• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1110-1119
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages could be promoted by particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) stimulation. To this end, the levels of inflammatory parameters, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation-regulating genes were investigated in RAW 264.7 cells treated with PM_2.5 in the presence or absence of LPS. Our results showed that the production levels of pro-inflammatory mediators (nitric oxide and prostaglandin E₂) and cytokines (interleukin-6 and -1β) were significantly increased by PM_2.5 stimulation in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells, which was correlated with increased expression genes involved in their production. In addition, when LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells were exposed to PM_2.5, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) expression was further increased in the nucleus, and the expression of inhibitor of NF-κB as well as NF-κB in the cytoplasm was decreased. These results suggest that the co-treatment of PM_2.5 and LPS further increases the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway compared to each treatment alone, thereby contributing to the promotion of transcriptional activity of inflammatory genes. Furthermore, although the generation of ROS was greatly increased by PM_2.5 in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells, the NF-κB inhibitor did not reduce the generation of ROS. In addition, when the generation of ROS was artificially suppressed, the production of inflammatory mediators and the activation of NF-κB were both abolished. Therefore, our results suggest that the increase in the NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response induced by PM_2.5 in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages was a ROS generation-dependent phenomenon.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.709-716
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• 2021

In this study, an adsorbent prepared by natural drying of iron hydroxide-based sludge collected from settling basin at a mine drainage treatment facility located in Gangneung, Gangwon-do was used to remove fluoride in an artificial fluoride solution and mine drainage, and the adsorption characteristics of the adsorbent were investigated. As a result of analyzing the chemical composition, mineralogical properties, and specific surface area of the adsorbent used in the experiment, iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) occupies 79.2 wt.% as the main constituent, and a peak related to calcite (CaCO₃) in the crystal structure analysis was analyzed. It was also identified that an irregular surface and a specific surface area of 216.78 m²·g^-1. In the indoor batch-type experiment, the effect of changes in reaction time, pH, initial fluoride concentration and temperature on the change in adsorption amount was analyzed. The adsorption of fluoride showed an adsorption amount of 3.85 mg·g^-1 16 hours after the start of the reaction, and the increase rate of the adsorption amount gradually decreased. Also, as the pH increased, the amount of fluoride adsorption decreased, and in particular, the amount of fluoride adsorption decreased rapidly around pH 5.5, the point of zero charge at which the surface charge of the adsorbent changes. Meanwhile, the results of the isotherm adsorption experiment were applied to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm adsorption models to infer the fluoride adsorption mechanism of the used adsorbent. To understand the thermodynamic properties of the adsorbent using the Van't Hoff equation, thermodynamic constants 𝚫H° and 𝚫G° were calculated using the adsorption amount information obtained by increasing the temperature from 25℃ to 65℃ to determine the adsorption characteristics of the adsorbent. Finally, the adsorbent was applied to the mine drainage having a fluoride concentration of about 12.8 mg·L^-1, and the fluoride removal rate was about 50%.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.28-43
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• 2022

This study classified UAV image-based physical spatial types for parks in urban areas of Changwon City and analyzed thermal comfort characteristics according to physical spatial types by comparing them with ENVI-met thermal comfort results. Physical spatial types were classified into four types according to UAV-based NDVI and SVF characteristics. As a result of ENVI-met thermal comfort, the T_MRT difference between the tree-dense area and other areas was up to 30℃ or more, and it was 19. 6℃ at 16:00, which was the largest during the afternoon. As a result of analyzing UAV-based physical spatial types and thermal comfort characteristics by time period, it was confirmed that the physical spatial types with high NDVI and high SVF showed a similar to thermal comfort change patterns by time when using UAV, and the physical spatial types with dense trees and artificial structures showed a low correlation to thermal comfort change patterns by time when using UAV. In conclusion, the possibility of identifying the distribution of thermal comfort based on UAV images was confirmed for the spatial type consisting of open and vegetation, and the area adjacent to the trees was found to be more thermally pleasant than the open area. Therefore, in the urban planning stage, it is necessary to create an open space in consideration of natural covering materials such as grass and trees, and when using artificial covering materials, it is judged that spatial planning should be done considering the proximity to trees and buildings. In the future, it is judged that it will be possible to quickly and accurately identify urban climate phenomena and establish urban planning considering thermal comfort through ground LIDAR and In-situ measurement-based UAV image correction.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.19-31
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• 2022

The definition of urban forest is described as all forest and trees except the Natural Parks throughout whole territory in Urban Forest Act. But the concept of urban forest in the law differs from general awareness by Korean citizen and from definitions of other countries. For discussing such differences of urban forest definition, it was tested how much urban forest area would be changed according to the various definition of urban area. The urban area was defined to be four scenarios in this study in consideration of "urban area" by National Land Planning and Utilization Act (NLPUA), 300m buffered boundary from the "urban area" proposed by World Health Organization (WHO) and forest watershed area. In the scenario 1, including forest watershed intersected with "urban area" by NLPUA, urban forest area was estimated at 1.83 million ha in which urban forest area per person was 386㎡. In the scenario 2, including forest watershed intersected with 300m buffered boundary from the "urban area" by NLPUA, urban forest area was estimated at 1.92 million ha in which urban forest area per person was 405㎡. In the scenario 3, including forest watershed intersected with "urban area" placed within administration boundary (Eup·Dong districts), urban forest area was estimated at 1.08 million ha in which urban forest area per person was 230㎡. In the scenario 4, including forest watershed intersected with 300m buffered boundary from "urban area" placed within administration boundary, urban forest area was estimated at 1.20 million ha in which urban forest area per person was 256㎡. Therefore, the boundary of urban area should be agreed clearly prior to defining the urban forest area for avoiding unclear area calculated according to different definitions.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.72-87
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• 2022

For the sustainable development and conservation of the national land, planned development and efficient environmental conservation must be accompanied. To this end, it is possible to induce development and conservation to harmonize by deriving factors affecting development through analysis of previously developed areas and applying appropriate management measures to areas with high development pressure. In this study, the relationship between the area where the land cover changed from forest to urbanization and various social, geographical, and restrictive factors was implemented in a regression formula through logistic regression analysis, and potential development sites were analyzed for Yongin City. The factor that has the greatest impact on the analysis of potential development area is the restrict factors such as Green Belt and protected areas, and the factor with the least impact is the population density. About 148km²(52%) of Yongin-si's forests were analyzed as potential development area. Among the potential development sites, the area with excellent environmental value as a protected area and 1st grade on the Environment Conservation Value Assessment Map was derived as about 13km². Protected areas with high development potential were riparian buffer zone and special measurement area, and areas with excellent natural scenery and river were preferred as development areas. Protected areas allow certain actions to protect individual property rights. However, there is no clear permit criteria, and the environmental impact of permits is not understood. This is identified as a factor that prevents protected areas from functioning properly. Therefore, it needs to be managed through clear exception permit criteria and environmental impact monitoring.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.143-151
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• 2022

This study was carried out to investigate quantitative characteristics of the cooling effect in a single-span arch greenhouse with roll-up side vents depending on operation of circulation and exhaust fans during ventilation, in order to suggest a practical strategy regarding installation or operation of forced ventilation systems. The examination was conducted under 3 different ventilation conditions (side vents only, side vents + circulation fans, and side vents + circulation fans + exhaust fans). In each condition, variations of internal and external air temperatures and exogenous environmental factors were recorded during ventilation, and the cooling effects were investigated by comparing the normalized temperature difference (NTD) of each ventilation condition. In the morning time (11:00-12:00), a temporary peak in the temperature difference was observed at the beginning of ventilation regardless of ventilation methods. The time taken to the maximum NTD was decreased from 340 s to 110s, and the NTD was dropped from 1.158 to 1.037 as the more forced ventilation systems were operated. The more operations caused the passing time over specific NTD values reduced by 60% as the time was reduced from 1,030 s to 550 s at NTD = 0.8, 1,610 s to 915 s at NTD = 0.6, and 2,315 s to 1,360 s at NTD = 0.4. The temporary peak in NTD was not observed in the afternoon time (14:00-15:00) but it was dropped as quickly as the ventilation started. Also the more operations resulted in the passing time over specific NTD values reduced by 70% as the time was reduced from 560 s to 345 s at NTD = 0.8, from 825 s to 540 s at NTD = 0.6, and from 1,145 s to 810 s at NTD = 0.4. Conclusively, the intervention of the forced ventilation system is recommended in the morning time or in high thermal conditions to achieve more effective and economical ventilation.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.303-317
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• 2022

Climate change caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions can alter the natural ecosystem, including the pollination ecosystem and agricultural ecology, which are ecological interactions between potted insects and plants. Many studies have reported that populations of wild bees, including bees and wasps (BW), which are the key pollinators, have gradually declined due to climate change, leading to adverse impacts on overall biodiversity, ultimately with agribusinesses and the life cycle of flowering plants. Therefore, we could infer that the rising temperature in Korean Peninsula (South Korea) due to global warming has led to climate change and influenced the wild bee's ecosystem. In this study, we surveyed the distributional pattern of BW (Superfamily: Apoidea, Vespoidea, and Chrysidoidea) at 51 sites from 2017 (37 sites) to 2018 (14 sites) to examine the effects of climatic factors on the nationwide distribution of BW in South Korea. Previous literature has confirmed that their distribution according to forest climate zones is significantly correlated with mean and accumulative temperatures. Based on the result, we predicted the effects of future climate changes on the BW distribution that appeared throughout South Korea and the species that appeared in specific climate zones using Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The distributions of wild BW predicted by the SSP scenarios 2-4.5 and 5-8.5 according to the BIOMOD species distribution model revealed that common and endemic species will shift northward from the current habitat distribution by 2050 and 2100, respectively. Our study implies that climate change and its detrimental effect on the ecosystem is ongoing as the BW distribution in South Korea can change, causing the change in the ecosystem in the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, immediate efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions are warranted. We hope the findings of this study can inspire further research on the effects of climate change on pollination services and serve as the reference for making agricultural policy and BW conservation strategy

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2022

Thymosin β-4 (TB4) is a small peptide composed of 43 amino acids. To obtain sufficient biologically active mouse TB4 economically, we cloned and overexpressed this gene in an Escherichia coli system. With the isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside induction of the E. coli transformant, TB4 fusion protein with intein- and chitin-binding domain was successfully expressed in the soluble fraction within the E. coli cell. The TB4-intein - chitin-binding domain fusion protein was purified from the soluble fraction of E. coli cell lysate. The affinity chromatography with chitin beads and dithiothreitol-mediated intein self-cleavage reaction releases the TB4 peptide into the stripping solution. Sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analyses were used to confirm that the recombinant TB4 peptide was produced with the expected size of 5 kDa. We found that the recombinant TB4 stimulated cell migration in the transwell plate chamber assay. After 18 hr of the treatment of the recombinant TB4 with 1 ng/ml concentration, the migration of the HT1080 cell was increased by 20% compared with that of the chemically synthesized TB4. The recombinant TB4 was also observed to promote the healing of a wound area in C57BL/6 mice by as high as 35% compared with that of the chemically synthesized TB4. These results suggest that the recombinant TB4 has better biological activity for cell migration and wound healing than that of the chemically synthesized TB4 peptide.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.138-148
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• 2022

The 1920s and 1930s were when new trends became prominent in Korean housing architecture. This study began with a curiosity about the appearance of residential gardens during the transition period, when housing types were changing. Since gardens are constantly evolving and living spaces, it is not easy to give a clear picture of their evolution. However, through popular magazines and newspaper articles published in the 1920-30s, this study investigated how people perceived the gardens socially and how they engaged in gardening. First, the study of Gyeongseong's urbanization process revealed that people perceived gardens as a way to give natural beauty to the urban environment. Therefore, the creation of a residential garden was strongly encouraged. Second, the housing improvement movement, which the architects actively discussed during this period, emphasized that a garden is a factor that can help improve the quality of the residential environment in terms of hygiene and landscape aesthetics. Third, since the media provided information on gardening, it was confirmed that the number of people engaged in gardening as a hobby increased. As designers and gardeners who had received a modern education became more active, the concept of "designed gardens" was formed. Lastly, although the houses were divided into various types, the shapes of the gardens did not show a significant difference according to the architecture type. They tended to embrace the time's ideal garden design and style. Therefore, even in a traditional hanok, Western-style gardens were naturally harmonized into the overall architecture, and exotic plant species could be found. Although the gardens found in media images were limited to those belonging to the homes of the intelligentsia, it can be seen that representativeness was secured, considering the popularity and ripple effect of the media. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature as it confirmed the ideal gardens and gardening methods in the 1920s and 30s.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.33-52
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• 2022

The History and Culture Park and the Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall will be built in Songhyeon-dong, Seoul. Political games from the Joseon Dynasty to the present greatly influenced the historicity of Songhyeon-dong. However, place analysis was limited to changes in landowners and land uses rather than a historical context. Therefore, this study analyzed the context in which the placeness of Songhyeon-dong changed according to the emergence of cultural hegemony using the perspective of modern cultural geography and comparative history. As a result of the analysis, cultural hegemony in historical transitions, such as Sinocentrism, maritime expansion, civil revolutions, imperialism, nationalism, popular art, and neoliberalism, was found to have created new intellectuals in Bukchon, including Songhyeon-dong, and influenced social systems and spatial policies. In this social relations, the placeness of Songhyeon-dong changed as follows. First, the founding forces of Joseon created pine forests as Bibo Forests to invocate the permanence of the dynasty. In the late Joseon dynasty, it was an era of maritime expansion, and as Joseon's yeonhaeng increased, a garden for the Gyeonghwasejok, who enjoyed the culture of the Qing dynasty, was built. Although pine forests and gardens disappeared due to the development of housing complexes as the population soared during the Japanese colonial era, Cha Gyeong's landscape aesthetics, which harmonized artificial gardens and external nature, are worth reinterpreting in modern times. Second, the wave of modernization created a new school in Bukchon and a boarding house in Songhyeon-dong owned by a pro-Japanese faction. Angukdongcheon-gil, next to Songhyeon-dong, was where thinkers who promoted civil revolution and national self-determination exchanged ideas. Songhyeon-dong, the largest boarding house, served as a residence for students to participate in the March 1st Movement and was the cradle of the resulting culture of student movements. The appearance of the old road is preserved, so it is a significant part of the regeneration of walking in the historic city center, connecting Gwanghwamun-Bukchon-Insadong -Donhwamunro. Third, from the cultural rule of the Government General of Joseon to the Military Government, Songhyeon-dong acted as a passage to western culture with the Joseon Siksan Bank's cultural housing and staff accommodations at the U.S. Embassy. Ancient and contemporary art coexisted in the surrounding area, so the modern and contemporary art market was formed. The Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall is expected to form a cultural belt for citizens with the gallery, Bukchon Hanok Village, the Craft Museum, and the Modern Museum of Art. Discourses and challenges are needed to recreate the place in harmony with the forests, gardens, the street of citizens' birth, history and culture park, the art museum, and the surrounding walking network.