Rural Development Administration

About: Rural Development Administration is a government organization based out in Jeonju, South Korea. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Gene & Population. The organization has 4372 authors who have published 4919 publications receiving 94318 citations.

Optimal atmospheric correction for above-ground forest biomass estimation with the ETM+ remote sensor

Abstract: The reflectance of the Earth’s surface is significantly influenced by atmospheric conditions such as water vapor content and aerosols. Particularly, the absorption and scattering effects become stronger when the target features are non-bright objects, such as in aqueous or vegetated areas. For any remote-sensing approach, atmospheric correction is thus required to minimize those effects and to convert digital number (DN) values to surface reflectance. The main aim of this study was to test the three most popular atmospheric correction models, namely (1) Dark Object Subtraction (DOS); (2) Fast Line-of-sight Atmospheric Analysis of Spectral Hypercubes (FLAASH) and (3) the Second Simulation of Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) and compare them with Top of Atmospheric (TOA) reflectance. By using the k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN) algorithm, a series of experiments were conducted for above-ground forest biomass (AGB) estimations of the Gongju and Sejong region of South Korea, in order to check the effectiveness of atmospheric correction methods for Landsat ETM+. Overall, in the forest biomass estimation, the 6S model showed the bestRMSE’s, followed by FLAASH, DOS and TOA. In addition, a significant improvement of RMSE by 6S was found with images when the study site had higher total water vapor and temperature levels. Moreover, we also tested the sensitivity of the atmospheric correction methods to each of the Landsat ETM+ bands. The results confirmed that 6S dominates the other methods, especially in the infrared wavelengths covering the pivotal bands for forest applications. Finally, we suggest that the 6S model, integrating water vapor and aerosol optical depth derived from MODIS products, is better suited for AGB estimation based on optical remote-sensing data, especially when using satellite images acquired in the summer during full canopy development.

Arenimonas donghaensis gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from seashore sand

Abstract: A Gram-negative, aerobic bacterium, designated strain HO3-R19 T , which was isolated from seashore sand in Pohang city, Korea, was characterized on the basis of a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain HO3-R19 T represents a new lineage within the Gammaproteobacteria; sequence similarities between strain HO3-R19 T and members of other related genera were less than 93.5%. Strain HO3-R19 T was also distinguished from related genera based on differences in several phenotypic characteristics. Cells were straight or slightly curved rods and formed white colonies on R2A agar. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone 8 (Q-8), and predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C16:0, iso-C15:0 and iso-C17:1v9c. The DNA G+C content of strain HO3-R19 T was 65.0 mol%. Based on physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic traits together with results of comparative 16S rRNA sequence analysis, strain HO3-R19 T is considered to represent a novel species in a new genus, for which the name Arenimonas donghaensisgen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Arenimonas donghaensis is HO3-R19 T (=KACC 11381 T =DSM 18148 T ).

Fibrillin 5 Is Essential for Plastoquinone-9 Biosynthesis by Binding to Solanesyl Diphosphate Synthases in Arabidopsis.

Abstract: Fibrillins are lipid-associated proteins in plastids and are ubiquitous in plants. They accumulate in chromoplasts and sequester carotenoids during the development of flowers and fruits. However, little is known about the functions of fibrillins in leaf tissues. Here, we identified fibrillin 5 (FBN5), which is essential for plastoquinone-9 (PQ-9) biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Homozygous fbn5-1 mutations were seedling-lethal, and XVE:FBN5-B transgenic plants expressing low levels of FBN5-B had a slower growth rate and were smaller than wild-type plants. In chloroplasts, FBN5-B specifically interacted with solanesyl diphosphate synthases (SPSs) 1 and 2, which biosynthesize the solanesyl moiety of PQ-9. Plants containing defective FBN5-B accumulated less PQ-9 and its cyclized product, plastochromanol-8, but the levels of tocopherols were not affected. The reduced PQ-9 content of XVE:FBN5-B transgenic plants was consistent with their lower photosynthetic performance and higher levels of hydrogen peroxide under cold stress. These results indicate that FBN5-B is required for PQ-9 biosynthesis through its interaction with SPS. Our study adds FBN5 as a structural component involved in the biosynthesis of PQ-9. FBN5 binding to the hydrophobic solanesyl moiety, which is generated by SPS1 and SPS2, in FBN5-B/SPS homodimeric complexes stimulates the enzyme activity of SPS1 and SPS2.

The Distribution of Perilla Species

Abstract: Perilla (Lamiaceae) contains one tetraploid species, P. frutescens (L.) Britt. and three diploid species, P. citriodora (Makino) Nakai, P. hirtella Nakai and P. setoyensis G. Honda. Tetraploid species have been traditionally cultivated in Asia for their seed oil and for their fragrant leaves that are used as medicine or as a garnish for fish. The center of diversity is still obscure. To conserve the genetic resources, it is important to know the diversity of the tetraploid species. The three diploid species, which are possible parents of the tetraploid species, are all believed to be indigenous to Japan. Their distribution in China and Korea was clarified on the basis of herbarium and field surveys. The tetraploid species is assumed to have originated somewhere around the mid-to downstream area of the Changjiang River. Though Perilla is not cultivated as often in these areas as in northern China, Korea, the Himalayan region, or Myanmar, these areas should also be important for the conservation of genetic resources of tetraploid Perilla crops because of the expected high genetic diversity.