• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.214-224
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• 2024

In this study, the growth, physical characteristics of fruit and soil chemistry were investigated by grouping S. thea populations. The soil for each group was sandy loam or sandy loam, and it was analyzed to be slightly acidic to neutral, with a pH ranging from 5.6 to 7.0. Additionally, the leaf size was highest in the G7 group, and overall fruit growth was highest in the G1 group, confirming differences between the groups. The sweetness ranged from 16.8° Brix to 12.3° Brix, indicating a higher sweetness compared to Vaccinium oldhamill, blueberry, and blackberry. The correlation analysis between soil chemistry and S. thea growth characteristics revealed a significant negative correlation between calcium (Ca) and fruit growth characteristics. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was observed between sodium (Na) and fruit acidity, as well as between cation exchange capacity (CEC) and fruit hardness.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.165-175
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• 2024

The Korean fir tree (Abies koreana), an endemic species of South Korea, is experiencing a severe decline in population due to climate change. Studies on the conservation of Korean fir have been extensive, yet research regarding its correlation with rhizosphere bacterial communities remains scarce, warranting further investigation. In this study, metagenome amplicon sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA V4 region was conducted to examine the presence of specific bacterial communities in Korean fir and to investigate potential differences based on habitat types (rhizosphere of native or cultivated trees, soil of dead trees, and bulk soil) and seasonal variations (April, June, September, November). Here we show that although we could not identify specific taxa highly specifically with Korean fir, the rhizosphere bacterial community in native trees exhibited less variability in response to seasonal changes compared to that in bulk soils. Suggesting the establishment of relatively stable bacterial populations around the Korean fir natural habitat. Further research on other types of rhizosphere and/or microbes is necessary to investigate the distinct relationship of Korean fir with microbial communities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.19-31
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• 2023

According to the climate change scenarios, the intensity of typhoons, a major factor in Korea's natural disaster, is expected to increase. The increase in typhoon intensity leads to a rise in wave heights, which is likely to cause large-scale disasters in coastal regions with high populations and building density for dwelling, industry, and tourism. This study, therefore, analyzed observation data of the Donghae ocean data buoy and conducted a numerical model simulation for wave estimations for the typhoon MAYSAK (202009) period, which showed the maximum significant wave height. The boundary conditions for wave simulations were a JMA-MSM wind field and a wind field applying the typhoon central pressure reduction rate in the SSP5-8.5 climate change scenario. As a result of the wave simulations, the wave height in front of the breakwater at Sokcho port was increased by 15.27% from 4.06 m to 4.68 m in the SSP5-8.5 scenario. Furthermore, the return period at the location of 147-2 grid point of deep-sea design wave was calculated to increase at least twice, it is necessary to improve the deep-sea design wave of return period of 50-year, which is prescriptively applied when designing coastal structures.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.282-289
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• 2023

Background: As wildlife habitats are being destroyed and growth environments are changing, the survival of animals and plants is under threat. Epilobium hirsutum L., a species that inhabits wetlands, has held legally protected status since 2012. However, no specific measures are currently in place to protect its habitat, leading to a decline in remaining populations as a result of land use change and human activities. Results: The growth environment (including location, climate, land use, soil, and vegetation) of the five habitat sites (Samcheok, Taebaek1, Taebaek2, Cheongsong, Ulleung) of E. hirsutum L. was investigated and analyzed. These habitats were predominantly situated in flat areas with gentle south-facing slopes, at an average altitude of 452.7 m (8-726 m) above sea level in Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The average annual temperature ranged 11.5℃ (9.2℃-12.9℃), whereas the average annual precipitation ranged 1,304.5 mm (1,062.7-1,590.7 mm). The surrounding land use status was mainly characterized by mountainous areas, and human interference, such as agricultural land and roads, was commonly found in proximity to these natural habitats. Soil physicochemical analysis revealed that the soil was predominantly sandy loam with a slightly high sand content. The average pH measured 7.64, indicating an alkaline environment, and electrical conductivity (EC) averaged 0.33 dS/m. Organic matter (OM) content averaged 66.44 g/kg, available phosphoric acid (P₂O₅) content averaged 115.73 mg/kg, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) averaged 23.43 cmolc/kg. The exchangeable cations ranged 0.09-0.43 cmol⁺/kg for potassium (K), 10.23-16.21 cmol⁺/kg for calcium (Ca), 0.67-4.94 cmol⁺/kg for magnesium (Mg), and 0.05-0.74 cmol⁺/kg for sodium (Na). The vegetation type was categorized as E. hirsutum community with high numbers of E. hirsutum L., Persicaria thunbergii (Siebold & Zucc.) H. Gross, Phragmites japonica Steud., Humulus japonicus (Siebold & Zucc.), and Bidens frondosa L.. An ecological flora analysis, including the proportion of lianas, naturalized plants, and annual herbaceous plants, revealed that the native habitat of E. hirsutum L. was ecologically unstable. Conclusions: Analysis of the habitat of E. hirsutum L., a class II endangered wildlife species, provided essential data for local conservation and restoration efforts.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2024

The significance of self-reported voice assessments concerning patients' chief complaints and quality of life has increased. Therefore, readability assessments of questionnaire items are essential. In this study, readability analyses were performed based on text grade and complexity, vocabulary frequency and grade, and lexical diversity of the 11 Korean versions of self-reported voice disorder questionnaires (KVHI, KAVI, KVQOL, K-SVHI, K-VAPP, K-VPPC, TVSQ, K-VDCQ, K-VFI, K-VTDS, and K-VoiSS). Additionally, a comparative readability assessment was conducted on the original versions of these questionnaires to discern the differences between their Korean counterparts and the questionnaires for children. Consequently, it was determined that voice disorder questionnaires could be used without difficulty for populations with lower literacy levels. Evaluators should consider subjects' reading levels when conducting assessments, and future developments and revisions should consider their reading difficulties.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.256-266
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• 2016

A total of 13,000 individuals of Dendrobium moniliforme (L.) Sw. artificially propagated in laboratories and greenhouses were restored in their natural habitat of Bogildo Island, Wandogun, in the southern part of Korea in June of 2013. The growing conditions of the individuals were monitored for two years. The parental individuals for the restoration were obtained from a wild population in southern Korea, from which seeds were produced via artificial crossings. These seeds were germinated and cultivated in growing media and two-year-old plants were then grown in greenhouse beds. The genetic diversity among the propagated individuals was confirmed by examining DNA sequences of five regions of the chloroplast genome and the nuclear ITS region. The diversity values were as high as the average values of natural populations. All propagated individuals were transplanted into two different sites on Bogildo by research teams with local residents and national park rangers. After restoration, we counted and measured the surviving individuals, vegetative propagated stems, and growth rates in June of both 2014 and 2015. There was no human interference, and 97% of the individuals survived. The number of propagules increased by 227% in two years. In contrast, the average length of the stems decreased during the period. In addition, different survival and propagation rates were recorded depending on the host plants and the restored sites. The shaded sides of rock cliffs and the bark of Quercus salicina showed the best propagation rates, followed by the bark of Camellia japonica. A few individuals of D. moniliforme successfully flowered, pollinated, and fruited after restoration. Overall, our monitoring data over two years indicate that the restored individuals were well adapted and vigorously propagated at the restored sites. In order to prevent human disturbance of the restored sites, a CCTV monitoring system powered by a solar panel was installed after the restoration. In addition, a human surveillance system is operated by national park rangers with local residents.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 2020

Echinosophora koreensis (Nakai) Nakai an endemic plant with limited distribution in some parts of the Korean Peninsula, is designated as "Endangered" species on the IUCN Red List. The species is under the threat of deterioration in nature due to various environmental changes causing loss of natural habitats. We investigated the distribution pattern and population structure of E. koreensis to serve as a basic reference for identifying the dynamics and persistence of natural populations of this species in the future. To determine the characteristics of the E. koreensis population, we laid two to three large plots sized 20m×30m on the ridgeline as the reference in Yanggu, Chuncheon, and Hongcheon and laid four to seven small quadrats sized 1m×1m on the transect. A total of 530 plots were laid, 10 each at 2m interval, to measure the number of the stems, the number of fruiting, height, and other factors. The collected distribution information was compared with the existing IUCN assessed categories by applying IUCN Red List ver 3.1 Criteria B. The average population density of the three surveyed areas was 3.47 stem/㎡; the density of each area was 3.95 stems/㎡ in Yanggu, 3.37 stems/㎡ in Chuncheon, and 2.87 stems/㎡ in Hongcheon. The number of fruiting per stem was 0.0038, indicating only 7 fruits out of 1,837 stems and that vegetative reproduction is likely to be more dominant than sexual reproduction. The distribution tendency of population density in the small plots in three surveyed areas showed that the density of E. koreensis tended to decrease toward the center of the forest with low crown openness and around the mountain ridge with high crown openness. It indicated that the quantity of light could be a very important factor for the growth of individuals of this species. The analysis of the heights of individuals present in the surveyed plots showed a range of 2.3 ~ 68.5cm and an average of 20.1cm. An analysis on the stage-structure of the E. koreensis population based on the sieve height found that the appearance frequency decreased with increasing height above 15 ~ 20cm and that the percentage of individuals lower than 10cm, which were presumed to be seedlings, was severely low, indicating a necessity of study on the population sustainability based on the monitored data. The occupied area calculated with the collected species distribution information was 200㎢, indicating the EN category according to the IUCN Red List Reference B.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.376-386
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• 2016

Apoptosis induction has been proposed as an efficient mechanism by which malignant tumor cells can be removed following chemotherapy. The intrinsic mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway is frequently implicated in chemotherapy-induced tumor cell apoptosis. Since DNA-damaging agent (DDA)-induced apoptosis is mainly regulated by the tumor suppressor protein p53, and since more than half of clinical cancers possess inactive p53 mutants, microtubule-damaging agents (MDAs), of which apoptotic effect is mainly exerted via p53-independent routes, can be promising choice for cancer chemotherapy. Recently, we found that the apoptotic signaling pathway induced by MDAs (nocodazole, 17α-estradiol, or 2-methoxyestradiol) commonly proceeded through mitotic spindle defect-mediated prometaphase arrest, prolonged Cdk1 activation, and subsequent phosphorylation of Bcl-2, Mcl-1, and Bim in human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells. These microtubule damage-mediated alterations could render the cellular context susceptible to the onset of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis by triggering Bak activation, Δψm loss, and resultant caspase cascade activation. In contrast, when the MDA-induced Bak activation was inhibited by overexpression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins (Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL), the cells in prometaphase arrest failed to induce apoptosis, and instead underwent mitotic slippage and endoreduplication cycle, leading to formation of populations with 8N and 16N DNA content. These data indicate that cellular apoptogenic mechanism is critical for preventing polyploid formation following MDA treatment. Since the formation of polyploid cells, which are genetically unstable, may cause acquisition of therapy resistance and disease relapse, there is a growing interest in developing new combination chemotherapies to prevent polyploidization in tumors after MDA treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.270-283
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• 2017

In a survey on higher fungi from 2004 to 2011, and also in 2013, in Naejangsan National Park, a total of 2 divisions, 7 classes, 21 orders, 74 families, 229 genera, and 521 species were observed. Dominant species belonged to the families Boletaceae and Russulaceae (44 species), Agaricaceae (35 species), Polyporaceae (29 species), and Amanitaceae (27 species). For the habitat environment, 21 families, 44 genera, and 192 species (36.9%) (63 species of poisonous mushroom, 79 species of edible and medicinal mushroom, and 43 species of unknown edible & poisonous mushroom) of ectomycorrhizal mushrooms were found; 41 families, 118 genera, and 199 species (38.2%) (14 species of poisonous mushroom, 85 species of edible & medicinal mushroom, and 90 species of unknown edible and poisonous mushroom) of litter decomposing and wood rotting fungi were found, and 29 families, 66 genera, and 121 species (23.2%) (8 species of poisonous mushroom, 54 species of edible and medicinal mushroom, and 47 species of unknown edible & poisonous mushroom) of grounding fungi were found, and 9 species were the other habitat. In terms of seasonality, most of the higher fungi were found in July, August, and September. In terms of altitude, the most species were observed at 200~299 m, and populations dropped by a significant level at an altitude of 700 m or higher. It seemed that the most diversified higher fungi occurred at climate conditions with a mean air temperature of $25.0{\sim}28.9^{\circ}C$, a maximum air temperature of $30.0{\sim}33.9^{\circ}C$, a minimum air temperature of $21.0{\sim}24.9^{\circ}C$, a relative humidity of 73.0~79.9%, and over 400.0 mm of rainfall.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.170-177
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• 2004

Agroenvironmental characteristics in paddy fields irrigated with the water of Nagdong river were analyzed along the river watershed for two years from 1999. The sites monitored from upper reaches of the river were Andong, Sangju, Gumi, Goryeong, Changnyeong, Milyang and Pusan. In paddy soils, the contents of heavy metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn and As were around natural values showing the highest values in Pusan followed by Goryeong. In brown rice, the contents of heavy metals were lower than natural values. Soil chemical properties appeared higher values in the lower reaches including Goryeong than the upper ones. The highest parameters in Goryeong were pH ($5.9{\sim}6.1$), EC ($0.8{\sim}0.9\;dS/m$), $Av.P_2O_5$ ($155{\sim}201\;mg/kg$), exchangeable Ca ($6.7{\sim}7.4\;cmol^+/kg$), Mg ($1.92{\sim}2.50\;cmol^+/kg$), K ($0.18{\sim}0.21\;cmol^+/kg$) and those in Pusan were organic matter ($23.0{\sim}29.1\;g/kg$) and T-N ($1.6{\sim}1.8\;mg/kg$). In conclusion, the recommended rates of N fertilizer for rice cropping were 21.4%, 11.8% and 8.8% high for Andong, Sangju and Gumi, respectively and 14.9%, 4.6%, 4.5% and 11.5% low for Goryeong, Changnyeong, Milyang and Pusan, respectively reflecting the chemical properties of soils and the quality of irrigation water on the basis of 110 kgN/ha. In the case of phosphorous, the rates were 18.9% and 33.3% low for Changnyeong and others, respectively on the basis of $45\;kgP_2O_5/ha$. The populations of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, Bacillus, fluorescent Pseudomonas and Biomass C were high at the lower reaches including Goryeong, which showed relatively much nutrient contents of organic matter, total N and phosphorous etc.