• Korean System Dynamics Review
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.53-74
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• 2015

The purpose of this paper is to simulate public trust on nuclear regulation policy. The first of all, public trust variables and the model were developed and analysed by system dynamic method. The model are consisted of the operator safety culture level, regulatory competence levels, the public satisfaction and public trust level. The scenario is made up three type which base scenario, the system operator's safety culture level and accident event level. First. the simulation results of standard scenario shows that rapidly declining public satisfaction and trust level of the national safety after Japan's nuclear accident in November 2011. Second, operator safety culture level and simulated divided into three levels. The results showed that a greater impact on the public satisfaction if bad than good case. Finally, the size of the accident was simulated divided into three levels levels(no accident, medium, serious accidents). the results showed a weak effect against the regulatory capacity and safety performance levels but showed a significant impact on public satisfaction and confidence level.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.47-60
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to explore the overall structural relationship between the statutory provisions of nuclear energy legislation and to identify the coherence of the nuclear law system using social network analysis. In particular, we analyze the legal structure of the "Nuclear Safety Act", which plays a central role in nuclear safety regulation, to examine the key provisions in legal network structure of Nuclear Safety Act. Therefore, we found the structural problems of the nuclear legal system and suggest the legislative improvement plan for reducing excessive legislative activity and determining the need for legal amendments in nuclear safety management and regulation. This study is expected to provide a analytical framework for making legal system of further policy in other science and technology industries as well as nuclear energy related industries.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.403-412
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• 2009

For efficient and effective nuclear regulation, regulatory organizations must establish consistent and rigorous regulatory positions on safety matters. These positions should be based on high technical expertise and relevant ordinances, standards, and guidelines reflecting policy changes governing nuclear regulations. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, a regulatory expert organization in Korea, has developed regulatory requirements, guidelines and analytical tools that provide regulatory technical bases for ensuring nuclear safety. The nuclear regulatory research also contributes to regulatory decision making by providing resolution for current and future safety issues. In this article, we introduce nuclear regulatory research and its main achievements in the past 10 years. Also, suggested here are future directions of nuclear regulatory research.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.314-321
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• 2021

As Indonesia is rich in natural resources, nuclear power remains a low priority among energy alternatives. However, Indonesia needs to introduce nuclear power to improve the atmospheric environment and to support sustainable economic growth. This study conducted a two-stage survey of logit-probit and analytic hierarchy process to analyze the perception of Indonesian energy policymakers regarding the introduction of nuclear power, the potential for change, and key decision factors. The analysis confirms that the perception of nuclear power is positive and that the willingness to expand nuclear power can improve if negative conditions, such as underdeveloped technology level, foreign aid and assistance, and safety issues are addressed. In addition, it is confirmed that the policy makers consider political/social and environmental factors to be more important for decision-making. The results of this study can give inplications and be used as a key reference for Indonesia's nuclear power policy

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.349-364
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• 2008

Over the years, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) research activities conducted at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have played an essential role in support of the agency's move towards risk-informed regulation. These research activities have provided the technical basis for NRC's regulatory activities in key areas; provided PRA methods, tools, and data enabling the agency to meet future challenges; supported the implementation of NRC's 1995 PRA Policy Statement by assessing key sources of risk; and supported the development of necessary technical and human resources supporting NRC's risk-informed activities. PRA research aimed at improving the NRC's understanding of risk can positively affect the agency's regulatory activities, as evidenced by three case studies involving research on fire PRA, human reliability analysis (HRA), and pressurized thermal shock (PTS) PRA. These case studies also show that such research can take a considerable amount of time, and that the incorporation of research results into regulatory practice can take even longer. The need for sustained effort and appropriate lead time is an important consideration in the development of a PRA research program aimed at helping the agency address key sources of risk for current and potential future facilities.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2024

Background: This study aimed to prioritize policy measures to improve radiation safety management in medical institutions using the analytic hierarchy process. Materials and Methods: It adopted three policy options-engineering, education, and enforcement-to categorize safety management measures, the so-called Harvey's 3Es. Then, the radiation safety management measures obtained from the current system and other studies were organized into action plan categories. Using the derived model, this study surveyed 33 stakeholders of radiation safety management in medical institutions and analyzed the importance of each measure. Results and Discussion: As a result, these stakeholders generally identified enforcement as the most important factor for improving the safety management system. The study also found that radiation safety officers and medical physicists perceived different measures as important, indicating clear differences in opinions among stakeholders, especially in improving quality assurance in radiation therapy. Hence, the process of coordination and consensus is likely to be critical in improving the radiation safety management system. Conclusion: Stakeholders in the medical field consider enforcement as the most critical factor in improving their safety management systems. Specifically, the most crucial among the six specific action plans was the "reinforcement of the organization and workforce for safety management," with a relative importance of 25.7%.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.108-116
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• 2020

Background: This foundational study on educational interventions aimed to analyze the changes in awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of young learners after they received objective information on safety management. Materials and Methods: Educational sessions on nuclear power and radiation safety were delivered to 4,934 Korean elementary, middle, and high school students in two separate sessions conducted in 2016 and 2017. The effects of these interventions were subsequently analyzed. Results and Discussion: Learner attitudes toward safety were found to be the predominant variables affecting the post-intervention risk (safety) awareness of nuclear power generation. Conclusion: The safety awareness of future generations will significantly influence policy decisions on nuclear power generation. Hence, the design of educational interventions on this subject must match variables suited to learner levels.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.459-468
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• 2020

Nuclear receptor subfamily group H member 4 (NR1H4), also known as farnesoid X receptor, has been implicated in several cellular processes in the liver and intestine. Preclinical and clinical studies have suggested a role of NR1H4 in colon cancer development; however, how NR1H4 regulates colon cancer cell growth and survival remains unclear. We generated NR1H4 knockout (KO) colon cancer cells using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease (CAS9) technology and explored the effects of NR1H4 KO in colon cancer cell proliferation, survival, and apoptosis. Interestingly, NR1H4 KO cells showed impaired cell proliferation, reduced colony formation, and increased apoptotic cell death compared to control colon cancer cells. We identified MYC as an important mediator of the signaling pathway alterations induced by NR1H4 KO. NR1H4 silencing in colon cancer cells resulted in reduced MYC protein levels, while NR1H4 activation using an NR1H4 ligand, chenodeoxycholic acid, resulted in time- and dose-dependent MYC induction. Moreover, NR1H4 KO enhanced the anti-cancer effects of doxorubicin and cisplatin, supporting the role of MYC in the enhanced apoptosis observed in NR1H4 KO cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that modulating NR1H4 activity in colon cancer cells might be a promising alternative approach to treat cancer using MYC-targeting agents.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.263-275
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• 2016

Objective: This paper introduces the regulatory oversight approaches and issues to consider in the course of safety culture oversight model development in the nuclear field. Common understanding on regulatory oversight and present practices of international communities are briefly reviewed. The nuclear safety culture oversight model of Korea is explained focusing on the development of safety culture definition and components, and their basic meanings. Oversight components are identified to represent the multiple human and organizational elements which can affect and reinforce elements of defense in depth system for nuclear safety. Result of validation study on safety culture components is briefly introduced too. Finally, the results of the application of the model are presented to show its effectiveness and feasibility. Background: The oversight of nuclear licensee's safety culture has been an important regulatory issue in the international community of nuclear safety regulation. Concurrent with the significant events that started to occur in the early 2000s and that had implications about safety culture of the operating organizations, it has been natural for regulators to pay attention to appropriate methods and even philosophy for intervening the licensee's safety culture. Although safety culture has been emphasized for last 30 years as a prerequisite to ensure high level of nuclear safety, it has not been of regulatory scope and has a unique dilemma between external oversight and the voluntary nature of culture. Safety culture oversight is a new regulatory challenge that needs to be approached taking into consideration of the uncontrollable aspects of cultural changes and the impacts on licensee's safety culture. Although researchers and industrial practitioners still struggle with measuring, evaluating, managing and changing safety culture, it was recognized that efforts to observe and influence licensees' safety culture should not be delayed. Method: Safety culture components which regulatory oversight will have to focus on are developed by benchmarking the concept of physical barriers and introducing the defense in depth philosophy into organizational system. Therefore, this paper begins with review of international regulatory oversight approaches and issues associated with the regulatory oversight of safety culture, followed by the development of oversight model. The validity of the model was verified by statistical analysis with the survey result obtained from survey administration to NPP employees in Korea. The developed safety culture oversight model and components were used in the "safety culture inspection" activities of the Korean regulatory body. Results: The developed safety culture model was confirmed to be valid in terms of content, construct and criterion validity. And the actual applicability in the nuclear operating organization was verified after series of pilot "safety culture inspection" activities. Conclusion: The application of the nuclear safety culture oversight model to operating organization of NPPs showed promising results for regulatory tools required for the organizations to improve their safety culture. Application: The developed oversight model and components might be used in the inspection activities and regulatory oversight of NPP operating organization's safety culture.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.237-245
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• 2022

Background: The current study reports measurements of activity concentrations of radon (²²⁰Rn) and thoron (²²⁰Rn) in dwellings, followed by inhalation dose assessment of the public, and then by the development of regulation and the national radon action plan (NRAP) in Cameroon. Materials and Methods: Radon, thoron, and thoron progeny measurements were carried out from 2014 to 2017 using radon-thoron discriminative detectors (commercially RADUET) in 450 dwellings and thoron progeny monitors in 350 dwellings. From 2019 to 2020, radon track detectors (commercially RADTRAK) were deployed in 1,400 dwellings. It was found that activity concentrations of radon range in 1,850 houses from 10 to 2,620 Bq/㎥ with a geometric mean of 76 Bq/㎥. Results and Discussion: Activity concentrations of thoron range from 20 to 700 Bq/㎥ with a geometric mean of 107 Bq/㎥. Thoron equilibrium factor ranges from 0.01 to 0.6, with an arithmetic mean of 0.09 that is higher than the default value of 0.02 given by UNSCEAR. On average, 49%, 9%, and 2% of all surveyed houses have radon concentrations above 100, 200, and 300 Bq/㎥, respectively. The average contribution of thoron to the inhalation dose due to radon and thoron exposure is about 40%. Thus, thoron cannot be neglected in dose assessment to avoid biased results in radio-epidemiological studies. Only radon was considered in the drafted regulation and in the NRAP adopted in October 2020. Reference levels of 300 Bq/㎥ and 1,000 Bq/㎥ were recommended for dwellings and workplaces. Conclusion: Priority actions for the coming years include the following: radon risk mapping, promotion of a protection policy against radon in buildings, integration of the radon prevention and mitigation into the training of construction specialists, mitigation of dwellings and workplaces with high radon levels, increased public awareness of the health risks associated with radon, and development of programs on the scientific and technical aspects.