Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a major pest on strawberry, reducing both the quality and quantity of fruit production. We compared the virulence of an entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin ARP14 with a commercial GHA strain against T. kanzawai. In the laboratory, leaf dipping method was conducted while a one-time spray was carried out on selected planting units in strawberry greenhouse with each fungus strain and Triton X-100 as control. Adult T. kanzawai showed lower LT50 when treated with ARP14 strain compared to GHA in the laboratory. The densities of both adult and nymph mites in the greenhouse were significantly reduced in the treatment of two fungus strains compared to the control. The mycosis rate of T. kanzawai in greenhouse was 97.9% at 14 days when treated with ARP14 strain while it was 85.5% when treated with GHA strain. The results suggest that B. bassiana ARP14 can be an effective mycoinsecticide against T. kanzawai.

The choice of suitable companion plants is crucial for enhancing pest management strategies in agricultural fields. Riptortus pedestris, an important agricultural pest, has drawn attention for its serious damage on soybean. To identify an ideal companion plant for soybean, we investigated the pest’s behavioral patterns when exposed to corn seedlings in laboratory. Series of choice experiments were conducted for 4th instar nymphs and unmated female adults of R. pedestris when presented with corn and/or soybean pot against soybean or blank pot. In 4th instar nymphs, 56% preferred the treatment of corn pot plus soybean pot over soybean alone pot while 69% of unmated female adults preferred the same combination. These findings provide valuable insights into the behavior of this insect pest, which could be beneficial for establishing polycultures in agricultural fields.

The ladybird beetles have been used as biological control agents against several pest species. The aim of this study is to evaluate the compatibility between ladybird beetles and an entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin AAD16. The virulence of AAD16 strain was compared with that of commercial GHA strain on three developmental stages of two coccinellids; Harmonia axyridis Pallas and Chilocorus stigma Say. The topical application method was used for both adult and larval stage while dipping method was used for egg stage. The LT50 and mycosis rate for all life stages of two ladybird beetles tested were not significant between AAD16 and GHA strain. In larval stage, the mycosis rates of H. axyridis and C. stigma were 36 and 40% and 63 and 60% in AAD16 and GHA strain. In adult stage, the mycosis rates of H. axyridis (male and female) and C. stigma (unsexed) were 20, 23, and 23% and 26, 30, and 30% in AAD16 and GHA strain, respectively. Therefore, the two predatory coccinellids could be compatible with these two fungus strains due to their relatively lower mycosis rate.

As increasing number of stray cats, it recently has more chance for stray cats to invade people area. Inevitably, the number of cases of inconvenience and damage caused by street cats is also increasing proportionally. Therefore, we investigated and analyzed the current status and implementation of TNR in Korea and suggested the direction in which Korea's policy should go. Domestic TNR has been implemented for about 20 years, but the ratio of stray cats to which TNR is applied insufficient and post-management after TNR is also insufficient. In the case of other countries, a large percentage of TNR is conducted by selecting TNR target cats based on scientific grounds and adoption or additional observation is carried out after TNR. Based on this strategy, the conditions for successful TNR need to expand the decision-making authority of veterinarians involved in TNR and actively invigorate subsequent solutions such as adoption. In addition, the policy should be improved in the way of expanding management and supervision after TNR through food service centers and shelters.

Background: The potential impact of aqueous extracts from Psidium guajava leaves on the reproductive system of female rabbits was evaluated. Methods: Twenty-eight rabbits, aged five to six months were utilized. Rabbits were divided into four groups and were randomly assigned to receive one of the following oral doses of the guava leaf extracts: 0 (control group), 10, 20, or 30 mg/kg of body weight. After a treatment period of 30 days, blood was collected via jugular venipunture and the serum was extracted for the assessment of serum biochemical traits levels. The females were bred and monitored throughout their pregnancy to ascertain reproductive outcomes. Results: The results indicated that the guava leaf extract significantly increased the body weight of the rabbits during both pre- and post-pregnancy compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The litter size at three weeks post-birth, prolificity rate, FSH, LH, and protein levels were notably higher (p < 0.05) at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight. The viability rate three weeks post-birth increased with escalating extract doses, and the highest values were observed at doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg of body weight (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that, the aqueous extract of guava leaves appears to stimulate the production of FSH, LH and enhance body weight, prolificity, and pregnancy outcomes in mammals. As such, it is suggested that a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight could be beneficial in improving the reproductive performance of female.

The disposal of organic pollutants is one of the important research topics. Some of the studies in this field are based on the degradation of organic pollutants with a catalytic agent. The cobalt tetraoxide/peroxymonosulfate system is an important catalytic system used for the radical degradation of organic pollutants. To increase the catalytic efficiency of such reactions, graphitization of activated carbon used as a support solid and nitrogen doping to the carbon structure are commonly used methods. In this study, cobalt tetraoxide production, N-doping and graphitization were carried out in a single step by heat treatment of activated carbon doped with the phthlocyanine cobalt (II) complex. The catalytic performance of the catalyst/ peroxymonosulfate system was investigated by changing the pH, catalyst, and PMS concentration parameters on rhodamine B and 1,3,5 trichlorophenol, which were used as models. It was seen that the catalysts had 97% activity on rhodamine B in 16 min and 100% on 1,3,5 trichlorophenol in 6 min. It was observed that the catalysts continued to show high catalytic activity for five cycles in reusability studies and had a very low cobalt leaching rate. These results are in good agreement with previously published studies. In line with these results, the synthesized N-doped graphitic carbon/Co3O4 catalyst can be used as an effective catalyst for wastewater treatments.

In the present investigation, a new electrochemical sensor based on carbon paste electrode was applied to simultaneous determine the tramadol, olanzapine and acetaminophen for the first time. The CuO/reduced graphene nanoribbons (rGNR) nanocomposites and 1-ethyl 3-methyl imidazolinium chloride as ionic liquid (IL) were employed as modifiers. The electrooxidation of these drugs at the surface of the modified electrode was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry. Various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were used to validate the structure of CuO-rGNR nanocomposites. This sensor displayed a superb electro catalytic oxidation activity and good sensitivity. Under optimized conditions, the results showed the linear in the concentration range of 0.08–900 μM and detection limit (LOD) was achieved to be 0.05 μM. The suggested technique was effectively used to the determination of tramadol in pharmaceuticals and human serum samples. For the first time, the present study demonstrated the synthesis and utilization of the porous nanocomposites to make a unique and sensitive electrode and ionic liquid for electrode modification to co-measurement of these drugs.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) is a persistent aromatic compound widely associated with environmental pollutants. Given its persistence and possible bioaccumulation, exploring a feasible technique to eradicate BDE209 efficiently is critical for today’s environmentally sustainable societies. Herein, an advanced nanocomposite is elaborately constructed, in which a large number of titanium dioxide ( TiO2) nanoparticles are anchored uniformly on two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets ( TiO2/GO) via a modified Hummer’s method and subsequent solvothermal treatment to achieve efficient photocatalytic degradation BDE209. The obtained TiO2/ GO photocatalyst has excellent photocatalytic due to the intense coupling between conductive GO nanosheets and TiO2 nanoparticles. Under the optimal photocatalytic degradation test conditions, the degradation efficiency of BDE209 is more than 90%. In addition, this study also provides an efficient route for designing highly active catalytic materials.

Despite the increasing popularity of spiritual tourism, there has not yet been an effort to provide an overview of the growing body of research. Addressing this void, this study employs a systematic literature review of 45 articles to highlight the state of knowledge and important gaps in the field.