• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.79-91
• /
• 2005

Wetland systems are widely accepted natural water purification systems around the world in nonpoint sources pollution control. Constructed wetlands have become a popular technology for treating contaminated surface and wastewater. In this study, the field experiment to reduce nonpoint source pollution loadings from polluted stream waters using wetland system was performed from June 2002 to March 2004, including winter performance using four newly constructed wetlands. The Dangjin stream water flowing into Seokmun estuarine lake was pumped into wetlands, and inflow and hydraulic residence time of the system was $500m^{3}{\~}1500m^{3}/day\;and\;2{\~}5$ days respectively. After 3 years operation plant-coverage was about $80~90\%$ from zero at initial stage even with no plantation. Average water quality of the influent in growing season was BOD_{5}\;3.96mg/L$, TSS 22.98 mg/L, T-N 3.29 mg/L, T-P 0.30 mg/L. The average removal rate of four wetlands for $BOD_{5},\;TSS,\;T-N\;and\;T-P$ in growing season was $24\%$, $62\%$, $54\%$, and $51\%$, respectively. And average water quality of the influent in winter season was $BOD_{5}$ 4.92 mg/L, TSS 12.47 mg/L, T-N 5.54 mg/L, and T-P 0.32 mg/L, respectively. The average removal rate of four wetlands for them was $-21\%$. $23\%$, $33\%$, and $53\%$, respectively. The reason of higher BOD_{5} effluent concentration in winter season might be that low temperature restrained microorganism activity and a organic body from the withered plant and algae was flown out. Except the result of $BOD_{5}$, the effectiveness of water quality improvement in winter season was satisfactory for treating polluted stream waters, and $BOD_{5}$ variation was within the range of background concentration. Performance of the experimental system was compared with existing data base (NADB), and it was within the range of general system performance. Overall, the wetland system was found to be satisfactory for NPS control such as improvement of polluted stream water.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.311-318
• /
• 2013

Schisandra chinensis containing a variety of pharmacologically active lignans has been traditionally used in oriental medicine. In this study, anti-inflammatory compounds were screened from the hexane extracts of S. chinensis by activity-guided fractionation. First, we investigated the regulatory effects on the expression of E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) with 38 fractions from the hexane extracts of S. chinensis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). As a result, SCKH1 among the 38 fractions from the hexane extract of S. chinensis was selected for further analysis based on its unique regulatory effect on cell adhesion molecules, especially on VCAM-1, in LPS-stimulated HUVECs. The subsequent activity-guided fractionation of SCKH1 resulted in the purification of SCKH1PAIBPB, which was found to suppress the expression of VCAM-1, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in HUVECs stimulated with LPS, and to inhibit the adhesive capacity between HUVECs and monocytes. Taken together, our data indicate that SCKH1PAIBPB can be proposed as an effective anti-inflammatory compound that may have a potential therapeutic use for the prevention and treatment of various inflammatory diseases as well as ischemic vascular diseases.

• Biomaterials Research
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.328-336
• /
• 2018

Background: Biogenic fabrication of silver nanoparticles from naturally occurring biomaterials provides an alternative, eco-friendly and cost-effective means of obtaining nanoparticles. It is a favourite pursuit of all scientists and has gained popularity because it prevents the environment from pollution. Our main objective to take up this project is to fabricate silver nanoparticles from lichen, Usnea longissima and explore their properties. In the present study, we report a benign method of biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from aqueous-ethanolic extract of Usnea longissima and their characterization by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. Silver nanoparticles thus obtained were tested for antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria and gram negative bacteria. Results: Formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by the appearance of an absorption band at 400 nm in the UV-vis spectrum of the colloidal solution containing both the nanoparticles and U. longissima extract. Poly(ethylene glycol) coated silver nanoparticles showed additional absorption peaks at 424 and 450 nm. FTIR spectrum showed the involvement of amines, usnic acids, phenols, aldehydes and ketones in the reduction of silver ions to silver nanoparticles. Morphological studies showed three types of nanoparticles with an abundance of spherical shaped silver nanoparticles of 9.40-11.23 nm. Their average hydrodynamic diameter is 437.1 nm. Results of in vitro antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyrogenes, Streptococcus viridans, Corynebacterium xerosis, Corynebacterium diphtheriae (gram positive bacteria) and Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneuomoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram negative bacteria) showed that it was effective against tested bacterial strains. However, S. mutans, C. diphtheriae and P. aeruginosa were resistant to silver nanoparticles. Conclusion: Lichens are rarely exploited for the fabrication of silver nanoparticles. In the present work the lichen acts as reducing as well as capping agent. They can therefore, be used to synthesize metal nanoparticles and their size may be controlled by monitoring the concentration of extract and metal ions. Since they are antibacterial they may be used for the treatment of bacterial infections in man and animal. They can also be used in purification of water, in soaps and medicine. Their sustained release may be achieved by coating them with a suitable polymer. Silver nanoparticles fabricated from edible U. longissima are free from toxic chemicals and therefore they can be safely used in medicine and medical devices. These silver nanoparticles were stable for weeks therefore they can be stored for longer duration of time without decomposition.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.349-358
• /
• 2007

In order to understand biogeochemical cycles of organic carbon in the permeable intertidal sandy sediments of the Nakdong estuary, we estimated the organic carbon production and consumption rates both in situ and in the laboratory. The Chl-a content of the sediment and the nutrient concentrations in below surface pore water in the sandy sediment were lower than in the muddy sediment. The sediment oxygen consumption rates were relatively high, especially when compared with rates reported from other coastal muddy sediments with higher organic carbon contents. This implied that both the organic carbon degradation and material transport in the sandy sediment were enhanced by advection-related process. The simple mass balance estimation of organic carbon fluxes showed that the major sources of carbon in the sediment would originate from benthic microalgae and detrital organic carbon derived from salt marsh. The daily natural biocatalzed filtration, extrapolated from filtration rates and the total area of the Nakdong estuary, was one order higher than the maximum capability of sewage plants in Busan metropolitan city. This implies that the sandy sediment contributes greatly to biogeochemical purification in the area, and is important for the re-distribution of materials in the coastal environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.200-207
• /
• 2015

Various natural products or their derivatives, mostly originating from plants, fungi, and bacteria, have been exploited as therapeutic drugs to treat various human diseases. In addition to previously explored organisms, research on natural compounds has now expanded into unexamined living organisms in order to identify novel bioactive substances. Here, we determined whether or not the larval form of the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle, contains cytotoxic substances that exclusively affect cancer cell viability. Ethanol extract and its solvent partitioned fractions, hexane and ethyl acetate fractions, showed anticancer effects against various human cancer cells derived from the prostate (PC3 and 22Rv1), cervix (HeLa), liver (PLC/PRF5, HepG2, Hep3B, and SK-HEP-1), colon (HCT116), lung (NCI-H460), breast (MDA-MB231), and ovary (SKOV3). Cell death induced by the fractions was a mix of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. The hexane fraction was administered intraperitoneally to nude mice bearing a hepatocellular carcinoma SK-HEP-1 and showed inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, we concluded that worm extracts contain cytotoxic substances, which can be enriched by proper fractionation protocols, and further separation and purification could lead to the identification of novel molecules to treat human cancers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.23-32
• /
• 2010

The capacity of natural purification was limited by the interruption of natural flow and the problems such as eutrophication were occurred by nutritive salts accumulation in stagnant stream. Moreover, the inflow of non-point sources causes non-degradable materials to increase in stagnant stream. In this study, an upflow biological activated carbon (BAC) biofilm process comprised of anoxic, aerobic 1, and aerobic 2 reactors were introduced for treatment of stagnant stream and SS, $BOD_5$, $COD_{Mn}$, $COD_{Cr}$, TN, and TP were monitored in the upflow BAC biofilm reactors with continuous cycling. In order to simulate stagnant stream, the lake water of amusement park and golf course were stored as influent in a tank of $2m^3$ and hydraulic retention time (HRT) was changed into 6, 4, and 2 hours. At HRT 4hr and the lake water of amusement park as influent, the removal efficiencies of SS, $BOD_5$, $COD_{Mn}$, $COD_{Cr}$, TN, and TP showed the best water quality improvement and were 69.8, 83.0, 91.3, 74.1, 74.7, and 88.9%, respectively. At HRT 4hr and the lake water of golf course as influent, the removal efficiencies of SS, $BOD_5$, $COD_{Mn}$, $COD_{Cr}$, TN and TP were 78.5, 78.0, 80.2, 74.9, 55.6 and 97.5%, respectively. As the results of polymerase chain reaction - denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), microbial community was different depending on influent type. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed that nitrifying bacteria was dominant at HRT 4 hr. The biomass amount and microbial activities by INT-DHA test were not decrease even at lower HRT condition. In this study, the upflow BAC biofilm process would be considered to the water quality improvement of stagnant stream.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.11-43
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this study was, through analyzing the previous researches, to grasp the present status of environment of school building(ESB), research the sundry records of each element and, through comparative analysis of the standard of ESB in Korea, the United States, and Japan, select the normative standard of ESB, to clarify the point at issue presented in Regulation of Construction & facility Management for Elementary and and Secondary School in Korea, and to suggest an alternative preliminary standard of ESB. To carry out a research for this purpose, these were required: 1. to investigate the existing present status of ESB, 2. to make a comparative analysis of the standard of ESB in each country, 3. to suggest the normative standard of preliminary standard of ESB, 4. to analyze the controversial points of the standard of ESB in Korea, 5. to suggest an alternative preliminary standard of ESB. The conclusions were as follows: 1. Putting, through analyzing the previous researches, the existing present status of ESB together, it seemed that lighting environment, indoor air environment and noise environment were all in poor conditions. 2. In the result of a comparative analysis of the standard of ESB in Korea, Japan and the United States, in Korea the factors of each lighting and indoor air environment were not presented properly, in Japan, in lighting environment aspect, the standard on natural lighting and the factors on brightness were not presented., and in the USA the essential factors of each environment were throughly presented. In the comparison of the standards on each factor, Korea showed that the standard level presented was less properly prescribed than those of the USA and Japan but it also showed that the standard levels prescribed in the USA and in Japan were mostly similar to the standard levels in records investigated. 3. With the result of the normative standard selection on School Builiding environment factor of prescribed in this study, the controversial points of the standard of ESB in Korea were analyzed and the result was utilized to suggest new preliminary standard of ESB. 4. As the result of the analysis of the controversial points of the standard of ESB in Korea, it was found that the standard of ESB in Korea should be established on a basis of School Health Act and be concretely presented in School Health Regulation and School Health Rule. The factors of each environment was improperly presented in the existing standard of ESB in Korea. Moreover the standard of them was inferior to that of the records investigated and those of in the USA and in Japan and it also showed that the standard of it in Korea was improper to maintain Comfortable Learning Environment. 5. A suggested preliminary standard of ESB acquired through above study as follows: 1) In this study a new kind of preliminary standard of ESB is divided into lighting environment, indoor air environment, noise environment, odor environment and for above classification, reasonable factor and standard should be established and the controling way on each standard and countermeasures against it should be considered. 2) In lighting environment, the factors of natural lighting are divided into daylight rate, brightness, glare. In the standard on each factor, daylight rate should secure 5% of a mean daylight rate and 2% of a minimum daylight rate, brightness ratio of maximum illumination to minimum illumination should be under 10:1, and in glare there should not be an occurrence factor from a reflector outside of the classroom. And the factors of unnatural lighting are illumination, brightness, and glare. In the standard on each factor, illumination should be 750 lux or more, brightness ratio should be under 3 to 1, and glare should not occur. And Optimal reflection rate(%) of Colors and Facilities of Classroom which influences lighting environment should be considered. 3) In indoor air environment factors, thermal factors are divided into (1) room temperature, (2) relative humidity, (3) room air movement, (4) radiation heat, and harmful gases (5) CO, (6) $CO_2$ that are proceeded from using the heating fuel such as oval briquettes, firewood, charcoal being used in most of the classroom, and finally (7) dust. In the standard on each factor, the next are necessary; room temperature: $16^{\circ}C{\sim}26^{\circ}C$(summer : $E.T18.9{\sim}23.8^{\circ}C$, winter: $E.T16.7{\sim}21.7^{\circ}C$), relative humidity: $30{\sim}80%$, room air movement: under 0.5m/sec, radiation heat: under $5^{\circ}C$ gap between dry-bulb temperature and wet-bulb temperature, below 1000 ppm of ca and below 10ppm of $CO_2$, dust: below 0.10 $mg/m^3$ of Volume of dust in indoor air, and ventilation standard($CO_2$) for purification of indoor air : once/6 min.(about 7 times/40 min.) in an airtight classroom. 4) In the standard on noise environment, noise level should be under 40 dB(A) and the noise measuring way and the countermeasures against it should be considered. 5) In the standard on odor environment, odor level under Physical Method should be under 2 degrees, and the inspecting way and the countermeasures against it should be considered.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.96-105
• /
• 2005

For screening of autoregulator receptor gene from Streptomyces longwoodensis, PCR was performed with primers of receptor gene designed on the basis of amino acid sequences of autoregulator receptor proteins with known function. PCR products were subcloned into the BamHIsite of pUC19 and transformed into the E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$. The isolated plasmid from transformant contained the fragment of 100 bp, which was detected on $2\%$ gel after BamHI treatment. The insert, 100 bp PCR product, was confirmed as the expected internal segment of gene encoding autoregulator receptor protein by sequencing. Southern and colony hybridizations with the 100 bp fragment as a probe allowed to select a genomic clone of S. longwoodensis, pSLT harboring a 4.4 kb SphI fragment. Nucleotide sequencing analyses revealed a 651 bp open reading frame(ORF) were isolated protein showing moderate homology ($35{\sim}46\%$) with the ${\Gamma}$-butyrolactone autoregulator receptors from Streptomyces sp., and this ORF was named sltR The sltR/pET-17b plasmid was constructed to overexpress the recombinant SltR protein (rSltR) in E. coli BL21 (DE3)/pLysS, and the rSltR protein was purified to homogeneity by DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography, and DEAE-5PW chromatography (HPLC). The molecular mass of the purified rSltR protein was 55 kDa by HPLC gel-filtration chromatography and 28 kDa by SDS-PAGE, indicating that the rSltR protein is present as a dimer. A binding assay with tritium-labeled autoregulators revealed that the rSltR has clear binding activity with a A-factor type autoregulator as the most effective ligand.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.12
• /
• pp.1416-1423
• /
• 2018

With strong biotin binding affinity ($K_D=10^{-14}M$), the tetrameric feature of streptavidin could be used to increase the antigen binding activity of a camel heavy chain (VHH) antibody through their fusion, here stained with biotinylated horseradish peroxidase and subsequent immunoassays ELISA and Western blot analysis. For this application, we cloned the streptavidin gene amplified from the Streptomyces avidinii chromosome by PCR, and this was fused to the gene of the 8B9 VHH antibody which is specific to green fluorescent protein (GFP) antigens. To express a soluble fusion protein in Escherichia coli, we used the pUC119 plasmid-based expression system which uses the lacZ promoter for induction by IPTG, the pelB leader sequence at the N-terminus for secretion into the periplasmic space, and six polyhistidine tags at the C-terminus for purification of the expressed proteins using an $Ni^+$-NTA-agarose column. Although streptavidin is toxic to E. coli because of its strong biotin binding property, this soluble fusion protein was expressed successfully. In SDS-PAGE, the size of the purified fusion protein was 122.4 kDa in its native condition and 30.6 kDa once denatured by boiling, suggesting the tetramerization of the monomeric subunit by non-covalent association through the streptavidin moiety fusing to the 8B9 VHH antibody. In addition, this fusion protein showed biotin binding activity similar to streptavidin as well as GFP antigen binding activity through both ELISA and Western blot analysis. In conclusion, the protein resulting from the fusion of an 8B9 VHH antibody with streptavidin was successfully expressed and purified as a soluble tetramer in E. coli; it showed both biotin and GFP antigen binding activity suggesting the possible production of a tetrameric and bifunctional VHH antibody.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.515-529
• /
• 2020

Constructed wetlands undergo biological and physical changes such as an increase in the proportion of arid plants due to the natural succession process after formation. It can adversely affect not only the purification function but also the habitat of species. As such, this study aims to identify environmental factors affecting biodiversity and propose management plans based on the monitoring results of physical environmental changes and the emergence of species in seven constructed wetlands selected based on the water depth and surrounding conditions among the lands purchased by the Nakdong River basin. We examined the environmental conditions and emergence of the Odonata, which is a wetland-dependent species, to predict the trend of changes in biodiversity and abundance. The results showed that the open water area decreased as the emergent plants spread to the deep water in 2015 compared to 2012 when they were initially restored to a depth of 0.2 to 1 m. While a total of 54 dragonfly species were observed, the habitat diversity, such as vegetation, water surface, and grassland, remained similar to the initial formation of the wetlands despite the expansion of the emergent plants. On the other hand, the number of Agrionidae species, which prefer areas with fewer aquatic plants, decreased between 2012 and 2015 due to the diminished water surface. The p-values of the differences in the number of species and population between wetlands by year were 2.568e-09 and 1.162e-08, respectively, indicating the statistically significant differences. The decrease in open water surface was found to have the greatest effect on the biodiversity and habitat density of dragonflies. The time-series survey of constructed wetlands confirmed that the spread of Phragmites communis, P. japonica, Typha orientalis, etc., caused a decrease in species diversity. It suggests that environmental management to maintain the open water surface area is necessary.