• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.173-179
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• 2019

The aim of this study is to investigate the biological activities of Hericium erinaceus. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity of H. erinaceus extract was higher than positive control. The inhibitory activities of xanthin oxidase, ${\alpha}$-glucosidase, and hyaluronidase was measured as functional food activity, and inhibitory activities on collagenase, tyrosinase, and astringent effect as beauty food activity in water and ethanol extracts from H. erinaceus. In functional food activity, xanthin oxidase inhibitory activities at $50-200{\mu}g/mL$ phenolic concentration in ethanol extracts from H. erinaceus showed inhibitory activity in dose dependent manner. ${\alpha}$-Glucosidase inhibitory activities at $50{\mu}g/mL$ phenolic concentration showed high activity of higher than 80%. Inhibitory activities on hyaluronidase as anti-inflammation factor showed inhibition effect in dose dependent manner both in water and ethanol extracts. In beauty food activity, Inhibitory activities on collagenase at $200{\mu}g/mL$ phenolic concentration in water and ethanol extracts showed high activity to 65.09 and 58.38% dose dependently. Tyrosinase inhibitory activity in water extract showed 9.4-58.24%. Astringent activity as pore shrink effect in ethanol extracts also showed a very high activity of 18.94-100%. Antimicrobial activity on pathogenic bacteria was highly effective on Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteritidis, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Escherichia coli at 2.5 mg/mL or above. Therefore, the extracts from H. erinaceus can be used as a functional food and beauty food resources and natural antimicrobial agent on pathogenic bacteria in food.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.31-48
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• 2019

The artificial ground freezing (AGF) method is a groundwater cutoff and/or ground reinforcement method suitable for constructing underground structures in soft ground and urban areas. The AGF method conducts a freezing process by employing a refrigerant circulating through a set of embedded freezing pipes to form frozen walls serving as excavation supports and/or cutoff walls. However, thermal expansion of the pore water during freezing may cause excessive deformation of the ground. On the other hand, as the frozen soil is thawed after completion of the construction, mechanical characteristics of the thawed soil are changed due to the plastic deformation of the ground and the rearrangement of soil fabric. This paper performed a field experiment to evaluate the freezing rate of marine clay in the application of the AGF method. The field experiment was carried out by circulating liquid nitrogen, which is a cryogenic refrigerant, through one freezing pipe installed at a depth of 3.2 m in the ground. Also, a piezo-cone penetration test (CPTu) and a lateral load test (LLT) were performed on the marine clay before and after application of the AGF method to evaluate a change in strength and stiffness of it, which was induced by freezing-thawing. The experimental results indicate that about 11.9 tons of liquid nitrogen were consumed for 3.5 days to form a cylindrical frozen body with a volume of about $2.12m^3$. In addition, the strength and stiffness of the ground were reduced by 48.5% and 22.7%, respectively, after a freezing-thawing cycle.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.106-127
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• 2019

This study aims to understand spatio-temporal variations of macrozoobenthos community in Han River (HRE), Geum River (GRE), and Nakdong River estuaries (NRE) of Korea, sampled by National Survey of Marine Ecosystem. The survey was seasonally performed at a total of 20 stations for three years (2015-2017). Sediment samples were taken three times with van Veen grab of $0.1m^2$) areal size and sieved through a 1 mm pore size mesh on site. A total of 1,008 species were identified with 602 species in HRE, 612 in GRE, and 619 in NRE, showing similar number of species between estuaries. Mean density was $1,357ind./m^2$, showing the high in NRE ($1,357ind./m^2$), mid in GRE ($1,357ind./m^2$), and low in HRE ($1,127ind./m^2$). Mean biomass was $116.8g/m^2$, showing similar variations to density ($174.2g/m^2$ in NRE, $129.0g/m^2$ in GRE, $49.0g/m^2$ in HRE). Polychaeta dominated in number of species and density in three estuaries. Biomass-dominated taxon was Mollusca in HRE and GRE, and Echinodermata in NRE. Polychaetous species dominated all three estuaries over 4% of density, such as Dispio oculata, Heteromastus filiformis and Aonides oxycephala in HRE, Heteromastus filiformis and Scoletoma longifolia in GRE, and Pseudopolydora sp. and Aphelochaeta sp. in NRE, showing various density between estuaries. Community structure was determined by various environmental variables among estuaries such as mean grain size and sorting (HRE), salinity and mean grain size (GRE), and salinity, dissolved oxygen, loss on ignition and mud content (NRE). Our study demonstrates the application of different measures to manage ecosystems in three estuaries. HRE needs to alleviate sedimentary stressors such as sand mining, land-filling, dike construction. Management of GRE should be focused on fresh water control and sedimentary stressors. In NRE, monitoring of dominant benthos and process study on hypoxia occurrence in inner Masan Bay are necessary.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.409-425
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• 2021

Carbon dioxide has been known to be a typical greenhouse gas causing global warming, and a number of efforts have been proposed to reduce its concentration in the atmosphere. Among them, carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) has been taken into great account to accomplish the target reduction of carbon dioxide. In order to commercialize the CCS, its safety should be secured. In particular, if the stored carbon dioxide is leaked in the arable land, serious problems could come up in terms of crop growth. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of carbon dioxide leaked from storage sites on soil fertility. The leakage of carbon dioxide was simulated using the facility of its artificial injection into soils in the laboratory. Several soil chemical properties, such as pH, cation exchange capacity, electrical conductivity, the concentrations of exchangeable cations, nitrogen (N) (total-N, nitrate-N, and ammonia-N), phosphorus (P) (total-P and available-P), sulfur (S) (total-S and available-S), available-boron (B), and the contents of soil organic matter, were monitored as indicators of soil fertility during the period of artificial injection of carbon dioxide. Two kinds of soils, such as non-cultivated and cultivated soils, were compared in the artificial injection tests, and the latter included maize- and soybean-cultivated soils. The non-cultivated soil (NCS) was sandy soil of 42.6% porosity, the maize-cultivated soil (MCS) and soybean-cultivated soil (SCS) were loamy sand having 46.8% and 48.0% of porosities, respectively. The artificial injection facility had six columns: one was for the control without carbon dioxide injection, and the other five columns were used for the injections tests. Total injection periods for NCS and MCS/SCS were 60 and 70 days, respectively, and artificial rainfall events were simulated using one pore volume after the 12-day injection for the NCS and the 14-day injection for the MCS/SCS. After each rainfall event, the soil fertility indicators were measured for soil and leachate solution, and they were compared before and after the injection of carbon dioxide. The results indicate that the residual concentrations of exchangeable cations, total-N, total-P, the content of soil organic matter, and electrical conductivity were not likely to be affected by the injection of carbon dioxide. However, the residual concentrations of nitrate-N, ammonia-N, available-P, available-S, and available-B tended to decrease after the carbon dioxide injection, indicating that soil fertility might be reduced. Meanwhile, soil pH did not seem to be influenced due to the buffering capacity of soils, but it is speculated that a long-term leakage of carbon dioxide might bring about soil acidification.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.194-201
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• 2021

Induced polarization (IP) effect is known to be caused by electrochemical phenomena at interface between minerals and pore water. Spectral induced polarization (SIP) method is an electrical survey to localize subsurface IP anomalies while injecting alternating currents of multiple frequencies into the ground. This method was effectively applied to mineral exploration of various ore deposits. Titanomagnetite ores were being produced by a mining company located in Gonamsan area, Gwanin-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Because the ores contain more than 0.4 w% vanadium, the ore deposit is called as Gwanin vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM) deposit. The vanadium is the most important of materials in production of vanadium redox flow batteries, which can be appropriately used for large-scale energy storage system. Systematic mineral exploration was conducted to identify presence of hidden VTM orebodies and estimate their potential resources. In geophysical exploration, laboratory geophysical measurement of rock samples is helpful to generate reliable property models from field survey data. Therefore, we performed laboratory SIP data of the rocks from the Gwanin VTM deposit to understand SIP characteristics between ores and host rocks and then demonstrate the applicability of this method for the mineral exploration. Both phase and resistivity spectra of the ores sampled from underground outcrop and drilling cores were different of those of the host rocks consisting of monzodiorite and quartz monzodiorite. Because the phase and resistivity at frequencies below 100 Hz are mainly dependent on the SIP characteristics of the rocks, we calculated mean values of the ores and the host rocks. The average phase values at 0.1 Hz were ores: -369 mrad and host rocks: -39 mrad. The average resistivity values at 0.1 Hz were ores: 16 Ωm and host rocks: 2,623 Ωm. Because the SIP characteristics of the ores were different of those of the host rocks, we considered that the SIP survey is effective for the mineral exploration in vanadiferous titanomagnetite deposits and the SIP characteristics are useful for interpreting field survey data.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.30-58
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• 2022

The deep geological repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal is a multi barrier system comprised of engineered barriers and a natural barrier. The long-term integrity of the deep geological repository is affected by the coupled interactions between the individual barrier components. Erosion and piping phenomena in the compacted bentonite buffer due to buffer-rock interactions results in the removal of bentonite particles via groundwater flow and can negatively impact the integrity and performance of the buffer. Rapid groundwater inflow at the early stages of disposal can lead to piping in the bentonite buffer due to the buildup of pore water pressure. The physiochemical processes between the bentonite buffer and groundwater lead to bentonite swelling and gelation, resulting in bentonite erosion from the buffer surface. Hence, the evaluation of erosion and piping occurrence and its effects on the integrity of the bentonite buffer is crucial in determining the long-term integrity of the deep geological repository. Previous studies on bentonite erosion and piping failed to consider the complex coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical behavior of bentonite-groundwater interactions and lacked a comprehensive model that can consider the complex phenomena observed from the experimental tests. In this technical note, previous studies on the mechanisms, lab-scale experiments and numerical modeling of bentonite buffer erosion and piping are introduced, and the future expected challenges in the investigation of bentonite buffer erosion and piping are summarized.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2022

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors have received considerable attention regarding their involvement in glutamate-induced neuronal excitotoxicity. Resveratrol has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective effects against this kind of overactivation, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are not yet clearly understood. In this study, HT-22 neuronal cells were treated with NMDA in Mg²⁺-free buffer and subsequently used as an experimental model of glutamate excitotoxicity to elucidate the mechanisms of resveratrol-induced neuroprotection. We found that NMDA treatment causes a drop in MTT reduction ability, disrupts inside-negative transmembrane potential of mitochondria, depletes cellular ATP levels, and stimulates intracellular ROS production. Double fluorescence imaging studies demonstrated an increased formation of mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pores accompanied by apoptotic cell death, while cobalt protoporphyrin and bilirubin showed protective effects against NMDA-induced mitochondrial injury. On the other hand, zinc protoporphyrin IX significantly attenuated the protective effects of resveratrol which was itself shown to enhance heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA and protein expression levels. In cells transfected with HO-1 small interfering RNA, resveratrol failed to suppress the NMDA-induced effects on MTT reduction ability and MPT pore formation. The present study suggests that resveratrol may prevent mitochondrial injury in NMDA- treated HT-22 cells and that enhanced expression of HO-1 is involved in the underlying cellular mechanism.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.13-22
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• 2022

In order to improve water quality of the water system contaminated with dyes, biochars prepared using discarded waste resources were applied in this study. Biochars with a large specific surface area were manufactured using street tree pruning products or waste wood, and were applied to remove an organic dye in synthetic water. Biochars were made by pyrolysis of typical street tree porch products (Platanas, Ginkgo, Aak) and waste wood under air-controlled conditions. Methylene blue (MB), which is widely used in phosphofibers, paper, leather, and cotton media, was selected in this study. The adsorption capacity of Platanas for MB was the highest and the q_max value obtained using the Langmuir model equation was 78.47 mg/g. In addition, the adsorption energy (E) (kJ/mol) of MB using the Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) model equation was 4.891 kJ/mol which was less than 8 kJ/mol (a criteria distinguishing physical adsorption from chemical adsorption). This result suggests a physical adsorption with weak interactions such as van der Waals force between the biochar and MB. In addition, the physical adsorption may resulted from that Platanas-based biohar has the largest specific surface area and pore volume. The ∆G value obtained through the adsorption experiment according to temperature variation was -3.67 to -7.68, which also suggests a physical adsorption. Considering these adsorption results, the adsorption of MB onto Platanas-based biochar seems to occur through physical adsorption. Overall, it was possible to suggest that adsorption capacity of the biochr prepared from this study was equal to or greater than that of commercial activated carbon reported in other studies.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.671-687
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• 2021

This study investigated the firing temperature and thermal deformation process of roof tiles excavated from the connected stone-mound tomb in Seokchon-dong, Seoul, based on mineralogical and physical properties. A large number of roof tiles were excavated from the tomb site and some roof tiles were deformed by heat and were fired in uneven conditions. The colors of original roof tiles and their cores are mostly yellowish-brown, with high water absorption over 12%, containing fine-grained textures and some minerals such as quartz, feldspars, amphibole, and mica. It is estimated that the original roof tiles were fired below 900℃ in oxidation condition, showing loose matrices and mica layers by scanning electron microscopy. However, deformed roof tiles have the uneven surface color of reddish-brown and bluish-gray, and those cross-sections have sandwich structures in which dense reddish-brown surface and porous grey core coexist. They contained mullite and hercynite, so it was estimated to have been fired over 1,000℃, with 0.81~11% water absorption. In some samples, bloating pores by overfiring were observed, which means that they were fired at more than 1,200℃. In addition, the refirng experiments that the original roof tile was fired between 800℃ and 1,200℃ were carried out to investigate the physical and mineralogical properties of roof tiles compared to deformed ones. As a result, the water absorption decreased rapidly and the mineral phase started to change over 1,000℃. As the temperature gradually rises, the matrices are partially melted and recrystallized, resulting in similar thermal characteristics of deformed roof tiles. Therefore, the roof tiles from ancient tombs in Seokchon-dong seem to experience the secondary high temperature of 1,000 to 1,200℃ under uneven firing conditions, resulting in deformation characteristics such as shape transformation and mineral phase transition. It is considered to have been related to cremation rituals at the tombs of Seockchon-dong during the Baekje period.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 2022

Dacitic tuffs, 97 to 118 m thick, were recovered from the lower part of the subsurface Seongdongri Formation, Janggi Basin, which was drilled to assess the potential for underground storage of carbon dioxide. The tuffs are divided into four depositional units(Unit 1 to 4) based on internal structures and particle componentry. Unit 1 and Units 3/4 are ignimbrites that accumulated in subaerial and subaqueous settings, respectively, whereas Unit 2 is braided-stream deposits that accumulated during a volcanic quiescence, and no dacitic tuff is observed. A series of analysis shows that mordenite and clinoptilolite mainly fill the vesicles of glass shards, suggesting their formation by replacement and dissolution of volcanic glass and precipitation from interstitial water during burial and diagenesis. Glass-replaced clinoptilolite has higher Si/Al ratios and Na contents than the vesicle-filling clinoptilolite in Units 3. However, the composition of clinoptilolite becomes identical in Unit 4, irrespective of the occurrence and location. This suggests that the Si/Al ratio and pH in the interstitial water increased with time because of the replacement and leaching of volcanic glass, and that the composition of interstitial water was different between the eastern and western parts of the basin during the formation of the clinoptilolite in Units 1 and 3. It is also inferred that the formation of the two zeolite minerals was sequential according to the depositional units, i.e., the clinoptilolite formed after the growth of mordenite. To summarize, during a volcanic quiescence after the deposition of Unit 1, pH was higher in the western part of the basin because of eastward tilting of the basin floor, and the zeolite ceased to grow because of the closure of the pore space as a result of the growth of smectite. On the other hand, clinoptilolite could grow in the eastern part of the basin in an open system affected by groundwater, where braided stream was developed. Afterwards, Units 3 and 4 were submerged under water because of the basin subsidence, and the alkali content of the interstitial water increased gradually, eventually becoming identical in the eastern and western parts of the basin. This study thus shows that volcanic deposits of similar composition can have variable distribution of zeolite mineral depending on the drainage and depositional environment of basins.