Milichiidae Schiner, 1862 is a small family of Diptera, with 19 genera and 360 described species worldwide. In Korea, only two species in a single genus, Aldrichiomyza Hendel, 1914, have been recorded. Milichiid species, small-sized acalyptrate flies, are generally associated with decaying plants and animals. In particular, Desmometopa Loew, 1866 in the family has a commensalistic habit, more precisely the phoretic relationship, that has been observed with predacious insects and spiders, in which adults feed on the juices of the prey. In this study, we recognized Desmometopa microps Lamb, 1914 for the first time in the Korean Peninsula. This is also the first record of the genus from the country. Herein, we provide diagnosis of D. microps based on the Korean specimens with images.

Necrophila (Calosilpha) brunnicollis brunnicollis (Kraatz, 1877) is a common necrophagous beetle in the Palaearctic region. The species is often encountered on the corpses of large vertebrates, such as human and pig, and is well recognized as a potentially group of beetles in forensic entomology. All of the developmental stages can be found in the corpse and under the soil near a corpse, which can be used to reconstruct the site, such as estimating PMI(Postmortem interval). However, its larval instar stages were never thoroughly described for identification. In this study, we redescribe the morphological characters of all larval stages of N. brunnicollis for quantitative and qualitative morphological information. In addition, we provide the images of larvae and an indentrifiaction key to larval instars.

The genus Silpha Linnaeus, 1758 in Silphinae includes 33 species worldwide. This group is flightless and known to feed on invertebrate carcasses from the ground surface. In South Korea, 3 species have been recorded, and S. koreana Cho& Kwon, 1999 is an endemic species, distributed only Mt. Taebaek and Mt. Mindung. Up to date the immature stages of the species has never been studied although the species has significant value as an endemic species. The present study is the very first one ever conducted describing the larval morphological characters of S. koreana along with images of larval stages. Furthermore, we report observations on developmental lengths for each stages of the species.

Callipogon relictus, a natural monument, is an insect whose life cycle was assumed to take more than 5 years in nature. Winter is a very harsh season, but it is known to be a crucial condition for many insects’ growth. However, no information is known about the overwintering condition and its effects on C. relictus. To understand the overwintering effects on the growth of C. relictus, we investigated the growth patterns of its larvae in indoor conditions after chilling treatment. The larvae were induced to dormancy at low temperature (4°C) for two months, and put them into 10°C for two weeks to break dormancy. After awakening, the temperature was increased 15°C, 20°C to 25°C at a time, and the larvae were kept for two weeks at each temperature. The larvae were divided into 3 groups (3rd to 5th instar, 6th to 8th instar, 9th to last instar). Lastly, head width and weight of the larvae were measured every 30 days under 25°C condition, and mortality and deformity were counted as well. The mortality and deformity rates were the highest in the first group, and the rates decreased toward the last group. On the other hands, growth rate appeared opposite to mortality and deformity rate of each larval group.

In this study, an experiment was conducted on the domestic cultivar 'White and Cool' on a farm in Taean to compare the effects of conventional soil cultivation and net cultivation to increase yield and reduce labor input time during outdoor gladiolus cultivation. The above- and below-ground growth, yield, and input labor time were investigated after cultivating half of the seedlings using the conventional cultivation method and the other half using the net cultivation method. There was no difference in the above- or below-ground growth between net cultivation and conventional cultivation. However, the labor input time decreased 2.57 times, the yield of the irrigated area increased by 3%, and the self-fertilization yield increased by 28%. Based on these results, several factors should be considered during net cultivation. First, loose netting should be used for root development. Second, care should be taken while flattening when planting seedlings, and after sowing, the area should be covered with a net to prevent drying. Third, after completion of the installation, compaction should be performed to ensure close contact between the soil and netting, and after removing the space between the nets, the seedlings should be irrigated to induce early rooting.

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.

A study was conducted on the vitrification of the rare earth oxide waste generated from the PyroGreen process. The target rare earth waste consisted of eight elements: Nd, Ce, La, Pr, Sm, Y, Gd, and Eu. The waste loading of the rare earth waste in the developed borosilicate glass system was 20wt%. The fabricated glass, processed at 1,200℃, exhibited uniform and homogeneous surface without any crystallization and precipitation. The viscosity and electrical conductivity of the melted glass at 1,200℃ were 7.2 poise and 1.1 S·cm−1, respectively, that were suitable for the operation of the vitrification facility. The calculated leaching index of Cs, Co, and Sr were 10.4, 10.6, and 9.8, respectively. The evaluated Product Consistency Test (PCT) normalized release of the glass indicated that the glass satisfied the requirements for the disposal acceptance criteria. Furthermore, the pristine, 90 days water immersed, 30 thermal cycled, and 10 MGy gamma ray irradiated glasses exhibited good compressive strength. The results indicated that the fabricated glass containing rare earth waste from the PyroGreen process was acceptable for the disposal in the repository, in terms of chemical durability and mechanical strength.

Large amounts of waste and wastewater from aquaculture have negatively impacted ecosystems. Among them, shrimp aquaculture wastewater contains large amounts of nitrogen contaminants derived from feed residues in an aerobic environment. This study isolated candidate strains from adult rockworms to treat shrimp aquaculture wastewater (SAW) in an aerobic environment. Among 87 strains isolated, 25 grew well at the same temperature as the shrimp aquaculture with excellent polymer degradation ability (>0.5 cm clear zone). Six isolates (strains AL1, AL4, AL5, AL6, LA10, and PR15) were finally selected after combining strains with excellent polymer degradation ability without antagonism. 16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that strains AL1, AL4, AL5, AL6, LA10, and PR15 were closely related to Bacillus paramycoides, Bacillus pumilus, Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, Bacillus paranthracis, Bacillus paranthracis, and Micrococcus luteus, respectively. When these six isolates were applied to SAW, they reached a maximum cell viability of 2.06×105 CFU mL-1. Their chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) and total nitrogen (TN) removal rates for 12 h were 51.0% and 44.6%, respectively, when the CODCr/TN ratio was approximately 10.0. Considering these removal rates achieved in this study under batch conditions, these six isolates could be used for aerobic denitrification. Consequently, these six isolates from rockworms are good candidates that can be applied to the field of aquaculture wastewater treatment.

단단한 자구를 가진 적색 비모란선인장 ‘Gangjeok’ 품종 은 ‘Isaek’품종을 모본으로, ‘Suyeon’ 품종을 부본으로 하여 2018년에 교배하여 육성하였다. 교배 후 획득한 종자는 조직 배양실에서 기내파종하여 획득한 유묘를 기내에서 삼각주선 인장에 접목하여 ‘1802001’ 등 20계통을 양성하였다. 2019 년에 기내에서 양성한 20계통을 온실에서 삼각주선인장 대목 에 접목하여 재배하면서 ‘1812005’ 계통을 1차 선발하였다. 2020년부터 2022년까지 3차에 걸쳐서 특성을 검정한 후, 농 산물직무육성품종 심의회에서 최종 선발하여 ‘Gangjeok’으 로 명명하였다.‘Gangjeok’ 품종은 편원형의 적색 구를 가진 다. 혹(tubercle)이 돌출된 형태의 모구는 8.4개의 능(rip)을 가지며, 3.5mm 짧은 회색 가시가 발생한다. 정식 10개월 후 ‘Gangjeok’ 품종의 직경은 46.1mm이며, 자구는 평균 18.3 개 발생한다. 2022년 육성계통 평가회에서 ‘Gangjeok’ 품종 은 높은 기호도 점수 4.0을 받았다.

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of about 12.3 years, and it is commonly found in the environment as a result of the production of Nuclear Power Plants. The World Health Organization (WHO) has established guidelines for the permissible levels of tritium in drinking water. The guideline value for tritium in drinking water is 10,000 Bq/L. It is important to note that the guideline value for tritium is not a legal limit, but rather a recommendation. National and local authorities may establish legal limits that are more restrictive than the WHO guideline value based on local conditions and risk assessments. The Australia and Finland have set a limit for tritium in drinking water at 76,103 Bq/L and 30,000 Bq/L respectively, which is more than three to seven times higher compare to guideline value of WHO. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for tritium in drinking water at 20,000 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), which is equivalent to 740 Bq/L. The Health Canada has set a guideline value for tritium in drinking water at 7,000 Bq/L. Assuming drinking water corresponding to each tritium limit (or guideline value) for one year, the expected exposure dose is 0.01 mSv to 1 mSv. It means that the tritium in drinking water below the limits or guideline value does not pose a significant risk to human health.

During the operation of the nuclear power plant, various radioactive waste are generated. The spent resin, boron concentrates, and DAW are classified as a generic radioactive waste. They are treated and stored at radioactive waste building. In the reactor vessel, different types of radioactive waste are generated. Since the materials used in reactor core region exposed to high concentration of neutrons, they exhibit higher level of surface dose rate and specific activity. And they are usually stored in spent fuel pool with spent fuel. Various non-fuel radioactive wastes are stored in spent fuel pool, which are skeleton, control rod assembly, burnable neutron absorber, neutron source, in core detector, etc. The skeleton is composed of stainless 304 and Inconel-718. There are two types of control rod assembly, that are WH type and OPR type. The WH type control rod is composed of Ag-In-Cd composites. The OPR type control rod is composed of B4C and Inconel-625. In this paper, the characteristics and storage status of the non-fuel radioactive waste will be reported. Also, the management strategy for the various non-fuel radioactive waste will be discussed.

The segmentation of activated components is considered as a one of the most important processes in decommissioning. The activated components, such as reactor vessel and reactor vessel internals, are exposed to neutron from the nuclear fuel and classified to intermediate, low, and very low-level wastes. As it is expected, the components, which are closed to nuclear fuel, exhibit higher degree of specific activity. After the materials were exposed to neutrons, their original elements transform to other nuclides. The primary nuclides in activated stainless steel are 55Fe, 63,59Ni, 60Co, 54Mn, etc. The previous study indicates that the specific activity of individual nuclide is strongly depends on the material compositions and impurities of the original materials. The 59Co is the one of the most important impurities in stainless steel and carbon steel. In this paper, the relationship between individual nuclides in activation analysis of activated components was studied. The systematic study on specific activity of primary nuclides will be discussed in this paper to understand the activation tendency of the components.

Dry active waste (DAW) contains substantial amount of cellulose related materials. The DAW are usually classified as low and/or very low-level waste. In Korea, three types of disposal facilities have been considered: silo, engineering barrier, and land-fill. Currently, only the silo type disposal facility is in operation. Around 27 thousand drums were disposed in silo. Massive amount of cement concrete is used in construction of silo. The ground waste, which flow through the concrete structure, shows higher pH than as it is. It is generally known that the pH of silo is ~12.47 in Korea, when considering construction material, filling material, and property of ground water. It is expected that the cellulose in DAW will be partially transformed to isosaccharinic acid (ISA). It is generally accepted that the ISA plays a negative role in safety analysis of disposal facility by stimulation of specific nuclides. Various factors affect the degradation of cellulose containing radioactive waste, such as degree of polymerization, pH of disposal condition, interaction between concrete structure and ground water, etc. In this paper, the disposal safety analysis of cellulose containing radioactive, usually paper, cotton, wood, etc., are studied. The degradation of cellulose with respect to degree of polymerization, pH of neighboring water, filling material of silo, etc. are reviewed. Based on the review results, it is reasonable to conclude that the substantial amount of DAW could be disposed in silo.

With the introduction and implementation of the National Research and Development Innovation Act in 2021, researchers are required to have a greater understanding of research ethics and to comply more strictly. The range of misconduct in research and the standards for sanctions have been expanded with the introduction of the National Research and Development Innovation Act. In addition, researchperforming institutions and specialized agencies have been obligated to establish their own research management systems and standards according to the changed criteria. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC), a nuclear regulatory authority that is conducting national R&D in related fields, has sought to strengthen research ethics by revising related regulations, introducing a plagiarism detection system, and expanding related education in accordance with these policies. In this study, we analyzed the effectiveness of the plagiarism detection system as a basic quality control measure for research results and a tool for enhancing research ethics, which was introduced. KINAC did not simply introduce a plagiarism detection program but established institutional improvements and other regulatory measures to support it, with the aim of more effectively managing research results. To analyze the effectiveness of this system, we calculated the plagiarism rate by sampling 30 papers each year for the three years before the introduction of the plagiarism detection system. When comparing the plagiarism rates before and after the introduction of the plagiarism detection system, no exceptional cases of high plagiarism rates were found in papers published after the introduction of the system. Although most of the papers before the introduction of the system showed a satisfactory plagiarism rate, some cases showed high plagiarism rates. We analyzed the cause of such cases in detail. Some exceptional cases were also found to be included in the range of misconduct regulated by the National Research and Development Innovation Act. As no such cases were found after the introduction of the system, we could infer that the system is effectively functioning as a tool for basic quality control and enhancing research ethics. In the future, we plan to expand the sample qualitatively and quantitatively by including other forms of outcomes published by the institution, not just papers, and conduct a more detailed analysis. Based on the results, we will develop various improvement plans for enhancing the quality and research ethics of the institution’s research results.

To evaluate the safeguards system or performance in a facility, it is crucial to analyze the diversion path for nuclear materials. However, diversion paths can range from the extremely simplified to the complicated depending on the level of knowledge and the specific person conducting the analysis. This study developed the diversion path analysis tools using an event tree and fault tree method to generating diversion paths systematically. The essential components of the diversion path were reviewed, and a logical flow was developed for systematically creating the diversion path. An algorithm was created based on the facility design components and logical flow, as well as the initial information of the nuclear materials and material flows. The event tree and fault tree analysis tools were used to test the path generation algorithm. The usage and limitations of these two logic methods are discussed, and ideas to incorporate the logic algorithm into practical program tools are suggested. The tests were analyzed on a typical light water reactor as an example, including automatic generation of dedicated pathways, configuration of safeguards measures, and analyzing paths with strategies for avoiding safeguard systems. The results led to the development of a draft pathway analyzer program that can be applied to general nuclear systems. The results of this study will be used to develop a program module that can systematically generate diversion paths using the event tree and fault tree method. It can help to guide and provide practical tools for implementing SBD.