In this work, the effects of hydrogen reduction on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of (GeTe)0.85(AgSbTe2)0.15 (TAGS-85) were studied by a combination of gas atomization and spark plasma sintering. The crystal structure and microstructure of TAGS-85 were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The oxygen content of both powders and bulk samples were found to decrease with increasing reduction temperature. The grain size gradually increased with increasing reduction temperature due to adhesion of fine grains in a temperature range of 350 to 450 °C. The electrical resistivity was found to increase with reduction temperature due to a decrease in carrier concentration. The Seebeck coefficient decreased with increasing reduction temperature and was in good agreement with the carrier concentration and carrier mobility. The maximum power factor, 3.3 × 10−3 W/mK2, was measured for the non-reduction bulk TAGS-85 at 450 °C.

Selecting an appropriate antigen with optimal immunogenicity and physicochemical properties is a pivotal factor to develop a protein based subunit vaccine. Despite rapid progress in modern molecular cloning and recombinant protein technology, there remains a huge challenge for purifying and using protein antigens rich in hydrophobic domains, such as membrane associated proteins. To overcome current limitations using hydrophobic proteins as vaccine antigens, we adopted in silico analyses which included bioinformatic prediction and sequence-based protein 3D structure modeling, to develop a novel periodontitis subunit vaccine against the outer membrane protein FomA of Fusobacterium nucleatum. To generate an optimal antigen candidate, we predicted hydrophilicity and B cell epitope parameter by querying to web-based databases, and designed a truncated FomA (tFomA) candidate with better solubility and preserved B cell epitopes. The truncated recombinant protein was engineered to expose epitopes on the surface through simulating amino acid sequence-based 3D folding in aqueous environment. The recombinant tFomA was further expressed and purified, and its immunological properties were evaluated. In the mice intranasal vaccination study, tFomA significantly induced antigen-specific IgG and sIgA responses in both systemic and oral-mucosal compartments, respectively. Our results testify that intelligent in silico designing of antigens provide amenable vaccine epitopes from hard-to-manufacture hydrophobic domain rich microbial antigens.

This study examines the construction and management of physical facilities in natural recreational forests that have been created after gaining an understanding of how visitors will use them. It also studies operations tailored for the use of visitors to natural recreation forests. The study presents basic data pertaining to management of natural recreation forests, analyzes the impact of current facilities on visitor satisfaction, and reveals the potential for new programs to be implemented. The independent variables in this study are facilities and program establishment/management and program utilization pertaining to the operation of natural recreation forests. The considered variables include facilities management and facilities requirements categorized by state programs. Program needs were analyzed using correlation. The state of facilities management in natural recreation forests, utilization program implementation, and demand for utilization programs were found to have a positive (+) influence on visitor satisfaction. The results of the rank regression analysis of the influence of the independent variables on visitor satisfaction decreases in the following order: state of facilities management, utilization program implementation, and demand for utilization programs. Visitors to natural recreation forests prefer recreational activities that provide a break from their normal routine, rather than the use of other aggressive utilization programs. Therefore, a higher priority should be given to ensuring appropriate provision of facilities that generate higher visitor satisfaction, as well as their stable management, compared to other utilization programs. Therefore, there are some indications that natural recreation forests of the future will benefit from the development and implementation of an essential set of utilization programs that will have a positive (+) impact on visitor satisfaction.

We conduct BVRI and R band photometric observations of asteroid (5247) Krylov from January 2016 to April 2016 for 51 nights using the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet). The color indices of (5247) Krylov at the light curve maxima are determined as B - V = 0:841  0:035, V -R = 0:4180:031, and V -I = 0:8710:031 where the phase angle is 14.1◦. They are acquired after the standardization of BVRI instrumental measurements using the ensemble normalization technique. Based on the color indices, (5247) Krylov is classied as a S-type asteroid. Double periods, that is, a primary period P1 = 82:188  0:013 h and a secondary period P2 = 67:13  0:20 h are identied from period searches of its R band light curve. The light curve phases with P1 and this indicate that it is a typical Non-Principal Axis (NPA) asteroid. We discuss the possible causes of its NPA rotation.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been considered an alternative source of neuronal lineage cells, which are difficult to isolate from brain and expand in vitro. Previous studies have reported that MSCs expressing Nestin (Nestin+ MSCs), a neuronal stem/progenitor cell marker, exhibit increased transcriptional levels of neural development-related genes, indicating that Nestin+ MSCs may exert potential with neurogenic differentiation. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of the presence of Nestin+ MSCs in bone-marrow-derived primary cells (BMPCs) on enhanced neurogenic differentiation of BMPCs by identifying the presence of Nestin+ MSCs in uncultured and cultured BMPCs. The percentage of Nestin+ MSCs in BMPCs was measured per passage by double staining with Nestin and CD90, an MSC marker. The efficiency of neurogenic differentiation was compared among passages, revealing the highest and lowest yields of Nestin+ MSCs. The presence of Nestin+ MSCs was identified in BMPCs before in vitro culture, and the highest and lowest percentages of Nestin+ MSCs in BMPCs was observed at the third (P3) and fifth passages (P5). Moreover, significantly the higher efficiency of differentiation into neurons, oligodendrocyte precursor cells and astrocytes was detected in BMPCs at P3, compared with P5. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that neurogenic differentiation can be enhanced by increasing the proportion of Nestin+ MSCs in cultured BMPCs.

Yoko Tawada’s drama Kafka Kaikoku (2013) depicts Japan’s encounter with Western culture from the Meiji era on as the catalyst for a metamorphosis much like Gregor Samsa’s in the work of the same name by Franz Kafka. Ironically, the victim of this East-West clash turns out to be Izumi Kyōka (1873-1939), a man who was anything but an enthusiastic adopter of European literary style. Interweaving elements also from Kafka’s Ein Landarzt (A Country Doctor, 1919), Tawada’s play suggests further that Izumi’s fate was set, since he—and, by extension, all Japanese—could not resist roles the West had prepared for him. Ultimately, this article explains, Kafka Kaikoku offers a critical view of modernization as a force that made Japanese into beings with a hybrid literary consciousness who lacked both much of their own native particularity and also their very humanity.

Generally, fate of spematogonial stem cells (SSCs) can be determined specifically by microenvironments enclosed with various extracellular matrix (ECM) components and integrins recognizing directly ECM proteins play an pivotal role in transporting ECM-derived signals into cytoplasm, resulting in inducing a variety of biological functions such as cell attachment, self-renewal and differentiation. However, to date, studies on type of integrins expressed on the undifferentiated SSCs remain unclear. Therefore, we tried to investigate systematically what kind of integrin subunits are expressed transcriptionally or translationally in the SSCs derived from testis of hybrid B6CBAF1 mouse. For these, isolation of SSCs from testis were conducted by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) using Thy1 antibody. Subsequently, transcriptional and translational level of integrin α and β subunits in the isolated SSCs were measured by real-time PCR and fluorescene immunoassay, respectively. As the results, transcriptional levels of genes encoding total 25 integrin subunits were quantified, and integrin α4, α6, α7, α9, αV, αL and αE and integrin β1, β5 showed higher expression levels than other subunits. By contrast, integrin α3, α5, α 10 and α11 and integrin β2, β3, β4, β7 were weakly transcribed. When translational levels of the integrin α subunits showing high transcription level (α4, α6, α7, α9, αV αL, and αE) were measured, integrin α6, α7, α9, αV and αL were higher than integrin α4 and αE. In case of integrin β subunit, β1 evaluated more expression than β5. From these results, we speculate that the undifferentiated SSCs derived from hybrid B6CBAF1 mouse may express integrin α4β1, α6β1, α7β1, α9β1, αVβ1 and/or αVβ5 on plasma membrane. Moreover, this information will greatly contribute to constructing non-cellular niche supporting self-renewal of SSCs in the future.

To obtain in vivo matured oocytes for dog cloning, serum progesterone (P4) level were employed for ovulate determination. Radioactive immunoassay (RIA) is a traditional serum hormone assay method with highly radioactivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of RIA and to compare its canine serum P4 concentration determination accuracy to that of the electric chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLI). To obtain in vivo matured oocytes for canine somatic cell nuclear transfer, serum P4 levels were accurately measured with both methods of RIA and ECLI. Although both methods detected similar P4 level before ovulation, the mean P4 concentration using ECLI was significantly higher than that using RIA from 3days before ovulation. Following ovulation, oocytes were collected by surgery, and a lower percentage of mature oocytes were observed using ECLI (39%) as compared to RIA (67%) if 4-8ng/ml of P4 were criteria for determination of ovulation. On other hand, high percentage of mature oocytes was observed using ECLI when 6–15 ng/mL of progesterone was criteria for ovulation determination. To determine whether in vivo oocytes obtained by ECLI method could be used for canine cloning, six canines were selected as oocyte donors and two puppies were produced after SCNT and embryo transfer. In conclusion, compared to the traditional RIA method, the ECLI method is a safe and reliable method for canine cloning.

The physicochemical and sensorial properties of fibrous tofu with the addition of different sized defatted soybean flour (DSF) were investigated. Coarse DSF (DSF-150; D50 = 279 μm), fine DSF (DSF-63; D50 = 105 μm), and super-fine DSF (DSF-JM; D50 = 5.0 μm) were prepared via conventional sifting followed by jet-milling with the milling pressure of 7 bars. Tofu was made with the 5% addition of coarse DSF (TDSF-63), fine DSF (TDSF-150), superfine DSF (TDSF-JM), and without DSF (TC). The yields of tofu were slightly decreased as coarse and fine DSF were incorporated while the yield of tofu with super-fine DSF was statistically identical with that of control tofu (p<0.05). Tofu with larger DSF (TDSF-63 and TDSF-150) showed less smoother texture and less pure in color, while tofu with superfine DSF (TDSF-JM) resulted in little changes in physical and organoleptic qualities, which were verified by quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA), texture profile analysis (TPA), and color measurements. Each fibrous tofu samples were prepared by mixing soymilk with 5% of DSF from sifting (150 μm, 63 μm sieve) and jet milling process which mentioned as TDSF-150 (DSF average particle size), TDSF-63 (D50 = 105 μm) and TDSF-JM (D50 = 5 μm), respectively. The fibrous tofus were compared to the normal tofu (TC). TDSF-JM has higher yielded (50.98%) among tofu samples. The moisture content of TC, TDSF-JM, TDSF-150 and TDF-63 were 75.81%, 75.47%, 69.89% and 69.80%, respectively. TDSF-JM and TC were having similar L-a-b index. Texture properties of TDSF-JM were similar with TC. On the other hand, TDSF-150 and TDSF-63 has statistically significant higher hardness value and lower point on springiness and cohesiveness compared with TC. Sensory evaluation with quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) method shown that hardness, mouth feel and beany flavor intensity were decreased with the decreasing of particle size of DSF.

The overconsumption ofsolid fatssuch as butter and shortening can cause health concernsrelated to cardiovascular diseases due to their high levels of saturated fatty acids. Therefore many researchers have madea great deal of effort to develop solid fat replacers. In this study, grape seed oil-candelila wax oleogelswere prepared and evaluated as a replacer for shortening in baked goods (specifically muffins). Muffin batters with increasing levels of oleogels exhibited lower viscosity. The reduced porosity of muffins by the shortening replacementwith oleogels could be expected from higherspecificgravity and lowerspecific volume. A stress relaxation test showed that more shortening replacement with oleogels produced muffins with a harder and springier texture. However, the use of the oleogels as a shortening replacer as a ratio of 1:3 by weight was effective in producing muffins with comparable quality attributes to the control with shortening. The ratio of saturatedto unsaturated fatty acids was significantly decreased from 2.81 to0.41 when shortening was replaced with oleogels. Hence, this study showed the possibility of oleogels as shortening replacement in the food industries. The use of oleogels instead of solid fat presents possible opportunities to formulate healthier bakerygoods.

Aedes albopictus is one species of mosquito transmitting flavivirus causing Dengue, Zika, and West Nile fever. Although it is an important disease vector, the genetic study of Ae. alpopictus populations has not been undertaken yet in South Korea. Here, we investigated the genetic variation of 99 Ae. albopictus individuals collected from 29 sites in nine provinces in 2016, through mitochondrial COI gene analysis. Haplotype analyses revealed seven haplogroups in South Korea. The main haplogroup, comprising 76 individuals (77.8%), was genetically identical to the one from Nagasaki. Two groups from Jeju Island (11) and the southern coast of South Korea (nine) were closely related to different Ae. albopictus strains from Kumamoto and Guangdong/Fujian, respectively. However, the others (four) were distinct from these two countries. No geographic divisions of populations were found in the study regions. The results suggest the possibility that the currently prevalent Ae. albopictus in South Korea, represents a part of the descendants that originated from nearby countries. However, more comprehensive investigations are needed to explain its movement routes.

We performed a survey for flavivirus infection and distribution of Aedes albopictus that known as Zika and Dengue virus vector using black–light trap and BG-sentinel trap around urban area in Korea. Mosquitoes were collected in 27 cities during March to November (twice a month) year 2016. Total numbers of mosquitoes collected 102,102 including 19 species 8 genera during collecting period. Total 21,467 Ae. albopictus was collected that 20,961(24.3%) by BG-sentinel trap and 506 (3.2%) by Black-light trap in urban area. Trap index(trap/night) of Ae. albopictus was showed highest in Hamyang (TI:992.3) and lowest in Taebaek (TI:0.3) there was only collected by Black-light trap. A total of 894 pools from all collecting Ae. albopictus were performed a Flavivirus detection. Flavivirus was not detected during study period. This study may provide basic information for surveillance of imported diseases (include Zika virus) and vectors in Korea.

Entomopathogenic fungi have been used as important part of integrated pest management program to control aphid. In particular, Beauveria bassiana was distributed throughout the world including temperate and tropical area, various habitats from alpine soil, desert soil to running water and both insect and plant. Especially the fungus has also been isolated from the surface and the interior of plants and act as natural control agent. Viability of fungi on the plant surface may be influenced by temperature, humidity, sunlight and plant type as well as fungal isolate. Persistence of treated fungal control agent on phylloplane and control efficacy may differ from environmental conditions and isolates. In this study, we investigated the persistence of an B. bassiana which is developing as prototype wettable powder to control cotton aphid, and the residual efficacy of the prototype on cucumber under three different greenhouse conditions.