Earticle

Plants can communicate each other through common underground mycorrhizal networks (CMNs). Through this research, we show that mycorrhizal networks can act as a conduit for signals that affects plant’s immune response. We set the mycorrhizal connections as an operational factor and examined whether plants would have enhanced immune response by communicating with other plants that had been exposed to pathogen. To do this, we compared plants that were connected with other plants with plants that have no such connections. We examined Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity of each plant groups when we treated Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) as a pathogen. PAL is an important defensive enzyme of plants that changes L-phenylalanine into trans-cinnamic acid and NH4 +. The higher PAL activity is the stronger immune response occurs. The experiments showed that the connected group has higher PAL activity than the non-connected group, which indicates that there might be a possible relationship between interplant communication via common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) and enhanced immune response.

The antioxidant power of polyphenols has made it possible to have cloth dyed green by affecting the oxidation-reduction reaction of indigo. In addition with concentrations of polyphenol, there has been a more powerful impact on green-dyeing and by performing several experiments, we were able to make some trend-lines about how much green color a dyed cloth has and demonstrated that the cloth’s color shows how much antioxidative activity an antioxidant has. We expect that we could get more accurate lines with more experiments. Using this method, a brand-new polyphenol sensor which is cheaper and safer than preexisting ones can be possibly invented.

Magnesium alloy is a light material but has a strong characteristic. However, its high corrosive and monotonous color interrupts the magnesium alloy from commercialization. In this research we have studied the process of improving magnesium corrosion and its esthetic function. After the process for cleaning and etching, the magnesium alloy was put on a panel and ultrapure water on Teflon airtight container, and then heated in a specific condition. After that, the change of color at the surface was observed. It was found out that the surface color changed after it was heated in a dye. Besides, Lauric acid is widely known in improving the hydrophobic property. We observed it on a specific condition, and the result shows that higher contact angle appeared above the surface when it was heated in high temperatures and for longer times. Subsequently it improved its higher hydrophobicity. The tensile strength was measured by 11.0 Mpa in this result. It was found that this research can be used as a basic data on the development of magnesium components and materialize color.

In this work, chemical reduction of various compounds having double, triple bond or aromatic to single bond using a safe continuous flow hydrogenation instrument-H-cube and their physical and chemical property changes are studied. Due to flammability of hydrogen gas, forms an explosion mixture with air and difficulties in work-up has replaced with safe hydrogenation with H-cube having hydrogen generator from electrolysis of water. Here we stabilized the conditions like pressure and temperature for various compounds such as dyes, N-aromatics, chalcone and aliphaticyne compounds. The results obtained from the experiments of this study, in learning the hydrogenation of multiple bonds, will be able to be used as training aids for study of toxic, dye, active drug etc. analysis by physical, chemical and biological changes.

The objective of this study was to investigate the electrochemical properties of Nafion/Pt-TiO2 composite membrane under various humidifying conditions. In this study, I synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles followed by the in-situ deposition of Pt nanoparticles on TiO2. The membrane electrolyte assembly (MEA) was fabricated with Nafion/Pt-TiO2 composite membrane and tested for the cell performance and discussed. In this work, TiO2 nano-powders and TiO2/Pt nano-composites were prepared via sol-gel method. To evaluate and compare the electrochemical properties of the prepared material with the ones synthesized with commercial TiO2 nano-powders, X-ray diffraction analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, electron microscopy (TEM, SEM), and PEMFC cell test were utilized. The results showed that sol-gel TiO2 had better surface characteristics and crystallinity when it underwent calcination and Pt-particles were deposited better on materials prepared through sol-gel method. It was concluded that optimum condition for high cell performance was obtained when TiO2 was processed through sulfonation and synthesized with sol-gel method.