• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.1119-1126
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• 2012

The collective behavior of bacteria plays an important role in biofilm development. In this study, the fluidic properties of biofilms formed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) colonies were compared by visualizing 200-nm fluorescent beads that were initially embedded in an agar plate and distributed spontaneously on the upper surface of the growing colonies. We conducted experiments to measure the three-dimensional profile of the E. coli colony using fluorescent microbeads that did not flow in the colony. Vortical flow patterns near the edge of the B. subtilis colony were observed clearly by tracking the movement of the beads in the biofilm of the colony. The present study should be the first step toward determining the effect of fluidic biofilms on the growth and swarming dynamics of bacteria.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.62-69
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• 2009

In this study, we characterized the bacterial strain KJ2C12 in relation with its biocontrol activity against Phytophthora capsici on pepper, and identified this strain using morphological, physiological, biochemical, fatty acid methyl ester, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. Strain KJ2C12 significantly (P=0.05) reduced both final disease severity and areas under the disease progress curves of 5-week-old pepper plants inoculated with P. capsici compared to buffer-treated controls. As for the production of antibiotics, biofilms, biosurfactant, extracellular enzyme, HCN, and swarming activity, strain KJ2C12 produced an extracellular enzyme with protease activity, but no other productions or swarming activity. However, Escherichia coli produced weak biofilm only. Strain KJ2C12 could colonize pepper roots more effectively in a gnotobiotic system using sterile quartz sand compared to E. coli over 4 weeks after treatments. However, no bacterial populations were detected in 10 mM $MgSO_4$ buffer-treated controls. Strain KJ2C12 produced significantly higher microbial activity than the $MgSO_4$-treated control or E. coli over 4 weeks after treatments. Bacterial strain KJ2C12 was identified as Bacillus luciferensis based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics as well as FAME and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. In addition, these results suggested that B. luciferensis strain KJ2C12 could reduce Phytophthora blight of pepper by protecting infection courts through enhanced effective root colonization with protease production and an increase of soil microbial activity.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.355-362
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• 2009

In this paper, we present a framework for managing group behaviors in multi-agent swarm systems. The framework explores the benefits by dynamic associations with the proposed artificial potential functions to realize complex swarming behaviors. A key development is the introduction of a set of flocking by dynamic association (DA) algorithms that effectively deal with a host of swarming issues such as cooperation for fast migration to a target, flexible and agile formation, and inter-agent collision avoidance. In particular, the DA algorithms employ a so-called systematic singular association (SSA) rule for fast migration to a target and compact formation through inter-agent interaction. The resulting algorithms enjoy two important interrelated benefits. First, the SSA rule greatly reduces time-consuming for migration and satisfies low possibility that agents may be lost. Secondly, the SSA is advantageous for practical implementations, since it considers for agents even the case that a target is blocked by obstacles. Extensive simulation presents to illustrate the viability and effectiveness of the proposed framework.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.42 no.9
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• pp.752-761
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• 2014

With increasing of interest in quad-rotor which has excellent maneuverability recently, a various types of multi-rotor aircraft was developed and commercialized, and there are many kinds of leisure products to be easily operated. In these products, the AR.Drone manufactured by Parrot has an advantage that it is easily operated by user due to the its internal stabilization loop in the on-board computer. Thus it is possible to design the unmanned UAV system easily by using this AR.Drone and its inner loop for the stabilization. For this advantage, KARI(Korea Aerospace Research Institute) has been developing the indoor swarming flight system by using multiple AR.Drones. For this indoor swarming flight, it is necessary that not only the position controller for each AR.Drone, but also the collision avoidance algorithm. Therefore, in this paper, the collision avoidance controller is provided for the swarm flight by using these AR.Drones.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.445-458
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• 2019

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) composed of lipid A, core, and O-antigen is the fundamental constituent of the outer membrane in gram-negative bacteria. This study was conducted to investigate the roles of LPS in Burkholderia glumae, the phytopathogen causing bacterial panicle blight and seedling rot in rice. To study the roles of the core oligosaccharide (OS) and the O-antigen region, mutant strains targeting the waaC and the wbiFGHI genes were generated. The LPS profile was greatly affected by disruption of the waaC gene and slight reductions were observed in the O-antigen region following wbiFGHI deletions. The results indicated that disruption in the core OS biosynthesis-related gene, waaC, was associated with increased sensitivity to environmental stress conditions including acidic, osmotic, saline, and detergent stress, and to polymyxin B. Moreover, significant impairment in the swimming and swarming motility and attenuation of bacterial virulence to rice were also observed in the waaC-defective mutant. The motility and virulence of O-antigen mutants defective in any gene of the wbiFGHI operon, were not significantly different from the wild-type except in slight decrease in swimming and swarming motility with wbiH deletion. Altogether, the results of present study indicated that the LPS, particularly the core OS region, is required for tolerance to environmental stress and full virulence in B. glumae. To our knowledge, this is the first functional study of LPS in a plant pathogenic Burkholderia sp. and presents a step forward toward full understanding of B. glumae pathogenesis.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.105-110
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• 2021

We experienced mortality of dark-banded rockfish (Sebastes inermis) maintained in the rearing facility located in Gangneung, after transportation. Moribund fish showed various symptoms such as exophthalmia, skin ulcers, tail rots, gill rots, discoloration of liver with petechiae, yellowish fluid in intestines and ascites. Two different colonies were dominantly appeared after spreading the lesions on the agar plates and incubation. One isolate (SI_1) showed swarming movement on TSA, and formed yellow colonies on TCBS agar. The other (SI_2) showed no swarming motility and green colonies on TCBS agar. Both of them were Gram-negative. All of these results are similar with those of Genus Vibrio. They were identified as V. harveyi and V. gigantis by PCR with subsequent sequencing of 3 different genes (16 rDNA, recA, rpoA). V. harveyi is well-known as a serious pathogen of marine fish and invertebrates, while V. gigantis is known to be often isolated from marine invertebrates, but the pathogenicity is still unknown. We suspect V. harveyi as the cause of the mortality of dark-banded rockfish, but challenge experiments with these 2 Vibrio species are thought to be necessary to make a clear conclusion.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.123-135
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• 2023

Previously, Pseudomonas plecoglossicida YJR13 and Pseudomonas putida YJR92 from a sequential screening procedure were proven to effectively control Phytophthora blight caused by Phytophthora capsici. In this study, we further investigated the anti-oomycete activities of these strains against mycelial growth, zoospore germination, and germ tube elongation of P. capsici. We also investigated root colonization ability of the bacterial strains in square dishes, including cell motility (swimming and swarming motilities) and biofilm formation. Both strains significantly inhibited mycelial growth in liquid and solid V8 juice media and M9 minimal media, zoospore germination, and germ tube elongation compared with Bacillus vallismortis EXTN-1 (positive biocontrol strain), Sphingomonas aquatilis KU408 (negative biocontrol strain), and MgSO₄ solution (untreated control). In diluted (nutrient-deficient) V₈ juice broth, the tested strain populations were maintained at >10⁸ cells/ml, simultaneously providing mycelial inhibitory activity. Additionally, these strains colonized pepper roots at a 10⁶ cells/ml concentration for 7 days. The root colonization of the strains was supported by strong swimming and swarming activities, biofilm formation, and chemotactic activity towards exudate components (amino acids, organic acids, and sugars) of pepper roots. Collectively, these results suggest that strains YJR13 and YJR92 can effectively suppress Phytophthora blight of pepper through direct anti-oomycete activities against mycelial growth, zoospore germination and germ tube elongation. Bacterial colonization of pepper roots may be mediated by cell motility and biofilm formation together with chemotaxis to root exudates.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.307-318
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• 2023

Objectives: Bacterial biofilm is regarded as a significant threat to the production of safe food and the arise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the quorum sensing inhibitory effect of Nepeta curviflora methanolic extract. Methods: The effectiveness of the leaves at sub-inhibitory concentrations of 2.5, 1.25, and 0.6 mg/mL on the virulence factors and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa was evaluated. The effect of N. curviflora methanolic extract on the virulence factors of P. aeruginosa, including pyocyanin, rhamnolipid, protease, and chitinase, was evaluated. Other tests including the crystal violet assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swarming motility, aggregation ability, hydrophobicity and exopolysaccharide production were conducted to assess the effect of the extract on the formation of biofilm. Insight into the mode of antiquorum sensing action was evaluated by examining the effect of the extract on the activity of N-Acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) and the expression of pslA and pelA genes. Results: The results showed a significant attenuation in the production of pyocyanin and rhamnolipid and in the activities of protease and chitinase enzymes at 2.5 and 1.25 mg/mL. In addition, N. curviflora methanolic extract significantly inhibited the formation of P. aeruginosa biofilm by decreasing aggregation, hydrophobicity, and swarming motility as well as the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS). A significant reduction in AHL secretion and pslA gene expression was observed, indicating that the extract inhibited quorum sensing by disrupting the quorum-sensing systems. The quorum-sensing inhibitory effect of N. curviflora extract appears to be attributed to the presence of kaempferol, quercetin, salicylic acid, rutin, and rosmarinic acid, as indicated by LCMS analysis. Conclusion: The results of the present study provide insight into the potential of developing anti-quorum sensing agents using the extract and the identified compounds to treat infections resulting from quorum sensing-mediated bacterial pathogenesis.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.170-184
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• 2024

With the advancement of autonomous navigation technology in maritime domain, there is an active research on swarming Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) that can fulfill missions with low cost and high efficiency. In this study, we propose a formation control algorithm that maintains a certain shape when multiple unmanned surface vehicles operate in a swarm. In the case of swarming, individual USVs need to be able to accurately follow the target state and avoid collisions with obstacles or other vessels in the swarm. In order to generate guidance commands for swarm formation control, the potential field method has been a major focus of swarm control research, but the method using the potential field only uses the position information of obstacles or other ships, so it cannot effectively respond to moving targets and obstacles. In situations such as the formation change of a swarm of ships, the formation control is performed in a dense environment, so the position and velocity information of the target and nearby obstacles must be considered to effectively change the formation. In order to overcome these limitations, this paper applies a method that considers relative velocity to the potential field-based guidance law to improve target following and collision avoidance performance. Considering the relative velocity of the moving target, the potential field for nearby obstacles is newly defined by utilizing the concept of Velocity Obstacle (VO), and the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method is verified through swarm control simulation, and swarm control experiments using a small scaled unmanned surface vehicle platform.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.780-786
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• 2007

This paper describes the influence on partial discharge characteristics of defects at the model XLPE/EPDM interfaces of power cable joints. The defects of void and copper which could inadvertently be present at the joint interface. We measured ${\Phi}-n,\;{\Phi}-q$ patterns by a computer-aided partial discharge measuring system. Several parameters i, e, maximum discharge $q_{max}$ [pC], average discharge q [pC/cycle], and average angle of discharge ${\Theta}g$ [deg] were found to depend upon the defect type varying applied voltage. As the result of time evaluation, partial discharges are small different at copper defects, but is decreasing obviously about 20 minutes at void defect. It considered that difference of magnitude of total positive discharge of Q+ [pC] and total negative discharge of Q- [pC] is SPMD(swarming pulsive micro discharges).