A male Spheropistha melanosoma Yaginuma, 1957 from Korea in the family Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833 is described with measurements and morphological photos of the diagnostic characteristics. This species was collected with a sweep net around arable lands in a mountainous mixed forest during the investigation of spider fauna on Ulleungdo Island in 2019.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are attracting attention because of their excellent properties and functions; however, they are relatively expensive compared with commercial alloys. Therefore, various efforts have been made to reduce the cost of raw materials. In this study, MIM is attempted using coarse equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi HEA powders. The mixing ratio (powder:binder) for HEA feedstock preparation is explored using torque rheometer. The block-shaped green parts are fabricated through a metal injection molding process using feedstock. The thermal debinding conditions are explored by thermogravimetric analysis, and solvent and thermal debinding are performed. It is densified under various sintering conditions considering the melting point of the HEA. The final product, which contains a small amount of non-FCC phase, is manufactured at a sintering temperature of 1250oC.

Background: Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) is an educational approach that deals with the physiology of the nervous system as well as the pain system and refers to educating patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders such as chronic back pain. Objectives: This study examined the effects of pain neuroscience education on patients with low back pain. Design: Systematic review. Methods: Electronic bibliographic databases of a regional information sharing system (RISS) and PubMed were searched to identify randomized controlled studies. In the final outcome, 43 publications were identified, and 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: There were a total of 13 pain-related studies, including 11 studies using NPRS (VAS) and 2 studies using other pain measurement instruments. In NPRS, the effect size was 0.683, which had a medium effect size. In Roland morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), the effect size was 0.544, which had a medium effect size. In Oswestry disability index (ODI), the effect size was 0.951, indicating a large effect size, but the confidence interval could not be obtained because there was only one study. Conclusion: Pain neuroscience education has positive effects on low back pain and disability index in related patients.

Soft magnetic powder materials are used throughout industries such as motors and power converters. When manufacturing Fe-based soft magnetic composites, the size and shape of the soft magnetic powder and the microstructure in the powder are closely related to the magnetic properties. In this study, Fe-Si-Al-P alloy powders were manufactured using various manufacturing process parameter sets, and the process parameters of the vacuum induction melt gas atomization process were set as melt temperature, atomization gas pressure, and gas flow rate. Process variable data that records are converted into 6 types of data for each powder recovery section. Process variable data that recorded minute changes were converted into 6 types of data and used as input variables. As output variables, a total of 6 types were designated by measuring the particle size, flowability, apparent density, and sphericity of the manufactured powders according to the process variable conditions. The sensitivity of the input and output variables was analyzed through the Pearson correlation coefficient, and a total of 6 powder characteristics were analyzed by artificial neural network model. The prediction results were compared with the results through linear regression analysis and response surface methodology, respectively.

It is essential that continual assessments of the impact of mine-derived water as a long-lasting burden on freshwater environments. Abundance-based evaluations of benthic macroinvertebrates have been conducted to evaluate anthropogenic disturbances and devise policies to reduce their impact. In this study, the status of a stream habitat was evaluated based on the body length and biomass weight of benthic macroinvertebrates of the family Baetidae. Following the renewal of the mining water treatment plant, the abundance of Baetidae assemblages recovered to a level comparable to that of a reference site. However, relatively low values were found for both body length and biomass weight in Baetidae species inhabiting the reddened streambed area, suggesting that the habitat has not yet been completely recovered despite the recovery of the abundance of the Baetidae assemblages. Therefore, continuous investigation and evaluation of this disturbed stream are necessary until their growth conditions of the habitat have functionally recovered

This study evaluated the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB, a mixture of Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus plantarum) supplementation, the storage temperature, and storage period on the fermentation characteristics and in vitro ruminal digestibility of a total mixed ration (TMR). The TMR was prepared into two groups, namely, CON (control TMR without the LAB) and ML (supplementing a mixture of E. faecium and L. plantarum in the ratio of 1% and 2% (v/w), respectively). Both groups were divided and stored at 4°C or 25°C for 3, 7, and 14 d fermentation periods. Supplementing LAB to the TMR did not affect the chemical composition of TMR except for the lactate and acetate concentration. Storage temperatures affected (p<0.05) the chemical composition of the TMR, including pH, lactate, and acetate contents. The chemical composition of TMR was also affected (p<0.05) by the storage period. During in vitro rumen fermentation study, the ML treatment showed lower (p<0.05) dry matter digestibility at 24 h incubation with a higher pH compared to the CON. There was no difference in the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of TMR between the CON and ML treatment however, at 24 h, ML treatment showed lower (p<0.05) IVDMD with a higher pH compared to the CON. The effects of storage temperature and period on IVDMD were not apparent at 24 h incubation. In an in vivo study using Holstein steers, supplementing LAB to the basal TMR for 60 d did not differ in the final body weight and average daily gain. Likewise, the fecal microbiota did not differ between CON and ML. However, the TMR used for the present study did include a commercial yeast in CON, whereas ML did not; therefore, results were, to some extent, compromised in examining the effect of LAB. In conclusion, storage temperature and period significantly affected the TMR quality, increasing acetate and lactate concentration. However, the actual effects of LAB supplementation were equivocal.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in many commercial products may interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system and are unsafe because of their cumulative effect on the human body. However, little is known about the effects of combinations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in humans. Methoxychlor and bisphenol A are toxic to male reproductive organs. Therefore, we studied the effects of methoxychlor and bisphenol A on male reproductive function. Male mice were divided into four treatment groups: control, 400 mg methoxychlor, 1 mg bisphenol A, and 400 mg methoxychlor + 1 mg bisphenol A/kg/day. Methoxychlor and bisphenol A were dissolved in sesame oil and acetone and administered orally for 4 weeks. After administration, the weight and histological changes in the testicles and epididymis, sperm count and health were observed biochemical tests and whole blood counts were performed. The results showed that the mice in the bisphenol A and methoxychlor + bisphenol A groups gained more weight than those in the control and methoxychlor group. The weights of the testes and epididymis were higher in the experimental groups than in the control. Sperm motility and progression were significantly reduced in the bisphenol A and methoxychlor + bisphenol A groups. Histological observation showed a reduced number of sperm, smaller seminiferous tubules, and destroyed lumen in the methoxychlor + bisphenol A group compared to the other groups. In conclusion, our study showed that methoxychlor and bisphenol A destroy male reproductive tissues and decrease sperm quality.

Agrophotovoltaic (APV) system is an integrated system producing crops as well as solar energy. Because crop production underneath Photovoltaic (PV) modules requires delicate management of crops, smart farming equipment such as real-time remote monitoring sensors (e.g., soil moisture sensors) and micro-climate monitoring sensors (e.g., thermometers and irradiance sensors) is installed in the APV system. This study aims at introducing a decision support system (DSS) for smart farming in an APV system. The proposed DSS is devised to provide a mobile application service, satellite image processing, real-time data monitoring, and performance estimation. Particularly, the real-time monitoring data is used as an input of the DSS system for performance estimation of an APV system in terms of production yields of crops and monetary benefit so that a data-driven function is implemented in the proposed system. The proposed DSS is validated with field data collected from an actual APV system at the Jeollanamdo Agricultural Research and Extension Services in South Korea. As a result, farmers and engineers enable to efficiently produce solar energy without causing harmful impact on regular crop production underneath PV modules. In addition, the proposed system will contribute to enhancement of the smart farming technology in the field of agriculture.

2007년 메타버스 로드맵에서 메타버스 정의가 공식 발표된 바 있으며, 당시 국내외 연구자들에 의해 많은 논문이 발표되면서 학문적 이론적으로 정립하려는 노력을 해왔다. 이와는 달리, 산업계에서는 ‘메타버스’키 워드가 비대면 장기화와 맞물려 과열 양상을 보이고 있다. 정작 언급되는 메타버스 성공사례는 '게임'이거나 '게이미피케이션' 또는 ‘게임융합’ 사례가 다수다. 따라서, '메타버스'영역에도 게이미피케이션 이론과 원리의 적용은 바람직하다. 이에, 필자가 발표했던 DMGL 모델을 확장하여, 메타버스 내 습관형성 위한 다이내믹 모델을 제시하였다. 저자는 플레이어 경험을 향상시키기 위해 메타월드 습관 형성을 위한 4가자 양상의 모 델을 제안했다. P1) 플레이어는 세계관에 따라 전개되는 배경스토리를 따르며, 유발된 호기심으로 탐험할 동 기가 생성되고 게임의 조작법을 익히고 게임의 목표를 향하는 여정이다. P2) 플레이어는 메타월드의 조작법 익히기 단계로 온보딩 한다. P3) 플레이어는 아바타 꾸미기,아이템 획득/거래,커뮤니티 활동 등을 수행하면 서, 점차 목적(표)를 향한다. P4) 플레이어는 목적기능을 바로 수행할 수 있는 방식으로 온보딩한다. 이 모델 은 게임의 원리와 요소의 융합(게이미피케이션)으로, 후속연구에서 보다 심도 있는 연구 모델을 제시할 예 정이다.

Viscosity is a fundamental physical property that is important in any system in which fluid movement occurs. In addition, most of the elements exist as ions in molten state in high-temperature molten salt, and electrical conductivity in such molten state is closely related to viscosity as a transport property. Molten salt reactor (MSR) and pyroprocess are representative processes dealing with high-temperature molten salts, actinide elements, and other radioactive materials. In MSR and pyroprocesses, the viscosity data must be provided as one of the fundamental physical property data required for safe process operations and countermeasures to severe accidents. In order to measure the viscosity of highly corrosive molten salt at high temperatures, we have built a in-house developed molten salt viscosity measurement system based on the Brookfield rotationary viscometer. We also developed a special correction technique to improve the accuracy of the viscosity measurement. In this study, the viscosity was measured at 500°C for NaCl-MgCl2 molten salt, which is selected as the base salt material of MSR system under development in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), using our viscosity measurement system installed in a oxygen- and moisture-free Ar-atmosphere glovebox. Our viscosity measurement system was calibrated using a LiCl-KCl eutectic mixture with well-known viscosity value, and viscosity values obtained using our own correction methodology were compared with those of other conventional correction methods. In our further study, we plan to measure the NaCl-MgCl2-UCl3 system at various compositions and temperatures.

In emergency situations such as nuclear accidents or terrorism, radioactive and nuclear materials can be released by some environmental reasons such as the atmosphere and underground water. To secure the safety of human beings and to respond appropriately emergency situation, it is required to designate high and low dose rate regions in the early stages by analyzing the location and radioactivity of sources through environmental radiation measurement. This research team has developed a small gamma probe which is featured by its geometrical accessibility and higher radiation sensitivity than other drone detectors. A plastic scintillator and Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) were applied to the probe to optimize the wireless measurement condition. SiPM has a higher gain (higher than 106) and lower operating voltage (less than 30 V) compared to a general photodiode. However, the electronic components in the SiPM are sensitively affected by temperature, which causes the performance degradation of the SiPM. As the SiPM temperature increases, the breakdown voltage (VBD) of the SiPM also increases, so the gain must be maintained by applying the appropriate VBD. Therefore, when the SiPM temperature increases while the VBD is fixed, the gain decreases. Thus, the signal does not exceed the threshold voltage (VTH) and the overall count is reduced. In general, the optimal gain is maintained by cooling the SiPM or through a temperature compensation circuit. However, in the developed system, the hardware correction method such as cooling or temperature compensation circuit cannot be applied. In this study, it was confirmed that the count decreased by up to 20% according to the increase in the temperature of the SiPM when the probe was operated at room temperature (26°C). We propose methods to calibrate the total count without cooling device or compensation circuit. After operating the probe at room temperature, the first measured count is set as the reference value, and the correction factor is derived using the tendency of the count to decrease as the temperature increases. In addition, since this probe is used for environmental radiation monitoring, periodic measurements are more suitable than continuous measurements. Therefore, the temperature of the probe can be maintained by adding a power saving interval to the operation sequence of the probe. These two methods use the operation sequence and measurement data, respectively. Thus, it is expected to be the most effective method for the current system where the temperature compensation through hardware is not possible.

When the nuclear accident like the Fukushima is occurred, it is required to immediately determine the location of radioactive materials and their activities. Various studies related the unmanned technique to detect and characterize the contaminated area have been conducted. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC) has developed a new gamma detection system which consists of nine probes using a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) and plastic scintillator. The probe is the small gamma detector designed to be carried and dropped near the accident area by the unmanned aerial vehicle. In this paper, we developed the improved design related to the angular dependence of the radioactive contamination detection system with the purpose of increasing the detection efficiency. The detection efficiency, radiation shielding and back-scattering varies depending on the direction of incidence of radiation because the probe has vertical structure of consisting scintillator, photomultiplier, and electric circuits. That is, when the experimental conditions are same except the direction of gamma probe, the result of measurements is different. It causes errors in measuring the radioactivity and location of the radioactive source. Since the direction of the probe is arbitrarily determined during the deployment of the probe through the unmanned aerial vehicle, it is considered changing the design of the scintillator from a conventional 1.0" × 1.0" Φ cylindrical shape to a 1.0" Φ spherical shape. In case of using the spherical scintillator, it is confirmed that angular dependence was reduced through MCNP simulation. The difference in the measurement depending on the direction of the probe could be reduced through additional structure design. Finally, we hope that the developed detection system which has the probes with spherical shape of scintillator can measure the radioactivity and location of the radioactive source in a range of about 100 × 100 m2 by measuring for at least 5 minutes. The field test at Fukushima area will be carried out with JAEA members in order to prove the feasibility of the new system.

Plasma Arc Melter (MSO) system has been developed for the treatment and the stabilization of various kinds of hazardous and radioactive waste into the readily disposable solidification products. Molten salt oxidation system has been developed for the for the treatment of halogen- and sulfurbearing hazardous and radioactive waste without emissions of PCDD/Fs and acid gases. However, PAM system has showed some difficulty in the off-gas treatment system due to the volatilization of radionuclides and toxic metals at extremely high-temperature plasma arc melter and the emissions of acid gases. MSO system has also showed the difficulty in the treatment of spent molten salt into the disposable waste form. Present study discussed the results of organics destruction performance tests for the PAM-MSO combination system, which is proposed and developed to compensate the drawbacks of each system. The worst-case condition tests for the organics destruction were conducted at lowest temperatures and the worst-case condition tests for the retention of metals and radionuclides were conducted at highested temperatures under the range of normal operating condition. For the worst-case organic destruction test, C6H5Cl was selected as a POHCs (Principal Organic Hazardous Constituents) because of its high incinerability ranking and the property of generation of chlorine gases and PCDD/Fs when incompletely destroyed. Simulated concrete waste spiked with 1 L of C6H5Cl was treated and the emissions of 17 kinds of PCDD/Fs and other hazardous gases such as CO, THCs, NOx, SO2 and HCl/Cl2 were measured. For the worst-case condition tests for the retention of metals and radionuclides, Pb and Cs were selected because of its high volatility characteristics. The emissions of PCDD/Fs was extremely lowered than the emission limit and those of other hazardous constituents were below their emission limit. The results of performance tests on the organics destruction suggested that tested PAM-MSO combination system could readily treat PCBs-bearing spent insulation liquid, spent ion-exchange resins used for the treatment of spent decontamination liquid in the decommission process and the concreted debris bearing hazardous organic coating materials. The decontamination factor of Cs and Co were 1.4×105, 1.4×105, respectively. The emisison of Pb was 0.562 ppm. These results suggested that tested PAM-MSO system treated low-level radioactive and pb-bearing mixed waste.

The decommissioning process of Kori Nuclear Power Plant No.1, which was permanently suspended in 2017, various studies and attention on the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and waste management are being focused. In particular, decommissioning of high-risk facilities should take into account both safety and economic aspects. Small defects in the decommissioning process may lead to major disasters, and the resulting economic losses will cause enormous damage at the national level. In order to prevent such damage, various decommissioning process simulations within a virtual environment should be performed, and process errors and results should be collected and analyzed through simulation to derive the optimal decommissioning scenario as possible. The platform introduced in this paper builds a virtual environment based on drawing and modeling data of Kori Nuclear Power Plant No.1 and automatically creates an optimized cutting path for dismantling the facility and internal structure, and simulates a cutting process similar to reality using Robot Arm. In addition, it is possible to derive and analyze a cutting process scenario by processing process results such as time required for work and cutting distance collected through simulation.

There are various types of level gauging method such as using float, differential pressure, hypersonic, displacement and so on. In this study, among them, the method utilizing the differential pressure was reviewed. The strengths include: the differential pressure type level gauge can measure the level without direct contact of the sensor with media. That is to say, the level can be measured even if the sensor is far away from the tank. And regardless of the size of the tank, the level can be measured if the pneumatic pipes are installed. The weaknesses include: the sensor needs intermedium to recognize the level. The intermedium utilizes a fluid, which is compressed air. It is difficult to handle that compressed air has the properties of a gas. And to make compressed air needs compressor, tank and pneumatic pipes. So if you have many tanks, you need to install exponentially the pneumatic pipes. As well, level measurement range is limited to the points where the pneumatic pipes of the tank is installed. And if a compressed air that supplies to the sensor leaks, uncertainty will increase. A compressed air is colorless and odorless, so it’s difficult to pinpoint the leak. Finally, events like cracks and clogging can cause inaccurate measurement. Rather than using only differential pressure, it is better to use another measurement method according to the situation of the facility.