• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.175-188
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• 2023

Water electrolysis holds great potential as a method for producing renewable hydrogen fuel at large-scale, and to replace the fossil fuels responsible for greenhouse gases emissions and global climate change. To reduce the cost of hydrogen and make it competitive against fossil fuels, the efficiency of green hydrogen production should be maximized. This requires superior electrocatalysts to reduce the reaction energy barriers. The development of catalytic materials has mostly relied on empirical, trial-and-error methods because of the complicated, multidimensional, and dynamic nature of catalysis, requiring significant time and effort to find optimized multicomponent catalysts under a variety of reaction conditions. The ultimate goal for all researchers in the materials science and engineering field is the rational and efficient design of materials with desired performance. Discovering and understanding new catalysts with desired properties is at the heart of materials science research. This process can benefit from machine learning (ML), given the complex nature of catalytic reactions and vast range of candidate materials. This review summarizes recent achievements in catalysts discovery for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The basic concepts of ML algorithms and practical guides for materials scientists are also demonstrated. The challenges and strategies of applying ML are discussed, which should be collaboratively addressed by materials scientists and ML communities. The ultimate integration of ML in catalyst development is expected to accelerate the design, discovery, optimization, and interpretation of superior electrocatalysts, to realize a carbon-free ecosystem based on green hydrogen.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.607-620
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• 2023

The biocontrol approach using beneficial microorganisms to control crop diseases is becoming an essential alternative to chemical fungicides. Therefore, new and efficient biocontrol agents (BCA) are needed. In this study, a rhizospheric actinomycete isolate showed unique and promising antagonistic activity against three of the most common phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum MH105, Rhizoctonia solani To18, and Alternaria brassicicola CBS107. Identification of the antagonistic strain, which was performed according to spore morphology and cell wall chemotype, suggested that it belongs to the Nocardiopsaceae. Furthermore, cultural, physiological, and biochemical characteristics, together with phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene (OP869859.1), indicated the identity of this strain to Nocardiopsis alba. The cell-free filtrate (CFF) of the strain was evaluated for its antifungal potency, and the resultant inhibition zone diameters ranged from 17.0 ± 0.92 to 19.5 ± 0.28 mm for the tested fungal species. Additionally, the CFF was evaluated in vitro to control Fusarium wilt disease in Vicia faba using the spraying method under greenhouse conditions, and the results showed marked differences in virulence between the control and treatment plants, indicating the biocontrol efficacy of this actinomycete. A promising plant-growth promoting (PGP) ability in seed germination and seedling growth of V. faba was also recorded in vitro for the CFF, which displayed PGP traits of phosphate solubilization (48 mg/100 ml) as well as production of indole acetic acid (34 ㎍/ml) and ammonia (20 ㎍/ml). This study provided scientific validation that the new rhizobacterium Nocardiopsis alba strain BH35 could be further utilized in bioformulation and possesses biocontrol and plant growth-promoting capabilities.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1403-1411
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• 2023

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most abundant component of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and directly creates environmental issues such as global warming and climate change. Carbon capture and storage have been proposed mainly to solve the problem of increasing CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere; however, more emphasis has recently been placed on its use. Among the many methods of using CO₂, one of the key environmentally friendly technologies involves biologically converting CO₂ into other organic substances such as biofuels, chemicals, and biomass via various metabolic pathways. Although an efficient biocatalyst for industrial applications has not yet been developed, biological CO₂ conversion is the needed direction. To this end, this review briefly summarizes seven known natural CO₂ fixation pathways according to carbon number and describes recent studies in which natural CO₂ assimilation systems have been applied to heterogeneous in vivo and in vitro systems. In addition, studies on the production of methanol through the reduction of CO₂ are introduced. The importance of redox cofactors, which are often overlooked in the CO₂ assimilation reaction by enzymes, is presented; methods for their recycling are proposed. Although more research is needed, biological CO₂ conversion will play an important role in reducing GHG emissions and producing useful substances in terms of resource cycling.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.114-122
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• 2024

NF₃, Chamber cleaning gas, has a high Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 17,000, causing significant greenhouse effects. Reducing gas usage during the cleaning process is crucial while increasing the cleaning Rate and reducing cleaning standard deviation (Stdev). In a previous study with a 6-inch PECVD chamber, a multiple linear regression analysis showed that Power and Pressure had no significant effect on the cleaning Rate because of their P-values of 0.42 and 0.68. The weight for Flow is 11.55, and the weights for Power and Pressure are 1.4 and 0.7. Due to the limitations of the research equipment, which differed from those used in actual industrial settings, it was challenging to assess the effects in actual industrial environment. Therefore, to show an actual industrial environment, we conducted the cleaning process on a 12-inch PECVD chamber, which is production-level equipment, and quantitatively analyzed the effects of each variable. Power, Pressure, and NF3 Flow all had P-values close to 0, indicating strong statistical significance. The weight for Flow is 15.68, and the weights for Power and Pressure are 4.45 and 5.24, respectively, showing effects 3 and 7 times greater than those with the 6-inch equipment on the cleaning rate. Additionally, we analyzed the cleaning Stdev and derived that there is a trade-off between increasing the cleaning Rate and reducing the cleaning Stdev.

• Composites Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.115-125
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• 2024

As global issues and interest in the environment increase, the transition to eco-friendly materials is accelerating in the automobile industry. In the automotive industry, eco-friendly composite materials are mainly used in various interior and exterior components, reducing the reliance on traditional petroleum-based materials. In particular, natural fiber composites help reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by making vehicles lighter. Additionally, they boast superior thermal properties and durability compared to non-recyclable composite materials, making them suitable for automotive interior parts. Furthermore, reduced production costs and sustainability are key advantages of natural fiber composites. The eco-friendly composites market is expected to grow to $86.43 billion at a CAGR of 15.3% from 2022 to 2030, and the natural fiber composites market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2023 to 2028 to $424 million. In this review paper, we explore research trends in nextgeneration natural fiber composite materials for automobiles and their application in the actual automobile industry.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.243-251
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• 2015

This study aimed to determine the effects of root zone cooling using air duct on air temperature distribution and root zone and leaf temperatures of sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L. 'Veyron') grown on coir substrate hydroponic system in a greenhouse. When the air duct was laid at the passage adjacent the slab, the direction of air blowing was upstream at $45^{\circ}$. The cooling temperature was set at $20^{\circ}C$ for day and $18^{\circ}C$ for night. For cooing timing treatments, the cooling air was applied at all day (All-day), only night time (5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Night), or no cooling (Control). The air temperature inside the greenhouse at a height of 40 and 80cm above the floor, and substrate and leaf temperatures, fruit characteristics, and fruit ratio were measured. Under the All-day treatment, the air temperature was decreased about $4.4{\sim}5.1^{\circ}C$ at the height of 40cm and $2.1{\sim}3.1^{\circ}C$ at the height of 80cm. Under the Night treatment, the air temperature was decreased about $3.4{\sim}3.8^{\circ}C$ at the height of 40cm and $2.2{\sim}2.7^{\circ}C$ at the height of 80cm. The daily average temperature in the substrate was in the order of the Control ($27.7^{\circ}C$) > Night ($24.1^{\circ}C$) > All-day ($22.8^{\circ}C$) treatment. Cooling the passage with either upstream blowing at $45^{\circ}$ or horizontal blowing at $180^{\circ}$ was effective in lowering the air temperature at a height of 50cm; however, no difference at a height of 100cm. Cooling the passage with perpendicular direction at $90^{\circ}$ was effective in lowering the air temperature at the height between 100 and 200cm above the floor; however, no effect on the temperature at the height of 50cm. A greater decrease in leaf temperature was found at 7 p.m. than that at 9. a.m. under both All-day and Night treatments. Fresh weight partitioning of fruit was in the order of the All-day (48.6%) > Night (45.6%) > Control (24.4%) treatment. A higher fruit production was observed under the All-day treatment, in which the accumulated average temperature was the lowest, and it may have been led to a higher proportion of photosynthate distributed to fruit than other treatments.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.450-458
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• 2012

In order to reduce the effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the South Korean government has announced a special platform of technologies as part of an effort to minimize global climate change. To further this effort, the Korean government has pledged to increase low-carbon and carbon neutral resources for biofuel derived from biomass to replace fossil and to decrease levels of carbon dioxide. In general, second generation biofuel produced form woody biomass is expected to be an effective avenue for reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in road transport. It is important that under the new Korean initiative, pilot scale studies evolve practices to produce biomass-to-liquid (BTL) fuel. This study reports the quality characteristics of F-T(Fischer-Tropsch) diesel for production of BTL fuel. Synthetic F-Tdiesel fuel can be used in automotive diesel engines, pure or blended with automotive diesel, due to its similar physical properties to diesel. F-T diesel fuel was synthesized by Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process with syngas($H_2$/CO), Fe basedcatalyst in low temperature condition($240^{\circ}C$). Synthetic F-T diesel with diesel compositions after distillation process is consisted of $C_{12}{\sim}C_{23+}$ mixture as a kerosine, diesel compositions of n-paraffin and iso-paraffin compounds. Synthetic F-T diesel investigated a very high cetane number, low aromatic composition and sulfur free level compared to automotive diesel. Synthetic F-T diesel also show The wear scar of synthetic F-T diesel show poor lubricity due to low content of sulfur and aromatic compounds compared to automotive diesel.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.23-31
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• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of livestock manure compost and fish-meal liquid fertilizer on the growth of cucumber and the soil properties for the stable production of organic cucumber. Cucumber was transplanted in greenhouse on the $6^{th}$ of April in 2017, and this experiment contained five treatments: livestock manure compost 100% (LC 100%), livestock manure compost 50% + fish-meal liquid fertilizer 50% (LC50 + LF50), livestock manure compost 50% (LC50), chemical fertilizer (NPK), and no fertilizer (NF). As a result, it was shown that soil chemical properties of LC50 + LF50 plot is not different from that of LC100 plot except for the EC content, but soil chemical properties of LC50 + LF50 plot is statistically significantly different from that of NPK plot except for pH. As a result of evaluating the functional diversity of soil microbial communities using Biolog system, the substrate richness (S) and the diversity index (H) were the highest in LC50 + LF50 plot. As a result of comparing the cucumber growth and yield, it was found that there was no statistically significant difference between the plant height and the fresh weight of LC100, LC50 + LF50, and NPK plot, but the plant height and the fresh weight of LC100, LC50 + LF50, and NPK plot were different from that of LC50 and NF plot. The yield of cucumber was the highest in NPK plot r(7,397 kg/10a), but there was no statistically significant difference in the yield of cucumber between NPK plot and LC100, LC50 + LF50 plot. The above-described results suggested that the livestock manure compost and fish meal liquid fertilizer can be used for organic cucumber production under greenhouse condition.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 2013

Recent unusual weather due to global warming causes shortage of daily sunlight and constitutes one of the primary reasons for agricultural damages. LED light sources are frequently utilized to compensate for the shortage of sunlight in greenhouse agriculture. The present study is aimed at evaluating formations of phytochemicals as well as growth characteristics of mature strawberry fruits ('Daewang' cultivar) during cultivation in a closed growth chamber equipped with artificial LED light as a sole light source. Each LED light of blue (448 nm), red (634 and 661 nm) or mixed blue plus red (blue:red = 3:7) was separately supplied and the intensity of each light was adjusted to $200{\pm}1{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ at plant level with a photoperiod consisted of 16 hours light and 8 hours darkness. Strawberries grown under mixed LED light of blue and red wavelengths showed a higher production of fruits than those grown under other LED treatments. Fructose, one of the free sugars, increased in mixed LED light-grown fruits. Anthocyanin contents were elevated remarkably in the mixed LED light-grown fruits compared with those in other LED treatments. Contrastingly, contents of total phenolics and flavonoids were not of much different from one another among the fruits treated with various LED lights. On the other hand, ripening of strawberry fruits was found to be faster when grown under blue LED light compared with other LED treatments. Moreover, antioxidant activities of blue or red LED light-grown fruits, respectively, were significantly higher than those of mixed LED light-grown fruits. We suggest that when daylight is in shortage during cultivation in a greenhouse, supplementation of sunlight with LED light, which is composed of blue and red wavelengths, could be useful for the enhancement of productivity as well as of free sugar content in strawberry fruits. In addition, for the strawberry culture in the plant factory, selective adoption of LED light wavelength would be required to accomplish the purpose of controlling fruit maturation time as well as of enhancing contents of sugars and antioxidants of fruits.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.397-403
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• 2019

Background: Oplopanax elatus is widely distributed at high altitudes (about 1,100 m) in China, Russia and Korea. It is hard to propagate, breed, and difficult to grow. Hence, it has been designated as a rare and endangered medicinal plant. A study was conducted to establish a system for large scale seedling production of Oplopanax elatus in vitro and to find the ideal environment for its seedling growth. Methods and Results: In this study, the explants produced under in vitro conditions during our previous study were grouped into three categories (under 10 mm, 10 mm - 30 mm and above 30 mm) based on plant height and were transferred to the growth-chamber and greenhouse for two weeks in each setting for acclimatization. The plantlet category of above 30 mm showed good performance, and was further evaluated under three acclimatization methods as follows: three different growth media (commercial soil, commercial soil + perlite, commercial soil + sand), four shading levels (0%, 50%, 70%, 90%) and four altitude levels (157 m, 218 m, 601 m, 870 m) in Gangwon province of South Korea. As results, O. elatus seedlings showed better growth characteristics at 870 m of altitude, 70% shading level and in the commercial soil compared to other treatments. Conclusions: The regenerated seedlings of Oplopanax elatus obtained through plant tissue culture would be advantageous for use in large scale seedling production systems paired with a good acclimation method. For obtaining optimal results, it is recommended that seedling be acclimatized in a high altitude environment.