Vaccinations, surveillance, quarantine, and disposal of the infected poultry are the common strategies for prevention and control of the highly infectious poultry diseases; however, many pathogens still persist and are potential causes threatening the nationwide spread of poultry diseases. A strict biosecurity strategy including disinfection is the key to control the spread of avian pathogens, such as the Newcastle disease virus (NDV). It is important to select and use the disinfectants whose efficacy and the effective concentrations against the specific pathogens are known. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the virucidal efficacy of five active substances of commercial disinfectants, namely potassium peroxymonosulfate (PPMS), sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC), glutaraldehyde (GLT), benzalkonium chloride (BZK), and didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC), that are used against NDV. Further, we validated the efficacy of eight pre-approved disinfectants. The minimal virucidal concentrations of the active substances against NDV were as follows: PPMS, 2.50 g/L; NaDCC, 2.00 g/L; GLT, 0.40 g/L; BZK, 2.00 g/L, and DDAC, 1.00 g/L. Furthermore, all the eight disinfectants were found to be effective against NDV at the recommended concentrations, thereby confirming that the active substances are functional against NDV. This is the first study reporting the virucidal activity of the active substances of commercial disinfectants against NDV, in accordance with the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency guidelines, in South Korea. The results of the virucidal efficacy testing of chemical disinfectants from this study will help poultry industries implement improved strategies for controlling infection.

Large earthquakes with (MW > ~ 6) result in ground shaking, surface ruptures, and permanent deformation with displacement. The earthquakes would damage important facilities and infrastructure such as large industrial establishments, nuclear power plants, and waste disposal sites. In particular, earthquake ruptures associated with large earthquakes can affect geological and engineered barriers such as deep geological repositories that are used for storing hazardous radioactive wastes. Earthquake-driven faults and surface ruptures exhibit various fault zone structural characteristics such as direction of earthquake propagation and rupture and asymmetric displacement patterns. Therefore, estimating the respect distances and hazardous areas has been challenging. We propose that considering multiple parameters, such as fault types, distribution, scale, activity, linkage patterns, damage zones, and respect distances, enable accurate identification of the sites for deep geological repositories and important facilities. This information would enable earthquake hazard assessment and lower earthquakeresulted hazards in potential earthquake-prone areas.

Safe geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) requires knowledge of the deep hydrochemical characteristics of the repository site. Here, we conducted a set of deep hydrochemical investigations using a 750-m borehole drilled in a model granite system in Wonju, South Korea. A closed investigation system consisting of a double-packer, Waterra pump, flow cell, and water-quality measurement unit was used for in situ water quality measurements and subsequent groundwater sampling. We managed the drilling water labeled with a fluorescein dye using a recycling system that reuses the water discharged from the borehole. We selected the test depths based on the dye concentrations, outflow water quality parameters, borehole logging, and visual inspection of the rock cores. The groundwater pumped up to the surface flowed into the flow cell, where the in situ water quality parameters were measured, and it was then collected for further laboratory measurements. Atmospheric contact was minimized during the entire process. Before hydrochemical measurements and sample collection, pumping was performed to purge the remnant drilling water. This study on a model borehole can serve as a reference for the future development of deep hydrochemical investigation procedures and techniques for siting processes of SNF repositories.

This study examined the effects of micro- (crystallinity) and macro (orientation)-crystalline properties of graphite on the initial efficiency, discharge capacity, and rate performance of anodic materials. Needle coke and regular coke were selected as raw materials and pulverized to 2–25 μm to determine the effects of crystalline properties on particle shape after pulverization. Needle coke with outstanding crystallinity had high initial efficiency, and smaller particles with larger specific surface areas saw increased irreversible capacity due to the formation of SEI layers. Because of cavities existing between crystals, the poorer the crystalline properties were, the greater the capacity of the lithium ions increased. As such, regular coke had a 30 mAh/g higher discharge capacity than that of needle coke. Rate performance was more affected by particle size than by crystalline structure, and was the highest at a particle distribution of 10–15 μm.