An importance of food allergen detection has been growing in food industry. Here, we developed a rapid and easy-to-use detection system for Ara h1, a major allergen in peanut, using gold nanoparticles and switchable linkers. The detection system was performed by two steps. In the first step, Ara h1 was mixed with various concentrations (0.2 - 1.0μg/mL) of biotinylated anti-Ara h1 antibody (i.e., switchable linker, SLs) solutions for 20 min. After mixing, streptavidin coated gold nanoparticle (Abs. 4.0) was added to the mixture solutions with agitation for10 min. Without Ara h1(control), the region of aggregation caused by quantitative relationship between SLs and gold nanoparticle was observed at more than 0.4 μg/mL of SLs. However, under presence of Ara h1, SLs covered with Ara h1 had less ability to react with gold nanoparticles than naked SLs. This resulted in a change of the quantitative relationship mentioned above, which led to shift of the aggregation region. When 10 nM and 40 nM of Ara h1 were added, the aggregation region was appeared from 0.5and 0.8 μg/mLof switchable linkers, respectively. Ara h1 in peanut sample was also detected with this system. 0.4 μg/mL of switchable linkers are mixed with serially diluted peanut extract solutions. As a result, the shift of the aggregation region was observed from undiluted extract to 10 -2 diluted solution. This system could be adapted to detect other harmful/useful bio materials in food.

There are a lot of types of wild vegetables such as Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott stem in Korea. However, the consumption of these wild vegetables is restricted because their storage decreased dramatically after harvest. To maintain original quality of vegetables, pre-treatments such as blanching and drying are important. But conditions for these treatments were still not optimized for many vegetables including Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott stem. Thus, the objective of this study was to set up an optimal pre-treatment method for freezing storage. Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott stems were peeled and cut equally (10 cm) for sample preparation. Dried samples (D) were dried at 90℃ for 3 h. Blanched samples (B) were blanched in hot water at 100℃ for 2 min. Blanched and dried samples (BD) were blanched and dried as same protocol. Physicochemical properties were analyzed to evaluate the quality including texture, moisture content, total color difference and viable cell count. Raw sample had 6.85 kg/cm 3 of hardness and 78.75 of chewiness whereas B was 6.83 kg/cm 3 of hardness and 7.8 of chewiness. B had the similar value compared to raw samples. Moisture content of raw sample was 94.4% and that of B was 94.1%, though there were not any significant differences between them. ΔE value of B showed lower value than those of the others. Viable cell counts and total coliforms were not detected after treatment, while raw sample had 5.39 log CFU/g of viable cell count without total coliform. Therefore, pre-treatments are essential for microbial safety of samples. All results considered, it is supposed that blanching is the optimal pre-treatment to sustain its original quality of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott stems before freezing.

The white-spotted flower chafer, Protaetia brevitarsis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), is traditionally considered to be an important source of medicinal properties of suppression of cancer and prevention of liver-related diseases. Recently, it was listed as a temporal food ingredient by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. To use this insect species without endangering wild populations and produce better quality insects, a mass rearing technique and the suitable rearing conditions are needed. The present study was carried out to determine whether different diets and temperatures can affect the larval weight of this beetle. The larval weight change of third instar larvae was tracked for 14 weeks with different combination of three rearing temperatures – 25, 27.5, and 30℃ - and two feed ingredients – soybean cake and rice bran. Among three temperatures, 27.5℃ was the best temperature condition for rearing this beetle. Among four combinations of two feed ingredients, the addition of soybean cake made significant weight increasement for third instar larvae. These results showed that adding soybean cake at 27.5℃ was the best rearing condition for larval weight gain. This rearing condition can be considered in terms of producing better insects and maximizing producers’ benefits.

Since we reported a viral disease extremely fatal to A. dichotoma, had landed on Korea in 2015, we have investigated this disease nationwide and it was turned out the viral disease has spread in the majority of the larva-rearing farms all over the country. The transmission of this disease is most severe when the larvae are harvested and stored for overwintering. During this period, even a few virus-infected larvae can easily transmit the virus and about two hundreds of larvae stored in a container can be killed. In a peroral infection experiment, 80% of infected larvae were killed but survived larvae became adults fully functional physiologically. These survived beetles were confirmed as live virus carrier. Also, about 75% of larvae hatched from the eggs laid by the infected beetles were infected and killed by the virus. This vertical transmission is due to the feeding and secretion activity of the infected parents.

Even though plant protections using chemical pesticides have several advantages, non-specific toxicities to other beneficial insects and humans and rapid development of tolerance and/or resistance of target pests to chemicals are major disadvantages. Recent researches suggested that using double stranded RNA (dsRNA) could be species specific and environmental friendly pest management protocols. However, efficiency of dsRNA treatments are known to be variable according to its application methods. For example, injections of dsRNAs to pests were known to be effective in all species. However, efficiencies of oral application of dsRNAs were known to be dependent on species. Thus, development of tools that could enhance the efficacy of orally treated dsRNAs are utmost important for widening usages of dsRNAs in plant protection. Recently, we found that the efficacy of oral treated dsRNAs to target pests could be enhanced by nano-technologies. I will show how applying nano-technology to dsRNAs enhance the efficiency of dsRNAs. (This work was carried out with the support of the Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science & Technology Development (Project title: Studies for biological characteristics of and control methods against the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, Project No: PJ011630042016), Rural Development Administration).

Nanosized zeolites were prepared in an autoclave using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH), and H2O, at various hydrothermal synthesis temperatures. Using transmission electron microscopy and particle size analysis, the nanopowder particulate sizes were revealed to be 10-300 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the synthesized nanopowder was silicalite-1 zeolite. Using atomic layer deposition, the fabricated zeolite nanopowder particles were coated with nanoscale TiO2 films. The TiO2 films were prepared at 300 oC by using Ti[N(CH3)2]4 and H2O as precursor and reactant gas, respectively. In the TEM analysis, the growth rate was ~0.7 Å/cycle. Zeta potential and sedimentation test results indicated that, owing to the electrostatic repulsion between TiO2-coated layers on the surface of the zeolite nanoparticles, the dispersibility of the coated nanoparticles was higher than that of the uncoated nanoparticles. In addition, the effect of the coated nanoparticles on the photodecomposition was studied for the irradiation time of 240 min; the concentration of methylene blue was found to decrease to 48%.

A 4-day-old, male Poodle dog was presented with dull, depressed and exhausted activity after the birth. On physical examination, the puppy showed arthrogryposis, muscular atrophy and no movement of hindlimbs. Palpation on dorsum revealed an absence of lumbar and sacral vertebrae. On prenatal and postnatal radiography, lumbar vertebrae, sacrum and coccygeal vertebrae were not visualized. On ultrasonography, bilateral kidney and urinary bladder were observed. On computed tomography, there were no apparent abnormalities in the forelimbs, cervical vertebrae or head, while lumbar vertebrae, sacrum and coccygeal vertebrae were not observed. At necropsy examination, the liver, stomach, intestine, kidney and urinary bladder were normal. This congenital anomaly was consistent with Perosomus elumbis. Perosomus elumbis in dogs is a rare condition of unknown etiology. In this report, Perosomus elumbis was evaluated with radiography, ultrasound and computed tomography.

Mucormycosis generally presents as an acute infection manifesting in rhinocerebral, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cutaneous, or disseminated forms. Fungal invasion to the arteries can reduce blood supply by thrombi formation inside the blood vessels, leading to necrosis. Fungal infection usually initiates in the upper turbinate, paranasal sinus, or less commonly in the palate or pharynx. Here we report an unusual case of mucormycosis in the maxilla of a 75-year-old man and present a review of the literature.

Powder compaction is a continually and rapidly evolving technology where it is a highly developed method ofmanufacturing reliable components. To understand existing mechanisms for compaction, parameter investigation isrequired. Experimental investigations on powder compaction process, followed by numerical modeling of compaction arepresented in this paper. The experimental work explores compression characteristics of soft and hard ductile powdermaterials. In order to account for deformation, fracture and movement of the particles, a discrete-finite element analysismodel is defined to reflect the experimental data and to enable investigations on mechanisms present at the particlelevel. Effects of important simulation factors and process parameters, such as particle count, time step, particle discret-ization, and particle size on the powder compaction procedure have been explored.

The white-spotted chafer, Protaetia brevitarsis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) was recently listed as a temporal food ingredient by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Traditionally, this beetle has been regarded as a medicine for suppressing live cancer and preventing liver-related disease. Based on these facts, this beetle has been focused as a economically important insects in Korea. Therefore, this beetle is commercially reared and distributed in Korea. As the economic importance is growing, we have investigated to enhance insect rearing conditions for better commercial value. In this study, we compared two food supplements, clay and charcoal, on the larval weight gain for second instar larvae of P. brevitarsis. Clay and charcoal are generally known as a good adsorbent for heavy metals and bio-waste. However, clay and charcoal is not a conventional feed supplements, so its effects were not investigated for insect rearing. The second instar P. brevitarsis larvae were fed fermented sawdust with seven different combinations of cla and/or charcoal, and measured body weight for 17 weeks until pupated. Addition of clay at 2.5 % w/w of the fermented sawdust diet had no negative effect on larval weight gain, and thus may improve the quality of P. brevitarsis as a commercial food.

The current market size of insect industry in Korea is estimated at 300 million dollars and more than 500 local farms are related to many insect industry. One of the strong candidates for insect industry is Korean horn beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma. Early this year, we reported a viral disease extremely fatal to A. dichotoma larvae. While we were proceeding a nationwide investigation of this disease, several farmers answered that similar disease symptom has been occurred occasionally during past 10 years. The symptom can be easily confused with early stage of bacterial infection or physiological damage including temperature and moisture. A peroral infection with the purified virus to healthy larvae produced a result that only 21% of larvae survived and became pupae. Although some of the survived adult beetle were deformational, many of them had no abnormal appearance and even succeeded in mating. Later, these beetles were examined if they were carrying the virus, and all except one were confirmed as virus carrier. This implies that these beetle may fly out and spread the disease throughout the country. We found the evidence by collecting wild A. dichotoma larvae which were virus infected, near two local farms rearing the horn beetle. So far, transovarial transmission of this virus to the eggs, or horizontal transmission to other commercially reared insects are not known yet.

The present study investigated the effects of Lysophospholipid (LPLs, LIPIDOL™) on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of Hanwoo heifers. A feeding trial was performed for 120 days until slaughter using a herd of 24 Hanwoo heifers. Eight heifers were assigned to each of 3 experimental groups (control, 0.3% LIPIDOL™ and 0.5% LIPIDOL™). Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics were investigated. Significantly improved nutrient digestibility was found in the LIPIDOL™ treatment group compared to the control (p<0.05). No significant effect by LIPIDOL™ supplementation on growth performance was observed (p>0.05). However, interestingly, greater carcass weight was detected in the treatment of LIPIDOL™ where less daily gain was found. Although not a significant effect, greatly decreased back-fat thickness and increased loin area were detected in the treatment of LIPIDOL™. In meat characteristics, LIPIDOL™ increased intramuscular fat and tenderness. Therefore, the present study results suggest that the inclusion of LIPIDOL™ in the diet of Hanwoo heifers can improve carcass performance and meat quality by increasing the carcass index and the meat quality index. The results also suggest that a level of 0.3% might be more efficient than 0.5% with regard to economic effectiveness.

In this study, we propose an efficient two-phase heuristic policy, called an acceptance tolerance control policy, for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud services that considers both the service provider and customer in terms of profit and satisfaction, respectively. Each time an IaaS cloud service is requested, this policy determines whether the service is accepted or rejected by calculating the potential for realizing the two performance objectives. Moreover, it uses acceptance tolerance to identify the possibility for error with the chosen decision while compensating for both future fluctuations in customer demand and error possibilities based on past decisions. We conducted a numerical experiment to verify the performance of the proposed policy using several actual IaaS cloud service specifications and comparing it with other heuristics.

A Duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed for the simultaneous detection and differentiation among Nosema spp. and Vairimorpha spp. from Lepidoptera insects. Two sets of primers were selected from different genomic sequences to specifically amplify an 831 bp amplicon within the SSU rRNA gene, specific for both Nosema spp. and Vairimorpha spp. (MSSR primer); a 542 bp amplicon within the SSU rRNA gene, specific for Vairimorpha spp. (VSSU primer). Using the primers in conjunction (duplex PCR) it was possible to detect Nosema spp. and Vairimorpha spp. to differentiate between them. The sensitivity of this PCR assay was approximately 10 spores per milliliter. It is proposed that the duplex PCR is a sensitive, specific and rapid tool that can serve as a useful differential diagnostic tool for detecting Nosema spp. and Vairimorpha spp. in Lepidoptera insect.

The white-spotted chafer, Protaetia brevitarsis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), is the one of the mass-rearing insects in Korea. Traditionally, it has been considered as a medicine for preventing liver-related diseases and suppressing cancer. In addition, this beetle was recently enlisted as a temporal food ingredient by Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. As the economic importance of this beetle is growing, the suitable rearing conditions are needed for more detailed investigation. In this study, we compared three different temperature conditions – 25, 27.5, and 30°C – and the four combinations of two ingredients – soybean cake, and rice bran. With these treatments, the weight change of third instar larvae was tracked for ten weeks. Among three temperatures, 27.5°C was identified as the best temperature condition for rearing this beetle. Among four combinations of different ingredients, the addition of soybean cake made significant weight incensement for third instar larvae. Based on these results, we concluded that adding soybean cake at 27.5°C is the best rearing condition among 12 combinations of temperatures and feed ingredients. In addition, we observed the body weight was reduced when the larvae were closed to the pupation period. Therefore, we recommend that ca. seven weeks after third instar is the best time to distribute it to the market.

In Korea, the value of insect resources has been increased immensely and the insect industry is expected to increase up to 40 billion dollars by 2020. Among them, Korean horn beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma, is one of the strongest candidates for insect industry as medicinal purpose for various liver diseases and diabetes. In many local farms rearing larvae, a few bacterial and fungal pathogens causing disease of A. dichotoma larvae have been identified including Bacillus thuringiensis and Metarhizium anisopliae. For past few years, a disease seemingly due to viral infection has been reported for causing death of larvae en masse. The pathogen of this disease has not been identified so far. In Southeastern Asia, Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) is known to cause severe disease in coconut palm rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, and is used as a biological control agent to reduce the pest population. Here, we report for the first time that OrNV may have landed on Korea and may be the major pathogen for the diseased larvae of A. dichotoma. After peroral inoculation with the purified virus extracted from the hemolymph of diseased larvae, we confirmed that over 60% of infected larvae perished in six weeks. This viral disease spreads very fast in many farms nationwide throughout Korea. This threat not only makes economic loss of local farms rearing larvae, but also may disturb the ecosystem by transmitting to wild A. dichotoma.