• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.169-175
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• 2023

As a protective defensive mechanism against ultraviolet (UV) light exposure in skin tissue, melanocytes produce the pigment melanin. Tyrosinase plays a key role in melanin production in melanocytes. However, the overproduction of melanin can lead to lesions, such as freckles and dark spots. Thus, it is clinically important to find a modulating molecule to control melanogenesis by regulating tyrosinase expression and/or activity. It is known that catechin, a plant flavonoid, can reduce melano- genesis through the downregulation of tyrosinase expression. Here, we tested whether catechin derivatives isolated from the stem bark of Ulmus parvifolia have an effect on melanin production by regulating tyrosinase in mouse melanoma cells and in vitro mushroom tyrosinase. The catechin derivatives used in this study included C5A, C7A, C7G, and C7X. Treatments using these catechin derivatives reduced melanin production in mouse melanoma B16F10 cells in which melanogenesis was stimulated by α-MSH. Notably, the anti-melanogenic effects of catechin derivatives were similar to those of kojic acid, a well-known anti-melanogenic molecule. Both C5A and C7A directly inhibited the activity of tyrosinase isolated from mushrooms in vitro. Furthermore, our in silico computational simulation showed that these two compounds were expected to bind to the active site of tyrosinase, which is similar to kojic acid. In addition, all four catechin derivatives reduced tyrosinase protein expression. In summary, our results showed that catechin derivatives can reduce melanogenesis by regulating tyrosinase activity or expression. Thus, this study suggests that catechin derivatives isolated from U. parvifolia can be novel modulators of melanin production.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2023

Solar radiation that is measured at relatively small number of weather stations is one of key inputs to crop models for estimation of crop productivity. Solar radiation products derived from GK-2A and Himawari 8 satellite data have become available, which would allow for preparation of input data to crop models, especially for assessment of crop productivity under an agrivoltaic system where crop and power can be produced at the same time. The objective of this study was to compare the degree of agreement between the solar radiation products obtained from those satellite data. The sub hourly products for solar radiation were collected to prepare their daily summary for the period from May to October in 2020 during which both satellite products for solar radiation were available. Root mean square error (RMSE) and its normalized error (NRMSE) were determined for daily sum of solar radiation. The cumulative values of solar radiation for the study period were also compared to represent the impact of the errors for those products on crop growth simulations. It was found that the data product from the Himawari 8 satellite tended to have smaller values of RMSE and NRMSE than that from the GK-2A satellite. The Himawari 8 satellite product had smaller errors at a large number of weather stations when the cumulative solar radiation was compared with the measurements. This suggests that the use of Himawari 8 satellite products would cause less uncertainty than that of GK2-A products for estimation of crop yield. This merits further studies to apply the Himawari 8 satellites to estimation of solar power generation as well as crop yield under an agrivoltaic system.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.29-63
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to analyze the process of changes in regional science and technology policies in Korea and to seek future development directions. In Korea, regional science and technology policies have been implemented since the introduction of the local autonomy system. Since then, it has been implemented in earnest with the establishment of a central government-level plan. The regional science and technology policies have been developed to this day by interacting with national science and technology policies and regional development policies. Nevertheless, due to the path dependence and lock-in effect in the accumulated process, the regional science and technology policies are still subordinate to central government policies. Thus, the establishment of an independent ecosystem for local science and technology is still insufficient. Furthermore, the gap between regions is deepening, such as the growing of aging population, population decline due to low birth rates, job losses due to the recession of local key industry, and the concentration of the youth population in the metropolitan area. The transformation path such as digital transformation and carbon neutrality paradigm is expected to further widen regional disparities. In order to address a comprehensive problem, the implementing system of regional science and technology policies need to be newly established. A framework for reinvention of regional science and technology policy needed in the era of grand societal challenges have to be developed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.595-622
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• 2016

This study aims to understand the process of family reunion of the ex-offenders. To this end, Korea Rehabilitation Agency under Ministry of Justice and Healthy Family Support Center conducted intensive interviews with ex-offenders, their families and with 8 counselors who are in charge of ex-offenders and their families' residential, psychological, and educational support. The data collected through the interviews were analyzed by Consensus Qualitative Research(COR). The followings are the results: the counselors found out that most of ex-offenders had experienced unhappy childhood which was lack of healthy relationship with their parents. Secondly, counselors noticed a common feature among the families of ex-offenders. The common feature was that they keep the fact that one of their parents was imprisoned to their children as a secret. Thirdly, through the data analysis, counselors could understand various factors that affect reunion of ex-offenders' families: the factors that helped successful reunion were ex-offenders' sense of responsibility, open and healthy communication among family members, and mutual understanding of being a good family member, whereas, irresponsible dependance to other family members, denier and avoidance from the family members against ex-offenders, and lost sense of being a family member were the factors that discouraged the reunion. It turned out that the kinds of crime that ex-offenders committed also affected family reunion. The processes of reunion were easier for those who served their time with fraud, embezzlement, whereas, it was much more challenging for those who served their time with rape, violence, or murder. Fourthly, counselors learned that "relaxation" is the key factor in the process of reunion of ex-offenders' families. They also emphasized that there should be thorough monitoring process before the intervention in the reunion process. This study contributes in terms of finding healthy ways of intervention with ex-offenders' families and developing programs that help ex-offenders to recover their relationship with their family.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

This study aims to explore the significance of historic changes and cultural characteristics of landscape architecture in Korean Seowon. Seowon refers to educational private institutes that also served as Confucian shrines and were prevalent during the mid-to-late Joseon dynasty. Seowon comprised three distinct functional spaces: a shrine, a school, and a garden. The concept of Seowon's garden extended beyond designed landscapes to include the surrounding natural environment. The importance of landscape architecture in Seowon is rooted in its connection to the educational philosophy of these institutes. During the Joseon dynasty, scholars revered nature as a manifestation of Confucian ideals, and they believed that close engagement with nature was integral to self-discipline and learning. This research investigated fifteen relatively well-preserved garden in South Korea and conducted a comprehensive analysis of their gardens. The analysis revealed two key findings. Firstly, gardens in Seowon were actively designed and constructed during the early phase of Seowon culture but gradually diminished after the 17th century. This can be attributed to the shift in Seowon's purpose, with a greater emphasis on its religious function over education. Consequently, the significance and presence of landscape architecture in Seowon, which was closely related with its Confucianist education, declined. Secondly, the study explored the historical backgrounds of each Seowon's landscape architecture and found that many of them were designed or influenced by individuals who were later memorialized and deified in the Seowon's shrines. The landscape architecture created by these predecessors was carefully preserved by the faculties and students as a form of respect. Therefore, landscape architecture in Korean Seowon not only conveys the institutional purpose as an educational hub for the local society but also reflects the institute's strong relationship with the figures they worship as shrines.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.281-298
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• 2023

Continuous research efforts are being devoted to unmanned mobile platforms for lunar exploration. There is an ongoing demand for real-time information processing to accurately determine the positioning and mapping of areas of interest on the lunar surface. To apply deep learning processing and analysis techniques to practical rovers, research on software integration and optimization is imperative. In this study, a foundational investigation has been conducted on real-time analysis of virtual lunar base construction site images, aimed at automatically quantifying spatial information of key objects. This study involved transitioning from an existing region-based object recognition algorithm to a boundary box-based algorithm, thus enhancing object recognition accuracy and inference speed. To facilitate extensive data-based object matching training, the Batch Hard Triplet Mining technique was introduced, and research was conducted to optimize both training and inference processes. Furthermore, an improved software system for object recognition and identical object matching was integrated, accompanied by the development of visualization software for the automatic matching of identical objects within input images. Leveraging satellite simulative captured video data for training objects and moving object-captured video data for inference, training and inference for identical object matching were successfully executed. The outcomes of this research suggest the feasibility of implementing 3D spatial information based on continuous-capture video data of mobile platforms and utilizing it for positioning objects within regions of interest. As a result, these findings are expected to contribute to the integration of an automated on-site system for video-based construction monitoring and control of significant target objects within future lunar base construction sites.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.43
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• pp.31-66
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• 2022

In Korea, the concept of publicness, although conceptually unclear, is being used as a medium between religious groups and other areas of society. In this situation, it is necessary to discuss the concept and agenda of publicness related to religions. For this purpose, we reviewed the relationship and agenda between publicness and faith, and then analyzed the cases of creating sacred objects and holy sites in connection with the concept of publicness. Specifically, according to Chapter II, Publicness and Faith, theologians and sociologists interested in publicness generally presuppose or aim for social participation and change. In this context, the agenda related to religious publicness can include the ground of non-Christian publicness, interreligious equality in the public spheres, the status of religious bodies, and the participation of researchers in the public spheres. In Chapter III, Sacred Objects and Publicness, we divided religious publicness into 'publicness within religion' and 'publicness outside of religion.' According to this classification, rituals are a key factor in creating publicness within religion. Publicness outside of religion is not intrinsic, but is constructed through various external debates. In Chapter IV, Sacred Holy Sites and Publicness, we reviewed cases of the construction of Catholic holy sites and analyzed oppositional logic provided by other religious groups in relation to the publicness outside of religion. Those cases internally created publicness within religion but lead to evaluation and debate about publicness outside of religion in public spheres in which various religions participate. Those who opposed the creation of Catholic holy sites used the logic that Catholicism was eliminating the heritage and values of other religions, and responded by expanding this to include the logic that the Catholics were weakening publicness or creating religious bias.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.43
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• pp.139-177
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• 2022

The only text that aids in the understanding of Songs of the Dao of Great Gods (大化神道歌詞), which was established by Yun Jin in 1984, is Mok-wun daegyeong (木運大經, The Great Scripture of Wood-Destiny) published by Oh Yeol-gyun in 1976. This scripture includes five songs: Wun-hoe dongbang-ga (運回東方歌, Songs of Destiny-Returning to the East), Gung-eul-ga (弓乙歌, Songs of Gung-eul), Dodeok-sa (道德詞, Morality Poems), Palguae-gugung byeon-yeok-ga (八卦九宮變易歌, Songs on the Changes of the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces), and Nakdang-ga (樂堂歌, Songs of the Paradisiacal Lands). Songs of the Dao of Great Gods, which is prone to embracing Daoist characteristics, is meant to be sung upon the realization of the Later World, the ideal earth. This is expressed as spring. In addition, we can easily find key terms such as Sampung-ga (三豊歌), Yangbaek-segye (兩白世界), Gung-eul-ga (弓乙歌), Gunggung-euleul (弓弓乙乙), Yanggung (兩弓), Euleul (乙乙), Gung-eul seonin (弓乙仙人), Samin-ilseok (三人一夕), Yijae-jeonjeon (利在田田), Gung-eul jiri (弓乙之理), Naenggeum-bugeum (冷金浮金), Seokjeong-gon (石井昆), Yangbaek (兩白), Sampung (三豊), and Sodumujok (小頭無足), all of which appear frequently in traditional prophecies and the faiths they have inspired. The precise meaning of these terms has yet to be revealed. Furthermore, Songs of the Dao of Great Gods contains lyrics prophesying that the return of the wood-destiny of the East and emphasizing the destiny of 3-8 wood as based on the Yellow River Chart (河圖). Songs of the Dao of Great Gods, originated the term, the World of Paradisiacal Lands (樂堂世界), and prophesyed that the wood-destiny of the East would return to create a new world that took Korea as its center. The text emphasized wood-destiny, symbolized by spring, and argued that the Dao of Great Gods could be ascetained from the principle of water-producing wood (水生木) found in the Eastern study of changes (易學) as approached by Choi Su-Wun (水雲), the founder of Donghak (東學).

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.44
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• pp.1-52
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• 2023

Incantations are reflected in the fundamentals of the Daesoon faith system and are, thus, key to its understanding. Jeungsan, the yeonwon (fountainhead, 淵源) of the Daesoon faith, created new incantations or transformed existing ones that had been used in old religious traditions such as Buddhism and Daoism. However, there has been no in-depth academic research on Jeungsan's incantations until now. This study aims to academically clarify the incantatory archetypes of Jeungsan's incantations based on documents published until the 1970s. Jeungsan's incantations are then compared to those of Mugeuk-do (Limitless Dao) in the 1920s and Taegeuk-do (Great-Ultimate Dao) in the 1950s. Jeongsan's transformed incantations are analyzed through this process. Jeongsan reflected the faith system in Jeungsan's incantations during the period of Mugeuk-do. He transformed the incantations to achieve his goal and realize his wishes by arranging terms that referred to himself before the optative words of the incantations. Jeongsan made several changes to the incantations in the 1950s. First, the majority of incantations used in Mugeuk-do were discarded. This meant making partial changes to the faith system by reflecting awareness because the corresponding incantations were no longer necessary as the Degree Number calibrated by Jeungsan had been realized. Second, Jeongsan organized the incantations in use and institutionalized their instructions. This reflected the essential doctrinal system of the Daesoon faith, namely the completion of the true dharma by Jeongsan. Considering this doctrine, that is, the Fifty Year Holy Work (五十年工夫), the true dharma can be presumed to have been realized before the death of Jeongsan. Accordingly, the institutionalizing and organizing of the incantations were indispensable until the mid-to-late 1950s. Jeongsan, the founder of the Daesoon order, posited himself as the successor of religious orthodox lineage and as the figure who would complete the true dharma by realizing the Degree Number calibrated by Jeungsan. Therefore, Jeongsan interpreted Jeungsan's incantations to be a rough sketch of the Daesoon faith system that had been drawn for him in advance by Jeungsan. Accordingly, Jeongsan transformed Jeungsan's incantations and used them to realize the Degree Number, which Jeungsan had planned. Simultaneously, Jeongsan declared that he would fulfill the Degree Number and establish the true dharma by changing those incantations.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.421-433
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• 2023

The final disposal of spent nuclear fuel(SNF) from nuclear power plants takes place in a deep geological repository. The metal canister encasing the SNF is made of cast iron and copper, and is engineered to effectively isolate radioactive isotopes for a long period of time. The SNF is further shielded by a multi-barrier disposal system comprising both engineering and natural barriers. The deep disposal environment gradually changes to an anaerobic reducing environment. In this environment, sulfide is one of the most probable substances to induce corrosion of copper canister. Stress-corrosion cracking(SCC) triggered by sulfide can carry substantial implications for the integrity of the copper canister, potentially posing a significant threat to the long-term safety of the deep disposal repository. Sulfate can exist in various forms within the deep disposal environment or be introduced from the geosphere. Sulfate has the potential to be transformed into sulfide by sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB), and this converted sulfide can contribute to the corrosion of the copper canister. Bentonite, which is considered as a potential material for buffering and backfilling, contains oxidized sulfate minerals such as gypsum(CaSO4). If there is sufficient space for microorganisms to thrive in the deep disposal environment and if electron donors such as organic carbon are adequately supplied, sulfate can be converted to sulfide through microbial activity. However, the majority of the sulfides generated in the deep disposal system or introduced from the geosphere will be intercepted by the buffer, with only a small amount reaching the metal canister. Pyrite, one of the potential sulfide minerals present in the deep disposal environment, can generate sulfates during the dissolution process, thereby contributing to the corrosion of the copper canister. However, the quantity of oxidation byproducts from pyrite is anticipated to be minimal due to its extremely low solubility. Moreover, the migration of these oxidized byproducts to the metal canister will be restricted by the low hydraulic conductivity of saturated bentonite. We have comprehensively analyzed and summarized key research cases related to the presence of sulfates, reduction processes, and the formation and behavior characteristics of sulfides and pyrite in the deep disposal environment. Our objective was to gain an understanding of the impact of sulfates and sulfides on the long-term safety of high-level radioactive waste disposal repository.