Various types of optical materials and devices used in special environments must satisfy durability and optical properties. In order to improve the durability of zinc sulfide multispectral (MS ZnS) substrates with transmission wavelengths from visible to infrared, Ge-Sb-Se-based chalcogenide glass was used as a sealing material to bond the MS ZnS substrates. Wetting tests of the Ge-Sb-Se-based chalcogenide glass were conducted to analyze flowability as a function of temperature, by considering the glass transition temperature (Tg) and softening temperature (Ts). In the wetting test, the viscous flow of the chalcogenide glass sample was analyzed according to the temperature. After placing the chalcogenide glass disk between MS ZnS substrates (20 × 30 mm), the sealing test was performed at a temperature of 485 °C for 60 min. Notably, it was found that the Ge-Sb-Se-based chalcogenide glass sealed the MS ZnS substrates well. After the MS ZnS substrates were sealed with chalcogenide glass, they showed a transmission of 55 % over 3~12 μm. The tensile strength of the sealed MS ZnS substrates with Ge-Sb-Se-based chalcogenide glass was analyzed by applying a maximum load of about 240 N, confirming its suitability as a sealing material in the far infrared range.

Numerous studies have explored the influence of Airbnb on the tourism and hospitality industry. However, relatively few studies have focused on customer engagement. Considering its crucial role of boosting customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions (Harrigan, Evers, Miles, & Daly, 2017; So, King, Sparks, & Wang, 2016), there is a great need for research into Airbnb in terms of customer engagement. Therefore, this study aims to investigate customer engagement, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions among Airbnb users. This study recruited a total of 374 US Airbnb users through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), which has been increasingly adopted to collect samples in tourism and hospitality studies. Data analysis for structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to determine the effects of customer engagement on satisfaction and behavioral intentions of Airbnb users. The results show that customer engagement plays a crucial role in Airbnb user experiences. This study contributes to tourism and hospitality research by applying a customer engagement scale previously developed by So et al. (2016) to examine the relationship between customer engagement and behavioral intention to use Airbnb. In addition to this relationship, satisfaction was included as a mediator to better grasp the importance of customer engagement and the role of satisfaction among U.S. Airbnb users. This research also extends the current literature of Airbnb by examining, through an empirical approach, how customer engagement with Airbnb impacts its users’ behavioral intentions.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the idea that the approach and methodology in Landscape Architecture and Urban Studies are rooted in regional planning, and to trace the legacy that can be borrowed from modern city and landscape planning. This study examines the academic relationship between Geddes’ Urban Evolution and McHarg’s Ecological Landscape Planning theory, and explores the significance of regional planning that can be accommodated in both Landscape Architecture and Urban Studies areas at present. As a result, the Geddes’ theory and the McHarg’s ecological landscape planning emphasized a scientific understanding of plans based on evolutionary theories and local research in regional planning. However, the McHarg’s theory was definitely different from the Geddes’ theory and offered its own unique identity and possibilities. First, it was completely focused on the environment. Second, it suggested a concrete methodology consisting of a technique of land suitability analysis to visualize an environmental or regional investigation. Third, McHarg advocated drawings as a visualization tool. McHarg’s theory of ecological landscape planning can be thought of as an evolutionary version of the theory of urban evolution. The study was limited to an applicable range to solidify the possibility of applying the theory in real situation, and more concrete and substantial approaches were suggested accordingly.

Several studies on the correlation between temperament and genetic diversity are conducted in animals as well as human. Horse temperament is especially important because it is important factor for horse riding and racing. In this study, we performed targeted exome sequencing to find single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) served as genetic markers that can evaluate the aggressive and docile levels of horses. We selected 71 candidate genes related to animal and human temperament through previous researches and verified it on the human reference genome (hg38) and horse reference genome (equCab2). We found that 16 orthologous genes were present in horse reference genome and 17 homologous genes found in horses based on the human reference genome. Finally, we designed probes to find the genetic variation in selected 33 genes. The sequencing libraries were constructed using the designed probe and DNA samples extracted from the blood of 8 aggressive and 8 docile horses. The constructed libraries were sequenced using the Illumina Hiseq2500 platform. SNPs data obtained from targeted exome sequencing will be used for genome wide association study (GWAS) and Sanger sequencing validation. This study will help to assess the horse temperament and to select superior horses for riding or racing.

The hemipteran whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is one of the most destructive pests damaging more than 600 agricultural crop species worldwide. The B and Q biotypes are most widely spread in Korea but they are not distinguishable based on morphological characters. Carboxylesterase 2 (Coe2) was determined to be 5.9 times more expressed in B biotype compared to Q biotype. Comparison of deduced amino acid sequences of Coe2 (595 a.a.) showed a total of 3.85% polymorphisms between B and Q types but no differences in major active sites. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that both B and Q biotypes possess a single copy of coe2, suggesting that the overexpression of Coe2 in B biotype is likely due to overtranscription. To determine the putative role of Coe2 in insecticide tolerance, esterases were separated by native isoelectric focusing (IEF) and inhibited by various insecticides. The putative Coe2 band was apparently inhibited by pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides, but not by imidacloprid. These findings suggest that overexpression of Coe2 confers chemical defense against pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides, perhaps by sequestration.

The hemipteran whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is one of the most destructive pests damaging more than 600 agricultural crop species worldwide. The B and Q biotypes are most widely spread in Korea but they are not distinguishable based on morphological characters. In order to search for protein markers that can be employed for rapid and accurate diagnosis of biotypes, two-dimensional PAGE (2DE) in conjunction with mass spectroscopic analysis were conducted. Eleven biotype-specific spots were repeatedly identified during three repetitions of 2DE and analyzed by Q-TOF. One of the B type-specific protein spots was identified as carboxylesterase 2 (Coe2). The transcript level of coe2 was determined to be 6 times higher in B type than in Q type by quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, comparison of genomic DNA sequence of coe2 between B and Q types identified a biotype-specific intron, from which specific primer sets were designed. One-step PCR using these biotype-specific primers successfully distinguished the two biotypes in a high accuracy. Availability of the biotype-specific protein and DNA markers will greatly improve the detection of B. tabaci biotype in the field.

To search for hyper-variable genetic markers that can distinguish regional populations of head lice, we screened the inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) based on the genome database of body louse, which is closely related conspecific species. An ISSR mining software, SciRoKo 3.4, was employed to excavate ISSR markers from the genome database under the MISA mode (≥ 60 bp repeats). Entire body louse genome (ca.100 Mb) was loaded to SciRoKo for ISSRs mining. A total of 5,336 ISSRs were obtained, and primers specific to individual ISSRs were designed by the Primer 3 and DesignPrimer 1.0 softwares. In order to prove the compatibility of body louse ISSRs to head lice, 31 PCR primers were randomly chosen out of a total of 613 pairs, and their appropriateness was tested by comparing the amplified PCR band patterns between body and head lice. Eleven primer pairs that resulted in poor or little amplification were excluded, and 20 primer pairs were further tested for three head louse populations (California, Panama and Chung-ju, Korea). Finally, nine primer pairs ensuring robust amplification of highly variable band patterns were selected to use for population genetic study of head lice.

Vitrification uses cryoprotectants and liquid nitrogen, which may cause osmotic stress and cryodamage to oocytes. Autophagy is widely considered as a survival or responsive mechanism to various environmental and cellular stresses. However, the status of autophagy in vitrified-warmed oocytes has not been studied. In this work, we investigated if vitrification-warming process induces autophagy in mouse oocytes. Four-week-old female ICR mice and GFP-LC3 transgenic mice were used. The mice were superovulated with 5IU PMSG and 5IU hCG and ovulated MII oocytes were collected from oviducts. Oocytes obtained from several mice were pooled and divided into three groups. Group1: fresh oocytes. Group2: oocytes treated with vitification solutions (1.3 M EG+1.1 M DMSO and 2.7 M EG+2.1 M DMSO+0.5 M sucrose for 2.5 min) and warming solutions (0.5 M, 0.25, 0,125, and 0 M sucrose at intervals 2.5 min). Group3: vitrified-warmed oocytes (loaded onto an EM copper grid, and were stored in LN2 for 2 weeks). RT-PCR and confocal live imaging of GFP-LC3 were performed to examine the effects of vitrification-warming process on autophagy in oocytes. In RT-PCR analyses, expression of autophagy related (Atg) genes, such as Atg5, Atg7, Atg12, LC3a, LC3b, and Beclin1 was examined. Expression of Atg7 and Atg12 was slightly reduced in Group 3 (vitrified-warmed oocytes). The expression levels of other Atg genes did not change. Confocal live imaging analysis using oocytes from GFP-LC3 transgenic mice revealed that some vitrified-warmed oocytes showed green puncta which indicate autophagic activation. All oocytes of Group 1 and Group 2 show no puncta formation. Our results suggest that induction of autophagy may serve as an indicator of conditions of vitrification-warming process. Moreover, it offers the possibility that development of methods to modulate autophagic response during cryopreservation could improve efficacy of oocyte cryopreservation.