A pregnancy diagnosis is an important standard for control of livestock’s reproduction in paricular dairy cattle. High reproductive performance in dairy animals is a essential condition to realize of high life-time production. Pregnancy diagnosis is crucial to shortening the calving interval by enabling the farmer to identify open animals so as to treat or re-breed them at the earliest opportunity. MicroRNAs are short RNA molecules which are critically involved in regulating gene expression during both health and disease. This study is sought to establish the feasible of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of early pregnancy in cattle. We applied Illumina small-RNA sequencing to profile miRNAs in plasma samples collected from 12 non-pregnant cows (“open” cows: samples were collected before insemination (non-pregnant state) and after pregnancy check at the indicated time points) on weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16. Using small RNA sequencing we identified a total of 115 miRNAs that were differentially expressed weeks 16 relative to non-pregnancy (“open” cows). Weeks 8, 12 and 16 of pregnancy commonly showed a distinct increase in circulating levels of miR-221 and miR-320a. Through genome-wide analyses we have successfully profiled plasma miRNA populations associated with pregnancy in cattle. Their application in the field of reproductive biology has opened up opportunities for research communities to look for pregnancy biomarker molecules in dairy cattle.

A new free-living marine nematode species of the genus Belbolla Andrássy, 1973 belonging to the family Enchelidiidae is described based on specimens collected from the sediment of a subtidal benthic environmental habitat in the East Sea, Korea. Belbolla wonkimi sp. nov. differs from its congeners by the combination of the following characteristics: a relatively long body (3263-3396 μm), the absence of ocelli, nine oesophageal bulbs in the posterior pharynx, well-developed two winged precloacal supplements, longer spicule length (115-130 μm, 1.6-1.8 anal body diameter long), and a triangle-shaped shorter gubernacular apophysis (17-18 μm). Comparative tables on the biogeographical and morphological characteristics of Belbolla species are presented. A DIC (differential interference contrast) photomicrograph of the new species is also provided. This is the first taxonomic report on the genus Belbolla from Korean waters.

Canine mammary tumors account for ~30% of all tumors in the female dogs and approximately 50% of the tumors are malignant. Exosomes have been the focus of great interest, as they appear to be involved in numerous important cellular processes. In this study, we examined the anti-tumor effects of canine mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes (MSC-exosomes) in an experimental murine mammary tumor model using canine mammary carcinoma cells, REM134. The MSC-exosomes were injected tumor site and tail vein of REM134 xenografted mice. We found that tumor size of the MSC-exosomes-treated group decreased compared to those of the only tumor group in REM134-driven tumorigenic mouse model. In addition, the MSC-exosomes-treated tumor group showed meaningfully reduced expression levels of the MMP-3, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α compared to those in the tumor group. Specifically, we confirmed that the expression level of the CD133, potent cancer stem cell (CSC) markers, decreased in the MSC-exosomes-treated tumor group compared to the tumor group. This study suggests that the MSC-exosomes exhibited anti-tumor effects through downregulating CSC-related markers in the canine mammary tumor murine model. Further study is needed in the future, and we are conducting research on the detailed anti-tumor mechanism of the MSC-exosomes.

The occurrence of exotic weeds and their influx into farmlands due to climate change poses many problems. Therefore, it is necessary to generate a prediction model for the occurrence pattern of these exotic weeds based on scientific evidence and devise prevention measures. The photosynthetic apparatus is known as the most temperaturesensitive component of a plant cell and its initial response to temperature stress is to inhibit the activation of photosystem II. This study investigated the potential of OJIP transients in assessing temperature stress in exotic weeds. The four exotic weeds currently flowing into Korean farmlands include Amaranthus spinosus, Conyza bonariensis, Crassocephalum crepidioides, and Amaranthus viridis. These weeds were treated at 5°C, 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, and 40°C and the OJIP curves and JIP parameters were measured and analyzed. The results showed that heat and chilling stress affected the photosystem II (PSII) electron transport of A. spinosus, whereas C. crepidioides and A. viridis were more affected by high-temperature stress than by low-temperature stress. Lastly, C. bonariensis showed resistance to both high and low-temperature stress. The results of this study suggest that OJIP transients and JIP parameters can be used to analyze damage to the photosynthetic apparatus by temperature stress and that they can serve as sensitive indicators for the occurrence pattern of exotic weeds.

본 연구는 제비꽃과 남산제비꽃 종자의 종자휴면을 구명하고 종자 저장에 따른 발아 특성을 알아보는 것을 목표로 하고 있다. 먼저 장기 저장 종자를 대상으로 다양한 배양 온도, 저온층적처리, GA3처리를 수행하였다. 휴면의 유무를 판단하기 위해 종자를 25/15, 20/10, 15/6°C 온도에서 배양하였고 제비 꽃 종자의 최종 발아율이 각각 86, 66, 66%으로 나타났다. 이는 제비꽃 종자에 휴면이 없는 것으로 여겨진다. 남산제비꽃은 최종 발아율이 50% 이하이며, 4주 이내에 거의 발아를 하지 않아 생리적휴면이 있다고 판단된다. 남산제비꽃 종자에 GA3 1000mg･L-1를 처리했을 때 최종 발아율이 100%로 나타났다. 또한 저온층적처리 실험 결과 남산제비꽃 종자가 저온 층적처리 기간이 증가할수록 최종발아율도 증가하였다. 앞의 실험은 장기 저장이 되었던 종자를 사용한 것이며 채종 직후의 제비꽃, 남산제비꽃의 발아양상도 살펴보았다. 제비꽃은 25/15°C에서 1주 만에 모두 발아를 하여 종자 휴면이 없는 것을 다시 확인하였다. 장기 저장 종자에 비해 평균발아일수가 줄어들고 발아속도가 증가하여 제비꽃 종자는 장기 저장 중에 종자의 활력이 감소됨을 알 수 있었다. 바로 채종한 남산제비 꽃 종자도 4주만에 발아가 거의 이루어지지 않고 저온층적처리를 통해 발아율이 향상 되는 것으로 보아 생리적휴면을 가지고 있다고 재확인되었다. 따라서 제비꽃과 남산제비꽃은 장기 저장에 따라 종자의 휴면 유형은 변하지 않지만 종자 활력 에 따라서 최종발아율, 평균 발아일수, 발아속도, 발아균일도가 달라질 수 있다.

본 논문에서는 고리 1호기 해체 비용 추정을 위해 외국 원자력발전소 해체 비용 데이터를 현가화한 후 원자력발전소 해체 비용 추정 회귀 분석모델을 개발하였다. 이 모델 개발에 사용된 데이터는 해체 또는 진행 중인 BWR 13기, PWR 16기의 해체 비용 데이터이다. 회귀 분석모델 도출을 위해, 해체 비용을 종속변수로 정하고, 해체 원전의 운전 특성을 반영할 수 있게 고 안된 Contamination factor와 해체 기간을 독립변수로 선정하였다. 빅데이터 분석 도구인 R language의 통계패키지를 이용 하여 회귀 분석모델을 도출하였다. 이 회귀 분석 모델을 적용하여 고리 1호기 해체 비용을 예측한 결과, 미화 663.40~928.32 백만 달러, 한화 약 7,828.12억~1조 954.18억 원이 소요될 것으로 예측되었다.

In this study, the effects of heat-moisture treatment (boiling or steaming for 45 min) prior to hot air drying (70 o C for 8 h) on water activity (Aw), moisture (MC), Brix, color, and texture of dried sweet potato slices were investigated to identify the best pretreatment condition for producing dried sweet potato with the best eating quality. Dried sweet potato slices pretreated by boiling (BL) showed significantly lower Aw, MC, and hardness while Brix was significantly higher than with steaming (ST) treatment. There were no significant differences for the color, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and brittleness indexes. At 8 h drying, the Aw, MC, Brix, and hardness of the BL and ST samples were 0.81 and 0.82, 19.71% and 25.53%, 53.80% and 49.40%, and 20.49 kg/cm 2 and 31.98 kg/ cm 2 , respectively. This information will be useful for manufacturers in the production of dried sweet potato slices. These findings provide evidence of the feasibility of heat-moisture treatments in the production of dried sweet potato.