Fibrous adsorbents, such as activated carbon fibers (ACF) have acknowledged advantages of rapid adsorption rate and ease of modification compared with granular and powdered adsorbents. Based on the surface modification of lyocell-based ACF, we observed different surface characteristics of ACF samples with variation in the mixing ratio and impregnation time of H3PO4, NaCl, and KMnO4 solution. For an engineering application, we also explored the adsorption characteristics of thusproduced ACF samples onto volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Isothermal adsorption experiments were performed using toluene and benzene as adsorbates. Results indicate that both physical and chemical surface properties have an effect on the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The osmolarity of a medium that is commonly used for in vitro culture (IVC) of oocytes and embryos is lower than that of oviductal fluid in pigs. In vivo oocytes and embryos can resist high osmolarities to some extent due to the presence of organic osmolytes such as glycine and alanine. These amino acids act as a protective shield to maintain the shape and viability in high osmotic environments. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of glycine or/and alanine in medium with two different osmolarities (280 and 320 mOsm) during IVC on embryonic development after parthenogenesis (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in pigs. To this end, IVC was divided into two stages; the 0-2 and 3-7 days of IVC. In each stage, embryos were cultured in medium with 280, 320, or 360 mOsm and their combinations with or without glycine or/and alanine according to the experimental design. Treatment groups were termed as, for example, "T(osmolarity of a medium used in 0-2 days of IVC)-(osmolarity of a medium used in 3-7 days of IVC)" T280-280 was served as control. When PA embryos were cultured in medium with various osmolarities, T320-280 showed a significantly higher blastocyst formation (29.0%) than control (22.2%) and T360-360 groups (6.9%). Glycine treatment in T320-280 significantly increased blastocyst formation (50.4%) compared to T320-280 only (36.5%) while no synergistic was observed after treatment with glycine and alanine together in T320-280 (45.7%). In contrast to PA embryonic development, the stimulating effect by the culture in T320-280 was not observed in SCNT blastocyst development (27.6% and 23.7% in T280-280 and T320-280, respectively) whereas the number of inner cell mass cells was significantly increased in T320-280 (6.1 cells vs. 9.6 cells). Glycine treatment significantly improved blastocyst formation of SCNT embryos in both T280-280 (27.6% vs. 38.0%) and T320-280 (23.7% vs. 35.3%). Our results demonstrate that IVC in T320-280 and treatment with glycine improves blastocyst formation of PA and SCNT embryos in pigs.

Coke aggregates and carbon artifacts were produced to investigate the interactions of coke and pitch during the kneading process. In addition, the kneading ratio of the coke and binder pitch for the coke aggregates was controlled to identify the formation of voids and pores during carbonization at 900°C. Experiments and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that carbon yields were improved over the theoretical yield calculated by the weight loss of the coke and binder pitch; the improvement was due to the binding interactions between the coke particles and binder pitch by the kneading process. The true, apparent, and bulk densities fluctuated according to the kneading ratio. This study confirmed that an excessive or insufficient kneading ratio decreases the density with degradation of the packing characteristics. The porosity analysis indicated that formation of voids and pores by the binder pitch increased the porosity after carbonization. Image analysis confirmed that the kneading ratio affected the formation of the coke domains and the voids and pores, which revealed the relations among the carbon yields, density, and porosity.

The deleted in azoospermia like (DAZL) gene has been identified in many vertebrate species. DAZL shows high homology with deleted in azoospermia (DAZ) genes that identified only in humans, great apes and Old World monkeys, and boule homolog (BOLL) that identified in many vertebrate species. These genes encode RNA binding proteins (RBP), which regulate the post-transcriptional functions of several genes. In humans, DAZ copies are linked to Y chromosome, while DAZL and BOLL are linked to chromosomes 3 and 2, respectively. DAZ copies has been reported to express in prenatal and postnatal germ cells, particularly in the premeiotic spermatogonia. BOLL has been reported to express during the meiotic G2/M transition in germ cells. DAZL has been reported to express in all stages of germ cells. Compared to humans and mice, the detailed functionalities of DAZL is not clear in many vertebrate species. In our studies, we use chickens as an animal model to examine the expression profiling of DAZL gene in germ cells right from the early embryonic development to the adult. Also, we are studying the effects of small interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated knockdown of DAZL and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) mediated knockout of DAZL in the chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs). In the chicken, DAZL is linked to chromosome 2 (2p1.3-p1.2), and encodes a 289 amino acids protein. By in situ hybridization, we detected a strong expression of DAZL in the germ plasm of chicken oocytes. Later, the expression of DAZL was strongly detected in all stages of intrauterine development and post-ovipositional development especially in the PGC specifying cells. Moreover, the expression of DAZL was strong and constant in the male and female germ cells until adult stage. The siRNA mediated knockdown of DAZL significantly reduced the PGCs proliferation and increased the apoptosis in vitro. We examined the knockout efficiency of DAZL using CRISPR/Cas9 technique in chicken DF1 fibroblast cell line, prior to test in the PGCs. The results of T7 endonuclease I (T7E1) assay and subsequent sequencing indicates clear mutations on the DAZL gene in DF1 cells, and the method could be applicable to cause mutations on the DAZL gene in PGCs. In conclusion, chicken DAZL express in all stages of germ cells as a germ line marker, and alteration in the gene expression causes germ cells impairment.

Modern technique development provides a new opportunity to expand entomological researches. Aerial insect sampling has been conducted with fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). With improved maneuverability, rotary-wing UAVs can serve as more convenient and feasible tools with lower cost. A rotary-wing UAV with remotely controlled insect nets was developed to collect insects at designated altitudes above the rice field (ca. 80 × 240 meter (width × length)) in Boryeong, South Korea. From 21 flights in June, July, and August 2017, 235, 7, 6, and 3 insects were caught at 5, 10, 50, and 100 meters above the rice field, respectively. The collected insects were identified to family level. Diptera (Phoridae and Chironomidae), Hemiptera (Aphididae and Delphacidae), and Thysanoptera were found from the sample, some of which may contain possible insect pests on rice. Therefore, UAVs have potential as an alternative aerial insect sampling method.

Recently, methods that usea carbon-based filler, a conductive nanomaterial, have been investigated to develop composite fillers containing dielectric materials. In this study, we added geometric changes to a carbon fiber, a typical carbon-based filler material, by differentiating the orientation angle and the number of plies of the fiber. We also studied the electrical and electromagnetic shield characteristics. Based on the orientation angle of 0˚, the orientation angle of the carbon fiber was changed between 0, 15, 30, 45, and 90˚, and 2, 4, and 6 plies were stacked for each orientation angle. The maximum effect was found when the orientation angle was 90˚, which was perpendicular to the electromagnetic wave flow, as compared to 0˚, in which case the electrical resistance was small. Therefore, it is verified that the orientation angle has more of an effect on the electromagnetic interference shield performance than the number of plies.

2003년에 이상적으로 많이 발생하여 벼에 심각한 피해를 가져온 혹명나방의 재배방법별, 엽록소 함량별 피해실태를 조사하여 피해에 따른 수량반응, 미질변화 등을 구명하고자 조사한 결과는 다음과 같다. 1. 혹명나방의 피해가 심할수록 벼의 등숙비율, 천립중의 감소와 복백립 등 미숙립의 증가에 따른 완전미 비율이 감소되어 완전미 수량이 피해가 심한 곳에서 36% 감소되었다. 2. 혹명나방의 피해가 심할수록 쌀의 외관상 품위가 떨어질 뿐만 아니라 단백질함량이 높아져 식미치는 감소되어 미질이 급격히 저하되었다. 3. 질소질 비료의 시용량이 증가할수록 혹명나방에 의한 피해는 증가하였으며, 특히 주남벼의 경우 질소량이 증가할수록 피해가 급증하였다. 4. 질소 시비량이 추천 시비량인 11 kg/10a를 초과시 피해엽율이 60% 이상으로 급증하였고, 60% 이상 피해를 입은 엽의 비율도 25%이상으로 늘어나 수량 감수 요인으로 작용하였다.