본 연구는 ‘설향’ 딸기 유묘를 대상으로, 꽃눈 분화 유도 조건(단일일장, 야간 15°C)과 비유도 조건(연속광, 24－25°C)에서의 형태적 및 생리적 반응을 비교하여, 꽃눈 분화와 관련된 주요 생장 지표를 확인하고자 수행되었 다. 유묘는 15일간 각각의 환경 조건에 따라 처리된 후, 모든 처리구를 동일한 비유도 조건(연속광, 24－25°C) 하에 배양하며 총 49일간 관찰하였다. 관부 직경, 잎 수, 엽면적, 런너 수 등 형태적 지표와 함께 건물중 분포, 엽록소 농도 (SPAD), 가용성 당(자당, 포도당, 과당) 함량을 조사하였다. 그 결과, 꽃눈 분화 유도 처리군은 관부 직경과 뿌리 생 체량, 잎의 엽록소 농도가 유의하게 높았으며, 이는 생식 생장으로의 전환을 나타내는 초기 지표로 판단되었다. 반 면, 비유도 조건에서는 잎 수, 런너 수, 줄기 생체중, 엽면적이 증가하여 영양생장이 지속됨을 확인하였다. 특히, 유 도 처리 28일 이후 관부 내 자당 농도가 두드러지게 증가하였으며, 이는 꽃눈 분화 개시와의 관련성을 시사한다. 본 연구는 환경 조건에 따른 딸기 유묘의 생장 반응 차이를 규명하고, 꽃눈 분화 예측과 정식 시기 결정을 위한 유용한 생리적 지표를 제시함으로써, 환경 제어 기반의 효과적인 유묘 관리 전략 수립에 기초자료를 제공할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

This study was conducted to investigate changes in immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration, nutrient content, and microbial communities of fresh and heat-treated Holstein colostrum collected from a colostrum bank operated by a local agricultural technology center in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. Of the 16 colostrum samples, 8 were heated at 60℃ for 30 min under a pressure of 0.9–1 bar. The colostrum samples were stored at −70℃ until use, at which time they were thawed at 50–55℃ in a water bath to analyze IgG levels, chemical composition, and microbiome, which was identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq-PE250 platform. The IgG concentrations were similar in fresh and heat-treated colostrum. The fat, protein, and lactose contents also did not differ in these samples. However, somatic cell count (SCC) was lower in heat-treated colostrum than those in fresh colostrum (p<0.05). At the phylum level for the microbiome of fresh colostrum, Proteobacteria (44.16%) was the most abundant taxa, followed by Bacteroidota (33.26%), Firmicutes (10.04%), Actinobacteriota (7.14%), and a marginal difference in the order of abundance was observed in heat-treated colostrum. At the genus level, bacteria belonging to Sphingomonas, Delftia, Ochrobactrum, Simplicispira, and Lactobacillus were more abundant (p<0.05) in the heat-treated colostrum, while the abundance of Acinetobacter in the fresh colostrum was four times more (p<0.05) than that in the heat-treated colostrum. Our results demonstrated that heating does not affect IgG level and colostrum composition but reduces SCC (p<0.05), suggesting that heat-treated colostrum can potentially be put to further use (e.g., feeding Hanwoo calves) without compromising its quality. Differences in the microbiome between the fresh and heat-treated colostrum were limited. Further studies are required to extensively investigate the quality and safety of colostrum collected from dairy farms to ensure better utilization and processing at a local agricultural technology center.

Background: The ability of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) to transduce various cell types with minimal immune responses renders them prominent vectors for gene editing (GE), with different AAV serotypes exhibiting distinct transduction efficiencies due to their specific cellular tropism. However, detailed molecular processes of AAV infection and penetration, as well as the optimal serotype for specific purposes, remain poorly understood. Porcine models are widely used in research benefitting both human and livestock due to anatomical and physiological similarities to humans. Methods: Transduction efficiencies of 18 AAV serotypes (AAV1–9, 6.2, rh10, DJ, DJ/8, PHP.eB, PHP.S, 2-retro, 2-QuadYF, and 2.7m8) were evaluated in immortalized porcine lung epithelial cells (pLCsImt) and pulmonary alveolar macrophages 3D4/31 (PAMs 3D4/31). Results: We found AAV2, DJ, and 2.7m8 to be the most effective in both cell types. The highest enhanced green fluorescent protein expression of 52.46 ± 2.4% in pLCsImt and 64.08 ± 2.4% in PAMs 3D4/31 was observed for AAV2, while negligible transduction was observed for AAV4, rh10, DJ, PHP.eB, PHP.S, and 2-retro. AAV-DJ showed superior transduction efficiency in PK-15, as compared to AAV2 and 2.7m8. Results emphasize the cell type-specific nature of AAV serotype transduction efficiencies. Notably, AAV2 was most effective in both lung and macrophage cells, whereas AAV-DJ was more effective in renal cells. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that AAV2 was identified as the most efficient serotype for transducing pLCsImt and PAMs 3D4/31, compare to the PK-15 cells. Understanding cell type-specific preferences of AAV serotypes offer crucial insight for tailoring AAV vectors to specific tissue and optimizing genome editing strategies, with potential implications for the advancement of personalized medicine and development of treatments for human and livestock.

Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) plays a crucial role in animal cell culture; however, the increasing number of bovine fetuses used and sacrificed solely for FBS collection has raised ethical concerns globally. The welfare of fetuses during FBS blood collection has become a key focus of debate among animal welfare and ethics organizations worldwide. Previous studies indicate that heat-inactivated coelomic fluid (HI-CF) from the earthworm Perionyx excavatus may serve as a viable FBS alternative in adherent cell cultures. This study evaluates the potential of HI-CF as an FBS substitute during the in vitro maturation (IVM) stage of bovine embryo culture, with a focus on improving developmental rate through antioxidation effects. In this study, 2% HI-CF was incorporated into IVM media, assessing its impact on cell growth, differentiation, and the expression of genes related to antioxidation. The group of 2% of HI-CF exhibited a trend toward increased cleavage and blastocyst development rates compared to the control group. Although antioxidant genes such as NRF2 and GSR showed no statistically significant differences between the control and treatment groups, a trend toward increased expression was observed. Conversely, GPX1 displayed a trend of decreased expression. Notably, IGF1 and NQO1 were significant upregulated (p < 0.05) in the 2% HI-CF group. Additionally, oocytes stained with H2DCFDA showed a significantly reduced ROS levels (p < 0.05) in the 2% HI-CF group compared with controls. These findings suggest that HI-CF's antioxidative effects support enhanced cell growth and blastocyst development rate, surpassing those observed with FBS. Consequently, HI-CF shows promise as an effective alternative to FBS in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes.

To improve the lithium-ion battery performance and stability, a conducting polymer, which can simultaneously serve as both a conductive additive and a binder, is introduced into the anode. Water-soluble polyaniline:polystyrene sulfonate (PANI:PSS) can be successfully prepared through chemical oxidative polymerization, and their chemical/mechanical properties are adjusted by varying the molecular weight of PSS. As a conductive additive, the PANI with a conjugated double bond structure is introduced between active materials or between the active material and the current collector to provide fast and short electrical pathways. As a binder, the PSS prevents short circuits through strong π‒π stacking interaction with active material, and it exhibits superior adhesion to the current collector, thereby ensuring the maintenance of stable mechanical properties, even under high-speed charging/discharging conditions. Based on the synergistic effect of the intrinsic properties of PANI and PSS, it is confirmed that the anode with PANI:PSS introduced as a binder has about 1.8 times higher bonding strength (0.4 kgf/20 mm) compared to conventional binders. Moreover, since active materials can be additionally added in place of the generally added conductive additives, the total cell capacity increased by about 12.0%, and improved stability is shown with a capacity retention rate of 99.3% even after 200 cycles at a current rate of 0.2 C.

Cordyceps militaris is widely used in China, Korea, and other Asian countries as both a traditional medicinal ingredient and an edible fungus. This study aimed to optimize the growth conditions and fruiting body production of C. militaris by investigating various culture media and physical parameters such as pH, aeration, illumination, temperature, spawn materials, and oat–sawdust-based substrate formulations. After a 7-day incubation period, oats with a pH of 6.0, under sealed and illuminated conditions at 32°C, demonstrated the most effective mycelial growth. Substrates consisting of 70% oat and 30% sawdust had the shortest incubation time of 30.5 days for fruiting body formation. The basidiospores showed a typical germination pattern where the sporidium produced a single germ tube that elongated, and branched to form monokaryotic primary mycelia. In conclusion, using oats as a substrate in the cultivation of C. militaris could reduce production costs and help protect the environment.

We studied the effects of initial pH, different nitrogen sources, and cultivation methods (shake flask and static culture) on biomass production, exopolysaccharides (EPS), and adenosine by Paecilomyces tenuipes. Relatively low pH levels were optimal for mycelial growth and EPS production. Yeast extract was the most effective organic nitrogen source for EPS production, whereas soybean extract was the best for adenosine production. A high C/N ratio was beneficial for adenosine production; however, excessively high C/N ratios reduced adenosine production. Static fermentation significantly increased adenosine production. A Box-Behnken design was used to optimize adenosine production; the optimal conditions for adenosine production by P. tenuipes were pH 7.0, soybean concentration of 3%, and a static culture period of 20 days, with the maximum adenosine production of 141.10 mg/L (predicted value: 128.05 mg/L).

Ethanol production from various agricultural and forest residues has been widely researched, but there is limited information available on the use of mixed hardwood for ethanol production. The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of time on the steam explosion pretreatment of waste wood (mixed hardwood) and to determine the convenience of a delignification step with respect to the susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose residue and the recoveries of both cellulose and hemicellulosic sugars. Delignification did enhance enzymatic hydrolysis yields of steam exploded waste wood. For steam explosion pretreatment times of 3 and 5 min, the recovery yield of hemicellulosic-derived sugars decreased. The effective hemicellulose solubilization does not always result in high recoveries of hemicellulose-derived sugars in the liquid fractions due to sugar degradation. In the steam explosion pretreatment times of 3 and 5 min, where hemicellulose solubilization exceeded 95%, but sugar recoveries in the liquid fraction remained below 30%. Cellulose to glucose yield losses were less significant than hemicellulosic-sugar losses, with a maximum loss of 24% at 5 min. Up to 80% of the lignin in the original wood was solubilized, leaving a cellulose-rich residue that led to a concentrated cellulose to glucose yield solution (about 50 g/L after 72 h enzymatic hydrolysis in the best case). The maximum overall process yield, taking into account both sugars present in the liquid from steam explosion pretreatment and cellulose to glucose yield from the steam exploded, delignified and hydrolyzed solid was obtained at the lowest steam explosion pretreatment time assayed.