The limitation of markers for chronic oral diseases such as oral lichen planus (OLP) and burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a diagnostic challenge for clinicians. The pathogenesis of OLP and BMS is not yet fully understood. Therefore, diagnoses are mainly based on the observation of clinical features and history, rather than established markers. C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are used to determine the state of inflammation; however, these markers have some limitations. Recently, a new inflammatory marker, pentraxin-3 (PTX3), has been identified in other systemic inflammatory diseases. PTX3 is a member of the pentraxin family and is classified as a long pentraxin. PTX3 is found in various human tissues, whereas the classical short pentraxin, CRP, is secreted only in the liver. PTX3 is a marker of autoimmune diseases and periodontitis. However, there are no studies on PTX3 in OLP and BMS; therefore, we sought to determine if PTX3 can be a diagnostic marker for OLP and BMS. PTX3 was found to be correlated with other inflammatory markers, suggesting its diagnostic value for inflammatory oral diseases. We also found that the PTX3 levels were lower in patients with OLP and BMS. ESR levels were elevated in the OLP and BMS groups, but CRP levels were not. Despite these associations, no correlation was found between PTX3 expression and other known clinical features of OLP and BMS. We suggest that PTX3 plays a role in the immunological and neurological pathways involved in the complex pathogenesis of OLP and BMS.

수인성 질산 노출에 대한 향어의 독성 영향을 확인하기 위해 96시간 동안 0, 4, 20, 100, 500 및 2,500 mg NO3 -/L의 수인성 질산에 노출을 실시하였다. 질산 96시간 급성 노출에 의한 향 어의 반수치사농도(LC50)는 1,433.54 mg NO3 -/L로 나타났다. 혈액학적 성상을 통해 수인성 질 산 노출이 향어에게 미치는 생리학적 변화를 평가하였으며, RBC count는 유의적인 감소를 나 타내었다(p < 0.05). 혈장 무기성분을 통해 수인성 질산 노출에 따른 향어의 이온 조절 능력 변화를 평가하였으며, 혈장 무기성분에서 calcium과 magnesium은 유의적으로 감소하였다(p < 0.05). 혈장 유기성분을 통해 수인성 질산 노출로 인한 향어의 건강도와 스트레스 상태를 평 가하였으며, 혈장 유기성분인 glucose는 유의적인 증가를 나타내었다(p < 0.05). 혈장 효소성분 을 통해 수인성 질산 노출로 인한 간 손상도 및 효소 활성의 변화를 평가하였으며, 혈장 효소 성분인 AST, ALT 및 ALP는 높은 수준의 수인성 질산 노출에서 유의적으로 감소하였다(p < 0.05). 본 연구의 결과는 C. carpio nudus에 대한 수인성 질산 노출이 생존율, 혈액학적 성상 및 혈장성분에 독성으로 영향을 미칠 수 있음을 의미한다.

Plasma melting technology uses electrical arc phenomena such as lightning to create hightemperature sparks of about 1,600 degrees or more to meet waste disposal requirements through treatment and reduction without distinguishing radioactive waste generated during nuclear power plant operation and dismantling according to physical characteristics. Decommissioning radioactive waste scabbed concrete occurs when polishing and cutting the contaminated structure surface to a certain depth. In this study, Scabbed concrete containing paint was confirmed for volume reduction and disposal safety using plasma treatment technology, and it is planned to be verified through continuous empirical tests.

As the decommissioning of domestic nuclear power plants (Gori Unit 1 and Wolseong Unit 1) becomes more visible, many research projects are being conducted to safely and economically decommissioning of domestic nuclear power plants (NPPs). After permanent shutdown, decommissioning of NNPs proceeds through decontamination, cutting of main equipment, waste disposal and site restoration stages. And various technologies are applied at each stage. In particular, remote cutting of neutron induced structures (RV, RVI, etc.) is a technology used in developed countries in the cutting stage, and remote cutting has been evaluated as a core technology for minimizing workers’ radiation exposure. Generally, remote cutting technologies are divided into mechanical/thermal/electrical cutting. Among various thermal cutting technologies, plasma arc cutting (PAC) is more economical and easily to remote control than other cutting technologies, and is also effective in cutting STS304 plates. PAC is a thermal cutting technology that melts the base material at the cutting area with a plasma arc heat source and removes melted material by blowing it out with cutting gas. The cutting quality depends on the stand-off distance and power (current), material thickness, cutting speed, etc., while double arcing will occur if the cutting conditions are not suitable. A monitoring system that can confirm double arcing during remote cutting is necessary because double arcing can reduce cutting quality, increase secondary waste (increase kerf and aerosol), and cause non-cutting. In this study, we used an ultrahigh-speed camera equipped with a band-pass filter to capture clear arc shapes, and measured voltage waveforms with a data acquisition system. We studied a monitoring method that can confirm the occurrence of double arcing by synchronizing the obtained arc shape and voltage waveform, and the effects of double arcing on the STS304 plates. The results of this study are expected to be helpful in the development of the remote cutting process using plasma arc cutting when decommissioning of domestic NPPs.

Once decommissioning begins, it is expected that large amount of radioactive wastes will be produced in a short period of time. The expected amount of radioactive wastes from Kori unit 1 NPP are approximately 80,000 drums (base on 200 L). By minimizing the amount of radioactive wastes generated through decontamination and reduction, KHNP has set the final target for the amount of radioactive wastes to be delivered to the disposal site at approximately 14,500 drums. Here, plasma torch melting technology is an essential technology for radioactive wastes treatment during nuclear power plants decommissioning and operation, because of its large volume reduction effects and the diversity of disposable wastes. KEPCO KPS was able to secure experience in operating Plasma Torch Melter (PTM) by conducting a research service for ‘development of plasma torch melting system advancement technology’ at KHNP-CRI. This study will compare kilo and Mega-Watt class PTM, largely categorized into facility configurations, operating parameters, and waste treatment. Based on this study, it would be desirable to operate PTM with approximate capacity according to the frequency and amount of waste production, and suggest volume for a kilo and Mega-watt class plasma torch in the melting furnace respectively. This plays to its strengths for both a kilo and Mega-watt class PTM.

A disposal of radioactive wastes is one of the urgent issues in worldwide. Considering upcoming plans for decommissioning of nuclear power plants, this problem is unavoidable and should be discussed very thoughtfully before long. There are variety of methods to deal with radioactive wastes, including Incineration process, conventional gasification process and plasma gasification process and so on. Among them, plasma gasification process is in the limelight due to its ecofriendly features and very large volume reduction effects. So, lots of countries like Japan, Taiwan, Russia, Bulgaria are already utilizing commercial plasma melting facilities and researching their own characteristics & disposal abilities and so on. Within the scope of this paper, I would like to introduce other countries current status of plasma melting facilities, and reach the conclusion on the directions to go for realistic radioactive wastes treatment.

Plasma torch melting technology has been considered as a promising technology for treating or reducing the radioactive waste generated by nuclear power plants. In 2006, IAEA announced that the technology is able to treated regardless of the type of target wastes. Because of the advantage, many countries have been funding, researching and developing the treatment technology. In this study, oversea plasma torch melting facilities for radioactive wastes treatment are reviewed. Also, plasma torch melting facility developed by KHNP CRI is briefly introduced.

Republic of Korea is preparing to decommission Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1. Decommissioning of a nuclear power plant proceeds in the following stages: shutdown, transition period, decontamination, cutting, waste treatment, and site restoration. When nuclear power plant is decommissioned, It is expected that approximately 80,000 drums of radioactive waste will be generated per nuclear power plant. Therefore, various technologies are being researched and developed to reduce this to approximately 14,500 drums. Technologies for waste volume reduction are largely mechanical and electrical/thermal methods. Representative examples of mechanical volume reduction technologies include super compactors and electrical/thermal volume reduction technologies include induction and plasma torch furnaces. Both technologies are effective reduction technologies, but the reduction ratio varies depending on the type or condition of waste before treatment. For example, as a result of testing waste reduction using a super compactor at NUKEM in Germany, the reduction ratio was found to be between 1.3 and 7 depending on the type or condition of waste such as chips, ash, scrap metal, sand, etc. And according to IAEA-TECDOC-1527, when reducing the volume of metals, aluminum, lead, copper, brass, etc. using induction melting, the waste volume reduction ratio is 5 to 20. In this paper, referring to these results, a melting test was conducted using a previously developed plasma torch with an output of more than 100 kW. And volume reduction characteristics of this plasma torch was considered depending on waste type or condition.

Flexible supercapacitors (FS) are ideal as power backups for upcoming stretchable electronics due to their high power density and good mechanical compliance. However, lacking technology for FS mass manufacturing is still a significant obstacle. The present study describes a novel method for preparing FS based on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) using the N+ plasma technique, in which N+ reduces graphene oxide on the surface of a cotton/polyester substrate. The effect of aloe vera (AV) as a natural reducing & capping agent and carbon nanotubes (CNT) as nanoconductors on the electrochemical performance of the electrodes is studied. FESEM and XPS were employed to investigate the electrodes' structural and chemical composition of electrodes. The galvanostatic charge–discharge curves of electrodes revealed the enhancement of the electrochemical activity of the as-prepared electrode upon additions of AV and CNT. The areal capacitance of the RGO, RGO/AV, and RGO/ AV/CNT supercapacitors at 5 mV/s was 511, 1244.5, and 1879 mF/cm2, respectively. The RGO electrode showed capacitive retention of 80.9% after 2000 cycles enhanced to 89.7% and 92% for RGO/AV and RGO/AV/CNT electrodes, respectively. The equivalent series resistance of the RGO electrode was 126.28 Ω, decreased to 56.62 and 40.06 Ω for RGO/AV and RGO/ AV/CNT electrodes, respectively.

The demand for LNG Carrier and LNG fuel ships are increasing due to global carbon neutrality declaration and ship emissions regulation of IMO, domestic shipyards pay technology fees(about 5~10% of ship price per vessel) to GTT company in France for making LNG cargo hold. Localization of LNG cargo hold is needed to reduce technology fees and engage technological competitiveness, it is important to secure the critical technology like automation process development of insulation system process. Especially, the automation rate of membrane-type insulation system is very low due to interference caused by corrugation and difficulty in securing optimal variable welding condition. In this study, to solve this problem, automatic welding is performed using developed automatic welding equipment on STS304L steel which is used in flat and corner area of membrane-type LNG cargo hold's lap joint. After welding, Cross-sectional observations and Tensile strength tests were conducted to evaluate reliability of equipment and welding condition. As a result of the test, it was confirmed that the strength of the welded zone exceeded that of base material, and secured the optimal welding condition to apply automatic welding.

YAG phosphor powders were fabricated by the atmospheric plasma spraying method with the spray-dried spherical YAG precursor. The YAG precursor slurry for the spray drying process was prepared by the PVA solution chemical processing utilizing a domestic easy-sintered aluminum oxide (Al2O3) powder as a seed. The homogenous and viscous slurry resulted in dense granules, not hollow or porous particles. The synthesized phosphor powders demonstrated a stable YAG phase, and excellent fluorescence properties of approximately 115% compared with commercial YAG:Ce3+ powder. The microstructure of the phosphor powder had a perfect spherical shape and an average particle s ize of a pprox imately 30 μm. As a r esult of t he PKG t est of t he YAG p hosphor p owder, t he s ynthesized phosphor powders exhibited an outstanding luminous intensity, and a peak wavelength was observed at 531 nm.

In the present work, we address the new route for the green synthesis of manganese dioxide (MnO2) by an innovative method named the solution plasma process (SPP). The reaction mechanism of both colloidal and nanostructured MnO2 was investigated. Firstly, colloidal MnO2 was synthesized by plasma discharging in KMnO4 aqueous solution without any additives such as reducing agents, acids, or base chemicals. As a function of the discharge time, the purple color solution of MnO4 - (oxidation state +7) was changed to the brown color of MnO2 (oxidation state +4) and then light yellow of Mn2+ (oxidation state +2). Based on the UV-vis analysis we found the optimal discharging time for the synthesis of stable colloidal MnO2 and also reaction mechanism was verified by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) analysis. Secondly, MnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by SPP with a small amount of reducing sugar. The precipitation of brown color was observed after 8 min of plasma discharge and then completely separated into colorless solution and precipitation. It was confirmed layered type of nanoporous birnessite- MnO2 by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and electron microscopes. The most important merits of this approach are environmentally friendly process within a short time compared to the conventional method. Moreover, the morphology and the microstructure could be controllable by discharge conditions for the appropriate potential applications, such as secondary batteries, supercapacitors, adsorbents, and catalysts.

This study aimed to address the limitations of traditional plasma nitriding methods by implementing a short-term plasma oxy-nitriding treatment on the surface of AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel. This treatment involved the sequential formation of nitride and oxide layers, to enhance surface hardness and corrosion resistance, respectively. The process resulted in the formation of a 20 μm-thick nitride layer and a 3 μm-thick oxide layer on the steel surface. Initially, the hardness increased by 2.2 times after nitriding, followed by a subsequent decrease of approximately 31 % after oxidation. While the nitriding process reduced corrosion resistance, the subsequent oxidation process led to the formation of a passive oxide film, effectively resolving this issue. The pitting corrosion of the oxide passive film started at 82.6 mVssc, providing better corrosion resistance characteristics than the nitride layer. Consequently, the trade-off between surface hardness and corrosion resistance in plasma oxy-nitrided AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel is anticipated to be recognized as an innovative and comprehensive surface treatment process for biomedical components.