• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.627-637
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• 2023

As the population and income levels rise, meat consumption steadily increases annually. However, the number of farms and farmers producing meat decrease during the same period, reducing meat sufficiency. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has begun to be applied to reduce labor and production costs of livestock farms and improve productivity. This technology can be used for rapid pregnancy diagnosis of sows; the location and size of the gestation sacs of sows are directly related to the productivity of the farm. In this study, a system proposes to determine the number of gestation sacs of sows from ultrasound images. The system used the YOLOv7-E6E model, changing the activation function from sigmoid-weighted linear unit (SiLU) to a multi-activation function (SiLU + Mish). Also, the upsampling method was modified from nearest to bicubic to improve performance. The model trained with the original model using the original data achieved mean average precision of 86.3%. When the proposed multi-activation function, upsampling, and AutoAugment were applied, the performance improved by 0.3%, 0.9%, and 0.9%, respectively. When all three proposed methods were simultaneously applied, a significant performance improvement of 3.5% to 89.8% was achieved.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.949-956
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• 2005

The weekly ultrasound scanner (US) observations of reproductive organs in a commercial dairy herd with the popular stanchion style management were conducted for over 26 months. Based on reproductive records, the following were evaluated: 1) the effect of postpartum period commencement of US monitoring on herd reproductive efficacy, and 2) the effectiveness of a US monitoring-based diagnosis and subsequent treatments of reproductive disorders on postpartum reproductive efficiency. The reproductive parameters of cows, which were subjected to US monitoring between Days 30-40 (Day 0 = day of parturition), Days 41-50, Days 51-60, and above Day 61, were compared. The reproductive parameters of cows diagnosed as having reproductive disorders (RD) with US monitoring before or after the first artificial insemination (AI) were also compared. It was found that the day of commencement of US monitoring in cows diagnosed with and without RD significantly affected the period towards the first AI and the open period. In particular, cystic follicles and anoestrus detected either before or after the first AI significantly affected herd reproductive efficiency. The implementation of US monitoring improved reproductive efficiency by reducing the open period and increasing the number of milking cows in the herd. The results of this field trial indicate that the postpartum reproductive management of dairy cows with the use of the US monitoring system is one strategy to improve reproductive efficiency, especially in a high-yielding dairy herd reared stanchion management style.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.230-239
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• 1999

Digital color doppler ultrasonographic system(DCDUS) has a lot of diagnostic functions. One of these is a detection of low velocity vessels in the organs of abdominal cavity. The purpose of study was to determine the clinical usefulness of DCDUS. Interlobar artery resistive index(RI), pulsatility index(PI) and systolic diastolic ratio(SDr) were measured for diagnosis of obstructed urinary tract. RI, PI and SDr were a measure of intrarenal blood flow impedance. This study was consisted of 2 groups. The normal group was studied in 16 normal adult dogs and the study group was studied 7 dogs with surgically induced, unilateral ureteral obstruction. In the study group, parameters were checked in normal condition and on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10th day after ligation. The result were summarized as follows. In the normal group, RI, PI and SDr of the left kidney was $0.65{\pm}0.04$, $1.25{\pm}0.12$ and $292.45{\pm}29.40$, respectively. RI, PI and SDr of the right kidney were $0.64{\pm}0.05$, $1.28{\pm}0.20$ and $282.25{\pm}37.26$, respectively. In the study group, RI of the left kidney induced ligation was increased significantly on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10th day. RI of the left kidney on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10th day were $0.75{\pm}0.05$, $0.71{\pm}0.03$, $0.74{\pm}0.04$, $0.74{\pm}0.02$, $0.73{\pm}0.02$ and $0.73{\pm}0.04$, respectively. PI of the left kidney was increased significantly on 1, 3, 5 and 7th day. PI of the left kidney on 1, 3, 5 and 7th day were $1.57{\pm}0.21$, $1.54{\pm}0.24$, $1.60{\pm}0.15$ and $1.60{\pm}0.26$, respectively. SDr of the left kidney increased significantly on 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7th day. SDr of the left kidney on 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7th day were $412.18{\pm}86.69$, $352.14{\pm}47.05$, $399.77{\pm}65.54$, $369.43{\pm}48.34$ and $365.57{\pm}22.46$, respectively(p<0.05). In the study group, RI of the left kidney was more increased than that of the right kidney on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10th day. PI of the left kidney was more increased than that of the right kidney on 1, 3, 5, and 7th day. SDr of the left kidney was more increased than that of the right kidney on 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7th day(p<0.05). RI was effective in the diagnosis of an acute unilateral ureteral obstruction. PI and SDr were insufficient in the diagnosis of an acute unilateral ureteral obstruction.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.1186-1190
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• 2002

One hundred and twenty nine primiparous sows were used to determine the effects of alternative processing procedures and feeding systems on the nutritional value of sorghum grain-based diets for lactating sows. Treatments were a ground sorghum control, steam-flaked sorghum and extruded sorghum fed in meal form and the ground sorghum control given as pellets or gruel (1:1 ratio of water and feed on a volume:volume basis). Average daily feed intake was greater for sows fed pelleted and gruel diet forms than sow fed the diets with steam-flaked and extruded sorghum (p<0.04). However, no differences occurred in sow weight or backfat losses among the treatments (p>0.14). Number of pigs weaned and livability rates were similar among treatments except that steam-flaked sorghum supported greater litter weight gains than extruded sorghum (p<0.02). Apparent digestibilities of DM, N and GE in sows fed steam-flaked and extruded sorghum were greater (p<0.001) than in sows fed pelleted or gruel diets. Of the various treatments, sows fed extruded sorghum tended to have the highest digestibilities of DM, N and GE, and lowest excretions of DM and N in the faeces. Severity of ulceration was not significantly affected by treatments (p>0.35), but keratinization was greatest for sows fed extruded sorghum (p<0.01). In conclusion, the alternative processing methods (steam-flaking and extrusion) and feeding system (pellets and gruel) had little effect on sow and litter performance. However, nutrient digestibilities were improved for all treatments that involved heating (steam flaking, extrusion and pelleting) and, thus, these treatments resulted in less fecal excretion of DM and N.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1096-1104
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• 2010

This bio-acoustic study was aimed at classifying the different porcine wasting diseases through sound analysis with emphasis given to differences in the acoustic footprints of coughs in porcine circo virus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MH) - infected pigs from a normal cough. A total of 36 pigs (Yorkshire${\times}$Landrace${\times}$Duroc) with average weight ranging between 25-30 kg were studied, and blood samples of the suspected infected pigs were collected and subjected to serological analysis to determine PCV2, PRRS and MH. Sounds emitted by coughing pigs were recorded individually for 30 minutes depending on cough attacks by a digital camcorder placed within a meter distance from the animal. Recorded signals were digitalized in a PC using the Cool Edit Program, classified through labeling method, and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and discriminant analysis. Input features after classification showed that normal cough had the highest pitch level compared to other infectious diseases (p<0.002) but not statistically different from PRRS and MH. PCV2 differed statistically (p<0.002) from the normal cough and PRRS but not from MH. MH had the highest intensity and all coughs differed statistically from each other (p<0.0001). PCV2 was statistically different from others (p<0.0001) in formants 1, 2, 3 and 4. There was no statistical difference in duration between different porcine diseases and the normal cough (p>0.6863). Mechanisms of cough sound creation in the airway could be used to explain these observed acoustic differences and these findings indicated that the existence of acoustically different cough patterns depend on causes or the animals' respiratory system conditions. Conclusively, differences in the status of lungs results in different cough sounds. Finally, this study could be useful in supporting an early detection method based on the on-line cough counter algorithm for the initial diagnosis of sick animals in breeding farms.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.235-244
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• 2002

This study was carried out to determine the blood and milk progesterone by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) in cows. MUN and protein concentration were determined using automated infared procedures. The optimum conditions of ELISA system was investigated including the first and second antibody titres, bound percent, and enzyme conjugate and also the factors on MUN and protein concentration by sampling procedures and addition of preservatives. Progesterone antibodies did not react to pregnenlone, testosterone, estrone, estradiol-l7$\beta$, aldosterone, cortisol, corticosterone and 11$\alpha$-dehydroxycortisone (DOC), but reacted with only progesterone. The intra and inter-assay coefficient of variation 4.5%, 6.1~9.4% when used of bovine serum. The morning, MUN concentration (17.6$\pm$2.8 mg/100 ml) in the 13 herds was similar to that of evening MUN concentration of the lactating cows from the same herd. A significant relationship between morning and evening milk samples of upper parameters was found r=0.93. Difference in MUN concentration with sampling procedures and using of preservatives were investigated.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 2023

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease caused by damage to brain neurons related to dopamine. Non-clinical animal models mainly used in Parkinson's disease research include drug-induced models of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and 6-hydroxydopamine, and genetically modified transgenic animal models. Parkinson's diagnosis can be made using brain imaging of the substantia nigra-striatal dopamine system and using a radiotracer that specifically binds to the dopamine transporter. In this study, ¹⁸F-N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2β-carboxymethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane was used to confirm the image evaluation cutoff between normal and parkinson's disease models, and to confirm model persistence over time. In addition, the efficacy of single or combined administration of clinically used therapeutic drugs in parkinson's animal models was evaluated. Image analysis was performed using the PMOD software. Converted to standardized uptake value, and analyzed by standardized uptake value ratio by dividing the average value of left striatum by the average value of right striatum obtained by applying positron emission tomography images to the atlas magnetic resonance template. The image cutoff of the normal and the parkinson's disease model was calculated as SUVR=0.829, and it was confirmed that it was maintained during the test period. In the three-drug combination administration group, the right and left striatum showed a high symmetry of more than 0.942 on average and recovered significantly. Images using ¹⁸F-N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2β-carboxymethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane are thought to be able to diagnose and evaluate treatment efficacy of non-clinical Parkinson's disease.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.781-791
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• 2024

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is a single-stranded, positive-sense ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus belonging to the genus Pestivirus of the Flaviviridae family. BVD frequently causes economic losses to farmers. Among bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) strains, BVDV-1b is predominant and widespread in Hanwoo calves. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an essential method for diagnosing BVDV-1b and has become the gold standard for diagnosis in the Republic of Korea. However, this diagnostic method is time-consuming and requires expensive equipment. Therefore, Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-Cas (CRISPR-Cas) systems have been used for point-of-care (POC) testing of viruses. Developing a sensitive and specific method for POC testing of BVDV-1b would be advantageous for controlling the spread of infection. Thus, this study aimed to develop a novel nucleic acid detection method using the CRISPR-Cas13 system for POC testing of BVDV-1b. The sequence of the BVD virus was extracted from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NC_001461.1), and the 5' untranslated region, commonly used for detection, was selected. CRISPR RNA (crRNA) was designed using the Cas13 design program and optimized for the expression and purification of the LwCas13a protein. Madin Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells were infected with BVDV-1b, incubated, and the viral RNA was extracted. To enable POC viral detection, the compatibility of the CRISPR-Cas13 system was verified with a paper-based strip through collateral cleavage activity. Finally, a colorimetric assay was used to evaluate the detection of BVDV-1b by combining the previously obtained crRNA and Cas13a protein on a paper strip. In conclusion, the CRISPR-Cas13 system is highly sensitive, specific, and capable of nucleic acid detection, making it an optimal system for the early point-of-care testing of BVDV-1b.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.359-364
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• 2014

This paper describes the development of needle type probe that measures temperature and injects medicine for both diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal pain syndrome (MPS). The size of trigger points is from several micrometers to millimeter. Therefore, it is required to develop a medical device that is capable of not only finding the trigger points by temperature measurement, but also injecting medicine at the exact location for treatment. To challenge these difficulties, thermocouple was fabricated on the surface of a needle using metal deposition process. Special type of stainless-constantan thermocouple was achieved from the stainless body of a needle itself and deposited constantan metal film. In particular, parylene coating enables to limit the temperature sensitive area to the end of the needle tip. Fabricated needle type probe produces $3.25mV/^{\circ}C$ of thermoelectric sensitivity and compared its performance with commercial T-type thermocouple in animal muscle sample.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.89-99
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to develop the diagnosis techniques for sex determination of rabbit embryos at preimplantation stage. To detect male specific sequences using polymerase chain reaction, two genes functional on sex determination including SRY and ZFX/Y genes were targeted using multiple oligonucleotide primer sets. Three of them for conserved SRY gene were used for appropriate amplification pattern, and then only one primer set #3 proved to be most efficient, showing male-specific strong signal ofamplified sequences. Using this male specific bandsfrom human, cattle, pig and mouse, the gender of rabbit was determined. As an another system for sex determination system, amplified 910bp fragment from ZFX/Y was digested with several restriction endonuclease and showed gender specific restriction fragments only by Hinf I. Using two different system for sex identification of rabbit in this study, blind tests for 17 samples was conducted and showed identical results from two different methods. And then, amplification limit of PCR reaction for template DNA was estimated using various amounts of DNA for both SRY and ZFX/Y systems, resulted as 20pg and 800pg, respectively. With this results, test for gender identification of rabbit embryos were performed using SRY derived amplification system. From total 22 embryos selected for its developmental state 18 were identified as male embryos, showing significant difference from expected sex ratio 1:1. This biased sex ratio was interpreted as to have been caused by the fact, reported by the fact, reported by several researchers, that male embryos develop more rapidly and are more resistant against the in vitro manipulation than female embryos.