• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.75-83
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• 2016

Background: In order to evaluate the effect of pH, known as a critical factor for shaping the biogeographical microbial patterns in the studies by others, on the bacterial diversity, we selected two sites in a similar geographical location (site 1; north latitude 35.3, longitude 127.8, site 2; north latitude 35.2, longitude 129.2) and compared their soil bacterial diversity between them. The mountain soil at site 1 (Jiri National Park) represented naturally acidic but almost pollution free (pH 5.2) and that at site 2 was neutral but exposed to the pollutants due to the suburban location of a big city (pH 7.7). Methods: Metagenomic DNAs from soil bacteria were extracted and amplified by PCR with 27F/518R primers and pyrosequenced using Roche 454 GS FLX Titanium. Results: Bacterial phyla retrieved from the soil at site 1 were more diverse than those at site 2, and their bacterial compositions were quite different: Almost half of the phyla at site 1 were Proteobacteria (49 %), and the remaining phyla were attributed to 10 other phyla. By contrast, in the soil at site 2, four main phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria) composed 94 %; the remainder was attributed to two other phyla. Furthermore, when bacterial composition was examined on the order level, only two Burkholderiales and Rhizobiales were found at both sites. So depending on pH, the bacterial community in soil at site 1 differed from that at site 2, and although the acidic soil of site 1 represented a non-optimal pH for bacterial growth, the bacterial diversity, evenness, and richness at this site were higher than those found in the neutral pH soil at site 2. Conclusions: These results and the indices regarding diversity, richness, and evenness examined in this study indicate that pH alone might not play a main role for bacterial diversity in soil.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.149-156
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• 2019

Purpose: The skin pH is maintained by epidermal lactate, free fatty acids (FFAs), and free amino acids (FAAs). As a significant determinant of skin health, the skin pH is increased (less acidic) under abnormal and aged skin conditions. In a search for dietary alternatives that would promote an acidic skin pH, this study investigated the dietary effects of Lactobacillus plantarum CJLP55 isolated from Korean kimchi on the skin pH, and epidermal levels of lactate, FFAs, and FAAs in adult subjects. Methods: Seventy eight subjects (mean age $24.9{\pm}0.5years$, range 19 ~ 37 years) were assigned randomly to ingest CJLP55, Lactobacillus strain from kimchi, (n = 39, CJLP group) or placebo supplements (n = 39, placebo group) for 12 weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Skin pH and epidermal levels of lactate, FFAs and FFAs were assessed at 0, 6 and 12 weeks. Results: Although significant decreases in skin pH were observed in both the CJLP and placebo groups at 6 weeks, the skin pH was decreased significantly only in the CJLP group at 12 weeks. In parallel, the epidermal level of lactate in the CJLP group was also increased by 25.6% at 12 weeks. On the other hand, the epidermal level of FAAs were not altered in the CJLP and placebo groups, but the epidermal level of total FFAs, including palmitic acid and stearic acid, was lower in the CJLP group than in the placebo group over 12 weeks. The changes in the other FFAs, such as palmitoleic acid and oleic acid, were similar in the CJLP and placebo groups over 12 weeks. Conclusion: Overall, a dietary supplement of CJLP55 promotes acidic skin pH with a selective increase in epidermal lactate in adult subjects.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral Health
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.118-123
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• 2018

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of fluoride-containing acidic tea beverages on bovine teeth surfaces. Methods: The pH values and fluoride concentrations of 11 kinds of mineral water and 23 kinds of tea were measured. The fluoride-containing Seopyenje black tea beverages with pH 3.48 were chosen for the experimental group. Distilled water that did not contain fluoride and had the same pH value as that of the Seopyenje black teas served as the positive control. The Jeju Samdasoo mineral waters with neural pH (pH 7.52) and no fluoride were chosen as the negative control. Bovine teeth in each group were submerged for 10 minutes. Thereafter, surface microhardness of each bovine teeth was measured and the results were analyzed. Results: The pH value range was 6.94-8.09 ($mean=7.37{\pm}0.08$) for the 11 kinds of mineral water and 3.48-6.74 ($5.62{\pm}0.05$) for the 23 tea beverages. Titratable acidity of the Seopyenje black tea beverages was higher than that of the distilled water mixed with citric acid, and the pH was 5.5 and 7.0, respectively. The fluoride content of the 11 kinds of mineral water was 0-1.09 ppm ($mean=0.44{\pm}0.02ppm$) that of the 23 tea beverages was and 0-0.74 ppm ($0.64{\pm}0.06ppm$). In terms of enamel microhardness reduction of the bovine teeth, the tea beverages had the largest effects. There was no significant difference in microhardness reduction between the tea beverages and distilled water mixed with citric acid (P>0.05). Conversely, a significant difference was found between the kinds of mineral water and tea beverages, and also between mineral water and distilled water mixed with citric acid (P<0.05). Conclusions: Acidic tea beverages appeared to erode the surfaces of bovine teeth. The amount of fluoride in the tea beverages was not enough to inhibit erosion. Therefore, frequent intakes of acidic tea beverage are likely to increase erosion on the surfaces of bovine teeth, by affecting the enamel microhardness of teeth.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.721-725
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• 2004

Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) is one of several enzymes that require thiamine diphosphate and a divalent cation as essential cofactors. The active site contains several conserved ionizable groups and all of these appear to be important as judged by the fact that mutation diminishes or abolishes catalytic activity. Recently, we have shown [Yoon, M.-Y., Hwang, J.-H., Choi, M.-K., Baek, D.-K., Kim, J., Kim, Y.-T., Choi, J.-D. FEBS Letters 555 (2003), 185-191] that the activity is pH-dependent due to changes in $V_{max}$ and V/$K_m$. Data were consistent with a mechanism in which substrate was selectively catalyzed by the enzyme with an unprotonated base having a pK 6.48, and a protonated group having a pK of 8.25 for catalysis. Here, we have in detail studied the pH dependence of the kinetic parameters of the cofactors (ThDP, FAD, $Mg^{2+}$) in order to obtain information about the chemical mechanism in the active site. The $V_{max}$ of kinetic parameters for all cofactors was pH-dependent on the basic side. The pK of ThDP, FAD and $Mg^{2+}$ was 9.5, 9.3 and 10.1, respectively. The V/$K_m$ of kinetic parameters for all cofactors was pH-dependent on the acidic and on the basic side. The pK of ThDP, FAD and $Mg^{2+}$ was 6.2-6.4 on the acidic side and 9.0-9.1 on the basic side. The well-conserved histidine mutant (H392) did not affect the pH-dependence of the kinetic parameters. The data are discussed in terms of the acid-base chemical mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.352-357
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• 2001

Cadmium (Cd) has been identified as a potential contaminant in agricultural and environmental soils. Ionic condition in the soils is an important factor to influence Cd availability. In this study, the effect of sulfate or nitrate application on Cd sorption in acidic and calcareous soils was investigated. The Cd, sulfate $(SO_4)$, and nitrate $(NO_3)$ sources were solutions of $CdCl_2$, $K_2SO_4$, and $KNO_3$, respectively. The soil-solution system pH was affected by the application of sulfate or nitrate in both acidic and calcareous soil system, but there was not clear pH difference between pre- and simultaneous applications of sulfate or nitrate (PAS/PAN or SAS/SAN). Solution ionic strength (I) values were similar between the acid and calcareous soil systems after applying the Cd even though it was significantly different in the untreated control soils. However after applying the sulfate or nitrate, the I values increased and were always higher with SAS/SAN treatments. Solution Cd concentration also increased with the application of sulfate or nitrate. However, the Cd concentration in soil solution controlled by Cd sorption in the systems was different between PAS/PAN and SAS/SAN treatments only in the calcareous soil system, but not in the acidic soil system. The difference in Cd concentration between SAS/SAN and PAS/PAN in the calcareous systems may be caused by system pH, ionic strength, complexation, and predominately, competition of the $Cd^{2-}$ with the index $K^+$ ion. Potassium ion-Cd competition in the acidic soil system may be minimized because of the abundance of hydrogen ions.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 1995

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of protease on the functionality of soymilk protein. The protease from Bacillus polymyxa was selected because of the least production of bitter taste and calcium-aggregation. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Solubility of SMP(soymilk protein) and SPI(soyprotein isolate) were lowest at pH 4.7 and increased as the pH value reached closer to either ends. PT-SMP(pretense treated soymilk protein) showed higher solubility at all pH range, especially at pH 4.7 than SMP, SPI. 2. Emulsion activity of three samples was lowest at pH 4.7 and significantly increased as pH approched higher acidic or alkaline regions. PT-SMP showed similar activity to other samples, but less stability. 3. Foam capacity of PT-SMP was lowest at pH 8 and increased in acidic, alkaline pH. PT-SMP showed higher foam capacity at all pH range, but lower foam stability than SMP and SPI. 4. PT-SMP showed higher heat coagulability than other samples at all pH range except pH 4.7.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 2010

Electroless nickel plating on porous carbon substrate for the application of MCFC electrodes was investigated. Acidic and alkaline bath were used for the electroless nickel plating. The pore sizes of carbon substrates were 16-20 ${\mu}m$ and over 20 ${\mu}m$. The carbon surface was changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic after immersing the substrate in an ammonia solution for 40 min at $60^{\circ}C$. The contact angle of water was decreased from $85^{\circ}C$ to less than $20^{\circ}$ after ammonia pretreatment. The deposition rate in the alkaline bath was higher than that in the acidic bath. The deposition rate was increased with increasing pH in both acidic and alkaline bath. The content of phosphorous in nickel deposit was decreased with increasing pH in both acidic and alkaline bath. The contents of phosphorous is low in alkaline bath. The minimum concentration of $PdCl_2$ for the electroless nickel plating was 10 ppm in alkaline bath and 5 ppm in acidic bath. The thickness of nickel was not affected by the concentration of $PdCl_2$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2009

In this study, water quality variation in borehole groundwaters and surface leachate waters were investigated on a seasonal sampling and remote monitoring basis within the waste impoundments at the Geopung mine site where previous rehabilitation measures were unsuccessful to prevent acidic drainage. All groundwaters were typical acidic drainage with acidic pH (3.3${\sim}$4.6) and high TDS (338${\sim}$3330 mg/L) values during the dry season, but increases in metal contents (TDS 414${\sim}$4890 mg/L) and decrease of pH (2.7${\sim}$3.6) were observed during the rainy season. Surface leachate waters showed a similar pattern in water quality variation. Surface runoff waters during rain events had acidic pH (3.0${\sim}$3.4) through direct reactions with waste rocks. Good correlations were found between major and trace elements measured in water samples, but no significant seasonal variation in chemical compositions was shown except relative changes in contents. It can be suggested that dissolution of soluble secondary salts caused by flushing of weathered waste rocks and tailings directly influenced the water quality within the waste impoundments. Increases in acid and metal concentrations and their loadings from mine wastes are anticipated in the rainy season. More appropriate cover systems on waste rocks and tailings necessitate consideration of more extreme conditions in the study mine.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2010

A bacterium producing acidic cellulase was isolated from pig feces. The isolate, ATC6 strain, was found to be Gram-positive, non-motile, catalase-positive, and spore-forming stain. Under an electron microscope, the cells were observed to be rod-shaped. The isolate was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ATC6 on the basis of morphological and biochemical properties as well as 16S rRNA gene sequences. Optimum pH and temperature for the cellulase activity of the culture supernatant of B. amyloliquefaciens ATC6 were found to be pH 4.5 and $55^{\circ}C$, respectively. More than 80% of its maximum activity was maintained at pH 4.0. The cellulase activity was maintained at temperatures ranging from 35 to $55^{\circ}C$ after 2 h incubation at pH 4.5, whereas it's activity decreased rapidly at $65^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.333-343
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• 1997

The cyclone/annular denuder system/filter pack sampling system (ADS) was used to collect the acidic air pollutants in Chongju city. The data set was collected on fifty -eight different days with 24 hour sampling period from October 27, 1995 through August 25, 1996. The chemical species measured were HN $O_3$, HN $O_2$, S $O_2$ and N $H_3$ in the gas phase, and PM2.5( $d_{p}$ ＜2.5 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$), S $O_4$$^{2-}$, N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ and N $H_4$$^{+}$ in the Particulate Phase. Mean concentrations measured for this study were: 0.45 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for HN $O_3$, 3.39 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for HN $O_2$, 26.4 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for S $O_2$, 3.83$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for N $H_3$, 44.2 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for P $M_{2.5}$, 8.22 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for S $O_4$$^{2-}$, 3.63 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ , and 2.84 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ for N $H_4$$^{- }$. HN $O_3$ and N $H_3$ were higher during the summer. However, HN $O_2$ and S $O_2$ were higher during the fall and winter. P $M_{2.5}$ , S $O_4$/ sup 2-/ and N $H_4$$^{+}$ were not showed seasonal variations, but N $O_3$$^{[-10]}$ was higher in the winter.ter.r.