One species of the genus Coleopius (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: opiinae) are reported in this study. The genus Coleopius is a small braconid group distributed in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, which has three species in the korea in current. In this study, Coleopioides postpectalis Li and van Achterberg is recognized for the first time in South Korea, which had been recently recorded from China. Descriptions, diagnosis distribution and illustration are provided

Aphidiinae in Braconidae includes more than 400 species within approximately 60 genera worldwide. Species of Aphidiinae are mostly known as solitary koinobiont endoparasitoids specifically associated with aphid hosts, and some of them are used for biological control. In the present study, two aphiniine species are newly recognized from South Korea based on morphological and molecular study: Aphidius rhopalosiphi de Stefani-Perez 1902 and A. uzbekistanicus Luzhetzki 1960. Although It was very difficult to discriminate two species morphologically, we cleary identified them by using COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) DNA Barcode sequences. Here we present their morphological descriptions, illustrations and barcoding results.

We found a new recorded species, Drosophila subpulchrella Takamori & Watabe from Dopyeong-ri, Idong-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-province. The species of the D. suzukii subgroup in the D. melanogaster species group is reported from Japan and southern China up to now. This species is morphologically very similar to D. suzukii: with spots on the tip of fore-wing(male) and serrated ovipositor(female). The goals of this study are to add a new recorded species, D. subpulchrella to Korean fauna and provide the biological references such as morphological and molecular data using for the species identification

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) hydrolyzes phospholipids at sn-2 position to release free fatty acids. PLA2 consists of a superfamily mainly categorized as secretory PLA2 (sPLA2), cellular Ca 2+ -dependent PLA2 (cPLA2), and cellular Ca 2+ -independent PLA2 (iPLA2). We are the first to report iPLA2 in insect. Here an objective of our study is to purify a recombinant iPLA2 protein (SeiPLA2) of Spodoptera exigua using bacterial expression system. An open reading frame of SeiPLA2 was cloned into an expression vector and then transformed into Escherichia coli BL21. Over-expression with IPTG yielded recombinant SeiPLA2 (rSeiPLA2), which was then purified by an affinity chromatography using Ni-NTA column. The purified rSeiPLA2 gave significant PLA2 activity using a pyrene substrate. Its activity was inhibited by an iPLA2 specific inhibitor (BEL), but not by sPLA2 inhibitor (BPB) or cPLA2 inhibitor (MAFP

Nitric oxide (NO) is an immune mediator in several insects. In addition, eicosanoids mediate various immune responses in response to microbial challenges. This study focuses on cross-talk between two immune mediators. Nitric oxide synthase (SeNOS) of Spodoptera exigua was predicted in its cDNA sequence by interrogation to the transcriptomes and validated by RT-PCR against developmental stage and larval tissues. RNA interference (RNAi) of SeNOS suppressed nodule formation of S. exigua larvae against heat-killed Xenorhabdus hominickii. RNAi of SeNOS also suppressed NO levels in fat body and hemocytes along with suppression of PLA2 activity. NOS-specific inhibitor, L-NAME, also inhibited PLA2 activity, but its enantiomer, D-NAME, did not. However, PLA2 of dexamethasone or oxindole did not suppress NO levels in the immune tissues. In addition, X hominickii did not inhibit up-regulation of NO levels. These results suggest that NO signal activates PLA2 to produce eicosanoids to mediate immune responses

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (AtMT) has been widely used for generation of fungal transformants and recently applied to Beauveria bassiana. In this study to comprehend how the AtMT promoter influences on the expression of selection marker (hygromycin B resistance gene; hph), two different Ti-Plasmids were constructed: pCeg (gpdA promoter-based) and pCambia-egfp (CaMV 35S promoter-based). Putative transformants were subjected to the PCR, RT-PCR and qRT-PCR to inspect the T-DNA insertion rate and gene expression level. In conclusion, more than 80% of the colonies succeeded in AtMT transformation and the hph expression level of AtMT/pCeg colonies was higher than that of AtMT/pCambia-egfp colonies. This result can provide useful information on the AtMT of B. bassiana, especially antibiotics susceptibility and promoter-dependant expression level.

RNAi (RNA interference) is a tool for silencing of target genes through sequence-specific manner. Spodoptera exigua belongs to Noctuidae family of Lepidoptera and is serious threat to crops of economic importance. One of S. exigua chymotrypsin gene (SeCHY2) was cloned into the L4440 vector to produce sequence specific dsRNAs (double-stranded RNAs). Recombinant L4440 vectors were transformed into Escherichia coli strain HT115 (DE3). Oral delivery of bacterially expressed dsRNA gave significant larval mortality. Quantitative real-time PCR results showed that expression level of target SeCHY2 gene in the larval gut tissue was significantly down-regulated. Pretreatment with an ultra-sonication and heating to disrupt bacterial cell wall/membrane significantly increased the insecticidal activity of the transformed bacteria

Entomopathogenic fungi are expected to play a role as great biological control agents in the global bio-pesticide market in the future. The first step is the collection of fungal isolates and it should be a platform for the development of highly effective biopesticides. In this work, we constructed a fungal library using a mealworm pathogenecity-based fungal collection method and further characterized some isolates with high virulence. A phylogenetic tree was generated, and of the isolates 17 isolates’ biological features were characterized, such as morphology, virulence against several insect, stability of conidia for heat, production of biologically active materials, such as enzymes. This work reports an attractive entomopathogenic fungal library including the information of effective isolates in pest management.

Many turfgrass pests, Ectinohoplia rufipes, Exomala orientalis and Popillia quadriguttata, cause serious damage to grass fields in Korea. In this study, control of turfgrass pests using entomopathogenic fungi were investigated using Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis as an alternative insect. In a preliminary experiment, some Metathizium sp. showed ca. 60% virulence after 7 days exposure to the entomopathogenic fungi. Compared to the contact-exposure, overall a spray treatment showed lower control efficacy against P. brevitarsis seulensis. Furthermore, mortality of various developmental stages of P. brevitarsis seulensis was investigated under laboratory conditions. This work suggests that when treated with fungi mortality of P. brevitarsis seulensis was closely related with developmental stage. These results provide a basic information for the control of P. brevitarsis seulensis using entomopathogenic fungi

Entomopathogenic fungi are potential pesticides as biological control agents. However, many previous studies have focused on basic researches to control pest using insect-pathogenic fungi. Herein, the molecular characteristics of insect defense mechanisms against fungal pathogens and fungal pathogenicity to insects were investigated. The whole genome of Beauveria bassiana (Bb) JEF-007 was sequenced (36,538,394 bp) using Pacbio sequencing. Based on this data, the transcriptomes of bean bug and fungus were analyzed using RNA-seq. In the transcriptome analyses, six and five genes were validated to be involved in the fungal pathogenicity and insect defense, respectively. This work can provide an understanding of the insect-pathogen interactions

The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, is a globally distributed and important economic pest. Chemical control is the primary approach to regulate populations of this pest. Chlorantraniliprole is the first commercial insecticide that belongs to the new chemical class of diamide insecticides. In this study, the resistant strain was observed 1578-fold resistance to chlorantraniliprole. Point mutation (G4946E) in ryanodine receptor (RyR) showed a high frequency. Enzyme assays indicated that glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in the resistant strain was 2.4 times higher compared with the susceptible strain, whereas no difference was seen for P450 and esterase. In addition, the expression of two GSTs genes was up-regulated. These findings pave the way for the complete understanding of the mechanisms of diamide insecticides resistance in insects.

Dermanyssus gallinae is parasitic to chicken, and they cause many damages such as disturbing sleep reducing for body weight and egg production by blood-sucking. To develop acaricide against D. gallinae, The acaricidal activity of 40 species plant extract were examined. Cnidium officinale extracted by Me-OH showed 82.0% acaricidal activity after treated 48 hrs at 4,000 ppm. The hexane fraction showed 92.4% mortality against D. gallinae at 48 hrs at 2,000 ppm. Purification of the biologically active constituents from the hexane extraction with acaricidal activity was done using silica gel open column chromatography and HPLC. H1122 fraction gave 80.9% mortality to D. gallinae at 400 ppm after treated 48 hrs. H1122 fraction was analyzed by GC-MS and NMR.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is known worldwide as a pest that affects cruciferous plants. We surveyed insecticide susceptibility in chlorantraniliprole-resistant strain of P. xylostella to 13 insecticides (3 diamaids, 2 synthetic pyrethroids, 2 spinosyns, 1 organophosphorus, 1 carbamate, 1 marcrolide, and 3 others) to examine resistance ratios. The levels of insecticide resistance were extremely high, especially to chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide. Enzyme assays indicated that glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in the resistant strain was 2.4 times higher compared with the susceptible strain, whereas no difference was seen for P450 and esterase. Its F1 progeny resulting from reciprocal crosses with a susceptible strain revealed no maternal effects and a diamide susceptible phenotype, suggesting an autosomally almost recessive mode of inheritance.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hypobarichypoxic training program on competitive performance. This was done by observing their conditioning and measuring their blood constituents before and after a multi-staged intermittent training program, over 2 weeks. Three national handicapped cyclists were placed in a multi-leveled hypobaric-hypoxic (flat–4000 meter (m) high elevation) environment with consistent temperature and humidity (23 ± 2℃, 50 ± 5%) for 2 weeks. After the training, the blood constituents and average heart rate (HR) were measured and the following results were obtained. In all three athletes, there were no unique changes in red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, while there was a rise in the reticulocyte count. Observations of the difference in average HR during exercise at varying altitudes showed that athlete A had an average increase in the HR for the first 5 days at 2000 m. For athlete B, the comparison of the first and last training sessions at an altitude of 2000 m showed an HR increase of approximately 17%. For athlete C, there was a steady increase in the HR until day 7 of the training. As such, hypobarichypoxic training suggested that improvement of aerobic exercise performance in these athletes and it is recommended that there be a development for future training programs at high altitude, geared towards handicapped athletes of various disciplines.

The Purpose of this study was to determine the effects of sciatic nerve mobilization on pain and lower back muscle strength in female patients in their 40s who have been diagnosed with lumbar radiculopathy. Using a simple blinded method, 20 female patients with neuropathy in the nerve segments between L4-S1 were randomly divided into one group (n=10) that would undergo sciatic nerve mobilization, and another group (n=10) that would perform lower back segment stabilization exercises. The two groups attended 3 sessions per week, with each session taking 30 minutes, for a duration of 4 weeks. In the preliminary examinations, the pain index as well as the isometric muscle strength of the lower back extensor and flexor muscles were measured. After the passing of 4 weeks. The same method of measurement was used for the concluding examinations. Comparison of the pain indices in the two groups revealed that they both experienced a statistically significant decrease, and further inspection revealed that the there was a more substantial difference in the sciatic nerve mobilization group. Results of comparing changes in the Isometric Muscle Strength lower back muscle and bending muscle by group, In comparison between groups, the isometric strength of the lower back extensor showed a more significant difference in the sciatic nerve mobilization group (p <.05). Conclulsion, it can be inferred that application of sciatic nerve mobilization has a positive effect on the pain index and isometric muscle strength of the lower back in female patients with lumbar radiculopathy in their 40s.

This study used both kinesiotaping and extracorporeal shock wave therapy on patients diagnosed with frozen shoulder - a common musculoskeletal disorder in adults - in order to observe the effects on the joint range of motion. 21 adult(male 12, female 9) were selected and distributed into randomized groups. One group received kinesiotaping (n=10) and the other group received kinesiotaping together with extracorporeal shockwave therapy (n=11). After a 6 week duration of receiving kinesiotaping and extracorporeal shockwave therapy, changes in the joint range of motion in the patients were observed. Post-treatment of frozen shoulder, the changes in abduction within the shoulder joint were as follows: in both groups there was a noticeable increase in the joint range of motion (p<.05). Post-treatment of frozen shoulder, the changes in external rotation within the shoulder joint were as follows: both groups showed a significant increase in the joint range of motion (p<.05). The result of suggest that, it can be inferred that both the extracorporeal shockwave therapy and kinesiotaping are effective in increasing the joint range of motion in patients with frozen shoulder.

This study investigated the effects of indirectly applying proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) to the scapular adductor muscles of stroke patients on their scapular movements and walking ability. Five patients who were diagnosed with stroke participated in this study as a single group. PNF patterns were applied to the scapulae anterior elevation and posterior depression patterns and upper limbs patterns of the patients in side lying and sitting positions together. The data were analyzed with a paired t-test in order to identify within-group differences in the measurements before and after the intervention. The scapular movements of the upper and lower parts, weight bearing and walking speed were significantly improved in the stroke patients after the application of PNF (p<0.05). These results suggest that PNF training effective in improving the scapular movements and walking ability in patients with stroke.

The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the difference of the ankle joint movements during landing. Seven adult males voluntarily participated in the study and the average foot size of the subjects was 269.8 mm. Image analysis equipment and the ground reaction force plate (landing type) was used to measure th kinetic variables. As a result of this study, it was confirmed that the vertical ground reaction force peak point appeared once in the barefoot with forefoot, while two peak points appeared in the barefoot and functional shoe foot with rear foot landing. About ankle angle, fore foot landing ankle angle, the average with bare foot landing was -10.302° and the average with functional shoe foot landing was -2.919°. Also about rear foot landing, ankle angle was 11.648° with bare foot landing and 15.994° with functional shoe landing. The fore foot landing, ankle joint force analysis produced 1423.966N with barefoot and 1493.264N with functional shoes. But, the rear foot landing, ankle joint force analysis produced 1680.154N with barefoot and 1657.286N with functional shoes. This study suggest that the angle of ankle depends on the landing type and bare foot running/functionalized shod running, and ankle joint forces also depends on landing type.

The current study explores the effects of different types of voice-based chat on EFL students’ negotiation of meaning according to proficiency levels. Participants included 123 Korean university students of English. They were divided into two voice-based chat groups: student-student voice-based chat and student-chatterbot voice-based chat. The experiment was administered throughout one semester, 16 weeks. Negotiation of meaning evident in the chats was coded for confirmation check, comprehension check, clarification requests, repetition, and reformulation, and was measured by counting the number of meaning negotiation moves. Important findings were as follows: Firstly, there were significant differences between the first chat and the last chat. The mean frequencies of negotiation moves at all proficiency levels positively changed over time as a result of participating in student-chatterbot voice-based chat. Particulalry, student-chatterbot voice-based chat, as compared to student-student voice-based chat, allowed students to use more negotiation strategies, and the strategies used in the chats also appeared to be different according to the students’ proficiency levels. Lastly, positive perceptions of voice-based chat were observed at all proficiency levels. This study provides empirical evidence to substantiate the effects of voice-based chatterbots in oral interaction. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications are made on the effective implementation of voice-based chatterbots in EFL contexts.

This study examines the nature of peer interaction, in particular pair interaction, of adult learners engaged in a range of activities in naturalistic EFL lessons. Six pairs engaged in seven different activities followed by a stimulated recall interview. Data from the transcripts of the audio-recorded pair talk and interviews were analysed to describe different types of pair interaction according to mutuality and equality. Five different types of pair interaction were observed during pair work: collaborative, cooperative, dominant/passive, expert/passive and expert/novice. Only one pair displayed a single type of pair interaction while the others showed more than two types of pair interaction. However, on the last activity, all six pairs showed collaborative interaction. These findings suggest that pair interaction can be collaboratively enhanced in a socially developed relationship between learners over time.