• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2024

This study was conducted to investigate the changes in the structure of benthic communities resulting from aquaculture activities and to assess the benthic health status of surface sediment in Gangjin Bay, a region known for concentrated shellfish aquaculture on the southern coast of Korea. Survey stations were divided into longline culture, bottom culture, and non-cultivation areas. The spatiotemporal distribution of physiochemical factors such as the grain size, water temperature, salinity, and total organic carbon in Gangjin Bay showed no significant differences between sampling stations. However, the species number, density, and diversity were relatively lower at the sampling stations in the bottom culture areas than at the other stations throughout the entire survey period. Cluster analysis and principal coordinates analysis also clearly distinguished the benthic communities in the bottom culture areas from those in the other sampling areas. At the sampling stations in the longline culture and non-cultivation areas, Scolectoma longifolia and Sigambra tentaculata, which are indicator species of organically enriched areas, appeared as dominant species. However, excluding some stations influenced by physical factors such as the water depth and current speed, the occupancy rate was not high. The health assessment results, conducted using the fisheries environment assessment method, revealed good conditions with Grades 1 and 2 across the entire area. However, an examination of the spatiotemporal changes in benthic communities and the benthic health index indicated that the benthic environment in the bottom culture areas was affected by physical disturbances.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2024

Background: As pollutants caused by non-point sources flow into rivers, river water quality monitoring for fecal pollution is becoming increasingly important. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the distribution of microbial communities in the Yeongsangang River water system and sewage treatment plants in Gwangju and to evaluate their antibiotic resistance. Methods: In the experiment, samples were distributed to five selective media at each point and then cultured for 18 to 24 hours. When bacteria were observed, they were sub-cultured by size and shape and identified using MALDI-TOF MS equipment. When identification was completed, 17 types of antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed using VITEK II equipment, focusing on gram-negative dominant species among the identified strains. Results: During the study period, a total of 266 strains were isolated from 39 samples. Gram-positive bacteria were 37 strains in four genera, or 13.9% of the total, and Gram-negative bacteria were 229 strains in 23 genera, or 86.1% of the total. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of 23 strains, the major dominant species, showed that one strain (4.3%) was resistant to only one antibiotic, and two strains (8.7%) were 100% susceptible to the 17 antibiotics tested. The other 20 strains (87.0%) were multidrug resistant bacteria resistant to two or more antibiotics. There were various types of multidrug resistance. Among them, penicillin and cephalosporin series showed the highest resistance. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, it was found that the bacterial community structure changed according to regional and environmental factors, and it was judged that continuous research such as genetic analysis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria present in natural rivers is necessary.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.180-192
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• 2024

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are found in diverse environments, such as soils, rivers, and seas. Hence, they can be used as bioindicators to assess the water quality based solely on their presence. In this study, we determined the presence of FLA in river water by filtering water samples collected from various sites and culturing the resulting filtrates. FLA were detected in all the water samples with varying quality grades (Grades I-V). The significant increase in the size of the amoebae population with the deterioration in the water quality. Monoxenic cultures of the amoebae were performed, and genomic DNAs were isolated, among which 18S rDNAs were sequenced to identify the amoeba species. Of the 12 species identified, 10 belonged to the Acanthamoeba genus; of the remaining 2 species, one was identified as Vannella croatica and the other as a species of Vermamoeba. Acanthamoeba was detected in samples with Grades I to VI quality, whereas the Vermamoeba species was present only in Grade I water. V. croatica was found exclusively in water with Grade II quality. Following morphological observations, genomic DNA was sequenced using 16S rDNA to determine whether the species of Acanthamoeba harbored endosymbionts. Most of the isolated Acanthamoeba contained endosymbionts, among which 4 species of endogenous bacteria were identified and examined using transmission electron microscopy. This study provides evidence that the distribution of amoebae other than Acanthamoeba may be associated with water quality. However, further confirmation will be required based on accurate water quality ratings and assessments using a more diverse range of FLA.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.285-312
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• 2024

This study aims to secure basic data for the development of locally customized reading culture programs by closely examining and analyzing the reading practices of local library users, their evaluation and improvement of existing reading culture programs, and the types and directions of reading culture programs they would like to see in the future. To this end, a survey was conducted among users of public libraries in the Busan area and the results were analyzed. The survey was conducted online and offline, with 609 respondents. Based on the results of this study, the following implications can be drawn: First, the definition of reading activities is expanding beyond traditional paper books to various digital media, and it is necessary to reflect this change in future program development. Second, as lack of time and lack of information were identified as the main reasons for non-participation in reading activities, libraries and related organizations should offer programs at more flexible times and expand participation opportunities through effective promotion strategies. Third, the continuity and diversity of library reading culture programs should be strengthened, and fourth, they should be differentiated in terms of topics, time, size, and type by age group. Finally, programs should be improved through continuous user surveys. The results of this study can be used as a basis for improving and developing library reading culture programs in the future.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.199-213
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• 2020

Grain size and shape are the two important components contributing to rice yield and quality. To analyze traits related to grain-shape, a total of 272 varieties derived from japonica, japonica black and Tongil-type rice accession in Korea were evaluated in this study. The traits, grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain thickness (GT), length to width ratio (RLW), and 1000-grain weight (TGW) were measured and replicated 10 times. Genes (GW2, GS3, qGL3, qSW5, GS5, TGW6, GW7, and GW8) related to grain-shape were validated in the accessions using specific DNA marker sets. K-mean clustering of the accession based on phenotypic data revealed three groups: group 1 was classified by GW and GT and included most of japonica type, group 2 was classified by RLW and GL reached a medium size and possessed a half spindle-shaped type, and group 3 was classified by TGW, reached a long size and possessed a semi-round shape. In validation tests using the marker sets, both gw2 and tgw6 were validated in less than 1% of the tested accessions and two allelic types, qgl3 and gw8, were only verified in Tongil-type accessions. For GW8 and GW2, any different amplicons were not amplified in any japonica or Tongil-type accessions, respectively. In order to suggest the representative grain-shape gene combinations for each ecotype, the allelic combinations were evaluated by PCR analysis. Cj1 and 2 in japonica (Cj1-7), Cj_b1 and 2 in japonica-black (Cj_b1-3), and CT3 in Tongil-type (CT1-13) turned out to be the dominant combination in each ecotype, respectively. In addition, the results revealed that introgression of four genes (gw2, gs3, qSW5, and GS5) would expand the diversity of grain shape in Korean japonica varieties. The gene combinations information could be utilized practically to understand or enhance grain shape in japonica rice breeding program.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2015

Habitat creation for endangered species Menyanthes trifoliata L. using planting module represents a habitat type such as the rhizome grows horizontally to open water at the margin of the lake. The objectives of this mesocosm experiment are habitat creation with easy construction and low management effort, and to investigate the potential of providing a habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Planting modules had three different substrates of bed soil, perlite and K-SOIL (artificial lightweight soil using bottom ash). These modules were established in two different size of the tub($1170{\times}2250{\times}300mm^3$, $900{\times}1360{\times}190mm^3$). According to the monitoring results, number of leaves and coverage of M. trifoliata showed significant difference with substrate and tub size. The number of leaves showed similar growth responses in bed soil (mean 22.979) and K-SOIL (mean 28.042) substrates but growth was poor in perlite substrate (mean 1.667). The number of leaves in the large tub was more than small tub (p=0.015). Similar responses were obtained with the coverage, the length of rhizome and the number of rhizome in M. trifoliata. A total of 21 taxa of aquatic macroinvertebrates including 1,145 individuals was found in the mesocosm. The Shannon diversity index and colonization index in the mesocosm were similar to the previous studies. These results suggest that the experimental mesocosm could provide sufficient habitats for aquatic macroinvertebrates. If planting modules use bed soil or K-SOIL by planting substrate, establish that taking into account open water surfaces for M. trifoliata growth and manage about 30cm of water depth control, then habitat creation for M. trifoilata will be successful.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.303-313
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• 2020

Rice grain shape is one of the key components of grain yield and market value. An understanding of the genetic basis of the variation in grain shape could be used to improve grain shape. In this study, we developed a total of 265 F₂ individuals derived from a cross between japonica cultivars (Josaeng-jado and Langi) and used this population for quantitative trait locus (QLT) analysis. Correlation analysis was performed to identify relationships between grain traits (GL: grain length, GW: grain width, L/W: ratio of length to width, TGW: 1,000 grain weight). The grain shape was positively correlated with GL and TGW, and negatively correlated with GW. In QTL analysis associated with grain shape, one QTL for GL, qGL5, detected on chromosome 5, explained 20.3% of the phenotypic variation (PV), while two QTLs, qGW5 (PV=36.1) and qGW7 (PV=26.1), for GW were identified on chromosomes 5 and 7, respectively. Evaluation of the effects of each of the QTLs on the grain shape in the population showed a significant difference in the grain size in positive lines compared with the lines without the QTLs. According to the QTL combination of the allelic-types, the grain shape of the tested lines varied from semi-round type to long spindle-shaped type. The results of this study extend our knowledge about the genetic pool governing the diversity of grain shape in japonica cultivars and could be used to improve the grain shape of this species through marker-assisted selective breeding in Korea.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.1-18
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• 2014

Over the past years RFID/SN has been an elementary technology in a diversity of applications for the ubiquitous environments, especially for Internet of Things. However, one of obstacles for widespread deployment of RFID technology is the inherent unreliability of the RFID data streams by tag readers. In particular, the problem of false readings such as lost readings and mistaken readings needs to be treated by RFID middleware systems because false readings ultimately degrade the quality of application services due to the dirty data delivered by middleware systems. As a result, for the higher quality of services, an RFID middleware system is responsible for intelligently dealing with false readings for the delivery of clean data to the applications in accordance with the tag reading environment. One of popular techniques used to compensate false readings is a sliding window filter. In a sliding window scheme, it is evident that determining optimal window size intelligently is a nontrivial important task in RFID middleware systems in order to reduce false readings, especially in mobile environments. In this paper, for the purpose of reducing false readings by intelligent window adaption, we propose a new adaptive RFID data cleaning scheme based on window sliding for a single tag. Unlike previous works based on a binomial sampling model, we introduce the weight averaging. Our insight starts from the need to differentiate the past readings and the current readings, since the more recent readings may indicate the more accurate tag transitions. Owing to weight averaging, our scheme is expected to dynamically adapt the window size in an efficient manner even for non-homogeneous reading patterns in mobile environments. In addition, we analyze reading patterns in the window and effects of decreased window so that a more accurate and efficient decision on window adaption can be made. With our scheme, we can expect to obtain the ultimate goal that RFID middleware systems can provide applications with more clean data so that they can ensure high quality of intended services.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.179-185
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• 2021

Indoor gardening includes wall greening, terrariums, and flower arrangements. Among these types of indoor gardens, the terrarium is easy to access for the general public, but in Korea, because of the focus on esthetics, the original purpose of creating terrariums, which was to grow plants sustainably in an enclosed space, has been lost. In addition, miniaturization of plants is required to grow plants in an enclosed space. Since the available plant species suitable for a terrarium are limited, only plants such as succulents, cacti, and moss have been used. In this study, Bronze (X Graptosedum) was used, and these problems were solved using the following three methods: placement and growth of virus-free plants in the terrarium; extending the diversity of plants with minimal size that can be planted in terrariums; and reducing the price of in vitro plants with minimal size by achieving large-scale production. In particular, tissue-cultured succulents were developed into a Vivorium by replacing the tissue culture container and renewing the composition of the plant. This paper suggests a new indoor horticultural field, Vivorium, that can improve the current limitations of terrariums and make them more accessible to the general public. The introduction and popularization of new indoor gardening fields with the increase in single-person households and indoor activities in the Pandemic era can also improve psychological stability among people and in the society.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.266-279
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• 2019

We investigated the characteristics of fish communities and habitat status of endangered species Rhodeus pseudosericeus in Heuk Stream, a tributary of the Han River, from April to October 2018. During this period, we collected 47 species of 14 families from 10 survey stations using kick nets, cast nets, and long bag set nets. The dominant and subdominant species were Zacco platypus (37.6%) and Z. koreanus (13.8%), respectively. The next most abundant species were Squalidus gracilis majimae (11.1%), Pungtungia herzi (7.7%), Rhodeus pseudosericeus (5.0%), Microphysogobio yaluensis (4.3%), and Hemibarbus longirostris (3.0%). Among the fish collected, 19 species (40.4%) were Korean endemic species. Endangered species were R. pseudosericeus and Acheilognathus signifer while exotic species were Micropterus salmoides and Oncorhynchus mykiss, and land-locked species were Plecoglossus altivelis and Rhinogobius brunneus. The community analysis showed that the dominance and evenness indexes were mostly low and that the diversity and richness indexes were high. Moreover, the river health (index of biological integrity) was mostly excllent (1 site is good, 9 sites are very good). R. pseudosericeus inhabited widely from St. 3 to St. 9 in Heuk Stream, and its population size was large. Age groups for R. pseudosericeus estimated by the frequency distribution of total length in spawning season (April) indicated the 32~45 mm group as 1-year old, the 46~59 mm group as 2-years old, 60~69 mm group as 3-years old, and the 70~89 mm group as 4-years or older. Total length range of male and female was similar, and the sex ratio of female (426) to male (394) was 1 : 0.95. A. signifer, which had been released in Heuk Stream, inhabited from St. 4 to St. 5, but its population size was small. Lastly, this paper discusses a conservation plan for fish in Heuk Stream.