This study was conducted to provide comprehensive information on the current status, constraints, and policy responses regarding rice cultivation in Uzbekistan for researchers and policymakers engaged in rice production in Central Asia. Despite annual fluctuations, Uzbekistan’s rice cultivation area has consistently exceeded 100,000 hectares each year. The yield per unit area improved by 19.2%, increasing from 4.21 t/ha in 2021 to 5.02 t/ha in 2024. In terms of cultivation methods, the proportion of doub le c ropping rose f rom 50.7% t o 71.6%, a lthough productivity remained h igher in s ingle cropping (5.35 t/ha) compared to double cropping (4.88 t/ha). Rice demonstrated an economic advantage of 2-5 times per hectare compared to major crops such as wheat, corn, and cotton. However, domestic production growth has not kept pace with rising consumption demands, leading to a sharp increase in imports, from 9,000 tons in 2019 to 108,800 tons in 2023. The structure of rice imports is shifting from a heavy reliance on Kazakhstan (90%) toward diversification, including partnerships with Pakistan, Thailand, and other countries. Major constraints to rice production in Uzbekistan include an arid climate, chronic irrigation water shortages, and soil salinization, which affects 50-70% of irrigated farmland. In response, the government established a comprehensive development strategy through Cabinet Resolution No. 986 in 2019 and is currently promoting economies of scale by establishing 42 clusters across 8 provinces (covering 41,440 hectares, or 29.7% of the total area). To address water scarcity, laser land leveling technology has been implemented on over 700,000 hectares as of 2024, aimed at reducing irrigation water usage and increasing yields, with plans to further expand water-saving cultivation technologies. In terms of international cooperation, the KOPIA project is enhancing quality seed production and distribution, as well as establishing machine transplanting cultivation technology. Partnerships with IRRI and participation in the Council for Partnership on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA) are strengthening the development of climate- adaptive varieties and international networks. Overall, Uzbekistan’s rice industry has the strategic potential to contribute significantly to food security, rural economic development, and regional trade activation through systematic policy implementation and enhanced international cooperation.

Virtual Reality Head Mounted Display (VR HMD)-based flight simulators have recently emerged as promising tools for enhancing pilot training effectiveness. This study aims to establish a set of evaluation criteria for the development of VR HMD-based flight simulators and to determine their relative importance and priority using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Through an extensive review of the literature, a hierarchical evaluation model was constructed, consisting of three primary criteria and ten sub-criteria. A structured questionnaire was administered to experienced pilots, and the collected data were analyzed using the AHP methodology to assess the relative weights of each criterion. The analysis revealed that the fidelity of system performance is the most influential factor in evaluating VR HMD-based flight simulators. These findings present a structured evaluation framework and offer practical insights for guiding the strategic development and optimization of VR HMD-based flight training systems.

Segregated composites, where fillers are selectively placed at the matrix interface to form a segregated filler network, are attracting attention because they can provide excellent conductive properties at low filler content. In this study, the anisotropic enhancement in thermal conductivity of composites was discovered due to the unique structure of the segregated network. The segregated composites were produced using a typical mechanical mixing of matrix pellets and the internal structure was precisely analyzed using three-dimensional non-destructive analysis. The segregated composites slightly improved in the through-plane thermal conductivity, but the in-plane thermal conductivity increased rapidly, showing the anisotropic thermal conductivity. The maximum improvement in the in-plane thermal conductivity of the segregated composites increased by 112.5 (at 7 wt% graphene nanoplatelet) and 71.4% (at 10 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotube), respectively, compared to that of the random composites filled with the same amount of filler. On the other hand, the electrical conductivity of the segregated composites was isotropic due to the difference in the transport mechanisms of electrons and phonons. The anisotropic thermal conductivity developed by the segregated network was helpful in inducing effective heat dissipation of commercial smartphone logic boards.

Malaria remains a significant public health issue, particularly in regions such as the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Effective malaria control and prevention require precise prediction of mosquito density across both monitored and unmonitored areas. This study aimed to develop predictive models to estimate the abundance of malaria vector mosquitoes by integrating meteorological and geographical data. Data from mosquito surveillance sites and NASA MODIS land cover datasets acquired between 2009 and 2022 were utilized. Two predictive models, the Gradient Boosted Model (GBM) and Principal Component Regression (PCR), were employed and evaluated. Model performance was assessed using the coefficient of determination (R²). Results showed that PCR outperformed GBM in predictive accuracy, suggesting that PCR is more robust in handling multicollinearity among variables. However, both models did not show practically-usable level of prediction performance. This study provides a preliminary but foundational framework for extending predictive modeling to broader regions, thereby supporting malaria prevention efforts through improved risk mapping.

Hyperoxaluria is a disorder associated with an increased risk of renal stones, one of the most common conditions. For people with hyperoxaluria, there are a limited number of effective therapeutic options. The aim of this study was to examine whether an oxalate-degrading enzyme, oxalate decarboxylase (OxdC), can inhibit crystallization of calcium oxalate (CaOx) in vitro, and whether it can prevent nephrolithiasis caused by CaOx induced by ethylene glycol (EG) in rats. When OxdC was applied at various concentrations to CaOx in vitro, there was a significant reduction in the crystallization of CaOx. The OxdC was found to inhibit crystal formation as well as the formation of crystals that had sharp edges. In animal experiments, rats that had been treated with EG showed impaired renal filtration functions, as well as increased deposition of CaOx crystals and the creation of kidney stones. It has been found that oral administration of OxdC to rats with chronic EG-induced nephrolithiasis that is characterized by CaOx intratubular crystal deposits with hyperoxaluria dramatically reduces the severity of the disease. The results of this study point to a potential therapeutic approach for treating human hyperoxaluria as well as CaOx nephrolithiasis that could be achieved by the oral administration of OxdC.

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.