Background : The cultivation of wild greens in a forest farming system is an attractive alternative to wild harvesting, due to its much lower production cost compared with conventional cultivation, and its provision of a second income to the landowner. Yet little is known about the conditions that would maximize the growth and antioxidant activities of wild greens in a forest farming system. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the optimal conditions that would maximize antioxidant activities of Ligularia fischeri (Ledeb.) Turcz., being cultivated in three different cultivation systems in Korea. Methods and Results : After the fibrous roots of L. fischeri were planted in three different cultivation systems, this study was conducted to assess the effect on health-related properties such as total phenolic contents, flavonoids, DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrasyl) free radical scavenging activities and reducing power. From these harvests in different sites, extracts were prepared using methanol. Total phenolic content in forest farming system (1.061 ㎎·GAE/㎖) was higher than that in other products harvested in conventional and greenhouse system (0.666㎎·GAE/㎖). Also, flavonoid content was higher in forest farming system (0.124 ㎎·QE/ ㎖), compared to conventional and greenhouse system (0.084 ㎎·QE/㎖). Conclusions : Antioxidant activity and cultivation system seem to correlate with total polyphenol and flavonoid contents.

Gangliocytomas are non-metastasizing and slow-growing tumor. In the sellar region, the sympathetic nerve fibers normally do not exist. Therefore, isolated gangliocytomas had been rarely reported in the pituitary fossa. Herein, we present and review the gangliocytoma arising in sellar region associating with pituitary adenoma which is the most common tumor in pituitary gland.

During recent decades, considerable amount of attention and resources have been invested to promote community vitalization and develop areas that are suitable for gardening in close proximities to cities. Frequent occurrences and wide-spread public events based on the gardening theme today such as garden show are prominent examples of such social tendencies. However contrarily to popular beliefs, such efforts have been very marginally realized in rural areas, in which tools and natural elements necessary for growing and cultivating plants are already in place. In reality, production-oriented life-style in modern rural society has degraded recreational aspects of living standards of rural habitants. And thus, implementation of the gardening space holds important merit and is a necessity to vitalize community in rural areas. In this work, we performed an extensive survey on rural community resting area garden elements that were previously established since 1990s. In particular, we look into garden elements of whether functionalities of such facilities are adequate to provide suitable gardening spaces. This manuscript consists of two major parts (1) identifying constituent elements for gardens and (2) analysis of garden elements in existing community resting areas for its conversion to a community garden. Ultimately, identifying necessities for gardening and finding proper locales are two of the most important steps in implementation community garden in rural areas. As the result, rural community resting area is proper to community garden because most of them has a good accessibility. But garden elements improvement such as flower bed except for convenience facilities and plants planning for four season garden is needed for improving the resting area.

Polyembryony in many citrus varieties is an impediment in breeding because it makes hard to identify hybrids after crossbreeding. So, it has become imperative for developing efficient methods to distinguish zygotic seedling generated from polyembryonic seed depending on citrus variety. Simple sequence repeat(SSR) marker is one of useful systems for such purpose. However, SSR markers to separate zygotic seedlings derived from the crossbreeding between ‘Marita unshiu’ (Citrus unshiu) ‘Seongjeon’ and ‘Shiranuhi mandarin’ [(C. unshiu x C. sinensis) x C. reticulata] ‘Hallabong’ have not been developed yet. In this study we tried to identify an effective SSR marker to screen zygotic seedling after crossbreeding between ‘Seongjeon’ and ‘Hallabong’. For this investigation, 387 seedlings were generated from 114 seeds produced from crossing those two varieties. A total of 116 SSR markers were tested to identify a special marker for distinguishing origin, zygotic or nucellar seedling. As a result, two markers, SSR012 and SSR093, were found to be more effective than other markers. These two SSR markers might be useful to select zygotic individuals in crossbreeing between ‘Seongjeon’ and ‘Hallabong’.

Slaughter of cattle, pigs, and chickens has increased continuously. In particular, slaughter of chickens has been grown up about 150% in 2010 than that in 2003, that is approximately 120,000 tons. All of them are underwent consigned treatment even though those can be used as a resource and an energy source. With this regards, THR (Thermal Hydrolysis Reaction) leads to reduce water content drastically (<30% in sludge cakes). In addition, Dehydrated solid would be re-used as solid fuels (SRF) as well. In this study, We have applied THR to a plant (10 ton/day) on the basis of our lab and pilot results. Water content of sludge cakes showed with a ranges of 30 to 40% after solid-liquid separation. Dairy SRF produced 1.5 ton/day and its heat capacity for SRF has 6,500 kcal/kg. This gave the steam produced about 12 ton/day throughout the plant operation, suggesting that THR system would expect energy savings.

Polyethylene and polystyrene are frequently used resins for making food container including cup noodle bowls. In the pre-sent study, we investigated the potential risks of polyethylene and polystyrene cup noodle containers by cytotoxicity tests such as agar diffusion assay, filter diffusion assay, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. We exposed CCL-1 mouse fibroblast cell line to the polyethylene and polystyrene cup noodle containers indirectly through agar gel. We also used eluents derived from the cup noodle containers by storing them for 24 h at 70℃ in liquids, such as distilled water or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). Both polyethylene and polystyrene cup noodle container specimen were found to be non-cytotoxic in agar diffusion assay as well as filter diffusion assay. The eluents from polystyrene using DMSO showed slight cytotoxicity in MTT assay.

Common buckwheat (F. esculentum) and tartaryan buckwheat, also called as bitter buckwheat (F. tartarycum) grain and leaves (buds) are used in various dietary preparations and as leafy vegetable. The cultivated area of buckwheat is increased based on its nutritional value. Particularly bitter buckwheat is a rich source of rutin compared to common buckwheat which helps in reducing intra-vascular cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and is also reported to have a crucial role in pharmaceutical research. With this functional characteristics of bitter buckwheat, the cultivation is now highly increased. But a few genetic and genomic research of tartari buckwheat are published until now. Here we described the complete full chloroplast genome sequence with NGS. Tartary buckwheat complete chloroplast genome is composed of a total sequence length of 159,272 bp which is 327 bp lesser than common buckwheat genome of 159,599 bp. Large single copy region (LSC) is comprised of 84,398 bp in tartary and 84,888 bp in common buckwheat whereas small single copy region (SSC) is 13,292 bp and 13,343 bp and the size of inverted repeat region (IR) is 61,532 bp and 61,368 bp in tartary and common buckwheat respectively. Total RNA bases were 11942 and 11950 and overall GC-content in tartary and common buckwheat is almost similar which is 37.9% and 38% with a GC skew of -0.016 and 0.02 respectively. Total repeat bases accounted for 1,056 bp and 804 bp with an average repeat length of 48 bp and 45 bp and the length of an average intergenic distance was 495 bp and 502 bp in tartary and common buckwheat respectively. F. tarataticum cp genome has a total of 104 genes including 82 protein coding genes, 29 transfer RNA genes and 4 ribosomal RNA genes. Protein coding genes include photosynthesis related genes majorly in addition to transcription and translation related genes. LSC region has 62 protein coding genes and 22 tRNA genes whereas SSC region contains 11 protein coding genes and one tRNA gene. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of protein coding genes in LSC, SSC and inverted repeat regions in F.tartaricum and F.esculentum are highly similar with a total average identity of 98.8 and 98.3% respectively.

Bitter buckwheat, also called tartari buckwheat (F. tartaricum), contains large amount of rutin and it has antioxidant activity compared to common buckwheat. But after harvesting and processing, the discrimination of two species through visual inspection was almost impossible. Therefore we developed InDel markers to identify common and tartari buckwheat content based on the chloroplast genome sequence. We conducted complete full chloroplast genome sequence of tartari buckwheat and compared with common buckwheat chloroplast genome sequence (NC010776). Based on the mVISTA alignment, we found eight big InDel (above 50bp) regions. Among the InDel, 6 regions are intergenic region and two are genic region in ycf1. We designed InDel specific primers and applied to PCR with buckwheat genomic DNA to check the discrimination of two species. These InDel specific primers also applied to buckwheat germplasm, 75 tartari and 21 common buckwheat. Among the primers, 5 markers could be successfully amplified in all germplasm species specific amplicon. And we can detect 10pg/ul of DNA and processed food such as tea and noodle. These results could improve the QC (Quality control) of tartari buckwheat food

This study aims to investigate the indoor air quality by analyzing PM10 concentration and metallic elements collected from high school( classroom, science room, assembly room). PM10 concentration of a classroom, a science room, and an assembly hall during the research period was 87.7 ㎍/m3, 75.3㎍/m3, 64.6㎍/m3, respectively. Si of PM10 had highest concentration with 15,427 ng/m3 followed by Na which had 7,205 ng/m3, and the order was Si>Na>Ca>Mg>Fe>K in the classroom. PM10 concentration of a classroom and a science room was each 104.8 ㎍/m3 and 75.3 ㎍/m3 during the semester and PM10 concentration of a classroom and an assembly hall was each 80.9 ㎍/m3 and 64.6 ㎍/m3 during the summer vacation. Based on PM10 and metallic concentration at a classroom on day of week, the concentration of Friday was highest with 112.0 ㎍/m3, and that of Monday was lowest with 65.3 ㎍/m3.

The required for Mla12 resistance (RAR1) protein is essential for the plant immune response. In rice, a model monocot species, the function of Oryza sativa RAR1 (OsRAR1) has been little explored. In our current study, we characterized the response of a rice osrar1 T-DNA insertion mutant to infection by Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease. osrar1 mutants displayed reduced resistance compared with wild type rice when inoculated with the normally virulent M. oryzae isolate PO6-6, indicating that OsRAR1 is required for an immune response to this pathogen. We also investigated the function of OsRAR1 in the resistance mechanism mediated by the immune receptor genes Pib and Pi5 that encode nucleotide binding-leucine rich repeat (NB-LRR) proteins. We inoculated progeny from Pib/osrar1 and Pi5/osrar1 heterozygous plants with the avirulent M. oryzae isolates, race 007 and PO6-6, respectively. We found that only Pib-mediated resistance was compromised by the osrar1 mutation and that the introduction of the OsRAR1 cDNA into Pib/osrar1 rescued Pib-mediated resistance. These results indicate that OsRAR1 is required for Pib-mediated resistance but not Pi5-mediated resistance to M. oryzae.

The proliferation of embryonic cells or adult stem cells in tissue is critically regulated during development and repair. How limited the proliferation of cells, so far, is not much explored. Cell-cell contact proliferation inhibition is known as a crucial mechanism regulating cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. In this study we examined the characters of mouse subcutaneous adipose derived stem cells (msADSC) whether they lost or get contact inhibition during in vitro culture. The characters of msADSC growth after confluence were analyzed using confocal microscope and the expression profiles of contact inhibition related genes were analyzed according to the morphological changes using real-time PCR method. msADSC showed overlapping growth between them but not after passage 14. The cell shapes were also changed after passage 14. The expression profiles of genes which are involved in contact inhibition were modified in the msADSC after passage 14. The differentiation ability of msADSCs to adipocyte, chondrocyte and osteocyte was not changed by such changes of gene expression profiles. Based on these results, it is revealed that smADSC were characterized by getting of strong cell-cell contact inhibition after passage 14 but the proliferation and developmental ability were not blocked by the change of cell-cell contact proliferation inhibition. These finding will help to understand the growth of adipose tissue, although further studies are needed to evaluate the physiological meaning of the cell-cell contact proliferation inhibition during in vitro culture of msADSC.

Circadian timing system plays a major role in a wide range of reproductive function. However it is plausible idea that other environmental and/or internal cue might be simultaneously participated in the optimal regulation of reproductive system. In the present study we extended the reverse feeding (RF) time regimen up to 8 weeks, then measured the general and reproductive indices of the animals. The animals of ad libitum feeding group (Control, CON) have free access to food for 4, 6 and 8 weeks, respectively. The day feeding animals (reverse feeding, RF group) have restricted access to food during daytime (09:00-18:00) for 4, 6 and 8 weeks, respectively. When the feeding schedules were over, key indices were measured. After 4 weeks and 8 weeks of feeding, body weights of animals were not significantly different. However, body weights of 6 weeks RF animals were significantly smaller than those of control animals (CON : RF = g : g, p<0.01). The blood glucose levels of 4 weeks RF animals were significantly decreased compared to the levels of control animals (CON : RF = mg/dL : mg/dL, p<0.01) while the levels of 6 weeks RF and 8 weeks RF animals were not different form those of control animals. Reproductive and non-reproductive tissue weights from 6 weeks RF group were significantly lowered than those from CON group (testis, CON : RF = g : g, p<0.001; epididymis, CON : RF = g : g, p<0.001; seminal vesicle, CON : RF = g : g, p<0.001; prostate, CON : RF = g : g, p<0.01). After 4 weeks and 8 weeks of reverse feeding, sperm counts in RF animals were markedly reduced than those in control animals[CON 4W : RF 4W = : , p<0.001; CON 8W : RF 8W= : , p<0.001]. Present study indicates that RF may induce an adaptable metabolic stress and cause impairment of androgen-dependent reproductive tissues. On-going longitudinal studies will allow a better understanding of the how does mealtime shift affect the reproductive function and exact nature of adaptation.

It is well known that adipose tissue or body fat has been proved as a crucial component of brain-peripheral axis which can modulate the activities of reproductive hormonal axis in female mammals including rodents and human. Concerning the male reproduction, however, the role of adipose tissue has not been thoroughly studied. The present study was carried out to elucidate the effect of a high-fat (HF) diet on the reproductive system of postpubertal male rats. The HF diet (45% energy from fat, HF group) was applied to male rats from week 8 after birth for 4 weeks. The blood glucose levels, body and tissue weights were measured. Histological studies were performed to assess the structural alterations in the reproductive tissues. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus and pituitary, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Body weights (p<0.01) and blood glucose levels (p<0.01) of HF group were significantly higher than those of control animals. Similarly, the weights of epididymis (p<0.05), prostate (p<0.01), seminal vesicle (p<0.01) in HF group were higher than control levels. The weights of testis were not changed. The weights of kidney (p<0.001) and spleen (p<0.01) were significantly higher than control levels while the adrenal and pancreas weights were not changed. There were only slight alterations in the microstructures of accessory sex organs; the shape of luminal epithelial cells in epididymis from HF group were relatively thicker and bigger than those from control animals. In the semi-quantitative RT-PCR studies, the mRNA levels of hypothalamic GnRH (p<0.05) in HF group were significantly higher than those from the control animals. The mRNA levels of kisspeptin in HF group tend to be higher than control levels, the difference was not significant. Unlike the hypothalamic GnRH expression, the mRNA levels of pituitary and were significantly decreased in HF group (p<0.05). The present study indicated that the 4-weeks feeding HF diet during the postpubertal period can alter the hypothalamus-pituitary (H-P) neuroendocrine reproductive system These results suggest that the increased body fat and the altered leptin input might disturb the H-P reproductive hormonal activities in male rats, and the changed activities seem to be responsible for the changes of tissue weights in accessory sex organs.

In an effort to characterize temporal and spatial variability of PM10 and to quantitatively estimate contribution of sea salt aerosol to PM10 mass in Busan area, twenty four-hour averaged concentration of PM10 were measured in two distinct areas, Gwaebeopdong(inland) and Dongsamdong(seashore), Busan for summer and fall, 2007. It was found that sea salt accounted for 2.9% and 9.5% of PM10 mass in Gwaebeopdong and Dongsamdong, respectively for the study period, indicating that contribution of sea salt to PM10 mass and total ion concentration in seashore area were consistently higher by a factor of three compared to inland area. Temporal analysis suggested that sea salt contributions to PM10 in Dongsamdong were higher in summer due to the southerly sea breeze while there was no significant fluctuation of sea salt contribution for the summer and fall months in Gwaebeopdong. Sea salt enrichment factors(EFsea) of K + , Ca 2+ and SO4 2- (>10) indicated major contributions from anthropogenic sources and EFs of Mg 2+ and Cl - exhibited strong association with oceanic origins for both areas.

There was highly improved and developed in hill seeding on puddled wet soil condition for direct seeded rice with sandy type silicate application. The amount of silicate for coverage of preemerged rice seeds(approximately 10 seeds) per hill bases was 840kg/ha which would be so recommended rate for rice plant growth as well. There was no inhibition in terms of germination and seedling stand at early growing stage of the rice plant both laboratory and pot experiments. In particular there was the highest plant height in silicate covered than those of Iron-coated seed, Phyllite-coated seed and Silicate-coated seeds. In field experiment of farmer's paddy silicate covered hill seeded rice was 97.5% of seedling establishment as comparison of control, 87.5%. Rice seedling height at seedling establishment stage was 27.9cm but there was 21.2cm in the untreated control. Plant number was also higher in silicate covered seed by 27.5 per hill at 55days after sowing than that of control, 15.1 per hill. Thus a final yield was also 4.56t/ha in silicate covered rice plant which was 11% higher yield than that of control.