The carbon anode material for lithium-ion battery was prepared by pyrolysis fuel oil and waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) additive. The pitch was synthesized as a medium material for carbon anode by heat treatment. The waste PET additive improved the softening point and thermal stability of the pitch. La and Lc of the anode material (heat-treated pitch) increased at higher treatment temperature but decreased by waste PET additive. The electric capacity was evaluated based on effects of defective cavity and developed graphite interlayer, respectively. When the La and Lc of the anode material decreased, the electric capacity by cavity increased based on defective graphite structure. Therefore, the addition of waste PET causes the improved capacity by the cavity. The anode material which has a high efficiency (over 95%) and C-rate (95%, 2 C/0.1 C) was obtained by controlling the process of heat treatment and PET addition. The mechanism of lithium-ion insertion was discussed based on effects of defective cavity and developed graphite interlayer.

Royal jelly (RJ) is a gelatinous substance that bees produce to feed bees and queen bees. It’s frequently sold as a dietary supplement to treat a variety of physical ailments and chronic diseases. While it has long been used in traditional medicine, its applications in Western medicine remain controversial. The inhibitory effect of royal jelly on osteoarthritis was investigated in primary cultured rat cartilage cells and monosodium-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced arthritis rat model 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HAD) is the main fatty acid present in RJ. Among the criteria for RJ quality analysis, 10-HAD content has been proposed as a freshness parameter. We investigated the effect of RJ on the improvement of osteoarthritis on SD rats and they were divided into five groups. In this study, we examined the effect of enzymatic royal jelly (ERJ) administration on osteoarthritis. To determine the antiinflammatory effects of RJ, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression were measured after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation in RAW 264.7 cells. In in vivo animal study, osteoarthritis was induced by intra-articular injection of MIA into knee joints of rats. As a results, ERJ showed that TNF-α and IL-6 levels were decreased by ERJ treatment in a dosedependent manner. In conclusion, ERJ extract was able to inhibit articular cartilage degeneration by preventing extracellular matrix degradation and cartilage cell damage. It was considered that ERJ extract may be a potential therapeutic treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis.

Urbanization is one of the leading causes of habitat loss, habitat degradation, and fragmentation. Urban development negatively affects biodiversity. This study aimed to clarify the change of butterfly communities on effect of urbanization in urban green areas. Butterfly survey was conducted using the line transect methods from April to October in 2012. A total of 59 species and 1,465 individuals of butterflies were observed in four urban green areas: Namsan Park (NS), Ewha Womans University (EW), Bukseoul Dream Forest (BD), and Hongneung Forest (HF), and natural forest: Gwangneung Forest (GF). The category of land use around study site was determined based on GIS data. Species richness and abundance of niche breadth and habitat type in urban green areas differed significantly from those in GF. Estimated species richness and species diversity (H’) in four urban green areas were significantly lower than those in GF. Species richness and abundance of forest interior species and specialist were positively correlated with paddy, field, and forest, whereas those of forest interior species and specialist were negatively correlated with urban area and road. Butterfly communities in four urban green area differed from that in GF. The result suggests that the decrease of paddy, field, and forest associated with increase of urban area and road negatively influences species composition and changes butterfly communities.

에멀션 기반의 계면활성제를 이용한 주형합성법을 이용하여 산촉매로서 염산과 실리카의 전구체인 테 트라에톡시실란을 사용함으로써 메조다공성 실리카 마이크로스피어를 합성하였다. 테트라에톡시실란의 농도 증가에 의해 구형의 입자 형태가 파괴되었고, 기공구조도 크게 변하였다. 산촉매 농도 증가에 의한 구형의 입자형태 파괴 현상은 적었지만 상대적으로 작은 크기의 구형의 마이크로입자가 더 많이 생성되 었다. 하지만, 산성조건에서 입자들 간의 강한 응집현상이 나타남에 따라 낱개의 분리되어 있는 단일입자 를 얻기 위해서는 초음파 등의 후처리 과정이 필요하였다.

Mushrooms have been widely cultivated and consumed as foods and herbal medicines owing to their various biological properties. However, few studies have evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of mushrooms. Here, we investigated the effects of mushroom extracts (MEs) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in macrophages (RAW264.7 cells). First, we extracted MEs with either water or ethanol. Using LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells, we measured cell proliferation and NO production. Gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β was assessed by RT-PCR, and protein abundance of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and phosphorylation of p65 were determined by immunoblotting. MEs prepared using both water and ethanol inhibited LPS-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells. Nitric oxide (NO) levels induced by LPS were reduced by treatment with MEs. Isaria japonica Yasuda water extracts and Umbilicaria esculenta (Miyoshi) Minks ethanol extracts significantly decreased the mRNA expression of inflammation-related cytokine genes including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. Similarly, the protein abundance of iNOS and COX-2 was also decreased. The phosphorylation of p65, a subunit of nuclear factor-κB was at least partly suppressed by MEs. This study suggests that mushrooms could be included in the diet to prevent and treat macrophage-related chronic immune diseases.

The patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a vascular structure connecting the proximal descending aorta to the roof of the main pulmonary artery, near the origin of the left branch pulmonary artery. Transcatheter closure has become the treatment of choice for most cases of PDA in both children and adults; however, measurement of the exact size and morphology of the shunt in adult cases using only contrast fluoroscopy is difficult. We report on a case of a 49-year-old woman who underwent transcatheter closure of PDA with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guideance. In the current case, IVUS is feasible and helpful for measuring the exact size and shape of the PDA.

A new bright white gladiolus “White Lace” was released by the National Horticultural Research Institute (NHRI) in 2004. A cross was made between late flowering white cultivar “White Goddess” and vigorous white cultivar “Amsterdam”. It was crossed in 1999 and finally selected in 2004 after investigation of the characteristics for 5 years from 2000 to 2004. “White Lace” has a bright white color and multi-flowering florets more than 20 florets with good simultaneous flowering more than 8 florets. This cultivar is middle flowering without stem bending. It has good production of cormlets, vigorous growth and resistant to virus, Fusarium and Thrips. The width of “White Lace” flower is 11.5 cm. The plant height is 137cm. Days to flowering of “White Lace” is average 93days in summer season.

A new bright pink gladiolus “May Queen” was released by the National Horticultural Research Institute (NHRI) in 2004. A cross was made between early flowering pink cultivar “Calista” and early flowering white cultivar “White Friendship”. It was crossed in 1999 and finally selected in 2004 after investigation of the characteristics for 5 years from 2000 to 2004. “May Queen” has a bright pink color with white core as a cut flower. This cultivar is early flowering without stem bending. It has good production of cormels and resistant to Fusarium and Thrips. The width of “May Queen” flower is 11.0 cm. The plant height is 121 cm. Days to flowering of “May Queen” is average 92days in summer season.