• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.824-832
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic correlations for related feed efficiency, growth, and carcass traits in Hanwoo cattle. Methods: Phenotypic data from 15,279 animals born between 1989 and 2015 were considered. The related feed efficiency traits considered were Kleiber ratio (KR) and relative growth rate (RGR). Carcass traits analyzed were backfat thickness (BT), carcass weight, eye muscle area, and marbling score. Growth traits were assessed by the average daily gain (ADG), metabolic body weight (MBW) at mid-test age from 6 to 24 months, and yearling weight (YW). Variance and covariance components were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood using nine multi-trait animal models. Results: The heritability estimates for related feed efficiency (0.28±0.04 for KR and RGR) and growth traits (0.26±0.02 to 0.33±0.04) were moderate, but the carcass traits tended to be higher (0.38±0.04 to 0.61±0.06). The related feed efficiency traits were positively genetically correlated with all the carcass traits (0.37±0.09 to 0.47±0.07 for KR, and 0.14±0.09 to 0.37±0.09 for RGR), except for BT, which showed null to weak correlation. Conversely, the genetic correlations of RGR with MBW (-0.36±0.08) and YW (-0.30±0.08) were negative, and those of KR with MBW and YW were close to zero, whereas the genetic correlations of ADG with RGR (0.40±0.08) and KR (0.70±0.05) were positive and relatively moderate to high. The genetic (0.92±0.02) correlations between KR and RGR were very high. Conclusion: Sufficient genetic variability and heritability were observed for traits of interest. Moreover, the inclusion of KR and/or RGR in Hanwoo cattle breeding programs could improve the feed efficiency without producing any unfavorable effects on the carcass traits.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.1491-1500
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• 2019

Objective: European pigs have been imported to improve the economically important traits of Thai pigs by crossbreeding and was finally completely replaced. Currently Thai indigenous pigs are particularly kept in a small population. Therefore, indigenous pigs risk losing their genetic diversity and identity. Thus, this study was conducted to perform large-scale genetic diversity and phylogenetic analyses on the many pig breeds available in Thailand. Methods: Genetic diversity and phylogenetics analyses of 222 pigs belonging to Thai native pigs (TNP), Thai wild boars (TWB), European commercial pigs, commercial crossbred pigs, and Chinese indigenous pigs were investigated by genotyping using 26 microsatellite markers. Results: The results showed that Thai pig populations had a high genetic diversity with mean total and effective ($N_e$) number of alleles of 14.59 and 3.71, respectively, and expected heterozygosity ($H_e$) across loci (0.710). The polymorphic information content per locus ranged between 0.651 and 0.914 leading to an average value above all loci of 0.789, and private alleles were found in six populations. The higher $H_e$ compared to observed heterozygosity ($H_o$) in TNP, TWB, and the commercial pigs indicated some inbreeding within a population. The Nei's genetic distance, mean $F_{ST}$ estimates, neighbour-joining tree of populations and individual, as well as multidimensional analysis indicated close genetic relationship between Thai indigenous pigs and some Chinese pigs, and they are distinctly different from European pigs. Conclusion: Our study reveals a close genetic relationship between TNP and Chinese pigs. The genetic introgression from European breeds is found in some TNP populations, and signs of genetic erosion are shown. Private alleles found in this study should be taken into consideration for the breeding program. The genetic information from this study will be a benefit for both conservation and utilization of Thai pig genetic resources.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.73-84
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• 2019

In this research, it is a basic study to investigate the population of birds using UAVs. The research area is Ardeidae species(ASP) habitat and has long-term monitoring. The purpose of the study is to compare the ASP populations which analyzed ground observational survey and UAVs imagery. We used DJI's Mavic pro and Phantom4 for this research. Before investigating the population of ASP, we measured the escape distance by the UAVs, and the escape distances of the two UAVs models were statistically significant. Such a result would be different in UAV size and rotor(rotary wing) noise. The population of ASP who analyzed the ground observation and UAVs imagery count differed greatly. In detail, the population(mean) on the ground observation was 174.9, and the UAVs was 247.1 ~ 249.9. As a result of analyzing the UAVs imagery, These results indicate that the lower the UAVs camera altitude, the higher the ASP population, and the lower the UAVs camera altitude, the higher the resolution of the images and the better the reading of the individual of ASP. And we confirmed analyzed images taken at various altitudes, the individuals of ASP was not statistically significant. This is because the resolution of the phantom was superior to that of mavic pro. Our research is fundamental compared to similar studies. However, long-term monitoring for ASP of South Korea's by ground observation is a barrier of the reliability of the monitoring result. We suggested how to use UAVs which can improve long-term monitoring for ASP habitat.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.424-433
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• 2021

The aim of this study is to explores the possibility of applying new aquaponics using guppies, a tropical fish breeding as companion fish at home, different from the aquaponics system using fish species such as loach, carp, and catfish for commercial purposes. To facilitate the application of Aquaponics at home, a system was established by connecting a water tank, water plants, hydroponic pots, plant growth LEDs, and Arduino sensors using Internet of Things(IoT) technology. As a hydroponic crops, lettuce that can be easily obtained and consumed at home was selected. In order to confirm the applicability of aquaponics using tropical fish, the growth rates of hydroponic crops in the same environment were compared as a control. The growth rate of aquaponics crops using tropical fish was about 77.4% of that of hydroponic crops. This will produce the same effect as hydroponic cultivation if conditions correspond with enough fish quantity to feed plant and appropriate pH control for growth are met. It can be seen that, and in the future, it can be used to develop an Aquaphonics standard system applicable at home.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.177-182
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• 2021

The fourth industrial revolution based on information and communication technology (ICT) becomes the center of society, and the overall industrial structure is also changing significantly. ICT refers to the hardware of information devices and the software technologies required for the operation and information management of these devices, and any means of collecting, producing, processing, preserving, communicating and utilizing them. ICT is integrated into industries and services or combined with new technologies in various fields such as robotics and nanotechnology to connect all products and services to the network. The development of ICT, which continuously creates new products and services, has spread to all sectors of the industry, affecting not only daily life but also the livestock sector recently. In agriculture, ICT technology can reduce production costs by efficiently managing labor and energy because it can improve quality and yield based on data on environmental and growth information such as temperature, humidity, light and soil. In particular, smart livestock is considered suitable for achieving livestock management goals because it can reduce labor force and improve productivity by remotely and automatically managing accurate information necessary for raising and breeding livestock with ICT devices. The purpose of this study is to propose the need for ICT technology by comparing farm productivity before and after ICT is introduced. The method of the study is to compare the productivity before and after the introduction of ICT in Korean beef farms, pig farms, and poultry farms. The effectiveness of the study proved the excellence of ICT technology through the production results before ICT introduction and the productivity improvement case of livestock farms that efficiently operated manpower management and reduced labor force after ICT introduction. The conclusion of this paper is to present the need for smart livestock through ICT adoption through case study results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.83-95
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• 2022

This study aims to present primary data for habitat restoration and artificial breeding conditions of L. unmunsana by identifying the habitat conditions and the larvae's food sources. In order to investigate the habitat characteristics of the adult L. unmunsana and land snails, which are the primary food sources for the larvae, field surveys were conducted on a total of 10 habitats in south-central parts of Korea including Sanseongcheon, Jeonju. The results revealed that the L. unmunsana habitat in the Sanseongcheon area had a broadleaf forest with a multi-layered vegetation structure, adjacent water features, and the north/northeast/northwest slopes with little effect of artificial lighting. The adult L. unmunsana in the Sanseongcheon area appeared from the end of May to the end of June, and was especially intensively observed around the middle of June. The most active time was from 23:30 to 00:30 with a temperature range of 19~22℃ and higher than 80% humidity. The peak count of the observed adults L. unmunsana was a total of 774 on June 11, 2021. In the case of land snails, 11 families and 23 species were observed in 10 habitats of L. unmunsana, and Euphaedusa fusaniana was the most extensive and the most observed in the five survey areas. The land snails of L. unmunsana habitats are mostly found under the organic layers of leaves and a fallen tree branch in broadleaf forests, where a thick organic material layer buffers temperature changes and provides high humidity for various snails. These habitat conditions are suitable for the larva of L. unmunsana and land snails to inhabit, feed, hide and hibernate.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.643-658
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• 2020

Animal welfare has become a prominent concern around the world so that the laws and guidelines of animal welfare are being strengthened in many countries including the EU. In Korea, it is required to supplement animal welfare standards because social awareness of animal welfare has changed. This study was conducted to compare broiler welfare certification standards and improve the quality of practice. We found that broiler welfare certification standards differ among countries according to environmental and managemental differences. Standards for stocking density and perch which is considered more important for poultry welfare are similar, but there is a little difference in feed, water, litter and lighting. Therefore, we assumed that theses are able to revise standards taking into account the environment and suggested that the broiler welfare certification standard will serve as a more useful criterion if breeding conditions in Korea are considered.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.103-114
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• 2022

Zoological Parks house exclusive animal species, thus creating a source of education and awareness for visitors. Big cats like tigers and leopards are among the most visited species in zoos globally. However, they often display stressful or stereotypic behaviours. Such behaviours are influenced by multiple factors including visitors, animal history, and captive environment. To understand this impact, we investigated the behavioural response of tigers and leopards to visitation, captive, and biological factors. The behaviour of eight big cats housed in the National Zoological Park, New Delhi, was monitored using focal sampling technique during May and June 2019. We recorded the captive and biological factors and visitor density for the subjects. The study revealed high proportions of inactive and stereotypic behaviours amongst the species. Tigers and leopards were found to perform stereotypic behaviours for 22% and 28% of their time, respectively. Generalised Linear Models revealed a significant variation of stereotypy in association with the factors. Stereotypy was influenced by visitor density, age, sex, breeding history, coat colour, and enclosure design. Adults, males, white-coated, previously bred, and those housed in smaller and simple enclosures display more stereotypy than young, females, normal-coated, unbred, and those housed in larger and complex enclosures, respectively. A high density of visitors induced more stereotypic behaviours amongst the big cats. As providing entertainment and awareness amongst the public is one of the fundamental objectives of the zoo, visitors can not be avoided. Thus, we suggest providing appropriate enrichments that would reduce stereotypies and promote naturalistic behaviours.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2022

Silkworms are very sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, and unless it is a suitable temperature and humidity to grow, the productivity and quality of silkworms are greatly reduced. Therefore, it is very important to manage temperature and humidity for silkworm feeding facilities. In particular, it is essential to install heating facilities in Asian countries with distinct seasonal changes. During the feeding period, many farms manage the temperature and humidity of feeding facilities by installing and using electric heaters inside the facilities. However, it is very difficult to manage the room temperature stably by the heaters. In addition, unlike the temperature inside the facility, silkworms could undergo severe temperature changes as the inside of the rearing tray could not be warm enough. In this study, in order to improve the previous heating method, the new rearing method that directly heats the bottom of the rearing tray was developed. Compared to the previous room-heating system, the novel heater-installed tray (HIT) system significantly reduced the change in temperature during the experimental period. In addition, the number of days of silkworm growth up to harvest was shortened, which was effective in growth performance, and it was also found that silkworms grew more uniformly in HIT system than in previous system. Moreover, as the heater tubes were installed directly under the rearing tray, it quickly dried mulberry leaves and silkworm feces after feeding, and as a result, the environment in the tray was greatly improved with decrease the labor of breeder. In conclusion, these results suggest that the heater-installed rearing tray method greatly improves silkworm quality, increases weight of silkworms, and final profits compared to the previous room heating system with electric heaters.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.390-397
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• 2022

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) is the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council. CAFF conducts Monitoring, Assessment, Policy, and expert group activities to preserve Arctic biodiversity and ensure the sustainability of biological resources and communicates the results to governments and indigenous peoples. The main tasks of CAFF consist of monitoring (Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program), assessment (Arctic Biodiversity Assessment) and strategic projects(Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative, AMBI). Korea has been directly participating in the AMBI since 2015 after acquiring observer status of the Arctic Council in 2013. The AMBI aims to preserve habitats on migration routes used by breeding birds in the Arctic and prevent illegal hunting. Thus, observer countries on migratory routes are directly participating in the project. When selecting priorities for participation in Arctic cooperation projects by 2030, Korea should consider continuing participation in AMBI and participating in the "CAFF Youth Program" in connection with the Arctic Academy program operated by Korea's public institutes.