Maturation-promoting factor (MPF) is well-known as cell cycle regulator during oocyte maturation and fertilization. MPF activity maintains high levels and arrest the cell cycle progression until fertilization. After fertilization, Anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) mediated degradation of cyclin B causes decrease of MPF activity. One of the cytostatic factor (CSF), Emi2 inhibits APC/C activity by binding to APC/C-cdc20, therefore blocks the proteolysis of cyclin B. Degradation of Emi2 requires phosphorylation by Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). Thus recognition and phosphorylation of Emi2 by Plk1 are essential step for meiotic cell cycle resumption. In our previous research, we found that two phosphorylated threonine regions at amino acid position 152 and 176 in Emi2 are respectively contributed for recognition by polo-box domain of Plk1. Peptidomimetics 103-8 can block the interaction between Plk1-PBD and Emi2, and therefore meiotic maturation and meiosis resumption via parthenogenetic activation were impaired. However, major drawback of 103-8 was the limitation of penetration through the cell membrane. We synthesized the new peptidomimetics and checked bioavailability in mammalian oocyte by injection and media treatment. Medium treatment with peptidomimetics C-4, meiotic maturation has significantly decreased and meiotic resumption via parthenogenetic activation has perfectly impaired. For the next experiment, we are preparing X-ray crystallography to identify the binding modes between Plk1-PBD and peptidomimetics C-4.

As consumers take greater control over products and brands they consume, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and user-generated content (UGC) are now being considered as one of the most critical product sources for consumers. Most notable in recent years has been the widespread emergence of eWOM in social media. The proliferation of a variety of social networking sites (SNSs), propelled by the development of mobile technologies (e.g., smartphones), has allowed consumers to share, more quickly and easily than ever before, product information, reviews, and consumption experiences. Perhaps one of the newest and most effective ways to communicate brand information and experiences in digital environments is the ‘brand-selfie.’ Every day, millions of selfies (i.e., a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media) are taken and then posted on a variety of SNSs all over the world, providing people the opportunity to show multiple facets of the self (Bazarova et al., 2013). Further, there are consumers who voluntarily post selfies with brands/products they possess (so called brand-selfies) and brand-related hashtags (e.g., your #brand). Through brand-selfies, consumers not only express themselves by connecting with and extending through brands, but also influence peer consumers’ brand attitudes and purchase decisions by sharing brand information. In order to better understand how the selfie can succeed on SNSs as a new form of eWOM, in the present study, we attempt to identify key predictive variables that may lead consumers to post brand-selfies and engage eWOM in social media. We do so by comparing how such variables differ between those who post brand-selfies and those who do not. Specifically, this study examines whether brand-selfie-posting behavior is influenced by two individual difference factors (i.e., narcissism and materialism), and whether it is associated with consumers’ beliefs that SNSs are brand/product information sources. Using a survey administered by an online panel, a total of 305 participants who had had the experience of taking and posting selfies on SNSs participated. Discriminant analysis identified the characteristics of consumers who post brand-selfies, and those who do not. Findings suggest that narcissism, materialism, and belief that SNSs are a brand/productinformation source are significant factors in stimulating SNS users’ brand-selfie posting behaviors, and that they could be used to differentiate between brand-selfie posters and no-brand-selfie posters. Of these factors, consumers’ perceptions of SNSs as a source of brand/product information best predicted brand-selfie posting behaviors, followed by materialism and narcissism. Areas for future research are discussed.

Malassezia pachydermatis (M. pachydermatis) otitis is an important infectious disease of dogs throughout the world. In the present study, the presence, diagnosis, clinical signs and chemotherapy of M. pachydermatis were studied in clinical otitic dogs of Lahore and its suburbs. During two-year study period, a total of 200 ear cerumen samples from otitic dogs were examined microscopically. Of these, 46 (23%) were found positive for M. pachydermatis. The difference in the prevalence of infection between the pendulous ear and erected ear dogs as well as sex predilection was found nonsignificant (P>0.05). However, a significantly (P<0.05) higher prevalence (86.90%) was recorded in dogs of more than one years of age group. The animals determined positive for the M. pachydermatis were divided into two groups (A and B) and treated with Clotrimazole and Nystatin, respectively. Efficacy of both the antifungals was evaluated on the basis of reversal of clinical signs scoring and cytological examinations at 7, 14, 21-day post treatment. The overall efficacy of Clotrimazole and Nystatin was 73% and 68%, respectively. Clotrimazole showed better results as compared to Nystatin in accomplishing cure rate from mycological infection. It was concluded that M. pachydermatis is a significant cause of otitis in dogs wherein Clotrimazole proves to be a more effective drug in eliminating the infection in the affected Dogs.

The bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mainly contributes to the structural integrity, survival and protection barrier against harsh environments. Therefore, the early stages in LPS or lipid A biosynthesis are attractive targets in the identification and development of inhibitors which would be effective against infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The bacterial outer membrane proteins (OMPs) meanwhile function as maintenance for structure, adhesion to other cells and substances, as well as development of resistance to antimicrobials. The LPS and LPS-related molecules, and OMPs are important immunogenic components of several important pathogens including Brucella, which have been extensively used in immunological studies and in the diagnosis of diseases. Here we review the importance, structure, functions and immunogenic aspects of LPS and OMPs particularly of Brucella which can be targeted for the prevention and diagnosis of brucellosis.

Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT) based ceramics are considered potential lead-free alternatives for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3(PZT) based ceramics in various applications such as sensors, actuators and transducers. However, BNT-based ceramics have lower electromechanical performance as compared with PZT based ceramics. Therefore, in this work, lead-free bulk 0.99[(Bi0.5Na0.5)0.935Ba0.065](1-x)LaxTiO3-0.01SrZO3 (BNBTLax-SZ, with x = 0, 0.01, 0.02) ceramics were synthesized by a conventional solid state reaction The crystal structure, dielectric response, degree of diffuseness and electric-field-induced strain properties were investigated as a function of different La concentrations. All samples were crystallized into a single phase perovskite structure. The temperature dependent dielectric response of La-modified BNBT-SZ ceramics showed lower dielectric response and improved field-induced strain response. The field induced strain increased from 0.17% for pure BNBT-SZ to 0.38 % for 1 mol.% La-modified BNBT-SZ ceramics at an applied electric field of 6 kV/mm. These results show that Lamodified BNBT-SZ ceramic system is expected to be a new candidate material for lead-free electronic devices.

Hydroxyapatite (HA), which is an important calcium phosphate mineral, has been applied in orthopedics, dentistry, and many other fields depending upon its morphology. HA can be synthesized with different morphologies through controlling the synthesis method and several parameters. Here, we synthesize various morphologies of HA using two simple methods: hydrothermal combustion and solution combustion. The phase purity of the synthesized HA is confirmed using X-ray diffractometry. It demonstrates that pure phased hydroxyapatite can be synthesized using both methods. The morphology of the synthesized powder is examined using scanning electron microscopy. The effects of pH and temperature on the final powder are also investigated. At 140 oC, using the hydrothermal method, nano-micro HA rods with a hexagonal crystal structure can be synthesized, whereas using solution combustion method at 600 oC, a dense cubic morphology can be synthesized, which exhibits monoclinic crystal structures.

The effects of Nb doping on the crystal structure, microstructure, and dielectric ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)0.935Ba0.065Ti(1-x)NbxO3-0.01SrZrO3 (BNBTNb-SZ, with x = 0, 0.01 and 0.02) ceramics have been investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that all ceramics have a pure perovskite structure with tetragonal symmetry. The grain size of the ceramics slightly decreased and a change in grain morphology from square to spherical shape was observed in the Nb-doped samples. The maximum dielectric constant temperature (Tm) increases with increasing amount of Nb; however, ferroelectric-relaxor transition temperature (TF-R) and maximum dielectric constant (εm) values decrease gradually. Nb addition disrupted the polarization hysteresis loops of the BNBT-SZ ceramics by leading a reduction in the remnant polarization coercive field and piezoelectric constant.

New lead-free piezoelectric ceramics 0.96[{Bi0.5 (Na0.84 K0.16)0.5}1-xLax(Ti1-y Nby)O3]-0.04SrTiO3 (BNKT-ST-LN, where x = y = 0.00 ≤ (x = y) ≤ 0.015) were synthesized using the conventional solid-state reaction method. Their crystal structure, microstructure, and electrical properties were investigated as a function of the La and Nb (LN) content. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of a single-phase perovskite structure for all the LN-modified BNKT-ST ceramics in this study. The temperature dependence of the dielectric curves showed that the maximum dielectric constant temperature (Tm) shifted towards lower temperatures and the curves became more diffuse with an increasing LN content. At the optimum composition (LN 0.005), a maximum value of remnant polarization (33 C/cm2) with a relatively low coercive field (22 kV/cm) and high piezoelectric constant (215 pC/N) was observed. These results indicate that the LN co-modified BNKT-ST ceramic system is a promising candidate for lead-free piezoelectric materials.

To date, most serodiagnostic methods for brucellosis screening are based on antibodies against lipopolysaccharides of Brucella spp. However, this approach has the drawback of yielding false-positive results due to cross-reactivity with lipopolysaccharides of other related pathogens, especially Yersinia enterocolitica O:9. In this study, Brucella abortus AspC was cloned and expressed by PCR amplification into a pCold TF expression system to obtain recombinant AspC (rAspC). The immunogenicity of rAspC was confirmed by western blotting of Brucella-positive bovine serum. rAspC-based ELISA was performed to determine whether rAspC could be used in the serodiagnosis of bovine brucellosis. rAspC reacted strongly with anti-Brucella antibodies in positive sera in the tube agglutination test (TAT), but did not show strong reaction with most negative samples. In particular, the average OD492 value at the highest TAT titer showed a 1.4-fold increase with respect to the cutoff value. The accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of rAspC were 71.88%, 78.33%, and 68%, respectively. These findings suggest that rAspC might be valuable for the serological diagnosis of bovine brucellosis.

Brucellosis is an important and re-emerging zoonotic disease worldwide. The prevention of human infection is achieved predominantly through the control of brucellosis in agricultural animals, which in turn depends on accurate diagnosis and vaccination. However, conventional serological diagnosis of brucellosis has several limitations, and currently available vaccines for animals have several drawbacks, including the ability to cause infection in humans. Phosphoglycerate kinase (Pgk) is one of the specific proteins reactive with mouse sera in the early stage of Brucella infection, and deletion of the pgk gene in B. abortus strain 2308 resulted in extreme attenuation of this strain in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the B. abortus pgk mutant has been used as a live vaccine, and in challenge experiments, it induced protection that was superior to that conferred by commercial strains. In this study, the pgk gene from Brucella abortus 544 was successfully amplified and cloned into a maltose binding protein fusion protein expression vector (pMAL). The recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli DH5α and purified. The immunogenicity of purified recombinant B. abortus 544 Pgk (rPgk) was evaluated by western blot analysis using Brucella-positive mouse sera. rPgk could be used as an antigenic component for future serological tests and potential vaccine development.

Brucellosis is a notorious zoonotic disease with global implications. Efforts to control the spread of the disease have been restricted to the agricultural livestock. Increasing incidences of accidental human infection have motivated researches to start working on alternative vaccines. At present, live attenuated vaccines are the only accepted type of vaccines used in developed countries for the prevention of brucellosis. Although serodiagnosis is occasionally unreliable, some countries have already claimed to have eradicated the disease, based on this testing. Live attenuated vaccines are not suitable for use in pregnant and immune-depressed animals. Moreover, these vaccines are not tolerated in humans. Therefore, many researches have been striving to discover alternative methods of vaccination. Most research has focused on the generation of subcellular, subunit, and DNA vaccines that are as efficient as the live attenuated vaccines. At present, none of the available vaccines has been able to replace the live attenuated vaccines. Therefore, additional research is necessary in order to discover a new brucellosis vaccine that is suitable for human use.

Brucellosis is an important bacterial zoonotic infection worldwide responsible for economic losses in livestock industries which represents a considerable and increasing public health burden. The disease is caused by Brucella which possess the ability to invade and replicate within phagocytes and may result to chronic infection, leading to difficulty in medical therapy of the disease. The treatment for brucellosis employs conventional principles that have been applied for a long time and a combination of antibiotics is currently used due to low efficacy of monotherapies. However, vital effects with respect to health and safety are neglected. Nevertheless, the preventive methods and treatments for brucellosis using traditional medicine have not yet been thoroughly studied, hence, alternative therapies such as the use of natural plant extracts as traditional medicine that are safe, efficient and economical should be explored in order to identify candidates that eliminate complications due to brucellosis. Coptis chinensis Franch (Huanglian) is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb and its extract has been known to possess strong antibacterial activity. In this study, the antibacterial effects of C. chinensis Franch extracts, and the major components of the herb namely berberine and palmatine, were investigated on B. abortus. The C. chinensis Franch ethanol extracts (CCFE) showed bactericidal effects at 1,000 μg/ml concentration and berberine at 100 μg/ml concentration. However, C. chinensis Franch and its components did not affect invasion and intracellular growth of B. abortus in RAW 264.7 cells. In conclusion, C. chinensis Franch ethanol extracts, water extract and its major components such as berberine and palmatine would be a beneficial antimicrobial agent without affecting phagocytic pathway within macrophages, and further study for the precise mechanisms of antibacterial effect would be necessary.

Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that have the ability to survive and multiply in professional and nonprofessional phagocytes and cause abortion in domestic animals and undulant fever in humans. Brucella species can survive in a variety of cells, including macrophages and their virulence and chronic infections are thought to be due to their ability to avoid the killing mechanisms within macrophages. Inhibition of phagosome-lysosome fusion has been proposed as a mechanism for intracellular survival of Brucella in professional and nonprofessional phagocytes. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are part of a skillful system for detection of invasion by microbial pathogens. Recognition of microbial components by TLRs triggers signaling pathways that promote expression of genes and regulate innate immune responses. Recent studies for the interaction between TLRs-Brucella have indicated the importance of control of Brucella infection. Here, we review selected aspects of TLRs-Brucella interaction, which may be helpful to understanding the mechanism of Brucella pathogenesis.

An efficient plant regeneration protocol is developed for a standard-type chrysanthemum. When petal segments derived from flower buds (4 or 8cm in diameter) were used as the culture material, the highest shoot regeneration frequency (96%) was obtained on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L IAA, 2 mg/L BA, 3% sucrose, and a 0.8% agar. Pre-culturing the explants under dark conditions for 14 days produced better results for the shoot regeneration frequency than the explants cultured under a continuous 16 h photoperiod (40 μmolm-2 s -1 ). The shoot regeneration frequency ranged from 19.0% for the Shinmato cultivar to 89.1% for the Baeksun cultivar. Activated charcoal (0.2%) enhanced the root formation of the regenerated shoots in a hormone-free MS medium. The rooted plantlets were acclimatized and successfully established in a greenhouse.

Brucellosis is an important bacterial zoonosis in humans and domestic animals. Brucella spp. are taken up, and survive within non-professional and professional phagocytes. In common belief, diabetes mellitus increases susceptibility to pathogenic infection. In this study, Brucella (B.) abortus was inoculated into a diabetic animal model, db/db mice, in order to show the course of brucellosis in diabetic state. The liver proliferation, bacterial burden of the liver, level of cytokines in serum and macrophage migration into liver, were investigated at 14 days post-infection. In comparison with the uninfected control mice, the results revealed that the weight of the liver of infected db/db mice was higher but with lower bacterial load in this organ. The level of MCP-1 mRNA expression in the liver was lower, the levels of IL-12p70, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ in serum was significantly higher and the macrophages migration was significantly lower in infected mice than in the control group. In conclusion, this present study suggested that MCP-1 suppression by B. abortus infection may inhibit the macrophages migration, and consequently may induce to abrogate the bacterial survival in db/db mouse liver. Furthermore, the increased inflammatory cytokines may contribute to inhibition of B. abortus proliferation in diabetic mice.

Fraxinus rhynchophylla (Oleaceae), a deciduous tree, is known to have properties that include anti-inflammatory, convergence, febricide, antiblenophthalmia, antidiarrhea, antileukorrhea, and so forth. In addition, it has been used for traditional herbal medicine in East Asian countries, including Korea. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Fraxinus rhynchophylla ethanol extract (FRE) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine macrophage Raw 264.7 cells with FRE pretreatment. We performed DPPH-assay, Western blot, and Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). FRE showed 85% free radical scavenging activity at concentrations of 80 µg/ml. Results of this study also showed that FRE down-regulates Cox-2 and iNOS expression in mRNA and protein level. In conclusion, crude ethanol extract of Fraxinus rhynchophylla exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and it may potentially provide a valuable source of natural herbal agent to inhibit inflammation.

As the increase of chrysanthemum demand on chrysanthemum increases in Korea, the production of high quality chrysanthemum is needed. Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) is one of the important viroid, which infects chrysanthemum and induces diseases that affects the decrease of quality and yield. To solve this problem, we used different size of meristem of chrysanthemum ‘Ency’ for shoot tip culture and also that of combined with heat treatment at 37οC. The efficiency of CSVd elimination was influenced by the size of shoot tip. The small-sized of meristems with 1 or 2 leaf primodia were regenerated into the highest number of CSVd-free plantlets. By RT-PCR, the 214-bp band corresponding to CSVd was not detected in 22.2% of the total number of tested regenerants from shoot tips with 2 leaf primordia. While, shoot tip culture combined with heat treatment of one-month-old in vitro shoots was not effective for CSVd-elimination. The CSVd-free plants grew more vigorously than CSVd-infected plants in the greenhouse.

Salmonellosis is a widespread bacterial zoonosis that commonly causes enterocolitis and foodborne poisoning leading to an extensive economic loss in domestic animal industry. Considerably, the emergence of multidrug resistant strains of Salmonella spp. induces further severe problems affecting public health. The present report was designated to investigate the antibacterial efficacies of three common disinfectants including an oxidizing compound disinfectant (OXC), a triple salt (TS) and a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) against Salmonella typhimurium subjected to the preliminary changes of drug temperature. All solutions of three disinfectants were pre-incubated at different temperature (22, 37 and 63°C) for 1 h prior to exposure to bacteria. The disinfectants and bacteria were diluted with distilled water (DW), hard water (HW) or organic matter suspension (OMS) according to treatment condition. Under the DW condition, the disinfectant efficacy of the QAC at 63°C was higher than that of 22°C. Furthermore, under HW diluent the disinfectant efficacy of the TS pre-warmed at both of 37 and 63°C were increased compared to that of 22°C. Considerably, the efficacy of pre-warmed QAC at both of 37 and 63°C under the OMS diluent were higher than that of 22°C. Conclusively, prewarming at higher temperatures have positive effects on the stability of the antibacterial efficacies of TS and QAC.