This study analyzed the temporal and spatial characteristics of water quality for five hydropower dam reservoirs in South Korea. Water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) showed high fluctuations in summer and autumn at all reservoirs, indicating the existence of seasonal effects. At all five reservoirs, the concentrations of suspended solids (SS) and total nitrogen (TN) fell under the “slightly bad” category and those of total organic carbon (TOC) fell under the “slightly good” category or higher, according to “the standard for living environment of lake water quality.” Variations in the concentration ranges and degrees of change in SS, TN, and TOC among reservoirs were observed, indicating the influences of rainfall, surrounding environments, and seasonal changes. Daecheong and Namgang Dam showed high Chl-a concentrations in summer, indicating that the metabolism of microbial communities, such as algae, was active.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the vegetation recovery status of Mudeungsan National Park Jungmeorijae, Jeungsimsa district restoration site, and the Shimwon Valley ecological landscape restoration site in Jirisan National Park. Compared to the control plots, the Jungmeorijae restoration site was analyzed to have height growth of about 73.5%, the average species diversity index of about 75.2%. and the average similarity index was recovered to 7.75%. In the case of the restoration site in Jeungsimsa district, the height growth compared to the control plots was about 69.2%, the average species diversity index was about 55.0%. and the average similarity index was recovered to 25.65%. In the case of the Shimwon Valley ecological landscape restoration area, the height growth compared to the control plots was about 32.6%, the average species diversity index about 176.7%. and the average similarity index was recovered to 0.85%. The restoration site of the Jeungsimsa district was planted with relatively large trees during restoration work, and it took a relatively long time(20 years). Also, the site had less limiting factors due to the low elevation, allowing the degree of vegetation recovery to be higher than that of other sites.
Production of lettuce under indoor cultivation is highly affected by light intensity. In this study, we used shade cloth (commercial black net) to examine the effect of these condition on growth without an associated yield penalty of container-grown lettuce. Four levels of shading treatments (0%, 35%, 55%, and 75% referred to as Cont., S35, S55, and S75 with respect to Cont.) and two lettuce varieties (red and blue) were evaluated. Variety-specific growth responses were observed with respect to different levels of shading treatments. High growth of red lettuce was occurred in Cont. treatment despite plant height and leaf length being higher than Cont. However, under 35% shading treatment blue lettuce was higher than in control plants. The highest root length was observed 0% shading (Cont.) of both varieties. These results reinforce the idea that blue lettuce is the better leafy vegetable rather than red lettuce for indoor cultivation related to lower light intensity environment conditions.
To identify rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars suitable for Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.)–rice double cropping systems, we investigated the yield and grain quality of four different midseason maturing rice cultivars (‘Daebo’, ‘Haepum’, ‘Haiami’, and ‘Samdeog’) and four midseason-to-late maturing rice cultivars (‘Hyunpoom’, ‘Saeilmi’, ‘Saenuri’, and ‘Samkwang’) in single rice cropping and Italian ryegrass–rice double cropping systems in paddy fields of Miryang, South Korea. We found that organic matter and available P2O5 content slightly decreased, whereas Na content increased, in the soil where Italian ryegrass was cultivated during winter compared to that in the soil that remained fallow during winter. The pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, and contents of K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+ decreased, whereas the available P2O5 content slightly increased, in the soil where rice was harvested in both single and double cropping systems. However, compared to the optimum soil conditions for rice cultivation, available P2O5 and K+ content were high and Mg2+ content was low in both single and double cropping systems. At the heading stage, the culm length and leaf color slightly increased in most of the rice cultivars, whereas the panicle length and number slightly decreased, in the double cropped system. After harvesting, spikelet number and milled rice yield did not show a significant difference between single and double cropping systems. However, the ripened grain rate and weight per thousand grains increased slightly in the ‘Saeilmi’ and ‘Samkwang’ cultivars but remained either stable or slightly low in other cultivars in the double cropping system. The milled rice yield was high (> 500 kg/10a) in ‘Daebo’ and ‘Haepum’ among midseason maturing rice cultivars, and in ‘Saeilmi’ and ‘Saenuri’ among midseason-to-late maturing rice cultivars, in both single and double cropping systems. The head rice rate was high in midseason maturing rice cultivars in the double cropping systems, reaching > 70% in ‘Haepum’ and ‘Haiami’ cultivars, whereas it decreased in most midseason-to-late maturing rice cultivars (excluding ‘Samkwang’ cultivar), in double cropping systems. Particularly, it exceeded > 70% in the ‘Saenuri’ cultivar in both single and double cropping systems. The protein content in milled rice increased, whereas the amylose content either remained stable or slightly increased, in double cropping systems. The Toyo taste value decreased in all midseason-to-late maturing rice cultivars and slightly increased in the ‘Daebo’ and ‘Haiami’ cultivars among midseason maturing rice cultivars in double cropping systems. However, Toyo taste values in the ‘Haepum’, ‘Haiami’, and ‘Saenuri’ cultivars exceeding > 80% in both single and double cropping systems. Therefore, we recommend ‘Haepum’, ‘Haiami’, and ‘Saenuri’ cultivars as candidates for Italian ryegrass–rice double cropping systems due to high yield, head rice rate, and Toyo taste value.
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder caused by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons, leading to decreased dopamine levels in the midbrain. Although the specific etiology of PD is not yet known, oxidative stress, inflammation, and subsequent apoptosis have been proposed to be closely related to PD pathophysiology. Cera Flava (CF) is a natural extract obtained from beehives and is isolated through the heating, compression, filtration, and purification of beehives. CF has been used in traditional medicines for its various clinical and pharmacological effects. However, its effects on neurodegenerative diseases are unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effects of CF against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD in mice and explored the underlying mechanism of action. In MPTP-induced PC12 cells, CF protected NADH dehydrogenase activity and inhibited lactate dehydrogenase. In the mouse model, CF promoted recovery from movement impairments, prevented dopamine depletion, and protected against MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal degradation. Moreover, CF downregulated glial and microglial activation. Taken together, our results suggest that CF improves behavioral impairments and protects against dopamine depletion in MPTP-induced toxicity by inhibiting glial and microglial activation.
The Gwangju Stream is a major tributary of the Yeongsan River. To maintain environmental and ecological functions in the stream, the flow is secured by natural water from the Mudeung Mountain as well as waters discharged from Lake Juam and the Gwangju sewage treatment plants. A substantial amount of water is supplied into the upper reaches of Gwangju Stream from Lake Juam. To examine the ecological effects of the water input from Lake Juam on the Gwangju Stream, a field survey of phytoplankton community species and an evaluation of water properties was conducted at five stations, from station GJ1 before the inflow to station GJ5 in the lower region. Nutrient levels decreased in the vicinity of the Lake Juam inflow, suggesting that this water inflow can contribute to the reduction of eutrophication in the stream. The phytoplankton community was mainly composed of Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, and Cyanophyceae, and the community structure was similar to that of the other study sites located near the water inflow regions. The inflow of water from Lake Juam can affect water quality and the phytoplankton community over a limited area, reducingeutrophication and increasing water flow in the Gwangju Stream.
This study was conducted to propose a way to increase the accuracy and precision of β-ray measurement equipment. Statistical processing results of equivalent evaluation data from 2016 to 2021 confirmed that the concentration of micro dust measured by β-ray measurement equipment was higher than that of micro dust sampler. According to quarterly data, it was confirmed that the data from the third quarter (July to September) showed a different trend from other periods, which is assumed to be due to weather conditions. This study indicates that automatic micro-dust measurement equipment evaluation at air pollution measuring stations during the third quarter should be excluded. The evaluation cycle should be changed from once every two years to quarterly. In addition, when the criterion for determining equivalence evaluation falls within the range of the slope and intercept values of the existing trend line, it is necessary to evaluate the R2 value together and reduce the slope from 0.9-1.1 to 0.9-1.0.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Ptecticus tenebrifer powder on the mortality and meat quality of Korean native chickens. A total of 40,000 Korean native chickens (1 day old, Hanhyup No. 3) were allocated to two dietary treatments (20,000 chickens in each treatment), which were fed the following: basal diet (control) and 1% of Ptecticus tenebrifer powder (T1). Feeding trials were conducted for 12 weeks, and mortality was measured weekly. At the end of the experimental period, 16 chickens (8 chickens in each treatment) were selected and slaughtered to obtain breast meat. The items used to analyze meat quality were pH, TBARS, and meat color. The weekly mortality rate was decreased by around 2 to 3 times in the T1 treatment group compared with the control group. The pH, TBARS, L*, and b* values of Korean native chicken breast were not affected by Ptecticus tenebrifer powder supplementation (p>0.05); however, a* values showed statistical significance (p<0.05). In conclusion, the addition of 1% Ptecticus tenebrifer powder reduced mortality rate and demonstrated its potential in livestock environmental management.