• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.435-449
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• 2010

Soils in the sloping uplands in Korea are subject to intensive land use with high input of agrochemicals and are vulnerable to soil erosion. Development of the environmentally sound land management strategy is essential for a sustainable production system in the sloping upland. This report addresses the status of upland agriculture and the best management practices for the uplands toward the sustainable agriculture. More than 60% of Korean lands are forest and only 21% are cultivating paddy and upland. Uplands are about 7% of the total lands and about 62% of the uplands are in the slopes higher than 7%. Due to the site-specificity of the upland, many managerial and environmental problems are occurring, such as severe erosion, shallow surface soils with rocky fragments, and loadings of non-point source (NPS) contaminants into the watershed. Based on the field trials, most of the sloping uplands were classified as Suitability Class III-V and the major limiting factor was slope and rock fragments. Due to this, soils were over-applied with N fertilizer, even though N rate was the recommendation. This resulted in decreases in yield, degradation of soil quality and increases in N loading to the leachate. Various case studies drew management practices toward sustainable production systems. The suggested BMP on the managerial, vegetative, and structural options were to practice buffer strips along the edges of fields and streams, winter cover crop, contour and mulching farming, detention weir, diversion drains, grassed waterway, and slope arrangement. With these options, conservation effects such as reductions in raindrop impact, flow velocity, runoff and sediment loss, and rill and gully erosion were observed. The proper management practice is a key element of the conservation of the soil and water in the sloping upland.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.19 no.2 s.30
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• pp.26-47
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• 2006

Environmental problems became bigger and widely known among all parts of the society in the last decade. The broad and sustainable study of the environment is the most basic and primary solution to the problems. For this reason, International Environmental Project Olympiad (INEPO) was organized in 1993. Many countries have participated in this organization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to revitalize the environmental education and to realize the value of environmental education by making students aware of the environmental problems through the INEPO and Korean Environmental Olympiad (KEO). To achieve these goals, we conducted as follows First, we introduced aims, major contents and rules of the INEPO and grasped problems related to the applying method of students who want to participate in the INEPO in Korea. In addition, we introduced both results of domestic contest for participating in the 14th INEPO and of the 14th INEPO itself opened in 2006. Second, we analysed participants' themes according to project types such as environment-biology, environment-chemistry, environment-physics, environment-health and environment-social sciences from Previous INEPOs. Third, we had interviews with several participants to gather their thoughts on motivation and impression of participation, the reason of theme selection, and the method of environmental education in school, by visiting each booth of INEPO. Finally, we suggested sustainable methods of the KEO to revitalize environmental education, and proposed various methods to revitalize the environmental education through the KEO and INEPO in the primary and secondary schools.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1286-1294
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• 2011

This paper reviews the future directions and perspectives on the soil environmental researches in the 21 century. Previously, the principal emphasis of soil environmental researches had put on the enhancement of food and fiber productions. Beside the basic function of soil, however, the societal needs on soil resources in the 21st century have demands for several environmental and social challenges, occurring regionally or globally. Typical global issues with which soil science should deal include food security with increasing agronomic production to meet the exploding world population growth, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, increase of the carbon sequestration, supply of the biomass and bioenergy, securing the water resource and quality, protection of environmental pollution, enhancing the biodiversity and ecosystem health, and developing the sustainable farming/cropping system that improve the use efficiency of water and agricultural resources. These challenges can be solved through the sustainable crop production intensification (SCPI) or plant welfare concept in which soil plays a key role in solving the abovementioned global issues. Through implementation of either concept, soil science can fulfill the goal of the modern agriculture which is the sustainable production of crops while maintaining or enhancing the ecosystem function, quality and health. Therefore, directions of the future soil environmental researches should lie on valuing soil as an ecosystem services, translating research across both temporal and spatial scales, sharing and using data already available for other purposes, incorporating existing and new technologies from other disciplines, collaborating across discipline, and translating soil research into information for stakeholders and end users. Through the outcomes of these approaches, soil can enhance the productivity from the same confined land, increase profitability, conserve natural resource, reduce the negative impact on environment, enhance human nutrition and health, and enhance natural capital and the flow of ecosystem services. Soil is the central dogma, final frontier and new engine for the era of sustainability development in the $21^{st}$ century and thus soil environmental researches should be carried according to this main theme.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2024

The appropriate intake of fluoride (F^-) is beneficial to human health; however, the over-consumption can result in various potentially harmful effects. This study compared different colorimetric reagents, i.e., aluminium-xylenol orange (Al-XO), zirconium-xylenol orange (Zr-XO), and zirconium-alizarin red S (Zr-ARS), for fluoride measurements by the UV-Vis, in terms of reaction mechanisms, method sensitivity, and interferences from aluminium and ferric ions. The colorimetric procedures were optimized, and the analytical methods were evaluated. The goodness of linearity (R² > 0.998) was obtained for all three assays within the concentration range of 1.0-20.0 mg/L fluoride in deionized water, in which the method sensitivity followed the descending order of Zr-XO > Al-XO > Zr-ARS. The Zr-XO was applied for determining the fluoride in different tea extracts in water (90 ℃ and 60-minute-brewing) and black tea demonstrated the highest fluoride content (3.0-3.6 mg/L). The effects of brewing time and temperature on the release of fluoride in the tea extracts were also investigated, indicating these are critical factors for the fluoride extraction. This study highlighted the application potentials of the UV-Vis measurement as a simple, convenient, and cheap analytical approach and discussed different colorimetric reagents used for fluoride determination in tea extracts in the context that the UV-Vis spectrophotometers are commonly equipped in most laboratories.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.313-318
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• 2014

The world is in need of sustainable and eco-friendly energy sources such as microalgal biodiesel due to global warming and fossil fuel shortages. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of liquid fertilizer produced from swine manure and agriculture grade solid fertilizers as nutrient sources for microalgal biomass production. Mixed culture (Chlorella spp., Scenedesmus spp., Stigeoclonium spp.; CSS) was cultivated for 28 days in Small Scale Raceway Pond (SSRP) using various nutrient sources (swine manure liquid fertilizer, agricultural solid fertilizer, and mixture of these two fertilizers). Biomass and lipid productivity of fertilizer mixture were the highest at 0.8 g/L and 5.8 mg/L/day, respectively. These results indicate that the fertilizer mixture can provide microalgae necessary nutrient sources for stable biodiesel production and biomass growth. In addition, overall cost of microalgal cultivation and subsequently biodiesel production would be significantly reduced.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.spc
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• pp.20-28
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• 2009

The sustainability of conventional agriculture which is characterized by input dependent and ecologically simplified food production system is vague. Chemicals and present practices used in agriculture are not only costly but also have widespread implications on human and animal health, food quality and safety and environmental quality. Thus there is a need for alternative farming practices to sustain food production for the escalating population and conserve environment for future generations. The present research scenario in the area of plant microbe interactions for maintaining sustainable agriculture suggests that the level of internal regulation in agro-ecosystems is largely dependent on the level of plant and microbial diversity present in the soil. In agro-ecosystems, biodiversity performs a variety of ecological services beyond the production of food, including recycling of nutrients, regulation of microclimate and local hydrological processes, suppression of undesirable organisms and detoxification of noxious chemicals. Controlling the soil microflora to enhance the predominance of beneficial and effective microorganisms can help improve and maintain soil chemical and physical properties. The role of beneficial soil microorganisms in sustainable productivity has been well construed. Some plant bacteria referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can contribute to improve plant growth, nutrient uptake and microbial diversity when inoculated to plants. Term PGPR was initially used to describe strains of naturally occurring non-symbiotic soil bacteria have the ability to colonize plant roots and stimulate plant growth PGPR activity has been reported in strains belonging to several other genera, such as Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Arthrobacter Bacillus, Burkhokderia, Methylobacterium, and Pseudomonas etc. PGPR stimulate plant growth directly either by synthesizing hormones such as indole acetic acid or by promoting nutrition, for example, by phosphate solubilization or more generally by accelerating mineralization processes. They can also stimulate growth indirectly, acting as biocontrol agents by protecting the plant against soil borne fungal pathogens or deleterious bacteria. Present review focuses on some recent developments to evolve strategies for better biotechnological exploitation of PGPR's.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.582-593
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• 2022

Among abiotic stresses in plants, drought and chilling stresses reduce the supply of moisture to plant tissues, inhibit photosynthesis, and severely reduce plant growth and yield. Thus, the application of water stress-tolerant agents can be a useful strategy to maintain plant growth under abiotic stresses. This study assessed the effect of exogenous bio-based 2,3-butanediol (BDO) application on drought and chilling response in tomato and turfgrass, and expression levels of several plant signaling pathway-related gene transcripts. Bio-based 2,3-BDOs were formulated to levo-2,3-BDO 0.9% soluble concentrate (levo 0.9% SL) and meso-2,3-BDO 9% SL (meso 9% SL). Under drought and chilling stress conditions, the application of levo 0.9% SL in creeping bentgrass and meso 9% SL in tomato plants significantly reduced the deleterious effects of abiotic stresses. Interestingly, pretreatment with levo-2,3-BDO in creeping bentgrass and meso-2,3-BDO in tomato plants enhanced JA and SA signaling pathway-related gene transcript expression levels in different ways. In addition, all tomato plants treated with acibenzolar-S-methyl (as a positive control) withered completely under chilling stress, whereas 2,3-BDO-treated tomato plants exhibited excellent cold tolerance. According to our findings, bio-based 2,3-BDO isomers as sustainable water stress-tolerant agents, levo- and meso-2,3-BDOs, could enhance tolerance to drought and/or chilling stresses in various plants through somewhat different molecular activities without any side effects.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.236-249
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• 2023

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture and storage is a critical issue for mitigating climate change. Porous aromatic Schiff base complexes have emerged as a promising class of materials for CO₂ capture due to their high surface area, porosity, and stability. In this study, we investigate the potential of Schiff base complexes as an effective media for CO₂ storage. We review the synthesis and characterization of porous aromatic Schiff bases materials complexes and examine their CO₂ sorption properties. We find that Schiff base complexes exhibit high CO₂ adsorption capacity and selectivity, making them a promising candidate for use in carbon capture applications. Moreover, we investigate the effect of various parameters such as temperature, and pressure on the CO₂ adsorption properties of Schiff base complexes. The Schiff bases possessed tiny Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface areas (4.7-19.4 m²/g), typical pore diameters of 12.8-29.43 nm, and pore volumes ranging from 0.02-0.073 cm³/g. Overall, our results suggest that synthesized complexes have great potential as an effective media for CO₂ storage, which could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to mitigating climate change. The study provides valuable insights into the design of novel materials for CO₂ capture and storage, which is a critical area of research for achieving a sustainable future.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.223-234
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• 2024

This review explores the potential of pillared bentonite materials as solid acid catalysts for synthesizing diethyl ether, a promising renewable energy source. Diethyl ether offers numerous environmental benefits over fossil fuels, such as lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and carbon oxides (CO_x) gases and enhanced fuel properties, like high volatility and low flash point. Generally, the synthesis of diethyl ether employs homogeneous acid catalysts, which pose environmental impacts and operational challenges. This review discusses bentonite, a naturally occurring alumina silicate, as a heterogeneous acid catalyst due to its significant cation exchange capacity, porosity, and ability to undergo modifications such as pillarization. Pillarization involves intercalating polyhydroxy cations into the bentonite structure, enhancing surface area, acidity, and thermal stability. Despite the potential advantages, challenges remain in optimizing the yield and selectivity of diethyl ether production using pillared bentonite. The review highlights the need for further research using various metal oxides in the pillarization process to enhance surface properties and acidity characteristics, thereby improving the catalytic performance of bentonite for the synthesis of diethyl ether. This development could lead to more efficient, environmentally friendly synthesis processes, aligning with sustainable energy goals.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.280-294
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• 2024

This study introduces a novel analytical method for the assessment of pralsetinib impurities and degradation products (DPs), addressing critical gaps in existing methodologies. This research aims to develop a robust HPLC method for impurity analysis, characterize degradation products using LC-MS, and evaluate the environmental impact of the method. The study began by optimizing HPLC conditions with various columns and buffers, ultimately achieving successful separation using an XBridge^® RP-C18 column with ethanol as solvent A and 50 mM formic acid at pH 2.9. This setup provided excellent peak resolution and symmetry, essential for reliable stability studies. The developed HPLC method was then adapted for HPLC-MS/MS, enhancing sensitivity and detection efficiency of DPs. Stress degradation studies of pralsetinib under different conditions (acidic, basic, oxidative, thermal, and photolytic) revealed significant degradation under acidic (29.3 %) and basic (21.5 %) conditions, with several DPs identified. Oxidative stress resulted in 19.8 % degradation, while thermal and photolytic conditions caused minimal degradation. HPLC-MS/MS analysis identified structures of five degradation products, providing detailed insights into pralsetinib's stability and degradation pathways. Method validation followed ICH guidelines Q2(R1), confirming method's specificity, selectivity, sensitivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and robustness. The method exhibited strong linearity with a coefficient of determination (r²) greater than 0.999 for pralsetinib and its impurities. This method advances impurity detection and DPs characterization, ensuring the quality and safety of pralsetinib. Additionally, method's environmental impact was assessed, aligning with sustainable analytical practices. These findings provide essential data on pralsetinib's stability, guiding storage conditions and ensuring its efficacy and safety in pharmaceutical applications.