Background: With the growing interest in the health of companion dogs, their average lifespan has increased, leading to an increase in the proportion of elderly dogs. As elderly dogs are vulnerable to various diseases, there is a need for alternatives to predict the risk of major diseases in senior dogs, prevent them in advance, and manage their health effectively. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify candidate genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influencing primary angle-closure glaucoma, a major disease in elderly dogs, using the Axiom Canine HD Array and establishing foundational data. Methods: Samples from 95 dogs of 26 breeds from South Korea were analyzed using an SNP chip. Ultimately, two SNPs were selected. To assess the impact of non-synonymous SNP (nsSNPs), functional analysis of candidate genes, Hazard Assessment, and protein structure prediction were conducted. Sequencing for SNP validation involved samples from 95 dogs of ten breeds with reported domestic and international glaucoma cases. Results: The candidate gene TNS1 was associated with the integrin signaling pathway. The selected nsSNP was found to cause a mutation at the ninth position of the amino acid sequence, changing serine to leucine and resulting in alterations to the overall protein structure. Sequencing analysis results for SNP validation revealed differences in frequency among breeds. Conclusions: The identified SNP markers are potential risk prediction tools. Utilizing genotype frequency data by breed and individual could aid in disease management and contribute to advancements in the medical industry.

조팝나무속 식물은 장미과에 속하는 다년생 관목으로 우리나 라 전역에 자생하는 한국 고유 식물이다. 조팝나무속 식물은 관상적으로나 약용적인 가치가 있는 중요한 자원 식물 중에 하나라고 여겨진다. 본 연구에서는 조팝나무속 식물 중 조팝나무 (Spiraea prunifolia), 꼬리조팝나무(S. salicfolia), 당조팝나무 (S. chinensis)를 대상종으로 선정하여 종자의 휴면타파와 발아 특성을 구명하였다. 종자의 내･외부 형태는 종자의 길이와 배형 태를 관찰하였으며, 조팝나무, 꼬리조팝나무, 당조팝나무 종자 의 길이는 각각 약 2.21, 2.86, 2.01mm로 나타났다. 조팝나무 는 변온 조건에서 25/15, 20/10, 15/6, 5℃ 처리에서 각각 100, 100, 100, 58.2%로 5주 이내에 최대발아률까지 도달하였 으며, 저온층적처리에서도 경우 0, 4, 8, 12주에서 각각 100.0, 93.3, 90.2, 84.4%로 모든 층적처리에서 발아율이 높게 나타났 다. 저온층적처리와 GA3의 농도처리별 통계적인 차이가 나타나 지 않았다. 당조팝나무에서도 조팝나무와 동일한 양상으로 변온 조건에서 모든 처리에서 5주 이내에 최대발아률(100%)까지 도달 하였으며, 0, 4, 8, 12주에서 각각 100.0, 100.0, 90.6, 90.6% 로 모든 처리에서 발아율이 높게 나타났으며, GA3의 농도처리 별 통계적인 차이가 나타나지 않았다. 하지만 꼬리조팝나무는 5주째에 25/15, 20/10, 15/6℃ 각 온도 범위에서 14.0, 16.5, 5% 정도 발아하여 발아율이 매우 저조했다. 처리 후 20주 정도 되었을 때 상대적으로 온도가 낮은 15/6, 20/10℃ 처리구에서 50% 이상으로 발아율이 향상되었다. 그리고 GA처리를 통해 발아율이 향상되었다. 위 결과로 보았을 때 조팝나무속 2종의 식물과 다르게 꼬리조팝나무는 휴면이 있다고 판단되며, 종자 발아온도 조건의 범위가 상대적으로 좁다고 판단된다. 따라서 조팝나무속 식물 3종 중에 조팝나무와 당조팝나무는 휴면이 없 다고 판단되며, 꼬리조팝나무는 생리적 휴면으로 분류하였으며, 세부적으로 non-deep의 휴면 유형을 가졌다고 판단된다.

개회나무(Syringa reticulata)는 수수꽃다리속 물푸레나무과 에 속하는 낙엽활엽교목으로 관상 및 약용 등으로 사용되는 가 치가 높은 식물이다. 본 연구는 개회나무 종자의 휴면타파와 발아특성을 구명하여 대량증식 체계를 확립하고자 하였다. 이에 따라 종자내외부특성, 수분흡수률, 변온처리(25/15, 20/10, 15/6, 5℃), 저온층적처리(0, 4, 8, 12주), 생장조절제 농도 (GA3 0, 10, 100, 1000mg·L-1)처리하여 확인하였다. 그 결과 배는 완전히 성숙되어 있는 형태였으며, 수분흡수률은 초기대비 약 39.2% 증가하였다 변온 처리조건에서는 15/6℃ 조건에서 발아율이 69.2%로 가장 높았으며, 0주 층적처리에서 가장 높은 발아율을 나타낸 것으로 보아 변온의 5℃ 처리의 결과와 동일한 양상으로 저온은 발아에 큰 영향을 미치지 않았다. 생장조절제 처리에서는 상대적으로 GA3 농도가 높은 100, 1000mg·L-1 처리에서 발아률이 통계적으로 높게 나타났다. 위 결과를 보아 개 회나무는 생리적 휴면을 가지고 있으며, 세부적으로 non-deep PD라고 판단된다.

본 연구를 통해 국내 미기록속인 그물나비속(Neope)의 검은눈그물나비(Neope muirheadii)를 처음으로 보고한다. 이 종의 채집지 정보와 간단 한 논평을 포함하여, 성충과 생식기의 사진을 함께 제시한다.

This study aims to systematically investigate the insect diversity within the distinct coastal grassland and mountain habitats of East Busan, Busan Metropolitan City. The objective is to gather foundational data that will inform natural environment conservation plans and contribute to policy formulation. Employing a comprehensive collection approach, we utilized trapping nets, pitfall traps, and flying insect traps to capture a broad spectrum of insect species. The investigation identified a rich diversity of 132 species across 9 orders and 52 families. Coleoptera emerged as the most prevalent order with 13 families and 41 species, followed by Diptera with 8 families and 24 species, and Lepidoptera with 9 families and 21 species. To assess the biodiversity and structure of these communities by habitat type, we applied several biodiversity indices: the Shannon-Wiener index (H'), Margalef index (R), and Pielou evenness index. Coastal grasslands exhibited an H' of 3.153, R of 11.08, and a Pielou evenness of 0.371; coastal mountains showed an H' of 2.922, R of 13.02, and a Pielou evenness of 0.202. These metrics reveal no significant differences in diversity and evenness between the two habitats. The endangered Copris tripartitus was notably observed in coastal grasslands, alongside 20 species classified as Least Concern (LC) in the National Red List across both habitats. The comparative analysis of biodiversity and evenness levels across coastal grassland and mountain areas highlights the ecological significance of both habitats in supporting a diverse insect fauna. The detection of endangered and LC species within these areas emphasizes the critical need for ongoing monitoring and the development of effective conservation strategies tailored to protect Busan's coastal ecosystems. The findings underscore the necessity of conducting periodic surveys to monitor faunal changes and inform conservation efforts actively. By ensuring the continued protection of insect diversity, these efforts will play a pivotal role in maintaining the ecological integrity of coastal areas, thereby supporting broader environmental conservation objectives.

This study aimed to collect foundational data essential for devising a natural environment conservation plan and implementing relevant policies. It underscores the significance of understanding the current state of the natural environment. Our research concentrated on surveying the biodiversity and distribution of key natural habitats within Busan Metropolitan City, with the goal of gathering crucial data to guide the development of conservation and management strategies. The focus of our investigation was on the insect populations in Ilgwang, covering two primary habitats: mountains and wetlands. The survey, conducted from July to September 2023, utilized various collection methods, including pitfall traps, fly traps, sweeping nets, and aspirators. Our findings documented the presence of 109 species across 88 genera, 50 families, and 9 orders. Specifically, the study identified two species from the order Odonata, two from Blattodea, one from Mantodea, six from Orthoptera, eleven from Hemiptera, twenty-nine from Coleoptera, twelve from Diptera, ten from Lepidoptera, and thirty-five from Hymenoptera. Through community analysis, biodiversity indices were calculated, revealing a Shannon-Wiener index (H') of 4.07 for mountain habitats and 3.92 for wetlands. The Margalef richness index (R) displayed values of 13.92 for mountains and 14.78 for wetlands, while the Pielou evenness index indicated values of 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. Among the identified species, one was classified as endangered, and thirteen were designated as of Least Concern, according to legal protection statuses.

The study of blowfly (Diptera, Calliphoridae) biodiversity and distribution is crucial for forensic investigations involving cadavers. Abiotic and biotic factors, such as seasonality and habitat type, have significant impacts on blowfly populations. However, few forensic entomology studies have been conducted in South Korea, particularly the Gyeongsangnam-do region. To address this, in this study, an extensive year-long survey was conducted to analyze the compositions, habitat preferences, distribution, and seasonal abundance of forensically relevant blowflies in urban and forested habitats in Gyeongsangnam-do, utilizing mouse carcass-baited traps set for 48 h each month. A total of 3,478 adult blowflies were recorded, encompassing six genera and 14 species, with a noted absence of specimens during the winter months. The predominant species was Lucilia porphyrina, accounting for 37.1% of the total sample, followed by Chrysomya pinguis (27.5%), Lucilia sericata (7.6%), and Lucilia illustris (7.1%). The species composition was consistent across all surveyed regions; however, seasonal variation in species diversity was evident, with a peak in spring and decline in summer. Notably, certain species exhibited clear preferences for either urban (Calliphora calliphoroides and L. sericata) or forested habitats (L. porphyrina and Ch. pinguis). This pioneering study elucidates the diverse blowfly communities in Gyeongsangnam-do, highlighting significant seasonal and habitat-dependent variations.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which affects cloven-hoofed animals, is economically important because of its highly contagious nature. FMD virus (FMDV), the causative agent of FMD, involves seven serotypes (O, A, Asia1, C, and SAT 1-3). Serotype Asia1 is unique to the Asian territory and is subdivided into nine genetic groups (G-I-IX) based on nucleotide variations in the VP1 sequence. Asia1 Shamir, the most representative Asia1 vaccine, is not highly protective against the Asia1/MOG/05 (G-V) lineage found in North Korea in 2007. Therefore, we investigated whether a chimeric virus strain (Asia1/MOG/Shamir), in which the VP4, VP2, and VP3 sequences of Asia1/MOG/05 were combined with the VP1 sequence of Asia1 Shamir, can simultaneously protect against both viruses. We determined the optimal viral growth conditions for the commercial utilization of this chimeric virus strain. Of the three types of cell culture media, the Cellvento medium resulted in the highest amount of antigen in the samples. The chimeric strain was proliferated in a small bioreactor to produce a test vaccine, and its immunogenicity was evaluated in pigs. The virus neutralization (VN) titer against the Asia1 Shamir virus was > 1/100 after the second immunization with the chimeric vaccine in pigs. In addition, a single dose of the test vaccine resulted in a VN titer of > 1/100 against the Asia1/MOG/05 strain. Taken together, our chimeric vaccine strain provided sufficient protection against the Asia1/MOG/05 and Asia1 Shamir viruses, suggesting its potential as a novel vaccine for both these strains.

Although ethylformate and phosphine fumigants are widely used for pest quarantine, studies related to their mechanism of action and metabolic physiological changes in Drosophila models are still unclear. In this study, we investigated how key metabolites altered by fumigants and cold treatment are associated with and affect insect physiology by comparative metabolome analysis. Fumigant treatment significantly altered cytochrome P450 and glutathione metabolites involved in the detoxification mechanism and showed lower expression of PGF2α involved in the immune response compared to the control. Additionally, most of the metabolites functioned in metabolic pathways related to the biosynthesis of amino acids, nucleotides and cofactors.

Porous carbons are considered promising for CO2 capture due to their high-pressure capture performance, high chemical/ thermal stability, and low humidity sensitivity. But, their low-pressure capture performance, selectivity toward CO2 over N2, and adsorption kinetics need further improvement for practical applications. Herein, we report a novel dual-templating strategy based on molten salts (LiBr/KBr) and hydrogen-bonded triazine molecules (melamine–cyanuric acid complex, MCA) to prepare high-performance porous carbon adsorbents for low-pressure CO2. The comprehensive investigations of pore structure, microstructure, and chemical structure, as well as their correlation with CO2 capture performance, reveal that the dual template plays the role of porogen for multi-hierarchical porous structure based on supermicro-/micro-/meso-/ macro-pores and reactant for high N/O insertion into the carbon framework. Furthermore, they exert a synergistic but independent effect on the carbonization procedure of glucose, avoiding the counter-balance between porous structure and hetero-atom insertion. This enables the preferred formation of pyrrolic N/carboxylic acid functional groups and supermicropores of ~ 0.8 nm, while retaining the micro-/meso-/macro-pores (> 1 nm) more than 60% of the total pore volume. As a result, the dual-templated porous carbon adsorbent (MG-Br-600) simultaneously achieves a high CO2 capture capacity of 3.95 mmol g− 1 at 850 Torr and 0 °C, a CO2/ N2 (15:85) selectivity factor of 31 at 0 °C, and a high intra-particle diffusivity of 0.23 mmol g− 1 min− 0.5 without performance degradation over repeated use. With the molecular scale structure tunability and the large-scale production capability, the dual-templating strategy will offer versatile tools for designing high-performance carbon-based adsorbents for CO2 capture.

CANDU Spent Fuel (CSF) dry storage system, SILO, has been operated from 1992 at Wolsung under 50 year operating license. As of 2023, this system has been operated for over 30 years and its licensed remaining operation time is less than 20 years. When it faces the final stage of operation, it has only two options; moving to a centralized away-from-reactor storage or extending its license atreactor. These two options have an inevitable common duty of confirming the CSF integrity by a “demonstration test”. Since the degradation of CSF and structural materials in the SILO are critically dependent on temperature, two important goals of the ‘DEMO test’ were set as follows. 1. Design of ‘DEMO SILO’: Development of internal monitoring technology by transforming SILO design. 2. Accurate measurement and evaluation of the three-dimensional temperature distribution in the ‘DEMO SILO’ Based on operating real commercial SILO dimension, a conceptual “DEMO SILO” design has been developed from 2022. Because, unlike with commercial Silo, ‘Demo Silo’ must be disassembled and assembled, and have penetration holes. Safety evaluation technologies like structural, thermal and radiation protection analysis also have been developed with design work. ‘Demo SILO’ should evaluate an accurate 3D temperature distribution with minimal number of thermocouples and penetration holes to avoid disruption of internal flow and temperature distribution. For this reason, a ‘Best Estimate Thermal-Hydraulics evaluation system for SILO’ is under development and it will be essential for ensuring temperature prediction accuracy. Construction of a full-scale test apparatus to validate this technology will begin in 2024. In order to supply power to many heaters and monitor temperature gradient inside of this apparatus, it has modular design concept by dividing its whole body to axial 9 sub-bodies which looks like a donut containing a basket at center position.

본 연구는 SAP를 국화(Chrysanthemum morifolium) 분화 생산에 활용하고 SAP의 혼합 비율에 따른 물 사용량과 국화 의 생육을 비교하고자 수행하였다. SAP를 배지의 부피비인 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2%로 섞었으며 각각의 처리구는 토양수분함 량 0.50m3･m-3로 일정하게 유지시켰다. 국화의 성장은 초장, 초폭, 뿌리 길이, 개화소요일수를 조사하였다. SAP 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2% 처리구에 따르면 식물체의 초장, 초폭, 생체중은 처리구간에 유의한 차이가 없었다. 그러나 지하부 건물중에서 는 0.2% SAP 처리가 대조구보다 유의하게 높았다. 실험 기간 동안 SAP의 혼합 비율에 따라 사용되는 관수량에는 상당한 차이가 있었다. 관수량은 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2% SAP 처리에서 각각 43.5, 37.2, 30.1, 29.4L이었다. 결론적으로 동일한 토 양수분조건하에서 SAP의 양에 따른 국화의 생육에는 차이가 없었으나, SAP를 통해 토양의 보수력을 향상시켜 사용되는 물의 양을 크게 줄일 수 있었다.