Hydride analysis is required to assess the mechanical integrity of spent nuclear fuel cladding. Image segmentation, which is a hydride analysis method, is a technique that can analyze the orientation and distribution of hydrides in cladding images of spent nuclear fuels. However, the segmentation results varied according to the image preprocessing. Inaccurate segmentation results can make hydride difficult to analyze. This study aims to analyze the segmentation performance of the Otsu algorithm according to the morphological operations of cladding images. Morphological operations were applied to four different cladding images, and segmentation performance was quantitatively compared using a histogram, betweenclass variance, and radial hydride fraction. As a result, this study found that morphological operations can induce errors in cladding images and that appropriate combinations of morphological operations can maximize segmentation performance. This study emphasizes the importance of image preprocessing methods, suggesting that they can enhance the accuracy of hydride analysis. These findings are expected to contribute to the advancements in integrity assessment of spent nuclear fuel cladding.

Jeju Island has been facing to threat of high-risk invasive pests from tropical areas. To protect domestic agriculture from those invasive pests, APQA has conducted a regular monitoring program on Jeju Island. We collected especially phototactic heteroceran pests by light bucket trap and identified them using their superficial appearances, and also mitochondria COI gene. As a result, a total of 24 families, 136 genera, 193 species, and 819 individuals were collected from around Jeju Island in 2023. Among them, two unidentified epidopteran pests, Palpita sp. (Crambidae) and Xyrosaris sp. (Yponomeutidae) were collected. In the present study, we report two unidentified micro-lepidopteran pests using superficial characteristics and mitochondria COI gene.

Bombyx mandarina (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), the presumed ancestor of the domesticated silkworm B. mori, has long been a subject of study to illustrate the geographic relationships in connection with origin of B. mori. We sequenced 100 mitochondrial genomes of B. mandarina collected from South Korea and Japan and these were combined with public data. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses showed that all individuals collected in South Korea, except one individual from Inje, formed a strong group together with northern China and some individuals of southern China. This group was placed as the sister group to B. mori strains, suggesting that this group could have been served as an immediate progenitor for B. mori. For further robust inference more analysis is underway.

본 연구에서는 디지털 게임 내 성폭력 피해 경험과 가해 경험의 내용과 특성에 대해 탐색하고자 하였다. 성폭 력 피해/가해 경험의 구체적인 내용과 정도, 성폭력 경험으로 인한 정서적 영향, 성폭력 피해시의 대처양식 등 을 조사할 수 있는 질문지를 개발하여 20세 이상의 게임 사용자들을 대상으로 온라인 설문을 실시하였고, 총 267명의 자료가 분석되었다. 그 결과, 연구참여자의 99.3%가 1회 이상 성폭력 피해를 경험하였고, 성폭력 가해 도 연구참여자의 62.5%가 경험한 것으로 나타났다. 또한 성폭력 피해와 가해 모두에서 간접적 성희롱이 가장 높은 수준으로 경험되고 있었다. 피해 경험으로 인한 정서적 영향에 있어, 지속적인 성폭력 피해가 있는 경우, 피해자들은 분노/짜증, 우울/불안, 적대감/스트레스를 유의미하게 높게 경험하였다. 피해 경험 시 대처전략은 ‘게임 내 신고시스템에 신고’가 가장 높게 나타났고, 다음으로 부정과 회피가 뒤따랐다. 가해 경험으로 인한 정서적 영향의 경우, 가해 상위 10% 집단이 하위집단에 비해 가해 행동을 통해 스릴/흥분과 같은 심리적 자극 을 경험하는 동시에 죄책감 등의 부정적 정서도 높게 경험하는 것으로 나타났다. 성폭력 피해/가해 경험의 정 도를 기준으로 집단 간 차이를 비교한 결과, 게임 이용 행동에 있어 집단 간 차이가 있는 것으로 확인되었다. 본 연구는 특정 게임이 아닌 다양한 장르와 특성의 게임들에서 발생하는 성폭력의 내용과 정도 등의 구체적 인 실태를 파악했다는데 의의가 있다. 또한 해외 연구에서 사용된 연구 틀을 그대로 적용하지 않고, 우리나라 게임 사용자들의 디지털 게임 내 성폭력 경험에 대해 실제적으로 접근하였다는데 의의가 있다.

The pear pest, Cacopsylla jukyungi (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is one of the most damaging insect to commercial pears in South Korea. In this study, we developed eight microsatellite markers specific to C. jukyungi and genotyped 132 individuals collected from 11 localities throughout South Korea. Populations showed lower observed heterozygosity than expected heterozygosity and slightly or highly positive values of inbreeding coefficients, suggesting that C. jukyungi is subjected to inbreeding. The nationwide expansion of pear orchards and the replacement with a popular new cultivar during the last 50 years, which may have accompanied the spread of C. jukyungi-bearing pear grafts and scions, are likely sources of such facilitated dispersal. Thus, a management strategy against unintended anthropogenic dispersal of the pear psyllid will be required for better control of C. jukyungi.

Honeybees are pollinating agent of economic importance, and a model organism for microbiome analysis. The microbiota plays a great role in honeybee health and development as such needs to be fully elucidated among Apis mellifera in Korea. using 16S rRNA gene illumina sequencing, the gut microbiota of Apis mellifera at four developmental stages under natural condition shows dysbiosis of essential microbiota, especially between the 5-days larvae and workers.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere is now annually arrives in Korea. In this study, we developed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, one of the main merits of which is a rapid identification of target species. Five among 11 FAW-specific loci tested successfully provided a consistent reaction when ten FAWs, which were collected from eight localities in four countries were tested, whereas the 13 non-target species were not amplified. To increase in-field applicability of the method all life stages, reaction time, and different periods after death was tested using the quick extracted DNA. Our FAW diagnostic protocol can be completed within 30 min, from the process of extracting genomic DNA from an egg or a 1st instar larva to species determination.

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.