• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.301-318
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• 2017

The production of Korean offshore fisheries has been gradually decreasing due to the severe depletion of offshore fisheries resources caused by excessive fishing efforts. The production of the offshore fisheries in 2016 was the lowest since 1975. So the federal and local governments in Korea adopted and implemented various fisheries management plans and policies in order to restore fisheries resources. However, these plans and polices have not been successful in re-establishing fisheries resources. Thus, in order to accurately diagnose the situation with regard to offshore fisheries, this study sought to estimate not only the return to scale by fishing gear of offshore fisheries, but marginal productivity of individual fishing gear based on production factors derived from offshore fisheries production functions. The study was organized in the following manner. First of all, this study estimates production functions of offshore fisheries. The Cobb-Douglas and the translog production functions are adopted as offshore fisheries production functions. Specifically, the functions are estimated by crew, vessels, and offshore resource as production factors. The offshore resource is estimated by the Clarke Yoshimoto Pooley model based on the surplus production model. Secondly, the fisheries production functions are extended to the fixed-effect model and the random-effect model with panel data. Thirdly, this study analyzes the return to scale of offshore fisheries and the marginal productivity of the production factors from the estimated offshore fisheries production function. In conclusion, this study suggests plans and countermeasures for productivity improvement by group (labor intensive or technology intensive) based on the characteristics of individual offshore fishing gear.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.22-44
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• 2023

The subsistence economics of the early Bronze Age has focused on explaining the intensity of agricultural practices without sufficiently taking into account the diversity of production methods that may arise from cultural types or environmental factors. The problem appears to stem from paying insufficient attention to the question whether we should understand the transition from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age as continuous or discrete. This has hitherto blocked an avenue to investigate the gradual changes in subsistence resource production methods. Taking as its premise that changes in the production methods of subsistence resources in the Bronze Age have been continuous and gradual, this paper seeks to restore the production patterns of subsistence resources according to the variety of factors that may have influenced the early Bronze Age production method. With diverse cultural patterns and ecological spaces of the early Bronze Age being confirmed, the work of restoring the production methods of subsistence resources in a specific period is difficult to achieve with one or two stand-alone analyses. A more appropriate method would involve separating a number of different aspects related to the production of subsistence resources, analyzing and interpreting each, and in the final stage, synthesizing the analyses. The specific research method employed in this paper checked for compositional differences in stone production tools, functionally categorized according to a variety of factors that have a close relationship with the production of subsistence resources: cultural-environmental factors and cultural patterns, geographical and topographical factors, soil productivity, and size of settlement. The results of the analysis are as follows: for the early Bronze Age production pattern of subsistence resources in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions, while no substantive differences were observed with respect to cultural type, geographical and topographical location, the results show statistically significant differences in the composition of production tools according to settlement size and soil productivity. Also, with an increasing ratio of settlement size and total production soil, increases in hunting and armoring tools, woodworking tools, and harvesting tools were observed; on the other hand, when it came to the ratio of fishing tools, the opposite relationship was observed. While a correlation between settlement size or crop cultivation productivity and dependence on hunting or farming was expected, the results of the regression analysis show that settlement size and soil productivity ratios do not have mutually significant relationships. The results thus illustrate that patterns of production differ according to a variety of factors, and no single factor is decisive in the adoption of subsistence resource production methods by a specific settlement. Therefore, the paper emphasizes the need to investigate the production patterns of subsistence resources according to the variety of cultural and environmental factors that make up settlements in early Bronze Age society.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2019

The composition of artificial soil in a containerized seedling production plays an important role in seedling quality as well as environmental issues. We investigated the effects of different types of biomaterials and mixed ratio with artificial soil on the growth of Fraxinus rhynchophylla seedlings. Soil medium was supplemented with 3 levels (0%, 10%, 20%) of pine bark, mushroom sawdust and rice husk. Root collar diameter (RCD), height growth, and biomass have significantly increased when rice husk was applied. Compared with the control, RCD and height growth showed highest in 20% rice husk treatment with an increase of 5.7% and 17.6%, respectively. In contrast, the treatments of pine bark and mushroom sawdust showed lower results in growth parameters (RCD, height growth, and total biomass) than control. Seedling quality index was also highest at the 20% rice husk treatment, but there was not statistically different among treatments. Our results suggested rice husk can be substituted up to 20% of substrates for containerized F. rhynchophylla seedling production system.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2022.09a
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• pp.87-87
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• 2022

Under the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in immune enhancement and anti-obesity is increasing. Thus, in this study, we investigated whether Kadsura japonica fruits (KJF) exhibits immunostimulatory activity and anti-obesity activity. KJF increased the production of immunostimulatory factors and phagocytosis in RAW264.7 cells. Inhibition of TLR2 and TLR4 blocked KJF-mediated production of immunostimulatory factors in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the inhibition of MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway reduced KJF-mediated production of immunostimulatory factors, and the activation of MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by KJF suppressed the inhibition of TLR2/4. KJF attenuated the lipid accumulation and the protein expression such as CEBPα, PPARγ, perilipin-1, adiponectin, and FABP4 related to the lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, KJF inhibited excessive proliferation of 3T3-L1 cells and protein expressions such as β-catenin and cyclin D1 related to cell growth. These findings indicate that KJF may have immunostimulatory activity and anti-obesity activity.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2022.09a
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• pp.89-89
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• 2022

Paeonia lactiflora (P. lactiflora) is a medicinal plant widely used for treating inflammatory diseases. However, P. lactiflora has been recently reported to increase the production of proinflammatory mediators and activates phagocytosis in macrophages. Thus, in this study, we tried to verify the macrophage activation of Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRR, also known as red peony root) and elucidate its mechanism of action. PRR upregulated the production of proinflammatory mediators and activated phagocytosis in RAW264.7 cells. However, these effects were reversed by inhibition of TLR2/4. In addition, the inhibition of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2 reduced the PRR-mediated production of proinflammatory mediators, and the SPL-mediated activation of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2 was blocked by the TLR4 inhibition. These findings indicate that PRR may activate macrophages through TLR4-dependent activation of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2. These indicate that PRR has immunostimulatory activity. Thus, it is believed that PRR can be used as a functional food agent that enhances the immune system.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.37-42
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• 2008

Defects of corrugated board were limiting factors to the corrugated industry's growth. On-line detecting systems of defects are beneficial to increase profits of the corrugated board companies by reducing base paper consumption, increasing process reliability, and increasing productivity. By replacing naked eye inspection of defects to a defects detecting system, continuous inspection without fatigue may guarantee final products quality. The system was developed, which was consisted of line scan CCD camera, lens, illuminating parts, high speed image processor, software, various input parts, and output parts. First installation location of the system was at before fluting process after base paper unwinding, and surface of liner board was inspected by the system. Second installation location was after fluting process and combining process for liner board. Production loss includes ragged appearance of edge, irregular flute shape, wrong combination of flute, score cracking, defects in base paper, and flute cracking. The production loss was analyzed before and after the system installation at a commercial domestic mill. The production loss ratio was defined as a production loss weight per total production weight. The production loss ratio before the installation was decreased a lot from 1.28%(during 3 months before installation) to 0.76%(during 12 months after the first installation) and to 0.25%(during 6 months after the second installation).

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.74-83
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• 2024

Objective: Mitragyna speciosa Korth is traditionally used in Thailand. They have a high level of antioxidant capacities and bioactive compounds, the potential to modulate rumen fermentation and decrease methane production. The aim of the study was to investigate the different levels of microencapsulated-Mitragyna leaves extracts (MMLE) supplementation on nutrient degradability, rumen ecology, microbial dynamics, and methane production in an in vitro study. Methods: A completely randomized design was used to assign the experimental treatments, MMLE was supplemented at 0%, 4%, 6%, and 8% of the total dry matter (DM) substrate. Results: The addition of MMLE significantly increased in vitro dry matter degradability both at 12, 24, and 48 h, while ammonia-nitrogen (NH₃-N) concentration was improved with MMLE supplementation. The MMLE had the greatest propionate and total volatile fatty acid production when added with 6% of total DM substrate, while decreased the methane production (12, 24, and 48 h). Furthermore, the microbial population of cellulolytic bacteria and Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens were increased, whilst Methanobacteriales was decreased with MMLE feeding. Conclusion: The results indicated that MMLE could be a potential alternative plant-based bioactive compound supplement to be used as ruminant feed additives.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.557-562
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• 2022

In this study we evaluated biohydrogen production potential as operational parameters (substrate, salt concentration, and temperature) using eight inoculum sources. While the volumetric biohydrogen production rate was significantly affected by temperature and inoculum sources, substrate and salt concentration did not have a significant effect on the biohydrogen production. Mesophilic temperature (37℃) was also found more appropriate for the hydrogen production than thermophilic temperature (50℃). Rate, while the eight inoculum sources, anaerobic digestion sludge exhibited the fastest biohydrogen production. The maximum production rate from anaerobic digestion sludge was 2,729 and 1,385 ml-H₂·l^-1·d^-1 at mesophilic and thermophilic temperature, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.655-663
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• 2018

The insect gut microbiome is known to have important roles in host growth, development, digestion, and resistance against pathogens. In addition, the genetic diversity of the insect gut microbiota has recently been recognized as potential genetic resources for industrial bioprocessing. However, there is limited information regarding the insect gut microbiota to better help us understand their potential benefits for enhanced pig production. With the development of next-generation sequencing methods, whole genome sequence analysis has become possible beyond traditional culture-independent methods. This improvement makes it possible to identify and characterize bacteria that are not cultured and located in various environments including the gastrointestinal tract. Insect intestinal microorganisms are known to have an important role in host growth, digestion, and immunity. These gut microbiota have recently been recognized as potential genetic resources for livestock farming which is using the functions of living organisms to integrate them into animal science. The purpose of this literature review is to emphasize the necessity of research on insect gut microbiota and their applicability to pig production or bioindustry. In conclusion, bacterial metabolism of feed in the gut is often significant for the nutrition intake of animals, and the insect gut microbiome has potential to be used as feed additives for enhanced pig performance. The exploration of the structure and function of the insect gut microbiota needs further investigation for their potential use in the swine industry particularly for the improvement of growth performance and overall health status of pigs.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2020.06a
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• pp.119-119
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• 2020

Globally, the demand for food and water resources are increasing rapidly with the growing concerns of meeting the projected population upsurge, specifically by 2050. The global population is projected to hit 9.8 billion in 2050 while the food demand is expected to increase by 77% from the 2007 base year. Moreover, the already scarce water resources, especially in the food-producing regions, expected to be significantly affected as food production already accounts for over 70% of the global water resources. However, the estimated food demand encapsulated the actual demand for both human consumption and animal feed in addition to the exuberant food waste at the consumption stage of the supply chain, notably in the developed countries. Managing the food consumption demand and food waste can have across-the-board benefits on water resources and other associated food production impacts. This study assessed the water-saving potentials through food waste in Korean households using the food waste data obtained from the direct weighing analysis. The household food waste collection and characterization were carried out during the summer (July), fall (September), and winter (December) seasons of 2019. The water footprint related to the food waste within Korean households was based on the water footprint concept, i.e. indirect water use. The results of our estimation showed that an average Korean household wasted 6.15 ± 4.36 kg daily, amounting to 12.53 ± 11.10 m3 of water resources associated with the waste. On the per capita basis, an average of 0.024 ± 0.017 kg/capita/day of food was wasted resulting to 0.049 ± 0.044 m3/capital/day of water resources wasted. The food waste types that accounted for the principal share in the water footprint were beef, soybean, rice and pork with values 30.7, 10.1, 9.6, and 7.5%, respectively. Considering that the production of meat and meat products are water intensive and the agricultural water use in Korea is largely for rice production, addressing the food waste of these two important agricultural products can be a hotspot for water saving potential in the country. This study therefore provides an insight to addressing the water scarcity in the country through reducing household food waste.