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Brive in France Tests Sterile Insect Technique Using X-Ray Irradiation to Control Tiger Mosquitoes, Preliminary Results Show Nearly 60% Sterility Rate in Mosquito Eggs

The city of Brive-la-Gaillarde in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France is using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to control tiger mosquitoes. Since May 2025, the city has been working with the Montpellier-based company Terratis, releasing male mosquitoes that have been treated with X-ray irradiation and rendered incapable of reproduction, in order to reduce the tiger mosquito population. The core of this method is to allow sterile males to mate with wild females, causing the females to lay eggs that cannot hatch. Although it may appear that mosquitoes are still being released in active mosquito areas, the released individuals are males, which do not bite humans. As of October 31, 2025, Brive has deployed nearly 11 million sterile male mosquitoes across 58 release points covering more than 100 hectares, with a weekly release volume of approximately 400,000...

2026-08-23

South Korea's Asan Medical Center Develops AI-Based Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Platform with U.S. Institutions

The research team at Asan Medical Center in Seoul announced on the 21st that it has recently been selected for the "2026 Korea-U.S. Innovative Outcomes R&D New Support Project" organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and will collaborate with U.S. research institutions to develop an artificial intelligence-based radiopharmaceutical therapy platform aimed at exploring new treatment strategies for solid tumors that respond poorly to conventional therapies. The team is composed of professors including Myung Seung-jae from the Department of Gastroenterology, Oh Seung-jun from the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ryu Chang-hoon from the Department of Oncology, Jung Byung-kwan from the Department of Pathology, and Son Byung-ho from the Department of Breast Surgery at Asan Medical Center. The project will combine Asan Medical Center's large-scale clinical and pathological data, Emory University's AI-based digital pathology analysis technology, and Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center's pathological and clinical research capabilities.

2026-08-22

CFHI Dalian Nuclear Power Evaporator Clean Room Project Advances Preliminary Preparations

Recently, preliminary preparations are advancing for the clean room project under the evaporator batch manufacturing capacity building initiative of CFHI Dalian Nuclear Power & Petrochemical. Located in the Dalian Bay coastal equipment manufacturing cluster, the project will improve the clean operating conditions for nuclear power evaporator production and address the shortcomings in supporting processes for batch manufacturing. The project has a total investment of 18.81 million yuan, covering an area of approximately 2,600 square meters, with a new building area of approximately 2,600 square meters. The construction centers on the evaporator tube bundle assembly clean room, supplemented by installation workstations, channel head storage areas, packaging transport track systems, and air purification systems. Since the project launch, relevant departments in Dalian Bay have been providing service support for preliminary work including land planning, engineering scheme preparation, and approval coordination, while liaising with municipal and district-level industry authorities to resolve bottlenecks in project advancement and improve the efficiency of preliminary preparations.

2026-08-22

Uzbekistan Approves Radiation Accident Emergency Procedures for Nuclear Power Plants

Uzbekistan has approved radiation accident emergency procedures for nuclear power plants, specifying the handling procedures when nuclear power plants face the threat of or actually experience radiation accidents. The document was approved by the Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Committee under the Cabinet of Ministers, registered with the Ministry of Justice, and entered into force on August 20. The procedures apply to the siting, design, construction and operation stages of nuclear power plants, covering the conditions for activating emergency states, radiation dose rate criteria, operational information reporting processes, and requirements for emergency rescue organizations. According to the procedures, the emergency states of nuclear power plants are divided into two levels: emergency preparedness and emergency condition. When the former is activated, it generally means that the safe operation limits or conditions of the nuclear power plant have been exceeded, while the ionizing radiation dose rate has reached the corresponding threshold. If external natural or man-made events such as earthquakes, explosions, fires, or floods occur at the site and affect safety-related systems or safe operating conditions, an "emergency preparedness" state may also be declared.

2026-08-22

UK report calls for rebuilding nuclear power construction capability on time and on budget

The UK think tank Onward recently released a report stating that if the UK hopes to achieve affordable electricity supply and drive deep decarbonization of its energy system, it must rebuild its capability to deliver nuclear power projects on time and on budget. The report, titled "Solid Foundations: The Case for Cheap, Reliable Power," proposes that the UK should adjust its renewable-dominated power system planning and build a diversified electricity mix comprising nuclear power, renewables, and gas generation, enabling consumers to access affordable electricity when needed. The UK Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) welcomed the report, noting that the issues it raises are of practical relevance. The report recognizes...

2026-08-23

Two U.S. National Laboratories Collaborate to Advance Arc-Based 3D Printing of Nuclear Pressure Vessels

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), both under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), announced a collaboration focused on advancing wire-arc 3D printing technology for industrial pressure vessels and qualification capabilities for critical nuclear components, aiming to expand the U.S. domestic supply chain. The two laboratories unveiled the collaboration during the Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Day event hosted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on August 19. The event focused on topics such as advanced manufacturing, nuclear infrastructure, energy security, and domestic supply chains, and featured demonstrations and tours of the DOE Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF). This facility is a large-scale research platform open to industry, primarily...

2026-08-22

Global PET Market Expected to Reach $2.81 Billion by 2035, PET-CT Remains Dominant

A market research report shows that the global Positron Emission Tomography (PET) market size is expected to increase from $1.86 billion in 2025 to $2.81 billion by 2035, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.26% from 2026 to 2035. Increased demand for cancer diagnosis, expanded application of hybrid imaging technologies such as PET-CT and PET-MRI, and continued development of molecular imaging technologies are considered major factors driving market growth. The report notes that PET scans are being increasingly used in scenarios such as cancer detection and treatment evaluation, cardiac disease assessment, and diagnosis of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Meanwhile, population aging, rising healthcare expenditures, and growing demand for early screening are also driving...

2026-08-23

South Korea Approves Restart of Shin-Kori Unit 1

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea announced on August 21 that it has approved the restart of Shin-Kori Unit 1, located in Ulju County, Ulsan. The unit has been under routine inspection since July 2. On the same day, the commission approved the unit to reach criticality. Criticality refers to the state in which a sustained nuclear fission chain reaction can be maintained within the reactor core, with a balanced neutron population. Once criticality is achieved, the reactor can gradually resume operation under safely controlled conditions. The NSSC stated that this routine inspection involved 98 inspection items required before the reactor could reach criticality, of which 86 have been completed, confirming that the unit meets the conditions for safely achieving criticality.

2026-08-22

Qinshan Nuclear Power Receives On-Site Visit for WANO Enhanced Performance Monitoring and Achieves Highest Rating

Recently, experts from the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) Tokyo Center and Shanghai Office visited Qinshan Nuclear Power to conduct an on-site Enhanced Performance Monitoring (ePM) assessment for its nine units. Based on a comprehensive evaluation, the WANO on-site visit team unanimously concluded that Qinshan Nuclear Power has demonstrated steady overall performance improvement in recent years and currently operates at the industry's highest "benchmark" level, with expectations that performance across key areas will remain stable or continue to improve over the next six months. Additionally, WANO experts conducted follow-up evaluations on selected Areas for Improvement (AFIs) and Significant Operating Experience Report (SOER) recommendations arising from the 2025 WANO peer review of Qinshan Nuclear Power's nine units, deeming the overall results satisfactory. At a summary meeting held on August 20...

2026-08-22

Progress in Tritium Containment and Radiation Protection Materials Research at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Recently, Associate Researcher Huo Zhipeng of the Fusion Reactor Blanket and Safety Research Center at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with his supervised master's students Zhang Jie and Chen Zuoyang, developed a class of flexible PbWO4-B4C reinforced silicone rubber composites with dual functions of tritium safety containment and nuclear radiation protection. The related research results were published in Journal of Materials Research and Technology. Future fusion facilities require comprehensive performance from radiation protection materials in tritium safety containment systems, including airtight sealing, flexibility for easy assembly and disassembly, and radiation shielding capability, for penetration hole sealing, post-maintenance, and high-flux neutron and γ-ray radiation protection. The research...

2026-08-21

Ur-Energy Ships First Uranium from Shirley Basin Mine to Lost Creek Processing Plant

U.S. uranium producer Ur-Energy announced that on August 19, 2026, its Shirley Basin uranium mine in Wyoming shipped its first uranium to the Lost Creek processing plant in the same state. This marks the company's second in-situ recovery (ISR) uranium mine entering full production and beginning its ramp-up phase. Ur-Energy President and CEO Matt Gili stated that the shipment of first uranium signifies the full commissioning of the Shirley Basin project and represents the company's transition into a multi-asset U.S.-based uranium producer. According to him, the Shirley Basin project took approximately two and a half years from planning and construction to production. The Shirley Basin uranium mine is Ur-Energy's second in-situ uranium...

2026-08-21

UK Low-Level Waste Disposal Site STIM Project Rail Transport Completed Ahead of Schedule

The Southern Trench Interim Membrane (STIM) project at the UK's Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria has completed its final aggregate rail deliveries, with related deliveries completed approximately one month ahead of schedule. Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) is progressing with capping works at the site, implementing long-term management of trenches and vaults used decades ago for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste. The current focus is on replacing the protective membrane above the southern trenches. This membrane reduces rainwater infiltration into the waste areas below, helping to lower environmental risks and creating conditions for the subsequent final capping of the northern trenches. The STIM project requires substantial quantities of aggregate to be placed on the trench cover. Since February 2025...

2026-08-21

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Awards OSI Systems $85 Million Contract for Mobile X-Ray Inspection Systems

On August 19, 2026, OSI Systems announced that its Security division has been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with a ceiling value of approximately $85 million. Under the contract arrangement, OSI Systems will provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection with van-mounted mobile Rapiscan X-ray inspection systems for baggage and parcel screening. The company stated that the initial task order under the contract is valued at approximately $21 million, covering the delivery of mobile inspection systems and training for relevant operators. Ajay Mehra, President and CEO of OSI Systems, stated that this multi-year contract reflects the company's commitment to providing technology support for border security and demonstrates the capabilities of its mobile inspection product portfolio. The company will continue to work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to deploy mobile screening platforms and provide customs and border officers with the necessary equipment and training.

2026-08-21

Indonesia Incorporates Nuclear Energy into Decarbonization and Power Planning

The National Energy Council (DEN) of Indonesia recently stated that nuclear energy is expected to become an important option for driving the country's energy transition and achieving its net-zero emission targets. DEN member Sripeni Inten Cahyani said at a national energy policy promotion event held at Mataram University that the positioning of nuclear energy in Indonesia's energy planning is changing, and it is no longer just a last resort. Sripeni Inten Cahyani (right), a member of the National Energy Council (DEN), accompanied by fellow member Surono (left), gave an exclusive interview to reporters after a national energy policy outreach activity at Mataram University in West Nusa Tenggara Province on Thursday, August 20, 2026...

2026-08-21

Kyoto University and NEDO to Build Dedicated Beamline for Hydrogen Energy Research at SPring-8-II

Kyoto University announced on August 20 that it will collaborate with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to construct dedicated research equipment for the hydrogen energy field at the large synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8-II, located in Sayo Town, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. SPring-8-II is scheduled to begin operation in fiscal year 2029. On the 20th, Hajime Kitagawa, Executive Director of Kyoto University (2nd from right), attended a press conference held by Kyoto City government officials. According to the plan, the two parties will install a dedicated beamline at the facility, focusing on hydrogen energy-related research such as fuel cells and hydrogen production via water electrolysis. The beamline will be used to analyze key materials including catalysts and electrolyte membranes in fuel cells and water electrolyzers, leveraging synchrotron radiation to observe material reaction processes and help researchers identify the main factors affecting performance and cost.

2026-08-21