Aspects of the Korean traditional vocal genre,kagok: female kagok and the call for a new integrative kagok notation

Kagok is a genre of highly refined, traditional, Korean, vocal music, which is now endangered and marginalized in contemporary Korean culture. Female kagok signers (kisaeng) have also been ignored in Korean music society. The aim of this study is to preserve and revitalize kagok, in order to conserve its true nature in a contemporary context, and for the future. This thesis is twofold. The first part shows how the aesthetics of the Chosŏn dynasty are fundamental to kagok's history, and female kagok singers' education. Furthermore, existing kagok scores, written in traditional chŏngganbo notation or in Western staff notation, are examined in this part, and they reveal the need for the creation of a new kagok notation. The second part of the thesis concerns the creation and testing of the New Integrative Kagok Notation (NIKN), which combines the essentials of chŏngganbo and Western staff notation, and provides a more effective vehicle for the transmission, transcription and recording of this art form, particularly for inexperienced, contemporary students

Evaluation of luteolin from shells of Korean peanut cultivars for industrial utilization

Luteolin is a medicinally valuable phyto-chemical, which was indentified in plants. This study was aimed to analyse the luteolin content in peanut waste (shell) of 42 peanut cultivars. The concentration of luteolin varied in the range of 546.8 to 4485.0 mg/kg and a significantly higher concentration of luteolin (4485.0 mg) was found in Mikwang. This is the first report on luteolin analysis in Korean peanut shells. The results of the present study suggest that Mikwang peanut shells have higher concentration of luteolin, which would be useful for agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical purposes.Keywords: Luteolin, peanut, shell, Mikwang.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(28), pp. 4477-448

GaAs droplet quantum dots with nanometer-thin capping layer for plasmonic applications

We report on the growth and optical characterisation of droplet GaAs quantum dots with extremely-thin (11 nm) capping layers. To achieve such result, an internal thermal heating step is introduced during the growth and its role in the morphological properties of the quantum dots obtained is investigated via scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. Photoluminescence measurements at cryogenic temperatures show optically stable, sharp and bright emission from single quantum dots, at near-infrared wavelengths. Given the quality of their optical properties and the proximity to the surface, such emitters are ideal candidates for the investigation of near field effects, like the coupling to plasmonic modes, in order to strongly control the directionality of the emission and/or the spontaneous emission rate, crucial parameters for quantum photonic applications.Comment: 1 pages, 3 figure

Role of Hippocampal Lipocalin-2 in Experimental Diabetic Encephalopathy

Diabetic encephalopathy is a severe diabetes-related complication in the central nervous system (CNS) that is characterized by degenerative neurochemical and structural changes leading to impaired cognitive function. While the exact pathophysiology of diabetic encephalopathy is not well-understood, it is likely that neuroinflammation is one of the key pathogenic mechanisms that cause this complication. Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is an acute phase protein known to promote neuroinflammation via the recruitment and activation of immune cells and glia, particularly microglia and astrocytes, thereby inducing proinflammatory mediators in a range of neurological disorders. In this study, we investigated the role of LCN2 in multiple aspects of diabetic encephalopathy in mouse models of diabetes. Here, we show that induction of diabetes increased the expression of both Lcn2 mRNA and protein in the hippocampus. Genetic deficiency of Lcn2 significantly reduced gliosis, recruitment of macrophages, and production of inflammatory cytokines in the diabetic mice. Further, diabetes-induced hippocampal toxicity and cognitive decline were both lower in Lcn2 knockout mice than in the wild-type animals. Taken together, our findings highlight the critical role of LCN2 in the pathogenesis of diabetic encephalopathy

Pedigree reconstruction and spatial analysis for genetic testing and selection in a Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carrière plantation

Larix kaempferi is one of the major timber species in Northeast Asia. Demand for the reforestation of the species is rising in South Korea due to an increase in large timber production and utilization. However, progeny trials for the species have not been explored, making it challenging to foster advanced generations of tree improvement. In the present study, genetic testing and selection for diameter growth were conducted using pedigree reconstruction and phenotypic spatial distribution analysis in a plantation of L. kaempferi. The aim of the present study was to select the superior larch individuals using the pedigree reconstruction and phenotypic spatial distribution to substitute progeny trials. The plantation of seed orchard crops was established in 1990 and one-hundred and eighty-eight trees were selected as the study material. Genetic variation was investigated first to validate its adequacy as breeding material. Genetic testing was carried out using a model considering pedigree information and spatial autoregression of the phenotypes. The expected heterozygosity of the mother trees and offspring were 0.672 and 0.681 presenting the corresponding level of genetic variation between two groups. The pedigree reconstruction using maternity analysis assigned one to six progenies to ninety-two candidate mothers. The accuracy of genetic testing was exceedingly increased with the animal model considering AR1 ⊗ AR1 structure compared to the animal model only. The estimated genetic variance of the former was 9.086 whereas that of the latter was 4.9E-5 for DBH. The predicted breeding values of the offspring for DBH were ranged from -5.937cm to 5.655cm and the estimated heritability of diameter growth was 0.344. The genetic testing approach based on pedigree reconstruction and phenotypic spatial distribution analysis was considered a useful analytical scheme that could replace or supplement progeny trials.K L and I-S K have a grant from the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS), Korea and K-S has a fnancial support (2020182B10-2022-BB01) from the Korea Forest Service