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Understanding climatic effect on wildlife is essential to prediction and management of climate change's impact on the ecosystem. The climatic effect can interact with other environmental factors. This study was aimed to determine effects of climate and altitude on Siberian roe deer Capreolus pygargus activity in temperate forests of South Korea. We conducted camera trapping to investigate roe deer's activity level from spring to fall. Logistic regressions were used to determine effects of diel period, temperature, rain, and altitude on the activity level. A negative relationship was noted between temperature and the activity level due to thermoregulatory costs. Roe deer activity exhibited nocturnal and crepuscular patterns during summer and the other seasons, respectively, possibly due to heat stress in summer. In addition, the effect of temperature differed between high‐ and low‐altitude areas. In low‐altitude areas, temperature affected negatively the activity level throughout the study period. Conversely, in high‐altitude areas, temperature affected activity level only in summer and early fall. Lower temperatures in higher altitudes favoured roe deer activity, resulting in roe deer's preference towards higher altitude areas. However, roe deer's movement toward lower altitudes was observed in summer. Reduced heat stress by changing activity pattern allowed them to access lower altitude areas with greater resource availability during summer. This study revealed how roe deer activity varied across seasons and altitudes, considering the interactions among weather, microclimate and resource availability. It provides insight into how montane species adapt to various climatic conditions, and this could have important implications for wildlife management and conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body mass of animals is directly or indirectly affected by multiple ecological factors. However, the effects of ecological factors on the body mass are controversial, and a comprehensive study dealing diverse ecological factors is rare. This study was performed to determine the effects of ecological factors on the body mass of small rodents in a natural deciduous forest located on Mt Gariwang, Pyeongchang and Jeongseon, South Korea from May 2019 to October 2020. We classified ecological factors into topographic, climatic, cover and demographic factors. Three forest‐dwelling small rodent species, striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius, Korean field mouse A. peninsulae and red‐backed vole Myodes regulus, were captured using the capture–mark–recapture method. The findings showed that the body mass of three rodent species was not regulated by topographic factors. In addition, a high ambient temperature resulted in a heavy body mass for A. agrarius and A. peninsulae, and the A. agrarius body mass was negatively affected by extreme rainfall. The body mass of each rodent species had a specific response to the cover factors: ground vegetation, understory vegetation or downed trees. The three species showed sexual dimorphism and two Apodemus species competed each other. This study reveals that ecological factors affecting body mass differ among species. Our findings contribute to enhancing the understanding of variation in the body mass of animals, particularly small rodents, in response to diverse ecological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of animal distribution are determined by interactions between the resource requirements of animals and ecological factors. This study sought to evaluate the effects of diverse ecological factors on the home range and core area of red-backed voles (Myodes regulus) in a natural deciduous forest located on Mt. Gariwang, Pyeongchang and Jeongseon, South Korea. Our study focused on four types of ecological factors: topography, climate, cover, and demography. A total of 29 voles were radio-tracked from August to September 2021. Home range (95% utilization distribution; UD) and core area (50% UD) were calculated using the kernel density estimator (KDE). The home range (1659.49 m2) and core area (317.08 m2) were negatively affected by altitude. The lunar phase and temperature negatively and positively influenced the home range and core area, respectively. The home range was positively affected by understory vegetation, whereas the core area was not. The core area increased within microhabitats with a high density of conspecific individuals, with males having a larger home range (2006.19 m2) and core area (375.40 m2) than females (1043.13 m2 and 213.39 m2, respectively). These findings provide a deeper understanding of the diverse ecological factors affecting the distributions of animals, especially small rodents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effects of altitudinal gradients on small-rodent populations and microhabitat conditions. We selected three altitudinal bands: lowland, mid-land, and highland. We captured three small-rodent species, the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), the Korean field mouse (A. peninsulae), and the red-backed vole (Myodes regulus). A. agrarius preferred microhabitats with dense ground vegetation and sparse mid-story vegetation, basal area, downed trees, and stone coverage. A. peninsulae utilized ground vegetation, overstory vegetation, and downed trees. M. regulus occupied microhabitats with abundant stone coverage and little ground vegetation coverage. Ground vegetation coverage was higher in the mid-land. The lowland was characterized by high understory vegetation, bulky downed trees, and high stone coverage. A. agrarius mostly occupied the mid-land, whereas A. peninsulae and M. regulus mainly inhabited the lowland. Our results show that each small-rodent species had its own strategy for utilizing the key habitat factors in altitudinally affected microhabitats and for reducing competition among the populations. This finding contributes to improving knowledge of the ecological altitudinal features of microhabitat conditions, as well as the altitudinal distributions and abundances of three small-rodent species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the sett characteristics and habitat variables of the Asian badger Meles leucurus in a temperate forest in South Korea. Logistic regression models were utilized to explain the effects of habitat variables on the location of badger setts. The presence of rocks and trees nearby and of dense ground vegetation and sub-overstory vegetation were correlated positively with sett location. Abundance of setts was higher in deciduous forest compared with coniferous forest, mixed forest and non-forest. The animals showed a preference for a steeper slope of sett location, which likely allows for easier removal of soil during sett settling, as well as improved drainage in that area. In low and high altitudinal areas disturbed by humans, a lower abundance of setts was found. Thus, selection of sett location was strongly influenced by structures around the setts, vegetation cover, forest type, slope and altitude. These variables should be considered and handled carefully though forest management for the conservation of the mammals and their habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we set out to determine the cascade effects of slope gradient on ground vegetation and small-rodent populations in a forest ecosystem. We focused on two forest-dwelling small rodents with different habitat requirements, the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius (preferring dense ground vegetation) and the Korean field mouse A. peninsulae (dense forest and woodland). The study area comprised natural deciduous forests and Japanese larch Larix kaempferi plantations in South Korea. The abundance of A. agrarius but not that of A. peninsulae was related to slope gradient. There was a negative effect of slope gradient on ground vegetation coverage and a positive effect of ground vegetation on A. agrarius populations. Our results highlight that the population of A. agrarius was indirectly influenced by the negative effects of slope gradient on ground vegetation. Slope gradient can, therefore, be a limiting factor in the microhabitats occupied by small rodents. This study reveals a critical role for slope gradient since it can modify not only microhabitat conditions, but also small-rodent populations, and this finding can contribute to improved microhabitat management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviewed efficient bridge management using UAVs (Unmanned Arial Vehicles) that have much potential for facility maintenance such as the possibility of regular inspection on inaccessible parts of bridges, easy operation regardless of the operators' specialty, and economic maintenance. For this study, images were obtained from a UAV and a 3D viewer was created with them for the work efficiency of bridge inspectors, so that the inspectors can see and check inaccessible areas regardless of inspector's location. It compared various existing inspection methods for problems such as cracks, efflorescence and leakage with the UAV inspection method to analyze the work efficiency as well as sustainable economic benefit. The main purpose of this study was to figure out whether the proposed inspection using the images from the UAV and 3D viewer can replace the existing inspection methods that cannot be performed easily and analyze the economic benefit of the new method. The study result showed that the UAV image-based bridge maintenance and inspection is possible even though it was found inefficient when images of uneven quality were provided depending on operation of the UAV. Therefore, a UAV operation manual that can help generate images of even quality must be produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lee, J.K.; Lee, I., and Kim, J.O., 2017. Analysis on tidal channels based on UAV photogrammetry: Focused on the west coast, South Korea case analysis. In: Lee, J.L.; Griffiths, T.; Lotan, A.; Suh, K.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), The 2nd International Water Safety Symposium. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 79, pp. 199-203. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In the coastal waters of the Republic of Korea, the incidence of marine vessel accidents has been increasing in recent years, due to increased maritime traffic and complex terrain conditions. With the proliferation of marine leisure activities and the maritime conditions such as tides, rocks, typhoons, tsunamis, there are various types of marine accidents that have not been experienced before. Therefore, it is imperative to establish an information based system (like digital map or 3D distribution map) that can be utilized in marine safety fields such as accident and disaster prevention. In this investigation, it will be discussed the safety mapping for tidal channel connected directly with human life. A tidal channel is a waterway where occurs by the process of ebb tide and flood tide in the tidal flats. Since the shape (included exact depth) of tidal channel cannot be identified when a tide comes in, it must be considered as the main causes of the summer drowning fatalities. A map for tidal channel has been proposed by a 3D distribution map that can be identified the shape and location of tidal channel, and also, this map should be offered to marine tourist and maritime safety authority. A cartography based on image collected by manned aerial Photogrammetry or satellite has the insoluble limitations in terms of economy, time constraint and periodic for measurement. Due to temporary erratic overflow through the tidal amplitude, the information for tidal channel cannot be monitored in real time. Therefore, in the present investigation, a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) recently been actively used in the field of spatial information is considered in analyzing the status of tidal channel. First of all, the DEM (Digital Elevation Model) of tidal flats generates through UAV based auto-image, the distribution map for tidal channel expresses different colors by the height of topographic. A tidal channel encoding specific color (normally red) can be provided dangerous signal to the user. It can be identified the sea leveling at the certain time that can be measured whole shape of tidal channels, and also, provided a more realistic and readable information on tidal flats. The information provided through the tidal channel map was verified by comparison with the VRS GPS positioning solution. Since information such as the exact distribution location and shape should be considered as the first priority, the coordinates of the tidal channel was compared with the previously proven method, VRS GPS. As a result, it is determined that the location of attribute information and the 3D shape analysis value analyzed by UAV image can fully provide information within the convergence range. In this investigation, UAV image can be estimated on the location and shape of tidal channel by observing exactly at the time zone for flood tide. It can be fully expected that the UAV is contributed to preventing the marine accident in advance by maximizing the latent properties with regards to periodicity, accuracy, operation convenience and economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GNSS signal multipath occurs when the GNSS signal reflects of objects in the antenna environment and arrives at the antenna via multiple paths. A bridge environment is one that is prone to multipath with the bridge structure, as well as passing vehicles providing static and dynamic sources of multipath. In this paper, the Wavelet Transform (WT) is applied to bridge data collected on the Machang cable stayed bridge in Korea. The WT algorithm was applied to the GNSS derived bridge defection data at the mid-span. Up to 41% improvement in RMS was observed afterwavelet shrinkage de-noisingwas applied.Application of this algorithm to the torsion data showed significant improvement with the residual average and RMS decreased by 40% and 45% respectively. This method enabled the generation of more accurate information for bridge health monitoring systems in terms of the analysis of frequency, mode shape and three dimensional defections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Internet music market is a new profit-making entity and is growing rapidly due to its extension into the mobile device market. Introduction of the portable multimedia player (PMP), which is the next generation of MP3-players, will influence a customer’s audio and video service preference. The Internet music market needs to develop a new business model (BM) for PMPs. This article examines new BMs for customer preference via a conjoint analysis. In addition, we investigate customers’ willingness to pay (WTP) using a multinomial logit model. The study helps with the decision-making procedure for designing a BM adaptable to new technology development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Kim, J.O. and Lee, J.K., 2021. Urban flood inundation simulation based on high-precision 3D modeling. In: Lee, J.L.; Suh, K.-S.; Lee, B.; Shin, S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Crisis and Integrated Management for Coastal and Marine Safety. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 114, pp. 454–458. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Flooding is a frequently occurring climate-related natural disaster that affects several people worldwide. In recent years, severe natural disasters have occurred due to unusual weather, and the damage caused by such disasters has increased significantly because of high population densities and the presence of large buildings in coastal urban areas. The spatial characteristics of urban floods are becoming more complex due to widespread changes in land use, such as in the construction of buildings, roads, and drainage networks. In particular, factors that affect urban flood modeling include the location and geometry of buildings. Hydrological models can adequately simulate both surface and subsurface processes at the watershed level; however, most models cannot accurately simulate urban flooding without 3D city modeling. A 3D simulation of computation results is thus necessary for practical applications. In recent years, flood simulation technology has been used to build 3D virtual environments based on data such as high definition (HD) maps, LiDAR point clouds, and drone images. The primary objective of this study was to develop and simulate an urban flood based on 3D city modeling. The 3D city model was tested for a coastal city in the Republic of Korea. Results of case studies indicate a reasonable match between the observed and modeled flood spatial extents and highlight the importance of considering 3D city models in urban flood simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lee, J.K.; Kim, J.O., and, Oh, Y.S. 2021. Development of coastal safety mapping system by vulnerability assessment of tidal creeks. In: Lee, J.L.; Suh, K.-S.; Lee, B.; Shin, S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Crisis and Integrated Management for Coastal and Marine Safety. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 114, pp. 459–463. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Most coastal accidents occur in coastal areas with heavy traffic, or crowded beaches and tidal flats. In Korea, various leisure activities are conducted throughout the year on beaches. A significant increase in the number of coastal area workers has led to a corresponding increase in the risk of accidents; this makes the employment of effective countermeasures a necessity. A coastal safety map integrates spatial information of dangerous areas and hazards to prevent accidents in the ocean. In addition to its use for safe expansion of coastal leisure activities, coastal safety maps can be used for the prevention of disasters caused by sea conditions such as tidal creeks, heavy swells, and rip currents. In this study, a tidal creek map was created using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to express the shape of a tidal creek in three dimensions. We designed and implemented a mapping system that identifies places with a high potential for human accidents in tidal flats. The system uses computer vision technology to identify the shape and location of the tidal channel and extract areas with a high probability of accidents, contributing to the development and implementation of comprehensive safety measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forestry practices can lead to changes in wildlife habitat that could have lasting effects on the distribution of species. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of forestry practices on habitat variables and habitat use by mammals in three different stands (control, clear-cut and clear-cut with reserves) in a Japanese larch Larix kaempferi plantation from April to October in 2016 and 2017. We recorded the presence of field signs for the following six mammal species: Korean hare Lepus coreanus, raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides, Eurasian badger Meles meles, water deer Hydropotes inermis, roe deer Capreolus pygargus and wild boar Sus scrofa. Habitat variables significantly differed among three stands. Field sign (feces, foot prints and feeding signs) abundances of mammals showed significant differences between the control and clear-cut stands. Moreover, field sign abundances of all species were highest in the clear-cut with reserves stand. We calculated the impact of clear-cutting on habitat use by mammals using GLMMs. Both clear-cutting in the models were significant and had positive coefficients on habitat use by Korean hare, raccoon dog, deer and wild boar. In Eurasian badger models, only clear-cutting with reserves show positive impacts on habitat use. Habitat selection by forest edge species such as Korean hare and deer showed dependence on understory structure. Abundant understory in the clear-cut with reserves stand may not only provide vegetative food and cover for herbivores but also small prey species for omnivores and carnivores. The results of our study show that forest understory is one of the most instrumental factors mitigating the effects of clear-cutting on habitat use by mammal and it should, therefore, be given due importance in forestry practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional medicinal mushroom Hericium erinaceus is known for enhancing peripheral nerve regeneration through targeting nerve growth factor (NGF) neurotrophic activity. Here, we purified and identified biologically new active compounds from H. erinaceus, based on their ability to promote neurite outgrowth in hippocampal neurons. N‐de phenylethyl isohericerin (NDPIH), an isoindoline compound from this mushroom, together with its hydrophobic derivative hericene A, were highly potent in promoting extensive axon outgrowth and neurite branching in cultured hippocampal neurons even in the absence of serum, demonstrating potent neurotrophic activity. Pharmacological inhibition of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) by ANA‐12 only partly prevented the NDPIH‐induced neurotrophic activity, suggesting a potential link with BDNF signaling. However, we found that NDPIH activated ERK1/2 signaling in the absence of TrkB in HEK‐293T cells, an effect that was not sensitive to ANA‐12 in the presence of TrkB. Our results demonstrate that NDPIH acts via a complementary neurotrophic pathway independent of TrkB with converging downstream ERK1/2 activation. Mice fed with H. erinaceus crude extract and hericene A also exhibited increased neurotrophin expression and downstream signaling, resulting in significantly enhanced hippocampal memory. Hericene A therefore acts through a novel pan‐neurotrophic signaling pathway, leading to improved cognitive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the influence of tree thinning on the abundance of mammals in a Japanese larchLarix kaempferiplantation in Mt Gariwang, Pyeongchang, South Korea. In 2014 and 2015, from April to October, we recorded the presence of tracks as a proxy for abundance, for the following seven mammalian species: Korean hareLepus coreanus, raccoon dogNyctereutes procyonoides, Siberian weaselMustela sibirica, Eurasian badgerMeles meles, water deerHydropotes inermis, roe deerCapreolus pygargus, and wild boarSus scrofa. We also assessed how the intensity of tree thinning affected vegetation cover; there were significant differences in number of standing trees, basal area, coverage of vegetation layers, and number and volume of downed trees among the control, moderately thinned, and intensively thinned stands. We found significant differences in the abundance of tracks among the stands for three mammal species. In four mammal species, the abundance of track was significantly correlated with volume of downed trees, coverage of ground vegetation, number of downed trees, and number of standing trees, according to stepwise analysis. The presence and abundance of mammals is linked to habitat variables and forest managers should consider how habitat modifications will affect wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Four compounds, hericerin (1), isohericerinol A (2), N -de-phenylethyl isohericerin (3) and corallocin A (4) were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus, a lion's mane mushroom (Hericiaceae). Among them, isohericerinol A (2) was newly reported in nature. Further investigation of the neurotrophic effect of isolated compounds demonstrated that isohericerinol A (2) strongly increased the nerve growth factor (NGF) production in C6 glioma cells followed by corallocin A (4) and hericerin (1). Increased NGF production by these compounds promoted the neurite outgrowth in N2a neuronal cells. Western blot analysis also showed the increased protein expression of NGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and synaptophysin (SYP) in C6-N2a cells. Taken together, our present study characterized the neurotrophic constituents of H. erinaceus , which may support the potential use of memory improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]