• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1218-1226
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• 2019

The white-spotted flower chafer Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis is a medicinally beneficial and important edible insect species. We previously performed an in silico analysis of the Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis transcriptome to identify putative antimicrobial peptides and then tested their antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. These peptides had potent antimicrobial activities against bacteria and yeast without inducing hemolysis. In the present study, the cationic antimicrobial peptide, protaetiamycine 2, was selected for further assessment of its anti-inflammatory properties in mouse macrophage Raw264.7 cells. Protaetiamycine 2 treatment of Raw264.7 cells suppressed LPS-induced nitric oxide production and reduced the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, as determined by real-time PCR and western blotting. The expression of proinflammatory cytokines ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and $IL-1{\beta}$) was also attenuated through the MAPKs and $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling. We also confirmed that protaetiamycine 2 bound to bacterial cell membranes by a specific interaction with LPS. Collectively, these data obtained from LPS-induced Raw264.7 cells indicated that protaetiamycine 2 could have both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.3
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• pp.406-418
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• 2021

This study was conducted to evaluate optimal storage techniques for bare root plants and container seedlings of Quercus variabilis and Zelkova serrata in order to maintain high quality of seedlings until planting. Refrigerated storage treatments were given at two temperatures (-2℃ [freezing] and 2℃ [cooling]) for nine different durations (0, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300, and 360 days after storage). We analyzed total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) content and measured shoot moisture content (SMC) during the storage stage and survival rate (SR) and dry weight during the planting stage of seedlings. The TNC content and SMC of the seedlings of the two species decreased with an increase in storage duration. The TNC content of seedlings rapidly decreased after 180~240 days of storage. The TNC reduction rate in the freezing treatment was lower than that in the cooling treatment. Also, with an increase in the storage duration of the two species, the SMC reduction rate in the cooling treatment increased in comparison with that in the freezing treatment. In both the species, the SR after planting decreased rapidly after 60 days of cooling storage and 180 days of freezing storage, respectively. The SR after planting was less than 60% when the TNC content for both the species dropped below 20 mg g^-1. In addition, the SR was lower than 80% when SMC measured before storage decreased by approximately 30% and 20% for Q. variabilis and Z. serrata, respectively. Our results suggest that cooling (1~2℃) storage is recommended for a short-term period (2 months or less), whereas freezing (-2~-4℃) storage is suitable for longer periods (2~6 months). These optimal storage techniques, allied with seedling harvesting and handling systems, will improve the quality of seedling production in nursery stages and increase seedling growth performances in plantations.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.210-218
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• 2018

Background: Soil respiration (Rs) is a major factor of the absorption and accumulation of carbon through photosynthesis in the ecosystem carbon cycle. This directly affects the amount of net ecosystem productivity, which affects the stability and sustainability of the ecosystem. Understanding the characteristics of Rs is indispensable to scientifically understand the carbon cycle of ecosystems. It is very important to study Rs characteristics through analysis of environmental factors closely related to Rs. Rs is affected by various environmental factors, such as temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, litter supply, organic matter content, dominant plant species, and soil disturbance. This study was conducted to analyze the effects of micro-topographical differences on Rs in forest vegetation by measuring the Rs on the ridge and southern slope sites of the broadly established Quercus mongolica forest in the central Korean area. Method: Rs, Ts, and soil moisture data were collected at the southern slope and ridge of the Q. mongolica forest in the Mt. Jeombong area in order to investigate the effects of topographical differences on Rs. Rs was collected by the closed chamber method, and data collection was performed from May 2011 to October 2013, except Winter seasons from November to April or May. For collecting the raw data of Rs in the field, acrylic collars were placed at the ridge and southern slope of the forest. The accumulated surface litter and the soil organic matter content (SOMC) were measured to a 5 cm depth. Based on these data, the Rs characteristics of the slope and ridge were analyzed. Results: Rs showed a distinct seasonal variation pattern in both the ridge and southern slope sites. In addition, Rs showed a distinct seasonal variation with high and low Ts changes. The average Rs measurements for the two sites, except for the Winter periods that were not measured, were $550.1\;mg\;CO_2m^{-2}h^{-1}$ at the ridge site and $289.4\;mg\;CO_2m^{-2}h^{-1}$ at the southern slope, a difference of 52.6%. There was no significant difference in the Rs difference between slopes except for the first half of 2013, and both sites showed a tendency to increase exponentially as Ts increased. In addition, although the correlation is low, the difference in Rs between sites tended to increase as Ts increased. SMC showed a large fluctuation at the southern slope site relative to the ridge site, as while it was very low in 2013, it was high in 2011 and 2012. The accumulated litter of the soil surface and the SOMC at the depth range of 0~5 cm were $874g\;m^{-2}$ and 23.3% at the ridge site, and $396g\;m^{-2}$ and 19.9% at the southern slope site. Conclusions: In this study, Rs was measured for the ridge and southern slope sites, which have two different results where the surface litter layer is disturbed by strong winds. The southern slope site shows that the litter layer formed in autumn due to strong winds almost disappeared, and while in the ridge site, it became thick due to the transfer of litter from the southern slope site. The mean Rs was about two times higher in the ridge site compared to that in the southern slope site. The Rs difference seems to be due to the difference in the amount of litter accumulated on the soil surface. As a result, the litter layer supplied to the soil surface is disturbed due to the micro-topographical difference, as the slope and the change of the community structure due to the plant season cause heterogeneity of the litter layer development, which in turn affects SMC and Rs. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce and understand these micro-topographical features and mechanisms when quantifying and analyzing the Rs of an ecosystem.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.383-398
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• 2019

Purpose: This study investigated an association between dietary quality and use of convenience foods at convenience stores among high school students. Methods: A total of 474 high school students (225 boys and 249 girls) residing in Incheon participated in this questionnaire survey in June 2018. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the frequency of consumption of convenience foods at convenience stores; less than once a week, 1 ~ 2 times a week, and more than 3 times a week. Dietary quality was assessed using a nutrient quotient for adolescents (NA-Q). Logistic regression was used to investigate an association between dietary quality and use of convenience foods at convenience stores among high school students. Results: For boys and girls, higher monthly allowance was significantly associated with the higher frequency of consumption of convenience foods at convenience stores, whereas school grade, mother's occupational status, family size, extracurricular study, and eating speed were not significantly associated with the frequency of consumption of convenience foods. Higher intake frequency of cookies or sweet and greasy bread, processed beverage, Ramyon, night-time snack, and street food was significantly associated with the higher frequency of consumption of convenience foods for boys or girls. Boys and girls, who had a higher frequency of consumption of convenience foods at convenience stores had significantly greater odds for being in the low grade of dietary quality, especially in the moderation factor. Conclusion: The students who used convenience stores more often appeared to have more monthly allowance and to consume undesirable foods more often. Higher frequency of using convenience foods at convenience stores among high school students was associated with lower dietary quality. These study results can support efforts to provide nutrition education programs and guidelines to students who frequently use convenience foods at convenience stores.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.82-96
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• 2019

This study evaluated the status of watershed health in Geum River Basin by SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) hydrology and water quality. The watershed healthiness from watershed hydrology and stream water quality was calculated using multivariate normal distribution from 0(poor) to 1(good). Before evaluation of watershed healthiness, the SWAT calibration for 11 years(2005~2015) of streamflow(Q) at 5 locations with 0.50~0.77 average Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency and suspended solid (SS), total nitrogen(T-N), and total phosphorus(T-P) at 3 locations with 0.67~0.94, 0.59~0.79, and 0.61~0.79 determination coefficient($R^2$) respectively. For 24 years (1985~2008) the spatiotemporal change of watershed healthiness was analyzed with calibarted SWAT and 5 land use data of 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2008. The 2008 SWAT results showed that the surface runoff increased by 40.6%, soil moisture and baseflow decreased by 6.8% and 3.0% respectively compared to 1985 reference year. The stream water quality of SS, T-N, and T-P increased by 29.2%, 9.3%, and 16.7% respectively by land development and agricultural activity. Based on the 1985 year land use condition. the 2008 watershed healthiness of hydrology and stream water quality decreased from 1 to 0.94 and 0.69 respectively. The results of this study be able to detect changes in watershed environment due to human activity compared to past natural conditions.

• 기호학연구
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• no.57
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• pp.121-153
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• 2018

In terms of the story told, we see that Oh! Soojung(Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors) is a film of the ideololgy of masculinity. However, from the point of view of the manner of presenting story, Oh! Soojung is a film that aims to devalue this ideology. How will it be possible? This is the principle of the irony that the speaker, by saying P, wants to make Q listen that devalues and contradicts P. Our study is tempted to explain the process of interpreting the irony in the film. The ideology of the film occurs when the presupposed contents have become the subject. For example Cendrion who tells a story of a girl married to a prince presupposes that the girl, Cendrion, is obedient. The subject of this story is that the presupposition: /the girls who want to be happy must be obedient/, which represents the ideology of masculinity. Presupposed content thus imposes on the public a collective and conservative value, as its enunciator belongs to the collective voice. Since ironisation occurs when the utterance itself is annulled, one must also deny or cancel the story told of Oh! Soojng: /Jeahun who is rich and Soojung who is obedient and virgin have become lovers/. Since there is no semantic mark within the utterance, irony is a voice that comes from without; this is how we understand irony in a purely pragmatic way. The outer voices are two things: the way to build the story: question of focusing, ocularization and auricularization, and the way to present the story: question the order, the frequency or the plot. Our study is focused on the question of frequency at Oh! Soojung which has a repetition structure in which the memory of Jeahun and that of Soojung are represented one after the other. Since the memories of two characters are not identical, the repetition is accompanied by differences. The differences at first allow the public to build their own story from the di?g?se of the film and then make the audience fall into confusion where we can not be certain of what we see and know in the di?g?se of the film, and finally make their knowledge questionable. About repetition, so that it can have validity in terms of the informativeness of the utterance, it must deny the existence of the previous repetition. This is how repetition cancels itself and consequently the utterance. We see that the irony of Oh! Soojung occurs by repetition with differences that cancels the story of the film.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.449-456
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• 2018

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. In lower Human Development Index countries, it has the second highest incidence and mortality among cancer in women. Therefore, better diagnosis and treatment systems are needed. Among them, estrogen receptor alpha ($ER-{\alpha}$) mRNA expression has been analyzed with RT-qPCR since several studies reported that $ER-{\alpha}$ is necessary in the maturation of the uterus and is related to cervical cancer. In this study, $ER-{\alpha}$ quantitative analysis was performed on various lesions and normal tissue samples. Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, its sensitivity and specificity were 85% and 75%, respectively, showing higher or similar results to those of conventional HPV tests. In addition, its expression level was analyzed with clinical information. With regression analysis, the R square value between the $ER-{\alpha}$ mRNA expression level and menopause status was 0.5041, indicating a strong correlation. This study was performed as part of a pilot study and suggests that $ER-{\alpha}$ is related to carcinogenesis. Future studies will examine other hormones and menopausal factors with a larger sample size.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.160-168
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• 2019

This study aimed to determine whether double-processed ginseng berry extract (PGBC) could improve learning and memory in an $A\hat{a}42$-induced Alzheimer's mouse model. Passive avoidance test (PAT) and Morris water-maze test (MWMT) were performed after mice were treated with PGBC, followed by acetylcholine (ACh) measurement and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) detection for brain damage. Furthermore, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) expression were analyzed using Ellman's and qPCR assays, respectively. Results demonstrated that PGBC contained a high amount of ginsenosides (Re, Rd, and Rg3), which are responsible for the clearance of $A{\hat{a}} 42$. They also helped to significantly improve PAT and MWMT performance in the $A{\hat{a}} 42-induced$ Alzheimer's mouse model when compared to the normal group. Interestingly, ACh and ChAT were remarkably upregulated and AChE activities were significantly inhibited, suggesting PGBC to be a palliative adjuvant for treating Alzheimer's disease. Altogether, PGBC was found to play a positive role in improving cognitive abilities. Thus, it could be a new alternative solution for alleviating Alzheimer's disease symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.110 no.2
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• pp.198-209
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• 2021

This study evaluated the effects of the dimensional characteristics of containers on the nitrogen status of Quercus serrata, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, and Zelkova serrata in the container nursery stage. Seedlings were grown using 16 container types [four growing densities (100, 144, 196, and 256 seedlings/m²) × four cavity volumes (220, 300, 380, and 460 cm³/cavity)]. Two-way ANOVA was performed to test the differences in nitrogen concentration and seedling content among container types. Additionally, we performed multiple regression analyses to correlate container dimensions and nitrogen content. Container types had a strong influence on nitrogen concentration and the content of the seedling species, with a significant interaction effect between growing density and cavity volume. Cavity volumes were positively correlated with the nitrogen content of the three seedling species, whereas growing density negatively affected those of F. rhynchophylla. Further, nutrient vector analysis revealed that the seedling nutrient loading capacities of the three species, such as efficiency and accumulation, were altered because of the different fertilization effects by container types. The optimal ranges of container dimension by each tree species, obtained multiple regression analysis with nitrogen content, were found to be approximately 180-210 seedlings/m² and 410-460 cm³/cavity for Q. serrata, 100-120 seedlings/m² and 350-420 cm³/cavity for F. rhynchophylla, and 190-220 seedlings/m² and 380-430 cm³/cavity for Z. serrata. This study suggests that an adequate type of container will improve seedling quality with higher nutrient loading capacity production in nursery stages and increase seedling growth in plantation stages.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.64
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• pp.203-235
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to identify the degree of social presence perceived by students and to explore the factors that have affected it after practicing Christian Education classes as synchronous distance course due to Covid-19. It is also to suggest effective ways in the aspects of the design and operation to improve social presence. In order to measure social presence and derive influencing factors, research related to synchronous distance class and social presence is summarized through literature review. The researchers also surveyed 58 students in three courses of Christian education major at a University in Gyeonggi-do and conducted in-depth interviews with 6 students. The main findings are as follows: First, the sense of social presence was moderate, the emotional bond was the lowest by sub-factor, the open communication, the sense of community was moderate, and the mutual support and concentration were the highest. Second, factors that had a positive impact on the sense of social reality were group activities, selfintroduction activities, active participation in classes, mutual communication such as Q & A or response to peer learners' opinions during lectures by professors, questions, feedback, etc, and having a smaller number of students. Factors that had a negative impact on the perception of social presence were lack of private conversations, poor participation in classes, lack of communication with each other, and difficulty concentrating. The causes of these negative factors were technical problems and limitations arising from zoom, inconvenience and distracting surroundings, lack of time, and psychological awkwardness. Reflecting the results of the study, orientation to effective synchronous distance course, guidance on smooth communication methods, strengthening the role of professors to promote learning, strengthening group activities and learner-centered activities, and proposing a smaller scale of students were ways that are offered to improve the sense of social presence in synchronous distance courses.