Salt is crucial for survival, yet excessive intake of sodium chloride can have adverse effects. In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, internal taste organs located in the pharynx play a pivotal role in determining whether to accept or reject food. However, our understanding of how pharyngeal gustatory receptor neurons (GRNs) perceive high salt levels is still limited. In this study, we discovered that a specific member of the ionotropic receptor family, Ir60b, is selectively expressed in a pair of GRNs that respond to high salt concentrations. Through a two-way choice assay (DrosoX) to measure ingestion volume, we established that IR60b, along with two coreceptors, IR25a and IR76b, is necessary to deter excessive salt consumption. Interestingly, mutants lacking external taste organs but retaining internal taste organs in the pharynx showed significantly higher salt avoidance compared to flies missing all three IRs while still possessing all taste organs. These findings underscore the crucial role of IRs in pharyngeal GRNs in regulating the intake of high salt levels.

단백질의 구조 예측은 생명 과학 및 의약학 분야의 핵심적인 연구 주제 중 하나로, 단백질의 기능 및 상호작용을 이해하기 위한 주요 정보를 제공할 수 있어 다양한 연구가 수행되고 있다. 이러한 연구의 일환으로 최근 Google DeepMind의 AlphaFold2가 등장하였으며, 단백질 구조 예측 성능을 대폭 향상시켜 CASP(Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction)에서 뛰어난 평가점수를 받아 단백질 구조 예측 분야의 최신 기술을 크게 향상시켰다. 이러한 컴퓨터 기반의 단백질의 구조 예측 방법은, 고전적인 방법을 사용하여 직접 단백질 구조를 결정하는 방법 에 비해 매우 정확하고 빠르며 경제적인 비용으로 수행될 수 있어 단백질 구조 예측 및 생리학 연구를 수행하는 연구자들에게 유용한 방법론이 될 것으로 사료된다. 따라서 본 연구소에서는 곤충을 포함한 무척추 자생동물을 연구하는 연구자들을 위해 단백질 구조 예측을 수행할 수 있도록 64Core/128Threads의 CPU, 256GB의 RAM과 6장의 GeForce RTX 3090으로 이루어진 GPU(Graphical Processing Unit) 고성능 컴퓨터 시스템에 AlphaFold2 program을 구축하였다. 최근 인간을 대상으로 한 단백질 구조 예측 연구는 상당한 진전을 보이고 있지만, 곤충을 포함한 자연계의 동물을 대상으로 한 연구는 여전히 미비한 상황이다. 이러한 자생동물자원연구의 확대를 위해 본 연구소에서 구축한 GPU 시스템 및 생물정보학적 분석 방법이 많이 활용되어야 하며, 이를 위해서는 연구자들 의 협력과 참여가 필요하다.

Global warming and changes in ecosystems are either causing a rapid decline in insect diversity on earth or, on the other hand, are increasing the likelihood of unexpected insect pests emerging. This study summarizes and reports the followings: Introduction to the Insects of Red Data Book of Korea and Nationally Protected species, the establishment of monitoring strategy for exotic insects by the investigation of species distribution range through field surveys and others, the dispersal of exotic insects, and with the expansion of exotic insects and development of ecosystem impact prediction model.

Glutamate-mediated oxidative stress causes neuronal cell death by increasing intracellular Ca2+ uptake, reactive oxidative species (ROS) generation, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, and translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) to the nucleus. In the current study, we demonstrated that corydaline exerts potent neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Treatment with 5 mmol/L glutamate increased cellular Ca2+ influx, ROS generation, MAPK activation, and AIF translocation. In contrast, corydaline treatment decreased cellular Ca2+ influx and ROS generation. Western blot analysis revealed that glutamate-mediated MAPK activation was attenuated by corydaline treatment. We further demonstrated that corydaline treatment inhibited the glutamate-mediated translocation of AIF to the nucleus. We propose that corydaline is a promising lead structure for the development of safe and effective neuroprotectants.

충청남도농업기술원 화훼연구소에서 2021년에 개발된 ‘Pinky Lang’은 분홍색 홑꽃 타입의 스프레이 국화 신품종 이다. ‘Pinky Lang’은 2016년 10월에 육종 하우스 내에서 2016년에 순백색의 진한 녹심이 매력적인 품종으로써 선발 된 백색 홑꽃의 ‘Bodre’ 품종을 방임 수분하여 48개의 종자 를 채취했다. 채취한 종자를 2017년 파종한 뒤 우수개체로 선발되어 2017년부터 2020년까지 4년간 촉성, 억제, 자연개 화 작형별 주년생산성 검정을 수행하여 선발된 우수계통을 ‘SP17-425-01’이라 계통명을 부여하였다. 2020년 최종적으 로 우수한 계통으로써 평가 및 심의를 받은 뒤 ‘충남SP-68 호’로 명명하였고, 당해 년도 12월 직무육성 신품종 선정위원 회를 통과하여 품종명은 ‘Pinky Lang’으로 하였다. ‘Pinky Lang’은 고온기에 화색이 변하지 않고 녹심이 매우 진하며 줄 기가 튼튼한 품종이다. 여름철 흰녹병에도 강하여 고온기 수출 품종으로 적합하다고 판단되었다. ‘Pinky Lang’은 연중 3 작기 재배테스트에서 단일처리 후 개화소요일수는 자연개화 작형 52일, 촉성작형 49일, 억제작형 50일이었고, ‘Yes Luna’ 는 각각 51일, 52일, 52일로 전반적으로 개화소요일수가 짧 았다. ‘Pinky Lang’의 절화장과 줄기굵기는 각각 104.5cm, 4.71mm으로 ‘Yes Luna’가 109.5cm, 4.25mm인 것에 비 해 5cm정도 짧았고 줄기굵기는 0.46mm 더 굵었다. ‘Pinky Lang’의 꽃 크기는 5.6cm이고 ‘Yes Luna’는 6.8cm로 1.2cm 작았다. ‘Pinky Lang’의 한 줄기에 달리는 꽃의 수와 한 송이 당 꽃잎수는 각각 27.7개, 30.9매였고, ‘Yes Luna’ 는 각각 18.0개, 37.0매인 것으로 착화수는 9.7개 많았고 꽃 잎수는 6.1매 적었다. 여름철 재배테스트를 통해 확인해본 결 과 흰녹병 저항성이 높은 경향을 확인하지만, 1~10% 정도의 병반을 보여 완전저항성을 가지진 못하는 것으로 사료된다. 자연개화 작형에서 절화수명의 경우는 24.5일로 ‘Yes Luna’ 에 비해 2.1일 길었다. ‘Pinky Lang’은 과습한 경우 줄기가 연약해질 수 있기 때문에 생장억제제인 Daminozide를 처리 하여 줄기를 강건하게 하고 절화 품질의 균일도를 높여 고온 기 재배에 안정적인 생산이 가능하여 수출할 수 있다.

The economy of Tanzania relies on agriculture as the main economic activity, because agriculture provides both food and income to the population of the country, especially the rural households. Improvement of market access to crops also increases the productivity. Therefore, in this study, descriptive statistics and statistical analysis of the probit model were used to analyze the factors that determine the market accessibility of small-scale farmers in Chemba, Tanzania. Cross-sectional data collected by the systematic sampling method for 200 corn peasants in Chemba, Tanzania were used. As a result of probit regression analysis, it was found that access to improved seeds and technology had a positive statistically significant effect on the accessibility to the market, while the age of the head of the household, production cost, distance to the market, and household size had a negative statistically significant effect. Therefore, in this study, policy establishment and implementation are recommended. A policy needs to be considered to reduce the transaction costs that eventually allows the farmers to increase the accessibility to markets, enables small-scale farmers to participate in cooperatives, lowers input costs and provides educational programs on quality products to increase their competitiveness in the marketplace.

In 2006, Cambodian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI) bred a high-quality tomato ‘Neang Pich’ variety. Since ‘Neang Pich’ is susceptible to Sclerotium rolfsii (S. rolfsii), it is severely affected the production major tomato growing regions. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of seven S. rolfsii tolerant rootstocks on growth and yield in graft cultivation of ‘Neang Pich’ tomato. ‘Neang Pich’ seedlings were used as scion and non-grafted control. Six eggplant genotypes (‘2017053’, ‘2017062’, ‘17CJVC2’, ‘No. 80’, ‘VI041979A’, ‘VI041996’) and a commercial tomato variety (‘Hulk’) were used as rootstock. The grafted and non-grafted tomatoes were grown in a plastic greenhouse and open field. The survival rate of plants did not differ between plastic greenhouse (80.2%) and open field (79.5%). The top and root fresh weight of plants grown in a plastic greenhouse increased by 77% and 11% compared to the open field and the dry weight increased by 48% and 10%, respectively. The top (309 g) and root (18.9 g) fresh weight, and the top (90.5 g) and root (6.39 g) dry weight depending on rootstock were the highest in plants grafted onto ‘2017062’. The yield of tomatoes in a plastic greenhouse (19.5 MT/ha) was 65% higher than that of open field (11.8 MT/ha). The yield of tomatoes depending on rootstock were the highest in ‘2017062’ (17.8 MT/ha). The effect of cultivation practice and grafting on pH and sugar content (oBrix) of the fruit was non-significant difference (p0.05). The scion diameter, top fresh weight, fruit weight and yield (MT/ha) were significant difference (p0.05) in the interaction effect between tomato cultivation practices (plastic greenhouse and open field) and rootstock.

Background: Porcine pluripotent stem cells (pPSCs) would provide enormous potential for agriculture and biomedicine. However, authentic pPSCs have not established yet because standards for pPSCs-specific markers and culture conditions are not clear. Therefore, the present study reports comparative pluripotency characteristics in porcine induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSCs) derived from different viral transduction and reprogramming factors [Lenti-iPSCs (OSKM), Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM)]. Methods: Porcine fibroblasts were induced into Lenti-iPSCs (OSKM) and Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) by using Lentiviral vector and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM) by using Sendaiviral vector. Expressions of endogenous or exogenous pluripotency-associated genes, surface marker and in vitro differentiation in between Lenti-piPSCs (OSKM), Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-piPSCs (OSKM) were compared. Results: Colonial morphology of Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) closely resembles the naïve mouse embryonic stem cells colony for culture, whereas Sev-iPSCs (OSKM) colony is similar to the primed hESCs. Also, the activity of AP shows a distinct different in piPSCs (AP-positive (+) Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM), but AP-negative (-) LentiiPSCs (OSKM)). mRNAs expression of several marker genes (OCT-3/4, NANOG and SOX2) for pluripotency was increased in Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) and Sev-iPSCs (OSKM), but Sev-iPSCs (OSKM). Interestingly, SSEA-1 of surface markers was expressed only in Sev-iPSCs (OSKM), whereas SSEA-4, Tra-1-60 and Tra-1-81 were positively expressed in Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL). Exogenous reprogramming factors continuously expressed in Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) for passage 20, whereas Sev-iPSCs (OSKM) did not express any exogenous transcription factors. Finally, only Lenti-iPSCs (OSKMNL) express the three germ layers and primordial germ cells markers in aggregated EBs. Conclusions: These results indicate that the viral transduction system of reprograming factors into porcine differentiated cells display different pluripotency characteristics in piPSCs.

Most of the C-14 produced is in the organic form, generated as methane (14CH4), methanol (14CH3OH), formaldehyde (14CH2O), and formic acid (14CO2H2). When analyzing C-14, it is transformed into the form of 14CO2, and its concentration is determined using LSC. Typical examples include the wet oxidation method, the combustion or Pyrolysis. The wet oxidation method uses strong acids and involves repeated operations, which generates large amounts of acid waste and secondary radioactive waste. The combustion method uses high temperatures, which requires an oxygen device. Pyrolysis also requires high temperature in a vacuum and catalysts. Catalysts are expensive because they are platinum-based. To compensate for these shortcomings, a C-14 analysis method using UV irradiation was developed. In this study, 100 mL of distilled water mixed with formic acid (CO2H2), potassium persulfate (K2S2O8), and silver nitrate (AgNO3) was irradiated with a 320-390 nm UV lamp to conduct a CO2 production reaction experiment. The UV range was measured using a photometer (UV Power puck II). The beaker was made of quartz in 150 mL size with three inlets : a temperature measurement, a sample inlet, and a collection tube connector. We changed the UV lamp used from a 450 W halogen lamp to a 100 W LED, which has a lower temperature and is safer. As a result of the experiment, CO2 bubbles were generated in the collection tube, due to the UV irradiation react, which uses oxidizer and catalysts. The maximum temperature of the solution irradiated with the LED UV lamp was less than 56°C. It confirmed the rate of bubble generation changed depending on the lamp distance, the amount of sample, oxidizer, and catalyst. In an experiment to confirm the reaction caused by heat, it was found that although a reaction occurred due to heat, the reaction was significantly lower than when using a UV lamp. The reproducibility experiment was conducted three times in total under the same conditions. It showed the same pattern. In the future, we plan to select mock samples, collect 14CO2 in Carbo- Sorb, and analyze them using LSC. The results of this research will be used as a technology to recover C-14 more safely and efficiently and will also be used to expand its application to the treatment of other wastes such as waste liquid and waste resin through simulated samples.

Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) is one of the 4th generation nuclear power systems which is its verified technology in physically and chemically. Among the various salts used for MSR system, the eutectic composition of NaCl-MgCl2 system maintains the liquid state at around 450°C, in the same time, it has high solubility for nuclear fuel chlorides. This characteristic has high advantage for lowering the operating temperature for the MSR, which could reduce the problem of hightemperature corrosion by salt for structural materials significantly. In particular, since MgCl2 has the similar standard reduction potential with nuclear fuel, is used as a surrogate for, many basic researches have been conducted for verifying characteristic of MgCl2. It is well-known that main short-advantage of MgCl2 is hygroscopic properties. MgCl2 changes to MgCl2-xH2O state easily by absorbing moisture in air condition. The hydrated MgCl2 is producing MgOHCl by thermally decomposing at high temperature, the formed MgOHCl corrodes structural materials, even small amount of MgOHCl gives significant damage. Therefore, the purification of MgCl2 has been required for long-term operation of MSR using MgCl2 as a base salt. In this study, the purification of eutectic composition salt for NaCl-MgCl2 has been mainly performed by considering its thermodynamic properties and electrochemical characteristic, and the experimental results have been discussed.

Among the nuclear power plant facility improvement projects, out of a total 10 replacement reactor vessel closure head (RRVCH), five have been replaced, starting with Gori Unit 1, and five, including Hanul Unit 1, Hanbit Units 5 and 6, and Hanul Units 3 and 4 will be replaced in the future. This paper presents the method of treating Latch Housing among radioactive waste generated during the replacement of Hanul Unit 2 (February 2023). Latch Housing controls the control rod by receiving magnetic force from the CRDM’s Coil Stack. Located in the Old Reactor Vessel Head (ORVH) Hot Spot, the range of measured radiation dose rate was 0.3 to 0.8 mSv h-1 (up to 4.5 mSv h-1). The amount of radioactive waste generated was 35.8 Baler-Drum (based on 200L), and the order of treatment was to cut into the Omega Seal of the CRDM, the CRDM and Latch Housing Transfer, the boundary of the CRDM and Latch Housing, the Rod Travel Housing, the Motor Housing and the Latch Assembly, and then transfer and Drumming. In the United States, out of 93 operating reactors, 31 reactor vessel heads have been replaced and 19 reactor vessel heads are scheduled to be replaced. In Korea, 25 reactors are in operation, and two reactors have been permanently shut down. Among them, the nine old reactors for more than 30 years (as of September 2021) are expected to achieve ALARA and reduce radwaste management costs through the management method applied to replace the reactor vessel head.

Pyroprocessing technology has emerged as a viable alternative for the treatment of metal/oxide used fuel within the nuclear fuel cycle. This innovative approach involves an oxide reduction process wherein spent fuel in oxide form is placed within a cathode basket immersed in a molten LiCl-Li2O salt operating at 923 K. The chemical reduction of these oxide materials into their metallic counterparts occurs through a reaction with Li metal, which is electrochemically deposited onto the cathode. However, during process, the generation of Li2O within the fuel basket is inevitable, and due to the limited reduction efficiency, a significant portion of rare earth oxides (REOx) remains in their oxide state. The presence of these impurities, specifically Li2O and REOx, necessitates their transfer into the electrorefining system, leading to several challenges. Both Li2O and REOx exhibit reactivity with UCl3, the primary electrolyte within the electrorefining system, causing a continuous reduction in UCl3 concentration throughout the process. Furthermore, the formation of fine UO2 powder within the salt system, resulting from chemical reactions, poses a potential long-term operational and safety concern within the electrorefining process.Various techniques have been developed to address the issue of UO2 fine particle removal from the salt, utilizing both chemical and mechanical methods. However, it is crucial that these methods do not interfere with the core pyroprocessing procedure. This study aims to investigate the impact of Li2O and REOx introduced from the electrolytic reduction process on the electrorefining system. Additionally, we propose a method to effectively eliminate the generated UO2 fine powder, thereby enhancing the long-term operational stability of the electrorefining process. The efficiency of this proposed solution in removing oxidized powder has been confirmed through laboratory-scale testing, and we will provide a comprehensive discussion of the detailed results.

Molten salt reactor (MSR) uses fluoride or chloride based molten salt as a coolant of the system, and fuel materials are dissolved in the molten salt, therefore it can be act as both coolant and nuclear fuel. A few issues have arisen from early-stage research and development program of MSR from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, including corrosion of structural materials and fission product management. For investigating the effect of additives on corrosion of structural materials, Mg(OH)2 and MgCl2*6H2O are added into the NaCl-MgCl2 eutectic salt. Prepared chloride salt is injected into the autoclave in the glove box, as well as corrosion coupons for candidate structural materials for molten chloride salt reactor, SS316, Alloy 600, and C-276 are also prepared. The temperature is set as 700°C. After 500 h corrosion experiment, the samples are taken out from the autoclave, and they are analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). SS316 samples show weight loss with all salt conditions, while Alloy 600 and C-276 show weight gain after the corrosion experiment.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is currently developing a vertical concrete dry storage module for the dry storage of used nuclear fuel within nuclear power plants. This module is designed with a structure consisting of cylinders, which can block the ingress of external air, thereby preventing Chloride-Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking (CISCC). However, due to the presence of these cylinder structures, unlike conventional dry storage systems, it cannot directly dissipate heat to the external atmosphere, making thermal evaluation an important issue. The SF dry storage module being developed by KHNP is a massive concrete structure of approximately 20 m × 10 m × 7 m in size, employing a vertical storage system. To demonstrate the safety of such a large structure, there is no alternative to conducting experiments with scaled-down models. Furthermore, according to NUREG-2215 Section 5.5.4, it is explicitly mentioned that design-verification testing can be performed using scaled-down models. In this paper, a 1/4 scaled-down model was constructed to perform thermal performance verification experiments, and the effectiveness of this model was analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods. The analysis results indicated that there was not a significant difference in terms of maximum concrete temperature and air outlet temperature. However, a considerable difference was observed in the canister surface temperature. Therefore, it is concluded that careful consideration of natural convection heat transfer is necessary for the full application of the scaled-down model.

In the case of nuclear projects, when developing a new reactor type, it is necessary to confirm the reactor type, secure the safety, and especially obtain the construction permit approval of the licensing authority for construction. Schedule management is necessary to carry out nuclear projects, and progress rate management of project progress management is largely composed of three elements: scope management, cost management, and resource management. However, in the case of the small modular reactor (SMR) project currently being carried out, it is difficult to calculate the progress rate including budget and resources due to the nature of the project. Therefore, in the SMR project, it took two years from the beginning to prepare the integrated project master schedule (IPMS) to prepare the draft, and then two revisions were made over a year and a half. In this SMR project, we will consider the entire construction period such as design, purchase and production, construction, commissioning, and operation in terms of scope management. The entire document list was created using the document review and approval sheet created at the beginning of the design. In the PMIS (Project Management Information System), the number of approved documents was calculated by comparing the list of engineering documents. In the purchase production part, the main core equipment such as the primary system nuclear steam supply system (NSSS), the secondary system turbine and condenser, and the man machine interface system (MMIS) are managed. Purchasing and manufacturing management shall be managed so that major equipment can be delivered in a timely manner in accordance with the schedule for delivery of equipment in the IPMS. In order to prevent delays in the start of production, it is necessary to minimize the waiting time for work through advance management tasks such as insurance of drawing, stocking of materials, availability of production facilities, etc. In this way, we decided to carry out the schedule management for the design, purchase and manufacturing part in the SMR project first, and the installation, construction and commissioning part will be prepared for the future schedule management.