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The novel strain AM35T was isolated from the faeces of C57BL/6 mice. These cells are strictly anaerobic, gram negative, oxidase negative, catalase positive, rod-shaped and non-motile. The strain produced creamy yellowish colonies on brain heart infusion (BHI) agar with hemin. Growth was investigated at 30–41 °C in the presence of 0.5–1.5% (w/v) NaCl at pH 6.5–8.5. Taxonomic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that strain AM35T is affiliated with the family Muribaculaceae and closely related to the genus Muribaculum. The genomic DNA G + C content of strain AM35T was 47.8 mol%. We detected the whole-cell sugars ribose and galactose; meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid was absent. The major fatty acids (> 10%) were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C15:0; the major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The major respiratory quinones were MK-10 and MK-11. Based on our phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, strain AM35T represents a novel genus within the family Muribaculaceae, for which we propose the name Heminiphilus faecis gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of Heminiphilus faecis gen. nov., sp. nov. is AM35T (= KCTC 15907 T = DSM 110151 T).

The vaginal microbiota may be important for pregnancy prognosis because vaginal dysbiosis during pregnancy appears to be related to preterm birth (PTB) or pregnancy loss. Previous reports have indicated that a Lactobacillus-poor microbial flora in the vagina and intrauterine infection by diverse anaerobes ascending from the vagina are associated with undesirable delivery outcomes. However, no research has involved the use of pyrosequencing analysis to examine vaginal microbiota profiles or their potential associations with high-risk pregnancy in Korean women. Vaginal swabs were collected from 500 Korean women for the identification of community state types (CSTs). Of these, 137 samples were further analyzed using a Roche/454 GS Junior pyrosequencer. Three distinct CSTs were identified based on the dominant vaginal microbes: CST I (Lactobacillus crispatus dominated), CST III (Lactobacillus iners dominated), and CST IV (with diverse species of anaerobes). Twelve of the 67 pregnant women had undesirable pregnancy outcomes (four miscarriages and eight PTBs). The dominant microbe in the vaginal microbiota of women who gave birth at full-term was L. crispatus. In contrast, L. iners was the dominant vaginal microbe in women who miscarried. Most (n = 6/8) vaginal microbiota profiles of women who experienced PTB could be classified as CST IV, with diverse bacteria, including anaerobic vaginal species. The present study provides valuable information regarding the characteristics of the vaginal microbiota of Korean women related to high-risk pregnancy. Investigation of the vaginal microbiotic structure in pregnant Korean women is necessary to enable better prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

A novel Gram-reaction-negative, facultative-aerobic, motile, non-spore-forming, oval-shaped and denitrifying bacterium, designated BO-81T, was isolated from sludge sampled in the Republic of Korea. This bacterium was investigated via a polyphasic approach to reveal its taxonomic position. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that strain BO-81T belonged to the family Rhodobacteraceae and was related to the closest species Sinirhodobacter ferrireducens (98.8 % sequence similarity), ‘ Sinorhodobacter hungdaonensis ’ (98.4 %), Rhodobacter lacus (97.8 %), Sinorhodobacter populi (96.8 %) and Rhodobacter maris (96.2 %). The average nucleotide identity and DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain BO-81T and its closely related strains were 77.7–94.2 % and 20.1–55.9 %, respectively, indicating that BO-81T represents a novel species of the genus Sinirhodobacter . Growth occurred at 18–40 °C on Reasoner's 2A medium in the presence of 0–7 % NaCl (w/v) and at pH 6.0–9.0. Strain BO-81T was characterized chemotaxonomically as having ubiquinone 10 as its predominant respiratory quinone, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω6c and/or C18 : 1 ω7c) as its major fatty acid and phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine as its predominant polar lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 68.3 mol%. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed phenotypic differentiation of strain BO-81T from other Sinirhodobacter species with validly published names. Therefore, the isolate represented a novel species, for which the name Sinirhodobacter hankyongi sp. nov. (type strain BO-81T=KACC 19677T=LMG 30808T) is proposed.

The proliferation of online health communities creates opportunities to exchange social support. Given the growing need to investigate the extent to which social support helps mothers with postpartum depression (PPD) and psychological distress, we conducted a content analysis of 3,073 posts from a PPD-related message board in a prominent online community for Korean mothers. We found that community members tended to provide rather than seek support, indicating potential reciprocity in the community. We also found that emotion-focused coping strategies were much more prevalent than problem-focused coping strategies. Thus, the message board had an ambiguous identity, potentially undermining its actual purpose.

An obligately anaerobic, Gram-positive, non-motile, coccus-shaped bacterial strain designated AGMB00490T was isolated from swine faeces. 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic analysis indicated that the isolate belongs to the genus Peptoniphilus and that the most closely related species is Peptoniphilus gorbachii WAL 10418T (=KCTC 5947T, 97.22 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Whole genome sequence analysis determined that the DNA G+C content of strain AGMB00490T was 31.2 mol% and moreover that the genome size and numbers of tRNA and rRNA genes were 2 129 517 bp, 34 and 10, respectively. Strain AGMB00490T was negative for oxidase and urease; positive for catalase, indole production, arginine arylamidase, leucine arylamidase, tyrosine arylamidase and histidine arylamidase; and weakly positive for phenylalanine arylamidase and glycine arylamidase. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) of the isolate were determined to be C16 : 0 and C18 : 1 ω9c. Strain AGMB00490T produced acetic acid as a major end product of metabolism. Accordingly, phylogenetic, physiologic and chemotaxonomic analyses revealed that strain AGMB00490T represents a novel species for which the name Peptoniphilus faecalis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AGMB00490T (=KCTC 15944T=NBRC 114159T).

The novel strain AM35

A facultatively anaerobic, Gram-stain-positive, catalase-negative, rod-shaped lactic acid bacterium, designated SG816T, was isolated from small intestine of a swine. Optimal growth occurred at 37 °C and pH 7.0. Furthermore, growth occurred in NaCl up to 0.5 % (w/v) but not at levels of salinity higher than 1 %. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the matrix-associated laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectometry profiling showed that strain SG816T was closely related to Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KCTC 3635T (95.9 %) and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. indicus JCM 15610T (95.9 %), followed by other Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies (95.9–95.7 %) and Lactobacillus equicursoris DSM 19284T (95.6 %). A comparison of two housekeeping genes, RNA polymerase alpha subunit (rpoA) and phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase alpha subunit (pheS), revealed that strain SG816T formed a separate branch within the clade of the genus Lactobacillus . The DNA G+C content level of the strain SG816T was 51.5 mol%. The strain was homofermentative and produced d-lactic acid from glucose fermentation. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) of the isolate were C18 : 1ω9c and C16 : 0. The peptidoglycan type was A4α l-Lys-d-Asp. On the basis of distinct phenotypic and phylogenetic properties, strain SG816T represents a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus , for which the name Lactobacillus porci sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SG816T (=KCTC 21090T=NBRC 112917T).

Studies examining the effects of advertising appeals have yielded conflicting results. Some have found that an emotional appeal is more persuasive than an informational appeal, while others have de...

Three bacterial isolates from human faeces, YS-aM39T, R2F3-3-3T and R2F3-5-1, were characterized as Gram-negative, strictly anaerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile, and rod-shaped. Isolate YS-aM39T formed a distinct line of descent, showing greatest 16S rRNA gene sequence relatedness with R2F3-3-3T (97.5 %), R2F3-5-1 (97.5 %), Bacteroides ovatus (98.8 %) and Bacteroides xylanisolvens (97.2 %). Isolates R2F3-3-3T and R2F3-5-1 also formed a distinct line of descent, sharing greatest 16S rRNA gene sequence relatedness with B. ovatus (98.2 %) and B. xylanisolvens (97.2 %). The DNA G+C content of YS-aM39T was 44.8 mol%, that of R2F3-3-3T was 42.4 mol% and that of R2F3-5-1 was 42.6 mol%. The respiratory quinone of all three isolates was menaquinone MK-10. Polar lipid analysis identified phosphatidylethanolamine as the major lipid. The predominant fatty acids in all three isolates were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 3-OH and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The major end products of glucose fermentation were acetic acid, lactic acid and formic acid. DNA–DNA hybridization data indicated that two isolates, YS-aM39T and R2F3-3-3T, represent a species distinct from B. ovatus and B. xylanisolvens . Finally, in this study, the two isolates represented two new species in the genus Bacteroides , for which we propose the names Bacteroides koreensis sp. nov. (type strain, YS-aM39T=KCTC 15520T=JCM 31393T) and Bacteroides kribbi sp. nov. (type strain, R2F3-3-3T=KCTC 15460T=JCM 31391T).

This study examined the surface characteristics of helpful customer reviews posted on Amazon.com to understand the nature of electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM). To investigate the surface characteristics of the helpfulness of customer reviews, and whether the helpfulness and attention-grabbing power of the customer reviews are associated with the surface characteristics, a content analysis of Amazon.com customer reviews was conducted. We found that consumers considered a review helpful if it offered visually prominent cues that made it more convenient to determine the usefulness and helpfulness of the review. The results of this study further demonstrate the mediational effect of attention-grabbing power on the review helpfulness. Our findings suggest that not only what is communicated but also how the information is communicated is crucial to improve credibility and attention-grabbing power in the online environment.

The vaginal bacterial strain AB70, belonging to the species Lactobacillus crispatus, was isolated from a vaginal swab from a healthy pregnant Korean woman. Here, we report the 2.37-Mb complete genome sequence of this strain.

A novel bacterial strain, SR79T, was isolated from a Korean faecal sample and characterized using a polyphasic approach. SR79T was found to be a strictly anaerobic, Gram-stain-positive, non-spore-forming, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase-negative short rod with no flagella. SR79T grew optimally at 37 °C in the presence of 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl at pH 7. The NaCl range for growth was 0–1 % (w/v). The isolate produced butyric acid (>18 mM) as a major end product. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the most closely related type strains were Eubacterium desmolans ATCC 43058T and Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum 25-3T (96.4 and 96.0 % similarity, respectively). The DNA G+C content was determined to be 52.9 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were C16 : 0, C18 : 1 cis-9, C19 : 1 cyc 9,10 and C14 : 0. Meso-diaminopimelic acid was present in the cell wall peptidoglycan and the cell wall hydrolysates contained ribose, glucose and galactose. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, phylogenetic analysis, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic characteristics allowed differentiation of SR79T, which represents a novel species of a new genus within the family Ruminococcaceae , for which the name Agathobaculum butyriciproducens gen. nov. sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SR79T (=KCTC 15532T=DSM 100391T). Based on the results of this study, it is also proposed to transfer Eubacterium desmolans to this new genus, as Agathobaculum desmolans comb. nov. The type strain of Agathobaculum desmolans is ATCC 43058T (=CCUG 27818T).

Two bacterial strains, 46-1 and 46-2T, were isolated from garden soil. These strains were observed to be aerobic, Gram-stain negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, motile and catalase and oxidase positive. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the two strains shared 100 % sequence similarity with each other and belong to the genus Pseudomonas in the class Gammaproteobacteria. The concatenated 16S rRNA, gyrB, rpoB and rpoD gene sequences further confirmed that the isolates belong to the Pseudomonas koreensis subgroup (SG), with P. koreensis Ps 9-14T, Pseudomonas moraviensis 1B4T and Pseudomonas granadensis F-278,770T as their close relatives (>96 % pairwise similarity). DNA-DNA hybridization with the closely related type strain P. koreensis SG revealed a low level of relatedness ( 15 %) in the isolates but it was a minor component (

Akkermansia muciniphila is widely considered a next-generation beneficial microbe. This bacterium resides in the mucus layer of its host and regulates intestinal homeostasis and intestinal barrier integrity by affecting host signaling pathways. However, it remains unknown how the expression of genes encoding extracellular proteins is regulated in response to dynamic mucosal environments. In this study, we elucidated the effect of mucin on the gene expression and probiotic traits of A. muciniphila. Transcriptome analysis showed that the genes encoding most mucin-degrading enzymes were significantly upregulated in the presence of mucin. By contrast, most genes involved in glycolysis and energy metabolic pathways were upregulated under mucin-depleted conditions. Interestingly, the absence of mucin resulted in the upregulation of 79 genes encoding secreted protein candidates, including Amuc-1100 as well as members of major protein secretion systems. These transcript level changes were consistent with the fact that administration of A. muciniphila grown under mucin-depleted conditions to high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice reduced obesity and improved intestinal barrier integrity more efficiently than administration of A. muciniphila grown under mucin-containing conditions. In conclusion, mucin content in the growth medium plays a critical role in the improvement by A. muciniphila of high-fat diet-induced obesity, intestinal inflammation, and compromised intestinal barrier integrity related to a decrease in goblet cell density. Our findings suggest the depletion of animal-derived mucin in growth medium as a novel principle for the development of A. muciniphila for human therapeutics.

A novel strictly anaerobic strain, ALO17(T), was isolated from mouse faeces and found to produce lactic acid as a major metabolic end product. The isolate was observed to be Gram-stain positive, non-motile, non-spore forming small rods, oxidase and catalase negative, and to form cream-coloured colonies on DSM 104 agar plates. The NaCl range for growth was determined to be 0-2 % (w/v). The isolate was found to grow optimally at 37 °C, with 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7. The cell wall hydrolysates were found to contain ribose as a major sugar. The genomic DNA G+C content was determined to be 52.3 mol%. A phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that Holdemanella biformis DSM 3989(T), Faecalicoccus pleomorphus ATCC 29734(T), Faecalitalea cylindroides ATCC 27803(T), and Allobaculum stercoricanis DSM 13633(T) are closely related to the isolate (87.4, 87.3, 86.9 and 86.9 % sequence similarity), respectively. The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) of the isolate were identified as C18:1 cis 9 FAME (36.9 %), C16:0 FAME (33.7 %) and C18:0 FAME (13.2 %). In contrast to the tested reference strains, C20:0 FAME (4.0 %) was detected only in strain ALO17(T) whilst C16:0 DMA was absent. The isolate also differed in its substrate oxidation profiles from the reference strains by being positive for D-melibiose and stachyose but negative for N-acetyl-D-galactosamine and 3-methyl-D-glucose. On the basis of polyphasic taxonomic evidence from this study, the isolate is concluded to belong to a novel genus within the family Erysipelothricaceae. We propose the name Faecalibaculum rodentium gen. nov., sp. nov. to accommodate strain ALO17(T) (=KCTC 15484(T) = JCM 30274(T)) as the type strain.

The surface characteristics (presentational or design elements) of online content have been the focus of a growing body of credibility literature in recent decades. However, since the online health information communities such as WebMD do not provide any design options when writing comments on the original post, how the simplistic presentational of comments (e.g., spacing, bullet-points, labeling, and line breaks) can affect web users' responses was examined. Our study found that minimal variations in the presentation of online contents can influence assessments of their credibility and behavioral intentions. In addition, the current study revealed interaction effects between surface characteristics and source expertise. Other findings and implications are discussed.

A novel, Gram-stain positive, facultative anaerobic, non-motile and straight to curve rod shaped bacterium, strain LV19(T) was isolated from the larval gut of the rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus, which was collected from Yeong-dong, Chuncheongbuk-do, South Korea. The colonies of the new isolate were convex, circular, cream white in color and 1-2 mm in diameter after 3 days incubation on Tryptic Soy Agar at 37 °C. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the new isolate was most closely related to Erysipelothrix inopinata MF-EP02(T), E. rhusiopathiae ATCC 19414 (T) and E. tonsillarum T-305(T) (94.8, 93.8 and 93.7 % similarity, respectively). Strain LV19(T) grew optimally at 37 °C, at pH 8.0 and in the presence of 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. Oxidase activity and catalase activity were negative. The major cellular fatty acids (10 %) were C18:2 cis-9,12 (28.9 %), C18:1 cis-9 (22.3 %), C16:0 (22.2 %) and C18:0 (18.5 %). The cell-wall hydrolysates contained ribose as a major sugar. Major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol and three unidentified glycolipids. No quinone was detected. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 36.3 mol%. The levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain LV19(T) and all the reference strains were less than 20 %. On the basis of polyphasic evidence from this study, the isolate is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Erysipelothrix, for which the name Erysipelothrix larvae sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is LV19(T) (=KCTC 33523(T) = DSM 28480(T)).

Aloe is an attractive potential food source because it has functional uses. It has been widely used as a well-being food and drink. The antioxidant activity was estimated by measuring DPPH free radical scavenging activity. We investigated the quality characteristics of cookies prepared by adding various concentrations of aloe powder (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, all w/w) as a substitute for flour. In this study, the DPPH free radical scavenging activity, moisture content, and hardness of cookies significantly increased with increasing aloe powder, while the pH, spread factor and L and b values slightly decreased. Sensory evaluation scores in terms of texture were shown to be very similar statistically, but color, flavor, taste, and overall acceptability scores were lower than the control. As a result of this study, the quality of cookies with the addition of 1% aloe powder were the most suitable in terms of taste, flavor, texture, and sensory properties.

This study investigated the quality characteristics of cookies containing mugwort powder, which is well known for its various functions and biological activity. Cookie samples were made by adding the mugwort powder at different levels of 0%, 1%, 3% and 5%. In this study, moisture, pH, color, spread factor, hardness, antioxidant activity and sensory evaluation of cookies were examined. The pH and moisture were increased when increasing levels of mugwort powder were used. The L, a and b color values were significantly (p

The present study investigated visuals on cosmetic surgery websites to better understand how these sites depict ideal beauty. The content analysis of 90 cosmetic surgery websites found most sites used general photos and more than half used 10 or more before-and-after photos. Women outnumbered men in general photographs but not in before-and-after photographs. Brunette men and women significantly outnumbered blondes. However, there were significantly more men with dark-colored eyes, while women were significantly more likely to have light-colored eyes. Implications are discussed.

To reproduce the brewing process of Hongkuk-ju and to identify the functional properties of it, Hongkuk-ju was brewed using different additions of Hongkuk (100%, 90%, 70%, 50%) and Nuruk (0%, 10%, 30%, 50%). The quality elements, including pH, total acidity, reducing sugar content, alcohol content and pigments (yellow, red, monacolin K and citrinin), were measured. The pH values of Hongkuk-ju showed a slight difference (pH 4.084.58) right after the 1 st stage mash; further, the pH on all groups (H1, H2, H3 and H4) in the terminal of the 2 nd stage mash (9 days in fermentation) were similar, ranging approximately at pH 3.70. The total acidity change did not show a difference directly the 1 st stage mash (nearby 0.2 %); however, it began to show a slight difference at the terminal of the 2 nd stage mash between the range of 0.690.76%. The residual reducing sugar of the content was decreased with the increased Nuruk content. The alcohol concentrations of the treatment brew with Nuruk ranging from 12.3% to 13.7% were higher than Hongkuk on its own. The yellow and red pigment contents of Hongkuk-ju ranged from 7.28.8 O.D. units (yellow pigment) and from 4.45.1 O.D. units (red pigment). The production of monacolin K and citrinin was the highest (9.48 ㎎/㎏ and 10.14 ㎎/㎏) when the treatment solely brewed Hongkuk. The concentration of Nuruk and the preparation of the seed mash from it were critical factors compared to the treatment of rice in brewing Hongkuk-ju.Key words: citrinin, Hongkuk, Hongkuk-ju, monacolin K, Monascus sp.

Schisandra chinensis containing a variety of pharmacologically active lignans has been traditionally used in oriental medicine. In this study, anti-inflammatory compounds were screened from the hexane extracts of S. chinensis by activity-guided fractionation. First, we investigated the regulatory effects on the expression of E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) with 38 fractions from the hexane extracts of S. chinensis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). As a result, SCKH1 among the 38 fractions from the hexane extract of S. chinensis was selected for further analysis based on its unique regulatory effect on cell adhesion molecules, especially on VCAM-1, in LPS-stimulated HUVECs. The subsequent activity-guided fractionation of SCKH1 resulted in the purification of SCKH1PAIBPB, which was found to suppress the expression of VCAM-1, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in HUVECs stimulated with LPS, and to inhibit the adhesive capacity between HUVECs and monocytes. Taken together, our data indicate that SCKH1PAIBPB can be proposed as an effective anti-inflammatory compound that may have a potential therapeutic use for the prevention and treatment of various inflammatory diseases as well as ischemic vascular diseases.

Erysipelothrix larvae LV19(T) was preliminary isolated from the larval gut of a rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus in Korea. Here, we present the whole genome sequence of E. larvae LV19(T) strain, which consisted of 2,511,486 base pairs with a GC content of 37.4% and one plasmid. Unlike other Erysipelothrix strains (SY 1027, Fujisawa and ATCC 19414), the arsenic-resistance genes were identified in LV19(T) strain.

A novel actinobacterial strain, AD1-86T, was isolated from the vaginal fluid of a Korean female and was characterized by a polyphasic approach. The strain was a facultatively anaerobic, Gram-stain-positive, non-spore-forming, non-motile, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative short rod. Colonies were creamy white, of low convexity and 1–2 mm in diameter after growth on DSM 92 agar plates at 37 °C for 2 days. The most closely related strains were Dermabacter hominis DSM 7083T and Helcobacillus massiliensis 6401990T (98.3 and 96.3 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively). The isolate grew optimally at 37 °C and pH 7 in the presence of 0.5 % (w/v) NaCl. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and the cell-wall hydrolysates contained ribose, galactose and glucose. The DNA G+C content was 62.6 mol% and the mean DNA–DNA relatedness value of the isolate to D. hominis DSM 7083T was 31.1 ± 3.0 % (reciprocal: 48.2 ± 5.3 %). The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were anteiso-C17 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0, and the menaquinones were MK-9, MK-8 and MK-7. The polar lipid profile of strain AD1-86T consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, two aminolipids and a glycolipid. Data from this polyphasic study indicate that strain AD1-86T represents a novel species of the genus Dermabacter, for which the name Dermabacter vaginalis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is AD1-86T ( = KCTC 39585T = DSM 100050T).

In order to produce Hongkuk-ju, the production and characterization of Hongkuk (Monascus red koji) by Monascus anka KCTC 6121 were investigated. The optimum cultural conditions for the production of enzyme (α-amylase and glucoamylase) and pigment (yellow and red) from this strain on solid culture (steamed rice) were examined. The results showed that the production of α-amylase and glucoamylase reached the highest for 9 days and 8 days, respectively. Since then, the productions decreased slightly. The production of yellow and red pigments reached the highest for 8 days, decreasing slightly soon after. The optimal content of the initial moisture equally presented 30% in the enzyme and pigment production. After that, the enzyme production decreased slowly, whereas pigment production decreased sharply. The optimal temperature of the culture also showed 30℃ in the production of enzyme and pigment. It was found that the initial inoculum size in enzyme and pigment production was 10% and 20%, respectively. Under these optimal conditions, the production of monacolin K and citrinin was 74.35 ㎎/㎏ and 5 ㎎/㎏ for 12 days, respectively.

It has been reported that pipernonaline isolated from Piper longum Linn. has a wide biochemical and pharmacological effect, including antitumor activity in prostate cancer PC-3 cells. However, its mechanism and expression pattern of many genes involved in biological functions are not clearly understood. To perform the gene expression study in PC-3 cells treated with pipernonaline, a cDNA microarray chip composed of 44,000 human cDNA probes was used. As a result, cell cycle-related genes, apoptosis-related genes, and cell proliferation/growth-related genes have been identified in gene ontology of the DAVID database. These results suggest that pipernonaline has antitumor activity by regulating the expression pattern of genes involved in biological signaling pathway in prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Further, additional analysis of these microarray data can be a useful tool to identify the mechanism and discovery of novel genes in cancer therapy.

A bacterium strain GS-2 isolated from the Korean traditional seasoning food, Chungkookjang and was determined to produce large amounts of γ-PGA with high productivity when provided with simple nutrients (L-glutamic acid 2.0%, glucose 1.0%, NH 4 Cl 0.5%, KH 2 PO 4 0.05%, MgSO 4 ․ 7H 2 O 0.01%, pH 7.0). In this study, the culture medium for this strain was optimized for the production of γ-PGA. The Bacillus subtilis GS-2 required supplementation with L-glutamic acid and other nutrients for maximal production of γ-PGA. The optimal culture conditions for γ-PGA production were a 48 hr culture time, a temperature of 33℃ and initial pH of 6.5 by rotary shaking (220 rpm). A maximum γ-PGA production of 31.0 g/l was obtained with L-glutamic acid (30 g/ l ), sucrose (the main carbon source, 30 g/l), NH 4 Cl (the main nitrogen source, 2.5 g/l), KH 2 PO 4 (1.5 g/l) and MgSO 4 ․ 7H 2 O (0.15 g/l) in the culture medium. REFERENCES Ashiuchi M, Kamei T, Baek DH, Shin SY, Sung MH, Soda K, Yagi T, Misono H. 2001. Isolation of Bacillus subtilis (Chungkookjang), a poly-γ-glutamate producer with high genetic competence. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 57:764-769Back LM, Park LY, Park KS, Lee SH. 2008. Effect of starter cultures on the fermentative characteristics of Cheonggukjang. Kor J Food Sci Technol 40:400-405Bang BH, Jeong EJ, Rhee MS, Kim YM, Yi DH. 2011. Isolation of Bacillus subtilis GS-2 producing γ-PGA from Chungkukjang bean paste and identification of γ-PGA. J Appl Biol Chem 54:1-6Borbely M, Nagasaki Y, Borbely J, Fan K, Bhogle A, Sevoian M. 1994. Biosynthesis and chemical modification of poly (-γ-glutamic acid). Polymer Bull 32:127-132Bovarnick M. 1942. The formation of extracellular D(-)glutamic acid polypeptide by Bacillus subtilis. J Bio Chem 145:415- 424Bradford MM. 1976. A rapid and sensitive for the quantitation of microgram quantitites of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248-254Cheng C, Asada Y, Asada T. 1989. Production of γ-poly- glutamic acid by Bacillus subtilis A 35 under denitrifynig conditions. Agric Biol Chem 53:2369-2375Choi HJ, Yang R, Kunioka M. 1995. Synthesis and charac-terization of pH-sensitive and biodegradable hydrogels pre-pared by γ-irradiation using microbial poly(γ-glutamic acid) and poly(e- lysine). J Appl Polym Sci 58:807-814Dubois M, Gilles KA, Hamilton JK, Rebers PA, Smith F. 1956. Colorimetric method for determination of sugar and related substances. Anal Che 28:350-356Francis F, Sabu A, Madhavan Nampoothiri K, Ramachandran S, Ghosh S, Szakacs G, Pandey A. 2003. Use of response surface methodology for optimizing process parameters for the production of α-amylase by Aspergillus oryzae. Biochem Eng J 15:107-115Goto A, Kunioka M. 1992. Biosynthesis and hydrolysis of poly (-γ-glutamic acid) from Bacillus subtilis IFO 3335. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 56:1031-1035Hara T, Ueda S. 1982. Regulation of polyglutamate production in Bacillus subtilis(natto); transformation of high PGA pro-ductivity. Agric Biol Chem 46: 2275-2281Hasebe K, Inagaki M. 1999. Preparation composition for external use containing gamma-polyglutamic acid an vegetable extract in combination. JP. Patent 11240827Ito Y, Tanaka T, Asada Y. 1996. Glutamic acid independent pro-duction of poly(-γ-glutamic acid) by Bacillus subtilis TAM- 4. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 60:1239-1242Kambourova M, Tangney M, Priest FG. 2001. Regulation of poly glutamic acid synthesis by glutamate in Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis. Appl Environ Microbiol 67:1004-1007Kubota H, Matsunobu T, Uotani K, Takebe H, Satoh A, Tanaka T, Tanguchi M. 1993. Production of poly(γ-glutamic acid) by Bacillus subtilis F-2-01. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 57: 1212-1213Leonard CG, Housewright RD, Thorne CR. 1958. Effects of some metallic ions on glutamyl polypeptide synthesis by Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 76:499-503Markland P, Amidon GL, Yang VC. 1999. Modified polypeptides

Studies examining message framing effects have yielded conflicting findings. Some studies have found that positively framed messages are more persuasive than negatively framed ones, whereas other studies have reported reverse outcomes. The objective of this study is to explore a theoretical explanation for the conflicting results in message framing research in the context of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. The findings support that message familiarity determines the effectiveness of message framing. Our results also support that attitudes toward the ad predict consumers’ intentions to ask doctors (1) for more information about the advertised drug, and (2) to prescribe the advertised drug. Other findings and implications are discussed.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA)는 청국장이 발효할 때 생성되는 점질성 물질의 하나로, monomer glutamic acid의 α-아미노기와 γ-카르복실기 사이의 amide linkage에 의해 결합된 D(-)와 L(-) glutamic acid repeat units로 이루어진 homopolymer이다. 주로 Bacillus sp.에 의해 생산된다. γ-PGA는 수용성, 음이온성, 무독성, 생분해성, 생체적 합성, 식용 등의 다양한 특성을 가지고 있기 때문에 여러 분야에서 응용되고 있다. 본 실험에서 γ-PGA를 생산하는 균주를 우리나라의 전통발효식품인 청국장으로부터 분리하였다. 분리균주의 형태 및 배양학적, 생리학적 특성, API kit 및 16S rRNA 서열을 사용하여 동정한 결과, 분리균주 GS-2는 B. subtilis와 가장 유사하여 B. subtilis GS-2로 명명하였다. 분리·정제된 γ-PGA의 동정은 TLC, HPLC, FTIR 그리고 1H-NMR spectroscopy를 통하여 확인하였다.

The Fourier series has a rapid oscillation near end points at jump discontinuity which is called the Gibbs phenomenon. There is an overshoot (or undershoot) of approximately 9% at jump discontinuity. In this paper, we prove that a bunch of series representations (certain nonharmonic Fourier series) give good approximations vanishing Gibbs phenomenon. Also we have an application for approximating some shape of upper part of a vehicle in a different way from the method of cubic splines and wavelets.

A Gram-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming organism, strain BL3-6(T), was isolated from tidal flat sediments of the Yellow Sea in the region of Tae-An. A 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that this isolate belongs to the Bacillus cereus group, and is closely related to Bacillus mycoides (99.0% similarity), Bacillus thuringiensis (99.0%), Bacillus weihenstephanensis (99.0%), Bacillus cereus (98.9%), Bacillus anthracis (98.8%), and Bacillus pseudomycoides (98.1%). The phylogenetic distance from any validly described Bacillus species outside the Bacillus cereus group was less than 95.6%. The DNA G+C content of the strain was 39.4 mol% and the major respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C(14:0) (17.8%), iso-C(16:0) (15.8%), and iso-C(12:0) (11.3%). The diagnostic amino acid of the cell wall was meso-diaminopimelic acid and the major cell wall sugar was galactose. The results of DNA-DNA hybridization (55.6%) and physiological and biochemical tests allowed genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain BL3-6(T) from the published Bacillus species. BL3-6(T) therefore represents a new species, for which the name Bacillus gaemokensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain BL3-6(T) (=KCTC 13318(T) =JCM 15801(T)).

Two Gram-stain-positive strains, WPCB074Tand WPCB165, were isolated from fresh water collected from the Woopo wetland (Republic of Korea). Both strains were strictly aerobic, motile, endospore-forming rods. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strains WPCB074Tand WPCB165 belonged to the genusBacillusand that strain WPCB074Twas most closely related toBacillus solisalsiYC1T(98.4 % sequence similarity),B. barbaricusV2-BIII-A2T(97.7 %),B. macauensisZFHKF-1T(96.9 %),B. arsenicusCon a/3T(96.4 %) andB. gelatiniLMG 21880T(95.1 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains WPCB074Tand WPCB165 differed at one position (99.9 % similarity), suggesting that these two strains constitute a single species. DNA–DNA relatedness between strain WPCB074Tand the type strains ofB. solisalsi,B. barbaricus,B. macauensis,B. arsenicusandB. gelatiniwere 26, 17, 20, 14 and 7 %, respectively. Strain WPCB074Twas characterized by having cell-wall peptidoglycan based onmeso-diaminopimelic acid, MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0and anteiso-C15 : 0as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content of strain WPCB074Twas 41.9 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic properties, phylogeny and genomic distinctiveness, strain WPCB074Trepresents a novel species of the genusBacillusfor which the nameBacillus riguisp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is WPCB074T(=KCTC 13278T=JCM 16348T).

Using some interesting convolution, we flnd kernels re- covering the given function f. By a slight change of this convolution, we obtain an identity fllter related to the Fourier series in the discrete time domain. We also introduce some techniques to decompose an impulse into several dilated pieces in the discrete domain. The detail examples deal with speciflc constructions of those decompositions. Also we ob- tain localized moving averages from a decomposition of an impulse to make hybrid Bollinger bands, that might give various strategies for stock traders.