This study aimed to improve the level of satisfaction and service quality of a forest experience education program for vulnerable social groups by administering a survey problems of the program and suggested improvements. 428 participants in the program. Reliability analysis of the survey yielded values of, Cronbach’s α value was higher than 0.8 for all items, indicating very high reliability. Importance-performance analysis (IPA), a method of measuring and comparing the degree of satisfaction, found two factors: “first need for correction” which included “diversity of programs” and “professionalism of programs”; and “the need for sustained effort” which included “benefits of programs”, “the role of program instructors” and “the interest of programs”. Previously, forest experience education focused on programs involving base expansion and promotion, or quantitative expansion education. Therefore, this study is meaningful in providing basic data on forest experience education for vulnerable social groups.
The present study evaluated growth factors affecting oak community plantations through literature review and a field survey. Specifically, 41 related literature sources were analyzed and field surveys were conducted to collect growth data. Previous studies were analyzed to identify variables with high frequency of use. The frequency of use was in the order of tree size > environment > planting density > forest age. Analysis of factors impacting height and diameter growth revealed that the growth rate of species other than Quercus variabilis was negative in the field survey. This may be because of differences between the actual trees planted and specifications in the construction drawings, which may be attributed to the site conditions and decisions made by the project subject during construction. Furthermore, simple linear regression analysis was conducted with time, height at planting, density, and species code as the independent variables and growth rate as the dependent variable. A strong positive linear correlation was noted between height and diameter. This work builds a foundation for developing a forest restoration model and simulation program based on a regression model derived from the four variables tested.
Rats are one of the most widely used animals in biomedical sciences because their metabolism and physiology are comparable to humans. In recent years, gene-targeted models have been developed using various animal species utilizing engineered nucleases such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated gene (Cas). It has recently become possible to efficiently transfect CRISPR/Cas into embryos via electroporation. However, electroporation can damage fertilized eggs; therefore, it is important to determine the optimal embryo culture conditions. A standardized approach for routine and reproducible rat transgenesis will render rat models more accessible for research. We performed experiments to obtain rat embryos with efficient superovulation and synchronization, and to investigate the appropriate medium conditions for pronuclear stage embryos subjected to electroporation stimulation for the introduction of engineered nuclease.
In this study, sediment cores from unvegetated tidal flats in the Hampyeong Bay (west coastal wetland) and Dongdae Bay (south coastal wetland) were sampled, the blue carbon stock in the sediments was calculated, and the characteristics of the blue carbon stock were analyzed based on particle size of the sediments. The sediments in the Hampyeong Bay tidal flat had large particle size and low mud content, and the Dongdae bay tidal flat had small particle size and high mud content. The organic carbon content and blue carbon stock in the sediments were higher in the Dongdae tidal flat than in the Hampyeong Bay tidal flat. As a result of the regression function, in both the Hampyeong Bay and Dongdae Bay tidal flats, the sediments had the smaller particle size and higher mud contents the higher the organic carbon content and blue carbon stock. The sediments with smaller particle size had the larger specific surface area, so were feasible to adsorb and store more organic matters.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of amino acid additives to weaned piglet diets on the pH and volatile fatty acids of pig slurries. A total of 135 weaned 22 -day-old piglets (Yorkshire x Landrace x Duroc) were used in this 56-d study. The three dietary treatments were as follows: (1) Control as a basal diet, (2) 1% amino acid additive and (3) 2% amino acid additive. Both pH and acetic acid values at 71 and 78 days were significantly different in all treatment groups (p<0.05). In addition, significant differences in propionic acid values were observed among treatment groups at 64 and 78 days (p<0.05). However, pH, acetic acid, and propionic acid values did not differ between 1% and 2% amino acid treatment groups. In conclusion, adding 1% and 2% amino acid to weaned piglet diets reduced the pH, acetic acid and propionic acid contents of pig slurries by acting as a probiotic. This may help formulate increase management strategies for improving the pig housing environment.
This study aims to inactivate Artemia sp. (Zooplankton) in ballast water through the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma process. The DBD plasma process has the advantage of enabling direct electric discharge in water and utilizing chemically active species generated by the plasma reaction. The experimental conditions for plasma reaction are as follows; high voltage of 9-22 kV, plasma reaction time of 15-600 s, and air flow rate of 0.5-5.5 L/min. The results showed that the optimal experimental conditions for Artemia sp inactivation were 16 kV, 60 s, 2.5 L/min, respectively. The concentrations of total residual oxidants and ozone generated by plasma reaction increased with an increase of in voltage and reaction time, and the concentration of generated air did not increase above a certain amount.