재현의 도구로서 언어와 이미지는 자극 수용 방식에서 뚜렷한 차이를 보인다. 특정 사건을 설명하는 문 장이 정제된 형태로 내용을 축약하는 것과 달리, 이미지나 영상은 사건을 즉각적으로 재현함으로써 실제 경험과 유사한 형태의 간접 체험을 가능하게 한다. 웹툰 산업 현장에서는 판타지라는 기호를 활용하여 현실 의 제약을 넘어선 자극적인 소재를 수용하며 독자에게 강한 몰입감을 제공한다. 독자가 판타지 장르의 비현 실성에 몰입하는 것은 현실의 비도덕적 사건으로부터 심리적 거리를 확보하기 위함이다. 이러한 서사 구조 는 시장의 논리에 따라 점차 고자극을 추구하는 경향을 띈다. 디지털 매체의 참여자로서 독자는 작품을 능동적으로 수용하는 주체이나 그 몰입의 동기가 단순히 비현실적인 대리 만족에만 국한되는 것은 아니다. 개별 독자는 유흥을 넘어 향유 차원에서 작품을 수용하며, 이 과정에서 개인의 발달 수준이나 경험에 따라 작품 속 자극적 소재로 인한 외상 후 스트레스에 노출될 위험이 존재한다. 이는 매체나 창작자가 단순히 콘텐츠를 제한하는 차원을 넘어 독자를 보호받아야 할 심리적, 사회적 존재로 인식해야 함을 시사한다. 이 러한 맥락에서 작가는 능동적 수용자의 리터러시를 개선하기 위한 최소한의 ‘위험 커뮤니케이션’을 수행하 게 된다. 본 연구는 웹툰 내 부차적 서술이 독자의 불특정성과 다양한 사회적 경험을 고려하여, 독자 스스로 작품 감상 여부를 결정할 수 있도록 돕는 미디어 매체 보조자로서의 핵심적 역할을 수행하고 있다

Background: Flexible flatfoot impairs gait and posture by weakening arch support, potentially leading to musculoskeletal dysfunction. Strengthening exercises, such as the short foot exercise (SFE), have shown promise in correcting this condition. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of SFE with visual feedback on medial arch height and foot function in adults with flexible flatfoot. Design: Experimental research. Methods: Adults diagnosed with flexible flatfoot were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group performed SFE with visual feedback, whereas the control group performed the same exercises without feedback. Both groups trained three times per week for five weeks. Outcome measures included the Navicular Drop Test (NDT), YBalance Test (YBT), and Tetrax postural analysis. Results: In the NDT, both groups showed significant improvements (P<.05), while in the YBT, only the experimental group showed a significant improvement (P<.05). In contrast, there were no significant changes in the Weight Distribution Index (WDI) and Stability Test (ST) areas of the Tetrax system in either group (P>.05). Conclusion: SFE effectively improved arch height regardless of visual feedback, though only the visual feedback group showed significant improvements in dynamic balance. However, between-group differences were not statistically significant, suggesting that visual feedback provides subtle rather than substantial additional benefits. Further research with larger samples is needed to establish the clinical value of adding visual feedback to SFE protocols.

Freshwater bivalves contribute to key ecological functions in lake ecosystems, yet their cryptic and benthic lifestyles often hinder detection through conventional surveys. In this study, we applied environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess the diversity and distribution of unionid bivalves in six lakes across Republic of Korea. Water samples were collected from three sampling strategies-Center Surface, Center Mix, and Waterside Surface-and processed using 16S rDNA-targeted primers followed by high-throughput sequencing. A total of four unionid species (Cristaria plicata, Sinanodonta lauta, Unio (Nodularia) douglasiae, and Anodonta woodiana) were detected across 18 sampling points. Notably, eDNA successfully identified unionid presence in all lakes, even where conventional surveys failed to observe individuals. Among the sampling strategies, Center Mix exhibited the highest values for Shannon and Simpson indices as well as ASV richness. Waterside Surface samples generally showed lower diversity and detection frequency. A Venn diagram of ASV occurrences revealed three ASVs shared across all sampling strategies and one unique ASV found only in Center Mix. These results indicate that sampling location significantly affects detection sensitivity and diversity representation in eDNA-based bivalve monitoring. Combined application of Center Mix and Center Surface strategies may enhance both detection efficiency and species diversity coverage in lentic environments.

Phytoplankton play a vital role as primary producers in freshwater ecosystems, contributing to the nutrient cycle, energy flow, and ecological stability. To accurately assess phytoplankton diversity and community composition, this study compared traditional microscopy and environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding in six small lakes located in the Han, Geum, and Nakdong River basins in Korea. eDNA analysis identified 268 species from 161 genera, approximately 2.4 times higher than microscopy, which detected 113 species from 68 genera. The eDNA data were dominated by picocyanobacteria such as Synechococcus and Cyanobium, while microscopy primarily revealed larger taxa, including Stephanodiscus and Scenedesmus. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) based on Bray-Curtis similarity showed clear separation between the two methods, with average similarity values of 0.0326 (1st survey) and 0.0221 (2nd survey) at the species level. Only 6.8% of the 429 total species were commonly detected by both methods, while overlap at the genus level was 18.8%. Spatial heterogeneity in phytoplankton communities based on eDNA was also evident depending on the sampling location, with the centre of the surface showing the highest species richness and overlap, suggesting its suitability for biodiversity monitoring. These findings demonstrate the high resolution and sensitivity of eDNA metabarcoding in capturing phytoplankton diversity and highlight its complementary role in existing biomonitoring programmes. Further improvements in the quantitative reliability of eDNA-based assessments will require efforts such as copy number normalisation, methodological standardisation, and refinement of reference databases.

Amitriptyline hydrochloride (AMT), a tricyclic antidepressant, is known to exhibit antimicrobial effects against a wide range of bacterial species. This study aims to evaluate the effect of AMT on Brucella (B.) abortus infection in RAW 264.7 cells and ICR mice, which has not yet been clearly characterized. The results showed that all tested concentrations of AMT had no direct bactericidal effect on B. abortus survival at any incubation time point. Interestingly, RAW 264.7 cells pre-treated with a non-toxic high concentration of AMT before B. abortus infection showed a significant reduction in the phagocytosis of B. abortus at 20 min post-infection, compared to untreated cells. However, AMT treatment did not affect the intracellular replication of B. abortus compared to the control cells. Based on the reduced bacterial uptake observed in-vitro, an in-vivo experiment was conducted to assess whether daily oral administration of AMT at a dose of 20 mg/kg could inhibit B. abortus growth in ICR mice. The results showed that AMT treatment slightly increased both organ weights and bacterial loads, suggesting possible systemic effects of prolonged AMT exposure. In summary, these preliminary results provide initial insight into the potential effects of AMT on B. abortus infection both in-vitro and in-vivo. Therefore, further study should focus on dose optimization in-vivo and exploration of the underlying cellular mechanisms involved in AMT-mediated inhibition of phagocytosis during Brucella infection.

Women in their 50s undergo significant changes to their bodies, including weight gain and rapid increases in body mass index (BMI) due to menopause. This study aimed to develop a basic bodice pattern suitable for women with a “square” body type, which is the most common type among Korean women in their 50s. We used a body shape avatar representative of square-body-type women in their 50s, provided by 6th Size Korea (KATS, 2010) as the model. This avatar was loaded into a virtual fitting program to evaluate the fit of the research pattern. The results of the study were as follows. Using the 3D virtual fitting program, the ideal bodice pattern was found to be close-fitting, based on an analysis of the body surface of women in their 50s with a square body type. This population’s characteristic body features included a rounded back, forward-protruding waist, forward-tilted neck, and shoulder tips angled toward the center-front. Because of the protruding abdomen, the bodice’s waist dart value was lower than average. The base bodice design for this body type was adapted from the research pattern of Jun and Jang (2024). Adjustments for this study included adding 0.5 cm to the center-back length and designing the profile line from the back neckline to the armpit wall. Further, the front bodice waist dart was omitted to accommodate the protruding abdomen. After two rounds of revisions, evaluations of the virtual fitting significantly improved, with scores increasing from 2.38 out of 5 to 4.82 out of 5.

This study aimed to develop a basic bodice suitable for the body shape of women in their 50s by using the CLO 3D virtual clothing program to create an avatar with the standard body presented in KATS (2022). A pattern was designed and produced using the CLO program, and the virtual fitting was evaluated. First, it was possible to confirm the slope (profile line) from the front center line to the point in front of the neck, the sagging shape of the breast, and the change in body shape due to the increase in bust circumference using the CLO program. Second, the change in body surface and body surface length according to movement was used to identify the profile line. The bust dart was very large. and the bust circumference showed the largest changes (5.05% in the 90° side and 1.5% of the breast width). Third, the total length reference line of the basic bodice was the back length (actual measurement). The total width reference line was the bust circumference/4+2cm and the breast width+0.5cm. The armhole depth reference line was the bust circumference/4–2. A profile line was created from the front neck circumference to the neck shoulder point to the breast point. Darts were formed on the back shoulder and back armhole lines. The allowances were 8 and 6cm for the bust and waist circumferences, respectively. All virtual fitting evaluation items improved significantly over two rounds (from 3.69/5 to 4.66/5 points).

This study confirmed the fungal community of rice makgeolli sold in the eastern part of Jeollanam-do using ITS 2 sequence-based metagenome analysis. A total of 18 fungi were found in six makgeolli samples, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae being dominant in all samples at high rates ranging from 96.61~99.96%. The six makgeolli samples were classified into three groups based on the PCoA and UPGMA tree analysis results using the Jaccard distance matrix. Network analysis of the relationships among the 18 identified fungal species helped identify a fungus that demonstrated either a positive or negative correlation with the dominant species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This study provides important foundational data for understanding the fungal composition in the makgeolli fermentation process.