Pelle, a serine/threonine kinase, is an intracellular component of the Toll pathway and is involved in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) production due to pathogenic infection. It is known that the Pelle phosphorylates Cactus and activates the NF-κB signaling pathway in Drosophila, but it is not studied in Tenebrio molitor. In this study we investigated the tissue-specific expression patterns of the Pelle following pathogenic infection at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 hours. Additionally, larval mortality and AMP expression against microbial injection were investigated in dsPelle-treated T. molitor larvae. Our results may help to understand the antimicrobial function of TmPelle.

본 연구는 우수한 꿀벌 신품종 육성을 위해 국립농업과학원에서 육성된 재래꿀벌 RX계통을 분양받아 ’23~’24 년까지 부안군 변산면에 위치한 전북농업기술원 잠사곤충시험장 양봉사에서 꿀벌세력, 수밀력, 질병저항성, 온순성, 질병발생, 월동능력을 한라벌 품종과 비교하여 조사하였다. 8~11월 RX계통의 꿀벌세력 감소는 3.9%로 한라벌 39.8% 대비 상대적으로 낮았고, 수밀력, 청소능력, 온순성은 유의적 차이가 없었다. 낭충봉아부패병 등 질병은 전북동물위생시험소에서 병성검정한 결과, 두 시험군 모두 항원이 검출되었으나 임상증상은 없었다. 그리고 월동 중 한라벌 품종은 폐사한 반면, RX계통은 모든 시험군이 월동에 성공하였고, 또한 월동전·후 먹이감 소량이 적어 월동능력이 우수한 것으로 판단하였다. 본 연구는 국립농업과학원 공동연구사업(PJ01504205)의 지원을 받아 수행하였다.

Abstract Purpose : In this study, α-Lipoic acid and pyridine were added to hydrogel materials and silicone hydrogel materials, respectively, to manufacture contact lens to evaluate changes in physical properties. Methods : N,N-Dimethylacrylamide (DMA), 2,2'-Azobis (2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN), an initiator, and Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), crosslinking agent, were used basic mixing ratio, and hydrogel materials were prepared by thermopolymerization at 100°C for 1 hour based on 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). Silicone hydrogel materials were prepared by thermopolymerization at 130°C for 2 hours based on Silicone monomer (SID). The properties of contact lenses were evaluated by adding 0.05% of 3-hydroxypyridine N-oxide and (R)-(+)-α-Lipoic acid by ratio to each material. Results : A lens manufactured by adding alpha lipoic acid to silicone hydrogel materials showed a tendency to increase wettability and decrease refractive index. A lens manufactured by adding pyridine to silicone hydrogel materials showed UV-A blocking ability, and the refractive index tended to increase. In addition, a contact lens manufactured by adding alpha lipoic acid and pyridine together showed antimicrobial properties, reduced surface roughness, and increased wettability and oxygen permeability according to the ratio of alpha lipoic acid addition. Conclusion : It is judged that alpha lipoic acid and pyridine are expected to improve wettability and oxygen permeability of the lens and to be used as contact lens materials with antibacterial properties. Key words : Alpha lipoic acid, Antimicrobial, Oxygen permeability, Pyridine, Wettability

Abstract Purpose : This study analyzed physical properties using 1,6-Hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA) as an additive to improve functionality of hydrogel lens such as durability. It was checked whether HDDA can be applied as a crosslinking agent in place of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). Methods : Polymerization used thermal polymerization and photopolymerization methods, and HDDA was added to each polymerization method at a ratio of 1∼20%. Optical and physical characteristics of the manufactured lens were evaluated by measuring spectral transmittance, refractive index, water content, tensile strength, contact angle, and AFM. Results : Regardless of the polymerization method, the tensile strength ranged from 0.232~0.408 kgf/mm2 in thermal polymerization and from 0.146~0.429 kgf/mm2 depending on the addition ratio of HDDA. In addition, as a result of using HDDA instead of EGDMA, it was confirmed that the physical characteristics of the lens were similar to that of EGDMA, and in the case of tensile strength, HDDA was much improved. Conclusion : HDDA has been shown to be effective in improving the functionality of hydrogel lens and to improve stability and durability. In addition, it is believed that it can be used in various ways as an ophthalmic material as well as a photopolymerization crosslinking agent. Key words : Crosslinking agent, Tensile strength, 1,6-Hexanediol diacrylate, Hydrogel lens

다중 에이전트 강화학습의 발전과 함께 게임 분야에서 강화학습을 레벨 디자인에 적용하려는 연구가 계속되 고 있다. 플랫폼의 형태가 레벨 디자인의 중요한 요소임에도 불구하고 지금까지의 연구들은 플레이어의 스킬 수준이나, 스킬 구성 등 플레이어의 매트릭에 초첨을 맞춰 강화학습을 활용하였다. 따라서 본 논문에서는 레 벨 디자인에 플랫폼의 형태가 사용될 수 있도록 시각 센서의 가시성과 구조물의 복잡성을 고려하여 플랫폼 이 플레이 경험에 미치는 영향을 연구한다. 이를 위해Unity ML-Agents Toolkit과MA-POCA 알고리즘, Self-play 방식을 기반으로2vs2 대전 슈팅 게임 환경을 개발하였으며 다양한 플랫폼의 형태를 구성하였다. 분석을 통해 플랫폼의 형태에 따른 가시성과 복잡성의 차이가 승률 밸런스에는 크게 영향을 미치지 않으나 전체 에피소 드 수, 무승부 비율, Elo의 증가폭에 유의미한 영향을 미치는 것을 확인했다.

Pasture formation and management are crucial to avoid yield reduction. This experiment aimed to examine the effects of tall fescue-centered mixed-seeding combinations on yield and vegetation changes in perennial pastures in the central region for two years, from September 2020 to October 2022. The treatments were arranged in three replications in a randomized block design: control (C), tall fescue-based mixture-1 (T-1), and tall fescue-based mixture-2 (T-2). The tall fescue (TF), orchard grass (OG), perennial ryegrass (PRG), Kentucky bluegrass (KBG), and white clover (WC) were used. The emergency rate of grasses (70.0 to 73.3%) did not differ among mixed seeding combinations. Overwintering rates (81.7 to 83.3%) were similar among treatments. The plant height of grasses was similar at each harvest date, with the highest height (86.2 cm) recorded in the second harvest of the first year, followed by that (58.4 cm) in the third harvest of the first year; it was least (38.9 cm) in the fourth harvest of the second year. There was no significant difference in the dry matter yield of grasses among the mixed seeding combination treatments in the first, third, or fourth harvests of the first year (p>0.05). For second-year grasses, dry matter yield was not significantly different in harvest date among the treatments (p>0.05). Based on mixed seeding ratio, orchard grass showed the highest yield at 70% in the C treatment, followed by tall fescue at 80% and 60% in the T-1 and T-2 treatments, respectively, in the first harvest after seeding. There was no significant difference in feed value between treatments (p>0.05), but a significant difference was observed between the third and fourth harvest (p<0.05). Therefore, it indicated that it is important to create perennial pastures in the central region through mixed seeding combinations centered on tall fescue.

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.

기존의 스타크래프트II 내장AI는 미리 정의한 행동 패턴을 따르기 때문에 사용자가 전략을 쉽게 파악할 수 있어 사용자의 흥미를 오랫동안 유지시키기 힘들다. 이를 해결하기 위해, 많은 강화학습 기반의 스타크래프 트II AI 연구가 진행되었다. 그러나 기존의 강화학습AI는 승률에만 중점을 두고 에이전트를 학습시킴으로써 소수의 유닛을 사용하거나 정형화 된 전략만을 사용하여 여전히 사용자들이 게임의 재미를 느끼기에 한계가 존재한다. 본 논문에서는 게임의 재미를 향상시키기 위하여, 강화학습을 활용하여 실제 플레이어와 유사한 AI을 제안한다. 에이전트에게 스타크래프트II의 상성표를 학습시키고, 정찰한 정보로 보상을 부여해 유동적 으로 전략을 변경하도록 한다. 실험 결과, 사용자가 느끼는 재미와 난이도, 유사도 부분에서 고정된 전략을 사용하는 에이전트보다 본 논문에서 제안하는 에이전트가 더 높은 평가를 받았다..

In this study, we examined the antagonistic effects of sprout-borne lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. This antagonism is promoted as a means of controlling contamination during sprout production and provides additional LAB for consumers. We isolated a total of 24 LAB isolates in nine species and five genera from seven popular vegetable sprouts: alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Trifolium pratense), broccoli (Brassica oleracea ssp. italica), vitamin (B. rapa ssp. narinosa), red radish (Raphanus sativus), red kohlrabi (B. oleracea var. gongylodes), and Kimchi cabbage (B. campestris var. pekinensis). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the LAB species were identified as Enterococcus casseliflavus, E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, Lactococcus taiwanensis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria, and W. confusa. A total of 16 LAB isolates in seven species including E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, L. taiwanensis, L. mesenteroides, P. pentosaceus, and W. cibaria showed antagonistic activity toward S. enterica. The growth inhibition of sprout LAB on S. enterica was confirmed by co-culture. Unexpectedly, sprout LAB failed to suppress the growth of S. enterica in alfalfa sprouts, whereas all LAB strains stimulate S. enterica growth even if it is not significant in some strains. The findings of this study indicate that S. enterica-antagonistic LAB are detrimental to food hygiene and will contribute to further LAB research and improved vegetable sprout production.

KEPCO KPS is the contractor for the full system decontamination (FSD) of Kori Unit 1 and under preparation such as modification, lay out for equipment installation, setting up tie-in/out point for chemical injection and way to pressurize the system, of its successful performance. In this research, KPS introduced how KPS has designed and prepared for the FSD project and how will the chemical decontamination process be implemented. As described in the previous research, chemical decontamination process is planned to be conducted for three cycles and each cycle is consisted of oxidation, reduction, decomposition, and purification. Oxidation and reduction process were conducted at 90°C. Chemical decomposition and purification process were conducted at 40°C due to the damage of IX by the heat. If the decontamination result does not meet the target DF and the dose rate, additional cycle can be conducted. Expected volume of process water for FSD is 200 m3. Three systems have been designated as decontamination targets: reactor coolant system (RCS), residual heat removal system (RHRS), chemical volume control system (CVCS). For the steady flow rate, existed plant equipment such as reactor coolant pump (RCP) will be operated and modifications on some components will be conducted. Due to the limited space for installation, decontamination equipment and other resources are distributed to three different places. KPS designed the layout of equipment installed inside the containment vessel. The layout contains the information of shielding for highly radiated equipment such as IX and filter skid.

자생식물은 관상용, 약용, 식량자원으로 활용될 수 있는 잠재력을 지닌 고유 유전자원이다. 돌부추(Allium koreanum H.J. Choi & B.U. Oh)는 우리나라 해안 암반지대에 분포하는 자생식물 중 하나로, 기후변화와 서식지 감 소로 인해 보전 가치가 높은 식물이다. 이번 연구는 온도와 과산화수소가 돌부추의 발아에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위해 수행되었다. 종자를 무처리(대조군) 또는 1% 과산화수소(H2O2)로 90분간 처리한 종자를 준비해 15, 20, 25°C 로 설정된 식물 생장 챔버에 배치하였다. 그 결과, 파종 23일 후 15°C에서 42%인 발아율이 20°C와 25°C에서 각각 18%와 0%인 발아율보다 2배 이상 높았으며, H2O2 처리 여부와 관계없이 15°C에서 발아율이 42%로 가장 높았다. H2O2 처리와 관계없이 최종 발아율 50%(T50)에 도달하는 일수는 20°C에서 가장 짧았지만, 일평균 발아율(MDG)은 15°C에서 가장 높았다. 따라서 1%의 H2O2 처리는 돌부추의 발아율에 큰 영향을 미치지 않았으며, 15°C의 온도가 돌부추의 발아율을 높이는 데 최적인 것으로 판단된다. 본 연구 결과는 돌부추의 발아를 위한 기초 연구 자료로 활 용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

Sweet pepper(paprika) belongs to the genus Capsicum, and is one of the most important export product from Korea to Japan and Southeast Asia. So it is important to eradicate plant quarantine pests before export sweet pepper. Aphids, whiteflies and mites are major pests that can damage to sweet peppers. Fumigation is normally used to eradicate pests in plant quarantine, but phytotoxicity may can be appeared that affect the quality of the product. Low-temperature treatment, one of the most popular physical treatment, can reduce crop damage to preserve product quality, but it takes long time to kill pests, which can cause quality degradation. In this study, phytotoxicity of fumigants, phosphine(PH3), ethyl formate(EF) and PH3+EF on sweet peppers was investigated to use as basic data for physicochemical treatment. When treated with more than 35 mg/L of EF, phytotoxicity was occurred, and was not occurred with PH3. When low-temperature of 1.7 degrees treated for 15 days after fumigation, it seems to be no direct damage from low-temperature treatment. But quality of top of sweet pepper was decreased from 7 days after fumigation.

기후변화 위기에 대응하기 위하여 대한민국은 2030년까지 신재생연료 혼합비율(Renewable Fuel Standard, RFS)을 3.5%에서 8%까지 상향하기로 결정하였다. 국내에서 제조되는 신재생연료의 원료가 되는 바이오매스의 60%이상이 해외에서 수입하는 실정이며, 2030 탄소중립 및 RE100과 같은 바이오연료 사용증가 정책의 확대로 인하여 국내에서 제조되어 활용가능한 바이오매스의 확보가 절실하게 필요하다. 곤충은 높은 비율의 단백질과 지질을 체내에 저장하는 특징을 가지고 있으며, 곤충의 대량사육을 통하여 지질의 대량생산이 가능할 것으로 판단된다. 본 연구에서는 곤충의 대량사육환경에서 제조되는 지질을 원료로 하여 기후변화에 대응할 수 있는 바이오연료로의 전환 제조가능성을 확인하고자 하였으며, 이를 위하여 촉매공정을 통하여 디젤과 혼합하여 사용할 수 있는 수첨바이오디젤을 제조하여 그 특성을 분석하였다. 그 결과 곤충지질을 활용하여 수첨바이오디 젤로 전환가능함을 확인하였다.

This study investigated unrecorded freshwater bacterial species in Korea. Water and sediment samples were collected from the Nakdong River basin from 2020-2022. Bacterial isolates obtained through the conventional culture method with commercial media were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify unrecorded bacterial species. Results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the bacterial isolates revealed that a total of 44 bacterial isolates shared 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of more than 98.65%, with validly published bacterial species not reported in Korea yet. These isolates were phylogenetically assigned to 4 phyla, 7 classes, 21 orders, 33 families, and 42 genera. A total of 2, 6, 12, and 24 species belonged to phyla Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and Pseudomonadota, respectively. Here, we provide details of these 44 unrecorded bacterial species, including Gram staining, colony and cellular morphologies, biochemical properties, and phylogenetic position.

Spent fuels (SFs) are stored in a storage pool after discharge from nuclear power plants. They can be transferred to for the further processes such as dry storage sites, processing plants, or disposal sites. One of important measures of SF is the burnup. Since the radioactivity of SF is strongly dependent on its burnup, the burnup of SF should be well estimated for the safe management, storage, and final disposal. Published papers about the methodology for the burnup estimation from the known activities of important radioactive sources are somewhat rare. In this study, we analyzed the dependency of the burnup on the important radiation source activities using ORIGEN-ARP, and suggested simple correlations that relate the burnup and the important source activities directly. A burnup estimation equation is suggested for PWR fuels relating burnup with total neutron source intensity (TNSI), initial enrichment, and cooling time. And three burnup estimation equations for major gamma sources, 137Cs, 134Cs, and 154Eu are also suggested.

It is widely known that forage corn is one of the most important crops in the production of silage and green chops during the summer months. In this study, the characteristics and the productivity of Kwangpyeongok, AGR 41, and Nero IT corn cultivars were evaluated in the regions of Jeju and Cheonan, Korea between 2021 and 2022. In each year, different corn cultivars were sown in different parts of the country on April 7 in Jeju and May 3 in Cheonan. The yield of three cultivars, Kwangpyeongok, AGR 41, and Nero IT were measured at the yellow-ripening stage, including the leaves and stems (Stover) and corn grain. Kwangpyeongok stover and total dry matter (DM) yields were slightly higher in Cheonan than in Jeju over the past two years. The quantity of corn cultivated in all cultivated areas was similar. The average yield of AGR 41, corn quantity and total DM were slightly higher in Jeju than in Cheonan. In terms of stover yield, and total dry matter content of the Nero IT cultivar cultivated in Jeju had a slightly higher yield than the cultivar cultivated in Cheonan. Based on this study, all cultivars can show some variations but not too much in terms of growth productivity and distinct characteristics depending on their location. Overall, AGR 41, and Nero IT cultivars in Jeju exhibit slightly higher levels of productivity than the same cultivars in Cheonan.

As platforms become primary decision making tools, platforms for decision have been introduced to improve quality of decision results. Because, decision platforms applied augmented decision-making process which uses experiences and feedback of users. This process creates a variety of alternatives tailored for users’ abilities and characteristics. However, platform users choose alternatives before considering significant quality factors based on securing decision quality. In real world, platform managers use an algorithm that distorts appropriate alternatives for their commercial benefits. For improving quality of decision-making, preceding researches approach trying to increase rational decision -making ability based on experiences and feedback. In order to overcome bounded rationality, users interact with the machine to approach the optional situation. Differentiated from previous studies, our study focused more on characteristics of users while they use decision platforms. This study investigated the impact of quality factors on decision-making using platforms, the dimensions of systematic factors and user characteristics. Systematic factors such as platform reliability, data quality, and user characteristics such as user abilities and biases were selected, and measuring variables which trust, satisfaction, and loyalty of decision platforms were selected. Based on these quality factors, a structural equation research model was created. A survey was conducted with 391 participants using a 7-point Likert scale. The hypothesis that quality factors affect trust was proved to be valid through path analysis of the structural equation model. The key findings indicate that platform reliability, data quality, user abilities, and biases affect the trust, satisfaction and loyalty. Among the quality factors, group bias of users affects significantly trust of decision platforms. We suggest that quality factors of decision platform consist of experience-based and feedback-based decision-making with the platform's network effect. Through this study, the theories of decision-making are empirically tested and the academic scope of platform-based decision-making has been further developed.

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game(MMORPG) attract thousand of concurrent users, leading to a surge in server requests. The massive requests results in contention on the game server, causing unexpected latency issues that undermine user experience. Delayed latency leads to user dissatisfaction and, ultimately, user churn. In this paper, we propose a multi-threaded game server design that provides stable response time by utilizing computing resources. And we study the performance of the design under various environments by configuring the approaches we implemented. The server consists of a socket system that helps communicate between clients and servers, a task system that handles changes in the status of user, and a synchronization system that allows users to receive the same game information. To prevent serious contention, both lock and lock-free algorithms for process synchronization are applied, and some parallel programming approaches such as visual processing are introduced.