• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.124-124
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• 2017

Cadmium (Cd) is of particular concern because of its widespread occurrence and high toxicity and may cause serious morpho-physiological and molecular abnormalities in in plants. The present study was performed to explore Cd-induced morpho-physiological alterations and their potentiality associated mechanisms in Sorghum bicolor leaves at the protein level. Ten-day-old sorghum seedlings were exposed to different concentrations (0, 100, and $150{\mu}M$) of $CdCl_2$, and different morpho-physiological responses were recorded. The effects of Cd exposure on protein expression patterns in S. bicolor were investigated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in samples derived from the leaves of both control and Cd-treated seedlings. The observed morphological changes revealed that the plants treated with Cd displayed dramatically altered shoot lengths, fresh weights, and relative water content. In addition, the concentration of Cd was markedly increased by treatment with Cd, and the amount of Cd taken up by the shoots was significantly and directly correlated with the applied level of Cd. Using the 2-DE method, a total of 33 differentially expressed protein spots were analyzed using MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Of these, treatment with Cd resulted in significant increases in 15 proteins and decreases in 18 proteins. Significant changes were absorbed in the levels of proteins known to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism, transcriptional regulation, translation and stress responses. Proteomic results revealed that Cd stress had an inhibitory effect on carbon fixation, ATP production and the regulation of protein synthesis. In addition, the up-regulation of glutathione S-transferase and cytochrome P450 may play a significant role in Cd-related toxicity and stress responses. Our study provides insights into the integrated molecular mechanisms involved in response to Cd and the effects of Cd on the growth and physiological characteristics of sorghum seedlings. The upregulation of these stress-related genes may be candidates for further research and use in genetic manipulation of sorghum tolerance to Cd stress.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2020

This study was undertaken to determine the characteristics of xanthoangelol, the major chalcone constituent derived from the extracts of different parts of Lespedeza bicolor. Xanthoangelol was isolated from the root extract using column chromatography and used as a standard for quantitative analysis. The structure of the isolated compound was established based on spectroscopic evidence. The HPLC-DAD method was validated for specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, and limit of quantitation. The calibration curve of xanthoangelol had significant linearity (R²>0.9999). Limit of detection and limit of quantitation 0.018 and 0.059 ㎍/mL, respectively. The relative standard deviation values of precision test, and intra- and inter-day tests were less than 0.22 and 0.40%, respectively. In the recovery test, the accuracy ranged from 98.98-102.78% with RSD values less than 0.13%. The method validation parameters indicate the applicability of the HPLC method for quality control of food or drug formulations containing L. bicolor.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.607-618
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• 2017

Harmful air pollutants are exhausted from the various industrial facilities including the coal-fired thermal power plants and these substances affects on the human health as well as the nature environment. In particular, nitrogen oxides ($NO_x$) and sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$) are known to be causative substances to form fine particles ($PM_{2.5}$), which are also deleterious to human health. The integrated system composed of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) have been widely applied in order to control $NO_x$ and $SO_2$ emissions, resulting in high investment and operational costs, maintenance problems, and technical limitations. Recently, new technologies for the simultaneous removal of $NO_x$ and $SO_2$ from the flue gas, such as absorption, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), non-thermal plasma (NTP), and electron beam (EB), are investigated in order to replace current integrated systems. The proposed technologies are based on the oxidation of $NO_x$ and $SO_2$ to $HNO_3$ and $H_2SO_4$ by using strong aqueous oxidants or oxidative radicals, the absorption of $HNO_3$ and $H_2SO_4$ into water at the gas-liquid interface, and the neutralization with additive reagents. In this paper, we summarize the technical improvements of each simultaneous abatement processes and the future prospect of technologies for demonstrating large-scaled applications.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.173-184
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• 2020

Irrigation ponds, 'dumbeong', which are artificially constructed water resources for traditional farming, serve as a biological shelter connecting seasonally created rice paddy fields to local freshwater ecosystems. This 2018 study surveyed 143 irrigation ponds in the western Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) area from August to September, revealing species diversity and community characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrates. A total of 13,454 individuals of macroinvertebrates were captured and classified into 3 phyla, 5 classes, 17 orders, 59 families, 192 species. Among Insecta, the most frequently recorded order was Odonata, 55 spp.(33.7%), followed by Coleoptera, 52 spp. (31.9%), Hemiptera, 34 spp. (20.8%), Diptera, 17 spp. (9.8%), Ephemeroptera, 3 spp. (2.4%), Trichoptera, 1 spp. (0.6%) and Lepidoptera, 1 spp. (0.6%). Taxon of non-Insecta consisted of Mollusca, 14 spp. (48.2%), Annelida, 11 spp. (37.9%) and Arthropoda, 4 spp. (3.4%). The analysis of Diversity Index (H'), Species Richness Index (RI), Dominance Index (DI) and Evenness Index (J') revealed the general stability of communities in the study sites. A total of 28 rare species were found in 98 study sites, including three endangered species designated by the Ministry of Environment. These results showed that the species diversity and rarity of macroinvertebrates in the study area were greater than those of previous research on lentic wetlands (lake, etc.) and national conserved wetlands(Upo-swamp, etc.) in Korea. A conservation planning of aquatic ecosystems in the western CCZ area, therefore, should focus on conservation of irrigation ponds.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.698-706
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• 2019

Over the last few decades, there have been a lot of efforts to develop soft actuators, which can be external stimuli-responsive and applied to the human body. In order to fabricate medical soft actuators with a dynamic precision control, the 3D crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels were synthesized in this study by using a radiation technique without noxious chemical additives or initiators. After irradiation, all hydrogels showed high gel fraction over 75% and the ATR-FTIR spectra indicated that PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels were successfully synthesized. In addition, the gel fraction, equilibrium water content, and compressive strength were measured to determine the change in physical properties of PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels according to the irradiation dose and content ratio of constituents. As the irradiation dose and amount of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) increased, the PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels showed a high crosslinking density and mechanical strength. It was also confirmed that PAAc/PVA/PEG hydrogels responded to electrical stimulation even at a low voltage of 3 V. The bending behavior of hydrogels under an electric field can be controlled by changing the crosslinking density, ionic group content, applied voltage, and ionic strength of swelling solution.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2009

Single-dose toxicity test of germanium-fortified lettuce was investigated in mice. Both sexes of C57BL/6 mice were orally administered once at a dose of 2,000 mg/kg. No death, clinical signs and pathological findings related to the treatment were observed. In addition, no significant changes in feed consumption and body weight gain were obtained during the treatment period, in spite of day-to-day fluctuation of water consumption. There were no considerable changes in hematology and serum biochemistry, except a significant decrease in GPT, GOT and LDH. Several alterations were observed in organ weight and blood biochemistry, including thymus, ovaries, heart, kidney and platelet in male or female mice. The ability of spleen cells proliferation was almost same level as shown in control group. However the population of B cells, helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells was not comparably changed in all groups. Taken together, it is suggested that single oral dose of germanium-fortified lettuce to C57BU6 mice did not cause apparent toxicological change at the dose of 2,000 mg/kg body weight.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2020

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic and degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive degeneration of articular cartilage. Inflammation is a recognized and important factor of OA progression. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of Corni Fructus water extract (CFW) on a monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced rat model of OA. Methods: Osteoarthritis was induced by injection of MIA (50 µL; 80 mg/mL) into the knee joint cavity of rats. After an adaptation period for seven days, the rats were divided into 4 groups (n=8/group): normal, control, indomethacin-treated (5 mg/kg), and CFW-treated (200 mg/kg) groups. The rats were treated orally for 14 days. Pain was evaluated by determining hind paw weight distribution. For biochemical analyses, we measured the changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and peroxynitrite (ONOO^-) in the knee joint. The presence of anti-oxidant proteins and inflammatory proteins was determined by western blotting. Results: The administration of CFW significantly improved the hind paw weight distribution. The ROS and ONOO^- levels of knee joint were significantly decreased in the CFW group. CFW inhibited the production of inflammatory mediators, such as COX-2, and inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 and IL-1β, via the NF-κB signaling pathway. The expression of anti-oxidant enzymes, such as catalase and GPx-1/2 also increased significantly. Conclusions: The findings indicate that CFW has a therapeutic and protective effect on OA by suppression of inflammation. Therefore, CFW could represent a potential and effective candidate for OA treatment.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2016

Streptococcus mutans plays a virtal role in trigering dental caries establishment due to its ability to synthesize two significant factors. The two factors are organic acids and glucans. The former demineralized dental enamel and the latter mediates the attachment of bacteria to tooth surface. It is believed that demineralization of dental enamel and attachment of bacteria are the crucial events that indicate and develop dental caries. For this reason, we studied the effect of the ethanol extracts of Radix Pulsatillae on the growth and acid production of S. mutans. Ethanol extracts of the Radix Pulsatillae showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity against the growth and acid production of S. mutans, and produced significant inhibition compared to the control groups (p<0.05). The extracts inhibited S. mutans adherence to hydroxyapatite treated with saliva, and cell adherence was repressed by Radix Pulsatillae. the ethanol extract of Radix Pulsatillae showed remarkable inhibition of glucosyltransferase, which synthesizes water insoluble glucan form sucrose. Phytochemical analysis showed Radix Pulsatillae contained major components such as phenolic compounds, glycosides, steroids, terpenoid, and saponin. These results suggest that Radix Pulsatillae may have anti-cariogenic properties, which may be related with major components such as phenolic compounds, glycosides, steroids, terpenoid, and saponin.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.405-413
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• 2007

This study was to investigate single and repeated-dose toxicities of Tensolin-$F^{(R)}$, an anti-wrinkle agent, in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats or ICR mice. In single-dose oral toxicity study, the test materials were administered once by gavage to male and female SD rats at dose levels of 0 and 2,000 mg/kg. No dead animals and abnormal necropsy findings were found in control and Tensolin-$F^{(R)}$ treated group. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose of Tensolin-$F^{(R)}$ was considered to be higher than 2,000 mg/kg in rats. In the 4-week repeated oral toxicity study, the test material was administered once daily by gavage to male and female ICR mice at dose levels of 0, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day for 4-weeks. In the results, no abnormality was observed in mortality, clinical findings, body weight changes, food and water consumptions, opthalmoscopic findings, necropsy findings, histopathological findings. In hematological analysis, there was a trend of increase in reticulocyte at male 25 mg/kg, although such changes were in normal ranges. On the other hand, there was a trend of decrease in hemoglobin at female 50, 100 mg/kg, such changes were in normal ranges. In addition, serum biochemical parameters including sodium, BUN and chloride increased at 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg. Relative organ weights of right testis, brain, lung and left epididymis were increased in 100 mg/kg groups of male rats in contrast to not change in female groups. However, these changes of relative organ weights, hematological and serum biochemical parameters were not accompanied with related signs such as histopathological changes or clinical findings. In conclusion, 4-week repeated oral dose of Tensolin-$F^{(R)}$ to ICR mice did not cause apparent toxicological change at the dose of 25, 50, 100 mg/kg body weight. Consequently the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for Tensolin-$F^{(R)}$ in ICR mice following gavage for at least 4-week is higher than 100 mg/kg/day.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.100-104
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• 1989

This study was carried out in order to develop a compound fertilizer for raising rice seedling in trays. A compound fertilizer, a trail product, was manufactured using the major fertilizer sources of ammonium sulfate, diammonium phosphate and potassium chloride in combination with zeolite and glutamic acid fermentation waste. Besides, polyacrylamide for slow release control of the fertilzer and Tachigaren and sulfuric acid for reducing the occurrence of seedling rot were used. The component ratios of N, $P_2O_5$ and $K_2O$ of trial product were 4.19, 5.41 and 4.05 percent respectively. The dissolution rate of nitrogen component in water for the trial product with polyacrylamide was lower about fifteen percents than the product without polyacylamide in six hours. Hymexazole, main component of Thachigaren, from the product was released about 86.2 percents in forty eight hours. When the product with polyacylamide applied on red earth soil and paddy soil, the pH of soil ranged from 4.6 to 5.4 for 25 days experiment.