The large copper butterfly Lycaena dispar (Haworth, 1803; Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) has been categorized as a near-threatened species (NT) in South Korea from 2012 mainly due to limited distribution. In this study, we visited 36 sites spread across all South Korean provinces to verify the distributional range of the species and sequenced mitochondrial COI for 53 individuals from nine sites. We observed L. dispar at 15 sites in six provinces, including the two previously known provinces, indicating a southward range expansion. The in-field monitoring and genetic data collectively suggested that L. dispar does not have a limited distribution nor is it isolated, indicating that it should be reclassified as less vulnerable. Our study demonstrates that the combination of field and genetic data can provide a more reliable assessment of the stability of a species.

The clearwing moth, Synanthedon bicingulata (Staudinger, 1887), is a pest that infests various species of cherry trees. However, genetic information regarding the genus Synanthedon including S. bicingulata, is limited. In this study, we sequenced a complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the species. The 16,255 bp of S. bicingulata mitogenome differs from the typical gene arrangement formed in Lepidoptera: trnQ-trnS2-trnM-trnI arrangement between the A+T-rich region and the ND2 junction. Moreover, the genome has untranslated repetitive sequences in the intergenic space between lrRNA and trnV, as well as the CGA start codon in COI and the TTG start codon in ATP8. Similar observations are noted in species belonging to the tribe Synanthedonini within the genus Synanthedon.

Tropilaelaps mercedesae Anderson and Morgan, 2007 (Acari: Laelapidae) is a serious ectoparasite of the brood of several honey bee species. Among the four recognized species of Tropilaelaps, Korean population was renamed as T. mercedesae from T. clareae on the basis of morphological evidences and genetic data. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequence of T. mercedesae. The 15,119-bp long mitogenome has an identical gene arrangement to that of Chinese sample reported previously. Comparison of two geographic samples showed COII, ND5, ND4, ND6, CytB, and ND1 to have higher number of variable sites than COI, which is often used for population-level study, suggesting these genes to have potential usefulness for population genetic study. The mitogenome sequence of T. mercedesae from Korea could be useful for species identification for geographic samples, trace of the origin of local populations, and illustration of evolutionary distinction among Tropilaelaps species either using part of or whole genome.

전북특별자치도 수박(Citrullus lanatus (Thumb.) Matsum. et Nakai) 재배면적은 2,235ha이며, 익산과 정읍은 주요 수박 재배 지역이다. 본 연구는 수박에서 발생하는 해충 목록 작성을 위한 기초자료 구축 을 목적으로 최근 20년간 보고된 문헌자료를 조사하였다. 문헌조사에 따르면, 수박에서 발생하는 주요 해충은 총 7목, 11과, 22종으로 정리되었다. 이 중 점박이응애(Tetranychus urticae Koch), 목화진딧 물(Aphis gossypii Glover), 아메리카잎굴파리(Liriomyza trifolii Burgess) 등이 우점해충으로 다수의 문헌 을 통해 확인되었다. 그 외 파밤나방(Spodoptera exigua Hübner), 꽃노랑총채벌레(Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande), 목화바둑명나방(Diaphania indica Saunder)등의 해충들이 최근 연구로부터 추가되었다. 본 연구 결과를 기반으로 앞으로 수박 해충에 대한 현장 조사 계획을 수립하고, 적합한 방제 전략을 세우 고자 한다.

Spodoptera eridania and S. ornithogalli (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which are polyphagous pests that damage various crops such as tomatoes and beans are regulated quarantine species that are highly likely to invade South Korea. Therefore, it is crucial to promptly and accurately identify the presence of S. eridania and S. ornithogalli in crop fields to effectively eradicate as a regulated quarantine species. In this study, we developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, which allows for rapid in-field identification. To develop the LAMP　assay, we selected target species-specific genomic regions from the whole-genome sequences of one target and 13 other lepidopteran species. We validated each five and six primer sets that consistently produced positive reactions in S. eridania and S. ornithogalli, respectively. To test the sensitivity of the each locus, LAMP reactions were performed using various reaction times using crude DNA, which was extracted from various types of adult tissues. All sensitivity tests were also successful.

Since rice is the main food in Korea, there are no regulations on corn milling yet. Corn is known as one of the world's top three food crops along with wheat and rice, and it is known that 3.5 billion people worldwide use corn for food. In addition, corn mills are not developed or sold in Korea, but the use of corn mills is increasing significantly in many countries in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, as Korea's rice mill import increases, Korea's KAMICO (Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative) and domestic company A agreed to develop a corn mill jointly with PHilMech, an organization affiliated with the Philippine Ministry of Agriculture. However, research on corn milling was very insignificant, so the development was carried out based on the technology of Korea's rice mill. Rice milling is performed by peeling off the skin of rice and producing brown or white rice, so it is carried out by removing the skin and cutting the skin. On the other hand, in the corn mill, the skin of the corn is peeled, pulverized and selected to produce main products suitable for edible use. Therefore, in order to develop a corn mill, processes such as peeling, transfer, grinding, sorting, and by-product separation are required, and suitable parts must be developed. In addition, the performance must be gradually improved through experiments in which corn is repeatedly milled. The Philippines produces 7.98 million tons/year of corn, which is about 100 times that of Korea, and is mostly consumed as a staple food. This is about 10% of the total crop production in the Philippines. In addition, the main cultivation complexes of corn are the mountainous regions of Tarlac or Pangasinan, and the produced corn is 72.4% of the so-called yellow corn called Arabel and Sarangani, and the remaining 27.6% are known as white corn. In this study, it was intended to produce grains of 2.5 mm or less suitable for food for yellow corn and to develop a corn mill for 200 kg per hour. Detailed conditions for development are stipulated as more than 55% of the main product recovery rate, more than 31% of the by-product recovery rate, less than 5% of the raw material loss rate, and more than 80% of the embryo dislocation rate. In this study, to achieve this, the overall process of the corn mill was developed, and the optimal conditions for the corn mill were obtained through the development of parts and empirical tests to improve performance. In addition, it was intended to achieve the development goal by evaluating and analyzing the performance of each part so that it did not conflict.

Air conditioner filters purify the air of indoor environments by removing air pollutants and supporting the efficiency of the unit’s cooling function. However, an air conditioner filter can become a microenvironment in which some fungi can grow as dust continues to accumulate and favorable humidity conditions are formed. Fungal growth in air conditioner filters could lead to fungal allergies or fungal diseases, in addition to emitting a foul odor. In an effort to understand what species causes this malodorous problem, we investigated the diversity of fungi found in air conditioners. Fungi were sampled from the collected air conditioner filters and grown on DG18 agar media. After purification for pure isolates, species identification was undertaken. Colony morphology was observed on PDA, MEA, CYA, and OA media. Microstructures of fruiting body, mycelia, and spores were examined using a light microscope. Molecular identification was performed by PCR and sequencing of PCR amplicons, and molecular phylogenetic analysis of sequenced DNA markers, including the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS), the 28S large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal RNA (LSU rDNA), the β-tubulin (BenA) gene, the Calmodulin (CaM) gene, and the DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (RPB2) gene. Through this identification process, we found two fungal species, Aspergillus miraensis and Dichotomopilus ramosissimus, which are unrecorded species in Korea. We will now report their morphological and molecular features.

KEPCO KPS is the contractor for the full system decontamination (FSD) of Kori Unit 1 and under preparation such as modification, lay out for equipment installation, setting up tie-in/out point for chemical injection and way to pressurize the system, of its successful performance. In this research, KPS introduced how KPS has designed and prepared for the FSD project and how will the chemical decontamination process be implemented. As described in the previous research, chemical decontamination process is planned to be conducted for three cycles and each cycle is consisted of oxidation, reduction, decomposition, and purification. Oxidation and reduction process were conducted at 90°C. Chemical decomposition and purification process were conducted at 40°C due to the damage of IX by the heat. If the decontamination result does not meet the target DF and the dose rate, additional cycle can be conducted. Expected volume of process water for FSD is 200 m3. Three systems have been designated as decontamination targets: reactor coolant system (RCS), residual heat removal system (RHRS), chemical volume control system (CVCS). For the steady flow rate, existed plant equipment such as reactor coolant pump (RCP) will be operated and modifications on some components will be conducted. Due to the limited space for installation, decontamination equipment and other resources are distributed to three different places. KPS designed the layout of equipment installed inside the containment vessel. The layout contains the information of shielding for highly radiated equipment such as IX and filter skid.

EU taxonomy requires to solve problems for safe management of radioactive waste and disposal of spent fuel, which is a precondition for growing demand for nuclear power plant. Currently, Korea manages about 18,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste at temporary storage facilities in nuclear power plant sites, but such temporary storage facilities are expected to become saturated sequentially from 2031. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a permanent disposal facility to safely treat high-level radioactive waste. In accordance with the second basic plan for high-level radioactive waste management in 2021, it is necessary to establish requirements for regulatory compliance for the site selection and site acquisition, investigation and evaluation, and construction for the establishment of a deep geological disposal facility. In this study, we analyzed the regulatory policies and cases of leading foreign countries related to deep geological disposal facilities for high-level radioactive waste disposal waste such as IAEA, USA, Sweden, and Finland using data analysis methodology. To analyze a large amount of textbased document data, text mining is applied as a major technology and a verification standard that secures validity and safety based on the regulatory laws described so far is developed to establish a regulatory base suitable for domestic deep geological disposal status. Based on the collected data, preprocessing and analysis with Python were performed. Keywords and their frequency were extracted from the data through keyword analysis. Through the measured frequency values, the contents of the objects and elements to be regulated in the statutory items were grasped. And through the frequency values of words co-occurring among different sections through the analysis of related words, the association was obtained, and the overall interpretation of the data was performed. The results of analyzing regulations of major foreign countries using text mining are visualized in charts and graphs. Word cloud can intuitively grasp the contents by extracting the main keywords of the contents of the regulations. Through the network connection graph, the relationship between related words can be visually structured to interpret data and identify the causal relationship between words. Based on the result data, it is possible to compare and analyze the factors to be supplemented by analyzing domestic nuclear safety case and regulations.

국내 유입 가능성이 높은 검역 관리해충인 Spodoptera eridania 및 S. ornithogalli는 전 세계적으로 토마토, 콩 등 여러 종의 작물을 가해하는 광식성 해충이다. 이에 따라 국내 유입 시 해당 작물에 높은 경제적 피해를 입힐 가능성 이 있으므로 신속 정확한 진단이 필요한 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 상기 두 종을 대상으로 현장 활용이 가능한 LAMP 진단법 개발을 수행하였다. 표적종 두 종 및 비표적종 11종(국내 발생 Spodoptera 종 및 동일 기주 가해종 등)의 전장유전체 정보를 확보한 후 비교 분석을 통해 각 표적종 별 특이적 영역을 확보한 후 해당 영역을 대상으로 LAMP 프라이머를 제작하였다. DNA 농도 10 ng/μL, 반응시간 40분을 기준으로 LAMP 진단을 수행한 결과, Spodoptera eridania는 5개의 LAMP 진단 마커를 개발하였고, S. ornithogalli는 3개의 LAMP 진단 마커를 개발하였다.

Bombyx mandarina (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), the presumed ancestor of B. mori, has long been a subject of study to illustrate the geographic relationships in connection with origin of B. mori. We report 97 mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences of B. mandarina collected from Korea and Japan. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses showed that all individuals of B. mandarina collected in Korean localities formed a strong group together with all individuals originated from northern China (mainly north of the Qinling-Huaihe line) and some of southern China. This group was placed as the sister group to B. mori strians suggesting that this group had been served as an immediate progenitor for B. mori.

This study was aimed to isolate bacterial inoculants producing chitinase and evaluate their application effects on corn silage. Four corn silages were collected from four beef cattle farms to serve as the sources of bacterial inoculants. All isolates were tested against Fusarium graminearum head blight fungus MHGNU F132 to confirm their antifungal effects. The enzyme activities (carboxylesterase and chitinase) were also measured to isolate the bacterial inoculant. Based on the activities of anti-head blight fungus, carboxylesterase, and chitinase, L. buchneri L11-1 and L. paracasei L9-3 were subjected to silage production. Corn forage (cv. Gwangpyeongok) was ensiled into a 10 L mini silo (5 kg) in quadruplication for 90 days. A 2 × 2 factorial design consists of F. graminearum contamination at 1.0104 cfu/g (UCT (no contamination) vs. CT (contamination)) and inoculant application at 2.1 × 105 cfu/g (CON (no inoculant) vs. INO (inoculant)) used in this study. After 90 days of ensiling, the contents of CP, NDF, and ADF increased (p<0.05) by F. graminearum contamination, while IVDMD, acetate, and aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05). Meanwhile, aerobic stability decreased (p<0.05) by inoculant application. There were interaction effects (p<0.05) on IVNDFD, NH3-N, LAB, and yeast, which were highest in UCT-INO, UCT-CON, CT-INO, and CT-CON & INO, respectively. In conclusion, this study found that mold contamination could negatively impact silage quality, but isolated inoculants had limited effects on IVNDFD and yeast.

Since high-level radioactive wastes contain long-lived nuclides and emit high energy, they should be disposed of permanently through a deep geological disposal system. In Korea, the first (2016.07) and the second (2021.12) basic plans for the management of high-level disposal systems were proposed to select sites for deep geological disposal facilities and to implement business strategies. Leading countries such as Finland, Sweden and France have developed and applied safety cases to verify the safety of deep geological disposal systems. By examining the regulatory status of foreign leading countries, we analyze the safety cases ranging from the site selection stage of the deep geological disposal system to the securing of the permanent disposal system to the investigation, analysis, evaluation, design, construction, operation, and closure. Based on this analysis, we will develop safety case elements for long-term safety of deep geological disposal systems suitable for domestic situation. To systemically analyze data based on safety cases, we have established a database of deep geological disposal system regulations in leading foreign countries. Artificial intelligence text mining and data visualization techniques are used to provide database in dashboard form rather than simple lists of data items, which is a limitation of existing methods. This allows regulatory developers to understand information more quickly and intuitively and provide a convenient interface so that anyone can easily access the analyzed data and create meaningful information. Furthermore, based on the accumulated bigdata, the artificial intelligence learns and analyzes the information in the database through deep learning, and aims to derive a more accurate safety case. Based on these technologies, this study analyzed the legal systems, regulatory standards, and cases of major international leading countries and international organizations such as the United States, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Switzerland, and the IAEA to establish a database management system. To establish a safety regulation base suitable for the domestic deep geological disposal environment, the database is provided as data to refer to and apply systematic information management on regulatory standards and regulatory cases of overseas leading countries, and it is expected that it will play a key role as a forum for understanding and discussing the level of safety of deep geological disposal system among stakeholders.

In Korea, borated stainless steel (BSS) is used as a storage rack in spent fuel pools (SFP) to maintain the nuclear criticality of spent fuels. As the number of nuclear power plants and the corresponding amount of spent fuels increased, the density in SFP storage rack also increased. In this regard, maintaining subcriticality of spent nuclear fuels became an issue and BSS was selected as the structural material and neutron absorber for high density storage rack. Since it is difficult to replace the storage rack, corrosion resistance and neutron absorbency are required for long period. BSS is based on stainless steel 304 and is specified in the ASTM A887-89 standard depending on the boron concentration from 304B (0.20-0.29% B) to 304B7 (1.75-2.25% B). Due to the low solubility of boron in austenitic stainless steel, metallic borides such as (Fe, Cr) 2B are formed as a secondary phase. Metallic borides could cause Cr depletion near it, which could decrease the corrosion resistance of the material. In this paper, the long-term corrosion behavior of BSS and its oxide microstructures are investigated through accelerated corrosion experiment in simulated SFP conditions. Because the corrosion rate of austenitic stainless steel is known to be dependent on the Arrhenius equation, a function of temperature, the corrosion experiment is conducted by increasing the experimental temperature. Detail microstructural analysis is conducted using a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer. After oxidation, a hematite structure oxide film is formed, and pitting corrosion occurs on the surface of specimens. Most of the pitting corrosion is found at the substrate surface because the corrosion resistance of the substrate, which has low Cr content, is relatively low. Also, the oxidation reaction of B in the secondary phase has the lowest Gibbs free energy compared to other elements. Furthermore, oxidation of Cr has low Gibbs free energy, which means that oxidation of B and Cr could be faster than other elements. Thus, the long-term corrosion might affect the boron content and the neutron absorption ability of the material. Using boron’s high cross-section for neutrons, the neutron absorption performance of BSS was evaluated through neutron transmission tests. The effect of the corrosion behavior of BSS on its neutron absorption performance was investigated. Samples simulated to undergo up to 60 years of degradation before corrosion through accelerated corrosion testing did not show significant changes in the neutron shielding ability before and after corrosion. This can be explained in relation to the corrosion behavior of BSS. Boron was only leached out from the secondary phase exposed on the surface, and this oxidized secondary phase corresponds to about 0.17% of the volume of the total secondary phase. This can be seen as a very small proportion compared to the total boron content and is not expected to have a significant impact on neutron absorption performance.

In this research, KPS manufactured Full System Decontamination (FSD) equipment, which is consisted of Oxidizing Agent Manufacturing System (OAMS), Chemical Injection System (CIS), RadWaste Treatment System (RWTS), Chemical Waste Decomposition & Treatment System (CWDS) and conducted demonstration test to prepare Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) project of Kori nuclear power plant in Korea. Each equipment of FSD was modularized due to the limited size of equipment hatch of Kori nuclear power plant. To simulate the expected circumstances in nuclear power plant such as usage of heater or position of each equipment, additional equipment was used. The chemical concentration and flow rate of process water for FSD were used as mentioned in the previous study by KHNP CRI. FSD was conducted for three cycles and each cycle was consisted of oxidation, reduction, chemical decomposition and purification. Oxidation and reduction process were conducted at 90°C. Chemical decomposition and purification process were conducted at 40°C due to the damage of UV lamp and IX by the heat. Total volume of process water for FSD demonstration test was 2.5 m2. KPS conducted decontamination performance review by calculating thickness reduction and weight loss of installed specimen. Operational review was conducted as if FSD test was conducted in the field based on the result of demonstration test. One of the most prioritized features is the workers’ safety. Also, the appropriate position of equipment needs to be considered to meet the required specification of component.

Kori-1, the nuclear power plants in South Korea, first started operation in April 1978 and was suspended permanently in 2017. The saturation rate time of spent nuclear fuel generated by major nuclear power plants operating in Korea are getting closer. If we fail to dispose spent nuclear fuel, which is equivalent to high-level radioactive waste, the nuclear power plants will have to be shutdown. High-level radioactive waste is permanently disposed through a deep geological disposal system because it contains long-term half-life nuclides and emits high energy. To select the deep geological disposal site and construct the disposal facilities, it is necessary to establish appropriate regulatory policies accordingly. The status of database construction in OECD-NEA, NRC, SITEX, and IAEA, which provides safety regulations for deep geological disposal system, stipulates each requirement for dismantling nuclear power plants. However, details such as specific figures are not specified, and guidelines for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes are not clearly distinguished. In Korea, the CYPRUS program, an integrated database system, has been developed to support comprehensive performance evaluation for high-level waste disposal. However, due to several difficult situations, maintenance and upgrades have not been performed, so the research results exist only in the form of raw data and the new research results have not been reflected. Other than that, there is no preemptive basis for regulating the deep geological disposal system. With real-time database, we can develop a regulatory system for the domestic deep disposal system by systematically analyzing the regulatory condition and regulatory case data of international organizations and foreign leading countries. The database system processed and stored primary data collected from nuclear safety reports and other related data. In addition, we used relational database and designed table to maximize time and space efficiency. It is provided in the form of a web service so that multiple users can easily find the data they want at the same time. Based on these technologies, this study established a database system by analyzing the legal systems, regulatory standards, and cases of major foreign leading countries such as Sweden, Finland, the United States, and Japan. This database aims to organize data for each safety case component and further prepare a safety regulatory framework for each stage of development of disposal facilities suitable for the domestic environment.

CYPRUS is a web-based waste disposal research comprehensive information management program developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute over three years from 2004. This program is stored as existing quality assurance documents and data, and the research results can be viewed at any time. In addition, it helps to perform all series of tasks related to the safety evaluation study of the repository in accordance with the quality assurance system. In the future, it is necessary to improve the user convenience by clarifying the relationship between FEP and scenarios and upgrading output functions such as visualization and automatic report generation. This purpose of this study is to research and develop the advanced program of CYPRUS. This study is based on building FEP, DIM and scenario databases. It is necessary to develop an algorithm to analyze and visualize the FEP, DIM and scenario relationship. This project is an integrated information processing platform for DB management and visualization considering user convenience. The first development goal is to build long-term evolutionary FEP, DIM, and scenarios as a database. The linkage by FEP item was designed in consideration of convenience by using a mixed delimiter of letters and numbers. This design provides information on detailed interactions and impacts between FEP items. Scenario data lists a series of events and characteristic change information for performance evaluation in chronological order. In addition, it includes information on FEP occurrence and mutual nutrition by period, and information on whether or not the repository performance is satisfied by item. The second development goal is to realize the relationship analysis and visualization function of FEP and scenario based on network analysis technique. Based on DIM, this function analyzes and visualizes interactions between FEPs in the same way as PID, RES, etc. In addition, this function analyzes FEP and DIM using network analysis technique and visualizes it as a diagram. The developed platform will be used to construct and visualize the FEP DB covering research results in various disposal research fields, to analyze and visualize the relationship between core FEP and scenarios, and finally to construct scenarios and calculation cases that are the evaluation target of the comprehensive performance evaluation model. In addition, it is expected to support the knowledge exchange of experts based on the FEP and scenario integrated information processing platform, and to utilize the platform itself as a part of the knowledge transfer system for knowledge preservation.