Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is one of the most widely grown winter forage crops in Korea, but its yields are known to be greatly affected by drought that occur frequently in spring. This study aimed to compare the growth and tolerance response characteristics to drought stress in several Italian ryegrass varieties cultivated in Korea. Twenty-day-old Italian ryegrass was subjected to drought treatment for 4 days, and then the growth and physiological responses of the plants were compared. Drought stress reduced leaf length, fresh weight, and dry weight in all Italian ryegrass varieties compared to the control. In addition, chlorophyll content was significantly decreased in all varieties treated with drought stress, but Fv/Fm was significantly decreased only in Winter hawk. For H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, Winter hawk showed the highest increase and New dawn showed the least increase. In terms of relative water content (RWC), New dawn showed the least decrease and Winter hawk showed the greatest decrease. These results indicate that New dawn is relatively drought-tolerant and Winter hawk is a drought-sensitive variety, indicating that each variety of Italian ryegrass has different drought tolerance mechanisms, which may provide basic insight for the development of tolerant varieties in the future.
Drought stress is one of the major factors that reduce plant growth and productivity. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of exogenous acetic acid pretreatment on drought stress tolerance response in plants. Fourteen-day-old alfalfa plants were pretreated with 15 mM acetic acid, and then subsequently subjected to drought stress for 6 days. The fresh weight and relative water content in the leaves of acetic acid pretreated alfalfa plants were increased compared to the control group. The chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were slightly decreased in the acetic acid treatment. The H2O2 and proline contents were also significantly decreased in the acetic acid treatment. These results suggest that the scavenging mechanism of reactive oxygen species in alfalfa activated by acetic acid pretreatment is involved in conferring tolerance to drought stress.
This study evaluated the efficacy of a wild boar repellent (Repellent A) consisting of tannins and plant oils (castor oil, garlic oil, and cinnamon oil). Sixty farmed wild boars (4-8 months old) were divided into three groups: the normal control group (NC, n=20), the experimental group (EP, n=20), and the comparative experimental group (C-EP, n=20), which used Repellent B consisting of guaiacol, eugenol, menthol, thymol, and indole. EP and C-EP were equipped with four repellents per feeder, while no repellents were installed in the NC feeder. The feed intake and the number of feeding approaches were measured for one week in all groups. The number of approach of wild boars in feeders was monitored daily using a CCTV camera. The daily feed intake per farmed wild boar in EP and C-EP was significantly decreased compared to NC (p<0.05), and EP was significantly decreased compared to C-EP (p<0.05). In the average number of daily approaches, EP and C-EP were significantly decreased compared to NC (p<0.05), and EP was significantly decreased compared to C-EP (p<0.05). In conclusion, Product A has been confirmed to have excellent repellent effects on wild boars, and it could be used to prevent wild boars from approaching pig farms.
This study was carried out to investigate the effects of seeding dates on the growth characteristics, dry matter yield and mineral contents of rye cultivated in the paddy field. The field experiment was conceived as a randomized block design performed in triplicate with seeding dates of October 19 (T1), October (T2), November 2 (T3), November 9 (T4), and November 16 (T5). All treatments was harvested on May 22 of the following year. Plant length, stem diameter, dry matter yield, and total digestible nutrient (TDN) yield were higher in rye with early seeding dates (p<0.05), whereas TDN was higher with late seeding dates (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between crude protein and ether extract among the different seeding dates. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were higher with early seeding dates (p<0.05). K and Ca contents were significantly higher at T1 as compared to other treatments (T2, T3, T4 and T5). There was no significant difference in Mg and Na content among T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 treatments. P content was higher in the order T1 > T2 > T3 > T4 > T5 (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in free sugar contents (glucose, fructose and sucrose) by treatments, whereas total free sugar content was the highest in T1 than in the other treatments (p<0.05). Collectively, the results obtained in this study indicate that it is favorable to seed (T1 and T2) soon after harvesting rice to increase dry matter, TDN yield and total free sugar content of rye in the midlands of Korea.
본 연구에서는 호흡동조화기법의 대안으로 딥러닝 자유호흡기법에서 b-value 별 겉보기확산계수 값을 평가하고 확 산강조영상과 겉보기확산계수 지도의 해부학적 일치성을 분석하여 적절한 여기횟수 값을 알아보고자 하였다. 연구 방법은 2023년 7월부터 2024년 1월까지 간 자기공명영상 검사가 의뢰된 성인 남녀 35명을 대상으로 하였고 사용 장비는 Magnetom Skyra 3.0T(Siemens, Germany)를 이용하였다. 자유호흡기법의 비교를 위해 b-value 50, 400, 800(s/mm2)의 여기횟수를 각각 딥러닝 호흡동조화기법에서 2,3,4으로 딥러닝을 이용하지 않은 일반 자유호 흡기법에서 4,6,8으로 검사하였다. 딥러닝을 추가한 일반 자유호흡기법에서는 1,2,3 여기횟수, 2,3,4 여기횟수, 3,5,6 여기횟수, 4,6,8 여기횟수로 변화하였다. 연구 결과 딥러닝 자유호흡기법에서 간의 좌엽과 우엽, 담낭의 평균 겉보기확산계수 값은 딥러닝 호흡동조화기법과 비교하여 모두 통계적 유의성을 확인하였다. 한편 정성적 평가의 해 부학적 일치성을 분석한 결과 딥러닝 자유호흡기법의 3,5,6 여기횟수와 4,6,8 여기횟수에서 가장 높은 점수를 얻었 으며 검사 시간에서는 딥러닝 호흡동조화기법과 비교하여 약 51%, 40% 감소하였다. 따라서 간 진단에 있어 딥러닝 자유호흡기법에서 b-value 별 적절한 여기횟수 값을 이용한다면 겉보기확산계수 지도의 정확도 유지와 함께 검사 시간을 감소시킬 수 있어 임상적으로 유용한 검사가 될 것으로 사료된다.
This paper explores the potential application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the construction industry, as CNTs can effectively serve as nano-fillers, bridging the voids and holes in cement structures. However, the limited dispersibility of CNTs in water necessitates the use of dispersing agents for achieving uniform dispersion. In this study, two kinds of cement superplasticizers, polycarboxylate ether (PCE) and sulfonated naphthalene formaldehyde (SNF) were employed as dispersing agents to improve the interfacial affinity between CNTs and cement, and to enhance the strength of the cement nanocomposites. Contact angle experiments revealed that the utilization of PCE and SNF effectively addressed the interface issues between CNTs and cement. As a result, the cement nanocomposite with a CNT to PCE ratio of 1:2 exhibited an approximately 6.6% increase in compressive strength (73.05 MPa), while the CNT:SNF 1:2 cement composite showed a 4.7% increase (71.72 MPa) compared to plain cement (68.52 MPa). In addition, the rate of crack generation in cement nanocomposites with CNTs and dispersing agents was found to be slower than that of plain cement. The resulting cement nanocomposites, characterized by enhanced strength and durability, can be utilized as safer materials in the construction industry.
The growing significance of sustainable energy technologies underscores the need for safe and efficient management of spent nuclear fuels (SNFs), particularly via deep geological disposal (DGD). DGD involves the long-term isolation of SNFs from the biosphere to ensure public safety and environmental protection, necessitating materials with high corrosion resistance for DGD canisters. This study investigated the feasibility of a Cu–Ni film, fabricated via additive manufacturing (AM), as a corrosion-resistant layer for DGD canister applications. A wire-fed AM technique was used to deposit a millimeter-scale Cu–Ni film onto a carbon steel (CS) substrate. Electrochemical analyses were conducted using aerated groundwater from the KAERI underground research tunnel (KURT) as an electrolyte with an NaCl additive to characterize the oxic corrosion behavior of the Cu–Ni film. The results demonstrated that the AM-fabricated Cu–Ni film exhibited enhanced corrosion resistance (manifested as lower corrosion current density and formation of a dense passive layer) in an NaCl-supplemented groundwater solution. Extensive investigations are necessary to elucidate microstructural performance, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance in the presence of various corroding agents to simplify the implementation of this technology for DGD canisters.
This study emphasizes R&D as a management strategy for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) to achieve competitive advantage and aims to analyze the impact of innovation resistance, prior knowledge, and technological capability on the intention to adopt R&D. The research targeted 403 decision-makers from SMEs that have not adopted R&D. The analysis revealed the following key findings: As a result, both technical capabilities and prior knowledge had a negative effect on innovation resistance. In addition, technological capabilities and prior knowledge had a positive effect on adoption intention, and innovation resistance had a negative effect on acceptance intention. The indirect effects of technical capabilities and prior knowledge both had a positive impact. In addition, we tested whether dependency on partners and trading organizations that accepted R&D had a moderating effect, but it was not significant. The academic implications of this study provide a detailed analysis of how prior knowledge and technological capability affect innovation resistance in SMEs and verify the intention to adopt R&D. The practical implications suggest a direction for small and medium-sized enterprises to reduce innovation resistance in accepting R&D, and companies need to recognize the suitability of R&D and recognize the importance of technological capabilities and prior knowledge in order to reduce innovation resistance.
From 2020, Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has reset the withdrawal time (WT) for veterinary drugs typically used in livestock in preparation for the introduction of positive list system (PLS) program in 2024. This study was conducted to reset the MRL for tiamulin (TML) in broiler chickens as a part of PLS program introduction. Forty-eight healthy Ross broiler chickens were orally administered with TML at the concentration of 25 g/L (TML-1, n=24) and 50 g/L (TML-2, n=24) for 5 days through drinking water, respectively. After the drug treatment, tissue samples were collected from six broiler chickens at 1, 2, 3 and 5 days, respectively. According to the previously established analysis method, residual TML concentrations in poultry tissues were determined using LC-MS/MS. In TML-1, TML in all tissues was detected less than LOQ at 2 days after drug treatment. In TML-2, TML in liver and kidney was detected more than LOQ at 2 days after treatment. According to the European Medicines Agency’s guideline on determination of withdrawal periods, withdrawal periods of TML-1 and TML-2 in poultry tissues were established to 0 and 2 days, respectively. In conclusion, the estimated WT of TML in poultry tissues is shorter than the current WT recommendation of 5 days for TML in broiler chickens.
This study evaluated the virucidal efficacy of a chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas-generating fumigation disinfectant consisting of sodium chlorate solution (25% sodium chlorate) and reaction solution against avian influenza virus (AIV). After AIV suspensions had been deposited on stainless steel carriers, the 9 dried carriers were exposed to the fumigant (sodium chlorate solution: 8.5, 17, 34, 50, and 100 mL) in a 25-m³ test room for 2, 3, and 4 h, respectively. Thereafter, all carriers were submerged in a neutralizing solution (20% fetal bovine serum) to scrape off the surviving viruses, and the respective suspensions were diluted. Each diluent was inoculated into the allantoic membrane of five 10-day-old embryos. After incubation for 5 days at 37℃, AIV viability in the collected allantoic fluids was examined, and the egg infectious dose 50 (EID50) was calculated. When the carrier was exposed to ClO2 gas generated from reacting 34 mL of the fumigant for 3 h, the AIV titer reduced by more than 104.0 EID50/carrier compared to the control, which was exposed to the fumigant without inoculation of AIV suspension. In addition, the control was non-toxic to the embryos.
In this study, laser-induced graphene oxide (LIGO) was synthesized through a facile liquid-based process involving the introduction of deionized (DI) water onto polyimide (PI) film and subsequent direct laser irradiation using a CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm). The synthesized LIGO was then evaluated as a sensing material for monitoring changes in humidity levels. The synthesis conditions were optimized by precisely controlling the laser scribing speed, leading to the synthesis of LIGO with different structural characteristics and varying oxygen contents. The increased number of oxygen-containing functional groups contributed to the hydrophilic properties of LIGO, resulting in a superior humidity sensing capabilities compared with laser-induced graphene (LIG). The LIGO-based sensors outperformed LIG-based sensors, demonstrating approximately tenfold higher sensing responsivity when detecting changes at each humidity level, along with 1.25 to 1.75 times faster response/recovery times, making LIGO-based sensors more promising for humidity-monitoring applications. This study demonstrated laser ablation in a renewable and natural precursor as an eco-friendly and energy-efficient approach to directly synthesize LIGO with controllable oxidation levels.
Fashion stress is a pertinent aspect of modern consumer culture that has been underexplored in academic research. This study developed a conceptual framework of fashion stress and a multidimensional scale to measure consumers’ fashion stress. The qualitative study included literature reviews on consumption stress, shopping stress, and consumer behavior, as well as focus group interviews to gain insight into various dimensions of fashion stress. NVivo 12.0 was used to analyze the qualitative data and identify core categories following the grounded theory methodology. The quantitative study involved a preliminary and a primary surveys to verify the validity and reliability of the fashion stress scale. A total of 220 questionnaires were used for data analysis. The results show that fashion stress consists of eight factors: care, shopping, fit, brand, financial, closet, style, and disposal. Choice difficulty plays a significant role in all factors of fashion stress. Moreover, shopping stress had a negative impact on impulse buying, while other factors such as fit, brand, closet, and disposal stress had a positive impact on impulse buying. Thus, fashion stress is a potential antecedent of impulsive consumer behavior. The results also confirm the validity and reliability of the scale. The fashion stress scale developed in this study offers researchers a valuable tool for assessing and understanding consumer experiences.
The family Nitidulidae, the largest group in Cucujoidea, comprises approximately 350 genera and nearly 4,500 recorded species across ten subfamilies. In Korea, 86 species of Nitidulidae have been recorded. They are well-known for their diverse feeding habits. Anthophagy is a common habit, with certain species from the Epuraeinae, Carpophilinae, and Meligethinae recognized as pollinators. Despite their ecological significance, these groups rarely studied in Korea, due to their small size and morphological similarities. Our study reviews Korean species in three subfamilies, identifying 14 unrecorded species and 2 newly described species, and describes their ecological habits.
An unrecorded gall midge was discovered from inflorescence galls on Castanopsis sieboldii (Makino) Hatus. ex T.Yamaz. & Mashiba, which is one of major components in evergreen forests on the Korean Peninsula. The galls occurred on 20 trees out of 230 on Yokiji Island. The gall midge was identified as Schizomyia castanopsisae Elsayed & Tokuda, 2018 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), using morphological characters and mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) region sequences of gall midge’s larvae. The Barcode sequences of 40 samples collected from Yokji Island were identical, and the individuals from Yokji Island formed a clade with the individuals from Kyushu, with robust bootstrap support in a maximum likelihood tree. This result suggests the gall midges may have migrated from Kyushu, Japan to Yokji Island, South Korea. However, it is too early to determine if the gall midge is truly invasive or not at present due to paucity of distribution data in the country.