This study evaluated the efficacy of a wild boar repellent (Repellent A) consisting of tannins and plant oils (castor oil, garlic oil, and cinnamon oil). Sixty farmed wild boars (4-8 months old) were divided into three groups: the normal control group (NC, n=20), the experimental group (EP, n=20), and the comparative experimental group (C-EP, n=20), which used Repellent B consisting of guaiacol, eugenol, menthol, thymol, and indole. EP and C-EP were equipped with four repellents per feeder, while no repellents were installed in the NC feeder. The feed intake and the number of feeding approaches were measured for one week in all groups. The number of approach of wild boars in feeders was monitored daily using a CCTV camera. The daily feed intake per farmed wild boar in EP and C-EP was significantly decreased compared to NC (p<0.05), and EP was significantly decreased compared to C-EP (p<0.05). In the average number of daily approaches, EP and C-EP were significantly decreased compared to NC (p<0.05), and EP was significantly decreased compared to C-EP (p<0.05). In conclusion, Product A has been confirmed to have excellent repellent effects on wild boars, and it could be used to prevent wild boars from approaching pig farms.
This study evaluated the immunogenicity of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in a guinea pig model to refine preclinical assessment methods. 24 guinea pigs were divided into four groups for immunohistochemical, histopathological, and molecular analyses, including qRT-PCR and ELISA. The ELISA results revealed significant elevations in interleukin 2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN- ), and tuberculosis-specific antibodies in vaccinated guinea pigs, particularly γ notable after 6 weeks. Although lung cytokine levels remained unchanged, spleen gene expression showed significant differences in interleukin-17, interleukin-12, interleukin-1β, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 after 6 weeks. Immunohistochemistry revealed peak IL-2 expression at 8 weeks and significant IFN-γ and TNF-α expression at 6 weeks. This study confirmed the effectiveness of BCG vaccine in guinea pigs, providing crucial insights for future tuberculosis vaccine development and standardizing immune response indicators.
We report a new route of akaganéite (β-FeOOH) formation and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) formation. Akaganéite can be produced by stirring Fe2+ at room temperature for a day under mild conditions. We used FeCl2 ·4H2O as the precursor and mixed it with the Na-rich particle from the oxidation debris solution. The role of the concentration ratio between graphene oxide (GO) and NaOH was addressed to generate oxidation debris (OD) on the surface. In particular, the characterization of OD by transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging provides clear evidence for the crystal formation of Na-rich particle under electron beam irradiation. For the base treatment process, increasing the concentration of a NaOH in Na-rich solution contributed primarily to the formation of γ-Fe2O3. The characterization by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and TEM showed that the morphology was changed from needle-like to small-oval form. In addition, β-FeOOH can be effectively produced directly using GO combined with FeCl2 ·4H2O at room temperature. More specifically, the role of parent material (Hummer's GO and Brodie's GO) was discussed, and the crystal transformation was identified. Our results concluded that β-FeOOH can be formed in basic and acidic conditions.
From 2020, Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has reset the withdrawal time (WT) for veterinary drugs typically used in livestock in preparation for the introduction of positive list system (PLS) program in 2024. This study was conducted to reset the MRL for tiamulin (TML) in broiler chickens as a part of PLS program introduction. Forty-eight healthy Ross broiler chickens were orally administered with TML at the concentration of 25 g/L (TML-1, n=24) and 50 g/L (TML-2, n=24) for 5 days through drinking water, respectively. After the drug treatment, tissue samples were collected from six broiler chickens at 1, 2, 3 and 5 days, respectively. According to the previously established analysis method, residual TML concentrations in poultry tissues were determined using LC-MS/MS. In TML-1, TML in all tissues was detected less than LOQ at 2 days after drug treatment. In TML-2, TML in liver and kidney was detected more than LOQ at 2 days after treatment. According to the European Medicines Agency’s guideline on determination of withdrawal periods, withdrawal periods of TML-1 and TML-2 in poultry tissues were established to 0 and 2 days, respectively. In conclusion, the estimated WT of TML in poultry tissues is shorter than the current WT recommendation of 5 days for TML in broiler chickens.
Metal-free N–S- and N–P-doped nanocarbon (SCNP and PCNP) electrocatalysts prepared through sustainable microwaveassisted synthesis using hemigraphis alternata plant leaves. The prepared heteroatom-doped nanocarbon materials are active catalysts for the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to produce 65–70% of hydrogen peroxide. As evidenced from the XPS, most proportion of the doped heteroatoms contain the oxygen functional groups in the nanocarbons. These attributes are the critical factors to see the selective two-electron transfer ORR for the PCNP and SCNP. This approach shed light on the critical role of dual heteroatoms doping and the oxygen functionalities in nanocarbon towards the selectivity of ORR. We believe that this method would allow the preparation of heteroatom that contains oxygen functionalities. Our work paves a sustainable way of preparation of nanocarbon based ORR catalysts that are only selective for two-electron transfer process.
Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) are very attractive owing to their high safety and low cost. Among various cathode materials, organic materials-based electrodes incorporating various redox functional groups have gained significant attention in the field of ZIBs due to their benefits of a tunable structural design, facility, eco-friendly, and possibility of multivalent energy storage. Herein, we demonstrate the nanostructured organic active materials deposited onto the CNT networks (HyPT@ CNT) for flexible ZIBs. This HyPT nanorods were obtained reassemblying the herringbone structured 3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride through a hydrothermal process in the presence of acid. These HyPT@CNT hybrids were electronically conductive and redox active, as well as could be fabricated into a flexible electrode achieving flexibility from mechanical integrity of robust networked structure. The as-fabricated flexible ZIBs delivered the high capacity of 100 Ah g− 1 at a current density of 0.1 A g− 1 and long-term cycling performance exceeding 5000 cycles. Consequently, these electrochemical performances are associated with the redox reactivity of carbonyl groups as verified by spectroscopic and electrochemical characterizations and the hybridization of HyPT nanorods with CNT networks.
In this research, in order to increase the oxidation resistance of graphite, kaolin and alumina powder with different ratios (26A-74S, 49A-51S, 72A-28S) and slurry method were used to create an aluminosilicate coating on the graphite substrate. In order to reduce the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of graphite with aluminosilicate coating, aluminum metaphosphate coating as an interlayer was prepared on the surface of graphite by cathodic electrochemical treatment. The isothermal oxidation test of the samples was carried out in air at a temperature of 1250 °C for 1, 3 and 5 h. The microstructure, chemical composition, and phase components of the coating were, respectively, analyzed by scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. The results indicated that, by increasing the withdrawal speed of the samples in slurry method, the amount of changes in the weight of the samples has increased and therefore had a direct effect on oxidation. In addition, it was approved that, at high-temperature oxidation, AlPO4 glass phase forms on aluminum metaphosphate interlayer which retards graphite oxidation. Along with aluminum metaphosphate, aluminosilicate coating also produces a glass phase which fills and seals the voids on the surface which prevents the oxygen to reach the surface of graphite. The created double-layer coating including an interlayer of aluminum metaphosphate + slurry coating prepared with the ratio of 26A-74S as the optimal coating in this research was able to increase the oxidation resistance of graphite by 73% at a temperature of 1250 °C.
This study was conducted to reset the maximum residue limit (MRL) for didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) in broiler chickens. The disinfectant containing DDAC (10%, w/w) was diluted 160 times and evenly sprayed on the bodies of twenty-four broiler chickens at a rate of 15 mL per day per bird for 7 days. After the disinfectant treatment, tissue samples were collected from six broiler chickens at 0.25, 1, 3 and 5 days, respectively. Residual DDAC concentrations in poultry tissues were determined using LC-MS/MS. Correlation coefficient (0.99 >), the limits quantification (LOQ, 2.0~10.0 μg/kg), recoveries (86.9~118.6%), and coefficient of variations (<19.98%) were satisfied the validation criteria of Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In all tissues except for liver, DDAC was detected more than LOQ at 5 days after the disinfectant treatment. In liver tissues, DDAC was detected more than LOQ at 3 days after treatment. According to the European Medicines Agency’s guideline on determination of withdrawal periods, withdrawal period of DDAC in poultry tissues was established to 26 days. In conclusion, the developed analytical method is sensitive and reliable for detecting DDAC in poultry tissues. When DDAC disinfectant is sprayed on a poultry house in the presence of broiler chickens, it is necessary to keep the disinfectant from contacting the body of the livestock.
This study evaluated the fungicidal efficacy of weakly acidic hypochlorous acid water (WAHW) against Microsporum canis (M. canis) and its therapeutic effect on M. canis-infected mouse skin. WAHW was produced by a WAHW generation module. A fungicidal efficacy test by the broth dilution method was used to determine the lowest effective concentration of the WAHW. The lowest effective concentration of WAHW was less than 10 ppm. For T-1, T-2, and T-3, 30 ppm of WAHW was applied to the infected skin once, twice, and three times a day, respectively, and for T-4, 50 ppm of WAHW was applied once a day. On the 3rd day after the initiation of treatment, skin scores in all of the WAHW-treated groups were significantly decreased compared to those in the positive control group (PC) (p<0.05), and there were no significant differences compared to the normal control (NC). The area of the infected skin in all of the WAHW-treated groups was significantly decreased compared to PC from the first day after the initiation of WAHW treatment (p<0.05). The results showed that WAHW had a fungicidal efficacy on M. canis at less than 10 ppm, and it was effective in improving skin symptoms when 30 ppm of WAHW was applied to the M. canis-infected area once a day for five days or 50 ppm of WAHW was applied once a day.
Flexible supercapacitors (FS) are ideal as power backups for upcoming stretchable electronics due to their high power density and good mechanical compliance. However, lacking technology for FS mass manufacturing is still a significant obstacle. The present study describes a novel method for preparing FS based on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) using the N+ plasma technique, in which N+ reduces graphene oxide on the surface of a cotton/polyester substrate. The effect of aloe vera (AV) as a natural reducing & capping agent and carbon nanotubes (CNT) as nanoconductors on the electrochemical performance of the electrodes is studied. FESEM and XPS were employed to investigate the electrodes' structural and chemical composition of electrodes. The galvanostatic charge–discharge curves of electrodes revealed the enhancement of the electrochemical activity of the as-prepared electrode upon additions of AV and CNT. The areal capacitance of the RGO, RGO/AV, and RGO/ AV/CNT supercapacitors at 5 mV/s was 511, 1244.5, and 1879 mF/cm2, respectively. The RGO electrode showed capacitive retention of 80.9% after 2000 cycles enhanced to 89.7% and 92% for RGO/AV and RGO/AV/CNT electrodes, respectively. The equivalent series resistance of the RGO electrode was 126.28 Ω, decreased to 56.62 and 40.06 Ω for RGO/AV and RGO/ AV/CNT electrodes, respectively.
매년 국내로 비래해 오는 해충인 벼멸구는 그 기원이 중국 또는 중국 남부일 것으로 예상해왔으나, 이에 대한 유전학적 근거는 Mun et al. (1999)에 의해 제시된 세 가지 COI haplotype 비교가 유일하다. Mun et al. (1999)은 국내에 서 확인된 두 가지 haplotype 유형이 인도차이나반도 이남의 균일한 한 가지 haplotype 집단 유형과 중국에서 확인 된 또 다른 haplotype 집단 유형임을 근거로 국내 벼멸구의 기원을 중국으로 특정한 바 있다. 본 연구는 국내 및 동남아시아 5개국(부탄, 미얀마, 캄보디아, 라오스 및 태국)으로부터 직간접적으로 확보한 개체들을 대상으로 GBS (genotyping by sequencing) 및 NGS 기법을 통해 PCA를 포함한 다양한 집단유전학적 분석을 수행하였다. 그 결과 인도차이나반도의 벼멸구 집단은 크게 북부와 남부로 나뉘며, 국내 개체들은 북부에 비해 남부(캄보디 아, 태국)에 더 가깝다는 사실을 확인하였다. 따라서 벼멸구의 국내 비래는 중국으로부터의 기원 이전에 장마전 선이 형성될 무렵부터 인도차이나반도 남쪽의 고온다습한 서풍이 남남서풍으로 바뀌면서 중국 내륙을 거쳐 국내로 비래하는 경로를 따르는 것으로 보인다. 하지만 태안의 개체 중에는 인도차이나반도 집단들의 외군으로 확인되는 개체가 있었고, 이는 인도차이나반도 외의 샘플링되지 않은 다른 지역에서도 벼멸구가 국내로 비래할 수 있다는 가능성을 제시하였다. 따라서 국내로 유입되는 벼멸구의 유전적 기원을 확인하기 위해서는 인도차이 나반도 남쪽 지역에서 시작한 동아시아 여름 몬순의 바람이 한국으로 도착하는 경로에 위치한 다른 지역에서의 추가적인 샘플링 및 지속적인 관심과 추적이 필요할 것이다.
This study investigated ethopabate (EPB) residues in edible tissues of broiler chickens given in drinking water and established the withdrawal time (WT) of EPB in poultry tissues. Twenty-four healthy Ross broiler chickens were orally administered with EPB at the concentration of 3.8 mg/L for 14 days (EPB-1, n=24) and 15.2 mg/L for 7 days (EPB-2, n=24) through drinking water, respectively. After the drug treatment, tissue samples were collected from six broiler chickens at 0, 1, 3, and 5 days, respectively. EPB residue concentrations in poultry tissues were determined using LC-MS/MS. Correlation coefficient values ranged from 0.9980 to 0.9998, and the limits of detection and quantification (LOQ) were 0.03~0.09 and 0.1~0.3 μg/kg, respectively. Mean recoveries in muscle, liver, kidney and skin/fat tissues were 95.9~109.8, 108.7~115.3, 89.9~96.6 and 86.7~96.8%, respectively, and coefficient of variations were less than 17.11%. At the end of the drug-administration period (0 day), EPB was detected at levels under the LOQ in all tissues from both the EPB-1 and EPB-2 groups. According to the results of EPB residue in Ross broiler tissues, withdrawal periods of both EPB-1 and EPB-2 in poultry tissues were established to 0 day. In conclusion, the developed analytical method is suitable for the detection of EPB in poultry tissues, and the estimated WT of EPB in poultry tissues will contribute to ensuring the safety of Ross broiler chickens.
How to shifting consumer behavior to be more sustainable has been a hot research topic. The COVID-19 Pandemic has ignited this since consumers pay more attention to sustainability issues. Sustainability application (app) has been a promising way to connect individuals and provide information to promote a habit of sustainable consumption. The use of these apps to facilitate sustainable consumption has been a recent research focus. The strategy to encouraging app adoption is a research priority identified in a synthesized literature review of prior studies on mobile app marketing. As such, it is imperative to understand how to design sustainability apps to motivate consumers to facilitate app use intention. Attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) model is one commonly used motivational design model, which has been applied to mobile learning systems to examine gamification design. The four factors of ARCS correspond to different strategies to increase users’ motivation to use the app. Thus, the aim of this research is to develop an ARCS motivational model for sustainability apps. A simulated gamified sustainability app was utilized with the aim of reducing carbon footprint. A market research firm was contracted to collect data by using an online questionnaire. Respondents were shown the pictures and functions of the app including the interface of the app, carbon footprint status, the leaderboard of carbon emissions in the community, shop, personal profile and then answered questions. 346 usable questionnaires were obtained. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.
People spent around 90% of smartphone usage time on mobile applications (apps). In response to these opportunities, companies have developed branded apps to interact with consumers and facilitate loyalty. However, companies have hard time retaining consumers to their own brand due to the fierce competition in the app market. As such, it is imperative to unveil factors driving continuance intention of branded apps. This is one of a key research themes in a recent literature review of marketing research on mobile apps. Most of prior studies have adopted the utilitarian perspective where perceived usefulness and ease of use are identified as the key drivers. However, the fit perspective has received limited attention. It has gained increasing importance as recent studies have emphasized the role of person-app fit and person-brand fit in driving consumers’ purchase decision performance and as consumers’ lives are highly embedded into branded apps. This study aims to investigate continuance intention of branded apps from the fit perspective. This research selected the target branded apps in Taiwan based on prior studies. A market research firm was contracted to collect data randomly on various social media sites, and its membership database by using online questionnaires. 198 usable questionnaires were obtained. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.
Negative brand events can significantly harm the brand, affecting consumer cognitions, emotions, and behavior, leading to negative brand evaluations, negative emotions, brand avoidance, and retaliation. Thus, it is critical for brands to design and implement strategies that promote consumer forgiveness to mitigate those negative consumer responses. Despite the growing literature on the determinant factors of consumer behavior in a brand failure context, there is still scarce evidence regarding the impact of brand type on consumer responses, including consumer forgiveness, following a negative brand event. Considering that consumers tend to react differently to a brand perceived as arrogant (making them feel inferior), as opposed to a brand they strongly identify with, this paper focuses on failures of equal vs. higher status brands and investigates their impact on consumer forgiveness. Following the above, we expect that differences in brand status can shape consumer behavior following a failure or transgression.
From 2020, Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has reset the withdrawal time (WT) for veterinary drugs typically used in livestock in preparation for the introduction of positive list system (PLS) program in 2024. This study was conducted to reset the MRL for amprolium (APL) in broiler chickens as a part of PLS program introduction. Forty-eight healthy Ross broiler chickens were orally administered with APL at the concentration of 60 mg/L (APL-1, n=24) for 14 days and 240 mg/L (APL-2, n=24) for 7 days through drinking water, respectively. After the drug treatment, tissue samples were collected from six broiler chickens at 0, 1, 3 and 5 days, respectively. Residual APL concentrations in poultry tissues were determined using LC-MS/MS. Correlation coefficient (0.99 >), the limits quantification (LOQ, 0.3~5.0 μg/kg), recoveries (81.5~112.4%), and coefficient of variations (<15.5%) were satisfied the validation criteria of Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. In APL-1, APL in all tissues except for kidney was detected less than LOQ at 3 days after drug treatment. In APL-2, APL in liver and kidney was detected more than LOQ at 5 days after treatment. According to the European Medicines Agency’s guideline on determination of withdrawal periods, withdrawal periods of APL-1 and APL-2 in poultry tissues were established to 3 and 2 days, respectively. In conclusion, the developed analytical method is sensitive and reliable for detecting APL in poultry tissues. The estimated WT of APL in poultry tissues is longer than the current WT recommendation of 2 days for APL in broiler chickens.