The insecticidal activities of 27 different commercial products with environmentally friendly organic material (EFOM) against Scotinophara lurida, a major rice pest, were evaluated in the laboratory using spraying methods on plants and insects. Seven plant-derived organic farming materials (EFOM-8, -10, -12, -13, -19, -20, and -26) with high insecticidal effects when sprayed directly on the insect’s body rather than on the plant were selected. In the indoor rice pot test, all 7 EFOMs showed an insecticidal rate of over 73.3% under irrigated conditions. Notably, EFOM-13 and EFOM-20 demonstrated much higher insecticidal rates, ranging from 1.5 to 1.8 times, in irrigated conditions compared to drained conditions. In the semi-paddy field test, EFOM-10 (80% garlic extract), EFOM- 13 (62% neem extract), and EFOM-26 (70% sophora extract+28% ethyl alcohol+2% pyrethrum extract) exhibited a higher control value of 88.9% in the irrigated paddy on the 7th day, surpassing the control values in the drained paddy by 1.4 to 1.9 times. The control value in the irrigated rice paddy field sprayed with EFOM-10 reached 86.2% on the 7th day, which was 1.4 times higher than 61.9% in the drained paddy. Taken together, the findings suggest that direct contact of the insect’s body with sufficient amounts of spray solution and the maintenance of paddy irrigation can enhance the controlling effect of EFOMs. These findings will be valuable in developing an optimal S. luridacontrol strategy for application in rice paddy fields in the near future.

남강댐 하류역에 위치한 사천만, 진주만, 강진만에서 가화천 방류에 따른 담수 배제의 분배 특성을 평가하기 위하여 입자추적 수치실험을 실험하였다. 가화천을 통해 3개의 방류조건(무방류, 강우시 방류, 홍수시 방류)에서 입자 1000개를 투여하여 노량수도, 대방수 도, 창선해협으로 빠져나가는 입자의 수를 비교하였다. 가화천을 통한 방류량이 늘어날수록 노량수도로의 입자 분배율이 증가하고, 대방 수도로의 분배율이 감소하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 즉, 평소에는 가화천 하류에 위치한 물질의 약 95%가 대방수도를 통해 빠져나가다 가, 강우에 의해 남강댐의 방류량이 증가하면서 노량수도로의 분배율이 증가하며, 홍수시에는 노량수도로의 입자 분배율이 45.5% 까지 증가하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

Nowadays, artificial intelligence model approaches such as machine and deep learning have been widely used to predict variations of water quality in various freshwater bodies. In particular, many researchers have tried to predict the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in inland water, which pose a threat to human health and aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, the objective of this study were to: 1) review studies on the application of machine learning models for predicting the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms and its metabolites and 2) prospect for future study on the prediction of cyanobacteria by machine learning models including deep learning. In this study, a systematic literature search and review were conducted using SCOPUS, which is Elsevier’s abstract and citation database. The key results showed that deep learning models were usually used to predict cyanobacterial cells, while machine learning models focused on predicting cyanobacterial metabolites such as concentrations of microcystin, geosmin, and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) in reservoirs. There was a distinct difference in the use of input variables to predict cyanobacterial cells and metabolites. The application of deep learning models through the construction of big data may be encouraged to build accurate models to predict cyanobacterial metabolites.

Freshwater jellyfish, a type of jellyfish exclusively found in freshwater, has a limited number of species but is found globally. However, their ecology and causes of occurrence are largely unknown. Therefore, understanding the distribution of polyps, which produce the larvae of freshwater jellyfish, can provide important data for comprehending their ecology. This study aims to explore the COI gene of freshwater jellyfish using environmental DNA from the microbial film in the Miho River system. Among the 12 survey points in the Miho River watershed, genetic material of freshwater jellyfish was detected in 8 points, mainly located upstream near reservoirs. These genetic materials were identified as genes of the well-known freshwater jellyfish species, Craspedacusta sowerbii. Notably, the C. sowerbii genes found in the Miho River watershed survey points were closely related to a species previously discovered in Italy. Consequently, utilizing environmental DNA to explore the genetic traces of freshwater jellyfish enables rapid screening of areas with a high likelihood of freshwater jellyfish occurrence. This approach is deemed to provide crucial information for understanding the distribution and ecology of freshwater jellyfish in Korea.

The aquarium pet trade is a source of potentially invasive crayfish species, which can be subsequently intentionally or unintentionally introduced into new environments. There were 34 species of freshwater crayfish imported into Korea for ornamental purposes. Starting with 1 species in 2008, it shows a trend of continuous increase every year with the maximum of 25 species in 2020. The number of freshwater crayfish imported into Korea for ornamental purposes was 1,172,159, with an annual average of 78,144 being imported. The population also recorded a record high in 2017 with a 38% increase in population imports compared to the previous year. Among the 34 pet crayfish imported into Korea, four species classified as high-risk and managed in the US and Europe were American crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), Cherax quadricarinatus, Cherax cainii, and Cherax destructor. In addition to American crayfish (P. clarkii), 3 types of high-risk invasive crayfish are designated as legally managed species by conducting an ecological risk assessment, raising awareness among importers, retailers and consumers through awareness-raising education on freshwater crayfish, and measures for route management such as species identification and improvement of labeling methods are needed.

The medium-large cladoceran species Simocephalus spp. predominantly occur in habitats with developed aquatic vegetation. Accordingly, due to Simocephalus’ high contribution to zooplankton community biomass in the lake’s littoral zone and wetland habitats, estimating their biomass is important to understand the matter cycling based on biological interactions within the aquatic food web. In this study, we reviewed the length-weight regression equations used previously to estimate Simocephalus biomass, directly measured S. serrulatus’ body specification (length, width and area) and their biomass (dry weight) using instruments such as a microscopic digital camera and a microscale, and performed regression analysis between each other. When S. serrulatus biomass was estimated using the equation (Kawabata and Urabe, 1998) presented in 『Biomonitoring Survey and Assessment Manual』, Korea, errors between estimates and measures were relatively large compared to the S. serrulatus species-specific biomass estimate equation developed by Lemke and Benke (2003). In addition, both equations showed not only increasing trends in error (estimate-measure) with increasing S. serrulatus’ body length, but also in error variance among similar-sized individuals. The results of regression analysis with dry weight by body specifications indicated that the most appropriate equation for estimating the biomass of S. serrulatus was derived from the width-dry weight exponential regression equation (R2=0.9555). The review and development study of such species-specific biomass estimation equations for zooplankton can be used as a tool to understand their role and function in aquatic ecosystem food webs.

Freshwater and brackish blue-green algae were collected at 43 freshwater and brackish sites (including lakes, ponds, swamps, streams, and rivers and estuaries) throughout South Korea from March 2017 to October 2018, and were identified using light microscopy. A total 223 taxa in freshwater and 230 taxa in brackish waters in 2017 and 274 taxa in fresh and brackish waters in 2018 were identified and among them, 20 taxa were unreported taxa of blue-green algae in Korea; The new recorded taxa were Aphanocapsa marina, Calothrix fusca f. durabilis, Calothrix littoralis, Calothrix parva, Chamaesiphon minimus, Chroococcidiopsis cubana, Chroococcidiopsis fissurarum, Coelosphaerium aerugineum, Dolichospermum mendotae, Eucapsis alpine, Gomphosphaeria cordiformis, Gomphosphaeria natans, Merismopedia danubiana, Lynbya aestuarii var. gaditana, Tolypothrix tenuis, Pseudocapsa maritima, Pseudocapsa sphaerica, Pseudophormidium tenue, Trichodesmus sp. and Woronichinia elorantae.

Targeting Microcystin (MC), which is most abundantly detected in the North-Han River water area, we analyzed the relationship between the MC biosynthesis gene (mcyA gene), cyanobacteria cell density, and MC concentration, derived an RNA-MC conversion formula, and derived the cyanobacteria. The concentration of MC present in cells was predicted. In the North-Han River waters, the mcyA gene was found mainly at downstream sites of the North-Han River after Muk-Hyeon Stream junction, and higher copy numbers were found on average than other sites. In the Uiam Lake waters upstream of the North-Han River, the mcyA gene copy number increased at the Kong-Ji Stream point, and after September, the mcyA gene copy number decreased throughout the North-Han River waters. The expression of the mcyA gene was concentrated in the short period of summer due to the spatio-temporal difference between upstream and downstream water bodies. The mcyA gene expression level was not only highly correlated with MC concentration, but also correlated with the cell density of Microcystis aeruginosa and Dolichospermum circinale, which are known to biosynthesize MC. Six conversion formulas derived based on the RNA-MC relationship showed statistical significance (p<0.05) and exhibited high correlation coefficients (r) of 0.9 or higher. The expression level of MC biosynthesis gene present in eRNA determines the synthesis of cyanotoxin substances in water, quickly quantifies gene activity, and can be fully utilized for early warning of MC development.

무삼투압차 역삼투압(Δπ= 0)은 KAIST H. N. Chang 명예교수가 2013년 발명, 2014년 미국 특허 출원, 2018년 특 허 취득(US 9,950,297) 해수담수화기술. Chang 등의 RO 기술은 삼투압 조정조와 저압 역삼투압의 2 챔버로 구성. Chang 등은 소금물을 비롯한 모든 수용액은 물과 용질(소금)로 완전 분리 가능 주장. 삼투압차 조정조, 저압 역삼투압조 2 챔버로 구성됨. 고농도 용액의 삼투압은 1908년 미국화학회지 출간된 MIT G. N. Lewis식 이용. 두 번째 특허(US 10,953,3367)에서 RO가 10~12 bar 저 삼투압차 수행 가능 증명. 세 번째 특허(Korea 10-2322755, 해외 출원 중) Singularity ZERO 활용하면 기존 RO 에 비해 물은 50% 추가, 막 면적은 1/3, 이론에너지는 1/5, 동일 용량의 S-ZERO 기술은 기존 RO 건설비의 50~60%로 예측됨.

Recently microplastic (MP) biofilm is being attracted as an important environmental issue because it can act as a pollutant carrier in aqueous system. Therefore, this study investigated the MP biofilm communities originated from freshwater. The results showed the bacterial community structure of MP biofilm was distinctively different from the freshwater regardless of biofilm-forming condition and MP type. For MP biofilm communities exposed to raw freshwater, Solimonas variicoloris-like microbe, Frigidibacter albus-like microbe, Nitrospirillum amazonense-like microbe, and Pseudochroococcus couteii-like microbe became abundant, while Acinetobacter johnsonii, Macellibacteroides fermentans, and Sedimentibacter acidaminivorans-like microbe were found as major bacteria for MP biofilm communities exposed to organic rich condition. The results of this study suggest that the unique freshwater biofilm community could be formed on the MP surface.

모든 인구 계층에 저렴한 비용으로 깨끗한 물의 수요를 충족시키는 것은 해결해야 할 세계적인 문제이다. 막 분 리 공정을 통한 해수 및 기수의 탈염은 효율이 높고 확립된 방법이다. 그러나 막 분리 공정은 막 오염, 제거된 오염물의 처리, 그리고 자본집약적 공정이라는 본질적인 문제가 있다. 전기투석은 전위차가 구동력인 막 기반 분리 공정이다. 전기투석막의 장점은 뛰어난 효율과 저렴한 운영 비용이다. 전기투석공정에서 사용되는 이온교환막은 장기간 효율을 잃지 않기 위해 내화 학성과 내열성, 그리고 기계적 안정성이 필요하다. 이 때, 전기투석막의 이온교환용량은 이온교환막의 전도도에 따라 크게 달 라진다. 본 리뷰에서는 이온 전도도과 안정성을 향상시키기 위한 양이온 교환막과 음이온 교환막의 개조를 중점적으로 논의 하였다.