• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.19 no.11
• /
• pp.1337-1353
• /
• 2010

This study intended to investigate environmental factors including soil and vegetation in order to understand the environmental and ecological characteristics of 12 different habitats of Iris odaesanensis. These habitats, according to investigations, are mostly located at elevation of 280 m to 1,555 m with angles of inclination ranging from 2 degree to 30 degrees. A total of 273 vascular plants are identified in 23 quadrates of 12 habitats. Dominant species of woody plants in 12 habitats are represented as Quercus mongolica in the tree layer (T1) and the subtree (T2) layer, and Lespedeza maximowiczii, Lindera obtusiloba, Rhododendron schlippenbachii in the shrub (S) layer. The importance value of Iris odaesanensis is 9.65%, as regards the herbaceous layer, and 6 highly ranked species such as Carex siderosticta (3.92%), Meehania urticifolia (2.67%), Spodiopogon cotulifer (2.58%), Aconitum pseudolaeve (2.51%), Carex bostrychostigma (2.28%) and Disporum smilacinum (2.09%) are considered to be an affinity with Iris odaesanensis in their habitats. The degree of their average species diversity is 1.32, and that of dominance and evenness are 0.08 and 0.89, respectively. The type of soil is sandy loam and loam, and the average field capacity of soil is 28.31%. Their average organic matter is 16.71%, soil pH 5.29, and available phosphorus is 9.29%. Correlation coefficients analysis based on environmental factors, vegetation and soil analysis shows that the coverage of Iris odaesanensis is correlated with pH and dominance, and species richness is positive related with species diversity.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.67-76
• /
• 2004

In order to promote the value of the flowers as new agricultural products, we investigated the biological activities of rape, arrowroot, and rose extracts. Biological activities investigated included antioxidant activity and the effects on 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells. When each flower was extracted with methanol, the antioxidant index and electron donating activity of roses was the highest $(IC_{50}$ of rose extract was $17.6 \mu{g}/m\ell$). When 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells were treated with extracts made with hexane, ethyl acetate, and ether, the rape extracts had a cytotoxic effect on the cells. 12.2% of cells survived when treated with a 3mg/$m\ell$ ether extract while those treated with the same concentration of hexane and ethyl acetate had survival rates of 76.2% and 78.6% respectively. In contrast to rape, the ether extract of arrowroot and rose stimulated the growth of 3T3-L1 cells. The effect of rose extracts was much bigger than those of other extracts. Although every rose extract stimulated the growth of the 3T3-L 1 cells, the ether extract stimulated growth up to 168.6% compared to the control at the concentration of $0.3mg/m\ell$, and 148.3% at the concentration of $1mg/m\ell$. The toxicity on cells treated with $H_2 O_2$ of $450\mu{M}l$was decreased with the addition of rose extract. The survival rate after treatment with rose extract at the concentration of $100\mu{g}/m\ell$ was increased to 71% compared to the 32% survival rate of control. From these results, it can be concluded that the extracts of arrowroot and rose seem to stimulate cells, whereas the extract of rape has a cytotoxic effect. Biological activities of ether extract were the strongest compared to those of other extracts at the tested concentrations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.262.1-262.1
• /
• 2014

Lipid peroxidation induces functional deterioration of cell membrane and induces cell death in extreme cases. These phenomena are known to be related generally to the change of physical properties of lipid membrane such as decreased lipid order or increased water penetration. Even though the electric property of lipid membrane is important, there has been no report about the change of electric properties after lipid peroxidation. Herein, we demonstrate the molecular energy band change in red blood cell membrane through peroxidation by air-based atmospheric pressure DBD plasma treatment. Ion-induced secondary electron emission coefficient (${\gamma}$ value) was measured by using home-made gamma-focused ion beam (${\gamma}$-FIB) system and electron energy band was calculated based on the quantum mechanical Auger neutralization theory. The oxidized lipids showed higher gamma values and lower electron work functions, which implies the change of surface charging or electrical conductance. This result suggests that modified electrical properties should play a role in cell signaling under oxidative stress.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.292-296
• /
• 2006

The antimicrobial activity of methanol extracts from 17 seaweeds was screened using a paper disc method and using three human skin pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and Candia albicans. The serial extraction of Neorhodomela aculeata was also conducted using four different solvents (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol) and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each extract was examined for the three pathogens. Of the 17 seaweeds, the MeOH extracts of Ulva conglobata, N. aculeata and Symphyocladia latiuscula showed antimicrobial activities. For the extracts from N. aculeata and S. latiuscula, the inhibition zones were more than 10 mm in diameter against S. aureus and S. epidermidis, and >7mm for C. albicans. The inhibition zone of U. conglobata treatment was about 8 mm for S. aureus only. The MIC of each N. aculeata extract ranged from 8 to 32 mg/mL against the three human skin pathogens, and the lowest value (8 mg/mL was with the methanol extract. These results suggest that the MeOH extract of N. aculeata might be useful for developing new antibiotics against human skin pathogens.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.222-229
• /
• 2006

The treatment performance and operational parameters of a tertiary wastewater treatment process a biological filtration system were investigated. The biological filtration system consisted of a nitrification filter (Fiter 1) and a polishing filter with anoxic and aerobic parts (Filter 2). SS, T-C-BOD, and T-N in effluent were kept stable at less than 3, 5 mg/L, and 5 mgN/L, respectively, under a HRT in Filter (filter-bed) of 0.37~2.3 h. T-N at the outlet of Filter 2 were about 1~5 mgN/L under the condition of LV of 50~202 m/d. In Filter 2, denitrification was accomplished under LV of 50~168 m/d in a 1 m filter-bed. However, the denitrification capacity reached the maximum when the linear velocity was increased to 202 m/d. Relationship between increase in microorganism and headloss was clearer in Filter 2. As a result, the denitrification rate increased from 1.0~2.3 kgN/($m^3-filter-bed{\cdot}d$) as the headloss increased. The COD removal rate was 6.0~9.6 kgCOD/($m^3-filter-bed{\cdot}d$) when operated with Filters 1 and 2. These results mean that captured bacteria contributed a part of COD consumption and denitrification. The maximum nitrification and denitrification rate was 0.5 and 4 kgN/($m^3-filter-bed{\cdot}d$) in Filter 1 and 2.The ratio of backwashing water to the treated water was about 5~10 %. In Filter 1, wasted sludge in backwashing was only 0.7~5.3 gSS/($m^3$-treated water). In Filter 2, added methanol was converted into sludge and its value was 8.0~24 gSS/($m^3$-treated water). These results proved that this process is both convenient to install as tertiary treatment and cost effective to build and operate.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.47 no.6
• /
• pp.1026-1036
• /
• 2014

Real-time monitoring for environmental factors (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a, etc.) and fugacity of carbon dioxide ($fCO_2$) was conducted at an oyster Crassostrea gigas farm in Goseong Bay, south coast of Korea during 2-4th of November, 2011. Surface temperature and salinity were ranged from $17.9-18.7^{\circ}C$ and 32.7-33.8, respectively, with daily and inter-daily variations due to tidal currents. Surface $fCO_2$ showed a range of $390-510{\mu}atm$ and was higher than air $CO_2$ during the study period. Surface temperature, salinity and $fCO_2$ are showed significant correlations with chl.-a and nutrients, respectively. It means when chl.-a value is high in surface water of the oyster farm, active biological production consume $CO_2$ and nutrients from environments and produce oxygen, suggesting a tight feedback between biological processes and environmental reaction. Thus, factors affecting the surface $fCO_2$ were evaluated using a simple mass balance. Temperature and biological productions by phytoplankton are the main factors for $CO_2$ drawdown from afternoon to early night, while biological respiration increases seawater $CO_2$ at night. Air-sea exchange fraction acts as a $CO_2$ decreasing gear during the study period and is much effective when the wind speed is higher than $2-3m\;s^{-1}$. Future studies about organic carbon and biological production/respiration are required for evaluating the roles of oyster farms on carbon sink and coastal carbon cycle.

• Macromolecular Research
• /
• v.15 no.7
• /
• pp.676-681
• /
• 2007

A process designed to synthesize rigid polyurethane foam (PUF) with insulative properties via the modulation of PUF cell size via the addition of clay and the application of ultrasound was assessed. The blowing agents utilized in this study include water, cyclopentane, and HFC-365mfc, all of which are known to be environmentally-friendly blowing agents. The rigid PUFs were prepared from polymeric 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (PMDI) and polyether polyol with a density of $50kg/m^3$. In addition, rigid PUFs/clay nanocomposites were synthesized with clay modified by PMDI with and without the application of ultrasound. The PUF generated using water as a blowing agent evidenced the highest tensile strength. The tensile strength of the PUF/nanocomposites was higher than that of the neat PUF and the strength was even higher with the application of ultrasound. The cell size of the PUF/clay nanocomposites was less than that of the neat PUF, regardless of the type of blowing agent utilized. It appears that the higher tensile strength and lower cell size of the PUF/clay nanocomposites may be attributable to the uniform dispersion of the clay via ultrasonic agitation. The thermal conductivity of the PUF/clay nanocomposites generated with HCFC-141b evidenced the lowest value when PUF/clay nanocomposites were compared with other blowing agents, including HFC-365mfc, cyclopentane, and water. Ultrasound has also proven effective with regard to the reduction of the thermal conductivity of the PUF/clay nanocomposites with any of the blowing agents employed in this study. It has also been suggested that the uniformly dispersed clay particles in the PUF matrix function as diffusion barriers, which prevent the amelioration of the thermal insulation property.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
• /
• v.1995 no.05
• /
• pp.27-33
• /
• 1995

A time-dependent large deformation fracture theory is developed for application to soft biological tissues. The theory uses the quasilinear viscoelastic theory of Fung, and particularizes it to constitutive assumptions on polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) (Part I) and cartilage (Part II). This constitutive theory is used in a general viscoelastic theory by Christensen and Naghdi and an energy balance to develop an expression for the fracture toughness of the materials. Experimental methods are developed for measuring the required constitutive parameters and fracture data for the materials. Elastic stress and reduced relaxation functions were determined using tensile and shear tests at high loading rates with rise times of 25-30 msec, and test times of 150 sec. The developed method was validated, using an engineering material, PVC to separate the error in the testing method from the inherent variation of the biological tissues. It was found that the the proposed constitutive modeling can predict the nonlinear stress-strain and the time-dependent behavior of the material. As an approximation method, a pseudo-elastic theory using the J-integral concept, assuming that the material is a time-independent large deformation elastic material, was also developed and compared with the time-dependent fracture theory. For PVC. the predicted fracture toughness is $1.2{\pm}0.41$ and $1.5{\pm}0.23\;kN/m$ for the time-dependent theory and the pseudo-elastic theory, respectively. The methods should be of value in quantifying fracture properties of soft biological tissues. In Part II, an application of the developed method to a biological soft tissue was made by using bovine humeral articular cartilage.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.33-38
• /
• 2015

Energy storage systems (ESSs) have been utilized widely in the world to optimize the power operation system and to improve the power quality. As lithium secondary batteries are the main power supplier for ESSs, it is very important to predict its cycle and power degradation behavior. In particular, the power, one of the hardest electrochemical properties to measure, needs lots of resources such as time and facilities. Due to these difficulties, computer modelling of lithium secondary batteries is applied to predict the DC-IR and power value during charging and discharging as a function of state of charge (SOC) by using pulse-based measurement methods. Moreover, based on the hybrid pulse power characteristics (HPPC) and J-Pulse (JEVS D 713, Japan Electric Vehicle Association Standards) methods, their electrochemical properties are also compared and discussed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.64 no.4
• /
• pp.375-382
• /
• 2021

Biorenovation is a microbial enzyme-based structural modification of component compounds in natural products and synthetic compounds including plant extracts with the potential benefits of improved biological activities compared with its reaction substrates. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of Distylium racemosum leaf extract and D. racemosum leaf biorenovation extract (DLB). As a result, DLB inhibited nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2, and inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β at non-toxic concentrations. In addition, DLB significantly inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 on LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Based on these results, we suggest that the DLB could be used as a potent anti-inflammatory agents. It also suggests that the application of biological evolution has potential usefulness to increase the practical value of natural products.