• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.631-636
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• 2018

Extraction of photosynthetic currents from thylakoids was studied using micro pillar structured electrode. Thylakoids were isolated from spinach leaves, and the size and shape of thylakoids were estimated from scanning electron microscopy images. Based on the geometry information of thylakoids, micro pillar shaped electrode was designed and fabricated using metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon wafers. Influence of photovoltaic effect on the silicon-based micro pillar electrode was confirmed to be negligible. Photosynthetic currents were measured in a three-electrode setup with an electron mediator, potassium ferricyanide. Photosynthetic currents from micro pillar electrodes were enhanced compared with the currents from flat electrodes. This indicates the significance of the enhanced contact between thylakoids and an electrode for harvesting photosynthetic electrons.

• Ceramist
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.233-248
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• 2018

Photosynthesis of plant, algae, and certain types of bacteria can convert solar energy to electrons at high efficiency. There have been many research investigations to utilize this mechanism to develop photosynthetic bio-solar energy systems. In this article, the fundamentals of photosynthetic energy conversion mechanism are explained and various approaches are introduced and discussed.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.210-218
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• 2012

The morphological characteristics, carbon and nitrogen concentrations, stable isotope values and photosynthetic rates of Porphyra yezoensis were studied at the main purple lavers production areas on southwestern coast of Korea. The morphological characteristics of leaf length, leaf width and weight of Porphyra blades were between 11.6~16.3 (average 13.8) cm, 4.6~6.3 (average 5.4) cm, $1.1{\sim}2.6(average\;1.86)g\;DW\;m^{-2}$, respectively. Photosynthetic pigment of Chl a concentration of Porphyra blades was between $2.18{\sim}17.77(average\;9.65)mg\;DW\;Chl\;a\;m^{-2}$. Carbon and nitrogen concentrations of Porphyra blades was between $201{\sim}317(average\;240)mg\;DW\;g^{-1}$, $39.8{\sim}50.0(average\;43.5)mg\;DW\;g^{-1}$ and C/N ratio 5.0~6.7 (average 5.5). The range of average ${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$ values of Porphyra blades was between - 25.6 to - 24.0 (average - 24.7)‰ for ${\delta}^{13}C$, and 1.3 to 4.1 (average 2.1)‰ for ${\delta}^{15}N$. Photosynthetic characteristics of seaweeds measured by pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry was used as an indicator of photosynthetic activity. We use Diving-PAM fluorometry to examine photosynthetic rates of the seaweeds Porphyra yezoensis at each station. Maximum quantum yield of Porphyra blades was between 0.46~0.55 (average 0.52), the variance of the effective PS II maximum quantum yield of the station was broadly similar. Maximum relative electron transport rate (rETRmax) of Porphyra blades was between $4.71{\sim}5.84(average\;5.33){\mu}mol\;electrons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$, the changes of maximum relative electron transport rate (rETRmax) of Porphyra yezoensis were similar to those of PS II maximum quantum yield. Photosynthetic efficiency (${\alpha}$) was between 0.027~0.045 (average 0.036). Minimum saturating irradiance ($E_k$) range was $139{\sim}180(average\;156){\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$. Minimum saturating irradiance ($E_k$) made a difference by station within the area on southwestern coast. Carbon and nitrogen concentrations and photosynthetic rates of Porphyra blades production areas on southwestern coast were broadly similar. The photosynthetic characteristics showed low photosynthetic rates because the low maximum quantum yields and low maximum relative electron transport rate.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.8 no.3_4
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• pp.105-112
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• 2001

Susceptibility to low temperature photoinhibition in photosynthetic apparatus was compared among three cucumber cultivars, Gahachungjang (GH), Banbaekjijeo (BB) and Gaeryangsymji (GR). By chilling in the light for 6 h, a sustained decrease in the potential quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and the oxidizable P700 contents was observed, and the decrease was less in GH than in BB and GR. Although the difference was small, some $\Phi_{PSII}$ remained in GH after light-chilling for 6 h indicating that a few electrons can flow around photosystem II(PSII). As a consequence, the primary electron acceptor of PSII, $Q_{A}$, was reduced slowly and was not fully reduced after light-chilling for 6 h in GH. Although the amplitude was small, the development of NPQ was also faster in GH, indicating a higher capacity for non-photochemical energy dissipation. The relative fraction of a fast relaxing component of NPQ (qf) was higher in GH. After light-chilling for 5 h, the values of qf in BB and GR became much smaller than that in GH, indicating BB and GR suffered more significant uncoupling of ATPase and/or irreversible damages in PSII. When fluorescence induction transients were recorded after chilling, significant differences in quenching coefficients (qQ and qN) were observed among the three cultivars.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.165-170
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• 2017

Gas vesicles are intracellular gas-filled protein-shelled nanocompartments. The structures are spindle or cylinder-shaped, and typically $0.1{\sim}2{\mu}m$ in length and 45~250 nm in width. A variety of prokaryotes including photosynthetic bacteria and halophilic archaea form gas vesicles in their cytoplasm. Gas vesicles provide cell buoyancy as flotation devices in aqueous habitats. They are used as nanoscale molecular reporters for ultrasound imaging for biomedical purposes. The structures in halophilic archaea are poorly resolved due to the low signal-to-noise ratio from the high salt concentration in the medium. Such a limitation can be overcome using focused ion beam-thinning or inelastically scattered electrons. As the concentric bodies (~200 nm in diameter) in fungi possess gas-filled cores, it is possible that the concept of gas vesicles could be applied to eukaryotic microbes beyond prokaryotes.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.282-291
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• 2022

Since the efficiency of wastewater treatment using microalgae differs depending on the metabolic characteristics of the species, it is important to understand the characteristics of target algae prior to the application in wastewater treatment. In this study, for the application of Arthrospira platensis to wastewater treatment, which is a filamentous alkaliphilic cyanobacteria, basic species specificity was identified and the possibility of application to wastewater treatment was investigated. As a result of the species specificity investigation, the specific growth rate between pH 7.0 and 11.0 showed the highest value near pH 9 at 0.25/day. The reason for the relatively low growth(0.08/day) at pH 11 was thought to be the CA(carbonic anhydrase) enzyme that is involved in carbon fixation during photosynthesis has the highest activity at pH 8.0 to 9.0, and at pH 11, CA activity was relatively low. In addition, A. platensis showed optimal growth at 400 PPFD(photosynthetic photon flux density) and 30℃, and this means that cyanobacteria such as A. platensis have a larger number of PS-I(photosystem I) than that of PS-II(photosystem II). It was speculated that it was because higher light intensity and temperature were required to sufficiently generate electrons to transfer to PS-I. Regarding the applicability of A. platensis, it was suggested that if a system using the synergistic effect of co-culture of A. platensis and bacteria was developed, a more efficient system would be possible. And different from single cocci, filamentous A. platensis expected to have a positive impact on harvesting, which is very important in the latter part of the wastewater treatment process.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.151-159
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• 2005

Injury caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS), known as oxidative stress, is one of the major damaging factors in plants exposed to environmental stress. Chloroplasts are specially sensitive to damage by ROS because electrons that escape from the photosynthetic electron transfer system are able to react with relatively high concentration of $O_2$ in chloroplasts. To cope with oxidative stress, plants have evolved an efficient ROS-scavenging enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and low molecular weight antioxidants including ascorbate, glutathione and phenolic compounds. To maintain the productivity of plants under the stress condition, it is possible to fortify the antioxidative mechanisms in the chloroplasts by manipulating the antioxidation genes. A powerful gene expression system with an appropriate promoter is key requisite for excellent stress-tolerant plants. We developed a strong oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter from cultured cells of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) as an industrial platform technology to develop transgenic plants with enhanced tolerance to environmental stress. Recently, in order to develop transgenic sweetpotato (tv. Yulmi) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Atlantic and Superior) plants with enhanced tolerance to multiple stress, the genes of both CuZnSOD and APX were expressed in chloroplasts under the control of an SWPA2 promoter (referred to SSA plants). As expected, SSA sweetpotato and potato plants showed enhanced tolerance to methyl viologen-mediated oxidative stress. In addition, SSA plants showed enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses such as temperature stress, drought and sulphur dioxide. Our results strongly suggested that the rational manipulation of antioxidative mechanism in chloroplasts will be applicable to the development of all plant species with enhanced tolerance to multiple environmental stresses to contribute in solving the global food and environmental problems in the 21st century.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.29-36
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• 2008

This study examined the de-icing agents' stresses on Pinus strobus and Pinus thunbergii by chlorophyll fluorescence analysis. The assumption of this study was that photosynthetic efficiency was changed by de-icing agents applied onto highways in winter by altering the concentration of the de-icier, types of de-icer and leaf surface coating liquid application. The practical purpose of this study was to investigate the de-icing gents stresses on Pinus strobus by the highway area where de-icing agents were used frequently and to discover out minimizing stratages to prevent further damages. or this simulation study, a sample plot was established in Bogae-myeon, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do and Pinus strobus and Pinus thunbergii were planted for the examination in April, 2005. Five types of de-icing agents - NaCl, $CaCl_2$, T product(NS40:low cWoride de-icer type), NaCl+$CaCl_2$ and T product+$CaCl_2$ - were selected and the their concentration was altered to 0%, 5%, and 9%. Five types of de-icing agents were applied to both trees treated by a leaf surface coating liquid and trees not treated by leaf surface coating liquid. For the fluorescence analysis, the leaf surface coating liquid, which was diluted by 10 times, was sprkinkled onto the two tree species three days prior to gathering samples. Sample leaves from the two tree species were gathered at 10 o'clock in the morning of mid-August, 2006 and brought to the laboratory within three hours to be dipped in different concentrations (0%, 5%, or 9%) of the five de-icing agents for two minutes. Then the eaves were placed on the filter paper dipped in each solution on a petri dish, sealed with polyethylene film and kept in a growth chamber at $22^{\circ}C$ for 72 hours. Out of the growth chamber, the leaves were treated with a chorophyll fluorescence reaction analyzer for 30 minutes to measure the initial light acceptance rate(Fo), maximum light acceptance ate(Fv/Fm), light acceptance usage(F' q/F' m) and optical electron delivery coefficient(qP). As a result, Pinus strobus' initial light acceptance rate(Fo) decreased as T product and NaCl increased in concentration, and $Cal_2$ did not reduce much with the eaf surface coating liquid application. Maximum light acceptance rate(Fv/Fm) and light acceptance usage(F' q/F' m) decreased sharply as T product and NaCl increased in concentration and NaCl+$CaCl_2$ and T product+$CaCl_2$ did not reduce much with leaf surface coating liquid application. Optical electrons delivery coefficient (qP) decreased as T product increased in concentration on trees without the leaf surface coating liquid application and all other de-icing agents did not show much reduction. As for Pinus thunbergii, the initial light acceptance rate(Fo) decreased as T product increased in concentration, but the maximum light acceptance rate(Fv/Fm) was not reduced much by changes in concentration. light acceptance usage(F' q/F' m) decreased as NaCl increased in concentration and optical electron delivery coefficient(qP) decreased as NaCl increased in concentration in both with and without leaf surface coating liquid application. In conclusion, it was possible to plant Pinus strobus if spraying leaf surface coating liquid or cleaning deicing salt to prevent the damage caused by deicing agents was more economical than replacing the trees. If not, it was better to plant Pinus thunbergii. Another way to decrease the deicing gents stresses of landscape plants would be planting the trees further away from the roads even though it might take longer period to display its planting functions.