• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1452-1462
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with Agaricus blazei polysaccharide (ABP) at varying concentrations on the performance, egg quality, blood biochemistry, intestinal morphology, and microflora of quail. Methods: The study involved a total of 2,700 Korean quails, which were randomly divided into three groups. The measured variables encompassed productive performance, egg parameters, carcass parameters, serum metabolites, immune response parameters, antioxidative properties, and gut microbiome. Results: The addition of ABP did not have a significant effect on average daily feed intake. However, it was found to increase the average daily egg weight and egg production rate, reduce the feed-egg ratio. There were no significant impacts on egg quality measures such as egg shape index, egg yolk index and color, egg yolk and protein content. However, ABP supplementation significantly increased the Hough unit (p<0.01) and decreased the rate of unqualified eggs (p<0.01). Regarding serum parameters, the inclusion led to an increase in total protein concentration (p<0.05) and a reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.05). There were no significant effects observed on immune indicators such as immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgM. ABP supplementation increased the levels of serum antioxidant indicators, including glutathione peroxidase, total superoxide dismutase (p<0.05), and total antioxidant capacity colorimeter (p<0.05). Furthermore, ABP supplementation significantly elevated the intramuscular fatty acid content in quail meat. Additionally, ABP supplementation demonstrated a significant improvement in the diversity of gut microbiota and induced alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that dietary supplementation of ABP enhanced production performance and antioxidant capacity while increasing the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in quail muscle.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.283-286
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• 2009

The egg capsule of Hongeo koreana is newly described based on two egg capsules extracted from the uterus of a female collected near the type locality, the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The egg capsule of H. koreana has the following characters: medium sized, measuring 124.5~133.7 mm in total length including horns, 102.8~109.4 mm in length excluding horns, and 41.0~42.2 mm in maximum width; asymmetrical, with the egg capsule more convex ventrally in lateral view; the surface relatively smooth, with longitudinal striations distinct, and covered with masses of sticky silky fibers; anterior and posterior aprons distinct; all four horns short, tube-like in shape, elliptical in cross section, anterior horns recurved inwardly; respiratory fissure present at tip of each of the four horns. The color of the fresh capsule is bright brown.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1049-1056
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary glutamine (Gln) on the productive performance and egg quality of laying hens. A total of four hundred Lingnan Yellow laying hens aged 34 weeks were randomly assigned into four groups (100 laying hens/group), and fed, respectively, with diets supplemented with 0% (control group), 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8% Gln during the 6-week feeding period. The results were as follows. First, the productivity of laying hens fed with 0.8% Gln in diet was significantly increased (p<0.05); however, the egg quality (egg weight, yolk weight, shell weight, egg shape index, shell thickness, shell density, shell breaking strength, yolk color, yolk index, and Haugh unit) was not affected compared with that of the control group (p>0.05). Second, luteinizing hormone (LH) (p<0.01), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) (p<0.01), triiodothyronine ($T_3$), and tetraiodothyronine ($T_4$) contents (p<0.05) in blood of laying hens fed with 0.8% Gln in diets were also significantly improved, and greater improvement in the duodenum and oviduct structure was observed in that treatment group. This study indicated for the first time that diets with 0.8% Gln were able to increase the productive performance of laying hens through stimulating hormone secretion and better development of both the duodenum and oviduct structure in laying hens.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.241-245
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• 2002

During the breeding season of 1998, breeding ecology of the Great Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus orientalis) was studied at Yangsoo-ri and Yongdam-ri of the Yangpyung-gun, Kyunggi province, Korea. Egg-weight (CV: 6.25) was more variable than either length or breadth, and breadth was the least variable of the measures. Significant variations in overall egg-weight occurred between clutches, and that more of the total variation in egg-weight and shape are due to inter-clutch variation as to intra-clutch variation when the data were pooled. The last egg tends to be larger than the remaining eggs in the clutch of the Great Reed-Warbler, suggesting the Great Reed-Warbler may adopt the brood-survival strategy. When method 3 was used, the most common incubation period is 12 days. In the Great Reed-Warbler, the length of the incubation period was related to clutch-size when method 1 (r=0.485, p<0.05) and method 2 (r=0.621, p<0.01) were employed, but not related to egg weight. The averagee number of days of hatching asynchrony was 2.5, raging 0.5~2.5. Asynchronous hatching was related to the clutch size (r=0.66, p<0.01). Hatching sequence was closely related to the laying sequence (r=0.93, p<0.001), suggesting Great Reed-Warblers incubate their eggs before clutch completion. The effect of egg weight on hatching asynchrony was found in Great Reed-Warblers (t-test, p<0.01).

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 1997

Develoment precess and characteristics of eggs of the geoduck clam, Panope japonica are reporting in this study. Eggs and sperm were excised from gonad, artificially fertilized in an aquarium, reared under various temperature regimes, and record and record the larval period and the time need to reach a certain larval stage from ferilization. Unfertilized eggs of P. japonica appeared to be oval with a mean diameter of $70\mu$m and they became spherical after fertilization. The eggs of P. japonica can be classified as demersal. At a constant water temperature of $ 11^{citc}C$, it took 4 hours form fertilization to become four-cell stage, two days to become trochophore larvae, three days to become D-shape larvae, twenty-three days to become umbo stage, and thirty-six days to become fully grown veliger ready form settlement. A negative correlation was observed between the water temperature and the larval period of P. japonica. From fertilization to D-shape larvae, it took five days at 8$^{\circ}C$, while it was only two days to become D-shape larvae at $ 17^{citc}C$. Time required to D-shape larvae from fertilization was proportional to temperature, and the relationships were expressed as follows : To 8-cell stage, 1/t=0.0209 w-0.1167 (r=0.9967) To blastula stage, 1/t=0, 0055 w-0.0192 (r=0.9825) To trochophore stage, 1/t=0.0034 w-0.0155 (r=0.9907) To D-shape larvae stage, 1/t=0.0014 w-0.0023 (r=0.9843) (t, time in hours ; w, water temperature) Bioligical minimum temperature for egg development was calculated as 3.82$^{\circ}C$ in average.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1006-1013
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• 2015

Heat-stress remains a costly issue for animal production, especially for poultry as they lack sweat glands, and alleviating heat-stress is necessary for ensuring animal production in hot environment. A high ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-producer Lactobacillus strain was used to investigate the effect of dietary GABA-producer on laying performance and egg quality in heat-stressed Hy-line brown hens. Hy-Line brown hens (n = 1,164) at 280 days of age were randomly divided into 4 groups based on the amount of freeze-dried GABA-producer added to the basal diet as follows: i) 0 mg/kg, ii) 25 mg/kg, iii) 50 mg/kg, and iv) 100 mg/kg. All hens were subjected to heat-stress treatment through maintaining the temperature and the relative humidity at $28.83{\pm}3.85^{\circ}C$ and 37% to 53.9%, respectively. During the experiment, laying rate, egg weight and feed intake of hens were recorded daily. At the 30th and 60th day after the start of the experiment, biochemical parameters, enzyme activity and immune activity in serum were measured. Egg production, average egg weight, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and percentage of speckled egg, soft shell egg and misshaped egg were significantly improved (p<0.05) by the increasing supplementation of the dietary GABA-producer. Shape index, eggshell thickness, strength and weight were increased linearly with increasing GABA-producer supplementation. The level of calcium, phosphorus, glucose, total protein and albumin in serum of the hens fed GABA-producing strain supplemented diet was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the hens fed the basal diet, whereas cholesterol level was decreased. Compared with the basal diet, GABA-producer strain supplementation increased serum level of glutathione peroxidase (p = 0.009) and superoxide dismutase. In conclusion, GABA-producer played an important role in alleviating heat-stress, the isolated GABA-producer strain might be a potential natural and safe probiotic to use to improve laying performance and egg quality in heat-stressed hens.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2009

The ultrastructure of the fertilized egg envelope in Cichlasoma managuensis belonging to Cichlidae were investigated by routine light and electron microscopes. The fertilized eggs of Cichlasoma managuensis was of the light yellow, non-transparent, ellipsoidal, adhesive and nonfloted type. The size of fertilized egg was the major axis $1.92{\pm}0.08\;mm$, the minor axis $1.43{\pm}0.04\;mm$. The egg envelopes have a single micropyle, which is thought to the pathway of sperm in the area of the animal pole. An outer surface of fertilized egg envelope was covered by a adhesive reticular structures and the fertilized egg envelopes consisted of two distinct layers; an outer adhesive layer and an inner layer of $13{\sim}15$ horizontal lower electron density lamellae alternating with interlamellae of higher electron density. The external shape of fertilized egg is common trait of fishes belonging to Cichlidae and these ultrastructural characters of fertilized egg envelope can be utilized in taxonomy of teleost.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.500-508
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• 2024

Objective: Due to current selection practices for increased egg production and peak persistency, the production profile, age at maturity, and body weight criteria for commercial layers are constantly changing. Body weight and age at the time of photostimulation will thus always be the factors that need to be adequately addressed among various production systems. The current study was carried out to determine the effects of pullets' body weight (low, medium, and heavy) on their performance, welfare, physiological response, and hormonal profile. Methods: With regard to live weight, 150 16-week-old pullets were divided into three groups using a completely randomized design (CRD) and held until the 50th week. One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the data under the CRD, and the least significant difference test was used to distinguish between treatment means. Results: In comparison to the medium and light birds, the heavy birds had higher body weight at maturity, an earlier age at maturity, and higher egg weight, eggshell weight, eggshell thickness, egg yolk index, breaking strength, egg surface area, egg shape index, egg volume, and hormonal profile except corticosterone. However, the medium and light birds had lower feed consumption rates per dozen eggs and per kilogram of egg mass than the heavy birds. Light birds showed greater body weight gain, egg production, and egg specific gravity than the other categories. At 20 weeks of age, physiological response, welfare aspects, and catalase were non-significant; however, at 50 weeks of age, all these factors-aside from catalase-were extremely significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that layers can function at lower body weights during photostimulation; hence, dietary regimens that result in lighter pullets may be preferable. Additionally, the welfare of the birds was not compromised by the lighter weight group.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.234-238
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• 2008

We studied the effects of temperature and salinity on the egg development and hatching rate of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus under laboratory culturing condition. The fertilized eggs were transparent, spherical, separate in shape and turned out to be separately and floated, and they contained one oil globule. Fertilized eggs are $0.91{\sim}1.33\;mm$ in diameter. The time of egg development was positively proportional to water temperature with 70 hrs, 48 hrs, 42 hrs, 34 hrs, after fertilization in $16^{\circ}C$, $20^{\circ}C$, $24^{\circ}C$, $28^{\circ}C$, respectively. Hatching rate was highest with the range of $20{\sim}24^{\circ}C$ and $33{\sim}35\;psu$. The relation between the time of egg development (t: hour) and water temperature (T:$^{\circ}C$) was represented by the mathematical formulae. The mean biological minimum temperature was $6.9^{\circ}C$.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.287-295
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• 2017

This study was conducted to observe egg and larvae morphological development of carp to obtain basic data for resource conservation and taxonomic research. Brood carp used in the research (total length 67.3-75.5 cm, average $71.0{\pm}3.45cm$) were bred in a circular rearing aquarium ($600{\times}300{\times}100cm$) using a running water system from January to July, 2015. Breeding water temperature was maintained at $23.0-25.0^{\circ}C$(average $24.0^{\circ}C$). Fertilized carp eggs were translucent and globular, and their size was 1.75-1.89 mm (average $1.82{\pm}0.06mm$). Blastoderms formed 10 min after fertilization and reached the two-cell stage 30 min after fertilization. Then, the embryo turned dark and exhibited melanophores, and blood started flowing from the heart across the egg yolk at 42 hrs and 50 min after fertilization. Hatching began 70 hrs and 26 min after fertilization larvae emerged through the egg membrane, starting from the head. The length of prelarvae immediately after hatching was 5.23-5.38 mm (average $5.31{\pm}0.11mm$) the mouth and anus were closed, and the pectoral fin was formed. Postlarvae at 18 days after hatching had a total length of 11.9-13.9 mm (average $12.9{\pm}1.40mm$), separate anal fin and back membranes, and fin ray. Juveniles fish at 35 days after hatching had a total length of 29.9-30.2 mm (average $30.1{\pm}0.13mm$), with the body covered with scales, and the same number of fin rays, color, and shape as their broodstork.