Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT) based ceramics are considered potential lead-free alternatives for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3(PZT) based ceramics in various applications such as sensors, actuators and transducers. However, BNT-based ceramics have lower electromechanical performance as compared with PZT based ceramics. Therefore, in this work, lead-free bulk 0.99[(Bi0.5Na0.5)0.935Ba0.065](1-x)LaxTiO3-0.01SrZO3 (BNBTLax-SZ, with x = 0, 0.01, 0.02) ceramics were synthesized by a conventional solid state reaction The crystal structure, dielectric response, degree of diffuseness and electric-field-induced strain properties were investigated as a function of different La concentrations. All samples were crystallized into a single phase perovskite structure. The temperature dependent dielectric response of La-modified BNBT-SZ ceramics showed lower dielectric response and improved field-induced strain response. The field induced strain increased from 0.17% for pure BNBT-SZ to 0.38 % for 1 mol.% La-modified BNBT-SZ ceramics at an applied electric field of 6 kV/mm. These results show that Lamodified BNBT-SZ ceramic system is expected to be a new candidate material for lead-free electronic devices.

Anastatus orientalis Yang & Choi, 2015 (Hymenoptera: Eulpelmidae) is reported for the first time from Korea. It is a solitary endo-parasitoid in egg of Licorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), Which causes damages to many ornamental and fruit trees in Korea. This species would be a good biological agent for suppression of the spotted lanternfly in Korea. More than 40 specimens of this species were collected in Cheonhyeon-dong, Hanam-city and Samsung-dong, Seoul city. This Korea species was compare with that from China in morphlogical characteristics and barcodes region of COI.

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Camponotus atrox (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) that is distributed only in Korea. This genome is 16,540 bp in size, contains typical sets of genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, and two rRNAs). The C. atrox A+T-rich region is the longest in the sequenced ants as 1,402 bp and is comprised of an identical tandem repeat consisting of six 100-bp copies and one 96-bp copy. A total of 315 bp of intergenic-spacer sequences were spread over 23 regions. An attempt to align spacer sequences in ants turned out that alignment was mostly feasible among congeneric species, with a substantial sequence divergence, indicating the potential of these sequences as congeneric molecular markers. The A/T content in first and second codon positions of PCGs are similar in ants including C. atrox (73.9 vs. 72.3% on average). Estimation of degree of genetic divergence (e.g. non-synonymous substitution rate) with an increased taxon sampling among hymenopteran superfamilies indicated the presence of different rates of divergence between the suborders Symphyta and Apocrita as has previously been reported. The C. atrox mt genome has a unique gene arrangement, trnI-trnM-trnQ at the A+T-rich region and ND2 junction (underline for inverted gene), possibly originated from tandem duplication of trnM-trnI, resulting in trnM-trnI-trnM-trnI-trnQ and loss of first trnM and second trnI, resulting in trnI-trnM-trnQ.

Saturnia (Rinaca) jonasii Butler, 1877 is distributed in Japan, including Tsushima Island and Taiwan, whereas S. boisduvalii Eversmann, 1846 is distributed in northern areas, such as China, Russia, and South Korea. In the present study we found that the specimens from Mt. Hallasan on Jejudo, a southern remote offshore island, were S. jonasii, rather than S. boisduvalii based on morphology, DNA barcode, and nuclear elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1α) sequences. The major morphological differences between the two species included the shape of wing pattern elements of fore- and hindwings and male and female genitalia. A DNA barcode analysis of the sequences of the Jejudo specimens and S. boisduvalii, along with those of Saturnia species obtained from a public database showed a minimum sequence divergence of 4.26% (28 bp). A phylogenetic analysis also showed clustering of the Jejudo specimens with S. jonasii, separating S. boisduvalii (Bayesian posterior probability = 0.99). The EF-1α-based sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the two species from Jejudo Island and the Korean mainland showed the uniqueness of the Jejudo specimens from S. boisduvalii collected on the Korean mainland, indicating distribution of S. jonasii on Jejudo Island in South Korea, instead of S. boisduvalii.

The spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), originally distributed across a few Asian countries, including South Korea, has invaded North America and Europe, but is absent from Australia. In order to export the South Korean grape cultivar Campbell Early to Australia, its potential to serve as oviposition and development medium for SWD must first be determined. In this study, we determined the oviposition and development potential of SWD on Campbell Early, after elucidating the SWD life cycle and establishing an artificial diet-based mass-culturing system. An investigation of the life cycle under five temperature regimes (16, 19, 22, 25, and 28°C) showed that the durations of the egg, larval, and adult stages were shorten when temperature was increased from 16, 19, 22, 25, and 28°C, but pupal duration was shortest at 25°C and extended again at 28°C. A test of oviposition and development potential of SWD on Campbell Early grape clusters showed oviposition of 30.8 ± 6.8 eggs per cluster of injured grapes and 157.7 ± 16.2 eggs on a culture dish of artificial diet. However, in a similar experiment using uninjured grape clusters, only a single egg was deposited on the grape skin, which soon dried. In light of these results, newly harvested grapes left at vineyards during daily harvests are unlikely to serve as an oviposition and development medium for SWD, as long as the grapes remain uninjured.

Kentrochrysalis streckeri Staudinger, 1880 is distributed in Russia, Mongolia, China, and North Korea, whereas K. consimilis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 has been known to occur South Korea and Japan. In the present study we found that the specimens from South Korea were K. streckeri, rather than K. consimilis based on morphology, DNA barcode, and nuclear elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1α) sequences. The major morphological differences between K. streckeri and K. consimilis include the shape of wing pattern elements of fore- and hindwings and male and female genitalia. A DNA barcode analysis of the South Korean specimens and K. streckeri originated from Russia showed a maximum sequence divergence of only 0.659% (four bp), whereas the barcoding sequence of K. consimilis sequenced in this study and GenBank-registered sequence (JN678086), both of which originated from Japan showed the minimum sequence divergence of 2.965% (18 bp), indicating that the Korean specimens are, in fact, K. streckeri, instead of wrongly known K. consimilis. Phylogenetic analyses both by Bayesian Inference and maximum likelihood methods well supported the monophyly of South Korean specimens and Russian K. streckeri, excluding K. consimilis. The EF-1α-based sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the two species also supported the data from DNA barcode, indicating distribution of K. streckeri in South Korea, instead of K. consimilis.

The lycanid butterfly, Shijimiaeoides divina (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) is listed as the second-degree endangered wild animal in Korea from 2012. The 15,259-bp long complete mitochondrial genome of the species consisted of a typical set of genes (13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes) and one major non-coding A+T-rich region, with the typical arrangement found in majority of Lepidoptera. The 15,259-bp long S. divina mitogenome is well within the range found in Lycaenidae and has typical sets of 37 genes and a major non-coding A+T-rich region as 379 bp. As other lycanid butterflies S. divina COI also started with CGA. The gene arrangement of S. divina is identical to that of the Ditrysia in Lepidoptera that has the order trnM-trnI-trnQ (underline for inverted gene) between the A+T-rich region and ND2. Comparison of the skewness between the PCGs encoded in major and minor strand indicates a substantial difference between them in GC skewness (0.261 ~ 0.340 in minor strand vs. -0.081 ~ -0.115 in major strand). The 151-bp intergenic spacer sequence of the S. divina mitogenome is spread over 16 regions ranging in size from 1-53 bp. The longest one (53 bp) located between trnQ and ND2 shows substantially high sequence homology to neighboring ND2 may indicating the origination of the region by a partial duplication of the ND2 gene. One of the unusual features of the S. divina mitogenome is the presence of a trnK-like sequence that is encoded at the major strand of the genome in the A+T-rich region.

In the present study, Cydia kamijoi Oku is newly recognized in korean insect fauna. This tortricid moth was first found damaging the cones of Abies koreana in Jeju Island 2014. The moth can be a serious insect pest on A. koreana because of high damage rate on the cones, up to 71% average. The genus Cydia now was 11 korean species including C. kamijoi. Regarding this species, some basic information such as collection records, morphological characters, and ecology were provided

The effects of Nb doping on the crystal structure, microstructure, and dielectric ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)0.935Ba0.065Ti(1-x)NbxO3-0.01SrZrO3 (BNBTNb-SZ, with x = 0, 0.01 and 0.02) ceramics have been investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that all ceramics have a pure perovskite structure with tetragonal symmetry. The grain size of the ceramics slightly decreased and a change in grain morphology from square to spherical shape was observed in the Nb-doped samples. The maximum dielectric constant temperature (Tm) increases with increasing amount of Nb; however, ferroelectric-relaxor transition temperature (TF-R) and maximum dielectric constant (εm) values decrease gradually. Nb addition disrupted the polarization hysteresis loops of the BNBT-SZ ceramics by leading a reduction in the remnant polarization coercive field and piezoelectric constant.

New lead-free piezoelectric ceramics 0.96[{Bi0.5 (Na0.84 K0.16)0.5}1-xLax(Ti1-y Nby)O3]-0.04SrTiO3 (BNKT-ST-LN, where x = y = 0.00 ≤ (x = y) ≤ 0.015) were synthesized using the conventional solid-state reaction method. Their crystal structure, microstructure, and electrical properties were investigated as a function of the La and Nb (LN) content. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of a single-phase perovskite structure for all the LN-modified BNKT-ST ceramics in this study. The temperature dependence of the dielectric curves showed that the maximum dielectric constant temperature (Tm) shifted towards lower temperatures and the curves became more diffuse with an increasing LN content. At the optimum composition (LN 0.005), a maximum value of remnant polarization (33 C/cm2) with a relatively low coercive field (22 kV/cm) and high piezoelectric constant (215 pC/N) was observed. These results indicate that the LN co-modified BNKT-ST ceramic system is a promising candidate for lead-free piezoelectric materials.

Osteoclasts originated from hematopoietic stem cells are multi-nucleated cells that can resorb the bone matrix. Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL) signaling pathway is crucial for the differentiation and activation of osteoclasts. In this study, we investigated for the first time whether or not RANKL induced mitogen- and stress-activated kinase 1 (MSK1) phosphorylation at Ser 376. Activation of MSK1 was detected as soon as 5 min after RANKL stimulation and sparsely detected at 30 min after stimulation. RANKL-induced MSK1 phosphorylation occurred in a dose-dependent manner. MSK1 is known as a downstream signaling molecule of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Treatment with the PKA inhibitor H89 significantly suppressed c-Fos and nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) induction upon RANKL stimulation. In addition, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation was extremely inhibited by H89 treatment. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) have been investigated for induction of MSK1 phosphorylation. Specific signaling pathway inhibitors for p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) significantly blocked RANKL-induced MSK1 activation. Finally, as a downstream effector of the p38-MSK1 pathway, c-Fos transcriptional activity was determined. RANKL-mediated elevation of c-Fos transcriptional activity was significantly suppressed by p38 inhibitor. Moreover, a dominant negative form of CREB suppressed activation of NFATc1. In conclusion, RANKL-stimulated MSK1 phosphorylation could play a role in induction of NFATc1 through CREB and c-Fos activation as a downstream molecule of p38, ERK MAPKs, and PKA. Our results support basic information for the development of osteoclast specific inhibitors.

The species composition of the parasitoid complex and the degree of parasitism by each species were analyzed for Ivela auripes Butler (Lepidoptera, Lymantridae) populations in the increasing phase. Total of 2,177 eggs, larvae and pupae were collected and reared from the Gwangneung forest Pocheon-si, Korea. The most abundant parasitoids from each developmental stage were: a trichogrammatid wasp (Trichogramma kurosuae) from eggs, a braconid wasp (Cotesia melanoscela) from larvae, an ichneumonid wasp (Pimpla disparis) and a tachinid fly (Tachinidae sp.1), each from pupae. 19 other parasitoids, mostly hyperparasitoids, also occurred including Tachinidae sp.2, Pteromalidae sp.1, Ichneumonidae sp.3, and Apechthis capulifera. Illustrations and a list of the species parasitizing of I. auripes are provided.

The spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), was originally observed in a few Asian countries, but is now found even in North America and Europe. Genetic information on geographic variation and relationship may broaden our understanding of origin and migration. As a first step, in this study, a portion of mitochondrial COI gene was sequenced to understand genetic relationship and diversity in Korea. Sequencing of 104 individuals provided 57 haplotypes, with the maximum sequence divergence of 1.5%, suggesting high haplotype diversity and moderate sequence divergence. Comparison to GenBankregistered D. suzukii haplotypes (possibly from Spain, Portugal, USA) has shown 100% sequence identity to most of the haplotypes found in this study, but two USA sequences were found to be independent haplotypes, with the sequence divergence ranging from 0.5% ~ 1.4% from our samples in the 553-bp comparison. Phylogenetically, no separable group was found, but, population genetically, the only Chinese population, Sandong, was significantly differentiated (p < 0.05) from all Korean populations, without sharing any haplotype. Among 28 pairwise comparisons of Korean populations only two comparisons showed a significant genetic differentiation, indicating that no population in Korea is completely isolated. Geographically, one haplotype (SWDBA06) was relatively widespread (five among nine localities) and a few haplotypes were found in more than one locality, but most haplotypes were restricted in a locality as a single individual. Overall, high rate of per generation female migration (Nm = 0.75 ~ infinite) and low level of geographic separation (FST=0~0.40) among localities were characteristic. Current data is limited mainly to Korean localities, thus, an expanded study may provide further scrutinized analysis for the fly.

A novel oxidant fumigation (NOF) has been considered as alternative fumigant to replace methyl bromide that is a serious ozone depleter. Its high oxidative activity has been used as a bleaching or sanitary agent. Though some reports an insecticidal activity of NOF, its insecticidal action is yet to be understood. This study was conducted with an observation of an insecticidal activity of NOF against Plodia interpunctella, which is a stored grain insect pest. Cytotoxicity test was performed by using MTT assay, NOF gave a significant cytotoxicity on both Sf9 cells and HiFive insect cell lines. Sf9 cells were higher susceptible (IC50 = 43.2+ 3.5 ppm) to chloride dioxide than HiFive cells (IC50 = 174.6 + 5.9 ppm). To understand its cytotoxic effect on P. interpunctella, the larval hemocytes were incubated in vitro with different doses of NOF for 40 min at room temperature. In a dose-dependent manner, NOF gave a significant toxicity to the hemocytes. When NOF was injected to larvae of P. interpunctella, it significantly reduced total hemocyte counts compared to control. These results indicate that NOF has cytotoxic effect against hemocytes of P. interpunctella. This hemolytic activity of NOF can be regarded as a lethal factor to the stored grain insect pest.