Unmanned aerial vehicle remotely sensed datasets, a reference dataset for coastal topography change and shoreline analysis

To analyze tendency of temporal and spatial change of coast using long-term topography and shoreline change data is important. In this study, high-resolution digital elevation model and orthorectified image data were generated using rotary-wing UAV(unmanned aerial vehicle) system for coastal topography and shoreline change analysis. The UAV system has advantage of low cost and high efficiency compared to satellite remote sensing platform so UAV system easily acquire time series image data. The spatial resolution of generated digital elevation model and orthorectified images are very high, in centimeter. Therefore, the above image data can be used in various fields of remote sensing and geography such as detailed coastal topography

Red tide dataset in the waters around the Korean Peninsula

Red tide blooms are increasing worldwide. Since 1995, Margalefidium polykrikoides blooms have occurred frequently in the waters around the Korean Peninsula. These blooms generally appear first on the South Sea of Korea in summer. When they occur on a large scale, they extend to the East Sea of Korea and the West Sea of Korea, causing great damage to fisheries and marine ecosystems. Harmless red tide can also adversely affect the environment of the waters by causing oxygen depletion in waters when occurring at high density. Currently, the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) is providing the daily red tide report based on M. polykrikoides red tide species. This report contains red tide species, location, and cell abundance information, but is limited to use as cell abundance data based on exact location. In addition, the waters around the Korean peninsula have different characteristics, so that the optical characteristics and seawater environment are different for each water. In the East Sea in Aug. 2013, the West Sea in Aug. 2016, the South Sea in Aug. 2018, and the South Sea in Aug. and Sep. 2019, during red tide season, dataset were obtained for red tide cell abundance, spectrum, chlorophyll concentration, and suspended particulate matter concentration. Noctiluca scintillans species were observed in the field survey conducted in 2016, and M. polykrikoides was mainly found in the other field surveys. Location-based red tide cell abundance data and seawater environment information obtained during red tide occurrence will be useful data for the construction of red tide warning system to reduce damage due to red tide blooms

Zanthoxylum ailanthoides

Zanthoxylum ailanthoides (ZA) has been used as folk medicines in East Asian and recently reported to have several bioactivity; however, the studies of ZA on the regulation of triacylglycerol (TG) biosynthesis have not been elucidated yet. In this study, we examined whether the methanol extract of ZA (ZA-M) could reduce oleic acid- (OA-) induced intracellular lipid accumulation and confirmed its mode of action in HepG2 cells. ZA-M was shown to promote the phosphorylation of AMPK and its upstream LKB1, followed by reduction of lipogenic gene expressions. As a result, treatment of ZA-M blocked de novo TG biosynthesis and subsequently mitigated intracellular neutral lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. ZA-M also inhibited OA-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and TNF-α, suggesting that ZA-M possess the anti-inflammatory feature in fatty acid over accumulated condition. Taken together, these results suggest that ZA-M attenuates OA-induced lipid accumulation and inflammation through the activation of LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway in HepG2 cells

Chlorophyll and Total Suspended Materials Concentrations and Remote Sensing Reflectance Data measured at the Red Tide Area of Jinhae, Geoje, and East Sea during August from 1998 to 2003 and August 2013

The chlorophyll and total suspended materials concentrations and remote sensing reflectance data were observed for red tides occurring every summer in waters around the Korean Peninsula. In observation area and date, the field survey were performed (1) in the Jinhae and Geoje coasts during August 1998, August 1999, August 2001, and August 2003, (2) in East Sea coast during August 2013. The remote sensing reflectance data were obtained from portable spectroradiometer. The chlorophyll concentration data were obtained from spectrophotometric method and the total suspended materials concentration data were obtained from filter-weight difference method. The remote sensing reflectance data were validated using Moon et al.(2012). The chlorophyll concentration data were validated using baseline correction and subtraction of 750 nm value, and the total suspended materials concentration data were validated using variation of humidity

Algorithm to estimate daily PAR at the ocean surface from GOCI data: description and evaluation

Photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) reaching the ocean surface controls phytoplankton growth, primary productivity, and evolution within marine ecosystems. Therefore, accurate daily PAR estimates are important for a broad range of marine biology and biogeochemistry applications. In this study, hourly data from Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), the world’s first geostationary ocean color sensor, was employed to estimate daily mean PAR at the ocean surface around the Korean Peninsula using a budget model based on plane-parallel theory. In situ PAR data collected from two ocean research stations (Socheong-cho and Ieodo) were used to evaluate the accuracy of the GOCI PAR estimates. First, the instantaneous in situ measurements were checked for calibration and exposure errors against Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) radiative transfer calculations under the clearest sky conditions and adjusted to eliminate biases. After adjustment, the root-means-square error (RMSE) between 6S and in situ PAR data was reduced from 6.08 (4.81%) and 3.82 (3.93%) mol/m2/day to 2.85 (2.26%) and 1.74 (1.21%) mol/m2/day at the Socheong-cho and Ieodo stations, respectively, and the coefficient of determination R2 was 0.99. Then, the GOCI daily mean PAR estimated by the initial algorithm were corrected using the 2015 adjusted in situ daily PAR measurements collected under clear-sky conditions. The daily mean PAR values derived from GOCI data in all conditions were improved after the correction, with RMSE reduced from 4.58 (8.30%) to 2.57 (4.65%) mol/m2/day and R2 = 0.97. The comparison statistics were similar for 2015 and 2016 combined, with RMSE of 2.52 (4.38%) and mean bias error (MBE) of –0.40 (–0.70%), indicating that the correction was also effective in cloudy conditions. On the other hand, daily PAR estimates from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) yielded larger RMSE of 6.24 (10.40%) mol/m2/day and MBE of –2.49 (–4.15%) mol/m2/day (MODIS) and RMSE of 3.71 (6.51%) mol/m2/day and MBE of –2.65 (–4.65%) mol/m2/day (AHI) against in situ measurements. The GOCI-based daily PAR model developed in this study is reliable and suitable for investigating the marine environment around the Korean Peninsula

Proteomic analysis of pregnancy-related proteins from pig uterus endometrium during pregnancy

Many important molecular events associated with implantation and development occur within the female reproductive tract, especially within the uterus endometrium, during pregnancy periods. The endometrium includes the mucosal lining of the uterus, which provides a suitable site for implantation and development of a fertilized egg and fetus. To date, the molecular cascades in the uterus endometrium during pregnancy periods in pigs have not been elucidated fully. In this study, we compared the functional regulated proteins in the endometrium during pregnancy periods with those in non-pregnant conditions and investigated changes in expression patterns during pregnancy (days 40, 70, and 93) using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and western blotting. The functional regulated proteins were identified and discovered from differentially expressed proteins in the uterus endometrium during pregnancy. We discovered 820 protein spots in a proteomic analysis of uterus endometrium tissues with 2-DE gels. We identified 63 of the 98 proteins regulated differentially among non-pregnant and pregnant tissues (matched and unmatched spots). Interestingly, 10 of these 63 proteins are development-, cytoskeleton- and chaperon-related proteins such as transferrin, protein DJ-1, transgelin, galectin-1, septin 2, stathmin 1, cofilin 1, fascin 1, heat shock protein (HSP) 90β and HSP 27. The specific expression patterns of these proteins in the endometrium during pregnancy were confirmed by western blotting. Our results suggest that the expressions of these genes involved in endometrium function and endometrium development from early to late gestation are associated with the regulation of endometrium development for maintaining pregnancy

Spotted Fever Group and Typhus Group Rickettsioses in Humans, South Korea

Multiplex-nested PCR and sequencing analysis indicated rickettsialike agents in serum specimens from febrile patients