• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.1433-1437
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• 2007

Two field trials were carried out to evaluate the performance of a soluble glass copper, cobalt and selenium bolus for maintaining adequate levels of the three trace elements in yaks. Forty yaks were used in trial 1 and 60 yaks were used in trial 2. In each trial two commercial soluble glass boluses were administered to half of the yaks. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein at day 0, 30, 60, 90 in trial 1 and at day 0, 45, 75 and 105 in trial 2. The samples were analysed for copper status (serum caeruloplasmin activity and copper concentration), cobalt status (serum vitamin $B_{12}$ concentration and cobalt concentration), selenium status (erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity and selenium concentration) and serum zinc concentration. The erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activities, serum caeruloplasmin activities and serum vitamin $B_{12}$ concentrations for trial 1 and 2 were all significantly increased for the bolused yaks (p<0.001 or p<0.01) on all sampling days. The bolused yaks had a significantly higher selenium and copper status in serum than the control yaks on all sampling days in trial 1 and 2 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). There were no significant differences in zinc and cobalt concentrations between the bolused yaks and the controls.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1194-1198
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• 2005

A computer vision system was designed and validated to recognize an individual Holstein cattle by processing images of their body patterns. This system involves image capture, image pre-processing, algorithm processing, and an artificial neural network recognition algorithm. Optimum management of individuals is one of the most important factors in keeping cattle healthy and productive. In this study, an image-processing system was used to recognize individual Holstein cattle by identifying the body-pattern images captured by a charge-coupled device (CCD). A recognition system was developed and applied to acquire images of 49 cattles. The pixel values of the body images were transformed into input data comprising binary signals for the neural network. Images of the 49 cattle were analyzed to learn input layer elements, and ten cattles were used to verify the output layer elements in the neural network by using an individual recognition program. The system proved to be reliable for the individual recognition of cattles in natural light.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.335-341
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• 2003

Carcass weight and backfat thickness are two of important elements in determining the carcass trait in pigs and are studied on animal genetics, nutrition, and endocrinology. Growth factors stimulate or inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of various cells. In particular, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), transforming growth factor (TGF)-$\beta$, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) are involved in the growth and maintenance of muscle. Also, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) and cortisol are known to be related to the obesity and subcutaneous fat depth in pigs. Therefore, this study was performed to relate growth factors (IGFs, TGF-${\beta}1$, and EGF) and hormones (cortisol and DHEA-S) concentrations at antemortem and postmortem periods to carcass traits including carcass weight and backfat thickness. Blood and m. Longissimus were collected in pigs at antemortem (30 days before slaughter) and postmortem periods. After slaughtered, carcass weight and backfat thickness were measured. Growth factors and hormones in serum and m. Longissimus were measured by radioimmunoassay or enzyme-linked imuunosorbent assay. Before antemortem period, serum IGF-I and -II concentrations were positively correlated with the carcass weight and backfat thickness in gilts, and the concentrations of TGF- ${\beta}1$ and cortisol in barrows show the correlation with only carcass weight. Also, the positive correlations of muscular IGFs and TGF-${\beta}1$ at postmortem 45 min with the carcass weight and backfat thickness were detected. Consequently, these results suggest that the serum and muscular endocrine factors are involved in the carcass weight and backfat thickness in pigs.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.243-246
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• 2001

Human endoqenous retroviral long terminal repeats (LTRs) have been found to be coexpressed with sequences of genes closely located nearby. It has been suggested that the LTR elements have contributed to structural changes or genetic variations of human genome connected to various diseases and evolution. Using cDNA library derived from placenta tissue, we performed PCR amplification and identified five new HERV-W LTR elements. Those LTR elements showed a high degree of sequence similarity (98-99%) with HERV-W LTR (AF072500). A phylogenetic tree obtained by the neighbor-joining method revealed that HERV-W LTR elements could be mainly divided into two groups through evolutionary divergence. Five new HERV-W LTR elements (pla-1, 4, 5, 6, 7) belonged to the group I with AX000960, AF072504, and AF072506 from GenBank database. The data suggest that several copy numbers of the HERV-W LTR elements are transcribed in placenta and may contribute to the understanding of biological function such as human placental morphogenesis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.421-427
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• 2012

The production of therapeutic proteins from transgenic animals is one of the most important successes of animal biotechnology. Milk is presently the most mature system for production of therapeutic proteins from a transgenic animal. Specifically, ${\beta}$-casein is a major component of cow, goat and sheep milk, and its promoter has been used to regulate the expression of transgenic genes in the mammary gland of transgenic animals. Here, we cloned the porcine ${\beta}$-casein gene and analyzed the transcriptional activity of the promoter and intron 1 region of the porcine ${\beta}$-casein gene. Sequence inspection of the 5'-flanking region revealed potential DNA elements including SRY, CdxA, AML-a, GATA-3, GATA-1 and C/EBP ${\beta}$. In addition, the first intron of the porcine ${\beta}$-casein gene contained the transcriptional enhancers Oct-1, SRY, YY1, C/EBP ${\beta}$, and AP-1, as well as the retroviral TATA box. We estimated the transcriptional activity for the 5'-proximal region with or without intron 1 of the porcine ${\beta}$-casein gene in HC11 cells stimulated with lactogenic hormones. High transcriptional activity was obtained for the 5'-proximal region with intron 1 of the porcine ${\beta}$-casein gene. The ${\beta}$-casein gene containing the mutant TATA box (CATAAAA) was also cloned from another individual pig. Promoter activity of the luciferase vector containing the mutant TATA box was weaker than the same vector containing the normal TATA box. Taken together, these findings suggest that the transcription of porcine ${\beta}$-casein gene is regulated by lactogenic hormone via intron 1 and promoter containing a mutant TATA box (CATAAAA) has poor porcine ${\beta}$-casein gene activity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.726-732
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of maintenance system as well as the effect of Se, Zn, and vitamin E supplementation of ram-lambs on the slaughter value and concentration of mineral elements in the loin muscle of lambs. The experiment was conducted on 72 Polish Merino ram-lambs divided into three groups: group C, indoor with no supplement, 19 lambs; S, indoor with supplement, 23 lambs; G, outdoor with no supplement, 30 lambs. From birth all the lambs were maintained indoor with their dams and then weaned at the age of 8 weeks. The rams from group C and S were placed in individual straw-bedded pens and fattened individually with concentrate mixture offered ad libitum until the age of 16 weeks. The lambs from group G were grazed every day from May to July (2 months). During the fattening period each lamb from the supplemented group S was administered per os 1 mL 0.1% $Na_2SeO_4$ (Se, 0.42 mg), 3 mL 10% $ZnSO_4$ (Zn, 68 mg), and 1 mL premix protect vitamin E (0.1 g ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, 5 mg lysine, 5 mg methionine) daily. A comparison of half carcasses across the groups has shown no difference between the control group and the one with supplements, while the weight of half carcasses in the grazing group was smaller in comparison with groups C and S (p<0.001). The meat content in the pelvic limb showed no differences across all groups under study. The pelvic limb of grazing lambs contained less fat compared to the control and supplemented groups (p<0.001). The concentrations of Se and Zn in the blood plasma of ram-lambs from the supplemented group were significantly higher than for the control and grazing lambs. Inorganic Se and Zn supplementation with vitamin E to the diet of lambs increased Se and Zn levels in loin muscle (p<0.001) to $0.46{\mu}g/g$ and $32.9{\mu}g/g$ in fresh tissue, respectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1160-1167
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• 2017

Objective: To assess the effects of proteinate complex zinc (PC-Zn) on growth performance, antioxidative function, trace element concentrations and immune function in weaned piglets. Methods: Three hundred newly weaned barrows ($Duroc{\times}Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$), 28 days of age, were randomly allotted to 3 dietary groups of 5 replicate pens per group for 4 weeks of feeding. Experimental diets were: i) zinc deficient diet (ZnD, 24 mg/kg Zn supplementation from $ZnSO_4$), ii) inorganic Zn diet supplemented with 120 mg/kg of Zn from Zn sulfate ($ZnSO_4$), and iii) organic Zn diet supplemented with 120 mg/kg of Zn from PC-Zn. The body weight of pigs were recorded at the beginning, at the middle and at the end of the experiment, and the amount of feed supplied each day was recorded. Five barrows from each dietary treatment group were selected to be anesthetized and euthanized at the end of the trial to determine the Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn concentrations, the hepatic metallothionein content, the levels of methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA), Mn, and Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the spleen, the levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, interferon $(IFN)-{\gamma}$, $CD3^+$, $CD4^+$, and $CD8^+$ T lymphocyte. Results: The accumulation of Zn in the spleen, levels of SOD, GSH-Px, IL-4, IL-10, the proportions of $CD3^+$ and $CD4^+$ T lymphocyte, and the ratio of $CD4^+/CD8^+$ T lymphocyte were increased by organic Zn supplementation compared to ZnD, while the levels of MDA, $IFN-{\gamma}$, and proportion of $CD8^+$ T lymphocyte were lowered. Conclusion: These findings indicate that Zn can improve the antioxidant potential and immune functions of weaned piglets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1438-1442
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• 2003

A method for the determination of nitrogen in ruminant feedstuffs, products and excreta (e.g. milk and urine) using a spectrophotometer is developed, where samples processed for P determination are also used to determine N. Samples are digested with sulphuric acid and subsequently with hydrogen peroxide in Kjeldahl tubes. Digested solutions along with phenol and buffered alkaline hypochlorite reagents are incubated in a water bath at $37^{\circ}C$ for 30 min and presented in the spectrophotometer. The spectrophotometer set at 625 nm measures the concentration of N of each sample. Nitrogen in 261 of the samples was also determined by the classical Kjeldahl method in order to develop a relationship between N determined by the Kjeldahl method (Y) and the colorimetric method (X). The mean value of Y was as high as that of X (0.92 vs. 0.96; p>0.05). The colorimetric method predicted Kjeldahl N highly significantly (Y=0.985X-0.024, $R^2=0.993$, p<0.001; or more simply Y=0.974X, $R^2=0.993$, p<0.001). An analysis of regression found no difference (p>0.05; both t-test and F-test) between colorimetric (0.96% N) and adjusted (0.96% N) N. In comparison with the Kjeldahl method, the analytical capacity of N by colorimetric method increases greatly, where 200-300 determinations of N are possible in a working day. In addition, the system provides an opportunity to use not only the same digested solution for both N and P determination of a particular sample, but also uses the same spectrophotometer to assay both N and P. Therefore, the system may be attractive in situations where both elements of a sample are to be determined. In conclusion, the speed of N determination, low cost, efficient use of labour, time and reagents, fewer items of equipment, and the reduction of environmental pollution by reducing effluent and toxic elements are the advantages of this method of N determination.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.179-186
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• 1995

In the present study, nutritional status of some minerals in sheep grazed on native pasture was investigated in dry area, Ningxia district, of the People's Republic of China. Samples of some forages and blood of sheep were collected for two seasons, dry (March) and rainy (August) seasons. The Ca contents of forages (wheat straw, green-pea straw and some wild grasses) were relatively high as compared with that required ordinarily as standard, but on the contrary, the P content was much lower than that of standard. Consequently, Ca/P ratio was very high in cost of the roughages sampled in the region. Trace elements, Cu and Zn, content of forage samples were fairly low, and the contents of Mo and Fe were fairly high, particularly in some wild grasses, when the values were compared with that required normally. The Ca level in blood of sheep was in a range accepted as normal, and the other macro minerals(Mg and P) were contained at relatively high levels as compared with the values observed ordinarily, but not at a toxic level. With trace minerals, the plasma Fe level was extremely high as compared with the standard level, although there were no disorders due to toxicity, and Mo level in plasma was a little lower than the lower limit described as a normal. The plasma levels of other trace elements (Cu, Zn and Se) in all the animals were within the range accepted as normal. There would be no clear differences in mineral nutrition of sheep between dry and rainy seasons. These results could suggest that there is no severe unbalance and/or imbalance, and grazing sheep in the Ningxia area of midland China have no problems relating to the nutritional status of minerals.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was to propose a standardized method of retention enema by extracting elements associated with published experimental methods of retention enema. Methods: 1) Literature search (1) Data sources: Retrieval was made, using 'Enema' or 'Retention Enema' as search words in Medline, Cochrane library, KISS, RISS, and KDSL DB. (2) Study selection: Two authors excluded irrelevant papers and chose qualified abstracts from the rest of the papers. The chosen studies were reviewed fully by the authors so that they could screen the significant papers based on the exclusion criteria. (3) Data extraction: Data on the total number of subjects, the target disease, the animal species, the type, quality, length, and diameter of catheter, the insertion length of catheter, the sample, the sample volume, the process of retention enema and the number of retention enemas performed were extracted from the selected studies. 2) Performing preliminary experiments about the elements associated with experimental methods of retention enema. Results & Conclusions: The standardized experimental method is as follows: animal: 280-320g SD rat 1) inserting a rectal tube of 8 Fr that measures 8 cm into the animal's anus, 2) injecting herbal medicines at the volume of 6ml and 3) holding them for 10 minutes.