To understand effects of the compositions of marine macrobenthic communities on carbon storage in subtidal rocky habitat, a diving survey was conducted at Aewol and Biyangdo stations in the northwestern regions of Jeju Island in the summer of 2023. Cluster analysis revealed no significant differences in community composition between the two stations. The mean biomass of the dominant species was Cnidaria (2,047.4 gwwt m-2) of macroinvertebrate, followed by Rhodophyta (745.4 gwwt m-2) of seaweed in studied areas. According to similarity percentage analysis, Alveopora japonica and Ecklonia cava were major contributors to the communities in Aewol, whereas diverse marine organisms, including these two species, contributed to the community in Biyangdo. The estimated mean carbon storage by benthic communities derived from their carbon contents in surveyed areas was 202.7 gC m-2, with variations reflecting differences in community compositions. The biomass of Cnidaria, dominated by A. japonica, showed a positive correlation with carbon storage, whereas the biomass of Rhodophyta, primarily composed of coralline algae, showed a negative correlation. These variations in carbon storage among marine communities may result from species-specific carbon assimilation patterns, survival strategies, marine carbon cycling, and intra-community interactions such as competition and feeding.

We previously prepared a standardized and purified extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza, PF2401-SF, and showed that it protected against hepatic injury more effectively than ethanol based extraction. In this study, we determined the hepatoprotective mechanisms of PF2401-SF in vivo. Hepatic injury was induced in mice by using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Treatment with PF2401-SF (1 or 10 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced the levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in the plasma. PF2401-SF treatment resulted in further elevation of the CCl4-induced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression, which contributed to the PF2401-SF-mediated liver protection. Additionally, PF2401-SF treatment significantly reduced the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation induced by CCl4. Taken together, these results suggest that the protective effect of PF2401-SF, a standardized fraction of S. miltiorrhiza, against CCl4-induced hepatic injury in mice arises from its induction effect on HO-1 and inhibitory effect on JNK phosphorylation.

본 연구에서는 고도정수처리를 위하여 모듈 내부와 세라믹 정밀여과막 외부 사이의 공간에 입상 활성탄(GAC)을 충전한 혼성 모듈을 이용하였으며, 정수 원수 중의 자연산 유기물(NOM)과 미세 무기 입자를 대체하기 위해, 휴믹산(humic acid)과 카올린(kaolin) 모사용액을 사용하였다. GAC의 충전율(packing fraction)에 따른 처리효율의 변화를 알아보고자. GAC의 충전율을 0~24.05%로 변화 시켰다. 그 결과, 3시간 운전하는 동안 막오염에 의한 저항(Rf) 및 투과선속(J)의 변화 곡선은 GAC의 충전율에 관계없이 거의 중첩되었다. 그리고 탁도의 처리효율은 모든 조건에서 99.46% 이상으로 높았으며, UV254 흡광도로 측정한 NOM의 처리효율은 최대 충전율 24.05%에서 제거율은 99.43%로 가장 높게 나타났다. 한편, 충전율 24.05%에서 13시간 동안 운전한 결과, J는 막오염의 증가에 따라 운전 초기 1시간 이내에 급격히 감소하였으며 3시간 운전 후부터는 거의 일정한 투과선속을 나타냈다. 그리고 탁도 및 NOM의 처리효율은 각각 99.52%와 96.63%로 안정적인 높은 처리효율을 보였다.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommended the first order decay (FOD) model for estimating methane emissions from solid waste landfills. However, selecting appropriate parameter is a major challenge in methane emission modeling. The degradable organic carbon (DOC) and the fraction of degradable organic carbon which decomposes (DOCF) are the two primary parameters in the methane generation potential (L0). The DOC is the amount of organic carbon that can be decomposed by biochemical reactions in microorganisms. Chemical analysis methods are currently available to measure the DOC including using total organic carbon and element analysis methods. However, chemical analysis methods are not appropriate for determination of the DOC, which indicated that the DOC should be measured by biochemical tests. In addition, these methods should consider a fossil carbon content that needs a complex and high cost of analysis. The DOCF is an estimate of the fraction of carbon that is ultimately degraded and released from landfills. However, no methodology is provided for determination of the DOCF in landfills. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to suggest methodologies for the determination of DOC and DOCF in solid waste landfills. A biochemical methane potential (BMP) test could be used to calculate the DOC because the BMP represents an upper limit on the methane potential of a waste, which corresponds to a maximal amount of degraded organic carbon. The calculation was based on the assumption that the DOCF is 100%. In this study, two methodologies were suggested to determine the DOCF in landfills. The first one uses a new equation (DOCF = 2.76W-0.44) with moisture content in the landfill that actual methane flux data are unavailable. Moisture content is a major ecological parameter on the anaerobic biodegradability of the solid waste in the landfill. Another methodology is to use L0,Landfill/L0,BMP ratio. The L0,Landfill could be determined by a regression analysis if methane flux data were available.

Adsorption experiments of binary mixed gases composed of acetone/methylethylketone (MEK), MEK/benzene, MEK/toluene, and benzene/toluene were carried out on activated carbon fixed-bed. The variations of equilibrium adsorption capacity according to type and fraction of binary gas were investigated. In case of binary gases composed of acetone/MEK and benzene/toluene, equilibrium adsorption capacities of MEK and toluene were increased according to the increase of fraction of MEK and toluene, but equilibrium adsorption capacities of acetone and benzene were decreased. In case of binary gases composed of MEK/benzene and MEK/toluene, equilibrium adsorption capacities of benzene and toluene were increased according to the increase of fraction of benzene and toluene, but equilibrium adsorption capacities of MEK was decreased.