The objective of this study was to assess the effects of gypsum application on dry matter yield (DMY), mineral content of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and soil properties in reclaimed tidal land in South Korea. The experiment was conducted in Seokmun, located on the west coast of South Korea, which is reclaimed with approximately 70 cm depth of degraded island soil. Treatments consisted of a control with no gypsum application (G0), 2 ton ha-1 (G2), and 4 ton ha-1 (G4) of gypsum application. The first harvest was carried out when the alfalfa reached 10% flowering, and subsequent harvests were conducted at 35-day intervals. Over the three-year experimental periods (2019-2021), the total DMY of G2 treatment was significantly higher than those of G0 and G4 (p<0.05). Although both G2 and G4 gypsum application treatments lowered soil pH, the G4 treatment increased the electrical conductivity (EC) content of the soil. Additionally, gypsum application affected the mineral contents of alfalfa, resulting in reduced concentration of sodium (Na) and Magnesium (Mg). Therefore, this present study suggests that a gypsum application rate of 2 ton ha-1 is optimal for improving alfalfa dry matter yield and mineral balance, as well as enhancing soil chemical properties in reclaimed tidal land in South Korea.

Maca has been reported to alleviate male menopause symptoms in humans and experimental animals; however, its mechanism of action in improving male menopause has not been clearly identified. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of gelatinized maca in improving male menopause by analyzing serum testosterone, testicular androgen receptor (AR) expression, and testicular oxidation-antioxidation balance. Gelatinized maca was administered orally to aged male C57BL/6 mice at three doses (500, 1,000, and 1,500 mg/kg/day) for 28 consecutive days. Serum biochemical analysis showed an increase in serum hydroxysteroid 17-beta-dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17β13) concentration at 1,500 mg/kg/day and a decrease in serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentration at ≥ 1,000 mg/kg/day. Gelatinized maca administration also resulted in the increased expression levels of testicular AR and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB) at 1,500 mg/kg/day. Oxidative stress analysis showed an increase in testicular superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase activities and a decrease in testicular malondialdehyde at 1,500 mg/kg/day. In conclusion, gelatinized maca administration to aged male mice increased HSD17β13, AR and CREB expression, and antioxidant capacity and decreased serum SHBG. The results of the present study suggest that gelatinized maca may be a useful substance that can help alleviate male menopause symptoms.

곤충 Laccifer lacca의 분비물인 stick lac에서 얻어지는 락색소는 물에 용해되는 붉은색 식용 색소로, 식품에 붉 은 색을 더하는 착색제이다. 주요 성분은 안트라퀴논계 기 반의 laccaic acid로 A, B, C, D, E로 구성된다. 본 연구 의 목적은 HPLC-DAD를 활용하여 laccaic acid를 정량적 으로 분석할 수 있는 방법을 검증하는 것과 섭취 노출량 을 산출하는 것이다. 제안된 분석법은 특이성, 선형성, LOD, LOQ, 정확성, 정확도 등 다양한 검증 항목에서 평 가되었으며, 매트릭스 효과 또한 충분히 고려되었다. 모든 매트릭스에서 검량선은 높은 선형성 (R20.999)을 보였고, 락색소의 MDL과 MQL은 각각 1.93 mg/kg와 5.86 mg/ kg로 확인되었다. 일내 및 일간 회수율 시험에서 정확도 는 91.5-100.9% 사이였고, 정밀도는 0.8-2.6%RSD로 AOAC 기준을 충족하였다. 한국에서 유통되는 다양한 식 품들을 수집하여 락색소를 모니터링하여 식품 유형별 락 색소 섭취 노출량을 평가하였다. 락색소 섭취 수준의 범 위는 국민전체, 섭취자 각각 0.0000-0.0027 mg/kg·bw/day 와 0.0000 -0.0306 mg/kg·bw/day였다. 개발된 분석법은 다 양한 식품 유형에 적용 가능하여 락색소 추출물의 효과적 인 모니터링을 가능하게 하며, 섭취량 평가를 통해 락색 소의 안전성 평가에 추가적으로 활용될 수 있을 것이다.

Background: During daily activities, stability is maintained to enhance the function of muscles surrounding the lumbopelvic and hip structures. The core muscles such as the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and internal oblique (IO) responsible for this stability. One effective static exercise for strengthening these muscles is the plank. Objects: This study aimed to compare abdominal electromyographic activation when an unstable support surface was applied to the upper and lower extremities during a standard and a knee plank. Methods: A total of 30 adults (15 males and 15 females) participated in this study. Surface electromyography electrodes were placed on the RA, EO, and IO muscles. Data were collected under six conditions for males, including two plank postures (standard and knee planks) and three unstable surface conditions (a dynamic balance cushion applied to the upper extremities, lower extremities, or no cushion). Female participants performed only the knee plank. A mixed-effects model with a random intercept was used to analyze muscle activation across plank posture and surface position, with statistical significance set at α = 0.05. Results: In males, the standard plank elicited greater muscle activation than the knee plank across all muscles (p < 0.0001). Additionally, applying an unstable support surface to the upper extremities significantly increased muscle activation in both plank postures in EO and IO (p < 0.001). Other muscle, RA, was only affected by the unstable support surface in the standard plank position only. In females, the knee plank with upper limb instability resulted in the highest muscle activation for all muscles. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of surface instability in core muscle engagement. However, future studies should further investigate abdominal muscle activation with a more detailed analysis and the inclusion of a control group to enhance comparative validity.

The role of the gut microbiota in colorectal cancer (CRC) development has garnered attention, highlighting probiotics as potential adjuncts in CRC prevention and treatment. In recent years, probiotics and their derivatives have demonstrated mechanisms that may contribute to anticancer properties. This study investigates the cytotoxic effects of Bifidobacterium bifidum KCTC 3357, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus KCTC 5033, Limosilactobacillus reuteri VA 103, Bacillus galactosidilyticus VA 107, and Lactococcus taiwanensis VE101 on CT-26 mouse colon carcinoma cells using live cells, heat-killed cells (paraprobiotics), and cell-free supernatants (CFS, postbiotics) through an MTT assay. The results indicate that live bacterial strains, such as KCTC 3357, VA 103, and VA 107, promoted CT-26 cell viability, while heat-killed cells and CFS exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity. Inactivated forms of KCTC 3357 and VE 101, as well as CFS at 10 mg/mL concentration of KCTC 5033, VA 103, and VE 101, showed the strongest antiproliferative effects. These findings suggest that non-viable probiotic derivatives, such as paraprobiotics and postbiotics, offer promising therapeutic potential for CRC, providing a safer and more stable alternative to live probiotics. However, further research is required to explore their mechanisms of action, in vivo efficacy, and potential clinical applications.

본 연구는 기능성 화장품 소재 개발을 목표로 효모 유래 MPC의 세포 생리활성을 조사하였 다. 피부 세포주에 처리된 Cu와 Zn 이온 모두 세포 독성이 확인되었지만, 정제된 MPC는 결합된 금속 이온의 세포 독성을 획기적으로 제거하였다. 게다가 특정 농도의 MPC는 대조군과 비교하여 세포 생존 율을 오히려 약 20% 증가시켰다. MPC 중 효모 펩타이드-Cu(YP-Cu)는 UVB 자극으로 유도되는 세포 내 활성산소의 양을 약 30% 정도 유의하게 감소시켰지만, YP-Zn은 영향을 미치지 못했다. 또한, YP-Cu 처리는 피부 세포에서 콜라겐 유전자의 발현량을 2배 증가시켰고, 프로콜라겐 분비량은 1.7배 증 가시켰으며, UVB 자극에 의한 콜라겐 유전자의 발현 저해에도 효과적으로 대응했다. 결론적으로, 유리 금속 이온 자체는 세포독성 효과로 인해 화장품 소재에 적합하지 않지만, 정제된 MPC, 특히 YP-Cu는 이러한 금속 이온의 독성을 효과적으로 상쇄하고 세포 생존율을 향상시킬 뿐만 아니라, UVB 자극에 따 른 유해 효과를 완화하기 때문에 잠재적 기능성 화장품 소재로 사용될 수 있다.

Photometric and spectroscopic observations of GV Leo were performed from 2017 to 2024. The light curves show a flat bottom at the primary eclipse and the conventional O’Connell effect. The echelle spectra reveal that the effective temperature and rotation velocity of the more massive secondary are Teff,2 = 5220 ± 120 K and v2 sin i = 223 ± 40 kms−1, respectively. Our binary modeling indicates that the program target is a W-subclass contact binary with a mass ratio of q = 5.48, an inclination angle of i = 81.◦68, a temperature difference of (Teff,1 − Teff,2) = 154 K, and a filling factor of f = 36%. The light asymmetries were reasonably modeled by a dark starspot on the secondary’s photosphere. Including our 26 minimum epochs, 84 times of minimum light were used to investigate the orbital period of the system. We found that the eclipse times of GV Leo have varied by a sinusoid with a period of 14.9 years and a semi-amplitude of 0.0076 days superimposed on a downward parabola. The periodic modulation is interpreted as a light time effect produced by an unseen outer tertiary with a minimum mass of 0.26 M⊙, while the parabolic component is thought to be a combination of mass transfer (secondary to primary) and angular momentum loss driven by magnetic braking. The circumbinary tertiary would have caused the eclipsing pair of GV Leo to evolve into its current short-period contact state by removing angular momentum from the primordial widish binary.

Galaxy evolution studies require the measurement of the physical properties of galaxies at different redshifts. In this work, we build supervised machine learning models to predict the redshift and physical properties (gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass, and star formation rate) of star-forming galaxies from the broad-band and medium-band photometry covering optical to near-infrared wavelengths, and present an evaluation of the model performance. Using 55 magnitudes and colors as input features, the optimized model can predict the galaxy redshift with an accuracy of σ(Δz/1+z) = 0.008 for a redshift range of z < 0.4. The gas-phase metallicity [12 + log(O/H)], stellar mass [log(Mstar)], and star formation rate [log(SFR)] can be predicted with the accuracies of σNMAD = 0.081, 0.068, and 0.19 dex, respectively. When magnitude errors are included, the scatter in the predicted values increases, and the range of predicted values decreases, leading to biased predictions. Near-infrared magnitudes and colors (H, K, and H −K), along with optical colors in the blue wavelengths (m425–m450), are found to play important roles in the parameter prediction. Additionally, the number of input features is critical for ensuring good performance of the machine learning model. These results align with the underlying scaling relations between physical parameters for star-forming galaxies, demonstrating the potential of using medium-band surveys to study galaxy scaling relations with large sample of galaxies.

식품첨가물 카민과 코치닐 추출물은 붉은 색을 띄는 색 소로, 주로 코치닐 곤충에서 유래하며 카민산이 주요 성 분으로 사탕, 어묵과 같이 널리 소비되는 식품에 일반적 으로 사용되고 있다. 최근 카민산은 특정 단백질과 관련된 알레르기 반응과 연관이 있는 것으로 보고되고 있다. 본 연 구는 highperformance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD)와 C18 UG120 컬럼을 사용하 여 카민산을 정량시험법을 개발하고 밸리데이션을 수행하 였다. HPLC 최적 분석조건은 이동상 (A)물-트리플루오로 아세트산(trifluoroacetic acid, TFA) 0.1% 및 (B)아세토니트 릴-TFA 0.1%, 유속 1.0 mL/min, 컬럼온도 30oC에서 수행하 였으며, 검량선(0.2-50 mg/L) 범위에서 우수한 결정계수 (r2≥0.9999)를 보였다. 또한, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)를 활용한 정성 분석을 통해 limit of detection (LOD) 0.05 mg/k, limit of quantification (LOQ) 0.15 mg/kg을 보였다. 또한, 일내 및 일간 밸리데이 션에서 정확도(87.3-97.1%, 회수율)와 정밀도(0.48-8.90%, 상대표준편차)이었으며, 측정 불확도 또한 추정하였다. 개 발된 분석법은 다양한 식품 유형에 적용 가능하며, 카민과 코치닐 추출물의 모니터링을 통해 카민산과 관련된 잠재적 인 문제가능성을 확인하는 데 활용될 수 있을 것으로 사료 된다.