Refractory materials, such as molybdenum and niobium, are potential candidates for cladding material due to their high melting temperatures and desirable mechanical properties at higher temperatures than those of zirconium alloys. However, refractory materials have low resistance to oxidation at elevated temperatures. Therefore, this study examined silicide or aluminide surface coatings as protection against rapid oxidation of refractory materials at elevated temperatures for a potential accident-tolerant fuel cladding. Silicide or aluminide layers were formed on refractory metal substrates by using the pack cementation method. The steam oxidation behavior of both coated and uncoated samples was compared by thermogravimetric analysis at 1200°C. The weight changes of the coated samples were greatly reduced than those of uncoated samples. Microstructural analyses demonstrated that the silicide and aluminide layers were oxidized to form a protective surface oxide that prevented rapid oxidation of the refractory substrate at elevated temperatures.

This study developed conductive inks composed of carbon black (CB) and silver nanowires (Ag NWs) for cost-effective screen-printing on fabrics. The Ag NW density within the CB matrix was precisely controlled, achieving tunable electrical conductivity with minimal Ag NW usage. The resulting inks were successfully patterned into shapes such as square grids and circles on textile surfaces, demonstrating excellent conductivity and fidelity. Adding 19.9 wt% Ag NWs reduced sheet resistance by ~92% compared to CB-only inks, highlighting the effectiveness and potential of this hybrid approach for cost-effective, high-performance textile-based electronics. The one-dimensional morphology of Ag NWs facilitated the formation of conductive percolation networks, creating efficient electron pathways within the CB matrix even at low loadings. This work advances the field of CB-based conductive inks and provides a scalable and practical method for producing functional, patterned electronic textiles.

We report Ptycholaimellus ocellatus Huang and Wang, 2011, a free-living marine nematode of the family Chromadoridae Filipjev, 1917, as a newly recorded species in Korea. The specimen was collected from intertidal sediment habitats along the southern coast of Korea. Ptycholaimellus ocellatus is characterized by a distinct set of morphological features, including an abruptly tapered cervical region, the presence of ocelli, a transversely striated cuticle with lateral differentiation marked by two prominent longitudinal rows of dots, a large ampulla within a voluminous ventral gland, and two pharyngeal bulbs. This study provides the first taxonomic report of the genus Ptycholaimellus in Korean waters with differential interference contrast (DIC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs.

Habenaria radiata, commonly known as the Egret Flower, is a critically endangered terrestrial orchid facing rapid population decline due to overharvesting in Korea. Asymbiotic seed propagation offers a promising conservation method for this rare species. This study investigates the effects of different nutrient media on the germination and plantlet development of immature seeds of H. radiata, with the goal of establishing optimal propagation conditions. Among four media types, with the highest germination rate (75.6%) observed on OBTSG medium, followed by 1/2 MS, OMM, and OSGM. Protocorm development varied across media, with OBTSG and OMM supporting the most robust growth. A two-step culture method involving OBTSG for germination followed by OMM for plantlet development proved most effective, achieving an 84.4% survival rate. These findings highlight the importance of media composition and transitioning for successful propagation. The results provide a practical protocol for in vitro propagation, contributing to both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts aimed at preserving H. radiata and other endangered terrestrial orchids.

자생 바위솔인 와송(Orostachys japonica), 영동바위솔(O. japonica from ‘Youngdong’), 포천바위솔(O. latiellipticus) 의 휴면과 추대에 미치는 일장의 영향을 알아보기 위해 식물생 장상의 일장을 달리하여 실험을 수행하였다. 세 종류의 바위솔 들을 일장이 다른 식물생장상(86.7±8.7μmol·m-2·s-1 PPFD, 24±2℃)으로 옮기자 세 종류 모두 대부분의 일장에서 휴면이 시작되었다. 그러나 이 휴면은 얼마 지나지 않아 타파되기 시작 하였는데, 와송과 영동바위솔은 일장이 길수록 빨리 타파되었 고, 휴면타파에 걸리는 기간도 짧아졌다. 그러나 포천바위솔은 12시간 이하의 단일 조건에서는 휴면 타파가 보이지 않았다. 와송의 경우 16시간 일장에서는 휴면 없이 화서가 신장하는 것을 관찰할 수 있었다. 영동바위솔은 16시간 일장에서 잠시 휴면 에 들어갔으나 곧 타파되었고, 이어서 추대가 이루어졌으나, 포 천바위솔은 어떤 일장에서도 추대가 보이지 않았다. 결론적으 로, 이 연구의 바위솔에서 관찰된 휴면은 자연 조건에서 보이는 휴면과는 성질이 다르며 식물생장상의 낮은 광도 때문에 발생한 것으로 판단되었다. 이로써 바위솔은 환경 변화에 대해 매우 민감하게 반응하는 식물이며, 일장과 광도에 대한 반응은 바위 솔 종류에 따라 다르다는 것을 알 수 있었다.

곤충호텔은 곤충이 서식할 수 있도록 인위적으로 만든 구조 물로서 정원이나 텃밭 등 다양한 곳에서 활용되고 있다. 하지만 식생유형, 재료, 설치 방식 등에 따른 곤충 유입 효과에 대한 검증은 부족하며, 국가 또는 지역에 따른 곤충의 종류와 생육환 경이 다름에도 불구하고 곤충호텔에 대한 국내 연구는 전무한 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 국립수목원을 대상으로 구체적 인 식생유형 및 재료에 따른 유입 곤충 특성을 확인하고, 국내 실정에 맞는 효과적인 곤충호텔 설치 및 관리방안에 대한 기준 을 제시하고자 하였다. 조사구는 세 가지 식생유형(초지, 침엽수 림, 활엽수림)으로 구분하였으며, 각 식생의 조사구에 두 가지 재료(참나무, 잣나무)를 활용한 곤충호텔을 설치하였다. 조사는 2년동안(2022~2023) 진행되었으며, 매년 4~9월까지 주 1회 씩(총 48회) 곤충호텔의 유입 곤충을 직접 채집하였다. 곤충호 텔에서 채집된 곤충은 총 9목 46과 129종 3,057개체로, 2022 년에는 7목 34과 85종 1,750개체, 2023년에는 8목 35과 77종 1,307개체가 출현하였다. 연도별로 비교하면 1차년도에 유입 된 곤충의 개체수가 2차년도 보다 약 1.3배 많았고, 재료의 부식 에 따른 곤충의 구성도 달라졌다. 식생유형에 따라 구분하면 기간에 상관없이 활엽수림에서 유입 곤충이 가장 많았고, 침엽 수림에서 가장 적었다. 또한 재료에 따른 구분에서는 참나무가 잣나무보다 유입 곤충이 많았다. 참나무의 경우 유입 곤충의 연도별 차이가 적은 반면, 잣나무는 1년차에 비해 2년차에 약 2.3배 줄었다. 상관분석과 계층적 군집분석을 통한 곤충의 유입 특성은 식생유형보다는 재료의 영향이 큰 것으로 확인되었고, 식생유형만 비교했을 경우 초지에 비해 활엽수림과 침엽수림의 유사성이 높았다. 결론적으로 생물 다양성 증진을 목적으로 곤 충호텔을 설치하고자 한다면 초지나 활엽수림에 참나무 재료를 사용하는 것이 유리하며, 잣나무 재료를 이용한다면 1년 주기로 재료 교체가 필요할 것으로 판단된다. 하지만 특정 재료를 선호 하는 곤충의 기주특이성이 확인되었기 때문에 다양한 종류의 재료를 같이 사용하는 것도 하나의 방법이라고 사료된다. 향후 이를 기반으로 전시원에서 실질적으로 활용할 수 있는 곤충호텔 모델 개발로 확대해 나갈 예정이다.

국립수목원 전시원의 지속가능하고 친환경적인 관리를 위하 여 유기물 멀칭재 처리에 대한 잡초 억제 효과를 조사하였다. 대표적 잡초인 쑥군락과 바랭이군락을 대상으로 고정방형구 (1×1㎡)를 3반복 설치하였다. 처리구의 유기물 멀칭재는 5가지 재료로 활엽수 우드칩, 침엽수 바크, 갈참나무 낙엽, 메타세쿼이 아 낙엽, 칠엽수 과피를 사용하였다. 멀칭재 중에서 갈참나무 낙엽, 활엽수 우드칩, 칠엽수 과피가 비교적 잡초 억제 효과가 높은 것으로 나타났다. 갈참나무 낙엽은 지중 온도를 낮게 유지 하는 효과가 상대적으로 좋았기 때문에 토양의 보습 효과가 뛰 어날 것으로 판단된다. 유기물 멀칭재 처리는 일년생식물의 발 생은 억제하고, 지중식물 및 반지중식물의 생육에 도움을 주는 효과가 있었다. 멀칭재의 무게보다 재료에 의한 빛 차단 면적이 잡초를 억제하는 주된 요인이었다. 본 연구 결과는 국립수목원 전시원에서 발생하는 부산물을 활용한 친환경적 관리 방안 수립 에 활용될 것이며, 향후 잡초의 발생 시기에 따른 멀칭 시기 및 유기물 멀칭재의 유지 관리에 대한 추가적인 연구가 필요하다.

꼬리말발도리(Deutzia paniculata Nakai)와 가침박달 (Exochorda serratifolia S.Moore)은 각각 5~6월과 4~5월에 흰색 꽃이 피는 화목관목으로 한국의 희귀식물이며, 관상가치가 높아 원예용으로 개발할 가치가 있다. 본 연구에서는 꼬리말발 도리와 가침박달의 종자를 이용한 번식체계를 확립하고자 플러 그 육묘에서 플러그 트레이의 셀 크기, 배지조성, 시비수준에 따른 유묘의 생육을 조사하였다. 꼬리말발도리는 플러그 트레이 의 셀 크기가 작아질수록 유묘의 생육이 불량하였고, 105구의 셀 크기에서 초장, 엽장과 엽폭, 줄기와 뿌리의 생체중 등 생육 이 가장 양호하였다. 또한 배지의 조성은 피트모스와 펄라이트 를 20:80로 혼합한 처리에서 줄기와 뿌리의 생육이 가장 우수하 였고, 펄라이트 단용인 0:100 처리에서 유묘의 생육이 가장 불 량하였다. 가침박달은 피트모스와 펄라이트를 100:0과 75:25 로 혼합한 배지에서 유묘의 생육이 가장 좋았고, 펄라이트 단 용인 0:100 배지에서 유묘의 줄기뿐만 아니라 뿌리의 생육 도 가장 불량하였다. 그리고, 육묘 기간동안 시비수준이 증가 함에 따라 유묘의 줄기 생육이 양호하였으며, 엽록소의 함량도 증가하였다. 따라서 가침박달은 플러그 트레이 당 Hyponex (N:P:K=20:20:20) 6.24.g을 관주하는 것이 고품질 묘를 생산 하는데 가장 효과적이었다. 따라서 꼬리말발도리는 105공 플러 그 트레이에 피트모스와 펄라이트의 20:80 비율의 배지를 사용 하는 것이, 가침박달은 피트모스와 펄라이트의 100:0과 75:25 비율의 배지에서 육묘기간동안 Hyponex 6.24g를 시비하는 것이 유묘 생육에 가장 적합하였다.

Thyroid scanning using technetium-99m (99mTc) is the gold standard for diagnosing feline hyperthyroidism. In cats with an overactive thyroid, a thyroid scan is the most appropriate imaging technique to detect and localize any hyperfunctional adenomatous thyroid tissue. In this study, the pharmacological properties of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m), developed as a diagnostic agent for feline hyperthyroidism using 99mTc as an active ingredient, were tested in FRTL-5 thyroid follicular cell line and ICR mice. The percentage of cell uptake of the Tc-99m in FRTL-5 thyroid cells was 0.182 ± 0.018%, which was about 6 times higher compared to Clone 9 hepatocytes. This uptake decreased by 38.2% due to competitive inhibition by iodine (sodium iodide). In tissue distribution tests by using ICR mice, the highest distribution was observed in the liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and femur at 0.083 hours after administration, and this distribution decreased as the compound was excreted through the kidneys, the primary excretory organ. Maximum distribution was confirmed at 1 hour in the small intestine, 6 hours in the large intestine, and 2 hours in the thyroid gland. Additionally, the total amount excreted through urine and feces over 48 hours (2 days) was 78.80% of the injected dose, with 37.70% (47.84% of the total excretion) excreted through urine and 41.10% (52.16% of the total excretion) through feces. In conclusion, the Tc-99m has the same mechanism of action, potency, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion characteristics as 99mTc used for feline hyperthyroidism in the United States, Europe, and other countries, because the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) contains 99mTc as its sole active ingredient. Based on these results, the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) is expected to be safely used in the clinical diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism.

Seeds of some barberry species have embryo with physiological dormancy that requires a cold stratification for germination. Berberis amurensis Rupr. is a native species of Japan, Korea, the Russian far east, and parts of China. This specific plant is important for its edible fruits and rhizomes with high medicine value. This study aimed to determine the effect of stratification on germination and physiological change of B. amurensis. Seeds were placed on sterilized sand medium moistened with distilled water in 9 cm diameter petri dishes and stored at 4 and 25˚C for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. Each treatment had 40 seeds per replica, and three repetitions per treatment. Immediately after stratification, total phenolics contents (TPC) was analyzed and seeds incubated at 15/6˚C for 12 weeks. Warm stratification had a significant effect on seed forcing for germination than cold stratification treatment. At 25˚C for 60 days, stratified seed showed highest germination percentage (25.7±4.3%) and germination started in 14 days of the stored period. Whereas TPC was significantly decreased with increasing stored period. Contrastively, cold stratification had no effect on the germination ability. In the same way germination percentage of non-stratified seeds were also zero. The results confirmed that B. amurensis seeds were in a dormant state and warm stratification increased the germination ability by breaking of dormancy.

Neural machine translators (NMTs), such as Google Translate, may assist second language (L2) readers with general comprehension. However, previous empirical studies show mix ed r esults r egarding their e ffectiveness. In this study, 145 Korean English learners from a girls’ high school were asked to solve three types of reading comprehension problems (grammar judgment, inferring meaning from context, inferring main idea) under three reading conditions (no aid, MT, glossary). Overall, when using MT, reading comprehension scores were higher than in either the no aid or glossary conditions individually. However, none of the reading aid conditions improved grammar judgment. Only mid-proficiency learners benefited from MT in both inferring meaning from context and inferring main idea tasks. The results suggest that the glossary may have interrupted the flow of the reading process. With the widespread availability of MT as an online reference tool, L2 teachers should consider incorporating MT as a legitimate reading aid for different proficiency levels and reading purposes.

This study aims to gain insight into society and culture in the 10th to 7th centuries B.C. by exploring the clothing in Assyria, which was the most powerful force in Mesopotamian civilization at the time. As a research method, literature and empirical studies were conducted in parallel, focusing on a total of 127 Assyrian artifacts held in domestic and foreign museums. The results of this study are as follows. The basic forms of Assyrian clothing are tunics and shawls. The tunics have short sleeves and are knee or ankle length with a special type of tassel decoration. They have a wide belt at the waist, and a decorative panel is attached vertically below with a strap. In addition to the basic clothing, there are loincloths and overskirts, with some having open right sides and fringe decorations to denote a higher status. The overskirt has a third or fourth-tier skirt structure with an open front and fringe decorations on the edges. Most military members, except for archers, wore knee-length tunics as uniforms. As for armor, they wore short-chest or knee-length coat-type lamella armor. Headwear mainly consisted of cylindrical hats and headband-type decorations. In the case of bracelets, mainly rosette-shaped decorations and simple ring-shaped bracelets with three or one turn were worn. For shoes, sandals were mainly worn, and soldiers mainly wore boots. As a result, each costume element is expressed in various ways depending on the wearer’s status, clearly showing Assyrian costume culture.

Hydride analysis is required to assess the mechanical integrity of spent nuclear fuel cladding. Image segmentation, which is a hydride analysis method, is a technique that can analyze the orientation and distribution of hydrides in cladding images of spent nuclear fuels. However, the segmentation results varied according to the image preprocessing. Inaccurate segmentation results can make hydride difficult to analyze. This study aims to analyze the segmentation performance of the Otsu algorithm according to the morphological operations of cladding images. Morphological operations were applied to four different cladding images, and segmentation performance was quantitatively compared using a histogram, betweenclass variance, and radial hydride fraction. As a result, this study found that morphological operations can induce errors in cladding images and that appropriate combinations of morphological operations can maximize segmentation performance. This study emphasizes the importance of image preprocessing methods, suggesting that they can enhance the accuracy of hydride analysis. These findings are expected to contribute to the advancements in integrity assessment of spent nuclear fuel cladding.

The Yeongsan River is a prominent inland waterway, alongside the Han River, Nakdong River, and Geum River in South Korea. Numerous bacterial strains were isolated from the Yeongsan River basin for a comprehensive investigation into indigenous prokaryotic species conducted between 2020 and 2023. These bacterial strains were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, wherein 45 bacterial strains shared >98.7% sequence similarities with bacterial species not recorded in Korea thus far. Therefore, this study aimed to catalogue aforementioned unrecorded species and characterize them contingent upon their Gram nature, colony and cell morphologies, biochemical properties, and phylogenetic positions. These bacterial species were determined to be phylogenetically diverse. They were categorized into nine classes, 18 orders, and 25 families. These previously unrecorded species were classified into the following genera and classes: Chitinophaga (class Chitinophagia); Flavobacterium (class Flavobacteriia); Rhodopseudomonas, Gemmobacter, Paracoccus, Azospirillum, Sphingomonas, Novosphingobium, Sphingorhabdus, and Erythrobacter (class Alphaproteobacteria); Bordetella, Pararobbsia, Polynucleobacter, Rhodoferax, Aquabacterium, Malikia, Comamonas, Ideonella, Paucibacter, Undibacterium, Cupriavidus, and Thauera (class Betaproteobacteria); Pectobacterium, Arenimonas, Lysobacter, and Luteimonas (class Gammaproteobacteria); Luteolibacter (class Verrucomicrobiia); Mycolicibacterium, Angustibacter, Ornithinibacter, Janibacter, Schumannella, Aurantimicrobium, Luedemannella, Nocardioides, and Propionicimonas (class Actinomycetes); Geothrix (class Holophagae); and Lactococcus (class Bacilli).

국립원예특작과학원에서는 밝은 화색과 안정적인 화형의 생 육이 우수한 빨간색 스탠다드 장미 품종을 육성하기 위해 진한 적색 스탠다드 장미 품종 ‘엔드리스러브(Endless Love)’를 모 본으로, 꽃잎수가 많고 안정적으로 가시가 적은 밝은 노란색 ‘페니레인(Penny Lane)’ 품종을 부본으로 인공교배하였다. 37 개의 교배실생을 양성해 1, 2, 3차에 걸친 특성검정 및 현장실증 을 통해 꽃이 크고 화형이 안정적이며, 재배안정성 및 생산성, 절화특성이 우수한 ‘원교 D1-390’을 최종 선발하였다. 2023년 ‘루비레드(Ruby Red)’로 명명하여 국립종자원에 품종보호출원·등록되었다. ‘루비레드’ 품종은 밝은 적색(R53C)을 가졌으 며, 꽃잎수가 32.8매, 화폭과 화고는 각각 10.9, 5.9cm로 대조 품종보다 크다. 절화장은 평균 71.7cm, 절화수명은 약 16.7일, 수량은 연간 168대/m2로 대조품종인 ‘레드스퀘어(Red Square)’ 대비 절화장이 길고 절화수명도 2배 이상 길며, 수확량도 1.4배 우수하다. 2023년 국내 육성 장미 품종 서울식물원 관람객 대상 공동평가회에서 스탠다드 장미 중 우수한 평가를 받았으며, 현 장 실증 결과 농가별로 균일하고 우수한 수량과 절화품질을 보 였다. 절화용 장미 ‘루비레드’ 품종은 밝은 적색과 우수한 화형 을 가지는 품종으로 해외 대체 품종으로 국내에서 많이 재배될 것으로 기대된다.

Unlike companion cats raised at home, feral cats are more likely to be infected with parasites. Feral cats can transmit parasites not only to other cats but also to pets and people. This study was conducted to investigate prevalence intestinal parasites prevalence through the fecal examination of feral cats in Gunsan City. After making a suspension in Sheather's Sucrose solution, the feces were mixed and centrifuged, and then examined under a microscope. The results were revealed mostly unsporulated oocysts and sporulated oocysts of coccidia, followed by pinworm's eggs, which showed a relatively high infection rate. Scabies and mites were also found in the feces. Due to the behavioral characteristics of cats, they tend to remove the foreign objects from their fur through grooming, which is why a lot of hairs were observed in the feces, and it is thought that this is why scabies and mites were also found in the fecal examination results. The results of this study confirm that feral cats are exposed to those parasites. It is also thought that consideration should be given to expanding the TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-release) program, which can reduce the number of feral cats.

This study evaluated the immunogenicity of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in a guinea pig model to refine preclinical assessment methods. 24 guinea pigs were divided into four groups for immunohistochemical, histopathological, and molecular analyses, including qRT-PCR and ELISA. The ELISA results revealed significant elevations in interleukin 2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN- ), and tuberculosis-specific antibodies in vaccinated guinea pigs, particularly γ notable after 6 weeks. Although lung cytokine levels remained unchanged, spleen gene expression showed significant differences in interleukin-17, interleukin-12, interleukin-1β, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 after 6 weeks. Immunohistochemistry revealed peak IL-2 expression at 8 weeks and significant IFN-γ and TNF-α expression at 6 weeks. This study confirmed the effectiveness of BCG vaccine in guinea pigs, providing crucial insights for future tuberculosis vaccine development and standardizing immune response indicators.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have been reported to have better properties than conventional materials; however, they are more expensive due to the high cost of their main components. Therefore, research is needed to reduce manufacturing costs. In this study, CoCrFeMnNi HEAs were prepared using metal injection molding (MIM), which is a powder metallurgy process that involves less material waste than machining process. Although the MIM-processed samples were in the face-centered cubic (FCC) phase, porosity remained after sintering at 1200°C, 1250°C, and 1275°C. In this study, the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process, which considers both temperature (1150°C) and pressure (150 MPa), was adopted to improve the quality of the MIM samples. Although the hardness of the HIP-treated samples decreased slightly and the Mn composition was significantly reduced, the process effectively eliminated many pores that remained after the 1275°C MIM process. The HIP process can improve the quality of the alloy.

Light is a major external environmental factor that influences the circadian rhythm of photosynthetic organisms and various physiological phenomena, such as growth, maturation, and behavior. The number of light-reaching organisms changes depending on the season and atmospheric conditions, and the intensity and wavelength of light differ depending on the organisms inhabiting the environment. Altered light changes the circadian rhythm of fish, which is controlled by clock genes, such as period 2 (Per2), cryptochrome 1 (Cry1), and melatonin. In this study, we set the zeitgeber time (ZT; 14 light-10 dark, LD) based on the actual sunrise and sunset times and examined Per2 and Cry1 activities, levels of aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), and melatonin in Pholis nebulosa, a drifting seaweed species exposed to irregular light. Per2 and Cry1 levels increased during the daytime and decreased after sunset. The AANAT levels decreased during the daytime and increased during the night. Melatonin concentration was highest around midnight (ZT21, 23:30), but exhibited similar concentrations during the daytime. While the activity of Per2, Cry1, and AANAT levels exhibited a typical circadian rhythm observed in most vertebrates, melatonin concentrations did not show a significant difference between the daytime and nighttime. These findings provide insights into the circadian rhythm patterns of organisms exposed to irregular light environments, such as P. nebulosa, which differ from those of typical fish species.