This study aims to identify insect species relevant to medicolegal entomology in South Korea, to develop valuable forensic indicators for addressing legal challenges. We conducted carcass experiments with animals from 2015 to 2023 and analyzed domestic medicolegal literature. Species with uncertain taxonomic status or those recorded only once in experiments or literature were excluded. Our dataset includes observations from 185 carcasses, 24 criminal cases, and 468 autopsies. We identified a total of 254 carcass-associated species across 67 families and 8 orders. Of these species, 32 species consistently found on both human corpses and animal carcasses, suggesting their significance in forensic contexts. The order Diptera, comprising 53.13% of these taxa, was predominantly represented by the families Calliphoridae (70.59%), Muscidae (17.65%), and Sarcophagidae (11.76%). Coleoptera constituted 46.87% of the identified taxa, with the families Silphidae (53.33%), Dermestidae (26.67%), Cleridae (6.67%), Scarabaeidae (6.67%), and Staphylinidae (6.67%) being most significant. Lucilia sericata was the most frequently found species in autopsies of corpses found indoors (51.95%) and outdoors (14.77%), followed by Phormia regina, Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya pinguis and Lucilia illustris, highlighting their potential as forensic markers. This comprehensive study provides crucial baseline data for medicolegal entomologists in South Korea, identifying key insect species as forensic indicators.

The study of blowfly (Diptera, Calliphoridae) biodiversity and distribution is crucial for forensic investigations involving cadavers. Abiotic and biotic factors, such as seasonality and habitat type, have significant impacts on blowfly populations. However, few forensic entomology studies have been conducted in South Korea, particularly the Gyeongsangnam-do region. To address this, in this study, an extensive year-long survey was conducted to analyze the compositions, habitat preferences, distribution, and seasonal abundance of forensically relevant blowflies in urban and forested habitats in Gyeongsangnam-do, utilizing mouse carcass-baited traps set for 48 h each month. A total of 3,478 adult blowflies were recorded, encompassing six genera and 14 species, with a noted absence of specimens during the winter months. The predominant species was Lucilia porphyrina, accounting for 37.1% of the total sample, followed by Chrysomya pinguis (27.5%), Lucilia sericata (7.6%), and Lucilia illustris (7.1%). The species composition was consistent across all surveyed regions; however, seasonal variation in species diversity was evident, with a peak in spring and decline in summer. Notably, certain species exhibited clear preferences for either urban (Calliphora calliphoroides and L. sericata) or forested habitats (L. porphyrina and Ch. pinguis). This pioneering study elucidates the diverse blowfly communities in Gyeongsangnam-do, highlighting significant seasonal and habitat-dependent variations.

Background: Kinesio taping is being applied to improve ankle dorsiflexion in stroke patients. Currently, the elasticity of kinesio taping is applied in various ways. Objectives: To investigated the effect of tibialis anterior kinesio taping elasticity level on gait speed in stroke patients. Design: A randomized cross-over pilot study. Methods: A total of 12 study subjects were allowed to experience three conditions within a single group. The three conditions are strong elastic taping condition, weak elastic taping condition, and non-elastic taping condition. Study subjects were randomly assigned to each condition sequentially. For the evaluation, gait variables (cadence, gait speed, stride length) were measured 24 hours after applying the taping appropriate for each condition. Results: The strong elastic taping condition significantly increased gait variables compared to the weak elastic taping and non-elastic taping conditions (P<.05). Weak elastic taping significantly increased gait variables compared to non-elastic taping (P<.05). Conclusion: As tibialis anterior kinesio taping elasticity increased, gait variables significantly improved in stroke patients.

본 연구는 벼 화분에 잔류한 네오니코티노이드계 약제가 꿀벌 봉군 내로 유입하여 만성적으로 피해를 주는지 에 대해 실험적으로 검증하고자 한다. 벼 꽃 개화기에 맞춰 논 인근의 세 지역에 각 6개 봉군을 설치하였다. 3개의 지역 중 두 지역은 벼 꽃 개화기 항공 방제 수행지역이고, 1개 지역은 미수행 지역이다. 지역마다 봉군 3개에는 채분기를 설치하여 벌통 내 화분 유입을 차단한 그룹과 미설치 그룹 간 봉세와 꿀벌 면역 및 수명 관련 유전자 발현량을 비교하였다. 약제 방제가 수행된 지역에서 채분기를 설치한 봉군의 봉세는 미설치 봉군보다 상대적으 로 강한 것을 확인하였다. 또한, 약제 처리 지역에서 채분기 설치 봉군에서 채분기를 설치한 봉군의 봉세는 미설치 봉군보다 상대적으로 강한 것을 확인하였다. 또한, 약제 처리 지역에서 채분기 설치 봉군에서 채집된 꿀벌의 면역 및 수명 관련 유전자 발현량이 미설치 그룹과 차이가 있는 것을 확인하였다.

Understanding the landscapes and the elements that make up the landscapes can help us understand the entire natural ecosystems and biodiversity. Landscape ecology has been studied since the past. however, many studies are conducted on single landscapes, and comparative studies between landscapes are few. We compared insect species diversity and community structure within a single plant community across landscapes and habitat. Additionally, identify environmental factors that affect diversity. Our results showed that above-ground and below-ground insect communities were clearly distinguished. Additionally, species diversity was high below-ground in all landscapes. Insect community structures across landscapes did not differ in above-ground. However, below-ground, the urban was differentiated from the forest and agricultural land. We identified the urbanization indices GMIS and PHBASE as factors responsible for these difference.

The utilization of methyl bromide (MB) for quarantine purposes has been hampered by its designation as an ozone-depleting substance under the Montreal Protocol. The International Plant Protection Convention's (IPPC) call for alternatives to MB and a reduction in its usage. There is an urgent need to explore and implement substitutes. Despite some substitute agents like EDN being developed for wood, EDN has been limited due to various factors such as occupational risks. This study focuses on evaluating the efficacy of Sulfuryl Fluoride (SF) as a viable alternative fumigant against Reticulitermes speratus, one of major wood destroying pests. Experimental trials conducted at ambient temperature (23°C) revealed promising results, with SF demonstrating LCT50 and LCT99 values of 30.87 mg·h/L and 42.53 mg·h/L, respectively. Under low-temperature conditions (5°C), SF remained effective but with slightly higher LCT50 and LCT99 values of 151.62 mg·h/L and 401.90 mg·h/L, respectively. The penetration test, conducted using R. speratus-infested pine wood cubes, further highlighted SF's efficacy, with LCT50 and LCT99 values of 31.59 mg·h/L and 53.34mg·h/L at 23°C, indicating powerful penetration capabilities. When tested at a loading ratio of 90% (v/v) at 5.0mg/L for 24 hours in a 500L chamber as a middle-scale trial, SF achieved a 100% mortality, showing its potential as a suitable replacement for MB. These findings suggest that SF could open new markets as an MB substitute and enhance safety at quarantine sites when applied to imported and exported timber.

The walking-stick insects, Ramulus mikado, are outbreaks in several mountainous areas from 2020 to 2022. In recent, some population of the insect are showed rapidly decline in their abundance, while some of them are still maintained high population density. In worldwide, insects belonging to Phasmida are reported to outbreak in their habitats as mentioned above environments, but knowledge about outbreak pattern of the walking-stick insects is still lacking. In this study, we aimed which biological and environmental factors are related to wax and wane of the insect population. From 2022 to 2023, we studied host tree preferences in natural conditions, ecological stoichiometry in major host trees, overwintering ecology of R. mikado eggs, and infection rate by entomophathogenic fungi during growing season.

The large rectangular and cylindrical concrete drums are stored in nuclear power plant (NPP) for a long time. At the early stage of NPP operation, the treatment technology of boron concentrates and spent resin was not well developed, when compared to current system. Since the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) of the disposal facility was not established, the boron concentrates and spent resins were packaged in 200 L drum. Some of the 200 L drums, which contain relatively high dose rate radioactive waste, were stored in large concrete drum. The concrete drum offers superior shielding effect and allows reduction of radiation exposure to workers. The WAC requires various characteristics: radiological characteristics, physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, etc. The non-destructive method allows the rapid evaluation and estimation of the concrete structure. Also, it is expected that the large concrete exhibits integrity after the measurements. In this paper, the non-destructive method to understand the large rectangular and cylindrical drum is systematically studied. The advantage and disadvantage of the non-destructive methods were compared in this paper. In addition, the optimized methodology to characterize the radioactive waste containing large rectangular and cylindrical drum will be discussed in this paper.

This study evaluated how acid treatment affects the ability of customized beads of activated carbon (BAC) to remove formaldehyde from air. Two different acids (hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid) were used to modify the surface of BAC prepared from a polymer material. The acid-modified BACs were further subjected to heat treatment. Physical and chemical characteristics of modified and unmodified BACs were investigated using nitrogen adsorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Formaldehyde removal was evaluated under both dry and moist conditions. From the results, acid treatment clearly improved the adsorption performance, especially under the moist condition. Qualitative and quantitative surface analyses were conducted, mainly to examine the amount of O-bonds after acid treatment and the formation of S–O or Cl–O on BAC.

Repetitive or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes oxidative stress-mediated skin photoaging through the overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Actinidia polygama is known as a medical plant used in oriental medicine for treating several diseases such as abdominal pain, stroke and rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, it was reported that A. polygama extract had anti-wrinkle and skin hydrating properties in ultraviolet B (UVB)-exposed hairless mice. However, the molecular biological mechanism of this extract on alleviating skin photoaging is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated the anti-photoaging effects of PB203, which is the powder of A. polygama extract, in the in vivo and in vitro photoaging models. First, PB203 showed 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activities due to the presence of anti-oxidant components including flavonoids and polyphenols. In UVB-irradiated hairless mice, oral administration of PB203 (100 mg/ kg) significantly improved wrinkle formation, skin dehydration, elasticity and skin barrier function by decreasing the levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and increasing those of collagen I, filaggrin, involucrin and loricrin. Especially, the reduced production of p-p38, p-c-Jun and p-c-Fos by PB203 reversed the elevated levels of MMPs mediated by UVB exposure, resulting in the upregulation of collagen I expression. Consistent with these animal data, PB203 remarkably enhanced the mRNA expression of collagen I, filaggrin, involucrin and loricrin, while suppressed that of MMPs in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. And PB203 increased the wound recovery rate of cells by promoting their proliferation and migration. Moreover, PB203 significantly recovered the activity of superoxide dismutase inhibited by UVB in both mice and cells. In conclusion, PB203, which protects skin from UVB-induced photodamage by exerting antioxidant properties, can be considered to have sufficient potential as a functional ingredient or therapeutic agent improving skin photoaging and related skin symptoms.

본 논문에서는 외계 행성에서 주어진 임무를 모두 수행하여 클리어하는 탑 뷰 슈팅 게임을 제안한다. 제안 하는 게임을 진행한 플레이어 45명의 로그 기록과 설문 조사 결과를 분석하여, 몰입감, 플레이 패턴의 다양 성, 접근성을 중심으로 제안하는 게임의 특징을 살펴보고자 한다. 첫째, 제안한 게임은 더 높은 몰입감을 위 해 스토리 애니메이션과 오디오를 제공한다. 실험 결과 시각, 청각적 방면으로 몰입감을 효과적으로 제공하 고 있어 대다수의 플레이어가 스토리 애니메이션을 건너뛰지 않고 끝까지 시청했다. 둘째, 제안하는 게임은 더 다양한 플레이 패턴으로 즐길 수 있다. 실험 결과 수많은 경우의 수가 존재하는 무기와 스킬을 선택할 수 있게 하였기 때문에 대부분의 플레이어가 선택하는 스킬들이 서로 겹치지 않고 다양한 방식으로 게임을 플레이할 수 있다. 플레이 패턴이 다양한 만큼 더 게임을 오랫동안, 더 재미있게 즐길 수 있다. 셋째, 제안한 게임은 맵을 비교적 단순하게 구성하였다. 그런데, 호기심 많은 일부 플레이어들이 미션과 직접 관련이 없는 경로를 찾아서 길을 헤매는 경우가 나타났다. 이로 인해, 플레이어들이 게임을 다시 한번 진행하고자 하는 경향이 나타났다.