Uniform TiO2 blocking layers (BLs) are fabricated using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis deposition (USPD) method. To improve the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the BL thickness is controlled by using USPD times of 0, 20, 60, and 100 min, creating TiO2 BLs of 0, 40, 70, and 100 nm, respectively, in average thickness on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass. Compared to the other samples, the DSSC containing the uniform TiO2 BL of 70 nm in thickness shows a superior power conversion efficiency of 7.58±0.20% because of the suppression of electron recombination by the effect of the optimized thickness. The performance improvement is mainly attributed to the increased open-circuit voltage (0.77±0.02 V) achieved by the increased Fermi energy levels of the working electrodes and the improved short-circuit current density (15.67±0.43 mA/cm2) by efficient electron transfer pathways. Therefore, optimized TiO2 BLs fabricated by USPD may allow performance improvements in DSSCs.

Due to its rapid development of resistance to nearly all arrays of acaricide, Tetranychus urticae is extremely hard to control using conventional acaricides. As an alternative control measure of acaricide-resistant mites, RNA interference (RNAi)-based methods have recently been suggested. A double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) delivery method using multi-unit chambers was established and employed to screen the RNAi toxicity of 42 T. urticae genes. Among them, the dsRNA treatment of coatomer I (COPI) genes, such as coatomer subunit epsilon (COPE) and beta 2 (COPB2), resulted in high mortality [median lethal time (LT50) = 89.7 and 120.3h, respectively]. The transcript level of the COPE gene was significantly (F3,9 = 16.2, P =0.001) reduced by up to 24% following dsRNA treatment, suggesting that the toxicity was likely mediated by the RNAi of the target gene. As a toxicity enhancement strategy, the recombinant dsRNA was generated by reciprocally recombining half-divided fragments of COPE and COPB2. The two recombinant dsRNAs exhibited higher toxicity than the respective single dsRNA treatments as determined using LT50 values (79.2 and 81.5h, respectively). This finding indicates that the recombination of different genes can enhance RNAi toxicity and be utilized to generate synthetic dsRNA with improved RNAi efficacy.

In photovoltaic power generation where minority carrier generation via light absorption is competing against minority carrier recombination, the substrate thickness and material quality are interdependent, and appropriate combination of the two variables is important in obtaining the maximum output power generation. Medici, a two-dimensional semiconductor device simulation tool, is used to investigate the interdependency in relation to the maximum power output in front-lit Si solar cells. Qualitatively, the results indicate that a high quality substrate must be thick and that a low quality substrate must be thin in order to achieve the maximum power generation in the respective materials. The dividing point is 70 μm/5 × 10−6 sec. That is, for materials with a minority carrier recombination lifetime longer than 5 × 10−6 sec, the substrate must be thicker than 70 μm, while for materials with a lifetime shorter than 5 × 10−6 sec, the substrate must be thinner than 70 μm. In substrate fabrication, the thinner the wafer, the lower the cost of material, but the higher the cost of wafer fabrication. Thus, the optimum thickness/lifetime combinations are defined in this study along with the substrate cost considerations as part of the factors to be considered in material selection.

The Wolbachia bacterium, one of the most prevalent endosymbiotic bacteria, is known to induce reproductive anomalies such as cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, male killing and parthenogenesis in various arthropod species. The bacterium is considered to have had huge impacts on hosts' reproductive biology, immunity, evolution, and molecular machineries. Infection surveys on the bacterium have rather been limited to specific taxa that are mainly of economical importance or conducted with randomly collected organisms. Here we investigated infection frequency of Wolbachia in 206 Coleopteran insects collected from Korea. Among them 28 species (13.59%) across families proved to harbor Wolbachia. The phylogenetic trees based on the partial 16s rRNA gene and the partial Wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene of Wolbachia show that all the Wolbachia strains belong to either Supergroup A or B and Wolbachia evolved independently from its hosts. In addition, the cophylogenetic analysis of the 16s rRNA gene and wsp gene implies that there have been horizontal DNA transfers and recombination events within and between divergent Wolbachia supergroups.

The soybean Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) protein is responsible for the inferior nutritional quality of unheated or incompletely heated soybean meal. Ti locus controls presence or absence of Kunitz trypsin inhibitor protein. Genetic recombination or tight linkage between Ti locus and Satt228 marker that has been identified to be tightly linked to the Ti locus was detected for marker assisted selection (MAS) using two F2 populations of titi genotype in this study. Two F2 populations were developed from the cross of A29 (KTI protein present, TiTi genotype, AA genotype in Satt228 marker) x Gaechuck#1 and Gaechuck#2 (KTI protein absent, titi genotype, BB genotype in Satt228 marker). Among 31 F2 plants derived from A29 x Gaechuck#1, twenty nine F2 plants show BB genotype that indicates no recombination between Satt228 marker and Ti locus. Only 2 F2 plants show AA genotype that indicates recombination between Satt228 marker and Ti locus. Twenty eight F2 plants derived from A29 x Gaechuck#2 show BB genotype that indicates no recombination between Satt228 marker and Ti locus. Expected genetic ratio between Satt228 marker and Ti locus was 3.6 cM in F2 population.

A strain of Bacillus thuringiensis, named Bt 1-3, was isolated from Korean soil sample and it showed high insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella. Bt 1-3 was deterimined to belong to ssp. aizawai (H7) by an H antiserum agglutination test and produced bipyramidal-shaped crystal proteins. PCR analysis with specific cry gene primers showed that Bt 1-3 contained cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1C, cry1D and cry2Ab genes. In addition, this isolate showed high uptake rate of foreign plasmid by electroporation. Based on these characteristics of Bt 1-3, we tried to construct a spore-free Bt 1-3 mutant by knock-out sigG gene, which is known as a key transcription factor during sporulation. First, we constructed a basal vector, named pDST, consisting of erythromycin resistant gene (EmR), partial polyhedrin gene and temperature sensitive origin of replication gene (Orits). Subsequently, according to the chromosomal DNA sequence of Bt subsp. konkukian 97-27, we amplifed upstream and downstream regions of Bt 1-3 sigG, and cloned into pDST (pDST-G). So far, several EmR colonies were obtained by electroporating into the wildtype Bt 1-3 and crossover by homologous recombination is going on.

사파이어(α-Al2O3) 단결정에 있어 basal slip (0001)1/3<1120>의 부분전위의 재결합거동을 알아보기 위해 prism plane (1120)의 사파이어 재료를 사용하여 4점 곡강도 시험을 행하였다. 이 굽힘시험은 온도 1200˚C~1400˚C에서 그리고 응력은 90MPa, 120MPa, 150MPa에서 행하여졌다 굽힘시험 동안 basal전위가 이동하기 위해 잠복기가 필요하였다. 실험온도 범위내에서 잠복기의 활성화에너지는 5.6-6.0eV이었으며, 이 잠복기는 자체-상승운동으로 분해된 부분전위들이 재결합하는데 필요한 시간인 것으로 추정되었다. 한편, 이 활성화에너지는 Al2O3에 있어 산소의 자체 확산을 위한 에너지 (대fir 6.3eV)와 거의 일치하였다. 이 결과를 통하여, 두 부분전위들의 재결합은 부분전위사이 적층결함으로 산소 자체확산에 의해 제어되는 것으로 여겨진다.

A survey was conducted to investigate the attitudes of the food specialist to the food developed by gene recombination. The mail survey was distributed to 1,400 food specialists and received 464, a response rate of 33.1%. Respondents were asked about knowledge, concerns of potential hazards, purchasing and labeling of the gene recombination foods. Most respondents (98.7%) have some knowledge on the gene recombination foods. 91.3% of respondents recognized necessity of gene recombination technology. However, they also point out its potential hazards (80.9%). The groups with less knowledge showed their increased worry on the hazard in comparison with ones of having more knowledge(p$lt;0.01). The result indicated that there was negative relationship between knowledge and worry on the gene recombination foods. The groups with more knowledge showed their increased purchasing on gene recombination foods in comparison with ones of having less knowledge(p$lt;0.01). The result indicated that there was positive relationship between their purchase intent for gene recombination foods and knowledge. 68.4% of respondents showed their interest on purchasing the gene recombination foods. In this group, most of them (44.9%) has on condition that low cost (27.0%). In addition, they also have not use the foods for their children (17.9%) if they buy it. Most respondents (85.3%) want labeling on the gene recombination foods.

숙주범위가 서로 다른 Autographa californica NPV(AcNPV)와 Bombyx mori NPV(BmNPV)를 Spodoptera frugiperda(Sf9) 또는 Bombyx mori(BmN-4)의 세포에 동시감염(coinfection)시킨 후, 숙주범위가 확장된 재조합 바이러스를 Sf9세포에서 10종 BmN-4세포에서 2종씩 플라크 순화하여 선발하였다. 각 재조합 바이러스 DNA의 제한효소 분석결과는 한번 이상의 재조합이 일어났음을 보여주었다. 재조합 바이러스 RecB-8의 전자현미경 관찰결과는 다각체의 모양이 모바이러스인 AcNPV나 BmNPV와는 전혀 다른 정사면체 모양이었으며 또한, 모바이러스와는 달리 virion이 다각체에 거의 매립되어 있지 않은 특징을 보였다.

Research has been in progress for more than a decade to production of useful proteins by genetic modification in cattle. However, the levels of protein production in transgenic cattle have been reported very low. To enhance protein production in transgenic animal, we tried homologous recombination to donor cells for production of transgenic clone cattle through nuclear transfer procedure. Thus, we constructed the two targeting vectors of human thrombopoietin (TPO) at bovine -casein locus using homologous recombination with 13.6 kb and 9.6 kb homology. In two targeting vectors, positive selection was through the neomycin resistance gene and negative selection was by the diphtheria toxin (DT). Gene targeting was attempted in bovine embryonic fibroblasts (bEF) and bovine ear skin fibroblasts (bESF). To determine the most appropriate concentration of neomycin for bEF and bESF, G4l8 resistance was confirmed by culturing the cells in various concentrations of the drug and both of the cells were optimally selected at of neomycin. The transfected bEF and bESF by the targeting vectors were colonized efficiently at the ratio of DNA to transfection reagent such as :2 and :. Comparing number of healthy clones from passage 4 to passage 8, bESF (17%) persist in culture for much longer than bEF (6%). The two gene-targeted bESF clones of 30 random-integrated clones with 9.6 kb homology length were confirmed, however, nothing was out of 72 random integration clones with 13.6 kb homology length, The DT also worked more efficiently in clones transfected with the vector of 9.6 kb homology length. Our data suggests that the choice of donor cell for long culture period should be considered to obtain targeted cell clone, and the gene-targeting frequency and the DT working efficiency are dependent on the length of target homology.

Two different types of polyploid progenies were analyzed by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) in order to estimate the extent of homoeologous recombination. One set of these had originated from a diploid F₁ hybrid between Lilium longiflorum