농작물의 수분 매개자이며 생태계 유지에 필수적인 역할을 하는 꿀벌의 노제마병(nosemosis)은 꿀벌 집단 붕괴현상(colony collapse disorder: CCD)의 원인 중 하나로 알려져 있다. 또한, 노제마병은 봉군 약화를 초래할 뿐 아니라 여러 가지 양봉 산물의 생산성을 낮추는 원인이기도 하다. 국내에서는 Nosema ceranae가 노제마병의 주요 병원체로 알려져 있다. 노제마 감염을 확인하기 위해서는 꿀벌의 중장을 적출한 후 노제마 포자의 확인 및 계수를 통해 감염 수준을 평가할 수 있다. 본 연구에서는 더욱 빠르고 정확하게 노제마 감염 수준을 평가할 수 있는 새로운 방법으로 포자 염색법과 qPCR 방법을 개발하였다. 노제마 포자에 대해 특이적인 염색이 가능한 Fluorescent Brightener를 이용하여 노제마 감염 꿀벌 중장을 염색한 결과, 형광 발현으로 노제마의 감염 여부를 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, 중장내 포자량에 비례한 형광 발현도 확인할 수 있었다. 그러나, 노제마 감염에 대한 특이도 및 포자량에 비례한 형광 발현 민감도는 신뢰하기 어려웠다. 그에 비해, 노제마 특이 유전자를 이용한 qPCR 방법은 노제마의 감염 여부 뿐만 아니라 포자량에 비례한 감염 수준 결정이 가능함을 확인하였다. 특히, 많은 시료들에서 노제마 감염 수준의 신속하고 정확한 평가에 qPCR 방법은 유용하게 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대되었다.

To improve the lithium-ion battery performance and stability, a conducting polymer, which can simultaneously serve as both a conductive additive and a binder, is introduced into the anode. Water-soluble polyaniline:polystyrene sulfonate (PANI:PSS) can be successfully prepared through chemical oxidative polymerization, and their chemical/mechanical properties are adjusted by varying the molecular weight of PSS. As a conductive additive, the PANI with a conjugated double bond structure is introduced between active materials or between the active material and the current collector to provide fast and short electrical pathways. As a binder, the PSS prevents short circuits through strong π‒π stacking interaction with active material, and it exhibits superior adhesion to the current collector, thereby ensuring the maintenance of stable mechanical properties, even under high-speed charging/discharging conditions. Based on the synergistic effect of the intrinsic properties of PANI and PSS, it is confirmed that the anode with PANI:PSS introduced as a binder has about 1.8 times higher bonding strength (0.4 kgf/20 mm) compared to conventional binders. Moreover, since active materials can be additionally added in place of the generally added conductive additives, the total cell capacity increased by about 12.0%, and improved stability is shown with a capacity retention rate of 99.3% even after 200 cycles at a current rate of 0.2 C.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious disease with no specific treatment. Since it is common in immunocompromised children under the age of 5, there is a need to develop a safe vaccine. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are similar structures to viruses with the lack of genetic material which makes them impossible to replicate and infect, and therefore have a high level of biological safety and are considered to have high value as vaccines. In this study, the insect virus expression system that is widely used for vaccine and drug production due to its high post-translational modification efficiency, was used to produce VLPs for Coxsackievirus type A6 and A10, which are recently reported to be the main causes of HFMD. For this purpose, the selection of promoters that can control the timing and intensity of expression of 3CD protein, which is essential for VLPs assembly but has been reported to be cytotoxic, was conducted to construct an optimal expression form for HFMD-VLP.

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is one of the economically important agricultural pests globally, as it attacks a wide range of vegetable and horticultural crops. In this study, we evaluated spatial repellent and oviposition deterrent activities of T.urticae in response to fifteen compounds derived from ester-containing natural products. To evaluate the tests, we used bridge two-choice test and host two-choice test in laboratory conditions. Among the eight compounds showed spatial repellent and oviposition deterrent activities against T. urticae at the 20 mg dose and some compounds had the activities at lower dose. We also conducted two-choice test with a blend and single compounds to determine which showed stronger spatial repellent and oviposition deterrent activities. In host two-choice test, we evaluate repellence between distance of compounds. This study concluded that series compounds from ester-containing natural products have the potential to be used managing T. urticae in the field.

As global warming and consumer’s preference for tropical/subtropical fruits increase, the number of orchards cultivating tropical/subtropical fruits in Korea is increasing. Accordingly, concerns about the introduction of exotic invasive pests that host tropical fruits. In this study, efficacy of ethyl formate(EF), as alternative to methyl bromide(MB), was evaluated. Commercial trial of EF was conducted in mango post-harvest storage conditions for controlling Scirtothrips dorsalis. Application of 10 g/m3 of EF for 4 hours at 10 ℃ showed proven efficacy on S. dorsalis without any phytotoxic damage on mango fruits in that condition.

The slaughter of livestock is inevitably required to obtain meat products from livestock. Since slaughter means pain and death for animals, reducing the pain and distress of animals during slaughter is very important from a perspective of animal welfare based on the principle of respect for life. Generally, two stunning methods, CO2 stunning and electrical stunning, are used for slaughter. When the carotid arteries of the lungs are cut off for bleeding, the bronchial tubes are also severed. To determine the degree of blood inflow into the lungs through the severed bronchial tubes, the prevalence rates of pulmonary diseases and pulmonary congestion in slaughtered pigs were analyzed. In this study, the prevalence of pneumonia was 24.9% in Slaughterhouse A using the gas method, but it was decreased by about 10% to 15.7% and 12.6%, respectively, in Slaughterhouses B and C using the electric method. On the other hand, the prevalence of pulmonary congestion in Slaughterhouses A, B, and C was 4.24%, 14.10% and 16.40%, respectively. In other words, the prevalence of pulmonary congestion was higher by about 10% in the groups of pigs slaughtered by the electric method (Slaughterhouses B and C) than in the group of pigs slaughtered by the gas method (Slaughterhouse A). These results indicate that blood inflow into the pulmonary alveoli led to a diagnosis of pulmonary congestion instead of pneumonia in some pigs with pneumonia. In short, it was found that about 10% of pigs stunned by the electric method were not in a state of complete unconsciousness but in a partially conscious state during slaughter. It is suggested that slaughterhouses should be equipped with gas stunning equipment instead of applying the electric method due to lower costs.

The formation of CaCO3 in microalgal culture is investigated and applied for effective separation of microalgae. The presence of several cationic ions in the culture medium mediates the formation of 3 types of mineral precipitates depending on the concentration of mineral precursors, Ca2+ and CO3 2−, amorphous nano-flakes, rhombohedral calcites, and spherical vaterites. While amorphous phased precipitates are formed for all concentrations of mineral precursor, only calcites are formed for 30 mM solutions of mineral precursor, and mixtures of calcites and vaterites are formed for 50 and 100 mM solutions of mineral precursor. The harvesting efficiency is also dependent on the concentration of the mineral precursor: from 90 % for 10 mM to 99 % for 100 mM after 60 mins’ of gravitational sedimentation. The formation of nano-flakes on the surface of microalgal cells induces the flocculation of microalgae by breaking the stable dispersion. The negatively charged surface of the microalgal cell is compatible not only with nano-flake attachment but also with the growth of calcitic crystals in which microalgal cells are embedded.