• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.239-248
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• 2022

Forensic entomology is a study that purposes at field reconstruction through insects attracted to carcasses, and has been mainly studied using carcasses such as a pig and chicken. Therefore, this study was conducted to find out if there is a singularity by using the carcass of water deer with different conditions and shapes of the hair quality and to find out the appearance of a necrophagous insect. The water deer carcass was received from the Jeollanam-do Wildlife Rescue Management Center and research was conducted. From May 19 2021 to July 2 2021, the decay progress of the carcass was observed for about 6 weeks. A total of 51 species of 21 families in 4 orders of insects were collected. Even after the carcass completely decays, even at the stage where the activity of other insects is not observed, insects such as Dermestidae and Tenebrionidae are collected from the hairs and leather of water deer carcass until the last. It was confirmed that insects of the order Coleoptera other than Diptera can be used as forensic entomological data related to the decay of carcasses with fur.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.677-684
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• 2022

This study is a basic study to evaluate the ecological environment of Changwon City. The study site was 6 ecotourism districts in Changwon-si, and the ecotourism index was evaluated through direct visits and interviews with the person in charge through preliminary research and various literature data from June to July 2021. There are six ecotourism indicators: climate crisis, air quality improvement, water conservation, natural coexistence, citizen participation, and tourism resource management. When looking at the scores for the six ecotourism areas in Changwon, it received the highest score in the areas of natural coexistence and air quality improvement. However, the ecoregion received the lowest score in the water resource conservation category, indicating that the water resource conservation as a whole was weak. Next, tourism resource management, climate crisis, and citizen participation are at the same level in all regions. As a result of the evaluation through the low-carbon ecotourism index, the Changwon City low-carbon ecotourism certification system should first be operated as a measure to revitalize the ecotourism region. It is necessary to prepare a low-carbon ecotourism level for Changwon City. Second, it is very important to guide and promote ecotourism areas to revitalize ecotourism areas. Lastly, to operate a sustainable eco-environment area, it is necessary to operate using local governance above all else.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2022

Background: In northern Thailand, the longan flower is the principal nectar source for honey production. Microorganisms play a critical function in the agricultural ecology. The morphological characteristics of fungal species found in longan pollen were studied. Aspergillus spp. were found to be invertase-producing strains and were employed in the longan syrup production process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of invertase-added longan syrup on the adult honey bee population numbers that were fed by this syrup for 16 weeks. Results: Different fungal species were found in longan pollen samples. Aspergillus was the main genus, with three predominant sections: Nigri, Flavi, and Terrei. Other isolated species were Trichoderma spp., Rhizopus spp., Neurospora spp., Chaetomium spp., Fusarium spp. and Penicillium spp. However, Aspergillus spp. is the only fungal species that produces the enzyme invertase. The invertase-producing strains belonging to the Aspergillus section Nigri were found to be A. niger LP5 with an optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 60℃. When A. niger LP5 invertase was used for longan syrup processing, the highest levels of glucose (3.45%) and fructose (2.08%) were found in invertase added longan syrup (C), while fresh (A) and boiled longan syrup (B) had lower contents of both sugars. The sucrose content was detected in (A) at 4.25%, while (B) and (C) were at 4.02% and 3.08%, respectively. An appropriate amount of sugar to feed and maintain the honey bee population was considered. The data showed no statistically significant differences between the two selected forms of longan syrup compared to the sugar syrup examined by the adult honey bee population. Conclusions: The main species of isolated fungi from longan pollen were Aspergillus spp. The discovery of an invertase-producing strain of A. niger LP5 has enabled its application for enzyme utilization in the invert sugar preparation process. The adult worker bee populations fed by longan syrup from both boiled and invertase-added sources showed an increasing trend. Artificial syrup made from longan fruit to feed honey bees when natural food sources are limited can be applied.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2022

Background: A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was adopted in the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH, EU) regulations as well as the Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals (AREC, Republic of Korea). It has been previously used in the registration of chemicals. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the correlation between the predicted data provided by three prediction programs using a QSAR model and actual experimental results (acute fish, daphnia magna toxicity). Through this approach, we aimed to effectively conjecture on the performance and determine the most applicable programs when designating toxic substances through the AREC. Methods: Chemicals that had been registered and evaluated in the Toxic Chemicals Control Act (TCCA, Republic of Korea) were selected for this study. Two prediction programs developed and operated by the U.S. EPA - the Ecological Structure-Activity Relationship (ECOSAR) and Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (T.E.S.T.) models - were utilized along with the TOPKAT (Toxicity Prediction by Komputer Assisted Technology) commercial program. The applicability of these three programs was evaluated according to three parameters: accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Results: The prediction analysis on fish and daphnia magna in the three programs showed that the TOPKAT program had better sensitivity than the others. Conclusions: Although the predictive performance of the TOPKAT program when using a single predictive program was found to perform well in toxic substance designation, using a single program involves many restrictions. It is necessary to validate the reliability of predictions by utilizing multiple methods when applying the prediction program to the regulation of chemicals.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.131-140
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• 2022

The magnitude and frequency of extreme floods are increasing owing to the effects of climate change. Therefore, multipurpose flood management techniques incorporating nature-based solutions have been introduced to mitigate the limitations of flood management and river design methods relying on existing observation data. Nature-based solutions to prepare for such extreme flooding events include ways to retreat the embankment, expand the floodplain, and reduce flood damage. To apply these technologies, adopting appropriate location selection methods based on various evaluation factors, such as flood damage reduction effects, sustainable ecological environments, river connectivity, and physical channel structure enhancements, should be prioritized. Therefore, in this study, the optimal location for implementing the multipurpose floodplain construction project was determined by selecting the location of the floodplain expansion with objectivity in the river waterfront area upstream of Daecheong Dam to downstream of Yongdam Dam. Through the final location determination, the Dongdaeje and Jeogokje sections were included in the optimal location considering both flood damage reduction and water environment improvement.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.404-416
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• 2023

Objective: Daweizi (DWZ) is a famous indigenous pig breed in China and characterized by tender meat and high fat percentage. However, the expression profiles and functions of transcripts in DWZ pigs is still in infancy. The object of this study was to depict the transcript profiles in DWZ pigs and screen the potential pathway influence adipogenesis and fat deposition, Methods: Histological analysis of backfat tissue was firstly performed between DWZ and lean-type Yorkshire pigs, and then RNA sequencing technology was utilized to explore miRNAs, lncRNAs and mRNAs profiles in backfat tissue. 18 differentially expressed (DE) transcripts were randomly selected for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) to validate the reliability of the sequencing results. Finally, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were conducted to investigate the potential pathways influence adipocyte differentiation, adipogenesis and lipid metabolism, and a schematic model was further proposed. Results: A total of 1,625 differentially expressed transcripts were identified in DWZ pigs, including 27 upregulated and 45 downregulated miRNAs, 64 upregulated and 119 down-regulated lncRNA, 814 upregulated and 556 downregulated mRNAs. QPCR analysis exhibited strong consistency with the sequencing data. GO and KEGG analysis elucidated that the differentially expressed transcripts were mainly associated with cell growth and death, signal transduction, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), PI3K-Akt, adipocytokine and foxo signaling pathways, all of which are strongly involved in cell development, lipid metabolism and adipogenesis. Further analysis indicated that the BGIR9823_87926/miR-194a-5p/AQP7 network may be effective in the process of adipocyte differentiation or adipogenesis. Conclusion: Our study provides comprehensive insights into the regulatory network of backfat deposition and lipid metabolism in pigs from the point of view of miRNAs, lncRNAs and mRNAs.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.51-63
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• 2023

Riverine tree management is crucial in realizing a balance between flood control and ecological preservation, which requires an accurate assessment of the impact of trees on river water elevations. In this study, eight different formulas for evaluating vegetation roughness considering the drag force acting on trees, were reviewed, and the characteristics and applicability of these methods were evaluated from a practical engineering perspective. The study compared the characteristics of vegetation roughness measurement methods for calculated roughness coefficients at different water depths and analyzed factors such as effects of tree canopy width, tree density and diameter, and tree stiffness coefficient, and water level estimation results. A comparison of roughness coefficients at the same water depths revealed that the Kouwen and Fathi-Moghadam formulas and the Fischenich formula yield excessive drag coefficients compared to other formulas. Factors such as channel geometry, tree diameter, and tree density showed varying trends depending on the formula but did not exhibit excessive outliers. Formulas considering the tree stiffness coefficient, such as the Freeman et al.'s formula and the Whittaker et al.'s formula, showed significant variations in drag coefficients depending on the stiffness coefficient. When applied to small- and medium-sized virtual rivers in South Korea using the drag coefficient results from the eight formulas, the results indicated a maximum increase in water level of approximately 0.2 to 0.4 meters. Based on this review, it was concluded that the Baptist et al., Huthoff et al., Cheng, Luhar, and Nepf's formulas, which exhibit similar characteristics and low input data uncertainties, are suitable for practical engineering applications.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.520-524
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• 2023

Regalecus russellii, which spends most of its life in the deep sea, occasionally appears in coastal waters. However, the reasons for its appearance remain unclear. In Korea, R. russellii mainly appears along the eastern coastal waters, and most of them are caught in fishing gear, such as gill nets, or are stranded on the shore; nevertheless, the frequency of appearance is extremely low. Even if found, this species is often identified to be morphologically similar to Trachipterus ishikawae, and comprehensive analysis to identify the species through sample collection is limited. Consequently, information on the biological characteristics of R. russellii appearing in the coastal waters of Korea is scarce. Herein, the anatomical characteristics of R. russellii caught in a gill net off the Gangwon-do coast on March 14, 2023, were analyzed, and coastal water temperature was measured using an ocean buoy. Our results showed that the individual was male, its total length was 320 cm, body weight was 27.52 kg, body length was 26.62 cm, gonad weight was 619.45 g, and liver weight was 218.71 g. The stomach was full of euphausiids. The water temperature changed drastically at 15-30 m roughly a week before the R. russellii individual was caught, and the subsurface water temperature was lower than 10 ℃. Our findings provide baseline data to understand the ecological characteristics of R. russellii appearing along the eastern coast of the Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.662-675
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• 2022

This study was intended to investigate and analyze the current status of the plant community structure in order to provide basic data for the systematic conservation and management of the Buxus sinica area appearing on the ridgeline connecting the Gyeokjabong(Mt.) and Keungiljae, on Bogildo Island. In consideration of location characteristics such as density, topography, and direction of B. sinica appearing in the shrub layers, a total of 26 sites were set as the survey area for representative vegetation communities or areas with changes in topography. According to DCA and TWINSPAN, it was classified into 6 communities, namely Carpinus turczaninovii-Deciduous broad-leaved, C. turczaninovii, C. turczaninovii-B. sinica, C. turczaninovii-Evergreen broad-leaved, Q. acuta, and D. trifidus-Q. acuta. The community dominated by C. turczaninovii maintains the status quo for the present moment, however, Q. acuta will dominate the surrounding area in the long term, so Q. acuta has high succesion potential. In the case of the Q. acuta and D. trifidus-Q. acuta communities, Q. acuta, known as the climax species of warm-temperate forests, will maintain dominant status. In a case of B. sinica, the community dominated by C. turczaninovii will remain in good status due to the topographical conditions, but the community dominated by Q. acuta growth difficulties are expected due to the high coverage. In the relationship between environmental factors and vegetation distribution, analysis showed that only soil pH affect vegetation distribution. Furthermore, the soil acidity (pH) was 3.78-5.30, the electrical conductivity was 0.186-0.543 dS/m, and the organic matter content was 2.25-2.89%.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.83-93
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• 2023

This study was conducted to clarify the environmental variables that affect the appearance of Mauremys reevesii and to understand the relationship between M. reevesii and the variables. Habitat environmental survey was implemented by selecting 17 environmental variables considering ecological characteristics of M. reevesii in the main reservoir in Gurye-gun, the Republic of Korea. And the habitat data on the presence and absence of M.reevesii were analyzed statistically. The habitat suitability model of M. reevesii was described in following equation : logit (p) = -3.68 + (0.17 × leaf litter depth) + (1.55 × vegetation coverage of overstory on land) + (0.71 × coverage of midstory on land) + (0.96 × vegetation coverage of understory on water). This information gained is valuable for better understanding the distribution and how to conserve and promote populations of M. reevesii occurring in the Republic of Korea.