Antibacterial effect of Phellinus linteus against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methanol extract and its fractions (CHCl3, n-BuOH and H2O) of the fruit body of Phellinus linteus mushroom were investigated for antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The n-BuOH fraction showed a good antibacterial activity (MIC, 63-125 microg/ml) against all tested strains.     

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitory effect of Vitis vinifera

Activity-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of Vitis vinifera bark led to the isolation of epsilon-viniferin, ampelopcin A, vitisin A and vitisin B. Vitisin A and vitisin B showed a remarkable inhibitory activity against 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase with IC50 value of 42.1 microM and 23.9 microM, respectively.     

Mutation of the SP1 gene is responsible for the small-panicle trait in the rice cultivar Tachisuzuka,but not necessarily for high sugar content in the stem

Tachisuzuka, a rice cultivar grown for whole-crop silage, is characterized by the small-panicle trait and high-stem sugar content. To investigate the interrelationship between the two features, we attempted to identify the gene responsible for the small-panicle trait in Tachisuzuka, and also to examine the function of the gene using a knockout mutant line. A functionally disruptive deletion of the nucleotide sequence was found in the gene SP1 (Short-Panicle 1; Os11g0235200) in Tachisuzuka, which has been reported as a candidate gene for the small-panicle trait. A gene knockout mutant of SP1 obtained from the cultivar Nipponbare showed a small-panicle phenotype similar to that observed in Tachisuzuka. However, soluble sugar content in the stem did not increase in the knockout line, whereas starch content increased significantly. Overall, disruption of SP1 is responsible for the small-panicle phenotype of Tachisuzuka, but it is only partially associated with the high-stem sugar content.     

Low-Cost Live Insect Scouting Drone: iDrone Bee

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, e.g., drones) are a common tool for many civil applications, including precision agriculture, transportation, delivery services, rescue missions, law enforcement, and more. Remote sensing technologies used in conjunction with drones are a dominant application in precision agriculture. Multispectral instrumentation attached to UAVs allows the user to observe multiple parameters, including the normalized difference vegetation index which can represent crop stresses induced by various factors (e.g., drought, insect outbreak, nutrient loss, and other diseases). However, little research has been done to apply drones to accomplish a mission-oriented actionable task in agriculture, such as insect sampling. We propose a low-cost, open source-based live insect scouting drone named ‘iDrone Bee’ to benefit the integrated pest management (IPM) community by minimizing time and efforts of human interventions while collecting live insects in agricultural fields. Herein we present instruction and operation procedures to build and operate an iDrone Bee for insect scouting in an agricultural ecosystem and validate the system in an alfalfa seed field. The findings of this investigation demonstrate that a drone-based insect scouting method may be a valuable tool to benefit the IPM community.     

Histopathological changes of testes and eyes by neutron irradiation with boron compounds in mice

This study was performed to investigate the biological effects of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) on the testes and eyes in mice using HANARO Nuclear Reactor, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. BNCT relies on the high capacity of ¹⁰B in capturing thermal neutrons. Sodium borocaptate (BSH, 75 ppm, iv) and boronophenylalanine (BPA, 750 ppm, ip) have been used as the boron delivery agents. Mice were irradiated with neutron (flux: 1.036739E +09, Fluence 9.600200E+12) by lying flat pose for 30 (10 Gy) or 100 min (33 Gy) with or without boron carrier treatment. In 45 days of irradiation, histopathological changes of the testes and eyes were examined. Thirty-three Gy neutron irradiation for 100 min induced testicular atrophy in which some of seminiferous tubules showed complete depletion of spermatogenic germ cells. Lens epithelial cells and lens fiber were swollen and showed granular changes in an exposure time dependent manner. However, boron carrier treatment had no significant effect on the lesions. These results suggest that the examination of histopathological changes of lens and testis can be used as "biological dosimeters" for gauging radiation responses and the HANARO Nuclear Reactor has sufficient capacities for the BNCT.     

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles as selective insect GABA receptor antagonists

To study the interaction of phenylheterocycles with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, 4- or 5-alkyl(or phenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles were synthesized and examined for their ability to inhibit the specific binding of [3H]-4'-ethynyl-4-n-propylbicycloorthobenzoate (EBOB), a noncompetitive antagonist, to the housefly and rat GABA receptors, as well as to the beta3 subunit homo-oligomer of the human GABA receptor investigated as a model receptor. 4-Substituted 1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles were found to be more potent competitive inhibitors than the 5-substituted regioisomers in the case of all receptors. The 4-tert-butyl or 4-n-propyl analogue of 1-(2,6-dichloro-4-trifluoromethylphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole exhibited the highest level of inhibition of [3H]EBOB binding to all receptors. Most of the synthesized analogues were more active in terms of the inhibition of EBOB binding to the housefly and human beta3 GABA receptors than to the rat receptor. The 4-cyclohexyl analogue showed the highest (185-fold) housefly versus rat receptor selectivity. A three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) analysis demonstrated that both the 4-trifluoromethyl-2,6-dichloro substitution on the phenyl ring and a small, bulky, hydrophobic substituent at the 4-position of the triazole ring played significant roles in conferring high potency in cases involving the housefly and human beta3 receptors. The human beta3 receptor resembled the housefly receptor in terms of their recognition of phenyltriazoles, whereas 3D-QSAR analysis revealed a slight difference between the two receptors in terms of their mechanisms of recognition of the para-substituent on the phenyl moiety. Some of the triazoles synthesized here exhibited insecticidal activity, which was correlated with their ability to inhibit [3H]EBOB binding to the housefly receptor. Thus, 1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazoles with the appropriate substituents exert insecticidal activity by selectively acting at the site for noncompetitive antagonism of insect GABA receptors.     

Plumbagin as a new natural herbicide candidate for Sicyon angulatus control agent with the target 8-amino-7-oxononanoate synthase

A natural compound plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) was isolated from the leaves of Plumbago auriculata and found to inhibit the enzyme, 8-amino-7-oxononanoate synthase (AONS, also known as 7-keto-8-aminopelargonate synthase, KAPAS) an IC₅₀ of 2.1 μM in vitro. Biotin supplement significantly rescued the plant injury caused by the plumbagin treatment, and this result confirmed the target site, AONS. Foliar application of 1000 ∼ 2000 μg/mL plumbagin in a greenhouse condition showed lethal activity against eight species of weeds, containing three grass species of Sorghum bicolor, Echinochloa crus-galli, Digitaria sanguinalis and five broad leaf species of Solanum nigrum, Aeschynomene indica, Abutilon avicennae, Xanthium strumarium, Calystegia japonica. Field trial of foliar application with plumbagin 2000 μg/mL have successfully controlled 10 ∼ 15 leaf-stages and 2 ∼ 3 m vine lengths of Sicyos angulatus at the natural habitats around riparian zone in the Nam-Han River in Korea. Visual symptom of desiccation might be induced by the physiological cellular leakage which was significantly dose dependent on the plumbagin treatment regardless of light.     

Effects of cooldown methods and durations on equine physiological traits following high-intensity exercise

This study was initiated to investigate the physiologic effects of cooldown methods and durations on recovery following high-intensity exercise (3000 m, 10 m/s) of 25 Jeju crossbred horses. Heart rate (HR) was measured and blood samples were collected for glucose, blood lactate concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), total protein (TP), and hemoglobin (Hb) analysis. The cooldown methods employed involved walk rest (WR) or trot rest (TR), and the durations compared were 15, 30, and 60 min. A passive rest group (PR) was used as a control. According to the analysis, HR decreased after a 15 min rest in all groups, showing a faster recovery in the active rest groups, WR and TR, than in the PR group after 30 min (P < 0.05). In the case of glucose, the decrease was faster in the WR15 group then the WR30 group suggesting that active rest is more effective in controlling this parameter (P < 0.05). As for lactate, TR15 showed a 75% decrease which was a significantly positive effect. There were no differences in PCV between the groups. Horses in the PR group showed faster recovery for TP and Hb than those in the active rest groups (P < 0.05), while lactate removal was faster in active rest groups than in the PR group, suggesting that the cooldown process plays an important role in recovery. This study showed that the cooldown method and duration employed after high-intensity exercise of horses makes a difference with regard to their physiologic status. Also, 15 min rest after exercise appears to be the most significant period in terms of duration. In conclusion, active rest was necessary for rapid recovery and a 15 to 30 min cooldown walk or trot was beneficial to the horses in which physical fatigue had accumulated. In particular, the active exercise method of trotting was found to be more effective than walking to remove lactate. In addition, the cooldown duration is expected to be more effective when adjusted according to the individual training state of the horse.     

A study on subjective assessment of knit fabric by ANFIS

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the structural properties of plain knit fabrics on the subjective perception of textures, sensibilities, and preference among consumers. This study, then, aimed to provide useful information with respect to planning and designing knitted fabrics by predicting the subjective characteristics analyzed according to their structural properties. For this purpose, we employed statistical analysis tools, such as factor and regression analysis and an adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system(ANFIS), thereby combining the merits of fuzzy and neural networks and presupposing a non-linear relationship. Through factor analysis, we also categorized the subjective textures into ‘roughness’, ‘softness’, ‘bulkiness’ and ‘stretch-ability’ with R2=70.32 %: and categorized the sensibilities into ‘Stable/Neat’, ‘Natural/Comfortable’ and ‘Feminine/Elegant’ with R2=68.12 %. We analyzed subjective textures, sensibilities, and preference with ANFIS, assuming non-linear relationships; consequently, we were able to generate three or four fuzzy rules using wool/rayon fiber content and loop length as input data. The textures of roughness and softness exhibited a linear relationship, but other subjective characteristics demonstrated a non-linear input-output relationship. Compared with linear regression analysis, the ANFIS exhibited had higher predictive power with respect to predicting subjective characteristics.