• Title/Summary/Keyword: Adaptation of university life

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The Ewe's Reproductive Performance, Growth Rate and Carcass Quality of Lambs Kept in a Barn vs Those Kept under an Overhead Shelter

  • Kuznicka, Ewa;Rant, Witold
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.211-217
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    • 2013
  • A herd of polish lowland local sheep was divided into two equal groups: the first group was kept under an overhead shelter, and the second group was kept in a warm barn. The effect of maintenance on ewe's reproductive performance, survival as well as the growth rate of lambs, and their carcasses quality was investigated. The lack of differences in fertility and prolificacy of ewes as well as in the survival and growth rate between the groups confirmed a good adaptation of $\dot{Z}$ela$\acute{z}$nie$\acute{n}$ska sheep to low temperature. Harsh environmental conditions did not cause a significant decrease of the body weight growth; however, they brought in an (insignificant) reduction of subcutaneous fat thickness and meatiness of the loin part of a lamb's body. The fat content of carcasses obtained from lambs reared under the overhead shelter was significantly lower, with no differences of meat and bones contribution between the groups.

Genomic Insights into the Rice Blast Fungus through Estimation of Gene Emergence Time in Phylogenetic Context

  • Choi, Jaeyoung;Lee, Jong-Joon;Jeon, Junhyun
    • Mycobiology
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    • v.46 no.4
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    • pp.361-369
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    • 2018
  • The rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, is an important pathogen of rice plants. It is well known that genes encoded in the genome have different evolutionary histories that are related to their functions. Phylostratigraphy is a method that correlates the evolutionary origin of genes with evolutionary transitions. Here we applied phylostratigraphy to partition total gene content of M. oryzae into distinct classes (phylostrata), which we designated PS1 to PS7, based on estimation of their emergence time. Genes in individual phylostrata did not show significant biases in their global distribution among seven chromosomes, but at the local level, clustering of genes belonging to the same phylostratum was observed. Our phylostrata-wide analysis of genes revealed that genes in the same phylostratum tend to be similar in many physical and functional characteristics such as gene length and structure, GC contents, codon adaptation index, and level of transcription, which correlates with biological functions in evolutionary context. We also found that a significant proportion of genes in the genome are orphans, for which no orthologs can be detected in the database. Among them, we narrowed down to seven orphan genes having transcriptional and translational evidences, and showed that one of them is implicated in asexual reproduction and virulence, suggesting ongoing evolution in this fungus through lineage-specific genes. Our results provide genomic basis for linking functions of pathogenicity factors and gene emergence time.

The Stress-Activated Signaling (SAS) Pathways of a Human Fungal Pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans

  • Jung, Kwang-Woo;Bahn, Yong-Sun
    • Mycobiology
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    • v.37 no.3
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    • pp.161-170
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    • 2009
  • Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycete human fungal pathogen that causes meningoencephalitis in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. The ability to sense and respond to diverse extracellular signals is essential for the pathogen to infect and cause disease in the host. Four major stress-activated signaling (SAS) pathways have been characterized in C. neoformans, including the HOG (high osmolarity glycerol response), PKC/Mpk1 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), calcium-dependent calcineurin, and RAS signaling pathways. The HOG pathway in C. neoformans not only controls responses to diverse environmental stresses, including osmotic shock, UV irradiation, oxidative stress, heavy metal stress, antifungal drugs, toxic metabolites, and high temperature, but also regulates ergosterol biosynthesis. The PKC(protein kinase C)/Mpk1 pathway in C. neoformans is involved in a variety of stress responses, including osmotic, oxidative, and nitrosative stresses and breaches of cell wall integrity. The $Ca^{2+}$/calmodulin- and Ras-signaling pathways also play critical roles in adaptation to certain environmental stresses, such as high temperature and sexual differentiation. Perturbation of the SAS pathways not only impairs the ability of C. neoformans to resist a variety of environmental stresses during host infection, but also affects production of virulence factors, such as capsule and melanin. A drug(s) capable of targeting signaling components of the SAS pathway will be effective for treatment of cryptococcosis.

Relationship Between Relative Water Content and Ascorbate Redox Enzymes Activity in Lettuce Leaves Subjected to Soil Water Stress (토양 수분 Stress에 따른 상추의 엽중 상대수분 함량과 아스코브산 관련 효소 활성도)

  • Kang, Sang-Jae;Park, Man
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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    • v.46 no.1
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    • pp.32-39
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    • 2013
  • The relationship between relative water contents of lettuce leaves and biochemical activities in lettuce was examined in this study to explore an adaptation response of lettuce to water stress from soils. Soil water contents and relative water contents of leaves were positively related to show $R^2$=0.8728. Hydrogen peroxide contents of leaves rapidly increased with reduction of soil water content, whereas soluble protein contents and dry matters rapidly decreased. And chlorophyll a and b contents of leaves decreased with increase in carotenoid content. Furthermore, the activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) increased dramatically, and mRNA transcript levels of APX, MDHAR and DHAR also increased. Relationship of relative water content of lettuce leaves to hydrogen peroxide, to ascorbate peroxidase activity, to dehydroascorbate reductase activity, and to monodehydroascorbate reductase activity was shown to be positively correlated. It is highly plausible from this study that these enzyme activities could be developed as an indicator of water states in soils.

Meaning of Housing through Oral Life History of Korean Chineses in Harbin, China : Focused on experiences of housing structure type and pathway approach (생애구술을 통해 본 중국 할빈 지역 조선족의 주거의 의미 : 주거유형 경험과 경로접근을 중심으로)

  • Hong, Hyung-Ock
    • Journal of Families and Better Life
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    • v.28 no.5
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    • pp.167-181
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    • 2010
  • This research was designed to explore the meaning of housing among Korean Chinese in Harbin, China. In particular, the meaning of housing was examined by using the pathway approach. Utilizing qualitative research methods, this study administered the in-depth interview on the oral history of an individual life, and the 5 elderly persons in their 60s and 70s participated in the individualized interviews that were conducted from May 28 to 31 in 2010. The main findings of meaning of housing were as follows; 1. Similarly to the meaning of housing in 1970s and 1980s in Korea, house was viewed as both a shelter for family members and relatives and a place for their comfort. 2. Prior to multi-story residences, Harbin had only 3 different forms of single-story houses available; Chinese style with Kang and soil room(地室), Korean style with 'Ondol', and Russian style with open floor and Pechka, The promotion at work enabled participants to move to multi-story residences, their moving time varied from 1970 to 1991, and the residential moving determined their current housing status. 3. Multi-story residences were available around 1970s, floor-heating system was introduced from 1990s, and high-rise apartments were built from 1998. Korean Chinese(朝鮮族) weren't satisfied with the spatial composition of individual units embedded into the Chinese culture, especially, entrance, kitchen, bathroom and veranda. 4. Based on assimilation through socialism, adaptation to socialist society and capitalist acculturation, the lifestyles of the interviewees were categorized into five types - capitalist-proactive(Ms. KS), socialist-pragmatic(Ms. J), socialist-inducive(Ms. KY), family centered-conservative(Ms. L), and socialist-adaptive(Ms. P). This study implies that housing-related services for Korean Chinese are necessarily provided so as to embrace their life style and cultural identity in housing design, and further studies need to be explored.

Evolving Cellular Automata Neural Systems(ECANS 1)

  • Lee, Dong-Wook;Sim, Kwee-Bo
    • Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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    • 1998.06a
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    • pp.158-163
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    • 1998
  • This paper is our first attempt to construct a information processing system such as the living creatures' brain based on artificial life technique. In this paper, we propose a method of constructing neural networks using bio-inspired emergent and evolutionary concept, Ontogeny of living things is realized by cellular automata model and Phylogeny that is living things adaptation ability themselves to given environment, are realized by evolutionary algorithms. Proposing evolving cellular automata neural systems are calledin a word ECANS. A basic component of ECANS is 'cell' which is modeled on chaotic neuron with complex characteristics, In our system, the states of cell are classified into eight by method of connection neighborhood cells. When a problem is given, ECANS adapt itself to the problem by evolutionary method. For fixed cells transition rule, the structure of neural network is adapted by change of initial cell' arrangement. This initial cell is to become a network b developmental process. The effectiveness and the capability of proposed scheme are verified by applying it to pattern classification and robot control problem.

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Transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards in South Korea: a hybrid concept analysis

  • Park, Jisu;Choi, Eun Kyoung
    • Child Health Nursing Research
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    • v.28 no.2
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    • pp.154-165
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    • 2022
  • Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the concept of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards. Methods: The hybrid model by Schwarz-Barcott and Kim was used to analyze the characteristics of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards. Results: Transfer anxiety was defined by the following attributes: 1) stress concerning the adaptation process, 2) concern about the child's condition worsening due to the parent's caregiving, and 3) involuntary changes in daily life due to the treatment. Transfer anxiety has the following antecedents: 1) uncertainty; 2) a lack of knowledge about the illness, medical devices, and caregiving; and 3) a lack of social support. It resulted in 1) caregiver burden, 2) a decrease in the capacity for coping with caregiving, 3) delays in the child's physical and psychological recovery, and 4) decreased quality of life. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop an assessment scale that considers the attributes of transfer anxiety in parents of children transferred from pediatric intensive care units to general wards. Furthermore, an effective nursing intervention should be developed to reduce transfer anxiety.

Effects of Cordyceps militans Cultivated on Rice on Lipid Metabolism in Rats Fed High Fat-cholesterol Diets

  • Lee, Sang-Mong;Park, Nam-Sook;Park, Eun-Ju
    • Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.36-41
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    • 2006
  • Dongchunghacho rice, produced by cultivating Dongchunghacho fungus on rice, could be an effective functional food because it offers added value to rice and thus increases rice consumption. However, the physiological effect of Dongchunghacho rice has not been reported yet although there is increasing consumers demand. Therefore, we investigated the effect of Dongchunghacho rice (unpolished rice cultivated with Cordyceps militaris) on lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic rats. Forty of 8 wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups after a 1 week of adaptation period and fed either a normal diet (66% polished rice diet, NC), high fat (12 g/100 g)-high cholesterol (1 g/100 g) diet with 53% polished rice (HC), or high fat-high cholesterol diets supplemented with 30% of the total rice as either unpolished rice (DR) or Dongchunghacho rice (DR). After 4 weeks, rats fed the Dongchunghacho rice diet with high fat and cholesterol had dramatically lower plasma LDL cholesterol concentrations and atherogenic indexes and higher plasma HDL cholesterol levels compared with the rats consuming polished rice or unpolished rice with high fat and cholesterol diet. Dongchunghacho rice led to less total lipid and total cholesterol accumulation in liver. However, these significant reductions in plasma or hepatic lipid profiles were not closely correlated with fecal total lipid or total cholesterol excretion. The plasma concentration of total cholesterol and triglycerides were not affected by Dongchunghacho rice. This hypolipidemic effect of Dongchunghacho rice seemed to be unrelated to unpolished rice itself, because the plasma and hepatic lipid profiles of DR group were not different from that of the HC group. These results suggest that unpolished rice containing cultivated Cordyceps militaris can improve plasma and hepatic lipid profiles in rats fed with high fat-high cholesterol diet.

CysQ of $Cryptosporidium$ $parvum$, a Protozoa, May Have Been Acquired from Bacteria by Horizontal Gene Transfer

  • Lee, Ji-Young;Kim, Sang-Soo
    • Genomics & Informatics
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.9-15
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    • 2012
  • Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the movement of genetic material between kingdoms and is considered to play a positive role in adaptation. $Cryptosporidium$ $parvum$ is a parasitic protozoan that causes an infectious disease. Its genome sequencing reported 14 bacteria-like proteins in the nuclear genome. Among them, cgd2_1810, which has been annotated as CysQ, a sulfite synthesis pathway protein, is listed as one of the candidates of genes horizontally transferred from bacterial origin. In this report, we examined this issue using phylogenetic analysis. Our BLAST search showed that $C.$ $parvum$ CysQ protein had the highest similarity with that of proteobacteria. Analysis with NCBI's Conserved Domain Tree showed phylogenetic incongruence, in that $C.$ $parvum$ CysQ protein was located within a branch of proteobacteria in the cd01638 domain, a bacterial member of the inositol monophosphatase family. According to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, the sulfate assimilation pathway, where CysQ plays an important role, is well conserved in most eukaryotes as well as prokaryotes. However, the Apicomplexa, including $C.$ $parvum$, largely lack orthologous genes of the pathway, suggesting its loss in those protozoan lineages. Therefore, we conclude that $C.$ $parvum$ regained cysQ from proteobacteria by HGT, although its functional role is elusive.

Comparative Study on Dietary Life of Southeast Asian Workers Living in South Korea (한국거주 동남아 노동자의 식생활 실태 비교분석)

  • Lee, Eun Jung;Lee, Kyung-Ran
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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    • v.30 no.4
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    • pp.422-431
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    • 2015
  • This study analyzed the dietary status of Southeast Asian workers living in South Korea in order to provide basic data to develop a program that allows workers to map desirable eating habits while living in Korea. Questionnaires were completed by 251 Southeast East Asian workers living in South Korea. From our study, we found that respondents ate three meals a day, and Vietnamese had less regular meal times than others. Thai, Cambodian, and Myanmar workers ate snacks several times a day, as they did in their own countries. For adapting Korean food, Vietnamese and Cambodian workers had difficulties due to spicy and salty flavors while Thai and Myanmar works had difficulties due to unfamiliar ingredients and cooking method. Thai workers were the fastest to adapt to Korean food, and the Thai ratio of eating homeland food daily was highest. Male respondents ate more often than women. Workers had access to cooking facilities in their house and usually ate more homeland food than workers that did not have access to cooking facilities. By providing understanding of dietary patterns of Southeast Asian workers, these results can be used as basic data to develop a program for Korean food adaptation.