Method for evaluating the heat-island mitigation effect of porous/water-retentive blocks using a climatic chamber.

This paper presents a method and mock-up design for evaluating the heat-island mitigation effect of porous/water-retentive blocks in a climatic environmental chamber using ambient temperature measurements. To create the proposed method, the heat circulation mechanism of blocks was considered. From this, we specified the climatic chamber design requirements, determined the required components and equipment for the mock-up, and developed the proposed method for evaluating heat-island mitigation performance based on ambient temperature. Using the proposed mock-up design and method, we confirmed that both surface and air temperatures were lower when porous/water-retentive blocks were installed compared to conventional blocks. This method can be used to analyze the difference between surface and ambient temperatures under various conditions to quantify the heat-island mitigation performance of different materials according to ambient temperature.

Immunostimulatory effect of fermented red ginseng in the mouse model.

In this study, Woongjin fermented red ginseng extract (WFRG) was evaluated for its potential ability to act as an adjuvant for the immune response of mice. For the in vitro study, macrophages were treated with serial concentrations (1 µg/mL, 10 µg/mL, and 100 µg/mL) of WFRG. For in vivo studies, mice were administered different concentrations (10 mg/kg/day, 100 mg/kg/day, and 200 mg/kg/day) of WFRG orally for 21 days. In vitro, the production of nitric oxide and TNF-α by RAW 264.7 cells increased in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, WFRG enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes induced by two mitogens (i.e., concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) and increased LPS-induced production of TNF-α and IL-6, but not IL-1ß. In conclusion, WFRG has the potential to modulate immune function and should be further investigated as an immunostimulatory agent.

Flavobacterium ginsengisoli sp. nov., isolated from soil of a ginseng field.

A novel bacterial strain, designated DCY54(T), was isolated from a field cultivated with ginseng in Yongin, Republic of Korea. Cells were Gram-reaction-negative, yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, and strictly aerobic. They were motile by gliding and produced flexirubin-type pigments. Growth occurred optimally at 25-30 °C, at pH 5.0-7.0 and in the presence of 0-1 % NaCl. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis demonstrated that strain DCY54(T) was most closely related to Flavobacterium defluvii EMB117(T) (96.9 %). The only isoprenoid quinone of strain DCY 54(T) was menaquinone-6 (MK-6) and the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminolipid and one unidentified lipid. The major cellular fatty acids (>15 %) were iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH) and C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 33.3 mol%. Phylogenetic inference and phenotypic data supported affiliation of strain DCY54(T) to the genus Flavobacterium. Several physiological and biochemical tests differentiated strain DCY54(T) from the species of the genus Flavobacterium with validly published names. On the basis of data from a polyphasic study, strain DCY54(T) represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium for which the name Flavobacterium ginsengisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DCY54(T) ( = KCTC 23318(T) = JCM 17336(T)).

Biotransformation of Ginsenoside Rb1 to Prosapogenins, Gypenoside XVII, Ginsenoside Rd, Ginsenoside F2, and Compound K by Leuconostoc mesenteroides DC102.

Ginsenoside Rb1is the main component in ginsenosides. It is a protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside that has a dammarane-type triterpenoid as an aglycone. In this study, ginsenoside Rb1 was transformed into gypenoside XVII, ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside F2 and compound K by glycosidase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides DC102. The optimum time for the conversion was about 72 h at a constant pH of 6.0 to 8.0 and the optimum temperature was about 30℃. Under optimal conditions, ginsenoside Rb1 was decomposed and converted into compound K by 72 h post-reaction (99%). The enzymatic reaction was analyzed by highperformance liquid chromatography, suggesting the transformation pathway: ginsenoside Rb1→ gypenoside XVII and ginsenoside Rd→ginsenoside F2→compound K.

Flavobacterium ginsengiterrae sp. nov., isolated from a ginseng field.

A novel strain of Flavobacterium, DCY55(T), a Gram-negative, yellow-pigmented, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming and gliding-motile bacterium, was isolated from the soil of a ginseng field in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the 16S rRNA sequence, demonstrated that strain DCY55(T) belongs to the genus Flavobacterium within the family Flavobacteriaceae. Strain DCY55(T) showed the highest similarity with F. johnsoniae UW101(T) (97.1%), F. ginsenosidimutans THG 01(T) (96.8%), F. defluvii EMB 117(T) (96.6%), F. banpakuense 15F3(T) (96.3%) and F. anhuiense D3(T) (95.8%). Chemotaxonomic results showed that strain DCY55(T) predominantly contains menaquinone MK-6, that its DNA G+C content is 36.1mol%, and that its major cellular fatty acids are iso-C(15:0), summed feature 3 (comprising iso-C(15:0) 2-OH and/or C(16:1) ω 7c) and C(16:0). The chemotaxonomic and genotypic characteristics support the taxonomic classification of strain DCY55(T) to the genus Flavobacterium. The results of physiological and biochemical tests confirmed that strain DCY55(T) is distinct from previously validated species. We conclude that strain DCY55(T) should be classified as a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium ginsengiterrae sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain DCY55(T) (=KCTC 23319(T) = JCM 17337(T)).

A role in the regulation of transcription by light for RCO-1 and RCM-1, the Neurospora homologs of the yeast Tup1-Ssn6 repressor.

The activation of gene transcription by light is transient since light-dependent mRNA accumulation ceases after long exposures to light. This phenomenon, photoadaptation, has been observed in plants and fungi, and allows the perception of changes in light intensities. In the fungus Neurosporacrassa photoadaptation involves the transient binding of the photoresponsive White Collar Complex (WCC) to the promoters of light-regulated genes. We show that RCO-1 and RCM-1, the Neurospora homologs of the components of the yeast Tup1-Ssn6 repressor complex, participate in photoadaptation. Mutation in either rco-1 or rcm-1 result in high and sustained accumulation of mRNAs for con-10 and other light-regulated genes after long exposures to light. The mutation of rco-1 increased the sensitivity to light for con-10 activation and delayed synthesis and/or degradation of con-10 and con-6 mRNAs without altering the amount or the light-dependent phosphorylation of the photoreceptor WC-1. RCO-1 and RCM-1 are located in the Neurospora nuclei were they regulate gene transcription. We show that RCO-1 and RCM-1 participate in the light-transduction pathway of Neurospora and has a role in photoadaptation by repressing gene transcription after long exposures to light.