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This study investigates the atmospheric interactions between two closely located typhoons in 2019. Typhoons in the Western Pacific significantly impact Eastern and Southeastern Asian countries, leading to various damages. As global warming is expected to increase typhoon intensity, accurate track forecasting becomes crucial for coastal disaster management. Despite the existing knowledge about the influence of typhoon activities on the atmospheric background, limited research addresses the atmospheric response between two typhoons. The study focuses on the cases of LEKIMA and KROSA, occurring simultaneously in 2019, and utilizes the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for simulations. The experimental setup involves comparing two scenarios: one with both typhoons and one with LEKIMA removed. Results reveal LEKIMA-induced distinctive atmospheric responses, including the closure of the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) boundary and the formulation of a wave train, influencing KROSA’s stagnation. The absence of LEKIMA allows KROSA to move more freely along the steering flow. Furthermore, the study highlights the potential of atmospheric models for understanding typhoon effects at regional to mesoscale levels. A comprehensive analysis of similar cases could enhance typhoon predictions, contributing to better damage mitigation strategies.

With the advances in chemotherapy and immunotherapy, a small subset of patients may be eligible for conversion surgery after achieving tumor regression with chemotherapy. This is a retrospective cohort study of 118 patients with stage IV gastric cancer who received palliative chemotherapy and conversion surgery with a negative resection margin at Samsung Medical Center. Baseline features included comorbidities, body mass index (BMI), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, primary tumor size, biopsy histology, distant metastatic sites, and molecular markers—HER2, MSI/MMR, PD-L1, and EBV. Post-chemotherapy features included BMI, CEA level, chemotherapy regimen, objective response to chemotherapy, and number of preoperative chemotherapy cycles. Post-operational features included tumor size, histologic differentiation and Lauren’s classification, pathologic tumor and nodal stages, invasion of lymphatics/vessels/nerves, peritoneal cytology, and the receipt of postoperative chemotherapy. Of 118 patients, 60 patients received total gastrectomy and 58 patients received subtotal gastrectomy. In all, 21 patients achieved a pathologic complete response, and 97 patients achieved downstaging to yp stage I, II, or III. Before conversion surgery, patients received first-line capecitabine/oxaliplatin (62%), HER2 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy (18%), immune checkpoint inhibitors (15%), and inhibitors of MET or VEGFR2 (5%). In the multivariable analysis, BMI at the time of diagnosis, either HER2 positive, high MSI, or deficient MMR, and the use of targeted agents were significant prognostic factors. Conversion surgery could be considered in patients with stage IV gastric cancer regardless of the initial disease burden. BMI and molecular markers are important prognostic factors that can be used to select candidates.

In terms of medical health, we are currently living in the era of data science, which has brought tremendous change. Big data related to healthcare includes medical data, genome data, and lifelog data. Among medical data, public medical data is very important for actual research and medical policy reflection because it has data on a large number of patients and is representative. However, there are many difficulties in actually using such public health big data and designing a study, and conducting systematic review (SR) on the research topic can help a lot in the methodology. In this review, in addition to the importance of research using big data for the public interest, we will introduce important public medical big data in Korea and show how SR can be specifically applied in research using public medical big data.

ObjectiveIn this study, we evaluated the prevalence of allergic disease in offsprings delivered via the delivery modes of vaginal delivery vs. planned Cesarean section vs. Cesarean section with labor.MethodsThis study included 175 mother-neonate pairs from Severance Hospital who were enrolled in the Cohort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and allergic diseases study. Information regarding prenatal environmental factors, delivery, and diagnosis of allergic diseases was obtained from a questionnaire and medical record review. Patients with at least 3 years of follow-up data were included in this study. Results were adjusted for sex, birth weight, gestational age at birth, season of birth, neonatal intensive care unit admission, parity, breastfeeding, and maternal factors.ResultsA total of 175 offsprings were eligible for analysis. Among the subjects, 52.0% were delivered by vaginal delivery, 34.3% by planned Cesarean section, and 16.6% by Cesarean section with labor. Fifty-nine offsprings (33.7%) were diagnosed with allergic disease at a median age of 1 year (range 0.5–3 years). The prevalence of allergic disease was not associated with delivery mode after adjusting for confounding variables. Time period from membrane rupture to delivery, duration of the active phase, and the beginning of the pelvic division prior to Cesarean section were not associated with allergic disease development in offsprings.ConclusionCesarean section, irrespective of the occurrence of labor before surgery, did not increase the prevalence of allergic disease in infants up to 3 years of age.

The zoophytophagous mirid Nesidiocoris tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae) is one of the biological control agents against the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a major pest of greenhouse crops. The successful establishment of a biological control agent and its co-occurrence with the target pests increases the efficacy of biological control programs in greenhouses. In this study, we explored the effects of different wavelengths of LED light on establishment of N. tenuis in laboratory condition, with the goal of enhancing the biological control of B. tabaci in greenhouse crops. Nesidiocoris tenuis was most strongly attracted by LED light at a wavelength of 385 nm. This same wavelength was also highly attractive to B. tabaci in Y-tube experiments with lights of specific wavelengths provided is each arm of the apparatus. In trials in growth chambers, we verified the attraction of N. tenuis to 385 nm wavelength. When LED light at a wavelength of 385 nm was used in a growth chamber for 6 hours out of 24 hours, it significantly increased the remaining number of N. tenuis in growth chamber and level of predation compared to treatment with white LED light or without LED light. In conclusion, UV-LED light at a wavelength of 385 nm attracts both B. tabaci and N. tenuis. Thus, it would be used for enhancing early establishment of this mirid bug, better spatial congruence of both mirid bug and whitefly, and better control of the whitefly.

Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an economically important insect pest worldwide. Previously, we have reported that most B. tabaci Mediterranean (MED) populations occurring in greenhouse tomatoes in Korea have been displaced from well-differentiated two genetic clusters (C1 and C2) to one (C2) during one-year period. To elucidate factors responsible for this phenomenon, we compared life history parameters of these two different genetic clusters through single and cross mating experiments on two different host plants, cucumber and tobacco, at 26°C. Intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and net reproductive rate (Ro) were significantly higher in the dominating cluster (C2) (0.247, 1.280, and 192.402, respectively on cucumber; 0.226, 1.253, and 133.792, respectively on tobacco) than in the other cluster (C1) (0.149, 1.161, and 50.539, respectively on cucumber; 0.145, 1.156, and 53.332, respectively on tobacco). Overall performances of cross mating groups, C2fC1m (C2 female × C1 male) and C1fC2m (C1 female × C2 male), were in-between those of C2 and C1, with C2fC1m performing better than C1fC2m. Thus, maternal inheritance appeared to be significantly associated with their life history parameters, with partial involvement of paternal inheritance. Our results demonstrated that the rapid displacement of genetic clusters of B. tabaci MED populations was clearly associated with differences in their life history parameters.

Amblyseius eharai is a generalist predatory mite that consumes spider mites, rust mites, thrips, and pollen, with a high adaptability to various plants. To better understand ecological and behavioral aspects of this species, we investigated its functional response to different stages of two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. Furthermore, we compared its environmental adaptability with that of other referenced phytoseiids using a temperature-dependent model of the intrinsic rate of increase. We were able to calculate the functional response parameters of both sexes of A. eharai when preying on eggs or larvae of T. urticae and, for females only, when preying on the deutonymph of T. urticae. Among the various combinations tested herein, A. eharai females preying on T. urticae larvae had the highest attack rate and shortest handling time. For eggs of T. urticae, A. eharai showed a lower attack rate; however, its handling time for eggs was significantly shorter compared to other phytoseiids. Using T. urticae larva as a prey, the attack rate of female A. eharai was higher and the handling time of both sexes of this species was shorter than those of other phytoseiid mites. Amblyseius eharai populations can show maximum performance quickly due to this species' lower optimal temperature for population growth (28.1°C) compared to other phytoseiid mites. Thus, we provided evidence that this predatory mite has the potential to be a new, effective biological control agent of greenhouse pests such as T. urticae due to its high predation capacity and low optimal temperature.

The performance of the conventional beamforming for angle-of-arrival (AOA) estimation algorithm under measurement uncertainty is analyzed. Gaussian random variables are used for modeling measurement noises. Analytic expression of the mean square error (MSE) is obtained via Taylor series expansion. In traditional performance analysis, estimation accuracy in terms of the MSEs is usually obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation, which is computationally intensive especially for large number of repetitions in the Monte Carlo simulation. For reliable MSE in the Monte Carlo simulation, the number of repetitions should be very large. To circumvent this problem, analytic performance analysis which is less computationally intensive than the Monte Carlo simulation-based performance analysis is proposed in this paper. After some approximations, we derive the closed form expression of the mean square error (MSE) for each incident signal. The validity of the derived expressions is shown by comparing an analytic MSE with an empirical MSEs. The Cramer–Rao bound is also used to further validate the derived analytic expression.

In this paper, performance analysis of the cross-eye jamming effect under mechanical defects is dealt with. By using a numerical analysis-based approach, the performance analysis method proposed in this paper is closer to the not approximated empirical mean square difference (MSD) than the first-order Taylor approximation-based performance analysis method and the second-order Taylor approximation-based performance analysis method proposed in previous studies. In other words, the effects of amplitude ratio perturbation and phase difference perturbation on performance degradation are quantitatively analyzed. Note that the numerical integration is adopted to derive an analytic expression of the MSD.

We establish a robust algorithm to analyze the influence of system uncertainties on the transmission error of a spur gear pair under 2D simplification. The algorithm provides a way of generating smooth cutter profiles with machining uncertainties and measuring the thermal deformation through the uncertainties in material properties. Then, it produces realizations of gear tooth profiles based on the analytical method for accuracy and computational efficiency. Numerical investigations show the statistical analysis on the tooth contact analysis by comparing steel and plastic gears. It is worthwhile remarking that the plastic gear is susceptible to the geometric error caused by thermal deformation. Moreover, although the impact of thermal deformation on steel gear may seem slim, it can have a noticeable influence when it exists with mechanical uncertainties together.

Cross-eye gain in cross-eye jamming systems is highly dependent on amplitude ratio and the phase difference between jammer antennas. It is well known that cross-eye jamming is most effective for the amplitude ratio of unity and phase difference of 180 degrees. It is assumed that the instabilities in the amplitude ratio and phase difference can be modeled as zero-mean Gaussian random variables. In this paper, we not only quantitatively analyze the effect of amplitude ratio instability and phase difference instability on performance degradation in terms of reduction in cross-eye gain but also proceed with analytical performance analysis based on the first order and second-order Taylor expansion.

An enhanced smoothed l0-norm algorithm for the passive phased array system, which uses the covariance matrix of the received signal, is proposed in this paper. The SL0 (smoothed l0-norm) algorithm is a fast compressive-sensing-based DOA (direction-of-arrival) estimation algorithm that uses a single snapshot from the received signal. In the conventional SL0 algorithm, there are limitations in the resolution and the DOA estimation performance, since a single sample is used. If multiple snapshots are used, the conventional SL0 algorithm can improve performance in terms of the DOA estimation. In this paper, a covariance-fitting-based SL0 algorithm is proposed to further reduce the number of optimization variables when using multiple snapshots of the received signal. A cost function and a new null-space projection term of the sparse recovery for the proposed scheme are presented. In order to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, we present the simulation results and the experimental results based on the measured data.

BackgroundTo assess the multidisciplinary aspects of pain, various self-rating questionnaires have been developed, but there have not been sufficient relevant studies on this topic in South Korea. The aim of this study was to develop a new pain sensitivity-related questionnaire in the Korean language that would be simple and would well reflect Koreans' senses.MethodsA new pain assessment questionnaire was developed through a pre-survey on "geop", which is the Korean word expressing fear, anxiety, or catastrophizing. We named the new assessment questionnaire the Geop-Pain Questionnaire (GPQ). The GPQ was composed of 15 items divided into three categories and rated on a 5-point scale. As a preliminary study, internal consistency and test-retest reliability analyses were conducted. Subsequently, 109 individuals completed the GPQ along with three pain-related questionnaires translated into Korean (Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire [PSQ], Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale [PASS], and Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS]), and the correlations were analyzed.ResultsAll items in the GPQ showed appropriate internal consistency, and the test-retest reliability analysis showed no statistically significant differences. The correlations between the GPQ and the existing questionnaires revealed that the GPQ scores had mid-positive correlations with the PSQ scores and strong positive correlations with the PASS and PCS scores.ConclusionsThis study attempted to develop a questionnaire assessing pain sensitivity multidimensionally using the Korean word geop for the first time. The self-rating GPQ showed high correlations with the existing questionnaires and demonstrated potential to be utilized as a pain prediction index in clinical practice.

The sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a major agricultural pest that causes economic damages worldwide. In particular, B. tabaci MED (Mediterranean) has resulted in serious economic losses in tomato production of Korea. In this study, 1,145 B. tabaci MED females from 35 tomato greenhouses in different geographic regions were collected from 2016 to 2018 (17 populations in 2016, 13 in 2017, and five in 2018) and analyzed to investigate their population genetic structures using eight microsatellite markers. The average number of alleles per population (NA) ranged from 2.000 to 5.875, the expected heterozygosity (HE) ranged from 0.218 to 0.600, the observed heterozygosity (HO) ranged from 0.061 to 0.580, and the fixation index inbreeding coefficient (FIS) ranged from -0.391 to 0.872 over the three years of the study. Some significant correlation (p < 0.05) was present between genetic differentiations (FST) and geographical distance, and a comparatively high proportion of variation was found among the B. tabaci MED populations. The B. tabaci MED populations were divided into two well-differentiated genetic clusters within different geographic regions. Interestingly, its genetic structures converged into one genetic cluster during just one year. The reasons for this genetic change were speculated to arise from different fitness, insecticide resistance, and insect movement by human activities.

Direction finding has been extensively studied over the past decades and a number of algorithms have been developed. In direction finding, theoretic performance prediction is a fundamental problem. This paper addresses the performance analysis issue of interferometer-based 2D angle of arrival estimation using uniform circular array (UCA). We propose an analytic method for performance analysis of interferometer in the presence of Gaussian or uniform error in phase measurement of incident signal on each sensor. The analytic mean square error (MSE), which is approximately equal to the MSE of actual interferometer-based DOA estimation, is derived via Taylor expansion and approximation. The derived analytic MSE is useful for predicting how the MSE of the interferometer-based DOA estimation algorithm is dependent on the phase measurement error.

A long-lasting phytoplankton bloom, characterized by high chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations in an eddy-like feature, was detected in MODIS satellite imagery of the northwestern Pacific following the passage of Typhoon Krosa in August 2019. Satellite datasets, Argo measurements, and regional ocean models were analyzed to determine the occurrence and abundance of high-Chl-a concentrations and the upper-ocean conditions associated with them before and after the passage of the typhoon. Remote sensing data revealed that the typhoon triggered sharp increases in surface Chl-a concentrations more than five times the pre-typhoon average, which lasted for two weeks. The elevated post-typhoon concentrations coincided with a pre-existing oceanic cyclone that was detected as an altimetry-based sea surface height anomaly. The typhoon looped around the oceanic cyclone and lingered for two days at slow speeds (less than 2 m/s), producing an unusual sea-surface cooling of up to approximately 9 °C in the cyclonic eddy region. Our model successfully captured the typhoon-induced cold-core cyclonic circulation, which corresponded to the region of high Chl-a concentration. Model–data comparisons revealed that the looping motion of the slow-moving typhoon enhanced the pre-existing cyclonic circulation, resulting in strong vertical mixing and upwelling, consequently initiating a phytoplankton bloom due to increased nutrient supply to the euphotic zone.

Genetic parameters of Berkshire pigs for reproduction, carcass and meat quality traits were estimated using the records from a breeding farm in Korea. For reproduction traits, 2,457 records of the total number of piglets born (TNB) and the number of piglets born alive (NBA) from 781 sows and 53 sires were used. For two carcass traits which are carcass weight (CW) and backfat thickness (BF) and for 10 meat quality traits which are pH value after 45 minutes (pH45m), pH value after 24 hours (pH24h), lightness in meat color (LMC), redness in meat color (RMC), yellowness in meat color (YMC), moisture holding capacity (MHC), drip loss (DL), cooking loss (CL), fat content (FC), and shear force value (SH), 1,942 pig records were used to estimate genetic parameters. The genetic parameters for each trait were estimated using VCE program with animal model. Heritability estimates for reproduction traits TNB and NBA were 0.07 and 0.06, respectively, for carcass traits CW and BF were 0.37 and 0.57, respectively and for meat traits pH45m, pH24h, LMC, RMC, YMC, MHC, DL, CL, FC, and SH were 0.48, 0.15, 0.19, 0.36, 0.28, 0.21, 0.33, 0.45, 0.43, and 0.39, respectively. The estimate for genetic correlation coefficient between CW and BF was 0.27. The Genetic correlation between pH24h and meat color traits were in the range of −0.51 to −0.33 and between pH24h and DL and SH were −0.41 and −0.32, respectively. The estimates for genetic correlation coefficients between reproductive and meat quality traits were very low or zero. However, the estimates for genetic correlation coefficients between reproductive traits and drip and cooking loss were in the range of 0.12 to 0.17 and −0.14 to −0.12, respectively. As the estimated heritability of meat quality traits showed medium to high heritability, these traits may be applicable for the genetic improvement by continuous measurement. However, since some of the meat quality traits showed negative genetic correlations with carcass traits, an appropriate breeding scheme is required that carefully considers the complexity of genetic parameters and applicability of data.

In this paper, a compressive sensing-based data fitting direction-of-departure/direction-of-arrival (DOD/DOA) estimation algorithm is proposed to apply the superior performance of compressive sensing method to the bistatic MIMO sonar systems. The algorithm proposed in this paper optimizes the output data via convex optimization-based sparse recovery, so that it is possible to estimate the DOD and the DOA for each target accurately. In order to minimize the amount of computation, the cost function with constraint condition is implemented in this paper. Furthermore, the constraint condition parameter of the cost function is analytically derived. Through various simulations, it is shown that the superior DOD and DOA estimation performance of the proposed algorithm and that the analytical derivation of the constraint condition parameter is useful for determination of regularization parameter.

Since successful reforestation after the 1970s, Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) forests have become the most important coniferous forests in Korea. However, the scarcity of evidence for biodiversity responses hinders understanding of the conservation value of Korean red pine forests. This study was conducted to explore the patterns of carabid beetle diversity and assemblage structures between broad-leaved deciduous forests and P. densiflora forests in the temperate region of central Korea. Carabid beetles were sampled by pitfall trapping from 2013 to 2014. A total of 66 species were identified from 9541 carabid beetles. Species richness in broad-leaved deciduous forests was significantly higher than that in pine forests. In addition, the species composition of carabid beetles in broad-leaved deciduous forests differed from that of P. densiflora forests. More endemic, brachypterous, forest specialists, and carnivorous species were distributed in broad-leaved deciduous forests than in P. densiflora forests. Consequently, carabid beetle assemblages in central Korea are distinctively divided by forest type based on ecological and biological traits (e.g., endemisim, habitat types, wing forms, and feeding guilds). However, possible variation of the response of beetle communities to the growth of P. densiflora forests needs to be considered for forest management based on biodiversity conservation in temperate regions, because conifer plantations in this study are still young, i.e., approximately 30–40-years old.

Since the citrus flatid planthopper, Metcalfa pruinosa (Say), was introduced in Korea and many European countries, it has caused serious damage to various agricultural crops and landscape plants. Metcalfa pruinosa hibernates as eggs beneath the bark and in cracks of tree branches, and then substantial numbers of the first instar nymphs fall from the trees and move to other host plants. Knowing the timing of egg hatching and falling of the first instar nymphs would be key for controlling M. pruinosa. In this study, the hatching of overwintered M. pruinosa eggs and falling of the first instar nymphs from trees were monitored in several areas of Korea. These data were modeled with two starting points for degree-day accumulation, 1 January and 18 March, with a lower development threshold of 10.1 °C. The egg hatching and first instar falling models both used 1 January because the starting point performed better. The 50% appearance and falling times of the first instar nymphs were predicted to be 360.50 DD and 452.23 DD from 1 January, respectively, indicating that newly hatched nymphs stayed on the trees for about a week (i.e., 91.74 DD). Using these models, changes in the population density of the first instar nymphs of M. pruinosa on the trees were simulated, and the optimal control time range targeting the nymphs on the trees was deduced. The control time for nymphs on ground plants bordering the trees was suggested by the first instar falling model, along with observations of population density on the ground plants.

This paper proposes a new method to get explicit expressions of some quantities associated with performance analysis of the maximum likelihood DOA algorithm in the presence of an additive Gaussian noise on the antenna elements. The motivation of the paper is to make a quantitative analysis of the ML DOA algorithm in the case of multiple incident signals. We present a simple method to derive a closed-form expression of the MSE of the DOA estimate based on the Taylor series expansion. Based on the Taylor series expansion and approximation, we get explicit expressions of the MSEs of estimates of azimuth angles of all incident signals. The validity of the derived expressions is shown by comparing the analytic results with the simulation results.

We consider the performance analysis of the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm for multiple incident signals when the uniform linear array (ULA) is adopted for estimation of the azimuth of each incident signal. We derive closed-form expression of the estimation error for each incident signal. After some approximations, we derive closed-form expression of the mean square error (MSE) for each incident signal. In the MUSIC algorithm, the eigenvectors of covariance matrix are used for calculation of the MUSIC spectrum. Our derivation is based on how the eigenvectors of the sample covariance matrix are related to those of the true covariance matrix. The main contribution of this paper is the reduction in computational complexity for the performance analysis of the MUSIC algorithm in comparison with the traditional Monte−Carlo simulation-based performance analysis. The validity of the derived expressions is shown using the numerical results. Future work includes an extension to performance analysis of the MUSIC algorithm for simultaneous estimation of the azimuth and the elevation.

We consider the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of the frequency hopping (FH) signal. The frequency hopping (FH) signal has been widely used for communication to control UAVs. Since the frequency of the FH signal is continuously changing, a mismatch may occur between the actual frequency of the received signal and the nominal frequency of the array manifold. In this paper, the azimuth and elevation estimation error in DOA estimation due to frequency mismatch are analytically derived. It is shown that the azimuth error is equal to zero and that elevation error depends on true elevation angle of the incident signal, rather than the true azimuth angle of the incident signal. The elevation error is also dependent on the actual frequency and the nominal frequency.

Amplitude-comparison monopulse radar in tracking radar uses the tracking scheme of a monopulse radar to estimate the angle components of a target. The performance of the amplitude comparison monopulse radar under measurement uncertainty is analysed. Measurement noises are modelled as Gaussian random variables. Taylor series expansion is adopted to get analytic expression of the mean square error (MSE). Estimation accuracy, in terms of the MSEs for estimate the direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm, is usually obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation, which can be computationally intensive especially for large number of repetitions in the Monte Carlo simulation. To get reliable MSE in the Monte Carlo simulation, the number of repetitions should be very large, which implies that there is a trade-off between reliability of the MSE and computational burden in the Monte Carlo simulation. This paper shows the performance of amplitude comparison monopulse radar by linear approximation of nonlinear equations to estimate the DOA. The performance of amplitude comparison monopulse radar is quantitatively analysed via the MSEs, and the derived expression is validated by comparing the analytic MSEs with the simulation based MSEs. In addition, it is shown in the numerical results that analytically derived MSE is much less computationally intensive in comparison with the Monte Carlo simulation-based MSE, which implies that the proposed scheme in this paper results in drastic reduction in computational complexity for evaluation of the MSE.

A genome wide association study was conducted using estimated breeding value (EBV) for milk production traits from 1st to 4th lactation. Significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were selected for each trait and the differences were compared by lactation. DNA samples were taken from 456 animals with EBV which are Holstein proven bulls whose semen is being sold or the daughters of old proven bulls whose semen is no longer being sold in Korea. High density genome wide SNP genotype was investigated and the significance of markers associated with traits was tested using the breeding value estimated by a multiple lactation model as a dependent variant. As the result of significance comparisons by lactations, several differences were found between the first lactation and subsequent lactations (from second to 4th lactation). A similar trend was noted in mean deviation and correlation of the estimated effects by lactation. Since there was a difference in the genes associated with EBV for each trait between first and subsequent lactations, a multi-lactation model in which lactation is considered as a different trait is genetically useful. Also, significant markers in all lactations and common markers for different traits were detected, which can be used as markers for quantitative trait loci exploration and marker assisted selection in milk production traits.

We address the performance analysis of the maximum likelihood (ML) direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm in the case of azimuth/elevation estimation of two incident signals using the uniform circular array (UCA). Based on the Taylor series expansion and approximation, we get explicit expressions of the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the azimuths and elevations. The validity of the derived expressions is shown by comparing the analytic results with the simulation results. The derivation in this paper is further verified by illustrating the consistency of the analytic results with the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB).

Genetics is important for breeding and selection of horses but there is a lack of well-established horse-related browsers or databases. In order to better understand horses, more variants and other integrated information are needed. Thus, we construct a horse genomic variants database including expression and other information. Horse Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Expression Database (HSDB) (http://snugenome2.snu.ac.kr/HSDB) provides the number of unexplored genomic variants still remaining to be identified in the horse genome including rare variants by using population genome sequences of eighteen horses and RNA-seq of four horses. The identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were confirmed by comparing them with SNP chip data and variants of RNA-seq, which showed a concordance level of 99.02% and 96.6%, respectively. Moreover, the database provides the genomic variants with their corresponding transcriptional profiles from the same individuals to help understand the functional aspects of these variants. The database will contribute to genetic improvement and breeding strategies of Thoroughbreds.

Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a serious polyphagous agricultural pest worldwide. In the present study, we used eight microsatellite markers to investigate the genetic structure and diversity of A. gossypii populations in Korea. Samples were collected from 37 locations in Korea (18 populations in 2016, 14 populations in 2017, and five populations in 2018) from pepper plants. A. gossypii had low to moderate genetic diversity, and expected heterozygosity (HE) ranged from 0.354 to 0.719. A Mantel test of isolation by distance indicated no relationship between genetic structure and geographic distance among all populations (r2 = 0.0004, p = 0.370), suggesting high gene flow among populations in Korea. Populations of A. gossypii in Korea were divided into two distinct genetic clusters (ΔK = 2). In 2016 and 2017, the genetic clusters changed into opposite genetic structures within one year mostly in northwest and southeast parts of Korea. Possible relevance of study results was discussed. Chemical control, cyclical parthenogenesis, and immigrants from the exterior might have resulted in this low genetic diversity and opposite genetic clusters.

Since the first report on its occurrence in 2010, Ricania shantungensis Chou & Lu in Korea has quickly spread. This pest population in agricultural areas has increased by over 100% each year and has caused serious economic damage in the last few years. This study was conducted to predict the potential habitat and the current and future distribution of R. shantungensis in Korea using CLIMEX and the Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt), and to suggest a new parameter selection method for both modeling programs. Weights of variables used in CLIMEX and those used in MaxEnt were determined using spatial association indices of spatial analysis by distance indices (SADIE). Weather data of Zhejiang province in China and those of all Korean territories were compared with Climate Matching in CLIMEX. MaxEnt was applied and evaluated with 295 data points on the presence and absence of R. shantungensis and eight environmental variables that were preselected by spatial and correlation tests. In MaxEnt, maximum temperature of the warmest month, annual mean temperature, mean temperature of the coldest month, and precipitation of the driest month were determined to be the most important variables affecting the distribution of R. shantungensis in Korea. The results of this study indicated that R. shantungensis had a higher probability of occurrence in western areas than in eastern areas of Korea, and showed great potential to spread eastward. These results are expected to be helpful for managing R. shantungensis in Korea and selecting relevant environmental variables for species distribution modeling.

In Korea, Mycoplasma pneumoniae was detected in 255/2,089 respiratory specimens collected during 2000–2011; 80 isolates carried 23S rRNA gene mutations, and 69/123 culture-positive samples with the mutation were resistant to 5 macrolides. During 2000–2011, prevalence of the mutation increased substantially. These findings have critical implications for the treatment of children with mycoplasma pneumonia.

Bradycardia may occur during spinal anesthesia with atropine commonly used as a treatment. A 44-year-old female with no known history of any underlying diseases, developed a coronary spasm following ventricular tachycardia when 0.5 mg of atropine was injected intravenously to treat bradycardia during spinal anesthesia. The imbalance caused by atropine in the sympathovagal activity may predispose the coronary artery to develop spasms with ventricular tachycardia. Therefore prudent use of atropine should be accompanied by close monitoring.

BackgroundHemodynamic optimization improves postoperative outcomes in high-risk surgery patients. The monitoring of cardiac output (CO) and dynamic parameters of fluid responsiveness can guide hemodynamic optimization. We conducted a survey to assess the current hemodynamic monitoring and management practices of Korean anesthesiologists during high-risk surgery.MethodsE-mails containing a link to our survey, which consisted of 33 questions relating to hemodynamic monitoring during high-risk surgery, were sent to 3,943 members of the Korean Society of Anesthesiologists (KSA). The survey web page was open from December 30, 2011 to March 31, 2012.ResultsA total of 139 anesthesiologists responded during the survey period. Invasive arterial pressure (97.2%) and central venous pressure (93.4%) were routinely monitored. CO was monitored in 58.5% of patients; stroke volume variations were monitored in 50.9% of patients. However, CO was consistently optimized by < 20% of anesthesiologists. An arterial pressure waveform-derived CO monitor was the most frequently used device to monitor CO (79.0%). Blood pressure, urine output, central venous pressure, and clinical experience were considered to be the best indicators of volume expansion than CO or dynamic parameters of fluid responsiveness.ConclusionsThe survey revealed that KSA members frequently monitor CO and dynamic parameters of fluid responsiveness during high-risk surgery. However, static indices were used more often to judge volume expansion. The current study reveals that CO is not frequently optimized despite the relatively high incidence of CO monitoring during high-risk surgery in Korea.

Complete atrioventricular (AV) block is defined as a dissociation of atrial and ventricular activities. Complete AV block that occurs during the perioperative period is difficult to reverse and usually requires implantation of a pacemaker. Propofol does not affect a normal AV conduction system but may act as a trigger for AV block. It can also potentiate vagal stimulation factors and reduce sympathetic activity. We report a case of complete AV block that may have been related to administration of propofol.

Both herbivores that consume transgenic crops and their predators can be exposed to insecticidal proteins expressed in those crops. We conducted a tritrophic bioassay to evaluate the ecotoxicological impacts that Bt cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) expressing Cry1Ac1 protein might have on the wolf spider (Pardosa astrigera), a non-target generalist predator. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays indicated that protein levels were 4.61 ng g(-1) dry weight in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) fed with the transgenic cabbage and 1.86 ng g(-1) dry weight in the wolf spiders that preyed upon them. We also compared the life history traits of spiders collected from Bt versus non-Bt cabbage and found no significant differences in their growth, survival, and developmental rates. Because Bt cabbage did not affect the growth of fruit flies, we conclude that any indirect effects that this crop had on the wolf spider were probably not mediated by prey quality. Therefore, exposure to Cry1Ac1 protein when feeding upon prey containing that substance from transgenic cabbage has only a negligible influence on those non-target predatory spiders.

BackgroundChronic postoperative pain (CPOP) is defined as pain of at least 2 months duration after a surgical procedure. Until recently, it has been a neglected topic, because it can occur after a wide spectrum of operations; however, little is known regarding its underlying mechanism, prevalence, risk factors, and treatments. We investigated characteristics of CPOP after various operations via a questionnaire.MethodsPatients were contacted at > 2 months after surgery, irrespective of sex, type of operation or anesthesia method, and a follow-up pain questionnaire was administered by phone.ResultsOne hundred forty-five of 400 patients (36.3%) described CPOP. The prevalence of CPOP was significantly lower in laparoscopic surgery (29/159, 18.2%) than open surgery (116/241, 48.1%). The prevalence of CPOP was higher with the use of PCA (patient controlled analgesia), (45.3%) than without PCA (24.6%). There were no significant differences regarding sex, anesthetic method, or duration of operation.ConclusionsOur results indicate that the prevalence of CPOP may be related to use of an endoscope and PCA. However, it is difficult to completely explain the correlation, because this is a complex area of research. More research is needed to improve the quality of pain relief.

Forty three cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) accessions (cultivars and lines) were tested against the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch) and kanzawa spider mite (Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida). The highest number of T. urticae and T. kanzawai eggs /female/ day (5.98, and 6.23 respectively) was recorded on the cucumber genotype Blackish Green while the lowest eggs/female/day (2.95 and 3.31) was recorded on Winter Long Green (WLG) for T. urticae and T. kanzawai respectively. On a scale of 1 to 5, the highest visual damage rating was recorded on Blackish Green (4.75 for T. urticae and 4.78 for T. kanzawai) and the lowest damages rating of 1.50 and 1.70 were recorded on WLG for T. urticae and T. kanzawai respectively. Instead of distinct categories of resistance and/or susceptibility, an array of responses (number of eggs laid/female/ day and damage rating) was recorded on the tested cucumber accessions, suggesting two or more genes with additive effects. Based on our findings, Blackish Green was foud to be a susceptible cultivar and Winter Long Green proved to be a resistant one. These two cultivars could be used as a differential host in further studies. Among the Korean cucumber lines, K-4, K-6, and K-20 where found susceptible while K-1, K-2, K-13, and K-15 exhibited some type of resistance to the two mite species.

The interscalene brachial plexus block is not commonly used in pediatric regional anesthesia. The increasing popularity of ultrasound has allowed more anesthesiologists to perform regional anesthesia with high success rates in pediatric patients with the direct visualization of the target nerve and spread of local anesthetics. We present a case of interscalene brachial plexus block under ultrasound guidance in a 17-month-old child with acute drug-induced hepatitis who required fixation of a fracture of the lateral humeral condyle.

We note that the cost function of the MUSIC (multiple signal classification) algorithm is quadratic in an array vector and that it can be expressed in a least squares form. Based on this observation, we present a rigorous Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) formulation of the MUSIC algorithm for simultaneous estimation of an azimuth and an elevation. We show a convergence property and compare the performance of the LM-based MUSIC algorithm with that of the standard MUSIC algorithm via Monte-Carlo simulation. We also compare the performance of the MUSIC algorithm with that of the Capon algorithm both for the standard implementation and for the LM-based implementation.