Following the previous study, which investigated the pharmacological properties of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m), the toxicity of a single intravenous administration of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) and the side effects that may occur at the diagnostic dose were confirmed. The Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) was administered intravenously once at a dose of 0, 0.67, 2.0, and 6.0 mCi/kg to 5 male and female rats per group. Mortality, general symptom observation, and weight measurement were performed for 2 weeks, followed by observation of autopsy findings. There were no deaths, and no statistically significant weight change was observed. No abnormal systemic signs related to the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) were observed. These results confirmed that Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) can be safely administered intravenously at doses up to 6.0 mCi/kg. Additionally, technetium-99m at an average dose of 2 mCi (74 MBq) has been verified as a diagnostic dose without adverse effects, allowing the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) to be used safely without side effects at this dosage. This study demonstrates that the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) has a wide safety margin, supporting its potential for clinical application. Moreover, these findings align with the nonclinical safety standards for radiopharmaceuticals, reinforcing its utility in veterinary medicine. The Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) is expected to be applicable for clinical diagnosis as a veterinary drug in Korea.

Thyroid scanning using technetium-99m (99mTc) is the gold standard for diagnosing feline hyperthyroidism. In cats with an overactive thyroid, a thyroid scan is the most appropriate imaging technique to detect and localize any hyperfunctional adenomatous thyroid tissue. In this study, the pharmacological properties of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m), developed as a diagnostic agent for feline hyperthyroidism using 99mTc as an active ingredient, were tested in FRTL-5 thyroid follicular cell line and ICR mice. The percentage of cell uptake of the Tc-99m in FRTL-5 thyroid cells was 0.182 ± 0.018%, which was about 6 times higher compared to Clone 9 hepatocytes. This uptake decreased by 38.2% due to competitive inhibition by iodine (sodium iodide). In tissue distribution tests by using ICR mice, the highest distribution was observed in the liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and femur at 0.083 hours after administration, and this distribution decreased as the compound was excreted through the kidneys, the primary excretory organ. Maximum distribution was confirmed at 1 hour in the small intestine, 6 hours in the large intestine, and 2 hours in the thyroid gland. Additionally, the total amount excreted through urine and feces over 48 hours (2 days) was 78.80% of the injected dose, with 37.70% (47.84% of the total excretion) excreted through urine and 41.10% (52.16% of the total excretion) through feces. In conclusion, the Tc-99m has the same mechanism of action, potency, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion characteristics as 99mTc used for feline hyperthyroidism in the United States, Europe, and other countries, because the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) contains 99mTc as its sole active ingredient. Based on these results, the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) is expected to be safely used in the clinical diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism.

Background: Hanwoo cattle farmers aim to improve calf production and reproductive efficiency. Recovery of the reproductive tract postpartum is a critical factor influencing the postpartum period and conception of breeding cows. This study aimed to precisely analyze the recovery process of the reproductive tract in primiparous Hanwoo postpartum and to establish recovery criteria. Methods: Ten primiparous Hanwoo cows were used in this study. After parturition, estrus was examined daily using visual observations and estrus detection patches. Ovarian recovery, cervical diameter, and uterine horn diameter were examined using ultrasonography four times per week. Results: The analysis revealed that the first estrus occurred at 19.1 ± 6.5 days postpartum, the first ovulation at 27.1 ± 4.5 days, and the first normal estrus cycle at 39.2 ± 6.4 days. The ovulation rate during the first estrus was 40%. A normal estrus cycle occurred in 11.1% of patients at the first ovulation. The cervix diameter recovered to 42.0 ± 3.5 mm and the uterine horn diameter to 34.4 ± 7.1 mm by 24 days postpartum, with the difference in uterine horn diameter recovering to 2.6 ± 1.2 mm by 31 days postpartum. Conclusions: This study can aid in determining the optimal breeding time for postpartum primiparous Hanwoo cow and provide foundational data for Hanwoo breeding studies.

대한민국의 해양레저산업은 세일링을 비롯한 다양한 형태의 수상레저 활동이 증가하는 추세에 따라 세계적으로 신흥시장으로 주목받고 있어 세일링 요트에 대한 수요가 높아질 것으로 추정된다. 이에 따라 2022년 현재 우리나라 요트 문화의 부흥과 보급을 위해 해 양수산부의 지원을 받아 28피트 세일 요트의 설계 및 개발이 착수되었다. 개발 초기 단계에서의 성능을 확인하고 이를 통해 설계 인자를 결정하기 위하여 속도 예측 프로그램 VPP(Velocity Prediction Program) 분석이 수행되었다. 본 연구에서 사용된 소프트웨어는 University of Southampton의 Wolfson Unit社의 WinDesign으로, 속도 예측에 적용된 유체역학적 데이터 모델은 Wolfson Unit社자체적인 조선공학 및 요트 연구 분야에서 수십 년간의 예인 수조 시험 데이터를 회귀 분석한 방법으로 대부분의 현대식 요트에 대해 신뢰할 수 있는 추정치를 제공 하는 것으로 여겨진다. 하지만 예인 수조 시험이나 CFD 수치해석 등을 통한 실험 결과적인 유체역학적 정보가 없기 때문에 소프트웨어에 서 제공하는 유체역학적 데이터 회귀 모델의 저항 값은 다소 차이가 있을 것으로 예상된다. 또한, 아직 미완료된 무게 중심 추정에 의한 VCG 값은 속도 예측의 입력 변수 중 하나로, 성능 결과에 어느 정도 영향을 미칠 수 있을 것으로 예상된다. 개발 세일 요트에 대한 최적 화된 보트 속도는 풍속 4, 8, 12, 16 및 20노트의 집세일 조합(최대 120° TWA) 및 스피네커 세일 조합(80° TWA부터) 모두에서 확인되었으 며, VPP를 활용하여 얻어진 최적화된 속도는 국제적으로 유사한 등급의 요트와 견줄수 있는 수준으로 확인되었다.

Distractive marking, as conceptualized by Abbott H. Thayer, refers to diminutive patterns of contrasting colors on an animal’s body. Thayer hypothesized that these patterns augment camouflage by diverting predatory focus from the outline of the prey, however, the evidence was insufficient. In this study, we verified the hypothesis that the presence of distractive markings confers a survival advantage under specific conditions. Specifically, the experiment aimed to ascertain whether the existence of lichens on trees hinders the visual detection of prey, given that lichens resemble distractive markings. The experimental design involved human subjects as predators and artificial moth images on a monitor as prey. The survival of moths with and without distractive markings was compared, also considering the influence of the presence of lichens in the background. As an analysis result, the survival likelihood of moths was statistically significantly hindered when the distractive marking was present. This result contradicts Thayer‘s hypothesis and implies the presence of a function distinct other than the enhancement of camouflage.

Degenerative arthritis is a common joint disease that affects many elderly people and is typically diagnosed through radiography. However, the need for remote diagnosis is increasing because knee pain and walking disorders caused by degenerative arthritis make face-to-face treatment difficult. This study collects three-dimensional joint coordinates in real time using Azure Kinect DK and calculates 6 gait features through visualization and one-way ANOVA verification. The random forest classifier, trained with these characteristics, classified degenerative arthritis with an accuracy of 97.52%, and the model's basis for classification was identified through classification algorithm by features. Overall, this study not only compensated for the shortcomings of existing diagnostic methods, but also constructed a high-accuracy prediction model using statistically verified gait features and provided detailed prediction results.

Maintaining fuel sheath integrity during dry storage is important. Intact sheath acts as the primary containment barrier for both fuel pellets and fission products over the dry storage periods and during subsequent fuel handling operations. In KNF, in-house fuel performance code was developed to predict the overall behavior of a fuel rod under normal operating conditions. It includes the analysis modules to predict temperature, pellet cracking and deformation, sheath stress and strain at the mid-plane of the pellet and pellet-pellet interfaces, fission gas release and internal gas pressure. The main focus of the code is to provide information on initial conditions prior to dry storage, such as fission gas inventory and its distribution within the fuel pellet, initial volumes of storage spaces and their locations, radial profile of heat generation within the pellet, etc. To upgrade the developed code that address all the damage mechanisms, the first step was a review of the available technical information on phenomena relevant to fuel integrity. Potential degradation mechanisms that may affect sheath integrity of CANDU spent fuel during dry storage are: creep rupture under internal gas pressure, sheath oxidation in air environment, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), delayed hydride cracking (DHC), and sheath splitting due to UO2 oxidation for a defective fuel. The failure by creep rupture, SCC or DHC is in the form of small cracks or punctures. The failure by sheath oxidation or sheath splitting due to UO2 oxidation results in a gross sheath rupture. The second step was to examine the technical bases of all modules of the in-house code, identify and extend the ranges of all modules to required operating ranges. This step assessed the degradation mechanisms for the fuel integrity. The objective of this assessment is to predict the probability of sheath through-wall failure by a degradation mechanisms as a function of the sheath temperature during dry storage. Further improvements being considered include upgrades of the analysis module to achieve sufficient accuracy in key output parameters. The emphasis in the near future will be on validation of the inhouse code according to a rigorous and formal methodology. The developed models provide a platform for research and industrial applications, including the design of fuel behavior experiments and prediction of safe operating margins for CANDU spent fuel.