• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.201-205
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• 2016

In August 2015, leaf spot symptoms were observed on Korean gondre thistle (Cirsium setidens) in Youngwol, Korea. During the early stage, the symptoms appeared as one or more small gray-brown to brown spots on plant leaves. The spots showed extensive enlargement over time and eventually became large dark brown to black lesions on the whole leaf. Stemphylium species were consistently isolated from affected leaves. All isolates were identified as S. lycopersici, S. solani, or S. xanthosomatis based on morphological and cultural characteristics. The isolates were confirmed as S. lycopersici based on a multilocus sequence analysis using the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, elongation factor 1, GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), and the noncoding region between the vacuolar membrane ATPase catalytic subunit A gene and a gene involved in vacuolar biogenesis. Pathogenicity was tested by spore suspension inoculation on wounded or unwounded gondre leaves. The lesions were observed on inoculated leaves within 3 days after inoculation, regardless of wound. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the leaf spot on gondre thistle caused by S. lycopersici in Korea or elsewhere.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.1181-1187
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• 2003

Hibiscus hamabo, called "Hwang-geun", growing about 3m in height is a deciduous shrub or subtree of Malvaceae. Because the number of these species is very limited in the world, the Ministry of Environment has designated H. hamabo as a preserved plant. The Korea Forest Service also protects it strictly by law since H. hamabo is an out-of-the-way plant and possibly may be exterminated soon in Korea. Investigation for distribution and ecological characteristics of the habitat for H. hamabo was carried out on Soan Island. Two wild H. hamabo were found at the forest edge (equation omitted) along the sea coast located in the southern part of Soan Island and this was the first report in the Korean academic world. These two wild H. hamabos were growing in a naturally inhibited area. The diameters at the base were 12cm and 15cm. The Tree heights were 150cm and 210cm and the number of branches of each wild H. hamabo was 4 and 7. However, the present condition of these plants was not good. Environmental conditions of the naturally inhibited area of H. hamabo were very mild because it is located at the edge of the forest and is always sunny during the daytime since the slope of the inhibited area is facing South. The ground drained very well since the soil was made of gravels and sand. Because the percent of vegetation of the subtree layer where H. hamabo was growing was 40%, the cover degree and sociability of flex crenata trees and Eurya japonica were found to be high. In the naturally inhibited area of H. hamabo, a dominant value of Rubus parvifolius in the lower part of the herb layer was very high and many plants in Compositae, such as Artemisia princeps var. orientalis and Erigeron annuus, were also present. A dominant value of liana, such as Vitis thunbergii var. sinuata, Rosa multiflora, Clematis terniflora and Hedera rhombea, and Gramineae plants that rhizomes were well developed and aggressively propagated, such as Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens, Phragmites communis, Spodiopogon cotulifer and Oplismenus undulatifolius which were surveyed as high, too. These results imply that H. hamabo might be exterminated soon through a natural selection if the proper management of the naturally inhibited area of H. hamabo is not conducted continually.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2006

In 'solid-phase' PEGylation, the conjugation reaction occurs as the proteins are attached to a solid matrix, and thus it can have distinct advantages over the conventional, solution-phase process. We report a case study: rhIFN-${\alpha}$-2a was first adsorbed to cation exchange resin and then N-terminally PEGylated by aldehyde mPEG of 5, 10, and 20 kD through reductive alkylation. After the PEGylation, salt gradient elution efficiently recovered the mono-PEGylate in a purified form from the unwanted species such as unmodified IFN, unreacted PEG, and others. The mono-PEGylation and its purification were integrated in a single chromatographic step. Depending on the molecular weight of the mPEG aldehyde used, the mono-PEGylation yield ranged 50-64%. We could overcome the major problems of random, or uncontrollable, multi-PEGylation and the post-PEGylation purification difficulties associated with the solution-phase process. N-terminal sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS confirmed that a PEG molecule was conjugated only to the N-terminus. Compared with the unmodified IFN, the mono-PEGylate showed the reduced anti-viral activity as measured by the cell proliferation assay. The bioactivity was reduced more as the higher molecular weight PEG was conjugated. Immunoreactivity, evaluated indirectly by antibody binding activity using a surface plasmon resonance biosensor, also decreased. Nevertheless, trypsin resistance as well as thermal stability was considerably improved.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.979-985
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• 2010

This study was performed to detect enterococci strain as an indicator of faecal contamination, to identify of 16S rDNA sequence and vancomycin resistance by MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) test from drinking spring-water samples in Seoul. The detection frequency of enterococci was 42 (19.8%) among 212 samples, and its concentration was ranged from 0 to 110 CFU/100 mL. These results were confirmed the possibility as an indicator microorganisms that similar to the frequency of E. coli detection (t test p-value 0.268, significant level 0.05). Isolated 56 enterococci samples were identified by 16S rDNA sequence data and their NCBI BLAST searching. They were identified to Enterococcus faecalis of 24 samples, E. faecium (10), E. casseliflavus (10), E. gallinarum (3), E. hirae (2), E. durans (2), E. sanguinicola (1). E. faecalis was dominant species that clinical case report of a domestic was similar. Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) of 53 samples showed that vanB and vanC1/C2 type with 2 and 12 case, respectively. These results indicated that the drinking spring-water quarantined to fecal pollution for block out outbreak of gastrointestinal symptom with using such as disinfection process.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.74-82
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• 2017

Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is a flowering ornamental plant used widely in Korea. In 2015, wilting, damping-off, stunting, and root rot symptoms were observed in lisianthus plants of Yeoju and Gimhae, Korea. Affected seedlings appeared yellow and showed poor development of root systems in the field and in nursery boxes. Furthermore, affected plants were yellow, stunted, and died at approximately 2-3 months after transplanting. Fusarium species were consistently isolated from the basal stems of diseased plants. Nine isolates were identified as Fusarium solani based on morphological characteristics. Macroconidia of isolates were relatively wide, straight-to-slightly curved, and microconidia formed in false heads on long monophialides. Abundant chlamydospores were produced at the middle or tips of hyphae. To confirm this identification, a molecular analysis of the translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF) and RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2) genes was conducted. The sequences of TEF and RPB2 showed 99.2-99.9% and 98.0-98.1% similarity, respectively, to those of reference F. solani strains in NCBI GenBank. Pathogenicity was tested using root dipping inoculation of healthy lisianthus seedlings. Symptoms were observed within 7 days of inoculation only in inoculated plants. This is the first report of F. solani causing Fusarium root rot on lisianthus in Korea.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.5 s.85
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• pp.658-663
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• 2007

Bacillus thuringiensis is a well-known species of entomophathogenic bacteria that is widely used as a biopesticide against many insect pests. It produces parasporal crystals ($\delta$-endotoxin) and endospores during sporulation. In this report, the $\delta$-endotoxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis BT-1 and BT-2 were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope(TEM), SDS-PACE, and solubilization activity by alkaline solution. BT-1, BT-2 were cultured in the GBY medium, and the $\delta$-endotoxin of them was purified with discontinuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Their $\delta$-endotoxin was observed by SEM and TEM. Morphologically, the $\delta$-endotoxin of BT-1 was a square and flat type, whose size was $1.73{\mu}m{\times}0.7{\mu}m$, and the $\delta$-endotoxin of the BT-2 was spherical form whose size was $1.1{\mu}m{\times}0.9{\mu}m$ determined by SEM and TEM. The $\delta$-endotoxin of the BT-1 was composed of 28 kDa and 21 kDa, however, it of the BT-2 was composed of 50 kDa, 35 kDa, and 22 kDa bands determined by SDS-PACE. The purified crystals of BT-1 and BT-2 were dissolved gradually in alkaline solution as time goes by, and it was perfectly dissolved after 3 hours. It is supposed that the $\delta$-endotoxin of crystal was converted to a state of activation in the course of time in the intestines of insect.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.182-189
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• 2013

Halophytes are unique land plants that are capable of thriving in a high-salt environment. They are attracting public attention due to their ability to synthesize bioactive substances such as UV protectants or antioxidizing agents. To achieve unaffected growth under high salinity, halophytes may take advantage of the activities of cell growth factors such as expansins. Expansins are well-known cell wall proteins that are responsible for cell enlargement. They loosen cell walls, thereby contributing to actual plant growth. This study aimed to identify positive roles of expansins in the growth of halophytes. Three expansin cDNA clones were isolated from seedlings of Suaeda japonica. Comparing the deduced amino acid sequences of the expansin genes of S. japonica with those of other plant species suggested that the cDNA clones isolated from S. japonica belong to the EXPA (${\alpha}$-expansin) gene family. A phylogenetic tree based on the deduced amino acid sequences revealed that the expansins of S. japonica share a close evolutionary relationship with those of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) and jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), both of which are woody dicots. SjEXPAs did not show any remarkable change in the gene expression level in different NaCl concentrations, providing a clue to the unaffected seedling growth of S. japonica in a high-salt environment. In conclusion, the present study presents the first report of expansin genes from halophytes and suggests a putative role for these genes in plant growth under high salinity.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2017

Purpose Recently, there has been increasing demands for clinical departments at Asan Medical center in Seoul. They want to see the results of lab tests about blood samples as soon as possible and to be reported to them on the day. As the main contents of the survey, we explained the goodness of Asan medical center's in vitro and the points to be improved. Based on this, it became an opportunity to create a positive image of In vitro laboratory. In addition, we could identify their specific requirements through the surveys. Materials and Methods In September 2016, a total of 14 questionnaire surveys were conducted for 49 clinical departments and outpatient nurses at Asan Medical center in Seoul. The survey consists of description questions to be able to express the intention of the individual and the questions made on the Likert 4 point scale. The main contents of 14 questions are composed of goodness of In Vitro laboratory and points to be improved. Results 62% answered that the best service in In Vitro laboratory was "good accuracy and reproducibility". On the other hand, as an inconvenience when requesting blood tests, 73% pointed out that "the result report time was long", which was recognized as a part to be improved. There are many contents that "The result of all tests is reported within 2 hours" on the day of the examination. In the question - 'Are there some examination results which do not coincide well with clinical observations?', 55 of 56 people answered "no". Above all, the majority answered that waiting for re-examination results is too long. This problem must be causing discomfort to the patients. Conclusion In order to improve these problems, the first thing is to increase the number of blood tests by using the current personnel, equipments and reagents to the fullest by item in Asan Medical Center's Nuclear medicine in vitro part. Secondly, in case of re-examinations, we use the "AMIS message" to show other clinical departments the reporting time. This methode improves the efficiency of work with nurses and increases satisfaction of custom service. Thirdly, the correlation was evaluated by selecting the test species that can be carried out by the shortening method. Currently, C-peptide and insulin are implemented in the reaction process to shorten 2 hours into 1 hour. Finally, we are considering purchasing new equipments for quick test results.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2020

This review is about current Streptococcosis of cultured olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, in South Korea. The main bacterial species are Streptococcus iniae, S. parauberis and Lactococcus garvieae. The occurrence trend has been arranged with published data and seed bank (NIFS) data that was examined with deposited strains and the number from 2002 to 2017. S. iniae and L. garvieae were collected until 2012 and 2002, respectively, but not collected any more after that year. In recent years, the dominant strain of Streptococcosis of cultured olive flounder is S. parauberis. The phenotypic and genetic characteristics of standard strains and isolated strains were examined with published paper. Notably, we describe about distinguishing gross signs and histological signs of 3 types of Streptococcosis in this report. White turbidity of eye, hemorrhage, enteritis and ascites are main signs of S. iniae infection. Darkness of body surface, hemorrhage in somatic muscle and pericarditis are predominant in occasion S. parauberis infection. In occasion of L. garvieae infection, common signs of Streptococcosis are revealed, but these are weak tendency compared with the previous two cases.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.381-388
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• 2019

For several years, temperatures in the Korean peninsula have gradually increased due to climate change, resulting in a changing environment for growth of crops and vegetables. An associated consequence is that emerging species of insect vector have caused increased viral transmission. In Jeju Island, Korea, occurrences of viral disease have increased. Here, we report characterization of five newly collected turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) isolates named KBJ1, KBJ2, KBJ3, KBJ4 and KBJ5 from a survey on Jeju Island in 2017. Full-length cDNAs of each isolate were cloned into the pJY vector downstream of cauliflower mosaic virus 35S and bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase promoters. Their fulllength sequences share 98.9-99.9% nucleotide sequence identity and were most closely related to previously reported Korean TuMV isolates. All isolates belonged to the BR group and infected both Chinese cabbage and radish. Four isolates induced very mild symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana but KBJ5 induced a hypersensitive response. Symptom differences may result from three amino acid differences uniquely present in KBJ5; Gly(382)Asp, Ile(891)Val, and Lys(2522)Glu in P1, P3, and NIb, respectively.