Probiotics have been evaluated as therapeutic agents for cancer treatment in an increasing number of studies. This study investigated the inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of specific Lactobacillus strains on a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29). The strains assessed were Limosilactobacillus (L.) reuteri VA 102, Ligilactobacillus (L.) animalis VA 105, and Limosilactobacillus (L.) reuteri KCTC 3594 (ATCC 23272). The viability of HT-29 cells was evaluated using the MTT assay. The findings revealed that cell-free supernatants (CFS) exhibited significant anticancer effects. Heat-inactivated L. reuteri VA 105 and L. reuteri KCTC 3594 induced a pronounced reduction in cell viability. Furthermore, live cultures of L. reuteri VA 105 and L. reuteri VA 102 also showed reduced cell viability compared to the control group. These results suggest that CFS and heat-inactivated cells may be more suitable for therapeutic applications than live bacteria owing to their improved safety profiles and reduced potential for adverse effects. Our findings also emphasize the potential anticancer benefits of these LAB strains.

Silage inoculants, which include beneficial microorganisms like lactic acid bacteria (LAB), play a vital role in modern silage production by enhancing fermentation quality. This study evaluated the effectiveness of various commercial inoculants on the fermentation dynamics of Italian ryegrass silage over 45 days. The treatments included a control group and five inoculant formulations: T1 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum), T2 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus), T3 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactiplantibacillus buchneri), T4 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactiplantibacillus acidophilus and Lactiplantibacillus bulgaricus), and T5 (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus and Enterococcus faecium). After 45 days, all treatment groups exhibited significantly higher crude protein (CP) content compared to the control group (80.64 g/kg dry matter (DM), p<0.05). Treatments T2 and T5, which incorporated combinations of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Enterococcus faecium, showed higher CP contents at 105.53 and 107.05 g/kg DM, respectively. The inoculated silages also demonstrated a rapid pH reduction within the early days, with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in T1 reducing the pH to 4.0 within four days. Additionally, inoculated treatments had significantly higher lactic acid levels than the control (67.96 g/kg DM, p<0.05), and T3 (Lactiplantibacillus buchneri) produced higher acetic acid levels (16.07 g/kg DM, p<0.05) than other inoculants. The control group also had a notably higher ammonia nitrogen content. In conclusion, while single-strain inoculants like Lactiplantibacillus plantarum are effective for rapid acidification, the use of combined bacterial strains can further enhance silage quality by improving lactic acid fermentation and nutrient preservation, particularly in treatments like Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactiplantibacillus buchneri and Enterococcus faecium.

Because intact FMDV particles (146S) are often unstable in vitro, stabilizing foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) antigens remains a key challenge in studying viral charateristics. Therefore, finding optimal condition to stabilize the FMDV is essential. In this study, we investigated formulations and potentials of several stabilizers such as appropriate buffer, excipients, and storage conditions to enhance the stability of 146S. Inactivated FMDV O-Jincheon (O-JC) was dissolved in various buffer formulations, and stored at 4℃ for two months to evaluate quantity of 146S at every 2-week interval. Among phosphate buffered saline (PBS), Tris buffered saline (TBS), HEPES buffered saline (HBS), and MOPS buffered saline (MBS), PBS showed more effective 146S stabilization that showed 1.3-1.6 fold higher 146S fraction than TBS, HBS, and MBS after storage for 2 weeks. However, constant dissociations of 146S were observed in all formulations at 8 weeks. Compared with other FMDVs, A22 Iraq and SAT-1, in PBS, O-JC proved to be the least stable in PBS. A variety of excipients including carbohydrate, sugar alcohol, cryo-protectant were tested for the capability in protecting O-JC from dissociation. By adding 4-8% sucrose, more than 60% of 146S fractions were maintained at 8 weeks, those were at least 1.8 fold higher than the PBS-only control. Addition of 1% β-cyclodextrin showed synergistic enhancement in O-JC stability. As the results of this study, it could be suggested that the PBS-based buffer together with 4-8% sucrose + 2% sorbitol or 2% sucrose + 2% sorbitol + 1% β-cyclodextrin could help the better stability of the O-JC in vaccine preparation.

Rapidly changing environmental factors due to climate change are increasing the uncertainty of crop growth, and the importance of crop yield prediction for food security is becoming increasingly evident in Republic of Korea. Traditionally, crop yield prediction models have been developed by using statistical techniques such as regression models and correlation analysis. However, as machine learning technique develops, it is able to predict the crop yield more accurate than the statistical techniques. This study aims at proposing the onion yield prediction framework to accurately predict the onion yield by using various environmental factor data. Temperature, humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, and wind speed are considered as climate factors and irrigation water and nitrogen application rate are considered as soil factors. To improve the performance of the prediction model, ensemble learning technique is applied to the proposed framework. The coefficient of determination of the proposed stacked ensemble framework is 0.96, which is a 24.68% improvement over the coefficient of determination of 0.77 of the existing single machine learning model. This framework can be applied to the particular farmland so that each farm can get their customized prediction model, which is visualized by the web system.

Hyperoxaluria is a disorder associated with an increased risk of renal stones, one of the most common conditions. For people with hyperoxaluria, there are a limited number of effective therapeutic options. The aim of this study was to examine whether an oxalate-degrading enzyme, oxalate decarboxylase (OxdC), can inhibit crystallization of calcium oxalate (CaOx) in vitro, and whether it can prevent nephrolithiasis caused by CaOx induced by ethylene glycol (EG) in rats. When OxdC was applied at various concentrations to CaOx in vitro, there was a significant reduction in the crystallization of CaOx. The OxdC was found to inhibit crystal formation as well as the formation of crystals that had sharp edges. In animal experiments, rats that had been treated with EG showed impaired renal filtration functions, as well as increased deposition of CaOx crystals and the creation of kidney stones. It has been found that oral administration of OxdC to rats with chronic EG-induced nephrolithiasis that is characterized by CaOx intratubular crystal deposits with hyperoxaluria dramatically reduces the severity of the disease. The results of this study point to a potential therapeutic approach for treating human hyperoxaluria as well as CaOx nephrolithiasis that could be achieved by the oral administration of OxdC.

This study investigated the relationship between teacher support in the areas of learner autonomy, relatedness, and competence, and motivational beliefs regarding achievement goal orientations and perceived task value in Chinese EFL college classrooms based on self-determination theory. A questionnaire was administered to 712 college students, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0. The findings indicated that teacher support for autonomy, relatedness, and competence was positively correlated with mastery goal orientation and performance-approach orientation, while it was negatively correlated with performance-avoidance orientation. Furthermore, these forms of teacher support positively influenced students’ perceived task value. Achievement goal orientation mediated the relationship between the three types of teacher support and student engagement. However, perceived task value only mediated the relationship between teacher autonomy support and student engagement. This study offers valuable insights for enhancing English teaching practices by promoting student motivation through addressing their psychological needs in EFL college classrooms.

This study examined the feeding behavior and growth performance of 31 Hanwoo steers (10 months old; 278 ± 36.13 kg) within a precision livestock farming system using Roughage Intake Control (RIC) units for real-time data collection. Feeding behavior traits were derived from RIC database data using R software, with subsequent analysis conducted using SAS software. The results indicated that the steers visited the feed stations every 31.12 ± 11.99 minutes, averaging 11 ± 3.37 visits/day. Each feeding session lasted an average of 5.90 ± 1.55 minutes, resulting in a feed intake rate of 77.98 ± 22.53 g/min. Mean daily feed intake was 4.76 ± 1.36 kg, and body weight increased consistently, reaching an average of 412 ± 43.44 kg, with an average daily gain (ADG) of 1.26 ± 0.38 kg. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong relationship between daily feed intake and visit duration (r² = 0.621; p < 0.01) and an inverse correlation between daily feed intake and feed intake duration (r² = −0.445; p < 0.05), indicating behavioral adaptation. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring feeding behavior traits concerning growth performance, enhancing our understanding of individual animal behavior and its implications for productivity while emphasizing the role of advanced technologies in optimizing feed utilization in confined livestock systems.

The current study examines the digital behaviors of 124 university students enrolled in a blended learning class in Korea. The students were divided into two groups (upper and lower) based on their scores on a self-regulated learning questionnaire. Their digital behaviors were compared across four areas: (a) task completion scores; (b) strategy use; (c) the days on which tasks were completed; and (d) learning gains. The results revealed a significant difference in task completion scores between the upper and lower groups. However, no meaningful difference was observed in strategy use between the two groups. Students in the upper group were more proactive in completing videos, homework, and TOEIC tests, often finishing these tasks ahead of deadlines. In contrast, students in the lower group tended to complete their assignments on the due date. Finally, there were no significant differences in learning gains between the two groups. These findings may inform the design and management of online L2 learning programs.

Recently, with the development of industrial technology and the increase of young consumers, engine monitoring devices for small ships are rapidly changing from analog devices to LCD-based digital devices. In addition, consumers’ product selection criteria are gradually increasing in favor of luxurious and emotional products rather than price attractiveness. Therefore, in order to develop differentiated products in marketing, it is necessary to find and improve emotionally attractive quality elements. The purpose of this study is to collect 11 customer requirements related to the emotional quality of DGP (Digital Gauge Panel) for small ships through customer interviews and to find attractive quality elements among the emotional qualities of DGP for small ships. 17 design elements were derived by applying QFD to the collected customer requirements, and they were classified into one-dimensional quality, must be quality, and attractive quality through Kano model analysis, and 6 attractive quality elements were confirmed using Timko customer satisfaction index.

This study investigated a learning environment that can enhance memory using LED lighting. Thus, it employed experimental verification to evaluate the effect of LED lighting's illuminance and correlated color temperature on long-term memory. The lighting environment was created under six conditions: two illuminance levels of 400 lx and 1,000 lx, and three correlated color temperatures of 3,000 K, 5,000 K, and 7,000 K. The participants of this study consisted of 30 cognitively healthy adults, with an average age of 21.7 years (SD = 1.73). The learning (memory) task used meaningless letters of only seven consonants, and the word fragment completion task measured memory retention after 20 minutes. The results of the study revealed that a relatively dim light of 400 lx, 5,000 K condition yielded the best long-term memory (Mean = 37.67, SD = 14.55), while the 1,000 lx, 5,000 K condition elicited the worst long-term memory (Mean = 25.67, SD = 12.78).

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution advances, smart factories have become a new manufacturing paradigm, integrating technologies such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and big data analytics to overcome traditional manufacturing limitations and enhance global competitiveness. This study offers a comprehensive approach by evaluating both technological and economic performance of smart factory Research and Development (R&D) projects, addressing gaps in previous studies that focused narrowly on either aspect. The research combines Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to quantitatively compare the efficiency of various topics. This integrated approach not only identifies key research themes but also evaluates how effectively resources are utilized within each theme, supporting strategic decision-making for optimal resource allocation. Additionally, non-parametric statistical tests are applied to detect performance differences between topics, providing insights into areas of comparative advantage. Unlike traditional DEA methods, which face limitations in generalizing results, this study offers a more nuanced analysis by benchmarking efficiency across thematic areas. The findings highlight the superior performance of projects incorporating AI, IoT, and big data, as well as those led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The regional analysis reveals significant contributions from non-metropolitan areas, emphasizing the need for balanced development. This research provides policymakers and industry leaders with strategic insights, guiding the efficient allocation of R&D resources and fostering the development of smart factories aligned with global trends and national goals.

Recently, there have been studies on space and time priority queues, where space priorities are given to a class of packets that are sensitive to loss, and time priorities to another class of packets that are sensitive to delay. However, these studies have been restricted to such models with push-out space priorities. In this paper, we extend the studies to the space and time priority M/G/1 model with partial-buffer-sharing (PBS) space priorities, where the whole buffer is divided into two regions: one is shared by packets of all classes and the other is dedicated only for packets of the higher space-priority class. Since the PBS space-priority mechanism can be implemented more readily in communication systems than the push-out one, there have been a lot of contributions on PBS space-priority queues. However, there are no contributions on space and time priority queues with PBS space priorities. To analyze the proposed queueing model, we first study the probabilistic structure of the service time of a packet, which is more involved to analyze than the push-out alternative because it may be divided into three different regimes: a regime (S-period) from the beginning of the service until the shared buffer region becomes full, a second one (P-period) from the end of the S-period until the whole buffer becomes full, a third one (F-period) from the end of the P-period until the end of the service. Using the distributions of the S-, P-, F-periods, we then construct and analyze the embedded Markov chain and the corresponding semi-Markov process governing the system state, and also derive system performance measures such as expected sojourn times and loss probabilities of different priority classes of packets. In numerical examples, we finally explore the effect of the shared buffer size, which is a major system control parameter of PBS priority queues, and the distributions of the service times of packets of different classes on the system performance measures.

Motivated by the effort of diagnostic interventions for EFL learners in Korean educational contexts, this study aims to identify heterogeneous L2 reading skill profiles among students attending the same school. Subsequently, it investigates the impact of learners’ L2 learning backgrounds on heterogeneity of these reading skills. Using Latent Profile Analysis on 234 vocational high school students, we identified four distinct profiles: Profile 1, severely weak L2 readers with very low decoding and syntactic knowledge; Profile 2, moderately weak L2 readers; Profile 3, above-average L2 readers; and Profile 4, fairly well-developed L2 readers with good vocabulary breadth. Multinomial regression analysis revealed that profile membership was significantly predicted by positive past learning experiences, extra-curricular English reading, and motivational attitudes. These findings underscore the significant heterogeneity in L2 reading skills within the seemingly homogeneous EFL group and highlight the critical association with past and current educational experiences, emphasizing the importance of tailored interventions based on individual learning histories.

In this study, simulated X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy were utilized to differentiate the carbon nanoribbons (CNRs) and carbon nanobelts (CNBs) with different edges. CNRs, characterized by linear, extended π-conjugated systems, and CNBs, featuring closed-loop, cyclic structures, exhibit distinct bandgaps influenced by edge configuration and molecular structure. CNBs generally possess smaller bandgaps than GNRs due to enhanced π-conjugation and electron delocalization in their curved structures. Specifically, the bandgaps of zigzag-edged GNRs and CNBs are smaller than those of their armchair-edged counterparts. These differences in electronic states cause shifts in the position of the C1s XPS peaks. ANR and ANB exhibit lower binding energies (BEs) compared to ZNR and ZNB. The peak position differences, which are 1.3 eV between ZNR and ANR and 0.5 eV between ZNB and ANB, highlight how edge configuration can differentiate structures within the same ribbon or belt type. While ZNR and ZNB have nearly identical peak positions, rendering them hard to distinguish, the 0.9 eV difference between ANR and ANB allows for clear differentiation. In ZNR and ZNB, strong bands from C–H bending and C–C stretching were observed, with slight differences in band positions allowing for structural differentiation. In ANR and ANB, the Kekulé vibration band was most intense, appearing at lower wavenumbers in ANB. Additionally, ANB showed unique C–C stretching bands at 1483 and 1581 cm− 1, which were barely observed in ANR. This study lays the groundwork for future spectroscopic analysis of GNRs and CNBs.

Clinical pathology, including hematology and serum chemistry, is an important indicator of biological changes. Animals for inhalation studies are kept in specific chambers and require historical data for accuracy. Age-related characteristics are essential for interpreting experimental results. This study aimed to provide historical clinical pathology data and analyze age-related trends in these parameters. We collected hematological and biochemical parameters from control groups of male and female F344 rats in the 4-, 13-, 26-, and 52-week repeated inhalation toxicity tests. The number of F344 rats from collected control groups were 24, 60, 50, and 25 males and 25, 60, 50, and 25 females in the 4-, 13-, 26-, and 52-week studies, respectively. Mean comparison, correlation analysis and simple linear regression analysis was conducted to reveal age-related trends. Neutrophil count, eosinophil count, neutrophil percentage, monocyte percentage, total protein, albumin, triglyceride, total cholesterol (TCHO) showed increasing trends, whereas lymphocyte count, lymphocyte percent, platelet count, alkaline phosphatase, albumin/globulin ratio, and inorganic phosphate showed decreasing trends in both the mean comparison and regression analyses. TCHO was considered the most affected parameter by aging in both sexes based on statistical results. In this study, we presented clinicopathological data from F344 rats for inhalation toxicity studies. We confirmed aging trends in clinicopathological parameters and identified TCHO as the parameter most affected by aging in F344 rats. These results would be helpful for inhalation research using F344 rats.

본 연구는 1990년부터 2018년까지의 미국에 상장된 기업들의 기소 자료(Corporate Prosecution Registry)를 바탕으로 기업이 검찰에게 기소를 당했을 시 기업의 재무정책이 어떻게 영향을 받는 지 분석하였다. 먼저 일변량 분석을 통해 기소된 기업들이 주식 시장에서 음(-)의 매수 후 보유 (buy-and-hold) 주식 수익률과 높은 거래 회전율(turnover ratio)을 나타냈다. 더 나아가, 내생 성을 통제하기 위해 다변량 통계분석법 중 하나인 이중차분법(difference-in-differences) 모델을 활용하여 기소 시점을 기준으로 미국 기업의 주식시장에서의 위험도가 급격히 증가하고 현금보 유량이 늘어나는 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 재판 결과에 따라 기업들의 재무정책이 변하는 것을 확인 하였는데 벌금이 낮은 경우 기업들은 현금보유량을 다시 낮추지만 높은 경우에는 현금보유량을 유 지하고 자본지출을 줄이며 인수합병 활동도 줄이는 것으로 나타났다.