It is challenging to treat canine brucellosis due to the immune evading and stealthy characteristic of the causative bacteria, Brucella (B.) canis. Gold nanoparticle aptamer (AuNP-Apt) conjugated antimicrobial peptide (AMP) is a promising alternative to antibiotics for various bacterial infections. However, the toxicity of AuNP-Apt has been variable throughout research, and the in vivo toxic mechanism has not been fully elucidated. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential against B. canis, and the toxicity of AuNP-Apt conjugated antimicrobial peptide, RW-BP100 (AuNP-AptHis-RW-BP100His), in a mouse model. Intravenous (IV) treatment with AuNP-AptHis-RW-BP100His reduced the bacteria burden and histopathologic lesions. The IV treatment also induced CD4+ T cell differentiation and modulated serum cytokine levels. However, high-dose AuNP-Apt was lethal, resulting in tissue accumulation and vessel embolism. Therefore, AuNP-AptHis-RW-BP100His is a promising therapeutic agent for B. canis treatment, but due to its toxicity, further studies are needed for its utilization in clinical practice.

This study evaluated the germination characteristics and predicted longevity of Weigela subsessilis, an endemic plant in Korea, under long-term seed bank storage. Seeds from 16 accessions were stored at –18 °C for 0, 5, 10, and 20 years, and their germination performance was assessed. The initial germination percentage (78.75%) remained stable after five years (79.67%) but declined significantly after ten years (62.90%). Two accessions tested after 20 years showed a steep reduction to 14.86%. MGT and T50 were stable, GI increased slightly, but PV and GV declined, suggesting dormancy release alongside reduced vigor. Seed longevity was predicted using Probit analysis The estimated initial viability (Ki) was 1.15, with a slope of –0.092, yielding a predicted P50 of 12.5 years (95% CI: 11.2–13.8 years). The confidence interval broadened with longer extrapolations, underscoring the uncertainty of projections beyond 15–20 years where empirical data remain limited. These results provide the first empirical evidence of viability decline in W. subsessilis seeds over two decades of storage. They highlight the need for systematic monitoring in seed banks, with testing recommended at five-year intervals beyond ten years of storage. Regeneration or recollection strategies should also be implemented as viability approaches critical thresholds. This study offers essential baseline data for developing conservation strategies for Korean endemic species and contributes to the sustainable management of native plant genetic resources.

Seeds of some barberry species have embryo with physiological dormancy that requires a cold stratification for germination. Berberis amurensis Rupr. is a native species of Japan, Korea, the Russian far east, and parts of China. This specific plant is important for its edible fruits and rhizomes with high medicine value. This study aimed to determine the effect of stratification on germination and physiological change of B. amurensis. Seeds were placed on sterilized sand medium moistened with distilled water in 9 cm diameter petri dishes and stored at 4 and 25˚C for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. Each treatment had 40 seeds per replica, and three repetitions per treatment. Immediately after stratification, total phenolics contents (TPC) was analyzed and seeds incubated at 15/6˚C for 12 weeks. Warm stratification had a significant effect on seed forcing for germination than cold stratification treatment. At 25˚C for 60 days, stratified seed showed highest germination percentage (25.7±4.3%) and germination started in 14 days of the stored period. Whereas TPC was significantly decreased with increasing stored period. Contrastively, cold stratification had no effect on the germination ability. In the same way germination percentage of non-stratified seeds were also zero. The results confirmed that B. amurensis seeds were in a dormant state and warm stratification increased the germination ability by breaking of dormancy.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have been reported to have better properties than conventional materials; however, they are more expensive due to the high cost of their main components. Therefore, research is needed to reduce manufacturing costs. In this study, CoCrFeMnNi HEAs were prepared using metal injection molding (MIM), which is a powder metallurgy process that involves less material waste than machining process. Although the MIM-processed samples were in the face-centered cubic (FCC) phase, porosity remained after sintering at 1200°C, 1250°C, and 1275°C. In this study, the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process, which considers both temperature (1150°C) and pressure (150 MPa), was adopted to improve the quality of the MIM samples. Although the hardness of the HIP-treated samples decreased slightly and the Mn composition was significantly reduced, the process effectively eliminated many pores that remained after the 1275°C MIM process. The HIP process can improve the quality of the alloy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the quality of high moisture rye silage. Rye forage (Secale cereale L.) was harvested at the heading stage (27.3% of dry matter (DM)) and cut into approximately 3-5 cm lengths. Then, the forage divided into 4 treatments with different inoculants: 1) No additives (CON); 2) Lactobacillus brevis strain 100D8 at a 1.2 x 105 colony-forming unit (cfu)/g of fresh forage (LBR); 3) Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain 5H4 at a 1.0 x 105 cfu/g of fresh forage (LHO); and 4) Mixture of LBR and LHO (1:1 ratio) applied at a 1.0 x 105 cfu/g of fresh forage (MIX). About 3 kg of forage from each treatment was ensiled into a 20 L mini-bucket silo in quadruplicate for 100 days. After silo opening, silage was collected for analyses of chemical compositions, in vitro nutrient digestibilities, fermentation characteristics, and microbial enumerations. The CON silage had the highest concentrations of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber (p = 0.006; p = 0.008) and a lowest in vitro DM digestibility (p < 0.001). The pH was highest in CON silage, while lowest in LBR and MIX silages (p < 0.001). The concentrations of ammonia-N, lactate, and acetate were highest in LBR silage (p = 0.008; p < 0.001; p < 0.001). Propionate and butyrate concentrations were highest in CON silage (p = 0.004; p < 0.001). The LAB and yeast counts were higher in CON and LHO silages compare to LBR and MIX silages (p < 0.001). However, the mold did not detect in all treatments. Therefore, this study could conclude that L. brevis 100D8 and Leu. holzapfelii strain 5H4 can improve the digestibility and anti-fungal activity of high moisture rye silage.

스탠다드국화 신품종을 육성하기 위하여 충남농업기술원 화훼연구소에서 2009년에 황색의 모본 ‘Summer Yellow’와 부본 ‘ST07-09-02’계통을 인공 교배하였다. 2010년에 종자를 파종하였고, 이중 내병성이 강하고 기호성이 우수한 개체를 선발하여 ‘ST10-047-01’로 계통명을 부여하였다. 2011년부터 2013년까지 주년 생산성을 위해 촉성 및 자연, 억제재배 특성을 각각 검정하였으며, 2013년 ‘Geumhwa’로 명명하고 품종등록 출원하였다. ‘Geumhwa’의 생육 및 개화특성은 국내에서 많이 재배되고 있는 황색 스탠다드국화인 ‘Summer Yellow’를 대조 품종으로 하여 조사하였다. ‘Geumhwa’ 품종은 자연개화기가 10월 6일로 ‘Summer Yellow’의 10월 25일에 비해 빨랐다. ‘Geumhwa’는 초장이 86.3cm로 ‘Summer Yellow’의 93.8cm보다 작았고, 곁가지 제거수는 8.1개로 ‘Summer Yellow’의 16.6개보다 적었다. ‘Geumhwa’의 꽃직경은 13.6cm로 ‘Summer Yellow’의 13.5cm와 비슷하였으며, 꽃잎수는 ‘Geumhwa’가 263.6개로 ‘Summer Yellow’의 295.3개보다 적었다. 재배상 유의사항은 ‘Geumhwa’는 중간종이므로 초기생육이 왕성하도록 비배 관리를 하고 생육기간 중 지베렐린 1,000mg･L-1를 2회 처리하여 신장력을 높이도록 한다. 또한 설상화수가 적은 편이므로 재전조를 실시하여 설상화수를 늘린다면 황색의 연중 조기개화가 가능한 고품질 신품종 스탠다드 절화국화로써 소비자 기호 충족 및 농가소득 창출에 기여할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.