• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.185-193
• /
• 2018

Jang Bogo Station (JBS), the second Korean Antarctic research station, was established in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica ($74.62^{\circ}S$ $164.22^{\circ}E$) in February 2014 in order to expand the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) research capabilities. One of the main research areas at JBS is space environmental research. The goal of the research is to better understand the general characteristics of the polar region ionosphere and thermosphere and their responses to solar wind and the magnetosphere. Ground-based observations at JBS for upper atmospheric wind and temperature measurements using the Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) began in March 2014. Ionospheric radar (VIPIR) measurements have been collected since 2015 to monitor the state of the polar ionosphere for electron density height profiles, horizontal density gradients, and ion drifts. To investigate the magnetosphere and geomagnetic field variations, a search-coil magnetometer and vector magnetometer were installed in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Since JBS is positioned in an ideal location for auroral observations, we installed an auroral all-sky imager with a color sensor in January 2018 to study substorms as well as auroras. In addition to these observations, we are also operating a proton auroral imager, airglow imager, global positioning system total electron content (GPS TEC)/scintillation monitor, and neutron monitor in collaboration with other institutes. In this article, we briefly introduce the observational activities performed at JBS and the preliminary results of these observations.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.474-481
• /
• 1993

The infinite dilution activity coefficients(${\gamma}{\infty}$) of nonpolar and polar solutes have been determined in different solvents at temperature between 60 and $100^{\circ}C$ by using gas chromatography. The $ln{\gamma}{\infty}$ values of nonpolar solutes(alkanes, cyclohexane, benzene, toluene and $CCl_4$) were linearly increased as 1/T in the nonpolar solvent (n-octadecane) and the polar solvent(n-hexadecyl alcohol) systems and the $ln{\gamma}{\infty}$ values at the constant temperature were increased with the number of carbon atoms of solute molecule. For the polar solutes(alcohols, esters and ketones) and the weak polar solvent(di-2-ethyl adiphate and di-2-ethylhexyl sebacate) systems, the relations of $ln{\gamma}{\infty}$ vs. 1/T were found to be curved with increased slope, and the $ln{\gamma}{\infty}$ values at constant temperature were linearly diminished as increasing the number of carbon atoms of solute molecule. For the polar solutes(alcohols, esters and ketones) and the strong polar solvents(triphenyl phosphate and tricresyl phosphate)systems, the relations of $ln{\gamma}{\infty}$ vs. 1/T were found to be curved with increased slope but $ln{\gamma}{\infty}$ values at constant temperature were linearly increased as increasing the number of carbon atoms of solute molecule.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.293-297
• /
• 2012

Of the 169 strains of microorganisms stored in Polar and Alpine Microbial Collection of Korea Polar Research Institute, 27 strains were selected for their chitinase activity on ZoBell plates supplemented with 0.4% colloidal chitin. Among them, PAMC 21693 strain have shown the highest chitinolytic enzyme activity toward pNP-$(GlcNAc)_1$ at low temperature and the highest growth rate at $4^{\circ}C$. We cloned a full-length chitinase gene of 2,857 bp which contains an open reading frame of 2,169 bp encoding 872-amino acid polypeptide. Recombinant chitinase protein was expressed in E. coli and its molecular weight was confirmed 96 kDa. In this paper, we suggest the potential use of cold-active chitinase from polar microorganisms in the field of biotechnology.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.321-334
• /
• 2021

'Marine mammals-based observations' refers to data acquisition activities from marine mammals by instrumenting CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) sensors on them for recording vertical profiles of ocean variables such as temperature and salinity during animal diving. It is a novel data collecting platform that significantly improves our abilities in observing extreme environments such as the Southern Ocean with low cost compared to the other conventional methods. Furthermore, the system continues to create valuable information until sensors are detached, expanding data coverage in both space and time. Owing to these practical advantages, the marine mammals-based observations become popular to investigate ocean circulation changes in the Southern Ocean. Although these merits may bring us more opportunities to understand ocean changes, the data should be carefully qualified before we interpret it incorporating shipboard/autonomous vehicles/moored CTD data. In particular, we need to pay more attention to salinity correction due to the usage of an unpumped-CTD sensor tagged on marine mammals. In this article, we introduce quality control methods for the marine mammals-based CTD profiles that have been developed in recent studies. In addition, we discuss strategies of quality control specifically for the seal-tagging CTD profiles, successfully having been obtained near Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, Antarctica since February 2021. It is the Korea Polar Research Institute's research initiative of animal-borne instruments monitoring in the region. We anticipate that this initiative would facilitate collaborative efforts among Polar physical oceanographers and even marine mammal behavior researchers to understand better rapid changes in marine environments in the warming world.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.345-349
• /
• 2015

Antifreeze proteins (AFP) inhibit growth and recrystallization of ice, and permit organisms to survive in cold environments. The AFP from an Antarctic bacterium, Flavobacterium frigoris PS1, FfIBP (Flavobacterium frigoris icebinding protein), was produced in E. coli using a cold shock induction system. The culture temperature was shifted from $37^{\circ}C$ to $15^{\circ}C$ and a 20 L culture scale was used. The final weights of dried cell and FfIBP were estimated to be 126 g and 8.4 g, respectively. The thermal hysteresis (TH) activity ($1.53^{\circ}C$) of the produced FfIBP was 3.6-fold higher than that of the LeIBP (Leucosporidium ice-binding protein) produced in Picha. The current study demonstrates that large-scale production of FfIBP was successful and the result could be extended to further application studies using recombinant AFPs.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.61-72
• /
• 2016

Arctic microalgae thrive and support primary production in extremely cold environment. Three Arctic green microalgal strains collected from freshwater near Dasan Station in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Arctic, were analyzed to evaluate the optimal growth conditions and contents of fatty acids. The optimal growth temperature for KNF0022, KNF0024, and KNF0032 was between 4 and 8℃. Among the three microalgal strains, KNF0032 showed the maximal cell number of 1.6 × 107 cells mL^-1 at 4℃. The contents of fatty acids in microalgae biomass of KNF0022, KNF0024, and KNF0032 cultured for 75 days were 37.34, 73.25, and 144.35 mg g^-1 dry cell weight, respectively. The common fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) analyzed from Arctic green microalgae consisted of palmitic acid methyl ester (C16:0), 5,8,11-heptadecatrienoic acid methyl ester (C17:3), oleic acid methyl ester (C18:1), linoleic acid methyl ester (C18:2), and α-linolenic acid methyl ester (C18:3). KNF0022 had high levels of heptadecanoic acid methyl ester (26.58%) and heptadecatrienoic acid methyl ester (22.17% of the total FAMEs). In KNF0024 and KNF0032, more than 72.09% of the total FAMEs consisted of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oleic acid methyl ester from KNF0032 was detected at a high level of 20.13% of the FAMEs. Arctic freshwater microalgae are able to increase the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids under a wide range of growth temperatures and can also be used to produce valuable industrial materials.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.120-127
• /
• 2000

Deep-fat frying is a common cooking practice. There has been considerable concern regarding the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of thermally oxidized oils. Studies on deep-fried foods so far have revealed not much on the mutagenicity of the oils in the foods. Therefore, in the present study, it was attempted to investigate the mutagenicity ofthe thermally oxidized safflower oil. Oil was heated in a home-fryer at a temperature of 180$\pm$3$^{\circ}C$ for 48 hours. Oil samples were taken at 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40 and 48 hours of heating, respectively. Each sample was used to study the changes in peroxide value (POV), acid value (AV), iodine value (IV), conjugated dienoic acid (CDA) content, %, and fatty acid composition. Another series of samples were fractionated into non-polar and polar fractions by column chromatography. The mutagenicity of the samples taken from the thermally oxidized oils, as well as the non-polar and polar fractions of the thermally oxidized oils, was investigated with the Ames test. The Ames test was carried out with and without metabolic activation. Bacterial tester strains used in the present study were the histidine auxotrophic strains of Salmonella typhimurium TA100, TA1535 and TA102 were used for the detection of base pair mutations, and TA98 and TA1537 for frame shift mutations. Each series of samples was dissolved in tetraphydrofuran (inhibitor-free) and tested at doses ranging from 0.05 to 5 mg/plate. None of the oil samples taken during the 48 hour oxidation period showed any mugagenic activity. This was the case, even after the activaton with 59 mix. Also, none of the polar and non-polar fractions showed any mutagenic activity on all the strains tested.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.244-255
• /
• 2019

Xylose isomerase (XI; E.C. 5.3.1.5) catalyzes the isomerization of xylose to xylulose, which can be used to produce bioethanol through fermentation. Therefore, XI has recently gained attention as a key catalyst in the bioenergy industry. Here, we identified, purified, and characterized a XI (PbXI) from the psychrophilic soil microorganism, Paenibacillus sp. R4. Surprisingly, activity assay results showed that PbXI is not a cold-active enzyme, but displays optimal activity at $60^{\circ}C$. We solved the crystal structure of PbXI at $1.94-{\AA}$ resolution to investigate the origin of its thermostability. The PbXI structure shows a $({\beta}/{\alpha})_8$-barrel fold with tight tetrameric interactions and it has three divalent metal ions (CaI, CaII, and CaIII). Two metal ions (CaI and CaII) located in the active site are known to be involved in the enzymatic reaction. The third metal ion (CaIII), located near the ${\beta}4-{\alpha}6$ loop region, was newly identified and is thought to be important for the stability of PbXI. Compared with previously determined thermostable and mesophilic XI structures, the ${\beta}1-{\alpha}2$ loop structures near the substrate binding pocket of PbXI were remarkably different. Site-directed mutagenesis studies suggested that the flexible ${\beta}1-{\alpha}2$ loop region is essential for PbXI activity. Our findings provide valuable insights that can be applied in protein engineering to generate low-temperature purpose-specific XI enzymes.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.267-278
• /
• 2002

This study investigated the spatial characteristics of warming trends and the dipole-like pattern of temperature field in the Antarctic Peninsula using surface air temperature (SAT) of 10 stations in the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula. SAT data for the 1962-2001 period at 6 stations (Rothera, Faraday/Vernadsky, Bellingshausen, Orcadas, Esperanza, Halley) revealed in general the larger warming trends in autumn and winter except for Halley. The largest warming was shown for August in the west side of the Peninsula (more than $0.9^{\circ}C/decade$). On the other hand, the recent 14-year SAT data showed the strong warming trends at 9 stations except for Halley in the earlier period (April-June) than August for the 1962-2001 period. The largest warming appeared in May at Esperanza and Butler Island. SAT of the two sides showed significant positive correlations over most of the period except for the mid- and the late 1970s, in which significant negative correlations were found. In the correlation analysis between SAT and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the NINO 3.4 region, strong negative correlation was found in the west side of the Peninsula. Details of the correlation analysis exhibited that the negative correlation was significantly strong from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. However, it was difficult to find significant correlations of ENSO with SAT in the east side of the Peninsula. So, in this study it failed to find out clearly the out-of-phase relationship of SAT across the Antarctic Peninsula.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.31 no.11
• /
• pp.1645-1652
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study was to evaluate physiological response and subjective sensation of functional knitwears with different materials and designs. The three different types of knitwears were knitted(polar-neck with cotton/chitosan-C, V-neck with cotton/chitosan-CV and polar neck with cotton/chitosan/silver yarn-CS) and evaluated by four healthy female subjects. Eardrum temperature, mean skin temperature, clothing microclimate, and heart rate were measured in climatic chamber($30^{\circ}C$, 50%RH, 0.5m/sec). The results were as follows. 1. Eardrum temperature was generally evaluated as lower in CV and CS than in C. Mean skin temperature was lower in knitwears with silver yarn than in knitwears without silver yarn. 2. Clothing microclimate temperature on the chest was lower in knitwears with silver yarn than in knitwears without silver yarn. 3. Clothing microclimate humidity was generally lower knitwears with silver yarn than knitwears without silver yarn. 4. Heart rate was lower in knitwears with silver yarn than in knitwears without silver yarn and lower in V-neck than in polar neck. 5. Thermal sensation was slightly warmer in knitwears without silver yarn than in knitwears with silver yarn. Overall comfort sensation was evaluated as more comfortable in CV and CS than in C.