• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1251-1258
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• 2010

During the nitrogen-fixing process, ammonia ($NH_3$) is incorporated into glutamate to yield glutamine and is generally not secreted. However, in this study, $NH_3$-excreting strains of nitrogen-fixing Paenibacillus were isolated from soil. The ammonium production by the Paenibacillus strains was assayed in different experiments (dry biomass, wet biomass, cell-free extract, and cell-free extract adsorbed on nano $TiO_2$ particles) inside an innovative bioreactor containing capsules of $N_2$ and $H_2$. In addition, the effects of different $N_2$ and $H_2$ treatments on the formation of $NH_3$ were assayed. The results showed that the dry biomass of the strains produced the most $NH_3$. The dry biomass of the Paenibacillus strain E produced the most $NH_3$ at 1.50, 0.34, and 0.27 ${\mu}M$ $NH_3$/mg biomass/h in the presence of $N_2$ + $H_2$, $N_2$, and $H_2$, respectively, indicating that a combined effluent of $N_2$ and $H_2$ was vital for $NH_3$ production. Notwithstanding, a cell-free extract (CFE) adsorbed on nano $TiO_2$ particles produced the most $NH_3$ and preserved the enzyme activities for a longer period of time, where the $NH_3$ production was 2.45 ${\mu}M$/mg CFE/h over 17 h. Therefore, the present study provides a new, simple, and inexpensive method of $NH_3$ production.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.20-28
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• 2013

Photobiological hydrogen production by nitrogen-fixing unicellular cyanobacteria has long been considered to be an environmentally sound and very promising method for the future supply of renewable clean energy. Using six Korean nitrogen-fixing unicellular cyanobacterial strains and the Synechococcus sp. strain Miami BG043511 we performed cultivation experiments to find out the strain-specific optimal temperature for population growth and $H_2$ production. Under $20^{\circ}C$ the population growth of all the tested strains was significantly retarded in contrasts to the faster and higher growth under 25, 30 or $35^{\circ}C$. The highest growth rates in all the 7 strains were measured under $30^{\circ}C$ while the maximal biomass yields were under $30^{\circ}C$ (strains CB-MAL 026, 054, and 055) or $35^{\circ}C$ (strains 002, 031, 058, and Miami BG043511). The difference between the maximal biomass yields at $30^{\circ}C$ and $35^{\circ}C$ was not greater than 10%. The quantity of photobiologically produced $H_2$ was only slight larger under $35^{\circ}C$ than that under $20^{\circ}C$. Our result may suggest a two-step process of $H_2$ production which includes rapid and sizable production of biomass at $30^{\circ}C$ and the following high $H_2$ production at $20^{\circ}C$ by the test strains of marine nitrogen-fixing unicellular cyanobacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.182-187
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• 1999

A bulk curing experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of air flow reduction in the bulk barn from color fixing stage in the chemical properties of cured leaves, The air flow was controlled by reducing air velocity of a blower from 0.3m/sec to 0.2m/sec using a boltage regulator(Slidac). The bulk curing before color fixing stage was processed in the conventional curing method. Reduction of air circulation in bulk barn did not affected so much on change of the contents of the main chemical components in cured leaved, such as nicotine, total sugar, total nitrogen, petroleum ether extract, and organic acids. Only a slight increase in essential oil contents, such as solanone, damascenone, damascone, $\beta$-ionone, and megastigmatrienone isomer, could be observed in leaves cured in the reduced air flow.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2016

Though there is an abundant supply of nitrogen in the atmosphere, it cannot be used directly by the biological systems since it has to be combined with the element hydrogen before their incorporation. This process of nitrogen fixation ($N_2$-fixation) may be accomplished either chemically or biologically. Between the two elements, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is a microbiological process that converts atmospheric di-nitrogen ($N_2$) into plant-usable form. In this review, the genetics and mechanism of nitrogen fixation including genes responsible for it, their types and role in BNF are discussed in detail. Nitrogen fixation in the different agricultural systems using different methods is discussed to understand the actual rather than the potential $N_2$-fixation procedure. The mechanism by which the diazotrophic bacteria improve plant growth apart from nitrogen fixation such as inhibition of plant ethylene synthesis, improvement of nutrient uptake, stress tolerance enhancement, solubilization of inorganic phosphate and mineralization of organic phosphate is also discussed. Role of diazotrophic bacteria in the enhancement of nitrogen fixation is also dealt with suitable examples. This mini review attempts to address the importance of diazotrophic bacteria in nitrogen fixation and plant growth improvement.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.129-134
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• 2009

Legume plants develop root nodules to recruit nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia. This symbiotic relationship allows the host plants to grow even under nitrogen limiting environment. Since nodule development is an energetically expensive process, the number of nodules should be tightly controlled by the host plants. For this purpose, legume plants utilize a long-distance signaling known as autoregulation of nodulation (AON). AON signaling in legumes has been extensively studied over decades but the underlying molecular mechanism had been largely unclear until recently. With the advent of the model legumes, L. japonicus and M. truncatula, we have been seeing a great progress including isolation of the AON-associated receptor kinase. Here, we summarize recent studies on AON and discuss an updated view of the long-distance control of nodulation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.96 no.6
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• pp.633-638
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• 2007

The Elaeagnus macrophylla is a stenoecious evergreen plant with nitrogen-fixing symbionts and its timing of fruit-ripening coincides with spring migration of many birds in southwestern Korea. To recognize bird species which eat fleshy fruits of the Elaeagnus macrophylla and to evaluate the effects of bird ingestion on seed germination and dispersal, we monitored birds and carried out germination experiments using its fruits and seeds from March to April 2007 at Hongdo Island, Jeonnam Province, Korea. As a result, eight species of birds including the Gray Starling (Sturnus cineraceus), the Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) and the Dusky Thrush (Turdus naumanni) ingested the fruits. Germination rate was enhanced but length of seed dormancy was instead shortened in ingested (collected from the feces of birds) and manually extracted seeds (obtained directly from the fruits) than in intact fruits collected directly from the plant. Moreover, the possible scale of seed dispersal by the frugivorous birds ranged up to 6.9 ha based on home ranges of starlings. Consequently, the Elaeagnus macrophylla supplies food resources for migratory birds, and the birds give the plant opportunities of new colonization. We suggest that this kind of interaction between the nitrogen-fixing plant and avian seed dispersers is applicable as a process of natural restoration in degraded coastal evergreen forests.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.194-202
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• 2019

A systematic investigation was made on the influence of processing parameters such as gas composition and treatment temperature on the surface characteristics of hardened layers of low temperature plasma nitrided 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel. Various nitriding processes were conducted by changing temperature ($370^{\circ}C$ to $430^{\circ}C$) and changing $N_2$ percentage (10% to 25%) for 15 hours in the glow discharge environment of a gas mixture of $N_2$ and $H_2$ in a plasma nitriding system. In this process a constant pressure of 4 Torr was maintained. Increasing nitriding temperature from $370^{\circ}C$ to $430^{\circ}C$, increases the thickness of S phase layer and the surface hardness, and also makes an improvement in corrosion resistance, irrespective of nitrogen percent. On the other hand, increasing nitrogen percent from 10% to 25% at $430^{\circ}C$ decreases corrosion resistance although it increases the surface hardness and the thickness of S phase layer. Therefore, optimized condition was selected as nitriding temperature of $430^{\circ}C$ with 10% nitrogen, as at this condition, the treated sample showed better corrosion resistance. Moreover to further increase the thickness of S phase layer and surface hardness without compromising the corrosion behavior, further research was conducted by fixing the $N_2$ content at 10% with introducing various amount of $CH_4$ content from 0% to 5% in the nitriding atmosphere. The best treatment condition was determined as 10% $N_2$ and 5% $CH_4$ content at $430^{\circ}C$, where the thickness of S phase layer of about $17{\mu}m$ and a surface hardness of $980HV_{0.1}$ were obtained (before treatment $250HV_{0.1}$ hardness). This specimen also showed much higher pitting potential, i.e. better corrosion resistance, than specimens treated at different process conditions and the untreated one.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 1983

It is know that $Si_3-N_4$ bonded SiC has almost all the valuable properties needed for the high temperature material and thus has bery wide range of applicability. Si powder and two different sized SiC powder were used as the raw mateials. Specimens were prepared by heating the green compact mode of the raw materials with polyvinyl alcohol binder in the nitrogen atmosphere. The bond-ing of SiC particles is brought about with the formation of reaction bonded silicon nitride phase between the particles he influences of the variation of the relative amounts of the raw materials and the amount of the organic binder on the density and the bend strength of the specimens were investigated. It was shown that the calculation of the amount of the nitridation of Si is somewhat complicated matter since some portion of the organic binder reacts with the Si during the firing process. Fixing the Si amount to 20w/o the distributions of the size of the SiC particles that gives the maximum density and the maximum strnegth were obtained through experiments. It was observed that the two distributions were not equal to each other. As the amount of Si increased the amount of Si reacted with nitrogen and the strength increased. The fracture mode was intergranular for the most part and the transgranular fracture was scarcely observed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.185-193
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• 2007

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the root nodules is a distinctly beneficial metabolic process in legume plants. Legumes control the nodule number and nodulation zone through a systemic negative regulatory system between shoot and root. Mutation in the soybean NTS gene encoding GmNARK, a CLAVATA1-like serine/threonine receptor-like kinase, causes excessive nodule development called hypernodulation. To examine the effect of nts mutation on the gene expression profile in the leaves, suppression subtractive hybridization was performed with the trifoliate leaves of nts mutant 'SS2-2' and the wild-type (WT) parent 'Sinpaldalkong2', and 75 EST clones that were highly expressed in the leaves of the SS2-2 mutant were identified. Interestingly, the expression of jasmonate (JA)-responsive genes such as vspA, vspB, and Lox2 were upregulated, whereas that of a salicylate-responsive gene PR1a was suppressed in the SS2-2 mutant. In addition, the level of JA was about two-fold higher in the leaves of the SS2-2 mutant than in those of the WT under natural growth conditions. Moreover, the JA-responsive gene expression persists in the leaves of SS2-2 mutant without rhizobia infection in the roots. Taken together, our results suggest that the nts mutation increases JA synthesis in mature leaves and consequently leads to constitutive expression of JA-responsive genes which is irrelevant to hypernodulation in the root.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.238-244
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• 2010

Rhizobia are well-known for their ability to infect and nodulate legume roots, forming a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis of agricultural importance. In addition, recent studies have shown that rhizobia can colonize roots and aerial plant tissues of rice as a model plant of the Graminaceae family. Here we show that rhizobia can invade tobacco, a model plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. Inoculation of seedling. roots with five GFP-tagged rhizobial species followed by microscopy and viable plating analyses indicated their colonization of the surface and interior of the whole vegetative plant. Blockage of ascending epiphytic migration by coating the hypocotyls with Vaseline showed that the endophytic rhizobia can exit the leaf interior through stomata and colonize the external phyllosphere habitat. These studies indicate rhizobia can colonize both below- and above-ground tissues of tobacco using a dynamic invasion process that involves both epiphytic and endophytic lifestyles.