• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2008

Since plutonium accounts for 40-50% of the power produced by uranium fuels, spent fuel contains only residual plutonium. Management of this plutonium is one of the aspects influencing the choice of a fuel cycle back-end option: reprocessing, direct disposal or wait-and-see. Different grades and qualities of plutonium exist depending from their specific generation conditions; all are valuable fissile material. Safeguard authorities watch the inventories of civil plutonium, but access to those data is restricted. Independent evaluations have led to an estimated current inventory of 220t plutonium in total (spent fuel, separated civil plutonium and military plutonium). If used as MOX fuel, it would be sufficient to feed all the PWRs and BWRs worldwide during 7 years or to deploy a FBR park corresponding to 150% of today' s installed nuclear capacity worldwide, which could then be exploited for centuries with the current stockpile of depleted and spent uranium. The energy potential of plutonium deteriorates with storage time of spent fuel and of separated plutonium, due to the decay of $^{241}Pu$, the best fissile isotope, into americium, a neutron absorber. The loss of fissile value of plutonium is more pronounced for usage in LWRs than in FBR. However, keeping the current plutonium inventory for an expected future deployment of FBRs is counterproductive. Recycling plutonium reduce the required volume for final disposal in an underground repository and the cost of final disposal. However, the benefits of utilizing an energy resource and of reducing final disposal liabilities are not the only aspects that determine the choice of a back-end policy.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.361-380
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• 2018

The dynamic performance of the wave energy converter (WEC) rotor with different geometric parameters such as depth of submergence and beak angle has been assessed by considering the linear potential flow theory using WAMIT solver and along with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The effect of viscous damping is incorporated by conducting numerical free decay test using CFD. The hydrodynamic coefficients obtained from the WAMIT, viscous damping from the CFD and estimated PTO damping are used to solve the equation of motion to obtain the final pitch response, mean optimal power and capture width. The viscous damping is almost 0.9 to 4.6 times when compared to the actual damping. It is observed that by neglecting the viscous damping the pitch response and power are overestimated when compared to the without viscous damping. The performance of the pitch WEC rotor in the Jeju western coast at the Chagwido is analyzed using Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) spectrum and square-root of average extracted power is obtained. The performance of WEC rotor with depth of submergence 2.8 m and beak angle $60^{\circ}$ found to be good compared to the other rotors.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.877-887
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• 2022

A new reactor concept is described that directly couples a supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) power cycle with a CO₂-cooled, heavy water moderated pressure tube core. This configuration attains the simplification and economic potential of past direct-cycle sCO₂ concepts, while also providing safety and power density benefits by using the moderator as a heat sink for decay heat removal. A 200 MWe design is described that heavily leverages existing commercial nuclear technologies, including reactor and moderator systems from Canadian CANDU reactors and fuels and materials from UK Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs). Descriptions are provided of the power cycle, nuclear island systems, reactor core, and safety systems, and the results of safety analyses are shown illustrating the ability of the design to withstand large-break loss of coolant accidents. The resulting design attains high efficiency while employing considerably fewer systems than current light water reactors and advanced reactor technologies, illustrating its economic promise. Prospects for the design are discussed, including the ability to demonstrate its technologies in a small (~20 MWe) initial system, and avenues for further improvement of the design using advanced technologies.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.135-144
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• 2022

An antidiabetic drug, rosiglitazone is a member of the drug class of thiazolidinedione. Although restrictions on use due to the possibility of heart toxicity have been removed, it is still a drug that is concerned about side effects on the heart. We here examined, using Chinese hamster ovary cells, the action of rosiglitazone on Kv1.5 channels, which is a major determinant of the duration of cardiac action potential. Rosiglitazone rapidly and reversibly inhibited Kv1.5 currents in a concentrationdependent manner (IC₅₀ = 18.9 μM) and accelerated the decay of Kv1.5 currents without modifying the activation kinetics. In addition, the deactivation of Kv1.5 current, assayed with tail current, was slowed by the drug. All of the results as well as the usedependence of the rosiglitazone-mediated blockade indicate that rosiglitazone acts on Kv1.5 channels as an open channel blocker. This study suggests that the cardiac side effects of rosiglitazone might be mediated in part by suppression of Kv1.5 channels, and therefore, raises a concern of using the drug for diabetic therapeutics.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.95-103
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• 2023

Rosiglitazone is a thiazolidinedione-class antidiabetic drug that reduces blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels. We here investigated the interaction of rosiglitazone with Kv3.1 expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells using the wholecell patch-clamp technique. Rosiglitazone rapidly and reversibly inhibited Kv3.1 currents in a concentration-dependent manner (IC₅₀ = 29.8 µM) and accelerated the decay of Kv3.1 currents without modifying the activation kinetics. The rosiglitazonemediated inhibition of Kv3.1 channels increased steeply in a sigmoidal pattern over the voltage range of -20 to +30 mV, whereas it was voltage-independent in the voltage range above +30 mV, where the channels were fully activated. The deactivation of Kv3.1 current, measured along with tail currents, was also slowed by the drug. In addition, the steady-state inactivation curve of Kv3.1 by rosiglitazone shifts to a negative potential without significant change in the slope value. All the results with the use dependence of the rosiglitazone-mediated blockade suggest that rosiglitazone acts on Kv3.1 channels as an open channel blocker.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2977-2983
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• 2023

During normal operation, some parts of the fission product in the defective fuel rods can release into the primary loops in PWR and the escape rate coefficients are widely used to assess quantitatively the release behaviors of fission products in the industry. The escape rate coefficients have been standardized and have been validated by some drilling experiments before the 1970s. In the paper, the model to determine the escape rate coefficients of fission products has been established and the typical escape rate coefficients of noble gas and iodine have been deduced based on the measured radiochemical data in one operating PWR. The result shows that the apparent escape rate coefficients vary with the release-to-birth and decay constants for different fission products of the same element. In addition, it is found that the escape rate coefficients from the defective rod with large defects are much higher than the standard escape rate coefficients, i.e., averagely 4.4 times and 1.8 times for noble gas and iodine respectively. The enhanced release of fission products from the severe secondary hydriding of several defective fuel rods in one cycle may lead to the potential risk of the temporary shutdown of the operating reactors.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.49.5-50
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• 2021

We report the optical follow-up observations of three long γ-ray burst events, GRB 201020A, GRB 201103B and GRB 210104A by the network of telescopes in the SomangNet project. We show light curves, color evolution and SED evolution, and fit them to a single power law function to derive decay index and compare their properties with other long GRBs samples. Also, we show a good observational example that 0.4-1m class telescopes in SomangNet have potential to catch dim light from high red shift object (R>22 mag) by deep imaging. In conclusion, we found that three GRBs have optical afterglow properties of long GRB and our results are consistent with the reports of high energy analysis.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2024

Exponential growth has been observed in nuclear medicine procedures worldwide in the past decades. The considerable increase is attributed to the advance of positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography, as well as the introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals. Although nuclear medicine procedures provide undisputable diagnostic and therapeutic benefits to patients, the substantial increase in radiation exposure to nuclear medicine patients raises concerns about potential adverse health effects and calls for the urgent need to monitor exposure levels. In the current article, model-based internal dosimetry methods were reviewed, focusing on Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) formalism, biokinetic data, human anatomy models (stylized, voxel, and hybrid computational human phantoms), and energy spectrum data of radionuclides. Key results from many articles on nuclear medicine dosimetry and comparisons of dosimetry quantities based on different types of human anatomy models were summarized. Key characteristics of seven model-based dose calculation tools were tabulated and discussed, including dose quantities, computational human phantoms used for dose calculations, decay data for radionuclides, biokinetic data, and user interface. Lastly, future research needs in nuclear medicine dosimetry were discussed. Model-based internal dosimetry methods were reviewed focusing on MIRD formalism, biokinetic data, human anatomy models, and energy spectrum data of radionuclides. Future research should focus on updating biokinetic data, revising energy transfer quantities for alimentary and gastrointestinal tracts, accounting for body size in nuclear medicine dosimetry, and recalculating dose coefficients based on the latest biokinetic and energy transfer data.

• Oncology Reports
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.1377-1386
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• 2019

Zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) is an AU-rich element protein that binds to 3'-untranslated regions and promotes the decay of target mRNAs. Downregulation of ZFP36 expression in turn results in stabilization of target mRNAs. A recent study indicated that downregulation of ZFP36 expression in human liver cancer is caused by epigenetic mechanisms. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the potential of resveratrol (Res) to induce ZFP36 expression. Promoter methylation was analyzed using methylation-sensitive restriction analysis. It was determined that Res treatment increased ZFP36 expression and decreased the mRNA levels of ZFP36 target genes in A549 lung cancer cells. Additionally, Res suppressed the expression of DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 and induced demethylation of the ZFP36 promoter. Collectively, the present results demonstrated that Res has anticancer activity through its epigenetic regulation of ZFP36 in non-small cell lung cancer.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.817-823
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• 2009

We investigated the effects of storage temperature and packaging treatment on the freshness of high-quality 'Fuji' apples to improve consumer confidence in the maintenance of high fruit quality during distribution. A 0.35 mm-deep PET tray form-sealed with a 0.05 mm LDPE film lid was developed and tested with the aim of optimizing gas composition within the package headspace to utilize potential modified atmosphere (MA) storage to maintain the freshness of apples. Weight loss, color difference, firmness, respiration rate, gas concentrations in packages, acidity, solid soluble content, and fruit decay rate were measured during storage at $5^{\circ}C$ and $25^{\circ}C$. The results showed that respiration rate, weight loss, color difference, and firmness were lower and overall quality better during storage at $5^{\circ}C$ compared with $25^{\circ}C$. Also, the fruits packed in the functional tray form showed a low level of quality changes compared with the control (no packaging). The accumulated gasconcentrations in the headspace of the packages decreased from 21% to 12% $O_2$ and increased from 0% to 5% $CO_2$ (v/v) on day 7, and after remained at those levels thereafter. Soluble solid contents and total acidities of the packaged fruits were in the range of $11\;-\;14^{\circ}Brix$ and 0.2 0.3% during storage. Decay rates in the control and packaged fruits were more than 20% and less than 10% at 3 weeks, respectively. Based on the standard acceptable level (less than 10%) of total weight loss, it could be estimated that the shelf life of top-quality fruits packed in functional trays was 3 weeks at $5^{\circ}C$ and 16 weeks at $25^{\circ}C$, whereas the shelf life of the control fruit was 1 week and 12 weeks, respectively. For the top-quality fruit "Fuji" apples, the best results were obtained with a functional tray form for packaging treatment and a storage temperature of $5^{\circ}C$.