In recent years, sea hares (family Aplysiidae) have attracted growing interest as potential bioindicators for environmental research in coastal regions, although they are not yet as widely utilized as other marine organisms commonly found in these habitats. Sea hares exhibit several characteristics that make them promising candidates for local environmental monitoring: They are easy to sample, relatively small in size, and reside in sedentary coastal environments that are especially susceptible to pollution. Their grazing behavior also increases their potential for bioaccumulating environmental contaminants. While methodological standardization and regulatory frameworks for using sea hares in both field and laboratory studies are less developed compared to more established molluscan bioindicators, numerous studies have documented their ability to accumulate organic and inorganic pollutants. In addition, their physiological and behavioral responses, such as alterations in feeding, locomotion, and neural activity, offer valuable insights into the neurotoxic effects of environmental stressors. This review outlines the current ecotoxicological and environmental applications of sea hares and underscores the importance of integrating molecular and biochemical approaches to further establish their utility as a promising molluscan model. In particular, we emphasize their potential for site-specific assessments of contaminant exposure and ecological impact in coastal ecosystems. Despite certain limitations in their use as laboratory toxicity models, we hope this review encourages broader adoption of sea hares as effective bioindicators in coastal environmental monitoring and research.
Rising seawater temperatures pose a growing threat to the aquaculture of Pyropia yezoensis, a cold-water red seaweed widely cultivated in Korea, China and Japan. To address this challenge, this study investigated whether thermal resistance enhanced by treatment with Sargassum horneri extract (SHE) during the sporophyte stage is transmitted to the gametophyte stage. Sporophytes received treatments prepared by diluting a S. horneri extract (SHE) stock solution (10 g L⁻1, prepared from S. horneri powder on a dry weight basis) to final concentrations of 0, 0.001, 0.005, and 0.01 g L⁻1 in seawater, and were subsequently cultured into gametophytes, which were exposed to both normal (10℃) and elevated (20℃) temperatures. Physiological and biochemical analyses revealed that SHE-treated gametophytes exhibited enhanced growth, displayed reduced oxidative stress and increased antioxidant enzyme activity during heat stress. The optimal concentration (0.01 g L−1) maintained growth and stress response indicators at levels comparable to those observed under non-stress conditions. RNA sequencing further confirmed the upregulation of heat-responsive genes, including a SHE-specific small heat shock protein, suggesting potential epigenetic regulation. These findings demonstrate that SHE treatment during the sporophyte stage enhances thermal tolerance in the subsequent gametophyte generation. This cross-life-cycle effect presents a practical and sustainable strategy to improve heat resilience in P. yezoensis aquaculture under climate change.
1-deoxynojirimycin (1-DNJ) is an iminosugar biosynthesized from fructose-6-phosphate (F6P) by three biosynthetic enzymes such as aminotransferase (GabT1), phosphatase (Yktc1), and oxidoreductase (GutB1). Here, we expressed and purified GabT1, Yktc1, and GutB1 from Bacillus velezensis K26, whose genome sequence was previously analyzed, and subsequently characterized their biochemical properties and enzymatic roles in a one-pot in vitro reaction. In a one-pot reaction containing GabT1, Yktc1, and GutB1 with F6P as the substrate, LC-MS analysis revealed a major ion at m/z 162 corresponding to mannojirimycin (MJ)-dehydrate, whereas 1-deoxymannojirimycin and 1-DNJ were not detected. These results demonstrate that GabT1, Yktc1, and GutB1 function sequentially to catalyze the conversion of F6P into MJ-dehydrate under cell-free conditions, suggesting that additional enzymes, including an epimerase and a reductase, are required for the conversion of MJ to 1-DNJ. Overall, this work delineates the enzymatic sequence from F6P to MJ-dehydrate and provides direct biochemical validation of the initial 1-DNJ biosynthetic pathway, offering a basis for further studies on iminosugar biosynthesis.
A two-stage tandem process combining CO2 Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (CO2-FTS) with downstream zeolite upgrading provides a practical route for converting broad Anderson-Schulz-Flory (ASF)-type hydrocarbons into light olefins. In this study, hierarchical MFI zeolites with systematically tuned mesoporosity were synthesized using the amphiphilic organosilane [3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]hexadecyldimethylammonium chloride (TPHAC) and compared with commercial microporous ZSM-5 (Si/Al = 15). TPHAC preserved the MFI framework while increasing the external surface area and mesopore volume. The upstream K/Fe-Cu-Al catalyst produced a stable ASF-type hydrocarbon stream at 300 °C and 2.5 MPa. In the temperature-screening tandem reaction, TPHAC-4
Clustered semiconductor fabrication (CFAB) has recently been introduced in South Korea, connecting multiple FABs to meet the high demands of large-scale integration chip products. To make these FABs connected effectively, CFAB utilizes various types of interface modes (IMs) such as lifters and conveyors to transfer wafers between FABs. However, due to the operational algorithm limitations of IMs and the frequent wafer transfers between FABs to meet production requirements, traffic congestion among IMs often occurs unexpectedly. These instances of congestion can cause unpredictable traffic conditions in other IMs, making it more challenging to manage traffic in a CFAB. In this paper, we propose three analysis methods based on data mining and graph network analysis approaches to explore reciprocal relationships between IMs regarding traffic congestion and describe the reasons behind traffic congestion in each of them. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conduct numerical experiments using a dataset collected from the real-world CFAB in South Korea. The findings through experiment results suggest that most traffic congestion occurs in only a few specific IMs in the CFAB, indicating that managing these IMs can reduce overall traffic congestion. Moreover, we provide visual insights into managerial implications to support decision-making for enhancing IM operation performance and mitigating traffic congestion bottlenecks in complex CFAB environments.
