The language threshold effect on comprehending an L2 (second language) text was experimentally examined, using two types of measurement tool, multiple-choice & true/false questions and a recall task for L2 reading comprehension. Cognitive processes implicated in each measure were delineated to allow a finer analysis on the role of L1 reading competence and L2 proficiency in comprehending an L2 text. In order to observe how one aspect of L2 proficiency, vocabulary knowledge, is related to language threshold effect, thirty-two 9th grade Korean students in Korea were given a vocabulary knowledge acquisition activity in a treatment condition between a pretest and a posttest. The relative contributions that L1 reading competence and L2 proficiency made to L2 reading comprehension were analyzed before the treatment and after the treatment using multiple-regression analysis technique. The findings of this repeated measure design were consistent with previous correlational studies showing that the role of L1 reading competence became stronger as L2 proficiency operationalized via vocabulary knowledge improved. What is elaborated in the present study is the fact that cognitive processes, initiated by a recall task, are more sensitive to the weakening of language threshold effects.

Skin-derived precursor cells (SKPs) are multipotent, sphere-forming and embryonic neural crest‐related precu- rsor cells that can be isolated from dermis. It is known that the properties of porcine SKPs can be enhanced by leuke- mia inhibitory factor (LIF) which is an essential factor for the generation of embryonic stem cells in mice. In our pre- sent study, to enhance or maintain the properties of murine SKPs, LIF was added to the culture medium. SKPs were treated with 1,000 IU LIF for 72 hours after passage 3. Quantitative real time RT‐PCR was then performed to quantify the expression of the pluripotent stem cell specific genes Oct4, Nanog, Klf4 and c‐Myc, and the neural crest specific genes Snai2 and Ngfr. The results show that the expression of Oct4 is increased in murine SKPs by LIF treatment whereas the level of Ngfr is decreased under these conditions. Interestingly, LIF treatment reduced Nanog exp- ression which is also important for cell proliferation in adult stem cells and for osteogenic induction in mesenchymal stem cells. These findings implicate LIF in the maintenance of stem- ness in SKPs through the suppression of lineage differen- tiation and in part through the control of cell proliferation.

RNAi 기법은 예쁜꼬마선충을 비롯하여 초파리, 생쥐, 인체및 식물들을 포함한 다양한 생물종에서 작용기작이 잘 알려져 있고, 특정 유전자들의 발현을 제어하기 위해 사용되어 왔다.본 논문은 RNAi 기법을 통해 구축된 뿌리혹선충 저항성 형질전환식물체들의 개발현황, 발전 및 응용 가능성에 대해 고찰하고자 하였다. 지난 10여년에 걸쳐 진행된 연구들을 통해 다양한 분화단계의 뿌리혹선충으로부터 분석된 79,978개의 EST가 GenBank에등록되었고, 고구마뿌리혹선충(M. incognita)과 당근뿌리혹선충(M. hapla)의 전체 게놈 염기서열이 해독됨으로써 뿌리혹선충의 기생에 관련된 단백질들 및 식물세포벽 분해 관련 효소들에 대한 정보를 이용할 수 있게 되었다. RNAi의 기본 기작은 모든 진핵생물종에서 잘 보존되어 있고, 최근 식물기생선충들에서 RNAi 효과에 대한 연구결과들이 많이 발표되었다. 서로 다른 뿌리혹선충들에서 현재까지 22종 이상의 RNAi를위한 목표 유전자들이 보고되었다. 제2령 식물기생선충(second-stage juvenile of plant parasitic nematodes)에게dsRNA의 섭취를 유도하는 octopamine, resorcinol, serotonin등의 화합물들이 발견되었고, 이를 이용하여 선충 유전자의 발현제어를 쉽게 판별할 수 있는 새로운 기술의 활용이 가능하게 되었다. 최근에 RNAi 기술의 응용 및 발전을 통해 형질전환식물체에서 발현된 dsRNA에 의한 식물기생선충 유전자들의 발현제어가 증명되었고, 이를 위한 핵심 요소들로서 적절한 선충 표적 유전자의 선택, 식물체 내 높은 함량의 dsRNA의 발현 및선충이 섭취할 수 있는 충분한 양의 dsRNA의 운반 등이 중요하다는 것이 밝혀졌다. 특히, 비표적 유전자서열(off-target gene sequence)의 발현제어를 피하기 위해 다음과 같은 사항들이 고려되어야 한다. 1)비표적 유전자서열을 확인할 수 있는 소프트웨어의 개발 및 이를 통한 비표적 유전자서열을 제거한 RNAi 벡터를 제작하여야 한다. 2)식물과 동물에서 상동성이 높은 표적 유전자의 발현을 피해야 한다. 3)전사해석틀(open reading frames)의 염기서열들 보다 상동성이 낮은 5' 혹은 3'-비해석부위(untranslated regions)로부터 표적 유전자를설계하여야 한다.

1. 세계 26개국에서 도입된 녹두 유전자원 705점에 대하여16개의 형태적 형질 특성을 이용하여 각각 두 가지의 군집방법, 핵심집단 자원수 결정방법 및 표본추출 방법을 조합하여 총8개의 핵심집단(SUNPR, SUNPPr, UNPR, UNPPr, SUNLR, SUNLPr, UNLR, UNLPr)을 작성하여 원수집단과 비교한바 8개핵심집단 모두 원수집단과는 분산과 평균치에서 차이가 없었다. 2. Nei의 다양성지수는 8개 핵심집단 모두 원수집단 보다높았고, 특히 UNLPr이 가장 높았으며, UNPR은 다른 핵심집단에 비하여 상대적으로 낮은 지수를 보였다. 3. 원수집단과 핵심집단간 자원분포의 동질성을 파악하기 위하여 카이자승 검증을 한 결과 12개 양적형질과 1개의 질적형질(종피색)은 모든 핵심집단이 동질분포를 보였으나 3개의질적 형질 (배축색, 종피광택, 생육습성)은 핵심집단에 따라서동질분포를 하는 것과 그렇지 않은 것이 있었으며, 8개 핵심집단 중 UNPPr은 동질성이 가장 높았다. 평균차율(MD%)과일치율(CR%)은 8개 핵심집단 모두 유의한 수준을 보였다. 4. 8개의 모든 핵심집단이 원수집단과 평균치에서 차이가 없고, 높은 다양성을 과 동질한 분포를 보이며, 평균차율(MD%)과 일치율(CR%)이 유의한 수준을 보여 원수집단의 다양성을잘 나타내는 것으로 해석되었다. 5. 핵심수집단 크기(10%와 15%)에 따른 다양성은 유의한차이가 없었으며, 8개의 핵심집단 중 평균치, 동질분포, 일치율 및 도복내성을 고려할 때 UNPPr이 가장 좋은 핵심집단으로 사료되었다.

In this study, the in vitro fermentation parameters of whole crop barley (WCBS-TMR) and Italian ryegrass (IRGS-TMR) silage total mixed rations were compared. A rice straw based diet (RSBD), which was a mixture of rice straw and concentrate (60:40), was used as the control. The feeds were incubated in buffered rumen fluid for 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours at 39°C. At the end of each incubation period the following parameters were determined, total gas, pH, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), volatile fatty acids (VFA) and then the acetate to propionate ratio (A/P) was calculated. The dietary treatments did not affect (p>0.05) the overall production of NH3-N, gas, total VFA and all the individual VFA, with the exception of n-butyrate (p<0.001). The treatment diets significantly affected the A/P ratio (p<0.01). The control diet resulted in the lowest A/P ratios, followed by WCBS-TMR and lastly IRGS-TMR had the highest ratios. Gas production was not different between treatments, suggesting a probable similar level of digestibility when treatments are fed to animals. It can therefore be concluded from the present study that WCBS and IRGS are of almost an equivalent nutritional value when incubated in a TMR form. WCBS-TMR however resulted in lower A/P ratios than IRGS-TMR, which is indicative of a more energy efficient diet.

The present study was conducted to develop persimmon peel, a by-product of dried persimmon manufacturing, as a feed additive via lactic acid bacteria fermentation. Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and three strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides were used as a starter culture in the solid state fermentation of persimmon peel, and antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content were assessed. Leuconostoc mesenteroides KCTC 3100 showed high antioxidant activity (p<0.05), whereas Pediococcus pentosaceus showed high total polyphenol content (p<0.05). These two strains were thus selected as starter culture strains. Glucose, sucrose and molasses were used as variables for optimization and a total 15 experimental runs were produced according to Box-Behnken design. Regarding significant effects of variables, molasses showed linear and square effects on antioxidant activity of persimmon peel fermentation (p<0.05). In conclusion, optimum concentrations of glucose, sucrose, and molasses were determined to be 4.2, 3.9 and 5.3 g/L, respectively, using a response surface model. Antioxidant activity was also improved 2.5 fold after optimization.

To identify subspecies of the sika deer, Cervus nippon, and to select C. n. hortulorum individuals for restoration of this subspecies in Korea, we obtained cytochrome b partial sequences (375 bp) of sika deer (C. nippon) from deer farms in northeastern China, North Korea, mainland Korea, and Jeju Island. Based on noninvasive samples, these cytochrome b sequences were compared with the corresponding haplotypes of sika deer, which were obtained from GenBank. We identified five individuals of sika deer from deer farms in northeastern China and North Korea as C. n. hortulorum, and found that interbreeding between individuals belonging to different subspecies is common on deer farms in far-eastern Asia. We concluded that the five C. n. hortulorum individuals on deer farms from northeastern China and North Korea, detected in this study, cannot be considered as pure descendants of C. n. hortulorum in the wild.

서평

It has been known that endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) is beneficial to tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix Scop.) because the mutualistic endophyte is able to confers tolerance against abiotic and biotic stresses to tall fescue. However, this fungal endophyte produces toxic alkaloid resulting in negative effects on animal performance. Recently, Non-toxic endophyte have been developed and inserted into tall fescue to avoid detrimental effect on animal but remaining positive influence on tall fescue. In order to keep this beneficial impact, it is essential to have endophyte infected tall fescue through vertical transmission from maternal plants to seeds. Little research has been carried out on endophyte transmission. To get basic information related to endophyte transmission, experiment was conducted to examine the effect of plant genotype on endophyte transmission under water stresses. Overall endophyte concentration in seeds was higher than that in panicles and endophyte concentration in seeds and panicles relied on plant. This study revealed that drought is not a critical component to control the endophyte transmission from maternal plants to seeds. Plant genotype is an important factor controlling the endophyte transmission from plant to seed.

Although bombesin (BN) regulates colonic motility, the associated mechanism of action remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of BN on colonic motility using isolated rat colon. An isolated rat colon was perfused with Krebs solution via the superior mesenteric artery. Intraluminal pressure was measured via microtip catheter pressure transducers at both proximal and distal portions of the isolated colon. After a control period, BN was administered intraarterially in concentrations of 13, 26, 130, and 260 pM. After pretreatment with hexamethonium (10-3 M), atropine (10-5 M), or tetrodotoxin (10-6 M), BN was administered at a concentration of 260 pM (proximal colon) or 130 pM (distal colon); intraluminal pressure was then monitored. Changes in motility were expressed as the percentage change of motility index (MI) over the basal period. As a result, BN increased colonic motility and a dose-dependent increase in proximal colonic motility was observed. The stimulant effect of BN was almost completely abolished by atropine and tetrodotoxin at both the proximal and distal colon. However, BN was not inhibited by hexamethonium at both the proximal and distal colon. Therefore, the stimulant action of BN may be mediated by local cholinergic muscarinic receptors.

Skin serves as an easily accessible source of multipotent stem cells with potential for cellular therapies. In pigs, stem cells from skin tissues of fetal and adult origins have been demonstrated as either floating spheres (cell aggregates) or adherent spindle-shaped mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like cells depending on culture conditions. The cells isolated from the epidermis and dermis of porcine skin showed plastic adherent growth in the presence of serum and positively expressed a range of surface and intracellular markers that are considered to be specific for MSCs. The properties of primitive stem cells have been observed with the expression of alkaline phosphatase and markers related to pluripotency. Further, studies have shown the ability of skin-derived MSCs to differentiate in vitro along mesodermal, neuronal and germ-line lineages. Moreover, preclinical studies have also been performed to assess their in vivo potential, and the findings appear to be effective in tissue regeneration at the defected site after transplantation. The present review describes the recent progress on the biological features of porcine skin-derived MSCs as adherent cells, and summarizes their potential in advancing stem cell based therapies.

To evaluate the acute to chronic effects of crude oil exposure on hematological and blood biochemical toxicities, Sprague-Dawley rats were given oral doses of 0, 50, or 100 mg/kg BW/day of Iranian heavy crude oil for a period of four weeks. In the acute phase of exposure (one day after four weeks of oil treatment), decreases in weight of thymus, serum level of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase activities in liver or kidney, and increase in weight of adrenal gland occurred after oral administration of crude oil. In body weight, histopathological examination, hematological and blood biochemical analyses in the acute phase of exposure, no significant differences were observed among the experimental groups. In the subchronic and chronic phase of exposure (two months and six months after four weeks of oil treatment), the changes of biomarkers were normalized, except the indicators of oxidative stress. Our findings showed that the bioassay on the indicators of oxidative stress is a sensitive method for determining exposure to crude oil in rats.

This study was carried out to effects of ethylene glycol concentration, sucrose and culture day of in vitro production embryo on slow-down freezing in Hanwoo. 6, 7, 8 and 9 day embryos produced in vitro were frozen using 1.8M EG+0.1M sucrose, 1.8M EG+0.5% BSA and 1.5M EG+0.1M sucrose media. Survivability was confirmed after frozen-thawed 24 and 48h and ICM, TE cell number were counted by Hoechst 33342 and PI staining after frozen-thawed 24h. As a result, 1.8M EG+0.1M sucrose group was most significantly (p<0.05) higher compared with the other treatment groups on survivability, TE and total cell number after frozen-thawed 24h (, and ). ICM number did not found significant (p<0.05) differences between the three treatment groups. in 6, 7, 8 and 9 day of embryos using three types of freezing media, frozen-thawed, 1.8M EG+0.1M sucrose groups with embryos cultured 8 day was significantly (p<0.05) highest survivability to after frozen-thawed 24h. 1.5M EG+0.1 sucrose group with embryos cultured 9 day was significantly higher survivability than group of embryos cultured 8 day after frozen-thawed 24 and 48h. In conclusion, 1.8M EG+0.1M sucrose media is considered to be effective to cryopreservation of embryos cultured 8 and 9 day.

This study aimed at investigating whether a porcine follicular fluid (pFF) supplementation positively affects the characteristics of donor cells and the developmental competence of porcine cloned embryos. Ear fibroblast cells (donor cell) from an Massachusetts General Hospital miniature pig were cultured in different culture methods: (1) Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM)+10% FBS (Control); (2) DMEM+0.5% FBS (SS); and (3) DMEM+10% FBS+10% pFF (pFF) for 72 h. In each conditioned medium, the concentrations of 4 amino acids (Thr, Glu, Pro, and Val) in the pFF group were significantly different from those in the control group (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The proliferation of the cells cultured in the SS group was significantly lower than that of the other treatment groups (p<0.01). The population of apoptotic and necrotic cells in the SS group was significantly higher than that of either the control or the pFF group (p<0.01). The number of embryos that cleaved (p<0.05) and developed into blastocysts (p<0.01) in the SS group was significantly lower than that of either the control or the pFF group. Compared to other groups, the blastocysts produced from the donor cells in the pFF group had higher total cells and lower apoptotic cells (p<0.05). It can be concluded that pFF supplementation in the donor cell culture medium positively affects cell death, cell cycle and quality of the cloned blastocyst.

A fabrication method to improve the processability of thermoplastic carbon nanotube (CNT) mat composites was investigated by using in-situ polymerizable and low viscous cyclic butylene terephthalate oligomers. The electrical conductivity of the CNT mat composites strongly depended on the compression pressure, and the trend can be explained in terms of two cases, low and high compression pressure, respectively. High CNT mat content in the CNT mat composites and the surface of the CNT mat composites with fully contacted CNTs was achieved under high compression pressure, and direct contact between four probes and the surface of the CNT mat composites with fully contacted CNTs gave resistance of 2.1Ω. In this study the maximum electrical conductivity of the CNT mat composites, obtained under a maximum applied compression pressure of 27 MPa, was 11 904 S m-1, where the weight fraction of the CNT mat was 36.5%.

In this study, reduced graphene oxide/polyimide (r-GO/PI) composite films, which showed significant enhancement in their electrical conductivity, were successfully fabricated. GO was prepared from graphite using a modified Hummers method. The GO was used as a nanofiller material for the preparation of r-GO/PI composites by in-situ polymerization. An addition of 20 wt% of GO led to a significant decrease in the volume resistivity of composite films by less than nine orders of magnitude compared to that of pure PI films due to the electrical percolation networks of reduced GO created during imidization within the films. A tensile test indicated that the Young's modulus of the r-GO/PI composite film containing 20 wt% GO increased drastically from 2.3 GPa to 4.4 GPa, which was an improvement of approximately 84% compared to that of pure PI film. In addition, the corresponding tensile strength was found to have decreased only by 12%, from 113 MPa to 99 MPa.

Polyacetylene (PA) films with vertically aligned fibril morphology were synthesized in homeotropic nematic liquid crystal (N-LC) solvent by using a magnetic field of 5 Tesla as an external perturbation. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs indicated that the lengths of fibrils from the substrate were 5-35μm, depending on polymerization time. Carbonization was carried out using iodine-doped PA film and a morphology-retaining carbonization method. From the SEM results, we confirmed that the vertical morphology of the PA remains unchanged even after carbonization at 800℃. The weight loss of the films due to carbonization at 800℃ is about 20% of the weight of the film before iodine doping. It is expected that vertically aligned carbon might be a precursor for preparing vertical graphite materials, which materials could be useful for electrochemical energy storage and cell electrodes.

Graphite oxide (GO) was produced using the modified Hummer's method. Poly(p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS)/reduced graphite oxide (RGO) composites were prepared by in situ polymerization method. The electrical conductivity of the PPS/RGO composites was no more than 82 S/m. It was found that as GO content increased in the PPS/RGO composites, the crystallization temperature and electrical conductivity of the composites increased and the percolation threshold value was at 5-8 wt% of GO content.

Orange peel (OP) exhibits a sorption capacity towards anionic dyes such as reactive blue 19 (RB19). Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a cationic surfactant was used to modify the surface nature of OP to enhance its adsorption capacity for anionic dyes from an aqueous solution. Four adsorbents were investigated: the OP, sodium hydroxide-treated OP (SOP), CTAB-modified OP and CTAB-modified SOP. The physical and chemical properties of these sorbents were determined using nitrogen adsorption at 77 K and by scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. The adsorption of the RB19 dye was assessed with these sorbents at different solution pH levels and temperatures. The effect of the contact time was considered to determine the order and rate constants of the adsorption process. The adsorption data were analyzed considering the Freundlich, Langmuir, Elovich and Tempkin models. The adsorption of RB19 by the assessed sorbents is of the chemisorption type following pseudo-first-order kinetics. CTAB modification brought about a significant increase in RB19 adsorption, which was ascribed to the grafting of the sorbent with a cationic surfactant.

The process of embryo implantation requires physical contact and physiological communication between the conceptus trophectoderm and the maternal uterine endometrium. During the peri-implantation period in pigs, the conceptus undergoes significant morphological changes and secretes estrogens, the signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy. Estrogens secreted from the conceptus act on uterine epithelia to redirect , luteolysin, secretion from the uterine vasculature to the uterine lumen to prevent luteolysis as well as to induce expression of endometrial genes that support implantation and conceptus development. In addition, conceptuses secrete cytokines, interferons, growth factors, and proteases, and in response to these signals, the uterine endometrium produces hormones, protease inhibitors, growth factors, transport proteins, adhesion molecules, lipid molecules, and calcium regulatory molecules. Coordinated interactions of these factors derived from the conceptus and the uterus play important roles in the process of implantation in pigs. To better understand mechanism of implantation process in pigs, this review provides information on signaling molecules at the conceptus-uterine interface during early pregnancy, including recently reported data reported.