• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.905-912
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• 2007

A novel ${\beta}-glucosidase$ gene, bglA, was isolated from uncultured soil bacteria and characterized. Using genomic libraries constructed from soil DNA, a gene encoding a protein that hydrolyzes a fluorogenic analog of cellulose, 4-methylumbelliferyl ${\beta}-D-cellobioside$ (MUC), was isolated using a microtiter plate assay. The gene, bglA, was sequenced using a shotgun approach, and expressed in E. coli. The deduced 55-kDa amino acid sequence for bglA showed a 56% identity with the family 1 glycosyl hydrolase Chloroflexus aurantiacus. BglA included two conserved family 1 glycosyl hydrolase regions. When using $p-nitrophenyl-{\beta}-D-glucoside$ (pNPG) as the substrate, the maximum activity of the purified ${\beta}-glucosidase$ exhibited at pH 6.5 and $55^{\circ}C$, and was enhanced in the presence of $Mn^{2+}$. The $K_m\;and\;V_{max}$ values for the purified enzyme with pNPG were 0.16 mM and $19.10{\mu}mol/min$, respectively. The purified BglA enzyme hydrolyzed both pNPG and $p-nitrophenyl-{\beta}-D-fucoside$. The enzyme also exhibited substantial glycosyl hydrolase activities with natural glycosyl substrates, such as sophorose, cellobiose, cellotriose, cellotetraose, and cellopentaose, yet low hydrolytic activities with gentiobiose, salicin, and arbutin. Moreover, BglA was able to convert the major ginsenoside $Rb_1$ into the pharmaceutically active minor ginsenoside Rd within 24 h.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.2107-2113
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• 2000

Toxicity estimation of three nonionic surfactants (Brij 30, Tween 80, Triton X-lOO) and their effect on the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the aqueous phase and soil slurry phase were investigated. Brij 30 was found to be the most biodegradable among the surfactants tested, and showed no substrate inhibition up to a concentration of 1.5 g/L. It was definitely utilized as a carbon source by the microorganisms. Naphthalene and phenanthrene in the aqueous phase were completely degraded by phenanthrene-acclimated cultures within 60 hours, but a substantial amount of naphthalene was lost due to the volatilization. The limiting step in the soil slurry bioremediation was bioavailablity by the microorganisms in the sand slurry and mass transfer from a solid to aqueous phase in the clay slurry. TOC analysis revealed that most of substrates including surfactant in the reactor were degraded. pH transition indicated that phenanthrene was metabolized into intermediates containing acid function.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.318-326
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• 2016

Two phosphate solubilizing bacteria, Pantoea rodasii PSB-11and Enterobacter aerogenes PSB-12, were isolated from button mushroom compost and employed to assess their synergistic effect in liquid medium and on growth of green gram plants by single and co-inoculation of the strains. Co-inoculation of two strains was found to release the highest content of soluble phosphorus ($521{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$) into the medium, followed by single inoculation of Pantoea strain ($485{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$) and Enterobacter strain ($470{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$). However, there was no significant difference between single inoculation of bacterial strain and co-inoculation of two bacterial strains in terms of phosphorous release. The highest pH reduction, organic acid production and glucose consumption was observed in the E. aerogenes PSB-12 single inoculated culture medium rather than those of co-inoculation. According to the plant growth promotion bioassay, co-inoculated mung bean seedlings recorded 10.6% and 10.7% higher shoot and root growth respectively compared to the control. Therefore, in concluding, co-inoculation of the strains P. rodasii and E. aerogenes displayed better performance in stimulating plant growth than inoculation of each strain alone. However, being short assessment period of the present study, we recommend in engaging further works under field conditions in order to test the suitability of the strains to be used as bio-inoculants.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.795-799
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• 2008

We have studied bioremediation of effective microorganisms on crude oil spill in Taean, west-coast of Korea. Oil contaminated soil samples were collected on December 14, 2007, seven days after the Hebei Spirit oil-spilled accident. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was measured to evaluate the effectiveness of effective microorganisms (EM) which were composed with yeast, photosynthetic bacteria and lactic acid bacteria on oil degradation. TPH concentration before EM treatment was 323.8 mg/kg, whereas TPH concentrations on 2 days after EM treatment and that of control (without EM) was 102.1 mg/kg and 170.6 mg/kg, respectively. On six days after EM treatment TPH was 91.3 mg/kg and that of control was 127.7 mg/kg. Percentages of degraded crude oil were 47.3% without EM and 68.5% with EM, 60.6% without EM and 71.8% with EM on 2 and 6 days after EM treatment, respectively. These results clearly showed that the application of effective microorganisms toward oil-contaminated soil was quite useful to degrade crude oil spill. These results were derived from the effects of biostimulation of microbial media nutrients and bioaugmentation of effective microorganisms. If we carefully apply these effective microorganisms, it can be a useful bioremediation method to recover oil-contaminated marine ecosystems.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1995

Strontium selective chromatographic material $(Sr-Spec^{TM})$ was investigated for separation of radiostrontium from environmental soil and water sample. This chromatographic material has great capacity of binding of strontium ion in nitric acid media, and has selectivity to permit the separation of stontium from bulk amount of calcium. But the extraction of strontium was reduced by the other interfering ions such as K and Ba. So, in order to apply this material to the soil sample, prior removal treatment of K and Ba was needed. But the Sr-Spec material could provides simple and effective methods for the separation and removal of radiostrontium from liquid sample.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2000

When interpreting change over time in forest ecosystems, distinguishing the effects of forest succession from the effects of environmental stress can be difficult. The result may be a simplistic interpretation. citing a specific successional or environmental cause of forest change when both types may be occurring. We present two case studies of changes in the forest floor in northern hardwoods. First, the belief that 50% of soil organic matter is lost in the first 20 years after logging was based on a study comparing northern hardwood stands of different ages. We resampled a series of 13 such stands after an interval of 15 years, and found that the young stands were not, in fact. losing organic matter as rapidly as predicted from the original chronosequence study. The pattern of higher organic matter content in the forest floors of older stands compared to young stands could be equally well explained by changes in logging practices over the last century as by the aging of the stand. The observed pattern of forest floor organic matter as a function of stand age was previously interpreted as a successional pattern, ignoring changes in treatment history. In the second case study, observed losses of base cations from the forest floor were attributed to cation depletion caused by acid rain and declining calcium deposition. We found that young stands were gaining base cations in the forest floor; losses of base cations were restricted to older stands. Differences in litter chemistry in stands of different ages may explain some of the pattern in cation gains and losses. In this case, the contribution of successional processes to cation loss had been overlooked in favor of environmental stress as the dominant mechanism behind the observed changes. Studies of environmental stress use repeated measures over time. but often don't consider stand age as a factor. Studies of successional change often assume that environmental factors remain constant. We were able to consider both forest succession and external factors because we repeatedly sampled stands of different ages.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.185-197
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• 2011

Sorption of chlorinated pesticides such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and atrazine onto natural clays (montmorillonite and zeolite) modified with cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium (HDTMA) and a natural soil was investigated using batch adsorbers. The clays were transformed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic by the cation exchange between clay surface and HDTMA up to 100% of the cation exchange capacity (CEC). Physicochemical characteristics of the sorbents such as pH, PZC (point of zero charge), organic carbon content ($f_{oc}$), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were analyzed. Sorption isotherm models such as Freundlich and Langmuir were fitted to the experimental data, resulting Langmuir model ($R^2$ > 0.986) was fitted better than Freundlich model ($R^2$ > 0.973). Sorption capacity ($Q^0$) for 2,4-D and atrazine was in the order of HDTMA-montmorillonite > HDTMA-zeolite > natural soil corresponding to the increase in organic carbon content ($f_{oc}$). The sorption of the pesticides was also affected by pH. The sorption of 2,4-D decreased with the increase in pH, whereas that of atrazine was not changed. This indicated that the sorption capacity ($Q^0$) of 2,4-D and atrazine was not affected by the solution pH because they exist as anionic (deprotonated) forms at pH above pKa. The results indicate that organoclay has a promising potential to reduce chlorinated pesticides in the effluent from golf courses.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.550-557
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• 2014

Heloniopsis koreana and Heloniopsis tubiflora (Melanthiaceae) are endemic herbaceous species of the Korean Peninsula. The Melanthiaceae family has been described as having seeds with small, underdeveloped embryos at the time of dispersal, and morphological (MD) or morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). However, there are few reports on embryo growth, morphology, and seed germination in Heloniopsis species. The aims of this study were to investigate embryo growth and seed dormancy, and to determine the type of dormancy exhibited by these species. The effects of incubation temperatures, light conditions, and gibberellic acid ($GA_3$) on dormancy break and seed germination were tested. Freshly matured seeds of the two species had small embryos that occupied about 9-11% of the length of the endosperm, and which increased by more than 300% in length before radicle emergence, indicating that the embryos are underdeveloped at the time of dispersal. Embryos in the seeds grew under warm temperature regimes (between $25/15^{\circ}C$ and $30/20^{\circ}C$). $GA_3$ application (tested only in the light) overcame seed dormancy and promoted germination. Approximately 30% of the seeds of H. koreana and approximately 40% of the seeds of H. tubiflora germinated in suitable environmental conditions (light and temperature) within 4 weeks. Therefore, 30-40% of the seeds of the two species exhibited MD, and the rest of the seeds had non-deep simple MPD. Light was found to be one of the critical factors for germination because no seed of either of the two Heloniopsis species germinated under constant dark conditions, and thus, these species have the potential to form a persistent soil seed bank. Understanding these germination requirements will help in development of effective strategies to increase the establishment of seedlings in their native habitat.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.105-118
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• 2015

This study was conducted to obtain proper amount of solid swine manure and poultry manure in the beginning phase of Cornus kousa growth by investigating the initial germination, seedling growth increment, dry weight, chlorophyll content change, body nutrient uptake and chemical changes of soil according to the concentration of solid swine manure and poultry manure fertilization. When treated with solid swine manure and poultry manure, seed germination rate was the highest in the control. However germination rate showed a tendency to decrease when treated with high concentration of swine manure and poultry manure. The survey results of the growth increment were all higher than that of the control. At the 1.0% treatment of both swine and poultry manure, the seedling height growth was highest. Poultry manure treatment made higher result than swine manure treatment at each treatment. Dry weight was the highest at the 1.0% treatment by both swine and poultry manure. Dry amount declined sharply at the 2.0% treatment. Poultry manure was higher in weight than swine manure at every treatment. Chlorophyll content was the highest at the 1.0% treatment by both swine and poultry manure, but declined sharply at the 2.0% treatment. The survey content was higer than that of the control. The amount of nutrients absorbed in the seedling body was generally high at the 1.0% treatment of swine manure and poultry manure. For the planting soil of Cornus kousa the higher concentration of swine manure and poultry manure was, the lower pH became. However, nitrogen, got higher. available phosphoric acid, exchangeable K, Na, and Mg got higher.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.41-51
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• 2017

Microbial processes that bind heavy metals and form minerals are widespread, and they represent a basic aspect of biogeochemistry. Some microorganisms can crystallize minerals by secreting a specific enzyme. In particular, calcite ($CaCO_3$) precipitation is an important part of biomineralization, and has been studied extensively because of its wide application in civil engineering technology. This process provides an effective way to stabilize heavy metals within a relatively stable crystal phase. In this study, biomineralization of calcite by three urea-hydrolyzing indigenous bacterial strains was investigated by microbiological analyses. Three bacterial strains were isolated from the sludge of B mine in Mexico and each bacterial strain was identified by the cellular fatty acid composition and 16S rRNA partial sequencing analysis. The results of the identification analysis showed that these strains were closest to Sporosarcina pasteurii, Kurthia gibsonii, and Paenibacillus polymyxa. We found that the optimum conditions for growth of these indigenous bacteria were $30-40^{\circ}C$ and pH range of 7-8. Microbiological analyses showed the possibility that the bioaccumulated heavy metals ions were deposited around the cell as crystalline carbonate minerals under the optimum conditions. The findings of our study suggest that the indigenous bacterial strains play an important role in heavy metal immobilization.