• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.277-284
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• 2014

Biochar application to soil is widely known to have effects of climate change mitigation and soil quality improvement. However, effects of biochar on soil ecosystem are not always positive and some biochars are reported to contain toxic materials which might influence soil ecosystem. In this context, this study aims to investigate behavioral changes of earthworms(Eisenia fetida, Eisenia andrei) in response to different application rates of biochar to artificial soil. Treatment included two types of biochars made from rice husk (RH_Char) and wastewater sludge (SL_Char) with 1% and 10% application rates, respectively. Avoidance test revealed that earthworms did not avoid SL_Char treatments at 1% and 10%, while they rather moved to the RH_Char treatments probably due to higher labile carbon content(Hot water extractable carbon) of the RH_Char. The HWC content of RH_Char was 4 times higher than that of the SL_Char. Results of reproduction test showed that the survival rates, number of juveniles and number of cocoons were not influenced by biochar application except for the treatment of SL_Char at 10% rate. In the SL_Char 10% treatment, fatality was approximately 3.3 times as high as the control and the number of cocoons was 1.3 times higher in the same treatment than the control, indicating that earthworms were under environmental stress. The possible explanation for the stress condition was related to higher Cd, Ni, Cr, and As contents in the SL_Char. Overall results imply that biochar application at low rate might not change earthworms' behavior for the short term, while the reproduction behavior might be negatively influenced under the high application rate.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.2691-2696
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• 2009

Effects of representative group II and transition metal ions on the stability of the $poly(dA){\cdot}[poly(dT)]_2$ triplex were investigated by the van’t Hoff plot constructed from a thermal melting curve. The transition, $poly(dA){\cdot}[poly(dT)]_2\;{\rightarrow}\;poly(dA){\cdot}poly(dT)\;+\;poly(dT)$, was non-spontaneous with a positive Gibb’s free energy, endothermic (${\Delta}H^{\circ}$ > 0), and had a favorable entropy change (${\Delta}S^{\circ}$ > 0), as seen from the negative slope and positive y-intercept in the van’t Hoff plot. Therefore, the transition is driven by entropy change. The $Mg^{2+}$ ion was the most effective at stabilization of the triplex, with the effect decreasing in the order of $Mg^{2+}\;>\;Ca^{2+}\;>\;Sr^{2+}\;>\;Ba^{2+}$. A similar stabilization effect was found for the duplex to single strand transition: $poly(dA){\cdot}poly(dT)\;+\;poly(dT)\;→\;poly(dA)\;+\;2poly(dT)$, with a larger positive free energy. The transition metal ions, namely $Ni_{2+},\;Cu_{2+},\;and\;Zn_{2+}$, did not exhibit any effect on triplex stabilization, while showing little effect on duplex stabilization. The different effects on triplex stabilization between group II metal ions and the transition metal ions may be attributed to their difference in binding to DNA; transition metals are known to coordinate with DNA components, including phosphate groups, while group II metal ions conceivably bind DNA via electrostatic interactions. The $Cd_{2+}$ ion was an exception, effectively stabilizing the triplex and melting temperature of the third strand dissociation was higher than that observed in the presence of $Mg_{2+}$, even though it is in the same group with $Zn_{2+}$. The detailed behavior of the $Cd_{2+}$ ion is currently under investigation.