and eye fatigue. However, the quality of life related to eyes was not improved by auriculotherapy.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.646-660
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• 2019

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone essential for seed development and seedling growth under unfavorable environmental conditions. The signaling pathway leading to ABA response has been established, but relatively little is known about the functional regulation of the constituent signaling components. Here, we present several lines of evidence that Arabidopsis Raf-like kinase Raf10 modulates the core ABA signaling downstream of signal perception step. In particular, Raf10 phosphorylates subclass III SnRK2s (SnRK2.2, SnRK2.3, and SnRK2.6), which are key positive regulators, and our study focused on SnRK2.3 indicates that Raf10 enhances its kinase activity and may facilitate its release from negative regulators. Raf10 also phosphorylates transcription factors (ABI5, ABF2, and ABI3) critical for ABA-regulted gene expression. Furthermore, Raf10 was found to be essential for the in vivo functions of SnRK2s and ABI5. Collectively, our data demonstrate that Raf10 is a novel regulatory component of core ABA signaling.