Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is one of the most destructive pest of thin-skinned fruits such as blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. We tested effect of fruit damage on the infestation of D. suzukii by using partially peeled blueberry fruits in assays of behavioral choice and development. In choice test, D. suzukii preferred partially peeled blueberry fruit than normal. But in development test, we did not found difference in adult emergence rate between normal and partially peeled blueberry fruit.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a useful biotechnological tool for animal cloning. Until now, SCNT has been inefficient, especially in dog. It is believed that an embryo developmental block in SCNT embryos is cause of low production efficiency. However, no studies have been performed on canines for embryo developmental block. In this study, we attempted to evaluate the beneficial role of EDTA in canine parthenogenic (PA) embryos development to overcome embryo developmental block. The PA embryos were divided into 0.01 mM EDTA treated and non-treated groups. Embryo developmental efficiency was measured by activating chemically parthenote. After EDTA induction, PA embryos were evaluated for embryonic development, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) activity, mitochondrial integrity, ATP production and genomic activation. The EDTA treated PA embryos showed significantly higher survival rate and improved cavity formation compared to non-treated. Furthermore, cytoplasmic ROS level was mitigated and mitochondrial membrane potential was found significantly higher in EDTA treated group followed by higher ATP production. Moreover, major embryonic genomic activation specific markers/factors were also elevated in EDTA treated group. Conclusively, we elucidated that EDTA showed substantially positive effect to overcome embryo developmental block in canine.

Introduction The concept of “processing fluency” has been widely discussed in various areas, including marketing and consumer behavior (Janiszewski and Meyvis, 2001; Labroo et al., 2008; Herrmann et al., 2013; Shen and Rao, 2016). Processing fluency is defined as the ease with which people process information, and it has been found that experiencing fluency while processing information has a positive effect on decision making. Many researchers have shown that fluency elicits positive evaluation. For example, the mere-exposure effect has been explained by processing fluency; repeated exposure to a stimulus increases processing fluency and the fluency, in turn, increases positive affect (Arkes, 2013; Janiszewski and Meyvis, 2001). Many factors have been examined in fluency studies. Among them, the most common method to affect fluency is font manipulation (e.g., Alter et al., 2007; Alter and Oppenheimer, 2008). In these studies, researchers examined processing fluency of objects with clear fonts or unclear fonts and found the former enhanced processing fluency and thus caused positive evaluation for the objects. There are many other factors related to visual perceptual fluency, such as contrast of letters and background, exposure time, and so on. Processing fluency can be influenced by eye movement. For example, Shen and Rao (2016) focused on the relation between fluency of eye movements and product evaluation. They found that repetition of an eye movement could enhance perceived fluency and that this perceived fluency could increase product evaluation. In their second experiment, they manipulated participants’ eye movement by moving a ball on the computer screen and found that the consistency between the direction of eye movement and the direction of products (pen and sports shoe) could enhance processing fluency and product evaluation. Similar to the study of Shen and Rao, we focus on the relation between the direction of products and processing fluency. Shen and Rao focused on eye movement, whereas our study concentrated on human body movement—namely, walking and riding. There are many advertisements in stores, trains, buses and on the roads. Consumers often see these advertisements while walking or riding. In these cases, they move to certain directions, and sometimes products in advertisements convey direction (e.g., automobiles, shoes, pens, and so on). At the time of exposure, consistency between two directions (consumer’s movement and product) may influence processing fluency and product evaluation. In a walking condition, the direction of physical body movement of the participants can be related to their eye movements. However, in a riding condition, the moving direction of a vehicle the participant rides does not always coincide with the direction of participant’s eye movement. We can therefore assume that if consistency of the two directions affects the product evaluation positively not only in a walking condition but in a riding condition, it is possible to verify the existence of the effects of human body movement. Based on the above considerations, we conducted two experiments. Empirical Studies In two experiments, all participants were undergraduate students at a major university in Tokyo. They were recruited at a university campus or via social network services. The experiments were conducted in two conditions: participants looking at the advertisement while walking or riding on the bus. In prior research focused on eye movement (Shen and Rao, 2016), the researchers examined the relation between eye movement and product location (left side or right side on the advertisements) as well as product direction (directed toward the left or toward the right). They showed that the participants preferred the product directed toward the right (pen or sports shoe) or located on the right side (cupcake) when their eyes moved from left to right. Conversely, the participants liked the product directed toward the left or located on the left better when their eyes moved from right to left. Based on their study, we also chose two types of products, sports shoe and bottled water. Sports shoe has a horizontal direction, so we can place the product in the advertisement with a particular direction (toward the left or toward the right). On the other hand, bottled water does not have horizontal direction, thus we use the product with a particular location (placed on the left side or right side in the advertisements). We hypothesize that the participants will experience processing fluency and express a greater preference towards the products in the advertisement when its direction or location matches the moving direction of the participants. Experiment 1 One-hundred-and-twenty students participated in a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design. Participants were randomly assigned into four groups: 2 moving direction × 2 product layouts. The experiment was set up in a classroom where the advertisements were displayed on the walls. On the wall to the left side of the classroom, the advertisement for sports shoe was displayed with the direction either toward the left or the right. On the wall to the right, the advertisement for bottled water was displayed with the product location either on the left or right side. On the front wall of the classroom, an advertisement for hamburger which had neither particular direction nor location was displayed as a dummy stimulus. The participants were asked to walk around the classroom either clockwise or counter-clockwise. They walked by the wall without stopping while looking at an advertisement and then rated preference and processing fluency regarding the product shown in the advertisement immediately afterwards one by one. For the participants who walked around the classroom clockwise, the products directed toward the right (or located on the right side) might appear more natural and thus enhance their processing fluency. On the other hand, the participants who walked counter-clockwise felt fluency regarding the products directed toward the left (or located on the left side). The results supported our hypotheses. There were significant differences between matched groups and unmatched groups in both preference and processing fluency. Participants who walked around the classroom clockwise showed a higher preference and fluency regarding sports shoe directed toward the right and bottled water located on the right side in the advertisements. Similarly, participants who walked around the classroom counter-clockwise presented a higher preference and fluency regarding sports shoe directed toward the left and bottled water located on the left side. Experiment 2 In experiment 2, we used school buses running between campuses as the vehicle in which the participants looked at the advertisements. We set up two situations of placing the advertisements for considering the effect of the moving scenery outside the bus window on the perception of the participants. We placed one near the ceiling, where participants can barely see the scenery outside the window, and the other on the window, where the participants can easily see scenery moving right behind the advertisement. The participants either stood or sat on the buses and then rated preference and processing fluency regarding the products on the advertisements right after getting off the bus. One-hundred-and-two students participated in a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design. The participants were randomly assigned into matched-above, unmatched-above, matched-window, and unmatched-window groups. The matched condition meant that the moving direction and product layouts were consistent. When the moving direction of the bus and the product layout (direction of sports shoe and location of bottled water) were consistent, we defined matched condition. Otherwise, we defined unmatched condition. The results supported our hypotheses. For the advertisements placed near the ceiling, there were significant differences between matched and unmatched groups in both preference and processing fluency for both sports shoe and bottled water. On the other hand, for the advertisements placed on the window, there were no significant differences between matched and unmatched groups. When the advertisements were placed on the window, the direction of the moving scenery outside the bus window was opposite to the direction of the bus. This might have cancelled out the effects of moving direction. Discussion and Conclusion The empirical studies showed that for the condition of participants walking, the orientation and the location of the product pointing in the same direction as the moving direction of the participants resulted in higher processing fluency, and led to higher product preference. Meanwhile, for the condition of participants moving towards a certain direction by passive means, such as taking a bus, product preference and processing fluency increase when the advertisement is placed up near to the ceiling, and the orientation or the location of the product match the moving direction of the participants. At the same time, there is no significant difference in product preference or processing fluency when the advertisement is placed on the window. In closing, our research has provided an initial look at how consistency between two directions (consumer’s movement and product) can have significant effects on consumers’ processing fluency and product evaluation. Consumers often look at the advertisements while walking or riding and advertisers can know the main direction of consumers’ movement. In these cases, they can determine the direction or the location of the products in the advertisements considering the consistency with the moving direction of consumers. Recently, digital signage in trains and buses has become popular and advertisers can easily adjust the direction or the location of the products in the advertisements on it. Therefore, the knowledge extracted from our research may be readily available for advertisers.

We carry out a study of Sub-Millimeter Galaxies (SMGs) in the AKARI NEP-Deep field using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) SCUBA-2 850 μm source catalog, released as part of the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey (S2CLS) program. The SCUBA-2 850 μm map has a root mean square (rms) noise of 1.2 mJy beam−1 and covers an area of 0.60 degree2. We find four SMGs which have counterparts to Herschel sources with spectroscopic redshifts in the literature. In addition, three dust obscured galaxies (DOGs) detected in Herschel bands are selected as a comparison sample. We derive IR luminosities of SMGs using the CIGALE code, which are similar to those of high redshift SMGs from previous studies. The contribution of AGN to the total IR luminosity in SMGs (2%–11%) is smaller than the lower limit for the one in DOGs (19%–35%), which is consistent with the expectation from the evolutionary scenario of massive galaxies. We search for SMGs in overdense regions as protocluster candidates and investigate four regions, including candidates around three DOGs. Finally, we argue that follow-up spectroscopic observation for the NEP-Deep field will provide crucial information to understand the role of SMGs in the evolution of massive galaxies.

Recently, Oil spill incidents from maritime activities and port operation have been causing the serious ocean environment pollution, these problems are said to be the negative effects on the natural environment, social economy, marine species, and human health. Due to the high costs of treating oil spills and oil slick in comparison with a low-income country like Vietnam, many incidents related to the oil spill and oil slick have not been thoroughly processed. Cellulose components from Vietnamese agricultural residues used to produce the absorbent materials are one of the most urgent issues and this is the research object of this work. In this study, two types of structural lengths of cellulose added into PU matrix foam are used to measure how much crude oil, fuel oil, diesel oil and kerosene can be absorbed. The absorbent materials are designed after adding cellulose with 5%, 15%, 25% of mass, respectively. The achieved results show that the oil absorption capacity of PU-cellulose implemented 5% cellulose with 500μm of cellulose structure length and 25% cellulose with 3000μm of cellulose structure length are highest for crude oil. These study results from this work provide a reasonable price for the protection of the marine environment in the strategies of recovery and treatment of oil spill and oil slick on the seawater surface.

One major concern of Seoul City is the premature failure occurrence such as fatigue cracking and rutting in the pavement. Due to the acceleration at intersections and low vehicle speed at bus stops that cause higher shear and critical strain on the pavement. Because of this, there is a need to develop a new mixture that can withstand bus stop and intersection traffic while preventing premature failure. In this study, a high modulus asphalt mixture was adapted and developed to address the cracking and rutting concerns at bus stops and intersections of Seoul City. Indirect tensile (IDT) and beam fatigue testing were conducted to determine the fatigue performance of the high modulus asphalt mixture (HMB). In addition, the behaviour of the HMB considering loading speed and temperature were investigated using the IDT dynamic modulus test. It was found that the HMB performs 3 and 1.5 times better compared to conventional asphalt using IDT and beam fatigue test respectively. Moreover, it was observed that modulus value of HMB is two times better at low frequency (high temperature) compared to conventional asphalt. The dynamic modulus value of the HMB was then used as input for bus stop and intersection scenario analyses. It was found that HMB can reduce the total thickness of the pavement around 4 to 6cm compared to the conventional asphalt. It can be concluded that because of the better fatigue and rutting performance and high modulus value of HMB at low frequency, it can perform better in bus stops and intersections. It is recommended to conduct field construction to further evaluate the performance of HMB asphalt mixtures in the field.

We assessed the effects of combining bio-char with straw residue mulching on the loss of soil soluble nutrients and citrus yield in sloping land. The two-year study showed that straw residue mulching (ST) and bio-char application combined with straw residue (ST+BC) can significantly reduce soil soluble nutrient loss when compared with the control treatment (CK). The comparative volume of the soil surface runoff after each of the treatments was as follows: CK > ST > ST + BC. Compared with the CK, the runoff volume of the ST was reduced by 13.6 % and 8.5 % in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Compared with the CK, combining bio-char with the ST application reduced the loss of soluble nitrogen and improved the soil total nitrogen content reaching a significant level in 2015. It dramatically increased the soil organic matter content over the two year period (36.3% in 2014, 50.6% in 2015) as well as the carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N) (16.6% in 2014 and 39.3% in 2015). Straw mulching combined with bio-char showed a trend for increasing the citrus yield.

Pollution of chloride ion-reinforced concrete can trigger active corrosion processes that reduce the useful life of structures. Multifunctional materials used as a counter-electrode by electrochemical techniques have been used to rehabilitate contaminated concrete. Cement-based pastes added to carbonaceous material, fibers or dust, have been used as an anode in the non-destructive Electrochemical Chloride Extraction (ECE) technique. We studied the performance of the addition of Carbon Fiber (CF) in a cement-graphite powder base paste used as an anode in ECE of concretes contaminated with chlorides from the preparation of the mixture. The experimental parameters were: 2.3% of free chlorides, 21 days of ECE application, a Carbon Fiber Volume Fraction (CFVF) of 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9%, a lithium borate alkaline electrolyte, a current density of 4.0 A / m2 and a cement/graphite ratio of 1.0 for the paste. The efficiency of the ECE in the traditional technique using metal mesh as an anode was 77.6% and for CFVF of 0.9% it was 90.4%, with a tendency to increase to higher percentages of the CFVF in the conductive cement-graphite paste, keeping the pH stable and achieving a homogeneous ECE in the mass of the concrete contaminated with chlorides.

The spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), can feed on more than 70 species of insects including immature stages of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. P. maculiventris is native to North America and there was an attempt and failure to import P. maculiventris to South Korea in 1970s. Recently, P. maculiventris was successfully re-introduced to South Korea and is being contained and reared in a quarantined facility at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, South Korea. In this presentation, we will introduce this new biological control agent targeting major lepidopteran and coleopteran pests in agriculture and forest. In addition, current research on mass rearing and aerial release of P. maculiventris using drones will be presented.

Gold functionalized graphene oxide (GOAu) nanoparticles were reinforced in acrylonitrilebutadiene rubbers (NBR) via solution and melt mixing methods. The synthesized NBR-GOAu nanocomposites have shown significant improvements in their rate of curing, mechanical strength, thermal stability and electrical properties. The homogeneous dispersion of GOAu nanoparticles in NBR has been considered responsible for the enhanced thermal conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of NBR nanocomposites. In addition, the NBR-GOAu nanocomposites were able to show a decreasing trend in their dielectric constant (ε´) and electrical resistance on straining within a range of 10–70%. The decreasing trend in ε´ is attributed to the decrease in electrode and interfacial polarization on straining the nanocomposites. The decreasing trend in electrical resistance in the nanocomposites is likely due to the attachment of Au nanoparticles to the surface of GO sheets which act as electrical interconnects. The Au nanoparticles have been proposed to function as ball rollers in-between GO nanosheets to improve their sliding on each other and to improve contacts with neighboring GO nanosheets, especially on straining the nanocomposites. The NBR-GOAu nanocomposites have exhibited piezoelectric gauge factor (GFε´) of ~0.5, and piezo-resistive gauge factor (GFR) of ~0.9 which clearly indicated that GOAu reinforced NBR nanocomposites are potentially useful in fabrication of structural, high temperature responsive, and stretchable strain-sensitive sensors.

The electronic and optical characteristics of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) film significantly vary with its thickness, and thus a rapid and accurate estimation of the number of MoS2 layers is critical in practical applications as well as in basic researches. Various existing methods are currently available for the thickness measurement, but each has drawbacks. Transmission electron microscopy allows actual counting of the MoS2 layers, but is very complicated and requires destructive processing of the sample to the point where it will no longer be useable after characterization. Atomic force microscopy, particularly when operated in the tapping mode, is likewise time-consuming and suffers from certain anomalies caused by an improperly chosen set point, that is, free amplitude in air for the cantilever. Raman spectroscopy is a quick characterization method for identifying one to a few layers, but the laser irradiation causes structural degradation of the MoS2. Optical microscopy works only when MoS2 is on a silicon substrate covered with SiO2 of 100~300 nm thickness. The last two optical methods are commonly limited in resolution to the micrometer range due to the diffraction limits of light. We report here a method of measuring the distribution of the number of MoS2 layers using a low voltage field emission electron microscope with acceleration voltages no greater than 1 kV. We found a linear relationship between the FESEM contrast and the number of MoS2 layers. This method can be used to characterize MoS2 samples at nanometer-level spatial resolution, which is below the limits of other methods.