Metarhizium은 대표적인 곤충병원성 진균 중 하나로, 종에 따라 매우 다양한 곤충에게 병원성을 일으키는 폭 넓은 기주범위를 형성한다. 이들이 주로 생성하는 것으로 알려진 destruxins (DTXs)이라는 2차 대사산물은 살충 활성 뿐만 아니라 항바이러스, 항증식, 항암 등 다양한 분야에서 효능이 연구되고 있어, 해당 물질에 대한 관심이 집중되고 있다. 살충 물질로서의 DTXs는 여러 곤충에 있어 병원성을 나타내는 것이 확인되었으나, 해충 으로서 전 세계적으로 심각한 경제적 피해를 일으킴과 동시에, 화학 살충제 저항성 문제가 야기되고 있는 목화진 딧물에 대해서는 아직 DTXs의 역할이 연구되지 않고 있는 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 목화진딧물에 대해 곤충병원 성 진균 Metarhizium spp.의 병원성 발현에 DTXs가 미치는 역할을 간접적으로 확인하기 위해, qPCR을 활용하여 진균 처리 후 목화진딧물 사망 시간과 관련하여 충체 내 DTX 합성효소의 발현을 비교 분석하였다.

Mycoviruses are a group of viruses that infect filamentous fungi. While most hosts infected with mycoviruses do not show any symptoms. In some cases, mycoviruses induce various phenotypic changes include alterations in morphology, drug resistance, pathogenicity, virulence, sporulation, and growth. Entomopathogenic fungi are one of the integrated pest management agents as an alternative to conventional insecticides. Mycoviruses have the potential as supportive agents, enhancing the efficiency of the insecticidal activity of the fungi. Studies about mycoviruses themselves and their interaction with their hosts, especially entomopathogenic fungi, are needed to realize their full potential. In this work, the sequence of the dsRNA element isolated from the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium pinghaense 4-2 strain was determined. Through this study, we report the sequence of a dsRNA virus isolated from the Metarhizium pinghaense for the first time. In further studies, the ORF of the mycovirus that induces a phenotype change in the host will be researched.

마이코바이러스는 곰팡이를 감염시키는 바이러스로 자낭균류, 담자균류 및 난균류에서 주로 발견되며 일부 의 경우 곰팡이의 표현형에 영향을 끼치는 것으로 알려져 있다. 이번 연구에서는 대한민국 토양 샘플에서 분리된 65개의 자낭균류 및 접합균류 균주의 전체 핵산을 추출하고, 전기영동을 통해 바이러스 특이적 밴드를 스크리닝 하였다. 스크리닝 결과 65개의 균주 중에서 Tolypocladium spp. 균주 2개와 Marquandomyces marquandii 균주 1개에서 바이러스 특이적 밴드를 발견하였다. 그 후, Cellulose Chromatography를 이용하여 double-stranded RNA 를 분리하고 DNase I 및 S1 Nuclease 처리를 통해 DNA와 single-stranded RNA를 제거하여, Tolypocladium sp. 균주 1개와 Marquandomyces marquandii 균주에서 발견한 특이적 밴드가 dsRNA임을 확인하였다. 추후 virus-free isogenic line을 확보하여 virus 유무에 따른 표현형 변화를 확인하고, 마이코바이러스와 곰팡이 간의 상호작용에 관해 연구할 계획이다.

Aphids are well-known insect pests that, due to their feeding habits, affect various crops' productivity and marketability. Additionally, they cause significant damage worldwide as vectors of viruses. Chemical pesticides are widely used to control these agricultural pests. However, due to resistance to various chemical pesticides, pest control is becoming difficult in agricultural environments. Entomopathogenic fungi such as the genus Metarhizium and Beauveria are being extensively researched as alternatives to these chemical pesticides. In this study, the mycological properties of isolated from soil Metarhizium pemphigi IPBL-H and the insecticidal activity of this strain against Myzus persicae and Aphis gossypii were evaluated for potential of development as a biopesticide.

Decommissioning waste is generated with various types and large quantities within a short period. Concrete, a significant building material for nuclear facilities, is one of the largest decommissioning wastes, which is mixed with aggregate, sand, and cement with water by the relevant mixing ratio. Recently, the proposed treatment method for volume reduction of radioactive concrete waste was proven up to scale-up testing using unit equipment, which involved sequentially thermomechanical and chemical treatment. According to studies, the aggregate as non-radioactive material is separated from cement components with contaminated radionuclides as less than clearance criteria, so the volume of radioactive concrete waste is decreased effectively. However, some supplementation points were presented to commercialize the process. Hence, the process requires efficiency as possible to minimize the interface parts, either by integration or rearranging the equipment. In this study, feasibility testing was performed using integrated heating and grinding equipment, to supplement the possible issue of generated powder and dust during the process. Previously, heat treatment and grinding devices were configured separately for pilot-scale testing. But some problems such as leakage and pipe blockage occurred during the transportation of generated fine powder, which caused difficulties in maintaining the equipment. For that reason, we studied to reduce the interface between the equipment by integrating and rearranging the equipment. To evaluate the thermal grinding performance, the fraction of coarse and concrete fines based on 1mm particle size was measured, and the amount of residual cement in each part was analyzed by wet analysis using 4M hydrochloric acid. The result was compared with previous studies and the thermomechanical equipment could be selected to enhance the process. Therefore, it is expected that the equipment for commercialization could be optimized and composed the process compactly by this study.

Entomopathogenic fungi are used to produce raw materials by applying solid culture technology using grains. But there are various problems such as low production efficiency and cross-contamination. Solvum Co., Ltd. conducted research on liquid culture technology to develop a method that can overcome these shortcomings of solid culture technology. We conducted research and development on using Beauveria bassiana 331R to observe the culture according to the seed inoculation amount in a 30 L fermenter, it was carried out at 1.0 % (v/v) and 10.0 % (v/v). Although there was a difference of 1 day, 1.0 %(v/v) seed inoculation was observed to be more than twice that, and active blastospores and yield were observed at over 95.0 %. As a results, it was determined that cost and efficient production would be possible during the culture process in mass production. Based on these experiments, a 300 L fermenter was cultured with 1.0 % (v/v) seed inoculation, resulting in a yield of 1.24E+09 CFU/mL on the 6th day of cultivation. As a result of freeze-drying using the final culture medium, it was confirmed that the production yield was improved by 113.0 % compared to the control.

Cryptotympana atrata belongs to the family Cicadidae, has long been recognized as a damaging plant-sucking pest, and is distributed in East Asian countries. In addition, their cries cause direct harm to us through noise pollution and also reported twig damage in the forest environments. In this study, we isolated strains of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium that occurred from C. atrata collected this year. Here, we provide the morphological character and molecular phylogenetic relationship of this species. This is the first record of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium viridulum isolated from C. atrata in Korea and provides a candidate strain with potential use for biological agents.

Laser cutting has been recognized as one of key techniques in dismantling nuclear power plants as it has several advantages such as a remote operation and a reduced secondary waste. However, it generates a significant amount of aerosols that can pose a health risk to workers and further induce environmental pollution during the cutting operation. Thus, understanding the aerosol characteristics generated by the laser cutting is crucial for implementing an effective cutting operation and reducing the exposure to these hazardous particles. In this work, we established a methodology to collect the aerosols and investigate their properties in the laser cutting operation. We built an integrated laser cutting system for aerosol analyses, consisting of a high-power laser cutting module, a metal sample holder, an aerosol collector, and a closed chamber. We expect that this system will offer an opportunity for in-depth understanding of the aerosol properties, by connecting it with desired type of aerosol analysis platforms, and further safe dismantling operation of the nuclear power plants.

After Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011, Concerns about accident of spent fuel pool increase. In Korea, the time of saturation of spent fuel pool is coming, but regulatory measures and safety evaluation are insufficient when occurring spent fuel pool accident. Thus, it is necessary to review of spent fuel pool accident in foreign countries to establish regulatory measures and safety evaluation of spent fuel pool accident suitable for domestic spent fuel pool. Therefore, we reviewed spent fuel pool accident that occurred at Fukushima Unit 4, SONGS Unit 2 and PAKS. In Japan, spent fuel pool accident occurred at Fukushima NPP in 2011. Tsunami was cause of the accident. Station Black Out occurred at Fukushima NPP and Emergency Diesel Generator lost their functions due to Tsunami. As a result, Loss of cooling happened in spent fuel pool at Fukushima NPP. For Unit 4, wall of spent fuel pool in Unit 4 was damaged due to hydrogen explosive, so loss of coolant in spent fuel pool of Unit 4 occurred. After the accident, the temperature of spent fuel pool increases to 75°C, but there was no damage to the spent fuel. In USA, spent fuel pool accident occurred at SONGS Unit 2 in 2013. The debris of nearby ocean is cause of the accident. The debris entered the system through a damaged Salt Water Cooling pump suction strainer. The debris obstructed flow through the Component Cooling Water heat exchanger and operation of Salt Water Cooling. The maximum spent fuel pool temperature during this event was 25.6°C. It was a value that satisfied the technical specifications of the SONGS NPP. In Ukraine, spent fuel pool accident occurred at PAKS in 2003. Unintentionally opened valve of cleaning tank is cause of the accident. Loss of coolant occurred in spent fuel pool of PAKS. Due to loss of coolant, spent fuels were exposed to the vapor state atmosphere, and oxidation occurred in the cladding tube of the spent fuel that rose to 1,400°C. In this study, Review of spent fuel pool accident in major foreign countries was conducted as basic studies for establishing regulatory measures and safety evaluation of spent fuel pool in Korea. Causes of each accident were different by structure of spent fuel pools. Result of this study will be contributed to establish safety measures of spent fuel pool accident suitable for domestic spent fuel pool facility.

본 연구는 몇가지 전처리제 및 보존용액 처리가 국내 육성 절화 프리지아 ‘Gold Rich’의 수확후 절화수명과 개화 품질에 미치는 영향을 구명하고자 수행하였다. 10% sucrose, 200mg･L-1 Al2(SO4)3, 200mg･L-1 GA3, 150mg･L-1 citric acid가 혼용된 전처리 용액에서 절화 관상 기간 동안 수분 흡수량과 생체중은 유의적으로 증가한 것으로 조사되었지만 절화수명에는 큰 영향을 미치지 않았다. 보존용액으로 5% sucrose와 살균제인 300mg･L-1 8-HQ를 혼용 처리하였을 때 절화수명 연장(1일 이상), 높은 개화율(82.3~89.1%) 및 만개율(71.5~84.2%) 등의 개화 품질이 향상되었다. 이러한 결과들을 통해 10% sucrose, 200mg･L-1 Al2(SO4)3, 200mg･L-1 GA3, 150mg･L-1 citric acid를 혼합한 전처리제와 5% sucrose, 300mg･L-1 8-HQ를 혼합한 보존용액 처리는 절화수명 연장, 개화율 및 만개율 증가에 효과적일 것이라고 판단된다. 특히, sucrose가 포함된 보존용액은 절화 프리지아 ‘Gold Rich’ 의 상품성 향상에 있어 매우 유용할 것이다.

We investigated the effect of moderate- and high-intensity resistance training on hippocampal neurotrophic factors and peripheral CCL11 levels in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. C57/black male mice received a 4 weeks diet of normal (control, CON; n = 9) or a high-fat diet (HF; n = 27) to induce obesity. Thereafter, the HF group was subdivided equally into the HF, HF + moderate-intensity exercise (HFME), and HF + high-intensity exercise (HFHE) groups (n = 9, respectively), and mice were subjected to ladder-climbing exercise for 8 weeks. The hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) levels were significantly lower in the HF group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). In addition, in the HFME and HFHE groups were significantly higher than in the HF group (p < 0.05). The peripheral CCL11 levels were significantly higher in the HF group than in the CON group (p < 0.05). In addition, in the HFME and HFHE groups were significantly lower than in the HF group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference according to the exercise intensity among the groups. Collectively, these results suggest that obesity can induce down-regulation of neurotrophic factors and inhibition of neurogenesis. In contrast, regardless of exercise intensity, resistance training may have a positive effect on improving brain function by inducing increased expression of neurotrophic factors.

Recently, hair loss regarded as a mere means of middle-aged men due to stress and environmental pollution. The market for hair loss in Korea is about four trillion won and it is growing continuously. It is mainly made by mixing natural extracts such as medicinal plant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 70% ethanol extracts of Phellinus linteus on the growth of fibroblasts, dermal papilla cells and lipid precursors, We want to try to make a materialization. The 70% ethanol extract of P. linteus on the cell viability of Human follicle dermal papilla cell (HFDPC), adipocyte (3T3-L1), fibroblast (CCD-986sk). The result the cell viability of HFDPC was increased according to the contents of ethanol extract of P. linteus. But the 70% ethanol extract of P. linteus showed weak inhibit activity in CCD-986sk cell growth. Also, the 70%　ethanol extract of P. linteus did not inhibit the growth of 3T3-L1 cells. As a result of this study, in-vitro hair growth activity of herbal medicines for hair material development was not shown to be toxic to HFDPC and 3T3-L1 cell. As a result, the 70% ethanol extracts of P. linteus have potential to developing hair-related product. Acknowledgement : This research was supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy(MOTIE), Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology(KIAT) through the Encouragement Program for The Industries of Economic Cooperation Region(R0005473)