Large amounts of genetically modified (GM) grains, including maize, cotton and soybean, have been imported to Korea for food, feed and processing (FFP). To evaluatethe environmental impacts, particularly on non-target insects, of FFP GM grains of unknown source, it is a prerequisite to identify Cry protein types in the test GM grains and to establish proper risk assessment protocols. Imported GM maize grains were randomly obtained and their Cry toxins were analyzed by ELISA using Cry1A, Cry1F, and Cry3A antibodies. Since all tested GM maize grains contained Cry1A, Tenebrio molitor, a non-lepidopteran species, was selected as a non-target insect species. A domestic maize strain was used as a non-GM control, which did not show any differences in major nutritional composition from the GM maize grain. Slightly increased survival rate and head capsule width of T. molitor larvae were observed when reared on GM maize powder, demonstrating no sub-chronic adverse effects of GM maize on T. molitor larvae. Head capsule width of T. molitor neonate increased steadily from hatch to 70-day-old, regardless of being fed Bt or non-Bt maize. ELISA test using Cry1A-antibody revealed that concentration of Cry1A protein slowly increased in the whole body of T. molitor from 0 to 50 post-feeding days when the insects were fed GM maize but rapidly decreased within 5 days when Bt maize-fed larvae were transferred to non-Bt maize, showing that the Cry toxin is not accumulated inside the body of T. molitor once the exposure source is removed. In addition, no Cry protein was detected in the hemolymph of the larvae reared on Bt maize, suggesting little possibility of Cry toxin exposure to higher tropic level. Taken together, the imported GM-maize grains is not likely to cause any side impacts on non-target insect T. molitor.

The traditional use of insects as food continues to be widespread in tropical and subtropical countries and to provide significant nutritional, economic and ecological benefits for rural communities. Specially, Bee brood serves as a food source to humans in many countries although limited data exists concerning its nutrient composition. Bee brood (pupa and larvae) were analyzed for Carbohydrate, Saturated fatty acid, Cholesterol, protein, fat, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Bee brood was high in protein(46.4%～46.73%), fat(18.84%～ 20.75%),carbohydrate(24.66 %～35.79 %), Folic acid(222.30 ㎍/100g), and vitamins. Differentially, folic acid had been contained by high density in pupa of drone. While low in iron, bee brood was a good source of folic acid, and carbohydrate. The fat was composed mostly of saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids. The present data suggest bee brood to be an excellent source of many valuable nutrients including energy, amino acids, many essential minerals, and B-vitamins. These data suggest bee brood could be a valuable source of nutrients to various populations.

The damage of citrus fruit by yellow tea thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, was first confirmed in 2008, and has since been one of the serious pests of citrus in Jeju. This was reported on damage symptom on tangor cultivar, Setoka (Tangor Norin No. 8) fruits cultivated in a greenhouse and the characteristic of spatial disttribution of S. dorsalis caught on yellow sticky traps was conducted in three commercial citrus orchards. The feeding habits by S. dorsalis cause rind blemishes on the navel part of fruit. The damage is characterized by being scarped and figure like covered cloud on satsum mandarine fruit, but on by a brown ring of rough russeting that occurs on navel part of Setoka fruit. The season of damage occurrence was from middle of June to late of July. There was a highly significant relationship between the average number of thrips per trap and the maximum number caught on a trap. The overall differences between the linear regression models obtained from mean-variance relationship for each surveyed fields were tested by type Ⅲ error and contrast method. The characteristic of spatial distribution of S. dorsalis was better described by Taylor's power law than Iwao's patchiness regression, and the dispersion index which is the slope (=1.72) of linear regression model showed the aggregated distribution pattern. The sequential sampling stop lines at fixed precision level of 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 were calculated.

Periodontal ligament (PDL) tissue is a connective tissue that is interposed between the roots of the teeth and the inner wall of the alveolar bone socket. PDL is always exposed to physiologic mechanical force such as masticatory force and PDL cells play important roles during orthodontic tooth movement by synthesizing and secreting different mediators involved in bone remodeling. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was recently shown to play a significant role in the control of bone formation. In the present study, we applied cyclic tensile stress of 20% elongation to cultured human PDL cells and assessed its impact after six days upon components of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. RTPCR analysis showed that Wnt1a, Wnt3a, Wnt10b and the Wnt receptor LRP5 were down-regulated, whereas the Wnt inhibitor DKK1 was up-regulated in response to these stress conditions. In contrast, little change was detected in the mRNA expression of Wnt5a, Wnt7b, Fz1, and LRP6. By western blotting we found decreased expression of the β-catenin and p-GSK-3β proteins. Our results thus show that mechanical stress suppresses the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in PDL cells.

수평 배향 액정 모드는 양의 유전율 이방성과 음의 유전융 이방성 액정을 사용한 프린지 필드 스위칭과 양의 유전율 이방성 액정을 사용한 인플래인 스위칭 모드가 대표적이다 . 이 대표적인 세 구동 방식의 화질 특성을 비교하기 위하여 각각의 최척화된 위상지연 값 조건하에서 밝기, 명암대비율과 색 특성을 조사하였다. 그 결과 양액정과 음액정을 사용한 프린지 필드 스위칭 모드가 밝기와 명암대비율 면에 있어서 인플래인 스위칭 모드보다 우수한 특성을 보인다. 또한 양액정을 사용한 프린지 필드 스위 칭 모드는 시야각 방향에서 적은 색 변이 특성을 보인다.

Mitis-salivarius sucrose bacitracin(MSB) medium is widely used in the selective isolation of mutans streptococci(MS), a designation for a group of oral cariogenic species. Recently, we have isolated three bacterial strains grown on MSB agar from human dental plaques. The three strains exhibited biochemical characteristics similar to those of the biotype IV of MS, with the exception that they manifested a positive reaction for arginine deaminase. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize these three clinical isolates. The bacteria were identified with biochemical tests as well as by 16S rDNA cloning and sequencing. In order to compare the antibiotics susceptibility of the clinical isolates with that of type strain, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of 9 antibiotics were determined using broth dilution assays. The results identified all of our three clinical isolates as Enterococcus faecalis. All E. faecalis strains were found to be susceptible to penicillin G, amoxicillin, augmentin, and vancomycin, but were resistant to ciprofloxacin, cefuroxim axetil, and clindamycin. Our findings indicate that E. faecalis is capable of growing on MSB agar, and suggest that the MSB medium be improved so that only MS should be recoverable on the medium, as originally devised for their selection.

Immuno-MemBlot is a technique for detecting, analyzing, and identifying proteins, similar to the Western blot technique but differing in that protein samples are not separated electrophoretically but are spotted through circular or slot templates directly onto the membrane. Recently we developed a new Immuno-MemBlot (IMB) method applying immunoreactions and coloring procedures directly in the wells of MemBlot apparatus, which were connected by canals to perform drainage for reagent application and buffer irrigation. This IMB method was designed to get theimmunoblot results more rapidly and clearly than the previous immunoblot ones. This study is aimed to evaluate the analytical accuracy of IMB using different biological assay. In the sensitivity test of IMB the monoclonal antibody can clearly detect the 30 ng (about 12 pM) of Mucocidin peptide (35 mer), and is also available to detect at least 10 ng (about 4 pM) of Mucocidin peptide (35 mer). The IMB was effective in the quantitative analysis of methothrexate (MTX) assay for cellular apoptosis. And more, this IMB is useful to screen large number of specific samples with ease and accuracy in a short time. In the screenings for the presence of Mucocidin in saliva the quantitative comparison is conspicuous among 48 persons depend on the different conditions ofgender, drinking and smoking habits, and oral diseases. Therefore, it is presumed that, even though the target proteins were partly degraded, a specific epitope can be detected if a monoclonal antibody was still reactive. Conclusively, these data suggest that the IMB can be useful in the primary qualitativeand quantitative analysis of proteins in various fluids, i.e., blood, saliva, tear, urine, etc.

본 연구에서는 polyvinylalcohol(PVA)의 hydroxyl 작용기와 sulfosuccinic acid (SSA)의 carboxylic acid 작용기의 반응을 통하여 열가교된 PVA막을 제조하였다. 설폰산기를 함유한 SSA는 PVA 매트릭스에 대한 가교제의 역할뿐만 아니라 수소이온의 전도도를 높이는 역할 모두를 수행하였다. PVA의 가교도(degree of crosslinking)는 SSA의 함량으로 조절하였고 가교밀도(crosslinking density)는 극성 및 비극성 용매를 이용하여 계산하였다. Xylene 및 benzene과 같은 비극성 용매를 사용한 경우 가교밀도는 SSA함량에 따라 증가하였다. 그러나, 물과 methanol과 같은 극성 용매를 사용한 경우 가교밀도는 SSA함량 20%까지 증가하다가 그 이상의 함량에서는 설폰산기의 영향으로 감소하였다. 가교도와 확산계수, 기계적 물성 및 전도도, 메탄올 투과도 등에 대한 PVA막의 특성을 평가하였고 이들 특성은 SSA함량에 의존하였다.