We tested the identification ability of DNA barcodes comparing with morphological data using the Korean butterflies. The 921 samples (4.6 samples per species) for 202 resident Korean species except migratory species were used. The obtained samples were morphologically identified based on wing patterns. In a result, genetic divergence to the nearest-neighbouring taxon varied from 0 to 28.2%, with an average of 13.4 per cent. The neighbour joining (NJ) tree profile showed that sequence data for 185 of the 202 species formed distinct barcode clusters. Thus, our results indicated that 91.6 percent of the species were possible to allow the reliable identification using DNA barcoding. The rest 17 species (8.4%) consist of following four cases: clustering separated from each species by less than 1% branch length (two species pairs), paraphyletic clustering (two species pairs and one triple species pair), polyphyletic clustering with sharing barcodes (three species pairs), and clustering separated from existing species by the deep branch divergence (four clusters). However, it was not easy to interpret these ambiguous cases only using our current taxonomic evidences. Therefore, we are performing integrative taxonomy on these cases using other additional evidences such as examination on male genitalia and analysis of other gene regions.

The Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powders and TiC particles were ball-milled and subsequently compacted and sintered at various temperatures, resulting in the TiC particle-reinforced Fe self-fluxing alloy hybrid composite, and the microstructure and micro-hardness were investigated. The initial Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powders and TiC particles showed the spherical shape with a mean size of approximately 80 and the irregular shape of less than 5 , respectively. After ball-milling at 800 rpm for 5 h, the powder mixture of Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powders and TiC particles formed into the agglomerated powders with the size of approximately 10 that was composed of the nanosized TiC particles and nano-sized alloy particles. The TiC particle-reinforced Fe-based self-fluxing alloy hybrid composite sintered at 1173 K revealed a much denser microstructure and higher micro-hardness than that sintered at 1073 K and 1273 K.

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the alleviating effects of Phellodendrin cortex water extract (PCWE) on skin aging in hairless mice via observation of morphogical and histological changes. Skin aging was induced by UVB irradiation and application of squalene monohydroperoxide (Sq-OOH) to the back skin of hairless mice for six weeks. And, at the same time, saline (C), jojoba oil (VC), PCWE (E), and 0.01% retinoic acid diluted with polyethylene glycol (PC) were applied topically twice per day, six days per week, for a period of six weeks. Improved wrinkle formation in a pattern of shallow furrows and thin and narrow crests was observed in the retinoic acid and PCWE application groups, compared to the C group. On the morphologic analysis for skin wrinkles, the E group showed lower levels in skin roughness, maximum roughness, average roughness, smoothness depth, and arithmetic average roughness by 13.1, 17.2, 18.4, 15.4, and 16.1%, respectively, compared with the C group, indicating that PCWE inhibited potential formation of wrinkles in the skin. In the C group, structures of lipid lamellae and collagen fibers were broken or deformed with an irregular arrangement. Application of retinoic acid and PCWE protected against the deformity of lipid lamellae and collagen fibers. Elastic fibers in dermis of the C group also showed severe transformation; however, applications of retinoic acid and PCWE resulted in a significant decrease in the number of denatured elastic fibers. Therefore, PCWE could have an alleviating effect on skin aging induced by UVB irradiation and application of Sq-OOH.

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) is a rare condition characterized by multiple intramural pockets of gas filled cysts in the intestinal wall. PCI is usually found incidentally on an imaging study. Many different causes of PCI have been suggested, including mechanical, pulmonary, and bacterial causes. Treatment is usually conservative, including oxygen and antibiotic therapy. We report on two cases of PCI, without symptoms, in a 62-year-old male and a 72-year-old male. Computed tomography showed numerous, small, round, and air densities on the sigmoid colon. Colonoscopy showed numerous, variable-sized, sessile polypoid, balloon-like distended, and protruding subepithelial masses covered with normal colonic mucosa on the sigmoid colon. We observed that when the cyst was stuck with a needle, the size of the cyst was reduced and showed a flat termination. Therefore, we made a diagnosis of PCI and report on the case with references.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the flexicurve kyphosis index (KI), the flexicurve lordosis index (LI) and the distance from the inferior angle of the scapula to the nearest vertebral spinous process (DS), as a dependent variable of scapular protraction, after applying of adolescents with thoracic hyperkyphosis using three different garments. A repeated measures design was used. Ten adolescents ( years) with thoracic hyperkyphosis ( Cobb angle) were recruited from a university hospital. A flexicurve ruler was used to measure KI and LI and a scoliometer was used to measure DS under three different conditions: wearing-a hospital garment (HG), wearing-a sham garment (SG), and wearing-an experimental garment (EG). KI under EG condition was significantly decreased compared with that wearing the HG. However, there was no significant difference between wearing the SG and HG. LI when wearing the EG was significantly increased compared with that when wearing HG. However, there was no significant difference under SG and HG conditions. DS when wearing the EG was significantly decreased compared with wearing HG. However, there was no significant difference between the SG and HG. The results of this study show that the EG was effective in decreasing KI, but not effective in decreasing LI. Hence, the effect of the EG for correcting sagittal spine angle in adolescents with thoracic hyperkyphosis is still debatable. However, since we showed that DS decreases in the EG, this method could be applied in correcting the scapular protraction.

In order to isolate thermophilic compost-promoting bacteria with high activity of cellulase and xylanase, spent mushroom substrates with sawdust were collected from mushroom cultivation farm, Jinju, Gyeongnam in Korea. Among of the isolates, one strain, designated HJ01 was selected by agar diffusion method. The strain HJ01 was identified as members of the Bacillus subtilis by biochemical characteristics using Bacillus ID kit and VITEK 2 system. Comparative 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain HJ01 formed a distinct phylogenetic tree within the genus Bacillus and was most closely related to Bacillus subtilis with 16S rDNA gene sequence similarity of 99.3%. On the basis of its physiological properties, biochemical characteristics and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain HJ01 was classified within the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus subtilis HJ0 is proposed. The cellulase and xylanase activity of B. subtilis HJ0 was slightly increased according to bacterial population from exponential phase to stationary phase in growth curve for B. subtilis HJ01.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes of protein patterns in granulosa cells and corpus luteum during the estrus cycle in bovine ovary by proteomics ^techniques. Our study was devided into five steps for follicular, ovulatory, early-lteal, midluteal and late-luteal. The protein was extracted from glanulosa cell and corpus luteum proteins by using M-PER Mammalian Protein Extraction Reagent. Proteins were refined by clean-up kit and quantified by Bradford method until total protein was 700 μg. Immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strip was used 18 cm and 3 11 NL. SDS-PAGE was used 10% acrylamide gel. The protein spots were visualized by Coomassie Brilliant Blue (CBB) staining, analyzed by MALDI mass spectrometry and searched on NCIBlnr. As the result, 61 spots of total 85 spots were repeated on follicular stage and 51 spots of total 114 spots were repeated on ovulatory stage. 40 spots of total 129 were repeated on early-luteal and 49 spots of total 104 spots were repeated on mid-luteal stage. Also 41 spots of total 60 spots were repeated on last-luteal stage. There were differences in the ovulation (follicular∼ovultory stage) in which the spots of follicular stage 19 was only and in ovulation stage was 10 spots. The difference between the luteinization (ovultory∼mid-luteal stage) was the spots counted in each stage. The spots of ovulatory stage was 1, early-luteal stage was 1 and in mid-luteal stage was 2. Eleven spots were found in mid-luteal stage and 2 spots were found in last-luteal stage. In conclusion, we confirmed that there were 7 spots in ovulation, 4 spots in luteinization and 2 spots in luteolysis. Spot No. 89-93 from ovulation were transferrin, and spot No.94 and 95 were HSP60. Spot No. 103 were Dusty PK, spot No. 135 were OGDC-E2, and spot No. 175, 176 were Rab GDI beta from luteinization. Spot No. 178 and 179 from luteolysis were vimentin.

An entomopathogenic filamentous fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus strain HY-4, has a great potential as a promising bio-pesticide due to its superior pathogenicity against Adoretus tenuimaculatus and Tetranychus urticae. When the fungal strain infects host cuticle, it secrets a combination of hydrolytic enzymes including chitinase to solubilize the cuticle. Thus, we investigated effects of different carbon and nitrogen sources on the production of a chitinase from P. lilacinus strain HY-4. The organism produced an extracellular chitinase at a relatively high level (45.4 mU/ml) when cultivated for 5 days on a medium supplemented with insect pupa (0.5%) and colloidal chitin (1%), which was prepared by treating chitin from crab shells (Sigma-Aldrich Co. Ltd.) with 12 N HCl solution. However, extracellular secretion of chitinase by strain HY-4 was found to be significantly repressed in the presence of glucose (1%).

The extracellular GH11 β-1,4-xylanase (XylY) gene (633-bp) of Paenibacillus sp. strain KYJ-16 was molecularly cloned by repeated DNA walking and nested PCR method. The xylY gene was predicted to encode an extracellular protein consisting of 611 amino acids with a nesuced molecular mass of 23 kDa and a calculated pI of 9.55. Protein blast search revealed that the enzyme consisted of a putative catalytic domain, which is homologous to a catalytic GH11 domain. The highest sequence identity (92%) was obtained as the catalytic GH11 domain of XylY was compared to that of Paenibacillus sp. strain HGF5 (GenBank accession number: EGG35584) that has not yet been characterized. Enzymatic properties of the recombinant His-tagged enzyme (rXylY) overexpressed in E. coli BL21 harboring pET-28a(+)/xylY will be also presented.

The gene (2,304-bp) encoding a novel xylanolytic enzyme (XylD) with a catalytic domain, which is 70% identical to that of Cellulomonas flavigena DSM 20109 GH6 β-1,4-cellobiohydrolase, was identified from an earthworm (Eisenia fetida)-symbiotic bacterium, Cellulosimicrobium sp. strain HY-13. The enzyme consisted of an N-terminal catalytic GH6-like domain, a fibronectin type 3 (Fn3) domain, and a C-terminal carbohydrate-binding module 2 (CBM 2). XylDΔFn3-CBM 2 displayed high transferase activity (788.3 IU mg-1) toward p-nitrophenyl (PNP) cellobioside, but did not degrade xylobiose, glucose-based materials, or other PNP-sugar derivatives. Birchwood xylan was degraded by XylDΔFn3-CBM 2 to xylobiose (59.2%) and xylotriose (40.8%). The transglycosylation activity of the enzyme, which enabled the formation of xylobiose (33.6%) and xylotriose (66.4%) from the hydrolysis of xylotriose, indicates that it is not an inverting enzyme but a retaining enzyme. The endo-β-1,4-xylanase activity of XylDΔFn3-CBM 2 increased significantly by approximately 2.0-fold in the presence of 50 mM xylobiose.

Petroleum pitch-based activated carbons (ACs) were obtained in this work from a combination of pretreatment with different amounts of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and chemical activation with potassium hydroxide. The surface characteristics of the pitch after the KMnO4 pretreatment were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The structural characteristics of the pitch after the KMnO4 pretreatment were determined by means of X-ray diffraction. The influence of the KMnO4 treatment on the textural properties of the petroleum pitch-based ACs was investigated by means of N2/77K adsorption isotherms. The investigation also involved the use of the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller equation and the Dubinin-Radushkevich method. The FT-IR results show that the pretreatment promotes the formation of surface oxygen functionalities and leads to an increase of the interplanar distance (d002) of the functional groups induced between carbon layers. Moreover, the specific surface area of the pitch-based ACs increases in proportion to the amount of KMnO4 pretreatment and reaches its highest value of 2334 m2/g with 2 g of KMnO4 because the surface oxygen groups of the pitch act as an active site during chemical activation.

Public concern has recently increased over the potential risk of toxic elements emitted from anthropogenic sources. Among these, mercury has drawn special attention owing to its increasing level of bioaccumulation in the environment and in the food chain, with potential risks for human health. This paper presents an overview of research related to mercury control technology and identifies areas requiring additional research and development. It critically reviews measured mercury emissions progress in the development of promising control technologies, including catalytic oxidation, sorbent injection, photochemistry oxidation, and air pollution control devices.

Periodontitis results from the activation of host immune and inflammatory defense responses to subgingival plaque bacteria, most of which are gram-negative rods with lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) in their cell walls. LPSs have been known to induce proinflammatory responses and recently it was reported also that they induce the expression of microRNAs(miRNAs) in host cells. In our current study therefore, we aimed to examine and compare the miRNA expression patterns induced by the LPSs of major periodontopathogens in the human gingival epithelial cell line, Ca9-22. The cells were treated with 1 μg/ml of E. coli (Ec) LPS or 5 μg/ml of an LPS preparations from four periodontopathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) for 24 h. After small RNA extraction from the treated cells, miRNA microarray analysis was carried out and characteristic expression profiles were observed. Fn LPS most actively induced miRNAs related to inflammation, followed by Aa LPS, Pi LPS, and Ec LPS. In contrast, Pg LPS only weakly activated miRNAs related to inflammation. Among the miRNAs induced by each LPS, miR-875-3p, miR-449b, and miR-520d-3p were found to be commonly up-regulated by all five LPS preparations, although at different levels. When we further compared the miRNA expression patterns induced by each LPS, Ec LPS and Pi LPS were the most similar although Fn LPS and Aa LPS also induced a similar miRNA expression pattern. In contrast, the miRNA profile induced by Pg LPS was quite distinctive compared with the other bacteria. In conclusion, miR-875- 3p, miR-449b, and miR-520d-3p miRNAs are potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal inflammation induced by subgingival plaque biofilms. Furthermore, the observations in our current study provide new insights into the inflammatory miRNA response to periodontitis.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have high Young's modulus, low density, and excellent electrical and thermal properties, which make them ideal fillers for polymer composites. Homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in a polymer matrix plays a crucial role in the preparation of polymer composites based on interfacial interactions between CNTs and the polymer matrix. The addition of a small amount of CNTs strongly improves the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the composites. This paper aims to review the processing technology and improvement of properties of CNT-reinforced polymer composites.