Subterranean termites construct complicated tunnel network for foraging below the ground. Thus, they often encounter a number of tunnel intersections during their moving from place to place in the network. In order to understand how termites respond to the intersections, we artificially excavated two tunnels intersected with 90° degree in soil-filled arenas. The two tunnels had the width of W1 and W2 (=2, 3, and 4mm), respectively. We systematically observed the response behavior of advancing termites to the intersection with the combination of W1 and W2, (W1, W2). For (W1, W2)=(2, 2) and (3, 3), the advancing termites passed the intersection without directional changes because it was difficult for termites to bend their body to change their moving direction due to the small-sized width. For (W1, W2)=(4, 4), the termites statistically-equally chose the three directions, left, right, and straight, which was due to the fact that the intersection provided enough space for termites to bend. For (W1, W2)=(2, 3), (2, 4), and (3, 4), termites, advancing in narrower tunnels, tended considerably to turn right or left, while termites, advancing in wider tunnels, were favorably inclined to go straight. These results can be understood by considering the relationship between termite body length and tunnel width as explained for the cases of W1=W2. In addition, we briefly discussed our findings in relation to termite foraging efficiency.

Tomato fruit color, which is the most visible characteristic among the other fruit traits, is considered to have a substantial influence on consumers. The pink-colored tomatoes with high soluble solids content are considerably preferred especially in Asia compared to the other colors. Generally the pink fruit trait of tomatoes is easily determined by visual examination of intact fruit, however, it is technically determined by the characteristic of the fruit peel. The pink trait is regulated by variations of the SlMYB12(y) gene located on chromosome 1, which controls the accumulation of the naringenin chalcone, which comprises a large proportion of flavonoids. In this study, we developed a derived Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences (dCAPS) marker and a sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker in order to discriminate of pink/non-pinktomatoes in the domestic breeding lines. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that the SlMYB gene is highly expressed in non-pink fruit peel, whereas the expression is significantly lowered in the pink fruit peel. These gene based markers are expected to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of selection pink-tomatoes in tomato breeding programs.

Mannitol is commonly used to reduce intracranial and intraocular pressures and to prevent dialysis-disequilibrium syndrome. However, intravenous mannitol infusion in various cases has the potential to result in acute kidney injury (AKI). We present a case of mannitol-induced AKI that developed after low dose mannitol infusion and resulted in recovery after hemodialysis. A 66-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of left middle cerebral artery infarction. On hospital day 5, cerebral edema was observed on a follow-up MRI. D-mannitol 35 g was given intravenously every 8 hours. Four days later, serum creatinine levels were elevated from 1.2 mg/dL to 3.5 mg/dL. The serum osmolal gap was found to be 52.4 mosm/kg H2O and urine output was reduced from 2.78 mL/kg/h to 0.69 mL/kg/h over three days. Hemodialysis over 2 hours was performed and renal function subsequently improved to baseline function. A potential risk of AKI exists even with low dose mannitol infusion in patients with advanced age, underlying renal impairment, and concomitant use of nephrotoxic agents. Mannitol-induced AKI may be rapidly reversed by short-term hemodialysis.

Although much effort has been made to find agronomically important loci in the soybean plant, extensive linkage disequilibrium and genome duplication have limited efficient genome-wide linkage analyses that can identify important regulatory genes. In this respect, recombination block-based analysis of cultivated plant genomes is a potential critical step for molecular breeding and target locus screening. We propose a new three-step method of detecting recombination blocks and comparative genomics of bred cultivars. It utilizes typical reshuffling features of their genomes, which have been generated by the recombination processes of breeding ancestral genomes. To begin with, mutations were detected by comparing genomes to a reference genome. Next, sequence blocks were examined for likenesses and difference with respect to the reference genome. The boundaries between the blocks were taken as recombination sites. All recombination sites found in the cultivar set were used to split the genomes, and the resulting sequence fragments were named as core recombination blocks (CRBs). Finally, the genomes were compared at the CRB level, instead of at the sequence level. In the genomes of the five Korean soybean cultivars used, the CRB-based comparative genomics method produced long and distinct CRBs that are as large as 22.9 Mb. We also demonstrated efficiency in detecting functionally useful target loci by using indel markers, each of which represents a CRB. We further showed that the CRB method is generally applicable to both monocot and dicot crops, by analyzing publicly available genomes of 31 soybeans and 23 rice accessions.

Resequencing data is actively used for searching QTL or analyzing genetic diversity in the crops. However, the complexity of genome, caused by genome duplication, limits the utility of genome-wide association studies and linkage analyses to identify genes that regulate agronomically valuable traits. Here, we propose a comparative genomics approach based on core or common variation-based recombination blocks (CRB) using single nucleotide variation (SNV) density information. We found that the soybean genomes are assembled with long and distinct CRBs as large as 10Mb. CRB-based comparative genomics enabled us to accurately identify recombination blocks at the whole-chromosome level. We identified the Ih locus that determines the yellow hilum color in soybeans using CRB-based mapping with representative indel markers. These results suggest that the CRB-based comparison method is a promising platform for molecular breeding and map-based cloning.

This study was carried out to gain the basic informations about botanical characteristics of plant type and properties related to table quality for developing the new colored waxy corn hybrid. Materials used were produced by our laboratory in 2007 and their major traits were evaluated fro two years(2008 to 2009) at Corn Breeding Farm of Coll. of Agri. & Life in CNU. Items surveyed were major agricultural characteristics including ear length and traits related to edible. Botanical characteristics as a plant type and ear pattern of the developed waxy corn hybrids showed large ranges among them; stem height of CNU08H-h39 among used hybrids was the highest as 235.7cm, while CNUH08-15 was the lowest. Ear height of Daehackchal Gold 1 was the highest as 83.7cm and that of CNU08H-15 was the lowest among used hybrids. Ear length of CNU08H-h121 among used hybrids was the longest as 23.1cm, while that of CNU08H-71 was the smallest as 12.7cm. Kernel sugar content of the used hybrids appeared to be 16.1 to 13.0Brix(%). Especially, CNU08H-15, CNU08H-35 and CNU08H-h39 hybrids were highly appeared as 15 above. Pericarp thickness of check hybrid, Yeonongchal, was thicker as 46.0㎛, while that of CNU08H-39 compared to other hybrids showed the thinnest as 23.0㎛. From this study, we could obtain several superior colored hybrids with thinner pericarp and high sugar contents like CNU 08-39 and CNU 08-h121 hybrids. Accordingly, these hybrids will be apply as new developed variety through confirmed trials.

개가시나무 가지의 에탄올 추출물에서 항산화활성을 관찰하였으며, 활성성분을 규명하기 위한 연구를 진행하였다. 그 결과, 4종류의 화합물을 분리하여 동정하였다. 분리 동정된 성분은 catechin(1), epi-catechin(2), tyrosol(3) 및 tiliroside(4)이다. 분리 성분의 항산화활성은 DPPH 라디칼 및 superoxide 음이온 라디칼 소거활성을 이용하여 측정하였다. 화합물 1, 2, 3, 4는 100 µL/mL 농도에서 각각 94.2 %, 93.4 %, 33.6 %, 11.2 %의 DPPH 라디칼 저해활성을 나타내었다. 또한, 화합물 1, 2, 3, 4는 200 µL/mL 농도에서 각각 60.2 %, 35.1 %, 20.6%, 4.5 %의 superoxide 음이온 라디칼 저해활성을 나타내었다. 화합물 1 ∼ 4는 개가시나무에서는 처음으로 분리된 물질이다.