• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.881-889
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• 2020

The objective of this study was to quantitatively measure the changes in radon concentration due to ventilation and air purification plants in the lower and upper floors of a building. This study measured and compared radon concentration in the lower and upper floors of the building by using a radon meter when the room was closed, it was ventilated, and air purification plants were installed at a specific time. One-way ANOVA was conducted to evaluate the effect of treatment (i.e., closure, ventilation, and air purification plants) on radon concentration. The results of this study showed that ventilation and air purification plants significantly decreased radon concentration in the lower and upper floors of the building, but the effect of ventilation and that of air purification plants were not significantly different. Therefore, it will be possible to reduce radon concentration effectively when ventilation and air purification plants are used appropriately.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2021

Objectives : Tetrapanacis Medulla and Akebiae Caulis are one of the most frequently adulterated herbal medicines because of their confusability of terms in the ancient writings and the similarity of morphological features of dried herbal products. The major adulterant is Aristolochia manshuriensis (Guanmutong) which has a serious safety concern with its toxicity. To ensure the safety and quality of the two herbal medicines, it is necessary to discriminate the toxic adulterant from authentic species. The aim of this study is to develop SCAR markers and to establish the multiplex-SCAR assay for discrimination of four plant species related to Tetrapanacis Medulla and Akebiae Caulis. Methods : ITS regions of fifteen samples of four species (Tetrapanax papyrifer, Fatsia japonica, Aristolochia manshuriensis, and Akebia quinata) collected from different sites were amplified and sequenced. Fifteen obtained ITS sequences were aligned and analysed for the detection of species-specific sequence variations. The SCAR markers were designed based on the sequence alignments and then, multiplex-SCAR assay enhancing rapidity was optimized. Results : ITS sequences clearly distinguished the four species at the species level. The developed SCAR markers and multiplex-SCAR assay were successfully discriminated four species and detected the adulteration of commercial product samples by comparison of the amplified DNA fragment sizes. Conclusions : These SCAR markers and multiplex-SCAR assay are a rapid, simple, and reliable method to identify the authentic Tetrapanacis Medulla and Akebiae Caulis from adulterants. These genetic tools will be useful to ensure the safety and to standardize the quality of the two herbal medicines.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.201-210
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• 2022

Vitamin A (Vit A) is a lipid-soluble vitamin required for diverse normal body functions, including good vision, reproduction, growth, development, and cellular differentiation. The therapeutic effects of Vit A have been demonstrated for the treatments of inflammation, low immunity, and cancer. The present review discusses the scientific evidence for establishing the 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI) for Vit A, issues caused by unit change of Vit A, and suggestions for the 2025 KDRI revision. Due to the changes in the standard bodyweight observed in several age groups, the 2020 KDRI had minor revisions as compared to the 2015 KDRI. In the 2015 KDRI, the Vit A unit has changed from retinol equivalent (RE) to retinol activity equivalent (RAE) and the activity of carotenoids became half with RAE compared to RE due to this unit change. Since the Vit A intake of Koreans relies heavily on plant-based carotenoids, the dietary intake of Vit A in Koreans as determined by considering the RAE was much lower than values obtained with RE. The analysis for Vit A intake by the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey only reflects intakes of retinol and beta-carotene. Thus, it would be necessary to include the consumption of other provitamin A, such as alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Moreover, assessing the amounts of Vit A in foods should be customized to Korean diets since there are seasonal variations in the carotenoid concentration of plants. Moreover, other factors such as age- and sex-specific intake data and considerations of baseline micronutrient status, body mass index, and dietary patterns should be considered for developing more precise KDRI. In particular, the Vit A requirement needs to be met by consuming diverse foods, including animal foods.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.327-333
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• 2021

The two main hypotheses that explain why invasive alien plants successfully colonize new environments are: 1) invasive alien plants are functionally different from native plants in a community, and 2) the plants can adapt well to new environments because they are functionally similar to native plants. The present study investigated the functional traits of naturalized alien herbaceous plants and their native neighbors in a riparian park area near the Hapcheon-Changyeong weir along the Nakdong River to determine which of the two hypotheses applied to the study area. According to the results, leaf functional traits, such as leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf thickness, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, and leaf carbon content differed between naturalized alien and native plants, which could be attributed to the higher leaf nitrogen contents in naturalized alien plants than in native plants. The high leaf nitrogen contents are associated with high photosynthetic rates, which lead to effective resource use and rapid growth; therefore, naturalized alien plants growing in the study area were considered to have such functional traits. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that the successful establishment of invasive alien plants is attributed to the functional trait differences between invasive and native plants.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.553-561
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• 2022

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a slowly progressing hematopoietic cell disorder. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) plays established roles in tumor initiation, progression, and chemotherapy resistance in a wide range of cancers, including leukemia. However, small-molecule inhibitors targeting SPHK1 in CML still need to be developed. This study revealed the role of SPHK1 in CML and investigated the potential anti-leukemic activity of hirsuteine (HST), an indole alkaloid obtained from the oriental plant Uncaria rhynchophylla, in CML cells. These results suggest that SPHK1 is highly expressed in CML cells and that overexpression of SPHK1 represents poor clinical outcomes in CML patients. HST exposure led to G2/M phase arrest, cellular apoptosis, and downregulation of Cyclin B1 and CDC2 and cleavage of Caspase 3 and PARP in CML cells. HST shifted sphingolipid rheostat from sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) towards the ceramide coupled with a marked inhibition of SPHK1. Mechanistically, HST significantly blocked SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways. In addition, HST can be docked with residues of SPHK1 and shifts the SPHK1 melting curve, indicating the potential protein-ligand interactions between SPHK1 and HST in both CML cells. SPHK1 overexpression impaired apoptosis and proliferation of CML cells induced by HST alone. These results suggest that HST, which may serve as a novel and specific SPHK1 inhibitor, exerts anti-leukemic activity by inhibiting the SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways in CML cells, thus conferring HST as a promising anti-leukemic drug for CML therapy in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.21-29
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• 2022

The room-and-pillar method or grid-type underground space is a method of forming a space by excavating the excavation part at regular intervals so that it is orthogonal and using natural rock mass as a structure. Such excavation may appear different in size from the excavation stage where the maximum displacement occurs depending on the excavation direction and sequence. In this study, considering the installation of support materials such as shotcrete and rock bolts for the optimal design of the excavation process, the safety and constructability of the design and construction of the grid-type underground space under specific ground conditions were analytically reviewed. The ground conditions were set using an numerical method, and the stress at pillar and displacement at center of room were considered for each excavation stage and construction type under a constant surcharge. The height of the space was 8m, which was set higher than the size of a general office, and was reviewed in consideration of equipment and plant facilities. In addition, the degree of displacement control according to the installation of support materials was reviewed in consideration of shotcrete and rock bolts.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.956-961
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• 2022

Plant Chloroplast have several advantages as an expression platform of biopharmaceuticals over conventional expression platforms such as mammalian cells, yeast and bacteria. First, plants do not serve as a host for mammalian infectious virus and have endotoxin like bacteria which can cause anaphylactic shock. In addition, high copy number of chloroplast genome allows for chloroplast transformants to reach the high level of expression of heterologous genes. Moreover, the integration of transgenes into specific region of chloroplast genomes makes chloroplast transformants unaffected by positional effect which can be frequently observed from nuclear transformants, resulting in loss of transgene expressions. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a kind of innate immunity which is found from bacteria to humans. Unlike conventional antibiotics, very less dosage of AMPs can have catastrophic effect on bacterial survival. Further, the repeated use of AMPs does not trigger the development of bacterial resistance. Moricin, one of the AMPs, was isolated from Bombyx mori, a silkworm moth. The C-terminal of moricin consists largely of basic amino acids, and the N-terminal has an α-helix structure. Moricin was chosen and expressed in a SUMO/SUMOase without leaving any unwanted amino acids which could potentially affect the anti-bacterial activity of the moricin. The transformation vector used in this study has already been created in this lab for the expression in both prokaryotic systems such as E. coli and chloroplast. The expressed moricin was purified using Ni columns and SUMOase, and the antibacterial activity of the purified moricin was confirmed using an agar diffusion assay.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.173-195
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• 2022

Like vertebrates, insects synthesize various eicosanoids after the committed catalytic step of phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂). However, the subsequent biosynthetic steps exhibit some deviation from those of vertebrates. Due to little composition of arachidonic acid in insect phospholipids, PLA₂ releases linoleic acid, which is another polyunsaturated fatty acid and relatively rich in insect phospholipids, to synthesize arachidonic acid via chain extension and desaturation. Resulting arachidonic acid is then oxygenated into a prostaglandin (PG), PGH₂, by a specific peroxidase called peroxynectin, but not by cyclooxygenase. PGH₂ is then isomerized to various PGs such as PGA₂, PGD₂, PGE₂, PGI₂, and a thromboxane (TXB₂). All four epoxyeicosatrienoic acids such as 5,6-EET, 8,9-EET, 11,12-EET, and 14,15-EET are also synthesized from arachidonic acid by oxygenation of vertebrate types of monooxygenases. However, the other type of eicosanoids called leukotrienes are found in insect tissues but their synthetic pathway is unclear. Eicosanoids mediate various insect physiological processes such as metabolism, excretion, immunity, and reproduction. Thus, identification of novel compounds interrupting eicosanoid biosynthesis would be a novel approach to develop insecticides. This review focuses on PGs and their immune mediation.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.209-215
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• 1992

Different from 'Seyokwiryang' (歲易爲良 : fallowing as the best method) which was an agricultural technique of ancient China, fertilization of rice fields was already practiced in the end of Koryo age in Korea. 'Bunjongbeob'(糞種法 : fertilizer applicating method on seed) or 'Bunkwabeob' (糞科法 : fertilizer applicating method on each plant) was practiced before green manure of bean crops and 'Bunjeonbeob'(糞田法 : fertilizer practicing method on fields) were done. In the 15th century 'Dojeonbunjeonbeob'(稻田糞田法 : fertilizer applicating method on paddy) in 'Jikseol' was divided the materials to be used into the soil brought from another place, trees, grasses, and the manure. Also, it discribed the fertilization between first plowing and the second, and proper fertilization for particular soil conditions. In case of transplanting techniques, the fertilization practices were specified into nursery and rice fields, and restoration of organic matter was systemized by plowing for cultivation in the reclaimed areas. In the 17th century, through 'Jikseolbo'($\ulcorner$直說補$\lrcorner$), the habitual practice of Kyungsang province was systemized and 'Bunyangsool'(糞壤術 : technique of fertilization) of 'Jodoangkicheo' (早稻秧基處 : rearing fields of early-ripening rice) was completed. Specific things was the manufacturing and utilizing techniques of 'Bunhoe'(糞灰 : mixture of manure and ash), 'Yohoe'(尿灰 : mixture of urine and ash), and additional fertilizers. In the 18 to 19th century, the materials of fertilization were greatly enlarged to recover the waste lands and to support the reinforcement of soil fertility for increasing the system of two cropping a year. Also, 'Jeobunbeob'(貯糞法 : method of manure storage) and additional fertilization were emphasized, and use of wagons for it was emphasized to improve the theory of fertilization and working efficiency. As mentioned above, limitation of fertilizing materials was conquered by 'Dojeonbunyang'(稻田糞壤 : techniques of practicing fertilizers in paddy) and the system of additional fertilization was established. The fertilization methods were improved with 'Jeobunbeob' due to the theory and recognition necessary for high rates of fertilizers.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.85-93
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• 2001

The inter-relationship and combining abilities of characters for leaf length, leaf width, branch number, leaf number, leaf area, fresh weight and dry weight were studied in the F₁ combination of 15 crosses from the partial six-parent diallel cross in Petunia hybrida. The leaf area, fresh weight and dry weight showed high positive correlation together with the other growth characters such as leaf length, leaf width, branch number, leaf number. The mean squares of general combining ability(GCA) and specific combining ability(SCA) were highly significant for all the growth characters. The estimates of variance components of SCA were greater than those of GCA for all the characters, showing preponderance of non-additive gene actions for these characters. GCA effect was high in the lines of D and G for leaf length and fresh weight, and in the lines of C and D for branch number, leaf number, leaf area and fresh weight. The crosses of D×E, D×G, and E×G exhibited high SCA effect for all the growth characters such as leaf length, leaf width, branch number, leaf number, leaf area, fresh weight, and dry weight. The broad sense heritability was generally high compared to narrow sense one in the 7 characters. The highest heritability of the broad and narrow sense was shown in the leaf width and dry weight.