• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.211-220
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• 2018

Nitric oxide (NO) has an important role in oocyte maturation and embryonic development in mammals. This study examined the effect of exogenous NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) in a maturation medium on meiotic progression and embryonic development after parthenogenesis (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in pigs. When oocytes were exposed to $0.1{\mu}M$ SNAP for first 22 h of in vitro maturation (IVM) in Experiment 1, SNAP significantly improved blastocyst development in both defined and standard follicular fluid-supplemented media compared to untreated control (48.4 vs. 31.7-42.5%). SNAP treatment significantly arrested meiotic progression of oocytes at the germinal vesicle stage at 11 h of IVM (61.2 vs. 38.7%). However, there was no effect on meiotic progression at 22 h of IVM (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, when oocytes were treated with SNAP at 0.001, 0.1 and $10{\mu}M$ during the first 22 h of IVM to determine a suitable concentration, $0.1{\mu}M$ SNAP (54.2%) exhibited a higher blastocyst formation than 0 and $10{\mu}M$ SNAP (36.6 and 36.6%, respectively). Time-dependent effect of SNAP treatment was evaluated in Experiment 4. It was observed that SNAP treatment for the first 22 h of IVM significantly increased blastocyst formation compared to no treatment (57.1% vs. 46.2%). Antioxidant effect of SNAP was compared with that of cysteine. SNAP treatment significantly improved embryonic development to the blastocyst stage (49.1-51.5% vs. 34.4-37.5%) irrespective of the presence or absence of cysteine (Experiment 5). Moreover, SNAP significantly increased glutathione (GSH) content and inversely decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and mitochondrial oxidative activity in IVM oocytes. SNAP treatment during IVM showed a stimulating effect on in vitro development of SCNT embryos (Experiment 7). These results demonstrates that SNAP improves developmental competence of PA and SCNT embryos probably by maintaining the redox homeostasis through increasing GSH content and mitochondrial quality and decreasing ROS in IVM oocytes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Neurocognitive Rehabilitation
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

The study has compared normally developed children and children who were diagnosed as autism spectrum in goal management training them to observe the effect. The research was conducted to four normally developed children and four children who were diagnosed as autism spectrum, and all subjects were provided with identical goal management training. The children and the caregivers have selected desired objectives activity, and all three activities were followed by goal management training. Intervention periods were conducted ten times in total, two times a week for five weeks, and eight subjects in the two groups were trained one on one by the researcher. The training time was 40 minutes for every session. The descriptive statistics and frequency analysis were used as the statistical method, and the Mann-Whitney test, the nonparametric statistical analysis, was conducted to compare the difference between the two groups. Goal management training for two groups did not show a statistically significant difference in terms of the performance status of Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (p>.05). In the summary of Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (2nd) which evaluates the motor skill, there was a statistically significant difference between the autism spectrum disorder group and normal group (p<.05). Additionally, the two groups showed a statistically significant difference in eye-hand coordination sub-test among Developmental Test of Visual Perception (2nd) which evaluates the visual perception performance (p<.05). The research has confirmed the applicability of goal management training to children with autism spectrum compared to the normally developed children, and it has confirmed the effectiveness of the training.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.546-557
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• 2021

Objective: If fertilization does not occur within a specific period, the quality of unfertilized oocytes in the oviduct (in vivo aging) or in culture (in vitro aging) will deteriorate over time. Icariin (ICA), found in all species of Epimedium herbs, has strong antioxidant activity, and is thought to exert anti-aging effects in vitro. We asked whether ICA protects oocytes against age-related changes in vitro. Methods: We analyzed the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and expression of antioxidant, maternal, and estrogen receptor genes, and along with spindle morphology, and the developmental competence and quality of embryos in the presence and absence of ICA. Results: Treatment with 5 μM ICA (ICA-5) led to a significant reduction in ROS activity, but increased mRNA expression of glutathione and antioxidant genes (superoxide dismutase 1 [SOD1], SOD2, peroxiredoxin 5, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2), during aging in vitro. In addition, ICA-5 prevented defects in spindle formation and chromosomal alignment, and increased mRNA expression of cytoplasmic maturation factor genes (bone morphogenetic protein 15, cyclin B1, MOS proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase, and growth differentiation factor-9). It also prevented apoptosis, increased mRNA expression of antiapoptotic genes (BCL2-like 1 and baculoviral IAP repeat-containing 5), and reduced mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic genes (BCL2 antagonist/killer 1 and activation of caspase-3). Although the maturation and cleavage rates were similar in all groups, the total cell number per blastocyst and the percentage of apoptotic cells at the blastocyst stage were higher and lower, respectively, in the control and ICA-5 groups than in the aging group. Conclusion: ICA protects oocytes against damage during aging in vitro; therefore, it can be used to improve assisted reproductive technologies.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.187-206
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the compositions and characteristics in cultural programs of the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. A research method was considered the developmental aspects of Cultural Olympics in all-time Olympic Games and the cases of Cultural Olympics in a host country through a documentary research method. The compositions and characteristics in cultural programs of the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games were diversely analyzed. The results are as follows. First, a concept of a cultural program was deepened and developed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. In the wake of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, IOC published the Cultural Olympic Guide. Through the 2012 London Olympics, the Cultural Olympic Guide was revised. Second, the cultural programs of the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games showed the characteristics of image change & status and of the international exchange strengthening in a host country and a holding city. Third, in terms of cultural programs, the 1988 Seoul Olympics comprised the celebrations, performances & exhibitions amid the Culture and Arts Festival, and the International Academic Conference. The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games were composed of performances, exhibitions, festivals, humanities & experience, and educational events. Fourth, the 1988 Seoul Olympics included the key element of forming a program that equally has the characteristics with the harmony between tradition and modernity, with the promotion of the excellence in Korean traditional culture & the spread in a bond of sympathy, and with various cultures and arts in each region. Also, the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games pushed ahead with the strategy dubbed 'The Olympics in which there is culture day after day, in which provincial residents participate, and in which the cultural heritage is left' in order to systematically expedite the cultural Olympics.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.58-63
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• 2020

The ascidian Halocynthia aurantium (sea peach), which belongs to the phylum Chordata, is thought to be a valuable organism of aquaculture like H. roretzi (sea pineapple), but its biological characteristics such as development and ecology are not well known. In this study, in order to obtain basic data for H. aurantium farming, the development processes of H. aurantium inhabiting the east coast of Gangwon-do were investigated and compared with those of H. roretzi, a related species. As a result, the morphology and developmental stages of the fertilized eggs, embryos and larvae of H. aurantium were very similar to those of H. roretzi. Fertilized eggs of H. aurantium took about 42.1 hours to hatch at 11℃, almost similar to 40.9 hours of H. roretzi. The time required for larvae to metamorphose into juveniles after hatching was very similar between the two species. The hatched larvae of the two species became juveniles with oral and atrial siphons after 23 days at 11℃. Both types of embryos developed slowly in seawater at low temperatures and rapidly developed at high temperatures. Fertilized eggs of H. aurantium hatched in an average of 62.3 hours at 9℃, 42.1 hours at 11℃, and 36.3 hours at 13℃, whereas those of H. roretzi hatched in an average of 60.4 hours, 40.9 hours, and 35.2 hours. Most of H. aurantium embryos did not develop normally above 15℃, so it is thought that attention is needed in the seed production processes.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.133-144
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• 2020

This study is a new proposal for the methods of actor training and role creation in the contemporary theater and an approach to the practical utilization of the performer, regarding the actor's 'presence' as the essence of living arts, a peculiarity of theater. As the method for this, this study sorts out Vakhangov and Mikhail Chekhov's elements of acting techniques and at the same time, allows an easier approach to the theoretical concept based on the performance records found in the developmental process. The magic realism and the technique of acting discussed in priority in this study emphasize the importance of the exploration and realization of artistic inspiration in everyday life, the actor's imagination and image, and unconsciousness as a method for creating new actors and diversifying their roles. When their common views are summed up, the goals to achieve include a study of a creative method in which outer form and inner truth are combined and the implementation of a new system for creating the individual actor's originality. This study would classify the similarities and differences found through this, reveal the limit of practical efficacy and propose it as a universal method for creating the roles, asking for the actor's voluntary training and active attitudes.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.70-76
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• 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with underlying diseases, is associated with high infection and mortality rates, which may result in acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type II is a progressive metabolic disorder that stems from cellular accumulation of the glycosaminoglycans, heparan, and dermatan sulfate. Upper and lower airway obstruction and restrictive pulmonary diseases are common complaints of patients with MPS, and respiratory infections of bacterial or viral origin could result in fatal outcomes. We report a case of COVID-19 in a 16-year-old adolescent with MPS type II, who had been treated with idursulfase since 5 years of age. Prior to infection, the patient's clinical history included developmental delays, abdominal distension, snoring, and facial dysmorphism. His primary complaints at the time of admission included rhinorrhea, cough, and sputum without fever or increased oxygen demand. His heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation were within the normal biological reference intervals, and chest radiography revealed no signs of pneumonia. Consequently, supportive therapy and quarantine were recommended. The patient experienced an uneventful course of COVID-19 despite underlying MPS type II, which may be the result of an unfavorable host cell environment and changes in expression patterns of proteins involved in interactions with viral proteins. Moreover, elevated serum heparan sulfate in patients with MPS may compete with cell surface heparan sulfate, which is essential for successful interaction between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and the host cell surface, thereby protecting against intracellular penetration by SARS-CoV-2.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.479-486
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• 2022

Midlife is a critical time when people look back on their life and evaluate it from current state. In middle age, there is a satisfaction with achievement and a sense of crisis between reality and expectation. Research on pastoral counseling in the middle age to minimize problems and conflicts that occur in the transition period of crisis or opportunity is meaningful. Based on biblical principles, pastoral counseling should be able to help the client's needs and development tasks to be reproduced into a meaningful life on the basic premise of a realistic meeting with God. Therefore, through a literature review, the developmental views of Jung, Ericsson, Levinson, and the pioneers of middle-aged research, were examined. From this realistic point of view, the integration of pastoral counseling and reality therapy is considered to be very useful by allowing the harmony of internal dialogue and behavior to start together through the feasible realistic behavior and responsibility of one's choice. Insights on oneself and specific counseling methods of realistic therapy will present a new type of counseling through integration with pastoral counseling. Therefore after examining the theoretical background and characteristics of reality therapy, we intend to help overcome the middle-aged crisis through the meeting pastoral counseling and reality therapy.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-47
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• 2023

The black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), is an important crop pest worldwide that feeds more than 80 plant species including cabbage, potato, maize, wheat and bean, and this moth is a typical pest attacking underground parts of crops. It has been known in farm booklets that the larvae of A. ipsilon overwinter in the soil in Korea, but no definitive data exist yet. This study was conducted to evaluate that the specific appearance time of A. ipsilon observed actually in the field could be explained when we assumed that this pest overwinters in a form of larvae or pupae. Degree day-based phenology models were applied for tracking forward or backward to find the predicted developmental stage which developed at a specific stage found in the field. As a result of the analysis, it was confirmed that an initial population could be established in a group that does not overwinter as larvae or pupae in Korea. In other words, the appearance of adults in early March to April could not be explained by the presence of domestic overwintering populations. Populations that overwinter as larvae or pupae in Korea were able to emerge as adults in June to July at the earliest. Therefore, the group of adults appearing in early spring is highly likely to be a population that migrated from outside Korea. Taken together, it was estimated that the colony of A. ipsilon in Korea would be formed by a mixture of a migrant population through long-distance migration and a overwintering population.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.1022-1033
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• 2023

Objective: p66Shc, a 66 kDa protein isoform encoded by the proto-oncogene SHC, is an essential intracellular redox homeostasis regulatory enzyme that is involved in the regulation of cellular oxidative stress, apoptosis induction and the occurrence of multiple age-related diseases. This study investigated the expression profile and functional characteristics of p66Shc during preimplantation embryo development in sheep. Methods: The expression pattern of p66Shc during preimplantation embryo development in sheep at the mRNA and protein levels were studied by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunofluorescence staining. The effect of p66Shc knockdown on the developmental potential were evaluated by cleavage rate, morula rate and blastocyst rate. The effect of p66Shc deficiency on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA oxidative damage and the expression of antioxidant enzymes (e.g., catalase and manganese superoxide dismutase [MnSOD]) were also investigated by immunofluorescence staining. Results: Our results showed that p66Shc mRNA and protein were expressed in all stages of sheep early embryos and that p66Shc mRNA was significantly downregulated in the 4-to 8-cell stage (p<0.05) and significantly upregulated in the morula and blastocyst stages after embryonic genome activation (EGA) (p<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed that the p66Shc protein was mainly located in the peripheral region of the blastomere cytoplasm at different stages of preimplantation embryonic development. Notably, serine (Ser36)-phosphorylated p66Shc localized only in the cytoplasm during the 2- to 8-cell stage prior to EGA, while phosphorylated (Ser36) p66Shc localized not only in the cytoplasm but also predominantly in the nucleus after EGA. RNAi-mediated silencing of p66Shc via microinjection of p66Shc siRNA into sheep zygotes resulted in significant decreases in p66Shc mRNA and protein levels (p<0.05). Knockdown of p66Shc resulted in significant declines in the levels of intracellular ROS (p<0.05) and the DNA damage marker 8-hydroxy2'-deoxyguanosine (p<0.05), markedly increased MnSOD levels (p<0.05) and resulted in a tendency to develop to the morula stage. Conclusion: These results indicate that p66Shc is involved in the metabolic regulation of ROS production and DNA oxidative damage during sheep early embryonic development.