Korean oak wilt (KOW) caused by Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae and its vector, Platypus koryoensis is one of the most severe forest pests in Korea. In spite of its importance, information about dispersal of P. koryeonsis is very limited. In here, a hypothesis related to long distance dispersal (LDD) of KOW reflecting behavior of P. koryoensis is proposed. When attack density of P. koryoensis increased, location of entry holes in the trunk moved to upward. The individuals which escaped from entry holes in upper trunk had potential to fly upper part of trees and they flew longer distance probably by aid of winds. We suggested that this density dependent dispersal of the beetle explain the spatial dynamics of KOW in large scale.

Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are insecticides that disrupt the normal development of target insects. Among the IGR insecticides, juvenile hormone (JH)-related IGRs are of particular interest because they stimulate or interfere with the formation of JH receptor complex. In the precious studies, novel JH-related IGRs with JH agonist (JHA) and antagonist (JHAN) activity were identified by using yeast two-hybrid system transformed with the Aedes aegypti JH receptor complex. In this study, the transcriptomic responses of Aedes albopictus were investigated upon JHA and JHAN, respectively. These results will provide important information about understanding of impact of JH-related IGRs in transcription level.

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.

This study aims to examine how the mobile social network service experience affects value co-creation and customer lifetime value. The mobile social network service experience includes mobile convenience, social compatibility, social risk, and cognitive effort. The research hypotheses with structural equation modeling are tested. In mobile SNS context, value co-creation behaviors essentially determine customer lifetime value of mobile shopping apps. Value co-creation behaviors have received little attention in mobile shopping. The mobile SNS experience strongly influences value co-creation behaviors. This study is based on a sample of mobile SNS users nationwide in Korea. Therefore, the generalizability of the findings has to be tested. Furthermore, the study examines customer lifetime value, which is good sales predictor of mobile shopping apps. Moreover, the research model included the positive and negative determinants on mobile SNS experience. Future researches examine other use intentions of mobile SNS. Value co-creation behaviors substantially affect customer lifetime value. Mobile shopping apps should increase customer lifetime value from mobile SNS experience and value co-creation. This study shows how individual mobile SNS user provides mobile shopping apps with profit through value co-creation. This study is the first to examine how mobile SNS users enhance value co-creation and how value cocreation behaviors affect customer lifetime value of mobile SNS users.

Defects of zeolite membranes often lower their separation performance. Thus, the investigation of the defects is highly critical in achieving high separation performance. While general characterization methods (e.g. scanning electron microscopy; SEM) that examine the membrane surface cannot detect defects, the FCOM measurement is able to identify the defective structure inside the zeolite membrane using dye molecules of appropriate size [1]. In this work, various dyeing conditions (times and concentrations) were applied to a MFI zeolite membrane in an attempt to investigate the defective structure. Furthermore, the quantitative analysis is practiced to measure the defects in numerical form.

The unique characteristics of graphene make it an optimal material for crucial studies; likewise, its potential applications are numerous. Graphene’s characteristics change with the number of total layers, and thus the rapid and accurate estimation of the number of graphene layers is essential. In this work, we review the methods till date used to identify the number of layers but they incorporate certain drawbacks and limitations. To overcome the limitations, a combination of these methods will provide a direct approach to identify the number of layers. Here we correlate the data obtained from Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy images, and atomic force microscopy to identify the number of graphene layers. Among these methods, correlation of optical microscopy images with Raman spectroscopy data is proposed as a more direct approach to reliably determine the number of graphene layers.

The advent of smart shopping environments including innovative information technology, advanced delivery systems, and extended smart phone use has rapidly changed the shopping methods and activities of the consumers. They have chosen smart shopping with greater frequency, which minimizes the use of time, money, effort and energy to buy the right products and to gain shopping experiences such as hedonic and utilitarian feelings (Atkins and Kim, 2012). The concept of smart shopping is based on value co-creation which can be explained as the value from the outcome of interaction between firms and consumers (Grönroos, 2011, Vargo and Lusch, 2004). In the value co-creation process, smart shoppers are willing to perform customer participation behaviors such as information seeking, information sharing, responsible behavior, and personal interaction, and to show customer citizenship behaviors such as feedback, advocacy, helping, and tolerance (Yi and Gong 2013). In smart shopping, a consumer involves in shopping experiences through product purchases and while engaged via the shopping environments such as an elaborate store design, educational events, recreation, and entertainment (Fiore and Kim, 2007). These shopping experiences, which contain both hedonic and utilitarian value (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982), are better explained by consumer processes, responses on the shopping environment, situation, and consumer characteristics (Fiore and Kim, 2007). The attributes of shopping experience are symbolic, hedonic, and aesthetic (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982) and utilitarian and hedonic (Kim, Lee and Park, 2014). Smart shoppers who are involved with value co-creation obtain hedonic benefits with emotional, funny, and enjoyable feelings and along with utilitarian benefits such as rational, functional, task-related experiences (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982). The value co-creation and the shopping experience lead to greater customer equity such as value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity (Lemon, Rust, and Zeithamal 2001). Based on previous literature review, the authors constructed the following hypotheses. First, smart shopping will have positive effects on value co-creation, the shopping experience, and customer equity. Second, the smart shopping will have positive effects on both value co-creation and the shopping experience. Third, value cocreation will have positive effects on the shopping experience. Fourth, value cocreation and the shopping experience will have positive effects on customer equity. The authors collected the data based on questionnaires from mobile smart shoppers. The SPSS 20 and AMOS 20 statistical programs will be used for the data analysis. The analysis found the positive influence that smart shopping has on value co-creation and the shopping experience, and customer equity. This is the first study that shows these relationships from an empirical point-of-view. The findings of the study have useful managerial implications on the effects of value co-creation on both smart shoppers and firms. Value co-creation will provide smart shoppers with better product or service quality and enhance firms with more valuable customer equity. The greater shopping experience is the greater customer equity that will be developed. Value co-creation also will give firms a strong competitive advantage in terms of an organization’s learning, brand perception, reduced risk, improvement of customer relationships, and lowering cost for marketing, and research and development. The study has limitations. First, other potential variables of the value co-creation influencing new service development, customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction etc, could be considered. Second, the length of the relationship between smart shoppers and the service provider in value co-creation process should be considered. Third, the study needs to be generalized to cross sectional research beyond smart shopping area. Finally, to examine the effects of value co-creation and the shopping experience on customer equity, future research could investigate how value co-creation and the shopping experience affect the objective financial performance of a firm.

Nutritional and physicochemical changes of mustard leaf kimchi were examined during fermentation periods up to 3 months. As the fermentation processed, pH decreased, and titratable acidity gradually increased. The crude ash and protein contents increased during fermentation, but crude lipid content was significantly reduced from 5.97 to 5.07%. Crude fiber and carbohydrate showed no distinct changes. Dietary fiber contents were slowly changed between control and 1 month fermentation sample, and were maintained thereafter. The major free sugars of mustard leaf kimchi were fructose and glucose, and the amount of them were significantly decreased at the end of fermentation stage. Lactic acid showed a dramatic increase and reached its maximum at 3 months. All kimchi contained 20 amino acids; in particular, glutamic acid was the highest in mustard leaf kimchi. Amino acid contents fluctuated during fermentation. Except for calcium and selenium, the content of other ingredients (Fe, K, Mg, Na, and Zn) increased with prolonged fermentation time. Fermentation promotes a significant increasing in the content of linoleic acid and DHA. The highest antioxidant vitamins (β-carotene, tocopherol) contents were determined at mustard leaf kimchi fermented for 2 months. The results will provide fundamental data for proposing an appropriate fermentation periods to promote quality of kimchi

The food components of red sea bream(Pagrus major) cultured in copper alloy(brass) net(BN) and nylon net(NN) cages for nine months were investigated. The body weight was 234.9g at the beginning of the culture(the young fish), and then 692.1g(BN group) and 549.3g(NN group) at the fish cultured for nine months(the nine-month culture fish). The moisture content of the edible portion of the fish was higher in the young fish than in the nine-month culture fish. On the contrary, the lipid content was higher in the latter (9.1-10.6%) than in the former (7.6%).　 The lipid content in the nine-month culture fish was slightly higher in the BN group compared to the NN group. There was little difference in protein content between the young fish and the nine-month culture fish, or between the BN and NN groups. There was a slightly higher level of copper content in the liver (5ppm in the young fish and 5-6ppm in the nine-month culture fish) compared to the edible portions (1ppm in the young fish and 3-4ppm in the nine-month culture fish), but no difference was evident between the BN and NN groups. The prominent fatty acids were 16:0, 18:1n-9, 22:6n-3, 16:1n-7, 18:2n-6, 20:5n-3, and 18:0 in the edible portions of the young and cultured fish. The n-3 fatty acid content was slightly richer in the BN group.