The international trade of live amphibian can cause spread of the amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which has resulted in amphibian population decline worldwide. Introduction of the causal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), to South Korea via the importation of live amphibians will have a negative effect on the survival of native amphibian communities. We investigated the likelihood that Bd would be introduced to the captive and wild amphibian population in South Korea by applying standardized risk analysis. We found that the likelihood of entry of Bd into South Korea was high, but that Bd exposure to the captive amphibians had a low impact, while it had a high impact on wild amphibians. Overall, the risk of live amphibian importation for pet trade or zoos was high in wild amphibians, while it was moderate for laboratory or human consumption in wild amphibians. Accordingly, risk management measures to reduce the risks related to live amphibian importation are required.

Modified thermal annealing was applied to the activation of the polycrystalline silicon films doped as p-type through implantation of B2H6. The statistical design of experiments was successfully employed to investigate the effect of rapid thermal annealing on activation of polycrystalline Si doped as p-type. In this design, the input variables are furnace temperature, power of halogen lamps, and alternating magnetic field. The degree of ion activation was evaluated as a function of processing variables, using Hall effect measurements and Raman spectroscopy. The main effects were estimated to be furnace temperature and RTA power in increasing conductivity, explained by recrystallization of doped ions and change of an amorphous Si into a crystalline Si lattice. The ion activation using rapid thermal annealing is proven to be a highly efficient process in low temperature polycrystalline Si technology.

A 532 nm Nd-YAG laser was applied to crystallize amorphous Si thin films in order to evaluate the applicability of a Nd-YAG laser to low-temperature polycrystalline Si technology. The irradiation of a green laser was controlled during the crystallization of amorphous Si thin films deposited onto glass substrates in a sophisticated process. Raman spectroscopy and UV-Visible spectrophotometry were employed to quantify the degree of crystallization in the Si thin films in terms of its optical transmission and vibrational characteristics. The effectiveness of the Nd-YAG laser is suggested as a feasible alternative that is capable of crystallizing the amorphous Si thin films.

This study was performed to investigate the nutritional conditions controlling keratinase activity in Bacillus megaterium F7-1. B. megaterium F7-1 produced keratinase using chicken feather as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Addition of the feather medium with glucose enhanced keratinase production (68.9 U/ml), compared to control without glucose (63.2 U/ml). The synthesis of keratinase was repressed by addition of NH4Cl in B. megaterium F7-1. The highest keratinase production (70.9 U/ml) was obtained with the feather medium containing glucose and MgSO4·7H2O. Keratinase was produced in the absence of feather (4.9 U/ml), indicating its constitutive synthesis. Feather degradation resulted in free SH group formation. B. megaterium F7-1 effectively degraded chicken feather meal (86%), whereas duck feather, human nail, human hair and sheep wool displayed relatively low degradation rates (8-34%).

The establishment of an efficient protocol for plant regeneration and micropropagation from leaf explant cultures of Chicory, Cichorium intybus L. var. sativus. is reported. Callus formation rate appeared 100% from explant in all growth regulators, but calli formed in the prensence of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were appeared very compact and non-embryogenic state. The regenerated shoots were obtained from leaf explant cultures on solid MS medium containing different concentrations of cytokinins and auxin. The highest number of shoots (5.7) per explant and shoot growth (2.8cm) was obtained on MS medium containing 0.1 mg BAP L-1 and 0.1 mg NAA L-1 . Indole acetic acid was the most suitable auxin for root formation among three auxins tested. 2,4-D had no effect on shoot and root formation.

Root chicory (Cichorium intybus L. var. sativus) is potential alternative medicinal and sugar crop which accumulates a high amount of linear polyfructan, inulin in its roots. A problem in root production is that over-wintered stock plants often flower. Once the plant becomes reproductive, stem elongation and root growth slows and floral buds arise from every node, rendering the plants useless for propagation. The objectives of this research was to examine the effectiveness of manipulating environmental factors containing photoperiod, temperature and number of leaf states. The experiment was performed in growth chamber to create two photoperiods (8 h, and 16 h) with three temperature regimes (5℃/3℃, 10℃/8℃ and 15℃/13℃ day/night temperature) for a total of six treatments on three type of true-leaf stage of plant. Data of bolting rate, shoot and root length, shoot and fresh weight was invetigated in each treatments. This is the first report on changes in bolting rate and shoots and roots production during a whole growing season and differences in the effect of cold and photoperiod treatment depending on the true-leaf stage of plant.