This study investigates temporal changes in moth diversity and community composition within plantation ecosystems, evaluates their comparative status relative to regrowth forest habitats, and examines the differential responses of distinct moth taxa along successional gradients. Moth communities were sampled using standardized black light traps at 22 forest sites in southern Korea, representing early-stage plantations (EP, 1–3 years), mid-stage plantations (MP, 10–12 years), and regrowth forests (RF). Sampling was conducted monthly from May to September (excluding July) in 2023–2024. A total of 8075 individuals from 650 species and 22 families were recorded. Species richness (q = 0) was highest between EP and MP, while Shannon (q = 1) and Simpson (q = 2) diversity in MP matched those of RF. Community composition differed significantly in EP, with MP converging toward RF. All-sized moths showed stronger separation among forest types. Family- and subfamily-level patterns showed that Crambidae and Erebinae were abundant in EP, whereas Geometridae, Pyralidae, and Bryophilinae (Noctuidae) were abundant in MP or RF. At the species level, six species were identified to differentiate among plantation types. This suggests that responses to plantation age are more clearly expressed at higher taxonomic levels than at the species level. Moth diversity and composition can substantially recover within a decade after plantation establishment. Older plantations may serve as valuable habitats, supporting biodiversity conservation in managed forest landscapes.
Clerodendrum japonicum (Thunb.) Sweet is a medicinal plant native to East Asia, including Korea, Japan, and China. Its leaves have traditionally been used to relieve respiratory symptoms and inflammatory conditions. However, no studies have systematically explored its anti-inflammatory activity and antioxidant capacity. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of C. japonicum (Thunb.) Sweet extract (CJSE) in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory model and determine its antioxidant capacity. Anti-inflammatory activity was investigated in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages by evaluating nitric oxide (NO) production, inflammatory gene expression, and related signaling pathways. Antioxidant capacity was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays and by determining total phenolic and flavonoid contents. CJSE reduced LPS-induced NO production in a dose-dependent manner without detectable cytotoxicity. CJSE also decreased the expression of key inflammatory mediators, including inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, and proinflammatory cytokine genes, such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interferon-β. Mechanistically, CJSE was associated with reduced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in LPS-stimulated cells. Moreover, CJSE demonstrated strong DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and contained substantial levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, which supported its antioxidant potential. CJSE suppresses LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages and exhibits remarkable antioxidant capacity, suggesting that it could serve as a potential natural source of bioactive compounds for managing inflammation and oxidative stress.
Longevity, improved medical care, and pandemics have led to an abundance of medical waste. Waste can be non-hazardous or general, hazardous or infectious, chemical, or pharmaceutical. Various types of feedstock (such as biomass and plastic) have been evaluated for energy recovery using pyrolysis. This study aims to provide fundamental data on pyrolysis for the treatment of hazardous medical waste. Cellulose-based (cotton, gauze) and plastic (syringes, intravenous (IV) tubing waste) were thermochemically degraded without oxygen. The pyrolysis products varied according to the chemical composition of the medical waste. The cotton and gauze were similar in carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (42
In recent years, farmland soil contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) using various ecological and health risk assessment tools has gained more interest. However, such intensive studies are limited in the rapidly urbanizing areas like Jeon-Nam, Korea. The objective of this study was to evaluate pollution risks based on ecological and health risk indices in farmland soils in the vicinity of ten industrial complexes of Jeon-Nam province, Korea. For the purpose, 100 soil samples were analyzed for PTEs contamination, followed by ecological and human health risk assessment. The As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn concentration were from 3.29-22.7, 0.51-3.49, 3.16-81.9, 6.94-138, 0.01-0.24, 1.74-63.6, 14.1-69.6 and 39.6-184, respectively, revealed substantial variation across different sampling points; nevertheless, all PTEs were found to be below the Soil Contamination Warning Standard (SCWS), as set by the Soil Environment Conservation Law (SECL) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) regulations for cultivated lands in Korea. The pollution load indices (PI/PLI) and Nemerow's risk assessment (NIRI, NIPI) demonstrate low to considerable contamination. The Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) is categorized as unpolluted to moderately polluted, and the potential ecological risk index (PERI) as low to moderate ecological risk. The comprehensive risk score index (CPRSi) revealed extremely high risk for Cd, while moderate to low risk for other PTEs. The APCS-MLR results revealed the As, Cd, Cr, and Ni contributions were 50.3 %, 60.7 %, 69.7 %, and 70.8 %, respectively, suggesting these PTEs are originated from anthropogenic sources. The contributions of Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn were 49.6 %, 79.6 %, 29.7 %, and 73.1 %, respectively, indicating that their presence in the soil results from a combination of natural and anthropogenic sources. Furthermore, the health risk assessment revealed that children were more vulnerable to contamination, regardless of whether the risk was carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic. No significant carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic risks were observed for either children or adults, except for cadmium (Cd), where the HI surpassed the threshold limit (HI > 1). Our finding provides valuable information for policymakers on how to reduce the risk of agricultural soil contamination from industrial complexes and potential impacts on the ecological and human environment.
Fluid sloshing negatively impacts the stability and safety of liquid hydrogen during transportation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is employed to investigate the sloshing behavior in cargo and fuel storage tanks. Key influencing factors include liquid hydrogen fill level, wave amplitude and frequency, and tank design parameters. Rib structures are incorporated into transportation tanks to mitigate sloshing, although their installation may compromise structural integrity. To address this, CFD methods are integrated with metamodels and artificial intelligence (AI) models to optimize rib design, balancing sloshing suppression and structural stability. In this study, a random forest algorithm predicts optimal rib configurations with a error margin of 3.3
