A predatory genus Cryptalaus Ôhira, 1967 (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in Korea is taxonomically reviewed in this study. Up to date, two species of the genus Cryptalaus, C. berus Candèze, 1865 and C. larvatus pini Lewis, 1894, have been reported from Korea. From the present study, C. yamato Nakane, 1957 which has been regarded as an endemic to Japan, is reported from the Korean peninsula for the first time. A key to the Korean species of the genus Cryptalaus, diagnosis, illustrations of diagnostic characteristics are provided.

Vespa crabro and V. analis are social hornet species commonly found in Asia, including Korea. Mastoparan is one of the major venom peptides of these two hornets but its amino acid sequence defers substantially. To examine the differences in the potential toxicity and bioactivity of mastoparans between these two social hornets, differential toxicological and pharmacological activities of synthesized mastoparan were investigated. V. analis mastoparan showed a 7-fold higher hemolytic activity, suggesting its higher cytotoxic potential compared with V. crabro mastoparan. Mastoparans from both hornet species exhibited similar levels of antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Botrytis cinerea, whereas the mastoparan from V. analis showed more potent antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Nevertheless, the antimicrobial activities of mastoparans of V. crabro and V. analis were relatively lower compared with those of other wasps. Both mastoparans also exhibited some levels of antitumor activity but the activity was significantly higher in V. analis mastoparan. In summary, the hemolytic, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities of synthesized V. analis mastoparan were higher than those of V. crabro mastoparan. These differential bioactivities are likely due to the amino acid sequence differences in the mature peptides. In particular, the additional Lys residue present in V. analis mastoparan may contribute to the higher levels of bioactivity as proposed by secondary structure prediction.

The hornets Vespa crabro and V. analis are widely distributed in Asia and are known to be aggressive when disturbed, resulting in frequent stinging accidents. To investigate the differences in venom properties and toxicities between these two hornets, the transcriptomic profiles of venom glands, in conjunction with the venom components, were analyzed and compared. A total of 35 venom-specific genes were identified in both venom gland transcriptomes, but their transcriptional profiles were different between V. crabro and V. analis. In addition, the major venom components were identified and confirmed by mass spectroscopy. Prepromastoparan, vespid chemotactic precursor and vespakinin were the top three genes most prevalently transcribed in the venom gland of V. crabro, and their transcription rates were 112-, 16- and 161-fold higher, respectively, compared with those in V. analis, as judged by FPKM values. In the venom gland of V. analis, however, vespid chemotactic precursor was the most abundantly transcribed gene, followed by premastoparan and vespakinin. In general, most major venom genes were more abundantly expressed in V. crabro, whereas some minor venom genes exhibited higher transcription rates in V. analis, including muscle LIM protein, troponin, paramyosin, calponin, etc. Our findings reveal that the overall venom components of V. crabro and V. analis are similar, but that their expression profiles and levels are considerably different. The comparison of venom gland transcriptomes suggests that V. crabro likely produces venom with more highly enriched major venom components, which has potentially higher toxicity compared with V. analis venom.

The family Scelionidae is distributed all around the world, which has approximately 3,000 species within 150 genera in the world. To date 39 species of 15 genera from 3 subfamilies in Scelionidae are recorded in South Korea. In this study, we report a new record of the genus Idiris with one species. There are many parasitory and predatory insects specializing on spider eggs. Among scelionids, some species (Baeus achaearneus, Comastichus zopheros, Idris sp.) parasitize spider eggs. However, there was no Korean record for scelionid wasps parasitizing in egg sacs of spider. Based on morphology, ecology, and DNA identification, we recognized this species, Idris sp., being new to Korea. All examined specimens and DNA samples are deposited in Kunsan National University.

In this study, a genus Eumasia Chrétien is reported for the first time from Korea. This study was conducted to report a newly recorded genus and species, Eumasia muscella Saigusa and Sugimoto based on the material from Haemee-castle, Seosan-si, Korea. All available information for the species including distributional ranges and host plants were presented in this study. Also the larval characteristics and DNA barcode for the species are provided.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a gram-positive and spore-forming bacterium that produces parasporal inclusions containing Cry and Cyt proteins during sporulation. These inclusions or proteins are highly toxic to lepidopteran, dipteran, coleopteran larvae, and nematodes. Because of their selectable specificity and safety to non-target organisms and environment, Bt is considered as a valuable and safe alternative to chemical pesticides for eradication of insect pests. Bt biopesticide products has been commercialized and used very widely and successfully in agriculture, forestry and medical care markets since 1930s. In Korea, the screening for isolation of new Bt strains such as Bt Nt0423 (Tobbagi) and Bt GB-413 (Solbichae) have been performed and their commercial products were launched in agricultural markets. In terms of public health, mosquito larvicidal products made by Bt subsp. israelensis have been registered by Korean ministry of food and drug safety and used since 1995. Recently, a new mosquitocidal serovar (H3a3b3d), Bt subsp. mogi was isolated and its molecular characteristics were analyzed. In our opinion, Bt biopesticides might be still an effective and safe tool for insect pest control in agriculture and public health. Key words: Bacillus thuringiensis, biopesticide, Bt subsp. israelensis, mosqui

To clarify the geographical distribution of scrub typhus vectors in Korea, the first survey of chigger mites was conducted from 2005 to 2007 by collecting wild small mammals twice a year (spring and autumn) at 24 sites nationwide. The two predominant mite species were Leptotrombidium pallidum (52.6%) and L. scutellare (27.1%). However, the proportions of L. scutellare in southern areas, including endemic provinces such as Chungcheongnam-Do, Jeollabuk-Do, Jeollanam-Do, and Gyeongsangnam-Do, were relatively higher than in central Korean regions where L. pallidum was predominant. In autumn, the ratio of L. scutellare increased to 42% while the ratio of L. pallidum decreased. The geographical distribution map of the L. scutellare chigger index was identical to the incidence pattern of scrub typhus, whereas those of overall mites and L. pallidum showed no relationship with case incidence patterns. Distribution mapping analysis shows an identical geographical distribution of L. scutellare and epidemic incidence of scrub typhus in South Korea. The second periodical survey was performed from 2011 to 2013. The result suggests that the distribution of L. scutellare has not been changed remarkably in comparison to the first survey.

There are over 3,000 different species of mosquitoes throughout the world; currently 56 species are reported in Korea. Mosquitoes can act as vectors for many disease-causing viruses and parasites during blood sucking. Various species of mosquitoes are estimated to transmit various types of disease to more than 700 million people annually in Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico, Russia, and much of Asia, with millions of resultant deaths. At least two million people annually die of these diseases, and the morbidity rates are many times higher still. To prevent the spread of diseases, KNIH (Korea National Institute of Health) used three categorized methods; identifying or taxonomic analysis of mosquitoes, detecting virus caring mosquitoes, and detecting malaria from Anopheline mosquitoes. We have proved that taxonomic analysis using DNA barcording method (COI gene) is useful to complement identification of mosquito species. In detecting virus, we have reported Cx. orientalis as a new potential Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vector. We also reported that the Anopheline mosquito species composition and Plasmodium vivax infection rates in malaria hot spot in Korea.

Leptotrombidium pallidum is the major vector mites for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus. To understand the molecular mechanism of L. pallidum, we sequenced the whole genome using Illumina sequencing technology. Totally four genomic libraries with different insert sizes ranging from 280 bp to 8 kb were used to generate 45.1 Gb of genome in the combination of paired-end and mate-pairs sequencing reads. Quality filtering and correction of paired-end reads for very small and/or bad-quality sequences yielded 26.9 Gb of high-quality sequences, which are used to estimate the genome size as 175 Mbusing kmer methods and assembled into a 193.7 Mb genomic sequence scaffolds with N50 length of 92,945 bp. Furthermore, 94% of CEGMA completeness score were obtained from genome scaffold assembly. To facilitate gene annotation, we used a combination of de novo and homology based tools to predict gene models in the chigger mite genome. A combination of evidence-based and de novo approaches predicted 15,842 high-confidence protein-coding genes with an average transcript length of 1,511 bp and 2.4 exons per gene which corresponds to about 12.4% total gene length. Bacterial endosymbiosis are very common in mite species and can range from mutualistic to pathogenic associations. Henceforth, the endosymbionts in L. pallidum were predicted using the NCBI microbial draft genomes and mitochondrial genome. Besides, this L. pallidum draft genome can be used as a significant reference for comparative genomic studies across mite species.

Sensory system of insect is important for their fitness in the environment. Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is a major pest of bean plants and some fruit trees in Korea, Japan, China, and South Asian countries. This study was conducted to investigate morphology and distribution of antennal sensilla of R. pedestris, using scanning electron microscopy. Antennae of R. pedestris was 11 and 9.84 mm in length in male and female, respectively, and consists of four segments; scape, pedicel, flagellum 1 and 2 (F1 and F2). Five types of sensilla (s.) trichodea, four types of s. basiconica, two types of s. chaetica, and one type of s. coeloconica were preliminary identified in both sexes of adult R. pedestris, based on their size, shape, presence of socket and surface structure. Three types of trichoid sensilla, four types of basiconic sensilla, one type of chaetic sensilla and coeloconic sensilla had numerous pores along the surface of the sensilla, suggesting their olfactory function. Eight types of sensilla (3 trichoid, 2 basiconic, a chaetic and a coeloconic) showed a distinct socket structure at the base of each sensillum. Different types of sensilla showed different distribution along the antennal segments. Two types of trichoid sensilla and two types of basiconic sensilla were distributed on scape, pedicel and F1 flagella subsegment. However, the distribution of eight other types of sensilla was limited to one of two flagella subsegments.

The high plateaus in west China may provide suitable sites for astronomical observations with the institute's middle-range telescopes and possibly with larger telescopes. Under China-Japan collaborations for site survey in west China, we have been conducting searches for good sites and monitoring their characteristics over several years. As recent results of our site survey show, sites in west Tibet are revealed with a high possibility of good astronomical observations. Weather characteristics at Gar in Ali, Tibet, show its high clear-sky ratios, especially in winter, com- parable to Mauna Kea, Hawaii. But it has some wind problem in winter, where stronger wind speeds, over 20m/sec, occur frequently even though the sky is clear. To find calmer sites, we have conducted numerical simulations for the Ali area using the Japan Meteorological Agency NonHydrostatic Model. We have found another site, named ZoZo Hill, near Gar. We will continue to monitor the Gar site to clarify weather characteristics over the whole year and hopefully start to negotiate for site monitoring at ZoZo Hill this year.

The Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center (HASC) was founded in 2004 at Hiroshima University, Japan. The main mission of this institute is the observational study of various transient objects includ- ing gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, novae, cataclysmic variables, and active galactic nuclei by means of multi-wavelength observations. HASC consists of three divisions; the optical-infrared astronomy divi- sion, high-energy astronomy division, and theoretical astronomy division. HASC is operating the 1.5m optical-infrared telescope Kanata, which is dedicated to follow-up and monitoring observations of transient objects. The high-energy division is the key operation center for the Fermi gamma-ray space telescope. HASC and the high-energy astronomy group in the department of physical science at Hiroshima University are closely collaborating with each other to promote multi-wavelength time-domain astronomy. We report the recent activities of HASC and some science topics pursued by this multi-wavelength collaboration.

The Kepler mission has shown that small planets are extremely common. It is likely that nearly every star in the sky hosts at least one rocky planet. We just need to look hard enough - but this requires vast amounts of telescope time. MINERVA (MINiature Exoplanet Radial Velocity Array) is a dedicated exoplanet observatory with the primary goal of discovering rocky, Earth-like planets orbiting in the habitable zone of bright, nearby stars. The MINERVA team is a collaboration among UNSW Australia, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Penn State University, University of Montana, and the California Institute of Technology. The four-telescope MINERVA array will be sited at the F.L. Whipple Observatory on Mt Hopkins in Arizona, USA. Full science operations will begin in mid-2015 with all four telescopes and a stabilised spectrograph capable of high-precision Doppler velocity measurements. We will observe ~100 of the nearest, brightest, Sun-like stars every night for at least five years. Detailed simulations of the target list and survey strategy lead us to expect 154 new low-mass planets.

We have initiated a Very Long Baseline Interferometer (VLBI) monitoring project of 36 methanol maser sources at 6.7 GHz using the Japanese VLBI Network (JVN) and East-Asian VLBI Network (EAVN), starting in August 2010. The purpose of this project is to systematically reveal 3-dimensional (3-D) kine- matics of rotating disks around forming high-mass protostars. As an initial result, we present proper mo- tion detections for two methanol maser sources showing an elliptical spatial morphology, G 002.53+00.19 and G 006.79-00.25, which could be the best candidates associated with the disk. The detected proper motions indicate a simple rotation in G 002.53+00.19 and rotation with expansion in G 006.79-00.25, respectively, on the basis of disk model fits with rotating and expanding components. The expanding motions might be caused by the magnetic-centrifugal wind on the disk.

VLBI experiments have been conducted by radio telescopes in the East Asia VLBI Network (EAVN) in which 14 telescopes in China, Japan, and Korea participated. One of the aims of the EAVN is to obtain higher angular resolution that is provided by the 6,000 km baseline between China and Japan and better sensitivity by adding large telescopes. Data were recorded at 1 a Gbps recording rate at all stations and processed on the Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Correlator (KJJVC) at the Korea-Japan Correlation Center (KJCC) after experiments. Fringes were obtained from these experiments conducted at 8 GHz and 22 GHz and post-correlation data analysis of the experiments is undergoing. The outcomes of these experiments open the possibility of conducting EAVN observations with global VLBI networks. In this presentation, the recent status of these experiments and future prospects are presented.

The Korean very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) network (KVN) and VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) Array (KaVA) is the rst international VLBI array dedicated to high-frequency (23 GHz (K-band) and 43 GHz (Q-band)) observations in East Asia. To evaluate the imagine capability of KaVA, we performed imaging observations of three bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs) known for their complex morphologies: 4C 39.25, 3C 273, and M87 by KaVA at K-/Q-band. Our KaVA images reveal extended out ows with complex substructure such as knots and limb brightening, in agreement with previous observations by other VLBI facilities. Angular resolutions are better than 1.4 and 0.8 milliarcsecond (max) at K-/Q-band, respectively. KaVA achieves a high dynamic range of ~1000, more than three times the value achieved by VERA. We conclude that KaVA is a powerful array with a great potential for the study of AGN out ows, at least comparable to the best existing radio interferometric arrays.

KaVA (KVN and VERA Array) is a new combined VLBI array composed of KVN (Korean VLBI Network) and VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry). Here, we report the following two issues. (1) We review the initial results of imaging observations of M87 at 23 GHz following Niinuma et al. (2014). The KaVA images reveal extended out ows including complex substructures such as knots and limb-brightening, in agreement with previous VLBI observations. KaVA achieves a high dynamic range of ~1000, more than three times better than that achieved by VERA alone. (2) Based on subsequent observations and discussions led by the KaVA AGN SubWorking Group, we set monitoring observations of Sgr A* and M87 as our Key Science Project (hereafter KSP) because of the closeness and largeness of their central super-massive black holes. The main science goals of the KSP are (i) testing the magnetically- driven-jet paradigm by mapping velocity fields of the M87 jet, and (ii) obtaining tight constraints on physical properties of the radio emitting region in Sgr A*. Towards KSP, we show the first preliminary images of M87 at 23 GHz and Sgr A* at 43 GHz with the bandwidth of 256 MHz.

In this proceedings, preliminary results of the KVN Source-Frequency Phase-Referencing (SFPR) observation of 3C 66A and 3C 66B are presented. The motivation of this work is to measure the core-shift of these 2 sources and study the temporal evolution of the jet opacity. Two more sources were observed as secondary reference calibrators and each source was observed at 22, 43, and 86 GHz simultaneously. Our preliminary results show that after using the observations at the lower frequency to calibrate those at the higher frequency of the same source, the residual visibility phases for each source at the higher frequencies became more aligned, and the coherence time became much longer; also, the residual phases for different sources, within 10 degrees angular separations, follow similar trends. After reference to the nearby calibrator, the SFPRed maps were obtained as well as the astrometric measurements, i.e. the combined coreshift. The measurements were found to be affected by structural blending effects because of the large beamsize of KVN, but this can be corrected with higher resolution maps (e.g. KAVA maps).

This paper presents an overview of the large international projects in which the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is involved, namely, the Subaru Telescope, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, and the Thirty Meter Telescope. The last section provides a brief historical view of the international collaboration in East Asia regions over the last 20 years.

We investigated the galaxy morphology of 6 Abell clusters at z = 0:0784 - 0:145 based on deep images obtained using MegaCam on the CFHT. For hundreds of galaxies in our data, we classified their mor- phology based on criteria related to secular or merger related evolution. We found that the morphological mixture of galaxies varies considerably from cluster to cluster. This article contains a general description of our deep imaging campaign and preliminary results for galaxy morphologies in cluster environments.