Background: The grading of Hanwoo (Korean native cattle) is based on four economic traits, and efforts have been continuously made to improve the genetic traits associated with these traits. There is a technology to predict the expected grade based on the 4 economic genetic SNP characteristics of Korean cattle calves using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technology. Selection of highly proliferative, self-renewing, and differentiating satellite cells from cattle is a key technology in the cultured meat industry. Methods: We selected the Hanwoo with high and low-scored of genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) by using the Hanwoo 50K SNP bead chip. We then isolated the bovine satellite cells from the chuck mass. We then conducted comparative analyses of cell proliferation, immunocytochemistry, qRT-PCR at short- and long-term culture. We also analyzed the differentiation capability at short term culture. Results: Our result showed that the proliferation was significantly high at High scored GEBV (Hs-GEBV) compared to Low scored GEBV (Ls-GEBV) at short- and long-term culture. The expression levels of Pax3 were significantly higher in Hs-GEBV bovine satellite cells at long-term culture. However, there were no significant differences in the expression levels of Pax7 between Hs- and Ls-GEBV bovine satellite cells at short- and long- term culture. The expression levels of MyoG and MyHC were significantly high at Ls-GEBV bovine satellite cells. Conclusions: Our results indicated that selection of bovine satellite cells by Hanwoo 50K SNP bead chip could be effective selection methods for massive producing of satellite cells.

To improve the quality of jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Miller var. hoonensis), which is a fruit of health functional, the effect of polyphenol preparation treatment on the fruit characteristics of two cultivars (cv. Bokjo and cv. Sangwang) of jujube was investigated. There was no difference in the height and breast diameter of jujubes tested between the polyphenol treatments and non treatment. Jujube trees treated with polyphenol preparation produced significantly more fruit than untreated in both cultivars. In cvultivar of Bokjo, the polyphenol preparation treatment increased the fruit's fresh weight and dry weight more than two times, respectively, compared to the untreated treatment. Polyphenol preparation tr eatments also changed the leaf characteristics of jujube trees. In the polyphenol-treated trees, leaf thickness tended to be thickest at the top and thinnest at the bottom. Polyphenol preparation treated jujube trees showed no difference in chlorophyll content. Moisture content was slightly higher in the untreatment than in the treatments. Visually, the polyphenol preparation treatment had a dark green color. Jujubes treated with polyphenol preparations showed differences in polyphenol content in fruits. The polyphenol content in both peel and flesh of the treatments were much higher than that of the untreatment. Reducing sugar was contained more in the peel than in the flesh and was higher in the untreatment than in the polyphenol preparation treatments. Treatment with polyphenol preparation showed differences in fruit appearance. As described above, it was found that the treatment of polyphenol preparation changed the leaves, fruit shapes and components of jujube trees. In particular, jujubes treated with polyphenol preparations are expected to contribute significantly to eco-friendly and highly functional jujube cultivation, as they appear to produce many fruits and increase the content of polyphenols and sugars.

The 2007 Recommendation of the International Commission on Radiological Protection recommended the application of dose constraints to optimize radiation protection to resolve the inequity of exposure among radiation workers. The average annual occupational doses in Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs) are 0.3-0.8 mSv. These doses are much lower than the annual effective dose limit of 50 mSv for radiation workers stipulated by the Nuclear Safety Act. In addition, most NPP workers received less than 0.1 mSv per year. These doses are lower than the average annual occupational doses of 0.3- 0.8 mSv. Korean regulatory body conducted the study to legislate the dose constraints in the Korean regulatory system and determine dose constraints (draft) for radiation workers. The legislation of dose constraints would not greatly affect the radiation protection programs in Korean NPPs because most workers received very low doses. However, some workers received relatively higher doses than others. This study analyzed the occupational exposure conditions, such as exposure type and situation, in Korean NPPs. This study investigated the internal and external radiation doses and the radiation doses depending on the NPP operating conditions, including normal operation, planned maintenance, and intermediate maintenance, for the last ten years (2012-2021). As a result, most NPP workers received external exposure rather than internal exposure. Furthermore, most radiation exposures occurred during the planned maintenance period. The results of this study can be used for optimizing occupational doses in Korean NPPs.

As of 2023, there are a total of 24 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation in Korea, with 21 pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and three pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs). Korean NPPs discharge radioactive effluents into the environment every year. Radioactive effluents from NPPs contain various radionuclides and materials, including 3H, 14C, Noble gas, particulates, and iodine Among the radioactive effluents discharged from Korean NPPs, 14C is a pure beta emitter with a half-life of 5,730 years. The human body can inhale and ingest 14C to cause internal exposure. In addition, the amount of 14C present in the environment is decreasing, but the amount of 14C discharged from NPPs is increasing. 14C discharged to the environment can be inhaled and ingested by the public around NPPs through various pathways. For this reason, it is very important to monitor and manage 14C because it affects the dose of the public around NPPs. Therefore, this study compared and analyzed the average emissions of 14C discharged from PWRs and PHWRs during the recent 10 years (2012-2021). An average of the public dose due to 14C released from NPPs depending on the reactor types from 2012 to 2021 was also compared. It is inevitable to discharge radioactive effluents while operating NPPs. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) manages and monitors radioactive effluents released into the environment. According to a survey and analysis of 14C discharged from PWRs and PHWRs and the average dose of the public over the recent 10-year (2012-2021) around Korean NPPs, 14C released from PWR accounted for 3.1% of the total discharge but accounted for more than 93.67% of the total public dose. In addition, 14C discharged from PHWRs accounted for 1.12% of the total discharge, but its resulting dose to the public accounted for more than 83.87% of the total public dose. As a result of analyzing the public dose due to 14C from 2012 to 2021, it was gradually increasing every year. Based on these results, monitoring and managing 14C discharge and its resulting doses to the public are important in the future.

After the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in March 2011, many Koreans were concerned that products exposed to radioactive materials released from the nuclear power plant would be imported into Korea. Systematic radiation monitoring was required for food and daily necessities imported from the nuclear accident area. The need for a legal system to support systematic radiation monitoring was also demanded. The Act on Protective Action Guidelines against Radiation in the Natural Environment was enacted to resolve concerns regarding environmental radiation in Korea in July 2011. According to this law, radiation monitoring equipment has been installed and operated at major airports and ports nationwide. This paper aims to review the radiation monitoring system of the Korean government comprehensively. The legal system and the legal basis for radiation monitoring of imported cargo conducted by each department were investigated by analyzing the laws and regulations of radiation monitoring for the relevant cargo items. In addition, the current status of radiation monitoring by the government departments was examined to determine how radiation monitoring for imported cargo is performed within the legal system. The investigation of the current radiation monitoring system for imported cargo in Korea confirmed that radiation monitoring is conducted by classifying cargo items under the jurisdiction of each government department for all imported cargo. However, the reduction in efficiency of radiation monitoring of imported cargoes, unclear legal grounds for radiation monitoring of imported cargo by some departments, the occurrence of overlapping inspections by departments, and the difficult process of issuing the radiation test certificate required for customs clearance by the Korea Customs Service were also identified. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the current radiation monitoring system for imported cargo in Korea ought to be improved, taking into account efficiency, overlapping inspection, legal background, and the difficult process of issuing the certificates.

Metal waste generated during the dismantling of a nuclear power plant can be contaminated with radionuclides. In general, the internal structure is very complex. Thus, metal waste requires various cutting processes. When metal waste is cut, aerosols are generated. Aerosols are generally various particles of very small size suspended in the working area and remain for a considerable period. This may cause internal exposure of workers due to inhalation of radioactive aerosols generated when cutting radioactive metal waste. This study investigated various cutting processes and the size distribution of aerosols generated during the cutting process. The cutting process is normally classified into thermal cutting, mechanical cutting, and laser cutting. Thermal cutting includes plasma, flame, and oxygen cutting. Mechanical cutting includes mechanical saws, cutters, nibblers, and abrasive water jets. Stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, and copper are commonly used as cutting materials in nuclear power plants. The size of the aerosol generated from cutting showed a very diverse distribution depending on the cutting methods and cutting materials. In general, aerosol size is distributed within 0.1-1 μm. This size distribution is different from the 5 μm aerosol size suggested by the ICRP Publication 66 Lung model. These results show that it is necessary to conduct further studies on the size of aerosols generated when decommissioning nuclear power plants.

Currently, there are 25 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation in Korea, including 22 pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and three pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs). Two NPPs, including Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1, are permanently shut down and awaiting decommissioning. If Kori Unit 2, which is expected to be permanently shut down soon, is included, the number of decommissioning NPPs will be increased to three. Spent fuels (SFs) are continuously generated during the NPP operation, which are stored in an SF storage pool in NPPs to cool down the decay heat emitted from SFs. For safe NPP operation, SFs must be regarded as waste, and a disposal site must be selected to isolate SFs. However, an appropriate site has yet to be selected in Korea. SFs contain long-lived nuclides with a high specific activity. For disposal, it is important to characterize the nuclides in the fuels and delay the migration of the nuclides to the environment when SFs are placed in a future disposal facility. If the disposal container is broken, the nuclides in the fuels escape from the filling material, such as bentonite. These escaped nuclides are dissolved in groundwater and migrate to the surface of the earth. Thus, it is possible to assess the radiological impact, such as the exposure dose during and after the disposal, if the types and characteristics of nuclides in SFs are known. This study investigated the nuclides in SFs and identified exposure scenarios that may occur in the disposal process of SFs and migration characteristics when the nuclides leak into groundwater to propose a dose assessment methodology for workers and the public.

The Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Units 1, commercial reactors in South Korea, were permanently shut down due to the expiration of their design lifetime. Therefore, nuclear power plants that have been permanently shut down must be dismantled, and the site must be finally released after removing the remaining radionuclides. Domestic regulatory standards for site remediation should not exceed 0.1 mSv per year based on effective dose. In addition, it is necessary to calculate the preliminary Derived Concentration Guideline Levels (DCGL) to prove that the conditions are met. Therefore, in this study, the input factor considering the geological characteristics of the site of Kori Unit 1 was investigated, and the preliminary Derived Concentration Guideline Levels were calculated and compared with the results of previous studies. As a result of comparative analysis, 60Co, 134Cs, and 137Cs, which are gamma-ray emitting radionuclides, had similar values to DCGL of previous studies A and B. However, 63Ni, a beta-rayemitting nuclide, was 5.94×104 Bq·g−1 in this study and 8.47×101 Bq·g−1in previous study B, resulting in a difference of about 700 times. In addition, in the case of 90Sr, this study and previous study A were derived similarly, but this study was 5.34×101 Bq·g−1 and previous study B was 1.18×10−1 Bq·g−1, resulting in a difference of about 450 times. This difference is judged to be because, unlike this study using only the industrial worker scenario, in the case of previous study B, the resident farmer scenario was mixed and used, which considers the internal exposure caused by ingestion of food produced in the contaminated area. In this study, it was confirmed that DCGL according to the change of geological factors of the site did not have a significant effect on gamma-ray-emitting nuclides. However, it was confirmed that considering the intake of food affects the DCGL of beta-ray-emitting nuclides. Therefore, there is a need to conduct future studies applying intake input factors that meet domestic conditions.

Chamaecyparis obtusa is one of the economical conifers planted in Korea due to its good quality timber and wood characteristics. Individuals of C. obtusa containing high terpenes (HT) and low terpenes (LT) were selected for by colorimetric method. The HT of C. obtusa was delayed in wilting against various abiotic stresses compared to the LT plants. The HT group exposed to UV did not significant influence the chlorophyll content, and the chlorophyll value was higher in the HT group than the LT group. Also, chilling treatment (5℃) did not significant influence on the chlorophyll content. However treatment at -4℃ showed relatively low chlorophyll content in the LT group than the HT group. Plants exposure to high temperature was not a difference between the HT and the LT group. However, treatment at 38℃ influenced the chlorophyll content that was increased exposure time-dependently. In salt treatments, chlorophyll in the HT group was lower at high concentrations (300 and 500 mM) of NaCl. However, chlorophyll content increased to slightly in treatment time-dependently, which is 6.7% to 40%. H2O2 treatment has been a negative effect on the chlorophyll content in the HT group. All concentration of H2O2 decreased the chlorophyll content of 5% to 35%. Plants containing high terpenoids were resisted against some abiotic stress such as salt and H2O2. Our results implied that terpenoids could cause various abiotic stress resistance. These results could be utilized for efficient management and biomass production during forest silvicultures.

Stem and root of elm trees have used as traditional medical materials, but there is little information on the distribution and resources of habitats. Korean native growing Ulmus spp. (U. davidiana var. Japonica, U. parvifolia, U. davidiana, and U. macrocarpa) genetic resources studied through The National Forest Inventory of Korea data and field survey. The distributions of U. davidiana var. japonica according to elevation distributed evenly. Both U. parvifolia and U. davidiana were inhabited mostly at less than 200 m of altitude. Each Ulmaceae species widely were distributed nationwide, but a dominant species was different depending on locals. It observed that Ulmaceae inhabits mainly in steep slopes of 31-45 degrees. Most of the habitats regenerated by natural seeding and the most abundant species were a codominant tree. Distribution of trees in U davidiana var. japonica was 7 m-13 m, and in young U. parvifolia and U. macrocarpa, more than 25% of young trees less than 7 m observed. The distribution of the diameter of breast height of the U. davidiana var. japonica was 46.4% for 11-20 cm, 52.6% for 11-20 cm in U. parvifolia. The average T/R ratio was 0.83, and the mean weight ratio of root bark was 62%. As the results of this study, the domestic Ulmaceae biomassare very small. It is difficult to harvest in that the habitat on the slope. Thus, it is too hard to develop functional materials using biomass at present. Therefore, it is necessary to develop technology for the selection and propagation of elite trees of Ulmaceae.

The white-spotted chafer, Protaetia brevitarsis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) was recently listed as a temporal food ingredient by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Traditionally, this beetle has been regarded as a medicine for suppressing live cancer and preventing liver-related disease. Based on these facts, this beetle has been focused as a economically important insects in Korea. Therefore, this beetle is commercially reared and distributed in Korea. As the economic importance is growing, we have investigated to enhance insect rearing conditions for better commercial value. In this study, we compared two food supplements, clay and charcoal, on the larval weight gain for second instar larvae of P. brevitarsis. Clay and charcoal are generally known as a good adsorbent for heavy metals and bio-waste. However, clay and charcoal is not a conventional feed supplements, so its effects were not investigated for insect rearing. The second instar P. brevitarsis larvae were fed fermented sawdust with seven different combinations of cla and/or charcoal, and measured body weight for 17 weeks until pupated. Addition of clay at 2.5 % w/w of the fermented sawdust diet had no negative effect on larval weight gain, and thus may improve the quality of P. brevitarsis as a commercial food.