An intensive analysis was conducted of the maternal lineages of the Jeju native pigs (JNPs). A total of 100 mtDNA sequences from Asian wild boars (AWB), European wild boars (EWB), Asian domestic pigs (ADP), European domestic pigs (EDP), and JNPs were used for the phylogeny and network analyses. Two distinct JNP groups were found JNPA and JNPE in the Asian and European cluster. The maternal lineage of JNPE was the closest to that of EWB and a clear haplogroup sharing an identical haplotype (hap16) among 15 individuals of JNPE and 2 individuals of EWB was identified. However, except for hap18, no EDP shared any identical haplotypes with JNPE, suggesting that no obvious maternal contribution of EDP has occurred in JNPE in recent years. The possible existence of an additional and unknown path of maternal lineage from EDP into JNPE could therefore be postulated, in addition to those from AWB and ADP into the JNPA groups. Thus, JNPE appeared to have a pure maternal lineage that had no recent contact with EDP, and both the JNPA groups and JNPE are pure Jeju native pigs.

As a replacement for activated carbon, biochar was synthesized and used for the adsorptive removal of formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide. Biochar was produced from the fast pyrolysis of the red marine macro alga, Pyropia tenera. The P. tenera char was then activated with steam, ammonia and KOH to alter its characteristics. The adsorption of formaldehyde, which is one of the main indoor air pollutants, onto the seaweed char was performed using 1-ppm formaldehyde and the char was activated using a range of methods. The char activated with both the KOH and ammonia treatments showed the highest adsorptive removal efficiency, followed by KOH-treated char, ammonia-treated char, steam-treated char, and non-activated char. The removal of 1000-ppm NO over untreated char, KOH-treated char, and activated carbon was also tested. While the untreated char exhibited little activity, the KOH-treated char removed 80% of the NO at 50°C, which was an even higher NO removal efficiency than that achieved by activated carbon.

Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) produced using municipal solid waste was pyrolyzed to produce RDF char. For the first time, the RDF char was used to remove aqueous copper, a representative heavy metal water pollutant. Activation of the RDF char using steam and KOH treatments was performed to change the specific surface area, pore volume, and the metal cation quantity of the char. N2 sorption, Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the char. The optimum pH for copper removal was shown to be 5.5, and the steam-treated char displayed the best copper removal capability. Ion exchange between copper ions and alkali/alkaline metal cations was the most important mechanism of copper removal by RDF char, followed by adsorption on functional groups existing on the char surface. The copper adsorption behavior was represented well by a pseudo-second-order kinetics model and the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum copper removal capacity was determined to be 38.17 mg/g, which is larger than those of other low-cost char adsorbents reported previously.

The techniques of IVM, IVF and IVC of canine oocytes may provide useful information for gamete salvage programs and the conservation of endangered canidae. This investigation has been made to determine the efficiency of in vitro maturation (IVM) as a basic experiment to study the development of canine oocytes after in vitro fertilization (IVF). The rate of oocytes developing to the MII stage was higher in the hormone treated group (10 IU/ml hCG+eCG, 14.7%, p<0.05) than in the control group (0 IU/ml hCG+eCG, 10.0%). The monospermy and pronuclear rates of canine oocytes were investigated after caffeine treatment on IVF. Canine oocytes were fertilized in the Fert‐TALP medium supplemented with 0, 10, 20 or 30 mM caffeine (Fert I, Fert II, Fert III or Fert IV, respectively). The highest pronuclear formation rate was obtained in the Fert I for 24 h IVF (6.7%, 6/89). Therefore, it is believed that unlike in other mammals, caffeine in canine IVF does not increase the efficiency of fertilization rate, and is not an important factor.

Backgoound : This study was conducted to evaluate the quality variation of Ixeris dentata on the antioxidant contents and antioxidant activities according to the different producing area. Methods and Results : The samples were extracted with 70 % EtOH and then analyzed for total flavonoid contents, polypenol contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ABTS radical scavenging activity. Luteinol 7-O-β-D-glucoside, an index component of the Ixeris dentata, was analyzed by HPLC. The leafs of Ixeris dentata in Jinan had the highest concentration of polyphenols (23.91 ㎎/g), followed by Jinbu (22.63 ㎎/g) and Eumseong (21.36 ㎎/g). Flavonoid content was highest in Jinan (15.27 ㎎/g), but there was no significant difference between Jinbu (14.05 ㎎/g) and Eumseong (13.99 ㎎/g). The contents of luteinol 7-O-β-D-glucoside were confirmed in Jinan (0.68%), Jinbu (0.49%) and Eumseong (0.36%), respectively. Conclusion : The comparison of antioxidant contents and antioxidant activities of Ixeris dentata according to the different producing area, Jinan was had the highest concentration, followed by Jinbu and Eumseong. Our results showed that the content of luteoline-7-D-glucoside varied among the different producing area.

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.