West Nile Virus (WNV) is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Vector mosquitoes usually acquire these pathogens from feeding on an infected host, and transmit the pathogens to a naive host during feeding events. To understand the virus transmission dynamics and to survey WNV throughout country, the present study has been conducted. We collected mosquitoes in Jeju, Busan, Gunsan, and Incheon using CDC light trap and BG Sentinel trap from April to October in 2016. Among collected mosquitoes, blood-fed mosquitoes were conducted blood meal identification assay and the other mosquitoes were subjected to virus detection using real-time PCR method. A total of 29,603 mosquitoes representing 8 genera and 19 species were collected. The most dominant species was Culex pippins complex (35.0%) followed by Cx. bitaeniorhynchus (12.2%), Armigeres subalbatus (11.2%), Aedes albopictus (10.8%), Ae. vexans nipponii (10.3%), and Ochlerotatus dorsalis (8.4%). The blood meal source were of mammal (70.4%), birds (29.0%) and amphibian (0.6%). WNV was not detected in any mosquitoes.

국내에서 개발중인 콘크리트 저장용기는 방사성 물질의 격납 건전성을 유지하기 위하여 내부에 캐니스터를 포함하고 있다. 본 논문에서는 콘크리트 저장용기 내부 캐니스터의 뚜껑 용접시, 용접시간 저감과 이에 따른 캐니스터 용접부의 구조적 건 전성을 확보하기 위한 방안으로, 정상, 비정상 및 사고조건에서 캐니스터 용접부 균열을 진전시키는 하중에 의해 발생되는 균열 깊이를 분석하여, 용접부의 최대 허용결함깊이를 평가하였다. 정상, 비정상 및 사고조건에서의 구조해석은 범용 유한 요소해석 프로그램인 ABAQUS를 사용하였으며, 허용결함깊이는 ASME B&PV Code Section XI에 따라 막응력과 조합하중 에 대해 평가하였다. 평가결과 콘크리트 저장용기의 캐니스터 용접부의 허용결함깊이는 18.75 mm로 평가되었으며, 이는 NUREG-1536에서 권고하고 있는 임계결함깊이를 만족하고 있는 것으로 나타났다.

Isotropic pitch-based fibers produced from coal tar pitch with the melt-blowing method were carbonized at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1600oC to investigate their crystalline structure and physical properties as a function of the carbonization temperature. The in-plane crystallite size (La) of the carbonized pitch fiber from X-ray diffraction increased monotonously by increasing the carbonization temperature resulting in a gradual increase in the electrical conductivity from 169 to 3800 S/cm. However, the variation in the d002 spacing and stacking height of the crystallite (Lc) showed that the structural order perpendicular to the graphene planes got worse in carbonization temperatures from 800 to 1200oC probably due to randomization through the process of gas evolution; however, structural ordering eventually occurred at around 1400oC. For the carbonized pitch powder without stabilization, structural ordering perpendicular to the graphene planes occurred at around 800–900oC indicating that oxygen was inserted during the stabilization process. Additionally, the shear stress that occurred during the melt-blowing process might interfere with the crystallization of the CPF.

Earthworms, especially Eisenia andrei, are cultivated for a variety of purposes including waste disposal and compost production. In this study, bacteria from earthworm gut were cultured and the dominant species identified. Subsequently, we isolated bacteriophages able to lyse the isolated gut bacteria. Two dominant genera of gut bacteria, Aeromonas sp. and Citrobacter sp. were identified by using MALDI-TOF MS analysis and a library was constructed to find lytic phages. Phage EF1 showed lytic activity for C. freundii and two Citrobacter isolates, C. braakii and C. murliniae. These 3 species have similar sensitivities to EF1. Several aspects of the life cycle of EF1 were investigated by using C. freundii under optimal growth conditions. EF1 infects C. freundii with a moderate latent period, approximately 25 min, and a large burst size averaging 5 × 109 per infected cell. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of EF1 was well maintained under diverse conditions including a broad temperature range of 40°C to 50°C and a wide pH range of 4 to 11. In conclusion, the results indicate that earthworm casting contain a wide range of bacteria species, for which there are various corresponding bacteriophages.

Oxalic acid has a nematicidal activity against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. High producer of oxalic acid was isolated, and then named as Aspergillus niger F22. Oxalic acid production was investigated under various temperatures from 20 – 33oC and rotational speeds in 5 L jar fermenters. Yield of oxalic acid increased with decreasing temperature. The highest yield was obtained at 23oC, showing the yield of oxalic acid of 8.7 g/L, whereas oxalic acid production was least at 33oC. At 20oC, the yield was lower than that of 23oC. At a rotational speed of 300 rpm, serious oxygen depletion was present from 48 - 72 h, resulting in low productivity of 26.2 mg /L·h. When a rotational speed was set at 600 rpm, dissolved oxygen tension was over 40% and oxalic acid production increased up to approximately 55%. Viscosity during the culture differed with temperatures. Viscosity increased with the increment of temperatures. When A. niger F22 was cultured at 23oC, viscosity was 810 cP, which was favorable for oxalic acid production.

In Korea, two sawyer beetle species belonging to genus Monochamus are vectors that transmits the pine wood nematode. In this study, we surveyed the seasonal change of spatiotemporal distribution of Monochamus alternatus and Monochamus saltuarius. A total of 360 multi-funnel traps were placed in three different regions, such as Gapyeong, Yeongdeok, and Jeju. In M. saltuarius, we collected 1,496 individuals and 709 individuals in Gapyeong and Yeongdeok, respectively, and in M. alternatus 348 individuals and 113 individuals were collected in Jeju and Yeongdeok, respectively. We analysed their patterns in spatiotemporal distribution using by global spatial autocorrelation. In M. alternatus, spatially clustering on Jeju was observed in July and August, and M. saltuarius in a site of Gapyeong was clustered. These spatiotemporal distributions of two Monochamus species may be probably related to their behavior, such as maturation feeding and dead tree searching.

Biological control has been tried for integrated pest management. It is often comparable, safe, and environment-friendly, making itself an alternative for chemical agents. Filamentous microorganisms, i.e., fungi and streptomystes, produce many kinds of useful metabolites, and some of them have been developed as a biocontrol agent. However, they still have a long way because of the concern of manufacturing cost. Therefore, process development was intensively studied to meet cost-effectiveness. Operating conditions of bioreactor, e.g., agitation and aeration, had an effect on biological and physiological responses such as mycelial morphology, oxygen and nutrient transfer. Understanding relationship between operating parameters and microbial responses in terms of growth, substrate and oxygen consumption, and production yield was critical for process development. This study dedicated to build strategies for mass production of biological control agent using aerobic filamentous microorganisms.

The newly developed green fashion product, Eco-friendly Faux Leather Apparel (E-FLA) helps minimize harmful environmental impact with a low carbon footprint utilizing the progression of Bio-based Polyurethane and Nanocellulose technique. This study investigates green product purchase intentions along with the best available socio-psychological determinants and product criteria of the consumer green product adoption that can assist to launch E-FLA products in both western (England and the US) and eastern (China and South Korea) marketplaces. A total of 1,202 female respondents between the ages of 20 and 50 from England (N=297), the US (N=305), China (N=300), and Korea (N=300) completed the online survey. ANOVA indicated significant difference in consumers’ socio-psychological characteristics (consumption values, ethical consumption beliefs, self-satisfaction of ethical consumption, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental knowledge) and product criteria (product attributes of E-FLA) across four countries. Purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium for E-FLA products were shown differently across four countries. Multiple regression analysis results demonstrated differences in consumers’ socio-psychological and product criteria determinants for the purchase intention of E-FLA products across countries. Evidence suggests that differentiated marketing strategies for E-FLA products are required when targeting global consumers. Practical implications and theoretical suggestions to understand consumer sustainable consumption attitudes are proposed.

The purpose of the present study is to provide exercises, together with music, that are helpful for elderly people’s balancing ability, and to determine their effects in order to provide data for the promotion of elderly persons’health. Thirty elderly persons were randomly assigned to a balance training group(BTG) of 15 subjects, or a music and balance training group (music therapy + balance training [MTBTG]) of 15 subjects; intervention was implemented three times per week for six weeks. To measure the changes in their balancing ability before and after the experiment, the limit of stability, the“Timed Up and Go”(TUG) test, and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were measured. Changes in the limit of stability before and after the experiment were shown to be significant in both the BTG and the MTBTG. Changes in the limit of stability of the right side before and after the experiment showed statistically significant differences between the BTG and the MTBTG. Changes in the TUG test and the BBS before and after the experiment were shown to be statistically significant in both the BTG and the MTBTG. The application of music during balance training thus is considered to have a positive effect on elderly persons’balancing ability.

The goal of this study was to assess the effect of a group exercise program on cognitive function of elderly people. Subjects were chosen to be elders with dementia having minor to moderate degrees of cognitive function. Study was started out by randomly dividing the 16 subjects into two groups, each with 8 people; the group exercise group and the control group. The group exercise group performed 8 weeks of group exercise program and general physiotherapy while the control group only performed general physiotherapy. Cognitive function was measured by Korean version mini-mental state examination. The study group's attention and calculation statistically significantly improved but the control group saw no statistically significant change. The group exercise program affected improvement in cognitive function of elderly people with dementia and in particular, was effective for enhancing their attention and calculation.

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are family of innate immune molecules that recognize bacterial peptidoglycan. PGRP-LE, a member of the PGRP family, selectively binds to diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-type peptidoglycan to activate both the immune deficiency (IMD) and proPhenoloxidase (proPO) pathways in insects. A PGRP-LE-dependent induction of autophagy to control Listeria monocytogenes has also been reported. We identified and partially characterized a novel PGRP-LE homologue, from Tenebrio molitor and analyzed its functional role in the survival of the insect against infection by a DAP-type PGN containing intracellular pathogen, L. monocytogenes. The cDNA is comprised of an open reading frame (ORF) of 990 bp and encodes a polypeptide of 329 residues. TmPGRP-LE contains one PGRP domain, but lacks critical residues for amidase activity. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed a broad constitutive expression of the transcript at various stages of development spanning from larva to adult. RNAi mediated knockdown of the transcripts followed by a challenge with L. monocytogenes showed a significant reduction in survival rate of the larvae, suggesting a putative role of TmPGRP-LE in sensing and control of L. monocytogenes infections in T. molitor. These results implicate PGRP-LE as a defense protein necessary for survival of T. molitor against infection by L. monocytogenes.

Apolipophorin III (apoLp-III) is a well-known hemolymph protein having a functional role in lipid transport and immune response of insects. We cloned full-length cDNA encoding putative apoLp-III from larvae of the coleopteran beetle, Tenebrio molitor (TmapoLp-III), by identification of clones corresponding to the partial sequence of TmapoLp-III, subsequently followed with full length sequencing by a clone-by-clone primer walking method. The complete cDNA consists of 890 nucleotides, including an ORF encoding 196 amino acid residues. Excluding a putative signal peptide of the first 20 amino acid residues, the 176-residue mature apoLp-III has a calculated molecular mass of 19,146 Da. Genomic sequence analysis with respect to its cDNA showed that TmapoLp-III was organized into four exons interrupted by three introns. Several immune-related transcription factor binding sites were discovered in the putative 5’-flanking region. BLAST and phylogenetic analysis reveals that TmapoLp-III has high sequence identity (88%) with Tribolium castaneum apoLp-III but shares little sequence homologies (<26%) with other apoLp-IIIs. Homology modeling of Tm apoLp-III shows a bundle of five amphipathic helices, including a short helix 3’. The ‘helix-short helix-helix’ motif was predicted to be implicated in lipid binding interactions, through reversible conformational changes and accommodating the hydrophobic residues to the exterior for stability. Highest level of TmapoLp-III mRNA was detected at late pupal stages, albeit it is expressed in the larval and adult stages at lower levels. The tissue specific expression of the transcripts showed significantly higher numbers in larval fat body and adult integument. In addition, TmapoLp-III mRNA was found to be highly up-regulated in late stages of L. monocytogenes or E. coli challenge. These results indicate that TmapoLp-III may play an important role in innate immune responses against bacterial pathogens in T. molitor.