Solid-state mechanochemical reduction combined with subsequent melting consolidation was suggested as a technical option for the oxide reduction in pyroprocessing. Ni ingot was produced from NiO as a starting material through this technique while Li metal was used as a reducing agent. To determine the technical feasibility of this approach for pyroprocessing, which handles spent nuclear fuels, thermodynamic calculations of the phase stabilities of various metal oxides of U and other fission elements were made when several alkaline and alkali-earth metals were used as reducing agents. This technique is expected to be beneficial, not only for oxide reduction but also for other unit processes involved in pyroprocessing.

This study was carried out determination of characteristics of leaf and fruit of 13 astringent persimmon (Diospyros kaki) cultivars cultivated in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. In leaf size, Deabonggam was smaller than that of other astringent persimmon cultivars, however, Dansungsi and Bansi were largest compared to other persimmon cultivars. Fruit width size of Sancheong Deabonggam and Bansi were the biggest. And fruit width size was the biggest in Sancheong Deabonggam. When same cultivars as Dansungsi and Godongsi were cultivated at other regions, it was not somewhat different in fruit weight. The size of fruits of the cultivar varied depending on the maturation of the fruits. In immature fruit, Curigam and Susi cultivars were the biggest and these cultivars were also were the biggest in mature-green fruit. In full ripe fruit, Hamyang Daebonggam and Hadong Daebonggam and Daeheakmu were bigger than that of other cultivars. When the astringent persimmon varieties collected in July were divided into three clusters, group A had a higher leaf area and the lightest fruit weight than the other clusters. In cluster C, the leaf area was small, but the fruit weight was classified as heavier than the other clusters. This study is expected to be widely used for breeding, conservation and processing of sweet persimmons.

The detection of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) in environmental samples with precision is imperative to control bovine tuberculosis (bTB) infections at the herd level, as residual M. bovis remains one of the major causes of recurring infections. In this study, a nested PCR method for the detection of M. bovis in environmental samples was applied to identify potential environmental reservoirs of the bacterium. A set of 200 environmental samples (167 fecal samples and 33 water samples) from 39 herds with a history of bTB outbreak was analyzed using a nested PCR method to detect residual M. bovis. Amplicon libraries of the IS6110 target gene fragment were amplified from M. bovis DNA using two established primer sets. A positive nested PCR result was observed in 69.5% of fecal samples and 66.7% of water samples, thus showing that residual M. bovis was present in the environmental samples of bTB-positive herds in a high proportion. This study is the first to demonstrate high levels of M. bovis DNA in environmental samples and to show that environmental reservoirs of this pathogen contribute to recurring outbreaks of bTB. Environmental monitoring of herds in which bTB outbreaks have occurred with high sensitivity and specificity is expected to help prevent the recurrence of potential bTB disease and improve the herd environment.

We report the structural characterization and electric heating performance of carbon thin films (CTFs), which were prepared from negative-type SU-8 photoresist by deep UV exposure and following carbonization. The prepared CTFs were found to have pseudo-graphitic carbon structures containing partially graphite domains in the amorphous carbon matrix. The CTFs showed a very smooth surface morphology with a roughness of 0.42 nm. The 107 nm-thick CTFs exhibited an excellent electric heating performance by attaining a high maximal temperature of 207 °C and a rapid heating rate of 13.2 °C/s at an applied voltage of 30 V. Therefore, the CTFs prepared in this study can be applied as electrode materials for high-performance electric heaters.