• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2013

Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prx 6) is a member of the thiol-specific antioxidant protein family, which may play a role in protection against oxidative stress and in regulating phospholipid turnover. The aim of this study was to determine whether a human Prx 6/Luc vector was stably expressed and responded to antioxidants in a lung cell line (NCI-H460). To achieve this, the luciferase signal, hPrx 6 mRNA expression, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured in transfectants with a hPrx 6/Luc plasmid after treatment with four antioxidant extracts, including Korea white ginseng (KWG), Korea red ginseng (KRG), Liriope platyphylla (LP), and red Liriope platyphylla (RLP). First, the hPrx 6/Luc plasmid was successfully constructed with DNA fragments of human Prx 6 promoter, amplified by PCR using genomic DNA isolated from NCI-H460 cells, and cloned into the pTransLucent reporter vector. The orientation and sequencing of the hPrx 6/Luc plasmid were identified with restriction enzyme and automatic sequencing. A luciferase assay revealed significant enhancement of luciferase activity in the four treatment groups compared with a vehicle-treated group, although the ratio of the increase was different within each group. The KRG- and LP-treated groups showed higher activity than the KWG- and RLP-treated groups. Furthermore, the luciferase activity against RLP occurred roughly in a dose-dependent manner. However, the level of endogenous hPrx 6 mRNA did not change in any group treated with the four extracts. The SOD activity was in agreement with the luciferase activity. Therefore, these results indicate that the hPrx 6/Luc vector system may successfully express and respond to antioxidant compounds in NCI-H460 cells. The data also suggest that the Prx 6/Luc vector system may be effectively applied in screening the response of hPrx 6 to antioxidant compounds in transgenic mice.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 2000

When irradiate the power ultrasound into the aqueous solutions, water vapor is decomposed by the heat of very high temperature in the cavitation bubble to produce OH (hydroxyl radical) and H (hydrogen radical), and these radicals play a role in decomposing the substances in aqueous solution by oxidation and/or reduction, and in producing the hydrogen peroxide. Accordingly it is possible to predict that the quantity of hydrogen peroxide produced may correlate with the sonolysis mechanism of the substance in aqueous solution. Thus to confirm this prediction, the quantities of hydrogen peroxide produced from each of the air saturated distilled water and three aqueous solutions of TCE, benzene, and 2,4-DCP that are prepared by dissolving them into distilled water are measured. As a result, it showed that the quantity of hydrogen peroxide produced from the distilled water and three aqueous solutions are increased in order of distilled water>TCE solution>2,4-DCP solution>benzene solution, and decrease with decrease in concentration of organic substance, which coincide with the sonolysis mechanisms reported that TCE in aqueous solution is decomposed directly by the pyrolysis in and around the cavitation bubbles when its concentration is high and by the radical reaction when low, however, benzene and 2,4-DCP are decomposed not only by the pyrolysis but also by the radical reactions. Effects of such experimental parameters as the acoustic frequency and power and as the concentration showed that the higher the acoustic frequency and the lower the acoustic power, the less the quantity of hydrogen peroxide was produced. This result coincide with the theory of ultrasound for the relation between the cavitation that is the energy source of the power ultrasound in aqueous solution and these experimental parameters.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.16 no.3 s.77
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• pp.19-26
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• 2007

The bottom ash of municipal solid waste incineration generated during incineration of municipal solid waste in metropolitan area consists of ceramics, glasses, ferrous materials, combustible materials and food waste and so on. Although the ferrous material was separated by the magnetic separation before the incineration process, of which content accounts for about $3{\sim}11%$ in bottom ash. The formation of a $Fe_3O_4-Fe_2O_3$ double layer(similar to pure Fe) on the iron surface was found during air-annealing in the incinerator at $1000^{\circ}C$. A strong thermal shock, such as that takes place during water-cooling of bottom ash, leads to the breakdown of this oxidation layer, facilitating the degradation of ferrous metals and the formation of corrosion products and it existed as $Fe_2O_3,\;Fe_3O_4\;and\;FeS_2$. So, many problems could occur in the use of bottom ash as an aggregate substitutes in construction field. Therefore, in this study, the separation of ferrous materials from municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash was investigated. In the result, the ferrous product(such as $Fe_2O_3,\;Fe_3O_4,\;FeS_2$ and iron) by magnetic separator at 3800 gauss per total bottom ash(w/w.%) accounted for about 18.7%, and 87.7% of the ferrous product was in the size over 1.18 mm. Also the iron per total bottom ash accounted for about 3.8% and the majority of it was in the size over 1.18 mm.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.172-176
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• 2005

Recently, many researches on the high-voltage 5 V class cathode material have focused on $LiNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$, where $Mn^{3+}$ in the existing $LiMn_2O_4 (Li[Mn^{3+}][Mn^{4+}]O_4)$ is replaced by $Ni^{2+}(Li[Ni^{2+}]_{0.5}[Mn^{4+}]_{1.5}O_4)$ in order to utilize $Ni^{2+}/Ni^{4+}$ redox reaction in the 5V region. The partial substitution of Mn in $LiMn_2O_4$ for other transition metal element, $LiM_yMn_{1-y}O_4$(M=Cr, Al, Ni, Fe, Co, Cu, Ga etc) is known as a good solution to overcome the problems associated with $LiMn_2O_4$ like the gradual capacity fading. In this study, we synthesized $LiNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$ through a mechanochemical process and investigated its morphological, crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics. The results showed that 4 V peaks had been found in the cyclic volammograms of the synthesized powders due to the existence of $Mn^{3+}$ from the incomplete substitution of $Ni^{2+}$ for $Mn^{3+}$ implying that the mechanochemical activation alone was not good enough to synthesize an exact stoichiometric compound of $LiNi_{0.5}Mn_{1.5}O_4$. The synthetic condition of mechanochemical process, such as type of starting materials, ball-mill and calcination condition was optimized for the best electrochemical performance.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.47-56
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• 2008

pH and Eh were measured at 25 points in the abandoned Dalcheon mine. And, major ion components $(Na^+,\;K^+,\;Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Cl^-,\;SO_4^{2-},\;CO_3^{2-},\;HCO_3^-)$ were analyzed through groundwater sampling at 41 points. pH and Eh were measured the highest concentration in serpentinite area. And, pH was between weak alkaline and intermediate values in study area. Groundwater in study area was dominated oxidation-reduction environment caused by reaction with carbonate rock. Because sulfur components contained in carbonate, serpentinite, arsenopyrite and pyrite was dissolved by groundwater, $SO_4^{2-}$ component was high in study area. And $Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+}$ of cations were high. Correlation coefficients of ion components in tailing dumps were 0.95 between $Ca^{2+}\;and\;SO_4^{2-}$, 0.86 between $Ca^{2+}\;and\;Mg^{2+}$, 0.85 between $Mg^{2+}\;and\;SO_4^{2-}$. Correlation coefficients of ion components in bedrock were 0.86 between $Mg^{2+}\;and\;SO_4^{2-}$, 0.68 between $Ca^{2+}\;and\;SO_4^{2-}$. Concentration range of $Ca^{2+}$ in tailing dumps was $6.85{\sim}323.58mg/L,\;and\;3.18{\sim}207.20mg/L$ in bedrock. Concentration range of $SO_4^{2-}$ in tailing dumps was $21.54{\sim}1673.17mg/L,\;and\;2.04{\sim}1024.64mg/L$ in bedrock. By the result of Piper diagram analysis with aquifer material, groundwater in tailing dumps was $Ca-SO_4$ type. Groundwater quality types with bedrock material were Mg-$SO_4$ and Mg-$HCO_3$ types in serpentinite area, Ca-$HCO_3$ type in carbonate area, Na-K and $CO_3+HCO_3$ types in hornfels, respectively. As a result of this study, groundwater in tailing dumps were dissolved $Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+}\;and\;SO_4^{2-}$ components with high concentration. Also, these ion components were transported into bedrock aquifer.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.737-760
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• 2022

For the geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLW), an understanding of deep subsurface environment is essential through geological, hydrogeological, geochemical, and geotechnical investigations. Although South Korea plans the geological disposal of HLW, only a few studies have been conducted for characterizing the geochemistry of deep subsurface environment. To guide the hydrogeochemical research for selecting suitable repository sites, this study overviewed the status and trends in hydrogeochemical characterization of deep groundwater for the deep geological disposal of HLW in developed countries. As a result of examining the selection process of geological disposal sites in 8 countries including USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, France, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland, the following geochemical parameters were needed for the geochemical characterization of deep subsurface environment: major and minor elements and isotopes (e.g., ³⁴S and ¹⁸O of SO₄^2-, ¹³C and ¹⁴C of DIC, ²H and ¹⁸O of water) of both groundwater and pore water (in aquitard), fracture-filling minerals, organic materials, colloids, and oxidation-reduction indicators (e.g., Eh, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, H₂S/SO₄^2-, NH₄⁺/NO₃^-). A suitable repository was selected based on the integrated interpretation of these geochemical data from deep subsurface. In South Korea, hydrochemical types and evolutionary patterns of deep groundwater were identified using artificial neural networks (e.g., Self-Organizing Map), and the impact of shallow groundwater mixing was evaluated based on multivariate statistics (e.g., M3 modeling). The relationship between fracture-filling minerals and groundwater chemistry also has been investigated through a reaction-path modeling. However, these previous studies in South Korea had been conducted without some important geochemical data including isotopes, oxidationreduction indicators and DOC, mainly due to the lack of available data. Therefore, a detailed geochemical investigation is required over the country to collect these hydrochemical data to select a geological disposal site based on scientific evidence.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2003

If contaminated river water is sprayed over a floodplain, the microbial processes can simultaneously remove organic matter and nitrogen during the infiltration through the sediment profile. The effect of rhizosphere on the removal of organic matter and nitrogen from contaminated river water was investigated using floodplain lysimeters. River water was sprayed at a rate of $68.0L\;m^{-2}\;d^{-1}$ on the top of the lysimeters with or without weed vegetation on the surface, Concentrations of $NO_3$, $NH_4$ and dissolved oxygen (DO), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) and Eh in water were measured as functions of depth for 4 weeks after the system reached a steady state water flow and biological reactions. A significant reductive-condition for denitrification developed in the 30-cm surface profile of lysimeters with weeds. At a depth of 30 cm, COD and $NO_3$-N concentration decreased to 5.2 and $0.9mg\;L^{-1}$ from the respective influent concentrations of 18.2 and $9.8mg\;L^{-1}$. The removal of $NO_3$ in lysimeters with weeds was significantly higher than in those without weeds. Vegetation on the top was assumed to remove $NO_3$ directly by absorption and to create more favorable conditions for denitrification by supply of organic matter and rapid $O_2$ consumption, In the lysimeters without weeds, further removal of $NO_3$ was limited by the lack of an electron donor, i.e. organic matter. These results suggest that the filtration through native floodplains, which include rhizospheres of vegetation on the surface, can be effective for the treatment of contaminated river water.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.207-215
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• 2014

To investigate the biological benefits of Korean traditional vegetables, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of ethanol extracts from blanched and dried sprouts of evening primrose (Oenothera laciniata, OL) and gooseberry (Actinidia arguta, AA) were measured. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of OL were higher than those of AA; OL contained 60.4 mg tannic acid/g dry weight and 31.9 mg rutin/g dry weight, while AA contained 33.0 mg tannic acid/g dry weight and 20.3 mg rutin/g dry weight. The $IC_{50}$ value for DPPH radical scavenging activity was $58.2{\mu}g/mL$ for OL ethanol extract and $122.1{\mu}g/mL$ for AA ethanol extract. The reducing power upon $500{\mu}g/mL$ of ethanol extract treatment was as strong as $52.1{\mu}g$ ascorbate eq./mL for OL and $45.3{\mu}g$ ascorbate eq./mL for AA. Regarding anti-inflammatory effects, inhibition rate against 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 activities were 29.5% and 79.5% for OL, as well as 11.5% and 39.1% for AA, respectively at a concentration of $250{\mu}g/mL$. Lipopolysaccaride ($1{\mu}g/mL$)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells subjected to OL ethanol extract at various concentrations ($0{\sim}25{\mu}g/mL$) showed significantly reduced synthesis of nitrite oxide (NO), prostaglandin (PG) E2, and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity, although TNF-${\alpha}$ synthesis was not affected. In conclusion, both OL and AA sprouts showed strong antioxidative activity, whereas OL showed very strong anti-inflammatory activity via effective reduction of NO, PGE2, and IL-6 synthesis in LPS-activated macrophage cells.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.185-195
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• 2012

Due to the high reduction and sorption capacity as well as the large specific surface area, nanosized mackinawite (FeS) is useful in reductively transforming chlorinated organic pollutants and sequestering toxic metals and metalloids. Due to the dynamic nature in its colloid stability, however, nanosized FeS may be washed out with the groundwater flow or result in aquifer clogging via particle aggregation. Thus, these nanoparticles should be modified such as to be built into permeable reactive barriers. This study employed coating methods in efforts to facilitate the installation of permeable reactive barriers of nanosized mackinawite. In applying the methods, nanosized mackinawite was coated on non-treated silica sand (NTS) and chemically treated silica sand (CTS). For both silica sands, the maximum coating of mackinawite occurred around pH 5.4, the condition of which was governed by (1) the solubility of mackinawite and (2) the surface charge of both silica and mackinawite. Under this pH condition, the maximum coating by NTS and CTS were found to be 0.101 mmol FeS/g and 0.043 mmol FeS/g respectively, with such elevated coatings by NTS likely linked with impurities (e.g., iron oxides) on its surface. Arsenite sorption experiments were performed under anoxic conditions using uncoated silica sands and those coated with mackinawite at the optimal pH to compare their reactivity. At pH 7, the relative sorption efficiency between uncoated NTS and coated NTS changed with the initial concentration of arsenite. At the lower initial concentration, uncoated NTS showed the higher sorption efficiency, whereas at the higher concentration, coated NTS exhibited the higher sorption efficiency. This could be attributed to different sorption mechanisms as a function of arsenite concentration: the surface complexation of arsenite with the iron oxide impurity on silica sand at the low concentration and the precipitation as arsenic sulfides by reaction with mackinawite coating at the high concentration. Compared to coated NTS, coated CTS showed the lower arsenite removal at pH 7 due to its relatively lower mackinawite coating. Taken together, our results indicate that NTS is a more effective material than CTS for the coating of nanosized mackinawite.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.3 s.172
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• pp.207-219
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• 2005

The physical and chemical characteristics of soils in a small watershed were investigated and the effect of geology and land use on soil quality were examined by using multivariate statistical methods, principal components analysis and discriminant analysis. The soil developed from andesite had finer texture and higher contents of water extractable inorganic components, clay, and mafic minerals than the soil developed from granite. It is considered that the accumulation of salts in the farmland soils indicated by electrical conductivity, contents of cations and anions and pH was caused by fertilizer input during cultivation. The low contents of organic matter in the farmland soils was due to the enhanced oxidation of organic matter by tillage and by the harvest of crops. The contents of inorganic components are increased as following order: upland > orchard > paddy field > forest. The high contents of water soluble $SO_4\;^{2-}$ of paddy soils is due to the oxidation of sulfides mineral formed during the flooding period during the air-dry and extraction. The results of principal components analysis show the difference of soil quality was controlled by geology and land use. PCI indicate the input of fertilizer, mineral weathering and ion exchange reaction by application of nitrogenous fertilizers. The results of two discriminant analyses using water extractable inorganic components and their ratios by land use were also clearly classified by discriminant function 1 and 2. In discriminant analysis by components, discriminant function 1 indicated the effect of fertilizer application and increased as following order: upland > orchard > paddy field > forest soil. The investigated and predicted data for land use from discriminant analysis showed similar results. The discriminant analysis can be used as a useful method certifying the change of land use.