• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.455-463
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• 2022

To understand functional changes of forest ecosystems due to climate change, correlation between decomposition rate of leaf litter, an important function of forest ecosystems, and microclimatic factors was analyzed. After 48 months elapsed, percent remaining weight of Quercus mongolica leaf litter was 27.1% in the east aspect and 37.0% in the west aspects. Decay constant of Q. mongolica leaf litter was 0.33 in the east aspect and 0.25 in the west aspect after 48 months elapsed. Initial C/N ratio of Q. mongolica leaf litter was 38.5. After 48 months elapsed, C/N ratio of decomposing Q. mongolica leaf litter decreased to 13.43 in the east aspect and 16.72 in the west aspect. Average air temperature and soil temperature during the investigation period of the research site were 8.2±9.0 and 9.1±9.3 in the east and 8.5±7.4 and 9.3±7.3℃ in the west aspect, respectively, with the west aspect showing higher air and soil temperatures. Soil moisture showed no significant difference between east and west aspects (average soil moisture: 19.4±11.0% vs. 20.5±5.7%). However, as a result of analyzing the correlation between decomposition rate and microclimatic factors, it was found that the decomposition rate and soil moisture has a positive correlation(r=0.426) in the east aspect but not in the west aspect. Our study shows that the correlation between decomposition rate and microclimatic factors can be significantly different depending on the direction of the aspect.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.39-51
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• 1994

When broiler litter was composted under the control of peak temperature of piles(uncontrolled, controled below $70^{\circ}C$ and below $60^{\circ}C$), changes of physical and chemical parameters were determined throughout the processing period. Broiler litter was composted in each of three $1.0{\times}1.0{\times}1.2m$ dimensional facilities for 8 weeks. After 5 to 6 weeks of composting, broiler litter was converted into the final compost with no ammonia odour, rice hull size of particle, and faint brown color. Central temperature of piles reached to the peak(about $69{\sim}70^{\circ}C$) within 3 to 4 days after composting and gradually decreased thereafter. The final product contained 26.5% of moisture, 9.0~9.1 of pH, and 14.0~14.3 of C/N ratio. The increase of C/N ratio with processing resulted from the considerable loss of N. The total wet weight of the final composts was an average of 38.3% of the initial weight, the dry weight of those 64.1%, and the organic matter weight of those 34.8%. Treatments of central temperature of composts did not affect changes of moisture, pH, C/N ratio, total wet weight, total dry weight, and total organic matter weight. In general, composted broiler litter was converted into the final product with little change in physical and chemical parameters after 5 to 6 weeks of processing. Nitrogen losses during the composting should be prevented for the improvement of the composting efficiency of broiler litter.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.77-88
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• 2021

Duck industry had a rapid growth in recent years. Nevertheless, researches to improve duck house environment are still not sufficient enough. Moisture generation of duck house litter is an important factor because it may cause severe illness and low productivity. However, the measuring process is difficult because it could be disturbed with animal excrements and other factors. Therefore, it has to be calculated according to the environmental data around the duck house litter. To cut through all these procedures, we built several machine learning regression model forecasting moisture generation of litter by measured environment data (air temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity and water contents). 5 models (Multi Linear Regression, k-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Regression, Random Forest and Deep Neural Network). have been selected for regression. By using R-Square, RMSE and MAE as evaluation metrics, the best accurate model was estimated according to the variables for each machine learning model. In addition, to address the small amount of data acquired through lab experiments, bootstrapping method, a technique utilized in statistics, was used. As a result, the most accurate model selected was Random Forest, with parameters of n-estimator 200 by bootstrapping the original data nine times.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.210-218
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• 2018

Background: Soil respiration (Rs) is a major factor of the absorption and accumulation of carbon through photosynthesis in the ecosystem carbon cycle. This directly affects the amount of net ecosystem productivity, which affects the stability and sustainability of the ecosystem. Understanding the characteristics of Rs is indispensable to scientifically understand the carbon cycle of ecosystems. It is very important to study Rs characteristics through analysis of environmental factors closely related to Rs. Rs is affected by various environmental factors, such as temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, litter supply, organic matter content, dominant plant species, and soil disturbance. This study was conducted to analyze the effects of micro-topographical differences on Rs in forest vegetation by measuring the Rs on the ridge and southern slope sites of the broadly established Quercus mongolica forest in the central Korean area. Method: Rs, Ts, and soil moisture data were collected at the southern slope and ridge of the Q. mongolica forest in the Mt. Jeombong area in order to investigate the effects of topographical differences on Rs. Rs was collected by the closed chamber method, and data collection was performed from May 2011 to October 2013, except Winter seasons from November to April or May. For collecting the raw data of Rs in the field, acrylic collars were placed at the ridge and southern slope of the forest. The accumulated surface litter and the soil organic matter content (SOMC) were measured to a 5 cm depth. Based on these data, the Rs characteristics of the slope and ridge were analyzed. Results: Rs showed a distinct seasonal variation pattern in both the ridge and southern slope sites. In addition, Rs showed a distinct seasonal variation with high and low Ts changes. The average Rs measurements for the two sites, except for the Winter periods that were not measured, were $550.1\;mg\;CO_2m^{-2}h^{-1}$ at the ridge site and $289.4\;mg\;CO_2m^{-2}h^{-1}$ at the southern slope, a difference of 52.6%. There was no significant difference in the Rs difference between slopes except for the first half of 2013, and both sites showed a tendency to increase exponentially as Ts increased. In addition, although the correlation is low, the difference in Rs between sites tended to increase as Ts increased. SMC showed a large fluctuation at the southern slope site relative to the ridge site, as while it was very low in 2013, it was high in 2011 and 2012. The accumulated litter of the soil surface and the SOMC at the depth range of 0~5 cm were $874g\;m^{-2}$ and 23.3% at the ridge site, and $396g\;m^{-2}$ and 19.9% at the southern slope site. Conclusions: In this study, Rs was measured for the ridge and southern slope sites, which have two different results where the surface litter layer is disturbed by strong winds. The southern slope site shows that the litter layer formed in autumn due to strong winds almost disappeared, and while in the ridge site, it became thick due to the transfer of litter from the southern slope site. The mean Rs was about two times higher in the ridge site compared to that in the southern slope site. The Rs difference seems to be due to the difference in the amount of litter accumulated on the soil surface. As a result, the litter layer supplied to the soil surface is disturbed due to the micro-topographical difference, as the slope and the change of the community structure due to the plant season cause heterogeneity of the litter layer development, which in turn affects SMC and Rs. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce and understand these micro-topographical features and mechanisms when quantifying and analyzing the Rs of an ecosystem.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1469-1477
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• 2014

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of magnesium sulfate ($MgSO_4$) during late gestation and lactation on sow and litter performance, fecal moisture, blood biochemistry parameters, immunoglobulin levels and milk composition in sows. Forty-eight sows ($Yorkshire{\times}Landrace$, 4th to 5th parity) were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatments supplemented with 0, 200, 400, or 600 mg/kg $MgSO_4$ (n = 12). The experiment started on day 90 of gestation and continued through day 21 of lactation. Blood samples were collected on day 107 of gestation, day 0 (farrowing) and 21 (weaning) of lactation for the analyses of the blood biochemistry parameters and immunoglobulin levels. The colostrum and milk samples were obtained on day 0 and 14 of lactation, respectively. Fecal samples were collected from the sows on day 107 of gestation as well as day 7 and 20 of lactation to determine fecal moisture content. The results showed that the survival percentage of piglets and the litter weight at weaning were decreased linearly (p<0.05) and other parameters of the sow or litter performance were not influenced (p>0.05) by $MgSO_4$ supplementation. The fecal moisture content of the sows were increased (p<0.05) linearly as dietary $MgSO_4$ increased on day 7 and 20 of lactation. Supplementation with $MgSO_4$ increased the plasma magnesium (Mg) level linearly (p<0.05) and had a trend to increase total protein level (p>0.05 and p<0.10). However, an increase in the dietary $MgSO_4$ level resulted in a linear decrease in the colostrum fat content (p<0.05). Dietary $MgSO_4$ supplementation enhanced the immunoglobulin G (IgG) level (linear, p<0.05) in plasma on day of farrowing and immunoglobulin A (IgA) level in colostrum (quadratic, p<0.05) and milk (linear, p<0.05) of the sows. These results indicated that supplementation with $MgSO_4$ during late gestation and lactation may have the potential to prevent sow constipation, but may also result in some negative effects.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.253-257
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• 2003

The suitability of processed cardboard(PC) as litter of broiler house was evaluated by comparing the growth performances of broiler chicks reared on the PC with those of birds reared on conventional rice hull litter(RH) as the control group. A total of 180 male broiler chick (5d old, Ross) were randomly divided into 2 groups and placed into 2 types of litter, PC and RH, with 3 replicates of 30 birds per replicate. Commercial broiler feeds and water were provided ad libitum for 5 weeks. The body weight gains of the birds reared on PC were heavier than those on RH(P<0.05). The average feed conversion rate of chicks reared on PC was appeared to be improved as compared to that of the control. The Enterobacter aerogens counts in PC were significantly rduced than those in the control litter(P<0.05), but a total number of Salmonella and E. coli were not affected by the litter materials. No difference was observed between the average moisture contents of the litters. The average mortality of the chicks reared on PC was significantly lower than that of RH(P<0.05). The results indicate that processed cardboard can substitute other conventional litter materials when the others are in short supply or expensive.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2001

Forming a part of "Cooperative Practical Study for the Modernization of the Management of National Forest", this study was conducted to provide overall ecological information for the natural regeneration of major tree species on the basis of community structural attributes in the deciduous forest ecosystem. Followings are summarized characteristics of the natural regeneration for the selected tree species. Betula costata : Although large number of seeds are dispersed by wind, they require mineral soils to germinate. Thick litter layer could be an obstacle to germinate. After germination, the seedling requires large amount of light for successful establishment. Acer mono : Characterized by high shade tolerance and weak drought resistance, the seedling should be overcasted with more than 50% of canopy coverage. High stand density should be maintained to produce good quality of timber. The potential of coppice may be high. Ulmus laciniata : Since this species needs high rate of troll moisture and light, around 60% of canopy coverage should be maintained to retain moisture and incoming light. The competition with other vegetation should be removed for the favor of successful seedling establishment. Fraxinus mandshurica : This species requires moist mineral soils to germinate. After germination, the seedling needs large amount of light and moisture for successful establishment. Site preparation should be applied to reduce competition with weedy vegetation. Fraxinus rhynchophylla : Interval of large seed crops may be highly varied. Thick litter layer could be an obstacle to germinate. Site preparation should be applied to reduce competition with weedy vegetation so as to achieve successful seedling establishment. Quercus mongolica : Including the difficulty of seed supply by the consumption, thick litter layer and mountain bamboo cover could be the obstacle to germinate. More than 50% of relative light intensity is necessary to achieve successful seedling establishment. Kalopanax pictus : Thick litter layer could be an obstacle to germinate. The seedling needs large amount of light and moisture for successful establishment. Abies holophylla : In spite of high shade tolerance, the growth rate in sapling stage may be extremely slow. Cornus controversa : Seeds (drups) are consumed and dispersed by animals, tending to be not sufficient in seed supply. This species requires large amount of light for successful germination and seedling establishment. Tilia amurensis : The difficulty of seed supply might be expected with low seed purity and double dormancy. Since thick litter layer could be an obstacle to germinate, the species requires moist mineral soils for successful germination. The potential of coppice may be extremely high.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.119-128
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• 2003

The two experiments in this study compared litter nitrogen (N) contents after broiler chicks were raised for 42 days. Experiment I compared litter treated with aluminum sulfate (alum) [Al$_2$(SO$_4$)$_3$ㆍ14$H_2O$] (T$_1$) with nontreated litter (T$_2$) when the broiler chicks were fed the same levels of dietary protein (23% for 0∼3 weeks, 21% for 4∼6 weeks) Experiment 2 compared the alum treated litters of broiler chicks fed high protein diets (T$_3$) having 20.4% protein for 0∼3 weeks and 19.3% for 4∼6 weeks, with lower protein diets (T$_4$) having protein levels of 18.0% for 0∼3 weeks and 17.0% for 4 6 weeks. Each treatment had four replicate cages. As shown in Table 1, T$_1$ had a significantly (P<0.0l) lower pH and significantly (P<0.05) higher total N (TN), NH$_4$-N and inorganic N (IN) than T$_2$. T$_1$ and T$_2$ had similar moisture, organic carbon (OC), NO$_3$-N and organic N (ON). Alum treatment increased available N (AN) significantly (P<0.05) from 13.75$\pm$0.0l mg/g to 14.90$\pm$0.01 mg/g and predicted available N (PAN) significantly (P<0.05) from 15.00$\pm$0.0l to 16.50$\pm$0.02. The C : N ratios were 18.84$\pm$0.40 (T$_1$) and 19.46$\pm$0.10 (T$_2$) while the C : ON ratios were 28.49$\pm$1.15 (T$_1$) and 28.34$\pm$0.20 (T$_2$) although C : N ratios or C : ON ratios did not show any difference between T$_1$ and T$_2$. In Table 2, T$_3$ had significantly (P<0.05) higher moisture, TN, NH$_4$-N, ON and IN than T$_4$, while the pH, OC and NO$_3$-N were similar in both groups. The AN of T$_3$ increased significantly (P<0.05) from 10.99$\pm$0.0l mg/g to 12.98$\pm$0.03 mg/g, while the PAN increased significantly (P<0.05) from 12.39$\pm$0.10 mg/g (T$_4$) to 14.68$\pm$ 0.30 mg/g (T$_3$). The C : N ratios increased significantly (P<0.0l) from 20.07$\pm$0.20 (T$_3$) to 24.40$\pm$0.10 (T$_3$). The C : ON ratios also increased significantly (P<0.0l) from 28.99$\pm$1.15 (T$_3$) to 35.51$\pm$0.20 (T$_4$). These current research results show increased AN contents and PAN contents in alum treated litter or with increased CP levels regardless of alum treatment. However, none of the litters in this study could initially increase mineralization.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.381-384
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• 1998

Twenty-three crossbred (Yorkshire $\times$ Duroc $\times$ Hampshire $\times$ Chester White) primiparous sows were used to evaluate the effects of the mineral-salt laxative in lactation diets on sow and litter performance. The sows were fed a sorghum-extruded soybean-based diet with .85% lysine, .90% Ca, .80% P, and 3.2 Mcal ME/kg. Sow body weight (p > .54) and backfat loss (p > .61), average daily feed intake (p > .42), and litter weight gain (p > .74) were not affected by the mineral-salt laxative in the diet. However, survivability of piglets was greater (p < .06) for sows with the mineral-salt laxative in their diet and, thus, number of pigs weaned was increased. As expected, fecal moisture was increased (p < .09) in sows fed the mineral-salt laxative. Apparent digestibilities of DM, N, and GE were not affected by treatment (p > .26). After weaning, stomachs were collected and scored for ulcers and keratinization using a scoring system of 0 = normal to 3 = severe. Severity of ulceration and keratinization was not significantly affected by treatment (row mean scores differ test p > .25), but scores for sows fed the diet containing the mineral-salt laxative were numerically lower than sows fed the control diet. Thus, our data indicate that sows fed the mineral-salt laxative during lactation had improved piglet survivability, greater fecal moisture, and tended to have fewer lesions in the mucosa of the stomach.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2013

The study was carried out in two different forest types viz., Banj oak and Chir pine forests to assess the variation in forest species composition and soil properties along altitudinal gradients in the Garhwal Himalayas. The results of the study showed that between the forests soil moisture was higher in Banj oak forest because of closed canopy and dense forest compared to Chir pine forest. The sand particles were reported higher in Banj oak forest which might be due to the addition of organic matter favouring coarse structure of soil, helping in holding maximum water in soils. However in the Chir pine forest low amount of soil organic matter and presence of clayey soil, develops soil compactness which reduces the penetration of water resulting in high soil bulk density. The higher accumulation of litter and presence of moisture in Banj oak forest favours higher nutrient level of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compared to Chir pine forest. The soil organic carbon also reduced with increasing altitude at both gradients. While bulk density has reverse trend with soil organic carbon in both the forests at different peaks of same region. In Banj oak forest, the highest density and total basal cover was reported 1,100 tree $ha^{-1}$ and 58.86 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. However, the highest values of density and total basal cover of Chir pine forest was 560 tree$ha^{-1}$ and 56.94 $m^2\;ha^{-1}$ respectively. The total density and basal cover of both the forests reduced with increasing altitude. The study concludes that Banj oak forest has better nutrient cycling ability, well developed foest floor and has a greater protective and productive features compared to the Chir pine forest which is without lower vegetation cover and having only pine litter accumulation which does not allow any other species to grow.