• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2013

Oil spills have occurred throughout the years of industrialization and represent a global challenge as they affect vast areas of the ocean. The toxicity of crude oil to aquatic organisms has been extensively investigated, but the potential impacts of crude oil on vertebrate development remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of dispersants used in treating a recent oil spill, as well as that of crude oil, on vertebrates by using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model species, which has been widely used in empirical studies of both early embryonic development and adult physiology. Chronic exposure to crude oil resulted in marked developmental abnormalities, including pericardial edema, abnormal trunk vessel development, retardation of axonal branching, and abnormal jaw development. Embryonic development was affected more severely by exposure to the oil-dispersant combination than to the oil alone. Thus, the zebrafish in vivo model system suggests that dispersant treatment can have detrimental developmental effects on vertebrates and its potential impact on marine life, as well as humans, should be carefully considered in clean-up efforts at the site of an oil spill.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2014

Periodically, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have occurred, with impacts on various areas including public health, tourism, and aquatic ecosystems, especially aquacultured and caged fisheries. To prevent or manage invasions of HABs into fish farms on an emergency basis, many methods have been proposed. Frequently over the past 30 years in coastal countries, treatments of clay and clay mixed with polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and chitosan have been tested for HAB-removal effectiveness in both the laboratory and the field. In Korea, yellow loess clay (hwangto) has been dispersed using electrolytic clay dispensers, both to decrease the amount of yellow loess clay's usage in containers and enhance HAB-removal efficiency. However, this emergency method has limitations, among which is the requirement for more effective controlling agents for field applications. Thus, in this paper, we review technologies for clay-based red tides prevention and control and their limitations, and, further, introduce next-generation algicidal technologies for the emergency protection of fish farms.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1137-1142
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• 2004

A spectrophotometric and first derivative spectrophotometric method was developed in aquatic Tween 80 micellar solutions for selective determination of nickel without using any pre-separation step. 1-(2-Pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN), as a sensitive chromogenic complexing agent formed a red-colored Ni(II)-PAN complex in Tween 80 media with satisfactory solubility and stability. Conditions such as pH, PAN concentration, type and concentration of micellizing agent were optimized. Molar absorptivity of Ni-PAN complex was found $4.62\;{\times}\;10^4L\;cm^{?1}\;mol^{?1}$ at 569 nm, under the optimum condition. Calibration graphs were derived by zero, first and second derivative spectrophotometry at maximum wavelengths of 569, 578 and 571 nm with linear ranges of 30-1800, 20-2500 and 30-2000 ng $mL^{?1}$ , respectively. Precision as standard deviation as well as accuracy as recovery percent were in the range of 1-20 ng $mL^{?1}$, and 93.3-103.3%, respectively, for the entire of the linear ranges. Spectrophotometric detection limit was 3 ng $mL^{?1}$ and effects of diverse ions on the first derivative determination of nickel were studied to investigate selectivity of the method. Interferences of cobalt and copper on the nickel determination were prevented using o-phenanthroline as masking agent. The recommended procedures were applied to the various synthetic and stainless steel alloys, tea leaves and human hair, with satisfactory results.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.248-255
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• 2012

In order to develop a protocol to quantify cyanobacteria and Microcystis simultaneously, the primers and probe were designed from the conserved regions of 16S rRNA gene sequences of cyanobacteria and Microcystis, respectively. Probe match analysis of the Ribosomal Database Project showed that the primers matched with over 97% of cyanobacterial 16S rRNA genes, indicating these can be used to amplify cyanobacteria specifically. The TaqMan probe, which is located between two primers, matched with 98.2% of sequences in genus GpXI, in which most Microcystis strains are included. The numbers of cyanobacterial genes were estimated with the emission of SYBR Green from the amplicons with two primers, whereas those of Microcystis spp. were measured from the fluorescence of CAL Fluor Gold 540 emitted by exonuclease activity of Taq DNA polymerase in amplification. It is expected that this method enhances the accuracy and reduces the time to count cyanobacteria and potential toxigenic Microcystis spp. in aquatic environmental samples.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.180-188
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• 2017

We evaluated the actual distribution, present status, and number of remnant individuals of Korean Sagittaria aginashi (Alismataceae) based on herbarium specimens and field surveys. We also reidentified Korean S. aginashi by analyzing sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. We found nine specimens of S. aginashi in herbaria from four localities housed at the Osaka Museum of Natural History (OSA) and at the Korea National Herbarium (KH). During our field research, we could not confirm the current statuses of two collection localities (Taereung and Ansan-si), though this was not the case for Ulsan-si. In addition, we found two new localities in Ulsan-si and Yangsan-si. These three remnant populations are distributed in wetlands in mountainous areas (elev. 480-740 m). With regard to the number of flowering and immature individuals in the three localities, there were <50 and <2,000, respectively, in total. ITS sequences demonstrated that the sequences of Korean and Japanese S. aginashi are uniform and distinct from other Sagittaria species. These results indicate that S. aginashi is a rare and threatened species in Korea. It should be listed as an endangered species on the Korean Red List and requires urgent protection by conservation programs, including the extensive surveys of other possible natural habitats.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.156-164
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• 2021

Spirodela polyrhiza, from the Lemnaceae family, are small aquatic plants that offer an alternative plant-based system for the expression of recombinant proteins. However, no turion transformation protocol has been established in this species. In this study, we exploited a pB7YWG2 vector harboring the eYFP gene that encodes enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP), which has been extensively used as a reporter and marker to visualize recombinant protein localization in plants. We adopted Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated turion transformation via vacuum infiltration to deliver the eYFP gene to turions, special vegetative forms produced by duckweeds to endure harsh conditions. Transgenic turions regenerated several duckweed fronds that exhibited yellow fluorescent emissions under a fluorescence microscope. Western blotting verified the expression of the eYFP protein. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an efficient protocol for generating transgenic S. polyrhiza expressing eYFP via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated turion transformation. The ability of turions to withstand harsh conditions increases the portability and versatility of transgenic duckweeds, favoring their use in the further development of therapeutic compounds in plants.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.311-321
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate effect of stream channel naturalness on ecological health by using environmental factors and Fish Assessment Index (FAI) in the Han River of South Korea. These samples and data have been released from the research project titled Stream/River Ecosystem Survey and Health Assessment, which was conducted in 444 sites in the Han river watershed from 2008 to 2016. All samples were classified into five groups according to a degree of morphological changes of stream. Water chemistry analyses indicated a decline in water quality by decreasing stream channel naturalness, it is assumed that channelized stream was vulnerable to aquatic pollution compared to the natural meandering stream. In the result of frequency of dominant species, sensitive species and insectivore such as Zacco koreanus, Rhynchocypris kumgangensis and Pungtungia herzi were frequently dominated in the natural meandering stream while tolerant species and omnivores such as Carassius auratus and Cyprinus carpio were more dominated in the channelized streams. The FAI in the channelized stream shows decline to average of $46{\pm}25$ compared with that of the natural meandering stream ($80{\pm}20$). The decrease in FAI was highly influenced by changes in matrixes of fish assemblage structure such as number of sensitive species (M3), portion of omnivores (M5) and insectivores (M6). Moreover, annual average FAIs from 2008 to 2016 were significantly correlated with water chemistry, especially TN, TP and BOD ($r^2=0.59$, p<0.0001). Taken together, all the results suggest that the stream channelization could negatively impact on the water quality and fish assemblage structure, leading to degradation in aquatic ecosystem health.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.544-555
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• 2011

The acute toxicity in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was analyzed and predicted using quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). The aquatic toxicity, 96h $LC_{50}$ (median lethal concentration) of 275 organic pesticides, was obtained from EU-funded project DEMETRA. Prediction models were derived from 558 2D molecular descriptors, calculated in PreADMET. The linear (multiple linear regression) and nonlinear (support vector machine and artificial neural network) learning methods were optimized by taking into account the statistical parameters between the experimental and predicted p$LC_{50}$. After preprocessing, population based forward selection were used to select the best subsets of descriptors in the learning methods including 5-fold cross-validation procedure. The support vector machine model was used as the best model ($R^2_{CV}$=0.677, RMSECV=0.887, MSECV=0.674) and also correctly classified 87% for the training set according to EU regulation criteria. The MLR model could describe the structural characteristics of toxic chemicals and interaction with lipid membrane of fish. All the developed models were validated by 5 fold cross-validation and Y-scrambling test.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 1985

Removal of water pollutants by water hyacinth was examined with two nutrients, $NO_3$-N, $PO_4$-P and four heavy metals, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr under laboratory conditions. $NO_3$-N was reduced to 0.7, 0.9 and 1.2 ppm, and 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 ppm in $NO_4$-P from 10, 25 and 50 ppm 3 days after treatment, respectively. Among heavy metals Cu and Pb were removed faster and higher than Cd and Cr and also amount of heavy metals absorbed by water hyacinth was higher in the order of Cu > Pb > Cr > Cd. Distribution of heavy metals in this plant was higher in roots than in leaves and amount absorbed in roots was related to the treated concentrations. The harmful effect on growth of water hyacinth was observed in Cu and Cd.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.369-375
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was conducted to identify factors determining the toxicity of manufactured silver nano-particles (AgNPs) on aquatic organisms. Methods: For this purpose, we prepared several AgNPs with varied characteristics, including hydrodynamic size (nano-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}\;vs$-sized-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$), impurities ($^{ABC}Ag$ stock vs $^{ABC}Ag$), and citrate capping ($^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$), using a commercially available manufactured AgNP ($^{ABC}Ag$ stock). Acute tests were conducted using larval zebrafish (Danio rerioI). In addition, in order to determine the ecotoxicological potentials of various capping agents, toxicity tests were conducted with microbes, waterfleas, and fish for eight different capping agents that are used for NPs. Results: The toxicity of AgNPs in terms of 96 h fish $LC_{50}$ increased in the following order: $^{ABC}Ag$ stock < $^{ABC}Ag=^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}=nano-^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ < ${\mu}$-sized-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ < $AgNO_3$. After removing impurities by dialysis, 96 h $LC_{50}$ value decreased significantly from $126.6{\mu}g/L$ (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 107.0-146.2) ($^{ABC}Ag$ stock) to $78.6{\mu}g/L$ (CI: 72.7-84.8) ($^{ABC}Ag$). For ${\mu}$-sized-$^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ (ranging between 3.9 and 40.6 nm) and $^{ABC}Ag^{Cit}$ (40.6 nm and $9.1{\mu}m$), the 96 h $LC_{50}$ of the former ($43.9{\mu}g/L$, CI: 36.0-51.7) was approximately two-fold lower than that of the latter ($87.0{\mu}g/L$, CI: 73.5-100.3). Conclusions: In this study, we found that for acute lethality, the contribution of impurities and particle size was significant, but that of citrate was negligible.