Nuclear security event involving nuclear and other radioactive materials outside of regulatory control (MORC) has the potential to cause severe consequences for public health, the environment, the economy and society. Each state has a responsibility to develop national nuclear security measures including nuclear forensics to respond to such events. In Japan, national nuclear forensics capability building efforts mainly based on research and development (R&D) have been conducted since 2010, in accordance with national statement of Japan at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC. Most of that work is undertaken at the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Nuclear Security (ISCN) of the Japan Atmic Energy Agency (JAEA) in close cooperation with other competent authorities. The ISCN has made increased contributions to the enhancement of international nuclear security by establishing technical capabilities in nuclear forensics and sharing the achievements with the international community. The ISCN has mainly engaged in R&Ds for establishing and enhancing nuclear forensics technical capability. As for the laboratory capability, several new pieces of analytical equipment have been introduced for nuclear forensics R&D purposes. High-precise measurement techniques validated in the past nuclear forensics incidents have been established, and novel techniques that can contribute to the more timely and confident nuclear forensics signature analysis have been developed. The ISCN has been also developed a proto-type nuclear forensics library based on the data of nuclear materials possessed for past nuclear fuel cycle research in JAEA. These technical capability developments have been conducted based on the cooperation with international partners such as the U.S. Department of Energy and EC Joint Research Center, as well as participation in exercises organized by Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (NF-ITWG). Recent R&D works have been mainly based on the needs of domestic competent authorities, such as first responders and investigators, and aim to develop technologies covering the entire spectrum of nuclear forensics processes from crime scene investigation to laboratory analysis and interpretation. One important key issue is the enhancement of technical capability for post-dispersion nuclear forensics. For instance, the ISCN has carried out the development of radiation measurement equipment coupled with the low-cost and mobile radiation detectors that uses machine-learning algorithms for quick and autonomous radioisotope identification to support first responders during crime scene investigations. Laboratory measurement techniques for samples collected at a post-dispersion crime scene are also among the important technical issues studied at the ISCN. The application of emerging technologies to nuclear forensics has also been studied. This includes the application of deep leaning models to nuclear forensics signature interpretation that could provide more confident results, as well as the development of contamination imaging technology that could contribute to the analytical planning on the samples in collaboration with conventional forensics. Many analytical techniques have been developed and the capability to analyze nuclear and other radioactive materials for nuclear forensics purposes has been considerably matured over the past decade. The challenges of post-dispersion samples, collaboration with conventional forensics and the development of novel signatures will be more important in the near future. Therefore, the ISCN will promote the R&Ds to further enhance the technical capabilities solving these issues. In addition, the ISCN is also promoting to expand the nuclear forensics research into universities and other research institutes in Japan. This is expected to contribute to the establishment of a domestic nuclear forensics network that enables to respond timely and flexibly to the MORC incidents, and to the maturation of nuclear forensics as a new academic field.

본 논문에서는 기존의 EU 다자주의 협력 외교에 관해 고찰하고, 최근 강조되는 인도-태평양 전략에 참여하는 EU 및 유럽 주요국의 전략을 분석하였다. EU와 미국은 실재하는 양측의 가장 큰 위협인 러시아 및 중국에 대해 상호 협력 하 대응하여 다자적 구도를 형성하고자 한다. 이를 토대로 본고는 EU·미 대서양 동맹 복원 전망에 관해 NATO를 통한 동맹의 강화 그리고 EU·미의 對러시아 및 對 중국 공동 대응 전략을 통해 복합적 측면에서 이해하고자 한다. 유럽의 전통적 안보체계인 NATO를 통해 러시아 등 기존의 안보위협에 관해 재확인하였으며, 새 시대와 상황에 따른 위협의 우선순위를 조정하였다. 더불어 EU는 범대서양 동맹을 통해 안보 부문을 포괄한 기술 등의 범 이슈적 영역에서 EU-미국 간 협력이 상호작용할 것을 추구하고 있다. 이러한 범대서양 동맹의 확증 강화는 중국의 선택지를 좁힐 것이며, 미중의 강력한 라이벌 관계에서 EU의 외교적 활동 영역과 역할을 넓힐 것이라 판단된다.

In recent years, high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have provided fascinating opportunities to understand the biology of non-model organisms, especially insect species. The decrease in sequencing costs and extensive sequencing services from NGS providers has brought many entomologists to be involved in genome sequencing. However, poor planning can lead to extremely fragmented genome assemblies which prevents high quality gene annotation and other desired analyses. Insect genomes can be problematic to assemble, due to combinations of high polymorphism, inability to breed for genome homozygosity, and small physical sizes limiting the quantity of DNA able to be isolated from a single individual. Given to the rapid development of host resistance to multiple classes of insecticides, it is indispensable to study the comprehensive genomic information of insects. Recent advances in sequencing technology and assembly strategies can able to fetch breakthroughs in deciphering the genetic information of insects. Here, we present the cost effective high throughput genome sequencing and assembly strategies for insect species in respects to taxonomy, evolutionary history, immune response, drug development, insect host-virus interactions and pest management etc.

During the last century, the overuse of synthetic chemical insecticides led to problems associated with natural environment such as harmful effects on nontarget organisms and development of resistance. Therefore, the application of insect pathogenic microorganisms including Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), baculoviruses, and entomopathogenic fungi has been an environmentally favorable methods for insect control. However, their use has been limited by several factors such as narrow host spectrum and slow speed of insecticidal activities. A number of approaches have been taken to overcome these defects of microbial insecticides. A novel recombinant baculovirus, NeuroBactrus, was constructed to develop an improved baculovirus insecticide with additional beneficial properties, such as a higher insecticidal activity and improved recovery, compared to wild-type baculovirus. For the construction of the NeuroBactrus, the Bt cry1-5 crystal protein gene was introduced into the Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) genome by fusion of polyhedrin-cry1-5-polyhedrin under the control of the polyhedrin promoter. In the opposite direction, an insect-specific neurotoxin gene, AaIT, from Androctonus australis was introduced under the control of an early promoter from Cotesia plutellae bracovirus by fusion of a partial fragment of orf603. The Polyhedrin-Cry1-5-Polyhedrin fusion protein expressed by the NeuroBactrus was not only occluded into the polyhedra, but also activated by treatment with trypsin, resulting in an approximately 65-kDa active toxin. The NeuroBactrus showed a high level of insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella larvae and a significant reduction in the median lethal time (LT50) against Spodoptera exigua larvae compared to those of wild-type AcMNPV. Expression of the foreign proteins (Bt toxin and AaIT) was continuously reduced during the serial passage of the NeuroBactrus. These results suggested that the NeuroBactrus could be recovered to wild-type AcMNPV through serial passaging. The cry gene from Bt, encoding the Cry protein, has been recently introduced into crops to generate transgenic plants that are resistant to pest insects. Through the 3D structure prediction and accompanying mutagenesis study for the Mod-Cry1Ac, 7 and 16 amino acid residues from domain I and II, respectively, responsible for its insecticidal activity against larvae of S. exigua and Ostrinia furnacalis were identified. We used site-directed mutagenesis to improve the insecticidal activity of Mod-Cry1Ac, resulted 34 mutant cry genes. These mutant cry genes were expressed, as a polyhedrin fusion form, using a baculovirus expression system. The expressed proteins were 95 kDa and SDS-PAGE analysis of the recombinant polyhedra revealed that expressed Cry proteins was occluded into polyhedra and activated stably to 65 kDa by trypsin. When the insecticidal activities of these mutant Cry proteins against to larvae of P. xylostella, S. exigua and O. furnacalis were assayed, they showed higher or similar insecticidal activity compared to those of Cry1Ac and Cry1C. Especially, Mutant-N16 is considered to have the potential for the efficacious biological insecticide since it showed the highest insecticidal activity.

Traditional cuisine reflects cooking traditions shaped by political, economic, social, cultural, and environmental conditions characterized by authenticity and uniqueness. Traditional food is not only a part of our cultural heritage but also a knowledge resource. Application of food science and technology in Korean traditional foods was reviewed from six points of view, including food preservation, fermentation, changes in food materials, utilization of food functionality, and packaging and development of cooking appliances. Books from disparate times were chosen in order to cover a wide range of materials from the past to the present. Food preservation and fermentation techniques were applied to various food materials. Combination of science and skills contributes to the accessibility of diverse food materials and better quality foods. Koreans use assorted and resilient plants, which have an abundance of functional substances such as food materials. Among cooking appliances, microwave oven and refrigerator are the most innovative products with huge influences on food eating patterns as well as lifestyle. Packaging effectively reduces post-harvest preservation losses, and better packaging has technical improvements for storage and distribution. Kimchi was chosen as an example in order to study technology from the past to the present. Availability of Kimchi cabbage, enrichment of functional ingredients, identification of useful microbial species, standardization of recipe for commercialization, prevention of texture softening, introduction of salted Kimchi cabbage and Kimchi refrigerators, and packaging were reviewed. The future of traditional foods in the market will be competitive. First, traditional foods market should be maintained to protect the diversity of food materials. Secondly, tailored foods for individuals should be considered using foods with functional properties. Information on health benefits would provide insights into health and traditional food products. Third, speedy transfer of new technology to the traditional food industry is needed to ensure food quality production and new opportunities in the market. Fourth, safety of traditional foods should be ensured without sacrificing the essential characteristics of culturally important foods. Improvement of logistics, distribution, and facility should be carried out. As demand for convenience foods increases, traditional foods should be developed into products.

The current situation of the nanopowders production technology based on the process of electrical explosion of wires is described. The advantages and disadvantages of the electroexplosive technology are indicated. The results of studies characterizing the effect of the electrical explosion conditions on the nanopowders properties are presented, including latest results: conditions of nanopowders passivation, conditions of nanopowders production having narrow size distribution, the methods of nanopowders diagnostic and standartization. In addition, the application and area of future research on this technology are proposed.

Cold spraying is a fairly new coating technique, which within the last decade attracted serious attention of research groups and spray companies. As compared to thermal spraying, the low process temperatures in cold spraying result in unique coating properties, which promise new applications. Since particles impact with high kinetic energy in the solid state, new concepts to describe coating formation are requested to enable the full potential of this new technology. The present contribution gives a brief review of current models concerning bonding, supplying a description of the most influential spray parameters and consequences for new developments. With respect to spray forming by cold cold spraying, microstructures and thick, further machineable structures are presented.