Some of the deicer ingredients are the same as fertilizer ingredients from agricultural activities. The goal of this study is to distinguish the components of highway deicer from the components used for agriculture. Among the deicer ingredients, Ca and Cl are substances which can be supplied by fertilizer or livestock manure. However, fertilizer and livestock manure contain plenty of nitrogen, organic matter, phosphoric acid and magnesium, including deicer ingredients. The soil physico-chemical characteristics were analyzed according to the distance from the highway. The physico-chemical analysis items of the soil include electrical conductivity, total nitrogen (TN), available phosphate (Av.P), organic matter (OM), ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). In the case of effective phosphoric acid, leaching into the subsoil is very low due to various binding mechanisms in the soil. However, it is considered that the compost (fertilizer) applied to the topsoil is mixed with the soil by the tillage or flattening operation. In addition to the organic matter content of the subsoil appear to 10% or more is that in some cases exhibit a similar level as the topsoil. The average soil organic matter content of about 2.6%. This results shows that an excess of organic compost in the study area flows into subsoil and was mixed with the subsoil. The high EC value at the points outside the snow removal effect range level is not considered to be affected by the deicer. The results of the survey showed that the values were differently detected by agricultural activities, and that they should be approached in a complex way in their interpretation.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) belong to cell membrane protein family, which regulate various physiological process such as reproduction, behavior and immune etc. In other to identify the GPCRs in pheromone gland of Maruca vitrata, we carried out transcriptome analysis from both females. Transcriptome analysis in the pheromone gland yielded approximately 22Gb and 47,528 transcripts showed positive FPKM value. 48 Genes involved in GPCRs were identified such as pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide receptor (PBANr), prostaglandin receptors, neuropeptide receptor, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor, galanin receptor, calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor, diuretic hormone receptor, gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor, frizzled and orphan receptors, etc. Various expression of GPCRs in the pheromone gland indicates the role of pheromone gland may not be limited to the production of pheromone.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of freeze dried placenta supplementation on reproductive performance, colostrum and plasma biochemical composition in pregnant sows. Eleven Landrace × Large white sows were fed with corn-soybean meal diets supplemented with or without 1% freeze dried placenta powder from 10 days before their expected farrowing dates until 10 days postpartum. The colostrum protein content was significantly higher(P=0.043) in the treatment group than in the control group. Compared to the control group, the immunoglobulin G(IgG) concentration in the colostrum was significantly higher(P=0.004) in the treatment. In day 25 piglets plasma, the IgG concentration was higher(P=0.184) in the treatment than the control. The mortality rate was lower(P=0.102), and the piglet weight gain was higher(P=0.35) in the treated group. Overall, the treatment group showed greater levels of protein and IgG concentration in the colostrum, when compared to control group. Therefore, the freeze dried placenta supplementation on pregnant sows can enhance its colostrum composition, hence decrease the mortality and increase the growth rate of piglets.

Transcellular transport in epithelial cell is a method for absorbing calcium from intestine to blood, providing effective mechanism of utilizing calcium at low calcium intake. In this study, we aimed at theoretically developing a simple mechanistic model explaining transcellular transport in calcium absorption process. Transcellular calcium transport was schematized into 3 steps which were entry, diffusion, and extrusion. Each step was separately modeled to include the specific feature of them. In detail, electro-diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and Michaelis-Menten kinetics were employed to model calcium entry, diffusion, and extrusion, respectively. Then, the developed models were numerically solved to find a solution which simultaneously satisfied 3 models under steady-state assumption. Result of model simulation was consistent with the known behavior of transcellular calcium absorption, showing that transcellular calcium transport became saturated with increase of luminal calcium concentration. Because transcellular calcium transport depends on calcium binding protein mediated by vitamin D we expect that this model can be used to find optimal regulatory point for increasing calcium absorption.

In this study, Bi-Sb-Te thermoelectric materials are produced by mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). To examine the influence of the milling atmosphere on the microstructure and thermo-electric (TE) properties, a p-type Bi-Sb-Te composite powder is mechanically alloyed in the presence of argon and air atmospheres. The oxygen content increases to 55% when the powder is milled in the air atmosphere, compared with argon. All grains are similar in size and uniformly, distributed in both atmospheric sintered samples. The Seebeck coefficient is higher, while the electrical conductivity is lower in the MA (Air) sample due to a low carrier concentration compared to the MA (Ar) sintered sample. The maximum figure of merit (ZT) is 0.91 and 0.82 at 350 K for the MA (Ar) and MA (Air) sintered samples, respectively. The slight enhancement in the ZT value is due to the decrease in the oxygen content during the MA (Ar) process. Moreover, the combination of mechanical alloying and SPS process shows a higher hardness and density values for the sintered samples.

Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a notorious migratory pestand has caused significant damage in NortheastAsia including South Korea. For this reason, predicting occurrence time and distribution area considered to be an importantfor establishing early control plan. Because it cannot survive during the winter in South Korea and occurs seasonallydue to invasion from the southeast of China, general application of CLIMEX may not be adequate. Therefore, we appliedCLIMEX for analyzing seasonal occurrence M. separata of based on its growth index (GI) predicted in accordance withclimate. As a result, GI in southern region of South Korea began to occur at the earliest time and showed the highestvalue from the end of April to the beginning of September.

The confused taxonomy of the east Palaearctic pear psyllids, serious pests on cultivated pear, is reviewed. Fifty-sixnominal species have been reported from Pyrus, 25 of which we consider valid and ten as not being associated withPyrus. Our taxonomic revision suggests that, in Korea, four Cacopsylla species develop on pear. Three species occuralso in Japan. New synonyms are suggested and seasonal dimorphism are critically discussed.Key words : Psyllidae, Cacopsylla, taxonomy, host plant, Pyrus, Rosaceae, Manchrian pear, Asian pear, European pear, China,Japan, South Korea, Russian Far East

Prediction of the seasonal occurrence and potential distribution of agricultural pests has accomplished by software toolsimplementing species distribution models (SDMs). In this aspect, we used CLIMEX software to evaluate the seasonaloccurrence and potential distribution of Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), which is one of household mothsdamaging dried fruits in pantries. Based on the simulation, the beginning of period for suitable climate was predictedto be from mid-March to end-March, while it might be end in late October to early November. The peak time for P.interpunctella was ranged from early or mid-July to mid-August, but depended on local geography. When applying RCP8.5 climate change scenario, it was predicted that P. interpunctella would not occur due to intensive rainfall in July andAugust in 2060.

A new commercial cultivar ‘GARES-HM-17-1’ of Hypsizigus marmoreus was developed by the method of mono-mono crossing between monokaryotic strains derived from Hae-Sal 3Ho. The parental strains are characterized by the property of high quality and a short period of time in cultivation. The optimum temperature of mycelial growth was 25°C and that of fruiting body development was 15~16°C. The period of harvesting including primordia formation was 23.0 days shorter than that of control strain Mangadak No. 2. The color of pileus and stipe surface was neutral-white, respectively. The yield was 82.0±5.8g/850cc plastic bottle. Analysis of the genetic characteristics of the new commercial cultivar ‘GARES-HM-17-1’ showed a different profile as that of the control strain, Mangadak No.2, when RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) primer was used. This new cultivar ‘GARES-HM-17-1’ of H. marmoreus is characterized by the improved quality and a short period of time in cultivation after scratching. It would be of much help to expand the cultivation area of H. marmoreus.

Arabidopsis nucleoside diphosphate kinase 2 (AtNDPK2) is an upstream signaling molecule that has been shown to induce stress tolerance in plants. In this study, the AtNDPK2 gene, under the control of a stress-inducible SWPA2 promoter, was introduced into the genome of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plants. The induction of the transgene expression mediated by methyl viologen (MV) and NaCl treatments were confirmed by RT-PCR and northern blot analysis, respectively. Under salt stress treatment, the transgenic tall fescue plants (SN) exhibited lower level of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation accumulations than the non-transgenic (NT) plants. The transgenic tall fescue plants also showed higher level of NDPK enzyme activity compared to NT plants. The SN plants were survived at 300 mM NaCl treatment, whereas the NT plants were severely affected. These results indicate that stress-inducible overexpression of AtNDPK2 might efficiently confer the salt stress tolerance in tall fescue plants.

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.

Lithium silicate, a lithium-ion conducting ceramic, is coated on a layer-structured lithium nickel manganese oxide (LiNi0.7Mn0.3O2). Residual lithium compounds (Li2CO3 and LiOH) on the surface of the cathode material and SiO2 derived from tetraethylorthosilicate are used as lithium and silicon sources, respectively. Powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy analyses show that lithium silicate is coated uniformly on the cathode particles. Charge and discharge tests of the samples show that the coating can enhance the rate capability and cycle life performance. The improvements are attributed to the reduced interfacial resistance originating from suppression of solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) formation and dissolution of Ni and Mn due to the coating. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the cycled electrodes shows that nickel oxide and manganese oxide particles are formed on the surface of the electrode and that greater decomposition of the electrolyte occurs for the bare sample, which confirms the assumption that SEI formation and Ni and Mn dissolution can be reduced using the coating process.

Pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) produced in the suboesophageal ganglion stimulates pheromone biosynthesis in the pheromone gland, mediating sexual behaviors. Based on the transcriptome of the head, PBAN in the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata, was identified. To examine the pheromonotropic activity of PBAN in the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata, a PBAN (Mvi-PBAN) was synthesized. When female adults were injected with a synthetic Mvi-PBAN, pheromone production showed a maximal increase 2 h post-injection. PBAN was expressed in all examined tissues and developmental stages. In contrast, PBAN receptor (PBANr) was detected in the female tissues and all developmental stages except for adult male. In addition, two types of PBANr were identified from the transcriptome of the pheromone gland, suggesting that the molecular signal on the pheromone gland may transduce via PBANr.