• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2001

This experiment was designed to improve the production efficiency of germ-line chimeric mice from phospholipase C (PLC)-$\beta$3 or peroxiredoxin (Prx) E -targeted ($\Delta$) ES cells by the investigating the manipulation conditions and characteristics of Jl ES cells. Four targeting clones were isolated to investigate the karyotypical and morphological stability prior to injection. All clones ($\Delta$PLC$\beta$-3 C3, $\Delta$Prx II C3, C10 and I5) showed more than 80% euploidism, however, most of $\Delta$PLC$\beta$-3 C3 clones were extensively differentiated compared to the other clones. Nine of 13 $\Delta$Prx II chimeras appeared to have at least 80% chimerism, whereas $\Delta$PLC$\beta$-3 C3 chimeras had 20% chimerism at most. Therefore, the morphological stability of ES cells under stable euploidism might mainly affect the production rate of high-coat chimeric mice. To increase the collection rate of injectable blastocysts (IBs), 5 to 10 week -aged C57BL/6J female mice were sacrificed at 3.5 days post-coitum. Ten week-aged mice were the most optimal IB donors by showing the highest collection rate (2.94/mouse) of injectable blastocysts without increase of non-injectable embryos (0.29/mouse). Foster mothers might be another factor because ICR x C57BL/6J F1 foster mother showed more increased productivity in litter size (2.8 vs. 5.6) and chimera (0 vs. 35.3%) than those of ICR foster mothers. In conclusion, the efficient production of germ-line chimeras mainly depends on the maintenance of ES cell morphology during targeting procedure, and the establishment of manipulation conditions might be a key point to maximize it.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1666-1672
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• 2003

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of an alumninosilicate clay, marketed under the trade name Biotite V, to improve growing-finishing pig performance and to determine its effects on nutrient digestibility and excretion. Sixty crossbred pigs (22.3${\pm}2.7kg$, Camborough 15 Line female${\times}$Canabred sire) were assigned on the basis of sex, weight and litter to one of four dietary treatments in a $2{\times}4$ (two sexes and four treatments) factorial design experiment. The experimental diets were based on barley and soybean meal and contained 0, 0.25, 0.5 or 0.75% biotite during the growing period (22.3-60.5 kg) and 0, 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5% biotite during the finishing period (60.5-110.3 kg). Each pig was allowed access to its own individual feeder for 30 min twice daily (07:00 and 15:00 h). Individual pig body weight, feed consumption and feed conversion were recorded weekly. The pigs were slaughtered at a commercial abattoir when they reached an average weight of 110.3 kg. Carcass weight was recorded and dressing percentage calculated. Carcass fat and lean measurements were obtained with a Destron PG 100 probe between the 3rd and 4th last ribs, 70 mm of the midline. Total tract digestibility coefficients for dry matter, energy, nitrogen and phosphorus were determined using three males and three females per treatment starting at an average weight of $52.2{\pm}3.8kg$. These pigs were housed under identical conditions as those used in the growing stage and were fed the same diets modified only by the addition of 0.5% chromic oxide as a digestibility marker. Over the entire experimental period (22.3-110.3 kg), daily gain was unaffected (p>0.05) by the inclusion of biotite in the diet. There was a cubic response for feed intake (p=0.06) and a quadratic response (p=0.07) for feed conversion due to biotite. Feeding biotite produced no significant (p>0.05) linear or quadratic effects on any of the carcass traits measured. Dry matter digestibility decreased linearly (p=0.02) with increasing levels of biotite in the diet. However, digestibility coefficients for energy, nitrogen and phosphorus were unaffected (p<0.05) by biotite inclusion. Lactobacilli and enterobacteria numbers were unaffected by inclusion of biotite while Salmonella was not detected in any of the fecal samples. The overall results of this experiment indicate that biotite inclusion did not reduce fecal excretion of nitrogen or phosphorus and failed to improve nutrient digestibility. Neither growth rate nor carcass quality was improved while a modest improvement in feed conversion was observed at lower levels of inclusion. Based on the results of this experiment, it would be difficult to justify the routine inclusion of biotite in diets fed to grower-finisher pigs. Whether or not a greater response would have been obtained with pigs of a lower health status is unknown.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.477-484
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• 2002

Ninety pre-puberal (6-7 months) female and 15 pre-puberal male Black Bengal goats were collected on the basis of their phenotypic characteristics from different parts of Bangladesh. Goats were reared under semi-intensive management, in permanent house. The animals were vaccinated against Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR), drenched with anthelmentics and deeped in 0.5% Melathion solution. They were allowed to graze 6-7 h along with supplemental concentrate and green forages. Concentrates were supplied either 200-300 g/d (low level feeding) or quantity that supply NRC (1981) recommended nutrient (high level of feeding). Different physiological, productive and reproductive characteristics of the breed were recorded. At noon (temperature=$95^{\circ}F$ and light intensity=60480 LUX) rectal temperature and respiration rate of adult male and female increased from 100.8 to $104.8^{\circ}F$ and 35 to 115 breath/min, indicated a heat stress situation. Young female attain puberty at an average age and weight of 7.2$\pm$0.18 months and 8.89$\pm$0.33 kg respectively. Mean age and weight at 1st kidding were 13.5$\pm$0.49 months and 15.3$\pm$0.44 kg respectively. It required 1.24-1.68 services per conception with an average gestation length of 146 days. At low level of feeding the postpartum estrus interval was 37$\pm$2.6 days, which reduced (p<0.05) with high feeding level to 21$\pm$6.9 days. Kidding interval also reduced (p<0.05) from 192 d at low feeding level to 177 d at high feeding level. On an average there were two kiddings/doe/year. Average litter sizes in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th parity were 1.29, 1.71, 1.87 and 2.17 respectively. Birth weights of male and female kids were 1.24 and 1.20 kg respectively, which increased (p<0.05) with better feeding. Although kid mortality was affected (p<0.05) by dam's weight at kidding, birth weight of kid, milk yield of dam, parity of kidding, season of birth, but pre-netal dam's nutrition found to be the most important factor. Kid mortality reduced from 35% at low level of feeding to 6.5% at high level of feeding of dam during gestation. Apparently, this was due to high (p<0.05) average daily milk yield (334 vs. 556 g/d) and heavier and stronger kid at birth at high feeding level.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.1610-1615
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• 2001

Three studies were conducted to determine the effect of sex on pre- and post-weaning performance of pigs. These studies were conducted in response to observations that female pigs appear to grow faster than male pigs after weaning. In addition, female pigs have been found to grow faster than male pigs when supplied with supplemental milk before weaning. The aims of the present work were to further characterise the ontogeny of sex differences growth of nursing and growing pigs. In the first study, piglets sucking 32 sows were crossfostered to produce litters of 10 boars (n=9), 10 gilts (n=l 1) or 5 boars and 5 gilts (n=12). Liveweight of the sucking pigs was then measured weekly until weaning at 4 weeks of age. In the second study, 80 boars and 80 gilts were weaned at 26 days of age and growth performance measured until 21 days post-weaning. In the third experiment, 40 boars and 40 gilts were weaned into groups of 5 pigs at either 17 or 25 days of age and pigs were weighed until they were approximately 90 kg liveweight. All-boar litters grew more slowly than the all-gilt and mixed litters such that by 14 days of age the all-boar litters were 10% lighter than the all-gilt or mixed litters (39 vs. 43.8 kg, p=0.050). The proportional difference in litter weight appeared to be maintained at 21 days of age (53.9 vs. 59.4 kg, p=0.063) but was diminished by 28 days of age (66.5 vs. 70.8 kg, p=0.28). In the second study, gilts grew more quickly than boars over the first 7 and 21 days post-weaning and as a consequence were 10% heavier than boars at 21 days after weaning (13.7 vs 12.48 kg, p=0.001). In the third study, gilts grew more quickly than boars in the immediate 7 days post-weaning (40 vs. 5 g/day, p=0.014) whereas from 7 until 35 days post-weaning there was no significant difference in growth rate (381 vs. 360 g/day, p=0.19). Gilts also grew more quickly than boars over the 14 days after being moved into the grower (631 vs. 570 g/day, p=0.013) and finisher (749 vs. 688 g/day, p=0.038) sheds. However, these differences were not maintained over the entire period in each shed. These data support the hypotheses that gilts handle the stresses of weaning and other transitions better than boars.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.363-370
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• 2014

Various ecosystem carry out fundamental function of material circulation and energy flow through interrelationship with many environmental factors. Therefore, it is crucial to scientifically understand the value of nature to deduce correlation between environmental factor and change of ecosystem function. In this study, we determined the accumulated ecosystem carbon and characteristics of soil respiration on grassland vegetation in Namahangang basin in Namhangang Basin. It was found that the rate of soil respiration was highly correlated with the soil temperature in all communities. The measured soil respiration rates were $1,539mgCO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$, $1,200mgCO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$, $1,215mgCO_2\;m^{-2}h^{-1}$ in Miscanthus sacchariflorus, Phragmites japonica, Salix koreensis communities, respectively. Also, carbon quantities accumulated in litter and soil layers were $40.6tCha^{-1}$ (1.9+38.7), $46.9tCha^{-1}$ (43.0+3.9), $31.2tCha^{-1}$ (28.9+2.3) in M. sacchariflorus, P. japonica, S. koreensis communities, respectively.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 2022

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of dietary glucose oxidase (GOD), catalase (CAT), or both supplementation on reproductive performance, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in sows. Methods: A total of 104 multiparous sows were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 26) with each group given a basal diet, basal diet plus GOD at 60 U/kg, basal diet plus CAT at 75 U/kg, and basal diet plus GOD at 60 U/kg and CAT at 75 U/kg. Sows were fed the experimental diets throughout gestation and lactation. Results: Dietary GOD supplementation increased average daily feed intake of sows and litter weight at weaning (p<0.05). Dietary CAT supplementation reduced the duration of parturition, stillbirth, and piglet mortality and increased growth performance of weaned piglets (p<0.05). Dietary GOD and CAT supplementation enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities and lessened oxidative stress product levels in plasma of sows and elevated antioxidant capacity of 14-day milk and plasma in weaned piglets (p<0.05). Dietary GOD supplementation increased fecal Lactobacillus counts and reduced Escherichia coli counts of sows (p<0.05). Compared with the basal diet, the GOD diet reduced fecal Escherichia coli counts of sows, but the addition of CAT did not reduce Escherichia coli counts in the GOD diet. Dietary GOD and CAT supplementation reduced the apoptosis rate of the liver, endometrium, and ovarian granulosa cells in sows (p<0.05). In the liver, uterus, and ovary of sows, the mRNA expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 was downregulated by dietary GOD and CAT supplementation (p<0.05). Conclusion: Dietary GOD and CAT supplementation could improve the antioxidant capacity of sows and weaned piglets, and alleviate hepatic, ovarian and uterine apoptosis by weakening apoptosis-related gene expression. Glucose oxidase regulated fecal microflora of sows, but supplementation of CAT to GOD could weaken the inhibitory effect of GOD on fecal Escherichia coli.