곤충호텔은 곤충이 서식할 수 있도록 인위적으로 만든 구조 물로서 정원이나 텃밭 등 다양한 곳에서 활용되고 있다. 하지만 식생유형, 재료, 설치 방식 등에 따른 곤충 유입 효과에 대한 검증은 부족하며, 국가 또는 지역에 따른 곤충의 종류와 생육환 경이 다름에도 불구하고 곤충호텔에 대한 국내 연구는 전무한 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 국립수목원을 대상으로 구체적 인 식생유형 및 재료에 따른 유입 곤충 특성을 확인하고, 국내 실정에 맞는 효과적인 곤충호텔 설치 및 관리방안에 대한 기준 을 제시하고자 하였다. 조사구는 세 가지 식생유형(초지, 침엽수 림, 활엽수림)으로 구분하였으며, 각 식생의 조사구에 두 가지 재료(참나무, 잣나무)를 활용한 곤충호텔을 설치하였다. 조사는 2년동안(2022~2023) 진행되었으며, 매년 4~9월까지 주 1회 씩(총 48회) 곤충호텔의 유입 곤충을 직접 채집하였다. 곤충호 텔에서 채집된 곤충은 총 9목 46과 129종 3,057개체로, 2022 년에는 7목 34과 85종 1,750개체, 2023년에는 8목 35과 77종 1,307개체가 출현하였다. 연도별로 비교하면 1차년도에 유입 된 곤충의 개체수가 2차년도 보다 약 1.3배 많았고, 재료의 부식 에 따른 곤충의 구성도 달라졌다. 식생유형에 따라 구분하면 기간에 상관없이 활엽수림에서 유입 곤충이 가장 많았고, 침엽 수림에서 가장 적었다. 또한 재료에 따른 구분에서는 참나무가 잣나무보다 유입 곤충이 많았다. 참나무의 경우 유입 곤충의 연도별 차이가 적은 반면, 잣나무는 1년차에 비해 2년차에 약 2.3배 줄었다. 상관분석과 계층적 군집분석을 통한 곤충의 유입 특성은 식생유형보다는 재료의 영향이 큰 것으로 확인되었고, 식생유형만 비교했을 경우 초지에 비해 활엽수림과 침엽수림의 유사성이 높았다. 결론적으로 생물 다양성 증진을 목적으로 곤 충호텔을 설치하고자 한다면 초지나 활엽수림에 참나무 재료를 사용하는 것이 유리하며, 잣나무 재료를 이용한다면 1년 주기로 재료 교체가 필요할 것으로 판단된다. 하지만 특정 재료를 선호 하는 곤충의 기주특이성이 확인되었기 때문에 다양한 종류의 재료를 같이 사용하는 것도 하나의 방법이라고 사료된다. 향후 이를 기반으로 전시원에서 실질적으로 활용할 수 있는 곤충호텔 모델 개발로 확대해 나갈 예정이다.

Background: This study focused on reproductive traits in Hanwoo cattle, specifically the environmental factors affecting gestation length and birth weight. Methods: The records of 1,540 cows calved at the Hanwoo Research Institute from 2015 to 2023 were examined. This study analyzed two populations, linebreeding Hanwoo (LBH) and general Hanwoo (GH), with all cows undergoing estrus synchronization and artificial insemination. The R software was used to compare the differences between the two populations and analyze the environmental factors affecting each trait. Results: The results showed that the average gestation length for LBH was 283.28 ± 5.93 days, which was significantly shorter than that of the GH, which had an average of 285.63 ± 6.21 days (p < 0.001). The average birth weight of LBH calves was 25.10 ± 3.69 kg, significantly lighter than GH calves, which weighed 27.26 ± 4.11 kg on average (p < 0.001). Analysis of environmental factors revealed significant differences in the gestation length of LBH based on dam parity, year, and season of calving. However, no significant differences were observed based on calf sex. For LBH, birth weight showed significant differences based on dam parity, year of calving, and sex of the calf, but not the season of calving. In GH, gestation length varied with dam parity and calving season, but not with calving year or calf sex. The GH birth weight showed differences based on dam parity, year of calving, and calf sex, but not the season of calving. Conclusions: Reproductive traits in the Hanwoo cattle industry are economically vital but are heavily influenced by environmental factors due to their low heritability. An accurate evaluation of the genetic potential of these traits requires an analysis of the environmental factors affecting them. The results of this study serve as foundational data for predicting the potential for genetic improvement in the gestation length and birth weight of Hanwoo cattle.

Gas identification techniques using pattern recognition methods were developed from four micro-electronic gas sensors for noxious gas mixture analysis. The target gases for the air quality monitoring inside vehicles were two exhaust gases, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), and two odor gases, ammonia (NH3) and formaldehyde (HCHO). Four MEMS gas sensors with sensing materials of Pd-SnO2 for CO, In2O3 for NOX, Ru-WO3 for NH3, and hybridized SnO2-ZnO material for HCHO were fabricated. In six binary mixed gas systems with oxidizing and reducing gases, the gas sensing behaviors and the sensor responses of these methods were examined for the discrimination of gas species. The gas sensitivity data was extracted and their patterns were determined using principal component analysis (PCA) techniques. The PCA plot results showed good separation among the mixed gas systems, suggesting that the gas mixture tests for noxious gases and their mixtures could be well classified and discriminated changes.

The recent increase in the occurrence of common bed bug and tropical bed bug in shared areas highlights the need for rapid species identification at infestation sites, which is crucial for implementing targeted control measures due to differences in genetic and physiological traits. In this study, molecular diagnostic methods were developed using species-specific ITS2 sequences. Both multiplex PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) protocols with a DNA release method successfully distinguished between the two bed bug species regardless of developmental stages in 0.5~2.5 hours, even with dead specimens. Especially, LAMP's simplicity and speed make it applicable for rapid and accurate bed bug diagnosis at infestation sites.

Parasites have co-evolved with their host for a long period of time, resulting in unique parasitic systems tailored to each host species. This makes them suitable for research on physiological function control through cross-species molecules like miRNA. The body louse, a vector of bacterial pathogens, is particularly valuable as a model insect due to their frequent feeding on human blood, which results in the continuous ingestion of human-derived miRNA and injection of salivary gland-derived miRNA into the human body. In this study, we conducted miRNA sequencing on body lice with mixed stages and identified 105 miRNAs, including 50 novel miRNAs. Sequence analysis of human miRNAs remaining in body lice and the functional analysis of these miRNAs are in progress.

Six mosquito species in the Anopheles Hyrcanus group are known as vectors responsible for transmitting vivax malaria in South Korea. In this study, seasonal dynamics of Anopheles Hyrcanus group species and knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in malaria-endemic sites, Paju and Gimpo, were monitored over two years. In August 2023, all six species were observed simultaneously in one of the Paju collecting sites, and kdr mutations were newly identified in all species except Anopheles kleini. Although Anopheles pullus was revealed as a relatively resistant species among five species populations without kdr mutation via bioassays, there were no critical differences in the voltage-sensitive sodium channel sequence. These findings suggest variability in pyrethroid resistance mechanisms among Anopheles Hyrcanus Group species.

A force-free field (FFF) is determined solely by the normal components of magnetic field and current density on the entire boundary of the domain. Methods employing three components of magnetic field suffer from overspecification of boundary conditions and/or a nonzero divergence-B problem. A vector potential formulation eliminates the latter issue, but introduces difficulties in imposing the normal component of current density at the boundary. This paper proposes four different boundary treatment methods within the vector potential formulation. We conduct a comparative analysis of the vector potential FFF solvers that we have developed incorporating these methods against other FFF codes in different magnetic field representations. Although the vector potential solvers with the new boundary treatments do not outperform our poloidal-toroidal formulation code, they demonstrate comparable or superior performance compared to the optimization code in SolarSoftWare. The methods developed here are expected to be readily applied not only to force-free field computations but also to time-dependent data-driven simulations.

Synthesis of extremely competent materials is of great interest in addressing the energy storage concerns. Manganese oxide nanowires ( MnO2 NWs) are prepared in situ with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene oxide (GO) using a simple and effective hydrothermal method. Powder XRD, Raman and XPS analysis are utilized to examine the structural characteristics and chemical state of composites. The initial specific discharge capacity of pure MnO2 NWs, MnO2 NWs/ MWCNT and MnO2 NWs/rGO composites are 1225, 1589 and 1685 mAh/g, respectively. The MnO2 NWs/MWCNT and MnO2 NWs/rGO composites showed stable behavior with a specific capacity of 957 and 1108 mAh/g, respectively, after 60 cycles. Moreover, MnO2 NWs/rGO composite sustained a specific capacity of 784 mAh/g, even after 250 cycles at a current density of 1 A/g showing outstanding cycling stability.

The growth characteristics according to temperature conditions were investigated in the breeding room of the Sericulture & Entomology Experiment Station for Oriental garden crickets(Teleogryllus emma Ohmachi et Matsuura) and Modeagali-crickests(Loxoblemmus doenitzi Stein) collected from the lawns of Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. The temperature conditions were 6 treatments from 15°C to 40°C at 5°C intervals using a multi-incubator, and the development period and mortality rate by age were compared using the 28°C breeding room conditions as a control. For T. emma, the higher the temperature, the shorter the total development period was, and the same trend was observed for the growth period by age stage. However, at low temperatures of 15°C and 20°C, all died after the third instar, and at high temperatures above 35°C, all died during development. At 25°C and 30°C, they developed normally, and the mortality rate was about 25%. The L. doenizi had the same tendency as the T. emma, with the higher the temperature, the shorter the development period. The total development period was 57.7 days at 25°C, which was similar to the T. emma's 55.9 days, and the mortality rate was the lowest at 44% at 25°C.

Silene fissipetala Turcz., which is native to Continental China and Taiwan, was newly found in Chungcheongnam-do, Korea. S. fissipetala is similar to the related taxa S. antirrhina L., S. armeria L., and S. koreana Kom. in that it has glutinous zones. However, S. fissipetala is distinguished from the congeneric species by the presence of laciniate at the petals. The species grows on slopes and roadsides, suggesting that it is likely to have been introduced through the installation of green sites and road construction. A precise description, photographs, voucher specimens and a key to related taxa are provided.

Micro-electronic gas sensor devices were developed for the detection of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3), and formaldehyde (HCHO), as well as binary mixed-gas systems. Four gas sensing materials for different target gases, Pd-SnO2 for CO, In2O3 for NOx, Ru-WO3 for NH3, and SnO2-ZnO for HCHO, were synthesized using a sol-gel method, and sensor devices were then fabricated using a micro sensor platform. The gas sensing behavior and sensor response to the gas mixture were examined for six mixed gas systems using the experimental data in MEMS gas sensor arrays in sole gases and their mixtures. The gas sensing behavior with the mixed gas system suggests that specific adsorption and selective activation of the adsorption sites might occur in gas mixtures, and allow selectivity for the adsorption of a particular gas. The careful pattern recognition of sensing data obtained by the sensor array made it possible to distinguish a gas species from a gas mixture and to measure its concentration.