The objective of this study was to assess the effects of gypsum application on dry matter yield (DMY), mineral content of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and soil properties in reclaimed tidal land in South Korea. The experiment was conducted in Seokmun, located on the west coast of South Korea, which is reclaimed with approximately 70 cm depth of degraded island soil. Treatments consisted of a control with no gypsum application (G0), 2 ton ha-1 (G2), and 4 ton ha-1 (G4) of gypsum application. The first harvest was carried out when the alfalfa reached 10% flowering, and subsequent harvests were conducted at 35-day intervals. Over the three-year experimental periods (2019-2021), the total DMY of G2 treatment was significantly higher than those of G0 and G4 (p<0.05). Although both G2 and G4 gypsum application treatments lowered soil pH, the G4 treatment increased the electrical conductivity (EC) content of the soil. Additionally, gypsum application affected the mineral contents of alfalfa, resulting in reduced concentration of sodium (Na) and Magnesium (Mg). Therefore, this present study suggests that a gypsum application rate of 2 ton ha-1 is optimal for improving alfalfa dry matter yield and mineral balance, as well as enhancing soil chemical properties in reclaimed tidal land in South Korea.

Nitrogen fertilizers are generally known to be of great help in improving crop yields, but excessive nitrogen fertilizer usage can not only destroy the environment but also negatively affect crop growth. This study aims to develop a decision-making system for optimal nitrogen fertilizer use for efficient production of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa), one of the major vegetables. The proposed system has the functions of detecting farmland based on satellite images, predicting cabbage yields and greenhouse gas (e.g., nitrous oxide) emissions according to nitrogen fertilizer use, and making decisions using the prediction results. To develop the proposed system, a generalized prediction model is developed using experimental data collected from South Korea, Egypt, India, Canada, Lithuania, and China, and the effectiveness of the proposed system is validated through experiments. As a result, the proposed system will enable farmers to conduct eco-friendly agricultural activities through appropriate nitrogen fertilizer use while stably maximizing productivity of Chinese cabbages.

Background: During daily activities, stability is maintained to enhance the function of muscles surrounding the lumbopelvic and hip structures. The core muscles such as the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and internal oblique (IO) responsible for this stability. One effective static exercise for strengthening these muscles is the plank. Objects: This study aimed to compare abdominal electromyographic activation when an unstable support surface was applied to the upper and lower extremities during a standard and a knee plank. Methods: A total of 30 adults (15 males and 15 females) participated in this study. Surface electromyography electrodes were placed on the RA, EO, and IO muscles. Data were collected under six conditions for males, including two plank postures (standard and knee planks) and three unstable surface conditions (a dynamic balance cushion applied to the upper extremities, lower extremities, or no cushion). Female participants performed only the knee plank. A mixed-effects model with a random intercept was used to analyze muscle activation across plank posture and surface position, with statistical significance set at α = 0.05. Results: In males, the standard plank elicited greater muscle activation than the knee plank across all muscles (p < 0.0001). Additionally, applying an unstable support surface to the upper extremities significantly increased muscle activation in both plank postures in EO and IO (p < 0.001). Other muscle, RA, was only affected by the unstable support surface in the standard plank position only. In females, the knee plank with upper limb instability resulted in the highest muscle activation for all muscles. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of surface instability in core muscle engagement. However, future studies should further investigate abdominal muscle activation with a more detailed analysis and the inclusion of a control group to enhance comparative validity.

The role of the gut microbiota in colorectal cancer (CRC) development has garnered attention, highlighting probiotics as potential adjuncts in CRC prevention and treatment. In recent years, probiotics and their derivatives have demonstrated mechanisms that may contribute to anticancer properties. This study investigates the cytotoxic effects of Bifidobacterium bifidum KCTC 3357, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus KCTC 5033, Limosilactobacillus reuteri VA 103, Bacillus galactosidilyticus VA 107, and Lactococcus taiwanensis VE101 on CT-26 mouse colon carcinoma cells using live cells, heat-killed cells (paraprobiotics), and cell-free supernatants (CFS, postbiotics) through an MTT assay. The results indicate that live bacterial strains, such as KCTC 3357, VA 103, and VA 107, promoted CT-26 cell viability, while heat-killed cells and CFS exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity. Inactivated forms of KCTC 3357 and VE 101, as well as CFS at 10 mg/mL concentration of KCTC 5033, VA 103, and VE 101, showed the strongest antiproliferative effects. These findings suggest that non-viable probiotic derivatives, such as paraprobiotics and postbiotics, offer promising therapeutic potential for CRC, providing a safer and more stable alternative to live probiotics. However, further research is required to explore their mechanisms of action, in vivo efficacy, and potential clinical applications.

본 연구는 기능성 화장품 소재 개발을 목표로 효모 유래 MPC의 세포 생리활성을 조사하였 다. 피부 세포주에 처리된 Cu와 Zn 이온 모두 세포 독성이 확인되었지만, 정제된 MPC는 결합된 금속 이온의 세포 독성을 획기적으로 제거하였다. 게다가 특정 농도의 MPC는 대조군과 비교하여 세포 생존 율을 오히려 약 20% 증가시켰다. MPC 중 효모 펩타이드-Cu(YP-Cu)는 UVB 자극으로 유도되는 세포 내 활성산소의 양을 약 30% 정도 유의하게 감소시켰지만, YP-Zn은 영향을 미치지 못했다. 또한, YP-Cu 처리는 피부 세포에서 콜라겐 유전자의 발현량을 2배 증가시켰고, 프로콜라겐 분비량은 1.7배 증 가시켰으며, UVB 자극에 의한 콜라겐 유전자의 발현 저해에도 효과적으로 대응했다. 결론적으로, 유리 금속 이온 자체는 세포독성 효과로 인해 화장품 소재에 적합하지 않지만, 정제된 MPC, 특히 YP-Cu는 이러한 금속 이온의 독성을 효과적으로 상쇄하고 세포 생존율을 향상시킬 뿐만 아니라, UVB 자극에 따 른 유해 효과를 완화하기 때문에 잠재적 기능성 화장품 소재로 사용될 수 있다.

Galaxy evolution studies require the measurement of the physical properties of galaxies at different redshifts. In this work, we build supervised machine learning models to predict the redshift and physical properties (gas-phase metallicity, stellar mass, and star formation rate) of star-forming galaxies from the broad-band and medium-band photometry covering optical to near-infrared wavelengths, and present an evaluation of the model performance. Using 55 magnitudes and colors as input features, the optimized model can predict the galaxy redshift with an accuracy of σ(Δz/1+z) = 0.008 for a redshift range of z < 0.4. The gas-phase metallicity [12 + log(O/H)], stellar mass [log(Mstar)], and star formation rate [log(SFR)] can be predicted with the accuracies of σNMAD = 0.081, 0.068, and 0.19 dex, respectively. When magnitude errors are included, the scatter in the predicted values increases, and the range of predicted values decreases, leading to biased predictions. Near-infrared magnitudes and colors (H, K, and H −K), along with optical colors in the blue wavelengths (m425–m450), are found to play important roles in the parameter prediction. Additionally, the number of input features is critical for ensuring good performance of the machine learning model. These results align with the underlying scaling relations between physical parameters for star-forming galaxies, demonstrating the potential of using medium-band surveys to study galaxy scaling relations with large sample of galaxies.

Rapid morphological changes in fish larvae during growth make adult classification criteria ineffective for identifying larval fishes. Therefore, species identification of fish larvae requires understanding morphological changes during growth stages within and between species. However, for many fish larvae, the lack of morphological trait information, along with physical damage or protein degradation that occurs during specimen collection and preservation in the wild, creates obstacles for morphology-based identification. A fish larva (10.0 mm SL) collected from the coastal waters of the western Korean Peninsula in August 2019 exhibited morphological characteristics and melanophore distribution patterns closely matching those of an unidentified species of the family Platycephalidae (sp.5). Its MT-CO1 amplicon sequences identified it as Cociella crocodilus, through genetic similarity with MT-CO1 reference sequences and phylogenetic analyses of related species. This study provides significant insights into the early life stages of Cociella crocodilus, marking the first identification of this species at the larval stage.

Coffee is a major traded item worldwide. Uganda, where the coffee sector provides a livelihood to 1.8 million households, is Africa’s second-biggest coffee exporter. Pests and diseases are significant constraints affecting coffee production. Although the Ugandan government has implemented strategies to assist farmers in addressing these constraints, coffee pests and diseases continue to affect the yield and quality of coffee crops. This ongoing issue highlights the need for more effective and sustainable solutions to protect coffee production in Uganda. This review examined two prevalent diseases and two major pests known to significantly impact Uganda’s coffee systems. It explored strategies that pathogens and pests would utilize to invade and colonize coffee plants. Furthermore, this review evaluated current challenges and prospects for improving coffee pest and disease management. By offering valuable insights and recommendations, it aims to equip agricultural stakeholders with the knowledge needed to develop and implement more effective strategies for combating these persistent threats to coffee production in Uganda.

Probiotics have been evaluated as therapeutic agents for cancer treatment in an increasing number of studies. This study investigated the inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of specific Lactobacillus strains on a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29). The strains assessed were Limosilactobacillus (L.) reuteri VA 102, Ligilactobacillus (L.) animalis VA 105, and Limosilactobacillus (L.) reuteri KCTC 3594 (ATCC 23272). The viability of HT-29 cells was evaluated using the MTT assay. The findings revealed that cell-free supernatants (CFS) exhibited significant anticancer effects. Heat-inactivated L. reuteri VA 105 and L. reuteri KCTC 3594 induced a pronounced reduction in cell viability. Furthermore, live cultures of L. reuteri VA 105 and L. reuteri VA 102 also showed reduced cell viability compared to the control group. These results suggest that CFS and heat-inactivated cells may be more suitable for therapeutic applications than live bacteria owing to their improved safety profiles and reduced potential for adverse effects. Our findings also emphasize the potential anticancer benefits of these LAB strains.

Because intact FMDV particles (146S) are often unstable in vitro, stabilizing foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) antigens remains a key challenge in studying viral charateristics. Therefore, finding optimal condition to stabilize the FMDV is essential. In this study, we investigated formulations and potentials of several stabilizers such as appropriate buffer, excipients, and storage conditions to enhance the stability of 146S. Inactivated FMDV O-Jincheon (O-JC) was dissolved in various buffer formulations, and stored at 4℃ for two months to evaluate quantity of 146S at every 2-week interval. Among phosphate buffered saline (PBS), Tris buffered saline (TBS), HEPES buffered saline (HBS), and MOPS buffered saline (MBS), PBS showed more effective 146S stabilization that showed 1.3-1.6 fold higher 146S fraction than TBS, HBS, and MBS after storage for 2 weeks. However, constant dissociations of 146S were observed in all formulations at 8 weeks. Compared with other FMDVs, A22 Iraq and SAT-1, in PBS, O-JC proved to be the least stable in PBS. A variety of excipients including carbohydrate, sugar alcohol, cryo-protectant were tested for the capability in protecting O-JC from dissociation. By adding 4-8% sucrose, more than 60% of 146S fractions were maintained at 8 weeks, those were at least 1.8 fold higher than the PBS-only control. Addition of 1% β-cyclodextrin showed synergistic enhancement in O-JC stability. As the results of this study, it could be suggested that the PBS-based buffer together with 4-8% sucrose + 2% sorbitol or 2% sucrose + 2% sorbitol + 1% β-cyclodextrin could help the better stability of the O-JC in vaccine preparation.

Rapidly changing environmental factors due to climate change are increasing the uncertainty of crop growth, and the importance of crop yield prediction for food security is becoming increasingly evident in Republic of Korea. Traditionally, crop yield prediction models have been developed by using statistical techniques such as regression models and correlation analysis. However, as machine learning technique develops, it is able to predict the crop yield more accurate than the statistical techniques. This study aims at proposing the onion yield prediction framework to accurately predict the onion yield by using various environmental factor data. Temperature, humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, and wind speed are considered as climate factors and irrigation water and nitrogen application rate are considered as soil factors. To improve the performance of the prediction model, ensemble learning technique is applied to the proposed framework. The coefficient of determination of the proposed stacked ensemble framework is 0.96, which is a 24.68% improvement over the coefficient of determination of 0.77 of the existing single machine learning model. This framework can be applied to the particular farmland so that each farm can get their customized prediction model, which is visualized by the web system.

This study examined the feeding behavior and growth performance of 31 Hanwoo steers (10 months old; 278 ± 36.13 kg) within a precision livestock farming system using Roughage Intake Control (RIC) units for real-time data collection. Feeding behavior traits were derived from RIC database data using R software, with subsequent analysis conducted using SAS software. The results indicated that the steers visited the feed stations every 31.12 ± 11.99 minutes, averaging 11 ± 3.37 visits/day. Each feeding session lasted an average of 5.90 ± 1.55 minutes, resulting in a feed intake rate of 77.98 ± 22.53 g/min. Mean daily feed intake was 4.76 ± 1.36 kg, and body weight increased consistently, reaching an average of 412 ± 43.44 kg, with an average daily gain (ADG) of 1.26 ± 0.38 kg. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a strong relationship between daily feed intake and visit duration (r² = 0.621; p < 0.01) and an inverse correlation between daily feed intake and feed intake duration (r² = −0.445; p < 0.05), indicating behavioral adaptation. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring feeding behavior traits concerning growth performance, enhancing our understanding of individual animal behavior and its implications for productivity while emphasizing the role of advanced technologies in optimizing feed utilization in confined livestock systems.