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Selection and Characterization of Antagonistic Microorganisms for Biological Control of Acidovorax citrulli Causing Fruit Rot in Watermelon (수박에 과실썩음병을 유발하는 Acidovorax citrulli의 생물학적 방제를 위한 길항 미생물 선발과 특성 검정)

  • Kim, Ki Young;Park, Hyo Bin;Adhikari, Mahesh;Kim, Hyun Seung;Byeon, Eun Jeong;Lee, In Kyu;Lee, Youn Su
    • Research in Plant Disease
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    • v.28 no.2
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    • pp.69-81
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    • 2022
  • This study was performed to screen the efficacy of antagonistic bacterial isolates from various sources against the bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) causing pathogen (Acidovorax citrulli) in cucurbit crops. In addition, plant growth promoting traits of these antagonistic bacterial isolates were characterized. Two thousand seven hundred ninety-four microorganisms were isolated from the collected samples. Molecular identification revealed two A. citrulli out of 2,794 isolates. In vitro antagonistic results showed that, among the 28 antagonistic bacterial isolates, 24 and 14 bacterial isolates exhibited antagonism against HPP-3-3B and HPP-9-4B, respectively. Antagonistic and growth promotion characterization of the antagonistic bacterial isolates were further studied. Results suggested that, 4 antagonistic bacteria commonly showed both antagonism and growth promotion phenotypes. Moreover, 3 isolates possessed growth promoting activities. Overall results from this study suggests that BFB causing bacterial pathogen (A. citrulli) was suppressed in in vitro antagonism assay by antagonistic bacterial isolates. Furthermore, these antagonistic bacterial isolates possessed growth promotion and antagonistic enzyme production ability. Therefore, data from this study can provide useful basic data for the in vivo experiments which ultimately helps to develop the eco-friendly agricultural materials to control fruit rot disease in cucurbit crops in near future.

A Study on the Connectivity Modeling Considering the Habitat and Movement Characteristics of Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) (멧돼지(Sus scrofa) 서식지 및 이동 특성을 고려한 연결성 모델링 연구)

  • Lee, Hyun-Jung;Kim, Whee-Moon;Kim, Kyeong-Tae;Jeong, Seung-Gyu;Kim, Yu-Jin;Lee, Kyung Jin;Kim, Ho Gul;Park, Chan;Song, Won-Kyong
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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    • v.25 no.4
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    • pp.33-47
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    • 2022
  • Wild boars(Sus scrofa) are expanding their range of behavior as their habitats change. Appearing in urban centers and private houses, it caused various social problems, including damage to crops. In order to prevent damage and effectively manage wild boars, there is a need for ecological research considering the characteristics and movement characteristics of wild boars. The purpose of this study is to analyze home range and identify land cover types in key areas through tracking wild boars, and to predict the movement connectivity of wild boars in consideration of previous studies and their preferred land use characteristics. In this study, from January to June 2021, four wild boars were captured and tracked in Jinju city, Gyeongsangnam-do, and the preferred land cover type of wild boars was identified based on the MCP 100%, KDE 95%, and KDE 50% results. As a result of the analysis of the home range for each individual, it was found that 100% of MCP was about 0.68km2, 2.77km2, 2.42km2, and 0.16km2, and the three individuals overlapped the home range, refraining from habitat movement and staying in the preferred area. The core areas were analyzed as about 0.55km2, 2.05km2, 0.82km2, and 0.14km2 with KDE 95%., and about 0.011km2, 0.033km2, 0.004km2, and 0.003km2 with KDE 50%. When the preferred land cover type of wild boar was confirmed based on the results of analysis of the total home range area and core area that combined all individuals, forests were 55.49% (MCP 100%), 54.00% (KDE 95%), 77.69% (KDE 50%), respectively, with the highest ratio, and the urbanization area, grassland, and agricultural area were relatively high. A connectivity scenario was constructed in which the ratio of the land cover type preferred by the analyzed wild boar was reflected as a weight for the resistance value of the connectivity analysis, and this was compared with the connectivity evaluation results analyzed based on previous studies and wild boar characteristics. When the current density values for the wild boar movement data were compared, the average value of the existing scenario was 2.76, the minimum 1.12, and the maximum 4.36, and the weighted scenario had an average value of 2.84, the minimum 0.96, and the maximum 4.65. It was confirmed that, on average, the probability of movement predictability was about 2.90% better even though the weighted scenario had movement restrictions due to large resistance values. It is expected that the identification of the movement route through the movement connectivity analysis of wild boars can be suggested as an alternative to prevent damage by predicting the point of appearance. In the future, when analyzing the connectivity of species including wild boar, it is judged that it will be effective to use movement data on actual species.

Discovery of UBE2I as a Novel Binding Protein of a Premature Ovarian Failure-Related Protein, FOXL2 (조기 난소 부전증 유발 관련 단백질인 FOXL2의 새로운 결합 단백질 UBE2I의 발견)

  • Park, Mira;Jung, Hyun Sook;Kim, Hyun-Lee;Pisarska, Margareta D.;Ha, Hye-Jeong;Lee, Kangseok;Bae, Jeehyeon;Ko, Jeong-Jae
    • Development and Reproduction
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.289-296
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    • 2008
  • BPES (Blepharophimosis/Ptosis/Epicanthus inversus Syndrome) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in FOXL2. Affected individuals have premature ovarian failure (POF) in addition to small palpebral fissures, drooping eyelids, and broad nasal bridge. FOXL2 is a member of the forkhead family transcription factors. In FOXL2-deficient ovaries, granulosa cell differentiation dose not progress, leading to arrest of folliculogenesis and oocytes atresia. Using yeast two-hybrid screening of rat ovarian cDNA library with FOXL2 as bait, we found that small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-conjugating E2 enzyme UBE2I protein interacted with FOXL2 protein. UBE2I also known as UBC9 is an essential protein for processing SUMO modification. Sumoylation is a form of post-translational modification involved in diverse signaling pathways including the regulation of transcriptional activities of many transcriptional factors. In the present study, we confirmed the protein-protein interaction between FOXL2 and UBE2I in human cells, 293T, by in vivo immunoprecipitation. In addition, we generated truncated FOXL2 mutants and identified the region of FOXL2 required for its association with UBE2I using yeast-two hybrid system. Therefore, the identification of UBE2I as an interacting protein of FOXL2 further suggests a presence of novel regulatory mechanism of FOXL2 by sumoylation.

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Landscape Object Classification and Attribute Information System for Standardizing Landscape BIM Library (조경 BIM 라이브러리 표준화를 위한 조경객체 및 속성정보 분류체계)

  • Kim, Bok-Young
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.51 no.2
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    • pp.103-119
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    • 2023
  • Since the Korean government has decided to apply the policy of BIM (Building Information Modeling) to the entire construction industry, it has experienced a positive trend in adoption and utilization. BIM can reduce workloads by building model objects into libraries that conform to standards and enable consistent quality, data integrity, and compatibility. In the domestic architecture, civil engineering, and the overseas landscape architecture sectors, many BIM library standardization studies have been conducted, and guidelines have been established based on them. Currently, basic research and attempts to introduce BIM are being made in Korean landscape architecture field, but the diffusion has been delayed due to difficulties in application. This can be addressed by enhancing the efficiency of BIM work using standardized libraries. Therefore, this study aims to provide a starting point for discussions and present a classification system for objects and attribute information that can be referred to when creating landscape libraries in practice. The standardization of landscape BIM library was explored from two directions: object classification and attribute information items. First, the Korean construction information classification system, product inventory classification system, landscape design and construction standards, and BIM object classification of the NLA (Norwegian Association of Landscape Architects) were referred to classify landscape objects. As a result, the objects were divided into 12 subcategories, including 'trees', 'shrubs', 'ground cover and others', 'outdoor installation', 'outdoor lighting facility', 'stairs and ramp', 'outdoor wall', 'outdoor structure', 'pavement', 'curb', 'irrigation', and 'drainage' under five major categories: 'landscape plant', 'landscape facility', 'landscape structure', 'landscape pavement', and 'irrigation and drainage'. Next, the attribute information for the objects was extracted and structured. To do this, the common attribute information items of the KBIMS (Korean BIM Standard) were included, and the object attribute information items that vary according to the type of objects were included by referring to the PDT (Product Data Template) of the LI (UK Landscape Institute). As a result, the common attributes included information on 'identification', 'distribution', 'classification', and 'manufacture and supply' information, while the object attributes included information on 'naming', 'specifications', 'installation or construction', 'performance', 'sustainability', and 'operations and maintenance'. The significance of this study lies in establishing the foundation for the introduction of landscape BIM through the standardization of library objects, which will enhance the efficiency of modeling tasks and improve the data consistency of BIM models across various disciplines in the construction industry.

Current status of cherry trees (Prunus subg. Cerasus) planted in Korea: A case study of Bundang Central Park and adjacent area (국내 벚나무류(Prunus subg. Cerasus) 식재 현황: 분당중앙공원 일대 사례연구)

  • HAN, Byungwoo;JUNG, Jongduk;NA, Hye Ryun;KANG, Kyoungsuk;CHANG, Hany;KIM, Seryoung;KIM, Youme;KWON, Heejeong;HYUN, Jin-Oh
    • Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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    • v.52 no.1
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    • pp.54-63
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    • 2022
  • Prunus subg. Cerasus is the most planted street and landscaping tree in South Korea, but it is difficult to identify species according to their macro-morphologies, leading to problems when attempting properly to manage species quantities. The purpose of this study is to understand the current status of plant types and species compositions in Bundang Central Park in Bundang-gu of Seongnam City and to discuss the necessity of the management of landscaping tree planting. In April of 2021, during the cherry blossom season, a total of 5,866 planted cherry trees were investigated within an area of 6 km2 of Bundang-gu in Seongnam City. As a result, 5,744 trees were sorted into eleven taxa, but the remaining 122 trees were not determined due to their complex morphologies. Prunus ×yedoensis Matsum. accounted for the highest proportion (52.1%), followed by P. serrulata Lindl. var. pubescens Nakai and P. jamasakura Siebold ex Koidz. P. ×nudiflora (Koehne) Koidz., a plant native to Jejudo Island, was not found in this survey. In order to help identify cherry trees based on micro-morphologies, an identification key was presented for the eleven taxa planted as major landscaping trees. It is known that cherry trees frequently form interspecific hybrids in nature. In order to prevent a loss of the genetic originality of native species due to hybridization and gene introgression from foreign cherry trees, it is necessary to manage planting species near the habitats of native taxa and track their origins.

Evaluation of Application Possibility for Floating Marine Pollutants Detection Using Image Enhancement Techniques: A Case Study for Thin Oil Film on the Sea Surface (영상 강화 기법을 통한 부유성 해양오염물질 탐지 기술 적용 가능성 평가: 해수면의 얇은 유막을 대상으로)

  • Soyeong Jang;Yeongbin Park;Jaeyeop Kwon;Sangheon Lee;Tae-Ho Kim
    • Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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    • v.39 no.6_1
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    • pp.1353-1369
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    • 2023
  • In the event of a disaster accident at sea, the scale of damage will vary due to weather effects such as wind, currents, and tidal waves, and it is obligatory to minimize the scale of damage by establishing appropriate control plans through quick on-site identification. In particular, it is difficult to identify pollutants that exist in a thin film at sea surface due to their relatively low viscosity and surface tension among pollutants discharged into the sea. Therefore, this study aims to develop an algorithm to detect suspended pollutants on the sea surface in RGB images using imaging equipment that can be easily used in the field, and to evaluate the performance of the algorithm using input data obtained from actual waters. The developed algorithm uses image enhancement techniques to improve the contrast between the intensity values of pollutants and general sea surfaces, and through histogram analysis, the background threshold is found,suspended solids other than pollutants are removed, and finally pollutants are classified. In this study, a real sea test using substitute materials was performed to evaluate the performance of the developed algorithm, and most of the suspended marine pollutants were detected, but the false detection area occurred in places with strong waves. However, the detection results are about three times better than the detection method using a single threshold in the existing algorithm. Through the results of this R&D, it is expected to be useful for on-site control response activities by detecting suspended marine pollutants that were difficult to identify with the naked eye at existing sites.

A Study on Factors Affecting ESG Management Intentions of Small and Medium Enterprises : Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Attitude and the Moderating Effect of Employees' Innovation Resistance (중소기업 ESG 경영 도입의도에 영향을 미치는 요인 : 태도의 매개효과 및 종업원 혁신저항성의 조절효과)

  • Lee, Yun-hyo;Park, Koung-hi;Chung, Byoung-gyu
    • Journal of Venture Innovation
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    • v.6 no.2
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    • pp.41-65
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    • 2023
  • This study was conducted to empirically analyse the factors that influence SMEs' intention to adopt ESG. For this purpose, we first derived the variables of usefulness of ESG and ease of adoption. In addition, we adopted CEO's will because of the importance of CEO's role in decision-making in SMEs. In addition, we added customer's request, government support, and credit evaluation reflection as institutional factors for ESG management. To examine the mediating role of attitudes and employees' innovation resistance in these relationships and how they affect ESG adoption, we set up a research model. These factors were used in the empirical analysis with 368 valid responses from the survey. Hierarchical regression analysis method using SPSS 24.0 was used for statistical analysis, and Process Macro 4.0 based on SPSS 24 was used for mediation and moderation effects. The results of the empirical analysis of this study showed that the usefulness of ESG adoption, ease of adoption, CEO's will, customer's request, government support, and credit evaluation reflection all had a positive and significant effect on the intention to adopt ESG management. In particular, among the variables affecting ESG adoption, CEO's will was found to be the most influential. Attitudes were also found to play a mediating role between the influencing factors and intention to adopt ESG management, as well as the mediating effect of employee' innovation resistance. The academic implications of this study include the identification and empirical testing of each of the influencing variables of ESG management adoption in the scarce literature on ESG in SMEs, and the prioritisation of the influence of these factors on adoption intention, which can be used to promote the adoption of ESG management. In terms of practical implications, it is important for SMEs to have a win-win relationship with large corporations, an ecosystem such as government support, in order to improve CEO awareness and motivate the CEO's will, and for smooth introduction of ESG management, it is necessary to find ways to reduce resistance through sufficient communication with organizational members to make them aware of the need.

A Study on the analysis method and composition characteristics of organic materials in the pottery excavated at the palace site in Yongjangseong Fortress, Jindo (진도 용장성 왕궁지 출토 도기호 내부 유기물의 분석법과 성분 특성 연구)

  • YUN Eunyoung;YU Jia;KIM Kyuho
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.56 no.3
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    • pp.158-171
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    • 2023
  • Pottery filled with organic materials was excavated from the G-2 building site of Yongjangseong Fortress, Jingo, a relic of the Goryeo Dynasty. In this study, the characteristics of organic material were confirmed by a scientific analysis of organic material in pottery found at the palace in Yongjangseong, Jindo. In addition, it was intended to review the analysis method to identify the natural resin and to secure characteristic components(biomarkers) for each natural resin and use them as basic data in the future. The organic materials in the pottery were analyzed using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The infrared spectral characteristics were estimated to be natural resin, and biomarkers of organic materials were identified as sesquiterpene-based compounds(C15H24, MW 204) and derivatives. The lacquer(T.vemicifluum) is composed mainly of alkenes, alkanes, and catechol. Pine resin(P.densiflora), on the other hand, is primarily composed of diterpenoid(abietic acid, pimaric acid) and Whangchil(yellow lacquer) is identified to have sesquiterpenes(such as selinene, muurolene, calamenene) as its main components. So, the organic material in the pottery can be identified as Whangchil by comparing their compounds with modern resin materials from Dendropanax. morbifera that correspond with the results. Whangchil, which is exuded from the Dendropanax. morbifera, has been used as a natural coating materials since ancient times, and it has been confirmed that the characteristic components are well preserved even 700 years later. It can be assumed that the interior Whangchil was stored not for use as a coating, but rather for ritual purposes when the building was constructed, because the pottery was found near the cornerstone. Furthermore, based on simplified sample preparation using pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry(Py-GC-MS), the thermal decomposition products were found to be similar to the characteristic components, suggesting that this method can be applied to the identification of natural resins used in historic artifacts.

An Analysis of Morphological Variation in Abies koreana Wilson and A. nephrolepis (Traut.) Maxim. of Korea (Pinaceae) and Their Phylogenetic Problems (한국산(韓國産) 분비나무와 구상나무의 형질분석(形質分析)과 종간유연관계(種間類緣關係))

  • Chang, Chin-Sung;Jeon, Jeong Ill;Hyun, Jung Oh
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.86 no.3
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    • pp.378-390
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    • 1997
  • Ten total populations of Korean fir (Abies koreana Wilson) and Manshurian fir [A. nephrolepis (Traut.) Maxim.] were sampled from south Korea to investigate patterns of intraspecific variation in these species and to evaluate a recognition of the two species. Principal components analysis and cluster analysis were performed both on seed-cone data and on needle morphology data. The characters that contributed most to the separation between A. koreana and A. nephrolepis along three principal components axis were leaf width, length of seed, width of seed wing, length of seed wing, cone width, width of scale, and length of bract tip, but these characters were not diagnostic because of overlap in reality. Therefore, all these characters were not reliable in distinguishing these two taxa including bract position (exerted and recurved vs. exerted and straight). The individuals of A. koreana from Mt. Chi-ri appeared quite unique probably on account of its larger cone size and longer scale tip, while those from Mt. Hal-la of A. koreana were generally distinct from others in terms of their larger seed and seed wing and longer scale width. The Mt. Duk-yu specimens of A. korecana appeared somewhat smaller but more data were needed due to the small sampling size. Generally, the gradual clinal geographic trends made evident by the position of resin ducts in leaves of A. koreana can be detected. The southern populations, Mt. Hal-la (an insular population) were generally distinct from the northern populations (Mt. Chi-ri, Mt. Ga-ya and Mt. Duk-yu) in terms of their position of resin duct (medial, within mesophyll vs marginal, close to epidermis : 100% vs 75 or 50%). Although no sharp boundary separating these two species could be detected based on cone and needle morphology, the observed clinal pattern was distinct in northern populations of A. koreana and southern population of A. nephrnlepis. In a preceding study of the flavonoids variation of 20 species in eastern Asia, flavanone (5-deoxyflavanone) was found to be characteristic of A. faxoniana Rehder et Wilson, A. georgei Orr of China and A. koreana of Korea. A. faxoniana, which is assumed to be primitive species, has position of resin duct relative to both the medial and the marginal, while A. georgei and A. koreana are identified by marginal position of resin duct. With respect of foliar flavonoids chemistry, A. koreana was distinct from A. nephrolepis : the southmost samples (Mt. Hal-la and Mt. Chi-ri) contained additional flavonoids derivatives (mainly flavanone) that were not found in the northmost samples of A. nephrolepis except a few individuals from Mts. Seo-rak and Tae-bak populations of Kwang-won province. The presence of A. koreana type flavonoids in two Chinese species suggested that position of resin duct may be a phyletic character. Abies koreana including two Chinese taxa, exhibited the most elaborate and specialized flavonoids profile within the Abies in eastern Asia. Contrary to our initial expectations, the apparent intermediates between A. nephrolepis and A. koreana in Duk-yu and Ga-ya mountains were found. The pattern of variation on position of resin duct and flavonoids chemistry in these populations of A. kareana suggested that genetic interchange or natural hybridization had occurred between these two species. The evidence needed to resolve the status of this taxon is still inconclusive in our opinion until intermediate individuals from Mts. Duk-yu and Ga-ya show indication of hybridization between the two species.

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APPLICATION OF FUZZY SET THEORY IN SAFEGUARDS

  • Fattah, A.;Nishiwaki, Y.
    • Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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    • 1993.06a
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    • pp.1051-1054
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    • 1993
  • The International Atomic Energy Agency's Statute in Article III.A.5 allows it“to establish and administer safeguards designed to ensure that special fissionable and other materials, services, equipment, facilities and information made available by the Agency or at its request or under its supervision or control are not used in such a way as to further any military purpose; and to apply safeguards, at the request of the parties, to any bilateral or multilateral arrangement, or at the request of a State, to any of that State's activities in the field of atomic energy”. Safeguards are essentially a technical means of verifying the fulfilment of political obligations undertaken by States and given a legal force in international agreements relating to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The main political objectives are: to assure the international community that States are complying with their non-proliferation and other peaceful undertakings; and to deter (a) the diversion of afeguarded nuclear materials to the production of nuclear explosives or for military purposes and (b) the misuse of safeguarded facilities with the aim of producing unsafeguarded nuclear material. It is clear that no international safeguards system can physically prevent diversion. The IAEA safeguards system is basically a verification measure designed to provide assurance in those cases in which diversion has not occurred. Verification is accomplished by two basic means: material accountancy and containment and surveillance measures. Nuclear material accountancy is the fundamental IAEA safeguards mechanism, while containment and surveillance serve as important complementary measures. Material accountancy refers to a collection of measurements and other determinations which enable the State and the Agency to maintain a current picture of the location and movement of nuclear material into and out of material balance areas, i. e. areas where all material entering or leaving is measurab e. A containment measure is one that is designed by taking advantage of structural characteristics, such as containers, tanks or pipes, etc. To establish the physical integrity of an area or item by preventing the undetected movement of nuclear material or equipment. Such measures involve the application of tamper-indicating or surveillance devices. Surveillance refers to both human and instrumental observation aimed at indicating the movement of nuclear material. The verification process consists of three over-lapping elements: (a) Provision by the State of information such as - design information describing nuclear installations; - accounting reports listing nuclear material inventories, receipts and shipments; - documents amplifying and clarifying reports, as applicable; - notification of international transfers of nuclear material. (b) Collection by the IAEA of information through inspection activities such as - verification of design information - examination of records and repo ts - measurement of nuclear material - examination of containment and surveillance measures - follow-up activities in case of unusual findings. (c) Evaluation of the information provided by the State and of that collected by inspectors to determine the completeness, accuracy and validity of the information provided by the State and to resolve any anomalies and discrepancies. To design an effective verification system, one must identify possible ways and means by which nuclear material could be diverted from peaceful uses, including means to conceal such diversions. These theoretical ways and means, which have become known as diversion strategies, are used as one of the basic inputs for the development of safeguards procedures, equipment and instrumentation. For analysis of implementation strategy purposes, it is assumed that non-compliance cannot be excluded a priori and that consequently there is a low but non-zero probability that a diversion could be attempted in all safeguards ituations. An important element of diversion strategies is the identification of various possible diversion paths; the amount, type and location of nuclear material involved, the physical route and conversion of the material that may take place, rate of removal and concealment methods, as appropriate. With regard to the physical route and conversion of nuclear material the following main categories may be considered: - unreported removal of nuclear material from an installation or during transit - unreported introduction of nuclear material into an installation - unreported transfer of nuclear material from one material balance area to another - unreported production of nuclear material, e. g. enrichment of uranium or production of plutonium - undeclared uses of the material within the installation. With respect to the amount of nuclear material that might be diverted in a given time (the diversion rate), the continuum between the following two limiting cases is cons dered: - one significant quantity or more in a short time, often known as abrupt diversion; and - one significant quantity or more per year, for example, by accumulation of smaller amounts each time to add up to a significant quantity over a period of one year, often called protracted diversion. Concealment methods may include: - restriction of access of inspectors - falsification of records, reports and other material balance areas - replacement of nuclear material, e. g. use of dummy objects - falsification of measurements or of their evaluation - interference with IAEA installed equipment.As a result of diversion and its concealment or other actions, anomalies will occur. All reasonable diversion routes, scenarios/strategies and concealment methods have to be taken into account in designing safeguards implementation strategies so as to provide sufficient opportunities for the IAEA to observe such anomalies. The safeguards approach for each facility will make a different use of these procedures, equipment and instrumentation according to the various diversion strategies which could be applicable to that facility and according to the detection and inspection goals which are applied. Postulated pathways sets of scenarios comprise those elements of diversion strategies which might be carried out at a facility or across a State's fuel cycle with declared or undeclared activities. All such factors, however, contain a degree of fuzziness that need a human judgment to make the ultimate conclusion that all material is being used for peaceful purposes. Safeguards has been traditionally based on verification of declared material and facilities using material accountancy as a fundamental measure. The strength of material accountancy is based on the fact that it allows to detect any diversion independent of the diversion route taken. Material accountancy detects a diversion after it actually happened and thus is powerless to physically prevent it and can only deter by the risk of early detection any contemplation by State authorities to carry out a diversion. Recently the IAEA has been faced with new challenges. To deal with these, various measures are being reconsidered to strengthen the safeguards system such as enhanced assessment of the completeness of the State's initial declaration of nuclear material and installations under its jurisdiction enhanced monitoring and analysis of open information and analysis of open information that may indicate inconsistencies with the State's safeguards obligations. Precise information vital for such enhanced assessments and analyses is normally not available or, if available, difficult and expensive collection of information would be necessary. Above all, realistic appraisal of truth needs sound human judgment.

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