• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.2
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• pp.198-209
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• 2024

This study aimed to investigate the impact of light intensity, manipulated through different shading levels, on the growth and physiological responses of Thermopsis lupinoides. To assess the effects of shading treatments, we examined leaf mass per area, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence response, and photosynthetic characteristics. T. lupinoidesexhibited adaptive responses under low light conditions (50% shading), showing increased leaf area and decreased leaf mass per area as shading levels increased. These changes indicate morpho-physiological adaptations to reduced light availability. At 50% shading, the physiological and ecological responses were favorable, with optimal photosynthetic functions including chlorophyll content, photosynthesis saturation point, photosynthetic rate, carbon fixation efficiency, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and water use efficiency. However, at 95% shading, the essential light conditions for growth were not met, significantly impairing photosynthetic functions. Consequently, 50% shading was determined to be the most optimal condition for T. lupinoides growth. These findings provide valuable insights for effective ex-situconservation practices and site selection for T. lupinoides, serving as foundational data for habitat restoration efforts.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.275-290
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• 2023

Background: Porcine pluripotent stem cells (pPSCs) would provide enormous potential for agriculture and biomedicine. However, authentic pPSCs have not established yet because standards for pPSCs-specific markers and culture conditions are not clear. Therefore, the present study reports comparative pluripotency characteristics in porcine induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSCs) derived from different viral transduction and reprogramming factors [Lenti-iPSCs (OSKM), Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM)]. Methods: Porcine fibroblasts were induced into Lenti-iPSCs (OSKM) and Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) by using Lentiviral vector and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM) by using Sendaiviral vector. Expressions of endogenous or exogenous pluripotency-associated genes, surface marker and in vitro differentiation in between Lenti-piPSCs (OSKM), Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-piPSCs (OSKM) were compared. Results: Colonial morphology of Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) closely resembles the naïve mouse embryonic stem cells colony for culture, whereas Sev-iPSCs (OSKM) colony is similar to the primed hESCs. Also, the activity of AP shows a distinct different in piPSCs (AP-positive (+) Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM), but AP-negative (-) Lenti-iPSCs (OSKM)). mRNAs expression of several marker genes (OCT-3/4, NANOG and SOX2) for pluripotency was increased in Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM), but Sev-iPSCs (OSKM). Interestingly, SSEA-1 of surface markers was expressed only in Sev-iPSCs (OSKM), whereas SSEA-4, Tra-1-60 and Tra-1-81 were positively expressed in Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL). Exogenous reprogramming factors continuously expressed in Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) for passage 20, whereas Sev-iPSCs (OSKM) did not express any exogenous transcription factors. Finally, only Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) express the three germ layers and primordial germ cells markers in aggregated EBs. Conclusions: These results indicate that the viral transduction system of reprograming factors into porcine differentiated cells display different pluripotency characteristics in piPSCs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2024

The CRISPR-Cas9 system has significantly advanced regenerative medicine research by enabling genome editing in stem cells. Due to their desirable properties, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently emerged as highly promising therapeutic agents, which properties include differentiation ability and cytokine production. While CRISPR-Cas9 technology is applied to develop MSC-based therapeutics, MSCs exhibit inefficient genome editing, and susceptibility to plasmid DNA. In this study, we compared and optimized plasmid DNA and RNP approaches for efficient genome engineering in MSCs. The RNP-mediated approach enabled genome editing with high indel frequency and low cytotoxicity in MSCs. By utilizing Cas9 RNPs, we successfully generated B2M-knockout MSCs, which reduced T-cell differentiation, and improved MSC survival. Furthermore, this approach enhanced the immunomodulatory effect of IFN-r priming. These findings indicate that the RNP-mediated engineering of MSC genomes can achieve high efficiency, and engineered MSCs offer potential as a promising therapeutic strategy.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.103-112
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• 2024

Objective: To investigate the association of ultrasound (US) features of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) with tumor invasiveness and prognosis based on the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 54 surgically confirmed FTC patients with US images and TERT promoter mutations (41 females and 13 males; median age [interquartile range], 40 years [30-51 years]). The WHO classification consisted of minimally invasive (MI), encapsulated angioinvasive (EA), and widely invasive (WI) FTCs. Alternative classifications included Group 1 (MI-FTC and EA-FTC with wild type TERT), Group 2 (WI-FTC with wild type TERT), and Group 3 (EA-FTC and WI-FTC with mutant TERT). Each nodule was categorized according to the US patterns of the Korean Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (K-TIRADS) and American College of Radiology-TIRADS (ACR-TIRADS). The Jonckheere-Terpstra and Cochran-Armitage tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Among 54 patients, 29 (53.7%) had MI-FTC, 16 (29.6%) had EA-FTC, and nine (16.7%) had WI-FTC. In both the classifications, lobulation, irregular margins, and final assessment categories showed significant differences (all Ps ≤ 0.04). Furthermore, the incidences of lobulation, irregular margin, and high suspicion category tended to increase with increasing tumor invasiveness and worse prognosis (all Ps for trend ≤ 0.006). In the WHO groups, hypoechogenicity differed significantly among the groups (P = 0.01) and tended to increase in proportion as tumor invasiveness increased (P for trend = 0.02). In the alternative group, punctate echogenic foci were associated with prognosis (P = 0.03, P for trend = 0.03). Conclusion: Increasing tumor invasiveness and worsening prognosis in FTC based on the WHO classification and TERT promoter mutation results were positively correlated with US features that indicate malignant probability according to both K-TIRADS and ACR-TIRADS.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.1156-1167
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• 2024

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs that can play a role in the post-transcriptional regulation of mammalian preadipocyte differentiation. However, the precise functional mechanism of its regulation of fat metabolism is not fully understood. Methods: We identified bta-miR-365-3p, which specifically targets the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5), and verified its mechanisms for regulating expression and involvement in adipogenesis. Results: In this study, we found that the overexpression of bta-miR-365-3p significantly decreased the lipid accumulation and triglyceride content in the adipocytes. Compared to inhibiting bta-miR-36 5-3p group, overexpression of bta-miR-365-3p can inhibit the expression of adipocyte differentiation-related genes C/EBPα and PPARγ. The dual-luciferase reporter system further validated the targeting relationship between bta-miR-365-3p and FKBP5. FKBP5 mRNA and protein expression were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Overexpression of bta-miR-365-3p significantly down-regulated FKBP5 expression, while inhibition of bta-miR-365-3p showed the opposite, indicating that bta-miR-365-3p negatively regulates FKBP5. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin (AMPK/mTOR) signaling pathway is closely related to the regulation of cell growth and is involved in the development of bovine adipocytes. In this study, overexpression of bta-miR-365-3p significantly inhibited mRNA and protein expression of AMPK, mTOR, and SREBP1 genes, while the inhibition of bta-miR-365-3p expression was contrary to these results. Overexpression of FKBP5 significantly upregulated AMPK, mTOR, and SREBP1 gene expression, while inhibition of FKBP5 expression was contrary to the above experimental results. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results indicate that bta-miR-365-3p may be involved in the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in regulating Yanbian yellow cattle preadipocytes differentiation by targeting the FKBP5 gene.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.27-46
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• 2023

This study examines the possibility of applying Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to natural heritage sites that are not designated as protected areas for the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). Firstly, the study investigated the ecological and cultural characteristics associated with a natural heritage site, specifically the natural monument known as Dangsanmok, and synthesized the collected information to assess its conservation value. Subsequently, the study examined the possibility of designating Dangsanmok as an OECM that reflects local communities through the criteria of the IUCN's individual assessment tools. The research findings indicate that Dangsanmok and the associated Dangsanje system are positively evaluated as potential OECMs. Additionally, initiatives such as the "Dangsan Tree Grandfather Program" and the "National Heritage Folk Event Grant Program," implemented by the Cultural Heritage Administration, are seen to have a positive impact on engaging local communities voluntarily. Consequently, based on these results, it is expected that natural heritage sites like Dangsanmok, serving as national indicators, will contribute to the 2030 goals for biodiversity conservation and the 2050 goals for harmonious coexistence with nature as part of NBSAPs.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2024

Recent advances in text-to-speech (TTS) technology have significantly improved the quality of synthesized speech, reaching a level where it can closely imitate natural human speech. Especially, TTS models offering various voice characteristics and personalized speech, are widely utilized in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) tutors, advertising, and video dubbing. Accordingly, in this paper, we propose a one-shot multi-speaker TTS system that can ensure acoustic diversity and synthesize personalized voice by generating speech using unseen target speakers' utterances. The proposed model integrates a speaker encoder into a TTS model consisting of the FastSpeech2 acoustic model and the HiFi-GAN vocoder. The speaker encoder, based on the pre-trained RawNet3, extracts speaker-specific voice features. Furthermore, the proposed approach not only includes an English one-shot multi-speaker TTS but also introduces a Korean one-shot multi-speaker TTS. We evaluate naturalness and speaker similarity of the generated speech using objective and subjective metrics. In the subjective evaluation, the proposed Korean one-shot multi-speaker TTS obtained naturalness mean opinion score (NMOS) of 3.36 and similarity MOS (SMOS) of 3.16. The objective evaluation of the proposed English and Korean one-shot multi-speaker TTS showed a prediction MOS (P-MOS) of 2.54 and 3.74, respectively. These results indicate that the performance of our proposed model is improved over the baseline models in terms of both naturalness and speaker similarity.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2024

Since the List of Plant Diseases in Korea (DisList) was first published in 1986, the 6th edition appeared 36 years later. In 2023, the 6.1 edition, a revised and improved version of the 6th edition, was released to the public on the web free of charge. The contents of DisList increased, with the number of hosts increasing from 437 taxa to 1,420 taxa and the number of disease species increasing from 1,539 to 6,680. Among these, tree diseases are 3,586 species and their hosts include 504 taxa, providing much help to experts who need them. Meanwhile, the importance of accurate disease names continues to grow with the legalization of tree care, but many disease names are still inappropriate or misused, causing confusion. Disease names that do not follow the naming regulations are still registered, and even if the same pathogen infects hosts of the same taxa, the disease names are given differently, and there are many disease names that do not indicate the characteristics of the disease. Also, there are diseases reported without Korean names. In order to make DisList better, the review committee for disease names should establish the regulations to review and register disease names, and establish a system to review new disease names before publishing papers.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.662-671
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• 2023

Background: 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), a ginsenoside metabolite, has prominent benefits for the central nervous system, especially in improving learning and memory. However, its transcriptional targets in brain tissue remain unknown. Methods: In this study, we first used mass spectrometry-based drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) to identify the potential proteins of ginsenosides and intersected them with the transcription factor library. Second, the transcription factor PURA was confirmed as a target of PPD by biolayer interferometry (BLI) and molecular docking. Next, the effect of PPD on the transcriptional levels of target genes of PURA in brain tissues was determined by qRT-PCR. Finally, bioinformatics analysis was used to analyze the potential biological features of these target proteins. Results: The results showed three overlapping transcription factors between the proteomics of DARTS and transcription factor library. BLI analysis further showed that PPD had a higher direct interaction with PURA than parent ginsenosides. Subsequently, BLI kinetic analysis, molecular docking, and mutations in key amino acids of PURA indicated that PPD specifically bound to PURA. The results of qRT-PCR showed that PPD could increase the transcription levels of PURA target genes in brain. Finally, bioinformatics analysis showed that these target proteins were involved in learning and memory function. Conclusion: The above-mentioned findings indicate that PURA is a transcription target of PPD in brain, and PPD upregulate the transcription levels of target genes related to cognitive dysfunction by binding PURA, which could provide a chemical and biological basis for the study of treating cognitive impairment by targeting PURA.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.443-449
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• 2024

This study aims to analyze the complex impact of technological changes in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era and demographic shifts in Korea on military personnel management, and to explore innovative strategies for the Korean military's workforce operations. The research findings indicate that changes in future battlefield environments and the introduction of advanced technologies necessitate a fundamental restructuring of military personnel, emphasizing a shift towards a highly specialized and elite workforce. Key research findings are as follows: First, the military application of cutting-edge technologies, such as unmanned systems, autonomous weapon systems, and AI-based decision support systems, is expanding. Second, this technological advancement requires a restructuring of personnel to foster a technology-intensive elite force, including optimizing troop size, reorganizing unit structures, and increasing the utilization of civilian expertise. Third, strategies for securing high-tech talent include strengthening internal technology talent development programs, establishing systems to attract civilian experts, and building a talent development system through industry-academia-research cooperation. The significance of this study lies in providing a theoretical and practical foundation for building a future-oriented and efficient Korean military organization by presenting innovative measures for military human resource management systems suitable for the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. For these changes to be successfully implemented, cooperation among relevant stakeholders, including the military, government, academia, and industry, is essential, supported by comprehensive national-level planning and support.