Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) causes not only pain during walking but also walking disorders. Therefore, intervention for older patients with OA is important. Objective: To study investigated the effects of kinesio taping (KT) on pain and walking ability in elderly persons with knee OA. Design: One group, pre-post design Methods: This study enrolled 12 community-dwelling elderly people with knee OA. KT was applied on the surrounding structures, including the patellar and bilateral lateral ligaments. Assessment was made using the visual analog scale and GAITRite system to measure pain and walking ability during KT and non- KT conditions. Results: In this study, compared to the non-KT condition, the KT condition showed a significant improvement in walking ability and pain reduction during walking (velocity, cadence, step length, and stride length) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that knee KT has a positive effect on pain reduction and walking ability of the elderly with OA.

We investigated the effect of moderate- and high-intensity resistance training on hippocampal neurotrophic factors and peripheral CCL11 levels in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. C57/black male mice received a 4 weeks diet of normal (control, CON; n = 9) or a high-fat diet (HF; n = 27) to induce obesity. Thereafter, the HF group was subdivided equally into the HF, HF + moderate-intensity exercise (HFME), and HF + high-intensity exercise (HFHE) groups (n = 9, respectively), and mice were subjected to ladder-climbing exercise for 8 weeks. The hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) levels were significantly lower in the HF group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). In addition, in the HFME and HFHE groups were significantly higher than in the HF group (p < 0.05). The peripheral CCL11 levels were significantly higher in the HF group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). In addition, in the HFME and HFHE groups were significantly lower than in the HF group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference according to the exercise intensity among the groups. Collectively, these results suggest that obesity can induce down-regulation of neurotrophic factors and inhibition of neurogenesis. In contrast, regardless of exercise intensity, resistance training may have a positive effect on improving brain function by inducing increased expression of neurotrophic factors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of exercise training on neurodegeneration and cognitive function in mice with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Thirty-six male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to the control (CO, n = 9) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT, n = 27) groups. The IGT group consumed 45% high fat diet for 4 weeks and received 40 mg/kg of streptozotocin twice in the lower abdomen to induce IGT. After the IGT induction period, the IGT group was subdivided into IGT + sedentary (IGT, n = 9), IGT + endurance exercise (IGTE, n = 9), and IGT + resistance exercise (IGTR, n = 9). The IGTE and IGTR groups performed treadmill and ladder climbing exercises 5 times per week for 8 weeks, respectively. Fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were significantly higher in IGT group than in CO, IGTE, and IGTR groups (p < 0.05). HOMA-IR was significantly higher in IGT group than CO group (p < 0.05). Hippocampal catalase (CAT) was significantly lower in IGT group than in CO group (p < 0.05), while beta-amyloid (Aβ) was significantly higher in IGT group than in CO group (p < 0.05). Hippocampal tau was significantly higher in IGT group than in CO, IGTE, and IGTR groups (p < 0.05). The Y-maze test performance for cognitive function was significantly lower in IGT group than in CO, IGTE, and IGTR groups (p <0.05). These results suggest that IGT induces neurodegeneration and negatively affects cognitive function, while regular exercise may be effective in alleviating neurodegeneration and cognitive decline regardless of exercise type.

Acinetospora filamentosa and Microspongium stilophorae are reported as new records from South Korea based on morphological and molecular analyses. A. filamentosa is mainly characterized by having the sparsely branched erect filaments, the scattered meristematic zones, forming crampons, plurilocular sporangia on both prostrate filaments and lower part of erect filaments, and spherical to oval unilocular sporangia formed either sessile or with a pedicel. M. stilophorae is an epiphytic thalli mostly on Stilophora sp. It is characterized by prostrate filaments with irregular cells, short erect filaments with short ramuli, phaeophycean hairs, uniseriate plurilocular sporangia on the terminal part of erect filament. Our molecular analyses of rbcL and cox1 genes reveals that A. filamentosa and M. stilophorae are nested within the clades of Acinetospora and Microspongium, respectively.

Feldmannia chitonicola is reported as a new record from Korea based on morphological studies in laboratory-cultured materials and molecular analyses. F. chitonicola is mainly characterized by a small size (1-2 mm), erect filaments mostly unbranched, plurilocular sporangia produced on both prostrate and laterally on the basal part of erect filaments, and 2 types (lanceolate and ovate) of sporangia. In our cultures, sporangia production was slower at 10°C than in 16°C and 20°C. Our molecular analyses of rbcL and cox1 genes supported its independence from other congeners reported for Korea. This is the first report of F. chitonicola for western Pacific.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors influencing consumers’ selection of web-toon service through AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) analysis and to provide the strategy of web-toon service. To accomplish this study, theories, existing research and references related to AHP were sufficiently examined and selected the factors in the selection criteria. Surveys from consumers who used the web-toon service were conducted with selected factors. Through this, the results were analyzed by AHP analysis to find out the weighting values and the differences were examined and analyzed. The highest weighting factor in the first layer that consists of web-toon service was cinematic quality. The cinematic quality was the most important factor in the selection criteria of customers who use the web-toon service regardless of their preferred genre. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the weighting value or ranking changed in the second layer by genre. In this study, the effective basis of strategy were suggested by ranking the quantitative selection factors according to the preferred genre of consumers using web-toon services. In addition, This research provides some practical implications. That is, the web-toon service provider can easily recognize and respond to the customer’s requirements, which factors are important when the customer selects a specific genre from the web-toon genre.

충청북도농업기술원에서는 연한 분홍색의 향기가 있고, 꽃수가 많으며, 개화기간을 오래 지속할 수 있는 속간 교배종 난 ‘핑키뷰티’를 육성하였다. 신품종 ‘핑키뷰티’는 2007년 Phal. pulcherrima × Phal. parishii 교배종을 모본으로, Neof. falcata ‘Hwacheon’을 부본으로, 속간교배하였다. 종자 발아, 재배, 선발, 특성검정은 2008년부터 2014년까지 진행되었다. 생육이 좋고 꽃의 색, 모양이 우수한 계통을 선발 한후, 2015년부터 2017년까지 3년에 걸쳐 국립종자원 신품종 심사기준으로 특성검정 결과, 우수성이 인정되어 2018년 최종 선발하여 “핑키뷰티”로 명명하였다. 주요 특성은 다음과 같다. 화색은 연분홍색으로 Red-purple Group 68D(RHS칼라차트)이며, 향기가 있고 화경색은 암록색이다. 식물체 크기는 12.7cm로 대조품종과 큰 차이를 보이지 않았다. 잎의 폭은 1.6cm로 대조품종인 P. pulcherrima에 비해 좁은 편이다. 화경장은 25.8 cm이며, 소화수는 16.3개로, 전반적으로 화분의 볼륨감이 우수한 편이다. 꽃의 크기는 2.5cm 정도이며, 꽃의 순판 뒤쪽에 풍란과 같은 짧은 거가 있는 것이 특징이다. 개화기는 5월 하순이며, 개화기간은 34일 정도이다.