• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.547-560
• /
• 2010

The optimum culture condition of Schizophyllum commune for the cellulase production and its enzymatic characteristics for saccharification of cellulosic biomass were analyzed. S. commune secrets ${\beta}$-1,4-xylosidase (BXL) and cellulases, including endo-${\beta}$-1,4-glucanase (EG), cellobiohydrolase (CBH), and ${\beta}$-glucosidase (BGL). The optimum reaction temperature for all cellulases was $50^{\circ}C$ and the thermostable range was $30{\sim}40^{\circ}C$C. The optimum reaction pH for all cellulases was 5.5 in a range of temperature from $0^{\circ}C$ to $55^{\circ}C$. The best nutritions for the cellulase production of S. commune among tested nutrients were 2% cellulose for the carbon source and corn steep liquor or peptone/yeast extract for the nitrogen source without vitamins. The environmental culture condition for the cellulase production was 5.5~6.0 for pH at $25{\sim}30^{\circ}C$. The enzyme activities of EG, BGL, CBH, and BXL were 3670.5, 631.9, 398.5, and 15.2 U/$m{\ell}$, respectively, after concentration forty times from the culture broth of S. commune which was grown at the optimized culture condition. Alternative filter paper unit assay showed 11 FPU/$m{\ell}$ enzyme activity. The saccharification tests using cellulase of S. commune showed the low saccharification rate on tested hardwoods but a high value of 50.5% on cellulose, respectively. The saccharification rate (50.5%) of cellulose by cellulase produced in this work is higher than 45.7% in the commercial enzyme (Celluclast 1.5L, 30 FPU/g, glucan).

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.121-129
• /
• 2002

Osteoporosis, the typical metabolic bone disease of the elderly, is characterized by a reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk. Genetic and environmental factors are known to play a key role in bone metabolism, and diet is also considered to be one of the important factors. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship among the factors affecting BMD, including stature, body weight, age, time period since onset of menopause, and biochemical markers of bone turnover in postmenopausal women. Seventy-eight postmenopausal women who visited health promotion center for health examinations volunteered to participate in this study and they were divided into two groups according to the time period since onset of menopause : women with a time period since onset of menopause of less than 5 years (Group 1) and women with a time period since onset of menopause of 5 years or more (Group 2). The demographic characteristics and dietary intake were surveyed using a questionnaire. BMDs of the lumbar spine and femoral neck of subjects were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum levels of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH), known to be indicators of bone related hormone status, were anlyzed. Serum samples were measured for calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin as bone formation indicators, and urine was analysed for deoxypyridinoline, creatinine, calcium, and sodium as bone resorption indicators. The results are as follow : The mean BMDs of the lumbar spin and femoral neck were $1.02 \pm 0.02 g/cm^2 and 0.81 \pm 0.02 g/cm^2 respectively, and the BMD level of Group 2 was significantly lower than tat of Group 1 (p<0.01, p<0.05, respectively). The mean daily intake of energy was 1838 $\pm$ 55 kcal. When nutrient intake was compared with the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of the subjects, only calcium, vitamin A and riboflavin intake showed means lower than the RDA. The nutrient intake did not show any significant differences between Group 1 and 2 Serum and urine levels of biochemical markers of bone turnover did not show any significant differences between Group 1 and 2, and all were within the normal range. However, the PTH and deoxypyridinoline levels showed a tendency to be higher, and the osteocalcin level to be lower in Group 2 than in Group 1. Although age and years after menopause (YAM) showed negative correlations with lumbar spine bone mineral density (LBMD) (r= -0.38, p<0.001, and r= -0.26, p< 0.05, respectively), no correlation was found with femoral neck bone mineral density (NBMD). While height, body weight and body mass index (BMI) showed a positive correlation with LBMD (r= 0.32, p<0.001, r= 0.38, p<0.001, r= 0.22, p= 0.05, respectively), only body weight and BMI showed a positive correlation with NBMD (r= 0.30, p<0.01, and r= 0.27, p<0.05, respectivley). There was no significant corealtion between BMDs and the nutrient intake of subjects, except in the case of carbohydrates (r= 0.22, p<0.05). Also, serum and urine levels of bone turnover markers showed no significant correlation with nutrient intake. On the other hand, serum osteocalcin had a positive correlation with vitamin C intake (r= 0.22, p= 0.05), and urine deoxypyridinolin showed a negative correlation with niacin intake (r= -0.22, p= 0.05). Urinary na was negatively correlated with protein intake(r= -0.23, p= 0.05). The results suggested that it is difficult to prevent the decrease in bone mass among postmenopausal women eating the usual Korean diet. However, the BMDs of the lumbar spine and femoral neck were positively related to body weight ad BMI in postmenopausal women. Therefore, this study confirmed that one of the most effective ways to minimize bone loss in postmenopausal women would be to maintain an adequate body weight with balanced nutrient intake and activity in the pre-and postmenopausal periods.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.477-488
• /
• 2020

Recently, foodborne illness outbreaks linked to fresh produce are being increasingly reported in the United States, the EU, and Korea as well. Some of this increase may be due to improved surveillance, increase in consumption, change in consumers' habits, and complex distribution systems. Garlic chive is a green, fresh-cut vegetable consumed year-round as a nutrition-rich herb in Korea. It is also prone to contamination with foodborne pathogens during pre-harvest, as amendment with high amounts of livestock manure or compost to soil is required in its cultivation. Our aim in this study was to evaluate microbial contamination of garlic chives, garlic chives cultivation soil, compost, and irrigation water in the southern part of Korea. Samples were collected in A, B, and C regions in 2019 and 2020, and 69, 72, 27, and 40 of garlic chives, soil, compost, and irrigated water, respectively, were analyzed for the presence of sanitary indicator bacteria (total aerobic bacteria, coliforms and Escherichia coli), Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, pathogenic E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. In A, B, and C regions, levels of total aerobic bacteria, coliform, B. cereus, and S. aureus on all samples were between 1.14 and 8.83 log CFU/g, 0.43 and 5.01 log CFU/g, 0.41 and 5.55 log CFU/g, and 1.81 and 6.27 log CFU/g, respectively. B. cereus isolated from garlic chives and environmental samples showed β-hemolysis activity. Incidence of S. aureus in garlic chive and its production environments in 2020 was different from 2019. In this study, B. cereus and S. aureus were the only pathogenic microorganisms detected in all samples. As a result, this work suggests that continuous monitoring in the production and pre-harvest environment is required to improve hthe hygiene and safety of garlic chive.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.133-142
• /
• 2009

In order to understand the present environmental condition and future impingement of Changjiang(Yangtze River) outflow upon the adjacent seas after the scheduled completion of the Sanxia (Three Gorges) Dam in 2009, we tried to estimate the mixing ratios among surface waters of three end-members: Changjiang Water (CW), Kuroshio Water (KW), and East China Sea Water (ECSW) using $^{228}Ra/^{226}Ra$ activity ratio and salinity as tracers. Water samples were collected from 32 stations in November 2005 (R/V Tamgu 3), from 20 stations in July 2006 (R/V Ocean 2000) and from 17 stations in August 2006 (R/V Ieodo) in the northern part of the East China Sea. Radium isotopes in ~300 liters of surface seawater were extracted onboard by filtering through manganese impregnated acrylic fibers and following coprecipitation as $Ba(Ra)SO_4$. Activities of radium isotopes were determined by a high purity germanium detector. Results show that the fraction of CW was in the range of 1-23% in the study area, while KW was in the range of 0-30 % and ECSW 58-100 %. The eastward plume of Changjiang outflow, commonly observed in satellite images during summer and also displayed by the eastward-decreasing CW fraction in this study, could be attributed to Ekman transport caused by the SE monsoon prevailing in this region during summer. Results of this study showed that in the drought season, there was a little or no fraction of CW in the study area. Concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) showed strong positive relationship with the fraction of CW, suggesting Changjiang as the major source of nitrogen. The mixing curve of DIN indicates the removal of nitrate by biological uptake during the mixing of CW with ambient seawater in the study area.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.30 no.11
• /
• pp.931-938
• /
• 2020

Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is one of the most abundant proteins in various eukaryotic organisms. TCTPs play important roles in cell physiological processes in cancer, cell proliferation, gene regulation, and heat shock response. TCTP is also considered an important factor in the resistance to oxidative stress induced by dithiothreitol or hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Arctic calanoid copepods have a variety of antioxidant defense systems to regulate the levels of potentially harmful reactive oxygen species generated by ultraviolet radiation in the Arctic marine ecosystem. However, information on the antioxidant activity of TCTP in the Arctic Calanus glacialis is still scarce. To understand the putative antioxidant function of the Arctic copepod C. glacialis TCTP (Cg-TCTP), its gene was cloned and sequenced. The Cg-TCTP comprised 522 bp and encoded a 174-amino acid putative protein with a calculated molecular weight of ~23 kDa. The recombinant Cg-TCTP (Cg-r TCTP) gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli (BL21), and Cg-rTCTP-transformed cells were grown in the presence or absence of H₂O₂. Cg-rTCTP-transformed E. coli showed increased tolerance to high H₂O₂ concentrations. Therefore, TCTP may be an important antioxidant protein related to tolerance of the Arctic copepod C. glacialis to oxidative stress in the harsh environment of the Arctic Ocean.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.101-110
• /
• 2013

Due to the large specific surface area and great reactivity toward environmental contaminants, nanocrystalline mackinawite (FeS) has been widely applied for the remediation of contaminated groundwater and soil. Furthermore, nanocrystalline FeS is rather thermodynamically stable against anoxic corrosion, and its reactivity can be regenerated continuously by the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria. However, nanocrystalline mackinawite is prone to either spread out along the groundwater flow or cause pore clogging in aquifers by particle aggregation. Accordingly, this mineral should be modified for the application of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). In this study, coating methods were investigated by which mackinawite nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of alumina or activated alumina. The amount of FeS coating was found to significantly vary with pH, with the highest amount occurring at pH ~6.9 for both minerals. At this pH, the surfaces of mackinawite and alumina (or activated alumina) were oppositely charged, with the resultant electrostatic attraction making the coating highly effective. At this pH, the coating amounts by alumina and activated alumina were 0.038 and 0.114 $mmol{\cdot}FeS/g$, respectively. Under anoxic conditions, arsenite sorption experiments were conducted with uncoated alumina, uncoated activated alumina, and both minerals coated with FeS at the optimal pH for comparison of their reactivity. Uncoated activated alumina showed the higher arsenite removal compared to uncoated alumina. Notably, the arsenite sorption capacity of activated alumina was little changed by the coating with FeS. This might be attributed to the abundance of highly reactive hydroxyl functional groups (${\equiv}$AlOH) on the surface of activated alumina, making the arsenite sorption by the coated FeS unnoticeable. In contrast, the arsenite sorption capacity of alumina was found to increase substantially by the FeS coating. This was due to the consumption of the surface hydroxyl functional groups on the alumina surface and the subsequent occurrence of As(III) sorption by the coated FeS. Alumina, on the surface area basis, has about 8 times higher FeS coating amount and higher As(III) sorption capacity than silica. This study indicates that alumina is a better candidate than silica for the coating of nanocrystalline mackinawite.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.223-230
• /
• 2015

The objective of this study is to identify the radionuclide distribution in public water by carrying out the analysis of artificial radionuclides($^{134}Cs$, $^{137}Cs$, $^{239+240}Pu$), natural radionuclide($^{210}Pb$) and TOC in the lake Euiam sediment in Chuncheon, South Korea. The $^{134}Cs$ concentration in all lake sediments showed below MDA values, and the $^{137}Cs$ concentration in lake sediment were ranged from MDA to $8.79Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}-dry$. The $^{137}Cs$ concentrations in surface sediment were reported to be 2.4 to $4.2Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}-dry$. The lowest concentration of $^{137}Cs$ was reported at St. 4 and the highest concentration was reported at St. 3, respectively. The $^{239+240}Pu$ concentration in lake sediment were ranged from 0.049 to $0.47Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}-dry$. The lowest concentration was reported at St. 2 and the highest concentration was reported at St. 3. The correlation(r) between the $^{239+240}Pu$ concentration and $^{137}Cs$ concentration in lake sediment presented higher values (0.54 to 0.97) and this suggests the behavior and origin of $^{137}Cs$ is identical to the $^{239+240}Pu$ in the sediment. The $^{134}Cs$ concentration below MDA value and the $^{239+240}Pu/^{137}Cs$ ratio(mean value of 0.041) indicated that the artificial radionuclides in the sediment were originated from global fallout by the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons conducted by former USSR and U.S.A, but not from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident. The sedimentation rate derived from $^{210}Pb$ age-dating method at St. 2 is calculated to be $0.31{\pm}0.06cm{\cdot}y^{-1}$. This value is similar to the value ($0.41{\pm}0.05cm{\cdot}y^{-1}$) estimated from the $^{137}Cs$ maximum peak produced from early 1960's. The content of TOC in lake Euiam sediments varied from 0.20 to 13.01%. While the highest correlation between TOC and $^{137}Cs$ concentration in the sediment were found at St. 1, the others presented the low correlation.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.10-16
• /
• 2015

Bone changes are common sequela of irradiation in growing animal. The purpose of this study was to establish an experimental model of radiation-induced bone loss in growing mice using micro-computed tomography (${\mu}CT$). The extent of changes following 2 Gy gamma irradiation ($2Gy{\cdot}min^{-1}$) was studied at 4, 8 or 12 weeks after exposure. Mice that received 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 or 4.0 Gy of gamma-rays were examined 8 weeks after irradiation. Tibiae were analyzed using ${\mu}CT$. Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and biomechanical properties were measured and the osteoclast surface was examined. A significant loss of trabecular bone in tibiae was evident 8 weeks after exposure. Measurements performed after irradiation showed a dose-related decrease in trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and bone mineral density (BMD), respectively. The best-fitting dose-response curves were linear-quadratic. Taking the controls into accounts, the lines of best fit were as follows: BV/TV (%) = $0.9584D^2-6.0168D+20.377$ ($r^2$ = 0.946, D = dose in Gy) and BMD ($mg{\cdot}cm^{-3}$) = $8.8115D^2-56.197D+194.41$ ($r^2$ = 0.999, D = dose in Gy). Body weight did not differ among the groups. No dose-dependent differences were apparent among the groups with regard to mechanical and anatomical properties of tibia, serum ALP and osteoclast activity. The findings provide the basis required for better understanding of the results that will be obtained in any further studies of radiation-induced bone responses.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.29 no.7
• /
• pp.626-639
• /
• 2008

To present the suggestions for improvement in science textbooks of high school, scientific inquiry activities in geology of earth science textbooks of Korea and the U.S. were assessed in the areas of the contents, processes and contexts. Regarding the contents of inquiry activities, Korean textbooks contain more number of inquiry activities (5.8 per section) than the U.S. curriculums (4 per section). Inquiry activities of Korean textbooks mostly fall on the interpretation of diagrams and graphs whereas those of the U.S. textbooks more hands-on experiment, data transformation and self designing. As for the number of inquiry process skills per inquiry activity, Korean curriculums contain an average of 1.8 whereas the American ones 3. It suggests that the U.S. textbooks require more integrated process skills than the Korean earth science curriculums. In the process skills of all textbooks studied, the highest frequent elements were inferring and data interpretation; the percentage of these two elements was an average of 73.3% in Korean textbooks and 46.2% in the U.S. This suggests that the Korean textbooks emphasize the process skill on particular area, and uneven distribution of elements of process skills may hinder the development of integration ability of students. particularly in the integrated process skills, the U.S. textbooks presented all 7 elements, while Korean ones presented only 2 to 4 elements, indicating that the Korean textbooks may have weak points in providing various inquiry activities for students compared to the American textbooks. In inquiry context analysis, Korean curriculums provide simplistic inquiry contexts and low applicability to real life whereas the U.S. curriculums provide more integrated inquiry contexts and high applicability to real life.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.39-67
• /
• 2005

In order to properly define the terms such as soil, soil contamination, soil contamination site and remediation, which are the key terms under the Soil Environment Conservation Act(SECA) in Korea, we analyzed the legal definitions of the similar key words in legislations of the developed western countries. The selected countries were the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The legal definitions of these keywords were very much diversified due to different levels of soil contamination, as well as different industrial, social, and legal backgrounds in each country. However, fair suggestions for definitions of the key terms in SECA were derived from the comparative analyses of these countries. First and foremost, SECA should provide a definition of 'soil' which includes a concept of the natural soil layer produced from soil mineralization processes. Groundwater and sublayer of the groundwater would. be excluded in the boundary of the soil with regards to the Groundwater Act of Korea. Definition of 'soil contamination' of SECA should include a concept of risk assessment(soil contaminants, pathway, and receptors), purpose of land use, and the acquired limitation levels of soil contaminants. Soil contamination activity either industrial or anthropogenic in SECA article2-1, could be substituted for a concept of soil risk assessment. Definition of 'soil contamination site' could derive from amalgamating the concepts of i) soil contamination in conjunction with contaminants, ii) risk assessment, iii) a concept of land use, and iv) knowing limitation of contamination site designation. Definition of 'remediation of contaminated site' should include the objective, intention, action, methodology and limit of the remediation. These suggested definitions would increase the efficacy of soil environment conservation policies, which includes the survey of the potentially contaminated area, remediation, and removal of the site.