ASL estimation of public building is based on how appropriate the maximum age of the asset is derived based on the age record of the asset in the statistical data owned by public institutions. This is because we get a 'constrained' ASL by that number. And it is especially true because other studies have assumed that the building is an Iowa curve R3. Also, in this study, the survival rate is 1% as the threshold value at which the survival curve and the predictable life curve almost coincide. Rather than a theoretical basis, in the national statistical survey, the value of residual assets was recognized from the net value of 10% of the acquisition value when the average service life has elapsed, and 1% when doubling the average service life has elapsed. It is based on the setting mentioned above. The biggest constraint in fitting statistical data to the Iowa curve is that the maximum ASL is selected at R3 150%, and the 'constrained' ASL is calculated by the proportional expression on the assumption that the Iowa curve is followed. In like manner constraints were considered. First, the R3 disposal curve for the RCC(reinforced cement concrete) building was prepared according to the discarding method in the 2000 work, and it was jointly worked on with the National Statistical Office to secure the maximum amount of vintage data, but the lacking of sample size must be acknowledged. Even after that, the National Statistical Office and the Bank of Korea have been working on estimating the Iowa curve for each asset class in the I-O table. Another limitation is that the asset classification uses the broad classification of buildings as a subcategory. Second, if there were such assets with a lifespan of 115 years that were acquired in 1905 and disposed of in 2020, these discarded data would be omitted from this ASL calculation. Third, it is difficult to estimate the correct Iowa curve based on the stub-curve even if there is disposal data because Korea has a relatively shorter construction history, accumulated economic wealth since the 1980’s. In other words, “constrained” ASL is an under-estimation of its ASL. Considering the fact that Korea was an economically developing country in the past and during rapid economic development, environmental factors such as asset accumulation and economic ability should be considered. Korea has a short period of accumulation of economic wealth, and the history of 'proper' architectures faithful to building regulations and principles is short and as a result, buildings 'not built properly' and 'proper' architectures are mixed. In this study, ASL of RCC public building was estimated at 70 years.
Lovenia elongata is a member of the family Loveniidae and is one of the most common tropical echinoids. This species has a broad distribution range in the sub- and tropical regions of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, extending from the Mozambique to the Hawaiian Islands, and from southern Japan to northern Australia. It is commonly found in subtidal areas and on coral reefs within these regions. This species was for the first time recorded from the Ulleungdo Island, Korea. This species is characterized by a teardrop-shaped test that reaches up to 5 cm in length, with a deep groove at the front and tapered at the back end. The petaloid is not obvious, and the primary spines are long and banded. This study is the first to report the newly recorded L. elongata in Korea.
This study examined the subacute oral toxicity of Dendropanax morbiferus H.Lév leaves hot-water extracts (DMWE) using male and female Spargue-Dawley rats. Rats were orally administered the DMWE at dose levels of 0, 250, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg body weight (BW) for four weeks. For experimental period, clinical signs and the number of deaths were examined, and feed intake and BW of all experimental animals were measured once a week for four weeks. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from all rats, and all animals were euthanized and autopsies were performed to collect major organs. No dead animals were found during the experimental period. In addition, no differences were found between control and DMWE-treated groups in feed intakes, BW changes, organ weights, clinical signs, hematological parameters, and serum biochemical parameters. The results of this study provided evidence that oral administration of DMWE at the dose of 2,000 mg/kg BW is safe in rats and may not exert severe toxic effects.
In this study, the acute toxicity of Dendropanax morbiferus H.Lév leaf hot-water extracts (DMWE) was examined in male and female ICR mice. Mice were orally administered the DMWE at dose levels of 0, 250, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg body weight (BW) for single-dose toxicity test. There were no significant differences in change of BW between control and all DMWE treated-groups. In hematological and blood biochemical analysis, none of the parameters were affected by the DMWE. Similarly, there were no significant effects on markers for liver and kidney functions in all DMWE treated-groups. Since there were no adverse effects of the DMWE in single oral toxicity tests, even at the highest doses, it was concluded that the lethal dose 50 (LD50) of DMWE is estimated at > 2,000 mg/kg BW.
Pseudo-pheochromocytoma is defined as an adrenal tumor that has the typical characteristics of pheochromocytoma likely hypertension but is histopathologically diagnosed to other types of adrenal tumors. 11-year-old, castrated male Maltese presented for a left adrenal mass with hypertension. According to clinical signs and radiological features, a temporary diagnosis was made of pheochromocytoma. The adrenalectomy was performed and the histopathological examination of the resected adrenal gland was diagnosed as cortical adenocarcinoma. This report describes the case of pseudo-pheochromocytoma in a dog and implies the salience that even if pheochromocytoma is diagnosed based on all test results, pseudo-pheochromocytoma should not be excluded.
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are members of the family Orthomyxoviridae and genus Orthomyxovirus. Avian and mammalian species are the host of IAVs, which includes humans and dogs. Canine influenza virus (CIV) is an emerging pathogen that causes severe and acute respiratory diseases in dogs. This study monitored the antigen and antibody against CIV in dogs in the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 2016 to 2021. One thousand and seventy-two nasal swabs and 1,545 blood samples were collected from animal hospitals and animal shelters. Five nasal swabs in 2017 and seven in 2018 from stray dogs were positive for CIV according to RT-PCR. The prevalence of H3N2 CIV ranged from 9.5% to 24.8%, according to the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. On the other hand, none of the serum samples from 2018 to 2021 showed seropositivity against the avian H5, H7, and H9 viruses. The HI titers for H3N2 ranged from 16 to 512. The distribution of HI titer 16–32 was 57.6% in seropositive samples. The pet dogs were vaccinated against CIV, but the stray and military dogs were unvaccinated. In 2017 and 2018, the seroprevalence of CIV in stray dogs was higher than in the other years, and viral RNA was detected in nasal swabs. It may mean previous exposure of stray dogs to CIV. With the increasing number of pet dogs and the close contact between humans and dogs, canines could serve as an intermediate host for transmitting IAVs to humans. Therefore, continuous surveillance of CIV is needed for public health and the potential emergence of novel zoonotic viruses.
Salinity is a major abiotic stress for crop plants that cause reduced food production. The application of plant growth-promoting microorganisms can improve the adaptability of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to enhance the mitigation effects of artificially applied rhizobacterium Klebsiella variicola AY13 on salinity stress in Trifolium repens L. The results suggested that AY13 innately produced indole-3-acetic acid and accelerated the morphological adaptation of T. repens to salt stress conditions. Furthermore, AY13 promotes a Trp-dependent pathway for indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, as adding L-tryptophan (L-Trp) increased IAA production in pure culture. AY13 improved plant growth by maintaining relative water content and minimizing water loss in excised leaves. Moreover, AY13 inoculation significantly reduced the endogenous levels of abscisic acid and antioxidants such as glutathione and catalase. These results suggest that AY13 plays a crucial role in reprogramming stress-related metabolism and enhancing plant stress tolerance.
Protoplasts were isolated from the primary leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seedlings 10 days after in vitro germination. The leaves were stripped and incubated in an enzyme mixture consisting of 1.2% Cellulase R-10 and 0.3% Macerozyme R-10 in cell and protoplast washing solution (CPW) overnight. The average protoplast yield was 8.25 x 106 protoplasts per g of fresh leaf tissue. When protoplasts were cultured at a density of 3.0 × 105 protoplasts/mL in agarose solid KM8P/KM8 medium, first and second divisions were observed in the protoplasts within a week. Protoplast-derived microcolonies formed after 4 weeks of culture, and visible colonies were present after 3 months of culture. Protoplast-derived microcalli were transferred to Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L kinetin and 0.1 mg/L NAA and incubated in the light for 3 weeks. They grew into callus, which then regenerated into plants after 7 weeks of culture. The regenerated plants grew as apparently normal flowering fertile plants.
담낭암은 드물지만 치명적인 악성 종양으로 초기에는 증상이 없어 대부분의 담낭암이 늦게 진단되고, 급속하게 인접 장기로 전이되기 때문에 예후가 불량하다. 따라서 담낭암을 조기에 발견하는 경우는 드물고, 담낭담석이나 용종으로 수술적 절제를 시행한 후 우연히 발견되는 때가 대부분이다. 저자들은 급성 무결석 담낭염 환자에서 초음파 내시경을 통해 비교적 조기에 담낭관암을 발견하여 성공적으로 치료할 수 있었던 증례를 경험하였다. 이에 문헌고찰과 함께 보고한다.
With respect to the geologic repository, intrusion of groundwater has been considered as a major factor that can transfer radionuclides to the natural environment. Moreover, the migration of radionuclides in the natural groundwater system is significantly influenced by the interaction between the radionuclides and groundwater constituents. Among various hydrogeochemical reactions, hydrolysis is one of the major reactions that can affect the aqueous solubility of radionuclides. Therefore, a precise understanding of relevant chemical thermodynamic behavior is of cardinal importance for the reliable prediction of migration/retardation behavior of radionuclides in the natural groundwater system. The objective of the present work is to investigate the solubility behavior of Nd(OH)3(s) to provide relevant chemical thermodynamic data of Nd(III) as a chemical analogy of major radiotoxic elements such as Am(III) and Cm(III). All the experiments were performed with Ar gas-filled glovebox under inert atmospheric condition. The aqueous Nd(III) solution was prepared by dissolution of 0.5 g NdCl3·6H2O (Sigma-Aldrich) in 10 ml of deionized water. The Nd(III) solid phase was precipitated by dropwise addition of ca. 10 ml of 4 M NaOH (Sigma-Aldrich). The Nd(III) precipitate was identified to be crystalline Nd(OH)3(s) nanorod by using XRD and TEM. For the solubility experiment, the solid Nd(OH)3(s) was equilibrated at the pH range from 5.0 to 9.0 at 0.1 M NaCl condition. The total concentration of the Nd(III) was quantified by using UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy and ICP-MS after the phase separation. In the present work, the solubility behavior of the solid Nd(OH)3(s) phase was investigated by using colorimetric analysis. The chemical thermodynamic data obtained in this study are expected to enhance the reliability of solubility prediction for the trivalent lanthanides and actinides.
According to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) Notice No. 2021-26 “Delivery Regulations for the Low- and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste (LILW)”, the activity of 3H, 14C, 55Fe, 58Co, 60Co, 59Ni, 63Ni, 90Sr, 94Nb, 99Tc, 129I, 137Cs, 144Ce, and gross alpha must be identified. Currently, the scaling factor of the dry active waste (DAW) for LILW is applied as an indirect evaluation method in Korea. The analyses are used the destructive methods and 55Fe, 60Co, 59Ni, 63Ni, 90Sr, 94Nb, 99Tc, and 137Cs, which are classified as nonvolatile nuclides, are separated through sequential separation and then measured by gamma detector, liquid scintillation counter (LSC), alpha/beta total counter (Gas Proportional Counter, GPC), and ICP-MS. We will introduce how to apply the existing nuclide separation method and improve the measurement method to supplement it.
The radioactive Sr-90, which is formed from beta decay, is well known as one of the most commonly detected nuclides in radioactive waste. In 2015, it was reported that Sr-90 was observed in some soil and metal wastes among the 516 drums of radioactive waste transferred from the decommissioning site of the Korea Research Reactor (in Seoul) to the disposal site (in Gyeongju). Decontamination and sequestration of radionuclides, including Sr, from nuclear waste is important because they are hazardous and harmful to the ecological environment. Immobilization of these nuclides using a zeolite framework is suitable and simple method that has been widely studied. Therefore, it is still necessary to continuously explore the thermal stability of various zeolites and environmental changes around adsorbed cations in zeolite pore for effective immobilization of these radionuclides. In this study, we observed the thermal stability in fully Sr-exchanged natrolite (Sr-NAT), one of small-pore zeolite, from room temperature to 350°C using the in-situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis. In addition, we investigated the structural changes in Sr-NAT during temperature increase by Rietveld analysis. Sr-NAT exhibited apparent zero thermal expansions (ZTE) with the thermal expansion coefficients of -3(1) × 10-6 at the initial stage of increasing the temperature due to dehydration process. In the section from 250°C to 300°C, a phenomenon like negative thermal expansion (NTE) occurs in which the unit cell volume of Sr-NAT decreases despite the increase in temperature. Sr-NAT maintained well its crystallinity up to 350°C, and it became amorphous at 350°C. In this study, we provide a fundamental understanding of the structural changes and thermal stability mechanism of Sr-exchaged zeolite natrolite with increasing temperature.