• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.103-114
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for habitat restoration by implementing a series of processes of capturing and translocating Kaloula borealis and managing them in artificial breeding facilities. The study site in Samcheon, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do was a waste landfill site in the past, and Kaloula borealis was found during the Samcheon Ecological River Restoration Project around March 2018. To restore the habitat, a plan was established to capture, translocate, artificially breed, and release Kaloula borealis at the site. The capture methods of adult Kaloula borealis were pitfall trap and drift fence, direct capture, and deep barrels. During 2018-2019, 86 adults of Kaloula borealis were captured and translocated to artificial breeding facilities. VIE-tagging was inserted under the skin for monitoring. For artificial breeding, Gryllus bimaculatus with oyster powder and vegetables were regularly supplied to feed Kaloula borealis. At the end of October 2020, 150 young Kaloula borealis raised in artificial breeding facilities were found not entering hibernation, so they were managed in a separate artificial breeding facility. Some young and adult Kaloula borealis currently hibernating will be scheduled to be continuously managed in artificial breeding facilities and released to the restored habitat in the spring of 2021.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.197-200
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• 2019

Cryptosporidium is a common intestinal protozoan that can lead to diarrhea in humans and dogs. The predominant species of infection are C. hominis and C. parvum in humans, and C. canis in dogs. However, C. canis can infect immunocompromised humans. Considering the close contact with humans, dogs have the potential to be reservoirs for human cryptosporidiosis. Breeding kennels are the major supply source of puppies for pet shops. The present study is to determine the molecular prevalence and characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. found in breeding kennel dogs. A total of 314 fecal samples were collected from young and adult dogs kept in 5 breeding kennels. A polymerase chain reaction targeting the small subunit rRNA gene was employed for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. To determine the species, the DNA sequences were compared to GenBank data. Overall, 21.0% of the fecal samples were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. infection. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in all 5 facilities. A sequencing analysis demonstrated that all isolates shared 99-100% similarity with C. canis. The results suggest that Cryptosporidium spp. infection is present at a high-level in breeding kennel dogs. However, because dominant species in this survey was C. canis, the importance of breeding kennel dogs as reservoirs for Cryptosporidium spp. transmission to humans is likely to be low in Japan.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.413-422
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• 2000

In the class of models which include random effects, the variance component estimates are important to obtain accurate predictors and estimators. Variance component estimation is straightforward for balanced data but not for unbalanced data. Since orthogonality among factors is absent in unbalanced data, various methods for variance component estimation are available. REML estimation is the most widely used method in animal breeding because of its attractive statistical properties. Recently, Bayesian approach became feasible through Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods with increasingly powerful computers. Furthermore, advances in variance component estimation with complicated models such as generalized linear mixed models enabled animal breeders to analyze non-normal data.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2010

The objectives of this study were to i) investigate genetic performance for linear type traits of individual Holstein dairy cows, especially focusing on comparative traits, and to estimate genetic variances for these traits using actual data, and ii) compare genetic performance and improvement of progeny by birth country of the cows. Linear type traits defined with five comparative traits on this study were general stature composite (GSC), dairy capacity composite (DCC), body size composite (BSC), foot and leg composite (FLC), and udder composite (UDC). These traits were scored from 1 to 6 with 1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, 4 = good plus, 5 = very good and 6 = excellent. Final scores (FS) were also included in this study. Data used was collected from the years 2000 to 2004 by the Korea Animal Improvement Association (KAIA). Only data of more than five tested cows by herd appraisal date and by sires having more than ten daughters were included to increase the reliability of the data analyses. A total of 30,204 records of the selected traits, which was collected from 26,701 individuals having pedigree information were used. Herd appraisal date, year of age, lactation stage (grouped by month), and time lagged for milking (in hours) were assumed as fixed effects on the model. Animal additive genetic effects considering pedigree relationship and residual errors were assumed with random effects. Year of age at appraisal date was classified from one to nine years of age, assigning the value of nine years of age for animals that were greater than or equal to nine years of age. From our results, the estimate for heritability was 0.463, 0.346, 0.473, 0.290, and 0.430 on GSC, DCC, BSC, FLC and UDC, respectively. The estimate for FS heritability was 0.539. The greatest breeding values for GSC were estimated for Canada, with the breeding values for American lines increasing for 10 years starting in 1989 but tending to decrease after that until 2004. For DCC, the breeding values for American and Canadian lines showed similar patterns until 1999, after which the breeding values for the American lines declined sharply. For BSC, data from Korea, Canada and the USA followed similar trends overall except when the breeding values of the American lines decreased starting in 1999. Overall, the methods used to evaluate genetic performance in this study were acceptable and allowed for the discovery of differences by country of genetic origin, likely due in part to the American use of selection indexes based primarily on milk yield traits until methods for evaluating other traits began to emerge.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.478-487
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• 2017

Soybean is the most important legume crop in the world. Several diseases in soybean lead to serious yield losses in major soybean-producing countries. Moreover, soybean can be infected by diverse viruses. Recently, we carried out a large-scale screening to identify viruses infecting soybean using available soybean transcriptome data. Of the screened transcriptomes, a soybean transcriptome for soybean seed development analysis contains several virus-associated sequences. In this study, we identified five viruses, including soybean mosaic virus (SMV), infecting soybean by de novo transcriptome assembly followed by blast search. We assembled a nearly complete consensus genome sequence of SMV China using transcriptome data. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the consensus genome sequence of SMV China was closely related to SMV isolates from South Korea. We examined single nucleotide variations (SNVs) for SMVs in the soybean seed transcriptome revealing 780 SNVs, which were evenly distributed on the SMV genome. Four SNVs, C-U, U-C, A-G, and G-A, were frequently identified. This result demonstrated the quasispecies variation of the SMV genome. Taken together, this study carried out bioinformatics analyses to identify viruses using soybean transcriptome data. In addition, we demonstrated the application of soybean transcriptome data for virus genome assembly and SNV analysis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.408-415
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• 2020

Objective: The aim of the paper was to compare the fit of data derived from daily automatic milking systems (AMS) and monthly test-day records with the use of lactation curves; data was analysed separately for primiparas and multiparas. Methods: The study was carried out on three Polish Holstein-Friesians (PHF) dairy herds. The farms were equipped with an automatic milking system which provided information on milking performance throughout lactation. Once a month cows were also subjected to test-day milkings (method A4). Most studies described in the literature are based on test-day data; therefore, we aimed to compare models based on both test-day and AMS data to determine which mathematical model (Wood or Wilmink) would be the better fit. Results: Results show that lactation curves constructed from data derived from the AMS were better adjusted to the actual milk yield (MY) data regardless of the lactation number and model. Also, we found that the Wilmink model may be a better fit for modelling the lactation curve of PHF cows milked by an AMS as it had the lowest values of Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, mean square error, the highest coefficient of determination values, and was more accurate in estimating MY than the Wood model. Although both models underestimated peak MY, mean, and total MY, the Wilmink model was closer to the real values. Conclusion: Models of lactation curves may have an economic impact and may be helpful in terms of herd management and decision-making as they assist in forecasting MY at any moment of lactation. Also, data obtained from modelling can help with monitoring milk performance of each cow, diet planning, as well as monitoring the health of the cow.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.467-475
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• 2015

Improvement for carcass traits related to beef quality is the key concern in beef production. Recent reports found that epigenetics mediates the interaction of individuals with environment and nutrition. The present study was designed to analyze the genetic effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven epigenetic-related genes (DNMT1, DNMT3a, DNMT3b, DNMT3L, Ago1, Ago2, and HDAC5) and two meat quality candidate genes (CAPN1 and PRKAG3) on fourteen carcass traits related to beef quality in a Snow Dragon beef population, and also to identify SNPs in a total of fourteen cattle populations. Sixteen SNPs were identified and genotyped in 383 individuals sampled from the 14 cattle breeds, which included 147 samples from the Snow Dragon beef population. Data analysis showed significant association of 8 SNPs within 4 genes related to carcass and/or meat quality traits in the beef populations. SNP1 (13154420A>G) in exon 17 of DNMT1 was significantly associated with rib-eye width and lean meat color score (p<0.05). A novel SNP (SNP4, 76198537A>G) of DNMT3a was significantly associated with six beef quality traits. Those individuals with the wild-type genotype AA of DNMT3a showed an increase in carcass weight, chilled carcass weight, flank thicknesses, chuck short rib thickness, chuck short rib score and in chuck flap weight in contrast to the GG genotype. Five out of six SNPs in DNMT3b gene were significantly associated with three beef quality traits. SNP15 (45219258C>T) in CAPN1 was significantly associated with chuck short rib thickness and lean meat color score (p<0.05). The significant effect of SNP15 on lean meat color score individually and in combination with each of other 14 SNPs qualify this SNP to be used as potential marker for improving the trait. In addition, the frequencies of most wild-type alleles were higher than those of the mutant alleles in the native and foreign cattle breeds. Seven SNPs were identified in the epigenetic-related genes. The SNP15 in CAPN1 could be used as a powerful genetic marker in selection programs for beef quality improvement in the Snow Dragon Beef population.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.143-150
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• 2006

The data were collected in the dairy herd improvement program from January 2000 to July 2005. Test data included 825,157 records of first parity and animals with both parents known were included. This study aimed to describe the effect of incomplete lactation records of latest generation to the change in sire's breeding value using Random Regression model (RRM) in genetic evaluation. Estimation of genetic parameter and breeding value for sire used REMLF90 and BLUPF90 program. The phenotypic value on the number of test day records between group TD11, TD8, TD5, TD2 showed no large differences. For all the group heritability of test day milk yield range from 0.30 to 0.36. However TD2 group showed low heritability the least test day recode on the latest generation. The correlation of above 50% between test day and TD11(0.610), TD8(0.616), TD5(0.661) and TD2(0.682) with different records in latest generation. Sire's rank of breeding value varied widely depending on the records on the number of lactation from start to the latest generation. Study showed that change in breeding value ranked if daughter's test recode more so it should have at least 5 test day records. The use of RRM in dairy cattle genetic evaluation would be desirable if complete lactation records for latest generation daughters of young bulls when selection for proven bulls. Random Regression model (RRM) require at least 5 test-day lactation recode.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.173-183
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether the methane (CH₄) to carbon dioxide (CO₂) ratio (CH₄/CO₂) and methane-related traits obtained by the sniffer method can be used as indicators for genetic selection of Holstein cows with lower CH₄ emissions. Methods: The sniffer method was used to simultaneously measure the concentrations of CH₄ and CO₂ during milking in each milking box of the automatic milking system to obtain CH₄/CO₂. Methane-related traits, which included CH₄ emissions, CH₄ per energy-corrected milk, methane conversion factor (MCF), and residual CH₄, were calculated. First, we investigated the impact of the model with and without body weight (BW) on the lactation stage and parity for predicting methane-related traits using a first on-farm dataset (Farm 1; 400 records for 74 Holstein cows). Second, we estimated the genetic parameters for CH₄/CO₂ and methane-related traits using a second on-farm dataset (Farm 2; 520 records for 182 Holstein cows). Third, we compared the repeatability and environmental effects on these traits in both farm datasets. Results: The data from Farm 1 revealed that MCF can be reliably evaluated during the lactation stage and parity, even when BW is excluded from the model. Farm 2 data revealed low heritability and moderate repeatability for CH₄/CO₂ (0.12 and 0.46, respectively) and MCF (0.13 and 0.38, respectively). In addition, the estimated genetic correlation of milk yield with CH₄/CO₂ was low (0.07) and that with MCF was moderate (-0.53). The on-farm data indicated that CH₄/CO₂ and MCF could be evaluated consistently during the lactation stage and parity with moderate repeatability on both farms. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the on-farm applicability of the sniffer method for selecting cows with low CH₄ emissions.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.325-334
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• 2013

The purpose of this paper is to compare and analyze family variations for growth-related traits of Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai. Genetic parameters and breeding values were estimated using all measurement data like shell length, shell width, and total weight as 18-month-old growth traits of 5,334 individuals of selected third generation's Pacific abalone produced in 2011. Family variations of 865 individuals of the upper 10 families with the largest number were inspected. Overall mean in phenotypic traits of 18-month-old Pacific abalone which was investigated in this study showed 54.5 mm of shell length, 36.8 mm of shell width and 21.3 g of total weight respectively. And, variation coefficient of total weight was 51.0%, so variability of data was shown to be higher than 21.1% of shell length and 20.7% of shell width. The family effects showed significant difference by each family (p < 0.05), and heritability of shell length, shell width, and total weight was medium with 0.370, 0.382, and 0.367 respectively. So it is considered that family selection is more advantageous than individual selection. On the basis of breeding values of estimated shell length and total weight, to investigate distribution and ranking by each individual about the upper 10 families with the largest number of individuals, the values were used by being changed into standardized breeding values. Based on shell length, it was investigated that the individual number of the upper 5.4% is 152 and the number of the lower 5.4% is 8. In case of total weight, it was inspected that the individual number of the upper 5.4% is 164 and the number of the lower 5.4% is 1. Like these, phenotypic and genetic diverse variations between families could be checked. By estimating genetic parameters and breeding values of a population for production of the next generation, if they are used properly in selection and mating, it is considered that more breeding effects can be expected.