Laser-induced graphene (LIG) uses a CO2 infrared laser scriber for transforming specific polymer substrates into porous graphene. This technique is simple, scalable, low-cost, free of chemicals, and produces a 3D graphene for applications across many fields. However, the resulting 3D graphene is highly sensitive to the lasing parameters used in their production. Here, we report the effects of power, raster speed, number of lasing passes (with and without spot overlapping) on the resulting LIG structure, morphology, and sheet resistance, using a polyimide (PI) substrate. We find that the number of lasing passes, laser spot overlapping and brand of PI used had a strong influence on the quality of the LIG, measured in terms of the IG/ ID and I2D Raman bands and sheet resistance. Increasing number of passes and overlapping of laser spots led to increased LIG pore sizes, larger graphene scales, and reduced sheet resistance. Furthermore, the over-the-counter desktop CO2 laser engraving unit used introduced additional restrictions that limited the quality of the LIG produced, particularly due to inconsistent control of the laser scribing speed and a poor thermal management of the laser unit.

Mature silkworm of Bombyx mori is known to contain various functional materials. However, it is too hard to chew or digest for humans when it is cooked or lyophilized. In Korea, the Rural Development Administration recently developed and patented a method for making mature silkworms edible. In this study, therefore, we examined the effects of a larval powder of steamed mature silkworm (SMSP) on skin pigmentation and melanogenesis. For elucidating the depigmenting activity, lightness of a designated site on the murine dorsal skin was measured in vivo. During the experiment, hyperpigmentation was induced on the skin by cumulative exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. At the end of the experiment, melanin production on the skin was visualized by Fontana-Masson staining. Orally administered SMSP of pistachio cocoon strain for at least a month or longer significantly and reduced abnormal pigmentation caused by UVB on the murine dorsal skin. SMSP also showed a potential anti-melanogenic efficacy in modulating UVB-induced hyperpigmentation. Taken together, SMSP was identified as a potential candidate for a novel anti-melanogenic agent, which showed depigmenting efficacy against UVB-induced hyperpigmentation in vivo when administered orally.

소나무재선충은 현재까지 도입된 국가의 토착수종인 소나무류를 모두 치사시키는 것으로 알려져 있으나, 고사목으로부터 추출 배양된 계통 중에는 소나무에 피해를 주지 않는 계통이 존재한다. 이러한 저병원성 계통 선충의 사전접종이 고병원성 소나무재선충에 대한 소나무의 저항성에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위하여 연구가 수행되었다. 치수에 저병원성 소나무재선충을 선접종한 결과, 선접종에 의하여 소나무재선충에 대한 저항력이 유도되었다. 그 유도저항성은 1년 후까지 유지되었으며, 저병원성 선충의 반복 감염은 보다 저항성 유도 효과가 큰 것으로 나타났다. 소나무재선충에 의하여 고사한 후 경과기간이 3개월 이하인 피해목 및 피해진행목에서 분리된 선충은 모두 고병원성이었으며, 고사 후 2-3년이 경과한 벌채목에서 분리된 선충 5계통 중 4계통은 저병원성이었다. 저병원성 선충이 소나무 치수에 인공접종 되었을 때 초기 정착률은 고병원성 선충과 차이가 없었으나, 접종 30일 후에 수목내의 부위별 개체수를 조사한바 저병원성 선충의 증식률은 고병원성보다 현저히 낮았다. 저병원성 선충의 잿빛곰팡이병 균사배지에서의 선충증식 속도는 계통에 따라 차이가 있었으며, 증식속도가 빠른 계통은 대체로 고병원성 선충의 증식속도와 차이가 없었다.

The recent progressive collapse analysis method of structures assumes the threat-independent removal of vertical load-carrying elements. In reality, a blast-induced column-missing event will produce the damage on adjacent structural elements and the rapid dynamic response of the structures. In this study, the strain rate effects on the dynamic collapse behavior of blast-damaged steel moment frames are investigated by performing the blast-induced sequential progressive collapse analysis of a three-storey steel moment frame.

본 연구는 환경스트레스 저항성이 증진된 페튜니아를 개발하기 위하여 NDPK2유전자 도입 형질전환 계통 NDPK2-7-1와 SOD2 유전자 도입 형질전환 계통 SOD2- 2-1-1-35간의 교잡에 의해 획득된 후대들의 비생물적 스트레스 저항성을 조사하기 위해 수행되었다. 비 생물적 스트레스 유발원인 메틸바이올로젠(methyl viologen, MV) 100 μM과 200 μM 처리에서 교잡후대들은 그들의 교배 모본 SOD2 유전자나 NDPK2 유전자가 단독으로 도 입된 형질전환 계통이나 비형질전환체 보다 메틸바이 올로젠에 의한 피해를 적게 받았다. 이는 SOD2 유전 자나 NDPK2 유전자가 단독으로 도입된 형질전환 계 통간 교잡에 의해 획득된 후대들이 그들의 교배모본 (SOD2 유전자나 NDPK2 유전자가 단독으로 도입된 형질전환 계통)이나 비형질전환체 보다 산화적 스트레 스에 대한 저항성이 증진되었음을 증명해 준다고 할 수 있다. 이들 교잡후대들은 초장 등 11종류의 양적형질의 특성이 비형질전환체에 비해 약간 길거나 짧긴 하였지 만 비형질전환체와 거의 유사하였으며, 꽃 색갈이나 모양 또한 그들의 교배모본 (SOD2 유전자나 NDPK2 유전 자가 단독으로 도입된 형질전환 계통)이나 비형질전환 체와 차이가 없었다.

본 논문에서 건축구조물의 풍응답 구현을 위한 선형질량가진기(linear mass shaker, LMS)와 능동동조질량감쇠기(active tuned mass damper, ATMD)를 이용한 가진시스템을 제안한다. 가진시스템을 위한 가진기의 힘은 가진기에 의한 구조물의 목표응답의 전달함수를 사용하여 계산된다. 필터와 포락곡선함수는 예측하지 못한 모드응답에 의한 가진과 초기 과도응답을 제거함으로써 실제 바람에 의한 응답과 가진기에 의한 응답의 오차를 최소화하기 위하여 사용되었다. 수치예제로는 풍동실험을 통한 풍하중이 주어진 76층 벤치마크 구조물을 이용하여 수치해석을 수행하였으며, 그 결과는 특정층에 설치된 가진시스템은 풍하중이 전층에 가진되었을 때의 응답을 근사하게 구현할 수 있음을 보여준다. 제안된 방법에 의해 설계된 가진시스템은 실제 건축구조물의 풍응답 특성을 평가하는데, 그리고 풍하중을 받는 건물의 정확한 수치모델을 얻는데 효과적으로 사용될 수 있다.

In this paper, excitation systems using linear mass shaker (LMS) and active tuned mass damper (ATMD) are presented in order to simulate the wind induced responses of a building structure. The actuator force for the excitation systems is calculated by using the inverse transfer function of a target structural response to the actuator. Filter and envelop function are used such that the error between the wind and actuator induced responses is minimized by preventing the actuator from exciting unexpected modal response and initial transient response. The analyses results from a 76-story benchmark building problem in which wind load obtained by wind tunnel test is given, indicate that the excitation system installed at a specific floor can approximately embody the structural responses induced by the wind load applied to each floor of the structure. The excitation system designed by the proposed method can be effectively used for evaluating the wind response characteristics of a practical building structure and for obtaining an accurate analytical model of the building under wind load.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of long-term endurance exercise and Salvia miltiorrhiza vinegar on body composition and insulin resistance of high-fat diet (30% carbohydrate, 50% fat and 20% protein) induced obese rats. After 8 weeks of high fat diet (50% of total calories), rats were divided into 4 groups (sedentary group, n=10; exercise group, n=10; Salvia miltiorrhiza vinegar group, n=10; exercise+Salvia miltiorrhiza vinegar group, n=10) for 8 weeks. Body weight, body composition, diet intake volume, oral glucose tolerance test, plasma total cholesterol were measured. The results showed that Salvia miltiorrhiza vinegar plus endurance exercise training for 8 weeks significantly improved body weight control, visceral fat weight, and insulin resistance. However, only Salvia miltiorrhiza vinegar treatment did not significantly improve body composition and insulin resistance. In addition, there was no additive by the combination of Salvia miltiorrhiza vinegar and endurance exercise in insulin, body fat, and total cholesterol. The reduction of body fat, glucose, insulin and cholesterol by combination was resulted from the exercise. These results suggest that Salvia miltiorrhiza vinegar has slight effect on anti-hyperglycemia and anti-obesity.

Effector-triggered immunity (ETI) is an active immune response triggered by interactions between host resistance proteins and their cognate effectors. Although ETI is often associated with the hypersensitive response (HR), various R genes mediate an HR-independent process known as extreme resistance (ER). In the soybean-Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) pathosystem, the strain-specific CI protein of SMV functions as an effector of Rsv3-mediated ER. In this study, we used the soybean (Rsv3)-SMV (CI) pathosystem to gain insight into the molecular signaling pathway involved in ER. We used genome-wide transcriptome analysis to identify a subset of the type 2C protein phophatase (PP2C) genes that are specifically up-regulated in Rsv3-mediated ER. Gain-of-function analysis of the most significantly expressed soybean PP2C gene, GmPP2C3a, showed that ABA-induced GmPP2C3a functions as a key regulator of Rsv3-mediated ER. Our results further suggest that the primary mechanism of ER against viruses is the inhibition of viral cell-to-cell movement by callose deposition in an ABA signaling-dependent manner.

A pepper bZIP transcription factor gene, CabZIP2, was isolated from pepper leaves infected with an a virulent strain of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv). Transient expression analysis of the CabZIP2-GFP fusion protein in Nicotiana benthamiana revealed that the CabZIP2 protein is localized in the cytoplasm as well as the nucleus. The acidic domain in the N-terminal region of CabZIP2 that is fused to the GAL4 DNA-binding domain is required to activate the transcription of reporter genes in yeast. Transcription of CabZIP2 is induced in pepper plants inoculated with virulent or avirulent strains of Xcv. The CabZIP2 gene is also induced by defense-related hormones such as salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, and ethylene. To elucidate the in vivo function of the CabZIP2 gene in plant defense, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in pepper and overexpression in Arabidopsis were used. CabZIP2-silenced pepper plants were susceptible to infection by the virulent strain of Xcv, which was accompanied by reduced expression of defense-related genes such as CaBPR1 and CaAMP1. CabZIP2 overexpression (OX) in transgenic Arabidopsis plants conferred enhanced resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. Together, these results suggest that CabZIP2 is involved in bacterial disease resistance.

We previously demonstrated that root colonization of the rhizobacterium, Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6, induced expression of a galactinol synthase gene (CsGolS1), and resulting galactinol conferred induced systemic resistance (ISR) against fungal and bacterial pathogens in cucumber leaves. To examine the role of galactinol on ISR, drought or high salt stress, we obtained T-DNA insertion Arabidopsis mutants at the AtGolS1 gene, an ortholog of the CsGolS1 gene. The T-DNA insertion mutant compromised resistance induced by the O6 colonization against Erwinia carotovora. Pharmaceutical application of 0.5 - 5 mM galactinol on roots was sufficient to elicit ISR in wild-type Arabidopsis against infection with E. carotovora. The involvement of jasmonic acid (JA) signaling on the ISR was validated to detect increased expression of the indicator gene PDF1.2. The T-DNA insertion mutant also compromised tolerance by increasing galactinol content in the O6-colonized plant against drought or high salt stresses. Taken together, our results indicate that primed expression of the galactinol synthase gene AtGolS1in the O6-colonized plants can play a critical role in the ISR against infection with E. carotovora, and in the tolerance to drought or high salt stresses.

Root colonization by a rhizobacterium, Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6, elicited induced systemic resistance (ISR) in the leaves of cucumber plants against fungal and bacterial pathogens. To understand the role of unique genes during strain O6-mediated ISR, a suppressive subtractive hybridization method was undertaken and led to isolation of twenty-five distinct genes. The transcriptional levels of all the genes showed an increase much earlier under O6 treatment than in water control plants only after challenge with pathogen, while no difference detected on the plants without pathogen challenge. This suggests that O6-mediated ISR is associated with the priming phenomenon, an enhanced capacity for the rapid and effective activation of cellular defense responses after challenge inoculation.