• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.929-936
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• 2018

A basic characterization of uranium samples was performed using gamma- and X-ray spectroscopy. The studied uranium samples were eight types of certified reference materials with $^{235}U$ enrichments in the range of 1-97%, and the measurements were performed over 24 h using a high-resolution and high-purity planar germanium detector. A general peak analysis of the spectrum and the $XK_{\alpha}$ region of the uranium spectra was carried out by using HyperGam and HyperGam-U, respectively. The standard reference sources were used to calibrate the spectroscopy system. To obtain the absolute detection efficiency, an effective solid angle code, EXVol, was run for each sample. Hence, the peak activities and isotopic activities were determined, and then, the total U content and $^{234}U$, $^{235}U$, and $^{238}U$ isotopic contents were determined and compared with those of the certified reference values. A new method to determine the model age based on the ratio of the activities of $^{223}Ra$ and $^{235}U$ in the sample was studied, and the model age was compared with the known true age. In summary, the present study developed a method for basic characterization of uranium samples by nondestructive gamma-ray spectrometry in 24 h and to obtain information on the sample age.

• Geosciences Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.955-973
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• 2018

Twenty-eight beach sand samples from the shorelines of Aegean islands adjacent to the plutonic rocks of the Atticocycladic zone were analyzed for major and rare earth element (REE) contents. Results are compared with the adjacent plutonic rocks, in order to determine relative enrichments or depletions and assess the potential for REE exploitation. Among the samples, several are significantly enriched in REE, being deposits of heavy minerals and their concentrations are controlled by the sea waves and local winds. These samples contain Th, U and REE rich minerals such as zircon, xenotime and allanite. The available geochemical characteristics were also used to confirm the parent rocks of the beach sands. The heavy fractions (total, total magnetic and total non-magnetic) of the beach sands are very well correlated with the Heavy REE (HREE) concentrations. Among the minerals of the heavy magnetic fraction, allanite seems to control the REE content in the heavy mineral-enriched samples, while from the heavy non-magnetic fraction, zircon controls mainly the HREE fraction. One site from Mykonos and 3 from Naxos could have potential for REE exploitation as they present the highest ${\Sigma}REE$ and HREE contents than other beach sand placers measured in Greece (Kavala, Sithonia, Maronia, Samothraki, NE Chalkidiki).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.1022-1028
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• 2020

One of the possible options for spent-fuel management in Korea is pyroprocessing, which is a process for electrochemical recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Nuclear material accountancy is considered to be a safeguards measure of fundamental importance, for the purposes of which, the amount of nuclear material in the input and output materials should be measured as accurately as possible by means of chemical analysis and/or non-destructive assay. In the present study, a neutron measurement system based on the fast-neutron energy multiplication (FNEM) and passive neutron albedo reactivity (PNAR) techniques was designed for nuclear material accountancy of a spent-fuel assembly (i.e., the input accountancy of a pyroprocessing facility). Various parameters including inter-detector distance, source-to-detector distance, neutron-reflector material, the structure of a cadmium sleeve around the close detectors, and an air cavity in the moderator were investigated by MCNP6 Monte Carlo simulations in order to maximize its performance. Then, the detector responses with the optimized geometry were estimated for the fresh-fuel assemblies with different ²³⁵U enrichments and a spent-fuel assembly. It was found that the measurement technique investigated here has the potential to measure changes in neutron multiplication and, in turn, amount of fissile material.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.1955-1963
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• 2021

As the IAEA has applied integrated safeguards and a state level approach to member states, the importance of national inspection has increased. However, the requirements for national inspection for some member states are different from the IAEA safeguards. In particular, the national inspection for the ROK requires on-site U concentration analysis due to a domestic notification. This research proposes an on-site U concentration analysis (OUCA) method for UO₂ pellets using gamma spectroscopy to satisfy the domestic notification requirement. The OUCA method calculates the U concentration of UO₂ pellets using the measured net X-ray counts and declared ²³⁵U enrichment. This research demonstrates the feasibility of the OUCA method using both MCNP simulation and experiment. It simulated and measured the net X-ray counts of different UO₂ pellets with different U concentrations and ²³⁵U enrichments. The simulated and measured net X-ray counts were fitted to polynomials as a function of U concentration and ²³⁵U enrichment. The goodness-of-fit results of both simulation and experiment demonstrated the feasibility of the OUCA method.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.58-64
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• 2008

Surface-void defects observed on the galvannealed(GA) steel sheets in Interstitial-free high-strengthened steels containing Si and Mn have been investigated using the combination of the FIB(Focused Ion Beam) and FE-TEM(Field Emission-Transmission Electron Microscope) techniques. The scanning ion micrographs of cross-section microstructure of defects showed that these defects were identified as craters which were formed on the projecting part of the substrate surface. Also, those craters were formed on the Si or Mn-Si oxides film through the whole interface between galvannealed coating and steel substrate. Interface enrichments and oxidations of the active alloying elements such as Si and Mn during reduction annealing process for galvanizing were found to interrupt Zn and Fe interdiffusion during galvannealing process. During galvannealing, Zn and Fe interdiffusion is preferentially started on the clean substrate surface which have no oxide layer on. And then, during galvannealing, crater is developed with consumption of molten zinc on the oxide layer.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.451-460
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• 2024

Objective: The objective is to identify genomic regions and candidate genes associated with age to 105 kg (AGE), average daily gain (ADG), backfat thickness (BF), and eye muscle area (EMA) in Yorkshire pig. Methods: This study used a total of 104,380 records and 11,854 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data obtained from Illumina porcine 60K chip. The estimated genomic breeding values (GEBVs) and SNP effects were estimated by single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP). Results: The heritabilities of AGE, ADG, BF, and EMA were 0.50, 0.49, 0.49, and 0.23, respectively. We identified significant SNP markers surpassing the Bonferroni correction threshold (1.68×10^-6), with a total of 9 markers associated with both AGE and ADG, and 4 markers associated with BF and EMA. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses revealed notable chromosomal regions linked to AGE and ADG on Sus scrofa chromosome (SSC) 1, 6, 8, and 16; BF on SSC 2, 5, and 8; and EMA on SSC 1. Additionally, we observed strong linkage disequilibrium on SSC 1. Finally, we performed enrichment analyses using gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), which revealed significant enrichments in eight biological processes, one cellular component, one molecular function, and one KEGG pathway. Conclusion: The identified SNP markers for productive traits are expected to provide valuable information for genetic improvement as an understanding of their expression.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.22
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• pp.15-30
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• 2008

The roof tiles from the tomb in Baekje Kingdom of the Danjiri site in Gongju, Korea were studied for the production techniques and raw material provenance based on archaeometric characteristics. The roof tiles had traditional shapes of Baekje Kingdom, which show flow texture on the surfaces and sections with the roof tiles of hard or soft-type. These roof tiles were locally produced, using refining soils according to mineralogical and geochemical characteristics. Also roof tiles were divided to 2 groups by firing temperature and physical properties. One of them had soft with porous texture and fired probably about 700 to $900^{\circ}C$. The other had hard with vitrified texture and probably fired about 940 to $1,020^{\circ}C$. Buried for long time and used as a tomb, roof tiles had experienced chemical alteration due to the enrichments of trace elements abundant in human tissues.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1563-1573
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of vanadium in Jeju Island groundwater, focusing on the spatio-temporal patterns and geochemical controlling factors of vanadium. For this, we collected two sets of groundwater data: 1) concentrations of major constituents of 2,595 groundwater samples between 2008 and 2014 and 2) 258 groundwater samples between December 2006 and June 2008. The concentrations of groundwater vanadium were in the range of $0.2{\sim}71.0{\mu}g/L$ (average, $12.0{\mu}g/L$) and showed local enrichments without temporal/seasonal variation. This indicated that vanadium distribution was controlled by 1) the geochemical/mineralogical composition and dissolution processes of original materials (i.e., volcanic rock) and 2) the flow and chemical properties of groundwater. Vanadium concentration was significantly positively correlated with that of major ions ($Cl^-$, $Na^+$, and $K^+$) and trace metals (As, Cr, and Al), and with pH, but was negatively correlated with $NO_3-N$ concentration. The high concentrations of vanadium (>$15{\mu}g/L$) occurred in typically alkaline groundwater with high pH (${\geq}8.0$), indicating that a higher degree of water-rock interaction resulted in vanadium enrichment. Thus, higher concentrations of vanadium occurred in groundwater of $Na-Ca-HCO_3$, $Na-Mg-HCO_3$ and $Na-HCO_3$ types and were remarkably lower in groundwater of $Na-Ca-NO_3$(Cl) type that represented the influences from anthropogenic pollution.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.624-634
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• 2016

Nuclear criticality safety analyses (NCSAs) considering burnup credit were performed for the GBC-32 cask. The used nuclear fuel assemblies (UNFAs) discharged from Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 Cycle 6 were loaded into the cask. Their axial burnup distributions and average discharge burnups were evaluated using the DeCART and Multi-purpose Analyzer for Static and Transient Effects of Reactors (MASTER) codes, and NCSAs were performed using SCALE 6.1/STandardized Analysis of Reactivity for Burnup Credit using SCALE (STARBUCS) and Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code, version 6 (MCNP 6). The axial burnup distributions were determined for 20 UNFAs with various initial enrichments and burnups, which were applied to the criticality analysis for the cask system. The UNFAs for 20- and 30-year cooling times were assumed to be stored in the cask. The criticality analyses indicated that $k_{eff}$ values for UNFAs with nonuniform axial burnup distributions were larger than those with a uniform distribution, that is, the end effects were positive but much smaller than those with the reference distribution. The axial burnup distributions for 20 UNFAs had shapes that were more symmetrical with a less steep gradient in the upper region than the reference ones of the United States Department of Energy. These differences in the axial burnup distributions resulted in a significant reduction in end effects compared with the reference.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.141-147
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• 1998

This study was initiated to identify the general groundwater quality and the effects of heavy-metal enrichments in the black shales and coal materials in Dukpyung area. Groundwater quality could be divided into three groups based on the major weathering processes in the groundwater system; Group I of carbonate weathering, Group II of silicate weathering with the probable effects of acidic mine drainage, and Group III of silicate weathering with relatively high concentrations of chloride components in anions. Metal contamination of groundwater was not observed. Locally, however, acidic mine drainage appeared to be produced and recharged into the groundwater system. In addition, contamination by NO$_3$-N ranged 2 to 3 times higher than the drinking water standards, probably due to infiltration of domestic sewage and/or fertilizers into the shallow aquifer.