Early studies claimed that heterotrophic dinoflagellates Pfiesteria piscicida and related genera may produce a putative water-soluble toxin that causes death of fish and other marine animals. Several methods were tested to visualize plate morphology of Cryptoperidiniopsis brodyi and Pfiesteria piscicida. Cellulose plates of cells were exposed and visualized by a membrane stripping method using Triton X-100. While calcofluor M2R white stain could readily bind to the thecal plates, details of the plate tabulation were difficult to observe. Fixation with osmium tetroxide (OsO4) produced well preserved cells with little morphological distortion, but thecal plates could not be visualized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation using the membrane stripping method showed distinctive plate tabulations between C. brodyi and P. piscicida suggesting that this method is a useful tool for morphological identification of lightly armored dinoflagellates.

Freshly harvested seed of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.; CMV) was strongly dormant because of hardseedness. Seeds of freshly harvested germinated only 8% while clipping the seed coat completely overcome the innate dormancy, which indicates inhibition of germination of the seed is mainly due to seed coat (87%). The dormant (intact) hard seeds did not imbibe water whereas the non-dormant (clipped) seeds took up rapidly. In natural environment condition, the hard seed coat dormancy was broken only after 5 months after seed harvest. To break such a strong seed coat dormancy, the chemical and heat treatments were effective. Concentrated sulfuric acid was more effective than dry heat and hot water treatments. Hot water treatment improved germination but the germination percentage was less than 41%. Treatments increased germination due to its effect on the seed coat integrity. A scanning electron microscope reveled that disruption of seed coat layers and subsequent development of numerous crack in the hilum region of the seed and on the seed coat surface of concentrated sulfuric acid treatment and formation of cracks in the dry heat treatments, respectively, were observed in the seed coat surface, which served as water entry points.

Fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) have been widely used because of their high specific strength, high specific stiffness and etc. Although these kinds of FRP have various merits in applications, it has been had one of the complicated problems to manufacture their wooden mold. For these reasons, the simple methods to manufacture the mold required in the FRP industries. To improve these kinds of problems, the molding system using composite materials was developed. By this new manufacturing techniques and high functional FRP composite mold was built. Comparing with wooden mold, the process efficiencies of frame manufacturing process and inner mold manufacturing process were improved approximately 40% and 70%, respectively.

Effects of Gal geun (Puerariae Radix) EtOH ext. on lipid lowering and antioxidant were investigated in hyperlipidemic rat. Concentration of FFA and triglyceride in plasma showed a tendency to decrease in Gal geun ext. groups. Concentration of plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol decreased in Gal geun ext. groups. However the concentration of HDL-cholesterol showed no significantly different in all treatment groups. Concentration of liver total cholesterol and triglyceride showed a tendence to decrease in Gal geun ext. groups. Concentration of plasma and liver TBARS showed a low values in Gal geun ext. groups. The values of GSH-Px and SOD activity showed no significantly different among all the treatment groups. However the values of SOD and CAT activity showed a high value in the Gal geun ext. groups.

CT는 단층촬영을 이용한 의학적인 영상 진단 기법이다. CT는 3차원적인 방사선학적 영상 기법으로 염증의 평가에는 적합하지 않으나, 석회화된 조직을 직접적인 3차원 영상으로 보여주므로 뼈 손상의 평가에는 유용하 다. 본 연구는 실험적으로 유도된 랫드의 보조관절염에서 관절의 병리학적 변화와 뼈 파괴의 정량적 분석을 3 차원 CT 영상을 통하여 평가하고자 실시되었다. 그 결과 랫드의 보조관절염에서 병변의 파괴성 진행이 3차원 CT 영상을 통해 정량화될 수 있었고, 따라서 관절염 질환의 상태 및 실험적인 치료 약제의 효능 평가에 3차원 CT 영상 기법이 효과적일 것으로 생각된다.

We have discussed here the phenotypic and genetic characteristics as well as proteomic analysis of lesion mimic mutants (LLM) in rice. LLM is one of the mutants that induces cell death without infection of pathogen and produces defense signaling pathways. As the phenotypic expression, most LLMs induce spots on the leaf blades and leaf sheaths at their various developmental stages. We have discussed the nature of bl1, bl2, spl1, spl3, spl4, spl5 and spl6 LLMs in rice which were formed developmentally controlled spot on the leaf blades that were appeared as tiny dotted spots during tillering stage and gradually increased up to maturity. Through Northern blot analysis lower levels of rubisco large subunit and rubisco small subunit were observed in spotted leaves (sp) compared to non-spotted leaves (nsp). However, catalase was severely degraded in the sp. Broken thylakoid membranes of mesophyll chloroplasts were seen in nsp sections and were absent in sp sections of the mutant. Through 2-DE analysis 159 protein spots were differentially expressed between wild type and mutant from identified 800 reproducibleproteins, where 114 spots were up-regulated and 45 were down-regulated. Among quantified 25 protein spots, except two, all of the protein spots including protein disulfide isomerase, transketolase, thioredoxin peroxidase, ATP synthase, and rubisco large and small subunits were identified in the wild type but were absent in the mutant. However, catalase was up-regulated in the mutant. Genetic analysis indicated that studied bl1, bl2 and spl6 mutants are controlled by a single recessive gene.

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was used to classify normal and artificially aged nonviable corn (Zea mays L., cv. 'Suwon19') seeds. The spectra at 1100-2500nm were scanned with normal and artificially aged single seeds and analyzed by principle component analysis (PCA). To discriminate normal seeds from artificially aged seeds, a calibration modeling set was developed with a discriminant partial least square 2 (PLS 2) method. The calibration model derived from PLS 2 resulted in 100% classification accuracy of normal and artificially aged (aged) seeds from the raw, the 1st and 2nd derivative spectra. The prediction accuracy of the unknown normal seeds was 88, 100 and 97% from the raw, the 1st and 2nd derivative spectra, and that of the unknown aged seeds was 100% from all the raw, the 1st and 2nd derivative spectra, respectively. The results showed a possibility to separate corn seeds into viable and non-viable using NIR spectroscopy.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the literatures about human health effects due to the climate change and ozone depletion since 1990s. Over the past decade climate becomes an increasingly significant factor in world affairs because of its effect on food supplies, energy consumption, environmental quality and natural hazards etc. Simultaneously the scientific associations have had to reappraise the nature and scope of climatology, increasing political relevance, leading to a growth in interdisciplinary research involving natural and socioeconomic scientists. The 2000s promise to continue this broadening of scope as the three-way interaction of human society, medical system and atmospheric system are further explored and evaluated. This paper reviews this trends, paying particular reference to climate-based environmental concerns and human health effects being debated.