Innate immunity responses are triggered by the immune challenge and therefore involve signaling processes. The cellular response is initiated by hemocytes and mainly involves phagocytosis and encapsulation of intruders by these cells. To address whether Hc-STAT is activated upon bacterial challenge, we examined the subcellular location of STAT protein in hemocyte by immunostaining. A new insect member of the STAT family of transcription factors (Hc-STAT) has been cloned from the lepidopteran, Hyphantria cunea. The domain involved in DNA interaction and the SH2 domain are well conserved. The gene is transcribed at a low level during all stages of development, and the protein is present in hemocytes, fat body, midgut, epidermis, and Malphigian tuble (Mt). Especially, hemocytes and Mt showed transcriptional activation of Hc-STAT upon Gram (-) bacteria and fungal challenge. Gram (-) bacteria and fungal challenge specifically results in nuclear translocation of Hc-STAT protein and induction of DNA-binding activity that recognizes a STAT target site in H. cunea hemocyte. In vitro treatment with pervanadate translocates Hc-STAT to the nucleus in hemocyte cells. Here we report the first evidence for the involvement hemocyte JAK/STAT pathway upon microbial infection in lepidopteran insect.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is toxic to living organisms, because its high reactivity causes oxidative damage to proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an enzyme facilitating the removal of superoxide anions from living organisms. This study focused on the cloning of MnSOD cDNA from Hyphantria cuneaand its induction upon bacterial infection and various stresses. The open reading frame of MnSOD is composed of 645 bp, encoding 215 amino acid residues. The theoretical molecular mass and pI of putative MnSOD was evaluated to be 24276 Da and 9.14, respectively. The MnSOD from H. cunea is highly similar to human MnSOD (59.5%) as well as Bombyx mori MnSOD (76.2%). MnSOD showed no big induction upon bacterial infection and stresses, compared to that of Cu/ZnSOD.

Innate immunity responses are triggered by the immune challenge and therefore involve signaling processes. The cellular response is initiated by hemocytes and mainly involves phagocytosis and encapsulation of intruders by these cells. To address whether Hc-STAT is activated upon bacterial challenge, we examined the subcellular location of STAT protein in hemocyte by immunostaining. A new insect member of the STAT family of transcription factors (Hc-STAT) has been cloned from the lepidopteran, Hyphantria cunea. The domain involved in DNA interaction and the SH2 domain are well conserved. The gene is transcribed at a low level during all stages of development, and the protein is present in hemocytes, fat body, midgut, epidermis, and Malphigian tuble (Mt). Especially, hemocytes and Mt showed transcriptional activation of Hc-STAT upon Gram (-) bacteria and fungal challenge. Gram (-) bacteria and fungal challenge specifically results in nuclear translocation of Hc-STAT protein and induction of DNA-binding activity that recognizes a STAT target site in H. cunea hemocyte. In vitro treatment with pervanadate translocates Hc-STAT to the nucleus in hemocyte cells. Here we report the first evidence for the involvement hemocyte JAK/STAT pathway upon microbial infection in lepidopteran insect.

Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki와 aizawai의 내독소단백질을 알카리용액 또는 트립신, 곤충소화액 드응ㄹ 처리하여 전기영동한 후 단백질팬턴을 비교하였다. 두 균주의 주요 결정단백질은 130kd와 64kd의 단백질이었으며, 소화액이나 효소로 처리한 경우 공통적으로 62kd의 활성독소가 생성되었다. 그러나, aizawai는 kurstaki에 비해 현저히 적은 양의 62kd 단백질을 생성하였다. 흰불나방의 유충이 Bacillus thuringiensis 독소를 섭식하였을 때 지방체를 비롯한 몇 가지 조직에서 45kd의 스트레스 단백질이 유발되었는데 이 단백질은 열충격이나 저온 충격시에도 마찬가지로 생성되었다.

이 연구의 목적은 3D 프린팅 기술로 만든 맞춤형 소지, 본인의 실제 소지 및 보조기 업체 석고 양성 소 지를 이용하여 세 종류의 소지의 형상 차이를 CT와 3D 스캐너로 횡단면 넓이와 부피를 분산 분석하였다. PASC Progrm으로 실제 거리를 측정하는 (Caliper Toll) 기능을 이용하여 15.69 mm지점(Distal Interphalangel Joints(DIP))의 넓이를 각각 30회씩 측정하였고, 부피(Volume)에서 Meshmixer Program의 Configure Units을 이용하였다. 세 종류의 소지 횡단면 넓이에서는 유의한 차이를 볼 수가 없었고, 부피(Volume)에서 0.2 mm의 차이가 있었지만, 유의 수준보다 크게 나타났다. 따라서 본 연구의 결과는 의료분야에서 3D 프린팅 기술을 활용한 맞춤형 보조기 제작에 활성화될 것으로 보여준다.

To evaluate the protective effect of Ajuga multiflora BUNGE (AMB) extract on the toxicity of lead acetate (LA), environmental pollutant, cell viability was measured by XTT assay using cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. And also, the effect of antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on LA-induced cytotoxicity was analysed. For the protective effect of AMB extract on LA-induced cytotoxicity, NIH3T3 fibroblasts were pretreated with 80 or 90 μg/mL of AMB extract for 2 hours before the treatment of LA. And also, the antioxidative effects of AMB extract against LA-induced cytotoxicity were assessed by DPPH-radical scavenging activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation (LP). In this study, LA significantly decreased cell viability dose-dependently compared with control, and then XTT50 value was determined at 46.1 μM of LA. In the effect of BHT against LA-induced cytotoxicity, it effectively prevented toxic effect of LA by the significant increase of cell viability. In the protective effect of AMB extract on LA-induced cytotoxicity, it significantly increased cell viability which was decreased by LA-induced cytotoxicity, and also it showed the antioxidative effects such as DPPH-radical scavenging activity, SOD-like activity and inhibitory activity of LP. From these results, it is suggested that the cytotoxicity of LA is involved in oxidative stress, and AMB extract effectively prevented the cytotoxicity induced by LA via an antioxidative effect. Conclusively, the natural substance such as AMB extract may be alternative resources for the prevention or treatment of diseases related with oxidative stress.

Background : Fruit picking is the most labor consuming procedure for Boxthorn (Lycium chinense Mill.) growers. Recently fruit harvesters were invented and improved in the efficiency to fulfill the expectation of farmers through field demonstration tests. Additionally, T-type hedge cultivation method harmonized well with fruit picking machine, but it also needed to be improved in its’ pruning methods for the efficiency of fruit collecting procedure. Methods and Results : In this experiment, ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar and local variety were grown in the rain shelter greenhouses for the tests. Plots were set by randomized block design. There were two types of previously developed harvesters. One vibrates it’s harvest rod right and left (A type) and the other shakes it’s rod back and forth (B type). Among two harvesters A type was superior to B type in efficiency and convenience in use and it was able to harvest eleven times more fruits than manual picking in simple comparison test. In field comparison test, A type harvester performed 4.6 to 5 times more fruits than manual fruit picking. T-type hedge cultivation method is the proper way of enhancing efficiency of harvester. In the test, wiry perpendicular branches formed by once pruning method hindered moving forward of fruit collector. However installing collecting net with velcro along the edge under the field increased the efficiency and handiness of fruit harvester and well harmonized with T-type hedge cultivation. Conclusion : From the above results, the newly developed fruit harvester could increase the annual income of Boxthorn growers by reducing fruit picking labor and time.

Background : Boxthorn has been cultivated by conventional fertilization and irrigation methods that can be characterized by applying a great deal of fertilizers and a small amount of water compared to the other crops. With increasing rain shelter greenhouses, there were significant needs for developing new fertigation and irrigation methods. In this study, several prescribed fertigation methods for balanced fertilizer application and a few irrigation start methods based on soil moisture tension has been tested to confirm the fruit quality and productivity for Boxthorn growers. Methods and Results : In the experiment, ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar was grown in the rain shelter greenhouses for the tests. Plots were set by randomized block design. According to the growth investigation on the ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar which is supplied with four different formulated fertigation, the formulation N 15 me/ℓ increased the size and weight of fruit leading to 17% increased yield than the others. Additionally, on the amount of annual supply of fertigation with the concentration of N 15 me/ℓ, the treatment applied with 10kg/10a during the cultivation period facilitated overall growth of ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar and increased the yield as well. In the irrigation experiment ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar was grown in the four differently planned treatments that start irrigation at –20, -40, -50 and -100kPa soil moisture tensions. According to the investigation, the irrigation treatment starting at -50kPa enhanced the number of fruit bearing and productivity of Boxthorn consistently during two years. Conclusion : Therefore, the newly developed fertigation and irrigation methods could enhance the annual income of Boxthorn growers by increasing growth and yield.

In Korean steel making industry is generating 25 billion tons of slag as industrial by-products per year. Uses of these slags to manufacture high functional abrasive material are of greater feasible option for sustainable development of industry as well as effectively solve the pollution issue associated with these waste. Recycling methods of slag have been actively studied for decades, but most of the slag recycling methods studied are related to low cost building materials. Recently, several combinations of by-products have been used in glass-ceramic manufacturing, mostly the abrasive materials are basalt based glass-ceramic. Using these industrial by-products instead of natural basalt ores, high functional product can be manufactured. This piece of investigation focused on the feasibility study for producing the basalt based glass-ceramic from recycled industrial by-products only, without any natural materials as raw materials. By controlling various process parameters like, mixture ratios of materials, heat treatment for casting, and soaking basalt based glass-ceramic were prepared. The prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermo-gravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Excellent material properties were observed.

barley grain and malt is highly related to beer quality, especially hordein is known to be a more significant factor in malting process than albumin. In this study, we proposed selection criteria for high quality malting barley with aid of grain and malt quality parameter scores and storage protein subunit profile informations. Albumin and hordein were extracted and denatured protein subunits were evaluated with malt and grain quality parameters. Total 13 local adaptability test (LAT) lines were planted in four locations (Naju, Iksan, Jeju, and Jinju) and evaluated for malt and beer making qualities. Seventeen germplasms (world collections for high or low seed storage protein content) were also evaluated for biochemical genetic marker. Denatured seed storage protein subunits of albumin and hordein of all tested lines and germplasms were evaluated using 12% 1D SDS-PAGE. Scored data of protein subunit's presence or absence was applied to Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) for statistical analysis. Subunits fractionated within specific molecular weight ranges (97.4-31.0, 66.2-31.0, and 45.0-31.0 kDa) were highly correlated with agricultural characteristics. Several LAT lines showing good performance in agricultural characteristics were clustered in dendrogram constructed by biochemical-genetic assay using XLSTAT. Specific band pattern showed in good performance LAT lines were also observed in some germplasms of world collection having low protein contents which are known to have superior quality in malting. The results would provide selection criteria for high quality malting barley in the malting barley breeding program.

Seed storage proteins of different solubility were extracted and denatured subunits of each protein were evaluated with malting barley quality parameters. Its been known that each subunit of seed storage protein encoded by each gene and subunit profiles were highly related to end-use quality in cereals. The purpose of this study is to provide selection criteria for high quality malting barleys with aid of bichemical-genetic information. Total 13 regional test lines and three locations (Naju, Jinju, and Jeju) were incorporated in this study. Albumin and hordein were extracted, denatured, and separated in 12% SDS-PAGE. Presence and absence of subunits of each protein were scored. Dendrogram (using XLSTAT program) was constructed to evaluated the relatedness of lines. The correlation between band profiles and quality test were assessed through Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) for statistics analysis. Hordein subunits can be classified into four groups, A, B, C, and D group. In general, hordein fractions contribute higher than albumine to determine malting quality. Specific molecular weight ranges (97.4-31.0, 66.2-31.0, and 45.0-31.0 kDa) of subunits were highly correlated with malting barley quality parameters. The subunit information would be directly incorporated in providing selection criteria for high quality malting barley in the malting barley breeding program.

The direct use of mutation is a valuable approach to generate variability in crops. The electron beam, one of the ionizing radiations, has been applied to evaluate its effect on seed germination and early seedling growth of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds., cv Penn-A1). The mature dry seeds were irradiated with various electron beam energies (0.3, 1.0, 1.3, and 2 MeV) and current levels (0.03 and 0.06 mA). Although large variability was existed within each dose, distinct difference of germiability and seedling vigor were not found at 0.3 MeV / 0.03 mA and 0.3 MeV / 0.06 mA beam condition. However, 1.0 MeV / 0.06 mA application most effectively inhibited and retarded seed germination and most severely restricted cotyledon and root growth in early seedling growth. The direct use of electron beam would be a valuable supplementary approach to generate mutants suitable for breeding purposes.

Universal AIS, which has been adopted officially for automatic identification systems among regulated ships by SOLAS, should be installed, for example, on all passenger ships over 300 tons engaged in international voyage and over 500 tons in domestic voyage, sequentially from 2002 to 2004. We must not overlook the fact than-ruled regions by regional authorities in the case of VTS. Actually a major portion of accidents have happened in small vessels like fishing vessels. However, they are not equipped with automatic identification tools, due to the high costs of the equipment for identifying purposes, as well as the absence of regulation In this paper, we researched the alternative of automatic identification for small vessel instead of universal AIS. We analyzed the requirement of automatic identification for small vessel about wireless communication method, traffic volume, etc. We proposed the identification system for small vessels in local areas and developed the Local Vessel Identification System (LVIS) interoperable with universal AIS using a PDA platform and wireless network