• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.173-195
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• 2022

Like vertebrates, insects synthesize various eicosanoids after the committed catalytic step of phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂). However, the subsequent biosynthetic steps exhibit some deviation from those of vertebrates. Due to little composition of arachidonic acid in insect phospholipids, PLA₂ releases linoleic acid, which is another polyunsaturated fatty acid and relatively rich in insect phospholipids, to synthesize arachidonic acid via chain extension and desaturation. Resulting arachidonic acid is then oxygenated into a prostaglandin (PG), PGH₂, by a specific peroxidase called peroxynectin, but not by cyclooxygenase. PGH₂ is then isomerized to various PGs such as PGA₂, PGD₂, PGE₂, PGI₂, and a thromboxane (TXB₂). All four epoxyeicosatrienoic acids such as 5,6-EET, 8,9-EET, 11,12-EET, and 14,15-EET are also synthesized from arachidonic acid by oxygenation of vertebrate types of monooxygenases. However, the other type of eicosanoids called leukotrienes are found in insect tissues but their synthetic pathway is unclear. Eicosanoids mediate various insect physiological processes such as metabolism, excretion, immunity, and reproduction. Thus, identification of novel compounds interrupting eicosanoid biosynthesis would be a novel approach to develop insecticides. This review focuses on PGs and their immune mediation.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.519-528
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• 2022

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, infests the hot pepper cultivated in greenhouses and has been considered to be controlled by a natural enemy, Orius laevigatus. However, sporadic outbreaks of the thrips due to fast population growth occasionally need chemical insecticide treatments. This study was designed to develop an optimal integrated pest management (IPM) by using selective insecticides along with a safe re-introduction technique of the natural enemy after the chemical insecticide treatment. First, chemical insecticides were screened to select the high toxic commercial products against F. occidentalis. Five insecticides containing active components (pyriproxyfen+spinetoram, abamectin, spinosad, acetamiprid, and chlorpyrifos) were selected among 17 commercial products. These five selected insecticides gave different toxic properties to the natural enemy, O. laevigatus. Especially, abamectin and spinetoram gave relatively low toxicity to the natural enemy compared to organophosphate or neonicotinoid. Furthermore, the five selected insecticides were assessed in their residual toxicities against O. laevigatus. Organophosphate and neonicotinoid insecticides showed relatively longer residual toxicity compared to abamectin and spinosads. Indeed, abamectin or spinetoram did not give any significant toxicity to O. laevigatus after 3 days post-treatment. These residual effects were further supported by the assessment of the chemical residue analysis of the insecticides using LC-MS/MS. These results suggest an IPM technology: (1) chemical treatment of abamectin or spinetoram against sporadic outbreaks of F. occidentalis infesting hot pepper and (2) re-introduction of O. laevigatus to the crops after 3 days post-treatment to depress the equilibrium density below an economic injury level.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.27-34
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• 2023

Using ammonia as fuel for solid oxide fuel (SOFC) cells has become an attractive topic nowadays due to its high efficiency, environmental friendliness, and ease of storage and transportation. Several configurations of ammonia-fed SOFC systems have been proposed and investigated, demonstrating high electrical efficiency. However, to further enhance efficiency, it is crucial to understand the inefficient components of the system. The exergy concept is well-suited for this purpose, making exergetic analysis essential for ammonia-fed SOFC systems. This study conducts an exergetic analysis for three selected systems: a simple fuel cell system (FC), an anode off-gas recirculation system (RC-FC), and a recirculation system with water removal (RC-WR-FC). The results reveal that the exergetic efficiencies of the FC, RC-FC, and RC-WR-FC are 48.7%, 51.6%, and 58.4%, respectively. In all three systems, the SOFC stack is the main source of exergy destruction. However, other components with relatively low exergetic efficiency, such as the burner, air heat exchanger, and cooler/condenser, offer greater opportunities for improvement.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.161-169
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• 2023

Thrips are usually not exposed to insecticide spray due to hiding at holes, gaps, or crevices of host plants with their relatively small body sizes. This study devised a strategy to use a contact pheromone to suppress the seclusive behavior of the thrips, A contact pheromone identified as 7-methyltricosane (7TM) in the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, was added to the diet to test the preference of the thrips. Although 7TM did not change the larval behavior, it significantly induced the avoiding behavior in male adults. In contrast, the contact pheromone was preferred by the female adults. Similar behavioral changes were also observed in another flower thrips, Frankliniella intonsa. Based on the behavioral changes induced by the contact pheromone, a mixture of 7TM and insecticide was applied to thrips infesting hot peppers in field conditions. Compared to spinetoram treatment, its mixture treatment with 7TM enhanced the control efficacy against thrips. Interestingly, 7TM treatment alone also gave slight reduction in F. intonsa density, suggesting a behavioral disruption of thrips by the contact pheromone. This study suggests a novel technology to control insect pests using contact pheromone by suppressing the seclusive behavior to avoid exposure to insecticide spray.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

On August 4, 2020, 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a storage warehouse at the Port of Beirut exploded. This explosion is said to be the largest ammonium nitrate explosion ever. By applying the TNT equivalency method, TNT equivalent amount corresponding to the explosion energy of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate was calculated, and it is found to be 856 tons. Overpressure and impulse were calculated in a range up to 3600 m from the blast using the Kingery-Bulmash explosion parameter calculator tool. As the distance from the explosion center increases, the overpressure and impulse decrease exponentially, but the overpressure decreases more significantly, showing that overpressure is more affected by distance than the impact. As a result of applying the damage criteria to evaluate the effects of overpressure and impulse on the structure, the critical distances at which partial collapse, major damage, and minor damage to the structure occur are found to be approximately 500, 800, and 2200 m from the center of the explosion, respectively. The probit function was applied to evaluate the probability of damage to structures and human body. The points where the probability of collapse, major damage, minor damage, and breakage of window-panes to structures are greater than 50% are found to be approximately 500, 810, 2200, and 3200 m, respectively. For people within 200 m from the center of the explosion, the probability of death due to lung damage is more than 99%, and the 50% probability of eardrum rupture is approximately 300 m. The points with a 100% probability of death due to skull rupture and whole body impact due to whole body displacement are evaluated to be 300 and 100 m, respectively.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 2023

The onion moth, Acrolepiopsis sapporensis, was monitored in the farms cultivating the welsh onion, Allium fistulosum, using sex pheromone from transplantation to harvest. Two occurrence peaks were observed at early June and late July after the overwintering population. However, the population sizes were varied among different years and the cultivating environments. To effectively control A. sapporensis with microbial pesticides, different Bacillus thuringiensis strains were screened to select B. thuringiensis kurstaki (BtK). To enhance the insecticidal virulence of BtK, the culture broth of Photorhabdus temperata temperata (Ptt) was added to the BtK. This mixture of two entomopathogenic bacteria was called 'BtPlus', which was superior to BtK alone in the insecticidal virulence. The enhanced virulence was explained by the immunosuppressive activity of the secondary metabolites contained in the Ptt extract. The metabolites inhibited both cellular and humoral immune responses of A. sapporensis, resulting in the enhanced virulence of BtK. These results suggest that A. sapporensis occurs in the welsh onion fields and the resulting economic damage would be effectively prevented by BtPlus application.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.245-253
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• 2023

A control technique using mass-trapping was developed against thrips infesting hot peppers cultivating in greenhouses. It was essential to develop effective lure(s) attracting thrips for the control technique. Especially, mass-trapping using aggregation pheromone (AP) of the thrips was not much effective in open field cultivating hot peppers. This study aimed to develop a new lure to enhance the attractiveness of AP-based mass-trapping. In addition, this study was designed to investigate the decrease of attractiveness of the AP-based mass-trapping in the open field conditions. Methyl isonicotinate (MIN) as a new lure was assessed by the laboratory olfactometry and showed its attractiveness to thrips and its mixture effect with AP to attract the thrips. These results led us to test the AP+MIN mixture in the open field conditions cultivating hot peppers. The mixture significantly enhanced the mass-trapping efficacy in the open field conditions. Especially, the significant increase of the captured numbers was found in the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis. Furthermore, the increase of the AP concentration in the mass-trapping significantly increased the captured numbers in F. occidentalis and other thrips occurring in the hot pepper field. This study demonstrated the difference in the AP-based mass-trapping efficacy of the thrips between greenhouse and open field conditions. It also showed the increase of mass-trapping efficacy by increasing AP concentration in the trap. Especially, this study proposes a high efficient mass-trapping technology by the addition of MIN to AP especially against F. occidentalis.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2024

Thrips infest hot peppers (Capsicum annuum) cultivating in open fields and give serious economic damages. This study reports their yearly occurrence from transplanting to harvest at three different places in Andong, an intense hot pepper-cultivating area. Two main occurrence peaks were detected in June and September. Two dominant thrips were the flower flowers, Frankliniella occidentalis and F. intonsa, which comprised of over 87% of the total occurring thrips. Other thrips did not follow the occurrence peaks of the two dominant species. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was detected from the dominant two species, in which higher viruliferous rate was recorded in F. intonsa. Although the hot peppers were the resistant varieties against TSWV, some of them cultivating in the fields exhibited a characteristic disease symptom infected by the virus over the growing seasons. TSWV was isolated from the viruliferous thrips and assessed in NSs sequences encoded in S RNA segment of the virus. Compared to the known resistance breaking (RB) strains, the TSWV isolated from the viruliferous thrips in Andong did not show any RB mutations.

• Journal of The Korean Institute of Defense Technology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.8-17
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• 2023

The current weapon system is operated as a complex weapon system with various standards and protocols applied, so there is a risk of failure in smooth information exchange during combined and joint operations on the battlefield. The interoperability of weapon systems to carry out precise strikes on key targets through rapid situational judgment between weapon systems is a key element in the conduct of war. Since the Korean military went into service, there has been a need to change the configuration and improve performance of a large number of software and hardware, but there is no verification system for the impact on interoperability, and there are no related test tools and facilities. In addition, during combined and joint training, errors frequently occur during use after arbitrarily changing the detailed operation method and software of the weapon/power support system. Therefore, periodic verification of interoperability between weapon systems is necessary. To solve this problem, rather than having people schedule an evaluation period and conduct the evaluation once, AI should continuously evaluate the interoperability between weapons and power support systems 24 hours a day to advance warfighting capabilities. To solve these problems, To this end, preliminary research was conducted to improve defense interoperability capabilities by applying natural language processing techniques (①Word2Vec model, ②FastText model, ③Swivel model) (using published algorithms and source code). Based on the results of this experiment, we would like to present a methodology (automated evaluation of interoperability requirements evaluation / level measurement through natural language processing model) to implement an automated defense interoperability evaluation tool without relying on humans.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2013

A microbial insecticide "Bt-Plus" has been developed to enhance an insecticidal efficacy of an entomopathogenic bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). However, its wettable powder formulation is not preferred by farmers and industry producers due to relatively high cost. This study aimed to develop a soluble concentrate formulation of Bt-Plus. To this end, an optimal mixture ratio of two bacterial culture broths was determined to be 5:4 (v/v) of Bt and Xenorhabdus nematophila (Xn) along with 10% ethanol preservative. In addition, Bt broth was concentrated by 10 times to apply the mixture at 1,000 times fold dilution. The resulting liquid formulation was sprayed on cabbage crop field infested by late instar larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. The field assay showed about 77% control efficacy at 7 days after treatment, which was comparable to those of current commercial biopesticides targeting P. xylostella. For storage test in both low and room temperatures, the liquid formation showed a relatively stable control efficacy at least for a month. To develop a quality control technique to exhibit a stable control efficacy of Bt-Plus, Bt spore density ($5{\times}10^{11}$ spores/mL) and eight active component concentrations of Xn bacterial metabolites in the formulation products have been proposed in this study.