• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.75-87
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• 2014

In order to analyze environmental impact of livestock manure and organic fertilizers, this study investigated livestock-breeding and pollution loads, the status of individual and public livestock manure treatment facilities, and the status of production, supply and components of compost and liquid fertilizers in the Nonsan area. Also, on a trial basis, this study investigated the life cycle of the environmental impact of livestock manure and its organic fertilizers on stream, groundwater, and agricultural soil. The results are as follows. Firstly, were detected the range of $0.13{\sim}1.32{\mu}g/L$ of As, $0.004{\sim}0.467{\mu}g/L$ of Cd and $0.5{\sim}9.2{\mu}g/L$ of Pb as a harmful substances which show lower concentrations than person preservation criteria of water qualities and aquatic ecosystem. However, it is not clear that heavy metals affect environment such as stream, groundwater and agricultural soil. Secondly, this influence could change according to investigation time and treatment efficiency. As were detected large amounts of persistent organic pollutants(e.g. $14.24{\sim}38.47{\mu}g/L$ of acetylsalicylic acid, $1.17{\sim}2.96{\mu}g/L$ of sulfamethazine, and $2.25{\sim}174.09{\mu}g/L$ of sulfathiazole) in effluent from livestock farms and small amounts of sulfathiazole($ND{\sim}1.63{\mu}g/L$) in the stream, it is necessary to monitor POPs at individual and public livestock manure treatment facilities. However, significant environmental impact did not appear at groundwater and agricultural soil in the test area supplied with liquid fertilizers. These results could be applied to investigate the environmental impact of livestock manure through a comprehensive livestock manure management information system.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.215-224
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• 1994

The presence of a calcium current $(i_{Ca^{2+}})$ passed via a specific channel was examined in the unfertilized hamster egg using the whole-cell voltage clamp technique. Pure inward current was isolated using a $Ca^{2+}-rich$ pipette solution containing 10 mM TEA. This current was independent of external $Na^+$ and was highly sensitive to the $Ca^{2+}$ concentration in the bathing solution, indicating that the inward current is carried by $Ca^{2+}$. The maximal amplitude was $-4.12{\pm}0.58nA\;(n=12)$ with 10mM $Ca^{2+}$ at -3OmV from a holding potential of -8OmV. This current reached its maximum within 20ms beyond -3OmV and decayed rapidly with an inactivation time constant $({\tau})$ of 15ms. Activation and inactivation of this $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ was steeply dependent on the membrane potential. The $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ began to activate at the lower voltage of -55 mV and reached its peak at -35 mV, being completely inactivated at potentials more positive than -40 mV. These result suggest that $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ in hamster eggs passes through channels with electrical properties similar to low voltage-activated T-type channels. Other results from the present study support this suggestion; First, the inhibitory effect of $Ni^{2+}\;(IC_{50}=13.7\;{\mu}M)$ was more potent than $Cd^{2+}\;(IC_{50}=123\;{\mu}M)$. Second, $Ba^{2+}$ conductance was equal to or below that of $Ca^{2+}$. Third, $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ in hamster eggs was relatively insensitive to nifedipine $(IC_{50}=96.6\;{\mu}M)$, known to be a specific t-type blocker. The physiological role of $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ in the unfertilized hamster eggs remains unclear. Analysis from steady-state inactivation activation curves reveals that only a small amount of this current will pass in the voltage range $(-70{\sim}-30\;mV)$ which partially overlaps with the resting membrane potential. This current has the property that it can be easily activated by a weak depolarization, thus it may trigger a certain kind of a intracellular event following fertilization which may cause oscillations in the membrane potential.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 2007

Constructed wetlands and other aquatic systems have been successfully used for waste and wastewater treatment in either temperate or tropical regions. To treat waste or wastewater in a sustainable manner, the integrated eco-engineering designs are explained in this paper with 2 case studies: (i) a combination of vertical-flow constructed wetland (CW) with plant irrigation systemfor fecal sludge management and (ii) integrated CW units with landscaping at full-scale application for domestic wastewater treatment. The pilot-scale study of fecal sludge management employed 3 vertical-flow CW units, each with a dimension of $5{\times}5{\times}0.65m$ (width ${\times}$ length ${\times}$ media depth) and planted with cattails (Typha augustifolia). At the solid loading rate of 250 kg total solids (TS)/$m^2.yr$ and a 6-day percolate impoundment, the CW system could achieve chemical oxygen demand (COD), TS and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) removal efficiencies in the range of 80 - 96%. The accumulated sludge layers of about 80 - 90 cm was found at the CW bed surface after operating the CW units for 7 years, but no clogging problem has been observed. The CW percolate was applied to 16 irrigation Sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus) plots, each with a dimension of $4.5{\times}4.5m$ ($width{\times}length$). In the study, the CW percolate were fed to the treatment plots at the application rate of 7.5 mm/day but the percolate was mixed with tap water at different ratio of 20%, 80% and 100%. Based on a 1-year data of 3-crop plantation were experimented, the contents of Zn, Mn and Cu in soil of the experimental plots were found to increase with increasing in CW percolate ratios. The highest plant biomass yield and oil content of 1,000 kg/ha and 35%, respectively, were obtained from the plots fed with 20% or 50% of the CW percolate, whereas no accumulation of heavy metals in the plant tissues (i.e. leaves, stems and flowers) of the sunflower is found. In addition to the pilot-scale and field experiments, a case study of the integrated CW systems for wastewater treatment at Phi Phi Island (a Tsunami-hit area), Krabi province, Thailand is illustrated. The $5,200-m^2$ CW systems on Phi Phi Island are not only for treatment of $400m^3/day$ wastewater from hotels, households or other domestic activities, but also incorporating public consultation in the design processes, resulting in introducing the aesthetic landscaping as well as reusing of the treated effluent for irrigating green areas on the Island.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.1257-1263
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• 2003

The modified engineering methodology and the modified electronic circuit in classical ultrasonic principles were applied to ultrasonic aerosol nebulizer for inhalation toxicology study of cadmium aerosol. 1532.96ppm Cd nebulizing solution was used to generate cadmium aerosol for particle size analysis with the modifying source and inlet temperatures. The results of particle size analysis for cadmium aerosol were as following. The highest particle counting for source temperature 20℃ was 399.75 × 10² in inlet temperature 100℃ and particle diameter 0.75㎛. The highest particle counting for source temperature 50℃ was 399.70 × 10² in inlet temperature 50℃ and particle diameter 0.75㎛. The highest particle counting for source temperature 70℃ was 411.14 × 10² in inlet temperature 100℃ and particle diameter 0.75㎛. The ranges of geometric mean diameter were 0.74-0.79㎛ in source temperature 20℃, 0.65-0.72㎛ in source temperature 50℃, and 0.65-0.80㎛ in source temperature 70℃. The smallest geometric mean diameter was 0.65㎛ in source temperature 50, 70℃ and inlet temperature 20, 50℃, and the largest geometric mean diameter was 0.80㎛ in source temperature 70℃ and inlet temperature 100℃. The ranges of geometric standard deviation were 1.71-1.80 in source temperature 20℃, 1.27-1.61 in source temperature 50℃, and 1.27-2.29 in source temperature 70℃. The lowest geometric standard deviation was 1.27 in source temperature 50, 70℃ and inlet temperature 20, 50℃, and the highest geometric standard deviation was 2.29 in source temperature 70℃ and inlet temperature 100℃. Generated aerosol for cadmium inhalation toxicology study was polydisperse aerosol with the above geometric standard deviation 1.2. The ranges of mass median diameter(MMD) were 1.75-2.25㎛ in source temperature 20℃, 1.27-1.61㎛ in source temperature 50℃, and 1.27-2.29㎛ in source temperature 70℃. The smallest MMD was 1.27㎛ in source temperature 50, 70℃ and inlet temperature 20, 50℃, and the largest MMD was 2.29㎛ in source temperature 70℃ and inlet temperature 100℃. Cadmium chloride concentration in nebulizing solution affected the particle size and distribution of cadium aerosol in air. MMO for inhalation toxicology testing in OECD and EU is less than 3㎛ and EPA guidance is less than 4㎛. In our results, in source temperatures of 20, 50, 70℃, and inlet temperatures of 20, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250℃ were conformed to the those guidance.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.19-28
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• 2009

The acid mine drainage (AMD) and landfill leachates released into the subsurface environment can result in serious environmental problems like soil and groundwater contamination. The AMD and the leachates of landfill were known to contain many heavy metals. In this study, the author assessed the reactivity and ability of the FeS coated-ALC for the removal of contaminants (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn, Al) in AMD and leachates in landfill. The synthetic nano-FeS and Autoclaved Lightweight Concrete (ALC) were used as reactive materials in the permeable reactive barriers(PRBs). The result of batch test indicated that synthetic nano-FeS can remove 99% of heavy metals for the 1hr of reaction time except for As and Ni(about 90%). However, the 80% of As and Ni was removed in column 1(FeS coated-ALC). The column 2(Ore FeS) removed more than 99% of heavy metals. The pH of the column 1 was increased from 3.51 to 6.39~6.50, and the pH with column 2 was increased from 3.51 to 9.20. As the result of this study, the author can surmise that the synthetic nano-FeS coated ALC will use as a very good reactive material of the PRBs to treat the contaminated groundwater with AMD and leachate of landfill.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1881-1890
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• 2016

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a vital enzyme that protects cells from free radicals through eliminating superoxide radicals ($O^{2-}$). Hirudin, a kind of small active peptide molecule, is one of the strongest anticoagulants that can effectively cure thrombus diseases. In this study, we fused Hirudin to the C terminus of human MnSOD with the GGGGS linker to generate a novel dual-feature fusion protein, denoted as hMnSOD-Hirudin. The hMnSOD-Hirudin gene fragment was cloned into the pET15b (SmaI, CIAP) vector, forming a recombinant pET15b-hMnSOD-Hirudin plasmid, and then was transferred into Escherichia coli strain Rosetta-gami for expression. SDS-PAGE was used to detect the fusion protein, which was expected to be about 30 kDa upon IPTG induction. Furthermore, the hMnSOD-Hirudin protein was heavily detected as a soluble form in the supernatant. The purification rate observed after Ni NTA affinity chromatography was above 95%. The hMnSOD-Hirudin protein yield reached 67.25 mg per liter of bacterial culture. The identity of the purified protein was confirmed by western blotting. The hMnSOD-Hirudin protein activity assay evinced that the antioxidation activity of the hMnSOD-Hirudin protein obtained was $2,444.0{\pm}96.0U/mg$, and the anticoagulant activity of the hMnSOD-Hirudin protein was $599.0{\pm}35.0ATU/mg$. In addition, in vitro bioactivity assay showed that the hMnSOD-Hirudin protein had no or little cytotoxicity in H9c2, HK-2, and H9 (human $CD_4{^+}$, T cell) cell lines. Transwell migration assay and invasion assay showed that the hMnSOD-Hirudin protein could suppress human lung cancer 95-D cell metastasis and invasion in vitro.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.96-101
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• 1988

It is important to assess the effects of ionic strength and type of anions when studying the adsorption of heavy metals on zeolite because the background salt may complex with heavy metals and compete for adsorption sites. This experiment was carried out to determine the effect of ionic strength and anion species($Cl^-$, $SO^{2-}\;_4$, and $ClO^-\;_4$) on heavy metal adsorption. Heavy metal adsorption by zeolite from solutions in the range of 10 to 50ppm was studied in the presence of NaCl, $Na_2SO_4$ and $NaClO_4$, with different concentrations. The ionic strength ranged from 0.01 to 1.00. Adsorption of heavy metal cations could be described by the Freundlich isotherm equation. Increasing the ionic strength of equilibrium solutions, the amounts of heavy metal adsorbed on the zeolite surfaces decreased in all three of the anion systems. This fact could be attributed to the competition of background salt cation and the decrease in initial activity of heavy metal cations. In the presence of Cl anion, less adsorption resulted than in the presence of $SO_4$ or $ClO_4$ anions of the same ionic strength, indicating the presence of uncharged and negatively charged complexes of heavy metal with Cl ligands.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.245-258
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• 2021

Objectives: In many previous studies, endocrine disruptors (EDCs) have been found to affect delays in puberty. Various EDCs have been reported on, but there have been only limited epidemiologic studies on the effects of exposure to environmental heavy metals and pyrethroid pesticides on puberty delay. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of exposure to environmental mercury, cadmium, and pyrethroid pesticides with delayed puberty in children based on national survey data that represents Korean children. Methods: We selected 450 children at the ages of 9-11 years old from the third Korean National Environmental Health Survey (3rd KoNEHS). The relations of urinary Hg, Cd, and 3-PBA with pubertal development were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Urinary Hg levels were significantly associated with delayed puberty in boys [testicle development: OR=0.41 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.84); genitalia development: OR=0.35 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.81)]. Girls with higher Hg levels were more likely to experience delayed menarche [OR=0.23 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.90)]. We observed a significant 49% reduction in odds for menarche per increasing unit of urinary cadmium levels [OR=0.51 (95% CI: 0.24, 1.01)]. In addition, urinary 3-PBA showed a negative association with genitalia development in boys and menarche in girls [genitalia development: OR=0.73 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.96); menarche: OR=0.56 (95% CI: 0.32, 1.00)]. Conclusions: The results of this study support the hypothesis that exposure to environmental mercury, cadmium and pyrethroid pesticides may affect puberty delays. Additional evidence needs to be obtained through further prospective studies.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2023

Objective: The DNA integrity of spermatozoa that attach to fallopian tube (FT) cells is higher than spermatozoa that do not attach. FT epithelial cells can distinguish normal and abnormal sperm chromatin. This study investigated the effects of sperm with a high-DNA fragmentation index (DFI) from men with unexplained repeated implantation failure (RIF) on the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway in human FT cells in vitro. Methods: Ten men with a RIF history and high-DFI and 10 healthy donors with low-DFI comprised the high-DFI (>30%) and control (<30%) groups, respectively. After fresh semen preparation, sperm were co-cultured with a human FT epithelial cell line (OE-E6/E7) for 24 hours. RNA was extracted from the cell line and the human innate and adaptive immune responses were tested using an RT2 profiler polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array. Results: The PCR array data showed significantly higher TLR-1, TLR-2, TLR-3, TLR-6, interleukin 1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, interferon α (IFN-α), IFN-β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), CXCL8, GM-CSF, G-CSF, CD14, ELK1, IRAK1, IRAK2, IRAK4, IRF1, IRF3, LY96, MAP2K3, MAP2K4, MAP3K7, MAP4K4, MAPK8, MAPK8IP3, MYD88, NFKB1, NFKB2, REL, TIRAP, and TRAF6 expression in the high-DFI group than in the control group. These factors are all involved in the TLR-MyD88 signaling pathway. Conclusion: The MyD88-dependent pathway through TLR-1, TLR-2, and TLR-6 activation may be one of the main inflammatory pathways activated by high-DFI sperm from men with RIF. Following activation of this pathway, epithelial cells produce inflammatory cytokines, resulting in neutrophil infiltration, activation, phagocytosis, neutrophil extracellular trap formation, and apoptosis.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.95-103
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to investigate feasibility of semi-dry anaerobic digestion using dairy cattle manure and to evaluate solidified fuel value of semi-dry anaerobic digestate. To evaluate semi-dry anaerobic digestion using dairy cattle manure, 950 mL bottle type anaerobic reactor was set in the constant temperature room maintained at $35^{\circ}C$. To produce anaerobic digestate for making solidified fuel, acrylic cylindrical anaerobic digester(1,000 mm width ${\times}$ 450 mm height) was set in the constant room temperature to carry out batch test of semi-dry anaerobic digestion using same dairy cattle manure. Moisture content of dairy cattle manure and inoculum solution for anaerobic digestion were 80.64% and 96.83%, respectively. The dairy cattle manure and the inoculum solution was mixed by 1:1 ratio(v/v) for anaerobic digestion. Water content and VS/TS(Volatile Solids/Total Solids) of mixture of substrate and inoculum were 89.74% and 83.35%, respectively. In case of non-inoculated anaerobic digester, the biogas was not produced. By the semi-dry anaerobic digestion, the calorific value of the digestate was reduced by 20% compare to fresh dairy cattle manure. In other hand, ash content increased from 15% to 18.4%. The contents of Cr, Pb, Cd and S of pellet produced from anaerobically digested dairy cattle manure were not against the standard regulation for livestock manure solidified fuel. Therefore, it can be used as fuel that anaerobic digestate produced after semi-dry anaerobic digestion using dairy cattle manure.