Background: Canine induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are an attractive source for veterinary regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and drug development. Here we used vitamin C (Vc) to improve the reprogramming efficiency of canine iPSCs, and its functions in the reprogramming process were elucidated. Methods: Retroviral transduction of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc (OSKM), and GFP was employed to induce reprogramming in canine fetal fibroblasts. Following transduction, the culture medium was subsequently replaced with ESC medium containing Vc to determine the effect on reprogramming activity. Results: The number of AP-positive iPSC colonies dramatically increased in culture conditions supplemented with Vc. Vc enhanced the efficacy of retrovirus transduction, which appears to be correlated with enhanced cell proliferation capacity. To confirm the characteristics of the Vc-treated iPSCs, the cells were cultured to passage 5, and pluripotency markers including Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, and Tra-1-60 were observed by immunocytochemistry. The expression of endogenous pluripotent genes (Oct4, Nanog, Rex1, and telomerase) were also verified by PCR. The complete silencing of exogenously transduced human OSKM factors was observed exclusively in canine iPSCs treated with Vc. Canine iPSCs treated with Vc are capable of forming embryoid bodies in vitro and have spontaneously differentiated into three germ layers. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize a straightforward method for enhancing the efficiency of canine iPSC generation and provide insight into the Vc effect on the reprogramming process.

The decommissioning of nuclear facilities produces various types of radiologically contaminated waste. In addition, dismantlement activities, including cutting, packing, and clean-up at the facility site, result in secondary radioactive waste such as filters, resin, plastic, and clothing. Determining of the radionuclide content of this waste is an important step for the determination of a suitable management strategy including classification and disposal. In this work, we radiochemically characterized the radionuclide activities of filters used during the decommissioning of Korea Research Reactors (KRRs) 1 and 2. The results indicate that the filter samples contained mainly 3H (500–3,600 Bq·g−1), 14C (7.5–29 Bq·g−1), 55Fe (1.1– 7.1 Bq·g−1), 59Ni (0.60–1.0 Bq·g−1), 60Co (0.74–70 Bq·g−1), 63Ni (0.60–94 Bq·g−1), 90Sr (0.25–5.0 Bq·g−1), 137Cs (0.64–8.7 Bq·g−1), and 152Eu (0.19–2.9) Bq·g−1. In addition, the gross alpha radioactivity of the samples was measured to be between 0.32–1.1 Bq·g−1. The radionuclide concentrations were below the concentration limit stated in the low- and intermediatelevel waste acceptance criteria of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and used for the disposal of the KRRs waste drums to a repository site.

Glass wool, the primary material of insulation, is composed of glass fibers and is used to insulate the temperature of steam generators and pipes in nuclear power plants. Glass fiber is widely adopted as a substitute for asbestos classified as a carcinogen. The insulations used in nuclear power plants are classified as radioactive waste and most of the insulation is Very Low-Level Waste (VLLW). It is packaged in a 200 L drum the same as a Dry Active Waste (DAW). In the case of the insulations, it is packaged in a vinyl bag and then charged into the drum for securing additional safety because of the fine particle size of the fiberglass. A safety assessment of the disposal facility should be considered to dispose of radioactive waste. As a result of analyzing overseas Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC), there is no case that has a separate limitation for glass fiber. Also, in order to confirm that glass fibers can be treated in the same manner as DAW, research related to the diffusion of glass fibers into the environment was conducted in this paper. It was confirmed that the glass fiber was precipitated due to the low flow velocity of groundwater in the Gyeongju radioactive waste repository and did not spread to the surrounding environment due to the effect of the engineering barrier. Therefore, the glass fiber has no special issue and can be treated in the same way as a DAW. In addition, it can be disposed of in the disposal facility by securing sufficient radiological safety as VLLW.

Iris laevigata, which belongs to the Iridaceae, is now designated as an “endangered” (EN) grade by Korea Forest Service because it does not have many natural sites known for its reckless development and damage to its natural habitats. This study was carried out to establish the propagation protocol from seed to restore the native habitat of the I. laevigata and to utilize it for ornamental purposes. Basically, the appearance and internal structure of seeds were observed and imbibition experiments were conducted. Germination rate was measured by cold stratification experiment, after warm followed by cold stratification experiment, and GA3 treatment experiment. The seeds had underdeveloped embryos, which had grown to about 25% of those of fully matured seed before germination. In the controlled laboratory experiment, after cold stratification at 5°C for 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks, the seeds germinated to 0, 11.7, 43.4, or 51.7%, respectively, after 4 weeks of incubation at 25°C. After warm stratification (25°C, 8 weeks) followed by cold stratification for 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks, the seeds germinated to 0, 51.7, 85.0, or 88.3%, respectively, after 4 weeks of incubation at 25°C. GA3 treatment did not overcome the dormancy. Our study determined the dormancy type of I. laevigata seed. Imbibition experiments showed that there was no physical dormancy, and it was also found that there was an underdeveloped embryo when it was observed that the embryo was growing according to the period of incubation. A nd t he e m bryo grew a t relatively w arm temperatures. It is concluded that the seeds of I. laevigata have morphophysiological dormancy (deep simple MPD). This is the first report to determine the dormancy type in seeds of this valuable ornamental plant.

Safety for the radioactive waste disposed of in the disposal facility should be secured through safety assessment in consideration of the various situations. In this study, the influence and correlation of EDTA and ISA, which are the factors that can impede the safety of the disposal facility, were analyzed using the PHREEQC computational code. Thermodynamic database (TDB) of Andra, specific ion interaction theory (SIT) model as ionic strength correction model, radionuclides (Ni, Am, Pu) were adopted to perform the calculation on the distribution of chemical species by pH. According to the results, EDTA dominated the system and the effect of ISA is relatively small for the distribution of the chemical species of divalent and trivalent cations in neutral and weak base conditions. In the case of the tetravalent cations, the effect of ISA increased compared to the previous case especially in the strong base conditions. In conclusion, EDTA has a more significant effect on the system than ISA under the environment of the domestic disposal facility. Furthermore, when EDTA and ISA are present simultaneously in the system, the effects of two materials are inversely proportional and this characteristic should be considered during the safety assessment.

고령운전자의 인지 및 신체 기능 저하로 인한 교통사고 증가는 점점 심각한 사회적 문제가 되고 있으며, 이 로 인해 면허증을 자진하여 반납하는 제도가 운영되고 있으나 보다 객관적인 평가 방법이 필요하다. 본 연 구에서는 다양한 주행 상황에서 발생하는 정적 및 동적 시각 자극에 대하여 운전자의 시각적 행동을 평가 할 수 있는 운전 시뮬레이션 주행 환경과 시나리오를 구현하는 것이 목표이다. 이를 위해 고령운전자의 주 행 특성 분석에 활용된 운전 시뮬레이션 시나리오를 기존의 연구 문헌들로부터 수집하였고, 정적 및 동적으 로 구분된 표적 자극에 따른 텍스트 네트워크 분석을 통해 주행환경과 시나리오를 재분류하였다. 또한, 유 사한 유형의 시나리오들은 보다 발생 빈도가 높고 표적 자극이 다양한 주행환경으로 병합하였다. 연구 결과 로 신호교차로, 비신호 교차로, 왕복 2차로, 왕복 4차로 주행환경에서의 전체 12종의 시나리오로 구성된 운 전 시뮬레이션 콘텐츠가 구현되었다. 신호등, 정차된 차량, 표지판 등으로 구성된 정적 시각 자극과 주행 중 인 차량, 무단 횡단하는 보행자 등의 동적인 시각 자극이 제시되며, 이에 대한 시선 탐색(Visual Detection), 시지각(Visual Perception), 시각운동기능(Visuomotor Function)의 정량적 측정을 통해 운전자의 시각 행동 평가가 이루어진다. 본 연구에서 제안하는 시나리오 구성 방법은 운전 시뮬레이션 콘텐츠를 구현하기 위한 새로운 접근 방식으로써 시각 자극에 따른 운전 능력 검사 환경 구축에 관한 기초 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

Porcine pleuropneumonia caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a highly contagious disease that leads to enormous economic losses in pig industry, worldwide. Of the many virulence factors produced by the causative bacterium, ApxA exotoxins have been considered as the most important contributor to the disease. The toxins are classified into four different types; ApxIA, ApxIIA, ApxIIIA and ApxIVA. Uniquely, ApxIVA is expressed across all serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae only during in vivo infection in pigs. Active research focusing on resolving the precious roles and mechanisms of the toxins is still at its primitive stage. In this study, we report the development of monoclonal antibodies against the two major antigenic epitopes that were characterized in our previous study incorporating the in silico predictions and protein modeling analyses. Recombinant proteins of the selected epitopes were expressed and purified after molecular cloning of the corresponding partial genes in E. coli expression system. Subsequently, we generated hybridomas with lymphoid cells from the rats immunized with the recombinantly expressed proteins of Apx. Consequently, hybridomas exhibiting strong productivity of the monoclonal antibodies were selected for downstream verifications that tested for reactivity and specificity using Western blot and ELISA. Our results strongly suggest the potential application of the monoclonal antibodies developed in this study as useful reagents to further elaborate the mechanism of the A. pleuropneumoniae infection in pig.

본 연구는 스프레이 타입의 절화 장미가 재배되고 있는 호 남지역 스마트팜의 시설과 연중 재배환경을 분석하고, 그에 따른 외적 특성과 수명을 분석하고자 수행하였다. 본 연구에 서 선정한 스마트팜은 연동형 유리 온실로 CCTV를 통해 실시 간으로 농가 상황이 확인 가능하며, 1세대 스마트팜으로 조사 되었다. 스마트팜 시설 내 재배환경은 여름에 최고온도가 다 른 계절에 비해 높았고, 겨울에는 일적산광량이 최소 광요구 도에 미치지 못하는 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 상대습도는 겨울 과 가을에 유의적으로 높아 겨울의 VPD는 0.3kPa로 낮게 조 사되었다. 양액의 pH는 계절에 따라 차이가 없었으나 EC는 봄과 여름에 적정 범위를 벗어난 것으로 나타났다. 외적 특성 과 절화수명은 스마트팜 내에서 많이 재배되고 있는 ‘Egg Tart’, ‘Flash Dance’, ‘Pink Yoyo’, ‘Super Sensation’ 품종을 조 사하였다. 외적 특성 분석 결과, 대부분의 품종이 다른 계절에 비해 겨울에 절화장이 길었으나 줄기가 얇았고 소화수가 적었 다. 여름에는 꽃의 크기가 작았으며 화색이 퇴색되어 명도인 L값이 다소 높고, a값과 b값이 낮아 다른 계절보다 선명하지 않은 것으로 조사되었다. 절화수명 조사 결과, ‘Egg Tart’ 품종 은 계절별 차이가 없었으나 ‘Flash Dance’, ‘Pink Yoyo’, ‘Super Sensation’ 품종은 가을에 가장 길었으며 세 품종 모두 겨울, 여름 순으로 절화수명이 다소 짧은 것으로 조사되었다. 이는 여름의 고온과 겨울의 일적산광량 부족 및 과습한 환경이 꽃 의 크기와 화색발현, 절화수명 감소에 부정적인 영향을 미치 는 것으로 판단된다. 따라서, 고품질의 절화 장미가 생산 될 수 있도록 이에 적합한 스마트팜 환경 제어 시스템 개발과 현 장 적용을 통한 개선이 필요하며, 현재, 본 연구의 스마트팜에 서는 지상부 복합 환경 제어가 가능하기 때문에 축적한 자료 들을 이용한 빅데이터 분석 및 의사 결정 지원시스템이 갖춰 진다면, 2세대 스마트팜으로 발전 가능성이 높을 것으로 판단 된다.