Insects, including aphids, caterpillars, and beetles, have a significant impact on biodiversity, ecology, and the economy by consuming various plant tissues like leaves, stems, and fruits, leading to issues such as holes, defoliation, and impaired growth. Consequently, our study's primary goal was to establish a model system capable of identifying and tracking insects, covering aspects like their behaviors, movements, sizes, and patterns. Our research has successfully produced a 3D monitoring system specifically designed for continuous insect tracking by applying it to brown planthopper. This technology allows for in-depth exploration of insect behaviors and their interactions with plants and crops. The potential applications of this technique are highly promising, offering valuable assistance to researchers in unraveling insect behavior and ecological dynamics and driving further advancements in these crucial research areas.

Botanical extracts are employed in management of aphids. Extracts from Tanacetum cineariaiaefolium, Derris elliptica, and Sophora flavescens are widely used to control various insects. In this study, we determined concentrations of active insecticidal compounds (Ais) in commercial botanical extracts of these plants, and we investigated the time and concentration for lethal results with the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae. The concentrations of Ais, pyrethrins from T. cineariaiaefolium, rotenone from D. elliptica, and matrine and oxymatrine from S. flavescens, were determined after their fractionation by liquid chromatography followed by mass analysis and comparison with standard compounds. The extracts were tested for lethality in a bioassay with green peach aphids. Sprays at defined doses were applied to tobacco leaves infested with aphid nymphs. The lethal concentrations (LC50) were 20.4 ppm for pyrethrins, 34.1 ppm for rotenone, and 29.6 ppm for matrine at 48 h after treatments. At 100 ppm application levels, the lethal time LT50 was 13.4 h for pyrethrin, 15.1 h for rotenone, and 14.4 h for matrine. Kaplan - Meier analysis indicated the lethal times for the three botanical extracts at 100 ppm were significantly faster than application of a chemical insecticide, Sulfoxaflor, applied at the recommended level. These results provide baselines to develop and formulate single or mixed preparations containing botanical extracts to control green peach aphids on commercial crops.

Leaf-spray in vitro bioassays appraise new aphicidal formulations for managing deleterious plant-feeding aphids. The formulation may utilize alternative and integrated strategies. However, leaf spraying even under controlled conditions may affect aphid reproduction and mortality. This study examines leaf spray applications for optimum and reproducible aphicidal results using tobacco leaves overlaid on cotton fabric or water agar surfaces. Infestation of the undersides of tobacco leaves with nymphs of green peach aphids was used in the assays. Spray distance and volume were optimized using water-sensitive paper to ascertain the best surface coverage. Overlays of the leaves on water agar caused less mortality and greater reproduction than the use of cotton fabric. The relative humidity of the insect-rearing chambers changed with the watering regime for the insect - rearing chambers with cotton fabric; 60% relative humidity was optimal. Relative humidity was not affected by the concentration of agar in the water agar chambers. Applications of the chemical aphicidal standard, Sulfoxaflor, under the optimized conditions exhibited similar times for lethality although the rate was faster with leaves on the cotton fabric than on water agar. These studies establish reproducible and sensitive techniques for assessing the lethality and effects on reproduction of potential aphicidal products.

뿌리응애류는 양파, 마늘, 생강, 백합 등의 뿌리를 가해한다. 최근 백합재배지에서는 질경이모자이크바이러 스(Plantago asiatica mosaic virus, PLAMV)에 의한 잎의 괴사 피해가 확산되고 있다. 태안 백합재배지에서 PlAMV 가 감염된 백합을 채집하여 구근을 조사한 결과, 식물체 당 뿌리응애 100개체 이상이 발견되었으며 Rhizoglyphus robini로 동정되었다. 이 종이 PlAMV의 보독여부를 확인하기 위해 채집된 R. robini에서 RNA를 추출하여 RT-PCR로 진단한 결과, 모든 개체에서 PlAMV가 확인되었다. 본 연구는 뿌리응애가 백합 구근 뿌리를 먹으면서 만든 상처를 통해 PlAMV가 전염될 수 있다는 가능성을 제시한다.

The foraging behavior of honey bees can be attributed to the nutritional incentives they gain from their activities. Nevertheless, a persistent question has revolved around how the nutritional composition undergoes alterations during the process of converting pollen into bee bread. We embarked on a comprehensive investigation of nutritional shifts, spanning from fresh pollen to bee-pollen, pollen patties, and bee bread. Our research findings unveiled that pollen exhibited notably higher levels of individual amino acids, resulting in significantly elevated overall amino acid content compared to bee-collected pollen. While we provided pollen patty to the honey bee colony, initially, during the first 3 to 7 days, there were no substantial discrepancies in the total amino acid content between bee bread and the pollen patty. Intriguingly, unlike most amino acids, we detected a distinct pattern of higher proline content in bee bread compared to bee-pollen or the pollen patty. This shift in amino acid composition likely stems from the incorporation of nectar and other secretions during the bee bread-making process. Moreover, over a span of approximately 14 days within hive conditions, the amino acid content in bee bread increased. Conversely, in terms of fatty acid contents, they were found to be lower in bee bread than those in the pollen patty, with no significant temporal differences observed. Regarding mineral content, bee bread, in general, contained fewer minerals than bee pollen and pollen patties. In conclusion, the transformation of pollen into bee bread involves dynamic alterations in nutrient contents, influenced by both intrinsic bee-related factors and external factors within the hive environment.

This study investigated unrecorded freshwater bacterial species in Korea. Water and sediment samples were collected from the Nakdong River basin from 2020-2022. Bacterial isolates obtained through the conventional culture method with commercial media were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify unrecorded bacterial species. Results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the bacterial isolates revealed that a total of 44 bacterial isolates shared 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of more than 98.65%, with validly published bacterial species not reported in Korea yet. These isolates were phylogenetically assigned to 4 phyla, 7 classes, 21 orders, 33 families, and 42 genera. A total of 2, 6, 12, and 24 species belonged to phyla Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and Pseudomonadota, respectively. Here, we provide details of these 44 unrecorded bacterial species, including Gram staining, colony and cellular morphologies, biochemical properties, and phylogenetic position.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), which is a traditional Korean crop, has been known as a health food due to its rich nutrition. This study was conducted to evaluate the change in flavonoid content of flowers and seeds during post-flowering growth of Korean tartary buckwheat variety ‘Hwanggeummiso’, with the aim of providing basic data for the development of functional food and feed additive. Tartary buckwheat took 69 and 99 days from the sowing date to reach the flowering and maturity stages, respectively. As a result of examining the flavonoid components of each part of tartary buckwheat, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and isoquercitrin of flowers increased from the flowering period on 22 May (0 days after flowering) to 42 days after flowering, while quercetin increased until 21 days after flowering and then decreased thereafter. In seeds, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and isoquercitrin were most abundant at the time of seed-bearing on 14 days after flowering, and showed a decreasing tendency thereafter. On the other hand, quercetin showed a tendency to increase until 21 days after flowering and then decrease. Overall, the flavonoid content was higher in flowers than in seeds, with rutin being particularly prominent. Based on this, the possibility as food materials and feed additives was confirmed using buckwheat produced in Korea.

진딧물 방제제 개발을 위해 In vitro 경엽살포 검정방법이 널리 사용되고 있다. 이러한 신소재 진딧물 방제 제형은 종합방제와 화학농약의 대안 으로 많은 연구가 진행되고 있다. 하지만, 경엽살포 검정방법은 환경이 조절되는 실내에서도 진딧물의 증식과 살충에 영향을 받는다. 본 연구에서는 담배를 기주로 하여 솜과 한천방법을 이용하여 진딧물 방제제 검정을 위한 최적 경엽살포 확립하고자 하였다. 진딧물 검정 챔버에 솜과 한천을 넣은 후 담배 잎과 진딧물 3-4령 약충을 접종하였다. Water-sensitive paper를 이용하여 경엽살포 시에 가장 표면 피복이 높은 최적 경엽살포 거리와 살 포량을 확립하였다. 대조구로 물을 처리한 구에서 한천 방법이 솜 방법에 비해 살충율이 낮고, 증식율이 높았다. 솜 검정 방법에는 곤충 검정 챔버의 상대습도를 60% 이상 유지시켰을 때 가장 최적 조건이었지만, 한천 검정 방법에서는 한천의 농도에 상대습도 차이가 없었다. 최적화된 조건하에서 대조화학 농약, Sulfoxaflor, 경엽살포 시 솜 방법에서 살충율이 한천방법보다 빨랐지만, 최종 살충율은 통계적으로 유의하지 않았다. 본 연구는 살 진딧물 물질을 검정 시 재현성과 활용성이 가능한 최적화된 증식율과 살충율 검정 조건을 제시하였다.

This study focuses on the development of a Last-Mile delivery service using unmanned vehicles to deliver goods directly to the end consumer utilizing drones to perform autonomous delivery missions and an image-based precision landing algorithm for handoff to a robot in an intermediate facility. As the logistics market continues to grow rapidly, parcel volumes increase exponentially each year. However, due to low delivery fees, the workload of delivery personnel is increasing, resulting in a decrease in the quality of delivery services. To address this issue, the research team conducted a study on a Last-Mile delivery service using unmanned vehicles and conducted research on the necessary technologies for drone-based goods transportation in this paper. The flight scenario begins with the drone carrying the goods from a pickup location to the rooftop of a building where the final delivery destination is located. There is a handoff facility on the rooftop of the building, and a marker on the roof must be accurately landed upon. The mission is complete once the goods are delivered and the drone returns to its original location. The research team developed a mission planning algorithm to perform the above scenario automatically and constructed an algorithm to recognize the marker through a camera sensor and achieve a precision landing. The performance of the developed system has been verified through multiple trial operations within ETRI.

Governments around the world are enacting laws mandating explainable traceability when using AI(Artificial Intelligence) to solve real-world problems. HAI(Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence) is an approach that induces human decision-making through Human-AI collaboration. This research presents a case study that implements the Human-AI collaboration to achieve explainable traceability in governmental data analysis. The Human-AI collaboration explored in this study performs AI inferences for generating labels, followed by AI interpretation to make results more explainable and traceable. The study utilized an example dataset from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to reproduce the Human-AI collaboration process used in actual policy-making, in which the Ministry of Science and ICT utilized R&D PIE(R&D Platform for Investment and Evaluation) to build a government investment portfolio.

Laser cutting technology capable of remote cutting is being developed to reduce radiation exposure to workers and minimize secondary waste generation when dismantling highly polluted nuclear power plant facilities (reactors, pressurizers, steam generators, coolant pumps, etc.). Laser cutting proceeds in air or water, and at this time, secondary products containing radioactive materials are inevitably generated. In air cutting, dust and aerosol are generated, and in underwater cutting, aerosol, water vapor, dispersed particles (colloid, suspension), sediment (dross, sediment), and radioactive waste liquid are generated. Dispersed particles float in the form of fine particles in water, increasing the turbidity of water as cutting progresses, hindering work, and aerosols contain micrometer-sized particles together with water vapor, which can threaten the safety of workers. Particles dispersed in water and aerosol are within 10% of the mass ratio among secondary products, but the volume they occupy is very large, which can have a significant impact on the environment as well as a burden on treatment capacity. Various characterization methods are being developed to diagnose the generation mechanism and physical and chemical properties of laser cutting secondary products in real time and to secure technologies for collecting and removing dispersed particles and aerosols in water. This study introduces a real-time laser cutting secondary product characteristic evaluation method that can identify the key mechanisms of secondary product generation by analyzing the plasma formation process on laser cutting surface and behavior of aerosol, underwater dispersed particles produced by secondary products, as well as physical and chemical properties in real time with various measurement technologies such as Optical Emission Spectrometer (OES), Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ICP-TOF-MS).

For the deep geological repository, engineering barrier system (EBS) is installed to restrict a release of radionuclide, groundwater infiltration, and unintentional human intrusion. Bentonite, mainly used as buffer and backfill materials, is composed of smectite and accessory minerals (e.g. salts, silica). During the post-closure phase, accessory minerals of bentonite may be redistributed through dissolution and precipitation due to thermal-hydraulic gradient formed by decay heat of spent nuclear fuel and groundwater inflow. It should be considered important since this cause canister corrosion and bentonite cementation, which consequently affect a performance of EBS. Accordingly, in this study, we first reviewed the analyses for the phenomenon carried out as part of construction permit and/or operating license applications in Sweden and Finland, and then summarized the prerequisite necessary to apply to the domestic disposal facility in the future. In previous studies in Sweden (SKB) and Finland (POSIVA), the accessory mineral alteration for the post-closure period was evaluated using TOUGHREACT, a kind of thermal-hydro-geochemical code. As a result of both analyses, it was found that anhydrite and calcite were precipitated at the canister surface, but the amount of calcite precipitate was insignificant. In addition, it was observed that precipitate of silica was negligible in POSIVA and there was a change in bentonite porosity due to precipitation of salts in SKB. Under the deep disposal conditions, the alteration of accessory minerals may have a meaningful influence on performance of the canister and buffer. However, for the backfill and closure, this is expected to be insignificant in that the thermal-hydraulic gradient inducing the alteration is low. As a result, for the performance assessment of domestic disposal facility, it is confirmed that a study on the alteration of accessory minerals in buffer bentonite is first required. However, in the study, the following data should reflect the domestic-specific characteristics: (a) detailed geometry of canister and buffer, (b) thermal and physical properties of canister, bentonite and host-rock in the disposal site, (c) geochemical parameters of bentonite, (d) initial composition of minerals and porewater in bentonite, (e) groundwater composition, and (f) decay heat of spent nuclear fuel in canister. It is presumed that insights from case studies for the accessory mineral alteration could be directly applied to the design and performance assessment of EBS, provided that input data specific to the domestic disposal facility is prepared for the assessment required.

A variety of microorganisms are contained in the groundwater and surrounding environment at the depth of a deep geological repository, and could adversely affect the integrity and/or safety of the facility under certain thermal, hydraulic and chemical conditions. In particular, microbial activity (in the buffer and backfill) around the canister can cause corrosion of the canister through sulfide production by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and subsequently promote radionuclide release through the corroded part. Namely, this phenomenon is important in a perspective of performance assessment since it will have an impact on the post-closure exposure dose in the biosphere by accelerating radionuclide leakage into the near-field due to deterioration of the canister integrity In Finland, the performance assessment on microbial activity in buffer, backfill, and plug was performed for the licensing. However, in Korea, researches relevant to microbial activity are only in the early stage as of now. Accordingly, in this study, we draw initial considerations for the performance assessment on the phenomenon in the domestic facility based on review results for the methodology carried out as part of operating license application (i.e. SC-OLA). Studies on the performance assessment of microbial activity in Finland were mainly performed: (a) to investigate complex interactions among microorganisms in the repository by analyzing both indigenous and exogenous microorganisms through drilling, geological and geochemical analysis, (b) to identify microbial interactions at the buffer, backfill, and host rock interface for specific microorganisms that may affect activity of other microorganisms and integrity of the repository, (c) to analyze canister corrosion caused by microbial activity, particularly sulfide production by SRB, and (d) to characterize microbial illitization of montmorillonite that could affect permeability, hydraulic conductivity, and structural integrity of the repository. From reviewing studies above, it is judged that studies labelled as (b) through (d) are applicable to the performance assessment of microbial activity for the domestic facility regardless of specific conditions in Korea. However, for study labelled as (a), the following data on reflecting domestic conditions should be additionally obtained: (1) radionuclide inventory and temperature in spent nuclear fuel, (2) swelling pressure and organic carbon content of bentonite, and (3) size, shape, and gas composition of pores in bentonite. Results of this study could be directly applied to the design and performance assessment for buffer and backfill components, provided that input data specific to the domestic disposal facility is prepared for the assessment required.

Bentonite, a material mainly used in buffer and backfill of the engineering barrier system (EBS) that makes up the deep geological repository, is a porous material, thus porewater could be contained in it. The porewater components will be changed through ‘water exchange’ with groundwater as time passes after emplacement of subsystems containing bentonite in the repository. ‘Water exchange’ is a phenomenon in which porewater and groundwater components are exchanged in the process of groundwater inflow into bentonite, which affects swelling property and radionuclide sorption of bentonite. Therefore, it is necessary to assess conformity with the performance target and safety function for bentonite. Accordingly, we reviewed how to handle the ‘water exchange’ phenomenon in the performance assessment conducted as part of the operating license application for the deep geological repository in Finland, and suggested studies and/or data required for the performance assessment of the domestic disposal facility on the basis of the results. In the previous assessment in Finland, after dividing the disposal site into a number of areas, reference and bounding groundwaters were defined considering various parameters by depth and climate change (i.e. phase). Subsequently, after defining reference and bounding porewaters in consideration of water exchange with porewater for each groundwater type, the swelling and radionuclides sorption of bentonite were assessed through analyzing components of the reference porewater. From the Finnish case, it is confirmed that the following are important from the perspective of water exchange: (a) definition of reference porewater, and (b) variations in cation concentration and cation exchange capacity (CEC) in porewater. For applying items above to the domestic disposal facility, the site-specific parameters should be reflected for the following: structure of the bedrock, groundwater composition, and initial components of bentonite selected. In addition, studies on the following should be required for identifying properties of the domestic disposal site: (1) variations in groundwater composition by subsurface depth, (2) variations in groundwater properties by time frame, and (3) investigation on the bedrock structure, and (4) survey on initial composition of porewater in selected bentonite The results of this study are presumed to be directly applied to the design and performance assessment for buffer and backfill materials, which are important components that make up the domestic disposal facility, given the site-specific data.

In buffer, a main component of engineering barrier system (EBS) in the deep geological repository, mass loss is mainly caused by upheave and mechanical erosion. The former is a phenomenon that bentonite in the upper part of the buffer moves to the backfill region due to groundwater intake and swelling. And, the latter is a phenomenon that bentonite on the surface of the buffer moves to the backfill region due to groundwater flow at the interface with host rock as the buffer saturates. Buffer mass loss adversely affects the fulfilment of the safety function of the buffer that is to limit and retard radionuclide release in the event of canister failure. Accordingly, in this paper, we reviewed how to consider this phenomenon in the performance assessment for the operating license application in Finland, and tentatively summarized data required to conduct the analysis for the domestic facility based on the review results. Regarding buffer mass loss, the previous studies carried out in Finland are categorized as follows: 1) experiment on the amount of buffer upheave with groundwater inflow rate (before backfilling), 2) analysis for the amount of buffer upheave with groundwater inflow rate (after backfilling), 3) analysis of buffer erosion rate with groundwater inflow rate, 4) analysis for distribution of the groundwater inflow rate into the buffer for all deposition holes (using ConnectFlow modeling results), and 5) analysis of buffer mass loss with groundwater salinity. Finally, the buffer mass loss distribution table was derived from the results of 1) through 3) by combining with that of 4). Given these studies, the following will be required for the performance assessment for buffer mass loss in the domestic disposal facility: a) distribution table of buffer mass loss for combined interactions taking into account effect of 5) (i.e. 1), 2), 3), and 5) + 4)), and b) Threshold for buffer mass loss starting to negatively affect the fulfilment of the safety function of the buffer. Even though it is judged that the results of this study could be directly applied to developing the design concept of EBS and to conducting the performance assessment in the domestic disposal facility, it is essential to prepare a set of input data reflecting the site-specific design features (e.g. dimension, material used, site, etc.), which include saturation time and groundwater salinity.

In the deep geological repository, a considerable quantity of cementitious materials is generally used for structural stability of subcomponents such as grout and concrete plug of disposition tunnel. Strong alkaline leachates (pH>13) are produced after cement is dissolved by groundwater inflow from bedrock. When the leachates are transported to bentonite porewater (e.g. buffer and backfill) and thereby water exchange occurs, the physical properties of bentonite such as swelling capacity and hydraulic conductivity are changed, which eventually affects the safety function and long-term stability of engineered barrier system (EBS). Thus, in this paper, we reviewed the performance assessment methodology for cement-bentonite interaction in the operating license application for the Finnish deep geological repository, and suggested what to prepare for the analysis on the domestic disposal facility. In Finland, thermal-hydraulic-chemical analysis for dissolution of montmorillonite by alkaline leachates resulting from cement degradation during the saturation of bentonite was carried out using PRECIP code. From this analysis, it was confirmed that effect on pH was considered to be more significant than that on temperature and bentonite saturation. As a result of this analysis, it was predicted that all primary minerals (including montmorillonite, quartz, and calcite) were dissolved and some secondary minerals (e.g. chalcedony and celadonite) was precipitated by alkaline cement leachates transported to the bentonite. In addition, it was shown that silica was preferentially released while the montmorillonite was dissolved, thus cementation of the bentonite was occurred. Through this phenomenon, the swelling capacity of bentonite is reduced and the hydraulic conductivity of bentonite is increased, which have a significant impact on the performance of the buffer and backfill. Considering this, study on spreading of alkaline leachates, which is a condition for dissolution of montmorillonite, is necessary for the performance assessment of the domestic deep geological repository. However, this requires the site-specific data for the following in the disposal site: (a) distribution in fractured bedrock and pore structure (e.g. porosity, pore size distribution and pore morphology) in the bedrock, (b) hydraulic gradient and salinity concentration of groundwater, and (c) flux and velocity of groundwater. Results of this study is considered to be directly utilized to the conceptual design and performance assessment of the deep geological repository in Korea, provided that additional data on microbiological properties of groundwater are obtained for the site selected.