• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.605-614
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• 2022

Two major problems currently threaten human survival on Earth: climate change and the rapid aging of the population in developed countries. Climate change is a result of the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere due to the increase in the use of fossil fuels owing to economic and transportation development. The rapid increase in the age of the population is a result of the rise in life expectancy due to the development of biomedical science and technology and the improvement of personal hygiene in developed countries. To avoid irreversible global climate change, it is necessary to quickly transition from the current fossil fuel-based economy to a zero-carbon renewable energy-based economy that does not emit GHGs. To achieve this goal, the dairy and livestock industry, which generates the most GHGs in the agricultural sector, must transition to using low-carbon emission production methods while simultaneously increasing consumers' preference for low-carbon diets. Although 77% of currently available arable land globally is used to produce livestock feed, only 37% and 18% of the proteins and calories that humans consume come from dairy and livestock farming and industry. Therefore, using edible insects as a protein source represents a good alternative, as it generates less GHG and reduces water consumption and breeding space while ensuring a higher feed conversion rate than that of livestock. Additionally, utilizing the functionality of medicinal insects, such as silkworms, which have been proven to have certain health enhancement effects, it is possible to develop functional foods that can prevent or delay the onset of currently incurable degenerative diseases that occur more frequently in the elderly. Insects are among the first animals to have appeared on Earth, and regardless of whether humans survive, they will continue to adapt, evolve, and thrive. Therefore, the use of various edible and medicinal insects, including silkworms, in industry will provide an important foundation for human survival and prosperity on Earth in the near future by resolving the current two major problems.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.569-574
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• 2012

Large single grain $Gd_{1.5}Ba_2Cu_3O_{7-y}$ (Gd1.5) bulk superconductors were fabricated by a top-seeded melt growth (TSMG) process using an $NdBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y}$ seed. The seeded Gd1.5 powder compacts with a diameter of 50 mm were subjected to the heating cycles of a TSMG process. After the TSMG process, the diameter of the single grain Gd1.5 compact was reduced to 43 mm owing to the volume contraction during the heat treatment. The superconducting transition temperature ($T_c$) of the top surface of the single grain Gd1.5 sample was as high as 93.5 K. The critical current densities ($J_cs$) at 77 K and 1T and 1.5 T were in ranges of 25,200-43,900 $A/cm^2$ and 10,000-23,000 $A/cm^2$, respectively. The maximum attractive force at 77 K of the sample field-cooled using an Nd-B-Fe permanent magnet (surface magnetic field of 0. 527 T) was 108.3 N; the maximum repulsive force of the zero field-cooled sample was 262 N. The magnetic flux density of the sample field-cooled at 77 K was 0.311T, which is approximately 85% of the applied magnetic field of 0.375 T. Microstructure investigation showed that many $Gd_2BaCuO_5$ (Gd211) particles of a few ${\mu}m$ in size, which are flux pinning sites of Gd123, were trapped within the $GdBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y}$ (Gd123) grain; unreacted $Ba_3Cu_5O_8$ liquid and Gd211 particles were present near the edge regions of the single grain Gd1.5 bulk compact.