Background : The hypoglycemic effects of mulberry leaves extract were evaluated by comparing the abilities on glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocyte. Glucose uptake of the extracts were identified to be enhanced by bio-conversion using cellulolytic enzyme like Viscozyme. Methods and Results : The mulberry (Morus alba L) leaves were extracted with 30% ethanol or hot water. The hypoglycemic compounds such as Moracin C and, Quercetin and 1-Deoxynojirimycin were identified from the extracts of mulberry leaves. The extracts were fermented using kinds of celluolytic enzymes, which were vicozyme, pectinase, β-glucosidase and xylanase, in order to increase the contents of hypoglycemic constituents in the extracts. The hypoglycemic effects of the fermented extracts were evaluated by comparing the abilities on glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocyte. The extracts of mulberry leaves fermented with only Viscozyme were identified to increase glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocyte by supplement of the concentration of 10 μM extracts, compared to insulin as control. However, bio-conversion effects by other enzymes were not shown in the treatments, suggesting hypoglycemic constituents in the extracts of mulberry leaves can be conversed to more active compounds by cellulolytic enzyme treatment like viscozyme. Conclusion : From the above results, we may suggest that the hypoglycemic constituents in mulberry leaves extracts can be conversed to more active compounds by cellulolytic enzymes.

Background : Achyranthes japonica Nakai (AJ) is a perennial herb with a wide distribution in East Asia including Korea, China, and Japan, and it is mainly used as a medicinal plant. In Korea, AJ has been widely used to control pain and improve symptoms in OA patients. AJ contains several important phytochemicals such as saponins, inokosterone, ecdysterone, and oleanolic acid bisdesmoside. Methods and Results : The aim of this work was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of fermented and ethanol extracts of Achyranthes japonica Nakai (AJ). The extracts showed strong reductive power and nitrite scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, superoxide radical scavenging, and DNA damage prevention activities. Treatment of RAW 264.7 macrophages with AJ inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO secretion and iNOS expression without affecting cell viability. AJ also inhibited cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression, leading to the suppression of COX-2-derived prostaglandin E2 production. These inhibitory effects of AJ were accompanied by reduced production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukins (IL)-1β, -6, and -10. Furthermore, AJ suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38. Moreover, AJ inhibited malondialdehyde production and myeloperoxidase activity in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Conclusion : The antioxidant activity of plants is closely related to their medicinal properties and is widely used as a parameter to determine the bioavailability of medicinal plants. The antioxidant and biological activities of AJ extracts might be due to the synergistic actions of multiple bioactive compounds. It can be concluded that AJ extracts are a potential source of biologically important drug candidates.

Background : The purpose of this study was to big strong and root in the disease, many high quality seed of Achyranthes japonica N. selection by fostering, expanding the spread on a farm and raw materials medicines of sources deployment for process is to contribute to increasing farm income. Methods and Results : Collected variety into the mass selection breeding method by head-to-row cultivation, native variety of Hwasoon and Jangheung Jeonnam, was conducted in 2007. Three individual selection in 2010 as it produces the 27 and five individual in 2008 and 2009. From 2010 to 2011, pure line isolation as it cultivated and one foundation group. Promising in 2012, select one system. Replicated yield trial for two years beginning in 2013 a result of the stem length, multiple No. of branches and providing high -quality “No. 1, Jeollanam-do” majority by assigning system name. Naju-si, Yeongam-gun, local excellence by implementing a local adaptability test recognized in two years. To breed a new variety named as a dwelling “ Woogang” of Achyranthes japonica N. the review by fostering december 2015 to be registered. Conclusions : Leaf type is the broad lancet, flowering time is new variety two days than Jangheung native variety delayed. New variety of stem length and main root length are check variety (89㎝, 13.5㎝) of 9㎝ and 2㎝ tall respectively. Seed yields has native variety as much as 35 % compared to the many into 43.5 kg/10a. The ecdysteroids contents of roots was 1.2 times higher compared to check variety (668.1ppm). The dried root yields of the new variety are 285kg/10a a many native variety than 20%.

Background : This study was carried out to survey the effect of IBA (indole-3-butric acid) concentration on root development characteristics in Viburnum dilatatum cuttings. Methods and Results : The cuttings were collected on July 28, 2016 from plants growing in Korea National Arboretum. Cuttings were treated with different IBA concentrations [0 (control), 10, 100, 1000, 2000 ㎎⋅L-¹] for 10 seconds. Rooting parameters (root number, the longest root length, root fresh weight, root dry weight, rooting percentage, and survival rate) were observed at 8 weeks after cuttings. Rooting percentage was 43, 33, 17, 47, and 40 % at 0, 10, 100, 1000, and 2000 ㎎⋅L-¹ of IBA, respectively. Root number (13.4) was highest under 1000 ㎎⋅L-¹ IBA. Root length (9.4 ㎝) and Root weight (fresh and dry) were highest under 1000 ㎎⋅L-¹ IBA. Conclusion : According to the results, 1000 ㎎⋅L-¹ IBA was the best treatment for increasing percentage rooting percentage and other root development characteristics of V. dilatatum cuttings.

Background : ROS produced by oxidative stress damaged endothelial cells, and cause a variety of vascular complications. In diabetic hyperglycemia state, ROS increase. The polyol pathway occur in diabetic complications, the excess glucose is absorbed into the polyol pathway when aldose reductase increased, NADPH changes it to sorbitol. Glutathione (GSH) removes ROS. GSH level is reduced by glutathione reductase, using NADPH as an electron donor. Activation of the polyol pathway decrease NADPH, and GSH also reduced. As a result, ROS is increased. In diabetic hyperglycemia state, Glycolysis increases. Effects of increased glycolysis, protein kinase C (PKC) is increased. NAD(P)H oxidase, stimulated by PKC-dependent pathway, increases ROS in the cell. In this study, we measured the ROS scavenging activity of 5 natural products (Lycii fructus, Astragalus membranaceus, Cassia Tora, Polygonatum odoratum, Rubus Coreanus), to confirm the efficacy as diabetic antioxidants. Methods and Results : We extracted 5 natural product by distilled water and ethanol. DPPH radical scavenging activity was significantly higher in Lycii fructus, Rubus coreanus. ABTS radical scavenging activity was better Rubus coreanus, Lycii fructus, Cassia Tora. In addition to, Rubus coreanus, Cassia Tora, Lycii fructus was comparatively higher reducing power activity than other natural products. And total phenolic and flavonoid contents were much higher in Rubus coreanus compared with other extracts. Conclusion : These results suggest that Lycii fructus, Rubus coreanus can be applied as diabetic antioxidant that prevent vascular complications caused by ROS.

High-rank coals are limited, while low-rank coals are abundant. However, the low-rank coals needs upgradation so as to improve their quality. If not, the utilization of low-rank coals will lead to many operational difficulties. As this study was made in South Korea, this article discusses the energy and coal scenario of South Korea. The critique discusses the concerns of utilizing low-grade coal and the need for upgrading low-grade coal. The article also briefly discusses the currently practiced low-rank coal upgradation techniques. Also, the review paper suggests some best upgradation techniques.

Background : Dioscorea quinqueloba(DQ) is a medicinal herb that is used as an alternative therapy for cardiovascular disease and various medical conditions. The objective of this study was to characterize the antioxidant activities of DQ. Methods and Results : The samples were extracted with Distilled water and analyzed for total flavonoid contents, polyphenol contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ABTS radical scavenging activity. H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells were subjected to H2O2, to study the protective effect of DQ on cell viability, and ROS production. The total amounts of polyphenols and flavonoids, which indicate the antioxidant capabillity of water extracts from DQ were 27.21mg/g and 22.95mg/g, respectively. The DQ water extract showed highest antioxidant activity by DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities. The DQ water extract was protected cells against H₂O₂-induced cell death without any cytotoxicity, as determined by the MTT assay. The DQ water extract also was inhibiting production of intracellular ROS. Conclusion : These observations suggest that DQ can use potentially good natural antioxidant in daily life for possible health benefits.

Background : The purpose of this study was to big strong and root in the disease, many high quality seed of Lithospermum erythrorhizon selection by fostering, expanding the spread on a farm and Hongju subsistence production base and raw materials medicines of sources deployment for process is to contribute to increasing farm income. Methods and Results : Collected variety into the chemical mutation breeding method, Jecheon of Chungbuk, was conducted in 2001. In 2002 and 2003, two～ three individual selection in 2005 as it produces the 24 individual in 2004. From 2006 to 2010, pure line isolation as it cultivated and one foundation group. Promising in 2011, select one system. Replicated yield trial for two years beginning in 2012 a result of the stem length, providing high -quality “No. 1, Jeollanam-do” majority by assigning system name. Naju, Jangheung-gun, local excellence by implementing a local adaptability test recognized in two years. To breed a new variety named as a dwelling “ Daehong” of Lithospermum erythrorhizon the review by fostering december 2014 to be registered. Conclusions : Leaf type is the broad lancet, flowering time is new variety six days than Jecheon native variety fasted. New variety of stem length and stem thickness are check variety (87cm, 8.25mm) of 9cm tall and 0.6mm thick. Seed yields has native variety as much as 81 % compared to the many into 45.6 kg/10a. The shikonin contents of roots was 1.3 times higher compared to check variety (447 ㎍ / g). The dried root yields of the new variety are 221kg/10a a many native variety than 50%.

Background : Clematis trichotoma is a deciduous climber belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. This study was carried out to survey the effect of shading levels on growth characteristics in Clematis trichotoma seedling. Methods and Results : Seeds were collected from plants growing in the Mt. Kariwang Jeongseon, Gangwon-do in October 2013, and they were sown to 96 cell plug tray filled with Peatmoss (TKS-2) soil at March, 2015. The experiment was performed with four different shading levels (0, 30, 60, 90%) at July, 2015. According to the experiment, plant height was the highest under 90% of shading. It was found that fresh weight and dry weight of clematis trichotoma were the highest under 90% of shading. The leaf number was the highest under 30% of shading. The leaf number decreased as the shading level increased. Root number and length were the highest under 90% of shading. Conclusion : According to the results, Clematis trichotoma seedling showed the highest growth under 90% shading.

Background : Scrophularia koraiensis is a herbaceous perennials belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae. This study was carried out to survey the effect of soil types on growth characteristics in Scrophularia koraiensis seedling. Methods and Results : Seeds were collected from plants growing in the Mt. Kariwang Jeongseon, Gangwon-do in September 2014, and they were sown to 128 cell plug tray filled with Peatmoss (TKS-2) soil at March, 2015. The experiment was performed with four different soil types (Peatmoss, Peatmoss + Perlite, Peatmoss + Granite soil, Commercial soil). According to the experiment, stem diameter was the highest under commercial soil. The leaf width and length were the highest under commercial soil. Main root diameter and lengh were the highest under commercial soil. Conclusion : According to the results, Scrophularia koraiensis seedling showed the highest growth in commercial soil.

Background : Scrophularia koraiensis is a herbaceous perennials belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae. This study was carried out to survey the effect of LED on root develop characteristics in Scrophularia koraiensis seedling. Methods and Results : Seeds were collected from plants growing in the Mt. Kariwang Jeongseon, Gangwon-do in September 2014, and they were sown to 128 cell plug tray filled with Peatmoss (TKS-2) soil at March, 2015. The experiment was performed with three different LED (Blue, Red, Blue + Red) at July, 2015. Morphological characteristics of root (total root length, root projet area, root surface area, root diameter and root volume) were analyzed with WinRHIZO software. Seedling root growth of scrophularia koraiensis was surveyed to be the highest at the Blue + Red LED in all measuring. Total root length was measured high in the order of Blue + Red, Red, Blue LED. Conclusion : According to the results, Scrophularia koraiensis seedling showed the highest root growth in Blue + Red LED.

Background : Osteoclasts as multinucleated cells originate from hematopoietic monocyte/ macrophage precursor cell, shows the bone absorption through the commitment, differentiation, fusion, and bone resorption stages by regulation of M-CSF and RANKL. It has been reported a significant negative correlation between the increase of oxidative stress and the bone density, and when RANKL reaction to the osteoclasts precursor cells is mainly generated ROS is due to increased activity of NADPH oxidase1 (NOX1), and these ROS act as a factor which promotes osteoclasts differentiation. Thus, RANKL signaling process is important that excessive osteoclast formation and differentiation inhibited through the regulation of each step. Methods and Results : F3570 ethanol extract showed relatively high activity at in-vitro antioxidant activity. F3570 water extract inhibited ROS generation in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with H2O2 and RANKL, even at low concentrations. The inhibitory effect of osteoclast differentiation on F3570 water extract was confirmed that shown through NF-κB pathway, MAPK pathway including ERK and JNK. F3570 ethanol extract is considered to be regulated by the p38 MAPK and the other signaling pathway. Also, F3570 both water and ethanol extract were significantly reduced gene expression such as TRAP, calcitonin receptors and integrin β3 of RANKL-induced mature osteoclast in the bone resorption stage. Conclusion : Through this study, F3570 extract revealed an outstanding inhibitory effect and signaling mechanisms in osteoclast differentiation induced by RANKL. These results suggest that F3570 is bone diseases associated with aging or osteoporosis caused by menopause in an aging society is expected to be a superior candidate for the treatment or the prevention

Recently, localized rainfalls and torrential typhoons due to the abnormal climate have increased in Korea and the damage situation caused by debris flow at Umyeon Mountain has especially take place a big social issue. However, the standardized damage investigation does not yet exist and the systematic analysis of the data has not also been carried out. In this regard, this study developed assessment factors to conduct standardized damage investigation for debris flow. To achieve this, preliminary assessment factors were derived from analysis of literature review and the Delphi method through 12 experts who work at fields of facility, academia and industry. As a result, 29 rational check lists of 6 groups were determined.

Atmospheric drag force is an important source of perturbation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) orbit satellites, and solar activity is a major factor for changes in atmospheric density. In particular, the orbital lifetime of a satellite varies with changes in solar activity, so care must be taken in predicting the remaining orbital lifetime during preparation for post-mission disposal. In this paper, the System Tool Kit (STK®) Long-term Orbit Propagator is used to analyze the changes in orbital lifetime predictions with respect to solar activity. In addition, the STK® Lifetime tool is used to analyze the change in orbital lifetime with respect to solar flux data generation, which is needed for the orbital lifetime calculation, and its control on the drag coefficient control. Analysis showed that the application of the most recent solar flux file within the Lifetime tool gives a predicted trend that is closest to the actual orbit. We also examine the effect of the drag coefficient, by performing a comparative analysis between varying and constant coefficients in terms of solar activity intensities.

Telomeres at the end of the eukaryotic chromosomes consist of tandem repeats of (TTAGGG)n DNA sequence and shelter in protein complex. Telomeres have the essential functions in chromosome stability and genome integrity and are hence related to cell senescence and cancer. Stripped, Black and White Cattle (Endangered Korean Native Cattle) characterized by their coat color, live in the Korean peninsula. However, they are endangered, with very small populations remaining. To investigate the karyotypic pattern of chromosome and also to quantify the amount of telomeric DNA was carried out from the traditional Korean beef cattle species, HanWoo and endangered cattle bull. We quantified the amount of telomeric DNA by the Quantitative-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (Q-FISH) technique using the telomeric DNA probe and chromosome analysis of lymphocytes was carried out using GTG-banding in 9 bull at age of 18 months. In results, we found that the normal (60, XY) male karyotype were detected in metaphase chromosomes from korean native cattle including Hanwoo, Stripped, Black and White cattle, respectively. In addition, there were no significant differences in the relative amount of telomeric DNA among the korean cattle bull. However, the relative amount of telomeric DNA of Hanwoo was slightly higher than that of White cattle. In conclusion, this study reported karytype and the amount of telomeric DNA which could serve as baseline information for comparison in conditions of physiological and health status of endangered Korean native cattle. Although we have no definitive explanations as to why this occurs, further investigations are needed to continue investigation of these animals throughout their life spans.

Arsenic (As) is accumulated in rice grain due to environmental reasons such as polluted ground water and soil, and As toxicity constitutes a serious threat to human health. However, the accurate information required for understanding As-responsive mechanisms remain mostly unknown in rice. Here, we performed the comparative genome-wide transcriptome analysis between As tolerance type (ATT) rice mutant induced by γ-irradiation and its wild type (WT). As compared to WT after As treatment of 150 ppm, ATT exhibited the phenotypic differences such as vigorous growth in shoots and root hairs, and low accumulation of H2O2 in rice roots. In transcriptome analysis, we found between WT and ATT that As toxicity commonly affected to inhibit gene regulations involved in photosynthesis, mitochondrial electron transport and lipid biosynthesis metabolism. While, many genes associated with cysteine synthesis metabolism considerably up regulated in both As-treated plants. Additionally, we found the potential As tolerance-related genes involved in abiotic stress-responsive mechanism and RNA-protein synthesis for protein degradation and modification. To further analyzes the genetic variations of As-responsive genes, the DNA polymorphic DEGs associated with oxidoreductase significantly distributed in ATT more than in WT.

The vascular system of plants consists of two conducting tissues, xylem and phloem, which differentiate from procambium cells. Xylem serves as a transporting system for water and signaling molecules and is formed by sequential developmental processes, including cell division/expansion, secondary cell wall deposition, vacuole collapse, and programmed cell death (PCD). PCD during xylem differentiation is accomplished by degradation of cytoplasmic constituents, and it is required for the formation of hollow vessels, known as tracheary elements (TEs). Our recent study revealed that the small GTPase RabG3b acts as a regulator of TE differentiation through its autophagic activation. By using an Arabidopsis in vitro cell culture system, we showed that autophagy is activated during TE differentiation. Overexpression of a constitutively active RabG3b (RabG3bCA) significantly enhances both autophagy and TE differentiation, which are consistently suppressed in transgenic plants overexpressing a dominant negative form (RabG3bDN) or RabG3bRNAi (RabG3bRNAi), a brassinosteroidinsensitive mutant bri1-301, and an autophagy mutant atg5-1. Wood (called secondary xylem) is the most abundant biomass produced by land plants including Populus and Eucalyptus, and therefore is considered to be one of the most cost-effective and renewable bioenergy resources. In an attempt to enhance xylem differentiation and thus to improve biomass traits in poplars, we generated transgenic poplars overexpressing the RabG3bCA form. As notable phenotypes, both stem height and diameter were increased and xylem area in vascular bundles was significantly expanded in RabG3bCA transgenic poplars compared to control plants. Taken together, these results demonstrate that RabG3b regulates xylem differentiation in both Arabidopsis and Populus. This study enhances our understanding of biological mechanisms underlying wood formation and serve as a framework to engineer the quality and quantity of wood as useful biomass.