• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.195-205
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine effects of probiotics on performance, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention in Korean black goats fed two diets differing in forage to concentrate (F:C) ratio (30:70 and 70:30), for the establishment of their more efficient feeding management system. The probiotics employed in this trial were mixtures of different microbial species, which consisted of Lactobacillus casei, Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus oryzae and Streptomyces griseus. Additional levels of probiotics to each F:C ratio (70:30 or 30:70) were 0 and 0.2%, respectively. Thus, twelve Korean black male goats were allotted to treatments in four groups of three goats per treatment and then they were housed in individual metabolism cages with a randomized complete block design for 21 days. Dry matter (DM) intakes were not affected by dietary F:C ratio and probiotics. Digestible DM amounts were significantly (p<0.05) decreased with increasing levels of dietary forage, but they were not affected by probiotics addition. Dry matter intakes per metabolic body weight and their ratio per body weight had a similar trend to DM intakes with no significant difference by F:C ratio and probiotics addition. The nutrient digestibility was significantly (p<0.05) increased with decreasing levels of forage in the diet, but it was not affected by probiotics addition. Urinary nitrogen loss was significantly (p<0.05) decreased with decreasing levels of dietary forage, but there was no significant difference between probiotics-supplemented and unsupplemented groups within the same F:C ratio. On the contrary, nitrogen retention was decreased with increasing levels of dietary forage, and probiotics supplementation to two diets differing in F:C ratio showed slightly increasing trends in the nitrogen retention. From the above results, probiotics supplementation to two diets differing in F:C ratio did not have the significant influence on feed intakes, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention. Consequently, these parameters of Korean black goats were dominated rather by F:C ratio than by dietary probiotics.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 1972

Two-Cell mouse embryos were incubated in the anterior chamber of the rat eye, which has been known as the best place among other animals' for the mouse ovum maturation, in order to observe the capability of their early development. Within 120 hours after incubation, 71.0% of two-cell embryos have developed to the blastocysts in the male rat eye, while only 38.5% in the eye of the same mouse as donated two-cell embryos. Thus, the rat eye chamber provides more favourable environment to the embryos than the mouse itself. The results are consistent with those of the previous studies comparing the maturation of the mouse follicular oocytes in the mouse and the rat eye chamber. Although the aqueous humor which is filled in the anterior chamber of the eye is characterized by its specific properties, being of higher osmolarity, higher concentrations of ascorbic acid, pyruvate and lactate, but lower of proteins and lower temperature than those in blood or lymph serum, The embryos are able to under-take their cleavage as normal as in vivo or in vitro. Concerning with a number of studies in vitro on the development of the mouse embryos which are requiring a very limited condition, the fact that they are able to manage their further development under very different enviroment from our knowledges would provide us a moment to understand their behavior during the early development. The difference of the proportion of the developed blastocysts between in the mouse eye chamber and in the rat can possibly be resulted from the species specific difference in the physicochemical properties between their eye chambers. This assumption is based upon the findings by many investigators who chmpared the nature of the eye chamber of various animals. As a consequence, the rat eye chamber might consist of better properties for the embryonal growth than the mouse eye chamber. The mouse embryos cleaved with a delayed period. In normal development they complete almost the cleavage within 94 hours after fertilization. However, in the present studies, 81.1% of two-cell embryos developed to the blastocysts and the morula in 120 hours in the eye chamber, assumed to be about 154 hours after fertilization. Such delay in development would be caused mainly by the low temperature of the eye chamber. At present we can make two assumptions to explain the capability of the emtryonal development in the eye chambers. One is that the embryos would possess an ability to adapt themselves to the environment which provides unfavourable conditions. The other is that the embryos might remain for a certain duration in the eye chamber, which is filled with a new body fluid produced immediately after the loss of the aqueous humor and the fluid of which becomes similar to blood serum in component. The first assumption is highly reliable since the embryonal cells are mostly at the undifferentiated state and so they probably engage a simple metabolism during their early period. The second assumption is induced by the fact that the rabbit eye chamber produces a plasmoid humor which has mostly similar components to blood serum after loss of aqueous humor through cornea by puncturing. However, the plasmoid humor is substituted by the initial aqueous humor in eight hours. Even though this finding, production of the new fluid, could be applied to the rat eye, it is hardly reliabel that the plasmoid humor remains for such a long period as 120 hours. Consequently, the development of the embryos is more likely due to their adaptability to the new environment during their early developmental stages.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.14
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• pp.165-172
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• 1973

The sterile phenomenon is frequently found in the inter-species hybrids of ginseng as in other plants. It is known that among the hybrids between Panax Ginseng (PG) and Panax Quinquefolium (PQ), and between Panax Ginseng and Paxax Japonicus (PI), PG${\times}$PI is fertile only very rarely, while PG ${\times}$ PQ is always sterile. Therefore, in order to clarify the relationship between this sterility phenomenon and the metabolism of free amino acids, the changes of free amino acids through the formation of the flower organs and seeds of two hybrids, PG ${\times}$ PQ and PG ${\times}$ PI were investigated by thin layer chromatography. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Distinct differences in the quantity and number of free amino acids were recognized between PG ${\times}$ PQ, PG ${\times}$ PI and their parent plants. From the hybrid PG ${\times}$ PQ, 19 kinds of ninhyrin sensitive substances were detected in all. They were (1) 17 amino acids: alanine, valine, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, hydroxy-proline, serine, threonine, tyrosine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, lysine, arginine, ${\gamma}$-amino butyric acid, ${\beta}$-alanine, cysteic acid and tryptophan, and (2) two amides: asparagine and glutamine. From the hybrid PG ${\times}$ PI, in addition to the above 19 substances, methionine and one unknown substance were detected. 2. Generally, alanine, as partie acid, glutamic acid, cysteic acid and asparagine were detected in large amounts in the two hybrids as in PG, PG and PJ but it was a noticeable fact concerning these two hybrids that the largest quantity of asparagine was found at microspore satge and pollen mature stage. 3. The decrease of cysteic acid in the two hybrids at the red ripened stage was the same as in PQ and PJ but opposite to the change in PG. The detection of methionine in PG ${\times}$ PJ was worthy of notice. 4. The change of proline was conspicuously different from that in their parent plants. It was detected as a trace of color at the micros pore stage while asparagine was detected in the greatest amount at that time. It is well known that the quantity of proline is closely related to the sterility of plant. This fact was also found true in the formation of ginseng seeds. It was reported as well that asparagine accumulated when proline decreased. 5. The deficiency of proline seemed to be closely related with the sterility of hybrids and with the degradation of pollen in anther. 6. The difference in the changes of free amino acids between the selfed lines of PG, PQ and PJ, and their hybrids seemed to be caused by the transformation of gene-action system by hybridization. On these phenomena along with proline metabolim and its physiological role in seed formation further studies are required.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.399-408
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• 2021

Natural soil was artificially contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn), and the movement of earthworm was characterized in real time using the ViSSET system composed of vibration sensor and the other components. The manifestation mechanism of ecological toxicity of heavy metals was interpreted based on the accumulative frequency of earthworm movement obtained from the real-time monitoring as well as the conventional indices of earthworm behavior, such as the change in body weight before and after tests and biocumulative concentrations of each contaminant. The results showed the difference in the earthworm movement according to the species of heavy metal contaminants. In the case of Cd, the earthworm movement was decreased with increasing its concentration and then tended to be increased. The activity of earthworm was severely increased with increasing Pb concentration, but the movement of earthworm was gradually decreased with increasing Zn concentration. The body weight of earthworm was proved to be greatly decreased in the Zn-contaminated soil, but it was similarly decreased in Cd- and Pb-contaminated soils. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) was higher in the sequence of Cd > Zn > Pb, and particularly the biocumulative concentration of Pb did not show a clear tendency according to the Pb concentrations in soil. It was speculated that Cd is accumulated as a metallothionein-bound form in the interior of earthworm for a long time. In particular, Cd has a bad influence on the earthworm through the critical effect at its higher concentrations. Pb was likely to reveal its ecotoxicity via skin irritation or injury of sensory organs rather than ingestion pathway. The ecotoxicity of Zn seemed to be manifested by damaging the cell membranes of digestive organs or inordinately activating metabolism. Based on the results of real-time monitoring of earthworm movement, the half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of Pb was estimated to be 751.2 mg/kg, and it was similar to previously-reported ones. The study confirmed that if the conventional indices of earthworm behavior are combined with the results of newly-proposed method, the mechanism of toxicity manifestation of heavy metal contaminants in soils is more clearly interpreted.