• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.401-408
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• 2017

Organic amendments such as animal waste compost, lime-bordeaux mixture, and lime sulphur mixture contain heavy metal(loid)s which are toxic to human being, animal, and plant. The objective of this study was to compare heavy metal(loid)s contamination of soil between conventional and organic farm. Soil samples were collected from 10 conventional and 38 organic fruit farms. At each sampling point, top (0~15 cm) and sub soil (15~30 cm) were taken using hand auger. Total concentration for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nikel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in the collected soil were measured. The pollution index (PI) for heavy metal in organic farms indicated it was unpolluted area. However, mean value of PI for organic farms (0.143) was higher than that for conventional farms (0.122). High Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) for Cu, Pb, and Zn implied that grape farms were more polluted than others fruit farms because a lot of lime-bordeaux mixture and lime sulphur were applied in organic grape farms. Especially, top soils showed higher level of contamination than sub soil. Based on the above results, organic amendments might cause accumulation of heavy metals in soil. Therefore, particular attention should be paid for concentration of Cu, Pb, and Zn, when organic amendments are used in the organic fruit farms.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1212-1217
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• 2004

Red organic electroluminescent (EL) devices based on tris(8-hydroxyquinorine aluminum) (Alq$_3$) doped with red emissive materials, 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl -6-(l,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)4H-pyran (DCJTB). poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). rubrene and 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6[2-(2,3.6.7-tetrahydro-lH,5H-benzo-[i,j]quinolizin-8yl)vinyl]-4H-pyran (DCM2) were fabricated for applying to the red light source, The photoluminescence (pL) intensities of red emissive materials doped in Alq$_3$ are limited by the concentration quenching with increasing the doping ratio and the doping concentration of DCJTB, DCM2, P3HT and rubrene measured at the maximum intensity showed 5, 1, 0.5 and 2 wt%, respectively. Time-resolved PL dynamic results showed that the PL lifetime of red emissive materials doped in Alq$_3$ were increased more than the value of material itself. It means that the efficient energy transfer occurred in the mixed state and Alq$_3$ is a suitable host materials for red emissive materials, The device which was used DCJTB as a dopant achieved the best result of the maximum luminance of 594 cd/$m^2$ at 15 V and showed the chromaticity coordinates of x=0,624, y=0,371.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.22-29
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• 2000

This study was performed to investigate the concentrations of TSP, PM10 and heavy metals(Pb, Cd,Hg, Ni, Zn) of underground parking lots in Taegu city. The samples were collected from 3 department stores and 1 central park in the winter and the summer, 1997. The samples of 3 department stores were divided into sale period and non-sale period in the winter and the summer. The concentrations of TSP and PM10 were 109.6±1.5㎍/㎥ and 93.3±1.5㎍/㎥. In TSP, the zinc was the highest level, 287.16±1.5ng/㎥ and the cadmium was the lowest, 2.4±2.1ng/㎥ and in PM10, the zinc was the highest level, 193.6±1.5ng/㎥ and the cadmium was the lowest, 0.6±3.9ng/㎥. The correlation coefficient between the concentration of TSP and PM10 was 0.982(p<0.05). The correlation coefficients of corresponding heavy metal in TSP and PM10 were 0.863 for lead, 0.617 for mercury, 0.890 for nickel and 0.850 for zinc(p<0.05). The concentrations of TSP, PM10 and cadmium of PM10 in the winter were higher than those of the summer. However, the concentration of Hg of PM10 in the summer was higher than that of the winter. The concentrations of TSP and PM10 in sale period was higher than those of non-sale period and the concentrations of heavy metal in TSP and PM10 were not significantly different between sale and non-sale period. The proportions of PM10 to TSP were above 60% in dust, lead, nickel, and zinc and less than 40% in cadmium and mercury. The concentrations of TSP, PM10 and heavy metal in the underground parking lots were comparatively lower than those of general atmosphere. However, this kind of research to PM10 in the underground parking lots must be continued because it is very important particulate matter that affects human beng's health.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.725-732
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• 1996

To assess soil distribution patterns of heavy metals in agricultural environments, we have measured the concentrations of six metals from surficial soils of three different groups divided on the basis of the surrounding environment: (1) soil group I-cultivated soils within the purely agricultural regions, (2) soil group II-both cultivated and uncultivated soils near various livelihood facilities, and (3) soil group III-mainly cultivated soils near major polluting sources. The mean concentrations for the three soil groups were found in the range as follows: 0.12~0.15 (Cd), 4.94~6.08 (Pb), 0.05~0.11 (Hg), 2.82~3.50 (Cu), 4.69~7.82 (Zn), and 0.36~0.78 (As) ppm. Examination of data distribution trends indicates that the concentrations determined from the relatively unpolluted soil environs (groups I and II) were comparable not only between each other but also with those reported previously in background soil environs of Korea. The concentration data for the soil group III were however found to be much higher than the rest two groups. Unlike the direct comparison of the magnitudes of concentrations, results of a regression analysis exhibited much different patterns: it was seen that the correlation patterns for soil group I were rather analogous to those of soil group III. The similarities in correlation patterns between groups I and III along with the lack of correlations in soil group II suggest that soil characteristics such as whether being cultivated or not are important factors affecting soil distributions of heavy metals.

• Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2016

Background: Excess energy supply induces chronic low-grade inflammation in association with oxidative stress in various tissues including intestinal epithelium. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of high-fat diet (HFD) on intestinal cell membrane integrity and intestinal tumorigenesis in $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice. Methods: Mice were fed with either normal diet (ND) or HFD for 12 weeks. The number of intestinal tumors were counted and biomarkers of endotoxemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation were determined. Changes in intestinal integrity was measured by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran penetration and membrane gap junction protein expression. Results: HFD group had significantly higher number of tumors compared to ND group (P < 0.05). Blood total antioxidant capacity was lower in HFD group, while colonic 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine level, a marker of oxidative damage, was higher in HFD group compared to that of ND group (P < 0.05). The penetration of FITC-dextran was substantially increased in HFD group (P < 0.05) while the expressions of membrane gap junction proteins including zonula occludens-1, claudin-1, and occludin were lower in HFD group (P < 0.05) compared to those in ND group. Serum concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor (CD14) and colonic toll-like receptor 4 (a LPS receptor) mRNA expression were significantly higher in HFD group than in ND group (P < 0.05), suggesting that significant endotoxemia may occur in HFD group due to the increased membrane permeability. Serum interleukin-6 concentration and myeloperoxidase activity were also higher in HFD group compared to those of ND group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: HFD increases oxidative stress disrupting intestinal gap junction proteins, thereby accelerating membrane permeability endotoxemia, inflammation, and intestinal tumorigenesis.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2015

Soil contamination with arsenic and heavy metals is a worldwide problem. Main objective of this research was to evaluated effects of reducing heavy metal leaching under reduced soil condition amended with industrial by-products. The contaminated soil was amended with 3% (w/w) of limestone (Ls), steel slag (SS) and acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS). Synthetic acid rain ($H_2SO_4:HNO_3=6:4$, pH 5.5 fixed) was used for feeding solution with flow rate of $0.78{\sim}0.88mL\;min^{-1}$. Results showed that similar pH and EC of leachate was observed in all treatments regardless of applied industrial by-products. However, arsenic concentration of leachate increased when industrial by-products were mixed. Meanwhile, concentration of heavy metal in the leachate decreased from 11.3 to 4.59 mg for Cd, from 92.3 to 7.93 mg for Pb, and from 11,716 to 1,788 mg for Zn via immobilization in soil with AMDS amended, respectively. Overall, application of industrial by-products can be an environmentally-friendly way to remediate soil and(or) leachate contaminated with metal(loid)s in metal mine site.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.694-701
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• 2020

Objectives: The main purpose of this study is to evaluate heavy metal concentrations (Cd, As, Hg, Pb, Cr6+), particle size distribution, hydrochloric acid solubility, and parasite eggs in sand in five non-designated sandy beaches in Gyeonggi Province. Methods: The sampling sites are five non-designated Gyeonggi-do sandy beaches located in Ansan and Hwaseong. ICP-OES and UV, a Vibratory Sieve Shaker, and PCM were respectively used to analyze heavy metal concentrations, particle size distribution, and parasite eggs in the sand. Results: Heavy metals were detected within the beach's safety management standards and some of the detected As and Pb before and after beach opening were lower than one-quarter of the average value. In addition, the results of the T-test to confirm the As and Pb concentration changes before and after opening showed a significant difference in some beaches. The composition of sand was 86.53% according to the particle size distribution standard (2.0-0.02 mm), and the hydrochloric acid solubility was the highest at Gubongsolsup (4.9%) and the lowest at Bangameo-li (0.2%). Parasite eggs were undetected in all beach sand before and after opening. Conclusions: The safety of heavy metal concentrations in sandy beaches was secured in the selected five beaches in Gyeonggi Province. However, continuous efforts are required to make Gyeonggi-do's beaches suitable according to the Act on the Use and Management of Beaches.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.147-160
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high concentration of uremic toxins in their blood and often experience muscle atrophy. Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a uremic toxin produced by tryptophan metabolism. Although an elevated IS level may induce muscle dysfunction, the effect of IS on physiological concentration has not been elucidated. Additionally, the effects of ursolic acid (UA) on muscle hypertrophy have been reported in healthy models; however, it is unclear whether UA ameliorates muscle dysfunction associated with chronic diseases, such as CKD. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether UA can improve the IS-induced impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis. MATERIALS/METHODS: C2C12 cells were incubated with or without IS (0.1 mM) and UA (1 or 2 μM) to elucidate the physiological effect of UA on CKD-related mitochondrial dysfunction and its related mechanisms using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: IS suppressed the expression of differentiation marker genes without decreasing cell viability. IS decreased the mitochondrial DNA copy number and ATP levels by downregulating the genes pertaining to mitochondrial biogenesis (Ppargc1a, Nrf1, Tfam, Sirt1, and Mef2c), fusion (Mfn1 and Mfn2), oxidative phosphorylation (Cycs and Atp5b), and fatty acid oxidation (Pdk4, Acadm, Cpt1b, and Cd36). Furthermore, IS increased the intracellular mRNA and secretory protein levels of interleukin (IL)-6. Finally, UA ameliorated the IS-induced impairment in C2C12 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that UA improves the IS-induced impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis by affecting differentiation, ATP levels, and IL-6 secretion in C2C12 cells. Therefore, UA could be a novel therapeutic agent for CKD-induced muscle dysfunction.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.457-467
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• 2003

Soil Precise Investigation(SPI) for river deposits and farmland soils around Goro abandoned Zn-mine, Korea was performed to assess the pollution level of heavy metals(As. Pb, Cd, Cu) and to estimate the remediation volume for contaminated soils. Total investigation area was about 950000 $m^2$, which was divided into each section of 1500 $m^2$ corresponding to one sampling site and 545 samples for surface soil(0-10cm in depth) and 192 samples for deep soil(10-30cm in depth) from the investigation area were collected for analysis. Concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb at all sample sites were shown to be lower than Soil Pollution Warning Limit(SPWL). For arsenic concentration, in surface soils, 20.5% of sample sites(104 sites) were over SPWL(6mg/kg) and 6.7%(34 sites) were over Soil Pollution Counterplan Limit(SPCL: 15mg/kg) suggesting that surface soils were broadly contaminated by As. For deep soils, 10.4% of sample sites(18 sites) were over SPWL and 0.6%(1 site) were over SPCL. Four pollution grades for sample locations were prescribed by the Law of Soil Environmental Preservation and Pollution Index(PI) for each soil sample was decided according to pollution grades(over 15.0 mg/kg, 6.00-15.00 mg/kg, 2.40-6.00 mg/kg, 1.23-6.00 mg/kg). The pollution contour map around Goro mine based on PI results was finally created to calculate the contaminated area and the remediation volume for contaminated soils. Remediation area with over SPWL concentration was about 0.3% of total area between Goro mine and a projected storage dam and 0.9% of total area was over 40% of SPWL. If the remediation target concentration was determined to over background level concentration, 1.1% of total area should be treated for remediation. Total soil volume to be treated for remediation was estimated on the assumption that the thickness of contaminated soil was 30cm. Soil volume to be remediated based on the excess of SPWL was estimated at 79,200$m^3$, soil volume exceeding 40% of SPWL was about 233,700 $m^3$, and soil volume exceeding the background level(1.23 mg/kg) was 290,760 TEX>$m^3$.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.456-464
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• 2010

Recently, heavy metals contamination of the agricultural soil and crops surrounding mining areas has been identified as one of the most serious environmental problems in South Korea. The Ministry of the Environment in Korea conducted a Preliminary National Environmental Health Survey (PNEHS) in abandoned metal mines in 2007. The priority for a subsequent detailed examination was ranked from the results of PNEHS. The studied mine which was ranked as being of the highest priority is located in the midwestern part of Korea and was operated from 1911 to 1985. In this study, the contamination levels of the heavy metals in the abandoned metal mine were investigated. From the results, the average daily dose (ADD), target hazard quotient (THQ) and target cancer risk of the heavy metals were evaluated. The concentration of arsenic (As) in all of the tailings from the mine was higher than its countermeasure standard of Korea. In particular, the highest concentration of As, 330 mg/kg, was up to 15 times higher than its countermeasure standard. The average concentration of As in agricultural soils was higher than the warning standard of Korea, and higher than its countermeasure standard at six sites. The average concentrations of the analyzed heavy metals in agricultural soil were below the warning standard, but concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) at 4 sites were higher than its warning standard. The average concentration of As in surface water exceeded the warning standard of Korea. The value of the THQ of As for the tailings was higher than the health protection standard 1. The value of THQ of As for the farmlands was lower than the standard, while the hazard index (HI) of As was higher than the standard. The value of target cancer risk (TCR) of As, $6.44{\times}10^{-4}$, were higher than the health protection standard of a lifetime risk for TCR at $1{\times}10^{-6}$. This suggests that the residents around the metal mines are exposed to As pollution with a carcinogenic risk.