During PIV (Physical Inventory Verification), the IAEA has been inspecting the CANDU-Type spent fuels using an optical fiber-based scintillation detector. KINAC has developed a new verification instrument to deal with problems of the existing one such as low sensitivity, heavy and large dimension, and inconvenience-in-use. Our previous studies focused on how to develop the new instrument and had not included its performance tests. Field tests were carried out recently at Wolsung unit 4 to evaluate performance of the existing and new instruments. The objective of this paper is to discuss background noise produced in the optical fiber signal cable itself. The verification equipment for the CANDU-type Heavy Water Reactor spent fuels uses a scintillation detector to bond a scintillation material to the end of an optical signal cable. At this time, the radiation signal obtained by a data acquisition system is the signal generated from the scintillator (p-terphenyl organic scintillator) and the optical signal cable ; The signal produced in the optical cable itself is background noise to degrade the spent fuel verification equipment. To characterize the background radiation noise, the spent fuel bundles at Wolsung Unit 4 were measured using the optical fiber cable without the radiation scintillator. This signal is generated by reaction of the optical cable and the radiation emitted from the spent fuel. From experimental results, it was observed that the background noise signal of the optical cable increased as the optical cable went down in the downward direction, because the cable length irradiated by the radiation increased with the optical cable area in the spent fuel storage pool. Difference in the background noise signal was dependent on the location of the vertical direction and the signal of the new optical cable was up to about 5 times higher than that of the existing cable. While, the new cable has the cross-section area about 3.2 times larger than the old cable. Our past studies showed that total signal amplitude – sum of signals generated from the scintillator and optical fiber - of the new verification instrument was at least about 15 times greater than that of the existing one. Considering the total signal and background noise signal, from this measured results, it was confirmed that the scintillator characteristics – in particular, light output and decay time – has a dominant impact on the signal sensitivity of the newly developed instrument. More details will be discussed at the conference.

The susceptibility of the Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella intonsa was evaluated using 46 commercial insecticides. There were 10 kinds of insecticides as benfuracarb, chlorfenapyr, spinetoram, spinosad, abamectin + chlorfenapyr, abamectin + emamectin benzoate, chlorfenapyr + clothianidin, chlorfenapyr + imidacloprid, clothianidin + spinetoram and dinotefuran + spinetoram, which showed more than 90% mortality against both thrips, F. occidentalis and F. intonsa. Since the F. intonsa is more susceptible than F. occidentalis, it is considered that both thrips can be controlled by insecticides that show insecticidal activity on the F. occidentalis. The effect by the elapsed time after treatment of 10 kinds of insecticides was analyzed as LT50 and LT95 values. Benfuracarb was the fastest in 4.3 h (LT50) and 14 h (LT95), and spinetoram showed the most late time at 13.5 h (LT50) and 62.3 h (LT95), respectively.

DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) gene contains three different isoform transcripts, Dnmt1s, Dnmt1o, and Dnmt1p, are produced by alternative usage of multiple first exons. Dnmt1o is specific to oocytes and preimplantation embryos, whereas Dnmt1s is expressed in somatic cells. Here we determined that porcine Dnmt1o gene had differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in 5’-flanking region, while those were not found in the Dnmt1s promoter region. The methylation patterns of the porcine Dnmt1o/Dnmt1s DMRs were investigated using bisulfite sequencing and pyrosequencing analysis through all preimplantation stages from one cell to blastocyst stage in in vivo or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The Dnmt1o DMRs contained 8 CpG sites, which located in —640 bp to —30 bp upstream region from transcription start site of the Dnmt1o gene. The methylation status of 5 CpGs within the Dnmt1o DMRs were distinctively different at each stage from one-cell to blastocyst stage in the in vivo or SCNT, respectively. 55.62% methylation degree of the Dnmt1o DMRs in the in vivo was increased up to 84.38% in the SCNT embryo, moreover, de novo methylation and demethylation occurred during development of porcine embryos from the one-cell stage to the blastocyst stage. However, the DNA methylation states at CpG sites in the Dnmt1s promoter regions were hypomethylated, and dramatically not changed through one-cell to blastocyst stage in the in vivo or SCNT embryos. In the present study, we demonstrated that the DMRs in the promoter region of the porcine Dnmt1o was well conserved, contributing to establishment and maintenance of genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in early embryonic development.

The Oct-4 (octamer-4), a member of the POU family transcription factor, is expressed in early mouse embryogenesis and in pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) lines. Oct-4 expression is thought to remain confined to the germline after gastrulation in the embryo. Therefore, the study was designed to, study the location of Oct-4 protein in the ovaries, placenta and testis of Korean native cattle (Hanwoo). Expression of Oct-4 mRNA in the ovaries and placenta of bovine was confirmed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis. Oct-4 was expressed in granulosa, thecal cells irrespective of the shape and size of follicles and endometerium of Korean native cattle (Hanwoo). Expression of Oct-4 was profound in all the tissues of Korean native cattle (Hanwoo) suggestung their role in them. Oct-4 localization and expression could contribute to further developmental studies in Korean native cattle (Hanwoo).

There are replete numbers of reports which have apparently shown that established patterns of methylation are critical for normal mammalian development. DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) gene contains three different isoform transcripts, Dnmt1s, Dnmt- 1o, and Dnmt1p, are produced by alternative usage of multiple first exons. Dnmt1o is specific to oocytes and preimplantation embryos, whereas Dnmt1s is expressed in somatic cells. Here we determined that porcine Dnmt1o gene had differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in 5’-flanking region, while those were not found in the Dnmt1s promoter region. The methylation patterns of the porcine Dnmt1o/Dnmt1s DMRs were investigated using bisulfite sequencing and pyrosequencing analysis through all preimplantation stages from one cell to blastocyst stage in in vivo or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The Dnmt1o DMRs contained 8 CpG sites, which located in ‒ 640 bp to ‒ 30 bp upstream region from transcription start site of the Dnmt1o gene. The methylation status of 5 CpGs within the Dnmt1o DMRs were distinctively different at each stage from one-cell to blastocyst stage in the in vivo or SCNT, respectively. 55.62% methylation degree of the Dnmt1o DMRs in the in vivo was increased up to 84.38% in the SCNT embryo, moreover, de novo methylation and demethylation occurred during development of porcine embryos from the one-cell stage to the blastocyst stage. However, the DNA methylation states at CpG sites in the Dnmt1s promoter regions were hypomethylated, and dramatically not changed through one-cell to blastocyst stage in the in vivo or SCNT embryos. In the present study, we demonstrated that the DMRs in the promoter region of the porcine Dnmt1o was well conserved, contributing to establishment and maintenance of genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in early embryonic development.

In the present study, we identified differentially methylated region (DMR) upstream of Dnmt1o and Dnmt1s gene in early porcine embryos. Porcine Dnmt1o had at least one DMR which was located between —530 bp to —30 bp upstream from transcription start site of the Dnmt1o gene. DNA methylation analyses of Dnmt1o revealed the DMR to be hypomethylated in oocytes, whereas it was highly methylated in sperm. Moreover, the DMR upstream of Dnmt1o was gradually hypermethylated from oocytes to two cells and dramatically changed in the methylation pattern from four cells to BL stages in an in vivo. In an IVF, the methylation status in the DMR upstream of Dnmt1o was hypermethylated from one cell to eight cells, but demethylated at the Morula and BL stages, indicating that the DNA methylation pattern in the Dnmt1o upstream ultimately changed from stage to stage before the implantation. Next, to elucidate whether DNA methylation status of Dnmt1s upstream is stage-by-stage changed in during porcine early development, we analyzed the dynamics of the DNA methylation status of the Dnmt1s locus in germ cell, or one cell to BL cells. The Dnmt1s upstream was highly methylated in one and eight cells, while less methylated in two, four, morula, and BL cells. Taken together, our data demonstrated that DNA methylation and demethylation events in upstream of Dnmt1o/Dnmt1s during early porcine embryos dramatically occurred, and this change may contribute to the maintenance of genomewide DNA methylation in early embryonic development.