In this study, we examined the antagonistic effects of sprout-borne lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. This antagonism is promoted as a means of controlling contamination during sprout production and provides additional LAB for consumers. We isolated a total of 24 LAB isolates in nine species and five genera from seven popular vegetable sprouts: alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Trifolium pratense), broccoli (Brassica oleracea ssp. italica), vitamin (B. rapa ssp. narinosa), red radish (Raphanus sativus), red kohlrabi (B. oleracea var. gongylodes), and Kimchi cabbage (B. campestris var. pekinensis). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the LAB species were identified as Enterococcus casseliflavus, E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, Lactococcus taiwanensis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria, and W. confusa. A total of 16 LAB isolates in seven species including E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, L. taiwanensis, L. mesenteroides, P. pentosaceus, and W. cibaria showed antagonistic activity toward S. enterica. The growth inhibition of sprout LAB on S. enterica was confirmed by co-culture. Unexpectedly, sprout LAB failed to suppress the growth of S. enterica in alfalfa sprouts, whereas all LAB strains stimulate S. enterica growth even if it is not significant in some strains. The findings of this study indicate that S. enterica-antagonistic LAB are detrimental to food hygiene and will contribute to further LAB research and improved vegetable sprout production.

Domestic commercial low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste storage containers are manufactured using 1.2 mm thick cold-rolled steel sheets, and the outer surface is coated with a thin layer of primer of 10~36 μm. However, the outer surface of the primer of the container may be damaged due to physical friction, such as acceleration, resonance, and vibration during transportation. As a result, exposed steel surfaces undergo accelerated corrosion, reducing the overall durability of the container. The integrity of storage containers is directly related to the safety of workers. Therefore, the development of storage containers with enhanced durability is necessary. This paper provides an analysis of mechanical properties related to the durability of WC (tungsten carbide)-based coating materials for developing low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste storage containers. Three different WC-based coating specimens with varied composition ratios were prepared using HVOF (high-velocity oxy-fuel) technique. These different specimens (namely WC-85, WC-73, and WC-66) were uniformly deposited on cold-rolled steel surfaces ensuring a constant thickness of 250 μm. In this work, the mechanical properties of the three different WCbased coaitng materials evaluated from the viewpoints of microstructure, hardness, adheision force between substrate and coating material, and wear resistance. The cross-sectional SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) images revealed that elements W (tungsten), C (carbon), Ni (nickel), and Cr (chromium) were uniformly distributed within the each coating layers which was approximately 250 μm thick. The average hardness values of HWC-85 and HWC-73 were found to be 1,091 Hv (Vickers Hardness) and 1,083 Hv, respectively, while the HWC-66 exhibited relatively lower hardness value of 883 Hv. This indicates that a higher WC content results in increased hardness. Adhesion force between and substrates and coating materials exceeded 60 MPa for all specimens, however, there were no significant differences observed based on the tungsten carbide content. Furthermore, a taber-type abrasion tester was used for conducting abrasion resistance tests under specific conditions including an H-18 load weight at 1,000 g with rotational speed set at 60 RPM. The abrasion resistance tests were performed under ambient temperatures (RT: 23±2°C) as well as relative humidity levels (RH: 50±10%). Currently, the ongoing abrasion resistance tests will include some results in this study.

This study was aimed to isolate bacterial inoculants producing chitinase and evaluate their application effects on corn silage. Four corn silages were collected from four beef cattle farms to serve as the sources of bacterial inoculants. All isolates were tested against Fusarium graminearum head blight fungus MHGNU F132 to confirm their antifungal effects. The enzyme activities (carboxylesterase and chitinase) were also measured to isolate the bacterial inoculant. Based on the activities of anti-head blight fungus, carboxylesterase, and chitinase, L. buchneri L11-1 and L. paracasei L9-3 were subjected to silage production. Corn forage (cv. Gwangpyeongok) was ensiled into a 10 L mini silo (5 kg) in quadruplication for 90 days. A 2 × 2 factorial design consists of F. graminearum contamination at 1.0104 cfu/g (UCT (no contamination) vs. CT (contamination)) and inoculant application at 2.1 × 105 cfu/g (CON (no inoculant) vs. INO (inoculant)) used in this study. After 90 days of ensiling, the contents of CP, NDF, and ADF increased (p<0.05) by F. graminearum contamination, while IVDMD, acetate, and aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05). Meanwhile, aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05) by inoculant application. There were interaction effects (p<0.05) on IVNDFD, NH3-N, LAB, and yeast, which were highest in UCT-INO, UCT-CON, CT-INO, and CT-CON & INO, respectively. In conclusion, this study found that mold contamination could negatively impact silage quality, but isolated inoculants had limited effects on IVNDFD and yeast.

The Republic of Korea is expected to participate in the denuclearization verification activities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in case any neighboring countries declared denuclearization. In this study, samples for the verification of nuclear activities in undeclared areas were selected for the denuclearization of neighboring countries, and the appropriateness of the procedures was considered. If a country with nuclear weapons declares denuclearization, it must be accompanied by the IAEA’s verification regarding nuclear materials and weapons in the declared and undeclared areas. The analysis of the process samples or on-site environmental samples and the verification of undeclared nuclear facilities and materials aid in uncovering any evidence of concealment of nuclear activity in undeclared areas. Therefore, a methodology was established for effective sampling and analysis in accordance with proper procedures. Preparations for sampling in undeclared areas were undertaken for various potential scenarios, such as, the establishment of zones according to radiation dose, methods of supplying electricity, wireless communication networks, targets of sampling according to characteristics of nuclides, manned sampling method, and unmanned sampling method. Through this, procedures were established for pre- and post-site settings in preparation for hazards and limiting factors at nuclear inspection sites.

최근 다양한 유기재배 작물의 뿌리를 가해하는 굼벵이류의 피해가 증가하고 있으나, 굼벵이류는 토양 내 발생하는 특징으로 인해 발생시기 및 그 종류에 대한 확인이 어려운 해충이다. 피해를 끼치는 굼벵이의 발생을 파악하기 위해 고구마 유기재배지에 페로몬 트랩을 이용하여 굼벵이의 성충의 종류 및 발생 동향을 조사하였다. 조사지는 무안 유기재배농가와 국립농업과학원 완주군 포장에서 이루어졌다. 3종의 풍뎅이 페로몬 루어를 유인제로 사용하였으 며 6월 초부터 8월 말까지 조사지에 트랩을 설치하여 포획된 풍뎅이를 수집하여 동정을 하였다. 유기재배포장에서 포획된 종은 큰검정풍뎅이, 콩풍뎅이, 청동풍뎅이, 녹색콩풍뎅이, 별줄풍뎅이 등의 풍뎅이와 흰점박이꽃무지 등이 주로 채집되었다. 유기재배 고구마포장에서 풍뎅이 발생소장을 조사한 결과 최대로 발생한 시기는 7월초였다.

방사선작업종사자 및 방사선작업장의 위험성은 주로 피폭선량 값으로 평가되고 있다. 하지만, 방사선작업장은 사용하는 방사선 및 작업환경이 상이하다. 특히, 방사선투과검사작업장은 작업대상물, 차폐체 사용 가능 유무 등에 따라 작업환경이 다양하다. 따라서 효율적인 방사선 방호를 위해서는 여러 가지 인자들을 검토하는 것이 필요하다. 이에 전문가 및 조장 방사선작업종사자들 대상으로 설문조사를 수행하였으며, 그 결과, 방사선원, 방사선피폭선량, 작업장관리현황, 판독특이자, 정기검사현황이 주요인자로 선정되었다. 또한, 설문조사 중요도를 바탕으로 1차 가중치(안)을 설정한 후 2차적으로 전문가 자문을 통해 인자 내 세부 항목별 가중치를 선정하였다. 따라서 본 연구를 통해 선정된 주요인자를 바탕으로 하여 방사선투과검사작 업장 위해도 지수 모델 개발이 가능할 것으로 판단된다.

Background : This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of water chestnut (Trapa japonica Flerow) extract. Methods and Results : The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of 100% methanol extract of water chestnut were investigated. The methanol extract was evaluated for its total phenolic and flavonoid content, DPPH•(1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free-radical scavenging activity,reducing power, andeffect on nitric oxide (NO) production and cell viability using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The total phenolic content was 438.31 ㎍ allic acid equivalent (GAE)/㎎ extract and the total flavonoid content was 61.40 ㎍ quercetin equivalent (QE)/㎎ extract. In addition, results revealed the extract possessed antioxidant activity (DPPH• free-radical scavenging activity) with IC50 value of 5.28 ㎍㎖ The reducing power of the extract was assayed spectro photometrically and showed Abs of 0.71 at 100 ㎍㎖ Furthermore, extracts of water chestnut exhibited no cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, the NO assay revealed that LPS-induced NO production was significantly inhibited following treatment with water chestnut extracts. The expression of pro-inflammatory proteins such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. The water chestnut extract also decreased tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) release. Conclusion : Therefore, the present findings provide scientific evidence for the nutritional potential, chemical composition, and biological activities of Trapa japonica Flerow anddemonstrate its potential use as a functional food forapplication in the pharmaceutical industry

Understanding the host defense mechanisms in response to brown leaf spot disease caused by Cochliobolus miyabeanus is very important for production of resistant plant. In this study, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DGE) in conjunction with mass spectrometry was utilized to unravel changes of stress inducible proteins in rice leaves infected with C. miyabeanus. For this purpose, we firstly observed disease developmental process of C. miyabeanus in rice using trypan blue, anilin blue, acid fuchsin staining, and DAB staining for ROS detection and expressional abundance of ROS related proteins in rice leaves inoculated was confirmed by Western blotting. Proteins were extracted by PEG fractionation and their expression patterns were analyzed by 2-DGE and subjected to image analysis using the ImageMaster 6.0 2D Platinum software, resulting in the identification of 86 differentially expressed protein spots with significantly changes (p<0.05) compared with control. MALDI-TOFTOF-MS analysis revealed that 69 proteins including 42 and 27 significantly up- and down-regulated proteins, respectively, were identified. Based on gene ontology analysis, identified proteins were classified according to their functional groups: metabolism (20%), oxygen-detoxifying (13%), protein stress/defense (24%). Thus, these results for the first time suggest that differentially induced proteins may play a key role for understanding host defense mechanisms during rice -C. miyabeanus interaction.