많은 연구에 따르면 Tenebrio molitor은 유충 단계에서 플라스틱을 섭취할 수 있다고 보고되었다. 이 연구의 목적은 T. molitor 유충의 성장과 발달에 발포폴리스티렌 섭취가 미치는 영향을 조사하는 것이다. 밀기울을 섭취한 유충의 성장률은 발포폴리스티렌을 섭취한 유충의 성장률보다 더 좋았고(p < 0.001) 발포폴리스티렌을 섭취한 유 충의 번데기로 전환되는 기간은 밀기울을 섭취한 유충의 번데기로 전환되는 기간보다 더 빨랐다(p < 0.001). 하지만 두 처리구간 생존율은 유의미한 차이가 없었다(p = 0.786). 이 결과에 따르면 발포폴리스티렌을 섭취한 유충은 체중 감소와 짧은 발육기간이 특징이지만 생존하는 것에는 문제가 없었다. 따라서 우리는 T. molitor가 플라스틱 폐기물 의 지속 가능하고 친환경적인 제거를 위한 주요 자원이라는 결론을 내렸다.
Carbon fusion is important to understand the late stages in the evolution of a massive star. Astronomically interesting energy ranges for the 12C+12C reactions have been, however, poorly constrained by experiments. Theoretical studies on stellar evolution have relied on reaction rates that are extrapolated from those measured in higher energies. In this work, we update the carbon fusion reaction rates by fitting the astrophysical S-factor data obtained from direct measurements based on the Fowler, Caughlan, & Zimmerman (1975) formula. We examine the evolution of a 20M⊙ star with the updated 12C+12C reaction rates performing simulations with the MESA (Modules for Experiments for Stellar Astrophysics) code. Between 0.5 and 1 GK, the updated reaction rates are 0.35 to 0.5 times less than the rates suggested by Caughlan & Fowler (1988). The updated rates result in the increase of core temperature by about 7% and of the neutrino cooling by about a factor of three. Moreover, the carbon-burning lifetime is reduced by a factor of 2.7. The updated carbon fusion reaction rates lead to some changes in the details of the stellar evolution model, their impact seems relatively minor compared to other uncertain physical factors like convection, overshooting, rotation, and mass-loss history. The astrophysical S-factor measurements in lower energies have large errors below the Coulomb barrier. More precise measurements in lower energies for the carbon burning would be useful to improve our study and to understand the evolution of a massive star.
Human bitter taste-sensing type 2 receptors (hTAS2Rs) are expressed in various human tissues and may be associated with various cell signaling pathways, cell progression, and cell physiology in each tissue. hTAS2Rs can be a potential drug target because it is also expressed in some cancer cells. Xanthorrhizol (XNT) has various biological activities, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. XNT produces a bitter taste, but the specific hTAS2R activated is unknown, and the hTAS2R-mediated effect of XNT on cancer cells has not been studied. This study discovered the target receptor of XNT among 25 hTAS2Rs and confirmed the possibility of the hTAS2R-mediated inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. XNT activated only one receptor, hTAS2R38 (EC50=1.606±0.021 g/mL), and its activity was inhibited by probenecid, a hTAS2R38 antagonist. When HepG2 and MCF-7 cells were treated with XNT or phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a known hTAS2R38 agonist, both chemicals inhibited cancer cell proliferation. XNT targets the human bitter taste receptor TAS2R38 and inhibits the proliferation of HepG2 and MCF-7 cells mediated by TAS2R38. This suggests that TAS2R38 may be a new target for disease treatment and a potential new factor for drug development.
We have intended and preparation of hierarchically absorbent materials were covered with a NiMn2O4 and acts as a catalyst for azo dye degradation. The polyaromatic-based (PA) absorbent compounds were initially constructed by bromomethylated aromatic hydrocarbons which undergo self-polymerization in presence of ZnBr as a reagent and cross linker is bromomethyl methyl ether. The absorbent black materials with a 3D network were prepared by direct carbonization and activation of the as-prepared PA. The hydrothermal method was adapted for the preparation of carbon hybrid material C@NiMn2O4 powder's catalytic activity is effective in reducing p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol and decolorizing carbon-based dyes like methyl orange (MO), methyl yellow (MY), and Congo red (CR) in aqueous media at 25 °C when NaBH4 is added. UV–visible spectroscopy was used to analyze the dyes' breakdown at regular interval.
Traditional culture contributes to the diversification of modern fashion design and the inheritance of local cultural identity. This study aims to identify the characteristics of traditional handicrafts reflected in modern fashion design in India. For this purpose, it focused on Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra, and Ritu Kumar, who are currently leading the Indian fashion design field. The methodology involved conducting literature research and analyzing case studies. In the literature, the techniques of Indian traditional crafts such as embroidery, dyeing, and weaving were examined and five design elements of traditional crafts were defined. Through content analysis of 30 images from the three designers’ Instagram accounts, the design characteristics of traditional handicrafts expressed in contemporary Indian fashion design were derived: cultural inheritance using traditional Indian clothing items, traditional materials and practices applied to contemporary clothing, craftsmanship that artistically improves complex details using embroidery techniques, various combinations based on the traditional meaning of colors, and narrative expression using patterns containing India’s cultural identity. Incorporating these traditional handicrafts into fashion design, closely linked to everyday life, aids in conveying and enhancing their significance. The cases demonstrate the successful integration of conservation into contemporary fashion design. This study sheds light on the application of traditional culture in modern fashion design.
국내외적으로 기후변화, 이상기상 등 다양한 요인이 新문제 병해충의 발생을 가속화하고 있으나, 반대로 국제 기구에서 2030년까지 화학농약의 사용 및 위해도를 50%로 낮출 것을 요구하고 있다(생물다양성협약 COP15. 2022.12). 따라서 화학농약을 줄이면서 효과적으로 병해충을 방제할 수 있는 대안을 찾아야 한다. 화학농약의 대안으로 생명과학에 공학적 기술개념을 도입하여 인공적으로 생명체의 구성요소·시스템을 설 계·제작·합성하는 학문분야로 합성생물학이 주목받고 있다. 코로나19 백신개발과정에 합성생물학을 활용하여 개발기간을 단축한 사례(mRNA 백신)도 있다. 미국 농업분야에서는 dsRNA를 이용한 천연식물보호제(생물농 약)의 개발은 이미 상용화 단계로 넘어서고 있다. 이에 우리나라도 합성생물학을 활용한 농약의 개발과 상용화를 지원할 수 있는 제도적 기반을 마련할 시점이다. 본 발표에서는 합성생물학 기술을 이용한 新천연식물보호제의 개발과 상용화에 필요한 등록기준 마련 필요성과 고려할 사항에 대해 다각적으로 논의하고자 한다. 현재 우리나라에서 농약은 「농약관리법」에 따라 관리되며, 유효성분으로 쓰이는 원료의 종류에 따라 화학 농약과 천연식물보호제로 구분되고 있다. 화학농약은 “화학적으로 합성한 유효성분으로 제조한 것”을 말하며, 천연식물보호제는 “살아있는 미생물 또는 자연계에서 생성된 유기화합물 및 무기화합물”을 유효성분으로 제조 한 것“을 말한다. dsRNA 농약 등록을 위해서는 dsRNA 등 합성생물학 기술을 이용한 농약이 “자연계에서 생성된 유기화학물”로 분류될 수 있는 지에 대한 검토가 필요하며, dsRNA를 활용한 농약의 등록 기준이 마련되어야 한다. 기준을 마련하기 위해서는 합성생물학 기술에 대한 정확한 이해가 선행되어야 하고, 안전성에 대한 다각적 인 검토는 물론, 사회적 합의와 공감대 형성이 이루어져야 할 것이다. 우선 가장 중요한 이슈는 역시 유전자변형생물체(이하 ”LMO“) 문제이다. 국내에서는 LMO 작물의 재배 자체 에 대한 논란이 많은 상황이라는 점과 LMO일 경우 농약으로 등록시 기준 적용에 차이가 크기 때문이다. 천연식물 보호제는 화학농약보다는 등록시 요구되는 자료가 많이 간소화되어 있지만, LMO에 해당되면 그렇지 않다. 실제 미국에서 등록된 dsRNA 농약에는 LMO에 해당되는 것과 해당되지 않는 것이 있다. 따라서 국내에서 천연식물보 호제로 등록하기 위해서는 먼저 dsRNA를 활용한 기술이 LMO에 해당되는 지 여부가 먼저 정립되어야 하고, 해당 dsRNA 원제(Technical) 또는 해당 dsRNA 제품(Item)이 LMO 기술이 적용되지 않았음을 입증할 수 있는 체계 의 정립이 필요할 것이다. 또한 국제기준과 조화의 문제를 고려해야 한다. OECD 발간 문서(ENV/CBC/MONO(2023)26, ENV/JM/MONO (2020)26)에 따르면 dsRNA 농약은 dsRNA의 변이가 인체, 환경은 물론, 표적/비표적 유기체에 어떠한 영향을 미칠수 있는지에 대한 시험이 필요하고 이는 각 국가별 규제요건에 따라 달라질 수 있다고 밝히고 있다. 국내 기준을 마련하기 위해서는 외국 사례를 정밀하게 조사분석한 후 국내 여건에 맞도록 기준을 정립해야 할 것이다. 마지막으로 새로운 기술은 항상 부작용에 대한 우려가 따르기 마련이므로 전문가에 의해 과학적 근거에 기반 한 기준안이 마련함은 물론, 해당 기준안에 대한 대국민 소통/공감을 형성하는 과정도 필요하다. dsRNA농약은 우리나라에 새로운 도전이자 기회가 일 수 있다. 농약원제 개발에 뒤처져 수입에 의존하는 산업 에서 벗어나, 세계를 선도하며 수출하는 농약산업으로 바꿔야 할 시점인 것 같다.
식물에 전기장을 처리하면 식물의 생장속도가 빨라지거나 영양학적으로 긍정적인 변화가 생긴다고 알려져 있다. 최근 음이온 처리 시 식물에 전기장을 처리한 것과 유사한 효과가 나타난다고 보고되었고 본 연구에서는 이러한 음이온을 온실해충인 점박이응애와 목화진딧물에 처리하여 방제효과 여부를 확인하였다. 그 결과 음이 온 처리 시 점박이응애와 목화진딧물에서 살충효과와 기피효과가 나타났다. 또한, 점박이응애 알에서도 음이온 처리가 부화율에 영향을 주는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 이러한 시험 결과를 바탕으로 온실에서 밀도실험 결과, 700,000 ion/cm3 농도에서 무처리구에 비해 밀도가 감소함을 확인할 수 있었다. 따라서, 본 연구는 음이온 처리 시, 부가적인 효과로 온실해충(점박이응애, 목화진딧물)에 대해 친환경적 방제 가능성을 보여준다.
Since rice is the main food in Korea, there are no regulations on corn milling yet. Corn is known as one of the world's top three food crops along with wheat and rice, and it is known that 3.5 billion people worldwide use corn for food. In addition, corn mills are not developed or sold in Korea, but the use of corn mills is increasing significantly in many countries in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, as Korea's rice mill import increases, Korea's KAMICO (Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative) and domestic company A agreed to develop a corn mill jointly with PHilMech, an organization affiliated with the Philippine Ministry of Agriculture. However, research on corn milling was very insignificant, so the development was carried out based on the technology of Korea's rice mill. Rice milling is performed by peeling off the skin of rice and producing brown or white rice, so it is carried out by removing the skin and cutting the skin. On the other hand, in the corn mill, the skin of the corn is peeled, pulverized and selected to produce main products suitable for edible use. Therefore, in order to develop a corn mill, processes such as peeling, transfer, grinding, sorting, and by-product separation are required, and suitable parts must be developed. In addition, the performance must be gradually improved through experiments in which corn is repeatedly milled. The Philippines produces 7.98 million tons/year of corn, which is about 100 times that of Korea, and is mostly consumed as a staple food. This is about 10% of the total crop production in the Philippines. In addition, the main cultivation complexes of corn are the mountainous regions of Tarlac or Pangasinan, and the produced corn is 72.4% of the so-called yellow corn called Arabel and Sarangani, and the remaining 27.6% are known as white corn. In this study, it was intended to produce grains of 2.5 mm or less suitable for food for yellow corn and to develop a corn mill for 200 kg per hour. Detailed conditions for development are stipulated as more than 55% of the main product recovery rate, more than 31% of the by-product recovery rate, less than 5% of the raw material loss rate, and more than 80% of the embryo dislocation rate. In this study, to achieve this, the overall process of the corn mill was developed, and the optimal conditions for the corn mill were obtained through the development of parts and empirical tests to improve performance. In addition, it was intended to achieve the development goal by evaluating and analyzing the performance of each part so that it did not conflict.
In recent years, the energy storage sector has experienced a notable transition toward the use of organic electrodes. This shift is largely attributed to their superior energy density, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendliness. However, there is a main drawback that the organic molecules oftentimes suffer shuttle phenomenon across the separator due to their high solubility in the organic electrolyte. In addition, the low electrical conductivity of organic materials is also detrimental, thereby requiring a large amount of carbon additives (up to 40 wt. %) in the electrode. In this perspective, addition of carbon additives with the desirable amount, which can prevent organic molecules from being dissolved into the liquid phase as well as provide the electrical conductivity. While N,Nʹ-dimethylphenazine (DMPZ) was investigated as a model material, we compared two carbon additives with different surface areas and functional groups. We carefully scrutinized the structural effect of carbon additives on the cycle-life performance of the organic electrode.
Hypertension is characterized by excessive renin-angiotensin system activity, leading to blood vessel constriction. Several synthetic compounds have been developed to inhibit renin and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). These drugs often have adverse side effects, driving the exploration of plant protein-derived peptides as alternative or supplementary treatments. This study assessed the phenolic compound and amino acid content and the antioxidant and antihypertensive activity of 5 South Korean staple crops. Sorghum had the highest phenolic compound content and exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. Millet grains, particularly finger millet (38.86%), showed higher antihypertensive activity than red beans (14.42%) and sorghum (17.16%). Finger millet was found to contain a large proportion of branched-chain, aromatic, and sulfur-containing amino acids, which are associated with ACE inhibition. In particular, cysteine content was positively correlated with ACE inhibition in the crops tested (r=0.696, p<0.01). This study confirmed that the amino acid composition was more correlated with the antihypertensive activity of grains than the phenolic compound content. Finger millet mainly contained amino acids, which have higher ACE inhibitory activity, resulting in the strongest antihypertensive activity. These findings underscore the antihypertensive potential of select crops as plant-based food ingredients, offering insight into their biological functions.
Air conditioner filters purify the air of indoor environments by removing air pollutants and supporting the efficiency of the unit’s cooling function. However, an air conditioner filter can become a microenvironment in which some fungi can grow as dust continues to accumulate and favorable humidity conditions are formed. Fungal growth in air conditioner filters could lead to fungal allergies or fungal diseases, in addition to emitting a foul odor. In an effort to understand what species causes this malodorous problem, we investigated the diversity of fungi found in air conditioners. Fungi were sampled from the collected air conditioner filters and grown on DG18 agar media. After purification for pure isolates, species identification was undertaken. Colony morphology was observed on PDA, MEA, CYA, and OA media. Microstructures of fruiting body, mycelia, and spores were examined using a light microscope. Molecular identification was performed by PCR and sequencing of PCR amplicons, and molecular phylogenetic analysis of sequenced DNA markers, including the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), the 28S large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal RNA (LSU rDNA), the β-tubulin (BenA) gene, the Calmodulin (CaM) gene, and the DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (RPB2) gene. Through this identification process, we found two fungal species, Aspergillus miraensis and Dichotomopilus ramosissimus, which are unrecorded species in Korea. We will now report their morphological and molecular features.
One of the important components of a nuclear fuel cycle facility is a hot cell. Hot cells are engineered robust structures and barriers, which are used to handle radioactive materials and to keep workers, public, and the environment safe from radioactive materials. To provide a confinement function for these hot cells, it is necessary to maintain the soundness of the physical structure, but also to maintain the negative pressure inside the hot cell using the operation of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The negative pressure inside the hot cells allows air to enter from outside hot cells and limits the leakage of any contaminant or radioactive material within the hot cell to the outside. Thus, the HVAC system is one of the major components for maintaining this negative pressure in the hot cell. However, as the facility ages, all the components of the hot cell HVAC system are also subject to age-related deterioration, which can cause an unexpected failure of some parts. The abnormal operating condition from the failure results in the increase of facility downtime and the decrease in operating efficiency. Although some major parts are considered and constructed in redundancy and diversity aspects, an unexpected failure and abnormal operating condition could result in reduction of public acceptance and reliability to the facility. With the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution, prognostics and health management (PHM) technology is advancing at a rapid pace. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Siemens, and other companies have already developed technologies to constantly monitor the integrity of power plants and are applying the technology in the form of digital twins for efficiency and safety of their facility operation. The main point of PHM, based on this study, is to monitor changes and variations of soundness and safety of the operation and equipment to analyze current conditions and to ultimately predict the precursors of unexpected failures in advance. Through PHM, it would be possible to establish a maintenance plan before the failure occurs and to perform predictive maintenance rather than corrective maintenance after failures of any component. Therefore, it is of importance to select appropriate diagnostic techniques to monitor and to diagnose the condition of major components using the constant examination and investigation of the PHM technology. In this study, diagnostic techniques are investigated for monitoring of HVAC and discussed for application of PHM into nuclear fuel cycle facilities with hot cells.
As the acceptance criteria for low-intermediate-level radioactive waste cave disposal facilities of Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) were revised, the requirements for characterization of whether radioactive waste contains hazardous substances have been strengthened. In addition, As the recent the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Notice (Regulations on Delivery of Low- Medium-Level Radioactive Waste) scheduled to be revised, the management targets and standards for hazardous substances are scheduled to be specified and detailed. Accordingly, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) needs to prepare management methods and procedures for hazardous substances. In particular, in order to characterize the chemical requirements (explosiveness, ignitability, flammability, corrosiveness, and toxicity) contained in radioactive waste, it must be proven through documents or data that each item does not contain hazardous substances, and quality assurance for the overall process must be provided. In order to identify the characteristics of radioactive waste that will continue to be generated in the future, KAERI needs to introduce a management system for hazardous substances in radioactive waste and establish a quality assurance system. Currently, KAERI is thoroughly managing chelates (EDTA, NTA, etc.), but the detailed management procedures for hazardous substances related to chemical requirements in radioactive waste in the radiation management area specified above are insufficient. The KAERI’s Laboratory Safety Information Network has a total periodic regulatory review system in place for the purchase, movement, and disposal of chemical substances for each facility. However, there is no documents or data to prove that the hazardous substances held in the facility are not included in the radioactive waste, and there are no procedures for managing hazardous substances. Therefore, it is necessary to establish procedures for the management of hazardous substances, and we plan to prepare management procedures for hazardous substances so that chemical substances can be managed according to the procedures at each facility during preliminary inspection before receiving radioactive waste. The procedure provides definitions of terms and types of management targets for each characteristic of the chemical requirements specified above (explosiveness, ignition, flammability, corrosiveness, and toxicity). In addition, procedure also contains treatment methods of radioactive waste generated by using hazardous substances and management methods of in/out, quantity, history of that substances, etc. As the law is revised in the future, management will be carried out according to the relevant procedures. In this study, we aim to present the hazardous substance management procedures being established to determine whether radioactive waste contains hazardous substances in accordance with the revised the notice and strengthened acceptance criteria. Through this, we hope to contribute to improving reliability so that radioactive waste could be disposed of thoroughly and safely.