• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.237-251
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• 2019

This study evaluated the ecological value of waterside parks by investigating the animal distribution and ecological feature in 92 waterside parks and analyzed the change of ecological awareness by users and non-users of waterside parks through ecological education and promotion based on the investigation results. The result confirmed inhabitation of various animals including 9 endangered species (Pernis ptilorhynchus orientalis, Accipiter soloensis, Falco subbuteo, Charadrius placidus, Felis bengalensis euptilura, Lutra lutra, Kaloula borealis, Polyphylla laticollis manchurica, and Leptalina unicolor) in waterside parks. Although waterside parks were constructed to be hydrophilic areas for human use, some of them with high natural characteristics are valued as biological habitat. We investigated user status in 5 areas (Daejeon, Sejong, Cheongju, Kongju, and Buyeo) located at Guem river basin to evaluate people's perception of waterside parks and carried out the ecological education and promotion based on the investigation result. The survey of 200 people showed that there were more users of waterside parks than non-users and that people in their 40's showed the highest use rate. The use frequency of waterside parks located in Daejeon and Cheongju was lower than in other areas (Sejong, Kongju, and Buyeo). We considered it was because Daejeon and Cheongju were urban areas and had relatively more leisure areas such as sports facilities and cafe than other areas, and thus the residents had a lower reliance on waterside parks. Moreover, users used waterside parks more frequently when they were nearer to users' residence. It is because most users perceived waterside parks as the leisure sports facility and thus preferred them to be within walking distance. The users' perception of waterside parks as the ecological space "to be preserved" increased after the ecological education and promotion. The change of the perception was higher among users (80%) than non-users (38%). Therefore, ecological education and promotion were potentially more effective to people who user waterside parks and thus had a higher understanding of the characteristics and specification. In conclusion, 1) although waterside parks were constructed for human use, some parts had high ecological value for the distribution of endangered species and outstanding natural beauty, and 2) it is necessary to change the perception of waterside parks from the hydrophilic attribute to the conservation attribute. Such change of perception would contribute to establishing waterside parks that feature both hydrophilic and conservation attributes in the management or upgrading plan of waterside parks in the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.603-617
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• 2018

This study surveyed the diversity and community characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrates and freshwater fish, which are the main animal classifications in a hydro ecosystem, from May to September 2017 in the western plains of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The results showed a total of 125 species of benthic macroinvertebrates belonging to 66 families, 19 orders, and four phyla in the streams and wetlands. Among benthic macroinvertebrates, Coleoptera (27 spp.: 21.60%) was the largest group in terms of species richness followed by Odonata (26 spp.: 20.80%), non-Insecta (22 spp.: 17.60%), and Hemiptera (11 spp.: 8.80%) occupying in the lentic area. Of the feeding function groups (FFGs), predators (51 spp.: 56.67%) showed a relatively larger presence, indicating the dominance of hygrophilous invertebrates that usually inhabit the freshwater wetlands or ponds. Of the habitat oriented groups (HOGs), climbers (33 spp.: 24.44%) and burrowers (17 spp.: 12.59%) were the dominant groups. This observation is typical in a slow flowing habitat and can lead to the disturbance of the ecosystem due to cannibalism among predators. Cannibalism can be caused by stress induced by various population and environmental factors. For the ecosystem services benchmark (ESB) value, site 13 appeared to be the highest with 82 marks while other sites showed relatively lower rates and indices (III water quality class with ${\alpha}$-mesosaprobic). The analysis result of stability factors showed that almost all sites were evaluated to be the I characteristic group with high resilience and resistance or the III characteristic group that was sensitive to environmental disturbance and formed uneven and unstable communities. Of the freshwater fishes, 46 species (3,405 individuals) belonging to 39 families and 18 orders were identified in all the investigated sites. Among them, Cyprinidae (30 spp.: 65.2%) was the largest group, and Zacco koreanus was identified as the dominant species (728 individuals, 21.4%). The survey of freshwater fish communities found both stable communities (sites 7 and 13) with low dominant index (0.39) and high diversity index (2.29) and unstable communities (sites 2, 3, 8, and 10) in opposite tendency. This survey found five Korean endemic species, 17 species belonging to the export controlled species, two endangered species level II (Lethocerus deyrollei and Cybister chinensis), and rare species (Dytiscus marginalis czerskii) among benthic macroinvertebrates. The survey also found an invasive species, Ampullarius insularus, which was distributed throughout the whole area and thus can continuously disturb the ecosystem in the western plain area in the DMZ. Of freshwater fish, one natural monument (Hemibarbus mylodon) and three endangered species level II (Acheilognathus signifer, Gobiobotia macrocephalus, and G. brevibarba) were observed. The survey also found four introduced species (Pomacea canaliculate, Carassius cuvieri, Lepomis macrochirus, Micropterus salmoides) in the western DMZ area, indicating the need for the protection and conservation measures.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2019

This study was carried out to investigate the growth characteristics, yield and feed value of Sorghum${\times}$Sudangrass hybrid for silage according to the drainage depths in the paddy field of lowland. The experimental design was arranged in a randomized block design with four treatments and three replication. The drainage depths of four treatments were 0cm, 20cm, 40cm and 60cm, respectively. Plant length, leaf length and leaf number were not significantly different, but leaf width increased as the higher the drainage depth(p<0.05). The number of dead leaf was higher in the order of $60cm>0cm{\geq}40cm{\geq}20cm$ treatment(p<0.05). Green degree was higher in the order of 20cm > 40cm > 0cm > 60cm treatment(p<0.05). Stem diameter and stem hardness increased significantly as drainage depth increased from 0cm to 60cm(p<0.05). Also, fresh yield, dry matter yield and TDN yield increased as the higher the drainage depth(p<0.05). Crude protein and TDN content were the highest in 40cm treatment(p<0.05). Crude ash was higher in the order of 20cm > 40cm > 0cm > 60cm treatment(p<0.05). ADF and NDF content were the highest in 0cm treatment(p<0.05). Total mineral content was higher in the order of 20cm > 0cm > 40cm > 60cm(p<0.05). Free sugar content(fructose, glucose and sucrose) was the highest in 0cm treatment(p<0.05). Total amino acid(EAA+NEAA) was higher in 40cm than the other treatments(p<0.05). There is a difference in the content of ingredients(crude protein, TDN, mineral, free sugar and amino acid) according to the treatments. But considering dry matter yield and TDN yield, Sorghum${\times}$Sudangrass hybrid cultivation is advantageous to set the drainage depth of about 60cm in the paddy field of lowland.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.81-89
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• 2019

The major problem encountered during the storage of pig slurry (PS) is the release of huge amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which are dominated by methane ($CH_4$). To reduce this, concentrated sulfuric acid has been used as an additive to control the pH of pig slurry to 5.0-6.0. However, other low-risk substitutes have been developed due to some limitations to its use, such as corrosiveness, and hazards to animal and human health. In this study, sugar addition was proposed as an eco-friendly approach for limiting $CH_4$ emission from PS during storage. The pH of PS has been reduced from $7.1{\pm}0.1$ (control) to $5.8{\pm}0.1$, $4.6{\pm}0.1$, $4.4{\pm}0.1$, $4.1{\pm}0.1$, and $4.0{\pm}0.1$, by the addition of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 g sugar/L, respectively. Lactate, acetate, and propionate were detected as the dominant organic acids and at sugar concentration above 20 g/L, lactate concentration represented 42-72% (COD basis) of total organic acids. For 40 d of storage, $20.6{\pm}2.3kg\;CO_2\;eq./ton\;PS$ was emitted in the control. Such emission, however, was found to be reduced to $8.7{\pm}0.4$ and $0.4{\pm}0.1kg\;CO_2\;eq./ton\;PS$ at 10 and 20 g/L, respectively. Small amount of $CH_4$ from PS at 10 g/L was emitted until 30 d of storage, while for rest of storage period, it has increased to $8.7{\pm}0.4kg\;CO_2\;eq./ton\;PS$ ( 40% of the control) when methanogens have recovered by increasing pH to 7.0. By the end of storage, VS and COD removal in the control reached 24% and 27%, while their ranges reached 15-4% and 12-17% in the sugar added experiments, respectively. It was found that more than 90% of COD removal was done by aerobic biological process.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 2019

The present study investigated pine trees, which forms a major plantation species in Korea, with the objective of improving the survival rate of pine trees after planting. Growth responses and characteristics were assessed by controlling the level of fertilizer application, which is a basic controlling the growth of pine seedlings, to identify the optimal fertilization treatment. Pine tree seedlings were grown in 104 containers and were examined 8 weeks after planting. Stem height and were measured at 4-week intervals. In terms of fertilization treatment for 1-0 pine seedlings, the treatment group with gradually-increasing fertilizer concentration ($500{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$) had the biggest increase in stem height and diameter at the root. The survey results indicated that the increased concentration treatment group and the gradually-increasing concentration treatment group had more growth compared with that in the fixed concentration treatment group. The gradually-increasing concentration treatment group ($500{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000{\rightarrow}1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$) had the highest total dry matter production. Nine weeks after fertilization, the tips of the pine leaves turned yellow in the fixed concentration treatment group ($3000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$). The same phenomenon was observed in the treatment group in which the concentration was increased to $2000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$, and in the gradually-increasing concentration treatment group, when the concentration was raised up to $2000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$. We concluded that the optimal fertilization conditions for producing healthy pine 1-0 seedlings involve fertilizing once a week with Multifeed 19 at $500mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ during the seedling period, Multifeed 19 at $1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ during the rapid growth period, and Multifeed 32 at $1000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ during the maturation period.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.375-381
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• 2018

The consumption of oats (Avena sativa L.) with high nutritional utility is accelerating due to the increased consumers' demand for functional foods. In Korea, naked oats are used as food, while covered oats are used for animal feed. However, it is difficult to distinguish naked oats from covered oats when the husk is removed from the grains by a special process. The present study was carried out to investigate experimental methods that would be beneficial in the segregation of different types of oats after husk removal. Grain quality-related biochemical compounds were analyzed in a bid to differentiate the oat dehulling characteristics. In addition, 61 SSR markers were examined for genetic relationship and variety identification of oats using five naked and seven covered oat varieties. Results showed that, the contents of protein, lipid, and ${\beta}-glucan$ were not significantly different among the oat varieties and this could not be used as an index for distinguishing oats husk character. However, in the fatty acid composition ratio,, naked oats had a higher ratio of stearic acid (C18:0) and oleic acid (C18:1) than covered oats, and covered oats had a higher ratio of linoleic acid (C18:2) and linoleic acid (C18:3) than naked oats. The assessment of SSR marker genotype revealed that 33 polymorphic bands among 12 oat varieties and 1 variety could be distinguished through the combination of polymorphic markers thus indicating the usability of these markers for variety identification in oats.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.261-269
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• 2018

The cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a polyphagous species with a worldwide distribution. We investigated the temperature effects on development periods of nymphs, and the longevity and fecundity of apterous female of A. craccivora. The study was conducted at six constant temperatures of 10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 25, 30.0, and $32.5^{\circ}C$. A. craccivora developed successfully from nymph to adult stage at all temperatures subjected. The developmental rate of A. craccivora increased as temperature increased. The lower developmental threshold (LT) and thermal constant (K) of A. craccivora nymph stage were estimated by linear regression as $5.3^{\circ}C$ and 128.4 degree-days (DD), respectively. Lower and higher threshold temperatures (TL, TH and TH-TL, respectively) were calculated by the Sharpe_Schoolfield_Ikemoto (SSI) model as $17.0^{\circ}C$, $34.6^{\circ}C$ and $17.5^{\circ}C$. Developmental completion of nymph stages was described using a three-parameter Weibull function. Life table parameters were estimated. The intrinsic rate of increase was highest at $25^{\circ}C$, while the net reproductive rate was highest at $20^{\circ}C$. Biological characteristics of A. craccivora populations from different geographic areas were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.360-369
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• 2019

Cadherins are essential transmembrane proteins that promote cell-cell adhesion and maintain the corpus luteum structure in the ovary. This study examined the influence of prostaglandin F2 alpha ($PGF2{\alpha}$) on E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and adhesion in luteal theca cells (LTCs). The luteal cells were isolated from the mid-phase corpus luteum, and the LTCs were cultured separately from the luteal heterogeneous cells according to the morphology of the mesenchymal cells and to determine if steroidogenic and endothelial cells of LTCs, 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase ($3{\beta}$-HSD), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) mRNA were used. The LTCs were then incubated in the culture medium supplemented with 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mM $PGF2{\alpha}$ for 24 h, and the E-cadherin and N-cadherin proteins in the LTCs were detected by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results revealed $3{\beta}$-HSD mRNA expression in the LTC but no VEGF2R mRNA expression. The E-cadherin and N-cadherin proteins of the LTCs were damaged in the 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mM $PGF2{\alpha}$ treatment groups, and the expression of the N-cadherin protein was reduced significantly in 0.01 mM $PGF2{\alpha}$ compared to the 0 mM $PGF2{\alpha}$ treatment groups (P<0.05). In addition, the number of attached LTCs were significantly lower in the 0.01 mM $PGF2{\alpha}$ treatment group than in the 0 mM $PGF2{\alpha}$ treatment group (P<0.05). In conclusion, $PGF2{\alpha}$ affected the disruption of cadherin proteins and cell adhesion in LTCs. These results may help better understand the cadherin and adhesion mechanism during corpus luteum regression in the ovary.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.36
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• pp.347-377
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• 2003

China is a country with large agricultural areas and subject to frequent calamities. Drought is the top of them. It has been a key problem for development of agriculture in the country. In the long struggle against drought, Chinese have accumulated many rational and irrational experiences. The Dragon Kings Belief, which is popular in North China and discussed in a thesis, is one of their irrational experiences. The belief was passed together with Buddhism from India to China in the Tang Dynasty. After it settled down, it was incorporated with the local five dragons belief and a set of beliefs in dragon kings came into existence. The emergence of the dragon kings belief ended the history that the title of rain got was not clear in China and Dragon kings finally got the status. Irrigation is the lifeblood of agriculture in China. In a Chinese mind, Dragon kings are the most important gods who take charge of rain and thus offer the lifeblood. In understanding the nature and characteristics of Chinese traditional culture, it is important for us to make clear the origin and evolution of the belief, find out its nature, function and operation. In the every year beginning of February of the Fanzhuang calendar in the people of Hebeisheng Zhaoxian, would all hold a festival to offer sacrifices to the $^{{\circ}TM}^{\prime}longpai$. Longpai was regarded as the core of the temple fair, thus the native sons came to call this festival; "longpaihui". In this region the'Fanzhuang longpaihui'developed into a well knownand grand temple fair. It was able to attract numerous pilgrims with its special magic power, occupying a place in $China^{{\circ}TM}$ 'eryueer'festival with festive dragon activities. The dragon is a common totem among Chinese nationals. The belief worship of the dragon dates from the start time of primitive societies. Dragon oneself the ancients worship's thunder lightning. In the worship of the great universe, at first afterwards this belief with the tribe's totem worships to combine to become the animal spirit. In ancient myths legends, along with folk religion and beliefs all hold a very important position. The longpaihui is a temple fair without a temple; this characteristic is a distinction between longpaihui and other temple fairs. As for longpaihui must of the early historical records are unclear. The originator of a huitou system has a kind of organized form of the special features rather, originator of a huitou not fix constant, everything follows voluntarily principle, can become member with the freedom, also can back at any time the meeting. There is a longpaihui for 'dangjiaren', is total representative director in the originator of a huitou will. 'banghui' scope particularly for extensive, come apparently every kind of buildup that help can return into the banghui, where is the person of this village or outside village of, the general cent in banghui work is clear and definite, for longpaihui would various businesses open smoothly the exhibition provides to guarantees powerfully. Fanzhuang longpaihui from the beginning of February to beginning six proceed six days totally. The longpai is used as the ancestry absolute being to exsits with the community absolute being at the same time in fanzhuang first took civil faith, in reality is a kind of method to support social machine in native folks realize together that local community that important function, it provided a space, a kind of a view to take with a relation, rising contact, communication, solidify the community contents small village, formation with fanzhuang. The fanzhuang is used as supplies for gathering town, by luck too is this local community trade exchanges center at the same time therefore can say the faith of the longpai, in addition to its people's custom, religious meaning, still have got the important and social function. Moreover matter worthy of mentioning, Longpai would in organize process, from prepare and plan the producing of meeting every kind of meeting a longpeng of the matter do, all letting person feeling is to adjust the popular support of, get the mass approbation with positive participate. Apart from the originator of a huitou excluding, those although not originator of a huitou, however enthusiasm participate the banghui of its business, also is too much for the number.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.570-579
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• 2019

Diabetes is one of the serious chronic metabolic diseases caused by Westernized eating habits, and the goal of diabetes treatment is to keep blood glucose at a normal level and prevent diabetic complications. This study was designed to investigate the anti-diabetic effects of a mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) extract (MWE) on hyperglycemia in an animal model with type 2 diabetes. Diabetic C57BL/Ksj-db/db mice were divided into three groups: diabetic control, rosiglitazone, and MWE. The mice supplemented with MWE showed significantly lower blood levels of glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin when compared with the diabetic control mice. The homeostatic index of insulin resistance was significantly lower in mice supplemented with MWE than in diabetic control mice. MWE supplementation significantly stimulated the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 and Akt, and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in insulin signaling pathway of skeletal muscles. Eventually, MWE increased the expression of the plasma membrane glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) via PI3K/Akt activation. These findings demonstrate that the increase in plasma membrane GLUT4 expression by MWE promoted the uptake of blood glucose into cells and relieved hyperglycemia in skeletal muscles of diabetic C57BL/Ksj-db/db mice. Therefore, mealworms are expected to prove useful for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, and further studies are needed to improve type 2 diabetes in the future.