• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.5.1-5.9
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• 2019

The chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and gentoo (P. papua) penguins are distributed throughout Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands. In this study, high-quality de novo assemblies of blood transcriptomes from these penguins were generated using the Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 22.2 and 21.8 raw reads were obtained from chinstrap and gentoo penguins, respectively. These reads were assembled using the Oases assembly platform and resulted in 26,036 and 21,854 contigs with N50 values of 929 and 933 base pairs, respectively. Functional gene annotations through pathway analyses of the Gene Ontology, EuKaryotic Orthologous Groups, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases were performed for each blood transcriptome, resulting in a similar compositional order between the two transcriptomes. Ortholog comparisons with previously published transcriptomes from the $Ad{\acute{e}}lie$ (P. adeliae) and emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri) penguins revealed that a high proportion of the four penguins' transcriptomes had significant sequence homology. Because blood and tissues of penguins have been used to monitor pollution in Antarctica, immune parameters in blood could be important indicators for understanding the health status of penguins and other Antarctic animals. In the blood transcriptomes, KEGG analyses detected many essential genes involved in the major innate immunity pathways, which are key metabolic pathways for maintaining homeostasis against exogenous infections or toxins. Blood transcriptome studies such as this may be useful for checking the immune and health status of penguins without sacrifice.

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 2022

Polar microorganisms produce physiologically active substances to adapt to harsh environments, and these substances can be used as biomedical compounds. The green microalga Micractinium variabile KSF0031, which was isolated from Antarctica, produced phytol, a natural antimicrobial agent. Furthermore, several polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including omega-3, exhibit antioxidant properties. Here statistical methods (Plackett-Burman design and Box-Behnken design) were used to optimize the culture medium of KSF0031 to improve biomass production, and K₂HPO₄, MgSO₄·7H ₂O, and ammonium ferric citrate green (AFCg) were selected as significant components of the culture medium. Changes in the concentration of K₂HPO₄ and MgSO₄·7H ₂O as positive factors and AFCg as a negative factor affected cell growth to a remarkable degree. The biomass production in a 100 L culture using the optimized medium for 24 d at 18℃ was improved by 37.5% compared to that obtained using the original BG-11 medium. The quantities of PUFAs and phytol obtained were 13 mg g^-1 dry cell weight (DCW) and 10.98 mg g^-1 DCW, which represent improved yields of 11.70% and 48.78%, respectively. The results of this study could contribute to an improved production of phytol and fatty acids from Antarctic microalgae in the biomedical industry.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.446-463
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• 2022

This study suggests the need for polar literacy education as an effective conceptual system to explain climate change in terms of science education in line with the common effort of humankind to respond to global environmental changes. To this end, we investigated the status of polar literacy in high school students through quantitative tests and qualitative interviews and discussed the resulting implications. A total of 329 high school sophomore students from two high schools participated in a test consisting of 25 true and false questions developed by referring to the Polar Literacy Principles, while 13 students agreed to be interviewed. The results showed that a somewhat insufficient understanding and conceptual gaps appeared regarding several areas of the Polar Literacy Principles. Knowledge of the geographic features of the polar regions was weak, and little was known about the components and key characteristics of the cryosphere. The lack of understanding of these concepts results in the inability of students to link the operational mechanisms of polar and global climate change sufficiently. While accepting unsatisfactory concepts in the school curriculum without criticism from outside media, students perceived the mechanism of climate change as somewhat monotonous or distorted. Moreover, linguistic information, analogies, and visual observation were used as cognitive strategies to compensate for the ambiguous understanding of polar and climate change. Based on the abovementioned results, we argue that polar literacy education should be introduced as a new knowledge system that can be used to aid a systematic and comprehensive understanding of climate change within the school science curriculum. Additionally, we suggest the following implications: review the consistency of knowledge related to polar literacy in other subjects, provide critical standards for out-of-school media information related to climate change, examine students' misconceptions, and identify improved thinking strategies.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.169-183
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• 2023

This study analyzed students' polar literacy in an effort to promote polar education based on its high educational value. The polar literacy test items developed for this study consisted of questions about knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs about the polar region, as well as background variables of students. The final test items, which were revised and supplemented several times through the preliminary test, were applied to 323 eighth graders in South Korea. We analyzed the response characteristics of the polar literacy questions for all students. Students were grouped into those with a global citizenship perspective and those with a pragmatic perspective, according to the viewpoint of polar issues and their polar literacy. Analysis showed that the students had a high understanding of climate change and living things in the polar regions, but had a very low understanding of ice, which is a key component of the polar regions. Moreover, they were unable to approach the Earth system thinking when dealing with polar issues. In addition, the global citizenship group had a higher intellectual understanding and deeper sympathy of the polar problem than the pragmatic group. This study is meaningful in that the survey results present a specific direction for future polar education.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.9 no.10
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• pp.1181-1187
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• 2014

In this paper, we implemented polar transmitt converter based on software for next generation digital wireless communication system. The implemented converter converted from rectangular to polar by CORDIC algorithm, and be made up of sweep for DDS output frequency using software control. The implemented converter shows can frequency control up to 1.16GHz within DDS frequency control range by software control. it means that transmitter can be control of varied blocks such as gain, phase, output and etc.. The implemented converter can be applied digital wireless communication system based on SDR.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.237-245
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• 2000

This study was carried out to elucidate whether sperm contain a factor inducing second polar body extrusion and to search for an effective collection method of the sperm factor Thus, sperm extract, dialyzed sperm-extract or liquid chromatographic fractions of sperm extract was microinjected into ovulated oocytes. And the microinjected oocytes were incubated for 24 hours to investigate about the extrusion of second polar body. The results obtained were as follows; 1. Sperm extract significantly increased the second polar body extrusion. 2. Sperm extract showed five major fractions at retention volumes (RVs) 1.25, 1.37, 1.84, 2.10 and 2.67ml after separation with Superose 12 column. These sperm extract fractions did not significantly increase the second polar body extrusion. 3. Dialyzed sperm-extract significantly increased the second polar body extrusion 4. Dialyzed sperm-extract showed three maior fractions at RVs 1.88, 2.14 and 2.77ml after separation with Superose 12 column. Of these fractions, the fraction RV2.14 significantly increased the second polar body extrusion. In conclusion, sperm extract contained a factor inducing the second polar body extrusion and the factor was contained largely in fraction RV2.14 after dialysis and liquid chromatographic fractionation of sperm extract.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.19-32
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• 2022

The need for polar education was further emphasized, depending on the importance of the pole, which is the best place for climate change detection and prediction, and treasure trove of future technology and resources. Therefore, this study analyzed the general cognitive and affective characteristics of elementary school students' polar literacy, and in addition, analyzed the cognitive and affective characteristics according to the level of diversity about polar experience. The items developed for the study were revised through a pilot survey of 43 fifth graders. They consisted of questions about gender, polar experience, scientific literacy, polar knowledge, polar literacy skills, polar literacy beliefs, and polar literacy attitudes. The types of questions used are selectable, reliable, and Likert (4 points), for a total of 66 questions. The students who participated in the study were 323 fifth grade elementary students. The study found that students were more interested in the dramatic consequences of polar changes than the scientific causes and processes associated with it. This is confirmed through the fact that they are more interested in and familiar with polar creatures suffering from polar changes than understanding ice, which is the main feature of and the central mechanism of polar changes. Students also recognized the issue of polar climate change as a global issue other than their own. They believe that what happens in the Arctic and Antarctica will affect the whole world, but not significantly to himself and his community. The level of knowledge about polar region and the ability to analyze and infer were not significantly related to each other, and students with a higher level of diversity of experience about polar region had a better understanding of polar science and technology. In this research, it is meaningful to check the characteristics related to the students' polar region and to use it as a basic data to show the direction in which polar literacy education should proceed in the future.

• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.617-633
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• 2016

Jangbogo station is located in Terra Nova Bay over the East Antarctica, which is often affected by individual storms moving along nearby storm tracks and a katabatic flow from the continental interior towards the coast. A numerical simulation for two strong wind events of maximum instantaneous wind speed ($41.17m\;s^{-1}$) and daily mean wind speed ($23.92m\;s^{-1}$) at Jangbogo station are conducted using the polar-optimized version of Weather Research and Forecasting model (Polar WRF). Verifying model results from 3 km grid resolution simulation against AWS observation at Jangbogo station, the case of maximum instantaneous wind speed is relatively simulated well with high skill in wind with a bias of $-3.3m\;s^{-1}$ and standard deviation of $5.4m\;s^{-1}$. The case of maximum daily mean wind speed showed comparatively lower accuracy for the simulation of wind speed with a bias of -7.0 m/s and standard deviation of $8.6m\;s^{-1}$. From the analysis, it is revealed that the each case has different origins for strong wind. The highest maximum instantaneous wind case is caused by the approach of the strong synoptic low pressure system moving toward Terra Nova Bay from North and the other daily wind maximum speed case is mainly caused by the katabatic flow from the interiors of Terra Nova Bay towards the coast. Our evaluation suggests that the Polar WRF can be used as a useful dynamic downscaling tool for the simulation and investigation of high wind events at Jangbogo station. However, additional efforts in utilizing the high resolution terrain is required to reduce the simulation error of high wind mainly caused by katabatic flow, which is received a lot of influence of the surrounding terrain.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.293-297
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• 2012

Of the 169 strains of microorganisms stored in Polar and Alpine Microbial Collection of Korea Polar Research Institute, 27 strains were selected for their chitinase activity on ZoBell plates supplemented with 0.4% colloidal chitin. Among them, PAMC 21693 strain have shown the highest chitinolytic enzyme activity toward pNP-$(GlcNAc)_1$ at low temperature and the highest growth rate at $4^{\circ}C$. We cloned a full-length chitinase gene of 2,857 bp which contains an open reading frame of 2,169 bp encoding 872-amino acid polypeptide. Recombinant chitinase protein was expressed in E. coli and its molecular weight was confirmed 96 kDa. In this paper, we suggest the potential use of cold-active chitinase from polar microorganisms in the field of biotechnology.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.717-733
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• 2021

This study is aimed to provide basic data to set the direction of polar literacy education and to raise awareness of the importance of polar research. Elementary, middle, and high school students' perception of the polar region was examined in terms of current status of polar information, impression regarding polar regions, and awareness of related issues. The study included 975 students from nine elementary, middle, and high schools, who responded to 16 questions, including close-ended and open-ended items. The results suggest that students had more experiences regarding the polar region on audiovisual media, but relatively limited learning experiences in school education. The impression they had of the polar region was confined to the monotonous image of a polar bear in crisis, following the melting of the glacier due to global warming. The students formed powerful images by combining scenes they saw in audiovisual media with emotions. In terms of recognizing problems in the polar region, the students were generally interested in creatures, natural environment, and climate change, but their interests varied depending on their school level and their own career path. The students highly valued the scientist's status as agents to address the problems facing the region, and gave priority to global citizenship values rather than practical standards. Based on the results, we suggest the following: introducing and systematizing content focusing on the polar region in the school curriculum, providing a differentiated learning experience through cooperation between scientists and educators, establishing polar literacy based on concepts that are relevant to various subjects, earth system-centered learning approach, setting the direction for follow-up studies and the need for science education that incorporates diverse values.