Because of depletion of fossil fuel from the earth curst and increase of environmental concerns, in search of an efficient alternative to the traditional carbon black (CB), a biochar known as rice husk carbon (RHC) has been examined here as a filler material to develop the EPDM composite. In this regard, the ball milled RHC was further treated with ultrasonic wave and used with or without its surface treatment by the silane coupling agent [i.e., 3-mercaptopropyl triethoxysilane (3-MPTMS)]. Among the RHC, ultrasonic treated RHC (UHC) and silane treated UHC (USHC), the EPDM composite of USHC showed nearly similar tensile strength to that of the CB (e.g., CB: 33.88 kgf/cm2, USHC: 31.38 kgf/cm2 at 20 wt% filler loading) with an enhanced elongation at break (e.g., CB: 206%, USHC: 342% at 20 wt% filler loading) and surprisingly much less compression set value (CB: 40.87%, USHC: 18.95% even after 40 wt% of filler loading). Compared to RHC, the UHC also showed its better performance next to the USHC. In addition to presence of both the carbon and silica in RHC and additional silica within the flexible aliphatic chain in USHC, the disintegration of RHC by ultrasonic treatment towards its narrow particle distribution, smaller particle size, and increased surface area is considered very much effective to develop the corresponding high performance EPDM composites. Thus, the use of waste material, i.e., rice husk through the ultrasonication of RHC followed by its surface treatment can be used as a potential filler material to prepare the environment friendly and cost effective high performing composites to be used in different efficient end products, and motivated further for industrial upscaling.

This study was conducted to investigate the community structure and species distribution of ground beetle assemblages in western part of Yeongwol-gun, Korea. Ground beetles were collected by pitfall traps from 9 study sites during July to October in 2013. A total of 30 species were identified from 4,439 collected ground beetles. Two dominant species, Synuchus nitidus (1,916 individuals) and Synuchus cycloderus (1,900 individuals) were occupied 85.8% of total. Interestingly, Pterostichus orientalis orientalis and Synuchus melantho were only collected in relative high altitude above 350 m, such as Beopheung-ri, Unhak-ri, and Yongseok-ri. Large-sized beetles, such as Damaster, Leptocarabus, and Carabus species, were generally more collected from Suju-myeon (Beopheung-ri and Unhak-ri) and Jucheon-myeon (Docheon-ri and Yongseok-ri) as well-conserved area, but not occurred in Yeongwol-eup and Hanbando-myeon, which forests may have lower habitat quality for these species. These differences also lead to increasing of dissimilarity among study sites, which were diverged into 3 groups at 53.0% of similarity. In particular, species composition of Samok-ri was significantly different at 8.2% of similarity because of difference in habitat characteristics as river side. This study has an important value to provide the fundamental information of inventory and monitoring in Yeongwol-gun. For detail mapping of species distribution in Yeongwol-gun, however, further studies are necessary, especially eastern parts of Yeongwol-gun.

The aim of this study was to select the abiotic tolerant sorghum mutants using chlorophyll a transient OJIP analysis of PSⅠ and PSⅡ so called Kautsky’s effect within 1 second. It was clearly identified that wwt-and drought tolerant sorghum mutants could be classified by wet factor index(WFI). On the basis of WFI, wet tolerant sorghum matants were classified as follows; Ⅰ group, MUT534 bmr/new, MUT525 bmr; Ⅱ group, M2P1207 bmr, 25M2-0404 bmr, MUT371 bmr24, unknown bmr22, 10M2-0775 bmr, MUT135 bmr23; Ⅲ group, M2P0411 bmr, MUT641 bmr, M2P1064 bmr36, MUT855 bmr, 25M2-0137 bmr/new, MUT436 bmr, M2P0929 bmr, 25M2-0026 bmr, 10M2-0387 bmr, 25M2-0173 bmr/new; Ⅳ group, 25M2-0698 bmr. In conclusion, for the selection of wet tolerance, four photochemical parameters such as Electron transport flux until PSI acceptors per PSII(RE1o/RC), Performance index for energy conservation from photons absorbed by PSII antenna, until the reduction of PSI acceptors(PI_total ABS), Driving force on absorption basis(DF_total ABS) and Electron transport flux from QA to QB per PSII(ETo/RC) were important photochemical parameters deduced from maximum quantum yield and electron transport efficiency.

Cereal seeds, sorghum, foxtail millet, hog millet, adlay, and corn are traditionally used as health assistant as well as energy supplying food in Korea. While beneficial phytochemicals to human have revealed in cereals, the information on peptides from cereals is far less accumulated than major reserve protein. Here, we analyzed peptide profiles using surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) in cereal seeds for construction of peptide information and attempted to develop peptide biomarkers for cereal identification. To optimize the analysis condition of SELDI-TOF MS, the effect of dilution factor on binding affinity to protein chips was tested using CM10 and Q10 arrays. Peptide clusters were significantly different at the level of 0.01 p-value. Peak spectra were the most stable in 1:50 of dilution factor in both chip arrays. Numbers of detected peak of 5 cereal seeds were 131 in CM10 and 74 in Q10 array. Each cereal was grouped as a cluster and well discriminated into different cluster in the level of 0.01 p-value. Numbers of potentially identified peptide biomarkers are 11, 13, 9, 5 and 12 in sorghum, foxtail millet, hog millet, adlay and corn, respectively. This study demonstrates that each cereal seed have own distinguishable specific peptides although their function are not identified yet in this study. In addition, the proteomic profiling using SELDI-TOF MS techniques could be a useful and powerful tool to discover peptide biomarker for discrimination and assess crop species, especially under 20 kDa.

Development of transgenic plant with desirable traits to cultivated plant is one of the important procedures in plant molecular breeding. However, applicable assessment of transgenic plant in laboratorial scale is not much except cultivating transgenic plant for a whole life in field condition. Here, we analyzed chlorophyll fluorescence in three transgenic soybean lines with AtMYB44 transcription factor for assessment of photosynthetic activity under abiotic stresses such as drought. Soybean varieties used in this study were ‘Bert’ and ‘Bert’ derived three transgenic soybeans, ‘AtMYB44 CM35101’, ‘AtMYB44 CM2471’, and ‘AtMYB44 CM4481’. Analyzed five different chlorophyll fluorescence variables are maximum PSII quantum yield (QY_max), steady state PSII quantum yield (QY_Lss), steady state non-photochemical quenching (NPQ_Lss), coefficient of photochemical quenching in steady-state (Qp_Lss), and fluorescence declineratio in steady-state (Rfd_Lss). To determine main chlorophyll fluorescence variable affected by abiotic stress, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted with five chlorophyll fluorescence variables measured from four varieties. QY_Lss and NPQ_Lss were main chlorophyll fluorescence variables to evaluate abiotic stress, particularly in drought stress. In comparison with transgenic soybean lines based on chlorophyll fluorescence variables, ‘AtMYB44 CM2471’ and ‘AtMYB44 CM4481’ are more tolerant to drought than the others. Interestingly, three transgenic soybean lines which have a same AtMYB44 gene with different regions of chromosome revealed the quite different responses of chlorophyll fluorescence to drought treatment.