• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.287-297
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• 1994

To elucidate the cause of growth decline of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) in Seoul, tree density, tree age and physico-chemical properties of soils were investigated at 33 sites of pitch pine forests in metropolitan Seoul, its vicinity and rural areas. The physical properties of soils except for soil texture in Seoul did not differ from those in rural areas. pH values, base saturation, and Ca and Mg contents of soils in Seoul, however, were significantly lower than those in suburbs and rural areas. In contrast, soluble Al and $S0_4^{2-}-S$ contents in Seoul were higher than those in rural areas. Low pH of forest soils in Seoul and suburbs seems to be caused by acid deposition. According to multiple regression analysis, growth of pitch pine in Seoul was affected by several factors in the following order: soil bulk density < Al content of soils < tree density < Mg contents of soil < tree age. We concluded that the acidification of forest soil can be a predisposing factor for the growth decline of pitch pine in metropolitan areas.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.137-147
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• 2020

A direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was applied to treat strong nitrogenous wastewater of anaerobic digestion supernatant (ADS) and human urine (HU). The ammonia transfer was evaluated in terms of specific ammonia transfer (SAT) value, which is the ratio of total ammoniacal nitrogen divided by the amount of water transferred. The acidification resulted in low SAT values and high quality of produced water. The ammonia transfer control in the acidic condition was stronger for HU than ADS due to higher alkalinity (pH 8.8) and ammonia concentration (5700 mg-N/L) of HU. Acidified HU at pH 4 exhibited a SAT value of 1.64 × 10^-5, which was significantly smaller than the SAT value of 3.00 × 10^-3 for the original HU. The low pH enhanced the water flux for ADS, but HU showed a steep decrease in water flux due to enhanced fouling. It was considered that the fouling intensity in acidic conditions depends on the characteristics of the wastewater source. The major foulants on the MD membrane were NaCl, CaCO₃ and CuSO₄ as recognized by the SEM-EDS. Acidified ADS and HU at pH 4 showed relatively high N content of 8.18 % and 28.03 %, respectively, as organic fouling.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2003

Background: Hemopoietic cells require the constant presence of growth factors for survival in vitro and in vivo. Caspases have been known as central executors of apoptotic cell death. We have, therefore, investigated the pathways that regulate caspase activity and apoptosis using the $CD34^+$ cell line, TF-1 which requires GM-CSF for survival. Methods: Apoptosis was measured by annexin V staining and mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by DiOC6 labelling. Intracellular pH was measured using pH sensitive fluorochrome, BCECF or SNARF-1, followed by flow cytometry analysis. Caspase activation was analyzed by PARP cleavage using anti-PARP antibody. Results: Removal of GM-CSF induceed PARP cleavage, a hallmark of caspase activity, concomitant with pHi acidification and a drop in mitochondrial potential. Treatment with ZVAD, a competitive inhibitor of caspases, partially rescued cell death without affecting pHi acidification and the reduction of mitochondrial potential, suggesting that both these events act upstream of caspases. Overexpression of Bcl-2 prevented cell death induced by GM-CSF deprivation as well as pHi acidification and the reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential. In parental cells maintained with GM-CSF, EIPA, a competitive inhibitor of $Na^+/H^+$ antiporter induced apoptosis, accompanied by a drastic reduction in mitochondrial potential. In contrast, EIPA induced apoptosis in Bcl-2 transfectants without causing mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that the regulation of $H^+$fluxes, either through a mitochondriondependent or independent pathway, is central to caspase activation and apoptosis.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2016

Ulva pertusa, a common bloom-forming green alga, was used as a model system to examine the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and temperature on growth and photosynthetic performance. To do this, U. pertusa was grown under four temperature and CO₂ conditions; ambient CO₂ (400 μatm) and temperature (16℃) (i.e., present), elevated temperature only (19℃) (ET; i.e., warming), elevated CO₂ only (1,000 μatm) (EC; i.e., acidification), and elevated temperature and CO₂ (ET and EC; i.e., greenhouse), and its steady state photosynthetic performance evaluated. Maximum gross photosynthetic rates (GP_max) were highest under EC conditions and lowest under ET conditions. Further, ET conditions resulted in decreased rate of dark respiration (R_d), but growth of U. pertusa was higher under ET conditions than under ambient temperature conditions. In order to evaluate external carbonic anhydrase (eCA) activity, photosynthesis was measured at 70 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ in the presence or absence of the eCA inhibitor acetazolamide (AZ), which inhibited photosynthetic rates in all treatments, indicating eCA activity. However, while AZ reduced U. pertusa photosynthesis in all treatments, this reduction was lower under ambient CO₂ conditions (both present and warming) compared to EC conditions (both acidification and greenhouse). Moreover, Chlorophyll a and glucose contents in U. pertusa tissues declined under ET conditions (both warming and greenhouse) in conjunction with reduced GP_max and R_d. Overall, our results indicate that the interaction of EC and ET would offset each other’s impacts on photosynthesis and biochemical composition as related to carbon balance of U. pertusa.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 1991

The change of the acridine orange absorbance was used to monitor the formation and/or dissipation of a pH gradient in microvillous membrane vesicles (MVV) isolated from human term placenta. Under $Na^+$ efflux conditions, an acidification of the intravesicular space occured and it was completely inhibited by 0.1 mM amiloride. Under $K^+$ efflux conditions, an acidification of the intravesicular space occured and it was potentiated by valinomycin or FCCP. An inwardly directed chloride gradient also induced a minor intravesicular acidification, but it was not observed in voltage-clampled MVV. The initial rate of the dissipation of a pH gradient was accelerated by pulse injections of $Na^+$ in a saturable manner and $Li^+$ could replace $Na^+$. The kinetic parameter of $Na^+$ in placental $Na^+/H^+$ exchange was similar to that of renal $Na^+/H^+$ exchange. Amiloride was a inhibitor of directly coupled $Na^+/H^+$ exchange and its $IC_{50}$ in placental MVV was about 14-fold higher than that in renal brush border membrane. These results indicate that $Na^+/H^+$ exchanger exists in human placental MVV and that its kinetic characteristics is similar to that of renal $Na^+/H^+$ exchanger but its pharmacological characteristics is different. In placental MVV $K^+,\;H^+$, and, relatively minor chloride conductances are present. The magnitude of $Cl^-/OH^-$ exchange, even though it exists, seems to be smaller than that of $Na^+/H^+$ exchange.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.95-98
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• 1984

A pilot scale continuous Kimchi pasteurizer was used to study some factors affecting the retardation of acidification of Chinese radish Kimchi, stored at $20^{\circ}C$. The degrees of acidification of Kimchi were measured in terms of pH, acidity and absorbance. The shelf-life of the pasteurization temperature from 60 to $70^{\circ}C$ did not result in any significant effect on delaying the acidification of Kimchi during storage, while lowering of storage temperature from 25 to $5^{\circ}C$ gave rise to a marked increase in the the shelf-life of Kimchi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 1998

Aliphatic alkenals having 6 to 13 carbons were evaluated for antifungal activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The activity was gradually increased with chain length, e.g., (E)-2-decenal and (E)-2-undecenal exhibited maximum potency, while (E)-2-dodecenal and (E)-2-tridecenal were completely inactive. Alkenals showed increasing inhibitory activity with chain length, as in the case of antifungal activity, towards glucose-induced medium acidification by the plasma membrane $H^+$-ATPase of S. cerevisiae. The group including (E)-2-nonenal, (E)-2-decenal, and (E)-2-undecenal exhibited maximum potency, but the potency of (E)-2-dodecenal and (E)-2-tridecenal demonstrated a sudden drop with respect to the former group. (E)-2-Nonenal revealed dose-responsive inhibition to the medium acidification and inhibited over 90% at a concentration of 1.25 mM ($175.3{\mu}g$/ml). In contrast to (E)-2-undecenal whose inhibitory efficiency increased with incubation time, inhibition by (E)-2-dodecenal was reversed with time. Of the tested alkenals, (E)-2-heptenal and (E)-2-octenal most highly inhibited ATP hydrolytic activity by the plasma membrane $H^+$ ATPase, while (E)-2-heptenal at 10 mM ($1121.8{\mu}g$/ml) showed an inhibitory efficacy of 93.2%.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.173-183
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• 2013

Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is widely used to disinfect seawater in power plant cooling systems in order to reduce biofouling, and in ballast water treatment systems to prevent transport of exotic marine species. While the toxicity of NaOCl is expected to increase by ongoing ocean acidification, and many experimental studies have shown how algal calcification, photosynthesis and growth respond to ocean acidification, no studies have investigated the relationship between NaOCl toxicity and increased $CO_2$. Therefore, we investigated whether the impacts of NaOCl on survival, chlorophyll a (Chl-a), and effective quantum yield in three marine phytoplankton belonging to different taxonomic classes are increased under high $CO_2$ levels. Our results show that all biological parameters of the three species decreased under increasing NaOCl concentration, but increasing $CO_2$ concentration alone (from 450 to 715 ${\mu}atm$) had no effect on any of these parameters in the organisms. However, due to the synergistic effects between NaOCl and $CO_2$, the survival and Chl-a content in two of the species, Thalassiosira eccentrica and Heterosigma akashiwo, were significantly reduced under high $CO_2$ when NaOCl was also elevated. The results show that combined exposure to high $CO_2$ and NaOCl results in increasing toxicity of NaOCl in some marine phytoplankton. Consequently, greater caution with use of NaOCl will be required, as its use is widespread in coastal waters.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.131-139
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• 2011

This study was carried out to examine the stability of $Na_2CO_3-H_2O_2$ carbonate solution with aging time in the dissolving solution after oxidative dissolution of U by a carbonate solution, the Cs/Re filtrate after selective precipitation of Cs and Re (as a surrogate for Tc), and the acidification filtrate after precipitation of U by acidification, respectively. The compositions of dissolving solution were not changed with ageing time, and the selective precipitation of Re and Cs was also not affected without regard to the aging time of dissolving solution. The successive removal of Cs and Re from a carbonate dissolving solution was possible. However, the recovery yield of U by acidification was decreased with increasing the aging time of the dissolving solution and the Cs/Re-filtrate, respectively, because U was converted from the uranyl peroxocarbonato complex to the uranyltricarbonate in the solution aged for a long time. Accordingly, it is effective that a dissolving solution and a Cs/Re filtrate are treated within the aging of 7 days, respectively, in order to recover U more than 99%. On the other hand, the recovery of U was carried out in order of the oxidative dissolution of U selective precipitation of Re and Cs precipitation of U by acidification. Almost all of U and a part of FP were co-dissolved in oxidative dissolution step. Over 99% of Re and Cs from the FP co-dissolved with U could be removed by a TPPCl (tetraphenylphosphonium chloride) and a NaTPB (sodium tetraphenylborate), respectively. U was precipitated nearly 100% by acidification to pH 4. Therefore, it was confirmed that the validity of recovery of U by precipitation methods from a SF (spent fuel) in the $Na_2CO_3-H_2O_2$ solution.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 2013

This study has been carried out to elucidate the characteristics of the dissolution for Thermal Decomposed Solid Waste of uranium-bearing sludge (TDSW), the removal of impurities by an alkalization in a nitric acid dissolving solution of TDSW, and the selective removal (/recovery) of uranium by an acidification in an carbonate alkali solution, respectively. TDSW generated by thermal decomposition of U-bearing sludge which was produced in the uranium conversion plant operation, was stored in KAERI as a solid-powder type. It is found that the dissolution of TDSW is more effective in nitric acid dissolution than oxidative-dissolution with carbonate. At 1 M nitric acid solution, TDSW was undissolved about 30wt% as a solid residue, and uranium contained in TDSW was dissolved more than 99%. In order to the alkalization for the nitric acid dissolving solution of TDSW, carbonate alkalization is more effective with respect to remove the impurities. At the carbonate alkali solution controlled to about 9 of pH, Al, Ca, Fe and Zn co-dissolved with U in dissolution step was removed about $98{\pm}1%$. On the other hand, U could be recovered more than 99% by an acidification at pH about 3 in a carbonate alkali solution, which was nearly removed the impurities, adding 0.5M $H_2O_2$. It was found that uranium could be selectively recovered (/removed) from TDSW.