• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.15-30
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• 2021

This study analyzed the changes in land-cover and sedimentary environment before and after flooding through drone images and sediment analysis for the Seomjin River Chimsil Wetland. The results showed that the area of some land-covers such as sand bar, grass, and trees were continuously changed. The acidity level of the sediments in the Seomjin River Chimsil Wetland was weakened gradually by flooding and EC was also decreased. The levels of organic matter, effective phosphoric acid, and CEC, however, were fluctuating depending on branches, which seems to be the result of landization as new sedimentary environment was developed and vegetation was settled after the flood. Average mean size of river sediments was found to be fine sand, and it exhibited various particle size characteristics from granule to medium silt depending on the location. As the sedimentary environment changed due to the effects of floods and typhoons, the particles were granulated or grain refined depending on the position. In the Seomjin River Chimsil Wetland, there were factors that could interfere with geomorphic development and sedimentary environment, contamination sources in and around the wetland, and natural threat factors. Therefore, in this study, a conservation and management plan was proposed to remove these threat factors and to preserve the scarcity, naturalness, and dynamics of Seomjin River Chimsil Wetland.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.1-16
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• 2023

The purposes of this study were to investigate bag purchasing behaviors and design preferences of male and female adult consumers, and to find the differences depending on sex and age variable. A survey was conducted on 400 male and female adults from 20s to 50s. The questionnaire consisted of bag purchase behaviors, bag design preferences, and the subjects' demographic characteristics. The data were analyzed by Cronbach's α, factor analysis, x² test and t-test using SPSS. The results were as follows. First, as bag selection criteria, four factors (practicality, symbolism, aesthetics, and economics) were derived, and adult consumers considered economics as the most important among the factors. As for purchasing information sources, three factors (media, human resources, and store) were derived, and adult consumers considered human resources and store information sources more important than media. The main motive for purchasing bags was age and damage of the owned products, and Internet shopping malls were the most common purchasing place. The average annual cost of purchasing bags was 100,000 to 300,000 won, and the frequency of purchase was about once a year. Second, as bag preference images, four factors (individual, romantic, active, and classic image) were derived, and adult consumers preferred classic images the most. The shoulder bag was the most preferred as the bag shape, and black was the most preferred bag color. For the material, natural leather was the most preferred, and for the size, medium size was the most preferred. Third, bag purchasing behaviors and design preferences showed many significant differences according to the sex and age of the consumers. Therefore, the results of this study suggests that bag companies need to establish product development and marketing strategies in consideration of differences according to the sex and age group of adult consumers.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.109-120
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• 2023

Background: Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer the immense therapeutic potential in stem cell-based therapy of degenerative disorders. However, clinical trials of human ESCs cause heavy ethical concerns. With the derivation of iPSCs established by reprogramming from adult somatic cells through the transgenic expression of transcription factors, this problems would be able to overcome. In the present study, we tried to differentiate porcine iPSCs (piPSCs) into endothelial cells (ECs) for stem cell-based therapy of vascular diseases. Methods: piPSCs (OSKMNL) were induced to differentiation into ECs in four differentiation media (APEL-2, APEL-2 + 50 ng/mL of VEGF, EBM-2, EBM-2 + 50 ng/mL of VEGF) on cultured plates coated with matrigel^® (1:40 dilution with DMEM/F-12 medium) for 8 days. Differentiation efficiency of these cells were exanimated using qRT-PCR, Immunocytochemistry, Western blotting and FACS. Results: As results, expressions of pluripotency-associated markers (OCT-3/4, SOX2 and NANOG) were higher observed in all porcine differentiated cells derived from piPSCs (OSKMNL) cultured in four differentiation media than piPSCs as the control, whereas endothelial-associated marker (CD-31) in the differentiated cells was not expressed. Conclusions: It can be seen that piPSCs (OSKMNL) were not suitable to differentiate into ECs in the four differentiation media unlike porcine epiblast stem cells (pEpiSCs). Therefore, it would be required to establish a suitable PSCs for differentiating into ECs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.126-133
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• 2023

Genetic resources of mulberry trees are commonly preserved as trophosomes, which are vulnerable to environmental factors, such as natural disasters, diseases, and pests. This study establishes a basic protocol for ultra-low temperature cryopreservation of mulberry trees using a two-step freezing process. The procedure was established using the "Daeshim" variety and then tested on genetic resources from 24 other mulberry varieties. Samples were first dried to a moisture content of 33-43% in a low-temperature forced-air chamber at -5 ℃, then slowly frozen from -5 ℃ to -20 ℃, and preserved in liquid nitrogen (-196 ℃). To determine the regeneration rate, isolated dormant buds were inoculated into MS basal medium, and grown shoots were grafted onto 1-year-old rootstock via chip budding and then cultured. After freezing in liquid nitrogen, the "Daeshim" variety exhibited a survival and regeneration rate of more than 70% and 50%, respectively. Applying the two-step freezing process to genetic resources from 24 mulberry species yielded average survival and regeneration rates of 85.3% and 75.5%, respectively. Morus alba showed survival and regeneration rates of 100%, confirming the efficacy of the two-step freezing method. These results indicate the high feasibility of ultra-low-temperature cryopreservation through two-step freezing of dormant buds from mulberry genetic resources. Additional research is required into the variations in regeneration rates with freezing period in liquid nitrogen.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.127-136
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• 2023

Water scarcity decreases the rate of photosynthesis and, consequently, the yield of banana plants (Musa spp). In this study, transcriptome analysis was performed to identify photosynthesis-related genes in banana plants and determine their expression profiles under water stress conditions. Banana plantlets were in vitro cultured on Murashige and Skoog agar medium with and without 10% polyethylene glycol and marked as BP10 and BK. Chlorophyll contents in the plant shoots were determined spectrophotometrically. Two cDNA libraries generated from BK and BP10 plantlets, respectively, were used as the reference for transcriptome data. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and visualized using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway prediction. Morphological observations indicated that water deficiency caused chlorosis and reduced the shoot chlorophyll content of banana plantlets. GO enrichment identified 52 photosynthesis-related genes that were affected by water stress. KEGG visualization revealed the pathways related to the 52 photosynthesisr-elated genes and their allocations in four GO terms. Four, 12, 15, and 21 genes were related to chlorophyll biosynthesis, the Calvin cycle, the photosynthetic electron transfer chain, and the light-harvesting complex, respectively. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis using DESeq revealed that 45 genes were down-regulated, whereas seven genes were up-regulated. Four of the down-regulated genes were responsible for chlorophyll biosynthesis and appeared to cause the decrease in the banana leaf chlorophyll content. Among the annotated DEGs, MaPNDO, MaPSAL, and MaFEDA were selected and validated using quantitative real-time PCR.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.115-128
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• 2024

Concrete is the most significant material in the construction industry which is required to construct several facilities like roads, buildings, and bridges etc. which leads to the economic development of a country. But now days, in view of sustainable development and environmental problems, plastic waste management is one of the major environmental issues due to its non-biodegradable nature which allows it to stay in the landfills until they are cleaned up. To overcome all these concerns, plastic waste may be used as a substitute of natural fine and coarse aggregate in concrete and a valuable solution to utilize the plastic items which causes several problems. In order to, present study is focused on the affecting properties of concrete as workability, compressive strength, and tensile strength of concrete with using plastic waste and without using plastic waste. Based on the detailed literature, it was observed that the plastic waste is not affecting the quality and consistency of concrete. However, as the number of PVC particles in the mixture increased, the drying shrinkage values decreased and the inclusion of plastic flakes can mitigate drying shrinkage cracking which leads the higher durability of concrete. Based on the comprehensive literature, it was also observed that the plastic aggregate found to be suitable for low and medium strength concrete. However, the investigation on the application of plastic aggregate in the high strength concrete is found limited. It was concluded that the optimum percentage of the plastic aggregate was found about 20%.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.11-22
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• 2024

Purpose: This research delves into the various factors that influence the performance of restaurant businesses on social commerce platforms in Bangkok, Thailand. The study considers both internal and external factors, including but not limited to business characteristics and location. Moreover, this research also analyzes the effects of employing multiple social commerce platforms on business efficiency and explores the underlying reasons for such effects. Research design, data, and methodology: Restaurants can be classified into different price ranges: low, medium, and high. To further investigate, we employed natural language processing AI to analyze online reviews and evaluate algorithm performance using machine learning techniques. We aimed to develop a model to gauge customer satisfaction with restaurants across different price categories effectively. Results: According to the research findings, several factors significantly impact restaurant groups in the low and mid-price ranges. Among these factors are population density and the number of seats at the restaurant. On the other hand, in the mid-and high-price ranges, the price levels of the food and drinks offered by the restaurant play a crucial role in determining customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the correlation between different social commerce platforms can significantly affect the business performance of high-price range restaurant groups. Finally, the level of online review sentiment has been found to influence customer decision-making across all restaurant types significantly. Conclusions: The study emphasizes that restaurants' characteristics based on their price level differ significantly, and social commerce platforms have the potential to affect one another. It is worth noting that the sentiment expressed in online reviews has a more significant impact on customer decision-making than any other factor, regardless of the type of restaurant in question.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2007

The present study was conducted to examine some factors affecting in vitro development and fecundity of embryos recloned with somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Fibroblast cells retrieved from the ear of a 3-week-old, cloned Korean goat (Jinsoonny) were used as karyoplast donors and serum-starvation was conducted in tissue culture medium (TCM)-199 supplemented with 0.5% FBS. Recipient oocytes were surgically collected by flushing the oviducts 35 h after hCG injection following FSH priming. The zonae pellucidae of the oocytes were partially perforated with a laser drill and a donor cell was transferred into an enucleated oocyte. The couplets were electrically fused and activated by ionomycin (5 min) and 6-DMAP (4 h). The reconstructed embryos were cultured in mSOF medium containing 0.8% BSA at $39^{\circ}C$ in an atmosphere of 5% $CO_2$, 5% $%O_2$, 90% $N_2$ for 12 to 15 h. Re-cloned embryos (2- to 4-cell stages) were surgically transferred into the oviducts of the recipients and pregnancy was subsequently diagnosed by progesterone assay and ultrasound on Days 21 and 63 of pregnancy. The fusion rate following 1st fusion pulse was higher (p<0.05) in 2nd cloning (65.9%) compared to 1st cloning (51.0%), but it was not different in the other groups. The rate of cleavage after fusion was significantly higher (p<0.05) in 1st (77.7%) than in 2nd cloning (56.0%). A total of 175 re-cloned embryos were transferred into 28 recipients. On day 21 and 60 after transfer, 11 (39.3%) and 4 recipients (17.4%) were pregnancy, respectively. In comparison of pregnancy rate by estrous synchronization, a total of 66 and 109 re-cloned embryos were transferred into 11 recipients in natural estrus and 17 recipients in induced estrus, respectively. Five (45.4%) and 2 recipients (18.2%) in natural estrus were pregnant on days 21 and 63 while 6 (35.3%) and 2 (11.8%) recipients in induced estrus were pregnant, respectively. These results show that recloning of goat can be achieved by SCNT and estrous synchronization between donor and recipient animals may be one of the major factors affecting success rate.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2007

In order to observe the localization of excretory, purified and infected antigenic protein in the tissue of Trichinella spiralis larvae, immunogoldlabeling methodology using IgG and protein A-gold complex was implemented. T. spiralis larvae obtained from rat muscle were initially cultured in medium, and secreted excretory antigen was collected for 1 or 3 days. Purified antigenic protein was obtained from homogenized T. spiralis larvae. Rabbits were then immunized with 1 or 3 days secreted excretory protein and purified 45 kDa protein, and IgG was purified from collected serum. Serum, against infected antigen, collected from rat on 1 and 4 weeks after infection with T. spiralis larvae, and IgG was purified from collected serum. T. spiralis larvae were embedded in Lowicryl HM20 medium. Then they were finally treated with immunized IgG and protein A-gold complex (particle size; 15 nm) and observed under electron microscope. In T. spiralis larvae tissue, the tissue antigen reacted with rabbit IgC antigen Day 1 secreted excretory protein, infected antigenic protein and purified 45 kDa protein. But different distribution pattern of labeled gold particles were observed. When Day 1 secreted excretoy protein was used, gold particle labeling was observed specifically on the cuticle, basal layer, esophagus interstitial matrix (EIM) and ${\alpha}_0,\;{\alpha}_1$ granules of stichocyte of the worm. In a separate group of tissue, the antigen reacted with rabbit IgG against Day 3 secreted excretory protein. Labeled gold particles were specifically distributed on the surface layer of cuticle, EIM and ${\alpha}_0$ granules of stichocyte of the worm. In case of using infected antigenic protein, gold particle labeling was specifically distributed on the cuticle and EIM of the worm. When purifed 45 kDa protein was used gold particle labeling was specifically distributed on the cuticle, basal layer, EIM and ${\alpha}_0,\;{\alpha}_1$ granules of stichocyte of the worm. Therefore, excretory antigens appeared to originate from the cuticle and ${\alpha}_0,\;{\alpha}_1$ granules of stichocyte for the first day but the cuticle layer associated with globular proteins and ${\alpha}_0$ granules of stichocyte after 3 days and infected antigens appeared to originate from the cuticle for 1 and 4 weeks after infection. These results suggest that excretory and infection specific antigens are secreted into the cuticle, basal layer, EIM and ${\alpha}_0,\;{\alpha}_1$ granules of stichocyte and 45 kDa protein may be contained these specific antigens.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.461-471
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• 2016

This study was conducted to establish an in vitro propagation system for sea-milkwort (Glaux maritima L.), which is an endangered coastal plant species with high horticultural value. Two phenotypes, 'Red type (RT)' and 'Pistachio type (PT)' based on the colors of stem and flower, were obtained from a personal horticulturist in 2009 and used for this study as plant materials. The stock plants showed typical morphologies in flower, capsule, and seed appearances as previously reported. Low temperature treatment at $4^{\circ}C$ for four or more weeks after in vitro sowing maximized seed germination percentage, indicating that imbibition of seed and subsequent low temperature treatment are crucial for its germination. The in vitro seedlings had phenotypic variation, falling into 'RT' and 'PT' classes like the stock plants. Although slight differences depending on genotype and medium were recognized, the fourth or fifth nodes detached from the in vitro seedlings revealed the best multiplication efficacy when estimated on the basis of total number of nodes of newly developed axillary shoots. In addition, the nodes from 'RT' and 'PT' regenerated the most shoots on medium supplemented with $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ BA alone and $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ BA plus $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ IAA, respectively. The node culture-derived plantlets were well acclimatized in a culture room ex vitro and completed the pseudo-annual life cycle coincident with that in the natural salt march habitat with the current cultivation method of applying fresh water-irrigation under an inland environment. This work represents the first report of in vitro propagation of sea-milkwort. Thus, our study will contribute to exo-habitat conservation and natural habitat restoration of this endangered species in addition to development of a horticultural product.