In order to identify key nations and bird species of conservation concern we described multinational collaborations as defined using network analysis linked by birds that are found in all nations in the network. We used network analysis to assess the patterns in bird occurrence for 10,422 bird inventories from 244 countries and territories. Nations that are important in multinational collaborations for bird conservation were assessed using the centrality measures, closeness and betweenness centrality. Countries important for the multinational collaboration of bird conservation were examined based on their centrality measures, which included closeness and betweenness centralities. Comparatively, the co-occurrence network was divided into four groups that reveal different biogeographical structures. A group with higher closeness centrality included countries in southern Africa and had the potential to affect species in many other countries. Birds in countries in Asia, Australia and the South Pacific that are important to the cohesiveness of the global network had a higher score of betweenness centrality. Countries that had higher numbers of bird species and more extensively distributed bird species had higher centrality scores; in these countries, birds may act as excellent indicators of trends in the co-occurrence bird network. For effective bird conservation in the world, much stronger coordination among countries is required. Bird co-occurrence patterns can provide a suitable and powerful framework for understanding the complexity of co-occurrence patterns and consequences for multinational collaborations on bird conservation.

Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella L.) belonging to genus Lepidoptera is a notorious pest of cruciferous crops worldwide. We evaluated the bioinsecticidal activity of the liquid cultures (LB and NB) of a bacterial strain, Serratia sp. EML-SE1, isolated from a diseased diamondback moth. The pathogenicity of a bacterial strain to diamondback moth was confirmed by the following procedures: treatment of liquid culture on cabbage leaves, ingestion of inoculated cabbage and mortality response. For the test, twenty 3rd instar larvae of diamondback moth were placed on the Chinese cabbage leaf in a round plastic cage (Ø 10 × 6 cm) and sprayed with the liquid cultures. After 72 hours, insecticidal activity of LB and NB cultures of Serratia sp. against P. xylostella larvae showed 91.7% and 88.3%, respectively. In addition, the bioinsecticidal activity on potted cabbage with 14 leaves in a growth cage (165 × 83 × 124 cm) also was similar to that of plastic cage experiment. Summarized, the Serratia sp. EML-SE1 may be a potent candidate as a bioinsecticidal agent to control diamondbac kmoth.

We analyzed a portion of mitochondrial COI gene sequences (658 bp) to investigate the genetic diversity and geographic variation of the swallowtail butterfly, Papilioxuthus L., and the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). P. xuthus showed a moderate level of sequence divergence (0.91% at maximum) in 15 haplotypes, whereas P. rapae showed a moderate to high level of sequence divergence (1.67% at maximum) in 30 haplotypes, compared with other relevant studies. Analyses of population genetic structure showed that most populations are not genetically differentiated in both species. The distribution pattern of both species appears to be consistent with category IV of the phylogeographic pattern sensu Avise (Avise et al. 1987): a phylogenetic continuity, an absence of regional isolation of mtDNA clones, and extensive distribution of close clones. The observed pattern of genetic diversity and geographic variation of the two butterfly species seems to reflect the abundant habitats, abundant host plants, and flying abilities in connection with the lack of historical biogeographic barriers.

A solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm that was first documented in pleura, but ubiquitous in nature, involving extrapleural sites such as the upper respiratory tract, mediastinum, head and neck. To date, about 21 cases of SFT of the breast have been reported. Herein, we presented a 60-year-old Korean female with a palpable mass in the left breast. Ultrasonography with near-oval shape, and well-circumscribed margins suggested a benign lesion, so complete resection was performed. With immunohistochemical staining, we could obtain a definitive diagnosis. Since some SFTs have unpredictable clinical course, long-term follow-up is needed for all patients.

Background: Mahonia Nepalensis DC. (Hoang lien o ro), the specie of the family Berberidaceae, is widely distributed in the high mountainous areas at altitudes 1700 – 1900 m of Vietnam. It is found that the stem of Mahonia nepalensis indicated anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antifungal activities and they are used particularly for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. However, no study on the antioxidant and anti-cancer activities of Mahonia Nepalensis stem has been previously reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities of Mahonia Nepalensis stem. Methods and Results: The stem pieces of Mahonia Nepalensis were dried and extracted three times with 100% methanol. After that, the extract was suspended in distilled water and then partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl-acetate (EtOAc) and butanol (water saturated BuOH) fractions were then evaporated using a vacuum rotary evaporator. Evaluation of the anti-oxidative activity of Mahonia Nepalensis was carried out using a DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical-producing system. The results revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction of M. nepalensis possessed higher potential DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50, 81.88 ± 1.33㎍/㎖) than other fractions as well as BHT (2,6-Di-tert-Butyl-4-methylphenol) (IC50, 250.49 ± 1.60㎍/㎖). The reducing power assay was also investigated and EtOAc fraction showed higher absorbance values than other fractions. At 1.0 mg/ml concentration, EtOAc fraction showed absorbance of 1.72, be higher than Ascorbic acid. Cell viability was evaluated according to the MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyl tetrazolium Bromide) assay. By MTT assay, all fractions showed a significant reduction in cell viability on COLO 205 (Human colon carcinoma cell) at the highest concentration tested (200㎍/ ㎖) with over 70% decrease in cell viability was obtained, and the highest significantly inhibiting effect occurred in butanol fraction with approximately 90% reduction in cell viability. Conclusion: We demonstrated that Mahonia Nepalensis stem extract has highly potential in anti-cancer activity. Further studies are necessary in order to explore the variety of Mahonia Nepalensis stem to be applied as a valuable natural material.

This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial, antioxidant, and in vitro greenhouse gas mitigation activities of fermented Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi extract. Seven starter cultures were used, comprising four of lactic acid bacteria and three of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ten grams of S. baicalensis Georgi powder was diluted in 90 mL autoclaved MRS broth. Each seed culture was inoculated with 3-10% (v/v) S. baicalensis Georgi MRS broth and incubated at 30℃ for 48 h. Among the starter cultures used, only Lactobacillus plantarum EJ43 could withstand the fermentation conditions. This fermentation broth was dried and extracted with ethanol to assess its antibacterial, antioxidant, and in vitro methane mitigation activities. The extract of S. baicalensis Georgi fermented by L. plantarum EJ43 (SBLp) showed higher antibacterial activity (bigger clear zone) compared to the unfermented S. baicalensis Georgi extract (SB0). SBLp also presented 1.2 folds higher antioxidant activity than SB0. During in vitro rumen fermentation, SBLp showed reduction in methane production compared to SB0 or the control. In conclusion, fermentation by L. plantarum EJ43 may enhance antibacterial and antioxidant activities of S. baicalensis Georgi and decrease enteric methane production.

Background : Haskap berries commonly refer to fruits of Lonicera caerulea L., recognized by the Japanese aborigines as the “The elixir of life.”. Due to their recent arrival on the North American market, haskap berries have not yet been positioned among other berries and compared in terms of their phytochemical content. And haskap berries have higher ascorbic acid and anthocyanin content than other berries known for their health-promoting benefits, such as blueberries. However, no study has reported on the antioxidant and anti-cancer activity of Lonicera caerulea stem. The purpose of this study is to present the current research on the chemical content, antioxidant and anti-cancer activities of Lonicera caerulea stem. Methods and Results : The stem of Lonicera caerulea L. ware dried in the shade at room temperature and extracted with 100% methanol. The extract was suspended in deionized water and partitioned sequentially with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl-acetate and butanol (water saturated BuOH) fractions. Antioxidant activities were measured by determination of antioxidants, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). Cell viability was determined by the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay. All cell lines were purchased from the Korean Cell Line Bank (Seoul, Korea). All results were performed with three replications were processed statistically. By DPPH assay, the Lonicera caerulea L. the highest activity was obtained from the ethyl-acetate fraction (IC50=15.46 ㎍/㎖). By MTT assay, the chloroform fraction showed a significant growth inhibiting effect on MCF-7 (Human breast cancer, IC50=225.91 ㎍/㎖), COLO 205 (Human colon cancer, IC50=179.55 ㎍/㎖), but on AGS (Human stomach cancer) and other fractions it did not show effect. Conclusion : We demonstrated that Lonicera caerulea L. stem extract and fractions has antioxidant and antiproliferation activity in vitro. Further studies should identify the active constituents in Lonicera caerulea L stem to evaluate the potential in vitro antioxidant and antiproliferation activities of the extract.

Nonghobyeo', was derived from a mutant of Milyang 95, by pure line selection method, which was developed from the single cross between Chukei 1016 and Milyang 79, by the rice breeding team of National Yeongnam Agricultural Experiment Station (NYAES) in 19