Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, a keystone species with significant ecological and commercial importance, is declining globally throughout much of its range. While traditional fishing equipment methods remain limited, new sensitive and rapid detection methods should be developed to monitor fisheries resources. To monitor the presence and quantity of C. pallasii from environmental DNA (eDNA) extracted from seawater samples, a pair of primers and a TaqMan® probe specific to this fish based on mitochondrial cytochrome b (COB) sequences were designed for the real-time PCR (qPCR) assay. The combination of our molecular markers showed high specificity in the qPCR assay, which affirmed the success of presenting a positive signal only in the C. pallasii specimens. The markers also showed a high sensitivity for detecting C. pallasii genomic DNA in the range of 1 pg~100 ng rxn-1 and its DNA plasmid containing COB amplicon in the range of 1~100,000 copies rxn-1, which produced linear standard calibration curves (r2=0.99). We performed a qPCR assay for environmental water samples obtained from 29 sampling stations in the southeastern coastal regions of South Korea using molecular markers. The assay successfully detected the C. pallasii eDNA from 14 stations (48.2%), with the highest mean concentration in Jinhae Bay with a value of 76.09±18.39 pg L-1 (246.20±58.58 copies L-1). Our preliminary application of molecular monitoring of C. pallasii will provide essential information for efficient ecological control and management of this valuable fisheries resource.

A single postlarva (9.72 mm in standard length) specimen of Crossorhombus azureus (Alcock, 1889) belonging to the family Bothidae, was collected using a bongo net from the southern sea of Korea on December 10, 2019. This species is characterized by having spines on post basipterygial processes. It has two eyes located at the opposite side in head, which accordingly belongs to pre-metamorphosis stage. Melanophores are distributed on the dorsal and anal fin base on the right side (blind side), which is regarded as a useful identification key distinguishing C. azureus from congeneric species in their postlarval stage. A molecular analysis based on mitochondrial DNA COI sequences showed that our specimen was closely matched to adult C. azureus (K2P distance = 0.017). As there is no Korean name for the genus Crossorhombus in spite of presence of Crossorhombus kobensis and its Korean name “Go-be-dung-geul-neob-chi” in Korea, we proposed a new Korean name “Dung-geul-neob-chi-sog” for the genus Crossorhombus and “Pa-lang-dung-geul-neob-chi” for the species C. azureus.

The effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) coating in the presence of polyethyleneimine (PEI) of different molecular weights (MW) on the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of carbon fiber/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) and carbon fiber/epoxy composites was investigated. The IFSS between the carbon fiber and the polymer was evaluated by means of single fiber microbonding test. The results indicated that uses of the carbon fibers uncoated and coated with pristine, low MW PEI-treated, and high MW PEI-treated MWCNT significantly influenced the IFSS of both thermoplastic and thermosetting carbon fiber composites as well as the carbon fiber surface topography. The incorporation of low MW (about 1300) PEI into the carboxylated MWCNT was more effective not only to uniformly coat the carbon fiber with the MWCNT but also to improve the interfacial bonding strength between the carbon fiber and the polymer than that of high MW (about 25,000) PEI. In addition, carbon fiber/epoxy composite exhibited the IFSS much higher than carbon fiber/ABS composite due to the chemical interactions between the epoxy resin and amine groups existing in the PEI-treated MWCNT.

Doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor (dmrt) play crucial roles in sex determination and sex differentiation in vertebrates and invertebrates. Although dmrt genes have been identified in vertebrates, little is known about aquatic invertebrates. In this study, two dmrt genes, namely, Dc_dmrt93B and Dc_dmrt99B, were identified from brackish water flea, Diaphanosoma celebensis. Transcriptional changes were observed in the dmrt genes when the flea was exposed to bisphenol (BP), an endocrine disruptor. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses showed that both dmrt genes contained two conserved domains, namely, DM and DMA, closely clustered with those of Daphnia spp. Additionally, a significant increase in the Dc_dmrt99B mRNA expression level was observed upon exposure to intermediate concentrations of BP (bisphenol A>bisphenol S=bisphenol F, p<0.05), while the expression of Dc_dmrt93B mRNA was slightly modulated. These findings imply that the two dmrt genes may be involved in sex differentiation of D. celebensis. Furthermore, it was found that the ability of BP to modulate dmrt genes could affect development and reproduction. This study provides a basis for understanding the function of the dmrt genes and the molecular mode of action of BP in small crustaceans.

During the ichthyoplankton survey around the Chilsan Island (previously known as the biggest spawning ground of the Sciaenidae) in the southwestern sea of Korea from April to June in 2019 using ring nets, we collected a total of 12 individuals belonging to the family Sciaenidae. Using molecular methods, we identified five sciaenid species (Collichthys lucidus, Collichthys niveatus, Johnius grypotus, Nibea albiflora, and Pennahia argentata), and described and compared them on the basis of the preflexion larval stage. C. lucidus was well distinguished by the presence of occipital crests at preflexion stage. Although there were no occipital crests, preflexion larva of C. niveatus was distinguished by the absence of melanophore except for the upper part of the abdominal cavity. J. grypotus and N. albiflora were very similar morphologically, but were distinguished by myomere height (15.22-15.53% in J. grypotus vs. 11.66-12.78% in N. albiflora) in the percentage of notochord length, and eye diameter (32.58-33.37% in J. grypotus vs. 40.32-42.53% in N. albiflora) in the percentage of head length between specimens of similar size (J. grypotus: 3.22-3.23 mm, N. albiflora: 3.04-3.13 mm). P. argentata were distinguished by distribution of ventral caudal melanophore (one row of small spot in P. argentata vs. irregular patches on the central part of caudal in J. grypotus and N. albiflora). Comparative morphological studies using more diverse species must be conducted for more comprehensive understanding of the morphogenesis of Sciaenidae.