• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2003

The analysis of cow body parameters is important to provide some useful information fur cow management and cow evaluation. Present methods give many stresses to cows because they are invasive and constrain cow postures during measurement of body parameters. This study was conducted to develop the stereo vision system fur non-invasive analysis of cow body features. Body feature parameters of 16 heads at two farms(A, B) were measured using scales and nineteen stereo images of them with walking postures were captured under outdoor illumination. In this study, the camera calibration and inverse perspective transformation technique was established fer the stereo vision system. Two calibration results were presented for farm A and fm B, respectively because setup distances from camera to cow were 510 cm at farm A and 630cm at farm B. Calibration error values fer the stereo vision system were within 2 cm for farm A and less than 4.9 cm for farm B. Eleven feature points of cow body were extracted on stereo images interactively and five assistant points were determined by computer program. 3D world coordinates for these 15 points were calculated by computer program and also used for calculation of cow body parameters such as withers height. pelvic arch height. body length. slope body length. chest depth and chest width. Measured errors for body parameters were less than 10% for most cows. For a few cow. measured errors for slope body length and chest width were more than 10% due to searching errors fer their feature points at inside-body positions. Equation for chest girth estimated by chest depth and chest width was presented. Maximum of estimated error fur chest girth was within 10% of real values and mean value of estimated error was 8.2cm. The analysis of cow body parameters using stereo vision system were successful although body shape on the binocular stereo image was distorted due to cow movements.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.215-224
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• 2023

Background: Reproductive management practices play crucial roles to maximize the reproductive performance of cows, and thus contribute to farm profitability. We aimed to assess the reproductive management of cows currently practiced in the dairy farms in an urban farming system. Methods: A total of 62 dairy farms were randomly selected considering all size of farms such as small (1-5 cattle), medium (6-20 cattle) and large farms (> 20 cattle) from selected areas of Dhaka city in Bangladesh. The reproductive management-related parameters viz. estrus detection, breeding method, pregnancy diagnosis, dry cow and parturition management, vaccination and treatment of reproductive problems etc. were obtained in a pre-defined questionnaire during the farm visit. Results: The visual observation method was only used (100.0%; 62/62) for estrus detection irrespective of size of the farms; while farmers observed cows for estrus 4-5 times a day, but only for 20-60 seconds each time. Regardless of farm size, 89.0% (55/62) farms used artificial insemination (AI) for breeding the cows. Intriguingly, all farms (100.0%) routinely checked the cows for pregnancy at 35-40 days post-breeding using rectal palpation technique by registered veterinarian. However, only 6.5% (4/62) farms practiced dry cow management. Notably, all farms (100.0%) provided nutritional supplements (Vit D, Ca and P) during late gestation. However, proper hygiene and cleanliness during parturition was not practiced in 77.4% (48/62) farms; even though 96.7% (60/62) farms treated cows by registered veterinarian for parturition-related problems. Conclusions: While farmers used AI service for breeding and timely check their cows for pregnancy; however, they need to increase observation time (30 minutes/ observation, twice in a day: early morning and early night) for estrus detection, consider dry cow management and ensure hygienic parturition for maximizing production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.245-253
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• 2010

The base sequences representing human- and cow-specific 168 rRNA gene markers identified in a T-RFLP analysis were recovered from clone libraries. The human- and cow-specific primers were designed from these sequences and their specificities were analyzed with fecal DNAs from human, cow, and pig. The AllBac primer set showed positive results for all human, cow, and pig samples, whereas the human-specific primer set showed positive result only for the human sample but not for the cow or pig samples. Likewise, the cow-specific primer set showed positive results only for the cow sample but not for the human or pig samples. Real-time PCR assay with these primers was developed for the identification and quantification of fecal pollution in the river water. The human- and cow-specific markers were detected in the order of 9 $\log_{10}$ copies per gram wet feces, which were two orders of magnitude lower than those of total Bacteroidales. For the river water samples, the human-specific marker was detected in $1.7-6.2\;\log_{10}$ copies/100 ml water, which was 2.4-4.9 orders of magnitude lower than those of total Bacteroidales. There was no significant correlation between total Bacteroidales and conventional fecal indicators, but there was a high correlation between Bacteroidales and the human-specific marker. This assay could reliably identify and quantify the fecal pollution sources, enabling effective measures in the watersheds and facilitating water quality management.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.122-129
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• 2012

Purpose: Recent mechatronics technology is the most appropriate high technology in agricultural applications to save repetitious labor. Method: Cow's body parameters were measured by several traditional measurers. Image processing technology was used to measure automatically their parameters to reduce labor and time. The parameters were measured form a small model cow which is easily measured, instead to a real cow. The image processing system designed and built for this project was composed of a PC, grabber card, and two cameras, which are located on the side and the top of the model cow. Tests of verification had measured 10 dairy cows. Result: Nine parameters of the model cow's body were measured, and the difference between the real data and the data by image processing was less than 16.7%. Based on the results of the research, the parameters of a real cow had measured of chest depth, withers height, Pelvic arch height, body length, slope body length, chest width, hip width, thurl width, and pin bone width were compared with image processing data. Conclusions: In the Demonstration test, Result had obtained similar data of cow model experiments, and the most of errors were shown less than 5% relatively good result.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.580-585
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to determine cow characteristics and farm management factors during the dry period associated with early postparturient intramammary infection (IMI) and subsequent clinical mastitis (CM). Data were collected three times: before drying off (P1), during the dry period (P2), and 5 to 14 days after calving (P3), using questionnaires and farm investigation. Milk samples were aseptically collected for bacterial identification at P1 and P3. Factors associated with IMI and CM were analyzed using multiple logistic regression models. The final model showed that IMI in early postpartum was significantly associated with full insertion of dry cow antibiotic, dry cows in barns with a combination of tie and free stalls, body condition score (BCS) in dry period and after calving, and milk yield before drying off. For IMI cows, factors significantly associated with clinical expression of mastitis were having daily barn cleaning, teat disinfected with alcohol before administration of dry cow therapy, BCS before drying off, milk yield before drying off, and days in milk at drying off. In conclusion, both cow and farm management factors are associated with the IMI rate and subsequent expression of clinical signs of mastitis in early postpartum cows.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.231-235
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• 2001

Gestation duration of cow is an important economical trait. Shortening the gestation duration decreases the production cost and increases the competitiveness of Hanwoo industry. Thus, this study was carried out to analyse the effect of expected factors on gestation duration and make an alternative idea for reduced gestation duration. Gestation duration was not affected by cow-parity, but significantly affected by farm, Al year and sire. Therefore, reducing the gestation duration of Hanwoo may require both providing optimum feeding environment and nutrition management for cow and selecting optimum sire for AI.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.27-56
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• 2008

The controversy over the mad cow disease in Korea can be understood as a demonstration of complex and skeptical public sentiments toward the government that were all mixed with expectations, demands, hope and mistrust. The governments decision to resume the import of American beef turned such expectations into mistrust and public hope into nationwide resistance expressed in the form of candlelight vigils. This phenomenon can not be simply explained as a fear of risks. Concerns over mad cow disease were a trigger but they were riot sufficient cause to explain the nationwide controversy involving all the Koreans. It was mad cow disease that triggered a sharp confrontation between the government trying to stick to its decision to resume the import of American beef and the opponents who were not convinced by the government. In fact, this is not simply an issue of a disease. It is rather a complex issue of the acceptance of risks, the consistency of the government policy, trust in the government, and the public consensus on the government policy. In this context, this study analyzes the controversy over the mad cow disease from the perspectives of risk management, public policy-making, and public trust and social consensus-building.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.519-526
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• 2019

Objective: We determined the risk factors limiting first service conception (FSC) rate in dairy cows and their economic impact. Methods: Data were collected from 790 lactations regarding cow parity, peri- and postpartum disorders, body condition score (BCS), reproductive performance, and expenses associated with reproductive management (treatment, culling, and others). Initially, we identified the risk factors limiting FSC rate in dairy cows. Various biological and environmental factors, such as herd, cow parity, BCS at 1 month postpartum and first artificial insemination (AI), resumption of cyclicity within 1 month of calving, year, AI season, insemination at detected estrus or timed AI, peri- and postpartum disorders, and calving to first AI interval, were evaluated. Next, we evaluated the economic impact of the success or failure of FSC by comparing the expense associated with reproductive management until conception between cows that did or did not conceive at their first service. Results: Cows with BCS <3.0 had a lower probability of conceiving at first insemination (odds ratio [OR] = 0.64, p<0.05) than cows with $BCS{\geq}3.0$. Cows inseminated during summer were less likely to conceive (OR = 0.44, p<0.001) than cows inseminated during spring. Cows with peri- or postpartum disorders were less likely to conceive (OR = 0.55, p<0.001) than cows without disorders. Survival curves generated using MedCalc showed an 81 day extension in the mean interval between calving and conception in cows that failed to conceive over those that did conceive at first insemination. Cows failing conceive required additional expenditure on reproductive treatment ($55.40) and other management ($567.00) than cows that conceived at first insemination. Conclusion: Lower BCS, hot weather at first insemination, and peri- and postpartum disorders are risk factors limiting FSC, which result in an economic loss of $622.40 per dairy cow.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.52-59
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• 2015

Recently the dairy cow industry have faced environmental issues such as eutrophication, global warming, etc. An LCA was used to quantify the environmental impact of a dairy cow system and to identify key issues contributing to the impact. The system boundary crop cultivation for feeding dairy cow, feed production, rearing and manure management (cradle-to-gate). The functional unit was 1 kg of milk (fat protein corrected milk, FPCM) produced. Rearing and cultivation of feed crops stages in system boundary to the environmental impact of the domestic dairy cow system were dominant issues. Techniques such as suppression of enteric fermentation, improvement of the energy efficiency of farm equipment and apparatuses, management of leachate generated during the crop cultivation, and development of controling the loss of fertilizer during crop production would be necessary for the improvement of the environmental key issues of the dairy cow system.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.459-472
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• 2023

Korea is currently developing country-specific emission factors to support the 2050 zero-carbon campaign. Dairy cattle represent one of the largest livestock industries in Korea, and the industry is estimated to continue increasing because of an increase in milk demand. However, country-specific emission factors for dairy cattle are currently only available for calculating methane (CH₄) emissions from enteric fermentation. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate CH₄ and nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes from sawdust-bedded barn in dairy cow and steer, as well as dairy cattle manure composting lots. The greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes were quantified using the open-chamber method and gas chromatography. CH₄ fluxes from steer, dairy cow, and manure compost were 27.88 ± 5.84, 36.12 ± 10.85, and 259.44 ± 61.78 ㎍/head/s, respectively. N₂O fluxes from steer, dairy cow, and manure compost were 14.04 ± 1.27, 4.11 ± 1.57, and 3.97 ± 1.08 ㎍/head/s, respectively. The result of this study can be used to construct country-specific data for GHG emissions from manure management. Thus, the application of mitigation strategies can be prioritized based on the GHG profile and targeted source.