• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 2008

Neural stem/precursor derived from pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has considerable therapeutic potential due to their ability to generate various neural cells which can be used in cell-replacement therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. However, production of neural cells from hESCs remains technically very difficult. Understanding neural-tube like rosette characteristic neural precursor cells from hESCs may provide useful information to increase the efficiency of hESC neural differentiation. Generally, neural rosettes were derived from differentiating hEBs in attached culture system, however this is time-consuming and complicated. Here, we examined if neural rosettes could be formed in suspension culture system by bypassing attachment requirement. First, we tested whether the size of hESC clumps affected the formation of human embryonic bodies (hEBs) and neural differentiation. We confirmed that hEBs derived from $500{\times}500\;{\mu}m$ square sized hESC clumps were effectively differentiated into neural lineage than those of the other sizes. To induce the rosette formation, regular size hEBs were derived by incubation of hESC clumps($500{\times}500\;{\mu}m$) in EB medium for 1 wk in a suspended condition on low attachment culture dish and further incubated for additional $1{\sim}2$ wks in neuroectodermal sphere(NES)-culture medium. We observed the neural tube-like rosette structure from hEBs after $7{\sim}10$ days of differentiation. Their identity as a neural precursor cells was assessed by measuring their expressions of neural precursor markers(Vimentin, Nestin, MSI1, MSI2, Prominin-1, Pax6, Sox1, N-cadherin, Otx2, and Tuj1) by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining. We also confirmed that neural rosettes could be terminally differentiated into mature neural cell types by additional incubation for $2{\sim}6$ wks with NES medium without growth factors. Neuronal(Tuj1, MAP2, GABA) and glial($S100{\beta}$ and GFAP) markers were highly expressed after $2{\sim}3$ and 4 wks of incubation, respectively. Expression of oligodendrocyte markers O1 and CNPase was significantly increased after $5{\sim}6$ wks of incubation. Our results demonstrate that rosette forming neural precursor cells could be successfully derived from suspension culture system and that will not only help us understand the neural differentiation process of hESCs but also simplify the derivation process of neural precursors from hESCs.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2008

Proper development of fertilized oocyte to blastocyst is a key step in mammalian development to implantation. During development of preimplantation embryos, the mammalian embryo needs supply the energy substrate for keep viability. Usually mammalian oocyte get substrate especially energy substrate from oviduct and uterus, because it does not store much substrate into cytoplasm during oogenesis. Carbohydrates are known as a main energy substrate for preimplantation stage embryos. Glucose, lactate and pyruvate are essential component in preimplantation embryo culture media and there are stage specific preferences to them. Glucose transporter and $H^+$-monocarboxylate cotransporter are a main mediator for carbohydrate transport and those expression levels are primarily under the control of intrinsic or extrinsic factors like insulin and glucose. Other organic substances, amino acids, lipids and nucleotides are used as energy substance and cellular regulation factor. Though since 1960s, successful development of fertilized embryo to blastocyst has been accomplished with chemically defined medium for example BWW and give rise to normal offspring in mammals, the role of metabolites and the regulation of intermediary metabolism are still poorly understood. Glucose may permit expression of metabolic enzymes and transporters in compacting morula, capable of generating the energy required for blastocyst formation. In addition, it has been suggested that the cytokines can modulate the metabolic rate of carbohydrate in embryos and regulate the preimplantation embryonic development through control the metabolic rate. Recently we showed that lactate can be used as a mediator for preimplantation embryonic development. Those observations indicate that metabolites of carbohydrate are required by the early embryo, not only as an energy source, but also as a key substrate for other regulatory and biosynthetic pathways. In addition metabolites of carbohydrate may involve in cellular activity during development of preimplantation embryos. It is suggested that through these regulation and with other regulation mechanisms, embryo and uterus can prepare the embryo implantation and further development, properly.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.24
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• pp.223-246
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• 2011

Today, cultural content industry could be defined to service business rather than manufacturing business because of its own trait. Also, it has the realistic restriction that it can't hold the dominant position in the market competition when it can't provide consumers satisfaction regardless of its quality or degree of completion. In other word, it can only expect great success when the business plan and the activities get the perfect balance with its best quality and perfect of completion. As the result, it emphasizes the importance of business competition in the global market. In briefly, there is no doubt that the creativeness of content is very important in the cultural content industry but in the future, making system to maintain the distribution process and share the profits fairly will be taken more important role. Especially, animation genre has the feature, which compares to other genres, such as film or TV drama, would be free from cultural barriers, and it is a great advantage. So to speak, animation can get little influence from cultural discount. However, Korean animation can't use the advantage properly for the foreign distribution because of its poor infrastructure and short of professional human resources. For those reasons, it has been needed to set up the realistic and specific action plan to overcome the situation. Therefore, considering those needs and the situations of Korean animation facing, making B2B online marketplace could be a great solution. The online marketplace stands for taking more efficient and broad distribution channel instead of the passive way, which we have now. If we have the B2B online marketplace, we can share all the information about the Korean animation with the potential customers whom live outside of Korea at real time. It also could be use to the windows of multiple distribution, which can make additional profits and activate the optional markets for the Korean animation. Through the method, Korean animation would be expected to get the higher international competitiveness, and it would be developed in quality and quantity of the business. Finally, it would be a great chance to Korean animation, which can get the unique brand power by improving the backward distribution circumstances.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.29
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• pp.209-241
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• 2012

Is a failed blockbuster film? Is there no room for reconsideration of the value of the film in terms of its contents and forms? The purpose of this study is to answer these questions. In 2007, SHIM Hyung-rae's was in the limelight due to the nationalist discourse around the film rather than evaluation of the film itself. In terms of its narrative and formal properties, the film showed the difference from the Korean nationalist blockbuster films. It led to the disaccord and hard-to-understand results of having somewhat disappointed box-office success of 8,500,000 audiences in comparison to the input, of receiving well by a generous part of the audiences absorbed by nationalism, and of getting the critics' cynic criticism of the film's cinematic value. Eventually only provided the cultural battlefield of nationalism, was left as an unnoticed film in the realm of industry and criticism. However, it was interesting that there was a common ground between the film's supporters and the cynic critics. Both sides were being acknowledged that the spectacle of was way out of proportion to the degree that the spectacle was unbalanced with the story unfolding, achieved more than expected. Its spectacle overwhelming the narrative enfever a few audiences, and at the same time, it provided some reasons making critics face away from the film. In this context, the purpose of this study is to examine 's aesthetics that 'the spectacle dominating narrative' or 'the narrative as a pretext for showing spectacle,' leading to discussion of artistic/theoretical/critical value and to find out cinematic value of the film being regarded as a failure. In addition, this study is significant in that it suggests that is a new kind of moving image that it cannot be analyzed with existed critical methods of narrative film criticism; as a result, this study provides the chance to be evaluated through a new conceptual frame of the film. In order to grasp the narratological aesthetics, this study focuses on the concept of trickality that Andre Gaudreault suggests, and Tom Gunning's 'the cinema of attractions,' referring to the spectacle-oriented narrativity or the mode of production displaying the spectacle more than the narrative.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.29
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• pp.1-36
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• 2012

The (2003) by Pixar, by succeeding at box office hit with good criticism, could be the film that made Pixar the most influential animation producer. Especially such character oriented narrative strategy, by raising the degree of characterizing and relationship, could made remarkable achievement as it is called a textbook of characterizing. This study focused on the inherent fear and desire of characters in . The inherent fear and desire were assumed to be the elements that strengthen characterizing and relationship more dynamically. In general, every single choice and behavior of human beings are likely to be depending on fear and desire, it is believed that human's life is dominated by those two elements. In this point, the characterizing of has three big features. It is that (1) it clearly described the fear inherent in characters and the effort to avoid the fear better than any other films of Pixar. (2) it strikingly accords with the interaction of characteristics of fear and desire established by Enneargram personality types. (3) the way of relieving fear of the main characters (Marlin and Nemo), as a unique feature of rescue and escape plot in which two characters are being apart, is not by interaction of characteristics of two main characters but is by characterizing the spiritual value supplementary to the deficiency of main character as sub character (Dory and Gill). In the previous study, , characterizing of panda 'Poe' is too outstanding and this fact is working as paradoxical limitation. On the other hand, set up of fear and desire of two main characters, Poe and Shifu and dynamics of characteristics are very delicate and effective. On the other hand, in the , in the course of settling down the conflicts between two main characters, father and son, it shows fresh and firm narrative structure with various characters and sub plots. However, though the degree of described fear and desire of main characters are very outstanding, it still reveals it limitation that the course of settlement is somewhat dependent. In conclusion, this study is considered to be another approach to animation characterizing, and also hopefully can be helpful in characterization and setting up relationships in the future.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.175-180
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• 2005

This study was conducted to examine the effects of demecolcine-assisted enucleation and recipient cell cycle stage on the development of bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) embryos. In vitro cultured oocytes for $16\~20$ h were classified by first polar body (1st PB) extrusion and cell cycle stage (MI and MII) and treated $0.4\;{\mu}L/mL$ demecolcine for 40 min before enucleation. Enucleated oocytes were fused electrically with bovine ear skin cells, activated by Ca-ionophore+DMAP, and cultured in vitro. Most of eggs ($86.2\%$) treated with demecolcine protruded a chromosome mass and enucleated efficiently ($98.8\%$, (P<0.05). Demecolcine did not have a deteriorative effect on the development of NT embryos. Developmental rate of NT embryos reconstituted with oocytes extruded 1st PB significantly higher than that of NT embryos produced by oocytes without 1st PB ($18.2\%\;vs.\;4.6\%\cdot$, P<0.05). Cleavage and blastocyst formation rate of embryos reconstituted with MI oocytes ($69.4\%\;and\;5.9\%$, respectively) were significantly lower than those of embryos reconstituted with MII oocytes ($96.7\%\;and\;23.9\%$, respectively, P<0.05). From the present result, it is suggested that domecolcine is useful for the enucleation of recipient oocytes in bovine NT procedures, and MII oocytes rather than MI oocytes are more appropriate for recipient cytoplasm. Although, the potential to develop into blastocysts of NT embryos produced by 1st PB-nonextruded and MI oocytes was very low, these oorytes could be used for NT.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.147-154
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• 2012

This study was designed to determine whether low-density lipoproteins (LDL) from egg yolk and taurine, hypotaurine and trehalose as antioxidant in extender improve the freezability and fertility of Korean Jeju Black Bull semen. The semen was cryopreserved with tris egg yolk extenders containing 7% glycerol and treated 4% LDL, 20 mM taurine, hypotaurine and trehalose. Frozen-thawed sperm were evaluated motility, viability, membrane, and acrosome integrity and sperm penetration ability. The results were compared to semen cryopreserved in tris egg yolk extender only as control. Frozen-thawed semen evaluation cleary indicated that the addition of LDL and LDL-antioxidants (taurine, hypotaurine and trehalose) combination were significantly improved (p<0.05) the viability (%; with staining test using eosin-Y) compared to control spermatozoa. Also, in membrane integrity (%; with supravital hypo-osmotic swelling test), not only LDL-antioxiants combination but also LDL were significantly increased (p<0.05) the swelled sperm using HOST compared to control. Sperm acrosome integrity state was classified by CTC (chlortetracycline) staining test. F pattern was significantly increased in LDL-antioxidant combination than control (p<0.05) and B pattern was not significantly differences among all treatments and control. However, AR pattern was significantly decreased in LDL-antioxidants combination than control (p<0.05). Pronucleus formation and sperm penetration index (SFI) were significantly increased in LDL and LDL-antioxidants combination than control (p<0.05). Especially, LDL-taurine significantly improved pronucleus fomation and SFI than LDL (p<0.05). It was concluded that LDL and LDL-antioxidants in extender improved the freezability and fertility of Korean Jeju Black bull spermatozoa.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2012

Cryopreservation induces sublethal damage to the spermatozoa, which leads to their reduced fertile life. This study was designed to determine effect of glycerol and ethylene glycol as cryoprotectant in extender on improve the freezability of Jeju horse semen. The semen was cryopreserved with glucose-EDTA extender containing each 5% glycerol, 5% ethylene glycol, 8% glycerol or 8% ethylene glycol, respectively. Post-thawed sperm were evaluated motility, viability, Membrane integrity and acrosome integrity. Post-thawed sperm motility were not significantly differences among treatments. However, sperm viability were significantly higher (p<0.05) in 8% glycerol ($39.85%{\pm}11.41$) than in 5% glycerol treatment ($18.08%{\pm}1.61$). In membrane integrity, swelling sperm ratio was significantly higher (p<0.05) in 8% glycerol ($34.12%{\pm}11.02$) than other treatments. In the percentage of capacitated sperm assessed by CTC staining, F pattern was significantly higher in 8% ethylene glycol than 5% glycerol and 5% ethylene glycol (p<0.05). B pattern ratio was significantly increased in 5% ethylene glycol compared with 8% glcerol and 8% ethylene glycol (p<0.05). Moreover, 8% ethylene glycol treatment was significantly decreased AR pattern ratio compared with other treatments (p<0.05). It is concluded that treatment of 8% glycerol was improved the sperm viability and 8% ethylene glycol was improved the sperm ascrosome integrity after thawing. However, they were not significantly difference between 8% glycerol and 8% ethylene glycol on post-thawed sperm viability. Therefore, 8% ethylene glycol was more effective sperm cryoprotectant than 8% glycerol in Jeju Horse.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.1 s.50
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• pp.15-25
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• 2007

In general, the life and asset casualties that occur due to landslide or slope failure in urban areas are larger than that in rural areas. In order to reduce the casualties, a slope management program is necessary to categorize slopes based on properties and to manage them systematically. The slope management system is the establishment of the data base for the geological and geotechnical factor according to slope stability, and the utilization of the data base to manage slopes. The suitable system must develop to slopes in urban area through the survey, analysis and evaluation process. Based on the above necessity, the slope management program which is applicable to slope management in an urban area has been developed at Hwangryung Mt. in Busan as a target area. The developed slope management program has various functions such as slope ID number of each slope or sub-region of a mountain, making a slope data sheet, analysis and grouping of slope stability, and establishment of a data base. The slope management program is constructed by use of GIS, and the survey, test and analysis data according to all slopes can be input and edited into the program. The program can also be utilized practically by end users due to the convenient input, edition printing, management and operation of slope data. Therefore, the slope management system has been established on the application of the developed program in Busan which is located in slope area. As the system is widely applied to other cities, the slope in urban area can be managed systematically and the slope hazards can be minimized.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.322-331
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• 2016

Oil budget calculator identifies the removal pathways of spilled oil by both natural and response methods, and estimates the remaining oil required response activities. A oil budget calculator was newly developed as a response tool for Deepwater Horizon oil spill incident in Gulf of Mexico in 2010 to inform clean up decisions for Incident Comment System, which was also successfully utilized to media and general public promotion of oil spill response activities. This study analyzed the theoretical background of the oil budget calculator and explored its future application to Korea. The oil budge calculation of four catastrophic marine pollution incidents indicates that 3~8% of spilled oil was removed mechanically by skimmers, 1~5% by in-situ burning, 4.8~16% by chemical dispersion due to dispersant operation, and 37~56% by weathering processes such as evaporation, dissolution, and natural dispersion. The results show that in-situ burning and chemical dispersion effectively remove spilled oil more than the mechanical removal by skimming, and natural weathering processes are also very effective to remove spilled oil. To apply the oil budget calculator in Korea, its parameters need to be optimized in response to the seasonal characteristics of marine environment, the characteristics of spilled oil and response technologies. A new algorithm also needs to be developed to estimate the oil budget due to shoreline cleanup activities. An oil budget calculator optimized in Korea can play a critical role in informing decisions for oil spill response activities and communicating spill prevention and response activities with the media and general public.